Harbinger Issue 3 2021

S H AW N E E M I S S I O N E A S T 7500 MISSION ROAD PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS 66208 OCTOBER 04, 2021 VOLUME LXVI ISSUE 3

Memories of East Alum Logan Lowrey are shared from family, friends and other members of the East community to remember the way she impacted people with her positive energy throughout her life

02 INSIDE COVER

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 PHOTO EDITORS Elise Madden Maggie Merckens ASST. PHOTO EDITORS Rachel Bingham Macy Crosser Hadley Chapman VIDEO EDITOR Roberto Galicia ASST. VIDEO EDITOR Maggie Klumpp PHOTO MENTORS Emily Pollock Grace Allen Lily Mantel MJ Wolf STAFF WRITERS Caroline Wood Madeline Funkey Anna Mitchell Christian Gooley Caroline Gould Mia Vogel Paige Zadoo Greyson Imm Sophie Lindberg Ben Bradley Nora Lynn Katie Murphy Luke Beil Maggie Kissick Emma Krause COPY EDITORS Sydney Newton Celia Condon Campbell Wood Sophie Henschel Peyton Moore Cesca Stamati Kate Heitmann Lyda Cosgrove

Caroline Wood Caroline Gould Greyson Imm Nora Lynn EDITORIAL BOARD Sydney Newton Celia Condon Campbell Wood Sophie Henschel Peyton Moore Cesca Stamati Kate Heitmann Lyda Cosgrove Caroline Wood Madeline Funkey Nora Lynn SECTION EDITORS EDITORIAL PRINT Madeline Funkey NEWS PRINT Caroline Gould ONLINE Kate Heitmann OPINION PRINT Sophie Lindberg ONLINE Mia Vogel FEATURE PRINT Anna Mitchell ONLINE Greyson Imm A&E PRINT Nora Lynn ONLINE Paige Zadoo SPORTS PRINT Caroline Wood ONLINE Ben Bradley PAGE DESIGNERS Anna Mitchell Madeline Funkey Christian Gooley Caroline Wood Bridget Connelly Luke Beil Emma Krause ART EDITOR Natalie Scholz

THE HARBINGER

GABBY PETITO ASS. ART EDITOR Nora Lynn STAFF ARTISTS Celia Condon Sophie Henschel Sophie Lindberg Christian Gooley Bridget Connelly Marissa Liberda STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Audrey Condon Charlotte Emley Elle Siegel Jill Rice Julia Filmore Kate Beaulieu Maggie Klumpp Riley Eck Sabrina Dean Tristen Porter VIDEO STAFF Roberto Galacia Maggie Klumpp PODCAST EDITOR Ben Bradley SOCIAL MEDIA EDITORS Celia Condon Sophie Henschel ASST. SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Mia Vogel SOCIAL MEDIA STAFF Madeline Funkey Campbell Wood Christian Gooley Grace Allen Paige Zadoo Sophie Lindberg Ben Bradley Peyton Moore Lyda Cosgrove Nora Lynn Marissa Liberda Bridget Connelly ADS MANAGER Greyson Imm CONTEST COORDINATOR Peyton Moore CIRCULATION MANAGER Maggie Klumpp SOCIAL CHAIR Peyton Moore

GABBI PETITO

ABUSE HISTORY IN PETITO’S RELATIONSHIP

design by peyton moore cover design by celia condon

GABBY PETITO

WHERE IS BRIAN LAUNDRIE?

GABBY WHAT PETITO’S BODY FOUND HAPPENED GABBY GABBI TO GABBYPETITO PETITO PETITIO?

GABBY PETITO GABBY PETITO

WHAT ABOUT ALL THE OTHER WOMEN?

BRIAN LAUNDRIE MIA

GABBI PETITO

DID BRIAN LAUNDRIE KILL GABBY?

GABBY political cartoon by nora lynn PETITO

a look inside 10

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taking action taco naco unified bowling

click for pics FOOTBALL • GALLERY Scan to view the g a l l e r y of t h e va rs i t y F o o t b a l l f ro m t h e O l a t h e South game.

VOLLEYBALL • GALLERY Scan to view the g a l l e r y of t h e va r s i t y vo l l ey b a l l t r i - m a t c h against Olathe North a n d G a rd e n e r E d g e r t o n .

EDITORIAL 03

OCTOBER 04, 2021 design by madeline funkey

TRICKY

TRENDS

I

F PRINCIPAL JASON Peres’ announcement on Sept. 15 was the first time you’ve heard the term “devious licks,” you might’ve tried to type in the term on your TikTok search bar.

It was likely unsuccessful: you were probably met with a “no results” screen and a warning that the phrase may violate community guidelines. That’s because TikTok recently banned the hashtag and all affiliated tags due to reports of illegal actions.

So what’s a devious lick?

With over 3,000 videos using the same background arcards-sounding song that have amassed millions of likes, devious licks are the newest — and most damaging — TikTok trend. It involves the theft of various items, from toilet seats in bathrooms to menus from restaurants, and even fire alarms from middle schools. And every “lick” was in the hopes of racking up views and attention on not only TikTok, but social media in general. Teens blindly follow social media trends and disregard the consequences.

This is a pattern that needs to be stopped.

But this trend didn’t start feeling real until it happened in our own school. At East, soap dispensers and toilet paper holders were ripped from the bathroom walls. A printer was stolen and bathroom stall doors were pulled off hinges. Additionally, red dye was spilled through various locations within the school — all of which the janitors had to clean up.

It’s not “devious,” or cool — it’s illegal. Theft shouldn’t be considered trendy. And this “licks” trend is just one example.

In March of 2020 when the pandemic hit, sharing videos of licking toilet seats grew as a trend, resulting in several positive teenage COVID-19 cases. Even back in 2017, the infamous “tide pod challenge” of eating laundry detergent circled social media, and landed people in hospitals.

These trends are destructive and the effects of them are evident across the country.

According to AP News, the destruction from the devious licks trend has affected areas from Kansas to Virginia, with missing street signs, football field turf and bathroom stall doors. Disciplinary action, such as out-of-school suspensions, has been taken at several of these schools, including East. These effects should be recognized, not disregarded as “just another trend.”

Social media trends can be legitimately dangerous and reckless. Instead of thinking about how these trends cause harm to viewers, people would rather

Teens are too quick to follow social media trends to seek out views and likes, not considering the consequences of their actions

focus on creating a viral video with thousands of likes and comments.

But first, think — is five seconds of fame worth possible jail time?

The root of the problem comes down to the desire for likes and fame on videos. According to truelist.com, a blog focused on social media, 43% of teenagers feel discouraged if no one likes their posts, with 34% of young adults having a fear of missing out when they aren’t on social media. In search for selfvalidation and gratification — in terms of TikTok likes — teens feel the need to be constantly in tune with social media and follow trends to stay up to date, all with the goal of gaining likes and traction on videos.

An easy route to getting more likes? Trying to recreate viral videos. The bigger a trend gets on TikTok, the more likely copycat videos will go viral.

AC C O R D I N G TO A P N e w s , t h e d e st r u c t i o n f ro m t h e d ev i o u s l i c k s t re n d h a s a f fe c t e d a re a s f ro m Ka n s a s t o V i rg i n i a , w i t h m i s s i n g st re et s i g n s , fo ot b a l l f i e l d t u r f a n d b a t h ro o m s t a l l d o o rs .

It quickly can become a toxic cycle — and it needs to stop.

And it’s not just the people making the videos that are the problem. It’s the viewers, too. Comments like “don’t give me any ideas” and “this can’t be real” left on videos promote the video to more viewers, but also encourage more of the same destructive actions.

Instead of being complicit, people should report these videos for “illegal activities” or “dangerous organizations and individuals” rather than liking or commenting on the them. Likewise, if you see someone at East stealing something, simply report it.

Stopping these trends isn’t killing the fun — it’s preventing disastrous consequences. Surely we can come up with a better trend than consuming toxic chemicals or joking about spreading COVID-19.

There’s no reason why they shouldn’t be frowned upon.

So next time there’s a new social media trend, consider if the consequences are worth the likes before immediately jumping to do it with your friends. Chances are you’ll thank yourself in the long run.

editorial cartoon by natalie scholz

F O R : 1 1 A GA I N ST : 0 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.

EDITO RIA L POLIC Y 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.

04 NEWS

THE HARBINGER design by caroline gould photos by elle siegel

by kate heitmann

NEWS IN BRIEF Students’ takes on Los Angeles’ schools requiring vaccinations for students eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine

A Q&A with the new Real World Learning Counselor, Jodee Merriman

Q A

Can you tell me a bit about your new role at East as Real World Learning counselor?

“I’m brand new here and this is a brand new position — everything’s new. My job as [the] Real World Learning counselor is two-fold. It’s to help kids either be ready for college when they graduate from the four walls of East or be ready to go out into the workforce. It’s based on college readiness or career technical education.”

Q A

What is Real World Learning?

“Real World Learning is a partnership between Shawnee Mission School District and the Kauffman Foundation.

The job is to make sure that students are either going to be ready for college, or they’re going to be ready to go into the workforce with what we call IRCS, or Industry Recognized Credentials, or they’re going to be able to have skills or trades certifications that they can go and be employable once they graduate from high school.”

Q A

Is there anything else you would like to add?

“There’s lots of opportunities out there, and I’d love to be able to know what students really want, and I can have an idea what a student might want, but [it] may not be exactly what they’re looking for. It’s O.K. to not have it figured out. I want students to know that. That’s why we’re here, to work through that process. I think there’s a lot of pressure on students to feel like they have to have everything figured out when you’re 16. So don’t be afraid, come and see me. I love to work with students.”

“It’s smart, I mean if it keeps everyone safe, then you can do it. We’ve mandated vaccines before and we mandate vaccines to go to school.”

FINAN MARIEN-MCMANUS SOPHOMORE “Personally, its nice to have someone enforcing [vaccines], but I don’t think that they should be forcing it upon people because people have different views on it. But again it is helping everyone else to try to solve the whole problem with COVID, and with all the numbers rising, in the end it is both necessary but also it is kind of unjust.”

ANNIE BASTIEN JUNIOR

RENOVATION SENSATION RECAP The aftermath of SHARE’s Renovation Sensation project

OVER

$85,000 $85,000

RAISED

proceeds will go towards running the SHARE program consisting of the director’s salary, program costs and office supplies *information from Sheryl Kaplan

“

I think people really missed [the tour] and looked forward to getting out and kind of having normal situations.

” WORD HUNT SHERYL KAPLAN SHARE PROGRAM COORDINATOR

Try out Harbinger’s news crossword puzzle, featuring words relating to this issue’s news section

- PIT BULL - POND - RAMP - CONSTRUCTION - LOCKER - VACCINE - LEARNING - COUNSELOR - REPEALED - BAN - RENOVATION - COVID

SCAN ME S c a n h e re fo r t h e re st of t h e i nt e r v i e w with Merriman

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NEWS 05

OCTOBER 04, 2021 design by marissa liberda photo by audrey condon

A reflection of the nonfunctioning p on d in th e env iormenta l sp a ce

POND TO PAVEMENT

East considers building new addition in the environmental space with a grant from the district NO by caroline wood EAST RECEIVED A $4.6 million grant to be used for infrastructure, and in other ways the school sees fit. The ways in which the money will be used haven’t been officially decided, but the main plan proposed is to construct a new addition off of the north ramp into the environmental space.

Principal Jason Peres and the district facilities committee began meeting bi-weekly to discuss how to distribute the funds from a grant as of Sept. 22.

The grant comes from a $246 million bond for the district passed in January, which was divided between some of the district schools that were outdated or lacking certain facilities like weight rooms, galleries and collaborative space. Along with East, other schools that received money were North, Northwest and Indian Woods.

But as they’ve just begun discussing, they’re currently brainstorming possible projects to put the money towards and consulting with companies such as architect firm Insight Design Studios and contracting firm Newkirk Novak to brainstorm what those spaces include.

“Ideas were thrown across the room and [the architects] will come back in two more weeks with other ideas with more detailed site drawings,” SMSD’s Director of Facilities Tyler Clubb said. “The construction company’s taking these and trying to get estimates on what it would cost for each project to see if we can [create a] list and get it done within our budget.”

