the
EYRIE
Volume 39, Issue 1
CONTENTS OCTOBER 4, 2019
CONTENTS
04 Hurricane damage 05 The Writing Center 06 Popular trends 07 Falcon Regiment Drum Majors 08 Boy and Girl focus 10 New teacher profile 11 Fashion trends 12 Viewpoints of political supporters 16 New vs old Disney Channel
18 Battle of the boy bands 19 Movie must-haves 20 Five songs that you listen to 21 Looking back on the rep show 22 Best ways to enjoy high school 23 Laptops one year later 24 Old music vs new music 25 Are performing arts being killed? 28 Royals sold 29 Fantasy football 31 Soccer 02 THE EYRIE
NEWS OCTOBER 4, 2019
ALICE protocol helps students feel safe By: Amanda Turvey As news outlets seem to have an increasing number of stories dealing with shootings, many times the information of these things aren’t found out from the news outlets but instead via social media. When asked if the number of shootings will increase or decrease in the coming years, Angie Pinedo, senior, responded “They’ll increase because people are going crazy every day.” But is mental health only to blame for all these meaningless deaths? The shooting on Aug. 31 in Odessa, Texas, that injured a seventeen-month-old happened because the shooter,
36-year-old Seth Aaron school districts have impleAtor, purchased the firearm mented the ALICE protocol. through a private sale after In the past when students failing a national criminal were expected to remain sibackground lent and are check. The essentially re “The ALICE private purduced to sitchase allowed protocol makes ting sucks, the Ator to comALICE protoplete the pur- me feel safer col is meant to chase with no because it puts maximize the background survival rate of the concern check. students dur “ T h e r e ’ s into your own ing the event no way for of a firearm public stores hands...” or weapon is to increase brought on to —Selena Umana, their customcampus. ers safety ei “The ALther, because these shootings ICE protocol makes me feel happen everywhere,” Angie safer because it puts the conPinedo, senior, said. cern into your own hands As shootings are norwhere you are allowed to be malized in the media, many selfish so you can save your
own life,” Selena Umana, junior, said. Although school shootings are nothing new and has been in the media for years, the Sandy Hook shooting is what opened the door for the conversation about gun reform. After the shooting, no gun laws were changed and this ultimately shows that guns are valued more than innocent children’s lives. A country that prioritizes the second amendment over justice for innocent elementary school students who were carelessly slaughtered is a country that does not care for students lives. Students need to take action against something that threatens their life.
Joe Walsh challenges President Trump for 2020 By: Colton Mudloff President Donald Trump, the current Republican Party favorite, has already began his campaign for the next election cycle; his only Republican challenger, Joe Walsh. A conservative politician from Illinois, Walsh has been involved in politics and government for a long time. Walsh started out working as a social worker in inner-cities helping provide general education and job skills for people with a low-income. Since then Walsh has had unsuccessful campaigns for congress in 1996 and the Illinois House of Representatives in 1998 before finally holding office in the Illinois House of Representatives in 2011. Following Walsh’s one term in the House of Representatives, he hosted a radio talk show segment
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for a Chicago-based radio station, The Answer, where he talked news and opinion. Walsh openly spoke of his views and later received suspension after use of racial slurs in non-derogatory ways. Though the slurs were quotes from something he was reading as news, Wlash was deplatformed regardless. Walsh was not always a republican. Starting out as a moderate conservative without much political or monetary assistance from the Republican party, Walsh was approached by members of the Tea Party movement. The Tea Party movement is a subsection of the Republican Party that calls specifically for lower taxes and a reduction of national debt and federal budget by decreasing government spending. After the movement sponsored Walsh’s previous campaigns,
he became more conservative and eventually a Tea Party activist himself. Walsh is most known for his personal attacks towards democrats. He often called out then President Obama for his lack of action against crimes against police and protests targeting government officials. Walsh did this on Twitter where his tweets often caused backlash, forcing him to apologize and try to rephrase his commonly inflammatory and confusing statements.
Both on Twitter and his talk show, Walsh often praised Trump for his focus on the border crisis and his skepticism concerning global warming and its immediacy. While Walsh held public office, he voted against any increase in taxes or increase in government spending. He became more critical of President Trump because of his lack of action on the national debt, eventually announcing his presidential campaign that has been picking up little traction..
NEWS OCTOBER 4, 2019
NASA Sends New Rover to Mars in 2020
By: Aly Gad
NASA invites students K-12 to participate in a naming contest of their newest rover which is heading to Mars in 2020. This contest is being held until Nov 1, 2019. The rover’s landing site is located on Jezero Crater, which upon examination from orbit, shows that water once carved channels and transported sediments. Those sediments have minerals that indicate chemical alteration by water, which is big news for this historically dry planet. The rover’s launch window is set between July and Aug of 2020, but
not predicted to land until Feb of 2021. This mission is programmed to last at least one Mars year, about 687 Earth days. Things to consider when brainstorming name ideas are the rover’s actual build and structure. The design is based off of Curiosity’s configuration, a previous Mars rover. It is about the size of a car, and is built with parts that are imitations of what living creatures familiar to us would need to survive. Another name inspiration factor is the high-priority goals this mission wishes to achieve, which fall under the question: is life possible on Mars? Not only will
this strive to seek signs of habitable conditions on Mars in the past, but look for signs of prior microbial life itself. As well as being designed like any other life bearing organism, this rover is equipped with a new drill with intent to collect core samples of rocks and soil. These samples will be set
aside in hopes that a future mission could return these samples to Earth. To become a contest participant an essay must be submitted within the next 28 days. Once all essays are collected there will be a national poll to officially name the rover.
Hurricane Dorian Damage in Bahamas By: Mandi Marstall
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Hurricane Dorian recently hit the Bahamas and parts of costal United States. The hurricane was classified as a category 5 hurricane. Dorian started to form on Aug. 24, 2019 and had wind gusts as high as 185 mph reported the advisory archive on Hurricane Dorian. The Bahamas was greatly affected by hurricane Dorian. The advisory archive on Hurricane Dorian reported that Hurricane Dorian was the most powerful tropical cyclone on record to strike the Bahamas, and is regarded as the worst natural disaster in the country’s history. The aftermath of the hurricane was devastating towards the Bahamas. The hurricane planted itself for 48 hours over the northern Bahamas and obliterated everything in its path, including thousands of homes. After the storm moved from the Bahamas it traveled to Ocracoke Island.
CBS News also said that the Ocracoke island received the worst damage in the U.S. Strong winds were reported on the island followed by a wall of water that flooded the first floor of many homes and forced people to wait out the rest of the storm in their attics. According to BBBC News the biggest loss from Hurricane Dorian was the death toll in the Bahamas. The official death toll stands at 30 people but officials have sent morticians and 200 body bags to the Abaco Islands predicting that more dead bodies would be discovered. Researchers from the UCAR have found that with the ocean water warming it will create more intense tropical storms with faster wind speeds. Hurricane Dorian was a powerful storm that devastated the Bahamas and with warmer climates we could see more of these types of tropical storms in the future.
OCTOBER 4,2019 NEWS
Masterworks performers impress By: Grace Price
Choir and orchestra participated in two large group concerts last week at Olathe Northwest. The top choirs at each of the Olathe high schools met to perform this year’s Masterworks on Sept. 29, while the orchestra, minus the freshmen, performed in Olathe’s combined high school orchestra festival on Oct. 1. “A lot of extra work goes into preparing, mostly outside of school,” said Ethan Ross, junior and participant in advanced orchestra. “There is nothing better than being prepared for a big performance. Your orchestra is only a strong as your weakest link.” Besides preparing the music on their own, students from both events had the opportunity to meet with musical clinicians. At
Masterworks, the choirs also got to collaborate with multiple talented singers as they performed the solos for the concert. “This year’s soloists [were] from the Grammywinning Kansas City Chorale, Hugh Nautin and Lindsey Lang,” shared Elise Peterson, choir director. An important aspect of both the choir and orchestra events is the impression each group leaves. In both it was mentioned that the only added pressure was to maintain the school’s pride. “Olathe South wants to be well prepared so that we can be leaders in the rehearsals and at the performance,” Peterson said. Despite the hard work that is put into the preparation, both concerts are regarded as a fun and enriching time for the students, as well as the directors and since the events have combined the
high schools, students get to visit with friends from the other schools. “The event itself is fun for both me and the students,” said Greg Ferguson, orchestra director. “In fact, for the students, this is a reunion of sorts.” This year, the choir performed a song titled “Requiem,” by Gabriel Faure,
as well as one of the All-State audition pieces, “Joy.” “This particular Masterworks is approximately 35 minutes in length and has some very beautiful harmonies,” said Peterson. Both annual events have established themselves as enjoyable and esteemed events.
