The Trojan Vol. 50 Issue 4

The

Park Hill High School Geeks Galore Finding a home in the nerdy, the geeky and the weird... pg. 16-17

May 2019

Vol. 50 Issue 4

Letters from the editors 2

by: anna turnbull and madison roberts

Letters from

the Editors

Kansas City.

Dodge a pothole, push your way through Target, dodge another pothole, fight your way to the express lane for 12 items or under, but with 35 items, dodge another pothole and cut off the person in front of you to be the first one on the highway during rush hour.

Are we a city that is focused on our own to-do list? I noticed the whole city is constantly stuck in a large loophole of stress. Two years ago going to the grocery store seemed more like a smiling competition instead of a chore. Now, all you see are blank stares and stressed people walking down the aisles, cramming as many carts into the cereal aisle as possible. Personal space doesn’t matter anymore, looking out for others doesn’t matter anymore, seeing people as people and not obstacles doesn’t matter anymore.

Let’s just stop. The anger, honking cars, dulllooking people-what has happened to us? I watched a man walk past as a pregnant woman dropped all of her purchases from the store, a younger person honking at an elder for going too slow and too many smiles go unreturned.

Once we walk into school, the same changes need to be made. We need to respect each other, love each other and overall be an accepting school.

I know plenty of adults tell us this all the time, but what if we could make a ripple effect that spreads outside of the school?

So I will ask all of you, what have you done today to make someone else happier? We need to step out of our comfort zone to make other people happy. So, Park Hill, how can we make such a change that it affects the entire Northland? I think we can, so let’s start now. Be kind, be accepting, be patient. Let’s have the best summer ever and love our city by beginning with loving the people who live in it.

We can do this. I believe in us.

With love,

Anna Turnbull Pictured on the Cover: Senior Shyanne Moore dresses as her favorite character at a Cosplay convention. Check out the feature story for more information!

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Wow. It’s crazy to say that I am so close to the end of my high school career. To think that we are going to look back on these years with pure nostalgia, that the years we once dreaded will soon become a moment which we share with our children with eyes full of animation and vivacity. But I’ve gone too far in the future, haven’t I? Perhaps I should take us back a step.

I always try to argue that we, class of 2019, are the last to have spent our childhoods without the control of our game consoles or the worry as to whether or not there is wi-fi everywhere and anywhere we go.

I can still remember the days I begged my mother to let me go to Sonic after school. Or the days when we still had to ask our parents to drop us off at Zona Rosa. Or most of all, perhaps, when each of us so strongly yearned to have our first slow dance to Hunter Hayes, “Wanted” in the Congress Middle School lunchroom (cheers to those who did). However, I will admit that as I write this, I sit here red faced in humiliation, though I don’t think I would want to feel any different or change a single thing.

We have spent 12 years of our lives in school and I would like to say I’m a bit wiser than the (still) weird, awkward girl that some of you knew in the 7th grade or perhaps even the 11th grade. To you freshmen, sophomores, juniors and maybe still to you seniors, I would like to share the 18 things I learned in my entire 12 years that I spent in the Park Hill School District.

1. Remember that life is full of constant change. We are mutable human beings, so whatever emotions you are feeling right now, whether happiness or sadness, it’ll pass faster than you think.

2. True beauty stems from kindness. There is no need to make fun of others around you.

3. It’s really not that deep. It’s high school. Do you really need to buy those lululemon shorts just for the label?

4. Don’t grow up too fast. Enjoy being 15 and not having a car. Enjoy being 18 and unable to drink.

Take joy in being just a high-schooler.

5. Don’t fall for him just because he’s older than you.

Just don’t.

6. Know the difference between being in love and being in love with the idea of love. It’s so easy to want a relationship just to have a relationship.

7. Be happy for others accomplishments. Perhaps our most universal flaw is jealousy. It’s okay to be happy for others.

8. The best things to come in life are the ones you are not looking for, so stop looking.

9. You can never be too old to start up a new hobby.

Don’t be caught up in what others think about you.

Continued on page 11.

Staff Adviser: Megan Carnes Co-Editors-In-Chief: Madison Roberts Anna Turnbull Copy Editor: Jesse Berlin Design Editor: Daniel Brinkmeyer Business and Marketing Manager: Tessa Poolman Photo Editors: Haylee Harrell Dana Labart Web Editor: Alex Kalisz Reporters: Ashlynn Baugher Logan Coats Zoie Packard Lauren Meschon Aleece Noble Zoe Cain Be sure to scan the QR Code to the left for our digital issue.

You can use Snapchat, Apple Camera or a QR code reader for more information

WHERE IS THE TROJAN?

A small Trojan head is hidden in the pages of this issue. Be sure to be the first to find it and come to room 350 from 7:15-7:25 a.m.

Actual Size

The Trojan, published six times throughout the regular school year, is the official publication of Park Hill High School and is printed by Osage Graphics in Olathe, KS. Opinions expressed are that of student journalists and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the faculty, administration and the Park Hill School District. The Newspaper is free of charge to all students but it also is available for subscription. The Trojan welcomes letters to the editors. All letters must be signed to be published but may remain anonymous but may remain anonymous if the author chooses. Letters may be no more than 350 words and must be delivered to room 350 ten days prior to publications.

The Trojan staff welcomes comments, questions and opinions. Send comments to publications@ gmail.com.

Vol. 50 Issue 4

contents 3

The Trojan

In THIS ISSUE... feature

sports

16-17 Geeks Galore

12-13 spring sports

Community

14 Ya Dig?

19 in the loop 18 Earth day

Satire

23 In your city

31 “TRUTHWORLD REACH” comic

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Biolife

campus 7 district needs drivers

Human of Park HIll 11 BROOKE MOORE

5 prom 8-9 trobots take on the world

NEWS

15 INTERNATIONAL DAY

20-21 YOUR GUIDE TO THE 2020 ELECTION

31 TECH CORNER

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Vol. 50 Issue 4

by: Madison ROberts

the trojan 4

50

A Celebration of

trojan years

Where to begin?

Fifty years ago, “The Trojan” started as a black and white newspaper. With a larger staff, the paper had a variety of stories regarding the school, sports and community. Now, however, with a staff of 14, The Trojan is a state-recognized, 16-page magazine that distributes quarterly with a regularly updated website. The Trojan hopes to further its publication in ways that accomodate the future of journalism and our readers.

Journalism 50 years ago at Park Hill is not much different than how it is today (minus the flared jeans and peace signs of course). We still strive to share your stories. We still strive to shed truth on the school. And we still strive to remain as the main source of news for our student body.

For our 50th anniversary, we are here to simply say thank you. Thank you for your continuous readership. Thank you for your loyalty, and thank you, perhaps most of all, for being the source of our paper and our stories. Thank you.

A Glimpse of the history of "The Trojan”

1956- Prior to the student-led publication, “The Trojan” and what is currently known as “the Park Hill School District,” the district was known as the “R-5 District School” originally located in Parkville, Mo. with a district publication labeled “R-5 District News”.

1968- “The Trojan” was previously known as, “The Trojan Times.” The publication published twice a month.

1974- “The Trojan Times” switches to “The Trojan”.

2010- “The Trojan” was switched to a colored newsmagazine.

A blast from the past Words of wisdom from a former student

Former student, Bill Ryan, left a note to the students of Park Hill.

Ryan found himself celebrating his 40th graduation reunion with 125 other alumnus to the class of ‘78. In the letter, he left words of advice.

For those struggling: “When you are up - you need to thank those around you and share your good fortune,” he said. “When you are down - you need to ask for assistance and never stop trying to improve the situation. Life, it goes by quickly. Relish every minute.”

For the student body: “I encourage each and every one of you to look forward with 4

great anticipations and marvelous expectations. And I am not talking monetarily. I’m talking about peace and happiness. Love and appreciate yourself first. Understand what that means,” he said. “Learn and know who you are. If it doesn’t agree with you, change it - that’s all - just change it. Love and appreciate those around you next - everyone.”

For all: “Conquer today, look forward to tomorrow. Attend your reunions in the future and open your hearts. We’re only dancing on this earth for a short while.”

To read the full letter, go to the www.phtrojannews.com vol. 50 issue 4

campus 5

by: tessa poolman

Prom

Remember the night forever, Old Sport As spring time rolls around, we all know what it means: grind time! Time to start studying for AP Tests and EOCs. Time for seniors to start getting their final transcripts ready to be sent, and grad parties are being planned. But arguably the most exciting, spring time means prom.

Everyone is fully aware of all the preparation it takes a teenage girl to be ready for the night of nights, from the expensive dress, nails, hair, makeup and shoes. And for the guys, it’s getting the tux all ready and picking out cool socks and ice. But it takes a lot more than just the prom queens and kings looking great to make the night so magical.

Every year, Junior Executive Council plans and throws prom for the juniors and seniors and their guests.

“We had 45 Junior Exec. members come help decorate,” said Junior Exec member Ishika Akula.

The council made sure to give themselves plenty of time to make the hall look stunning in full preparations for

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the attendees.

“We planned on being there from 8-11 p.m., but most members were done by 9 p.m.. Officers left around 9:45,” said Junior Exec President Katie Wood.

Members submit their prom ideas, with a description and then members vote on the theme. Great Gatsby was decided in late January. Then the process of planning out the decor and centerpieces.

