The Harbinger Issue 16 2021

the harbinger.

SHAWNEE MISSION EAST 7500 MISSION ROAD PRAIRIE VILL AGE, KS 66208 M AY 2 4 , 2 0 2 1 VOLUME LXIII ISSUE 16

DEVELOPING

BRIGHT FUTURES CLASS OF 2021

East’s Class of 2021’s plans for after graduation and reflections on their time in high school coming to an end

02 | INSIDE COVER

MAY 24, 2021 | THE HARBINGER cover photo by photo editors | design by rose kanaley

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STOR I E S NEW VACCINE RULES Scan to read Caroline Woods’ news story about the new age restrictions for the Pfizer vaccine

HAWAIIAN BROS Scan to read Cesca Stamati’s review on the new location of the restaurant Hawaiian Bros

GA L L E R I E S THE WALKOUT Scan to view Hadley Chapman’s gallery of the Walkout organized to show support for Dr. Leonard

CA RTO O N

VARSITY L ACROSSE GAME Scan to view Macy Crosser ’s gallery of the Shawnee Mission Girls varsity lacrosse game against Blue Valley High School

PRINT EDITORS Catherine Erickson Rose Kanaley ONLINE EDITORS Riley Atkinson Lauren West ASST. PRINT EDITORS Celia Condon Annabelle Moore Sydney Newton ASST. ONLINE EDITORS Sophie Henschel Campbell Wood HEAD COPY EDITORS Phoebe Hendon Allison Wilcox PHOTO EDITORS Sarah Golder Trevor Paulus Julia Percy ASST. PHOTO EDITORS Noelle Griffin Elise Madden Megan Stopperan MOBILE MEDIA PHOTO EDITOR Megan Biles VIDEO EDITOR Lawder DeSantis Sydney Williams VIDEO TRAINING EDITOR Roberto Galicia BROADCAST EDITORS Megan Stopperan ASST. BROADCAST EDITOR Liv Olson Natalie Scholz PHOTO MENTORS Taylor Keal Megan Biles Annakate Dilks MJ Wolf Emma Kate Squires STAFF WRITERS Sophie Lindberg Madeline Funkey Elizabeth Mikkelson Lauren Dierks Cesca Stamati Lily Billingsley Caroline Gould Peyton Moore Mia Vogel Lyda Cosgrove Kelly Murphy Anna Mitchell Grace Allen Kate Heitmann Caroline Wood Ethan Enderle Ben Bradley Paige Zadoo Tommy Paulus Emma Brown Nora Lynn Greyson Imm August Hyde Christian Gooley Liv Olson Winnie Wolf

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

Anna Mitchell Madeline Funkey Grace Allen Kate Heitmann Caroline Wood Nora Lynn Sophie Lindberg August Hyde Christian Gooley ART EDITOR Celia Condon ASS. ART EDITOR Sophie Henschel Natalie Scholz STAFF ARTISTS Sophie Lindberg Lauren Dierks Nora Lynn Christian Gooley STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Ella Hans Emily Pollock Hadley Chapman Jill Rice Lily Mantel Maggie Merckens Molly Schumm Rachel Bingham Sabrina Dean Tristen Porter Macy Crosser Maggie Klumpp Charlotte Emley Kate Beaulieu Amina Sankpill VIDEO STAFF Lawder DeSantis Sydney Williams Liv Olson Roberto Galicia Marin Bryant SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Annabelle Moore ASST. SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Sophie Henschel Celia Condon Liv Olson SOCIAL MEDIA STAFF Lauren Dierks Mia Vogel Kelly Murphy Grace Allen Ethan Enderle Paige Zadoo Lauren West Riley Atkinson Rose Kanaley Lyda Cosgrove Maggie Merckens Nora Lynn Sophie Lindberg Madeline Funkey ADS MANAGER Caroline Wood CIRCULATION MANAGER Lyda Cosgrove COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER Anna Mitchell CONTEST COORDINATOR Celia Condon

THE HARBINGER | MAY 24, 2021

SENIOR SECTION | 03

photos by maggie merckens and elise madden | design by celia condon

EAST'S

From the art rooms to the math hallway, seniors have found their inseparable spots in the school that will be difficult to part with when they graduate

by sophie hensche l

WHETHER IT’S PLAYING catch with the stress balls they found in one of his drawers or snacking on fruit snacks, granola bars and Cheez-Its they’ve stashed away in one of his filing cabinets, seniors Isabelle Crofoot and Paige Peugot have created a safe space in math teacher Christopher Burrows’ room.

Burrows’ room has had a group of students before and after school for years now, regardless if students actually have him as a teacher and needed help with an assignment, or if they just need somewhere to go where they feel welcomed in a safe, supportive environment.

“He allows us to be in there and be ourselves and it doesn’t always have to be about school in his room, it can be like [having] a friend as well as a teacher,” Peugeot said.

Peugeot feels Burrows’ room has become a “spot” at East where students can go to laugh, learn and feel valued. Not only does Burrows dedicate himself to ensuring every student understands his content to the fullest, but he also prides himself in the inclusion of all students.

“He loves all of his people that come into his room, but he always makes sure that anyone new or any student that needs help can come and talk to him as well,” Peugeot said. “It’s never restricted to the people that are just always there.”

Through his sarcastic jokes, always-open ears and caring environment, Burrows has created a hub for students to find their niche in the school by encouraging students to talk to others and find their interests — making room 419 a spot at East that will be difficult for many seniors to leave.

“It’s all really professional but he’s always willing to listen if we need it,” Crofoot said. “I stop by quite a bit, I’ll probably go more than once a day besides my actual class just to even say hi [even] if I’m not hanging out.”

SPOTS

PUSHING THROUGH THE double doors to room 413B, the Hauberk seniors open the gates to the chaos of student-run hard work. Having started in room 521, the old Journalism room, the seniors have found their place in their new room at East, Hauberk editor and senior Katheryn Nachtigal says.

As the senior Hauberk members have grown older, they’ve used the J-room as a place for dedicated work, tears, laughs, lunches, power naps and dance parties. “[The atmosphere in the room] could be anywhere from dead silent with the lights off working on stuff, to our LED’s flashing and literally jamming out to music,” Hauberk editor and senior Olivia Johnson said.

“I think that’s going to be one of the hardest places leaving East for me... just because I’ve done everything in that room.”

Having spent endless nights of their high school careers working in the J-room on their self-acclaimed MacBooks or snuggled into the J-room couch, it’s become a second home for them. A place where they can receive feedback on their work, get to know each other on a personal level and grow into what feels like a family.

Through their late nights with their eyes peeled at

JUMPING FROM CONVERSATIONS about soldering jewelry pieces to creating the perfect texture on a ceramic mug without it cracking to what’s going on in a student’s love life, the lighthearted chaos is the the epitome of art teacher Jennifer Hensley’s room. It’s attracted countless students to gravitate to her room outside of their given class periods to pour themselves into a project, or just chat.

“She makes everyone’s art and everyone’s conversation feel welcome, and she’s really good at just allowing people to talk or telling stories that everyone can relate to and it’s always really interesting,” senior ceramics student Clara Hampton said. “It’s just really nice being able to stay after school and have a space where you can talk with anyone about art, or just anything.”

Hensley has created an atmosphere where students can learn while simultaneously taking a break from academically-driven classes, giving students more time to grow close with both Hensley and fellow classmates.

The open environment that exists within Hensley’s doors have allowed for students to grow close to others outside of their grade level, making it that much harder to accept the seniors’ departures, according to junior

the MacBook desktops in the backroom, Johnson feels they’ve created undying relationships with each other as well as memories and knowledge about how a staff runs that they’ll carry on with them in their college careers.

“It’s just going to be so weird never ever walking in it again unless I’m like there to visit,” said Nachtigal.

“Like today I had my last class period of yearbook and so walking out was just so weird because I was like ‘unless I stop by for whatever reason, I will not be back in this room.’”

Aina Lewis.

To Lewis, the welcoming, homey feel that Hensley creates for her students through opening up about personal stories and offering advice allows them to feel comfortable coming in before school, after school or during seminar for whatever they need — whether it be to learn a new desired technique for a project, to talk through whatever’s been stressing them out or even if they need nothing and just want people to talk to.

04 | SENIOR SECTION

MAY 24, 2021 | THE HARBINGER photos by photo editors | design by sophie henschel

TWINNING FROM AFAR Twins at East part ways for college, leaving each other for the first time

by celia condon

T H E P E T E RS THE SECOND SHE decided she was going to Texas Christian University, senior Ellie Peters grabbed her phone to see how long flights were from Forth Worth to Denver.

Thank goodness, a nonstop always available.

Ellie no longer had to be as nervous about saying goodbye to her twin sister, senior Ava Peters, when it came time to move off to college in the fall.

From Saturday night hangouts to coaching a soccer team together, the twins have spent the majority of the past 18 years together, making the process of moving off to college a little different than that of just a normal set of siblings.

“We’ve only been apart from each other maybe twice,” Ellie said. “And it was for like four days, one was when she went to Dallas, and the other was when I went to TCU a second time.

So it’s definitely going to be

hard.”

When it comes to major things, like being in two different states, the girls know that they’ll have a bit of adjusting to do. But the real differences and hard parts will come in the dayto-day activities, according to the twins.

“I’m going to need to get myself a planner as I’m no longer gonna have my human planner,” Ava said.

When it comes to staying on top of appointments, homework and events, Ellie is always there to remind Ava. “I kind of keep her more in order and she like loosens me up more...

I usually try to bring her up when she’s lazy. Being like, ‘Come on, we need to do this.’ But then when I’m uptight, she’ll bring me down,” Ava said.

Ellie and Ava plan to FaceTime at least once a day to keep each other balanced as they always do at home.

T H E FAYS FOR SENIOR TWINS Jake and Eli Fay, they knew that their college decisions wouldn’t have anything to do with one another. If they both ended up wanting to go to the same school, good. But if they ended up going separate ways, that would also be good.

However, when the two did decide on different schools, it was a relief that neither would be too far. With only a three hour road trip in between, Eli

T H E R O B I N E T TS SENIORS HOPE AND Hanna Robinett will be another set of twins spanning different states throughout college and taking significant time apart for the first time in their lives.

“I don’t know how I won’t have my best friend with me all the time,” Hanna said. “We just do everything together and not having someone to do everything with is going to be a big change and a lot different from what we’re doing now.”

Hanna is headed to University of

Ellie and Ava: 766 miles

will be off to Creighton University in Nebraska, and Jake to Kansas State University in Manhattan.

“We both tried to keep in mind that whatever our [college] decision would be, we would decide it without letting it affect each other at all,” Eli said. “It will be good to have a chance to kind of become my own person.”

The identical brothers have a similar story to that of the Peters girls, where being apart will be a completely new

experience.

“I don’t really know what the hardest part about it will be yet because there hasn’t really been a time in our lives where we’ve been separated for this long,” Jake said. “Even though we kind of have a love-hate relationship, I have to admit I’ll miss him a little bit.”

While the two will miss each other for obvious reasons, Jake is looking forward to no longer being called ‘Eli’ at least a few times a week.

Tulsa in the fall to play golf, something that won’t change much about her everyday activities. But saying goodbye to her twin sister, senior Hope Robinett, is what will make leaving KC the hardest. And Hope will be facing the same struggle when she leaves for Texas Christian University.

“She’s been my built-in best friend for 18 years,” Hope said. “Having to find like a ‘replacement’ is what will be most hard. I feel like all of a sudden I’ll feel like, ‘Oh my gosh, what happened?

Where did she go?’”

Besides the emotional aspect of leaving each other, the girls have finally had a chance to put thought into what it will be like to live without a mirror image of themselves walking around the same town as them all the time.

“The thing that’s going to be the most different is waking up in the morning and not having to make sure that I’m [not] wearing the same thing as Hanna,” Hope said. “It actually happens so much.”

Jake and Eli: 165 miles

Hope and Hanna: 309 miles

THE HARBINGER | MAY 24, 2021

SENIOR SECTION | 05

photos by trevor paulus | design by tommy paulus

HIGH SCHOOL TO HOSPITAL Students who plan to go into the medical field, and what they plan to study

S

by e m m a b rown

ST U D E N T:

Morghan Golloher

COLLEGE:

Baylor University

MAJOR:

Pre-Dental Track

itting in a dentist chair under anesthesia for three hours, senior Morghan Golloher saw a glimpse into her future.

She was getting her wisdom teeth out, and she realized the amount of care she was receiving from her dentist— he was taking care of her amidst a pandemic where he could be protecting his family. This was the final bit of encouragement for her to go all-in on the medical field.

Golloher, like several East students, were inspired by healthcare workers throughout the pandemic to pursue a career in medicine. This fall, Golloher will attend Baylor University where she’ll study medical humanities on a pre-dental track, then go into periodontics.

“Medicine was something that I always wanted to do, but for some reason there was something that was holding me back,” Golloher said. “I felt that I needed to continue to explore before I decided which track to go into.”

She knew she wanted to foster interpersonal relationships with patients, and this passion heightened during the pandemic after taking humanities ethics classes, which taught her more about the avenue of medicine she wanted to go into.

“I believe that COVID has changed my career path for the better, in the sense that when the pandemic started, I was able to take nine credit hours through the university I plan on attending this fall,” Golloher said.

Following college, Golloher plans on owning her own dentistry or periodontal office, along with helping people in her career.

Medicine was something that I always wanted to do, but for some reason there was something that was holding me back,

morghan golloher | senior

ST U D E N T:

Emmett Liljegren

COLLEGE:

U Southern Calif.

MAJOR:

Biochemistry

Golloher currently works in in Ward’s Periodontist, a dental office. She’s learned aspects of the dentist field such as cleaning tactics, identifying each dental tool and different types of oral diseases that people can have and hope to prevent. She mainly cleans and works the computers at the front desk, but she has gotten to see first hand what it’s like to work in this field.

Golloher recognized the care and caution dentists put into patients teeth, even with the threat of COVID-19. She realized that if her dentist was putting his family on the line to take care of her and her teeth, then she could do the same.

According to East Nurse Stephanie Ptacek,

COVID-19 there is a projected shortage of people in the medical field, especially as the population ages.

Ptacek says that once someone enters the medical field, there can always be a change of course. The amount of job opportunities the health industry provides allows flexibility with different jobs and people can always switch roles based on where they are in stages of life.

“There are many jobs available in healthcare,’’ Ptacek said. “Don’t just look at being a nurse or a doctor, there is a medical technology lab, some you work with patients some you don’t, so if you are interested in medicine there is really something for everybody.”

Golloher wants to emulate the ladies she works with at Ward’s Periodontist in preventing oral disease, which can which can involve different surgeries and treatments for periodontal disease. In her undergraduate, she’ll be studying basic principles such as biochemistry and organic chemistry as well as humanities which will all be preparation for taking the dental admission test.

INTO THE FUTURE

Students’ medical field plans

WHO, WHAT AND WHY RAGAN DUTCHER physicians Asst.