In addition to constructing the addition off the ramp, some of the smaller projects for East that have been discussed include renovating the locker rooms, adding new classrooms, installing the bathrooms full privacy stalls and replacing some of the lockers with high-top tables.

About half of the funds provided to East would be used for the new addition if it was decided on. Although none of the plans are officially determined, they hope to come to a decision by November.

At the start of second semester they’d have the designs from the architects and contractors, which will allow them to start working next summer at the earliest.

Although the main purpose for the North ramp addition is undecided, they’re considering it to be 2-3 floors and include a large open space, two other areas that could be used as a classroom, work space or meeting rooms and an art gallery.

“If you look at our current set-up, we really only have one large collaborative space, and that’s our cafeteria,” principal Jason Peres said. “So what this would offer for us is a larger collaborative space and more collaborative spaces to use as we see fit.”

The environmental space is the patch of land past the North ramp between the third floor science hall and the second floor art wing.

The space is home to a pond, stream and natural grasses and flowers that could’ve been found in the original prairie areas around here.

Science teacher Rusty DeBey oversees the area and uses it to show his students the set-up of a natural ecosystem.

“The area is for Environmental Ed classes to identify plants and grasses that are native to Kansas,” DeBey said. “The pond is used for aesthetics to show wildlife, there’s places for [organisms] to go to have water where the case may be.”

Originally, there were 15 flowers and four native grasses in the area, but after the construction on the cafeteria most of those organisms were wiped out due to the workers and equipment moving in and out of that space. If it’s decided to use the space for a new addition, then the pond will be taken out and the rest of the land and plants aren’t likely to survive.

“It’d be nice to have a nice big conference area [or] to have an art gallery,” DeBey said. “On the other hand, I’ll miss having the pond there because we get to see some wildlife in there, especially in the spring time. I will lose half that area to all the construction.”

DeBey is working with Peres to plan a new environmental area and hopes to be able to incorporate another water feature and seasonal flowering plants so that the landscape is changing seasonally and can act as a “wildlife rehab.”

It’s yet to be decided where this space will be, but moving the fence on the far side of the addition back towards the sidewalk is being considered.

The new expansion would connect to the North ramp, keeping the windows so you could see in, but there’d still be spaces on either side of the addition as alleyways to keep the extended kiln space and DeBey’s greenhouse untouched.

The new addition would also solve the issue with the North and South ramps lacking in American Disabilities Act compliance. Since the ADA was enacted in 2008, all buildings must accommodate easy access for those who are disabled, but since East was built in the 90s, it lacks some of these modifications. The two ramps connecting the second and third floors are non-compliant to ADA standards as they are too steep. In response to this, the addition would have entrances at both the top and the bottom of the North ramp so people could enter at one end, utilize an elevator within the addition to move between the second and third floor, then they’d exit on the other floor, avoiding the ramp. “[A new addition] just opens up a possibility to have more flexibility with how we use spaces in our building and how kids collaborate,” Peres said.

THE BASE PLAN

The SMSD school district has proposed a base plan for a new addition to east plan

decide on what exactly is going NOV / DEC to be built 2021

get estimate JAN / FEB 2022 and final plan

2022 MAY - JUL

start construction

AUG

start & finish all smaller projects

2022

06 NEWS

UNLEASHING THE by maggie kissic k EMBERS OF THE

M

city council in Overland Park, Kan. unanimously repealed their ban on pit bulls that has been in place for the last 15 years, and it officially took effect on Oct. 1.

Pit bull owners have had to follow certain guidelines since the 1980s, such as their dogs needing to be spayed or neutered. It wasn’t until 2006 that the breed was considered “too dangerous” and banned fully from Overland Park.

“Information got spread through different forms of media about pit bulls having stronger bites and that they were more prone to biting,” Chief Communications Officer of KC Pet Project Tori Fugate said. “None of this was actually true, and it led to a lot of untrue stereotypes being formed.”

The growing “fear-based” stereotype led to the breed being b a n n e d in Overland

Park. Many cities such as Prairie Village and Kansas City Kan. also had pit bull bans in the past, but over the last five years, six cities near Overland Park lifted their ban.

Starting in May, members of the city committee in Overland Park began researching if pit bulls actually pose any threat.

The evidence seemed to be underwhelming according to Fugate.

Now more cities seem to be moving toward “dangerous dog ordinances” — instead of banning breeds entirely, dogs can be classified as dangerous if they have bitten or attacked another human. Then, the owner must register their dog as ‘threatening” through the city, wearing a certain colored collar, using a leash under 48 inches and having an approved “dangerous dog” sign in their yard.

“This moves away from different stereotypes and not singling out a specific breed of dog,” Fugate said.

“This way, dogs w h o are truly dangerous aren’t creating issues for other animals of that breed who aren’t dangerous.”

06

pit bulls are banned in overland park

Overland Park repeals ban on pitbull ownership

PIT BULLS Pit bulls are considered to be a “working breed,” helping their owners with tasks such as guarding or manual labor. This can cause them to have higher energy levels, and if not trained well, they can become antsy.

They do things like displaying their teeth and are also known for stronger and more gnarlysounding barks. All of these aspects combined created the “fear-driven” stereotypes pit bulls carry, but pit bull owner junior Kurt Freeman believes this is no reason to be afraid of them.

“They’re used in a lot of dog fights because people think they’re scary looking,” Freeman said. “But a lot of times people only use them to look scary and to have a dog that makes them look tougher. The dog itself is trained to be scary, most pit bulls don’t act like that. So if a pit bull is acting that way, it’s the fault of the way they were trained, it’s not typical behavior of that breed.”

While the ban was still in place, shelters like KC Pet Project had to ask potential owners what city they lived in to make sure

DOG DAYS

20

THE HARBINGER

design by greyson imm photos by charlotte emley

Ma y 20 11, 21

the council consults a panel of canine experts

that they could legally own a pit bull. Now that the ban is over, Fugate is excited for more pit bulls to find eligible homes.

“Pit bulls create the sweetest bonds with their owners,” Fugate said. “It’s great after all of the stereotypes that they will be able to find great homes in cities that now allow them.”

Pit bulls are often times grouped together under certain stereotypes, such as being violent, only being used for fighting and attacking other animals and humans with no cause, according to senior Erin Hansen. Hansen owns two pit bulls and works with the breed almost daily.

She has come to realize that the stereotypes are untrue.

“Once people hear a stereotype, they really don’t look any further to do research,” Hansen said. “They don’t ask around people who may own pit bulls or anything. They kind of just see it, they take it as fact rather than actually looking for

the truth.”

With the ban gone, more people are realizing that pit bulls aren’t a breed to be afraid of, according to Hansen.

“I think with [all the] information that we have now, and so ma ny

people are now adopting so many pit bulls or pit bull mixes that I think [the bans are] now outdated,” Hansen said. “People really just need to do more research before they get any type of dog breed, whether it’s a golden retriever or a pit bull.”

A timeline of breed-specific legislation and the ban of pit bulls in Overland Park

9, ne 1 u J 2 20

public feedback is taken on the issue through a forum

S 21 ept. ,2 02 1

the council votes to repeal the ban on pit bull ownership

, t. 1 c O 21 20

the repeal of the ban is officially in place

PHOTOSTORY 07

OCTOBER 04, 2021

design by maggie merckens

AT FIRST

After clubs were added to seminar, seniors Spencer Newton and Will Brooker created the Spikeball Club

SPIKE L E F T Senior David Pearcy jokingly comes after teammate, senior Griffin O’Neill. After O’Neill failed to hit Pearcy’s pass, ending the round and giving their opponent the lead.

PHOTO BY MJ WOLF M I D D L E L E F T Junior Luc Prendiville attempts to keep the rally going, in hopes of winning the final game for the Sp ikeb a l l ch a mp ion sh ip .

PHOTO BY JULIA FILLMORE

A B O V E Seniors Ty le r Moore and pa r t n e r Micheal Scott lo st to seniors Sam J o n e s and Jordan Je n k i n s in the last day of t h e tournament. S e n i o r Tyler Moore said he wa s “about to hit a little d ro p shot onto the net s o i t s too close to the gro u n d for the other tea m to get.” Moore j o i n e d spikeball for som e f u n friendly competition w i t h his fri e n d s .

PHOTO BY LILY MANTEL R I G H T Senior S a m Huntley serve s t h e ball to his oppo n e nt .

Huntley’s spike b a l l partner is Senior M a s o n Schutt. “My favorite p a r t is playing with frie n d s ” said Hu nt ley .

PHOTO BY MAGGIE KLUMPP

L E F T Senior, owner of the club, Spencer Newton is hoping to spike the ball past his opponents after receiving a set from his partner, senior, Andrew Carr. Spencer hoped to create an escape from school by creating the spikeball club. “The tournament went super well, and achieved the goal of effectively creating a space for students to relax, get physical activity and bond over a simple game.”

PHOTO BY LILY MANTEL

SCAN ME • PHOTOS Use this QR code t o p u rc h a s e p h o t o s f ro m t h i s eve n t o n H a r b i e Photo

08 OPINION

THE HARBINGER

design by sophie lindberg photo by tristen porter

OPINION

HIGHLIGHTS

Opinionated tweets from the past week A D D I N G D E N TA L , V I S I O N A N D H E A R I N G B E N E F I T S TO M E D I C A R E I S S U P P O RT E D B Y 8 4 % O F T H E A M E R I C A N P E O P L E . I T I S S U P P O RT E D B Y 8 9 % O F D E M O C R AT S . I T I S S U P P O RT E D B Y 7 9 % O F R E P U B L I C A N S . T H I S I S W H AT T H E A M E R I C A N P E O P L E WA N T. T H I S I S W H AT W E M U S T D E L I V E R TO T H E M .

THE BLUE BLUES Junior Ayla Özkan shares her reasoning for hating the color blue

by a yla öz ka n

LUE IS QUITE possibly the most popular color in the world, making it strange that it’s definitely my least favorite color.

When asked what emotions one might associate the color blue with, words like calm, cool, peaceful, soothing, all come up — and color psychology supports that.

However, the opposite is true for me. When I see the color blue, I feel hostile, like I want to fight someone.

Blue creates a feeling of agitation and discomposure inside me, souring my good mood. Blue has instilled such an adverse response in me that I find myself hardly ever using it, either when working on a project or putting together an outfit.

Most of the associations I have with blue are negative as well. Blue is the color of water, the color of the sky. It is the color you find everywhere, in everything. Blue has worked its way into our world as the default color.

I have always struggled with drinking water — it’s boring and uninteresting. I also hate being in water as swimming has never been my thing, somehow giving me that same feeling of agitation.

The sky, on the other hand, is more complex. While I love looking at all the different shapes clouds can mold themselves into, the actual sky itself has always been an eyesore — and I mean that literally.

Since I was little I have always been sensitive to the light, having to shield my eyes from the sun constantly and never being able to properly see without sunglasses — even then, it was a toss up. After all, it’s just a vast expanse of nothingness, way too bright for my poor eyes to handle.

ILHAN OMAR

B LU E C R E AT E S A fe e l i n g of

JORDAN UHL

a g i t a t i o n a n d d i s c o m p o s u re i n s i d e m e , s o u r i n g my g o o d m o o d . B lu e h a s i n st i l l e d s u c h a n a d ve rs e re s p o n s e i n m e t h a t I h a rd ly eve r u s e i t , e i t h e r w h e n w o r k i n g o n a p ro j e c t o r p u tt i n g t o g et h e r a n outfit.

AYLA ÖZKAN

However, my associations with blue aren’t all bad. For instance, my best friend in the entire world is forever in my mind linked to the color blue. She’s a swimmer, most of her clothing is blue and way back when she even dyed her hair blue.

But as life goes on. Most of us find at some point that the bad outweighs the good.

So although I would never take blue away from anyone, for me it will always bring up a feeling of disdain, wiggling its way into first place in the worst color line up.