“We were voting on prom favors and decorations at almost every meeting since February and meet every week.” Said Wood.

All the hard work definitely paid off.

Prom 2019 was a night to remember with a delicious dinner before.

Mashed and roasted potatoes, chicken piccata, barbeque pork chops and a vegetarian option, and as always. the rolls did not disappoint.

“Senior prom was really fun. I got to go with my friends, and overall, I had a great time,” said senior Rachel Pella.

A moist chocolate cake along side a chocolate topped cheescake circled all the tables for dessert.

Seniors Jayme Roth, Bella Anderson, Alyssa Raulsten and Alex Gentry pose to remeber their night.

Senior Kori Smith celebrates a wonderful night with the smallest Junior Exec member, Julia Tobin.

Vol. 50 Issue 4

design by: anna turnbull, story by: logan coats

campus 6

The history, the appeal and the culture It would be easy to assume Anime Club is a new arrival among clubs, given anime’s recent rise in popularity. In 2017, the anime industry reached a record $19 billion in revenue, so it would only make sense to capitalize off of this upsurge by creating a club around it. But surprisingly, Anime Club was established in 2001.

Back then, anime culture was nothing like it is now. The bulk of the club’s time was spent watching “Dragon Ball Z” and “Sailor Moon,” often through VHS tapes. That has gradually shifted towards internet streaming services, where all kinds of anime can be accessed near-instantly. Club Sponsor Paul Bellman has attributed this development to anime club’s relatively low population; there are currently around 15 members, but in the early days, there were as many as 60.

Senior and Anime Club president Trevor Stammler cites the infamous second semester slump as a factor for the low attendance.

“Especially second semester, people wanna buckle down and get their grades up. Basically every year, we have the lowest attendance in by: dana labart

the second semester,” Stammler said.

Bellman reasons that Anime Club has become somewhat obsolete, as anime is a lot easier to get to as a result of the aforementioned streaming sites. Still, Stammler points out the social bonding experience one can get when watching a high-quality anime with friends. This is why, despite hardships with attendance and membership, anime club pushes forward.

“We’ve been rolling for 18 years. [Anime is] still something students gravitate towards,” Bellman said.

Finally, Anime Club wishes to rid the negative stigma surrounding anime. Because anime is made in Japan, it can be very off-putting to American viewers who are not acclimated to it, but Trevor Stammler believews that breaking past that language barrier is more than worth it.

“It’s not about the language it’s in, or where it comes from, it’s about the emotions you get from it. That’s what we strive for,” said Stammler. campus 6

Right Up Your Alley!

STRIKE! Cheers rang out as the small team of seven finally grasped the line,” said Shore. “The winner of the tournament got to share $1,000 the long-awaited victory. scholarship money and the Top 5 teams got to qualify for the state After nearly four years, the bowling club finally took home a firsttournament in St. Louis at the end of May,” place district trophy. Club Sponsor and Park Hill Educator Elijah Shore Since the team came in 1st place, that means they are eligible to waited in anticipation for his team to pave the path to success. compete in St. Louis.

“Tournament play is very exciting. They are done in what is called “The winner of that tournament gets to be state champions, they the Baker format. Each game, five players bowl. If you bowl the first get a ring and a trophy to commemorate their victory, and more frame, you bowl the 6th. The person who importantly they would split $10,000 goes 2nd bowls the 7th frame, and so on,” scholarship for winning!” said Shore. said Shore.

The intensity that electrifies the bowling The bowling club has been a place alley comes close to that of a Homecoming of comfort and welcoming for many football game. students the past few years.

“Because there is so much on the line, “I started the Bowling Trojans... as there is much more energy and noise, and a club and a way for kids who liked bowling is already a pretty noisy sport,” said bowling to participate. It turns out we Shore. “The teams, parents, and coaches are have several very talented bowlers at more nervous, and many people deal with the school, and we have done better nerves by being loud to mask their true every year. Our first year we finished feelings,” fourteenth at the district tournament, For two seniors, it was their last chance then we finished sixth, then fifth, and at a shot for state. Alex Nelson and Will then this year we won,” said Shore.

Hillman have both bowled with the After arriving at 8:30 a.m., the team team for four years, and have emerged as Pinning the Win: Out of 16 teams, the bowling club took the first place spot began their zone tournament. A “zone” leaders for the younger members. Nelson in the Independence Tournament. The bowling team hopes to practice and improve their record next year. tournament is basically all of the teams in got a scholarship at Baker University that the same district “anyone with an 816 area code” play each other to accumulates to $15,000/year. determine their standings for the day. After that, they move onto the Now, we wait in anticipation. As the date quickly approaches, the position tournament. This is the final round where 1st place plays 2nd, bowling team frantically prepares for their state redemption.

3rd plays 4th, and so on until an overall winner is announced.

“Every single game we were worried that we were going to miss “The atmosphere is extremely intense. All of the tournaments before out on the state tournament. The year before last, we finished a this one are more or less practice tournaments, with nothing really on heartbreaking 6th place, the first loser, if you will, and we do not want the line except for bragging rights. This tournament everything is on that to happen again,” said Shore.

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Vol. 50 Issue 4

by: jesse berlin

A

The District Needs Drivers

ccording to recent estimates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the nation’s unemployment rate is less than four percent, the lowest since the turn of the century. But— as the Park Hill School District and many other school districts across the country have discovered—just because millions of more Americans are working doesn’t mean that all job positions have been filled. This is especially evident with school bus drivers.

This is largely due to the time and effort it takes to become one. In the state of Missouri, a driver must obtain a CDL (Commercial Driver’s License), earn a passenger certification, pass a district-administered and federal background check and go through four weeks of training, an additional 15 hours of behind-the-wheel training and some testing.

Then, once a driver actually starts transporting students, it becomes questionable whether the job is even worth it.

“Bus driving positions are a part-time job, so they’re only guaranteed 4.5 hours a day,” Superintendent Dr. Jeanette Cowherd explains. “…And it’s one of the few occupations and part-time jobs you go to twice a day [what’s called a split-shift job]. You have to come in early in the morning, and then you’ve got to come back in the afternoon.”

Also, because school bus drivers are parttime employees as opposed to

full-time ones, federal law does not guarantee them benefits.

“If you have that CDL license,” Dr. Cowherd asks, “why wouldn’t you want to work for a FedEx or a Metro-Busing or someplace where you can work full-time all day and go to work and then have your day and receive benefits versus a part-time position?”

These hurtles create a shortage, and to compensate, the District, working with the transportation service provider First Student, has had to scramble for substitutes, borrow drivers from other districts and even put people in the driver’s seat who, while certified, were hired to be, for example, a mechanic or a supervisor and now have to work two jobs at the same time. This leaves the District with drivers who aren’t as familiar with the routes and workers who are too busy driving buses to answer calls back at the office.

To make matters worse, the District’s building two new schools and enrollment is continuing to climb. “[The District] currently uses 93 buses a day,” Dr. Cowherd said. “…[N]ext year, we actually will need a minimum of 103. So we haven’t solved the problem. We’ve exacerbated the problem, and it’s unsustainable.”

While exploring ways to attract new drivers, the District has been looking into ideas that

news 7

work around the shortage, and one of them is to implement what Dr. Cowherd describes as a “multi-tier system.”

“By moving to [this system],” Dr. Cowherd says, “we can actually reduce the number of drivers that we need because the drivers aren’t just driving the routes twice. They’re running them three times.”

Dr. Cowherd added that this would benefit the bus driver because they’d be “working longer,” increasing their pay and allowing them to qualify for benefits.

However, to make a system like this possible, the District would have to make some changes, such as changing the school start times, an idea that received substantial backlash shortly after its proposal, much of it directed towards the fact that school would start earlier at the high school level.

Although Dr. Cowherd has said the District is “actually going to look at [the idea] again,” she wants to “come up with more options and plans that are more palatable to our families and community” while trying to fix the problem that “we have to resolve.”

“Honestly, I always appreciate the feedback we get from the families, and I fully understand we’re not perfect,” Dr. Cowherd says. “…[W]e all want to do what’s best, and I think together we can actually do that.”

by: alex kalisz

campus 7

Debating in Dallas Nine Qualify to the National Tournament

E

very March, high schools from across this district meet and compete in a double elimination debate tournament to narrow down the substantial pool of potential qualifiers to a select few. This year, Park Hill is sending nine students to Dallas, Texas to further compete against fellow debaters from across the entire United States.

The nine this year came close to meeting a personal record for Park Hill, with the most students sent to National Qualifiers in a single year, which is currently held by the 2012 class, with 11.

“When you qualify a decent number like we did, then you’re eligible for big national awards,” said Unsell. “They call those the Excellence Awards. Two years ago [2016-2017] we were one of the schools of excellence.”

This ranked the team as one of the top ten in the country for Speech and Debate.

“I always get excited. It’s the culmination of their experience, [so] I think all of our qualifiers have a good chance of doing well,” said Unsell.

Junior Elizabeth Appel is among the list of qualifiers, after her spotless 7-0 run at National Qualifiers. Only the top four advance to 7

Nationals.

“I qualified and everyone else kind of battled it out for the other three remaining spots,” said Appel.

The other three spots each went to girls from Liberty High School, who Appel beat back-to-back-to-back.

“I’m really excited,” said Appel. “I’ve never been to Texas, so this is going to be really fun.”