?

She wanted to do medicine, but not the 12 years of school with it

MEREDITH MCGANNON nurse

Don’t just look at being a nurse or a doctor, there is a medical technology lab, some you work with patients some you don’t

stephanie ptacek | school nurse Golloher also plans on going to dental school for four years and possibly med school to study maxillofacial training — which requires a four year graduate degree in dentistry and the completion of a minimum four year hospital surgical residency program.

Senior Emmett Liljergren also plans on following the medical path, but he’s pursuing pediatrics. As someone who loves science, helping people and kids — pediatrics was the ideal mix of all three.

Liljegren will major in biochemistry at University of Southern California where he was offered a full-tuition scholarship into medical school. The scholarship encouraged him to join the medical force and work alongside patients even more.

Seeing people struggle with the virus and medical care being inaccessible motivated Liljegren to want to get more involved in the medical field. “[COVID-19] made me want to help people more, it definitely encouraged me to want to become a doctor, so I can help when stuff [like the pandemic] happens,” Liljegren said. “I also want to work with kids and help them be happy and that is my main goal — to work with people and make them healthy.”

?

Nurses helped her aunt who battled cancer and she wanted to do the same

KIM SCHUTLZER nicu

?

She likes working with babies and wanted to help them out in the future

27% of seniors plan on going into the medical field *Instgram poll of 138 seniors

06 | SENIOR SECTION

MAY 24, 2021 | THE HARBINGER photos by photo editors | design by sydney newton

A SENIOR

SALUTE

DAVID CRABB

Two seniors are pursuing a future in the military following high school graduation

A

by sophie lindberg

ssembling his parents in the living room, then-junior Joseph Dalton passed around a form he’d gotten from a military recruiter.

He had decided to join the Marine Corps.

His mom was speechless — her jaw dropped.

“My mom was scared,” Dalton said. “I’ve never seen her so shocked. I’m the youngest and so all my family members went to college. So when I told her that I wanted to go into the Marines, she was like, ‘What the hell are you doing?’ like what a typical mom would say.”

Now a senior, Dalton started considering a military career in eighth grade, but took action his junior year of high school. Now, after signing a four-year infantry contract, Dalton is preparing to head out to San Diego on June 21 for boot camp.

At 17, he began taking trips to the Marine Corps Office in Olathe, Kan. to exercise with other people joining the Marines. Running three miles, being guided through command drills and lifting weights helped him connect with his future shipmates, and get stronger for his future career.

“It kind of helps with, ‘Is this for me? Is this what I want to do every day? Is this really what you want to do?’” Dalton said. “So that’s what I thought of, but as I started going to PT — physical training — more often, I started thinking, ‘Yeah, this is, this is what I want to do.’”

The training has not only prepared Dalton for the physical aspects of the undertaking, but the intense physical strain experienced at boot camp, which he must attend beginning July 14. The boot camp, or recruitment training, is a 13-week long intensive program to prepare recruits mentally and physically for their military careers. Dalton expects to be challenged by the camp, with days starting at 5 a.m., long class

leaving July 14.

Crabb is going into the Navy for the fast-paced work and the many responsibilities like maintaining systems and electronics to collecting enemy data of shipping installments.

“There’s a mental test that you take, kind of like an ACT for the military,” Crabb said. “And you are first trying to find out what jobs you’re eligible for and so I studied some for that, and then just most of the other stuff I’ve been doing has been workouts and swimming, and all that stuff because I’m going into Special Warfare so it’s a lot more physically intensive.”

It kind of helps with, ‘Is this for me? Is this what I want to do every day? Is this really what you want to do?’ So that’s what I thought of, but as I started going to PT — physical training — more often, I started thinking, ‘Yeah, this is, this is what I want to do.’

joseph dalton | senior

Because Special Warfare in the Navy has specific training, the first two years of Crabb’s contract are setting up the sailors for their combat and special intelligence. Dalton is starting as a mortar operating man, but hopes to become an Embassy Guard after the second year, a security guard for embassies across the globe.

Dalton plans to attend the University of Colorado Boulder after serving, with hopes to earn his associate degree and college credit while in the military.

“There’s no way I could [serve in the military] for 20 years,” Dalton said. “I think it’s just more like, ‘OK, I got my four years out of the way. I did my time. That’s armed services vocational aptitude all I need to do.’” battery test Although free college tuition is a draw to joining the A test a l l m i l i ta r y re cruits must take in order to d ete r m i n e t h e i r a pt i tude for their job with a scoring military after high school, staying away from friends system from 0 - 9 9. and family for extended periods of time and potentially life-threatening situations remain a concern. sessions, intense cardio and even exposure to tear gas.

“I mean there’s always that fear of like, ‘Oh I’m “My expectations are you’re going to be [getting] gonna die or I might get my leg blown off’ or something screamed at a lot, you’re going to be running a lot, like that,” Dalton said. “There’s always a fear but you you’re going to be doing too many push ups, you’re should definitely know what you’re getting into. But gonna be waking up at five. It’s gonna suck, but get it’s such a reward knowing that you’re serving your used to it,” Dalton said. “Just be mentally prepared and country.” be physically prepared.”

Similar to Dalton, senior David Crabb is preparing for his departure to Navy boot camp in North Chicago,

JOE DALTON

THE HARBINGER | MAY 24, 2021

SENIOR SECTION | 07

photos by photo editors | design by elizabeth mikkelson

fostering faith & friendship

East seniors involved with the Village Church plan to maintain both their relationships and faith despite going in different directions after graduation

GRACE STRONGMAN

acing up to the Village Church youth loft, seniors Sienna Sun, Grace Strongman and their other senior friends begin to hurriedly crowd around the pool table sitting in the center of the room. The scene quickly escalates into friendly pushing as they all jockey for the best starting position.

Pool Horse had begun.

The loft, filled with a handful of competitive middle and high schoolers soon transformed from a regular youth group meeting to an all-out, no-holds-barred game of “Pool Horse” — a fusion of pool and horse, hence the name. The sound of pool balls hitting against each other was punctuated with the occasional yell or burst of laughter.

Sun remarks that she made some of her most unforgettable memories here — even if some heated arguments arose as a result of making their own rules.

“There have been some pretty fun, fond memories made with [games like] Pool Horse, and the excitement of the game — it’s a thrill,” Sun said.

Knowing most of each other for five or six years — some even longer — the Village

Church seniors have made almost as many years of memories together as a family — a word that often comes up when they’re talking about each other.

“Having known everyone for so long, it’s like a second family,” Strongman said. “So it’s like a place where you can go and be yourself and just really, truly be supported by everyone there. Whenever you do anything like that, and just spend time with people consistently, you [really] get to know them.”

Their memories, however, aren’t just limited to the Village Church youth loft.

Every year, the Village Church takes several mission trips, including one to the Dominican Republic.

After a week of hard work and what felt like several gallons of sweat spent helping build a fully-operational school building to promote education in La Romana, the Village Church kids felt something more powerful than the aching soreness in their muscles — connection.

“Being out there after the week of hard work, we take Friday night to relax and sit out on the beach,” Director of Youth Services Rev. Zach Walker said. “We bring dinner out

SIENNA SUN

R

by greyson imm

there, and we sing and we talk as the sun sets.

I really enjoy, and I think they enjoy it too, being connected to each other in this way.

Being as close and as connected as they are is hard to produce outside of this context.”

These moments, Walker says, are what make working with youth at this age so rewarding — and something they’ll miss after graduation.

“When they come into the program as middle-schoolers, you see them excited about life, excited about opportunities — but also having a certain naivete,” Walker said. “That naivete is met with life experience, which tempers it into hope, into initiative, into a wellspring of ideas and opportunities. I see this in their personal growth, but also in their faith as well. At a young age, they just mimic or ‘parrot’ whatever faith they’re raised into. But as these middle-schoolers grow into young adults, they learn to proclaim their faith and not just parrot it.”

Some of these “tempering experiences” include these aforementioned mission trips.

Working together to build friendships is the best part of Village Church for some seniors, including Strongman. She recognizes that

the trips have such a big impact on the people they visit, but also a significant one on her life and personal relationships as well.

“I think just going and traveling and being with people on a mission trip is a bonding experience,” Strongman said. “When we go to these places and give our time and do our best to help local organizations and local people accomplish their goals, that’s always positive too, but I think that [these trips] are what makes us as a community at Village really tight.”

Soon this tight-knit group of seniors will depart on their next trip — life after graduation. They hope to stay in touch with one another, but they all know they’ll always have a home at Village Church if they decide to return — an unspoken promise Walker makes to the outgoing seniors.

“I really, really hope we keep in touch, and I know so many of us will because we’re so close and tight,” Sun said. “Grace Strongman and I have had almost all the same classes together for the past two years, and [as a result] we’re super close. We’re going in different directions, but I really hope we can have some meet-ups in the future.”

SENIOR TAKEAWAY So it’s like a place where you can go and be yourself and just really, truly be supported by everyone there.

Whenever you do anything like that, and just spend time with people consistently, you [really] get to know them.

sienna sun

PAST VILLAGE MISSION TRIPS winter park ski retreat grades 7-12 dominican republic grades 9-12 montreat youth conference grades 9-12 middle school float trip grades 6-8

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THE HARBINGER | MAY 24, 2021

SENIOR PROFILES | 09

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2021 SENIORS JAELEN CHAMBERLAIN Jaelen Chamberlain’s long-lasting passion for exploring new types of architecture prompted him to attend Vrije University in Amsterdam to study architecture from an international perspective by campbell wood “THAT ONE’S A Corinthian column.”

Creamy white pillars ornamented with leaf carvings at the top — easy. Then-sixth-grader Jaelen Chamberlain directed his grandma’s eyes to the New York Stock Exchange Building, playing a game his grandma invented during their New York City trip: identify the type of columns on the buildings.

After watching him constantly build airplane, car and building models, Jaelen’s grandma taught him about the three main types of columns, expanding his love for architecture. Jaelen marveled at the circular design of the Guggenheim Museum and the large scale of the World Trade Center, a passion he’ll further pursue as he enters the architecture study program at Vrije University in Amsterdam, Netherlands this fall.

“It’s something that allows me to be creative, but still apply logic,” Jaelen said. “So, I can still create and think and bring an artistic aspect to something that’s also technical.”

Jaelen’s a creator. As a kid, he was consumed by the art of LEGO. But it was when he abandoned the instructions and constructed houses of his own with leftover pieces that he truly fell in love with architectural design.

On YouTube, Jaelen has binge-watched videos on different building style techniques. Netflix’s “The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes,” a show that explores unique homes from Spain, India and other countries, is a permanent resident in his “continue watching” section. Now, Jaelen gets to pursue another culture’s architecture himself — beyond the screen.

As a junior, he enrolled in the IB diploma program to expand his potential college options to schools abroad. Frequently Googling “top 100 schools for architecture,” Vrije’s program stood out, not just amongst the American schools, but those in other countries like

Italy, Ireland and Australia.

“Compared to all of the schools I’ve looked at, outside of the U.S. even, most schools have a pretty technical degree where you spend time in an architecture studio building models,” Jaelen said. “[Vrije] is a three-year bachelor’s degree, but then it teaches you to look at architecture from a theoretical view to explore what it means and how it fits in with the world.”

Jaelen’s observant. When he sees new buildings, he doesn’t dwell on what it’s for, but why and how it was created — the story behind the building. One of Jaelen’s favorite features about the program is how students get to explore other cities and surrounding countries to see the strategic artistic methods architects used and how styles vary on location.

Moving to another country doesn’t make Jaelen nervous, even though he’s never been to Amsterdam before. According to Jaelen, the school provides him with his own apartment just off campus, and he’ll start his Visa application process for a residence permit at the end of May. “This school is really good about integrating foreign students into the culture,” Jaelen said. “There’s a lot of support within the institution for foreign students. There’s really not very many U.S. students, [they’re from] all over the world.”

As far as what he wants to create during his career, Jaelen doesn’t know yet — he could see himself starting work at a small firm and maybe one day establishing one of his own. It’s something he plans to further look into at Vrije. “[The buildings I see] usually stay with me,” Jaelen said. “They inspire me and stick with me, it’s always like a base that I can go back to like, ‘I like this and this looks cool,’ but I build off of that building. That helps me visualize in my head what I want.”

MAY 24, 2021 | THE HARBINGER

LINCOLN RENER

Lincoln Rener plans to major in secondary school education and history in college after being inspired by history teacher Jenny Jordan

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by doubt. Senior Cade Eldred grew up watching his sister’s college lacrosse games, and realized he loved the high-energy and passion-filled environment of college sports. He saw how much she loved it, and knew he wanted to do the same thing.

When COVID canceled all spring sports last year, a new challenge was presented for Eldred. Colleges were required to pay 2020 senior athletes for an extra year, leaving them with less available scholarship money for the class of 2021. The University of Denver, Eldred’s dream school, told him they weren’t able to offer him any money for the 2021-22 school year — leaving him with no scholarship until the following school year.

So, Bill Tierney, the DU head lacrosse coach recommended Eldred attend Western Reserve Academy — a boarding school in Hudson, Ohio whose lacrosse team is coached by the son of the DU coach. By attending the academy for one year, Eldred would secure a scholarship for DU the next year. The choice was easy — Eldred was willing to wait if it meant a spot on DU’s lacrosse team.

“It’s worth it,” Eldred said. “I want to play at Denver. It’s just another step I have to take before I go there.”

While at Western Reserve Academy, Eldred will play for their lacrosse team while simultaneously taking courses that

will grant him college credit, before joining the University of Denver lacrosse team for the 2022-23 school year.

Eldred hopes to spend time strength training and increasing his speed in order to be his best at DU, which he believes can happen through the intense lacrosse program at Western Reserve Academy. The program is run like a college team, with daily hour-and-a half-long practices and daily workouts.

Along with growing his lacrosse skills, Eldred thinks that playing at WRA will help prepare him academically for college.

Eldred knows that students often struggle with the workload in their first year of college, so he thinks this year will help him learn the balance between practice and schoolwork, preparing him to be a college-level student athlete.

“We’ve lost this whole year of school basically learningwise,” Eldred said. “It’ll be good to get back into the rhythm of an actual education.”

While he’ll be a year behind, Eldred believes the opportunity to play at DU makes up for it. Having around 10 other offers and even decommitting to Richmond University, Eldred chose DU because of the unique area, closeness to home and most importantly, their well-ranked lacrosse team, which Eldred believes will advance his lacrosse career.

“It’s weird to think that I actually like committed,” Eldred said. “Playing at Denver was like always kind of a dream when I was young. I’m really happy and excited.”

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by sydney newton THE IDEA OF playing lacrosse in college was never accompanied

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Cade Eldred is attending Western Reserve Academy, a sports prep school, to enhance his lacrosse skills before playing at the University of Denver in 2022

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senior Lincoln Rener’s middle school and early high school career, leaving him stressed and dreading history as a subject.