TA K E O U R P O L L S @smeharbinger

JUNIOR

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9/24/21

L E S S T H A N 2 % O F T H E WO R L D ’ S P O O R E S T C O U N T R I E S A R E VAC C I N AT E D. I T ’ S A M O R A L O U T R AG E . E N D T H I S G L O B A L PA N D E M I C . S H A R E T H E VAC C I N E T E C H N O L O G Y A N D VAC C I N AT E T H E WO R L D.

9/27/21

BIDEN DECLARED TRUMP’S POLICIES ALL ELECTION AS INHUMANE, B A R B A R I C , I M M O R A L , W H AT E V E R , E T C . A N D T H E N , O N C E E L E C T E D, J U S T K E P T O N W I T H B U S I N E S S A S U S UA L A N D E V E N D E F E N D E D S O M E O F T H E WO R S T P I L L A R S L I K E T I T L E 4 2 .

T A K E S

B

BERNIE SANDERS

S T U D E N T

GUEST WRITER

A look into student opinions and the opinion section

T HIS WE E K I N T W E E T S

9/27/21

East students’ thoughts relating to this issue’s opinion section DO YOU THINK “STANDING WITH” A MOVEMENT IS ENOUGH TO ENACT CHANGE? * I n s t a g ra m p o l l of 270 vo t e s

YES

26%

NO

74%

EAST STUDENTS WITH ASIAN AND/OR PACIFIC ISLANDER HERITAGE: HAVE YOU EVER EXPERIENCED ASIAN STEREOTYPING IN THE EAST COMMUNITY? * I n s t a g ra m p o l l of 5 6 vo t e s

YES

68%

NO

32%

DO YOU THINK BLUE IS AN OVERRATED COLOR? * I n s t a g ra m p o l l of 4 1 9 vo t e s

YES

19%

NO

81%

OPINION 09

OCTOBER 04, 2021

design by campbell wood photos by emily pollock

NOT YOUR

Asian stereotyping is too normalized at East

PUNCHLINE

by katie murp hy

I

SAT AT the “Asian table.”

The two other Asian students in my eighth grade geometry class made up the remainder of our table in the corner of the room. A coincidence in a seating chart led to daily snickers and snide comments about our Asianness, making me stand out more than usual at an 82% white middle school — a number far exceeding the average 47% in schools across the U.S. “Ching chong,” some of the white students would taunt us from across the room.

2.2%

OF EAST STUDENTS ARE ASIAN

I’m not even Chinese — my mom is from Vietnam.

Math also happened to be my lunch period. I grew accustomed to hearing the “Did you eat dog for lunch?” line in the hallways on the way back to class — it was a good day if I didn’t.

On top of the jokes, the “Asian table” was always expected to get the best grades. Our classmates would come back to our table first to ask the three of us for help and then gloat if they out-scored us on tests.

Outsmarting the kids with academia in their blood? Quite an astonishing feat.

At the time, my middle-school social skills left me with one option when faced with demeaning commentary — awkwardly laugh it off.

I’ve heard and seen all the stereotypes since then — ni hao, pulling eyes back, bad driver.

People saying they look “Asian” in bad pictures of themselves. White students counting the number of Asians in the room, then ranking us from “least” to “most” Asian-looking or acting. Throw COVID-19 into it and add the “eating bat” comments and virus jokes.

Academic success is an

expectation for my race. Cramming Calculus theorems past midnight, filling in pages worth of bubbles on ACT practice tests, canceling dinner plans to stay home and study — all efforts that are invalidated because of where my mom was born. I’d prefer if people would acknowledge my hard work instead of writing me off with the “smart Asian” stereotype.

Now that I’m more socially aware, I have two options when being stereotyped: laugh along or call it out.

If I play along, I’m left uncomfortable and feeling like I can’t stand up for myself. If I call someone out, they’re uncomfortable and may deflect by calling me sensitive. It’s a lose-lose situation.

Even with society’s increased awareness of racism and discrimination today, similar comments continue to float around the East community. Immature middle schoolers have turned into slightly more mature high schoolers who still make the same dumb Asian jokes.

I don’t understand why people make comments about my race in the first place. Asian “jokes” aren’t funny to begin with — who hasn’t heard them before — and it’s not like there’s a shortage of comedic material in subjects that don’t involve my ethnicity.

I ’ M N OT S AY I N G t h a t w e n e e d s o c i a l j u st i c e w a r r i o rs m a rc h i n g t o s a ve t h e d a y h e re . I ’ m j u s t a s k i n g t h a t w e d e n o r m a l i ze m a k i n g A s i a n j o ke s . A n d i f j o ke s a re m a d e , s i m p ly stop laughing along.

I’ve never wanted to be that person who can’t take a joke and blows little things out of proportion.

But as I get older, I’m realizing that

Asian stereotyping shouldn’t be as common as it is. It feels more socially unacceptable to confront someone about making a racist joke than to make one in the first place.

I’m not saying that we need social justice warriors marching to save the day here. I’m just asking that we denormalize making Asian jokes.

And if jokes are made, simply stop laughing along.

Don’t get me wrong — most of the time I feel comfortable and respected at East, but it’s these little moments and conversations that can leave me feeling like more of an outsider.

Not to mention, I’m struggling to completely embrace my heritage in the first place. Sometimes I feel “too Asian” for East and “too white” for my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. It’s degrading to smile through a snarky comment about the shape of my eyes as the only notfully-white person in the room — like I’m letting half of my family down.

Unfortunately, conversations with my half and fully Asian friends at East have revealed that I’m not alone in feeling out of place at times. Only 2% of our student body is fully Asian while less than 5% has mixed Asian heritage. Most have their own share of uncomfortable stories. No one wants to be put in awkward situations or feel singled out during passing period.

As only half Vietnamese, my experiences may be more toned down than others. Other races are placed into their own box of expectations and face stereotyping around East as well. I understand my experiences are not even close to the worst thing in the world, but that doesn’t make them less unfair and uncalled for.

I’m tired of people thinking they can get away with stereotyping Asians. I don’t care if you’re my best friend or my least favorite person — don’t make my race your punchline.

There are no exceptions.

THE EAST EXPERIENCE

Asian students at East share their perspective being in a predominantly white school NINA YUN

SOPHOMORE

IN WHAT WAYS HAVE YOU FACED ASIAN STEREOTYPING AT EAST? I get a lot of dog jokes and smart jokes. Just the other day, it was “What type of Asian are you? It doesn’t even matter, they’re all the same anyways.” Last week, someone wrote (anti-Asian slur) on the HOW DO YOU RESPOND WHEN PEOPLE SAY THINGS THAT MAKE YOU UNCOMFORTABLE? Laugh it off. It’s bad, but sometimes I feel like I’m Asian enough for people to make fun of me, but I’m not Asian enough to stand up for myself. I don’t want people to think I’m over-dramatic or overreacting. If people don’t understand what they’re doing is wrong, then they aren’t going to understand my reaction.

TONGTONG YI

SENIOR

IN WHAT WAYS HAVE YOU FACED ASIAN STEREOTYPING AT EAST? It’s not something that happens just once or twice. It’s pervasive and affects how people treat you in general. From the beginning, there’s an expectation to be this “model minority.” If you do well academically, it’s because you’re Asian. If you do poorly, you “failed” your race. It’s unfair because you’re your own person. Despite people saying it’s a “good” stereotype because you’re not associated with the even worse stereotypes attributed to other groups, the myth is still harmful.

HOW DO YOU RESPOND WHEN PEOPLE SAY THINGS THAT MAKE YOU UNCOMFORTABLE? One of the worst parts of the nature of racism is how accepting of it you grow to become. You don’t know when to speak up or if you’re worthy to. The last 13 years growing up in this district, I’ve literally been the only one to come from a family that is fully Chinese. We moved here when I was one. I’ve always been treated somewhat differently. If it’s not the eye or dog jokes, it’s the sense that no matter what I do, these comments will always exist. Over 13 years, I still don’t know how to respond.

I’m just so used to it. I don’t want the new generation to feel accustomed to those kinds of jokes in the same way that I became accustomed.

10 OPINION

THE HARBINGER

D O N ’ T S T O P AT

SUPPORT DO e d your ucate s el DON’T be a all p oints f on of vie bystander w to injustice

Showing support and “standing with” a cause isn’t enough, it requires effort and action to truly change anything

THE “DO’S AND DON’TS” How to effectively make a difference ave DO h tions ersa t conv mportan i t u o s ab topic

DON’T repost a colorful infographic on social media just to look good

design by lyda cosgrove

DO donate to legitimate charities for a good cause

turn a DON’T walkout eful purpos lly into r o ra y mob a rowd

DON ’ first T believe thing the and you read s misin pread form ation

donate, & if you can’t ers urces for oth provide reso

by soph ie lin d b e rg

W

HEN I LEARNED that East students

organized a day where the whole student body wore black to stand with sexual assault victims, I didn’t question it at all. I woke up the next day, put on the carefully planned outfit — black joggers and a black T-shirt with the slogan “respect existence or expect resistance” proudly printed across the front — and went to school.

It wasn’t until the end of the day when I was talking to a friend that I started to truly think about the action the student body was taking. Yes, it’s amazing that East collectively stood with victims of sexual abuse, but how much does simply wearing a black shirt do to make a difference?

N O R M A L LY, I WO U L D b e a l l fo r st a n d i n g u p fo r yo u r b e l i ef s a n d o rg a n i z i n g a p e a c ef u l p ro t e st , b u t l o t s of s t u d e n t s u s e it as an opportunity to g et o u t s i d e a n d s k i p class or hang out with friends.

Throughout each class, no one I encountered even talked about the issue at all — nothing about the recent events relating to it, nothing about how to make a difference, not even recognizing the protest of sexual abuse itself. It seemed as if the student body simply wore a black shirt because they were told to and had little attachment to the message they were standing for.

I’ve noticed the past few years that our society likes to “support” and “stand with” a

cause or a group of people, but they never like to take real action for it. I’m not trying to say that we should never show our support for something, but support only goes so far when talking about significant problems in the real world. Support accompanied by an action — even just starting a conversation — would make a much larger impact on the affected group.

A way of protesting that East knows all too well is the infamous walkouts. It seems as if any minuscule discord, most often between the students and the administrators, prompts the student body’s immediate reaction of “let’s have a walkout.”

This trend started way back during my freshman year, with a walkout for teachers after the school board imposed a three-year unilateral teachers contract. During my sophomore year, it was succeeded with a walkout organized in support of Dr. Leonard.

This year, I’ve heard discussions about wanting to hold a walkout for sexual assault victims, though I wouldn’t count on it happening.

For every “successful” walkout, there had to have been dozens that fizzled out before the idea could expand into anything useful.

Reliance on this form of protest not only has furthered the rift between the students and district authority, it has made it extremely easy for people to align their moral compass without putting in the effort.

Normally, I would be all for standing up for your beliefs and organizing a peaceful protest, lots of students use it as an opportunity to get outside and skip class or hang out with friends. And most the time, it turns into a publicity stunt.

After major local publications like the Shawnee Mission Post wrote about the 2020 walkout for teachers, doing another one couldn’t hurt, right? Who knows, anyone could make it on the news by skipping class.

Online media in general has been a catalyst for starting movements and sharing opinions.

We’ve all seen it, someone reposting a cute little graphic that has been circulating in the feed of millions on Instagram, one you can see on almost everyone’s story at some point. “No means no,” “the world is on fire” and “not just women get periods” are all watered-down phrases I see posted on every other one of my classmates’ stories.

I don’t disagree with any of those statements, but just stating the facts isn’t doing as much as you may think.

While there’s almost always good intentions in reposting these images, unless it’s reposting information that will bring attention to something — like a missing person — there’s almost never anything accomplished from it besides the voicing of your opinion on this issue to whatever followers you have.

Reposting the words “black lives matter” in a cute font with bubbly flowers doesn’t spark any change.

Neither did posting a black square on June 2, 2020 in following everyone else on the internet. Sure, more posts equals more public awareness which could result in possible change but what do numbers do when all they accomplish is a bunch of black boxes.

Social media is also a breeding ground for accounts that are created for a single event, taking it a step further than just posting about it on your personal account. But, in

my opinion, dedicating an account to hating a community you’re a part of is a step in the wrong direction.

