The Harbinger Issue 12 — 2022

the harbinger.

S H AW N E E M I S S I O N E A S T 7500 MISSION ROAD PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS 66208 MARCH 07, 2022 VOLUME LXIV ISSUE 12

“A T U R NI N G

POIN T”

A year and a half after the 2020 Black Lives Matter Movement protests, students and members of the East community recognize what has changed, what hasn’t changed and what needs to change moving forward

02 INSIDE COVER

click for pics SHARE CREATES CAT TOYS

S c a n t o v i e w t h e g a l l e r y f ro m t h e S H A R E vo lu nt e e r p ro j e c t t o m a ke c a t t oy s a n d h o u s e s fo r Wa y s i d e Wa i f s o n M a rc h 1

THE HARBINGER

design by cesca stamati cover design by celia condon cover photos by maggie merckens & noelle griffin

online preview

BOYS VARSITY BASKETBALL

S c a n t o v i e w t h e g a l l e r y f ro m t h e s e n i o r n i g ht va rs i t y b a s ket b a l l g a m e a g a i n st S h a w n e e M i s s i o n N o r t h o n F e b .

GIRLS VARSITY BASKETBALL

S c a n t o v i e w t h e g a l l e r y f ro m t h e s e n i o r n i g ht va rs i t y b a s ket b a l l g a m e a g a i n st Shawnee Mission North on Feb. 25

FOLLOW THEHARBINGER SMEHARBINGER SMEHARBINGER

art by grace demetriou

staff list PRINT EDITORS Celia Condon Sydney Newton ONLINE EDITORS Sophie Henschel Campbell Wood ASST. PRINT EDITORS Peyton Moore Cesca Stamati ASST. ONLINE EDITORS Lyda Cosgrove Kate Heitmann HEAD COPY EDITOR Campbell Wood ASST. ONLINE EDITORS Caroline Wood Caroline Gould DESIGN EDITORS Nora Lynn Anna Mitchell PHOTO EDITORS Elise Madden Maggie Merckens ASST. PHOTO EDITORS Rachel Bingham Macy Crosser Hadley Chapman VIDEO EDITOR Maggie Klumpp PHOTO MENTORS Emily Pollock Grace Allen Lily Mantel Julia Fillmore Riley Eck

Charlotte Emley STAFF WRITERS Madeline Funkey Christian Gooley Mia Vogel Gibbs Morris Ben Bradley Katie Murphy Luke Beil Maggie Kissick Emma Krause Maggie Condon Hassan Sufi Addie Moore Tristan Chabanis Emmerson Winfrey Lucy Wolf Blakely Faulkner David Allegri Avery Anderson Aanya Bansal Grace Allen COPY EDITORS Caroline Wood Caroline Gould Greyson Imm Katie Murphy Anna Mitchell Sophie Lindberg Paige Zadoo EDITORIAL BOARD Sydney Newton Celia Condon Campbell Wood Sophie Henschel

photo by rachel bingham

Peyton Moore Cesca Stamati Kate Heitmann Lyda Cosgrove Caroline Wood Madeline Funkey Nora Lynn Sophie Lindberg Greyson Imm Caroline Gould SECTION EDITORS EDITORIAL PRINT Madeline Funkey NEWS PRINT Caroline Gould ONLINE Luke Beil OPINION PRINT Sophie Lindberg ONLINE Maggie Kissick FEATURE PRINT Katie Murphy ONLINE Paige Zadoo A&E PRINT Caroline Wood ONLINE Mia Vogel SPORTS

PRINT Anna Mitchell ONLINE Ben Bradley PAGE DESIGNERS Katie Murphy Madeline Funkey Christian Gooley Bridget Connelly Luke Beil Emma Krause Marissa Liberda Greyson Imm Sophie Lindberg Maggie Condon Addie Moore Grace Demetriou Lucy Wolf Blakely Faulkner Ava Cooper Sofia Blades Elle Gedman David Allegri Maggie Kissick Gibbs Morris Paige Zadoo ART EDITOR Natalie Scholz ASST. ART EDITOR Nora Lynn STAFF ARTISTS Sophie Lindberg Bridget Connelly Marissa Liberda Mason Sajna

Grace Demetriou Sofia Blades Ava Cooper STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Audrey Condon Elle Siegel Jill Rice Kate Beaulieu Maggie Klumpp Sabrina Dean Tristen Porter Lilli Vottero Molly Miller Mason Sajna Rachel Condon Riley Scott Lydia Coe Claire Goettsch Caroline Martucci Seri Steinbrecher Liv Madden Clara Peters MJ Wolf VIDEO STAFF Abby Lee Jill Rice Lily Mantel PODCAST MENTORS Ben Bradley Emma Krause SOCIAL MEDIA EDITORS Celia Condon Sophie Henschel

ASST. SOCIAL MEDIA EDITORS Mia Vogel Paige Zadoo SOCIAL MEDIA STAFF Madeline Funkey Campbell Wood Sydney Newton Grace Allen Sophie Lindberg Ben Bradley Peyton Moore Lyda Cosgrove Marissa Liberda Bridget Connelly Maggie Condon Lilli Vottero Molly Miller Addie Moore Grace Demetriou Lucy Wolf Ava Cooper Elle Gedman David Allegri Avery Anderson Maggie Kissick ADS MANAGER Greyson Imm CONTEST COORDINATOR Peyton Moore CIRCULATION MANAGERS Maggie Klumpp Julia Fillmore

EDITORIAL 03

MARCH 07, 2022

design by madeline funkey cartoon by tallie scholtz

NO NEED TO PANIC Teen should seek out credible news sources when following serious topics, for example the tension between Russia and Ukraine, because social media can often provide false information

A

S THOUSANDS OF civilians fled to Ukraine’s metro stations — turned bomb shelters — to take cover after Russia launched a full-scale invasion, teenagers across America considered the possibility of another world war and a draft.

On TikTok, Instagram and at East, many have claimed World War III is near.

In reality, American teens have very little reason to worry about a war physically involving them at all, as no threat of violence has come towards the U.S.. But, right now, President Joe Biden has denied plans to send any American troops to Ukraine to fight at all, because Ukraine isn’t a member of NATO, despite President Volodymr Zelenskyy’s repeated inquiries of joining.

But because the unlikely chance of a “draft for World War III” was advertised in such an exaggerated manner and blasted across “news platforms,” — TikTok or Instagram — it became easy to believe — especially for impressionable teens.

News travels fast. And while social media algorithms sift through some unreliable information, they don’t always prioritize the credibility of a source. Creators on TikTok can be more interested in going viral than spreading true information. What better way to gain views than to threaten World War III? Despite the appeal to believe fake news spread through viral TikToks, our generation needs to understand the

i n fo r m a t i o n , t h ey d o n ’ t a lw a y s p r i o r i t i ze t h e c re d i b i l i t y of a s o u rc e .

However, the U.S. hasn’t needed a draft in over 45 years — the military has consisted of only volunteers since 1973. So, even if there was a draft, most high schoolers wouldn’t be a part of the pool due to age or gender.

Teens need to verify information found on social media using trusted sources before prematurely suiting up to go to war.

Hunting for credible information can start with asking teachers. Pay attention to your social studies teacher’s comments about Ukraine, Russia and the U.S.’s involvement

1

The National Public Radio

2

The Wall Steet Journal

3

The British Broadcasting Company

re s c u e . o rg

DONATE

EDUCATE

news, and how to donate to Ukraine

a l g o r i t h m s s i f t t h ro u g h s o m e u n re l i a b l e

The Harbinger is a student run publication. Published editorials express the views of the Harbinger staff. Signed columns published in the Harbinger express the writer’s personal opinion. The content and opinions of the Harbinger do not represent the student body, faculty, administration or Shawnee Mission School District. The Harbinger will not share any unpublished content, but quotes material may be confirmed with the sources. The Harbinger encourages letters to the editors, but reserves the right to reject them for reasons including but not limited to lack of space, multiple letters of the same topic and personal attacks contained in the letter. The Harbinger will not edit content thought letters may be edited for clarity, length or mechanics. Letters should be sent to room 413B or emailed to smeharbinger@gmail.com.

The members of the editorial board who agree with the viewpoint of the editorial are represented by for, and those who disagree with the viewpoint are represented by against.

Trusted, unbiased websites to find credible

N E W S T R AV E L S FA S T. A n d w h i l e s o c i a l m e d i a

even if it’s not on your next chapter test. It might clarify the real problem we face — not if we’re going to war, but rather what we can do to help.

Paying attention to news playing on the TV can also help us learn, even if it’s in the background of math homework and family dinner. And, though it’s counterintuitive, don’t discredit a source due to its bias. Though a news station may only show one side of the war, it’s likely still factual information. Just make sure to switch the channel to the opposing side after, there’s no harm in broadening your perspective by hearing varying opinions.

As young Americans who can’t currently physically help with the situations in Ukraine, our job is to learn the real facts about the war by following credible news sources.

Other ways to help from afar include donating money to organizations like Rescue and Unicef USA, spreading awareness via social media or sharing what you learned about the conflict with friends and family.

Above all, staying informed is the most we can do to help the violence unfolding between Russia and Ukraine. Reading an article, listening when the news is on at a restaurant or even just a simple Google search to get the latest update may feel small, but it’s something.

E D I TO R I AL P O L I C Y

F O R : 9 AGA I N ST : 1

one click away

real risks of war.

A draft is defined as a mandatory enrollment of individuals into the armed forces. Contrary to other news circulating on social media, the draft would only pull from a pool of American men between the ages of 18 to 25, according to the Selective Service System. No women will be drafted — Congress debated talks of requiring women to register, but dropped the provision in December 2021.

u n i c ef u s a . o rg

04 NEWS

THE HARBINGER

design by caroline gould

NEWS IN BRIEF LEFT T h e f ront of the Paul Henson YMCA building located on 79th and Mission Rd. The YMCA was recently approved January 27 by the Prairie Village City Council to be replacWed with a community center.

The renovation is planning to take a $3.5 million chunk from the city’s COVID-19 relief fund. PHOTOS BY KATE BEAULIEU

THE 2022 OSCARS’ THREE FEMALE HOSTS AMY SCHUMER REGINA HALL WANDA SKYES

EAST

LOCAL

NATIONAL

The annual Mr. KanSaS pageant will be held on March 9 to collect hygiene products for donation

Prairie Village City Council plans to replace the YMCA with a community center

Actors will be seen acepting their Oscars awards on March 27 — with three female hosts

by addison moore SHARE IS HOSTING the seventh annual Mr. KanSAS

THE PRAIRIE VILLAGE City Council plans to spend $3.5

THE 94TH ANNUAL Oscars award show will be held on

million from the COVID-19 relief funding to replace the Paul Henson YMCA with a community center.

The idea of replacing the YMCA was initially proposed in 2013, but the council denied it. The discussion reopened in 2019, but was paused when COVID-19 hit, and has since been reopened at the Jan. 27 council meeting.

The 55-year-old facility has many infrastructure issues that make it no longer sustainable, according to the president and chief executive officer of YMCA of Greater Kansas City John Mikos. Excluding the current parking lot remodel, the YMCA hasn’t had any major updates in years.

“They make small changes every few months, but nothing too severe in a few years,” YMCA member and sophomore Will Conkright said.

If the Council approves the plan to construct the building, the center would function as a community, wellness and aquatic center still operated by YMCA. It also will feature a new library branch that Johnson County Library will operate.

After the brand new community center is built and new gym equipment is added, Conkright worries that the area will overcrowd He explains that there is little foot traffic at the YMCA currently — a leading factor of the council’s decision.

“It wants cities to give the money out in the community,” city Finance Director Nickie Lee said in a city council work session. “The intent would be that these funds would be spent on something that the community would feel.”

March 27 in Los Angeles by three female hosts — Amy Schumer, Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes — for the first time in history.

The Oscars have many long-standing gender boundaries that are still being broken, according to Maura Reilly, a journalist and women’s rights advocate from representwomen.org. In the last 10 years, only one woman has won in the Best Director category — Kathryn Bigelow.

“I’m not sure who thought this was a good idea but I’m hosting the Oscars, along with my good friends, Wanda Sykes and Regina Hall,” Schumer said in a statement on Good Morning America.

Freshman and founder of the SME Feminist Club Hartley Graham is excited for the show and thinks the hosts represent how far feminism has come.

“A lot of people think women can’t be funny,” Graham said. “I think it’s a really good representation of successful, strong, funny women.”

pageant on March 9 in the auditorium to collect soap and shampoo bottles to benefit Giving the Basics, a nonprofit that collects and distributes basic hygiene products such as soap, shampoo and deodorant to people in need.

Mr. KanSAS will be hosted in the auditorium at 7 p.m. and the entry fee is one bottle of soap or shampoo.

The pageant features 12 senior boys who each represent a different school activity. They’ll perform their chosen talent — like juggling, singing or dancing — and spectators vote for their favorite by putting soap or shampoo bottles into donation buckets with the candidate’s name on it.

“I really don’t care if I win or not,” senior and “Mr. Track and Field” Kyler Haughton said. “I’m excited to raise the shampoo bottles and compete against my friends.”

Giving the Basics will distribute the soap and shampoo bottles around the Kansas City area, going to police stations, homeless shelters, pantries and other places of need according to senior and SHARE Executive Courtenay Tetrick.

In past years, the pageant was hosted to collect cans, but SHARE collected over 3,000 from a can drive earlier this year and decided to benefit another organization.

“We’ve just kind of been canned out,” Tetrick said.

“As easy as cans are to collect, we just thought that doing something different would be great too.”

THE 2022 OSCARS

WHEN AND WHERE TO WATCH

MARCH 27 @ 7 p.m. CDT WATCH ON ABC.COM & THE ABC APP

NEWS 05

MARCH 07, 2022 design by kate heitmann photo from emily demo

GE T P SYCHED FOR

ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL Associate Principal Jeff Story is retiring and will be replaced by Blue Valley School District’s current Student Support Coordinator Emily Demo next school year by katie mu rphy

A

DMINISTRATOR EMILY DEMO was hired on

Feb. 14 as the new Associate Principal for the 2022-23 school year in place of Jeff Storey, who is retiring after working for 38 years within the Shawnee Mission School district.

Demo graduated from the University of Kansas with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and an education specialist graduate degree in school psychology — her administrative certification is from Pittsburg State University. Demo is currently serving as the District Coordinator of Student Support Services for the Blue Valley School District.

She decided to apply for the associate principal position after Principal Jason Peres was hired as principal, who she worked with for four years at Blue Valley Southwest, where she was the school psychologist.