photo by Alek Mackey
Writing Center helps improve students’ writing By: Emily Gray The Writing Center, located in the library conference rooms, has been open to students in need of writing help for four years. Marc and Marci Gibbens,
English teachers, started the Writing Center because they thought it would be a great resource for high school students. “We both worked in the Writing Center that was on our respective college
photo by Alexis Redin
campuses when we were in college, so we knew the ins and outs of a Writing Center from a tutor perspective,” said Marc Gibbens. The Writing Center is run by upperclassmen tutors. The tutors are recommended by English teachers and go through training over the summer. “The tutors are trained in the summer with a two hour training that is designed to help them learn how the Writing Center works through a video tutorial and through direct practice,” said Marci Gibbens. The main goal of the Writing Center is to gain confidence in their abilities
as a writer. “The more students, write, reflect, and revise, the more comfortable and confident they will become as a writer. So, we hope our tutors will be able to help them move in that direction,” said Marci Gibbens. Students also get additional time thinking and talking about their writing. “It sounds obvious, but many students underestimate the value of spending time thinking about what you’re going to write before, during, and after you write it,” stated Marc Gibbens. To sign up for an appointment, search up “OS Writing Center.”
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FEATURE OCTOBER 4, 2019
Dawn of new fashion age: VSCO girls By: Faith Holliday In January of 2019, the term “VSCO girl” was coined by Youtuber Greer Jones. After the popularization of the social media app “Tiktok” in the summer of 2019, VSCO girls took the world by storm. Girls who attend South were polled, and out of 43 students, 35 said they were not VSCO girls , three said they were, and five said they might be. Freshman Jordyn Caler thinks she has some characterstics of a VSCO girl, but she does not consider herself one. “Basically they love turtles, scrunchies, Hydro Flasks, metal straws, oversized
t-shirts, and Vans or crocs,” Caler said. Sophomore Mikayla Skaggs believes that girls who share similar interests or styles should not neseccarily be grouped together into a steortype. “Just because I have what they have doesn’t mean I’m one or they are one,” Skaggs said. Although girls are told to express themselves through their clothing, sophomore Mischa Gluckman says there are double standards. “Adults encourage individuality, but then sometimes go back and say that some girls aren’t dressing appropriately,” Gluckman said. Sophomore Simone Haake
agrees that teenage girls are oppressed by the way they are told to dress. “No matter how much progress we think we’ve made, in reality, we are trapped in the same time masked by new technology,” Haake stated. Others believe that teenage girls only dress to fit in. “I think teenage girls do everything in their power to fit in, especially in high school,” sophomore Aleah Wallace said. Freshman Emma Foland enjoys expressing herself through popular and unpopular clothing. “I dress the way that I want to and I don’t dress the way other people do just to be cool,” Foland said.
Revolution of teen slang continues to evolve By: Skye Pancer Teen slang has evolved over many years. Slang has always existed, going all the way back to when the school administrators were in high school and even beyond. As of right now the slang words of 2019 are, but not limited to, tea, sus, pressed, snitch, fit, extra, etc., where slang in the 80s was more like “gag me with a spoon”, Elaine Carpenter, vice principal, said. People still use terms like that, except it is usually a comment on an Instagram page instead of said out loud as it would be 30 years ago. Society does still use, hear, or see lots of the same terms, such as the word “phat” which is just like saying something is a “big (something).” There are
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also a lot of terms people do not necessarily think of as slang, like knark. Knark was a term used in the 80s that is similar to the 2019 slang term snitch. It basically means to ‘tell on’ someone, creating a big situation out of something small someone did that may or may not have been wrong, but in the eyes of the person snitching or knarking on someone, their only intention is to get that person in trouble, unless, of course, someone was to accidentally snitch/knark on somebody. That can end in a number of ways. These outcomes could include losing life-long friends who “thought they could trust you” or making a girlfriend, boyfriend, grandma, grandpa, mom, dad or any other loved
feel betrayed and that they cannot trust whoever did the snitching again. The words that are considered slang hold a lot more power than people realize and have a much longer impact than the forseeable future. That just shows how much words mean to people; how much silly slang words mean; how much one little verb means to several generations. Another example is the term “barf me out.” It’s almost the exact same “gag me with a spoon,” but it’s a little more in depth, holding much more meaning. It shows just how much emotion that one person would have. Slang hasn’t changed much in the past 39 years. We still have a lot of the same
terms, or different terms but with the same meanings. Not all teenagers are going to use the slang we have, not everyone will even know all the slang. Just like Mrs. Carpenter knowing the word “tilted”, she knew how to use it and what it meant, although there are several people who do not, several teenagers who have never once heard it. Teens evolve as generations pass, a new class of freshman bring a whole new array of slang, as an old class of seniors take another generation of slang with them. Slang will never “go out of style,” it is always going to be around, but slang is constantly changing and as of now, we have no clue what any of next year’s freshman are going to bring to the teen slang.
OCTOBER 4, 2019 NEWS
Students conduct the Falcon Regiment By: Faith Holliday
The Falcon Regiment is led by three students who were chosen through an intensive audition process. Seniors Whitney Schweiger, Bryan Johnson, and Hector Deleon were selected for these positions and lead the band through conducting and giving individual instruction. The audition to become a drum major proved to be stressful for Schweiger. “The interview part was the most intimidating,” Schweiger said. Jonhson experienced some stress, but the stress proved to be worth it. “It was a little nerve
Hector
wracking, but I was confident,” Jonhson said. Deleon recognizes the stress behind leading an entire band. “Everyone relies on us, so there’s a lot of pressure,” Deleon said. The drama that comes with managing a group of students can be daunting, but it is the drum majors’ jobs to foster good relationships between band members. “Managing how people interact with each other is difficult,” Johnson said. There will always be critics when it comes to leadership, and Schweiger is no stranger to that. “Everyone is always watching you, so you have to
Who inspires you? “My dad. He pushes me to be a better man.” What is the craziest thing that happened in band camp? “A bird landed on a kid’s head and stayed for a solid five minutes.”
watch what you say and do,” Schweiger said. Although the stress can be intense sometimes, the drum majors share a close bond. “The drum majors always do a group hug before performances,” Schweiger said. Band camp, one of the first chances the drum majors got to lead the ensemble, has a reputation for being a week full of chaos. “A bird landed on one of the band member’s head and stayed there for a solid five minutes,” Deleon said. “We duct taped a burrito. It was pretty weird,” Johnson said. One of the challenges fac-
Whitney
Who inspires you? “My lessons teacher Bill Brower. He inspires me to become a better musician.” What is the craziest thing that happened in band camp? “We had to flip the schedule for a day because of the weather.”
ing the band during band camp was the weather. “We had to flip the schedule once because it was raining in the morning. We had to go outside in the afternoon instead, and everyone got sunburns,” Schweiger said. Along with being drum majors, these students also have to deal with the reality that this is their last year of being a part of the Falcon Regiment. “Conducting ‘Hey Baby’ made me think ‘how am I not going to do this next year?’” Schweiger said. The memories associated with band camp are very precious to Deleon. “I’ll miss making connections with everyone,” Deleon said.
Bryan
Who inspires you? “My teachers and music mentors.” What is the craziest thing that happened in band camp? “We duct taped a burrito.”
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FEATURE OCTOBER 4, 2019
How does
Jacob Berezoski
manage all of his running around? Senior Jacob Berezoski continues every day to challenge himself and never give up. This year, Berezoski continues to push himself by participating in cross country, track, two hours of choir, and he is in three different AP classes this year. This is Berezoski’s fourth year running cross country. His favorite high school memory comes from the state cross country meet. According to Berezoski, in his sophomore year the team “placed fifth…the highest placement at state as a team since 2003”. Berezoski’s most rewarding moment of his life also came from cross country which was also his greatest defeat: when in his junior year the team failed to qualify for state. This failure taught him “resilience, humility and to work even harder to achieve my goals.” Outside of school,
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Berezoski used to participate in Boy Scouts, though since getting his eagle scout he has taken a break to focus on being in other activities, one of those is choir. This year, Berezoski is involved in two different choirs, Chorale and Southside. This has been a challenge so far to start the year, but he sees it as very rewarding. “You have to devote a lot of time to it” says Berezoski, but “on the upside it’s an opportunity to meet a lot of new people… and make lots of lasting memories”. Being a senior, Berezoski has seen just about everything while at school. He has multiple pieces of advice for those who might need it about high school. His first piece of advice is to not “get too stressed about anything”. Having multiple AP Classes, Berezoski has seen
his fair share of stress but he always looks for the silver lining amongst all of it. His advice is to “keep your head up and trust in yourself and your own abilities, and you will be successful.” For his senior year, Berezoski looks forward to creating “new and lasting memories” with people he’s known for all four years of high school and even some friends that he has known since elementary school. Berezoski’s future looks bright as he plans to head to KU to study Pre-Med next year. After that he will shift his focus to his biggest goal in life, to live in a huge house on the beach in Hawaii and go surfing every day. Though cross country has been such a big part of his life, Berezoski says he plans “to run recreationally to keep… in shape” after high school.