An account I came across in my follow requests dedicated to hating on East is a great example of this — someone thinking that they’re making a difference, but not actually doing anything.

Posting one sentence with a black background, making a general comment that is way too vague to apply to one community, seems to be a running theme with not only this account, but with others like it. It also tries to instill a false sense of security, by trying to open up their DMs for experiences people want to complain about and blame on East.

Complaining about the things you don’t like about your school on the internet, on an account that looks like it was made by a seven-year-old, is in no way going to grab anyone’s attention.

If the goal of accounts like this is to create a difference within their community, specifically East in this example, then simply posting sentences like, “can East kids stop using slurs” with no context or argument is not doing anything. If you cared enough about the problem, you would go farther than that to attempt to create change.

Overall, these accounts are simply childish and social media has become an awesome form of doing the bare minimum.

Almost every form of protest we see at East originates from something on social media, and some go beyond that into the real world.

But none ever reach the threshold of change.

FEATURE 11

OCTOBER 04, 2021 design by anna mitchell

FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS L A N C E R S F T. T H E I R S U P E R S T I T I O N S FRESHMAN

S A M R AY F I E L D

JUNIOR

SOPHOMORE

R I L E Y S C OT T

G E O R G E KO P P

D I G S C L E AT S I N T O F I E L D O N SIDELINE BEFORE STEPPING ON FOOTBALL FIELD

PUTS LEFT SHOE AND SOCK ON FIRST BEFORE EVERY BASKETBALL GAME AND PRACTICE

SENIOR

H O L LY FA I R C H I L D WHENEVER SEEING ANGEL NUMBERS (11:11, 3:33, ETC.), SHE MAKES A WISH

WEARS THE SAME BRACELET A N D N E C K L A C E E V E R Y D AY F O R GOOD LUCK

THIS WEEK IN ONLINE HARBINGER SCAN ME • FEATURE Q & A w i t h a r t i st , d a n c e r , a n d f re e l a n c e r S of i a Blades

SCAN ME • PODCAST A d i ve i n t o s p i r i t u a l ex p e r i e n c e s a n d p s yc h i c s w i t h Ka t e R a s m u s s e n o n Chat with a ‘Cer

SCAN ME • FEATURE S e n i o rs w r i t e p o s i t i ve c h a l k messages in the senior l o t t o ra i s e a w a re n e s s fo r s u i c i d e a w a re n e s s

WO R K I N ’ AWAY I N WO O D S H O P Fourth hour woodshop works on their current projects during a workday

A B O V E Senior Anth o ny D e P a e p e u s e s t h e lathe to round on ep ox y a n d wo o d e n b lo c k by chiseling the bloc k a s i t s p i n s .

PHOTO BY HADLEY CHAPMAN

ABOVE Senior Jay Cannova uses clamps to hold his project together and prevent the soon-to-be cutting board from bending as the glue dries. “I really enjoy woodshop because it is enjoyable and relaxing to make your own projects,” Cannova said. “Scott is the best teacher.”

PHOTO BY HADLEY CHAPMAN

A B O V E Senior Ryan Vanice gets input from teacher, M r . Scott as he uses multiple clamps to hold the pieces of his ch eckered cu ttin g board togeth er.

PHOTO BY HADLEY CHAPMAN

12 FEATURE

THE HARBINGER design by cesca stamati by sophie henschel

PRANK 2015 OR PASS?

TIMELINE: PAST SENIOR PRANKS Timeline of some of East’s most memorable senior pranks

A look back on past senior pranks at East and whether they’re acceptable to do now

slip n’ slide As senior pranks began to fade, the class of 2013 had a senior prank where all the seniors left their classes to participate in a slip n’ slide, leading to a tradition that lasted for about three years.

photo courtesy of East alum Halle O’Neill

1991

marquee mixup During AP Gov teacher Benjamin Hendrick’s senior year at East, he and one of his friends went outside to the marquee, and rearranged the words to read “no school, sewage issue,” leading to a padlock protecting the sign to this day.

SHAWNEE MISSION EAST HIGH SCHOOL

PRANKS AND WALKING AT GRADUATION What I can tell you is, if there’s anything that’s done that causes a disturbance in the school day where people can’t learn, can’t do work, can’t get their job done, or are disruptive in nature, or violates any school rules, we would have to do school consequences and that may mean not walking at graduation. I feel that our culture has always been that kids come to us and ask ‘Hey if we did this, would it be OK?’ and I think that you would find that we would work with kids in that endeavor.

JASON PERES

NO SCHOOL

POLL: ARE SENIOR PRANKS ACCEPTABLE? An Instagram poll of 425 students

repelling down the staircase

NO

During Mrs. Pence’s senior year at East, one of her friends decided as a senior prank, he would tie a rope to both his hips, and the top of the main staircase. He then attempted to repel down the staircase to the third floor.

Unfortunately, this did not end well, leading to him crossing the graduation stage in a wheelchair due to the fall.

you may kiss the pig

PRINCIPAL

1992

When English teacher Brian Capello was in high school, his play director would tell the students that he’d “kiss their sister’s pig” if the show went well. During their final play, Capello and his friends “kidnapped” a baby pig and gave it to a linebacker — wearing a dress — who carried it to their director to kiss.

1978

YES

5% 95%

TO PRANK OR NOT TO PRANK

The East staff’s thoughts about senior pranks

probably not

yes, but...

math teacher Christopher Burrows

US History teacher Jenny Jordan

“

As long as they’re harmless, and they’re just kind of funny and it isn’t a safety issue or doesn’t damage anything, I think they’re fine. Kids just have to be careful and be prepared if there’s consequences.

”

“

Most often [senior pranks are] childish and unacceptable, but I could imagine that there is some sort of senior prank that would just be funny and lighthearted and wouldn’t cost extra work for anybody or cost anybody any money.

”

FEATURE 13

OCTOBER 04, 2021

THEAWAY AWAY BOYS THE BOYS

design by caroline gould photos by mj wolf

Senior Toby Rodriguez and junior Fritz Sullivan take on roles in St. Teresa’s Academy’s school musical

by ben bradley

M

ACY CHERA, A senior at St. Teresa’s

Academy (STA), and her classmates wait Macy Cherra, a senior at St. Teresa’s Academy, waits with her classmates in the STA theater after school everyday for the “here” text from East senior Toby Rodriguez and junior Fritz Sullivan before rehearsal for the STA musical “Freaky Friday”. The girls run to unlock the door to let the boys in, never quite getting used to real-life boys being in the all-girls school.

STA holds auditions for “away boys” from other schools to play the male roles in their musicals. For this year’s musical opening on Nov 3., they had to cast a total of four boys, with the main two male roles being held

by Sullivan and Rodriguez. The musical is double cast — meaning that Sulivan and Rodriguez will perform for two nights and spend the other two in the ensemble while Rockhurst High School junior boys Ian Spachman and David Severns take the lead roles.

“I’ve known Fritz and Toby forever, but I never expected them to actually be in STA, so it’s been really cool to show them around my classes,” Cherra said.

Rodriguez first found out about the need for boys in the all-girls shows when his mom sent him the link to the audition

schedule for Notre Dame de Sion’s musical.

From there, he joined the STA production of “Once Upon a Matress” his sophomore year, the virtual production of “These Shining Lives” his junior year and this year’s rendition of “Freaky Friday.”

“I’ve enjoyed being a part of shows in schools that you wouldn’t otherwise ever go to,” Rodriguez said. “It’s a new environment and new directors that really get me out of my comfort zone.”

Shana Prentiss has been the theater director at STA for 21 years. It’s always been her goal to get as many of her own girls on stage as she can, but when the production calls for it, she’s always happy to bring on away boys, from East, Rockhurst or sometimes even as far as Lawrence High School.

“The girls are always excited to bring boys into the show,” Prentiss said. “It changes the entire dynamic and chemistry of a performance.”

This year when Rodriguez auditioned for the musical, he brought Sullivan along with him. Sullivan has performed as the lead in two East musicals “Crazy For You” and “Godspell” as well as with Stage Right Performing Arts. But this was his first

TOBY MIKE AS

The fiance in the show

“

“

I did a musical in seventh grade and I really liked it.

So I got started with Stage Right. And then when I came to East I started with Sion [High School], too. I tried to do STA’s show which ended up working out.

”

experience at another school.

“I had never met Fritz before his audition, but it was clear from the start that this was a person who knew exactly what he was doing,” Prentiss said.

T H E G I R L S A R E a lw a y s ex c i t e d t o b r i n g b oy s i nt o t h e s h o w . I t c h a n g e s t h e entire dy n a m i c a n d c h e m i st r y of a p e r fo r m a n c e .

SHANA PRENTISS DIRECTOR Sullivan had an easy time bonding with the cast over things like their coffee addictions and already had a connection with some of them, like Cherra who he’s been dating for three years. In the past, Sullivan and Cherra have played beside one another in roles such as Liesl and Ralph in “The Sound of Music.” This year they’re doing it again with Cherra playing Ellie, the daughter, and Sullivan playing Adam, Ellie’s love interest.

“I’ve really enjoyed [the musical] so far, it’s different because East is a school theater, but since we don’t go to STA it’s like community theater,” Sullivan said. “It’s like

we shift modes every time we shift schools.”

Both Rodriguez and Sullivan were a part of the East Musical Revue this year, which cut into the rehearsals for “Freaky Friday.”

While they’re devoted to the STA musical, East’s production takes priority for them.

The two made it more of a point to attend those rehearsals, which meant more homework to catch up with the STA pace.

If they can’t go to a rehearsal that day, Rodriguez and Sullivan go over their lines and vocal exercises that night.

“I trust Toby to learn what he needs to do, if he misses [rehearsal] he will make it up,” Prentiss said. “Fritz came in a few days ago, and this was the first time I’d seen him in like a week, he already had stuff memorized, and had clearly done his homework.”

With the Musical Revue closed, and the boys can dedicate full priority to “Freaky Friday,” with just a month until opening night. Balancing Musical Revue, “Freaky Friday” and school work on top of that can lead to late nights.

“It’s definitely cost me a few grades in the past, but nothing that can’t be fixed,” Rodriguez said. “I’ll always pick getting a few bad grades over missing [one of the musicals].”

FRITZ ADAM AS

The future boyfriend in the show

“

I’ve been doing theater forever. When I got to East, [the shows were] “Crazy For You” and “Godspell.” And I just love the East theater environment.

”

14 FEATURE

in loving memory,

Members of the east

community

reflect

on

Logan

Lowrey’s cancer journey and how she impacted their lives

by ca mpbell wood

W

HEN BAND DIRECTOR Alex Toepfer showed up at 6:30 for the 7 a.m. marching band practice that October day, 2021 East alum Logan Lowrey was already there. It had reached the point in the season when practices felt long and kids were exhausted, but she was the first one on the field that morning with a contagious smile Alex will never forget.

Logan had just gotten back from days of intensive chemotherapy and nights of no sleep from round-the-clock medical care. She and her mom worked with the doctors to speed up the treatment so she could leave the hospital by 5 a.m. to make it to marching band practice on time.

“I get up early and [have] all this stuff [to do], but she would never complain and she would just be there,” Alex said. “That’s how hard she worked to do the things that ‘normal kids’ take for granted.”

osteosarcoma cancer

A t y p e of b o n e c a n c e r t h a t b e g i n s i n t h e c e l l s t h a t fo r m b o n e s , a n d t e n d s t o o c c u r i n c h i l d re n a n d a d u lt s .

Throughout high school, Logan strived for the idea of “normal.” She’d text her friends right after chemo asking them to hang out. When offered a more comfortable chair in jazz band, she refused, wanting the same chair as everyone else — the same chance as everyone else.

For four years, Logan battled Osteosarcoma cancer, a bone cancer, that had her in and out of the hospital, pushed her to search for every trial that would give her another day to live and left her with 40% of her lungs.

But after this four-year battle, Logan passed away on June 10.

In her absence, members of the East community grieve the loss of a student, leader, daughter, the 2021 homecoming queen, sister, bandmate and friend.

Those who knew her remember her having more energy than themselves after coming home from multiple rounds of chemo, the biggest smile even when she was on oxygen and a let’s-kick-cancer’s-ass mindset since her diagnosis. They remember Logan. ***** While Logan was many things, she was also an athlete.

