Volume 9, Issue 4, Talon magazine, March 2017

Staley High School Kansas City, Mo. Volume 9, Issue 4 March 2017

School Start Times: 5 &12

Wrestling: 8-11

‘Romeo and Juliet’: 16

table of Contents

Inside this issue...

pg. 4

States Shouldn’t Determine Civil Rights Reversal of Transgender Bathroom

pg. 5

Schoool Start Times Shouldn’t Change Cons of a Later Start

1.

pg. 6-7

3.

pg. 8-9

pg. 10-11

2.

Students Perform Musical Acts

Wrestling State Champions Team Wins State Title For First Time

Wrestling Wrap-Up Team Reflects on Season

4. pg. 12

5.

Ability Arts Festival

6.

1. During the production of “Romeo and Juliet,” senior Justin Abramovitz and freshman Kaylee Hood are fighting with swords as a part of Act 1. Photo by Emilie

pg. 13

School Start Times Why School Starts at 7:23

Nail Fashion Spring Nail Trends

Kerr 2. On March 4, sophomores Colby Roberts and Madison Harris and senior Genesis Sanchez perform in the school’s production of “Romeo and Juliet.” Photo by

Emilie Kerr 3. During the assembly on Feb. 27, coach Gary Mayabb presents the state trophy to the wrestling team and principal Clark Mershon. Photo by Christopher Spry 4. On March 1, the last night of “Romeo and Juliet,” freshmen Kaylee Hood, Merrin Adams and senior Genesis Sanchez act in the Performing Arts Center.

pg. 14

Up and Coming in KC Kansas Citians Anticipate Concerts, Games

Photo by Kelsey Bennett 5. After performing in the talent show at North Cross United Methodist Church on March 9, sophomore Josh Roush walks back to his seat as the audience applauds.

Photo by Kyla Gaines

on the cover After wrestling won the state title, the team holds up their state championship trophy in front of the new state banner on Feb 27.

Photo by Christopher Spry

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pg. 15

6. During the dual against Park Hill High School on Jan. 11, junior Dan Mangold wrestles against his opponent from Park Hill High School and wins the match. Photo by

Text a Tip New App to Stop Crime

Caroline Bonacorso

‘Romeo and Juliet’

pg. 16

Thespians Perform in Spring Show

Table of Contents

Staff Editorial: How to walk in the Hallway The typical student’s day begins by walking in to the student entrance. Getting through the doors by the time the rooster crows is a struggle. Everyone’s rushing to get in the same door at the same time when there are plenty of other doors that can be used. But students love to use the automatic, handicapaccessible door.

Once inside, stressed out students get stuck behind someone taking their sweet time to get a tardy, when others are rushing to save their attendance (and their grades).

Once they have finally

gotten up the courage to race past the slow-walking students, they begin to dodge the obstacles standing in the middle of the hall, whether it’s that couple who can’t live without each other for a class period, gamers who can’t live without their Macs, or the people who just gossip with their entire friend group in the middle of the hall when they should be getting to class.

Fellow students would greatly appreciate if you…

Found somewhere else for your PDA, lived six minutes without your video game and found somewhere else that doesn’t block hallways for

your daily gossip.

Many students really want to be to their class on time and would like to get there without stepping on your heels or walking the same speed as a tortoise. Walk the correct speed, don’t change the speed you’re going 10 different times, and just get to class.

When walking with friends, don’t yell at the top of your lungs, but just have a civil conversation. The whole student body doesn’t need to hear it. Walking in the hall isn’t difficult, just walk.

TALON STAFF Editor-in-Chief: Maddy Benda

Staff: Kelsey Bennett Kyla Gaines Alexis Howard Jen Hulen Jessica Jordan Emilie Kerr Haylee Roberts Christopher Spry Leidy Venegas Hannah Zank

Adviser: Talon is published quarterly during the school year. Talon will accept letters to the editor in CR202 or at

Cherié Burgett

cherie.burgett@nkcschools.org. Before the letter is published, we will need to verify the writer’s identity with a photo identification. Letters may not exceed a length of 350 words. We will not publish letters that are libelous, obscene or that may cause a verifiable disruption of the education process of Staley High School. Letters must be signed.