OCTOBER 4, 2019 FEATURE
How does
Carolyn Wilson
take charge of her senior year? “Set goals, don’t give up, learn from mistakes, try your best and enjoy life,” are the words Carolyn Wilson, senior, lives by. Wilson is involved in 16 activities at school; Robotics, Science Olympiad, Math Team, Scholars’ Bowl, Cross Country, Swim and Dive, Falcon Mentors, I Choose to Live, Bystanders Rising-Up Against Violence Everywhere (BRAVE), Writing Center, Friends of Rachel, Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), National Honors Soicety (NHS), Senior Committee, History Club, and Green Team. She has been participating in Cross Country and Swim since freshmen year. Outside of school she is involved in her church youth group, the science fair, and she works at Red Robin. She is taking four
AP classes her senior year; AP Literature and Compostion, AP Statistics, AP Environmemtal Science and AP Governemnt. She is also taking Genetics and Biotechnology, Anatomy and Physiology, Spanish II, and is a teacher aide for Mrs. Hoffman. “I want to prepare myself for college and I think taking AP classes is a good way to challenge myself and improve,” said Wilson. Most of the AP classes she takes are science based. During her free time, she likes to spend time with her friends. “We make several Target runs, spend hours talking and telling jokes, go all out at football games, jam out to a wide variety of music, play Frisbee and call each other on facetime for hours,” Wilson said. She plans on attending
Wasburn University to major in forensic science. “I want to be working with the KBI or FBI after college,” said Wilson. Wilson’s favorite part of senior year is the “freedom that comes with being senior.” She is a leader for a lot of the clubs she is in like FCA and Robotics. She likes being able to to contribute more decisions and ideas. Her favorite memory from high school is when “I was voted mole queen,” said Wilson, “that whole week was fun as I worked with my friends to look for the golden mole, complete challenges, and make t-shirts.” If she could give the freshmen any advice it would be to “find a club, meet new people, learn new skills, challenge yourself, have fun, and try new things.”
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FEATURE OCTOBER 4, 2019
Former student donates poetry books By: Megan Stoerman Being in the Poetry Out Loud contest is something that many young poets dream about and the schools’ former student Khadija Ceesay a part of. Ceesay was the winner of the state’s Poetry Out Loud competition and progressed on to become a semi-finalist in the national Poetry Out Loud competition in Washington D.C. spring of 2019. Due to her achievements, Ceesay was awarded $500 to purchase poetry materials for the school. When Ceesay and Roth began the process of choosing poetry books to make their new home in the school’s library, they both did some research and gave ideas to the librarian. They were looking for a “mix of old and new [books] to get kids reading,” according to Roth. Some favorites that were
chosen were “The Princess Saves Herself in This One” by Amanda Lovelace and an arrangement of poems by Emily Dickenson. Poetry is one form of expression that many shy away from due to its daunting stigma. Roth feels that
individuals should not focus on overanalyzing poetry and should instead just read it in a stress-free manner because you always “get better by reading the poetry.” All in all, poetry does a great job at “making the or-
dinary the most pivotal moment,” according to Roth. This new edition of poetry books donated to the library by Ceesay - with some help from Roth - can be found in the “New Poetry” section of the school’s library.
New teachers add to school’s ambiance
Elizabeth Franks Wanted to be a Spanish teacher because that’s what she initially tutored in, likes the culture and language, and it relates to the larger part of the world. She particapated in a lot of highschool activities such as XC, track, basketball, choir, speech, dance, band, and math club. JOB POSITION: Spanish Teacher INSPIRATION: Tutoring football players in high school COLLEGE(S)attended:Wartburg College FAMILY: Newly married YEARS OF EDUCATION: 4 years WHY SHE CHOSE OLATHE SOUTH: Familiar wih the school through short and long term subbing FAVORITE PART ABOUT TEACHING: Watching students grow and being apart of it. WHAT SHE WOULD CHANGE ABOUT HER JOB: Time spent with students. Wants to be more involved in seeing what we do inside and outside of class.
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AMY BETH BROWN
JOB POSITION: Librarian FEELINGS FOR OLATHE SOUTH: good students and staff. INTREST OUTSIDE SCHOOL: Likes to travel, reading, obsessing over her dog. GRADUATED FROM: University of Kansas DEGREES: bachelor degree in elementary Education, minors in English and social studies, masters in curriculum and instruction. WORK BEFORE: middle school teacher at Blue valley school district and teacher substitute. FAMILY: husband, daughter at University of Nebraska, son at Kansas University, brother, mother, and father. FAVORITE BOOK: court of thorn and roses.
FEATURE OCTOBER 4, 2019
Past fashion trends returning
By: Emily Selgelid With social media being a major influence on fashion, it’s hard to really pinpoint where certain trends begin and end, because of the literal millions of sources and websites. Despite that, relating them as a whole is surprisingly easy. Currently, the major decadal influence on mainstream fashion is, as sophomore Audrey Swanson says, “80s with a modern twist.” Scrunchies are a current fashion staple, and not always for their assumed purpose. They have multiple uses, from a bracelet to even a relationship status marker – putting it on a boys’ wrist
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is basically saying, “Hey! He’s taken!” A few years ago, scrunchies were the complete opposite. They were wildly out of style and wearing one was looked down upon. In the 80s they were normal, although maybe not as versatile as their modern-day use. Not just scrunchies, but a ton of 80s and 90s styles have been revisited and modernized by fashion forward teens and influencers, such as colorful hair clips, coil wrap bracelets, puka shell necklaces, and fishnet tights. “The change in fashion is kind of a ‘back to the future moment.’ A really good example of this is the cheetah
print trend. That is so retro 80s-90s.” said sophomore Abbie Sorell. What kind of fashion is most likely going to be making a comeback? There are two plausible options: forwards or backwards from 80s/90s. We will either start wearing 70s inspired platform shoes and cropped pants or, even scarier, 00s inspired low-waisted bedazzled jeans. Both Sorell and Swanson agree to the first option, going backwards and revisiting retro styles. 70s styles have already started to pop up with the popular ‘VSCO Girl’ style. Especially with Hydroflask stickers with typical 60s-70s designs, like hippie vans,
peace signs, and 70s-style bubble letter font words. As for clothes, fringed tops and flared pants have made an appearance on Instagram and various fashion magazines. As for the other possibility, returning to 00s trends, seems rather unlikely. The idea of seeing Lizzy McGuire’s red-carpet looks once again are met with disgust by the average person. However, if some trends were to return, they would have a major modern twist to them. “I think we’re going back to the 70s next,” said Sorell,”and before you know it, we’re going to be wearing animal skins like homosapiens.”