Things also went well for senior Ethan Simon, who has gone to Nationals for a different event every year since his sophomore year.

“This year I qualified in Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking and Humorous Interpretation,” said Simon, “but I chose Humorous because it’s my favorite.”

For students who didn’t quite qualify this year, the excitement and appreciation for the process is still very much there. Sophomore Julius Briscoe said, “It was very stressful, but I gained so much experience from it.”

The nine debaters who qualified, along with Coaches Unsell and Kyle Howe will battle it out against the best debaters in the country in Dallas, Texas this June 16-21.

Pictured from left to right: Gabe Smith, Sam Cade, Elizabeth Appel, Luke Zahnd and Jay Elder.

LIST OF QUALIFIERS: Sam Cade and Gabe Smith in Policy Debate Jay Elder and Luke Zahnd in Policy Debate Elizabeth Appel in Lincoln Douglas Alex Kalisz in Congressional Debate Ethan Simon in Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking and Humorous Interpretation Sabrina Smith in Dramatic Interpretation

vol. 50 issue 4

by: haylee harrell and jesse berlin

campus 8

Trobots Take INTRODUCTION: For the first time in history, Park Hill’s robotics team, Trobots, competed on the world stage, alongside over 400 teams from nine different countries in the FIRST Championship in Houston, TX. It was a

FIRST Robotics Heartland Regional 2019

FIRST Robotics Heartland Regional 2019

Trobots Place in Iowa Regional 2019

Trobots at Worlds

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OVERVIEW OF SEASON: The journey into the international spot light began in the fall, as Kraviec, assistant coach Jim Ressler and several adult mentors helped prepare the team for a successful season. The solid core of 25 students were divided into multiple sub-teams, each taking on a specific responsibility ranging from mechanical work and programming to fundraising and solidifying sponsors through community outreach.

In October, Trobots had some practice working together in the Cow Town Throwdown, a “pre-season mock competition” held at Lee’s Summit High School that Kraviec said is meant “to get people excited, get people enthused, and hopefully hook those underclassmen into the robotics experience.”

Come January, things kicked into high gear, as Trobots entered—along with thousands of other high school robotics teams across the globe—the FIRST Robotics Competition, orchestrated every year by the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) organization. In the Competition, FIRST gives participating teams six weeks to build a robot that can accomplish a specific set of tasks that varies each year, only providing them with a manual and some basic parts.

“Our kids absolutely bust their butts,” Kraviec said, “working 20+ hours a week both after school and on weekends to get

four-day event filled with conferences, camaraderie and intense games of Jenga Giant. While Trobots’ head coach, Evan Kraviec, said the team “ended up performing kind of middle of the pack,” the overall experience was unbeatable.

this robot designed, built, tested, and programmed during that six week time frame.”

After the six weeks, participating teams begin the FIRST Robotics Competition by competing in district and regional tournaments, putting their robot in three-on-three matches. In this year’s matches, robots had to complete tasks like picking up and placing objects in certain locations on a field and “jumping” off a platform without taking fall damage. Each task completed is worth points, and the teams who score the most are ranked and pick other teams to join their alliance. These alliances compete in playoff rounds, where they battle other alliances to qualify for the final event of the Competition, the FIRST Championship.

Trobots competed in two regional tournaments, one nearby in Olathe, KS and another one up in Cedar Falls, IA. Although the team faced some challenges in the former, they bounced back in the latter, were crowned “Regional Winners” and headed off to Houston in April. While they didn’t make it into the Championship playoffs, Trobots finished their season with a 21-17-2 record and came home with a Creativity Award. This was due to the complexity of their robot, which Kraviec describes as a “triple-jointed arm on a turret” modeled after “something that you might see welding parts [of ] a car together.”

The Trobots team is looking for anyone with an interest in STEM regardless of their technical knowledge. Anyone who has the following skills is welcome.

- web design - fundraising

- photography - public speaking - videography - mechanical - electrical - programming vol. 50 issue 4

campus 9

the trojan

the World

INSIDE LOOK INTO TROBOTS: The FIRST organization and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) closely correlate.

“You want to spread the idea of the importance of STEM...because STEM is the future,” said senior Josh Gabriel, who’s hoping the skills and knowledge he gained while on Trobots will transfer into his dream career as a commercial airline pilot.

The application of STEM to students’ futures is what drew Ressler to the team in the first place.

“For me, the robot’s fantastic, but it’s really that aspect of developing a love of STEM and also the knowledge that goes with it through a program that gives you hands-on practice but also has real-world outcomes,” said Ressler.

Students who go through the FIRST program are more likely to enter into a STEM field. Over 75 percent of FIRST Alumni are in a STEM field as a student or professional.

“I wish I would’ve had an opportunity to really dive into a project that was both exciting, lent itself to the areas of school I liked—math, science, engineering—and had obvious real-world outcomes for me,” said Kraviec. “The idea is that we’re building engineers on this team. That’s what I’m trying to build, engineers or people that are confident and comfortable to find a project and dive into it.”

FIRST scholarships are offered and administered by other providers. The FIRST Scholarship Program lists possible scholarships in STEM fields for students, but does not administer or fund any scholarships themselves. FIRST Scholarship Providers typically only accept applications from high

school seniors. More than 150 scholarships and $80 million are awarded all over the country through the FIRST Scholarship Program.

“There are a lot of First scholarships awarded. Most of our team goes into engineering or some sort of STEM field. We have a lot of kids down at Missouri SMT this year,” said senior Brinna Roberts, a four year Trobot veteran.

Roberts is the Spirit lead for the Trobots team. As Spirit Lead, Roberts is responsible for designing tee-shirts and buttons, along with any other merchandise to help boost moral or funds during the off season. When at competitions, Roberts often leads cheers and offers encouragement to keep spirits high.

On a team that ranges from 25-35 on any given day, there are several sub-team, or groups, that the students work in. In addition to Roberts’ spirit group, the other sub-team roles include PR, mechanical, programming, strategy, fundraising, outreach, CAD and driving. But, two advisors and 25 students does not a team make.

There are about 12 adult mentors who volunteer and help the students.

“I couldn’t even sniff at building the robot we built if I was the only mentor,” said Kraviec. “The adults are helping lead the kids towards that final goal of building that robot.

The kids do all the building but without adults with experience in CAD and programming and mechanical skills, we wouldn’t have got where we did.”

ChowTown 2019 Trobots Group

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Trobots Expirement With Robot Arm

Trobots Work Out Kinks in Robot

Trobots Members Testing Robots

Trobots Members Testing Robots

Vol. 50 Issue 4

Community 10

by: Haylee Harrell

Changing Lives:

What is plasma?

All of us have heard Shawn Mendes’ song, “In My Blood” at least a thousand times on the radio. We’ve all listened as Mendes cries out, “it isn’t in my blood”. But, what exactly is in your blood?

Blood is made up red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and plasma. The liquid part that makes up over 50 percent of your blood is plasma. (see left) Most, but not all, plasma proteins are manufactured in the liver. The most abundant protein is albumin, which form about 60% of all plasma proteins. They contribute to osmotic pressure, help to control water balance and

One Drop of Plasma at a Time

are involved in the transport of substances in blood. Globulins (globular proteins) form 35% of the whole and include antibodies.

4% of the proteins are used for clotting, such as fibrinogen. The remaining less than 1% are just for regulation.

If a person does not have enough of a specific protein, plasma based therapies help to repair and regulate their protein levels. Plasma-based therapies are for people affected by rare diseases and specialized conditions like Hemophilia A and B, Von Willebrand Disease and Antithrombin III Deficiency.

Who it Helps: The plasma donated at places like Biolife are used to treat conditions and people all over the world.

Just one example is Kevin Willis.

Willis is 61, and has lived with Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency for over twenty years. Alpha-1 Antitrypsin is a genetic disease where the liver does not produce enough enough antitrypsin; without it there is a serious risk of lung and liver disease.

“It’s like breathing through a straw, except you get to inhale without the straw but you have to exhale with the straw,” Willis said.

Willis has weekly infusions of prolastin replacement therapy, which is a product of plasma.

Prolastin is an enzyme that helps the body’s immune system distinguish between foreign materials in the body. With low or missing levels of prolastin, the body’s own immune system attacks the body, resulting in Chronic Obstructive Disorder (COPD).

“Having the disease decreases the antitrypsin in my lungs, and having the infusions helps to fill in the missing amount,” said Willis.

Willis has 60 mg of prolaskin per pound of body weight in every infusion. Prolaskin is a product of blood, so donations make his infusions possible.

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Breakdown Of Blood:

How You Can Help: Though the infusions help Willis, they cannot cure him of his Alpha-1. There currently is no cure.

“It isn’t designed to improve things. It doesn’t make it better, it just prevents it from getting worse,” said Willis. “It doesn’t stop the degeneration, it just slows it down. It allows you body to function with the appropriate levels of antirtripston.”

The prolaskin may just be slowing down the inevitable, but for now it’s making Willis’ life livable.

“I remember watching him walk up the stairs.

He was so slow. But, today he’s not as slow, and it’s not as hard, because of the infusions,” said Kathie Stafford, Willis’ sister.

Stafford has been by her brother’s side as he has gone dealt with everything the deficiency entails. Stafford and her husband currently live with Willis, so that he has help if needed.