Growing up, she participated in soccer, basketball and Taekwondo.

She was used to running in her sports. She was used to sometimes crawling around on her hands and knees in Taekwondo. Her leg pain wasn’t anything new — after all, all her teammates’ legs were also hurting. So when her leg was aching, no one thought twice about it.

But when she fell in eighth grade gym class, she knew something was wrong.

“I just thought she pulled [a] muscle,” Logan’s mom Gina Lowrey said. “We went [to the doctor] and her pediatrician had seen [her condition] once before, so he knew exactly what it was.”

The doctors found that Logan had nine tumors in her lungs and bone cancer in her right femur. Just over two weeks later, she had egg preservation surgery, a port placement surgery and her first chemo treatment.

Logan spent more than 100 nights in the hospital during her first year of treatment.

When chemo took all of her hair, she didn’t wear a hat or wig — she owned it. No matter how many stares or funny looks she received, she embraced it.

On Halloween, Gina brought Logan’s costume to the hospital, which she barely had enough time to change into before rushing out the door to get to school on time. Logan dressed as Aang from “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” known for his bald head with a blue arrow coming down the front.

“She never wore a wig, she never covered it up,” Gina said.

“It was just who she was and I think she just looked like such a badass.” ***** While Logan didn’t let cancer slow her down, she also didn’t let it drive conversations.

2020 East alum Colton Weaver sat next to Logan in jazz band and never questioned why she had no hair, which is why he believes they became such good friends.

“I feel like a lot of people didn’t see past her bald head and her surgery scars,” Colton said. “A lot of people would just only ever want to talk about her illness with her. If she was having a hard time or struggling we would talk about it, but I didn’t

bring it up constantly.”

Colton saw her as someone who never judged, was friendly to everyone and was interested in everything you had to say. To Colton, she was the kind of friend you’d lend a book to and she’d actually read it.

“She just seemed genuinely interested in everyone,” Colton said. “When you would talk to her, she wouldn’t be on her phone. She’d just be making eye contact with you. She was always smiling, even if she was recovering from surgery.”

Colton still reaches for his phone sometimes to text her only to catch himself as he types in her name, knowing she’ll never read it. ***** An old soul. That’s what Logan’s second grade teacher called her.

Logan was patient and watchful ever since she was 3 years old when she looked over her year-and-a-half-old brother Garrett, always making sure she knew where he was in the room.

“She was always the protector and the caring person,” Gina said.

It was Logan’s second-nature to look out for others before herself. In the hospital, Logan had a male nurse who worked the night shift. He’d often describe to her what it was like to be a male nurse who worked with young teenage girls and how he wanted to make her, and all girls he worked with, feel as comfortable as possible. Logan would leave him little notes of encouragement like “you’re doing a great job.”

“Here she was getting chemo treatments to try to save her life, and she’s encouraging and supporting the staff that’s caring for her,” Gina said.

Her unending encouragement never faltered in the band room either. Logan played in all five bands at East where she served as the saxophone section leader and established herself as an example for the rest of her peers, including fellow saxophone player and senior Abby Goodmon.

“She actually wanted to make sure that she went out for a section leader her senior year because she wanted me to be drum major and not stuck as a saxophone section leader,” Abby said.

OCTOBER 04, 2021 design by sydney newton

Logan saw potential in Abby and stepped back to increase her chances of being drum major. Because of Logan, Abby is now starting her second year as drum major. ***** Bulls---.

On the day a hospital bed was delivered to her home, Logan pressed the “bulls---” button she gifted her brother for his birthday three times, telling her mom all the ways that having a hospital bed for her in their living room was, well, bulls---.

Logan eventually gave in as the bed propped her up, making breathing easier in those final two months. While her condition was worsening, her humor was still strong.

That was something Logan was known for amongst her friends: always having a strong sense of humor.

When former East student and friend of 13 years Maddox Mogenson visited her in the hospital, she welcomed him with a tour of her hospital room as if she were making a YouTube video.

“It sounds like I’m describing no one that exists on Earth but she literally was the perfect friend,” Maddox said. “I mean she was loyal, she would always listen, she was always ready to [go on an] adventure. That was one thing that she loved to do, she loved to do crazy stuff.”

When 5-year-old Maddox first met Logan in the kindergarten lunchroom, he said to her “I think you’re really pretty.” Her response? Ew. They then sat together at lunch, completely unaware that they had sparked a 13-year friendship that day.

“She was a person where you could not hang out with her for months on months, even years, and the next time you hang out with her, it’s like nothing has ever changed,” Maddox said.

Though Maddox moved away in 2020, he flew in from New York three times in the month before she died. They had always been there for each other throughout their friendship.

When Logan’s dad passed away over a year before her initial diagnosis, 10-year-old Maddox was on her doorstep within an hour of hearing the news. It was easy for Maddox to be there for her because she was there for him the year prior when his step-mom passed.

“I’m just realizing how messed up it is to go through two of

our friends’ parent figures dying within a year,” Maddox said. “[People would ask], ‘how did you guys do that’ and I honestly don’t know. But we did it, and I’m happy we did just because I don’t think our friendship would have been as intense and as real as it was if [we] hadn’t.” ***** Three months to live.

That’s what they told her in March 2020. It was a saying that no longer phased Logan or her family as they’d been told this many times before. But she’d go on to live for another year.

In those final months, when the counts between her breaths grew shorter and her movement decreased, the friends she’d supported for so long now showed up to return the support.

@LoganLowrey-MemorialFund T h e L o g a n L o w rey M e m o r i a l F u n d , c re a t e s a n d d o n a t e s L o g a n ’s L ov i n g To u c h g i f t b a g s of e s s e nt i a l o i l s a n d d i s c o u nt s fo r a c u p u n c t u re a n d m a s s a g e s . To d o n a t e , Ve n m o t h e a c c o u nt l i st e d a b ove

Colton would come over four or five times a week, and most of the time, they’d watch movies. He introduced her to “Star Wars” just before she died, but they were never able to finish the trilogy. Colton doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to watch the movies again.

In May, Alex showed up at Logan’s house to deliver her high school diploma. She refused to put on her cap and gown because she was determined to wear it to her real graduation and actually walk across the stage.

But when her graduation came, Logan had to watch the live stream from home as she was just too weak to attend.

While Logan was realistic about the state of her condition, she wanted to focus on staying positive and looking toward the future. ***** Alex believes this year’s band is the best he’s seen in the seven years he’s directed at East. The band now rarely complains when they have to wake up before sunrise to practice and put in extra work to hit the right notes — the kind of dedication they saw from Logan. Her memory motivates them to realize how lucky they are to do all the things they can

and improves their overall work ethic, Toepfer says.

“When I wake up in the morning and I don’t feel very good or I’m bummed out that I’ve got a really busy day, like maybe I’m going to be working 15 hours [I think of her],” Alex said.

“Logan would love to do that, and that’s what Logan wanted to do.”

After learning of her passing, band members wanted to honor Logan. They volunteered to play at her celebration of life as well as in the parish hall between her funeral mass and celebration of life.

“We had a really good turnout, probably about 60 kids or so,” Alex said. “And we all really bonded and cried together and that really kind of made us closer knit as a group, and I think we all appreciate each other a lot more.”

The band marches on the field during every home football game with gold ribbons pinned on the left side of their uniforms — the gold ribbon representing childhood cancer and the left side so Logan remains close to their hearts as they play. Gina hasn’t missed a game.

Alex has also renamed the band’s spirit award the Logan Lowrey Spirit Award — an award that she herself won three times.

“He’s done more than I could ever imagine to keep her memory alive,” Gina said.

Before she passed, Logan approved of The Logan Lowrey Memorial Fund, which puts together and donates Logan’s Loving Touch gift bags of essential oils and discounts for acupuncture and massages — things that helped Logan through her cancer journey. The foundation has already raised $4,000 through its Venmo account which will be donated to kids in treatment and hospitals.

Logan’s family and friends try to honor her legacy as best they can by moving forward and living their lives to the fullest extent. Because that’s what Logan would’ve done.

“She just was wholly invested in everything that she took part in, and she was like that before she had cancer,” Colton said. “It’s not like she had an eye-opening experience and started being nice to everybody or trying to experience life.

She was just always like that. That’s just who she was.”

16 FEATURE

S

ta•que•ria a M ex i c a n re s t a u ra n t t h a t s p e c i a l i ze s i n t a c o s and burritos.

Goldman and Reyes dreamed of opening Taco Naco on a notes list of business ideas while he was in graduate school, but didn’t consider following through with it until Goldman was assigned a final project for his Project Management elective at UMKC. While the assignment was small and only required students to plan a possible business, Goldman wanted to get something out of it that he could use in the future. He designed the restaurant’s website, bought equipment and asked Reyes to write him a menu.

When creating the concept for Taco Naco with Reyes, Goldman used a SWOT analysis — strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats — which he learned first in Marketing Principles to decide the internal and external factors that could impact his business.

The detailed SWOT analysis drilled into his head since high school helped Goldman create his 50-

LET’S

page business plan for Taco Naco. When it came to making decisions about the economic side of opening a restaurant, he used the ideas he initially learned in AP Microeconomics and Macroeconomics. “[Microeconomics and Macroeconomics] helped a lot in making decisions,” Goldman said. “I wouldn’t have had the confidence on opening if it wasn’t for those basic understandings, especially during the pandemic.”

One of the greatest risks posed to Taco Naco’s future was their decision to open the restaurant in the thick of the pandemic. Prior to opening a permanent location, Taco Naco was a small catering business and pop-up “Taqueria” at the Overland Park Farmers Market and various taco festivals. Reyes and Goldman had been receiving positive feedback from customers, and finally made the jump to a brick-and-mortar restaurant.

Goldman knew the restaurant business was risky — that’s why he never planned to be a part of it, despite dreams of opening a restaurant as a high schooler.

He knew he wanted to be in the business world, but imagined becoming a real estate agent like his dad.

He was discouraged early on by his poor score on the DECA food service exam which gave him little hope to begin with.

But plans changed when he met his wife, Reyes, in 2014. As a medalist in multiple international culinary competitions, Reyes had been learning recipes since she was 10 years old from her mom, who owned a family restaurant in Mexico. She dreamed of changing the idea of traditional Mexican food in also make in Kansas City, Mo. and it wasn’t long before she and Goldman came up with the concept for Taco Naco.

Reyes wanted a small, steady catering company, and wasn’t interested in the social media and branding aspect of Taco Naco. She simply wanted to cook. While she’s the chef and culinary designer, Goldman deals with the concept design, between decorating the restaurant, bringing in new menu items and creating a “Taco Tuesday” special to attract customers. The restaurant is a combination of both their efforts using their skill sets.

Taco Naco still hasn’t reached Goldman’s original concept — an expanded kitchen and more menu items — and they’re still waiting on merchandise to come for the restaurant staff. They never had a grand opening, but are hoping to celebrate on Taco Naco’s one-year anniversary with an outdoor party in the parking lot and food specials, if COVID allows.

“We’re very proud of Taco Naco so the quality always needs to [stay] the same,” Goldman said. “We’re never going to cut the quality of our food like other restaurants do. It’s always going to be the best. In that sense, it’ll never be this massive franchise kind of thing.”

If you walk into Taco Naco now, you’ll see walls decorated with Reyes’ handmade Mexican dream catchers — called Ojos de Dios — and a mini-market of homemade dry goods and various Mexican knick knacks found by Goldman that are for sale. Sitting on one of the market’s shelves are several crates of green limes — a reminder of where it all started.

East alum Brain Goldman uses skills learned in Marketing, DECA and Macroeconomics in his taquieria, “Taco Naco”

TACO-BOUT

BUSINESS DECA

by cesc a stamati TANDING AT THE front of class with a key lime in hand, 2007 East alum Brian Goldman listed the primary qualities of the green citrus: its sweet taste, the authentic Latin-American vibe and the tropical ambience. He drew giggles from his classmates with his made-up slogan: “You get more juice out of a key lime than a regular lime.”