IT’S MY HOME community. The c o m m u n i t y , t ra d i t i o n s a n d j u s t eve r y t h i n g I ’ ve h e a rd a b o u t E a s t i s s o o u t s t a n d i n g . I ’ m exc i t e d t o b e c o m e a p a r t of t h a t . ”

EMILY DEMO new associate principal “I knew about the position because I’ve been following [Peres’] journey into being the principal at East,” Demo said. “As I’ve become an administrator myself, I’ve been looking for different opportunities.”

Another reason Demo is excited to work at East is because she’s lives in the neighborhood. The Lancer Day parade is something that Demo specifically looks forward to participating in, as she lives near its route.

“It’s my home community,” Demo said. “The community, traditions and just everything I’ve heard about East is so outstanding. I’m excited to become a part of that.”

Demo’s number one goal as associate principal is to form relationships with students and better get to know the East community better. She hopes students know that her door is always open.

“I want people to seek me out,” Demo said.

Storey was planning on retiring last year but decided to stay just one more year because he wasn’t quite ready to leave. Storey has previously taught Latin classes and was the librarian at Indian Hills Middle School for nine years. Storey advises Demo to

get to know the students she is working with.

“My advice [for the next associate principal] is to get to know the kids as early as possible and learn how we do things at Shawnee Mission East, yet bring your own ideas to the table because we should continue learning and evolving,” Storey said.

Demo will be taking over his responsibilities which include working with the special education and world language programs at East, as well as overseeing curriculum and testing.

“I think my experience supporting students through a little bit of a different lens because of my training and experience as a psychologist will be beneficial to me,” Demo said. “I try to consider the whole student, not only their academic needs but social, emotional and behavioral [needs].”

Peres remembers working with Demo in the past and notes that she is “a great colleague.” He thinks that Demo cares deeply about her students and is excited to see the impact she’ll make at East “She’s student-centered and has knowledge and expertise in student support and intervention,” Peres said.

There will be a staff meet and greet with Demo before the start of next school year. In the meantime, all of the typical Associate Principal duties will continue to get done and students shouldn’t notice a huge change, according to Peres.

“We try to have as much continuity for students in our school at all times,” Peres said.

While learning new names and faces next year, Demo urges students to introduce themselves to her.

“I want to hear about exciting things going on for people, hard things going on for people and everything in between.” Demo said. “I’m a very outgoing person, so people can expect me to say hi to them in the hallway.”

PRONOUNCIATION P E R F E CTI O N Learn how to pronounce Emily Demo’s last name

DE - MO

Emily Demo (right)with her husband, and 2-year old son.

HIGHSCHOOL CO MPARISO N Compare your highschool experience with new associate principal Emily Demo’s highschool experience

What sports did you play in highschool?

Dance team

ur write in yo clubs? answers here

What are your favorite STUCO, NHS, GSA Would you regularly attend sports games?

Yes, all home games How did you get to school?

Drove a VW Beetle

Did you bring or buy a lunch?

Mostly bring What was your favorite book read in English class?

The Great Gatsby

06 NEWS

THE HARBINGER

design by caroline wood photos by lydia coe

&

PARKS RENOVATIONS by aanya bansal RAIRIE VILLAGE AND Johnson

P

County are currently leading a project on city-wide park improvements, renovating both Meadowbrook and Taliaferro by November and October, respectively.

The construction for Meadowbrook park includes a new picnic shelter, parking lot, restroom building and handicapaccessible playground, which costs a total of $2.1 million. Construction for these improvements began on November 1, 2021 — footings and foundations can already be seen on site.

Project Manager Jim Wilson believes that the Meadowbrook project will be completed weeks before its original contract completion date of November 11. The underground work, like the water, power and sewer connections have all been installed along with the foundations for the picnic shelter and restroom building.

The handicap-accessible playground is designed for people with different sensory

Meadowbrook and Taliaferro Parks are part of city-wide park improvements, with construction on Meadowbrook already underway and construction on Taliaferro set to begin by June

and physical abilities, according to Principal Architect Brian Garvey of SFS Architecture.

“The playgrounds that are out there — both the one that exists today, along with the open space and Meadowbrook Hill and the future inclusive playground — are providing recreation opportunities for users of all ages and abilities,” Garvey said.

In the past, Meadowbrook worked with SFS Architecture to design the existing Meadowbrook clubhouse, three shelters, grand pavilion and restroom building, using natural stone, angled columns and slanting rooflines to keep the park looking organic.

The goal is to create the forest-like effect of looking through a tree line in their design, according to Garvey. These same elements will be utilized throughout the renovation of Meadowbrook.

“The idea with the structures was that they utilize materials that fit very well into their surroundings and didn’t look out of place and overly manmade,” Garvey said.

Wilson is excited for the community

to experience the new improvements, especially after the increase in park visitors since the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s a great place to go,” Wilson said.

“Kids love it. Adults love it. It’s a park that has a little bit of everything in it.”

Senior Emma Brown visits Meadowbrook Park frequently to walk her dog and play pickleball with her family and thinks the new renovations will make the park more accessible for those with disabilities.

“I’m sure [the new playground] will make a huge impact for those that can’t get around well on the [existing] playground,” Brown said.

Taliaferro Park is undergoing renovations on its picnic shelters and restroom. The park plan includes a replacement picnic shelter and updated restroom building.

Construction on Taliaferro Park could start anytime between now and June, depending on the availability of materials.

According to Project Manager Melissa Prenger, the project will cost around $520,000.

The contractor, Combes Construction, has been allotted four months to gather materials and 140 days to complete

the project under Prenger’s supervision.

Taliaferro Park patrons are eager to have a restroom building instead of the current porta-potty, according to Prenger.

She believes the new restroom will have a positive impact on families that visit the park, since it is so close to park amenities like the play set and green space.

Sophomore Addison Jones, who lives nearby the park, agrees that the new restroom building is a much needed improvement to the unhygienic porta-potty.

“I think the restroom is a really good idea,” Jones said. “The porta-potty is so disgusting. I would always invite people over into our house to go to the restroom.”

Prairie Village residents voiced their opinion of the color and shape of the shelter and restroom through a QR code found at the park entrance. According to Prenger, residents were eager to share their opinions and do what they could to improve their park experience.

“It’s small, but it packs a big punch,” Prenger said. “We’ve got a lot in this area.”

FAR ABOVE Kids play on playground equipment at Meadowbrook Park that will soon be replaced with the new, all-inclusive playground.

ABOVE Little boy carefully climbs on ro p e to b a la n c e h i m s e lf on the rope section of the Meadowbrook Park p la yg rou n d .

NEWS 07

MARCH 07, 2022

design by madeline funkey photos by molly miller

&

UPGRADING

UPDATING East Coaches Mark Simoneau and Shawn Hair updated the weight room using the East Fund to benefit and advance students’ practice

B O T H St u de nt s u se th e El ite F orm c o m p u te r to uchscreens during we i g ht s c la s s to track th eir lif ts.

by christian gooley LITE FORM COMPUTER systems — among other

E

upgrades — were installed in East’s weight room on February 16th, after gym coaches Mark Simoneau and Shawn Hair put together an upgrade funding proposal to send to the East Fund.

The Elite Form computer system attaches to the top the weightlifting racks, containing numerous cameras and a touch screen, which can be controlled by teachers and athletes. Tracking velocity of lifts and other various movements.

According to Hair, the first step in obtaining the funds was persuading the physical education department to support and fund the renovation project.

“The biggest thing is that we had to convince the East Fund and the East community that we were going to use this program for every kid, not just football, not just basketball, not just baseball. Every kid,” Hair said.

After going back and forth with the East fund, the fund finally accepted the request to install an Elite Form system to every single rack in the weight room.

From there, the district worked out the logistics with Elite Form and a date was set to have the two-day installation process begin. Simoneau and Hair both scheduled activities for their classes those days to be out of the weight room so the construction in the weight room could occur.

The rest of the upgrades to the weight room were much

tracks your progress

inside look Features within EliteForm

more minor than the Elite Form but will still make a very large impact on the room. They’ve repainted some of the walls black to make a cleaner aesthetic and they also removed the dumbbell racks and set them against the wall on the side of the weight room. This makes a very large open space in the middle of the room for stretching and other activities that involve lots of movement.

T H E B E S T PA R T i s I a m a b l e t o m a ke a d j u st m e nt s i n t ra i n i n g w i t h o u t h a v i n g t o eve r m a x o u t , ‘ ’ S i m o n e a u s a i d . “ I n st e a d of eve r y e i g ht w e e k s eva lu a t i n g a n d c h a n g i n g t h i n g s , i t i s m o re of a n o n g o i n g p ro c e s s d a y by d a y .

MARK SIMONEAU

Seventh hour Girls Weights was the first class able to use the new technology. With the new tech-upgrade, each individual user makes a personal account within the system, adding their name and a picture of their face. Once the account is made, students can then sign in their accounts every time they work out and track their goals, such as velocity on a lift.

Simoneau first heard of Elite Form from his old strength coach when he played football in college. His coach had just one computer system but allowed Simoneau to use

walk-through Daily workout routine

START SET creates workouts

COACH

start

the stats

What the system tracks

WEIGHT

pick workout

POWER VELOCITY

coach can see progress

REPS

review

film

it, allowing him to realize the unique benefits athletes and weight trainers could get from using this system, such as Elite Form.

“It has made a huge difference for me in the weight room being able to track the velocity of my lifts and see how I did on every lift right away,” junior Ethan Curran said.

The athletes are not the only ones benefiting from the new technology — it’s also been a huge help to the coaching staff.

“The best part is I am able to make adjustments in training without having to ever max out, ‘’ Simoneau said.

“Instead of every eight weeks evaluating and changing things, it is more of an ongoing process day by day.”

As the head basketball coach, freshman football coach and weights teacher, Shawn Hair says that he wants the school to pride itself on the athletic program and a huge part of that starts in the weight room.

Coach Hair is optimistic that the Elite Form system can make a huge impact on the athletic programs at East making it way more efficient to train in the weight room.

“The instant feedback is the biggest part that is going to help the kids,” Hair said. “For example, if they have a three rep set and you mess up the first rep it will give you a red telling the brain to focus more on the next rep. That will just be able to make our athletes way more efficient when lifting.”

lifting the limits

How the EliteForm computer system benefits athletes

1 2 3

provides students access to technology that enhances strength, speed & power allows weights students to reach their training goals more effectively 3D camera tracks both peak and average veolcity

08 OPINION

THE HARBINGER

OPINION

HIGHLIGHTS A look into student opinions and the opinion section

A HISTORY TEACHER Q&A WHAT’S UP WITH UKRAINE? Two history teachers discuss the Russia-Ukraine conflict

EMILY FOSSOH

design by sophie lindberg

THIS WEEK Opinionated tweets from this week IN TWEETS I WA N T TO C O N G R AT U L AT E J U D G E K E TA N J I B ROW N J AC K S O N O N H E R N O M I N AT I O N TO T H E S U P R E M E C O U RT. J U D G E J AC K S O N H A S A L R E A DY I N S P I R E D YO U N G B L AC K WO M E N L I K E M Y DAU G H T E R S TO S E T T H E I R S I G H T S H I G H E R , A N D H E R C O N F I R M AT I O N W I L L H E L P T H E M B E L I E V E T H E Y C A N B E A N Y T H I N G T H E Y WA N T TO B E .

BARACK OBAMA

2/25/22

I F YO U WO N ’ T G E T A C OV I D T E S T TO P ROT E C T OT H E R M E M B E R S O F C O N G R E S S & S TA F F AT T E N D I N G # S OT U D U R I N G A N O N G O I N G PA N D E M I C F O L L OW I N G A N I N S U R R E C T I O N I N T H E M I D D L E O F A N

I T ’ S A N OT H E R T E S T F O R T H I S M O D E R N TO P I C

I N T E R N AT I O N A L C R I S I S T H E N I ’ V E G OT TO QU E S T I O N J U S T H OW C O M M I T T E D TO T H I S D E M O C R AC Y YO U R E A L LY A R E .

O F D E M O C R AC Y A N D W E S T E R N VA L U E S , O F T H E S E

JOYCE ALENE

3/1/22

I D E A S O F T H E W E S T TO, AG A I N , R E G I M E S — A N D W H O W I L L W I N T H AT B AT T L E . S O C O U L D T H I S RO L L I N TO S O M E T H I N G B I G G E R ? T H E R E I S T H AT P O S S I B I L I T Y. I F U K R A I N E I S S U C C E S S F U L , C O U L D P U T I N G O I N T H E B A LT I C S TAT E S ? B E C AU S E , AG A I N , H E ’ S U S I N G T H E I D E A O F R U S S I A N S A N D S E PA R AT I S T S M OV E M E N T S . N OW H E C O U L D P I VOT A N D T U R N TO T H E T H R E AT O F W H AT N ATO I S A N D

STU D E NT TAKES

Student’s thoughts relating to this issue’s opinion section IN YOUR OPINION, IS THE PUBLIC OVERLY INVOLVED IN THE DATING LIFE OF FEMALE CELEBRITIES? * I n s t a g ra m p o l l of 2 3 3 vo t e s

C O N T I N U E T H AT D I R E C T I O N .

STEPHEN LAIRD W H I L E T H E ACT I O N S O F PA S T U. S . P R E S I D E N T S DAT I N G B AC K TO T H E I N VA S I O N O F C R I M E A M AY H AV E H E L P E D S H A P E T H E P U T I N W E S E E TO DAY, I T R E A L LY C A N ’ T B E A R G U E D B I D E N ’ S C O U N T E R I N T E L L I G E N C E O P E R AT I O N H A S N ’ T B E E N

YES

85%

NO

15%

HOW EFFECTIVE IS TYPECASTING IN MOVIES AND TELEVISION? * I n s t a g ra m q u e s t i o n w i t h 7 re s p o n s e s

A S U C C E S S . H I S U N P R E C E D E N T E D D E C I S I O N TO E S S E N T I A L LY B A R E A L L W I T H U. S . I N T E L L O N R U S S I A TO T H E WO R L D H A S S E E M I N G LY G A LVA N I Z E D T H E S U P P O RT O F T H E WO R L D I N O P P O S I T I O N TO P U T I N A N D I N S U P P O RT O F U K R A I N E .

T H E U N I T E D R E S P O N S E W E A R E S E E I N G O N T H E WO R L D S TAG E H A S N ’ T R E A L LY B E E N S E E N I N T H E 2 1 S T C E N T U RY L I K E T H I S .

A UKRAINE TIMELI NE Events leading to the Russian invasion

President Viktor Volodymyr Yanukovych Russia moves Zelenskyy removed from 100,000 office causing urges President troops to Joe Biden to Russian to border let Ukraine join annex NATO Crimean Pen.