OPINION OCTOBER 4, 2019
Local Trump advocate interview
By: Colton Mudloff
compared, the policies of the presidents, often the Everyone has a different argument of unemployment, view on politics; it’s quite a government tax, national hot topic. While some remain debt, and immagration. quiet, others chose to use “Trump has taken their voice. And due to the unemployment down across increase in polarity in the the board, he’s just trying to modern political climate, it is help Americans live a good easier than ever for opinions life,” said Sam. to clash and become an issue. The modern democrats The alias, for purposes of have began moving making the article easier to further leftward, towards a read, assigned to the student socialism-esque view, while is Sam. The modern senior wishes “I think the current porepublicans to remain litical climate is toxic; have skewed anonomous people are busy makonly slightly as his rightward. conservative ing new issues instead Due to views may of solving existing ones.” this shift have negative - “Sam” in political reprecusions. leanings The student, called Sam for for the main two parties, purposes of easier reading, American politics has is a die-hard supporter of become more polarizing and President Donald Trump vitriolic. and praises Trump for many “Currently, the political things he does. climate is really poor. It’s not “People say that [Barack] how it should be. People are Obama was way better than always trying to make new Trump. They’re just ignoring issues and focus on those the facts!” said Sam. new issues instead of solving President Trump and the the old ones,” said Sam. previous president, Obama, When politically aggrare often compared. When essive people know your
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views, it’s not uncommon for them to treat someone differently just because that someone has a differing viewpoint from their own views. “My brother treats me [poorly] because I’m conservative. And one time I got insulted in a parking lot because I had a Trump flag
on my car,” said Sam. Incidents like this border on political supression because of the societal consequences of being politically vocal nowadays. One doesn’t have to be at a rally to be targeted for their views. “I don’t really feel any pressure to speak up or to be quiet. I only talk about politics if it comes up or someone is clearly spreading wrong information,” said Sam. As the 2020 election cycle closes in, things may only get more polarizing. However, this doesn’t disinsentivize Sam from voting Trump on election day. “I really want to see what more he has in store. Even though everyone makes a big deal out of everything he does, he’s doing better than any of the democrats will” said Sam.
OCTOBER 4, 2019
Democrat supports pro-choice By: Aly Gad
Due to the country’s political climate, we are divided in two, officially known as Democrats and Republicans. Senior, Gavin Hoedl falls to the left when it comes to our country’s political parties. “I am a Democrat because Democrats care about people,” said Hoedl. “The Democratic party is fighting to help people feel safer and more represented in the country.” Our current president, Donald Trump, is a Republican who has been in office for approximately two and a half years. “The only thing our current president has done well is he’s gotten more people to pay attention so that someone like him will never be elected again,” said Hoedl. “One of the many things that have gone bad is that he has made a complete embarrassment of the presidency of the United States.” With an election on the way, stakes are high. “I expect a win for the Democrats, but I haven’t had much time to think about the 2020 election because I am focused on getting Alan Marston elected to the Olathe city council in the 2019 municipal election,” The president has a lot to live up to, being one of the key representatives of our country. “What I look for in a president, that our current president does not have, is compassion, competence, and intelligence,” said Hoedl. Often times, the attitude and actions of the president directly relate to the relationship of our citizens as a whole. “I feel like currently the state of citizens in relation
NEWS
to one another is difficult to describe,” said Hoedl. “For some people, they could be hostile towards one another because of the way they look, what they do, or who they love. For others, none of that matters.” Many people feel disconnected from each other during this presidency. “I would describe 2019 America as divided,” said Hodel. “Our country’s reaching one of the most divided times in our nation’s history.” One thing both parties can agree on is their love or hate for politics as a whole. Often times if one conforms with a political party, they don’t mind the idea of politics, or choose to be extremely involved. “I love politics. This is my passion, what I plan to go into. Political parties are inevitable. When you have a country that is so big with so many different ideas there will always be arguments, and there will always be political parties,” said Hoedl. Everyone, if given the opportunity, would run our nation in their own way. “I would let kids out of cages. I would put forth as much effort as I can to reunite families. I would make sure every woman has the right to choose,” said Hoedl. “I would enact a national emergency on the gun control issue. Help pass laws to make sure we have strong background checks, red-flag laws, and to stop guns getting in the hands of domestic abusers.” On a lighter note, “When it comes to our nation, I am proud of the way we can elect officials to represent us,” said Hoedl.
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PHOTO OCTOBER 4, 2019
TOP LEFT Ryan Stueve, junior, plays his trumpet during marching band morning practice to prepare for the field show. PHOTO BY Brianna Calderon TOP Griffen Reed and Anna Hastings, seniors, won Homecoming king and queen, which was announced at the Homecoming football game. PHOTO BY Alek Mackey RIGHT During the school pep assembly senior Kyle Stelting participated in the annual Golden Guys dance. PHOTO BY Jordyn Napier-Johnson
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OCTOBER 4, 2019 PHOTO
ABOVE At one of the school’s soccer games Bryce Daney, senior, cheers on his fellow teammates. PHOTO BY Aja Wong LEFT During a tennis match at the College Boulevard Activity Center sophomore Katelyn Cox serves the ball. PHOTO BY Alek Mackey
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A & E OCTOBER 4, 2019
Old Disney Channel has more classics than now Many teenagers would agree that the Disney Channel shows from the early 2000s were a lot better than the current shows. The shows that are considered “old” were aired on the Disney Channel in the early 2000s. A few shows that are considered “old” would be Kim Possible and Hannah Montana. Shows are considered “new” if they first aired after 2011. The themes that were expressed in the old shows were a lot more meaningful than themes expressed in new shows, if any. This is one of the biggest reasons that the old Disney shows were more popular. Some of the themes that were expressed in the old shows are family, kindness, and growing up. The only themes that are expressed in the new shows are family/unity and also acceptance.
Students share their favorite shows from Disney’s past and present
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The animation and filmography in the new Disney shows is better quality compared to the old shows, mainly because of how technology has improved since the old shows first aired. The Suite Life of Zack and Cody was the favorite of many. The show was about identical teenage twins Zack and Cody Martin, and all of their shenanigans at the Tipton Hotel. Freshman Jack McNiel said, “It’s just nostalgic.” Junior Nina Tasic said, “The characters were fun and interesting.” Junior Jake Zamarippa said, Mr. Moseby was such a dope guy.” Hannah Montana was about teenager Miley Stewart, and her double life as the famous pop star Hannah Montana. Sophomore Abigail Hinrichsen said, “It was funny and I liked Hannah Montana’s music.”
Phineas and Ferb was another popular show. It was about Phineas Flynn and his stepbrother Ferb Fletcher, and their methods of making their summer vacation as much fun as possible. Senior Jared Matejicka said, “All the inventions were weird.” That’s So Raven was liked by many; the characters had great personalities and the show made a lot of people laugh. It was about teenager Raven Baxter and her ability to see glimpses of the future, and how those visions impacted her everyday life. Lizzie McGuire was a very popular show in the very early 2000s. The show was about 13-yearold Lizzie McGuire and her best friends Gordo and Miranda, and how they face the challenges that middle school throws at them.
OCTOBER 4, 2019 A & E
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A&E
OCTOBER 4, 2019
The New Generation of Boybands By: Morgan Montgomery Why Don’t We and PRETTYMUCH are both upcoming boy bands that formed in 2016. They have similarities, but are also very different. Why Don’t We is influenced by Ed Sheeran, Shawn Mendes, Justin Bieber, and Drake. Their songs are geared toward all types of audiences. The members, Jonah Marais, Corbyn Besson, Daniel Seavey, Jack Avery, and Zach Herron, all had musical careers before the band and have released at least one song. Jonah even recorded a whole EP called ‘When The Daylight’s Gone.’ Why Don’t We have released a different song every month of 2019, their latest being ‘What Am I.’ Some of their
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songs are very dance-worthy, for instance, ‘These Girls,’ ‘I Don’t Belong In This Club,’ and ‘Trust Fund Baby.’ Whereas others have a softer melody and are emotiondriven, like ‘8 Letters,’ ‘In Too Deep,’ and ‘Hard.’ Why Don’t We has released five EPs, including a Christmas album, and one album, 8 Letters. They are currently on the 8 Letters World Tour, which is ending in December of 2019. Why Don’t We have a very pop-ish sound. They have a couple songs with a latin influence, like Come to Brazil and Friends. Why Don’t We are like *NSYNC and Backstreet Boys in the sense that their songs have an innocence that PRETTYMUCH and New Kids On The Block don’t have.
PRETTYMUCH- made up of Austin Porter, Nick Mara, Edwin Honoret, Zion Kuwonu, and Brandon Arreaga- writes and produces all of their newer music. They are inspired musically by Michael Jackson and Boyz II Men, they all have different inspiration and the music they make is a mix of many genres. They were created by Simon Cowell and flourished. They just recently ended their FOMO tour. They have released three EPs, their latest being the Phases EP. Many of their songs are bops, like their newest Rock Witchu, and older ones such as Would You Mind, and Jello. They also have songs that speak from the heart, like 4U, Lying, and Temporary Heart. In almost every music video
they have ever produced as a band, there is choreography. They are geared more toward a mature audience. Almost all of their songs are beatdriven, making them sound fun to the ear. They have collaborated with a lot of other people, such as French Montana, Rich the Kid, and Lil’ Tjay. Their sound is almost like a New Kids On The Block, they are not just innocent, mindless songs, they have mature topics and are fun songs. Why Don’t We and PRETTYMUCH both steal the hearts of everyone that hears them and are becoming more popular. Both PRETTYMUCH and Why Don’t We could be the next generation New Kids On The Block, Backstreet Boys or *NSYNC.