Was that even true? Goldman didn’t know. He improvised this entire speech for teacher Mercedes Rasmussen’s Marketing Principles class and had grabbed a key lime from his kitchen that morning when he remembered he had a presentation. To sell his product, he poured each student a small portion of homemade “limonada” whipped up at the last minute.

The assignment was to pitch something — anything — to the class and sell it within three minutes. Other students brought items like hair straighteners, smoothies and paper over the years, according to Rasmussen. Goldman’s mom had been buying bags of key limes for her cooking lately, so he grabbed one and went with it.

Goldman wasn’t planning on pitching any more key limes in his life, but he believes these marketing skills helped him first pitch the idea for Taco Naco — a Mexican taco restaurant opened on Feb. 21, 2021 in Overland Park by him and his wife, Fernanda Reyes.

But it all started at East.

“He was one of those [students] you remember forever,” Rasmussen said. “He was just so incredibly self-motivated. He took what I talked about and then went the step further because he could see his future.

He had goals for himself already.”

Goldman first learned about the business world during his two years of marketing classes and participation in DECA throughout high school. He continued in college, studying Marketing Management at Syracuse University in upstate New York, and then got his master’s in real estate at UMKC. Now, he uses his background in business to market Taco Naco and manage a small graphic design company called Captiva Media.

THE HARBINGER

design by celia condon

photo by grace allen

SWOT IT OUT Goldman used a “SWOT” analysis learned in Marketing when planning Taco Naco

STRENGTHS “WE’VE GOT

O PPORTUNITIES “THE AREA AND

WEAKNESSES “FIRST

T HREAT “WE HAVE

GREAT TACOS”

RESTAURANT”

THE PEOPLE”

LITTLE CAPITAL”

DISK GOLF CLUB WHEN: B PERIOD OF WIN TIME WHERE: STAGE GYM WHY: YOU CAN HAVE FUN AND LEARN HOW TO PLAY!

HARBIE HARBIE PHOTO PHOTO Forgot your camera? We didn’t.

Scan the QR code or go to harbiephoto.com to purchase photos from games, meets, concerts, and more!

18 A&E

THE HARBINGER

design by nora lynn photos by hadley chapman and from spotify, zonarosa.com, amazon, and visitkc.com

A&E HIGHLIGHTS Catch up on what’s trending in the arts and entertainment world

ROUND TABLE READERS BOOK REVIEW

RECENT RELEASES MUSIC

PODCASTS A L BUM | DANDEL ION

P OD CA ST | T H E D R E W B A R RYM OR E S H OW

A R T I ST | T H E COMMITTEE

R U N T IM E | 42 M IN

GREETING

R E L E A S E DAT E | S E P T 24

The Greeting Committee brings nostalgic indie rock to an emotional depth showing growth from their last album.

Read more in a review on page 20

Focusing on bringing o n ly p o s i t i v i t y to n ews , D rew B a r r y m o re s h a re s re la ta b le a n d o pt i m i st i c sto r i e s with n ew c e le b r i t y g u e st s e a c h ep i s o d e

A L BUM | IN THE MEANTIME

P OD CA ST | H EL LO NAT U R E

A RTI ST | ALESSIA CARA

R U N T IM E | 40 M IN - 1 H R

RELEA SE DATE | JUN 14

H o st Misha Euceph decided to te l l the sto r i e s of o u r n a t i o n a l p a r ks , wo n d e r i n g i f o u r p a r ks a re re a l ly o p e n to everyo ne

A lyrical journey through each stage of grief for a 25-year-old, told with a ferocious pop opera

UPCOMING EVENTS F E S TA I TA L I A N A ZONA ROSA OCT. 8 - 10 5 P.M.

GARMIN KANSAS C I T Y M A R AT H O N THE NELSON OCT.16 7 A.M.

SME book club member shares her take on the Round Table Readers’ latest read

by audrey moreh ea d

A

VERY RISKY gamble.

This is what 17-year-old Avery Grambs is thinking when she learns she is the sole inheritor of a billionaire’s will.

In Jennifer Lynn Barnes’s novel, “The Inheritance Games”, Avery Grambs didn’t have the best childhood and is now living with her half-sister Libby in their run-down apartment.

However, on a seemingly regular school day, she is called to the office where a boy named Grayson says her presence is required at the reading of his grandfather’s will.

The catch?

His grandfather, Tobias Hawthorne, was a billionaire and Avery has no idea who he was — she has no memory, recollection or awareness of ever meeting him.

So why is she in his will?

On the day of the reading, Avery meets Hawthorne’s four grandsons — Nash, Grayson, Jameson and Xander — who, with the rest of the family, are just as curious as to who she is.

It’s revealed in the will that Avery has inherited the majority of the $48 billion inheritance with extensive properties and possessions. The only condition being she must live in the house for one year with the rest of the family — who can’t kick her out in fear of losing the little money they obtained.

Avery comes to learn that Hawthorne loved riddles and puzzles and there are numerous secret passages throughout the estate. With the discovery of the

first clues on the letters given to everyone from Hawthorne, Avery and the boys must use them to figure out her connection to Hawthorne.

The amazing part about this story is that it continually kept me guessing about what would happen next.

There are so many new clues and hints that it made me want to solve the mystery before Avery did. It kept me invested with all of the plot twists and was hard to put down.

My favorite part of the book was the climax leading up to the discovery of the final clue that revealed all of the answers. I loved how the author made the whole book seem like a game, with a fastpaced and intense plot that made me laugh from the witty comebacks between the characters.

The character dynamics between Avery and the brothers was so well written that it made the book flow smoothly, especially when everything fell into place. The only thing I disliked was the major cliffhanger at the end of the story because I was not-so-patiently awaiting the second book that had yet to be published.

Now that it’s released, it’s definitely on my list to read, and I know it will be great because other members of my book club have already read it and loved it.

If you love a good mystery that will keep you reading — with a little bit of romance and plot twists at every turn — then I highly recommend this book. 10 out of 10 for me.

A&E 19

OCTOBER 04, 2021 design by anna mitchell

CIRCLE TIME W I TH MADELINE Looking back at staffer’s three favorite childhood books and their deeper meanings today

INTRO

by ma d e line funkey CRISS-CROSS APPLESAUCED on the rainbow carpet in the corner of the Briarwood Elementary School library, I hurried to finish the last page of “The Magic Tree House” before being called to join the single-file line back to our first grade classroom.

The magic of my childhood revolved solely around reading

EXCITED TO RE-READ one of my favorites from the series — “Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business,” I picked up the once-intimidating read only to be underwhelmed. My hands are used to carrying 450-page novels for AP Lit, so the 80page book felt thin and almost weightless in comparison. I was immediately concerned with how this pamphlet of a book could sustain a compelling plotline.

Beginning the first chapter, “Surprise,” I was transported back to my fluffy pink chair where I’d curl up and slurp juice boxes while attempting to

2 lesson learned:

stand up for yourself MY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL librarian was about to finish reading the last page of the iconic green book to my first grade class.

Instead of paying attention, I was probably daydreaming about the class guinea pig or counting down the minutes until recess — definitely too distracted to pick up the deeper meaning and lessons “The Giving Tree” offers.

I decided to give this book a second chance. As I flipped through each page, I looked beyond the little boy and dainty

books — they fed the fire of my imagination. Whether the stories taught me how to be a good friend or slay dragons, the familiar covers and iconic characters are still imprinted in my brain as if I was still the same innocent little kid.

I decided to re-read three of my favorite childhood books to see if the magic still exists.

read all the books on my shelf.

Each seven-page chapter consisted of one or two simple scenes, such as Junie B. complaining to her parents about not wanting a sibling or her parents painting the baby boy’s room light blue.

The book emphasized themes of respect, dignity, perseverance, honesty and kindness — details I didn’t pay much attention to 12 years ago.

Five minutes went by, and then 20. I found myself giggling at the naive humor and sassy remarks from Junie B. But after finishing the book, I was almost unsatisfied with the experience. I

THE LARGE 8-by-12 inch Fancy Nancy books always had a designated spot on my hanging book shelf growing up. No matter how old I was — whether my mom was reading them to me at age three, or I was struggling to understand the larger words at age seven — I was fascinated by Nancy’s life.

My inner child was giddy to be pulling out those sparkly, colorful books again and I was immediately in my feels. A tree, seeing metaphors that young Madeline couldn’t comprehend.

The tree is referred to as “she,” symbolizing a motherly figure to the boy.

From the perspective of a high schooler, I’m finally able to understand and appreciate the true meaning of the book — the unconditional love and sacrifices a mother has to give, as well as the consequences that come with being selfish.

As I followed the boy through his own childhood, I saw how the tree provides for the

From my storage room, I dusted off a few of 7-year-old Madeline’s staples — “Junie B. Jones,” “Fancy Nancy” and the “Giving Tree.” I was eager to re-read each from an older, more mature point of view.

expected to be a little more entertained by Junie B’s adventures considering this series is what I raved about all through my childhood.

Throughout the book, Junie B. uses improper language, making the choppy grammar hard to read — showing kids the importance of grammar. This book demonstrated the stark difference in diction and grammar between what my five-year-old self read and the books I now write essays on. I didn’t get to relive my childhood the way I hoped.

certain excitement rushed over me as I flipped through “Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy.”

Scanning each page up and down, I admired every detailed illustration that once kept me genuinely entertained for hours. The chaos of Fancy Nancy’s room with her pink canopy bed and eccentric carpet and toys had me envious of her glamorous life.

She was a spunky 6-year-old girl with bouncy red hair and was always dressed in an extravagant outfit. From her purple ruffle dress and blue boa all the way down to her ruby red, boy constantly. The tree never gets anything in return, but stays content seeing the boy happy. By the end, the tree has nothing left to give and dwindles down to just a stump. If my younger self would’ve been a little more attentive while this book was being read, I might’ve learned earlier to appreciate what my parents give me. I felt satisfied with finally understanding the rave and attention this book gets.

1 lesson learned:

grammar is everything

laced-up slippers, I aspired to be her.

The hot pink, bright yellow and lavender books covered my carpet floor as I reminisced over the thrilling feeling of reading through each page as a little girl. The strong-willed little girl taught me how to speak up for myself and always stand by my own opinion, which was a helpful reminder, even as a 17-year-old. I now understand how children’s books pack in more than just the fun pictures and sparkly colors, revealing themes such as friendships and being true to one’s self.

3 lesson learned:

selfishness is consuming

A&E 21

OCTOBER 04, 2021 design by sydney newton photos by elise madden

ROLLING ALONG THE RAILWAY A review of Sakura Sushi Train, a conveyor belt sushi restaurant located in Shawnee, Kan.

by celia condon IK TOK TRENDS come and go faster than water

after a marathon, and the most recent trend on my personalized For You Page has been conveyor belt sushi.

The videos I see typically consist of people out to dinner who place their phone on the belt, hit record and keep it rolling as it travels through the restaurant. The viewer will see different groups of people eating at tables along with the chefs in the kitchen. Although I don’t have enough trust in the world to put my phone on a conveyor belt and openly offer it to the grips of strangers, I wanted to try the unique style of sushi — with my phone safely in my back pocket.

After some researching, I discovered Sakura Sushi Train at 7474 Nieman Road in Shawnee, Kan. According to it’s Yelp review, it was the place to be for “killer” conveyor belt sushi.

My first attempt to go was a Sunday night at around 7:50.

Their website said it closed at 8:30, but when I arrived, the doors were locked and the lights were out. I was extremely disappointed to waste 40 minutes worth of gas, but still determined to get there. To avoid another incident, two days later I arrived at 6:00 p.m. and was met with Sakura Sushi Train’s bright lights and open doors.

Instead of a belt traveling on the outskirts of the entire restaurant, there was one large circular bar in the middle of the dining space that had a choo-choo train running around it.

I assumed that the restaurant’s style would be similar to Fritz’s: I would look through a menu, order what I wanted and watch it chug its way to me on the train. However, sushi rolls, salads and tempura fried seafood were already on the train as I sat down, and I was expected to pull things off when they caught my eye.