But after entering AP U.S. History class his junior year, essay responses, fact studying and note taking became more enjoyable with each annotation.

Rener recognizes this shift as a result of history teacher Jennifer Jordan’s undeniable passion for teaching, which inspired Rener to spend his lockdown listening to audiobooks and reading up on history, later pushing him to the decision of pursuing teaching history as a career.

Jordan’s teaching style consists of circling back to how the topic relates to present-day situations by telling personal stories and making up-to-date analogies. Rener watched with unwavering focus as he saw his future self in her shoes giving the next generation that same in-depth understanding of history.

Rener will be attending Cornell College in the fall, planning to major in history and secondary education in order to create the same environment for future students that was created for him in Jordan’s class.

“She was really the person who finalized and put it in my mind that this is what I want to do,” Rener said. “I can tell she has fun [teaching] and I was just like, ‘I think that’s what I want to do.’”

Rener admired Jordan’s up-to-date teaching styles and relationship with every student as both a teacher and a friend.

For Jordan, establishing the classroom as an accepting environment where students can ask questions, grow in curiosity and have a good laugh has come as second nature.

“It’s not anything I’ve really done intentionally,” Jordan said. “I really like history and I do a lot of stuff about history and watch a lot of stuff about history so I just have all these weird little side stories I can go off into... just to kind of keep some interest and engagement. I think that’s kind of something you just have to do with history is draw those connections.”

Watching Jordan’s love for history, Rener was not only inspired to grow his own passion for history, but to learn how to step out of his comfort zone during the eight months he spent in Jordan’s class last year.

“The beginning of the year, he was kind of shy and didn’t really talk much and kept to himself,” Jordan said. “Then as the year progressed... I got to see him come out of his shell a little bit more. I definitely could tell that he had an interest in history, he went a little bit deeper than some other students did, beyond the basic connecting the dots.”

Rener hasn’t given up on the spark that history has found in him, deciding to officially dedicate the next four years to learning how to be a secondary-level history teacher, keeping students involved, interested and always laughing — just like Jordan.

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AN ENDLESS STACK of DBQ’s and WW1 annotations dominated

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by sophie henschel

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10 | SENIOR PROFILES

MEGAN ROE

Megan Roe plans to road trip through all 50 states while taking classes at JCCC

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complicated ceramic creation, senior Emma Baldridge worked on a mask with tangles of vines growing out of the mouth, spending every day after school for three weeks on it.

Though her processes are long, excruciating and tedious, the end products are worth it for Baldridge.

Baldridge’s sculptures — mainly consisting of various abstract masks — focus on conveying emotions rather than surface level ideas. Her goal is to relate an emotion through her artwork that will connect to any situation the viewer may be experiencing, leaving her work up to interpretation.

While she does dread the typical throwing-on-the-wheeland-glazing-it style of ceramics, Baldridge believes this passion for fine ceramics is an opportunity to grow in uniqueness.

“I’m not sure anyone else [is] doing [this kind of artwork],” Baldridge said. “So if I can make things that are some of my best work and I can find a place to sell them where no one else is really offering that, then I think I stand a pretty good chance of being able to make some good money off of it.”

East Ceramics and Jewelry teacher Jennifer Hensley believes that Baldridge isn’t held back by worrying what other people think of her artwork. One of Baldridge’s goals this semester was to have a finished product that would get

Hensley to say that her art would give her nightmares. “[Teaching Baldridge has] been kind of fun because she likes to get that grossed out reaction,” Hensley said. “Personally, I find some of them disturbing. That’s also what makes them so successful — they do invoke a reaction from the viewer.”

When COVID-19 came around, Baldridge began throwing herself into her mask-making passion as a way to cope with her anxiety and depression. Baldridge believes that the masks became the sole reason she kept going and graduated high school.

“Honestly, I was never really into art before I got into ceramics,” Baldridge said. “And [then I had] that first ceramics class, and I just connected with it. It’s just so much better to work in three dimensions than having to figure out how to try to portray three dimensional space on the paper.”

Because colleges have less constraints and restrictions on material use than K-12 schools, Baldridge hopes to get the chance to experiment with new mediums next year, like melted styrofoam or ballistic gel, allowing her to steadily evolve her work. She also plans on holding art shows starting as early as this summer now that her body of work has grown significantly.

“I was continually surprised [having Baldridge as a student], I never thought I would have someone wanting to make casts of their toes and turn them into metal jewelry,” Hensley said.

“That’s Emma!”

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COILING CLAY TO weave through and attach to her most

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by nora l ynn

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Emma Baldridge’s passion for ceramics leads her to pursue sculpture making in college and future career options

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EMMA BALDRIDGE

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West, then-junior Megan Roe helped her group of young kids win belly flop contests and clean their cabins. The job left her out of town for weeks during the summer, missing out on the high school summer experience, but it was worth it for the money she earned.

Roe’s goal with the money was to buy a 2015 Ford Focus in order to drive across the country during her gap year following graduation.

She’s loved traveling since her childhood when she’d go on road trips with with family and friends, inspiring her passion today. When the time came to decide what she wanted to do after graduation, she knew she wanted to continue traveling.

“I grew up surrounded by a bunch of different cultures, so I wanted to continue to immerse myself in that,” Roe said. “I just love exploring and expanding my view with talking to other people, which is where I think this kind of came from.”

Roe plans on checking all 50 states off her list, finding beauty in each place she goes. She also plans to take a few classes at Johnson County Community College to earn more credits for the following school year.

Roe debated taking strictly online classes, but decided to split her time between online and in-person. She’ll be keeping school as a close second priority, right below traveling. Roe will be taking marine biology and zoology classes, while traveling from coast to coast.

“My goal in life is to hit all 50 states and then eventually

the entire world,” Roe said. “I want to do a big, long trip, but I will probably do a bunch of smaller ones as well and save up money for when I come back to work.”

Roe doesn’t know her exact route and the timing of her major road trip, but has her eyes on Yosemite National Park as her dream destination, as well as Oregon to expand her love for nature and camping.

Spending time with herself has never been an issue for Roe. She plans on mostly traveling alone. However, she may bring people along, since the task she’s taking on may be too much to manage.

“Traveling alone, especially as a woman, is scary,” Roe said.

“I’ve never done anything like this before and I think the most difficult part of the whole trip will be making sure that I am putting my safety before anything else.”

Fortunately, there are plenty of safety precautions for Roe to incorporate, from car alarms to defense devices and even something as simple as texting her mom with updates and sharing her location.

As the real world begins to creep up on Roe, she will keep working at YouthFront Camp West this summer, and once she starts college, she will begin traveling while taking her classes at JCCC. “I don’t quite know how long it will take,” Roe said. “But I just plan on doing it for as long as I can before the real stuff sets in. After I hit Yosemite, it is really up to wherever my heart is telling me to go.”

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by anna mitchell MARKING HER FIFTH summer of working for YouthFront Camp

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SENIOR PROFILES | 11

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THE HARBINGER | MAY 24, 2021

MAY 24, 2021 | THE HARBINGER

ELISA BYER

After being president and member of Minding Your Mind club at East, Elisa Byer is taking what she learned into college as a psychology major

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jujitsu, basketball, tennis, guitar — the list goes on. These are just a few of the things that senior Jack Bunte plans to explore during his gap year, postponing trade school to fully indulge himself in these and any other subjects that interest him.

“I want to at least try all these activities that I’m interested in because I’m young, and this is when I’m going to have the freedom to explore and see what I enjoy doing,” Bunte said.

When Bunte first discussed postponing school and instead experimenting with different activities to find a passion, his family was skeptical of the unique path Bunte elected to forge compared to his two bothers, seniors Max and Henry Bunte, who are attending the University of Missouri - Kansas City in the fall.

One of his main goals during the year is to pursue music. Bunte found an acoustic guitar thrift shopping a few months ago and quickly added guitar lessons to his list. With his father’s ceiling-high CD collection and his brother Max’s spontaneous songwriting and performances in the living room, Bunte figured exploring music would be a way to further interests already existent in his family.

He’s also jumping back into his childhood hobbies of

jujitsu and skateboarding. He was no prodigy when he was young, but is working to expand on those existing skills and avenge his fourth grade mediocrity.

Bunte has been on the wrestling team throughout high school, and believes that those skills will easily transfer over to jujitsu, making it not too difficult to pick back up after having not set foot into the dojo since elementary school.

As well as building on his jujitsu and skateboarding skills, Bunte’s planning on taking up basketball and tennis.

He’s become a member of Genesis Health Club, where he’ll take lessons in both of the sports to nail down his form and learn how to expertly play the two sports, along with practicing drawing and taking classes to pursue tattoo artistry.

“I think it’s just important to stay busy, and just have hobbies and have stuff that you like doing and enjoy doing,” Bunte said. “It’s really simple as that.”

He still has intents of going to trade school to become a mechanic after his gap year, but he wants to find a position where he can learn the specifics of car mechanics as he goes.

“If I don’t enjoy any of these things, I’m just going to stop doing them because I don’t have the time to do things that don’t make me happy,” Bunte said.

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by mia vogel CAR MECHANICS, TATTOO artistry, skateboarding, judo,

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Jack Bunte will postpone college for a year to explore different hobbies, seeing which one suits him the best

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JACK BUNTE

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mother’s cancer diagnosis. Minding Your Mind Club served as an outlet for her during this time and gave her a place to feel comfort with friends.

Now after, two years in Minding Your Mind Club and one year co-running the club, Byer is taking her interest in mental health along with her to college at Saint Louis University where she’ll be majoring in psychology.

“The psych program [at Saint Louis] is really good and I really enjoyed IB psychology and studying cases and studying why people act the way they do,” Byer said.

Byer also learned about her major through IB psych and biology, where her teacher taught the scientific history of psychology, sparking her interest even further.

“My biology teacher last year actually taught me a lot about psychology and helped everyone study it with biology and influenced me doing psych,” Byer said.

Byer first got involved with Minding Your Mind Club after hearing about it from upperclassmen. She fell in love the activity-filled and welcoming atmosphere. It gave her a place to open up.

After getting involved, the people she met through participating are the reason she still sticks with it. Byer even followed in the footsteps of the seniors she once looked up to,

becoming co-head of the club with fellow senior Liam O’Sullivan.

“I went to the club every Friday and it was really fun and I noticed no one was keeping it going for the next year so I texted Liam to see if he wanted to keep it up with me this year,” Byer said.

Byer recognizes that heading the club this year has been more difficult than usual — it’s hard for the club to organize and stay together this year due to COVID-19, and even more difficult to get people to participate. But when they did, they were able to have in-depth conversations and recreate the welcoming community Byer experienced as a sophomore.

“I learned that I shouldn’t be afraid to talk about things that are bothering me and talk to people even if I barely know them because they can be really helpful,” Byer said.

This year as a leader, Byer feels a responsibility to help others find ways to open up and talk. So, she tries to help new people find ways to communicate how they feel.

“I always liked the idea of running a club, and I’m interested in psychology,” Byer said. “When I was able to talk about problems in there, it honestly really helped me, and I had hoped that with COVID this year people would appreciate that.”

With her newfound sense of helping people and huge interest in Minding Your Mind Club, it was almost a no-brainer to choose Saint Louis University’s psychology program for the next four years to continue her passions for learning about the brain.

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by grace allen SENIOR ELISA BYER first struggled with mental health after her

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12 | SENIOR PROFILES

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SENIOR PROFILES | 13

JACK LYNCH

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Jack Lynch will attend the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to pursue his interest in aviation after being inspired by his dad and grandfather

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dogs for the teachers at the Center for Academic Achievement when he was approached by the head baker. Walls assumed it was a normal check in, but the baker explained to Walls how he stood out to the chefs this year with his strong work ethic and talent, and offered him a job as a sous chef at the Basin Harbor Resort in Vermont.

“I was showing the chefs I was able to keep up with being a cadet teacher as well as a student at the CAA,” Walls said. “And showing motivation while working hard.”

Hesitant by the daunting commitment, Walls took two days to fully consider the offer before accepting, finally deciding that he wanted the unique opportunity to experience hands-on culinary learning right out of high school.

During his junior year, Walls found his niche for culinary arts. He participated in the culinary speciality program at the CAA, practicing cooking and baking at the on-site restaurant, the Broadmoor Bistro. As of now, Walls is planning on taking a gap year to work at the Vermont resort in the summer and into the fall.

“I’ve learned that you don’t need traditional school to learn everything,” Walls said. “School isn’t the only thing after high school that will set you up for success.”

This opportunity is special to Walls because the resort has food trucks, multiple bars, sushi and homestyle restaurants that offer different levels of dining which will expose him to all aspects of cuisines, providing him with the rare experience of working in the kitchen at a real resort. Walls hopes to improve

on expanding his culinary knowledge in different cultures to make him well-rounded in the kitchen.

“I really want to learn how to cook with fish more,” Walls said. “I’m not a big fish fan, so I feel like working with it will increase my taste and interest with it.”

After gaining experience at the Basin Harbor Resort, Walls plans to enroll in culinary art courses at Johnson County Community College in the spring of 2022. After that, he hopes to attend Horry Georgetown in South Carolina and gain an education on the business side of food while in college.

“In five years, I see myself co-owning and being the head chef at a middle-class restaurant with a few other people,” Walls said.

Working at the Broadmoor Bistro has provided Walls with the experience and knowledge it takes to work at a restaurant, making the move to Vermont smoother. From helping out with catering events, cooking on the grill, creating $30 dishes and improving his knife skills, Walls feels that he is well prepared to take on what the resort has to offer.

“I want to gain more talent and culture within the industry,” Walls said. “I think my motivation and hardworking ability is there, but I need to do better on the presentation side of cooking.”

Working at the CAA has allowed Walls to grow his passion for creating dishes he and others admire. Being a student and sous chef has taught Walls lessons like the importance of trusting the head chef and how to work efficiently with other people.

“The kitchen is where I feel like I’ve learned how to become a leader,” Walls said. “I’ve learned to work with different groups and collaborate while sharing skills.”

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by mad eline funkey SENIOR NOAH WALLS was building chicken sandwiches and hot

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Being a culinary arts student and cadet teacher at the Center for Academic Achievement has prepared Noah Walls for his job this summer at Basin Harbor Resort in Vermont

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SENIOR JACK LYNCH grew up listening to stories of how his dad would ride in his grandfather’s private plane — Lynch developed his passion for aviation early. He now seeks to create his own memories flying planes.

Lynch is attending the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla., where he’ll major in Aeronautical Science. Rated as one of the top flight schools in the United States, Embry-Riddle integrates flight training into their academics with classes like Air Traffic Management and Aviation Maintenance Science all while teaching the engineering of aviation.

He started flying planes on his own in 2019 at the Air Associates of Kansas at the Johnson County Airport. Although he wasn’t flying a Boeing 737 with 126 passengers and he had his grandfathers reassurances in his mind, but never had he been in the pilot’s seat himself.