OCTOBER 4, 2019
A&E
Ad Astra movie is thrilling yet highly poetic By: Mark Elliott The movie Ad Astra is a thrilling film with a great story. It also has a fatherson conflict in the movie. It grabs the attention of the viewers with the character development and the great picture. Brad Pitt plays as the lead astronaut in the US Space Command Program,
Roy McBride. His dad was also an astronaut, played by Clifford McBride, who went to Neptune and was believed by all to be dead. Contrary to popular belief, Roy believes his father is still alive, and will go to any length to save his dad. Roy is also in charge of making sure earth will survive a looming threat. He
is required to save everyone on his planet and his father, out in the dark corners of space. The actors are casted very well for the characters they were selected to portray. The movie had a very excellent acting and almost always captured the moment. This movie deserves four and a half out of five
stars because it was an outstanding film with a great plot. It is sure to viewers on the edge of their seats and this movie is recommended for anyone interested in mystery or science fiction. Additionally, the special effects were outstanding and was well directed.
Why Marvel’s formula has yet to be duplicated By: Wesley Coats
Marvel movies have been drawing fans to movie theaters across the country for over 11 years. The Cinematic universe is founded on a simple formula that several other studios have tried to replicate but have always failed to duplicate. StickyBunton.com attribute Marvel’s successes to The Marvel formula, “a series of goalpost and necessities [needed] in order to succeed”. The Marvel Formula can be broken down into
individual steps that each movie must meet. The first step is to make the story and the characters real and grounded. The second step was to make it funny. Add some humor and make the story itself have a bit of a lighter side even in the face of adversity. Next, add a villain that is a dark reflection of the hero. This can be seen in Antman and Winter Solider. Lastly add a super powerful item or McGuffin. This can be seen throughout the MCU as the infinity stones. And then
boom! You have a Marvel movie. Many studios have seen this formula and tried to create something that look identically to it. Though none have been able to repeat this formula, DC is the prime example of how to fail at duplicating it. Vocal media has said that the MCU “always feels natural and organic” while the DCEU feels “rushed and forced” when combining characters into movies. The example that many bring up is Batman V. Superman and Captain America Civil war. Batman V. Superman was the second movie in the DCEU while Civil War was the 13 movie in the MCU. Marvel had taken time to flesh out these characters and give you a reason to feel
for these heroes fighting each other. Batman V. Superman was our first introduction to Batman in the DC Universe. We haven’t gotten to connect with these characters or really feel from them fighting each other, the stakes were not there. So, while the DCEU is on a hot streak now with movies like Aquaman and Shazam, the biggest advantage to Marvel is Time. Take your time and flesh out characters, the number one task in developing a cinematic universe. The more time you spend developing these characters and delving into their stories, the better audiences can resonate with them. All of these factors help to contribute to Marvel’s true domination at the box office over its competitors.
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A&E
OCTOBER 4, 2019
blink-182 makes return in ‘Nine’ By: Alex Burbidge
On Sept. 20, blink-182 released their long-awaited ninth studio album, appropriately titled “Nine.” The album marks the band’s first studio release since July 2016, when they released “California” and their second album to feature Matt Skiba, guitarist. The album, put together by Mark Hoppus, bassist, Skiba and Travis Barker, drummer, has a much darker tone than is found in their previous two albums, and is comparable to their selftitled album released 16 years earlier in terms of being exploratory. This is especially prevalent in “I Really Wish I Hated You,” a breakup song about regret and how Mark wished he could get back together with someone but knew he shouldn’t. Initial reaction to the singles were mixed; “Blame it On My Youth” was criticized for being “too
poppy,” being compared to “All the Small Things,” which was made purely for radio play. In response, the trio released “Generational Divide,” which has lyrics that repeat “are we better now?” This song returns to the traditional reliance on guitars and strays away from the synthesizers found in “Blame it On My Youth.” The lead song, “The First Time,” essentially serves as a sequel to their all-time classic “Feeling This” from the untitled album, sharing many musical elements and has the same lyrical content, with Skiba sharing his advice: “The first love, the first high, there ain’t nothing like the first time.” It is a very catchy song and is one that many will find themselves singing along to after the first few listens. “No Heart To Speak Of” is one of the more experimental songs of the
album, while still having the iconic blink-182 guitar riffs and astounding drumming performances that fans have grown accustomed to. Skiba absolutely dominates on vocals and is an effective replacement for Tom Delonge, who left the band five years ago. It is a very powerful song with lyrics that anyone who has suffered heartbreak in a relationship
can relate to. Overall, “Nine” is a masterpiece as far as modern punk rock music goes. With songs that seemingly break boundaries many thought the band would never break, this is as groundbreaking as the untitled album was and can also be compared to “Take Off Your Pants and Jacket” in terms of how purely good it is.
Three songs you’ve never heard By: Grace Price
“12 Rounds”- Bohnes Bohnes, aka Alexander DeLeon, former lead singer of The Cab, started releasing his solo music in 2015, but became more popular in 2018 after the release of his album Act 1. Known for his themes of death-related love and hate songs, this angry ballad about fighting the grim reaper and refusing death is a perfect representation of his music.
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“strangers”- lovelytheband “Bad Side of 25”- Patrick Stump Although he’s most popular for his role This group struck fame after their song in Fall Out Boy, Patrick Stump also re- “broken” topped US charts with its leased a brilliant solo project, Soul Punk, release in 2017. “strangers” from their in 2011, during the band’s hiatus. His album Everything I Could Never Say…, the track “Bad Side of 25” tells the story of same album as “broken’’, tells a story of a harsh Chicago winter, while also criti- two former lovers turning into strangers. cizing the state of mainstream music. Although cliche, their personal rendition proves unique with its recurring somber tones and vivid imagery.
OCTOBER 4, 2019 A&E
Theatre show dazzles audiences By: Megan Stoerman
Standing up in front of others and reciting a monologue or singing is one thing that scares many individuals, but this is exactly what the school’s repertory theatre classes did in the Black Box Theatre Sept 12. The actors and actresses performed in front of parents, friends, and peers; some students even took on the more technical side of the arts by creating a set or a costume. Students really felt as though this show pushed them in ways that they have never been pushed before and really helped them to step outside of the box as actors and actresses. Sarah Tolman, senior, felt as though the show “gave [her] confidence level a boost.” Max Pardo, junior, really felt that the show helped him get “more comfortable with singing and acting.” Picking whatever they wanted to perform was one
layer of the show that really gave students the freedom to truly grow. Both Pardo and Tolman commented that this was their favorite part of the production. Although Tolman did enjoy the show she was really nervous for the “whole dang performance.” Tolman overcame her fears by channeling them into her character because Jamie from “Everybody’s Talking About Jamie” is quite nervous during the song “Wall In My Head,” so it “made sense for [her] to be nervous.” Even though the production ran flawlessly to what met the eye that Sept night, not everything was quite as it seemed. The Black Box Theatre recently got new lights installed and the crew actually finished setting up the queue only 30 minutes before the show started. As the show was going on, Hastings “bumped into the wall and dropped [his] glasses.”
Students preparing for state
By: Emily Selgelid
As performing arts students prepare for the Kansas State competition they have quite a few steps to go through to even get the chance to audition there. First, students wishing to audition are given two songs to play, one fast and one slow, plus, a major scale. These excerpts,
one sight-read and one memorized, are played for judges and their skills are scored accordingly. If given the part, they can move on to playing for state judges. To prepare for state students are practicing more, along with getting additional help from private tutors, their directors, or classmates.
3.4in X 1.54in
Overall, immense growth as seen all throughout the cast of the show and according to Hastings it was “such a celebration.” Senior Rylee Herr performed the “Confrontation” from “Jekyll and Hyde.” In her performance Herr acted
as both Jeckyll and Hyde and had both red and blue lights to help portray the conflict between the characters. In particular Tolman saw Herr flourish during her performance because “she [was] nervous about singing, but then she killed it.”