SCAN ME • FULL Q&A R e a d t h e f u l l ve rs i o n of E m i ly F o s s o h a n d S t e p h e n L a i rd ’s i nt e r v i e w s a b o u t t h e R u s s i a - U k ra i n e conflict

US imposes sanctions on Russiancontrolled companies, other allies follow suit

SCAN ME • OPINION C h e c k o u t Ave r y A n d e rs o n ’s l a t e st o p i n i o n about the popular game Wo rd l e

DO YOU THINK KAMILA VALIEVA SHOULD HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO SKATE DURING THE OLYMPICS? * I n s t a g ra m p o l l of 1 8 6 vo t e s

YES

26%

NO

74%

TAKE OUR POL L S @smeharbinger

Follow us on social media to participate in the polls

@smeharbinger

@smeharbie

OPINION 09

MARCH 07, 2022

design by sophie lindberg

WOMAN VS. WOMAN Women in the public eye need to stop being pitted against each other, especially for their relationships

by p aige zadoo

A

FTER THE DOWNFALL of Kimye (Kim Kardashian and

Kanye West) — public fighting and moral differences eventually led to divorce — I was left wondering what the next steps for both celebrities would be. After all, in my eyes they were always supposed to be soulmates.

Not even two months later, my questions were answered with flashing headlines: “Kanye West and Julia Fox: A timeline of their new romance.” Kanye had found himself a new girl. But instead of reporting on this new relationship, most stories turned into comparisons between Fox and Kardashian.

From headlines like “Has Julia Fox been Copying Kim Kardashian?” to “Kim Kardashian is the new face of Balenciaga, Julia Fox be damned,” the gossipy tabloids fed off comparing the two women against each other simply for publicity. Fox and Kardashian are just one example of women pitted against each other by one consistent theme in pop culture dramas: a man.

It’s 2022. Why are we still setting women against each other?

After the news of Fox’s relationship with West infiltrated the public, that was all she was to them — gossip. The media didn’t cover her modeling campaigns, new movie roles or how she once was a fashion designer. Instead, every latest headline was something about her wearing repeats of Kardashian’s outfits or “Was she insecure because of Kim?” The media dismissed

relationship.

When host of the infamous podcast “Call Her Daddy” Alex Cooper, announced that her special guest of the week was going to be Julia Fox, the media and the public became ecstatic and eager to hear what she had to say. Who was Kanye’s new girlfriend? Did she hate Kim Kardashian? Was she jealous of her? Was this a publicity stunt?

Nowhere did I see anything along the lines of, Who is Julia Fox? How has she built a career? What’s her life story?

The problem at hand is the constant drive to pit women against each other, maintaining unnecessary competition between the two. This consistent issue seen in the media affects the rest of the world watching it, too.

I’m not totally innocent here either. Of course I wanted to hear all the gossip details about her love triangle with Kanye and Kim, but a large part of me also wanted to hear who Fox really is and what she’s like. So when the new podcast episode aired I set aside 90 minutes to uncover who she is.

I was fascinated by her life story of drug addiction at the young age of 13 all the way to independently supporting herself and throwing herself into modeling and acting. Fox is intellectual and well-spoken — I was mind blown at how quick the world was to disregard all of this and instead focus on making Kardashian her enemy.

But then again, I shouldn’t be that surprised. After all, the media plotting women against each other and putting them down isn’t breaking news.

Remember the original love triangle that was Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston? Although these couples left their marks in the ‘90s and early 2000s, the unnecessary

competition between the two females is still alive and well, even 15 years later, all over one guy.

No headlines that I’ve seen reported on a working relationship or potential friendship between the two, any time you see their two names in the same article it always follows with something about Brad Pitt favoring one or which female is doing better at that particular moment. Simply because of a man, the public has completely dismissed covering their personalities.

As a female, growing up with the example of women fighting over men or being put down against one another due to relationships has built an expectation in the world of dating that this is how it’s supposed to be. How it always is.

That it’s normal.

But it’s not normal to immediately presume negative connotations of a female simply because she’s dating someone. It’s not normal to punish her or put her down for it. It’s not normal to make their newfound relationship their only personality trait.

This expectation is harmful not only to impressionable young girls but to the entirety of the world. As long as this behavior is constantly exemplified and glorified to the public, it will be repeated within society.

It’s time the media realizes the stigmatization they bring to girls’ and womens’ self-esteem and respect, it’s time they understand how negative the headlines they produce can be.

And for the love of God, it’s time we stop pitting women against each other.

ID SELENA G D A OMEZ AH VS. HA L L E ILEY B .

S V EZ OM ER KIM KARDA T G N A SHIAN PE EN R L VS. JU A E C S LIA A R IN E R T B N A E S. S ARP DID SELENA GOM V C A O A H EZ VS. RIG LLA BRIN D HAILEY E A O B S R . .

S A S I V V L IV EZ GO O M I R O R OD EBE NA G I E B IA R L Y E R S A IL E E H T .

VS PEN Z R E A AC GOM N I R SAB

10 OPINION

THE HARBINGER design by lucy wolf art by tallie sholtz

AT W HAT COST? by ca rolin e gou ld

D

Russian skater Kamila Valieva shouldn’t have been allowed to compete due to a failed drug test, a decision which brought the Olympic Committee’s age and race bias to the public eye

URING THE BEJING 2022 Winter Olympics, the only sport I watched was figure skating. Any break I had between IB study guides, I was either watching Anna Shcherbakova live or re-watching a recording of Alexandra Trusova performing her five quads in one skate for the third time that day.

All three of the Russian Olympic Committee figure skaters in the Women’s event caught my eye and made me lose my patriotism toward the Americans.

Especially one in particular — 15-yearold Russian skater Kamila Valieva.

Along with the rest of the world, Valieva was one of my favorite skaters to gawk over during the Olympics, as her perfect balance of difficult jumps and high component score made her a mesmerizing blur across the ice — brought to fruition as she lifted both arms in the air on every single jump.

But as much as I would’ve liked to watch her skate every event and more, I shouldn’t have been able to. She should’ve been disqualified because of her failed drug test.

According to the New York Times, she had tested positive for Trimetazidine, a banned drug, at the Russian championships back in December, which her lawyers claim was due to her visiting her grandfather who takes the substance after a heart replacement surgery.

Due to the positive test being revealed after she had already skated in Beijing, the three-person panel judging the case said that Kamila couldn’t be punished for this delay because it was the fault of the Stockholm laboratory that tested her.

The emergency panel from the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that this wasn’t her fault, and we were allowed to see her compete, leaving the other competitors in a state of shock and doubt for the fairness of the games.

However, the panel ruled that if Kamila was to place in the top three, she wouldn’t receive a medal, and neither would any of her other competitors, a decision that I can’t even try to comprehend the logic behind.

No biting Olympic gold, silver or bronze.

No podium where the athletes bask in their glory of being champions and no traditional flower bouquets.

If she were to get in the top three per

being cleared to compete, all of the other athletes could lose this special moment.

Many of these skaters understandably felt that the situation was unjust, with even NBC figure skating commentators Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski expressing how Kamila’s exception is a “slap in the face,” according to the Washington Post. Why should they skate if there’s a chance that no one will be able to medal?

Luckily these unjust circumstances were avoided when, under the pressure of being in the world’s spotlight, Kamila’s routine crumbled due to uncharacteristic landings that left her sitting on the ice. But was this situation lucky? Was it lucky that after her performance, Kamila skated off the ice in tears to her coaches’ criticizing commentary? No, as she should’ve never competed in the first place.

T H E A D U LT S R E S P O N S I B L E fo r Ka m i l a s h o u l d ’ ve st o p p e d h e r f ro m s t e p p i n g o n t o t h e w o r l d s t a g e b efo re h e r c h a n c e a t g o l d d et e r i o ra t e d b efo re o u r eye s .

They should’ve protected their young athlete from being drawn into a controversy that shows the Olympic Committee’s bias toward age and race. For example, the incident draws a vastly unequal comparison between Kamila and Sha’Carri Richardson.

Last summer, American sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson, 21, was banned from competing in the Tokyo 2021 Summer Olympics due to a failed drug test of THC, a chemical marijuana, which is not performance-enhancing. Both she and Kamila were favored to place in the top three of their competitions, but there was a flashing difference in their situations — Sha’Carri, a Black athlete, was banned from competing, while Kamila, a white athlete, was allowed to compete.

This opens up the conversation into the double standard at play within the Olympics.

Not only with skin color, but also with age.

It brings up the question as to why teenage athletes are allowed to compete in the first place, and if athletes will gain preferential treatment based on age.

Kamila was allowed to skate because

she is considered a “protected person” due to her being under 16, according to the Washington Post. While I can understand these protective measures for young athletes, they should not be treated differently when it comes to drug testing, as this has a massive impact on the way they could perform in their sport.

While the panel itself stated that Kamila Kamila and Sha’Carri in terms of would have more protections due to her age, their drug use during the olympics including the “irreparable harm” she may face if prohibited from skating, race was pointed out by Sha’Carri herself as a reason for this unfair decision.

AGE: 15 Sha’Carri tweeted out that after being restrained from running for the ingesting of RUSSIAN weed to cope with the loss of her mother, the only difference between Kamila and her FIGURE was their skin color, and that Kamila’s age SKATING and white privilege allowed her to compete.

As Kamila left the center of the stadium FAILED DRUG: after falling on two of her jumps and her TRIMETAZIDINE below-average score was announced, the entire audience sat in shock as we saw the disaster of the young Russian team unfold. I T ’ S C R A Z Y. . . L A S T W E E K I WA S We saw Russian skater Alexandra Trusova, L I T E R A L LY A D D I C T E D TO F I G U R E 16, throw a tantrum after coming in second S K AT I N G . . . F E E L I N G R I G H T E O U S place, as coaches worked to comfort their A N G E R F O R A L L T H E N O N - D O P I N G confused and tearful young skaters.

L I T T L E G I R L S . . . TO DAY I While possibly no human athlete could R E A D T H E N A M E “ K A M I L A ever handle criticism of seven billion VA L I E VA ” A N D H A D TO people, these young figure skaters especially G O O G L E I T. wouldn’t. These athletes shouldn’t have to Chris Murphy 2/22/22 deal with the pressure, and their coaches should be able to decide if they’re ready to not only compete competitively, but also to handle the immense public pressure that comes with being an Olympic athlete.

It’s apparent that Kamila’s young and AGE: 21 impressionable career and skin color are AMERICAN what cause this controversy and create a lasting impact on not only figure skating, TRACK & but the entire reputation of the Olympic FIELD games.

I watched Kamila’s performance come to FAILED DRUG: a close with a stern greeting from her coach MARIJANA Eteri Tutberidize, asking in Russian, “Why did you let it go? Why did you stop fighting?

Explain it to me, why? You let it go after that axel.” And I wondered why that same coach and the entirety of the Olympic Committee let Kamila fall apart in the middle of the IT’S ALL IN THE SKIN lonely rink to begin with.

Sha’Carri Richardson 2/14/22

SAME STORY

DIFFERENT

RESULT

KAMILA

SHA’CARRI

OPINION 11

MARCH 07, 2022 design by katie murphy photos from imdb

WHAT’S YOUR TYPE? Typecasting an actor makes the production more entertaining and overall more enjoyable than casting an actor who does not relate to the character by blakely fau lkn e r

full of buttered popcorn and a Coke, they sit back in the movie theater seats in a sort of trance as a new film unveils before their eyes. How is this actor so good at their job? They could nail any role I bet. Oftentimes, an actor or actress’s experience isn’t the reason their characters are so convincing.

It’s typecasting that makes for such a spot-on character.

Sometimes the casting agent is looking for a specific personality such as the easygoing, happygo-lucky guys, but sometimes regular people inspire a new character in the story. Not everyone who ends up being typecast is inexperienced, many are trained actors that might just happen to be waiting on an Uber in hollywood.

type•casting

t o c h o o s e a n a c t o r o r a c t re s s fo r a p a r t c a l l i n g fo r t h e s a m e c h a ra c t e r i st i c s a s t h o s e p o s s e s s e d by t h e p e r fo r m e r

With typecasting, actors are playing a role similar to their personality. You aren’t watching them pretend to be someone else — they are simply being themselves. It’s the most authentic kind of acting.

Watching a story play out on a screen where it seems as though the whole cast is just reading off a script is disappointing to say the least, but typecasting gets rid of that.

Take Hollywood star Angus Cloud for example.

Cloud is best known for his role as Fezco in the HBO series “Euphoria.” — Fezco is known to be laid back and kind-hearted with an urban fashion style.

According to myimperfectlife.com, prior to working with Euphoria, he had no acting experience and was simply waiting tables at a Chicken-AndWaffles restaurant in New York. Walking through Manhattan one day, a casting agent stopped him on the street asking him to audition for the show.

On a whim, Cloud agreed on a whim and showed up to the audition for what he deemed a random show. Such as in this case, it’s hard to tell the difference between him and his role.

Another example is actress Bria Vinaete cast as Halley in “The Florida Project.” Director Sean Baker discovered a video of Vinaite on a trampoline via Instagram and thought she would be the perfect fit for one of his characters. She had

no acting experience at the time, but Baker knew her personality encapsulated what he was looking for, and the movie became a hit across America in 2017. This bold casting choice made the movie so much more authentic and seeing an unfamiliar face was refreshing.

Lots of times the public assumes that all of the A-list actors planned on that being their career all along, but type-casted actors can become world renowned.

“Pirates Of The Caribbean’’ star Johnny Depp is an example of this. Shockingly, Depp never originally intended to pursue acting. According to actoncamera.com, Depp was Jack Earle Haley’s plus-one at the “Nightmare On Elm Street ‘’ audition. Haley was auditioning for the role of Glen when Director Wes Craven noticed Depp — who he thought would capture the performance of Glen more convincingly than Haley could. Depp got the part and is now a world-renowned actor with 15 people’s choice awards.

SCOUTED TO STARDOM

Where stars that were type casted were born and how they were discovered

BRIA VINAITE

“HALLEY” THE FLORIDA PROJECT ALYTUS, LITHUANIA scouted through an Instagram video

What makes typecasting so magical is how it gives movies the opportunity to really draw you in and believe in what you’re watching.

Actors can get burnt out just like any other job, but playing a role that is so similar to themselves reduces the stress. Another plus is that when the actor truly understands their character on a deeper level, they are able to expand and add their own experiences into the production. Actors who are similar to their characters are much more genuine than actors who play roles that they cannot relate to. It also gives unfamiliar faces a chance to inspire their audience and to bring singularity to the table.

The next time you’re sitting down to binge your favorite Netflix series for the hundredth time, take notice of the authentic personalities on screen.

Thanks to the practice of typecasting, the next big actor on your TV could be an ordinary person, too.