“It was very nerve-wracking honestly, but once you’re up there, there’s only one way to get down,” Lynch said. “It’s pretty stressful actually. You’re supposed to just overcome it. That’s exactly what I did. I overcame that pressure.”

Now, when he doesn’t have baseball practice or English papers to write, Lynch goes to the Charles B. Wheeler Airport to fly.

The nerves he once had disappeared.

“It is, to a limit, very stressful,” Lynch said. “You can’t be flying a plane by yourself and having a panic attack.”

As Lynch has gained experience flying, he’s learned to make decisions without involving his feelings. When Lynch once faced extreme winds while flying, he knew it wasn’t safe and turned back towards the ground — despite longing to be 40,000 miles up in the clouds.

“You have to be perfectly calm up there,” Lynch said. “You have to be able to make a decision without having your feelings involved, without having that human factor involved. [I’ve got to] admit, it is very difficult.”

Lynch looks forward to getting a normal college experience with the built-in flying lessons and warm Florida weather.

After the four-year program at Embry-Riddle, Lynch hopes to become a commercial airline pilot.

“I learn something about myself almost every single time,” Lynch said. “Not every flight is the same, so that’s why you learn a lot about yourself and what you’re capable of.”

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THE HARBINGER | MAY 24, 2021

MAY 24, 2021 | THE HARBINGER

KATHERYN ORTIZ

Katheryn Ortiz discovered her career goal of a firefighter paramedic after taking classes at SMSD’s Career and Technical Campus and JCCC

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wanted to do with his future. Dreading four more years of lectures, essays and exams, Watt ditched his original plan of going to college and becoming a History professor with the hope of pursuing a more hands-on and profitable career.

When his dad suggested welding, Watt decided to go for it. For his second semester of senior year, Watt enrolled in Shawnee Mission West’s welding class, quickly picking up the trade after just two weeks — and he genuinely enjoyed it.

“You can tell kids that want to do it for a job, and the kids who are doing it for a grade,” Watt said. “I’m one of the kids who are gonna do it for a job, so I take a lot of care and interest in it.”

Watt will attend the welding program at Johnson County Community College before looking for an apprenticeship — the common next step in a welding career — which can take up to eight years to complete. An apprenticeship will allow Watt to fully master the craft of welding and head into the workforce where plenty of welding opportunities await. The options range from industrial jobs like working on ships or bridges to contract welding overseas or even creating and selling art.

The demand for welders is higher than most think.

According to Watt, welders are such a highly sought after job that they can often make up to six figures on their paychecks, leading Watt to his ultimate goal — retiring by the age of 45.

Of course, the job comes with many risks. Blisters, burns and bruises are all more than common, but it’s nothing that concerns Watt.

“I’m much more of a hands-on person,” Watt said. “My hands are destroyed 24/7. If I can do that for the rest of my life, I absolutely will.”

Watt finally feels that he’s found his niche, and is confident with his newfound passion, even if that means taking a different route than the college path most of his classmates are doing.

“Maybe college isn’t for you,” Watt said. “If you struggled during high school, sort of like I did, there’s a lot more options than just another four or five-year college. You can go to trade school... and it’s something that isn’t for stupid people. People think trade school is for dumb people. Listen, it’s for the smart people in my opinion. It’s no student debt, high-paying jobs and a lifelong paying job that everybody wants you to do.”

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by lyda cosgrove SIX MONTHS AGO, senior Evan Watt had no idea what he

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Evan Watt will study welding at JCCC before getting an apprenticeship, with the goal of making welding his career

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EVAN WATT

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and squeezed through the 12-inch wooden studs placed by her instructors, all while being weighed down in what her instructors call “bunker gear” — the typical jacket, pants, boat helmet, hood and boots worn by firefighters when they enter hazardous areas.

The activity — breaching a wall — is one of many hands-on labs she’s done as a part of the Fire Science course at the SMSD’s Career and Technical Campus. She plans on continuing her fire safety coursework in Johnson County Community College courses and become certified to be a firefighter paramedic.

Ortiz has taken public safety classes since sophomore year after a friend convinced her to enroll in the Intro to Blue Eagle course at the CTC. Ortiz figured she’d take the class for fun, not expecting to discover her future career.

“Being there, not having an understanding of what the career was or that it was an option and getting my hands on the tools and working with the instructors, it opened my eyes to the possibilities of different jobs than a desk job,” Ortiz said.

Now, in her second year of the Fire Science course, she visits the CTC several times a week, giving up fifth hour as a transit period and spending her sixth and seventh hours in the class. Next year, she’ll take a course at JCCC to be an Emergency Medical Technician, then use her EMT certification to apply for a job in the field as an ambulance paramedic until she becomes a licensed paramedic.

Ortiz is currently one of the only two girls in the small class of seven students with all-male instructors. While she knows she’s chasing a career path that is physically demanding and typically male-dominated, her instructors agree that she’s keeping up just fine.

“I’m short, I’m five-foot, and it’s a tough job not being that tall,” Ortiz said. “[My instructors] always tell me, ‘You’re smaller than the other guys in the class, but that just means that you have to use different techniques.’ I’m in class with six-foot guys and I’m like, ‘I can do exactly what you can do.’”

Ortiz knows that her chosen career path is physically demanding, from carrying heavy aluminum tools by herself to a powerful hose with other classmates. It also requires a chunk of her free time — aside from the class she takes during the school day, she also attends a weekly seven-hour JCCC course where she’s learning to be an Emergency Medical Responder.

However, the physical demand and the time commitment don’t dissuade her from pursuing being a fire paramedic, as she’s motivated by both excitement from constantly being on the go and the hope of saving a life.

“A firefighter paramedic is that borderline of you being there first, and you draw that line if a person could survive or not,” Ortiz said. “So it’s pressure, but it’s exciting to get on a firetruck or an ambulance and run sirens and lights and you’re like, ‘I have the potential to completely change someone’s life right now.’”

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SENIOR KATHERYN ORTIZ tore through a wall of sheetrock

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by cesca stamati

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16/17 | SENIOR SECTION

THE NEXT S C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S C L A S S O F

ALABAMA

ALABAMA A&M UNIVERSITY Landrum, Jazmine

ARIZONA

UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA B a ke r, C l a i r e Brouillette, Elizabeth D u n b a r, A d d i s o n F e y, A n d r e w H a r d i n g e r, Ka t h r y n Johnson, Jacob S choofs, Alexander Thomas, Samantha A R I ZO N A STAT E UNIVERSITY Kidwell, Laura Pa c ke r, L i n d s e y R o g l e r, I s a b e l Wa r n e r, B e a u CO NS E RVATO RY O F RECORDING ARTS AND SCIENCES L u i ka r t , A s h e r G R A N D CA N YO N UNIVERSITY Nyhus, Alexis

ARKANSAS

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS A n d rews, Ka y l a Atkinson, Riley B a c ke r, W y a t t Buffington, Evan Cohen, Camryn D e c ke r, S y d n e y Hays, Jack Heide, Anna Heinz, Krista Kimball, Houston Meuten, Jack M i l l e r, E l l a N e i d l e i n , Ty Parisi, Andrew S c h u t z l e r, K i m b e r l y S e d e rq u i st , B ro o ke Simpson, Matthew S m i l e y, M a x w e l l Te g t m e i e r , B e l l a Strick, Andrew Tu r p i n , M a s o n We s t , La u re n Wilson, Avery W i n t e r, L u c i l l e Yingst, Harper JOHN BROWN UNIVERSITY Jones, Lucy

CALIFORNIA

CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY Cartmell, Quincy LOYO L A M A RY M O U N T UNIVERSITY J u n g e r, F i o n a ICON SCHOOL OF MUSIC Niermann, Jack PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY Coleman, Caroline M u r p h y, K e l l y POINT LOMA NAZ ARENE UNIVERSITY Gibbs, Emilia Tu c ke r, M o l l y UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA , DAVIS H o u s l e y, A u s t i n STA N F O R D U N I V E RS I T Y Yu n , A v a UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA , LOS ANGELES Pa y n e, We s to n UNIVERSITY OF SAN DIEGO Burns, Shannon Fromm, Julie M i k ke l so n , E l i za b et h UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Liljegren, Emmett

COLOR ADO

CO LO R A D O STAT E UNIVERSITY Carroll, Megan P e r c y, J u l i a COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES Strongman, Grace REGIS UNIVERSITY Revare, Frank UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN COLORADO Anderson, Kira UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO-BOULDER D e C o u r s e y, J a m e s D r e y e r, T h o m a s Perkins Rock, Claire Ta y l o r , E t h a n Zugazagoitia, Elinor Cook, Georgia UNIVERSITY OF DENVER C h r i ste n se n , Ke l sey Eason, Caroline Hannon, Iris Heim, Mazey Pa u l u s , Tr e v o r

Peters, Ava Ty l e r, E d m u n d Z u e c ke r t , F ra n z i s ka

FLORIDA

FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY Garcia, Angel E M B RY- R I D D L E AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY Lynch, Jack HILLSBOROUGH COMMUNITY COLLEGE K ra u se, Ze ke I N D I A N R I V E R STAT E COMMUNITY COLLEGE L a h e y, J a m e s P E NSACO L A STAT E To w n s e n d , W i l l UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN FLORIDA Lovern, Zoey

GEORGIA

UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA Sheets, Margaret GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF T E CH N O LO GY Utt, Lily

ILLINOIS

COLUMBIA COLLEGE CHICAGO Rubesch, Jacob ILLINOIS INSTITUTE OF T E CH N O LO GY K e n n e y, R e i l l y LEWIS UNIVERSITY Friend, Brady NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY Erickson, Catherine K a n a l e y, R o s e UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS Bingham, Sarah Tilton, Josh UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS - CHICAGO Duncan, Jodie QUINCY UNIVERSITY FitzGerald, Colin

INDIANA

D E PA U W U N I V E R S I T Y M o s h e r, H u d s o n INDIANA UNIVERSITY Hoffman, Nick PURDUE UNIVERSITY Collins, Megan

IOWA

CORNELL COLLEGE

R e n e r, L i n c o l n DRAKE UNIVERSITY M u e h l b e r g e r, L e w i s I OWA STAT E U N I V E RS I T Y Chamberlain, Henry Chaplin, Brianna F i s c h e r, A a r o n Stump, Macie UNIVERSITY OF IOWA Freeman, Carmella M a l l e y, J u l i a

KANSAS

BAKER UNIVERSITY Marshall, Lee BENEDICTINE COLLEGE Chinnock, Ava Joyce, Daniel Ko c, Ko u r t n ey Reynolds, Preston BETHEL COLLEGE Roman, Mia BUTLER COMMUNITY COLLEGE Peterson, Gavin M A N H AT TA N CH R IST I A N COLLEGE McCormick, Ethan P I T TS B U RG STAT E UNIVERSITY A r n ett , Ke a to n C l a r ke, S a n d ra Eberhart, Michael Lowe, Charlotte Ruttan, Alyssa S h a c ke l fo rd , J o h n Te r r i l , P r i c e Vitt, Gabriella JOHNSON COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE Annecchini, Jason Baldridge, Emma B a r b e a u , Te s s Bounds, Sydney Brooks, S ean C l e v e n g e r, M a c ke n z i e C l o u t i e r , To n i e C o n n e r, C a r s o n C o r e y, O w e n Eubanks, De'Andre Fernandez, Christopher Goodwin, Brock H a r d e s t y, C o l l e e n Hicks, Haley Johnston, Braden Jones, Jade Ke l l e r, J u s t i n K e n n e y, J a c k LaPrairie, April Leak, Cooper L e n g e r, J o s e p h i n e L o w r e y, L o g a n McClain, Myles

Murrell, Ian Newton, Dawah Nash, Rebecca O r t i z , Ka t h r y n Po t t e r, L o g a n Reynolds, Dominick Rios, Marco Roberts, Caitlyn Simons, Cristian Steinbock, William S t r y, C a l v i n Tr a n t h a m , D y l a n Vo o r h i e s , T h o m a s Wa tt , E v a n Wigginton, Brooks W i l c o x , Tr e n t e n K A NSAS STAT E UNIVERSITY Althouse, Reese Beikmann, Benjamin B l a i r, B r o o ke B o l a r, B l y t h e Curchin, Carl Daon, Alexander D i l ks , A n n a ka te D u t c h e r, R a g a n F a y, J a c o b F o s h e r, C o l e G r a y, A v e r y Green, Susan Herpich, Sydney Jimenez, Alyssa Ka rg es, A b by Ka u f m a n , Ke n n e d y Knutson, Caroline Kowa l i k , Ka te Neis, James Osborn, Ashley Pendland, Brett Poague, Deirdre P r o c t o r, A l e x i s Sawalich, Lauren Smith, Lillian S t e d r y, M i t c h e l l Sublette, Charles Wo h l e r, H a l e y UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS Ac h e n , Ka i A c u f f, W i l e y Allen, Andrew Amaro, Cristian B a n ke r - S u m n e r, O w e n B a s ka , Ka te l y n Bastien, Emma Bihuniak, Avery B o l i n g e r, W i l l i a m B r a y, L a u r e n Buck, Morgan C a r t e r, A b i g a i l Cattaneo, Calvin Coe, David Deschaine, Ava D e Z u tt e r, B a r b a r a

Downie, Mitc Duckworth, Enderle, Eth F a l l e y, G r a c F i s c h e r, W i l l Ford, Jane Fountain, Sa Freund, Sam G a n d o l fo - Ko Santiago Gast, Anna Gilman, Jon Greenstein, G u n t e r, N i n a H a g g , Ka l e b Haith, Eddie Hampton, C Hartman, Lu Hartman, Zo H e p l e r, Q u i n H e r r i c k , Ky l a Howgill, Cha Hu, Raymond Inman, Huds Johnson, Ez Johnson, Ol Jones, Samu Kirkland, Gr Kost , Jo h n Krieg, Grace L a h o v a r y, A n Lemon, Brad Ly n e -Vo n Ra Seraphina Mara, Ethan M c A l i s t e r, Ke M c C o y, W y l i M c K i n n e y, S t McMonigle, McPhail, Cla M i l l e r , Te s s M u r r a y, H a n Myers, Mallo Novo, Aidan O'Sullivan, W Padon, Emm Park, Major P e e r y, K a t h e Peterson, Ni Reck, Ariana Reda, Mary Reed, Alec Re e d , J a ke R i e c ke r, R i l e R o o n e y, C a m Schumm, Mo S cott, Thom S e i b, B ro o ke S e y m o u r, Ly Smith, Ella S t a e h r, R y a n Stanford, Ja Stapp, Dani

MAY 24, 2021 | THE HARBINGER

STEP 2021!