“Watching him go through that, it was really hard,” Stafford said. “Without the infusions, he wouldn’t be here. So I’m really thankful for the infusions, very thankful.”

Biolife, along with several other organizations, is resource for those in need of plasma-based therapy. Biolife is an institution that pays people to donate plasma; plasma that is later processed into plasma-based therapies.

Donating plasma is similar to donating blood, except it is easier on your body. When you donate plasma, you only donate plasma - not any other component of your blood. The reason you can donate plasma more often than blood is because your red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets get put back into your body.

As long as you stay hydrated, the plasma can replace itself easily.

Typical donations take about an hour. Information on donation requirements and process can be found on the Biolife website.

After donating, you receive a Biolife Debit Card that has your prescribed payment on it. Biolife cards are recognised virtually

everywhere.

Science teacher Eric Botts has donated at Biolife twice a week for the last four months. Botts donates at the Liberty facility.

He was paid $20 for the first donation of the week and $50 for the second.

“Getting paid for it [donating] is a plus,” Botts said. “but it is cool to know that the research is being put towards potentially good things, such as health.”

There are seven Biolife facilities in the Missouri area.

Every Biolife has free, supervised childcare is available for children 6 months to 12 years of age.

If you have any questions about plasma donation, Biolife’s website comes highly recommended.

“The website makes it really easy to follow your progress and to sign up for donations. It’s user-friendly, and you can sign up for a donation time and stuff like that,” said Botts.

Biolife Website: https://www.biolifeplasma.com/us/#/

Biolife Facilities in the Area:

Kansas City - Tiffany Springs Kansas City - Liberty 9500 NE 82nd Terrace 8761 N. Ambassador Drive Kansas City, MO 64158 Kansas City, MO 64154 (816) 216-5551 (816) 883-3396 Vol. 50 Issue 4

by: madison roberts

Letter from the Editor Continued...

letter from the editor 11

10. Walk in humility and grace. There is a dramatic difference between arrogance and confidence.

11. Stop living up to others’ expectations.

12. Read. Read as often as you can. Books are beautiful and intellectually compelling. Here’s a secret: they actually make you think more about the world around you and maybe make you just a bit smarter.

13. I know this sounds crazy, but listen to your teachers. Find one to connect with. They genuinely care so much about us and our wellbeing.

14. Friends come and go, family is always there for you.

15. Sometimes you grow faster than others, even faster than those who you thought would remain at your side through it all. With that, my advice is that it’s okay to outgrow those around you. Just don’t stunt your growth so you can remain comfortable.

16. Listen to your mother. She knows a hell of a lot more than you think (she may have been a teenager once too).

17. Stop comparing yourself to others. We, as human beings, always see the slightest imperfection on ourselves. I’m here to say that no one actually notices that tiny pimple on your forehead or that your nose sticks out just a little too much. As much as we’d like to think people are constantly looking at us, they’re not.

18. Learn more about the people around you. Learn their stories. One thing I most regret from my entire high school career was living off of my assumptions of others. I lived my life in the same group for as long as I can remember, and it truly bothers me that I did not know my class of 2019, all 300 of you.

Cheers to a new chapter…

H.A.G.S.

Madison Roberts by: zoe cain

Brooke Moore The expression, ‘treat people the way you want to be treated’ has been taught from a young age. However, sometimes, people fail to realize its importance. Senior Brooke Moore has had many obstacles throughout her life, however it has not stopped her from excelling every single day.

At two years old, she began her struggle with a disease called Scleroderma. This disease is very rare and includes the tightening and hardening of the connective tissue in her right leg. This can also cause pains in other tissues of the body such as on her back.

“It’s a depigmentation of the skin, It started with a white dot and then spread throughout my whole leg, and then part of my leg didn’t get it so I only have a little fat in one leg. I had to do chemo for 12 weeks, it was the worst feeling of my entire life,” said Moore, “I had to get my blood drawn every single week but only once a year now.”

Over the years the depigmentation on her leg has gone down but through grade school she endured lots of bullying.

“In grade school people would ask me things like, were you in a fire as a kid or your leg looks like a lizard, as I grew older more people would still make fun of me but after hearing my story they would understand and be more open” said Moore.

11

HOPH Megan Carnes, the Publications teacher taught Moore through middle school as well as high school.

“I knew Brooke in 5th grade when I started teaching at Nativity and then I ended up teaching her 6th, 7th, and 8th grade,” said Carnes. “She has always been personable and spunky and fun, however there were always some times she would come to me in tears or upset because she worried about her leg, it wasn’t always people making fun of her but we had uniforms so I think it might have been kind of a constant insecurity.”

Carnes watched Moore live through her stuggle.

“She was active, she was a good writer, she played sports. You wouldn’t have guess she went through things in her life and most people would assume she might be priviledged.

I just like that she has kept her spirit intact and she has a really innate kindness about her” said Carnes.

Moore’s physical struggles sometimes became emotional ones.

“People become more optimistic when you are older and willing to listen, but as a kid the words others said was really hard on me,” said Moore.

There are treatments for this disease but so far it’s incurable, meaning it could last a

campus 11

couple years or a lifetime. Although this may seem like a lot for one girl, Moore has excelled through her high school years and has always tried to be involved.

“For all four years except freshman year I ran cross country the whole season. My sophomore year I ran the first couple meets then needed knee surgery so I was out. Junior year I was sick and Senior year I was out due to back and hip pain from my leg. It was fine when I was little but as I got older I could start to feel it and my knees would lock up. My right leg is shorter than my left so it bothers my hips during sports” said Moore.

“I am so happy I was able to be a part of the cross country team at Park Hill, it really helped me mae new friends and have a place of belonging” said Moore.

vol. 50 issue 4

Trojan

sports 12

by: daniel brinkmeyer and zoie packard

boy’s tennis With a 2019 varsity season record that consists of 12 wins and only two losses, the boy’s tennis team has much to brag about.

Head Coach Rustin Reys and Assistant Coach Tim Kalis helped lead the boys and their successful season with excitement and many smiles.

Only three matches into the season the team matched their record from last year, which consisted of three wins and 13 loses.

In only one season of turn-around, the boys have literally done a 180 on their wins and losses.But how are they preparing for the postseason?

“We have practices from 3-5 p.m., then after that, I normally stay after and either hit on my ball machine or serve and practice with my friends,” said junior Josh Bunten.

The strategies, strokes and steps learned at practice are utilized in a match setting.

“Each time you play an opponent you have to try and think about what worked and didn’t,” said senior Blake Harris, “because we will end up playing a lot of these kids again for team districts and individual districts.”

The team finished off the year with a 13-3 record, completely turning around last year’s record of 3-13.

The boy’s tennis team lost to Park Hill South at districts 5-2. In the individual portion, four players received a medal and Tommy Matthys advanced to sectionals Tuesday, May 14.

Senior Blake Harris serves a winning ball to his competitor.

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girl’s soccer Park Hill Soccer girls are doing. They are working hard in practices and working hard at games. How has the season been?

“It’s been exciting. It’s been weird since the weather we’ve had to cancel some things and cancel games but we’ve had a lot of good performances and have played against some high-level competition,” said Head Coach Brandt Bell.

The girls are still trying to uphold their state title from last year, and there must be a lot of stress to go along with that.

“We are just doing our best to defend our state title and we are trying to set ourselves up for the playoffs,” said Bell.

The girls will have to work hard to try to meet the expectations of last year.

“There is definitely pressure on the team to perform like we did last year but we have done an excellent job staying humble and working towards another state championship,” said sophomore Lauren Pacer.

“There is a lot of pressure when it comes down to the deadline because there’s districts, conferences and state conferences,” said junior Divon Castaneda, “so there is definitely a lot of pressure on us to try and uphold our title from last year.”

The pressure is up, so why don’t we wish the girls luck in making state again this year, and hope they have a great rest of the season.

boy’s golf Much can be said about the mystery behind the golf team. Where do they practice? What do they call their games? Do they ride a bus to get places?

Will Krump, a sophomore who joined the team this year, provide insight into the world of boy’s golf.

To prep for these tournaments and matches, the team practices at Tiffany Greens Golf Club every day after school. “(Coach Dorrell) rents a minivan for the season,” Krump said. “He picks up a couple kids, and everyone else just drives.” This minivan is how the team gets around the entire season.

Just one golfer made it to state with a score only four points away from his lowest ever.

“Sophomore year I shot 72, and I haven’t shot that low since,” said senior Ryan Graves. “Well, maybe this week at state we’ll go lower.”

According to Graves, this season didn’t come without its tribulations. “It got off to a slow start, but we really started to pick it up when it mattered. We’re going to state for the third time, so I can’t complain.”

At state, “the atmosphere is completely different,” said Graves, “it’s a lot more competitive.”

As the competition grows closer, things are shaping up to be excellent for Graves and for the boy’s golf team. vol. 50 issue 4

the trojan

sports 13

track & field senior Manuela “manny” nyemeck

boy’s baseball

In the eyes of senior Manuela “Manny” Nyemeck, track and field is not for everybody.

“It’s the worst thing ever when it comes to practice and running and doing repeats, but once you get to the meets and you see your rank, it’s just the best feeling ever.”

Her fastest 400m run is 57.90, which is just over three seconds away from Park Hill’s record of 54.85 set in 1987. Making incredible times like this isn’t easy though.