Anonymous letters will be discarded. Advertisers may contact the adviser at cherie.burgett@nkcschools.org, (816) 321-5330 or at 2800 NE Shoal Creek Pkwy, Kansas City, MO, 64156-1313.

Opinions expressed in Talon do not express staff’s endorsement of the products or services.

Talon is a member of NSPA, CSPA, MIPA, MJEA and Quill and Scroll. Talon is affiliated with JEA and JEMKC.

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opinion

States shouldn’t Determine Civil Rights Reversal of Transgender Bathroom Laws Wrong

Since Donald Trump was elected as the 45th president of the United States, he and his supporters have taken strong stances on many social issues. Alongside his views on abortion, women and women’s rights, he has now taken a public stance on the bathrooms that transgender students should be allowed to use in

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schools.

In May, president Barack Obama’s administration publicized Title IX that protected the rights of transgender students to use the bathroom or locker room that he or she identifies with. Then on Feb. 22, president Trump’s administration overturned that decision and gave states the discretion to determine which bathroom a student is allowed to use in their school.

Allowing states to make these decisions is really not solving any issues. Trump said that this is not an issue to be dealt with at the federal level.

But civil rights are issues to be dealt with at a federal level.

Someone who identifies as a female and looks or dresses

like a female, or vice versa, would feel more comfortable in the restroom that she identifies with. The other people using the restroom may feel more comfortable as well, since that is drastically different than forcing someone who identifies as the opposite gender to use the bathroom they aren’t comfortable with.

A main argument of those who oppose transgendered people using the bathroom of the gender with which they identify is the possibility that someone could “pretend” that they have transitioned for the purpose of “peeping,” according to the Huffington Post.

The problem with this is that criminals who have these intentions are not following

the law anyway, and there are already laws in place that prevent these things from happening without preventing transgender people from using the restroom they identify with.

While there may not necessarily be an issue of “peeping” in schools, many still believe that students will be unsafe due to the freedom for transgendered students to use the bathroom they identify with.

If someone is forced to use the bathroom that they don’t identify with, more problems are being caused than could ever be solved with a few laws.

Written by Jessica Jordan Photos by Christopher Spry

opinion

Cons of a Later Start

School Start Times Shouldn’t Change What time do you think school

High-school students often complain about how early school starts and why elementary and junior-high students get to go to school later, but school start times should remain the same because changing it would cause more conflict in our lives rather than better them.

Most high-school students have jobs and after- school activities, but elementaryschool and junior-high students don’t have jobs. If school start times change, then high schoolers get out later in the day, which causes less time for after-school activities.

Parents who work sometimes rely on the older sibling to watch the younger siblings after school, and if high-school start times are later, and the elementary and junior-high start times are earlier, older siblings wouldn’t be able to be there for younger kids who get out of school before them.

Changing the high-school start time to 8:30 a.m. would

cause high schoolers to get out at 3:30 p.m., and with afterschool sports taking roughly two hours, that would make high-school students get done at about 5:30 p.m. If they have a job, that would cause them to have to go into work right after their activities.

This would all make a chain reaction of issues, not just getting out of school later but getting out of activities later and going into work later and working for a shorter period of time.

The only time for schoolwork would be after their jobs, which would cause the students to be awake later and still lose sleep.

Teens spend a great portion of each day in school; however, they are unable to maximize the learning opportunities afforded by the education system, since sleep deprivation impairs their ability to be alert, pay attention, solve problems, cope with stress and retain information, according to National Sleep Foundation.

Even though high-school times can start later, it would likely start a bigger issue of students losing more sleep than they would have when they woke up early for school.

Written by Christoper Spry Photos by Christopher Spry

should start?

“I think school times should start later. I did a Research Methods project for Gold Medallion; the Circadian Rythm for teenagers is to go to bed later and wake up later naturally.

I think even starting at 8 o’clock would be beneficial.” said senior Taylor Long.

“I think it should be the same, that way older kids can go home and babysit the younger kids when they get home from school,” said sophomore Evan Fox.

“I think it should start later. It’s just annoying that we have to wake up so early to get here on time. I understand why it starts so early so sports and clubs have time after school,” said sophomore Abbie Lehman.