chell Ke a to n an e liam

amuel mpson o s t e r,

athan Zachary a b e lara ucy oe ncy a arles d son ekiel ivia uel ace

e na dy autenfeld,

n elly e tella Graham aire

nah ory

William ma

erine cholas a

design by celia condon and sydney newton

The class of 2021's plans for next year

Stevens, Braxton Stopperan, Megan Stratman, Ellie S t r e i l e r, D a v i d Sun, Sienna Swanson, John Thomas, Colt Thompson, Jack Tr u e, E r i c Ve s a l i , S o n n y Wa l b u r n , C o l e m a n We e d m a n , E l i za b e t h W h i t a ke r, N a t h a n Wiggins, Richard Yo u n g , J e r a l d W I CH I TA STAT E UNIVERSITY Horton, Claire

MAINE

BOWDOIN COLLEGE Apodaca, Violet COLLEGE OF THE AT L A N T I C Va n G o rd e n , J a c ks o n

MASSACHUSETTS

BOSTON UNIVERSITY Hughes, Cameron NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY O'Bryan, Sarah P a u l u s , To m m y M O U N T H O LY O K E COLLEGE Wa l to n , A v a

MICHIGAN

HILLSDALE COLLEGE Birt, Charles UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN DeSantis, Lawder WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY K l i n e, A n g e l i ka

M I N N E S OTA

UNIVERSITY OF M I N N E S OTA T W I N CI T I E S Crofoot, Isabel Peugeot, Paige

ey meron olly as e dia

UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI R e i c h e r t e r, S o p h i a Zanone, Dominic

n ackson el

AVIL A UNIVERSITY

MISSISSIPPI

MISSOURI

Ve l ez - M a re i n , G a b r i e l l a CENTRAL METHODIST UNIVERSITY Jameson, Stella LONGVIEW COMMUNITY COLLEGE Dominguez, Isaac M ISS O U R I STAT E UNIVERSITY L o w r y, W i l l i a m MISSOURI UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND T E CH N O LO GY M c V a y, J o h n MISSOURI WESTERN STAT E U N I V E RS I T Y Linscott, Matthew ROCKHURST UNIVERSITY Brende, Noah Ts a u r, L u ke Wynn, William SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY B y e r, E l i s a b e t t a Roudebush, Ian S e a r l es , L u ke SOUTHWEST BAPTIST UNIVERSITY Candelaria, Nicole STEPHENS COLLEGE B l a ke, A d r i a n n e UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL MISSOURI Padgett, Evana UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI Biles, Megan Caponecchi, Gabriella Dierks, Lauren F o l e y, J i l l i a n Hendon, Phoebe Po tt e n g e r, Ke n n e t h UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-KANSAS CITY B unte, Henr y B unte, Maxwell DePaepe, Ishara Elmore, Anna Harden, John Nicholson, Caden Scimeca, Mary T h a c ke r, A b r i e l l e WILLIAM JEWELL COLLEGE Brant, William

NEBRASKA

UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASK A-LINCOLN Helmuth, Grace Sullivan, Aislinn CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY F a y, E l i a s Huxtable, Annabel

We g n e r, A n d r e w Wilcox, Allison

NEW HAMPSHIRE

BREWSTER ACADEMY Meeks, Marcus

NEW MEXICO

UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO O e f f n e r, A r y a n n a

N E W YO R K

FORDHAM UNIVERSITY Kuhlman, Caroline THE NEW SCHOOL Williams, Sydney

NORTH CAROLINA

ELON UNIVERSITY B i l l i n g s l e y, L i l y Riscovallez, Ethan WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY Good, Paige

OHIO

DENISON UNIVERSITY E a so n , B l a ke WESTERN RESERVE ACADEMY Eldred, Caden MIAMI UNIVERSITY E m l e y, A s h t o n K e a l , Ta y l o r Pindell, Jessica Wo l f, G w y n e t h

OKLAHOMA

UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA Holmes, Carson M e y e r, R e e s e Sniezek, Helen UNIVERSITY OF TULSA B l a i r, A n n a Robinett, Hanna

OREGON

UNIVERSITY OF OREGON Ke l l e r, B e n j a m i n Merchant, Anabelle

TEXAS

B AY L O R U N I V E R S I T Y G o l l o h e r, M o r g h a n TEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY McGannon, Meredith N a c h t i g a l , Ka t h e r y n

Peters, Elena Robinett, Hope Vuillemin, Elle UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AU ST I N Moore, Annabelle Faught, Clayton UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT DA L L AS M i l l e r, A l e x a n d e r

U TA H

B R I G H A M YO U N G UNIVERSITY Olson, Olivia U N I V E RS I T Y O F U TA H Ka r ra s, E l l e

VIRGINIA

COLLEGE OF WILLIAM AND MARY B i l l i n g s l e y, G r a h a m UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA Goettsch, Sullivan

WASHINGTON D C

AMERICAN UNIVERSITY G o l d e r, S a r a h GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY Rice, S ophie

WISCONSIN

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN Hise, Elizabeth Jane

OUTSIDE OF THE U.S.

BRITISH COLOMBIA U N I V E R S I T Y, C A N A D A Cowden, Ben V R I J E U N I V E R S I T Y, AMSTERDAM Chamberlain, Jaelen

GAP YEAR

Bechtel, Harrison Beil, Zachary Collins, Amanda Cox, Preston Craig, Layne C u r r y, N a t h a n i e l D a l l e y, J a c k Haulmark, Jack Hoyos, Julian Maisch, Thomas Roe, Megan Wa l l s , N o a h

OTHER

KANSAS CITY BALLET M i l l e r, O s c a r INTERNSHIPS Marroquin-Perez, Cielo S c h n e t z l e r, L a r s U.S. M I L I TA RY Crabb, David Dalton, Joseph Silverman, Hirut C h a m b e rs , B re c ke n TRAINING FOR WORKFORCE B e t h a y, W i l l i a m B u r r u s , Pa r ke r Childers, Bailey D o rsso m , J a ke Martinez, Hershey Kisses

UNDECIDED/ UNKNOWN

Albarran, Alexander Anderson, Eamonn Anderson, Finnean Ber tolino, Elias B o o z e r, C h l o e B unte, Jack Clough, Thomas Courville, Matilda Cox, Jackson D e B e y, T y l e r Dilorenzo, Nicolas Earp, Cameron Elias, Jerevon E m e r y, J a y d e n Falk, Matthew F o s t e r, A d i a Frommelt, Page Garcia-Zepeda, Alex Gibson, Alison G o n za l es , M a ke n z i e G u n t e r, N i c o l a s Hampton, Hayden Hargadine, Conrad Heos, Richard Johnston, Elsa Kretsch, Breelynne Krohn, Quinn L i n d s e y, M e g a n L u ka szews k i , E va n Mannell, Oliver Martin, Amari M i l l e r, A n d r e w Petersen, Jacob Petersen, Jeremy Po r t e r, Ty r a Scarlett, Mia S c h e f f l e r, N o a h Smith, Augustus We l c h , J a m e s Wise, William

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18 | SENIOR COLUMNS

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24, 2021 | THE HARBINGER

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ATHERINE ERICKSON

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The stress of Harbinger has led to lots of tears, but the community aspect and rewarding results made it worth it

I’VE TRIED MY whole life to be seen as stone-cold and emotionless.

My eyes stayed dry as Jack’s hand slipped out of Rose’s during “Titanic.” I took comments about my “RBF” as compliments.

But something about the combination of a mere three hours of sleep and Starbucks iced coffees after having my eyes locked on a screen for seven hours straight in the back of the J-room pushes me to the brink of tears more often than I’m proud to admit.

My first year on staff, you wouldn’t catch me dead showing weakness within a 500-ft radius of Tate. Unfortunately, dealing with impatient business owners and senior staffers trying to bribe me for ads credits as ads manager wasn’t the biggest hurdle I’d be forced to jump over during my journalism career.

As my late nights transcribing interviews and trying to figure out how the hell to change a picture from RGB to CMYK paid off, I advanced to higher staff positions. Much to my dismay, my stress levels rose as well.

Junior year. I’m assistant print editor and curled up in a ball on the J-room couch while dabbing fever-sweat from my forehead with the room-staple pink blanket when I shed my first tear in the back room. At the young age of 16, I’m sure the questionably-sticky couch is my death bed. But it’s deadline day — I have stories to edit and pages to package. If that has to be done with a mascara-streaked face and knife-like stomach pangs, then so be it.

“I love you, but leave. Now.” Peaking my head out from under the pink fuzz, I see Tate looming over me. No one says ‘no’ to Tate. I pack up my backpack and basically crawl out of the J-room — edits can be done from home.

Now, as the co-Print Editor-in-Chief, I can regularly be found

OSE KANALEY

Joining the Harbinger staff brought a stronger connection to family

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with desktop computers, LED lights, empty Starbucks cups and — usually vulgar — writing scribbled across the white boards. The J-room is where I spend every day sitting next to my co-editor Catherine in our unassigned-assigned spots working until either Tate leaves and we’re forced to leave with him, or until we’re kicked out by the janitorial staff for attempting to stay longer. It’s where I hide out from the classes I don’t want to go to and take a quick cat-nap on the black leather couch when I’m especially sleep deprived from a deadline of PDFing all night.

It’s where I joined the rest of my family in the way I’ve always longed for: I became a storyteller too.

I learned to share other people’s stories. The outspoken girl practicing witchcraft. The nice, quiet guy who was actually struggling with depression. The former teacher-turned-traveler.

The sisters working to start conversations about racism. I’ve even shared a few stories of my own.

Of course, it’s a commitment. Stress and caffeine power me more than sleep, and Catherine sees me more than my parents, but joining Harbinger and doing what others assume must be a living hell (which it sometimes can feel like) was the best decision I’ve ever made.

And in finding my place within my own family, I’ve become part of a new one as well: my Harbie family. The 70-person staff is big enough to feel like my real family — and loud enough, too.

I became a true member of my family thanks to Harbinger — I’m no longer an observer watching them, but a storyteller alongside them. Maybe it really is just in my genetics, but either way, I owe you a big thanks, Harbinger. My newfound place in my real and Harbinger family won’t end with my time on staff.

Thank you for showing me family.

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IF THERE’S ONE thing my friends on Harbinger have learned about me over the past three years, it’s that I’ve got a lot of family.

It’s an ongoing joke that I have a cousin at practically every college since staffers have gotten used to hearing me say “my cousin goes there!” at every mention of a school. My Aunt Sjoukje’s name is written across the wall of the J-room after Tommy found her quilt-making Instagram account and was determined to get one. I always make sure to pick up extra copies of each issue to doll out to relatives around the country.

But the piece they don’t know is that I’m from a family of storytellers — authors, actors, librarians, you name it. And they all have larger-than-life personalities.

Grandma Louise always volunteered to tell stories to my elementary school class with every visit, and each time I saw my uncle Big Mike, he sat me down to share a different tale of Billy the Kid, American outlaw from out West.

And family reunions aren’t really family reunions without every “true” story being exaggerated just the right amount — although they’ll never tell — and Uncle Tommy pulling out the infamous Irish accent after a few drinks to recount a story that leaves our stomachs aching from laughter.

They’re the most dramatic, rowdy, blunt group of people I know, and I love them for that. But growing up, I never thought I fit into the family dynamic. All of my parents, grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles seemed to have the art of storytelling mastered while I was left behind, searching for any way to get onto their level.

Until I walked into the J-room.

The J-room: the coveted home to The Harbinger staff. Lined

wiping away tears at my unofficial spot in the back room — the third desktop from the left — as my co-editor Rose attempts ollies on the J-room skateboard in her own emotionally-unattached effort to cheer me up.

With six hours until the issue is due, 28 pages left to proofread and a cover to design, I stumble into the J-room with page sketches, my computer and charger in my right hand and a breakfast of Tostitos lime chips and an iced coffee in my left. One step over the threshold, my coffee tumbles out of my hands and starts seeping into the carpet.

Knowing the decision letter from my dream school would soon be released and the future of the seventh issue of The Harbinger is in my hands, my stress tears spill out, only adding to the puddle on the ground below me. Detecting the incoming hurricane, Rose rushes to my side — in typical fashion — and dabs at the spill with the not-soabsorbant school paper towels.

I could embarrass myself further with details about the waterworks display at deadline post-AP Physics exam or pre-IB Extended Essay turn-in date, but what stuck with me the most was each time there was someone by my side who understood my stress and was happy to reach over and finish PDFing the page at hand or hop on aux for some mood-changing tunes.

Even though the thought of error listing another page or receiving another text about a story that fell through makes me want to take a hammer to my laptop, here I am crying again, at the third desktop from the left, during the last day I’ll ever spend in the J-room. It seems as though all the tears I’d tried so hard to hide were worth it.

(Underclassmen staffers, if you’re reading this, pretend you didn’t. Please, allow me to keep my title of “the scary editor.”)

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AUREN WEST

DEAR ANYONE WHO has ever heard me talk about Harbinger, Thank you for always listening.

Mom and Dad, I owe you most of my gratitude. You’ve been stuck with my complaining and hyperventilating more than anyone else. I’m forever grateful for the countless times you’ve listened to me ramble about potential story ideas, work through different angles and confirm that the questions I wrote out for my interviews sounded “professional.”

Thank you to any teacher who has let me leave their class for an interview or been the subject of my endearing questions. Without your help — and leniency — my stress levels would’ve been too high for me to handle.

No matter how many times I’d share how jam-packed my week was, my friends were always there to provide sources for stories and sometimes be the focus of an actual story. As stressful as Harbinger can be, thanks for sharing your own high school stress to balance out my own. #NeverAlone And to my Harbinger Staff, you guys have made every class, deadline and late night edit worth it — even the 1 a.m. edits. I never leave fourth hour without laughing at Megan’s random comments as I walk out the door

ILEY ATKINSON

Staffer writes a thank you letter to the people who made the best of Harbinger with Tommy attached to my arm heading for the junior lot. From critiquing one another to running around big cities concerningly unsupervised during our many J-trips together, my time spent with you all will forever be remembered. And an extra special shoutout to Campbell and Sophie for being the best assistants helping me and Riley all year.

Of course, one of the biggest thank you’s goes to my co-Online Editor, friend, Kansas Journalist of the Year and National Journalist of the Year — you know I have to brag — Riley Atkinson. You’ve been the recipient of a million texts this year — newspaper-related or not. I know I can always count on you to help me out and cheer me up. I’m so excited to continue our friendship next year in college — woo pig!

And it goes without saying, but since I’ll never stop talking, thank you Tate. You’ve supported not only me, but our entire staff throughout a year we never could’ve predicted. Thank you for working closely with me and Riley as we tackled important stories that could only be covered in a year like this. Thank you for all your edits — as sassy as they were — and thank you for teaching me some of the most valuable skillsets I’ll take with me in whatever career I pursue.

Thankfully, you won’t see this one until it’s fresh off the press, so I can’t get any grief for how cliché I’ve been. Without you, this program would just be a few dozen annoying teens spinning completely out of control.

Final Harbinger rant over. Yours forever, Lauren West

The transformation of the J-room couch symbolizes a growth in confidence and leadership skills

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backroom was the year the janitors finally moved that couch into the dumpster and traded it out for a leather one. The J-room upgraded at the same time I did.