Students compete in card game By: McKinley Schrader
The Computer Science Academy is holding a tournament where students play the card game Potato Pirates. The tournament will be held in room 205 at a to be determined date. Teacher Timothy Shipley is the organizer of the event, in association with teacher Andrew Meile. “Potato Pirates is a game that requires you to understand basic logic of most programming languages,” Shipley said. “It uses For, While, and If functions and loops to make attacks on other ‘ships’ more effective.” The extensive rules
for Potato Pirates are complicated, but it mainly consists of drawing two cards on each player’s turn, and either preparing or commencing an attack on one or more enemy “ships” with their own. Although there is no set date for the tournament, times of day have been set. “[Students] can come in during falcon 50 or after school to participate, although their whole group for playing must all be present to compete,” Shipley said. For more information on the event, visit Timothy Shipley in room 205.
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OPINION OCTOBER 4, 2019
Best things to do in high school
By: Mandi Marstall
Mayci Armstrong What is a class you are taking that you enjoy? AP English is a class that I enjoy because it applies to life and our future. We are reading more college level books to get us prepared for college. good challenge to prepare us.
Tyler Boutte What are some school related activities that you do outside of school that you enjoy? I enjoy participating in boy scouts. I get to work with others and help them in outdoor activities. The atmosphere of comradery is what I love best.
Abby Carrol Are there any special events that our school has put on that you have liked? I am really looking forward to Buff Puff this year. This is the first year we are doing this and it is a great way to promote the volleyball team. It also lets the boys get involved too.
Kaeden Fellingham What is a club that you enjoy in school? I enjoy being apart of Green team at Olathe South. Green team enables me to help out the environment and make the earth a better place. I also enjoy that it teaches me how to garden.
Julia Shaffer What sporting events at Olathe South do you enjoy and why? I enjoy the football games because I get to be with my friends and it is alot of fun to cheer on the football team. During home games I also get to performe in the field show during halftime
Transition into school proves hard By: Hannah Holliday Most students feel a strong emotion when school starts back up, whether it’s relief or apprehension, but what causes these strong feelings? Students that dread school starting are usually dreading specific things: stress, less sleep, and less free time. During the school year, stress rises immensely because of school work, social obligations, and the difficulty of balancing school and home. Sleep deprivation can increase this stress, and less free time makes sleep deprivation more likely. According to Standford Medicine, “sleep deprivation increases the likelihood teens will suffer a myriad of negative consequences, including an inability to concentrate, poor
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grades, drowsy-driving incidents, anxiety, depression, thoughts of suicide, and even suicide attempts.” While the majority of students dread going back to school, some are excited for the relief school brings. Many people suffer from mental illnesses, myself included, and the structure of school can help alleviate symptoms. For people with depression and anxiety, the lack of time to overthink and wallow in negative emotions is extremely beneficial. For me and many others, summer is the hardest time of the year. There are also many students in abusive households that benefit from going back to school. According to the National Children’s Alliance, nearly 700,000 children are abused in the U.S. annually,
and four out of five abusers are the victim’s own parents. School provides resources for these students and a safe place to be. There are also school programs such as free counseling, free and reduced lunch, and backpack snack programs to help families who don’t receive enough
support financially. While it is important to check on each other during the school year as stress can heighten for the majority of students, it is also important to check on others as summer starts for those that start to isolate themselves and experience other increased symptoms of mental illness.
OCTOBER 4, 2019 OPINION
Laptops are more annoying to use than last year By: McKinley Schrader
Laptops have been given to students this year, much like last year. However, there are some notable differences this time around. These changes are unprecedented and unnecessary. One of the most obvious changes is the change in the internet on the laptops. Students this year have limited access to the internet even when not using the school’s wifi. This highly limits what students can do on their laptops. Senior Teller Clark has had negative experiences with this happening. “Last year, I was working on a project for cybersecurity, but they ended up blocking the website I was using on the school wi-fi,” Clark said.
“I was able to work on it at home, but thanks to the new rules, anyone in a similar situation can’t anymore.” Students are given the laptops to do school work on, but many teachers or classes don’t use them. Senior David Robertson has problems with carrying around something he only uses a few times a week. “I only ever use my laptop for AP class assignments, and even then we don’t use them every day. They’re a hassle to move around, and its most useful purpose [for me] is using it as a paper weight,” Robertson said. Laptops have overall been a negative experience for many of the students using them, and should be changed.
photo by Keilah Ware
Senior, Kianna Skinner, uses her laptop in the library. She used it for homework during Falcon 50.
New Wi-Fi policy negatively affects student body By: Elijah Nichols
With a new year of school beginning, new changes came to the United School District 233’s Wi-Fi policy. According to the district, “student use of technologies, both personally-owned and district-owned, while on district property or at schoolrelated activities is a privilege and afforded for the educational benefit of each student.” The new change in policy upset many students. Senior, Trever Holstein said; “I have not been able to do as much, and I could not do my work” because of the first couple weeks on the new WiFi system. Senior, David Summers said because of the latest Wi-Fi change “the first few weeks of school, I could not connect to it, so I was behind in my school.” If the Wi-Fi affects the
students negatively, so their grades suffer due to its slowness or impracticability of the Wi-Fi, then the district should look into adjusting or going back to how the Wi-Fi was set up last year. Although some students feel that the issue is not with the Wi-Fi but with how the Wi-Fi is being controlled. Junior, Brandyn Anderson said that the Wi-Fi “had not changed much and the guest is just as good, but they should not take it away again” because the loss of Wi-Fi or the hyper control of Wi-Fi is unneeded for high school students. Another student added that “it is dumb because it makes everything difficult” dealing with restrictions to websites and “it just makes everything slow” with all of the limitations added. Senior, Emily Hull added
that the new Wi-Fi is “annoying; I can’t listen to music unless it is downloaded.” All of these problems could be solved if the Wi-Fi was brought back to how it was last year. Last year there were a lot fewer issues due to WiFi restrictions. The district’ response, via the student manual, is that “in accordance with the Children’s Internet Protection Act, Olathe Public Schools educates staff and students regarding appropriate online behavior to assist with ensuring Internet safety. This includes the use of email and Web 2.0 resources. The district has deployed filtering technologies and protection measures to restrict access to inappropriate content such as those that are illegal, harmful, or contain potentially offensive content.” However, are all of the
restrictions needed for high school students? If a student wants to access the internet, then they will. So why does the district have to punish all of the student body? A substitute for the district added; “I haven’t seen many problems in the high school with students on their phones, the middle school is a different story, but when high schoolers are testing or told not to use them they are typically good at following instructions.” High school students do not need to be treated as if they are in elementary school with all of the restrictions and all of the blockage that at times, hinders one’s educational journey. High school students should be allowed to have free access to Wi-Fi without the overly protective policies created by the district administration.
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A & E OCTOBER 4, 2019
Older Music has good old-school charm By: Alex Burbidge
In the music industry, there seems to be an everlasting debate as to whether the music of today or the music of yesterday is superior. The music of the 1950s and 1960s, for example, can be very catchy and usually has much more lyrical meaning compared to that of today and are very complex instead of annoying and repetitive. Take the Beatles for example. Regarded by many to be the greatest band of all time, the quartet of Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr produced some of the greatest songs of all time, including “Hey Jude,” “Let It Be,” and “Something.” They annually released one
to two albums in addition to touring, which is something that is unheard of today. The Beatles had a cultural impact that can still be felt today, whether it be their latest movie or the songs that can be heard on repeat on the radio. Older songs have a more happy, jovial tone to them, demonstrated in “Runaround Sue,” “Life Could be a Dream,” and “Kansas City.” These songs tend to leave one in a happy mood after listening and people often find themselves whistling or singing along to them. This is a refreshing sound after the seemingly pessimistic attitude showcased in newer hip hop and rap music, whose lyrics can be repetitive, or depressing.
Not all songs were upbeat however; music had societal messages as well. “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye is a song about the oppression of African Americans in the 1960s and can be called an anthem of sorts. Ranked the fourth greatest song of all time by Rolling Stone, it was inspired by violence witnessed by Gaye at an anti-war protest in Boston, Mass. Music back in the days before autotune and electronic sounds found their way into the mixing process of music production had much more meaning and purpose than the music of today. Though most people don’t listen to the classic songs of yesterday anymore, it truly is a lost art that is missed.