There was a sign in front of every three to four chairs breaking down the prices — a blue plate was $2.85, a

T H I S P R O C E S S D E F I N I T E LY c h a l l e n g e d my fe a r of t h e u n k n o w n . I h a d t o b l i n d y g u e s s w h a t w a s ro l l e d u p i n t h e s e a w e e d , o r t h e t r u e i d e nt i t y of t h e my st e r y f i s h s l o w ly rot a t i n g o u t of my re a c h .

Finally I snagged my last sushi roll — a KC roll — before it was barely out of reach. This roll was topped with a crunchy piece of tuna and filled with shrimp, cucumber and avocado. I think out of my four dishes this one would be my least favorite, only because the tuna on top made the roll hard to fit in my mouth, and hard to eat. Nevertheless, it tasted delightful.

When pulling plates off of the train, it can become easy to forget how each one costs somewhere around three dollars. If I wasn’t remembering to be money-conscious, I could see myself getting carried away and grabbing more plates than necessary. In the end, the four plates filled me up and I spent less than $15. I would consider this “fast sushi” as all the food was ready the second I arrived. If it were closer to me than 20 minutes, I could see Sakura Sushi Train becoming one of my go-to’s — but I have no doubt I’ll make the drive again.

A look at three of the dishes tried and reviewed

p u ra ro l l

4.5 OUT OF 5 sushi roll made with shrimp, sushi rice, nori, cucumber, & avocado

ro

ll

3.5 OUT OF 5 roll filled with tuna, shrimp, cucumber, & avocado

ra

em

unknown on this one.

After the train passed me by for about the tenth time, I grabbed an order of crab rangoon. With this round I knew what I was getting into, so I was mostly just excited to eat a little bundle of cream cheese and crab dipped in sweet and sour sauce. I definitely thought about getting my hands on another round, and would rank this as one of the top crab rangoons I’ve ever had. It was the perfect mix of crunchy outside and warm inside.

c ra b

shrimp

t

THE TOP P I C KS

yellow plate was $2.95 and a purple plate was $3.95. When I visited, every plate was yellow and each dish was covered with a small plastic cover for COVID-19 safety purposes.

While I appreciated the safety, it made it slightly hard to see what each had to offer.

This process definitely challenged my fear of the unknown. Since there were no labels on any of the plates, I had to blindy guess what was rolled up in the seaweed, or the true identity of the mystery fish slowly rotating out of my reach.

I could see this proving as a huge problem for someone who isn’t extremely adventurous when it comes to sushi and seafood. But I was okay with it because there are only a few foods I am completely closed off to trying. I lessened this fear by asking the waiters what each dish was after taking it from the train.

The first plate I pulled was a shrimp tempura roll, a lucky grab since shrimp tempura is my go-to roll at nearly every sushi restaurant. Each plate consisted of two items, so I got two rolls, both covered with spicy mayo and a little touch of eel sauce. Based on the name, you might think the sauce would be unappetizing, but it was actually very rich and similar to soy sauce. I have no complaints and was happy to have ended up with a trusted option on my first pull.

On the second round I tried to grab something that looked a little bit less familiar and ended up with tempurafried crab legs. These resembled a really long sushi roll, as there was a layer of rice on the bottom.

This grab was definitely a blind taste test as I had not yet learned what I had grabbed. However, I love crab and will eat just about anything fried, so it ended up being delicious. The dish brought in flavorful sweet notes mixed with the filling taste of the crab and just the right amount of crunch. I do feel proud of myself for reaching for something

kc

T

ng

oon

5 OUT OF 5 wontons stuffed with crab, cream cheese, garlic powder, & worcestershire sauce

22 LOCAL LANCERS

KYLE

WHAT’S YOUR NAME, AND WHY IS IT YOUR NAME? My name is Kyle Claessen.

Because my mom named me that.

I was named after some hot guy on a TV show.

IF YOU COULD BUY ANYTHING IN THE WORLD WHAT WOULD IT BE? Probably my grandpa’s old house. I grew up there. It was three stories and in this old, old neighborhood. It was really quiet. It was nice. I would buy it because of my childhood memories.

WHAT’S YOUR SPIRIT ANIMAL? I’d have to say a pug. They are always just laying around, they don’t really do much. I would want to do that.

WHAT’S THE BEST DAY YOU’VE EVER HAD? Gosh. Probably the day in eighth grade when we lost our basketball championship. It was funny. My friend missed the last shot in the game which caused us to lose. We all clowned him for it. It was hilarious. It was the hardest I laughed. It was so funny. My friend was very upset. But in the end we cheered him up.

DO YOU HAVE ANY WEIRD OBSESSIONS? Smelling gas is weird. I like the smell of gas. That’s weird.

THE HARBINGER

design by sydney newton design by maggie merckens

SPORTS 23

OCTOBER 04, 2021 design by caroline wood photos by charlotte emley

SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS

Gallery, schedules and quotes on fantasy football and the upcoming golf state tournament

M A R K YO U R C A L E N DA R Important upcoming sporting events

OCT

OCT

OCT

5

7

9

SOCCER |

FOOTBALL |

TENNIS |

B OY S VA R S I T Y

VA R S I T Y V S

G I R L S VA R S I T Y

VS SMN

O L AT H E N O R T H

REGIONALS

@SM Soccer

@ SMN

@ Harmon

Complex

Stadium

Clinic

A B O V E L E F T F re s h m a n Zo e C h a n ey c h e e rs w i t h C o a c h Wa g n e r a s s h e st i c ks h e r la n d i n g o n va u lt .

OCT

18-19

A B O V E Junior Jill R i c e ta ke s o n e la st d e e p b re a t h b efo re s h e di s m o u nt of f t h e be am .

L E F T F re s h m a n Zo e C h a n ey d i s m o u nt s o n t h e va u lt to wa r m u p b efo re h e r f i n al r u n .

G I R L S G O L F S TAT E TOURNAMENT @Emporia Golf Course

T H E R E A R E S O M E p rett y c o m p et i t i ve t e a m s , b u t I t h i n k w e h a ve a c h a n c e t o w i n i f w e a l l p l a y p rett y w e l l . I h o n e st ly think we could win.

TESS ROMAN

SENIOR

W O N S TAT E T H E P A S T T W O Y E A R S

FANTASY FORMATI O N NAME

RHODES

SENIOR

I H AV E A p re tt y

Current ranks from a few East Fantasy Football teams and quotes from the players

NAME

REYNOLDS

JOHNSON

NAME

1

R h ett Wa l l a c e

1

C J L e o n a rd

1

B ro o k s M o o re

2

Ta t e M o o d y

2

E t h a n C u r ra n

2

L u ke L a H u e

2

R ya n Wa rd

3

M i l e s C ro s s e r

3

J a c k B ro g h a m m e r

2

Ky l e r H a u g ht o n

4

L u c P re n d i v i l l e

4

Charlie Johnson

5

F i n n S u l l i va n

5

S p e n c e r B l a c ket e r

5

A n d e rs o n Wo o d

5

Jack Moulin

6

B ra yd e n R ey n o l d s

6

H u d s o n S w i nt

5

Jack Muller

7

R o b b i e C ott o n

7

Will Beck

8 Jack Rhodes d e e p b e n d , s o I h a ve t o s t r u g g l e ove r w h o I s t a r t e a c h w e e k a n d I h a ve n o t m a d e t h e r i g ht d e c i s i o n s .

JUNIOR

MY TEAM HAD

8 a n of f w e e k f i rst 9 week, but now 10 t h ey ’ re b a c k , t h ey ’ re p l a y i n g b e tt e r .

M a tt M a r t u c c i Za c h S e d e rq u i s t G ra h a m M o s h e r

FRESHMAN

I THINK RIGHT

8 C h a s e Ko e n e m a n n o w , m o st p e o p l e w o u l d s a y my t e a m i s p ro b a b ly t h e b e st . . . I h a d a p rett y g o o d d ra f t , I g ot lu c k y .

24

SPORTS

THE HARBINGER

design by christian gooley photos by sabrina dean

RUNNING THROUGH

RECORDS PREVIOUS RECORD HOLDERS

GRACE MEYER AND JOHN ARNSPIGER

Senior Grace Meyer and Junior Wyatt Haughton break school cross crountry records and work toward setting the records even higher

PREVIOUS RECORD

18:05 (GIRLS) AND 16:00(BOYS)

MILES RAN PER WEEK

40 MILES (GRACE) AND 50 (WYATT)

by luke beil

W

HEN NON-RUNNERS THINK about running 8 miles almost every day, images of aching legs, bullets of sweat and pure regret probably come to mind.

For senior Grace Meyer and Junior Wyatt Haughton, running doesn’t have that connotation for them.

Haughton and Meyer are current East record holders for the 5k run in cross country for their respective categories: womens and mens. Wyatt broke the existing record in his category with a time of 15:35, as Grace broke the existing record for her category with a time of 18:05 — a record previously held by herself last year. Both runners have participated in both cross country and track and field since their freshman years of high school, and both have plans to continue running in college and hopefully break even more records.

Both Grace’s and Wyatt’s parents were extremely excited when they found out that they had broken the records. For Grace her mother Sarah was extremely excited when she found out her daughter just broke the school record.

“It is always fun to see your child be competitive and improve over time,” Sarah said.

Sarah also believes that Grace’s attitude is why she has gained so much success.

Grace is a very competitive and self driven person, which is why she has gained so much success in run For Haughton, his parents wanted him

to try running cross country as an after school activity.

In seventh grade he made the varsity team at the first meet which is why he continued to stick with it.

Meyer and Haughton follow their coach’s training plan to which they attribute most of their success.

Their training schedule consists of an eight-mile run on Monday; speed workouts on Tuesday; recovery workouts on Wednesday; six miles uphill on Thursday; pre-run workouts on Friday to prepare for Saturday meets. Outside of these scheduled workouts, Meyer recovers and rests on evenings — Haughton often doubles up by doing 400-meter night runs.

For Meyer and Haughton, memorizing the race route beforehand also key to their preparation. Since the routes are a little more three miles long knowing how close the finish is and if runners are on pace can make or break the outcome.

S O M E O N E J U S T TO L D m e I b ro ke [ t h e re c o rd ] , s o I d i d n ’ t re a l ly h a ve a n i d e a of w h a t i t w a s b efo re t h a t .

GRACE MEYER

SENIOR

“I have been to the meets many times before since I am a senior,” Meyer said. So I have almost memorized most of the routes.” Meyer said. It makes you more comfortable knowing where a hill is or how far it is to the finish.”

Both Haughton and Meyer broke this year’s Olathe Twilight XC Classic meet held at Olathe District Activity Center. Haughton had confidence in beating the previous boys’ school record — which is 16 minutes flat — record because he had already tied it at the Shawnee Mission Park course that was much more hilly than the one in Olathe.

“Going into it, I was like, ’Ok I am not going to break it easily,’ but I knew there was a pretty good shot,” Haughton said.

Grace, on the other hand, had no idea that she broke the record after running the race, due to the fact that she had didn’t know the previous girls’ record was she wasn’t very focused on breaking it at the time.

“Someone just told me I broke it, so I didn’t really

have an idea of what it was before that,” Meyer said.

Beating the record has boosted the confidence of both runners. For Meyer, it showed her what she can accomplish, and helped her stay on track for her goals.

Meyer’s goals for state cross country this year are to place in the top three. According to Meyer, she has ended each season feeling satisfied and proud of the goals she has accomplished. The next goal for her is college, and she knows she’ll feel the greatest satisfaction when she knows where she’s headed in fall of 2022.

Haughton takes each goal pace by pace, always aiming to accomplish a bigger feat than the last one. His current ambition is to beat the state record by his senior year. In order to accomplish beating this he plans to stick with his current training regimen and slowly increase his weekly milage.

For Haughton, his parents wanted him to do it as an after school activity. In seventh grade he made varsity at the first meet which is why he continued to stick with it.

Haughton and Meyer both want their school records to stay for a little while because it represents their hard work and how it all paid off. However they also hope that one day someone will work hard enough to break the records.

“I want it to inspire others to run fast times and work for their goals,” Meyer said.