My non-journalism friends would always nag me with the question “Why do you keep torturing yourself with this?” as my to-do list overflowed with newspaperrelated tasks, and I’d always respond, “You don’t get it, it’s addicting.”

Yes, I know how to solve a quadratic equation and I know the formula for cellular respiration, but in 20 years — or a couple months — that knowledge will slip.

The countless nights I spent hunched over my laptop until 2 a.m. taught me time management lessons far tougher than anything I’d known before. Tate preached the importance of professionalism, and after interviewing Peace Corps ambassadors and politicians and police officers, I feel ready to present myself to the real world.

But the countless stories and lessons came together as I got the call from Tate that I’d won National Journalist of the Year. My eyes were blurry as the tears of pride welled up.

Freshman-me sitting on that run-down couch would’ve awkwardly laughed if you told her that she’d be leading a national-award-winning staff of 70 as an Editor-inChief. Now I sit on the shiny, new couch with shiny, new confidence — I no longer come into the J-room, or any room, with shaking hands and a trembling voice.

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DURING MY HIGH school years, I’ve developed an intense appreciation for a couch that should’ve been thrown in a dumpster years ago.

The espresso-shot-stained sofa in the back of the Journalism room was my spot during every marathon-long deadline night — it was a constant. Its saggy cushions watched me grow more than I ever had.

I spent my first day as a staffer sitting on my trembling hands for so long they started to tingle.

I gazed at the walls covered in national awards — the same walls that would eventually feature some of my own.

I listened to the terrifying array of senior editors give first-day announcements and hoped none of them noticed my eyes widening with terror. Little did I know I would become one of them three years later.

But I also noticed the couch in the corner of the backroom. The beaten up, incredibly well-loved, disgustingly-brownish blue couch.

The overly plush pillows swallowed me up everytime I sat on them — and that was for an absurd amount of time every week. I sat there when I first learned how to export an InDesign document, tighten a three-hour board meeting into 500 words and bounce back after tough writing critiques. That couch was there when my voice shook and my notepad filled with scribbled down quotes during my first interview.

The version of me that couch saw was nowhere near a leader.

But as the interviews progressed, the stories got tougher and I built my way up the editorial ladder, I started to become the opposite. The year I began to speak up in brainstorms and fearlessly blast my playlist in the

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MAY 24, 2021 | THE HARBINGER

THE HARBINGER | MAY 24, 2021 The photo editors say their final goodbyes to the photography staff

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I WALKED INTO the gym, my hands shaking as I held my clunky Nikon camera. It was the annual varsity basketball game against South — it was also my first time shooting for The Harbinger. The senior editors had shown me where to go and not go when shooting a game, but the screaming fans and chaos as I walked through the doors made my mind go blank.

I went home with one good picture out of the two thousand I took.

As a freshman — and the only freshman photographer on staff — I was too terrified to leave the main class where I could hide behind one of 80 other staffers to go sit with the other, older photographers in the fifth floor stairwell.

That stairwell was our spot to gather around and talk about events and stories we were covering. While the other togs would get distracted giggling with their countless friends, I would sit in silence until it was my turn to talk during brainstorm.

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ALTHOUGH I LIKE to think of myself as fairly personable, I used to catch myself toning down my laugh or how I react to things when meeting new people in hopes of fitting in. But this habit of restraining my personality was eventually thrown out when I became a Harbinger photog.

Our staff’s reputation behind the J-room’s door tends to be an even mix of loud voices and hard work.

By sophomore year, I had the work ethic nailed — arguably a bit too much due to my perfectionist issues — but the loud voice and big personality were still absent from my persona.

Somehow, my confidence with myself and my work grew as each semester on staff passed. I learned how to take criticism and run with it instead of shrinking

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I’M NOT TRYING to be cocky, but there is no cooler feeling than being on the staff of a newspaper that’s used as inspiration by high schools nationwide. With every picture I take, I think of the small fan club that’s formed for The Harbinger.

The first time I realized how big of a deal our paper is was at the Chicago National Student Press association Convention in 2018. I was sitting in a convention ball room in the Hyatt Regency waiting for awards to be announced when a student next to me pointed at the Harbinger issue in my hand and said, “Oh my goodness, is that the Harbinger? My school uses them for inspiration.”

That’s the day I realized that my job was to keep

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But now with four years on staff behind me, walking into what feels like the millionth basketball game, I stand tall and already have the shots I want planned out in my head. I’m not the girl biting her tongue with too many questions in mind. Instead, photographers come up to me, their editor, to ask for my help.

As a senior and Tri-Head-Photo Editor, I’ve swapped the daily classroom view that was the backs of heads with the faces of younger staffers. I don’t sit at the back of the room — I beeline directly to the front whiteboard, joining my other editors. As my view of the J-room made a 180, so did my confidence in myself. That switch in perspective is one I’ll carry with me, even when I check in my camera and walk out of the J-room for the last time.

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in on myself and that — no matter how foreign it felt — putting on a mildly intimidating demeanor in order to successfully lead my staffers was okay.

At the end of my Harbinger career, I can stand at the front of the class and direct a room full of people — doing so with a new confidence in myself and my leadership capabilities. My photos got better at the same time my social life did. I met some amazing people, I regularly dropped everything to cover events and I even got to meet my photography hero, Pete Souza — if Zoom counts.

So here’s to an amazing future for all of us, cultivated by our giant Harbinger family.

Never stop getting those noise complaints. Your voices deserve to be heard. up our reputation, “Whether that meant driving to Lawrence to take pictures of the cross country team or editing photogs’ gallery posts on the website, everything we did had to meet the standard set by previous editors.

The rush of winning First Place Best of Show at the D.C. journalism convention in 2019 with my Harbinger family was the most exciting moment of my high school career — not only because we won, but because of the pride that my fellow staffers and I felt from our effort.

Nothing has prepared me for real life quite like the strict deadlines, constant Photoshop usage or the occasional 11:30 p.m. post-deadline call from Catherine Erickson letting me know that us photo editors need to completely redesign a photostory. Oh, how I will miss you, sweet and stressful Harbinger.

But for Now, Peace, love and good luck.

Deuces, Trevor P.

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AS OUR FINAL goodbye to the togs, here’s some advice from your elders: We’ve loved getting to know each and every one of you through out the past year. We hope you continue to learn so much on staff and grow even closer together.

Remember to be excited! This publication can be really stressful a lot of the time, but it is so, so important to step bac and look at how much you’ve accomplished and all the fun you’re actually having on this staff.

Love and tears, your parent togs — Trevor Julia and Sarah <3

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HOEBE HENDON

I HATE CLICHÉS. As an editor, they’re the first thing I look to cut out of a story. They hinder any shred of individuality and voice from a piece. “Take one for the team,” “against all odds” and “last-ditch effort” all earn an eye roll and an instant muscle memory optioncommand-M — the Google Docs shortcut to make a comment.

I’ve spent my senior year brainstorming column ideas for our final issue, but every time I tried to piece together the words, all I could muster were the very clichés I hated. “As I sit here and reflect—” no. “The past two years have been a blur—” even worse.

The truth is, thinking back on my two years on staff, I have to admit my story itself is one massive cliché that could easily rival any Hallmark movie.

It’s August of 2019. Enter Phoebe Hendon, a dorky junior with a terrible side part and zero confidence. She’s joined the school’s newspaper staff as a photographer, but behind the camera, she’s dying to be a writer. As far as she’s concerned, she’ll never achieve her dream of writing for the Harbinger, having missed her chance to take the required Journalism 1 prerequisite class.

The narrative changes when a coincidental shortage of print writers first issue earns Phoebe the shot to step up and prove herself. Channeling her passion for politics and advocacy into an opinion story, not only does she find her niche, but also earns the confidence of her editors.

It only takes one semester for her to earn a handful of

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for the traits she acquired like determination and perseverance inspired me to do the same.

My sisters would claim that I “copy” and “follow” them, and while that’s somewhat true, I’ve still branched out — I’ve been the first Wilcox to participate in activities like DECA and Junior Board. And while two of my sisters worked at Kansas City Country Club teaching tennis, I opted to babysit and work at Energizing Mission.

Even when it comes to choosing my career, my sisters’ mistakes and college major changes have helped me determine what I want to study. Having heard about the intense schooling required to be a Physician’s Assistant and Pharmacist, I’m choosing a field different from all three of my sisters: Finance.

As the youngest of four, I’ve gotten to see the different options that come with school and work and the directions they can take you, helping me maneuver my way through life. I don’t admit it enough, but I’m grateful everyday for my sisters who continue to guide me through life, leaving me a step ahead of everyone else.

new titles and, fine, even a boyfriend. In the end it’s all happily ever after, job well done, sunshine and rainbows.

Ew. That was hard to even write. Whichever studio producer has been storyboarding my life for the past couple of years, cut it out, because it’s getting gross. The whole “new girl with a dream gets one chance to prove herself, ends up succeeding while finding friends and fun along the way” trope makes me gag.

So yeah, my high school story on paper would be one chunk of text all highlighted yellow: kitschy, overused, unoriginal. But my cliché character arc is one I wouldn’t trade — or edit — for anything.

Cheesy plot points aside, the best parts of my story were the scenes that don’t make the movie — Nerf gun fights in the library at way-too-late deadlines, every flash of a disposable camera in the back room, the Celsius cans we chugged by the dozen and the countless (I mean seriously countless) hugs from my not-so-little found family.

I’m sure if I reasessed my own Harbinger stories, I’d find clichés sprinkled throughout — this column is definitely littered with them. But my story wouldn’t be mine without all its clichés. During freshman orientation four years ago, I was told East has a place for everyone.

Lo and behold, even that cliché came true. Let the Hallmark writers know I found my place via Harbinger, and if they’re in need of a cutesy plotline, I’m down to do business.

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THANKS TO THE experience of my three older sisters, middle-school me knew Performance was the best elective to take and that Advanced English was crucial to be considered cool. As the years rolled by and it was time to apply for college, I had tagged along on enough campus visits with my sisters that I wasn’t quite as lost as my friends when approaching this huge decision.

Watching my older sisters grow up has helped pave my way throughout life. While my oldest sister did “trial and error” when it came to stepping out of her comfort zone through joining Hauberk or attending a mission trip, I’ve learned the rights and wrongs of every stage of life before it even came to me.

We’ve also all left our legacy on the East tennis courts — all my sisters won State and tennis played a major role in their lives. Seeing their success in the sport motivated me to work just as hard, even claiming another state championship on the high school team. While only one of my sisters played at the collegiate level, her appreciation

While hating clichés in writing, Phoebe Hendon begrudgingly appreciates the cliché story of her time on staff

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Older siblings helped guide Allison Wilcox through high school

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AWDER DESANTIS

SITTING AT MY kitchen table snacking on some glutenfree pretzels, freshman-me opened my MacBook and stumbled upon a Harbinger video about a student who painted and sold shoes. As a fellow artist myself, I was enticed by the prospect of The Harbinger featuring one of my passion projects: stop-motion.

Instead of letting me aimlessly dream about the chance to be covered, my mom snatched the pretzels from my hand, and said, “If you want your work in the school newspaper... join it.”

I’d never toyed with the possibility of sitting behind the camera and capturing someone else’s endeavors. Still, the notion intrigued me — I picked up an application, and filled it out.

And I’m so glad I did.

From the minute I stepped foot in the J-room, I realized that everyone has a story, but not everyone has the platform to tell it. And as video editor, I could amplify those untold stories.

I was hooked. My love for videography and insatiable desire for storytelling motivated my exploration of broadcast journalism. From interviewing to filming to editing, I became enamored with the entirety of the

process.

I highlighted a small but mighty group of climate activists, a miniature Mozart, a budding clothing designer and community-minded problem solvers. I think it was this unrelenting love of my work that brought stories out of others. The more my videos spread, the more people entrusted me to debut their interests, hobbies or talents with the world.

Not everyone can be as unwaveringly vocal about their interests (“Star Wars,” ‘80s music, Ben Henschel and all things LEGO) as I am — which is probably a good thing — but the beauty of storytelling is that it can showcase the quiet stories, the ones less talked about.

Some of my proudest moments as a journalist have been seeing the subject’s responses to my videos. The delighted responses make every 2 a.m. caffeine-driven editing session worth it, the knowledge that I made someone’s story known.

Harbinger has taught me just how important it is to give a voice to those without one, because at the end of the day, it’s the language of storytelling that educates us and inspires us to understand each other — this staff gave me that every day.

The community of staff brought a sense of belonging during high school

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principal tubist, varsity bowling as the team captain and the Assistant Video Editor on the Harbinger. I always caved in.

Battling daily feelings of alienation led to a deep and dark time of discouragement for me. This discouragement soaked up all of my creative desire, leaving me with little to no clarity. Tired of the resource, time and freedom self-fabricated limitations to my creativity, I began to question how I could turn my setbacks to advantages and how I could turn these experiences them into inspiration for others.

With the help of several staffers and the now-lessominous Tate, the missing puzzle piece of collaboration was found, and I’ve learned to reject complacency in a rapidly changing world. I’ve discovered I can’t always be selfreliant, and that’s okay. I’ve been able to find the/ inner strength to ask for guidance when needed.

We’re living in an unprecedented time where the call for assertion is unyielding. Through Harbinger, I’ve grown as an activist and artist with my work, defying the confines of conventionality.

The best learning experiences I’ve had have come from people at the many journalism conventions and workshops I’ve attended. Hearing different perspectives allows for new inspiration, and the opportunity to experience interdisciplinary, real-world learning not only on paper, but by being in the presence of so many other talented staffers, has been an adventure I will forever cherish.

Even though I still have a lot to learn myself, I would encourage anyone and everyone not to fear being unapologetically themselves, challenging the standard narrative and flipping the script. Afterall, you’ve only got four years of high school.

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Joining staff provided a platform to share work publicly and tell the stories of others

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SPINNING AROUND IN the wobbly, lumbar-supportless office chair while the now-graduated seniors gave announcements in Room 521, I had no idea what I had gotten myself into. Ads? Oh, beets? Beets. Beats? I can’t rap! And who is this ominous “Tate” guy? Completely oblivious to my surroundings, I was unprepared for the endless memories, opportunities and Premiere Pro crashes that lay ahead.

As a borderline introvert, I’ve become accustomed to observing those around me –– especially as a freshman in Video Production 1. Often too afraid to speak up, I learned to listen: “Are you joining Harbinger next semester, Lawder?

Come on, you have to! We’re applying to multimedia staff,” declared then-senior Ryan Gossick.

“Harbinger?” I thought to myself from the other end of the room.

“It’ll be fun! You should join too, Sydney,” classmate Maggie Schutt chimed in.

“M–me?” I remember feeling this newfound sense of belonging already –– something I hadn’t yet felt as a thenfreshman at East. Seven semesters and a new J-room later, I look back at my time spent on staff and the friends that helped me find my own voice as a visual storyteller.