Photos by Christopher Spry

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feature

At the Ability Arts Festival performance at North Cross United Methodist Church, sophomore Josh Roush sings lead for on March 9. He said he wore a hat during the performances and picked out his outfit himself.

Ability Arts Festival

Students Perform Musical Acts The Ability Arts Festival was an opportunity for the Goals students to connect with kids from other schools and to show off their special skills.

This annual event was held for students around the North Kansas City area. The festival was held at North Cross United Methodist Church, March 9 and was sponsored

by The Pilot Club of Blue Springs as a service project and organized by the North Kansas City School activity coordinator Lennette Johnson.

“Whenever I first started, we had a keyboard and CD players. It was just very low tech. As the years have progressed, it has just grown and grown, and more people

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want to perform,” said Johnson.

The Pilot Club provides funding for items, workshops and supplies needed to put on the performance for the students, along with the NKCSD. Without this club and volunteers, the annual event would not be able to continue.

“We’ve been doing this for almost 30 years. Our Pilot Club’s focus is on brain-related disorders and protecting your brain for life,” said Nancy Rogers, a member of the Pilot Clubs.

During the time before performances, the students were offered 10 workshops including clay, crafts, storytelling and balloon

art. After the workshops, there was a lunch held for all students and schools participating in the event.

Following the workshops, there were performances of select students from each school that attended.

“I almost wished we had more time. They loved the day and the community, especially now that they’re high-school kids. A lot of the people that were there have known them since they were in kindergarten. It’s just nice for them to see how much they’ve grown up in the last few years,” said special education teacher Tracey Wasinger.

The NKCSD is one of the only districts that puts on

this program, and it receives positive feedback from parents and the students. The students got to connect with previous teachers and friends from other schools.

“I had one student that just sat smiling the entire day looking at staff members she used to have as teachers or people she has been at other schools with,” said Wasinger.

The program provided the students with a creative outlet to express themselves, and the parents and teachers brought support to their children on a day that was all about them.

Written by Kyla Gaines Photos by Kyla Gaines

news Practicing for the show, sophomore Josh Roush sings while his classmates twirl flags and play percussion behind him on March 8.

Spinning a flag, freshman Madison Huff performs at the Ability Arts Festival. Huff has been spinning flags since middle school, and she was on the color guard team at Antioch Middle School.

While performing at North Cross United Methodist church during the Ability Arts Festival, freshman Tyray Ritchy spins a flag.

They practiced for about a week before the performance.

At North Cross United Methodist Church during the Ability Arts Festival, junior Jimmy Costelow plays percussion with his classmates on March 9.

Volume 9 Issue 4 Talon

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BR A N DON

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6 LBS KHYLER BREWER, 9 - 10

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State Wrestling TEAM SPOTLIGHT

Wrestling State Champions Team Wins State Title For First Time For the first time in school history, the wrestling team won the state championship.

The team competed in the MSHSAA State Tournament on the weekend of Feb. 16 in Columbia, Mo. The group began preparing to come back after the 2016 state tournament, and they were determined to do better and keep pushing toward a better season against their competition. In the 2015-2016 season, the team earned fifth at the state tournament.

The wrestlers got back on the mat for the true beginning of the season in November 2017. After finishing the regular season strong with a dual record of 32-2 and winning tournaments like Winnetonka and the Taney Duals, they won the district title before claiming the Class 4 state title.

“It is pretty amazing bringing back the title. It

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hasn’t set in still because our whole team knew we were going to win,” said senior Charley Genisio.

At the state tournament, the team lived up to their performance ability, according to the staff and their predictions. On Feb. 16, five wrestlers won matches they were not predicted to win.

“At the end of the day, most titles sound like a long haul, and that is what these guys did -- the long haul,” said head coach Gary Mayabb.

The team scored 31 points from wrestlers who did not get on the podium to place, and that does not normally happen, and is what probably won them the title, Mayabb said.

On Feb. 27, the school celebrated the team’s accomplishment with a schoolwide assembly. It included the presentation of

the state trophy to principal Clark Mershon, the reading of the state wrestlers’ names and the presentation of the state banner to the school in the gym.

“It was an exciting experience because I had never been called and walked out in front of the whole school. Seeing the seniors walk around carrying the trophy was cool, and getting to see our hard work shown off,” said freshman Khyler Brewer.