HANDLE

JOHNNY DEPP “EDWARD SCISSORHANDS” OWENSBORO, KY scouted while tagging along to a friend’s audition

W H AT M A K E S T Y P E C A S T I N G s o m a g i c a l i s h o w i t g i ve s m ov i e s t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o re a l ly d ra w yo u i n a n d b e l i eve i n w h a t yo u ’ re w a t c h i n g .

INSTAGRAM @chronicflowers

UPCOMING

PROJECT

FANTASTIC BEASTS

ANGUS CLOUD “FEZ” EUPHORIA OAKLAND, CA

scouted on the streets of NYC whilewalking to dinner

TWEETS

S VIEWERS HEAD to the theater with a bag

ANGUS CLOUD’S

A

FUN FACT ATTENDED THE SAME HIGH SCHOOL AS ZENDAYA

“ I H AV E A B R A I N D I S O R D E R ” - M E W H E N M Y M A N AG E R S AY S W H Y I C A N ’ T S TAY O F F OF TWITTER. #EUPHORIA

ANGUS CLOUD

2/13/22

T H I S J O L LY R A N C H E R B E T T E R B E T H E B E S T TA S T I N G J O L LY R A N C H E R E V E R #EUPHORIA

ANGUS CLOUD

2/13/22

12 PHOTOSTORY

THE HARBINGER

design by maggie merckens

THE CATEGORY IS...

Student Council hosted their annual trivia night on March 1 in the cafeteria after being in separate classrooms last year due to COVID-19

A B O V E Junior J o s i e G owe n c e le b ra te s a f te r g ett i n g a l l th e qu estion s i n the round c or re ct. PHOTO BY TRISTEN PORTER

L E F T Senior C a mp b el l Wood asks teams how they are feeling about winning the last round.

“I’ve competed in trivia night every year of high school,” Wood said. “And it’s a lwa ys on e of my favorite things.

This year, I was really sad that I couldn’t compete on a tea m. Bu t overseeing it was so mu ch f u n .”

PHOTO BY TRISTEN PORTER

SCAN ME • WEBSITE

Scan this QR code to p u rc h a s e photos on Harbie P h ot o

A B O V E The tr i v i a n i g ht te a m s d i s c u s s a q u e st i o n d u r i n g t h e v i d e o g a m e round. “The left side, they were all loud, they’re banging on the tables and jumping up, they were singing, they were dancing, it was awesome,” Wood said. PHOTO BY MAGGIE MERCKENS M I D D L E R I G H T Juni or C a d e n P ete rs c om m u n i cate s t h e te am s t h o u ght s to scribe and sen i o r H a r r i s o n G o o d a s t h ey a n swe r a q u e st i o n . T h e i r te a m s , being big “Fast a n d F u r i o u s ” fa n s , d re s s e d u p a s V i n D i e s e l . “ We t h o u g ht it was creative e n o u g h to g i ve u s a s h ot a t w i n n i n g b e st c o st u m e , ” s a i d Peters. The team u lt i m a te ly wa s c o m p et i n g fo r f u n a n d p a r t i c u la r ly e n j oye d the Geography c a te g o r y , w h i c h wa s t h e i r te a c h e r p a r t i c i p a nt M s . N o la n ’s s p e c i a lty. PHOTO BY MAGGIE MERCKENS

LEFT Sophomores and stuco members Hailey Shipley and Ira Finkleston grade a round of trivia n ig ht. PHOTO

BY CHAROTTE EMLEY

BERKOWITZ OLIVER LLP. “Litigation with a fresh perspective” 816.561.7007 berkowitzoliver.com

14 FEATURE

THE HARBINGER

design by katie murphy photos by elle siegel and molly miller

FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS T H I S W E E K I N P H OTO S A look into different students’ classes at the start of this semester

A CT S O F K I N D N E S S *in partnership with Homegrown Kitchen Be chosen for doing an act of kindness to be awarded a gift card from Homegrown Kitchen — nominations via Instagram poll

THIS WEEKS WINNER: ANSON TIPPIE SOPHOMORE BROUGHT SMARTIES AND DISTRIBUTED THEM TO E V E RYO N E I N H I S SEMINAR CLASS

RUNNER-UPS: B U D DY T U R OW S K I SENIOR T O P R I G H T S o p h o m o re s C h a r l i e G re e n ste i n a n d C h r i st i a n G o o ley , j u n i o r P a r ke r L e i s e a n d s e n i o rs Brian H e n e g e r a n d S p e n c e r N ew to n p o s e fo r a p i ct u re hold i ng up s i g ns i n s up p or t of t h e B ow li n g an d Wrestl i n g te a m a s t h e M a rc h i n g Ba n d p la ye d to s e n d the m off to Sta te . PHOTO BY LILY MANTEL A B O V E L E F T Leading the drum line, senior N o a h G o u ld p la ys t h e cy m b a ls d u r i n g t h e Sta te s e n d - of f fo r b oys ’ w re st l i n g, b oys ’ b ow l i n g a n d b oys ’ sw i m a nd d i ve . PHOTO BY MJ WOLF B O T T O M R I G H T S o p h o m o re s C o n n o r F o lg e r a n d A nto n i a M a r te l l h e l p s o p h o m o re C a ro l i n e Tow n s e n d c re a te h ot c o c o a b o m b s i n F o o d s c la s s .

PHOTO BY MACY CROSSER

HELD THE DOOR FOR E V E R Y O N E AT L U N C H AND HELPED ANOTHER STUDENT FIND THE S C I E N C E H A L LWAY

MAE BLEDSOE FRESHMAN MAKES BAKED GOODS AND GIVES THEM OUT TO A N YO N E W H O A S K S

F E AT U R E D U N I Q U E TA L E N T H E AT H GA R I S S FRESHMAN

KIRA PAT T

BROUGHT COFFEE TO SCHOOL FOR A FRIEND

PRACTICES ORIGAMI WHERE DO YOU NORMALLY PRACTICE ORIGAMI?

WHAT KINDS OF THINGS DO YOU FOLD?

WHY DO YOU MAKE ORIGAMI?

I make cranes, paper boxes, parrots, sloths on trees,

I am getting paid to be at work anyways, so

I work as a hostess at Grimaldi’s in Prairie Fire,

lots of animals. Sometimes I watch a video tutorial,

I feel like I should do something productive

and I do origami there. Sometimes, I work 11 to

and sometimes I just do it on my own. I’ve started

instead of sitting on my phone. Sometimes I

three weekend shifts, and no one comes in to

buying nice origami paper on Amazon. I’m

work on homework, but I get bored and

get a pizza at 11 a.m. on a Saturday.

not super good at drawing, but I like the

fold instead. If I run out of inspiration,

It’s a way to look engaged at work.

creativity of folding paper.

I ask my coworkers what animal I

I used to fold up the kids’ menus.

should make.

FEATURE 15

MARCH 07, 2022

stories by sydney newton, cesca stamati & peyton moore, designs by peyton moore

A

S THE SUN glared in her eyes, 2020 East alum Olive Henry unclenched her hands to adjust the microphone and scanned her carefully typed speech. She could barely see the hundreds of people at the Prairie Village Black Lives Matter Peaceful Rally beneath the cardboard signs with handwritten messages of “No Justice, No Peace” and “Hate is for the Weak.” She finally had the chance to speak her truth — to say the words her East classmates would’ve brushed off as complaints. She was used to being ignored.

More than ever, Henry wanted people to listen. She wanted them to understand what it was like to be titled “the angry Black girl” on her debate score sheet or have the N-word shouted from across the hall during passing period. She wanted them to see her anger. Her fight. Her pride in her heritage.

While calling out the police for silencing the Black

community, roars of agreement and a burst of applause forced her to look up. She finally saw the faces beyond the signs. Her friends sat in the front row to her right, with former teachers dotted in the crowd with nods of agreement. Allies surrounded her — white, Black, Hispanic, Asian. All listening.

“It was a turning point,” Henry said. “There were people I knew who came and who spoke to me about what I said afterward. It alleviated a lot of the sense of isolation I had.”

For the first time, Henry felt supported as a student of color by the white members of the East community.

Henry, along with some other East students and Prairie Village community members, believe this support is a direct result of the Black Lives Matter movement, which prompted higher support for social awareness and inclusion within the community.

English teacher and Race Project KC coordinator Samantha Feinberg believes that the main result of the BLM movement is the inclusive energy it has created at East, especially through clubs and in the halls. A “Don’t Touch my Hair” poster, flyers advertising clubs like Race Project KC and floor-to-ceiling periodic table highlighting 90 successful Black figures now plaster the walls.

The participant demographics of racerelated organizations at East have also changed, according to Feinberg. In the past, Race Project KC consisted of all Black students. However, this year, nine of the 15 members are white. Feinberg has noticed more white students joining clubs and increasing participation in programs like Youth Equity Stewardship and DEI, as well as higher support among white faculty members.

“We’ve gotten a lot more attention and interest,” Feinberg said. “I think when people realize the movement was grounded in something bigger than just East, people at East said, ‘Wow, in my own school, I have a chance to connect with that movement if I choose to.’”

Junior Afa Akanwanks has felt this support. During his freshman year, Akwanka experienced racism heavily at East —

comments of “Where did Afa go?” when the lights went out and the constant pestering of students asking to touch his hair were daily occurrences.

When Akwanka came back to East after a year of fully-remote school, things weren’t perfect, but they were better. He saw programs like Coalition of Racial Equality being advertised by teachers. The microaggressions stopped. He received texts asking if he was safe, well wishes for his family and apologies from friends and strangers for their actions prior to the movement. He saw how far East had come as a student body.

“It gave me hope,” Akwanka said.

Both Feinberg and Akwanka have also noticed greater advocacy at East after the 2020 summer protest. Even if it was simply adding Instagram posts that advocated for social justice to their stories or confronting peers over racist comments, it was clear that allyship was spreading.

Associate Principal Dr. Susan Leonard sees this change in students’ mindsets and feels East as a whole has become more inclusive. Instead of acting defensive after being called out for racist comments or actions, Leonard has noticed a new open-mindedness to conversations about how they can do better in the future — regardless of intention.

“Students feel like they have a role now,” Leonard said. “It’s opened up [thoughts of], ‘What are those action steps we can do?’ and how important it is to see things from a different point of view. The thing that I think is different is a lot more people are voicing it because we know what a microaggression is now, and we’re more aware.”

Beyond East, junior Gigi Smith has seen efforts to include all races within the community. She no longer has to drive to far-away stores for foundation or concealer that match her skin tone. She sees Black models in the media, movies with interracial romances and Black actors playing a variety of roles rather than the stereotypical sassy girl or athletic boy. She feels more included in the simplest of daily events that many white peers take for granted.

According to Feinberg, the continuing rise in the BLM movement was necessary to open East students’ eyes to the lack of social awareness and power of their words.

“When Black Lives Matter came to the forefront with George Floyd, it was like the curtains on a stage opened,” Feinberg said. “All these people finally had a platform and an audience for people who wanted to hear what they had to say. [People] raised their consciousness, learned, grew and considered something from a different perspective.”

PROGRESS

Following the Black Lives Matters protests in the summer of 2020, some East students and faculty believe that East has increased social awareness, inclusion and advocacy for people of color

16 FEATURE

STANDSTILLS

Racism, ignorance and prejudice still affects students and faculty a year and a half after the Black Lives Matter protests

T

HEN-SECOND-GRADER Gigi Smith walked into her classroom with straightened hair, a “don’t-be-afraid” mindset and a wide smile on her first day at Tomahawk Elementary School. She just wanted to “fit in” with her white classmates. Still, the boy sitting at the desk next to her stared.

“Are you the type of person who wears a scarf over your head?”

Smith was speechless. She wasn’t even Muslim.

Nobody would’ve asked that at Académie Lafayette, her previous, more diverse school where she never felt judged for her skin color. Looking around the class of 20 or so kids, she was suddenly aware that she was the only student with dark skin. That uneducated remark from the boy was the first of many she’d receive over the next several years as a biracial student.

“You think that you wouldn’t really remember stuff [from] first grade or second grade,” Smith said. “But [that has] still stuck with me to this day. People look at you like you’re crazy when you walk around and you’re not white.”

Nine years, a nationwide movement, violent protests and a slew of police brutality trials later, now-junior Smith still experiences these ignorant comments and wide-eyed glares from students and faculty while walking through the halls of East. The only difference is that in high school, people should know better.

Smith believes that while the Black Lives Matter movement improved social awareness and advocacy, the movement hasn’t significantly changed all the stigmas, attitudes and microaggressions they experience at East. In an Instagram poll of 195 students, 66% stated they’ve seen or experienced some form of racism at East this year.

For junior Brayden Reynolds, racism comes in the form of strange looks, small jokes and “dark humor” from boys in his grade. On good days, he gets asked if he wants fried chicken, where his dad is or if he stole anything when leaving the grocery store. Some days are worse. Soon after George Floyd died, people told Reynolds to watch where he was walking so he didn’t get shot. Students came up to him and said “I can’t breathe,” then laughed. He was shocked.

He still hears comments like these three to four times a day.

Similar comments follow freshman Kiara Cloughley, who never experienced East pre-BLM movement. As the only Black person in her friend group, Cloughley always thinks about her skin color before she speaks. Or braids her hair. Or paints her nails. Or applies makeup.

Do I look ghetto?

One of her Black friends wore her hair naturally once and someone told her, “Gross, you should hide that, it’s too big.”

Now that friend wears wigs, braids and bonnets — even though some of her friends call her “ghetto” for it.

Cloughley says she hasn’t experienced outright racism, but it gets to her when she sees her friends treated that way.

“If they’re saying that about another Black person, then what are they saying about me?” Cloughley said.

And it’s not just mistreatment from students. She came to class one time in a bad mood, complaining that she didn’t want to read that day. She didn’t mean to, but raised her voice to her teacher — who sent her straight to the office. She questions if a white student would’ve been shrugged off for the same actions.

In another class, when learning about poverty in Africa, her classmates laughed. “They’re poor because they’re Black,” they said. Her teacher told her peers that it wasn’t a joke, but didn’t

WAYS TO stop their laughter when they continued mocking her race. Over time, the experiences added up to create a hostile learning environment.

“At this school, I really don’t feel welcome,” Cloughley said.

EDUCATE

SCAN PODC

Sca “Co pod two col imp ide

W H E N YO U C O M E t o a s c h o o l l i ke E a st , m a ny t i m e s t h e w h i t e st u d e nt s c o m e i n w i t h a ve r y n a r ro w v i e w of w h a t B l a c k n e s s i s .

DAVID MUHAMMAD FORMER EAST TEACHER AND RACE PROJECT KC SPONSOR Former East teacher and Race Project KC sponsor David Muhammad thinks that because many East students aren’t exposed to Black culture firsthand, they make assumptions based on rappers, movie characters and athletes of how Black students and teachers should act.