In a regular week of track, Mondays and Tuesdays are days of intense workouts.

“Wednesdays are medium,” according to Nyemeck, and Thursdays are dedicated to practicing handoffs, stretching, warmups and taking icebaths. Fridays are the day that trackstars’ hard work from the past five days pays off at meets.

Dedicating two hours of every day to prepare for meets at the end of the week is grueling, but to Nyemeck, “the feeling of winning and beating people is amazing.”

senior Kolby heinerikson

Junior Trent Trammell highfives teammates after a hard fought loss at home against Liberty North High School.

As the end of the school year approaches, and the end of baseball season with it, the boy’s team is quickly moving up the ranks. “[We practice] Monday through Friday, three to five,” said junior Easton John, “and sometimes even Saturdays if we have a big game coming up.”

Head Coach Blane Lewis has led the team towards reaching 2019’s number two spot in the district seed, with a total of 14 wins and 12 losses.

The hard work they’ve put in on and off the field has paid off. On May 9, the team was featured on KCTV5 as “Hy-Vee’s High School Team of the Week.”

Every week, a team from around Kansas City is chosen to be featured.

“We’ve got the right energy and the right amount of talent to go very far,” said Lewis to KCTV5.

The boys are on their way to districts, and believe that they have the potential to make it all the way to state.

Monday, May 13 marks the beginning of districts, and the combination of being team of the week with the players’ neverending determination, the school is excited to see what happens next.

13

No one is as dedicated, perhaps, as senior Kolby Heinerikson. After a

brag-worthy season in 2018, highlighted by breaking a school record in

javelin with 178 feet, senior year track and field wasn’t going to be without pressure.

Though no records have been set by him this year quite yet, “hopefully we’ll do that at the state meet,” Heinerikson said. “We have districts, then sectionals, then state,” all three of which are chances for not just Heinerikson, but the entire track and field team to set records and go head-to-head against the toughest schools in Missouri.

“For high school track, I’m gonna try to go to state in 110m hurdles, 300m hurdles, discus, and javelin,” said Heinerikson.

Not only are those four events the ones he has “the best chance to win in,” they’re also his favorites. However, Heinerikson also does six others. “[Decathletes] do ten events, and you get points depending on how far you throw, how long you jump, how fast you run, and things like that. At the end you add up all your points. It’s broken into two days, five and five events.”

Practice as an athlete is never easy, and adding a list of ten grueling events, each of which you must be on your A-game for, is hard to imagine.

“I do them to win,” Heinerikson said, “and it’s a lot of fun. There’s something for everyone to do. Even if you don’t like running, you can throw, or you can try to jump.

You get really close with other people.”

junior Teresa thomas

Since her first year of high school track and field, junior Teresa

Thomas has been massively successful in the sport. Over the past three years, she’s had nothing but time to master her skills and push herself further towards her goals.

“My whole family did track,” Thomas said. “A lot of [them] believe that I’m like the ‘golden ticket’ for the family.”

Thomas does the 100 meter long jump, and the four by one, two, and four hundred meter relays. Her fastest 100 meter run is 12.15 seconds, which is less than half a second away from Park Hill’s record. Though she still has one more year before she must decide, Thomas already has plans for college.

“I plan on going to school for track,” she said. “That’s my big goal. I just have to find the right school first.”

As the 2019 track season comes to a close, and Thomas continues working towards her big goal, her list of options continues to grow. vol. 50 issue 4

by: tessa poolman

sports 14

Ya Dig? We are...Men’s Volleyball.

“We went 10 and four this season. 10 wins and four losses.

We went to the region championship and won all our games in pool play and came out first in our pool. We lost in the first round of the championship bracket. It was a fantastic season and we look to build on that success next year,” said Bingham.

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Top left: Senior Hayden Wallace tips the ball over the net for only the oppsing team to miss the block.

Top right: The team watches the game closley to pick up on the opponets skills.

Bottom left: Coach brings the team in for a quick prep talk to finish their sets.

Bottom right: Senior Ryan Graves exchanges the ball with sophomore Tolovejen William during a tight game against Oak Park.

High school sports have made a lot of changes over the last year. Men’s volleyball may be on the horizon as another new addition to the available boy sports in high school.

With the recent recognition of girls wrestling to be played at a championship level, boys now have the opportunity to add to their list in the nearr future.

Jefferson Bingham jumped at the opportunity to give more athletes a chance at showing their skills,“What I did to just get it off the ground was pay for it myself,” said Bingham.

Coach Bingham started coaching volleyball 25 years ago out west in Arizona.

“I was a JV boys coach at Tempe High School and then

I was the boys varsity coach at Mesquite High School and Desert Ridge High School and then I also ran a boys volleyball club in Arizona called Arizona Rage.”

The hype for men’s volleyball in high school has swept across the nation.

“What’s going on right now is called club, and so we’re basically playing a club modified season, but they invited about 30 high schools to put teams together,” said Bingham. “They’re hoping that in the next year or two that it’ll expand and that MHSAA will adopt it as a high school sport.”

Men’s volleyball would be added as a spring sport, which would mean competing

for other spring athletes, but Bingham isn’t worried.

“Boys that play football, and boys that play basketball would be available and volleyball will help them with their jumping ability things like that,” said Bingham.

The boys had their first games Wednesday, April 3 against Winnetonka and Bishop Miege. The new club won against Winnetonka in two sets, 25-18 and 25-20, but fell to Miege in the first set 25-22 and 25-16 in the second.

“It was a really fun time and a lot more stressf=ul than I thought it would be,” said senior Payton Stanfield. “We’re competitive, but we still have a fun time. If someone messes up we just laugh it off.” vol. 50 issue 4

by: anna turnbull

International Day: A Deeper Look Into Students’ Cultures

campus 15

“International Day is one of my favorite days of the year for sure. I think it’s important to learn about different cultures, and it’s really interesting to see all of the different practices,” said junior Avery Blakely.

International Day is where students from different backgrounds have the opportunity to showcase their culture often through traditional food, drink or handwriting. It gives attendees the opportunity to learn about people from around the world.

“I like International Day because you get to experience not only yours [culture] but everyone’s from around the world. You get a look into others’ countries that you didn’t know before and get to meet a lot of new people,” said senior Ruth Tsegaye.

Senior Pinaj Elias, representing Pacific Islander, appreciates the importance of the event.

“I am so proud to show off my culture. This [served food] is basically what we grew eating. We are serving from different islands, but we all eat the same kind of thing. It’s really important for everyone to see what we serve compared to other countries,” said Elias.

Sophomore Nabiha Qureshi, a student from Pakistan, enjoys sharing her culture and food.

“We are serving Brianey. It’s rice and chicken and chutney with it. It’s mint and yogurt and a bunch of other spices.

We also doing a yogurt dish, and we are introducing Pakistan culture, our language and some information about it,” said Qureshi.

Junior Andrea Guerrero, representing Mexico, shared a traditional food.

“We have a lot of ethnic stuff like tacos and Mexican drinks, and it is fun to do it because I get to share my culture with everybody,” said Guerrero.

Stephanie Thompson, a teacher and director of International Day, summarized the day with pride.

“Park Hill is fortunate enough to have students from so many different countries and cultures who bring so much richness to our student population, so it’s an opportunity for those students first of all to share who they are and what makes them unique with the rest of the population, but it then enriches the rest of the student body to learn things that they had never learned from people who are experts on their own culture,” said Thompson.

15

Dressing to Impress. “It’s [cultural clothing] a tradition; it represents our country and our religion,” said Taha Sheikh, representing Iran. Many students enjoyed getting dressed from head-to-toe in the traditional clothing.

Trending with tradition. “It [jewlery] shows where you’re from, your heritage, from the beads or how shiny your jewlery is, it shows whether you’re from the east side or the west side, South Sudan, Kenya, it’s all about heritage,” said Ajok Akoi, representing Africa.

Wider than word. “This is Arabic handwriting. The Quran, our holy book, is in these letters, which makes it very important,” said Sama Al Taie, representing the Middle East.

Taie assisted atendees in writing their name in Arabic.

Vol. 50 Issue 4

by: alex kalisz

feature 16

GEEKS GALORE Finding a home in the nerdy, the geeky and the weird.

I

used to be afraid people thought I was a “ nerd, but then I realized that nerds go to college and make more money than the people who bully them,” said junior Sydney Nolte.

Nolte is a member of Math Club, an AP student, and a self-described book nerd.

“Once, someone asked my sister if I had a boyfriend. She said, ‘no, Sydney likes books,’” said Nolte. “It hurt a little, but then I laughed.

It’s great to have a passion for something that I can share with my friends.”

From Revenge of the Nerds to the Big Bang Theory, geeks have been a part of American culture for decades. Some, like Nolte, are passive fans. Others, like senior Shyanne Moore, dedicate a large part of their life to their interests.

Moore loves cosplay. She defines it, as “to dress up as a certain character and maybe act like them and put on a sorta persona of that. I think a lot of people don’t really get it.”

To Moore, cosplay is an escape from reality.

“Cosplay to me is definitely an escape from a normal day-to-day life. It’s like ‘I am not me I am someone else. I am this character.’ I just don’t have to worry about day-to-day stuff. I don’t have to worry about schoolwork, I don’t have to worry about finals. It’s just me in the moment as the character with my friends,” said Moore.

For others, it’s a sense of community.