I’m boundlessly grateful for all of the incredible learning opportunities I’ve had on staff. From the national workshops to guest speakers and all of Tate’s ten-minute long five-minutes in between, I’ve learned that what you put in is what you receive.

In all transparency, there have been times that I’ve struggled on Harbinger, and at the school as a whole. As a woman of color with interests that don’t always match my peers’, it’s not easy feeling out of place in every crowd — especially when you don’t have the confidence to compensate.

Several times in the last four years, I’ve fallen victim to the forever-dreaded “imposter syndrome.” I felt this in nearly all of my extracurriculars: symphonic band as the

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“PICK UP A sketchbook and crayons and draw whatever you want,” my elementary art teacher said.

The thing was, I didn’t know what to draw or how to convey my creative side. I’ve never been one with natural artistic talent. Everytime I imagine a picture and attempt to draw it, it somehow always ends up looking the farthest from what I had envisioned. For the longest time, I thought this skillset was what capped my artistic abilities.

In my last ditch artistic efforts of taking high school art classes, I always felt frustrated by my work. No matter how hard I tried, it would end up looking more like a dinosaur than any kind of human.

It wasn’t until I pressed “download” on Adobe InDesign for the first time at the beginning of junior year for Harbinger that I discovered a brand new realm of art — digital. Whether as simple as creating a box outline or tracing a lined figure, I found myself captivated by the endless possibilities at my disposal as a staff designer.

Beyond text on a page, I recognized that a few intentional lines or a strategic photo cutout could tell a story in itself, expanding my preconceived notion of what “art” could institute.

Although it was intimidating to join the staff with a blind eye to Adobe software and digital design in

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a deadline, filled with headline attempts and sidebar ideas like “C(R)ASHING OUT” or “A Smashing Time.”

We have brainstorms for everything — print, online, photo — yet nothing for the visual appeal of design.

In these gatherings, Elizabeth and I along with all the designers, voice our opinions on everyone’s ideas — which produced some killer pages.

I always thought the quote “If at at first you don’t succeed, try, try again” was cliché and stupid. And it is. But after so many times not getting the position I thought I wanted, I finally got the position I needed.

As much as I love writing and interviewing people, my heart belongs to Adobe programs, not Google Docs.

InDesign allows me to throw all of my ideas on a document and see what is most appealing.

I still got to have that one-on-one help with many of our amazing staffers, much like copy editors do. Instead of fixing structure and grammar, I would help give pointers and ideas for “spicing a page up” — a hot bed phrase heard throughout the journalism room. Being able to bounce ideas off of each other and coming up with creative ideas always surprises me with the sheer creative power of our staff.

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WHEN I WAS a copy editor, something I never knew the sweet, sweet taste of.

Throughout my stint on The Harbinger, I applied to be copy editor a total of four times. At that point you could’ve called it desperation — it most certainly was.

I don’t know why I didn’t get the message after every staff list release that being a copy editor was not in my future. I don’t think my writing skills are that poor, but maybe I have a personal bias. Now that I think about it, my fellow staffers still offer AP style tips that I should definitely know by now when editing my stories — but that’s beside the point.

My second semester senior year, after a call with the benevolent Rose and Catherine, I was christened Design Editor, along with the co-inhibitor of this page, Elizabeth Mikkelson. Honestly, what a huge wave of relief. I thought for so long that I wanted to fix peoples spelling errors, but I’ve realized I can leave that to grammarly.com.

As a co-Design Editor, I was able to let my creativity shine in my work. Elizabeth and I would conduct design brainstorms every Wednesday without

general, it’s been the most rewarding experience to not only learn new techniques on my own, but also learn from the award-winning designers on the publication and work towards bettering my own skill set.

Junior year was a rocky start to say the least. I couldn’t tell you what the words “graf” and “text wrap” meant, and had more than a few breakdowns deciding between italicized versus normal test. But I slowly integrated myself into the staff, gradually feeling a greater sense of pride in my work as the deadlines — and empty coffee cups — stacked up.

Through gaining more leadership experience on staff in the two years I’ve been on Harbinger and landing the role of Design Editor this last semester, I’ve learned new skills that I know will come in handy if I ever need to make a quick resume or design a party invitation.

Of course, I couldn’t have done any of it without the absolute best co-Design Editor — the creative to my conventional — Tommy Paulus.

If you would’ve told me when I first joined Harbinger that I would achieve Design Editor my senior year, given my lackluster “traditional” art skills, I would’ve laughed in your face. But I wouldn’t trade this position and the experiences I’ve gained from it for anything and am so grateful for all of the memories that will last a lifetime.

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Rejection can sometimes be a learning curve and lead to a better end result

Journalism opens the door for new artistic expression and cultivate opportunities

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WHEN I WAS 10 years old, I self-published a newspaper everyday for a whole year. Growing up homeschooled alloted me a lot of free time, which I typically spent crouched in the corner of my laundry room picking out vibrant colors and eccentric fonts to go along with each issue. My homeschool group participated in various activities and field trips that fed my imagination and inspired many stories for my childhood publication.

Something was missing, though. In order to take my fourth-grade journalism career to the next level, I had to get a typewriter, like the one Lois Lane used in “Superman.” For months, I begged my mom to buy me a typewriter. My dreams finally came true in the parking lot of Savers as I watched my mom carry out a vintage eucalyptus-green typewriter to the car.

Since then, my love for telling stories has only grown.

In seventh grade, I won a spot in a teen art initiative program at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art downtown. Along with other students, I was invited to create an exhibit called “Selfhood” — a project about ourselves and what makes us unique. I used this

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ultimately leading me to my true career intention.

I’m a new person because of you. I’m someone who can empathize better with others and see that there’s more to someone’s story than what’s on the surface.

The tears and 2 a.m. thoughts of ‘Why am I doing this?’ finally make sense.

Because you have made me, me. Harbinger makes Moore, Moore. I’m a journalist. I’m a storyteller, a writer, designer, a communicator.

I’ve mastered the nickname game, the competitive battle of whose desktop is whose, how to seamlessly compile interviews into a story, and despite the absurd cliché and cheesiness of this — I really have found my calling. And that’s thanks to you, Harbinger. It’s thanks to you, the pages we create and the people who fill those chairs in room 413B. So even if it is time for us to break up, you will forever have a piece of me — in these pages, and in my heart.

And to little Ceils, Snewt, Soph, Woody and all the other Har-babies who have somehow taught me more than I can teach them, go be great, and don’t forget that soon, you too will be suffering through the lifealtering breakup with The Harbinger, so make your time worthwhile.

With love, Moore

opportunity to create a collage that depicted my past accomplishments and explored my future aspirations. I love sharing my story and seeing my ideas come to life on paper.

After I joined the public school system and entered high school, I pursued videography. Video Production allowed me to work in a creative environment and develop a new way of storytelling beyond writing and art. Sophomore year, after a lot of peer pressure from my friends, I applied to be on the Harbinger staff as a videographer. I’d come full circle — I was a journalist once again.

Two and a half years later, I’ve expanded my role on staff to not only include videographer, but also writer and social media designer — fourth-grade me would be proud.

Late hours of homework, deadlines, practices and team dinners haven’t stopped me from telling stories — I doubt anything will. Storytelling has driven my life, and it has allowed me to connect with others and share my unique perspective of the world. I can’t wait to see what stories I’ll tell next.

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DEAR HARBINGER, It seems that the time has come for us to part ways.

I’m not ready to break up with you for good, so for now, here’s a little sentiment that I’ll send myself off with: I never knew journalism was what I was meant to do, and without Tate’s prompting, the nefarious J-1 entrylevel course and a big gulp of my pride, I never would have found out.

As I sit here, attempting to consolidate a list of the greatest things you’ve brought me into a 400-word column, sweet Harbinger, all that comes up is a foggy whirlpool of Tate’s five-minute lectures, late nights spent PDFing your pages and unforgettable memories with the staff of 70 I now call family.

So I guess a list of thank-you’s will do.

Thank you for teaching me the power journalism holds to change the way people see the world. I would never know the inspiring stories of my classmates, peers and community if it weren’t for your sections giving me a space to tell them. Thank you for allowing me to realize my true passions — storytelling and communicating.

Thank you for showing me the difference between a lede and lead, and that showing is always more powerful than telling. Thank you for allowing me to explore my creative side and a special shoutout to the incredibly talented Lila Tulp for forcing me into designing a basic page,

After creating her own newspaper in 4th grade, Liv Olson’s love for journalism was rekindled through her time on the Harbinger

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Ending her two years on staff, Annabelle Moore shares sadness over the nostalgia of leaving the paper behind

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AFTER 17 YEARS of going by “Winnie” instead of my real name (I’m not telling you now if you don’t already know it), I’ve cycled through countless nicknames since birth.

But out of all of them, the two most epic nicknames I’ve ever been given stemmed from my time on the Harbinger.

Even though I went to maybe three deadlines a year, had conflicts with every Dallas trip and only just became a copy editor my senior year, my two and a half years on staff were everything I could’ve asked for — and I have the nicknames and Harbie friends who created them to prove it.

Arguably the most iconic of them all, I owe “CEO” to the Washington D.C. journalism trip, circa junior year. With some free time after convention classes, I impulsively bought a plain white T-shirt with “CEO” stitched across the front for $8 at Urban Outfitters, and the nickname was born.

The CEO shirt was no raggedy bedtime shirt. I wore it in public, on Christmas morning and when I needed luck for my Student Store interview junior year (I mean, I’d say it worked).

“CEO” spread beyond the walls of the J-room and to everyone I knew — in a similar parallel to the person I became junior year. With CEO (and upperclassman)

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energy, I came out of my shell by taking part in more activities than I could count, expanding my bubble of friends and having more fun with everything I did.

Finding my place at East started with my “CEO” t-shirt, and I’ll forever be thankful for everything the nickname brought me.

The most recent and current nickname I hold, “Webmaster Winnie,” is not as well known and primarily used by Trevor, Tommy, Lauren and Allison. I was dubbed Webmaster during a design brainstorm when an inspiration web I created formed a headline for a story in minutes.

The funniest thing about “Webmaster Winnie” is the irony of it all. I love Harbinger, I really do, but I never got as involved or held high leadership positions in the way that I did with dance or SHARE. “Webmaster Winnie” is a design God, an importantdecision-maker and the all-around true leader of the Harbinger — but no, I’m not actually any of that. So the name is used for laughs, which Lord knows I’ve enjoyed during this chaotic year.

So, thank you Harbinger for two names and memories I can laugh at every time my younger sister bugs me about story ideas next year. CEO and Webmaster, I’ll never forget you.

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safely with my friends. It was even thrilling having a senior skip day, although half the year was a skip day in hybrid learning anyway.

Earlier this year, the senior class came together for a senior sunrise on the football field. Masked and distanced, we watched the sun come up together. Even though it came up behind the bleachers so we didn’t actually see it, it was the first time we had a reason to get out of the house and feel a sense of normalcy.

The loss of experiences that make high school special made the mundane moments exciting, and eventually, each mundane day was worth getting excited for. I still would’ve loved to ride a float down Mission Rd. on Lancer Day and pound on the fence in the front row of the student section at football games, but simply getting to see and be in the presence of my friends became more important than the lack of traditionally “memorable” senior year events.

Being a Lancer the last four years has been an honor.

When I walk out of the office doors for the last time, I’ll be satisfied with my high school career as the oddity of this year made it unforgettable.

Winnie Wolf reminisces on the Harbinger nicknames she’s been given that have shaped her throughout her junior and senior year.

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SENIOR YEAR IS one of the most anticipated years of our high school career. It’s the year of last school dances, last football games, last pep assemblies and privileges simply for being the oldest. But I may as well have been a clueless freshman this year as I was cooped up in my room, waiting for Webex classes to stop buffering and navigating a new and confusing Canvas homepage.

On the surface, my senior year looks like a total bust.

I wasn’t given the chance to sing the school song one last time in a crowded stadium student section or chant at the Rockhurst boys across the basketball court. But I avoided thinking about these losses in order to not completely lose my mind. Instead, myself and the rest of the seniors practiced resilience and made our year special despite a pandemic.

The office doors I was always eager to walk out of soon became a privilege to walk through. It was a privilege to leave and get lunch with my friends and to feel comfortable sitting in the back room of the J-room. I felt lucky to be able to show off my Mizzou t-shirt in the hallways on decision day and organize fake school dances

INNIE WOLF

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Senior year was still special, despite the lack of traditions and countless disappointments from the pandemic

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understand their points of view.

Looking back on the incident with the fly swatter, I realize how I took empathy one step further. I had understood that it’s not enough to just feel for others, you also have to do everything in your power to help them. After killing the fly, the last way I could help was by giving it a proper burial.

I applied that same mentality of taking action and showing initiative to my Harbinger stories. When an aspiring firefighter I interviewed couldn’t stop talking about how much his late wrestling coach meant to him, I built the story around their close relationship instead.

For a feature story, I recognized that the flamenco dancer was also passionate about theater, so I went to her play rehearsal. From my front-row seat of “Studio C Skits,” I watched her light up the stage in the same way that had added depth to her dancing.

Even though my parents probably laughed when I suggested holding a fly funeral, I’m grateful for that fly I swatted and the emotion it evoked in six-year-old me all those years ago. Without it, I wouldn’t have begun to appreciate my ability to understand different points of view. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t hurt a fly again.

and memories to recall them all. Little souvenirs of my family’s time at East hide in the halls of the school. I point out the memories to anyone who’ll listen, from the wrestling award named after my grandfather to the two lockers my dad had senior year to my sister’s name in the StuCo room.

Even as the little pieces of my family collect dust and have no descendents left to take notice, the legacy still lives on in a more figurative way. Being a Lancer isn’t something that just goes away, it’s an honor that lasts a lifetime.

I’ve watched countless family members leave the halls of Shawnee Mission East only to carry on the everlasting traits that are synonymous with Lancers — kindness, determination and teamwork.

East has been a second home to me for my entire life, and I don’t want to leave it behind. So I won’t, I’ll carry the Lancer spirit in my heart as I go out into the world — just like my family’s done before me. The school song speaks the truth — “Lancers we will ever be.”

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FACE BURIED IN my parents’ pillows, six-year-old me cried my eyes out. It was so tiny, defenseless. Because I had gotten caught up in the adrenaline of the chase, it was gone. Although just a fly, now it was a dead fly.

I was the sole mourner at the funeral. I buried the fly next to our driveway, gingerly placing its body into the tiny hole my dad had prepared. Then, we tossed the dirt back in and marked the site with a pebble.

Thankfully, I’ve reached a point in my life when a dead bug doesn’t make me tear up. But that doesn’t mean I still don’t sob during Pixar movies, whenever I see someone else cry or anytime I hear “Redwood Tree”

by Van Morrison. While some may view my empathetic nature as a weakness, I believe it’s one of my greatest strengths.

My desire to understand different perspectives carried over into my high school journalistic pursuits.