“When you come to a school like East, many times the white students come in with a very narrow view of what Blackness is,” Muhammad said. “It creates a weight upon [people of color] because you’re already a minority in a population, and that can be very hard to navigate.”

Smith experienced these stereotypes before and after the BLM movement. She grew up quiet. It’s not that she was scared of talking to people, but afraid of being portrayed as the “sassy, ghetto, ratchet Black girl.” She says it’s a fear many young Black students have.

This, however, has changed — nowadays she smiles at new people in the hallway and makes an effort to talk to everyone, but feels like she’s still often seen as “the loud Black girl” just for being nice. When advocating for social justice on social media and in-person, she’s being “annoying.” She can’t confront someone without getting portrayed as a “bitch.”

“You have to be extra nice,” Smith said. “Black people are already portrayed as aggressive, rude and mean. And that’s just, well, horrible. But that’s just the way it is.”

Associate Principal Dr. Susan Leonard thinks these misleading stereotypes can cause teachers to write students off as unintelligent or unmotivated, leading to gaps in test scores between students of color and white students at East and in the district since they aren’t always given equal opportunities.

These gaps are still present. She believes that if people made a greater effort to understand Black culture, the discrepancy would be reduced.

SMSD Diversity and Inclusion coordinator Tyrone Bates believes that along with the disparity in test scores, another problem is that people are still unwilling to admit their unconscious bias — even after the BLM movement. Bates believes that cultural awareness is still an opportunity for growth among individuals and that to understand culture, people need to be open to input.

“As people, we’re always growing,” Bates said. “People need to have a willingness to be disturbed. You don’t feed people who are hungry. And I’m not going to eat if I’m not hungry. People have to do the personal journey themselves, to see perspective. We all are responsible for doing something to bring change.”

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a n t o l i st e n t o ode Switch,” a d c a st h o s t e d by o j o u r n a l i s t s of or discussing the p a c t s of ra c e a n d n t i t y o n s o c i et y .

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Things to say when you see a form of racism

UST SAID Y.

Y THINGS RE.

MARCH 07, 2022

T

HE BLACK LIVES Matter protests occurred a year and a half ago following the murder of George Floyd in May 2020.

But after the riots stopped and heated online discussions fizzled out, racism didn’t disappear from the nation, community or East, according to junior Gigi Smith. As students, faculty and East community members grapple with making East and Prairie Village more inclusive, various members of the community share ways that people can grow as allies.

The first step to advocacy is education and exposure to Black culture and history within the classroom, according to Smith. At young ages, students learn the basics — Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks and Emmett Till — but they aren’t usually taught much further. Smith feels that the attacks of 9/11 get weeks of coverage and education, but the history of slavery and the civil rights movement is taught in a few days and brushed off by teachers.

“I’m sick of learning about the same three [Black] people every year,” Smith said. “We need to dive deeper than just reading the ‘I Have a Dream’ speech. If we’re going to learn about those same three people, if we’re going to learn about slavery, let’s talk about the really, really horrible stuff. Let’s talk about the people getting killed, left and right.”

Almost two million slaves died during the transatlantic slave trade and 2,000 Black Americans were lynched during the Reconstruction Era, according to the Smithsonian. These are the types of atrocities that teaching students Critical Race Theory would illuminate, according to junior Afa Akwanka. He believes racism is something learned, not a prejudice you’re born with, and that it can be unlearned through education.

Smith, Akwanka and Former East teacher and Race Project KC sponsor David Muhammad all agree that education about Black history doesn’t have to occur only in the classroom. The opportunities to learn about Black culture are endless, according to Muhammad. They don’t have to only center around racism. Start a book club to read books written by or about diverse communities. Dine at Black-owned restaurants or ask a student of color about their perspectives on hot topics. Research Black excellence within your neighborhood.

“In the social justice movement, it takes people of all veins,” Muhammad said. “It can’t just be the poor screaming at the top of their lungs. It has to be [everybody] saying, ‘Okay, [I] want to scream at the top of [my] lungs.’

Start looking at your responsibilities as a student. And what can you actually do? What can you actually change?

That’s an internal question.”

When learning about other cultures, you have to ask the hard questions, according to Associate Principal Dr. Susan Leonard. She explains that it’s uncomfortable to hear a good friend make a racist remark or be confronted for unknowingly making one yourself, and the best way to handle these situations is to discuss with a person of color why the comment was offensive. “ Everyone has biases,” Leonard said. “Everyone has

prejudice. Everyone has experiences that have led them to this. And you have blind spots. And so hopefully, we’re learning that having a blind spot isn’t bad. Having a blind spot and doing nothing about it is bad.”

Self-reflection is also key, according to Children’s Mercy Psychologist Ayanda Chakawa, who specializes in Developmental and Behavioral Sciences. She stresses the importance of changing what you can control before trying to change systemic racism.

Questions like “Do my friends all have the same background as me?” can help acknowledge one’s unconscious bias, according to Leonard. Asking “How can I advocate in my community?” can diversify someone’s experiences through conferences, workshops and groups like the YES Initiative at East or Core Group, which offer students of color space to share their experiences.

At the systemic level, a disparity between test scores of students of color and white students also needs to be confronted, according to Leonard. To address the educational imbalance, the district, along with the U.S., could implement an equitable funding approach — giving all schools equal funding regardless of socioeconomic levels — according to Chakawa. Currently, school districts are funded based on property tax and homeownership in the U.S. This funding strategy especially creates racial education gaps in Kansas City since it has a history of redlining, which pushed white people into higher income areas with past property deeds that restricted Black families from living there. As a result, there are more white families now living in high-income neighborhoods that receive more funding, giving more opportunity to white students. Chakawa believes an equitable approach would help reduce this disparity.

“The way school districts are funded through tax promotes a system of inequality,” Chakawa said. “If that’s how school districts are going to continue to be funded, then the opportunities that are based on racist foundations, long-term, we’re gonna continue to see some of these disparities occur if there’s no shift in regard to that.”

Change isn’t always easy, according to English teacher and Race Project KC coordinator Samantha Feinberg. But anyone can be an activist. Voting is activism, sending letters to elected officials is activism, marching is activism.

Feinberg recognizes that speaking out can be daunting, but we must find courage to truly make a difference. She hopes students and teachers learn to advocate for their beliefs without fear of what others will say or do.

After all, Feinberg believes creating advocates is necessary to give Black students a voice. To make them feel noticed. To make East fully inclusive.

“I hope that we don’t have to have an organization that reminds people that the lives of Black people matter,” Feinberg said. “I hope for a world where we can talk candidly about this stuff. It doesn’t have to be painful. Or feel accusatory. It can just be something that we talk about and open our minds to.”

RESOLUTIONS

Resources to earn about Black History

Students and staff provide solutions to increase awareness, inclusivity and activism at East

18 FEATURE

STAPLET N Former East mom creates pet painting business from what started as a quarantine hobby

THE HARBINGER

design by anna mitchell photos from of elisabeth fries

STUDI S

by mia vogel “OMG ELIZABETH SHE’S “beautiful!

Looks just like her! I love everything about it. I will never forget her pretty face.”

With weepy eyes and a mournful sigh, former East mom and artist Elisabeth Fries smiled down at her phone while reading a message of gratitude from her friend, Marybeth Singer. She’d just delivered the portrait of Singer’s chocolate lab, Zoey, who’d “crossed the rainbow bridge” earlier that week.

Fries has commissioned 81 portraits of beloved pets since she started her business — Stapleton Studios — in March 2021, but this was one of the most emotionally demanding projects. Most days are filled with joyful pastel compositions of animals ranging from dogs and horses to ferrets.

However, even knee-deep in the most challenging projects, Fries continues to be fulfilled by her work knowing the happiness, and occasionally closure, it will bring to the customer.

“The fact that she was entrusting her [pet’s] memory to me was just so sentimental,” Fries said. “I poured every bit of love I had into that one.”

Since founding her business, Fries paints three to five days a week and completes between five and ten portraits a month — a number that doubles around holidays such as Christmas and Mother’s Day. “As a parent, I wonder if it’s what you’re encouraged to do as a child [that] you become good at,” Fries said. “If someone along the lines had said, ‘Hey, you’re kind of good at this,’ I would’ve discovered this talent much earlier.”

Aside from dabbling in photography and running the social media for The Little Flower Shop, Fries had no prior artistic experience. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Fries found time to learn to sketch between family walks and movie binging. This evolved into watercolor paintings and then colored pencil, and finally to her current pastel pet portraits.

She and her family began sharing her work on social media and the DM’s came

flooding in requesting personalized portraits from her.

Utilizing her maiden name, Stapleton, she officially established her business by creating the Instagram account, @stapletonstudios, and website, stapletonstudios.org last spring — charging $350 for 9.5” by 12” portraits and $500 for 12” by 15.5” portraits.

“It was just completely out of the blue,” Fries said. “Of course [my family] was proud, but everyone was just dumbfounded because it was never something I’d shown an aptitude for.”

With the TV mumbling in the background and clad in her “uniform of dog fur and pastelle,” she begins each project by eyeballing a rough outline of the animal onto cellulose paper in black and white pastel pencil.

“I work in the living room on what was once a nice coffee table,” Fries said.

“It is now beaten up so badly that it has absolutely no purpose but to spill pastel chalk all over.”

But the outline is just the first step.

Once it’s complete she begins on the eyes, dedicating the majority of the time to them since they “anchor” the face and depict their personality.

“If you can get the eyes looking the way the specific dog’s eyes do, then the rest kind of falls into place,” Fries said. “Their personality and their little soul and their little goodness just emanates from those beautiful eyes.”

Working from left to right across the face, she lays down the base by applying a slightly creamy pan pastel with a sponge and then goes in with pastel pencils to add the fine details of the fur. She uses more pan pastel for dogs with fluffy, “cotton candy” fur and more pencil for those with coarse, wiry coats.

“The pastels add a specific density and realism to the portraits which I could never manage to figure out with watercolor,” Fries said. “They always ended up looking whimsical, which was fun, but didn’t reflect much personality.”

Her favorite part comes when the hard work is done — it’s time to wrap the piece. Once the painting is complete, Fries packages the artwork in a luxury presentation box that won’t fold or collapse in on the work. She wraps the box with tissue paper, includes how-totreat instructions and business cards, puts everything in a tissue-lined sack, ties it with grosgrain ribbon and hand delivers it to the customer.

“I always pray that customers will remember to send me a photo of their or the pet’s reaction to the piece because honestly I’d rather have one of those than be paid,” Fries said.

Fries believes that her business has spread by word of mouth for the most part, but she has reached her out of state — and once international — clientele through social media. She’s curated a “gallery of furry friends,” updating her personal and business Instagram accounts with all of her favorite projects and often posts halfand-half pictures comparing her art and “inspiration” picture to emphasize her hyper-realistic style.

Busy with commissions and all of the business she’d been accruing, it took Fries 11 months of business to get around to painting her own dogs, Janie and Roo, this past month.

“It’s like a mom that has too many kids and the youngest doesn’t have a scrapbook,” Fries said.

Regardless of how busy she is with commissions, knowing what the portrait will mean to her customer motivates her and staves off burnout. The only time she’s felt bored doing her art this year was practicing with a stock image of a bunny.

Knowing it wouldn’t carry any meaning to someone made it impossible to finish the piece since she lacked her usual motivation.

“It motivates me to know how excited [the customer] will be when they get their portrait and waiting for a text saying that they got it and how thrilled they are,” Fries said. “That’s the best part.”

East mom Elizabeth Fries works on on e of h er d og p ortra its.

FROM PET

TO PAINTING

Fries’ projects shown below as half of the original photo and half final project

MARCH 07, 2022

design by maggie condon photos from grupo folklorico izcalli

CHOREOGRAPHING

THE CULTURE by lyda c osgrove UNIOR MAY VALDEZ’S mind is a

J

jumble of thoughts as she tightens the strap of her dance shoes and straightens each skirt ruffle, mounting the stage of that weekend’s Folklórico performance — a highly-choreographed, traditional Mexican dance style consisting of tap and ballet with an emphasis on local folk culture.

But May doesn’t consider herself a dancer. She’s a storyteller of her Hispanic heritage.

“Not a lot of people know our culture,” May said. “Every song, every dress movement, every step, every smile, every turn we do — it tells a story.”

May grew up tagging along with 2018 East alum and older sister Stacey Valdez to her Folklórico practices. Too young to join in on the dancing herself, May would watch in awe at the swirling colors, structuredbut-artistic movements and undying passion and focus of the dancers. By the time she was 13, she couldn’t wait any longer. Having picked up the basics simply from watching all those years, she jumped right into dancing and performing alongside her sister.

SCAN ME • VIDEO

S c a n h e re t o w a t c h o n e of G r u p o F o l k l ó r i c o I zc a l i ’s p e r fo r m a n c e s .

“I was so intimidated [when I started],” May said. “I thought I was doing everything wrong. If you do one step wrong, the whole dance is wrong, but if you really listen and pay attention, it all flows together. Once the other girls were telling me that I was doing great and I had my own solo for the first time, I thought, ‘I can do this,’ and I’m very confident now, most definitely.”

After a few years of dancing with their former group, the Valdezes along with

fellow performer and 2017 East alum Annel Alvarez were hoping for more creative freedom when it came to the instruction and style of their dancing. So, the trio formed Grupo Folklórico Izcalli in March 2021. For the first few months, rehearsals were spent in the Valdez family’s garage or backyard with four girls and a few pairs of character shoes.

The goal from the beginning was never to have the biggest number of dancers or most extravagant dresses — it was to share their Mexican culture with the community, and to fully immerse themselves in it through dance. As second generation immigrants, Mexico was a place they felt distant from.

Folklórico has given May and her sister the opportunity to connect to their heritage and family members.

Through word of mouth and social media over the past year, the group has grown to a total of 15 women, from ages 14 to 30. They’ve upgraded from practices in random parks and garages to a rentedout studio in Shawnee, Kansas, where they spend every Tuesday and Thursday from 6-8 p.m. solidifying formations for the intricate partner dances and sharpening each spin of their solo dances.

Grupo Folklórico Izcalli accepts dancers at all levels. Whether they’ve grown up surrounded by Folklórico dancers in the family or are hoping to fully immerse themselves in their heritage for the first time, each girl in the group shares a bond over one goal — sharing their culture with the

community.

M a y knows the Latina community in the KC Metro area is strong, with around seven other wellknown Folklórico dance groups as occasional competition. However, what makes Grupo Folklórico Izcalli stand out is their strictly female ensemble and non-traditional allblack underdresses, and is what gets them recognized and invited to perform.

With September being Hispanic Heritage month, every weekend Friday through Sunday was spent at events in partnership with Hispanic-owned businesses and heritage festivals, sometimes with three performances each day. The group even performed at the Chiefs Halftime show for Latinx Heritage — a moment that stands out as their proudest.