“I love being with my friends and just dancing,” said senior Evelyn Kirtley.

Kirtley is a member of a cosplay dance group called, ‘Shiny Dreamers’ which performs dances to songs from animes at conventions.

“It all started in first grade when I got into pokemon and stuff and from a young age I showed an interest in Japan and I found out about Japan’s pop culture thing. Then I made some friends and other things that are experienced in it and I got better at the art of cosplay,” said Kirtley.

Her start was similar to Moore’s.

“I was introduced to it by my friend. They were a sophomore when I was a freshman and I first met them at the school’s anime club.

We ended up wearing the same outfit to the meeting so we were wearing the exact same character to the meeting,” said Moore, “and that’s how we became very close friends. I was 16

a really casual cosplayer before then, now I’m like 12 feet in the deep end.”

The theme of community and friendship seems to be the backbone of a number of stereotypically ‘geeky’ activities.

“I think it’s sometimes the kinda weird or lonely kids who get into things like cosplay and anime and video games,” said junior Max Hungate. “It’s a good way to make friends.”

Hungate is the Vice President of Video Game Club.

“When I’m playing online games a lot of times I will join a random squad or something and I’ll be chatting with people online and we play together and it forms a good friendship,” said Hungate. “At the club as well, me getting to hang out with people who are like me is amazing.”

These ‘nerdy’ communities normally spur from a common interest that spirals into friendships and groups. While now may be considered a more progressive time than ever, there is still a stigma for some students.

“I wore my Link costume to school for our halloween party and people were definitely staring at me,” said Hungate. “But I didn’t really care. I think it might bother some people but it doesn’t bother me. It was really fun.”

Junior Adrian Ampon, a self described ‘gamer,’ agrees.

“I’ve definitely been made fun of before,” said Ampon. “Some more ignorant people like to laugh at me and make fun of me but it doesn’t really happen that much anymore.

Those people are just immature.”

Moore, who can regularly be seen in costume at school, doesn’t always feel as confident.

“Even in spirit days I get nervous when I come in costume, especially when my friends don’t do it too. It’s nerve-wracking because it’s like what are people going to think of me? I have to weigh my options,” said Moore.

Even though she feels anxious sometimes, Moore has learned to become more confident in herself through cosplay.

“It’s so nice. It’s like anything that could potentially bothering you it’s just like gone,” said Moore. “The positive reactions are amazing too.”

While Moore has had bad experiences, she’s also had good ones, which she describes

as “amazing.”

“We were coming back home from the Plaza and my friend got a flat tire. We were sitting on the side of the road and we were all in costumes and we had to figure out to get her car to the gas station,” said Moore, “I decided to go up the street to the gas station to see if they had an air pump and as I’m walking I passed this guy trying to pull out of a parking lot and the minute, the exact second he saw me he started cheering in his car. He was like absolutely excited to see me dressed up as this character. It was great!”

While sometimes ‘geeky’ kids can seem weird, many have learned to embrace what some consider ‘weird’ about them.

“I used to be a little ashamed that I’d rather spend my Friday nights curled up with my favorite fantasy novel, but now, I embrace it.

I’ve made so many friends to rave to about my favorite books,” said Nolte.

Moore acknowledges that her ‘nerdy’ passion may be foreign to some.

“It’s okay for people to think that cosplay is weird because I used to think it was weird, but it’s a really freeing feeling to some and I’m not going to lie the feeling of taking off the costume after wearing it for 16 hours at a convention is heavenly. It’s like my soul has left the building. It’s so freeing,” said Moore.

“People think we’re weird or odd. We can be weird, we can be odd, but we’re not like abominations.”

While some may still be stuck in the antiquated notion that being different is bad, many of the students who have embraced their ‘nerdy’ hobbies and passions don’t care.

“I love video games. I’m a geek and I’m not ashamed of it,” said Ampon. “Gamers, rise up!”

Vol. 50 Issue 4

the trojan

feature 17

UNCONVENTIONAL CONVENTTION Senior Shyanne Moore and her friends attend the Anime Milwaukee Convention in Wisconsin.“At Anime Milwaukee, we were dressed up as characters from My Hero Academia,” said Moore. Moore, who has gone to a number of conventions in the past, credits it as one of the largest in the country. “It was my first out of state convention and it was ridiclously huge compared to the other conventions I’ve gone to!” said Moore. “The turnout was about 10,000 people and the center was massive!”

Moore, who has attended Naka-Kon, Planet Comicon, and a number of other conventions, describes Anime Milwaukee as an outlier. “It was amazing. Just the sheer size of it was enough to make you go ‘woah!’” said Moore.

PLAYING THE DAY AWAY! Junior Max Hungate describes the video game club atmosphere as “fun and inviting.” There, Hungate explains, people can suggest any game they’d like to play. “We have all sorts of games every Wednesday. If you love video games, you should pop in,” said Hungate. Hungate has been playing for a large part of his life. “Personally, my favorite game is Halo Reach or any of the Halo games,” said Hungate. “I grew up on it.”

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SPIDERMAN SHYANNE

“My favorite costume is my Spiderman costume that I made from scratch. It’s the pajama suit from Spiderman costume,” said senior Shyanne Moore.

Moore both buys and creates the outfits she wears to cosplay. Her advice to new cosplayers is simple.

“Don’t spend all your money first off. I’m always constantly finding different ways to cheat the system instead of buying super expensive costumes and making it myself,” said Moore. “It’s okay to not be good at it at first.”

Vol. 50 Issue 4

by: Ashlynn Baugher

E A R T H D AY

Community 18

THE PACIFIC OCEAN GARBAGE PATCH

Earth Day is an important holiday that needs a greater awareness due to the declining wellness of our enviroment. It’s a day dedicated to our home that at the moment isn’t doing too well. One dedicated day isn’t going to cure the issues, we need dedicated years. Our ocean is full of plastic that is and will take a toll on our home.

WHAT IS IT? Garbage patches are large areas of litter that the ocean’s current has whirl pooled into one area, forming a patch. The most significant patch is called the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch,” which is located between California and Hawaii. This litter-filled water is about 1.6 million square kilometers, which is about three times the size of France. Most people think this is just garbage resting on the surface of the ocean, but in reality, it’s from the surface down to the ocean floor.

70 percent of marine debris settles to the bottom of the ocean, meaning the amount of garbage seen isn’t nearly as much as there is.

Most people also only imagine garbage like bottles, containers and nets floating in the ocean, but plastic breaks into tiny pieces called microplastics.

Microplastics are tiny pieces that make the water a cloudy, soupy, plastic mess. In one square kilometer, scientists have collected 750,000 bits of microplastics.

That’s 1 square kilometer out of 1.6 million.

THE FIX THE EFFECTS Litter affects ocean wildlife in an enormous way.

Seals get caught in abandoned fishing nets and drown to death. (Also, think about the well-known, six-pack plastic rings that strangle turtles bodies.) Animals eat the litter floating around, thinking it is food. The plastic they ingest fill their tummies and make them feel full, stopping them from eating real food. Many animals have been found washed up dead and full of plastic.

More specifically, according to the New York Times, there was a whale found in the Philippines with 88 pounds of plastic inside it. The plastic in some areas of this 15 foot long whale had become so compact it appeared calcified.

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In 2015, the U.S. recycled 9.1 percent of plastic, according to the EPA’s Facts and Figures Report. This means the rest, 91%, is being added to the Garbage Patch or being piled in dumps on land. One obvious way to help this situation is to simply recycle. Just finished fruity-flavored water? Well, toss it in that famous blue bin instead of the garbage. The microplastics can be tamed down if the use of plastic bags completely ends or at least is regulated. The use of paper and fabric bags can replace the use of plastic.

The big question is how can we clean up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? It will take time to fish out the plastic with nets and give it to recycling companies.

Another idea, which is debatable to be possible or not, is turning the trash into fuel.

It’s called pyrolysis, which is, in simple words, heating the trash up and then the taking the components and processing them into oil. The solution is very complicated because it will take forever to fish out the amount of plastic there is, and the nets will affect marine life. Seals and fish can easily get caught in the nets with the plastic. The focus should be eliminating the use of plastic, so we can stop the growth of garbage patches.

Vol. 50 Issue 4

By: JESSE BERLIN

IN THE LOOP

NEWS 19

WITH JESSE BERLIN

ONLY ONE CAN WIN he race to replace Sly James as Mayor of Kansas City has narrowed down to the two most popular candidates, Jolie Justus and Quinton Lucas, who received the first and second-highest number of votes respectively in the primary election on April 2. The two will go head-to-head in the general election on June 18.

Jolie Justus served two terms in the Missouri State Senate before becoming one of KC’s city council members. She’s also a pro bono attorney working for Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP. If elected, Justus would be Kansas City’s first openly gay mayor.

Quinton Lucas overcame poverty on Kansas City’s East Side to earn a scholarship at the private Barstow School, attended both Washington University and Cornell Law School and became another one of KC’s city council members. He also teaches law at the University of Kansas.

Along with a new mayor, Kansas City’s electorate will also vote for 12 new city council members to replace the current ones, like Justus and Lucas, who’ve been on there since 2015.

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THE LAST LAUGH krainian comedian Volodymyr Zelensky was elected as Ukraine’s next president despite having no prior political experience. Zelensky beat incumbent Petro Poroshenko in a landslide on April 21, securing 73 percent of the vote, and will be sworn into office on May 30.