To convince interviewees to trust me with their story, I connected with them and demonstrated that I cared about what they had to say by maintaining eye contact and asking follow-up questions. I made it my mission to interview students, parents, coaches, teachers and faculty members however many times it took to fully

SITTING ON THE corner of 72nd and Mission Rd., my cousin and I, then four years old, could barely contain ourselves.

We were jumping up and down in our miniature Lancer T-shirts to see our grandfather riding in a blue convertible as a former East teacher and football coach.

During the 2007 Lancer Day Parade, we wanted nothing more than to be like him — a Lancer.

Graduating or working at Shawnee Mission East is a right of passage in my family, as there’s been someone attending or employed at the school in 43 of the 63 years it has been open.

We were raised as Lancers from the start. I could sing the alma mater before I could spell my own name and have seen East play football an inordinate number of times.

And finally, I will close the chapter, at least for this generation, of being a Lancer.

Between the 14 of us, my family has spent a combined 76 years at East — resulting in far too many legacies

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Sharing the stories of others helped Kelly Murphy develop an empathetic side

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EGAN STOPPERAN

After decades of family has passed through East, Megan Stopperan reflects on being the end of her sibling line

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THAN ENDERLE

AS SOMEONE WHO cried at their preschool graduation ceremony, I’ve always been an emotional person, especially when it comes to “moving on.” This time of year is bittersweet no matter your age or grade, or at least it’s always been that way for me — except for this year.

For 13 years, I have been going to school with the same people. So naturally, at the end of each school year, it’s emotional. I’m getting older, changing teachers and sometimes moving buildings. I’ve never let myself get too sad, because I always knew I’d be coming back next year.

Well, this year is different. I can’t reassure myself. I am not coming back next year. I won’t see my teachers and my classmates — in some cases, classmates I’ve known for all 13 years.

For me, May 24 at graduation will be the first time I’ll see most of my classmates in over a year. Being allremote, I’ve spent my entire senior year stationed behind a computer, sitting at the desk in my basement.

Not only have I missed out on regular traditions — like Lancer Day and pep assemblies — due to COVID-19, I’ve missed out on the ambiance of being at school.

It wasn’t until this year that I realized how much I appreciated being at school. Simply being in a room

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photos with Tate.

My inner dedication to doing quality work was pitted against my easily-drained-from-social-interaction self.

Do I actually start speaking to people outside my threefriend-bubble and get rewarded with better captions?

Or, do I settle for subpar captions that’ll make Tate wince?

Luckily, I’m not the type to do less than my best, even if it means an uphill battle against my timid self and the anxious thoughts that have built a home in my mind.

In chemistry class, my ability to confidently deliver my chemistry lessons progressively improved throughout the year. I slowly began speaking with less “ums” and “uhs” interjected every few words. But don’t take it from me, Appier himself admits my presentations are more articulate, and I seem more comfortable.

I learned that successfully teaching chemistry requires connecting with each individual kid, allowing me to gauge their understanding and make their questions feel welcomed. And — surprise, surprise — mere listening didn’t magically form those connections, I had to do lots of speaking too.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m still “the quiet one” in most group settings, and I still second-guess my answers to teachers’ questions. But now, I consider a day successful if I speak more than my past-self would ever dare.

with other real-life human beings is so much better than being surrounded by stacks of math worksheets in my quiet basement where the only sound is me typing on a keyboard.

I miss chatting with classmates and teachers. I miss passing periods. I miss pep assemblies. I miss all of it.

It’s difficult to sit behind a screen and listen to the rest of your classmates joke and talk to each other. I’m disconnected.

These last few weeks of school, I’ve found myself trying to soak up every last bit of my senior year. I’ve been finding every excuse to go up to the school and do something, whether it’s attending band class and concerts or going to the first and last pep assembly of the year. I’m trying to make memories while there’s still time.

To put it frankly, I took high school for granted.

I convinced myself I was okay with being virtual and missing out because I have college to look forward to. I told myself I just needed to finish this year.

In retrospect, I wish I’d pushed myself to be present the past year. If anyone is to learn anything from what I’ve done, I hope it’s this — high school is fun. Don’t fight back on enjoying it because you think it’s cliche. It actually is fun, so actually have fun.

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NNAKATE DILKS

Graduating high school as a fully remote student adds an extra layer of bittersweetness

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I NERVOUSLY GULP, jaw clenched tight. My eighth grade Advanced Social Studies teacher Douglas Jones has just called on me — my worst fear. Not because I don’t know the answer, but because I have to say something for the whole class to hear.

“Oh Annakate, always so shy and bashful in the back,” he said.

As a freshman, I considered it a successful day if I managed to get through without saying a word. If I didn’t speak, the distressing thoughts that usually lurked in the back of my mind like “If you get this wrong, everyone will think you’re stupid” could stay at bay.

Thankfully, I’ve been able to shed my ultra-shy exterior thanks to Harbinger and cadet teaching chemistry.

As a photographer, I fell into all sorts of scenarios my past self would cower at, meeting all sorts of people I would never have met and visiting all sorts of places I would never have been. I mean, how often does the average student get to say they met students training to be future responders through the Project Blue Eagle program and met the creator of a Kansas City teenage book and art festival?

But before any of that, I had to — get this... talk to people. I had to interview strangers for captions, ask senior editors questions and discuss weaknesses in my

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Cadet teaching chemistry and being on Harbinger helped Annakate Dilks become less shy

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MAY 24, 2021 | THE HARBINGER

THE HARBINGER | MAY 24, 2021

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ILY BILLINGSLEY

Lily Billingsley reminisces on the contents of her 6th grade time capsule and sees how she has changed in the past 6 years

SIXTH-GRADE ME was an aggressive rule follower. I prided myself on never getting sent to the safe seat or having my iPad taken away. The thought of opening my time capsule before the very last day of high school probably would’ve made me cry — I was also a crier.

The empty box of oats, decorated poorly by an ill-fitting piece of purple construction paper and block letters saying “Lily’s Time Capsule” — with a heart above the “I” of course — has been tucked away in the back of my closet for the past six years. It’s waited for me to finish high school so I can rip off the excessive amount of scotch tape I used and get a glimpse into my past. But given my lifelong lack of patience and newfound inability to focus on anything school-related mixed with the loss of my constant-rulefollowing days, I decided two weeks pre-graduation was close enough.

Except for the fact that I had yet to discover contacts or any hairstyle that wasn’t a giant bun on top of my head, I can’t easily differentiate the 12 and 18-year-old versions of myself. But looking at the rolled-up Pentathlon winner certificates and lists of my favorite foods and movies featured in my time capsule, I saw just how much I’ve changed since my time as a Highlands Hawk. I was a teacher’s pet who actually enjoyed reading and happily showed up to school every day at 7 a.m. to take Pre-Algebra.

During my elementary days, my career of choice was a

&TAYLOR

food scientist. I was convinced all they did was taste-test ice cream — a goal that quickly went out the window when I blacklisted anything science related from my future after struggling through Honors Chemistry.

Now, “Communications?” is about as close as I get to determining a dream job and the only books I read are the ones required for English class. I may not grow up to be the lawyer or scientist my sixth-grade self dreamed of, but I’ve found interests in subjects like journalism and marketing and grown the confidence to stick up for myself, even if it means a bad grade or hurt ego along the way.

If I grow my patience enough to read this column again on my college graduation day, chances are that I’ll roll my eyes looking back on my high-school-aged love for oversized sweatshirts or my overuse of the word “girlboss,” but they’re all a part of my time capsule now.

So dear future Lily, I may not have done all my homework or been on the honor roll — to the horror of my younger self — but I’m graduating and mentally preparing to abandon my life as I’ve known it.

Even though I wasn’t always the best student or the smartest in the class, I’ve learned that being perfect is most definitely not the key to success. I’m grateful I got a bit more relaxed with the rule-following over the years — the mistakes I made brought me to a path I wouldn’t change for the world. Catch you on the flip side.

Co-photo mentors write parting letters for each other

EGAN

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WHEN THE J-ROOM air is suddenly filled with the smell of fruity Bath and Body Works perfume, I know exactly who’s walking in: the only girl who can match my energy at 8 a.m.

— my girl, Megan Biles.

Just like your original songs, you’re one of a kind. Your constant barking and Britney Spears impersonations have dominated my Harbinger classes for the last three years, and that’s all I could ever ask for. Sometimes it blows my mind you’re a real person — remember when I told you to bite into a raw yam as a joke, and without hesitation you actually did it? Only you.

On a more serious note, I admire your confidence. Your unapologetic presence and witty comebacks fill every room you enter with so much life. I am forever grateful to have gotten the opportunity to be your friend, and I would’ve never joined Harbinger without you.

Your influence on my decision to join the Harbinger staff is only the cherry on top of the sundae that is our friendship. I’m so lucky I got the chance to be a co-photo mentor with you. My high school experience would not have been the same without you, so for that I thank you. I love you Shmeg.

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WHEN I GET old, I cannot wait to tell stories from one of the best and worse times of my life: high school. There was one person in particular I will never forget — Taylor Keal. Like me, Taylor was a photo mentor and she had the rare talent of perfectly capturing a story through the lens of her camera.

Through Harbinger our bond became much stronger. You never really think about how much standing around and waiting there is when shooting sports until you actually go out and shoot. Us photogs mostly spend games talking to the other photographers there to pass the time. My favorite person to talk to was hands down Taylor.

We could talk for hours on end — like the time we shot boys’ soccer sophomore year and we were too busy talking to get a photo of the huge team celebration following their goal. We may have missed a great picture opportunity, but it was worth it: I gained the friendship of a lifetime.

Taylor’s the type of friend you can go weeks without talking to, but the moment you reconnect, it’s as if you’d just talked to them yesterday. When I delivered her Oreo balls during the peak of quarantine, Taylor stood outside my car for two hours to catch up and let me rant extensively about the much-needed space I required from my family.

It’s crazy to think that next year I’ll have to start over and make all new friends, but one thing I can carry forward with me is my everlasting friendship with Taylor. From us going to church on a double date to watching Mary Kate and Ashley Olson movies while comforting her after breaking her collarbone, Taylor and I have been through it all. I can’t wait for the day when, out of the blue, I get a phone call from Taylor. It’ll be like we never left high school.

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30/31 | PHOTOSTORY RIGHT | Junior Sydney Beck takes a selfie of her prom group while taking photos at the NelsonAtkins Museum of Art before the dance. This year, prom was split into two rotations, and Beck’s group attended the second time slot. photo by macy crosser BELOW | Senior Danny Joyce is interviewed by 41 Action News while participating in a protest with the football team to reopen schools and resume fall sports. photo by elise madden

RIGHT | Senior Jess Pindell leaps across the stage during her senior solo to the song “Great One” by Jessie Reyez during the Lancer Dancer Spring Show on April 1. photo by mj wolf BOTTOM RIGHT | With his eye on the ball, senior Noah Brende chases it out of bounds alongside an opponent from Olathe West. The boys varsity soccer team lost 1-0 against their rivals, Olathe West. photo by macy crosser BELOW | Junior Merrie Clough pours a solution of ammonium chloride into a graduated cylinder for her Hess’ Law lab in Steve Appier ’s AP Chemistry 2 class. photo by annakate dilks

ABOVE | Senior Logan Lowrey gets crowned Homecoming Queen between the JV and varsity soccer games on Oct. 15. In response to being crowned queen, Lowrey says, “[There] was no pressure. I really just wanted to have fun and make a good memory.” photo by julia percy

LEFT | Senior Claire Horton practices her music before the performance.

In December, the Chambers, Philharmonic and Concert Orchestras gathered to perform “Christmas Eve Sarajevo 12/24” for a recording that was sent to parents. photo by annakate dilks

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MAY 24, 2021 | THE HARBINGER design by photo editors

To wrap up the year, here are some highlights from events you may have missed

ON "FILM”

LEFT | Senior Reilly Kenney strikes a pose during the song “Day By Day”, in Shawnee Mission East’s winter musical “Godspell.”

Kenney played the role of Judas in this production. photo by megan biles

ABOVE LEFT | Pep Exec seniors Carson Holmes, Cade Eldred, Brady Friend, Cameron Rooney, Megan Biles and Jilli Foley welcome the new pep exces, juniors Brian Henegar, Kyler Haughton, Spencer Newton, Ceila Condon, Maeve McGrath and Charlotte Hawes into Pep Club and lead the Viking Chant at the first Pep Assembly of the year.

Junior Brian Henegar said “It was like a sigh of relief to be able to have the first assembly all year, like we were finally getting back to normal.” photo by lily mantel LEFT | Senior Lee Marshall cheers after East scores in their game against rival team, South. Marshall says, “The theme was blackout, and even though I was injured, I wanted to participate as much as possible.” photo by megan biles

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MAY 24, 2021 | THE HARBINGER photos by taylor keal and annakate dilks | design by annabelle moore

PA SSIN G T H E I R P I E C E by peyton moore

Students in all grades pass on advice to the incoming classes to help the transition back to a normal year

Don’t necessarily miss out on things because you’re tired. Take all the opportunities with your friends because you really never know when another pandemic can roll around. I learned senior year: don’t surround yourself with people who continuously make you unhappy. A good rule is if the bad outweighs the good, then don’t keep them in your life. Oh, and don’t do your homework, it is never worth it.

Just simply make the most of it. This year I tried out a ton of different SHARE projects and clubs just because. Some days I would go to random clubs and meet a couple new friends. I also recommend taking marketing because DECA is a ton of fun, especially DECA state.

anna heide | senior

jack hays | senior

Get more involved in SHARE. It not only lets you meet a ton of great people from all grades but it is a big enough organization that you can find something that you are really passionate about and there is a lot to choose from. It allows you to meet new people and allows you to see what impact you can make on your community. You can start by getting more service hours and becoming a chair of an organization you are passionate about.

Overall, I would say try to not take junior year too seriously. Everyone tells you that junior year sucks and is the hardest one, but honestly, it has been pretty easy and my most enjoyable year.

zach o’roark | junior

courtenay tetrick | junior

Take weights and team games classes because they are really fun, easy classes where you can meet upperclassmen and are a nice break in the day. Sophomore year is fun because you will become more comfortable at East.

I think freshman versus sophomore year, I started talking to people and researching different extracurriculars. Look at school’s social media, ask upperclassmen and just be aware of events coming up through signs in the hall. Sophomore year is a great time to start building your resume with extracurriculars and start testing the waters with AP/IB/CAA classes before junior year.

anohita paul | sophomore will alexander | sophomore

Don’t do your homework tomorrow or the next day. With the block schedule, your homework never really stops accumulating and you can drown in it quickly. Take advantage of seminar and the teachers that are there to help you. I would probably say try not to take all honors classes because they are harder and give more homework than IHMS.

charlie muehlberger | freshman

East is really not as hard to navigate as people think — or as the rumor is at IHMS. I was stressed out about the fact that East is five floors but you figure it out super quickly. After the first day, it all just really makes sense. Also don’t be afraid to ask anyone in the halls or teachers for help because they are really not as scary as it may seem.

maggie kissick | freshman