New Music adds new, youthful flare to genres By: Maddie Black
Some may think old music is better than new music but the music of this generation gives a new sound that no one has heard before. Multiple new artists like to push boundaries and take risks with creating new music. Shawn Mendes is a great example of someone who likes to make unique music. While only being 21, he has released three albums and multiple number one hits like ‘Stitches’ and ‘Treat You Better.’ The former vine star released his newest album, entitled ‘Shawn Mendes’, on May 25, 2018 and by far is his best album. ‘If I Can’t Have You,’ ‘In My Blood,’ ‘Lost In Japan,’ and ‘Nervous’ are some fan
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favorites from the album. My personal favorite is ‘Particular Taste’ because we have never heard anything like it before. He is currently on tour and consists of 106 dates all around the world. Ariana Grande is another great example of someone who likes to push boundaries with music. Within eight months she released two full albums and two singles. The first album, ‘Sweetener,’ was released on August 17, 2018 and second album, ‘thank you, next,’ was released on February 8, 2019. These two albums are by far her two best albums. These albums are very different compared to previous albums like ‘Dangerous Woman’ or ‘My Everything.’ The new set of songs are a very different side of her taste of music. She is currently on
tour and the tour consists of 103 dates. The Jonas Brothers have been around since 2007 and are still producing good music. After their seven years hiatus, they announced their return in 2019. They released a new album called ‘Happiness Begins’ which was released on June 7, 2019. It consists of their two released singles ‘Sucker’ and ‘Cool’ along with 12 new songs. My personal favorite from this album is ‘Used to Be’ and ‘Only Human.’ Most of their new music is something no one has heard before. They are currently on their ‘Happiness Begins’ tour, which consists of 91 dates. Therefore, music now is more unique. A lot of the old music is very repetitive and all sounds the same.
OCTOBER 4, 2019 OPINION
Performing arts ensembles funding at risk By: Elijah Nichols After continuous success for the performing arts, funding for the arts in Olathe has still not improved and are slowly suffering from the tight budget. One problem is how people perceive performing arts. The district often puts more focus on how the athletics are doing and tend to put the performing arts on the back burner. “We aren’t getting enough attention, and the culture of the district and our school makes it that way. Our administration is more focused on the sports then the performing arts events,” said Senior, Whitney Schweiger. Another issue is there is sometimes a lack of administrative support for the performing arts. “The sports
get more attention than the performing arts. The only administrator that came to a lot of events of the performing arts was Mrs. Burch” said senior, Jacob Eagan. If the administration put as much support into the performing arts and they do with athletics more people would be interested in what the department is doing, and more money because of attention would help fund the expensive needs that the directors have. Olathe South has been lucky to not be in extreme debt, but other schools in Kansas cannot say the same. “We are doing OK on budget, but other schools need more. They should balance the budget better amongst the schools,” said Schweiger. If one school in the district
or even state suffers from an imbalance or lack of budget because of money unfairly going to other unnecessary expenses then that alone is enough to raise concern. The reason arts deserve more money is because last year South alone has around 2200 students and of that about 182 of them were in band meaning 1 in 12 students are affected by the lack of budget and that deficiency is directly hinders those students education. Also many studies have shown that those involved on average performing better than their counterparts in the classroom.Although there is some good news, on June 25, the U.S. House approved 167.5 million dollars in funding for the National Education Association budget. This
bill would hopefully allow more money and departmental help for not only the performing arts but for all departments who are suffering from a tight budget. The bill now heads to the Senate to be voted on and hopefully approved to help the drought in finances. Through a federal-state partnership, 40% of NEA grant funding goes to state or regional arts organizations. If the district put more focus on how much the performing arts then the schools would put more emphasis on the performing arts which would lead to students finding more interest in what the performing arts are doing and then the performing arts would benefit from the support of the student body and the income that comes with it.
Favorite places to eat infographic W 7 x H 4.44
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PHOTO OCTOBER 4, 2019
TOP LEFT During one of the school’s pep assemblies Anna Meganck, junior, cheers to uplift the school spirit. PHOTO BY Alek Mackey TOP Jarek Braden, junior, focuses during one of the football games as he gets tips from a coach. PHOTO BY Edsel Quintana Puente RIGHT Max Reves and Sean Williams, seniors, share in their brotherly love at the school’s first soccer game. PHOTO BY Alexis Redin
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OCTOBER 4, 2019 PHOTO
ABOVE Sydney Albers, sophomore, fixes her hair during a volleyball game. PHOTO BY Katie Dickerson LEFT Griffen Reed, senior, helps out with the powderpuff game after school during Homecoming week. PHOTO BY Anna Palacio
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SPORTS OCTOBER 4, 2019
Royals sold to local businessman
By: Alex Burbidge
On Aug. 27, news shattered the realm of Kansas City sports, as reports surfaced that indicated David Glass, Royals owner, was looking to sell the team. The leak was unprecedented, since Glass indicated that he was content with his ownership. However, health issues have forced him to differ his stance, and on Aug. 30, he officially announced that the team was to be sold to John Sherman, businessman, for approximately $1 billion in Nov., as soon as the collective bargaining agreement allows. Sherman will become the third owner in Royals franchise history, following the esteemed Ewing Kauffman, team founder, and Glass. Kauffman brought Major League Baseball back to Kansas City following the relocation of the Athletics to Oakland and was beloved by many around the city. Following his death in 1993, then-Royals Stadium was renamed to Kauffman Stadium. Glass’ health issues are
something that have been completely hidden from the public until now. The sale of the club was something that was an “urgent” priority for the 83-year-old, as he likely did not want the organization in the same state of disarray that plagued the club following Kauffman’s death should he unexpectedly pass away. A businessman from Kansas City, Sherman is a former Royals season ticket holder and owned a suite in Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Chiefs. Though discussions have never started (or at least surfaced), this should ensure that the team stays put when its lease at the Truman Sports Complex expires in 2032. One of the big issues that will undoubtedly lead to a large debate is the team constructing and moving into a new stadium in downtown Kansas City. Though Kauffman Stadium underwent an extensive $230 million renovation just 10 years ago, some cite its location as out of the way and say that the concrete that makes it up is quickly
photo courtesy of the Associated Press
Ned Yost, Royals manager, salutes the Kauffman Stadium crowd as he exits the field after a pitching change. Yost announced his retirement after 10 years at the helm and recieved many ovations in the final days of the season.
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photo courtesy of the Associated Press
David Glass, Royals owner, and Ned Yost, Royals manager, talk before a game. Glass announced on Aug. 30 that he would sell the team to John Sherman, businessman. Glass has been the sole owner of the team since 2000. aging. A new stadium would likely cost upwards of $1 billion and would probably require a slight tax increase to get funds, something that many say is unnecessary for a city the size of Kansas City. Sherman has not indicated which side of the issue he leans towards. One of the big criticisms of Glass’ tenure as owner was his seemingly cheap way of operating the club. Moves such as signing Brandon Moss, designated hitter, and Kris Medlen, pitcher, as well as not trading Ian Kennedy, pitcher, to save approximately $20 million have resulted in fewer wins over the past few seasons. The trade-in was that the organization was able to save over $30 million at the cost of their respectability among the American League standings. With an owner that is presumably willing to spend more money in free agency, signing big names such as Anthony Rendon, Nationals third baseman, or Gerrit Cole, Astros pitcher, to long term contracts for the latter half of the team’s rebuild is not
out of the question. Building around minor league talent such as Brady Singer and Jackson Kowar, pitchers, should be the main focus for new ownership and with the announced retirement of Ned Yost, manager, a youthful manager such as Carlos Beltran, former Royals outfielder, would be a great fit for the open position. Sherman will be forced by Major League Baseball to sell his minority stake in the Cleveland Indians before November to avoid an obvious conflict of interest. Additionally, he currently is the vice chairman of the Indians organization, a title which he will also be forced to relinquish before the deadline per the rules of the current collective bargaining agreement. The sale to Sherman will be a great thing for the Royals organization in the long term; with a rebuild in progress, the last thing the Royals need is an old way of thinking in the front office and a clean house would represent, if nothing else, a new, brighter era for baseball in Kansas City.