Zelensky entered the comedy scene as a teenager, competing in a Russian-based competition show called “KVN” that pits comedy troupes around the world against each other. He then founded his own production company Kravat 95 before creating “Servant of the People,” a political satire series available currently on Netflix on which Zelensky stars as the President of Ukraine.

Zelensky announced his candidacy at the end of 2018, rarely sitting down for interviews and utilizing social media to promote his campaign. He didn’t lay out an explicit platform, but he’s been described as a populist who appeals to Ukrainians dissatisfied with the country’s weak economy and political corruption.

Some in the international community question how Zelensky will handle Russia, who annexed the Ukrainian region of Crimea back in 2014, and Ukraine’s eastern-western regional divide. Many in the eastern half of the country are pro-Russian while many in the western half are proWestern and want to join the European Union.

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Photo from UNIAN (Ukrainian Independent Information Agency of News)

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Jolie Justus shb.com

Quinton Lucas law.ku.edu

FEUD FLARES BACK UP he decades-long struggle between Israel and Palestine escalated into violence once again when Palestinian militants fired an estimated 600 rockets from their headquarters in Gaza onto Israeli communities on May 4 and 5, killing at least four people. Israel struck back that same weekend with around 350 targeted attacks against Gaza that killed at least 25 people before both sides agreed to a temporary ceasefire on May 6.

Shortly after Hamas, a Palestinian militant group, took over Gaza in 2007, Israel imposed economic sanctions and a blockade on the territory after Hamas refused to pledge peace. Since then, militants in Gaza, some of whom are tied to Hamas, and the Israeli government have engaged in sporadic rocketfire and airstrikes that countries such as Egypt have tried to stop through repeated ceasefires. These ceasefires push for Israel to gradually ease their blockade and sanctions if both sides agree to stop attacking each other.

But Hamas and many Gaza residents argue that Israel has not eased their blockade and sanctions quickly enough, which have damaged the territory’s economy and led to protests by people living there. It was one of these protests that escalated into the May 4-5 conflict, during which a Gaza resident shot and wounded two Israeli soldiers at the Israel-Gaza border. Israel responded with an airstrike that killed two people, prompting Gaza militants to begin their aforementioned barrage.

The Israel-Hamas conflict is just one part of a much larger, much more complex and ongoing conflict between the two competing states of Israel and Palestine that can be best summarized as a territorial dispute.

Both groups claim the land that is now recognized as Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, the latter two of which make up the de facto Palestine.

The fight to control this territory has extended far past the boundaries of the territory itself, drawing in countries around the world and igniting debates between millions across the globe over which group is the territory’s rightful owner.

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Vol. 50 Issue 4

NEWS 20

BY: JESSE BERLIN and ALEX Kalisz

YOUR GUIDE TO

THE 2020 ELECTION T

he 2020 presidential election is still more than a year away, yet the race has already begun. On the Republican side, the incumbent Donald Trump is running for re-election largely uncontested except for Bill Weld. On the Democratic side, 22 major candidates have announced their campaigns. The ones who’ve done the best in both polling and fundraising will debate each other starting in June before the Iowa caucuses on Feb. 3, 2020.

THE REPUBLICANS

Shealah Craighead ~ White House

DONALD TRUMP

BILL WELD

Experience: President of the United States (2017-)

Experience: Governor of Massachusetts (1991-1997)

Platform: Trump’s signature issues include immigration, stemming from his famous “build the wall” mantra, and trade. The President is an economic protectionist whose “Make America Great Again” rhetoric resonates with voters who feel ostracized by free trade and globalization.

Platform: Weld leans Libertarian and was Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson’s running mate in the 2016 election.

Criticism: Critics of President Trump have criticized his unconventional use of Twitter, financial and business history, attacks on the free press and anti-PC public statements.

Criticisms: While he’s a fiscal conservative, his socially liberal beliefs have alienated him from some of his GOP colleagues.

Wikimedia

HOW TO REGISTER TO VOTE At 17-and-a-half years old, individuals who are Missouri residents and US citizens are able to register to vote. The easiest way to register is when your license is renewed at age 18. However, if you don’t drive or are interested in getting registered before your eighteenth birthday, there are a few options.

1. Go to the office At Park Hill, you can just pop into the office and get registered in only a few minutes.

Remember to bring the last four digits of your social security number and a valid photo ID! 2. Register by mail

You can register by mail by either picking up a form at the Platte County Board of Elections or just at www.sos.mo.gov/elections/goVoteMissouri/register. Send your form to the Board of Elections with the information on the form.

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pixabay.com

Vol. 50 Issue 4

NEWS 21

BY: JESSE BERLIN AND ALEX KALISz 3. Go to the Board of Elections Make your way to the Board of Elections in Platte City and register to vote by delivering the oath. Remember your photo ID!

When registering to vote, be conscious of the voter registration deadline for the election you’re interested in. It can be up to a month before the election, so don’t wait until the last minute!

THE DEMOCRATS

David Lienemann ~ White House

sanders.senate.gov

Wikimedia Commons

harris.senate.gov

BERNIE SANDERS

ELIZABETH WARREN

KAMALA HARRIS

Experience: Vice President of the United States (2009-2017), U.S. Senator from Delaware (1973-2009)

Experience: U.S. Senator from Vermont (2007-), U.S. Representative from Vermont (1991-2007)

Experience: U.S. Senator from Massachusetts (2013-)

Experience: U.S. Senator from California (2017-), Attorney General of California (2011-2017)

Platform: Biden is largely a moderate Democrat and throughout his political career has focused on campaign finance reform, crime prevention, middle class tax relief and free trade.

Platform: Sanders is a selfproclaimed “democratic socialist” who believes in Medicare-forAll, tuition-free college and a $15 per hour minimum wage.

JOE BIDEN

Criticisms: Recently, Biden has received backlash for what some have perceived as being “too handsy” with strangers, particularly women and children.

Criticisms: Some moderate Democrats have been fearful of Sanders since the 2016 election for shifting the party further to the left and thus decreasing the Democrats’ chances of beating Trump. His age is also a concern, as Sanders will be 79 on Election Day 2020.

Platform: Warren is a progressive who advocates for raising taxes on the super wealthy, making public college tuition-free and breaking up Big Tech.

Criticism: Warren came under fire for labeling herself as a Native American on her Harvard Law School.

Platform: Harris is largely a progressive, supporting Medicare-for-All, marijuana legalization and sanctuary cities.

Criticisms: Some progressives have criticized her for being too “tough on crime” while Attorney General of California.

THE OTHER DEMOCRATS Cory Booker Pete Buttigieg Beto O’Rourke Amy Klobuchar Tulsi Gabbard Julian Castro 21

Andrew Yang Tim Ryan Jay Inslee Kirsten Gillibrand Eric Swalwell Marianne Williamson

John Delaney John Hickenlooper Wayne Messam Seth Moulton Mike Gravel Michael Bennet Vol. 50. Issue 4

by: anna turnbull and jesse berlin

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campus 22

Theater Takes Center Stage

tudents and teachers involved with the fall musical “Newsies” and the spring play “Clue: On Stage” lit up in excitement when Park Hill theatre received six Blue Star Award nominations and 19 Cappie Award nominations for the season’s two productions.

The Blue Star Awards “recognize achievement and excellence in musical theatre among Kansas City area high school students,” according to their website. Park Hill’s nominations are all for “Newsies:” Outstanding Actor in a Lead Role – Maddox Bane as Jack Kelly Outstanding Actress in an Ensemble Role – Paige Harberts as Tommy Boy Outstanding Ensemble Outstanding Orchestra Outstanding Lighting Design Outstanding Scenic Design and Construction The winners will be announced at the Blue Star Awards Ceremony on May 23 at Starlight Theatre. The free event starts at 7:30 p.m. and is open to the public, but attendees should RSVP at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/C5VWLWR. “I’m just so proud of our whole entire cast,” said Bane, who, as

a Lead Actor nominee, will be performing a musical medley with the other Lead Actor and Lead Actress nominees at the ceremony.

“I want to thank all the directors, Mrs. Sandau, Dr. C, Mrs. H— everyone who just has helped make this production amazing.”

The Cappie Awards are presented by the Cappies organization, which, according to their website, “trains high school theatre and journalism students” to be student critics and write reviews on other high school productions. Then, “at the end of the year,” the student critics get together and “decide who among their peer performers and technicians should be recognized for awards.” Park Hill’s nominations are for both “Newsies” and “Clue: On Stage:” The winners will be announced at the Kansas City Cappies Gala on May 25 at Oak Grove High School.

The event is $10 in advance, $15 at the door and starts at 6:30 p.m. For more information, visit https://www. showtix4u.com/events/kccappies.

“I think that all the nominations are exciting and well-deserved,” said “Newsies” and “Clue: On Stage” director Jennifer Jarman Sandau, “and I’m very happy and proud of our students.

by: alex kalisz

media 22

Tik Toking

Park Hill Students Join a Rising Social Media Site

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ik Tok is a social media app that launched in China in 2016. It allowed users to lip-sync to songs and funny videos. It quickly found popularity among young people there. Recently, Tik Tok has begun to mix content similar to the comedy videos from vine and the lip-synching app, Musical.ly, which it merged with in 2017.