The team not only focused on winning, but also the relationships and work ethic that went into taking the title.

“I am gratified for our students and our staff, and I think these young men did a great job. Because at the end of the day, it is about the relationships and the work ethic the squad had,” said Mayabb.

Written by Haylee Roberts

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tWO TIME STATE CHAMPION Elam Takes State Title Again WHO: Junior Zach Elam WHAT: Became a two-time individual wrestling state champion

WHEN: Feb. 18 YEARS WON: sophomore, junior years FUN FACT: While warming up for the finals match, he listens to music. Then before he is called up, he listens to the crowd.

“To get back to the finals, I just worked harder and made sure I stayed focused,” said Elam.

Written by Haylee Roberts Photo Courtesy of Zach Elam

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Sports

Wrestling Wrap-Up

Team Celebrates State Championship Season Wrestling Team: Row1 (front): Dan Mangold, Jake Williams, Brandon Borlinghaus, David Berryman, Rocky Elam, Ethan Mott, Khyler Brewer Row 2: Hunter Tessman, Zach Elam, Tyler Miller, Cade Coons, Charley Genisio, Anthony Mabery, Anthony Benito Row 3: Josh Keller, Brayden Walker, Nick Rocha, Landon Donaldson, Parker Johnson, Dustin Hatfield, Eric Hoeper, Evan Fox, Roman Trickey, Shannon Stewart, Koa Grace, Hayden Gregg Row 4 (back): Trent Schrader, Joey Daniels, Reece Ault, John Mills, Lane Craig, Miles Howard, Nick Kanatzar, Mason Sipes, JP Young, Logan Seely Photo by

Christopher Spry The Class 4 State Wrestling trophy is being handed from coach Gary Mayabb to principal Clark Mershon at an assembly. On Feb. 27, all students honored the wrestling team and celebrated the triumph of them winning state. “I think that our strength was that these were a great group of hard workers, that was very resilient. When it came time, they performed above their line,” said Mayabb. Photo by Haylee Roberts

Lined up on the sidelines, seniors David Berryman, Charles Genisio and Eric Hoeper are recognized in the Falcon Fieldhouse on Feb. 2 during Senior Night.

“It was kind of crazy to think that four years have gone by that fast, and I tried to make it not so emotional knowing that at some point of the night it would end,” said Genisio.

Photo by Caroline Bonacorso

The wrestling team gathers with senior Charley Genisio holding up the Class 4 state wrestling trophy with the rest of the school cheering them on in the fieldhouse. It was the first state wrestling win in school history. “It’s pretty amazing because we’re the first class to win. Nobody’s done it before. Everybody’s that standing with me, we all worked hard, and put our blood, sweat and tears just for that trophy,” said Rocha.

Photo by Christopher Spry

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Sports

In a winning match of 8-2, senior David Berryman faces a Park Hill High School wrestler who is ranked fourth in the state. It was Berryman’s fourth match back from a broken hand, and he managed to pull in a win. “I was kind of slow at first, but towards the end of the second period, I started picking it up and started scoring points,” said Berryman. Photo by Caroline Bonacorso

In the last match of a dual, junior Dan Mangold is going up against a Park Hill High School opponent in the fieldhouse. Mangold ended up winning the match in double overtime. “That match was big for districts team,” said Mangold. Photo by Caroline

Bonacorso

The wrestling team hosted senior night on Feb. 2, and senior Ethan Mott hands his mother flowers and hugs her in the fieldhouse.

It was the last home meet that ended as a victory. “It just kind of finally hit me that that was my last time ever going to wrestle in the Staley gym,” said Mott. Photo by Caroline Bonacorso

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Feature

School Start Times

Why School Starts At 7:23 a.m.

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Whenever a person does not get enough sleep at night, they are as impaired as a person driving with a blood alcohol content of .08 percent, which is illegal in the state of Missouri, according to the National Sleep Foundation.

Many students believe starting school later would increase the number of hours of sleep they get. But what is the trade off?

School start times vary throughout different school districts. Although many students have varying opinions about North Kansas City School District’s start times, these decisions are made by the district’s central office and the board of education, and much of it is decided because of buses.