SPORTS 25

OCTOBER 04, 2021 design by emma krause photos by lily mantel

ROLLING TOGETHER East, along with other SMSD and Kansas high schools, officially added a unified sport: bowling for students with disabilities

by a nna mitc h ell UNIOR MEREDITH AINSLIE’S eyes lit

J

up when her mom came down with news: East was creating a unified bowling team.

Ainslie already loved bowling, so her answer was easy.

“Absolutely,” Ainsley exclaimed, envisioning herself and friends getting to compete at the bowling alley as a true East sport.

Ainslie is one of 19 students participating in unified bowling, a KSSHA sponsored state sport that was proposed a year ago to all high school athletic directors.

Over this past summer, SHARE coordinator and coach of the unified bowling team Sheryl Kaplan was given the green light to officially start planning the team, with the help of East Athletic Director Debby Katzfey.

“I told [Katzfey] I wanted to do [unified bowling] here at East and she had actually already signed us up,” Kaplan said. “I then told her I’d love to be the coach and started reaching out to allies and the parents of students that might be interested.”

While students of all abilities are allowed to try out for any school sport, unified

bowling is meant for strictly special needs students. It’ll also give them the opportunity to compete at the state level and get to know other students assisting them with each strike and spare known as “partners.”

“The schools wanted to give something to the kids that wanted to get involved and compete as athletes that might have had a disability or something that kept them from doing any of the other sports we have to offer,” Katzfey said. “Our student athletes will be the ones competing for state and their partners will assist them and help complete that task.”

East’s unified bowling team consists of nine bowlers and ten partners to assist the athletes in scoring as many strikes as possible. The team will practice twice a week, Monday and Friday at Ward Parkway Lanes, and only once on weeks they have a meet.

Ainslie has loved bowling with family and friends for fun previous to this year. She has been anticipating the first official practice since she was signed up for the team. Her ultimate goal for the season is to improve — and hopefully win state.

MEET THE TEAMS BLUE TEAM TUCKER EDDY (P) EVAN JANTSCH (P) JACK RHODES (P) IAN BROWNE-McCLAIN (A) ANAYA McGAUGH (A) (not pictured)

“I’m just super excited to bowl and get a lot of strikes,” Ainslie said. “My favorite part is picking up the ball and just trying to win.”

Ainslie’s mom, Dawn, has signed Ainslie up for other SHARE projects and sports in the past for kids with disabilities, like bocce ball games and intense basketball matches.

“I think [the benefits are that] she will get to make new friends, participate in a school sanctioned sport, [experience] that social aspect and become more confident,” Dawn said.

T H E S C H O O L S WA N T E D

to

g i ve s o m e t h i n g t o t h e k i d s t h a t w a n t e d t o g e t i nvo lve d a n d c o m p et e a s a t h l e t e s t h a t m i g h t h a ve h a d a d i s a b i l i t y o r s o m e t h i n g t h a t ke pt t h e m f ro m d o i n g a ny of t h e ot h e r s p o r t s w e h a ve t o of fe r

DEBBY KATZFEY ATHLETIC DIRECTOR The four teams — white, blue, black, and lancer — each include at least two athletes and one partner. While the teams will be

consistent throughout the season, there are no limits to bonding and fun experiences with the school team.

Unified bowling partner and junior Evan Janstch heard about unified bowling from another East parent and, after a summer of volunteering, knew the perfecting bowling form while helping others on the lanes was the perfect opportunity for her to help out.

“I’m looking forward to connecting with the athletes the most and getting to make their day better and then hopefully winning state,” Janstch said.

The team’s first practice took place on Sept. 27 and all bowlers were ecstatic for any success, even if it was just knocking down a single pin. Practice will continue until the season ends on Nov. 18, with the State competition being held at the end of November.

Kaplan is encouraging all students to come cheer on the bowlers at the meets for extra support and excitement for the athletes.

The main goals for Kaplan are to have fun, develop lots of team spirit, and knock down pins.

Each group on the Unified Bowling team are represented by a color; here are the bowlers on each team: ‘A’ represents ‘Athlete’ while ‘P’ represents ‘Partner’

LANCER TEAM KATHERINE HAMILTON (P) PATRICK SCHAFF (A) MARA PRIVETTE (P) COLIN PHELAN (A) (not pictured)

BLACK TEAM

WHITE TEAM

BLAKE DANFORTH (A)

CEE-CEE BAYLOR (A)

SEAN REED (P)

LEAH MEEKER (P)

HANNAH JOHNSON (A) CAMPBELL WOOD (P) MEREDITH AINSLE (A)

THOMAS GOGEL (P) ANNI WENERPELOFSKY (A)

l i l k s s BLAKE’S GOT

26 SPORTS

F O R T H E P O I N T j u n i o r B la ke At k i n s o n wo r ks h i s h a rd e st to w in t h e ra lly PHOTO BY TRISTEN PORTER

the

RULES

The rules of Spike Ball according to spikeball.com

2 VS 2

360 PLAY

Team 1 serves to Team 2 to start a point

After the serve, players can move or hit in any direction

3 TOUCH

SCORING

Players have up to three alternating touches to return the ball to the net

Points are scored when the ball hits the rim, the ground, or bounces more than once on the net

THE HARBINGER

design by bridget connelly

Blake Atkinson shares his point of view on the popular game: Spikeball by m i a vo gel HE

KNEW

THIS

was his moment.

With a score of 20-17, junior Blake Atkinson looked at his partner with unwavering eye contact and a firm nod — their signature pre-point ritual. Atkinson passed the yellow ball to his partner, who passed it back, before striking the ball at the net, winning the point for the team and taking the win.

Atkinson was competing at the 2019 Midwest Regional Spikeball Tournament in Chicago, Ill. and knew he was at the pinnacle of his spikeball career.

After two days of play, he made it to the Sweet 16, but lost in regionals 21-19.

Tournaments have recently started back up after being put on hold last year due to COVID-19 and Atkinson plans to continue competing and hopefully make it to nationals within the next few years.

“Since I’ve played before, I have pass to go back [to regionals] again whenever I want,” Atkinson said. “I’ll probably do that with the goal to make it to nationals.”

Atkinson first started playing spikeball the spring before his freshman year while on a trip with his friend junior Brad Baska in Seaside, Fl. After seeing countless YouTube videos of professional players, they caved, purchasing a set of their own to use at the beach. Atkinson just wanted to play for fun, but had no idea that this would be the stepping stone to a passion.

“Ever since then we just started playing a lot and we loved it and we’ll play with college kids and they bring a lot of energy to the game,” Atkinson said.

Atkinson and Baska began playing pick-up games with friends. As he realized spikeball was more than a hobby, he went on to partner with fellow recreational spikeball player junior Jack Shelton in higher-level competitions.

Atkinson tries to put plenty of time into the sport and organize different groups so that he can be exposed to a wide variety of competition.

“I’m constantly impressed by Blake’s dedication,” Shelton said. “He’s always texting me to come up and play at East and organizing groups to play together on weekends and after school.”

Practicing together two to three days a week and over the weekend helped grow their team chemistry.

They began by playing in pick-up games then went onto searching for tournaments through the “Spikeball” app, which promotes tournaments and events near users.

Atkinson is considered “active” on the app by Spikeball’s standards. He’s participated in pickup games and competed in two local tournaments

alongside Shelton — even winning the championship in one of them.

As a result, Atkinson qualified for the Midwest Regional Spikeball tournament during his freshman year. There was only problem — he needed a teammate.

Luckily, Atkinson was connected through the app with a player from Chicago, Ill. who was staying in Kansas City, Mo. for a month.

“We just played for that whole month and he needed a partner for regionals so he asked if I wanted to come to Chicago and compete with him,” Atkinson said.

Atkinson instantly said yes. In a tournament with 64 teams, the duo made it to the Sweet 16, before losing in regionals.

“You can bond through playing for sure, because it’s a teamwork game,” Atkinson said. “You can’t just have one player be good and you win, you have to both be good at the game. You have to communicate well, you have to position well, tell [a teammate] what you need to do differently, to be able to win points and win the game.”

But competing wasn’t enough for Atkinson. He has also hosted two tournaments through the app, which took place at East and Meige. The 16 players each paid an entry fee and the first place winner received 75% of the pot and the runner up received the remaining 25%.

“I didn’t play in those tournaments because I couldn’t risk winning and taking people’s money, but it was a great learning experience to host the types of events that I play in all the time,” Atkinson said.

Now Atkinson plays casual pick-up games with friends and is a member of the SME Spikeball Club which was started earlier this year by seniors Spencer Newton and Will Brooker.

Although no plans for next year have been finalized, it’s a strong possibility that the club will be

W E B A R E LY B E AT him [in the last East tournament], but he’s definitely the best player there and we probably shouldn’t have won.

CESCA STAMTI

JUNIOR

passed down to Atkinson.

“We barely beat him [in the last East tournament], but he’s definitely the best player there and we probably shouldn’t have won,” Newton said.

Along with running Spikeball Club, Atkinson plans to start competing in more high stake competitions again. The ultimate goal is to make it to nationals within the next couple years so he can continue his spikeball career through college since the sport is popular among young adults according to Atkinson.

“It’s a lot of extra time and effort, but it’s all worth it if I can eventually make it to the really high level tournaments and have the best players know my name,” Atkinson said.

OCTOBER 04, 2021

design by elise madden

PHOTOSTORY 27

REM E MB E RIN G OL IVIA

To honor the life of Olivia Piotrowski, students gathered on the football field for a candlelight vigil organized by Lucy Humphrey, Evelyn Haulmark and Haley Smith on Sept. 23 F A R R I G H T S e n i o rs M a r i a Morrissey, El la M o r r i s s ey a n d Isabella Marquez co mfo r t e a c h ot h e r during the vigil. “ M y f r i e n d s a n d I have just been doing t h e l i tt le t h i n g s together but it h a s h e l p e d a lot , ” Marquez said. “It m e a nt a lot j u st to be able to pa y t r i b u te to h e r . ” PHOTO BY ELISE MADDEN R I G H T Senior To m G ra y s p e a ks about growin g u p w i t h O l i v i a .

PHOTO BY MAGGIE MERCKENS B E L O W Par k H i l l s e n i o r Ty le r Argotsinger spe a ks to t h e c rowd .

“High school stories a re m o re re c e nt and my relationshi p w i t h O l i v i a wa s when we were ki d s s o I t h o u g ht i t kind of added a d i f fe re nt s i d e of her story. I thought my s p e e c h g a ve stories that ot h e r p e o p le d i d n ’ t really have,” A rg ot s i n g e r s a i d .

PHOTO BY MAGGIE MERCKENS L E F T Junior Caitlin Burks helps relight her friends candle halfway through th e v ig il . PHOTO BY MAGGIE MERCKENS

SCAN ME • PHOTO Use this QR code to p u rc h a s e p h o t o s f ro m t h i s eve nt on Harbie Photo

T

HE

HARBINGER

STAFF

would like to make clear that this issue’s centerspread is not intended to cast a shadow on the recent passing of senior Olivia Piotrowski.

After discussion with the family, it has been decided that Olivia’s friends and family will tell her story, and honor her legacy, when the time is right for them.

28 ALT-COPY

THE HARBINGER

design & copy by peyton moore photos by rachel bingham

SME’S GOT

A glimpse of homecoming spirit week, with inspiration for each outfit

H

OMECOMING WEEK COULD be described in one word: exhausting.

Everyone anxiously waits for each detail to fall into place. “Do my nails match my dress?”

“Does my suit still fit?” “What time should we get to the dance?” “What if I’m not a good

TUES

WED

THURS

PINK-OUT

WESTERN

GROUTFIT

MON.

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT: Important information regarding Homecoming

HOCO

FRI

HOCO DANCE

HOCO GAME

07 09 SAT

OCT.

OCT.

THURS

8-10 PM

FOOTBALL THEME:

TICKETS: $10 MON-FRI

BEFORE/AFTER SCHOOL DURING WIN TIME

FRESHMAN

SOPHOMORE

JUNIOR

CLASS COLORS

CHIEFS

SME ON 7 PM @ SMN

SENIOR

TROPICAL

dancer?” The week is filled with hundreds of factors, which can be hard to manage. So instead of adding spirit week to your list of worries, here are the cheapest and easiest ways to show school spirit during the best week of school.