Annel, who’s taken on the role of the group’s coach, mentor and all things management, credits their quick success and recognition to the group’s persistence — reaching out to Chiefs management, players and anyone with connections to the team every day via social media, email and phone calls for two weeks straight.

“This was a long shot,” Annel said. “[I thought] ‘they’re not gonna respond to me,’ you know? But, two and a half weeks went by, and they finally responded that they were interested. Some could say it was luck, but I think we really tried our hardest to be chosen for that role.”

On Sept. 26, Grupo Folklórico Izcalli became the first-ever Folklórico group to dance on the Chiefs football field. Annel and May both remember the powerful

FEATURE 19 Grupo Folklorico Izcalli is an allwomen Mexican dance group started by an East student

emotions of the 90-second performance — they’d made it.

“We’re the youngest group in Kansas, and we are the first and only group that has ever set foot on the Chiefs football field, which was insane,” Annel said. “During our performance, I think we all cried. I turned around to look at my dancers and it was just an emotional feeling, sort of relief that we did it. And like all that pressure was off and that we accomplished a lot.”

Pulled muscles, blistered feet and sore bodies are nothing uncommon, but the pride that comes with a successful performance makes it all worth it to May. The up to 90-minute performances of constant stomping and twirling, with one five-minute break to catch a breath are strenuous, to say the least, according to May. The first 30 minutes of their two-hour rehearsals are dedicated strictly to stretching and footwork techniques. Many girls listen to the music outside of rehearsals to further engrain the rhythms of each song in their minds.

“Right now, it’s just dance, that’s all I have on my mind,” May said.

As the women of Grupo Folklórico Izcalli approach their one-year mark, May, Stacey and Annel are proud of all they’ve accomplished in such a short amount of time, being the youngest group in the area.

They hope to someday open their own academy that can provide classes for both children and adults.

“You just project your culture in a way that you don’t really have to speak, like the music and our footwork and our skirt work and our smiling speaks for itself,” Annel said. “Putting our culture out there is what motivates me and showing people that Mexico is a lot more than what you’re gonna see on the news, or what you’re gonna hear.

We have a beautiful culture.”

20 FEATURE KANSAS CITY, KANSAS

1,

8 21

THE HARBINGER

design by sophie henschel photo by lili vottero and from of piper benjamin

M

S ILE

by ben bradley

18 H OUR DRIV E

THE SUMMER DIFFERENCES

J AVALON,

Changes Piper will have overt the summer when switching from NEW JERSEY her normal swim team to potentially being a beach lifeguard in New Jersey

COUN TRY CLUB SWI M

BE AC H LI F E G UA R D

Does it just for fun

Will make money

Has been on the team forever

A fresh start where she knows no one and can get to know herself better without any distractions

Knows everyone there and the club is a safe space for her

T H E SU M M E R SW I TC H Junior Piper Benjamin leaves her usual summer routine in Kansas City behind to lifeguard in a New Jersey beach

TIME FOR TRYOUTS Piper’s requirements for beach lifeguarding tryouts

7 MINUTE MILE ON THE S AND TIMED 1.5 MILE SWIM ROWING TEST

GU ARD+

CPR PROCEDURE AND INFORMATION TESTING

UNIOR PIPER BENJAMIN picked up

her final ribbons from Mission Hills Country Club after CCSAKC swim champs week in July, which meant it was time for the annual family flight to Stone Harbor, New Jersey where her cousin, Justin Rhyne, lives.

Piper and her cousins have made years worth of sun-burnt memories of kayaking and fishing all day while her parents spent time catching up with the rest of their family. It’s the perfect paradise for the Benjamin family, which is why they’ve decided to pack up their things and move there for the upcoming summer.

“The beach is kind of like a lake or farm in Kansas City,” Justin said. “People will go down to their lake house for a weekend [in Kansas] while here people go to the beach for the summer.”

Stone Harbor is the local beach town in New Jersey that borders Avalon, the city that Piper and her mother are staying in, while her dad, Mitch, holds down the fort in Kansas City.

The area is a breeding ground for kids of all ages to spend their summers, coming from towns in New Jersey, Philadelphia and, of course, Kansas City.

“It’s always been on my bucket list,” Piper’s mom Jennifer Benjamin said. “When I was in college, a bunch of kids and I rented a house there and we would go down on the weekends, but I’ve never stayed there for the whole summer.”

Over the past years, the Benjamin family has experienced several scheduling conflicts with Piper’s swimming and Jennifer’s job that prevented them from making the full-summer switch sooner. After Jennifer retired earlier this year, it seemed like the perfect time to go through with it.

“The hardest thing about leaving, other than my dad and my friends, this summer is going to be leaving Mission Hills [Country Club],” Piper said. “I’ve been infatuated with the idea of summer swim team, champs and eventually being a coach my entire life.”

Although she will be missing out on her normal summer swim season, Piper still gets to test her skills in the water this summer by trying out to be a beach lifeguard — one of the major appeals to her when her mom first introduced the idea of spending the entire summer in Avalon.

Beach lifeguarding is only one of the many jobs that Avalon and the surrounding towns have to offer. Justin spends his time working at an aqua park down the beach where he maintains water obstacles and jet skis.

“There’s a lot of other really fun things to do on the beach,” Justin said. “One of the best parts though is being able to walk anywhere in town and see kids your age, it’s really easy to meet people.”

While the position of a lifeguard is a dream job for Piper, it won’t be that easy to obtain. On top of a normal resume that an employee would submit for a lifeguarding job, applicants have to partake in a strenuous tryout procedure.

I T ’ S A LWAY S B E E N o n my b u c ket l i st . W h e n I w a s i n c o l l e g e , a b u n c h of k i d s a n d I re nt e d a h o u s e t h e re a n d w e would go down on the w e e ke n d s , b u t I ’ ve n eve r st a ye d t h e re fo r the whole summer.

PIPER BENJAMIN

JUNIOR

Piper finds herself counting on the treadmill as she attempts to lower her mile time to at least six and a half minutes to prepare for the required seven-minute mile beach run — rerunning it every time she doesn’t make it.

7.5 mph: I’ve got this.

7.1 mph: I’m getting closer.

6.8 mph: Just a little faster.

“From what I’ve heard the hardest part of the job is the tryout, other than that there’s not any big danger like a shark to protect anyone from,” Piper said. “I think the thing I’m most worried about is the stress level of essentially having a full-time job out there.”

Going to New Jersey won’t only be an experience for Benjamin to have a new summer job, but it’s an opportunity to step outside of the Kansas City boundary and discover what she likes about living in other places of the country.

“For me, Kansas City will always be home, but this is a great chance to try something new and see what Pipe likes,” Jennifer said.

On and off the beach Piper will be making all sorts of connections and visiting different places like colleges that she might eventually see herself at. For her, it’s more about a change of lifestyle than it is about scenery.

“One side of me could see myself going to KU and living here for the rest of my life,” Benjamin said. “And, another part of me really wants to go out and try something new and make my own out of something new.”

A&E 21

MARCH 07, 2022 design by caroline wood

A&E HIGHLIGHTS Catch up on new entertainment content and songs by East artists

recent re le a s e s MUSIC

MOVIES M OV IE | NO EX IT

A LBUM | THE TIPPING PO INT

listenin’ to lancers Songs by recorded East artists on Spotify

GENRE | THILLER/DRAMA A R T I ST | T E A R S F O R F E A R S RUN TIME | 1HR 35 MIN

The Harbinger

R E L E A S E DAT E | F E B . 2 5 A w o m a n f i n d s a g ro u p of abducted girls and tries to f i g u re o u t w h o h a d t a ke n them.

T h i s i s t h e g ro u p ’s f i rst a l b u m i n s eve nt e e n ye a rs and it exa m i n e s loss a n d h e a l i n g t h ro u g h 1 0 e m ot i o n a l t ra c k s .

Less Than Kind junior Kate Whitefield

A L BUM | LOV E SU X

M OV IE | T H E B AT M A N

A R T I ST | AV R I L L AV I G N E

G E N R E | A CT I O N

R E L E A S E DAT E | F E B . 2 5

RUN TIME | 2HR 55 MIN

Av r i l ’s s eve nt h f u l l st u d i o a l b u m w h e re s h e ret u r n s t o h e r p o p - f u n k ro ot s t h ro u g h ex p l o r i n g t e e n a n g st .

S e t i n h i s s e c o n d ye a r of crime-fighting, Batman t a ke s c a re of c o r r u p t i o n i n G o t h a m a n d t r i e s t o t a ke down a serial killer.

Stars junior Fritz Sullivan

Time’s Lament SERIES

junior Grace Piper Fields

BOOKS S H OW | RAGDO LL

AU T H OR | R EB ECCA S EA R L E

P L AT F O R M | A M C +

G E N R E | F I CT I O N

EPISODES | 6 (38 MIN)

PA G E C O U N T | 27 2

D et e c t i ve s w o r k o n a c a s e t o s o lve t h e my st e r y of a s e r i a l k i l l e r w h o m u rd e re d six people.

Af t e r Ka t y ’s m o m w h o w a s a l s o her best friend passes away, she g o e s o n a t r i p t o P o s i t a n o , I t a ly that her mom and her planned together.

Close August Henry senior June Hyde

Rico Kurt Danger junior Kurt Freeman

S H OW | VIKINGS VAL HALLA

AU T H OR | LU C Y F OL EY

P L AT F O R M | N E T F L I X

G E N R E | M Y ST E RY

EPISODES | 8 (1HR)

PA G E C O U N T | 3 6 8

A n 1 1 t h c e nt u r y t a l e of s o m e of t h e l e g e n d a r y a d ve nt u re s of fa m o u s v i k i n g s f ro m N o rs e Mythology.

U n e m p l oye d a n d b ro ke , J e s s s t a y s w i t h h a lf - b rot h e r i n h i s Paris apartment, but after he d o e s n ’ t c o m e h o m e fo r a fe w days, Jess gets suspicious.

photos from IMDb, Spotify and Amazon

Mink Robe Pchuck9 sophomore Charlie Caroll

photos by Sabrina Dean, Lili Vottero and Elle Siegel

22 A&E

SMILE & READ IT

u o y

n a c

do

it

THE HARBINGER

design by celia condon

ke

ep

While motivational books can often come off as cliche, they can also be insightful and helpful with overcoming stress by g ra ce a lle n S SOMEONE WHO stays away

A

from the cult of the self-help industry, if someone told me to crack open a motivational book like “The Mountain is You,” I’d probably laugh at them — how could a book fix my problems? I’ve never believed that reading could cure my anxiety or sadness, but as senioritis settles in, I read three motivational books to amend my burnout: “How to be a Badass, “ “Your Time to Thrive” and “The Mountain is You.” Reading each book, I could barely finish a page without rolling my eyes at some of the cliches: “breathe when you feel anxious” and “love yourself.” Not exactly revolutionary. But, the more I read, the more the advice applied to my life.

I read “How to be a Badass” by Jen Sicnero first. Raving reviews from friends and Amazon ads have drawn me to the novel to learn about quitting self-doubt and exuding confidence. It focuses on what to cut out of your life and what to keep to become your best self.

Starting the book was difficult, mostly because I had a hard time relating. The advice was repetitive and surface-level, but I chugged along. A few chapters in, I found something that applied to me — the struggle of hindering your own

GET IT DONE.

Some pointers from “You are a Badass,” and how to implement them

success. I resonated with Sicnero’s emphasis on self-forgiveness and how living in the past holds you back, which I plan to utilize in when I enter into college.

Then I moved on to my second book, “The Mountain is You”

by Brianna Wiest. This book also focused on the dangers of self-sabotage and tactics for overcoming life challenges. The author compares climbing a mountain to overcoming trauma and fear, to building resilience at what the author calls the “top of the mountain.”

As someone who struggles with seeing challenges realistically, it really helped when the book focused on self-sabotage and how common it is. I’d never realized that I also struggle with self-sabotaging tendencies like getting too focused on what other people think. I learned that my self-deprecating humor is actually a form of self-sabotage and those negative thoughts keep me from having positive energy in my life.

The third and final book I read was “Your Time to Thrive” by Marina Khidekel and the editors of Thrive Global. I was skeptical when I first opened the book because it promised I would “unlock my full potential” — gag. But after

swallowing that cliche and moving on, I tried to continue to keep an open mind.

The book asked questions like “What steps are you going to take now?” with spaces to respond — almost like a guided journal. This forced me to listen to some of their tips and reflect on the “microsteps” I could take to improve myself.

The book emphasizes sleep with quotes from successful people

I Q U I C K LY R E A L I Z E D t h a t n ot o n ly c o u l d I g et t h ro u g h a c h a pt e r a c t u a l ly a b s o r b i n g t h e a d v i c e a n d c o nt e nt i n st e a d of l a u g h i n g a t i t , b u t I c o u l d a c t u a l ly a p p ly w h a t it was saying. like Tom Brady and Mike Posner about habits that improve their sleep cycle. They explain how sleep can impact your performance in every aspect of your life and how it’s a simple first step in bettering yourself.

it

up

A f t e r reading this, I took some of their advice and limited my screen time before bed and even tried journaling. My sleep schedule actually improved, I found myself having more energy in the mornings.

While reading all of these books didn’t exactly unlock my full potential or jumpstart a major change in my life, they did give me realistic tips like taking more time for myself and creating routines to fix bad habits and improve my lifestyle.

Although I’m not one to read self-help books like this or believe they’d affect me, and my life is by no means flipped upside down, these give a solid foundation to becoming a more sound person. The small tips to start cutting out the bad in my life, microstep my way through days and remember “I’m a badass,” are a start.

SIMPLIFY THE T H E E Q U AT I O N .

SIDESTEP THE SPIRAL.

WA N T I T. BAD.

Don’t let other people affect you, as easy as it i s . Yo u c o n t r o l y o u r o w n happiness, not the people around you. Focus on being independent and self reliant.

Once you have a negative thought about yourself, it c a n c a u s e a “ s p i r a l . ” Av o i d this by realizing that having insecurities is normal, and work to take the negativity out in healthy ways.

To s e e c h a n g e , y o u h a v e t o w a n t i t . Yo u c a n ’ t j u s t hope that your daily routine will somehow miraculously change your life, you have to go out of your way to implement hard work.

MARCH 07, 2022

design by marissa liberda photos by macy crosser

SCAM

orSTAPLE?

Testing four of Amazon’s top-rated hair products if the qualities exceeds the low-price

1

1$11.99

1$22.00

1$13.59

26.99 1$$26.99

AFTER SEEING REVIEWS raving about this heatless curling rod all over TikTok, I was excited to try it for myself. The CORATED curling rod is supposed to give you curls overnight by simply wrapping your hair around it and keeping it in while you sleep.