“It take us a little over a half an hour to run a route, so we have start times at 7:23, and then we extend all the way to 9:15,” said North Kansas City Shool District superintendent Daniel Clemens.

The system put into place is a four-tier system, which is operated by about 165 school buses. In the first tier, the buses pick up highschool students, and that takes all 165 buses.

After that tier is finished, the bus drivers pick up four out of five middle schools. Antioch is the last middle school picked up in the third tier with the first load of elementary pick up. A fourth tier of elementary school follows after.

“Essentially, that give us a half hour a tier,” said Clemens.

Another reason NKCSD’s start times are

ahead of other school districts is because of extracurricular activities. For there to be enough class time before games or scrimmages with other schools, start times need to be earlier so athletes aren’t pulled out of class early.

“Extracurricular activities drive some of the reason why we start schools so early at the high-schools. The suburban conference, many of the schools if they do a freshman, JV, varsity activity, you’d have to start at 4 p.m., and if you don’t start your high schools pretty early in the morning, the kids miss instructional time when they play activities at other schools,” said Clemens.

Another reason start times are earlier is because of elementary school students.

Although high-school students are required to be at school by 7:23, the latest elementary school’s start time is at 9:15. If these times were to be moved any later, it could conflict with parents’ work schedules.

“We always have lots of requests from our high-school students to start later, but on the flip side, I also get a lot of negative feedback from our elementary-school parents that we’re starting their schools too late. This really is the happy medium for us,” said Clemens.

The recommended number of hours of sleep needed for a teenager to function throughout the day by the National Sleep Foundation are eight to 10 hours. To be able to

Staley High School 7:23-2:30

Liberty High School 8:10-3:15

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meet these standards and wake up by 6 a.m., giving time to be at the bus stop where stop times can start as early as 6:30 a.m., students must be sound asleep by 10 p.m. However, research from the National Sleep Foundation concludes it is unnatural for a teenager to fall asleep before 11 p.m.

“The more homework we have, the later we stay up, especially on top of work. Coming home from work at 9 or 10 and then still having hours of homework puts a lot of stress on someone,” said junior Ethan Westoff.

If these recommended hours are not met, it could have an effect on concentration, ability to solve problems, memory of common knowledge (names, numbers, dates) and delayed learning comprehension can deteriorate, according to the National Sleep Foundation. In one study by NSF, 15 percent of students said they get at least eight and a half hours of sleep on a normal school night. These effects can have an impact on students’ school work and learning in class.

“I’m a night person, so having the school opened later would be awesome,” said sophomore Zach Bunge.

Next year, the school district will again review the school start times and decide if the current time is still acceptable for bus routes and timing purposes.

Written by Kyla Gaines Graphic by Kelsey Bennett

Park Hill High School 7:30-2:38

Fashion Junior Hannah Smith wears the classic french tip for a simple look. She bought the Kiss Everlasting French nail kit from Target for $2.99. Did these herself using everything from the kit.

Sophomore Erica Woods went to Classy Nails on Ambassador Drive in Kansas City, Mo., and paid $25 for a fill. Woods got these ovalshaped periwinkle nails which are the perfect nail to transition from fall to spring.

Nail Fashion

Junior Hallie Dickson chose to go to the Laquer Room to get her nails done. She paid $40 for a new set. These square gray toned nails match most outfits, and the dramatic lines add dramatic detail.

Photos by Christopher Spry

Junior Tessa Bonsignore added a pop of color to her hands with these bright blue nails. She went to the Angel Nails and paid $30 for a new set. Her nail shaper is square, which is a current trend.

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Trends sports

Up and coming in kc

Kansas Citians Anticipate Concerts, Games

With Kansas City becoming more popular, more concerts and sporting events are coming to town. And 2017 is a big year for concerts. Two popular artists are coming to the Sprint Center. Ariana Grande is having her Dangerous Woman tour on Saturday, March 18. Ticket prices range from $30-$130 depending on where seats are. Coldplay is coming on Tuesday, Aug. 15. Ticket prices start out at $130 for their “A Head Full of Dreams” tour.

Graphic by Kelsey Bennett

For a concert that has general admission, check out the Midland.

Rapper J. Cole is coming on June 11. While it is “sold out,” resale sites are selling tickets for about $130. Along with J. Cole, Gnash is doing a show at the Midland on May 2. The artist is known for his song “i hate u, i love u” with Olivia O’Brien. Tickets are selling for $20 online and $25 at the door.