OCTOBER 4, 2019 SPORTS
Fantasy pickups can provide success By: Mark Elliott
The 2019-2020 NFL season is shaping up to be a crazy one. Antonio Brown, wide reciever, got cut from the Patriots and is being accused of rape. The Madden cover curse controversy may be broken thanks to Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback. With all of the injuries that have already happened in just the first few weeks of the NFL season, many key picks are already out for the year. However, there are still plenty of viable options for roster fill-ins. Brown was traded to the Oakland Raiders in the offseason. In Oakland, he nearly retired because the NFL would not allow him to wear his regular helmet because it didnt meet their safety specifications. He got frostbite and left training camp early and was fined for missing time. He posted the fine on his Instagram complaining about it, saying the Raiders are “hating.” He got into it with Mike Mayock, general manager, as Brown said racial slurs, threatened to hit him in the face, then punted a football and said “fine me for that.” He requested and was granted his release and later that week the Patriots signed him to a one year, $15 million deal with a $19 million signing bonus. Later that week, Brown was accused of sexual assault. He played in week two against the Miami Dolphins, then was released on Sept. 20. It would be advisable for fantasy owners with Brown on their roster to release him as soon as possible. Mahomes was the 2018 NFL MVP. This year he is on the Madden 20 cover. The
“Madden Cover Curse” is the theory that a player on the cover of the game will not have as good a season as the year prior. Despite this, Mahomes is still the best option for quarterback on everyone’s team and if he is available, he should be picked up immediately. Week two had injuries left and right. Drew Brees, Saints quarterback, tore a ligament in his finger and will be out for six weeks. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers quarterback, had an elbow injury against the Seattle Seahawks and will be out for the rest of the year. Cam Newton, Panthers quarterback, reinjured his ankle and could be out for the season. Trevor Siemen, Jets quarterback, is playing because Sam Darnold, starting quarterback, has mono. Siemien had a bad leg injury after he had thrown the ball. A big fantasy sleeper this year has been Lamar Jackson, Ravens quarterback. He has been putting up big passing and rushing numbers on a weekly basis. However he played the Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals in the first two weeks. Whatever the reason, he has been playing very well and is a good and servicable option for everyone’s team with an open spot at the quarterback spot. Top waiver wire targets include AJ Brown, Titans wide reciever, Dontrelle Inman, Chargers wide reciever, Jordan Howard, Eagles running back, Darrel Williams Chiefs running back, Wayne Gallman, Giants running back, Noah Fant, Broncos tight end, and Tyler Eifert, Bengals tight end.
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SPORTS OCTOBER 4, 2019
Football team sets goals high for 2019 season By: Hunter Daniels
The football team might have a tough year with the loss of senior players. The football team is currently reading a book to learn ownership for their lives, not blaming others and motivation for one’s self. The coaches try to keep the team spirits up by game day, but the coaches can’t do everything at once, they can only hope to get the team to its best before game day. For the football team, there’s not much to worry about. Head coach Craig Lewis stated, “The only worry I have is I want the kids to learn to work hard so that when they grow up and they’re on their own, they can apply the same work ethic that we taught them.” Lewis stated it would be an interesting year. The football team is lacking in seniors, and due to this fact, they have a slight disadvantage. But Lewis is not worried he has prepared for the lack of older students. “Defensively, half our line is sophomores, and juniors in the line,” Lewis said. “We probably have well over two thirds of the team of the team stars are coming back the next year Lewis said. Adam Young is the kicker for the team. He has been
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playing football since he was young and as he continued playing, fell more in love with the game. “I progressed quite a bit in it and it’s just gotten to this point where I’m starting for three years now,” Young said. Weakness is something everyone has; for Young, it is doing the same thing over again it makes it hard for him to keep a strong mental state, but he tries his best to pull through that. “When you get mental, that’s mainly when you start to start to fail, it’s all about keeping, you know, strength in the mind, more than just the body,” Young said. Young has worries like the rest of humanity, but one of his biggest worries is if his team can do their jobs so he can do his, but that does not mean he doesn’t trust his team. “We gotten better for sure. I mean, just week by week, we’re progressing quite a bit, where we started off fairly below average, but I think we’ve worked our way up to a pretty solid team that can make a run in the playoffs,” Young said. The football team is currently off to a 2 and 2 record with wins agianst Shawnee Mission South and Olathe Northwest.
photo by Brianna Calderon
Time for the running shoes By: Skye Pancer Cross Country, also shown as XC, is a team sport that anyone can join. There are no tryouts, as well as no cuts. Although, no one has a promised spot on varsity, throughout the season there are changes made to the teams depending on how runners are doing. Cross Country is a fall sport, it’s season is between mid-August and the end of October. Cross Country also has optional conditioning during the summer, which is highly recommended by the coaches. Most of the meets are 5k’s, which are about 3.1 miles long. Each runner has at least seven meets per season and if you’re placed on varsity you could get up to nine. Cross Country can be seen as an easy sport, but it takes lots of training and conditioning through the season to succeed in it. Go show some Falcon spirit at the next Cross Country meet.
OCTOBER 4, 2019 SPORTS
Boys soccer team has explosive start
By: Emily Gray
The soccer team has started off the season with multiple wins. The boys soccer team’s opening win against Olathe North on Aug. 30 was a dominating performance to help build confidence. “We overcame some adversity in our second game which helped us refocus going into the KaMo tournament. We lost a tough opening round game in penaltry kicks to a very good Blue Valley South West team but we played very well and should continue to gain that we can compete with any team in the state,” said Will Stoskopf, head coach. Will Stoskopf has been coaching for 22 years at South. He was also an assistant coach for four years at St. Thomas Aquinas and for three years at Manhattan High School. “I love the game of
soccer and I love having a team that is competitive in games,” Stoskopf stated. Many players from last year returned. The players are working hard to continue to get better each day by coming to practice ready to work hard on improving. There is also a lot of excitement about the potential of this group of players. “Our fitness this year coming into the season was very good and the players have had high expectations for themselves in what to expect from the season,” Stoskopf said. The team’s next match is on Oct. 8 against Shawnee Mission West at Shawnee Mission Soccer Complex. “We try and discuss charcter and how that is important both on and off the field during their high school playing days but also beyond that as they move forward with their lives,” Stoskopf stated.
Tyler Smith (above) celebrates after scoring a goal against North. Caden Caire (bottom left) juggles a soccer ball away from North player. The team (bottom right) celebrates their victory over North by singing the Alma Mater.
Lady Falcons serve up brand new tennis By Gavin McAferty Olathe South Tennis is run by Mr. Davids, a chemistry teacher and facilitator of the 21st Century Bionengineering program. When asked what his inspiration was to become a tennis coach, Davids said
“Dad was my tennis coach and he instilled my love for the game, he was a big reason why I’m a coach today.” Coach Davids performace in high school was outstanding and he holds two Kansas High School records, most career wins and most wins in a season at Topeka West.
This ended up getting him a scholarship to play at Emporia State. Right now Davids is in the middle of coaching the girl’s tennis team. Overall the girls team is looking promising but also very inexperienced. Incoming freshman, Skylar Gary, is the most anticipated player going into this season. She has worked very hard and shown great things so far.“Younger and less experienced, experience will help them in the future” is what Davids had to say about this year compared to last. Senior, Lleyton Fosha, is a hopeful regional qualifier. “Every year there is an Olathe South tennis camp for
the youth and just this past year he got the most numbers he has ever had. To all the people who are considering playing tennis but won’t commit, Mr. Davids says “Do it, it’s a life long sport, there are only a few sports you can play after high school. There’s a 90+ division for tennis so you can literally play your whole life.” The two best moments for Olathe South under Davids were the girls 2017 season where they persevered and took second in regionals and the boys 2019 season where two doubles teams qualified for regionals. “Future is bright for Olathe South Tennis.”
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chocolate chip peanut butter bars EYRIE KITCHEN directions
ingredients
1/2 cup of butter 1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs 1 (14 ounce) can of sweetened condensed milk 2 cups of semisweet chocolate chips 1 cup of peanut butter chips
Melt butter Pour butter into 13x9 inch pan Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs over butter Pour condensed milk over crumbs Sprinkle chocolate and peanut butter chips over milk mixture and press down firmly Bake for 25-30 minutes
To taste fresh in the days after, try microwaving for 15 seconds!
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The Eyrie Staff
Editor-In-Chief Megan Stoerman
Assistant Editor-In-Chief Alex Burbidge
Copy Editor
Hannah Holliday
Layout & Design Editor Maddie Black
Photo Editor Alek Mackey
Business Manager Faith Holliday
Reporters
Wesley Coats Hunter Daniels Mark Elliott Alyson Gad Emily Gray Gagani Liyanawaduge Mandi Marstall Gavin McAferty Morgan Montgomery Colton Mudloff Elijah Nichols Skye Pancer Grace Price-Brown McKinley Schrader Emily Selgelid Amanda Turvey
Photographers
Brianna Calderon Katie Dickerson Reece Mangiaracina Jordyn Napier-Johnson Anna Palacio Edsel Quintana Puente Alexis Redin Keilah Ware Aja Wong
Adviser
Heather Springer