I dampened my hair and secured the blue cushiony silk rod on my head with the claw clip provided. Wrapping my hair around the rod proved to be more challenging than I anticipated as the directions never really explained how to do it, so it took me trying a few different techniques

before I secured it correctly. I then tied it with the scrunchies also included and removed the claw clip. Then, it was time for bed.

Surprisingly, I had no trouble sleeping with my hair entangled in this weird contraption. When I woke up, I pulled the rod out of my hair revealing perfect curls. The curls were loose but definitely still held their shape, leaving no strange dents or kinks in my hair. Overall, It gave as good of curls as an actual curling iron — which was surprising considering it was under $12.

I’VE ALWAYS BEEN a big hair product person — whether it’s dyes or sprays, I love it all. When I saw Keacolor Clenditioner, a color depositing conditioner designed to infuse color into your hair with every wash, I instantly added it to my cart. With 4.1/5 stars on Amazon, and reviews saying how much they loved the product, I was interested to see how it compared to actual hair dye. As a dark blonde, I wanted to see if it would actually lighten my hair.

I shampooed like normal, then applied the conditioner, letting it sit for 15 minutes before rinsing — just like the instructions said. After

AS SOMEONE WITH coarse hair that’s inbetween wavy and straight, I’m always on the lookout for ways to straighten my hair in a rush — as I swear my CHI silver straightening iron takes forever. While exploring Amazon, I found the Aethland Boar Bristle Clamp Hair Brush, which is made to help straighten and smooth your hair without any damage or heat.

Since the point of the product is to straighten your hair without heat, I immediately questioned the brush when the directions said to use it with a blow dryer — a form of direct heat on your hair. Despite the contradictory instructions, I still held out hope.

After sectioning myhair, I used the brush as instructed which was thankfully very simple. It took me about 10 minutes to complete and

THE LAST ITEM I added to my cart was the Permodel Hair Straightening Brush. I was immediately drawn to the brush because I never seem to have time to straighten my hair before school and based on the description and reviews this seemed like something I could easily incorporate into my morning routine while still getting out the door on time. designed to straighten and brush your hair all in one without damaging it as much as a normal straightener. While similar to the clamp brush, this one looked more reliable with its adjustable heat settings and an anti-scalding cover over the heat carrier to prevent you from getting burned.

After plugging it in, the brush quickly heated up and I ran it through my hair just as I would a normal brush. It pulled on my hair a little more

A&E 23 by emmers on w i nf rey

A MAZON — A SAFE HAVEN for those who put off buying things until the last minute. With every costume, kitchen appliance and a slogan saying that they have everything A-Z, it can be hard to tell which options are worth buying and which are a complete rip off.

After spending an hour scrolling through Amazon with my friends, I chose a few of the products to put to the test myself instead of relying solely on the review page. I tried out four of Amazon’s top hair products to determine if they’re really as great as they appear to be.

hopping out of the shower and letting my hair dry, I didn’t notice much of a difference with the exception of a few new cooler tones.

I used the conditioner again the next day, this time I could immediately tell a difference after it dried — my highlights took on a grayish-blonde tint and cool hues throughout the rest.

After two washes without using the conditioner, my hair had gone back to its original color. While it was no replacement for hair dye, it’s a great option for people wanting to try out a new color or keep up their color between dyes or salon visits.

I was left with a noticeably smooth and shiny result. My hair was soft, similar to how it feels after you apply conditioner, and had no bumps or waves.

My excitement quickly disappeared, though, when I tried out the brush on some of my curly-haired friends. I wet their hair and brushed it alongside a hairdryer, just as I did mine. Once fully dry, their hair had straightened slightly, but was left with uneven textures and bumps. It also didn’t help with reducing their frizz or make their hair any shinier like it did for me.

I recommend this brush for those with straight or wavy hair looking to help with frizz or add extra shine but wouldn’t recommend it for anyone with curly hair, because of the bumps and uneven finish.

than a normal brush would but I didn’t mind. I tried it on all four of the heat settings and all seemed to give me the same results. When I finished, my hair was smooth, soft and honestly pin-straight.

I then tried it on my curly-haired friends. The brush was able to completely straighten the top half and left only a few waves at the end of their hair. Their hair also came out smoother and softer than it was before. It’s a great option if you’re in a rush or just need something to smooth out your already-straight locks — but overall, I’ll stick to my flat iron due to its better results.

24 A&E

THE HARBINGER

THE TRUTH ON

TRUE CRIME

design by sofia blades photos from imdb

True Crime movies and series provide interesting and crazy non-fiction entertainment

by gibb s m o r r is R U E of the most popular scenes from fictional topics such works like “Fatal Attraction” and “Catch Me as Volkswagen If You Can be warped into unspeakable acts. lying about their CRIME — it’s as Various scenes and movie tropes are turned “clean diesel” product, compelling to watch into a twisted reality by a killer who aspired to Big Pharma and even an as it is unbelievable. become the main character in a movie of his episode based right here True crime stories paint own creation and world, his audience. out of Kansas City about the some of the most elaborate, If you don’t have the stomach for homicidal infamous five-time NASCAR diabolical and completely crime or serial killer stories and are more champion Scott Tucker. outlandish crimes known to interested in outrageously shameless cons, then If the shady underbelly of the history, so much so that the “Tinder Swindler” is a perfect watch. This near business world interests you, you’re in genre tends to captivate audiences two-hour film takes viewers through the crimes for a treat because these stories are some with its out-of-the box absurdity. committed by a man under the alias of Simon of the best out there, particularly due to Typically, tales containing the same Leviev, presenting himself as the son of Israeli- their scale and inconceivable appeal, not wild storylines are found in works of Russian diamond tycoon Lev Leviev on the to mention you can watch a story set right fiction, that is unless you’re looking into online dating app, Tinder. outside East’s backyard. While every episode the “True Crime” section on Netflix, where For those who matched with him on the site, shares a different story, I was captured by the the enjoyment of fiction is translated into he was a wonderful and wealthy boyfriend, until explorations each story took into the darker real life. it’s revealed to them that he’s a scam artist by side of the business realm. It isn’t often people One of my personal favorites is the threethe name of Shimon Hayut that’s been spending get a true peek into that kind of world, but the part Netflix series dubbed “Don’t F*** With thousands of their own hard earned cash on series does this effortlessly, which is why it was Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer.” The show other women around the world. The show so enjoyable to watch. follows a Facebook group of people all over the details how this man ran his multi-operation, So, if you’ve found yourself feeling bored world who attempt to hunt down the culprit of a and nobody found out until it was too late. with your typical show genres, look into giving series of horrific YouTube videos depicting the This internet catfish story is unbelievable one of the above three true crime pieces a vile murder of kittens — as if that isn’t crazy until you see Hayut’s name all over the news. He watch. The brilliant appeal of true crime enough. not only orchestrated a multifaceted con that doesn’t just come from the fact that the But the story doesn’t end there. In a series spanned various countries, but lived a lavish life film itself is based on true events, but that of events involving a gruesome murder with of partying, expensive cars and private flights to it’s based on true events that are so wildly an icepick, fake identities and a potential exotic locations — all for free unless you count abnormal, you can barely believe them. conspiracy, this docuseries is sure to leave selling his dignity. I loved the modern take the anyone in nail-biting anticipation. film had on online dating and the dangers that If the summary doesn’t catch your eye, come with territory, only this then I can assure you the killer crime’s that story takes it to a whole other the series features will. If you were to level. The ruse is so complicated watch the series, you would more than Overall ratings of the 3 documentaries and the story filled with such likely think to yourself that this kitten intrigue that it’s hard not to fall killer could’ve been that creepy guy mentioned in love with the film out of sheer down the street, pulled directly interest in such a bizarre crime. from a fictional movie.

And if crimes of passion or Well, that’s because he serial killers don’t strike a chord technically is. with you, the Netflix series In this twisted story “Dirty Money’’ should be queued of deception, vanity next on your watchlist. The two and sadism, seasons the show has to offer are viewers get filled with stories about ruthless, to watch illegal business practices that so me have left people crippled with debt or empty bank accounts, while also covering

T

THE FLIX:

MARCH 07, 2022

design by nora lynn photo by maggie merkens

DALTON

WHAT IS YOUR NAME? AND WHY IS IT YOUR NAME? My name is Dalton Wowak. Dalton is actually my great grandmother’s maiden name. When she came over from Ireland, she changed her name. And then Wowak, I don’t know, it’s a stupid last name, but no one forgets it because there’s not too many Wowaks.

WHAT BREED OF DOG WOULD YOU BE? I’d want to be a pitbull, but like a really fat one that just struggles getting around so you could just be lazy all day. Like that just sounds so nice.

WHAT IS A MOVIE OR TV SHOW THAT YOU HATE? Young and the Restless, it’s a soap opera that my mom watches every single day and I can’t stand it.

WHO IS YOUR CELEBRITY CRUSH AND WHY? Tate Moody. Yeah, because he’s the best looking guy in the school.

WHAT IS ONE ROUTINE THING OR ACTIVITY THAT YOU DO EVERY DAY OR WEEK THAT YOU DON’T THINK YOU COULD LIVE WITHOUT? Seeing my mom.

HAVE YOU EVER DONE SOMETHING ON YOUR “BUCKET LIST?” I got a ride home from a cop once and so that was on my bucket list, but like everything was fine, no laws broken, but I ended up getting a ride home.

IF YOUR HOUSE CAUGHT ON FIRE, WHAT THREE THINGS WOULD YOU PICK UP BEFORE YOU LEFT? Probably my phone, my baseball glove, and then like a sweatshirt, because you know you don’t want to be outside in the cold. And then I know you didn’t ask, but I’d leave my dog.

WHAT IS THE WEIRDEST OR CRAZIEST FASHION TREND YOU’VE EVER TRIED? In second grade I had a full on rock star mohawk. It worked.

WHO HAD THE MOST INFLUENCE ON YOU GROWING UP? My grandpa because he’s a father figure in my life. He’s someone I want to be like when I’m older. Everyone knows him, everyone respects him. He just demands respect from everyone and I look up to him for it.

LOCAL LANCER 25

26 SPORTS

THE HARBINGER

ELLA BUNDE

SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS

A look at the last of winter sports, college committed student’s and the lacrosse club

design by anna mitchell

PRINCETON

volleyball: I ’ M M O S T E XC I T E D fo r j u st

A B O V E S e n i o r J a i d e n G love r r u n s a ro u nd t h e c re e d s to lo o k fo r a n o p e n s h ot . T h e d efe n d e r r i d e s h i m r i g ht s o G love r r u n t h e b a l ls o u t w i d e .

PHOTO BY CHARLOTTE EMLEY

ABOVE Senior Aaron Ralston completes his last lap of the boys 200 meter free relay during the swim state championship PHOTO BY HADLEY CHAPMAN

TOP LEFT Sophomore Jack Jones gets a pass from Senior Sam Bruso and drives to the goal for a layup in the second quarter.

PHOTO BY HADLEY CHAPMAN

LACROSSE CROSSOVER The differences between the girls and boys lacrosse club

NAME OF CLUB:

SHAWNEE MISSION

LANCER

CLUB JOINED IN:

2014 2010 STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS: 4 8

FACE -OF F

SCAN ME • VIDEO Af t e r b e i n g d i s c o nt i n u e d i n 2 0 2 0 , F a c e - of f , i s b a c k fo r s e a s o n fo u r . S c a n t o w a t c h t h e f i rst v i d e o fo r t h i s s e a s o n

BY MAGGIE MERCKENS

PADDY BERGKAMP

b e i n g o n t h e E a st c o a st a n d b e i n g t h a t c l o s e t o N e w Yo r k , c a u s e P r i n c et o n i s 4 5 m i n u t e s s o u t h of N e w Yo r k a n d t h e t ra i n t o N e w Yo r k i s r i g ht o n c a m p u s . I t h i n k I ’ m m o st exc i t e d t o m e et n e w p e o p l e a n d b e i n t h e c i t y a l ot a n d j u s t b e t h a t fa r f ro m h o m e , i t ’s a t ot a l ly d i f fe re nt c u lt u re , s o I t h i n k I ’ m j u st exc i t e d fo r h o w i t ’s g o i n g t o b e d i f fe re nt .

”

JCCC

baseball:

I ’ M E XC I T E D TO c o m p et e a t t h e n ex t l eve l a n d I ’ m g l a d I c o u l d m a ke i t t h e re w i t h t h e h e l p of f r i e n d s a n d fa m i ly , e s p e c i a l ly my c lu b ove r t h e s u m m e r t h a t g a ve m e t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o p l a y i n f ro nt of s c o u t s .

SPORTS 27

MARCH 07, 2022

rowing:

NAZERENE

baseball:

THE TEAM I’M on right now is

AIR FORCE

ACADEMY

swim:

[ M Y G OA L S F O R t h i s s e a s o n

I ’ V E WATC H E D M Y b rot h e r

GRACE MEYER

COLLEGE OF CALIFORNIA

MID AMERICA

MAEVE LINSCOTT

ST. MARY’S

HEISLER FERREN

ELLA HEIDE

design by maggie kissick photos by sabrina dean and lily mantel copy by campbell wood

KANSAS

STATE

track:

I T H I N K T H E m o st i m p o r t a nt

” ” ” ”

m o re re c re a t i o n a l ra t h e r t h a n t h e t y p i c a l c o m p e t i t i ve ro w i n g c l u b yo u g e t i n t h e N o r t h e a s t s o I ’ m exc i t e d t o h a ve t h a t re a l c o m p e t i t i ve , s u p e r h a rd w o r k i n g e nv i ro n m e nt i n c o l l e g e .

a re ] t o g ro w a s a p i t c h e r , g a i n some speed, [and] try to be at t h e t o p of my g a m e w h e n I g o t o college.

a n d s i st e r sw i m i n c o l l e g e a n d I ’ ve s e e n t h e m t ra n s fo r m s o I ’ m exc i t e d t o s e e h o w t h e t ra i n i n g i s d i f fe re nt a n d h o w fa st I ’ m a b l e t o g o eve n t u a l ly .

t h i n g i s t h a t I t ra i n i n t h e of f - s e a s o n . I f I h a ve a g o o d s u m m e r t ra i n i n g a n d a g o o d s e n i o r t ra c k season, it would be a good build u p t o my f re s h m a n ye a r . I ’ m exc i t e d t o ke e p b u i l d i n g .