CHILDREN’S

With spring sport seasons starting, there are opportunities to go to a sporting event. The Royals are about to start regular season play. Ticket prices for each upcoming home game vary depending on the team they play and how close the seats are. On April 14-16, they are facing the Los Angeles Angels, and tickets cost $16-$92. The San Francisco Giants and the Royals play April 18-19, and the starting price is $19 with the highest being $117. May 16-18, the New York Yankees are in town, and the prices range from $19-$357.

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Sporting KC kicked off their season at the beginning of the month. With most of their other games, ticket prices range from $40-$67. They play the San Jose Earthquakes on March 18. They take on the Colorado Rapids April 9, and tickets cost $40-$82. Then on April 29, the team has a game against Real Salt Lake with tickets starting at $40.

Written by Alexis Howard

News

Text-a-Tip Takes new Form New App Meant to Stop Crime

The Text-A-Tip line is coming to an end and being replaced by an app called P3 that follows the same format. This change comes as an effort to make the report line more accessible for students.

“The concept is that kids are so used to using, and people in general anymore with smartphones, having apps on their phones and just being able to with that one button hit the app and do something,” said Media Coordinator for the North Kansas City School District, Michelle Cronk.

This change is not only modernizing the safety resource, but also saving a little money along the way.

“Every school has to pay for that keyword, like ‘Falcons,’ and the new thing’s all free” School Resource Deputy, Cody Thomas said.

The new platform for Text-A-Tip will take effect on May 23 when the text line is shut down. Not only will the new platform be available as an app for students to have on their phones, but there is also hope to download the application onto the districtissued computers.

“If they can download it on every kid’s laptop in the district, it’ll be there for them,” said Thomas.

Once the application has been

downloaded onto a student’s device, they can choose from multiple different categories to report into and follow the fields listed on their device.

“Say someone stole something from you, you can hit theft, then you can type in some info if you want. If you have the name of a suspect, you can type that in,” said Thomas.

While the application comes as a change for students and staff, there are hopes that the app will make the reporting process easier.

“It was hard finding the numbers but once you did it wasn’t really hard, but I think the app will be easier because you just download it real fast,” said sophomore Jacob Dyke.

With all new changes, there was speculation with the introduction of the app, but there are high hopes for the usage of the new tools.

“I do think the functionality is pretty simple, so I don’t think it’s going to be a huge difference and I do hope that we see some increases in usage,” said Cronk.

Written by Jessica Jordan Photo by Jessica Jordan

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News

‘romeo and juliet’ Thespians Perform in Spring Show

Graphic by Kelsey Bennett In the Performing Arts Center on March 1, senior Catherine Flores tapes a microphone to freshman Kaylee Hood who played “Benvolio.”

Flores was a part of the production crew. “I worked on sound, and getting the timing was very stressful,” said Flores. Photo by Emilie Kerr During the last performance of “Romeo and Juliet” on March 4, senior Genesis Sanchez acts with fellow thespian senior Michelle Stottman. Sanchez played “Romeo” in the production. “I loved the fact that so many women played stereotypically male parts. It rocked,” said Sanchez.

Photo by Kelsey Bennett At play rehersal on March 1, senior Claire Donawa and junior Ethan Westhoff are practicing for opening night in the PAC. Westhoff played the role of Paris, and Donawa played Lady Capulet in “Romeo and Juliet.” “I really enjoyed learning stage combat and learning how to sword fight,” said Westhoff. “But I’ll miss the seniors because this is my last show with them.” Photo by Emilie Kerr

At dress rehearsal on March 1, junior Drew Clemens adjusts microphone volumes during sound check. Clemens has been a part of the theater department since his freshman year. “It was very fun to actually get to watch the show every night instead of acting in it because the cast was so enjoying to watch,” said Clemens.

Photo by Emilie Kerr As Juliet, sophomore Madison Harris stands on the balcony in the Performing Arts Center on March 4.

This was Harris’ first lead role in a play. “To get Juliet in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ as my first lead was just awesome,” said Harris. “I liked the lines and the Shakespearean style.” Photo by Emilie Kerr

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