COMMITTED TO THEIR CRAFT MCKENNA

WICHITA

STATE

swim:

swim:

track:

[ SW I M M I N G I N C O L L E G E

I T ’ S A R E A L LY g o o d

I T WA S A g re a t fe e l i n g [ t o s i g n

i s ] a ve r y d i f fe re n t t e a m a t m o s p h e re w h e re eve r yo n e i s re a l ly u n i t e d a n d w o r k i n g t o w a rd s the same goal. Club swimming, i s i n d i v i d u a l i ze d a n d c o l l e g e sw i m m i n g i s eve r yo n e w o r k i n g t o g et h e r s o I ’ m re a l ly l o o k i n g fo r w a rd t o t h e t e a m u n i t y t h a t ’s g o i n g t o b e c o m i n g .

o p p o r t u n i t y t o n o t re a l ly b e d o n e w i t h sw i m m i n g , b u t st i l l b e a b l e t o c o m p et e a n d t r y t o g et b e tt e r a n d b e tt e r .

w i t h W i c h i t a S t a t e ] . I t w a s k i n d of a re l i ef b e c a u s e I ’ d b e e n w o r k i n g t o w a rd s i t my w h o l e l i fe a n d t h e n t h e p a st ye a r h a s b e e n p rett y st re s s f u l , s o i t w a s j u st a b i g re l i ef t o f i n d t h e r i g ht s c h o o l t h a t f i n a l ly f i t m e fo r a l l a s p e c t s .

TATE MOODY

TECH

CLARMOUNT

TESS ROMAN

GEORGIA

EVAN DEEDY

ANNE DEEDY

Senior commits share where they are going, what sport they are playing and a quote about their opportunity

WICHITA

STATE

baseball:

I G E T TO m e et a b u n c h of n e w t e a m m a t e s , a n d I ’ ve a l re a d y m et s o m e of t h e m . A l ot of t h e m a re f ro m a l ot of d i f fe re nt st a t e s s o i t ’ l l j u st b e c o o l t o h a ve a l l n e w t e a m m a t e s a n d m e et a b u n c h of n e w p e o p l e a n d g et t o c o m p et e w i t h t h e m .

28 SPORTS

THE HARBINGER

design by david allegri

Senior Evan Deedy f i n i s h e s h i s la st la p i n t h e 10 0 - m eter bu tter f ly a t the Boys Sw i m Sta te Cha mpionship. PHOTO BY HADLEY CHAPMAN

TA KI N G B AC K T H E T I T L E The boys swim and dive team won the state championship this year after three years of placing third, while also yielding three breaking three school records

by greyson imm EQUIPPED WITH AN electric razor and

an excess of team spirit, James Schipfer, Evan Deedy, Brady Smith and the rest of the senior boys on the swim and dive team gathered in the locker room around the next “lucky” underclassman. After the buzzing of the razor ceased and the floor was carpeted with the hair of statequalifying underclassmen, each made their way to the restroom mirrors, gawking at the results.

Some short on top and long on the sides.

Some the opposite. A handful had uneven, haphazard mullets. The underclassmen were shocked, but still sported their new half-done haircuts for the rest of practice before they would completely buzz off their remaining hair at the end of practice.

They knew they had to uphold the timehonored tradition of state-qualifying underclassmen shaving their hair that had been going on for as long as the team had been around.

“It’s funny looking at the freshmen with all their buzzcuts,” Smith said.

Heading into the state championship meet, the seasoned swimmers were mentally prepared to get third place, like they had done each year prior going back three years.

During the 400-meter freestyle relay, head swim and dive coach Wiley Wright made his usual quip about how confident

he was in their ability to win. Schipfer quickly dismissed it as something Wright says every year. Every year of Schipfer’s high school swim experience, they had placed third overall at state.

But heading into the last relay, the boys ran over to the scoresheet and checked the point totals for each team and found out that it was impossible to lose unless they were disqualified. They finally won. “[It felt like] we won for all the seniors before us that didn’t get a win,” Smith said. “It was just really fulfilling finally being able to achieve that first place, and especially being a big part of that.”

All of the conditioning, club swim, workouts and days they arrived at school before the sun rose for practice — and when they left practice when it was pitch black outside — led up to this twoday meet. This was a chance to prove themselves after three years.

According to Schipfer, one of the best parts of winning was finally getting to celebrate with the group of boys that he’d grown close to over the years.

To the team, traditions like the aforementioned underclassmen buzzcuts, team dinners at Raising Cane’s or Freddy’s, sharing brownies baked by the new assistant coach Ginger Waters and a seemingly countless amount of inside jokes sets East’s boys swim and dive apart

from other swim programs.

“Club swimming definitely feels more individual and everyone kind of cares about themselves a little more, but at East it’s so different because it’s so teamfocused that I feel like I’ve grown as a teammate and a leader,” Schipfer said.

“I’ve grown in that way but I’ve also just kind of learned to have more fun and care less about how I’m doing and make sure I’m always cheering my friends on, too.”

[ I T F E LT L I K E ] w e w o n fo r a l l t h e s e n i o rs b efo re u s t h a t d i d n ’ t g e t a w i n . I t w a s j u st re a l ly f u lf i l l i n g f i n a l ly b e i n g a b l e t o a c h i eve t h a t f i rs t p l a c e , a n d e s p e c i a l ly b e i n g a b i g p a r t of t h a t .

BRADY SMITH SENIOR He said spending several hours daily at swim practice together has made him and Deedy “a little too close” before jokingly commenting on his constant swimming talk and Deedy’s incessant tardiness.

The two training partners met at the East junior swim clinic in seventh grade.

They both gravitated towards the wall of awards displayed in the aquatic center,

both vowing to get their own school records one day.

And they did.

During the state meet this year, Deedy broke East’s 100-meter breaststroke record with a time of 57.41 seconds. Schipfer’s 52.05-second performance broke East’s 100-meter backstroke time. Additionally, a new 200-meter freestyle relay school record of 1:25.48 was set by Schipfer, Smith and seniors Bo Kimmel and Will Roberts.

“We really have a tradition of excellence [in] our team,” Deedy said.

“It’s a giant group of everyone just always helping each other, providing insight to the underclassmen.”

Though the new records are quite the accomplishment, Schipfer notes that just getting to spend the season with such a uniquely talented, funny and hardworking group of boys was what he’ll remember about this year.

“At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if we win because what you’ll remember is not a state trophy or state championship, not the amount of medals you got but the amount of memories you made being there for your team,” Schipfer said. “[My coaches said that] they still talk with the people they spend time with in high school and they don’t talk about the materialistic stuff. They just talked about the memories.”

MARCH 07, 2022

design by celia condon & luke beil

SPORTS 29

TRI P LE TH RE AT

Wyatt Haughton, Tess Roman and Grace Meyer are three of East’s Track & Field varsity stars: here’s how they’re planning to take on the season

W YAT T by hassan sufi

J

UNIOR WYATT HAUGHTON felt he had a huge

cross country season last year — placing second in the state for the 5k, first in the Sunflower League and earning the 5K school record. For him, this is a big season, as it’ll be a determining factor of his future at the collegiate level.

Haughton finds great importance in off-season training. During his distance running, “Hands on the Wheel” by ASAP Rocky blasts in his ears to keep him going all winter, knowing his season recruitment begins in March.

T H E T U R N A R O U N D D E F I N I T E LY w a s t h e w i n t e r . We s t a r t e d t ra i n i n g h a rd e r a n d t h i n g s s t a r t e d t o h a p p e n fo r h i m . We b u i lt o u r w a y t h ro u g h , w e d i d n ’ t d o a ny t h i n g c ra z y , b u t w e j u s t ke p t k n o c k i n g o u t miles.

RIKKI HACKER

COACH

“The turnaround definitely was the winter,” Haughton’s East running coach Rikki Hacker said.

“We started training harder and things started to happen for him. We built our way through, we didn’t do anything crazy, but we just kept knocking out miles.”

According to Haughton, his goal to run at the collegiate level is what keeps him going when he feels breathless in his training, reminding him what he’s working for.

It’ll get me into college, so it’s all worth it.

Haughton hopes to shatter two more records this season — the one and two mile — and to take first at state with the rest of his team.

“Having a good relationship with your teammates definitely helps you run faster and be more dedicated,” Haughton said. “[When they are struggling], I’m always making sure I’m telling them to think of the end goal of state.”

GOALS:

TES S I

T’S SENIOR TESS Roman explodes with her first

step off the block, her steps getting farther and farther away from each other as she sprints toward the landing pit. She takes off and flies through the air for a second and lands with sand kicking up all over her body. She jumped 17 feet— a few inches shy of her record—to earn a sixth place finish at state.

Having been on the Track and Field team since freshman year, Roman is used to the high stakes with lots of eyes on her, especially from recruiters. But this year, things are different.

On Feb. 9, Roman signed to run track for Wichita State University at the Division 1 level. At WSU, she’ll compete in the heptathlon which includes seven total events across track and field.

For Roman, being committed takes lots of weight off her shoulders for the upcoming season — a change from the heavy amounts of stress to compete she’s felt in years past while pushing to make it to D1.

To ensure Roman stays healthy, she will only be competing in two out of the three jump events —long jump, triple jump and high jump—at each meet. She will alternate which two she competes in every week.

“I do think it takes off stress because I feel like I have things figured out,” Roman said. “I can get help from my college coaches if I need it.”

Although she’s less stressed, her mindset for high school track hasn’t changed. This year, her goal is to place in the top three for triple jump and long jump, along with winning a state title in high jump.

“She always works, especially with her extra hours in the offseason,” junior and fellow high jumper CJ Leonard said. “I think now being committed and having a plan for college lets her be free and just focus on the actual sport.”

GOALS:

W

GRACE ALKING OUT OF school to a gust of the cold,

dry wind of Kansas City winter, senior Grace Meyer suits up for her daily six-mile run — a routine that seems insane to most students.

After placing first in the state in the 800-meter run last track season and committing to Kansas State University, Meyer’s natural competitiveness hasn’t stopped. She hopes to break new records this year in the 800-meter and the mile so that she’s fully prepared for running in college.

Meyer feels that committing is a reason to work extra hard this season and push herself as an athlete more than she has previously. She wants to improve her pace and further bonds with her teammates in the process.

“Having everyone know that you are committed as a D1, that is a lot to live up to,” Meyer said. “[Being committed] is a motivator for me.”

So, she runs her route down Mission Rd. day or night, rain or shine, to prepare herself to leave East Track and Field with a lasting impact.

“She [runs] every day and it’s just amazing that she’s stuck with it [because] a lot of times she’ll miss out on parties because she’ll have a track or a cross country meet early in the morning,” Senior and best friend Kasey Nelson said. “I think that says a lot about the type of person she is because she’s super dedicated to something when she chooses to be.”

GOALS:

BREAK 4:14 MILE TIME

5’8 IN HIGH JUMP

BREAK 4:53 MILE TIME

BREAK 9:16 TWO MILE TIME

18’5 IN LONG JUMP

BREAK 2:13 800 METER DASH TIME

PLACE IN THE 800 AT STATE

38’ IN TRIPLE JUMP

STATE TITLES IN 800 & MILE

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T EA -R EX 5 8 32 J o h n so n D r i ve M i s s i o n , KS 66202

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PHOTOSTORY 31

MARCH 07, 2022 design by elise madden

TO

BRINGING ZOO YOUTH

Environmental Ed students brought the class animals to Westwood View and Hocker Grove to educate and share with younger students

A B O V E Henry the cockatoo sits on the shoulder of senior Aiden Brown. “It was one-on-one with the kids and they just get so excited over the birds and hedgehogs,” Brown said.

PHOTO BY CHARLOTTE EMLEY R I G H T Senior Alex Man n in g shows younger students the tortoise at Westwood View.

“I showcased the tortoise and that was really fun because I got to move around with it instead of just standing in one spot,” Manning said. “I got to walk around with the kids who were re ally fa sc in a ted .”

PHOTO BY RILEY ECK

ABOVE Environmental Education teach er Tyler Debey displays the chinchilla to students and viewers at Westwood View. In his class, students need 24 p a rticip a tion h ou rs throughout the school year and can earn them from science night.

PHOTO BY RILEY ECK A B O V E Ju n ior Ath en a P eca u t holds the tarantula as it climbs around her arm as students watch.

Students that help the tarantella got a signed sheet from environmental ed tea ch er Deb ey .

PHOTO BY CHARLOTTE EMLEY

SCAN ME • PHOTO R I G H T T h e le o p a rd - c re ste d g e c ko c l i m b s u p j u n i o r P o p py B i l l i n g s ley . I t ’s i n i t s s h e d d i n g p h a s e s o h i s g r i p i s n ’ t a s st ro n g , s o B i l l i n g s ley i s h e l p i n g h i m u p . “ I l i ke s e e i n g a l l t h e k i d s ’ fa c e s , ” B i l l i n g s ley s a i d . “ T h ey s e e m s o h a p py w h e n t h ey ’ re w i t h a l l t h e a n i m a ls . ” P H OTO B Y C H A R LOT T E E M L E Y

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32 ALT-COPY

THE HARBINGER

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FINDING YOUR (LANCER) (LANCER) TYPE Take this short quiz to find out what type of lancer you are feeling today

START HERE...

1

How much caffeine have you had today?

a. Black coffee b. Iced oatmilk chai latte c. Just water d. Two Celsiuses

5

After school you...?

a. nanny b. head to practice c. hit the books d. take a Target run

2

What are your spring break plans?

6

What is your study method?

a. stay-cation b. beachside resort c. family visit d. skiing the Slopes

a. eh, just wing it b. grill the teacher c. quizlet d. faceTime study groups

3

What shoes are you wearing right now?

7

Your last Instagram post was of?

a. birkenstocks b. nike Air Force 1 c. crocs Classic Lined Clog d. new Balance sneakers

a. pinterest is where it’s at b. friendsgiving c. colorado mountain pics d. sweetheart Dance

4

What did you have for breakfast?

8

When did you spend time outside last?

a. left-over pizza b. reese’s Puff Cereal c. brownie baked oats d. another Celsius

a. lancer day b. saturday morning frisbee c. yesterday’s afternoon walk d. lacrosse student section

YOU ARE FEELING...

MOSTLY A’S

LETHARGIC It’s one of those days. When everything takes twice as long as it was expected to take. When all the teachers drone on. When all your snacks are just slightly off.

Those days come in waves and the wave will pass. Take a second to think of three moments which brightened your day.

MOSTLY B’S

ELATED

Embrace your happy spirits and project your mood onto others. You are feeling like a melty, golden brown grilled cheese — simply perfect. Taking only a moment, share your joy with others through an act of kindness and words of affirmation. It will lift your spritirs — and theirs — even more.

MOSTLY C’S

TRANQUIL

Balance. All is balanced. The pie chart of your time is distributed to just the right places and in just the right proportions. While in this moment, appreciate the calm and tranquility.

MOSTLY D’S

BOUNCY

It’s jumping time!

Get ready to jump up and down in excitement.

Something big is coming up, even if you don’t know it!

Keep your eyes peeled and your mind open to new experiences.