“Tik Tok is one of the most shameful things the world has created and the human race should be ashamed,” said sophomore Marie Evans.

Evans believes the lip synching on the app is similar to a “cancer” and she finds it “cringeworthy.” Shockingly, the users agree.

“Tik Tok is an app filled with cringey creators, and the funny people who make fun of the cringey people,” said junior Jonah Boyd, a Tik Tok creator himself.

Jonah’s breed of Tik Tok is closer to the comedic videos vine than the lip-synching of Musical.ly.

“I make comedic Tik Toks,” said Boyd. “It’s a platform that offers loads of creativity, and is very easy to just sit down and watch tons of videos on it.”

Junior Azalea Calderon started because of the cringe.

“I started Tik Tik because I’d watch them all the time on Instagram and really enjoyed the humorous and ironic side to it rather than its more original purpose of lip synching to look cute. I don’t know anyone who does that,” said Calderon.

Boyd and Calderon’s friends have seen the impact Tik Tok has had on them.

“Jonah’s become all about the memes, but he’s always been that way,” said junior Emily Godley, Boyd’s girlfriend.

Not every student agrees with Evan’s depicition of Tik Tok. 22

“It’s a shame that people are shamed for using Tik Tok. It seems like a good way to express yourself and it seems like a Vine 2.0,” said sophomore Julius Briscoe.

Scan the QR code to download the app!

vol. 50 issue 4

By: aleece noble

In your City

community 23

Why buy local?

Buying local helps to keep your money in your community! According to Local First, $68 for every $100 stays in the community when spent at a local business. Whereas when spending money at a non-local business, like a chain or corporation, only $43 stays in your community.

Headrush Roasters @headrushroasters

Headrush Roasters is a local coffee shop located in two locations: The Village at Briarcliff and North Oak & 72nd. Headrush is owned by Nancy and Eric Schneider, who devote their life to making authentic coffee and tea. At Headrush, they pride themselves on having the most organic teas from all over the world and fresh coffee made with in-house ground coffee beans. At Headrush, the choices are endless; there are over 60 organic teas, countless different types of blends, and to top it off, they have homemade bakery goodies to add on the side. My favorite drink at Headrush is the ‘honey rush,” containing a double shot of espresso, milk and honey, topped with vanilla bean. This latte has a rich and creamy taste with a hint of sweetness from all natural honey. Aside from their delicious drinks, the staff is very friendly and inviting.

The Headrush staff pride themselves on staying local and keeping close relationships with the community. The atmosphere is refreshing and the perfect hangout location to meet up with friends.With local artists’ paintings hanging up on the walls, the KC native feel is real. The breathtaking view from the outside patio overlooking the downtown Kansas City skyline is the cherry on top.

Popculture KC

@popculturekc ___________________________ Popculture KC is a local gourmet popcorn shop located off of 64th street by Nick and Jake’s in the Parkville shopping center. This family owned and operated shop handcrafts over 60 flavors of gourmet popcorn in store. Popculture popcorn seeds contain 100% non-GMO and organic ingredients, grown in the Midwest.

Popculture’s location is perfect for their Parkville customers. Whether you’re shopping around the Parkville area or stopping by the Mid-Continent Library right across the street, you can head on over to Popculture KC to tame your sweet tooth with their 20 flavors of ice cream or get a POP of flavor with their cheddar popcorn! Popculture KC really executes the whole “local” feeling right as you walk in the door. The small but cozy venue is very inviting with popcorn on the right wall and a case of ice cream to the left. I was indecisive with which flavor to try, so I settled with the white cheddar. It was by far the best popcorn I have had. Nothing like packaged popcorn! I was pretty impressed with their local friendliness and delicious gourmet treats. If you’re a popcorn connoisseur I highly advise you to stop by Popculture KC! Photo from www.poculturekc.com

Boutique Collective

@boutiquecollectivekc _____________________________ Boutique Collective is unlike any boutique I’ve shopped at. Their wide variety of styles ensure that anyone and everyone can find something for their unique personality. This KC based shop is a small local boutique located in The Village at Briarcliff. This cute shop consists of stylish workout clothes, grungy and edgy vibes and even fun sundresses you can throw on when going to brunch on Sunday morning. The best thing about Boutique Collective is the fact they are Kansas City made. They even carry creative KC apparel such as keychains, shirts and mugs.

Boutique Collective is more unique than other boutiques such as Runway Seven because they have clothes for all personalities at a very reasonable price! I highly recommend shopping at Boutique Collective if you like to rock many different styles and want to stay trendy this winter. Whether you’re forte is chic, grungy, casual, street or even athletic you are guaranteed to find something you’ll love!

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vol. 50 issue 4

By: anna turnbull

Baby us megan carnes

2018-2019

The look on my face is exactly how I felt most days during 2nd block as we navigated a year of change and growth. Yes, often times it was painful, confusing and exhausting, but we survived. We survived because all of you stayed in the game, and many, picked up the slack when we needed it most. Thank you for holding on, for trusting me and for giving a voice to our school community. A huge shout out to my EICs, Madison and Anna, for having the courage to make changes and their perseverance in the face of adversity. I am confident that this past year has, once again, set the foundation for even greater change and more opportunities to shed light on all the wonderful people and activities that make up Park Hill High School.

madison roberts anna turnbull Words cannot describe how thankful and blessed I feel to have been part of the Trojan Newspaper, let alone the editor-in-chief alongside Anna. For once, I must say, I am at lost for words.

First, and foremost, I would like to thank all the readers who decided to give us a chance. Second, I would like to thank Anna for all the long, stressful nights we have spent in room 350 together. Lastly, I must thank Miss Carnes for not only being an incredible teacher, but being one of the few faces at Park Hill that I can come to and vent about all the ridiculous problems I seem to always have.

I wouldn’t want to trade all the tears, missed deadlines and miscommunication for the world.

the trojan 24

As I think back to all of the amazing memories from this year, all I can say is thank you. Thank you to my newspaper staff, the administration, the amazing teachers and staff, and especially my adviser, Miss Carnes. The amount of support that flows through the journalism department is endless. And finally, thank you to YOU. The readers that read this newspaper will forever hold a special place in my heart. Thank you for supporting us young journalists through all of our learning curves and journeys, you are the best. I will see you next year for the 51st edition of The Trojan! Have an amazing summer and be the best people you can be.

alex kalisz This year was my first time in an editor position. In a crazy turn of events spurred by 2 a.m. emails and a lot of patience from the people around me, we managed to make our now award-winning website.

I thought my body could not handle a gallon of coffee a day and that I’d reached my max. That’s wrong. I now desire coffee from an IV at all times. The neverending stress and and caffeine addiction are definitely worth it though. Here’s to all the staffers, but especially to the editors, Jesse, Anna and Maddie, who have helped a great publication come to life.

Daniel Brinkmeyer haylee harrell Tessa poolman As a first-year staffer, but a lifelong writI have to be honest, the first time I My first year on newspaper was nothing

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short of a good time. It has taught me skills that have bettered my writing skills, but also my communication skills.

Working alongside a staff with so many different, beautiful personalities has taught me patience and how to find good in everyone. So a giant thanks to the student body for allowing me to represent you and this wonderful school we all get to be apart of. Enjoy the time while it last. And dudes are dogs.

ing-obsessed fiend, The Trojan has been the wrote an article that was published in most perfect outlet to let out all my random the paper, I was terrified. It’s such a bursts of energy and motivation out. The staff strange feeling knowing your work is is the most amaze staff ever. Always underout there for so many people to read, standing and motivating and always with good but it’s taught me so many amazing intentions. Not every story has been easy, but lessons. I have really enjoyed my first the mini family I’ve found and the supportyear on the staff. I make new memories ive people I’ve fallen in love with have made everyday working with the newspaper every second worth it. To many more sleepless staff, there are so many different nights finalizing spreads, giggles, and as many personalities and styles. I can’t wait to food day celebrations as humanly possible <3. see what next year brings! vol. 50 issue 4

the trojan 25

By: anna turnbull

dana labart

This year was my first year as a staff member on The Trojan. I gotta be honest, it was tough. My first issue was a little rocky, but seriously.

What journalist isn’t always stressed out? As a staff member, I grew very close with the other members, and being a photo editor was a lot of fun.

Photography and writing have always been passions of mine and I’m so thankful to this publication for letting me have this newspaper as an outlet for that. This small staff (and yes, it was VERY small) have greatly impacted my life and made me a lot better. And most of all, thank you to all of you. The people who read this.

aleece noble

This year was my first year in newspaper and let’s just say I am so glad I got to be an part of this group of amazing people. This semester I’ve learned so much about myself and my passion for writing. I have found a new love for journalism and I’m so happy I got the opportunity to do it alongside my closest friends. Thank you Miss. Carnes for teaching me so much about life, boys, and self love. I will definitely miss my peers and The Trojan. HAGS :)

logan coats 25

Ashlynn Baugher Jesse berlin Newspaper has been an interesting experience I’d have to say. There has been a lot of struggles but along with those there have been accomplishments.

Designing has been a breezy blast but my struggle was writing. I’m not a smooth writer like the rest of these folks in newspaper. With their critiques and suggestions, I feel like I have improved in many ways. I can now take my newly learned skills from this class and fly away like a little birdy. I’ll be off to the real world and let’s hope I don’t fly into a freshly windexed window.

Thank you to all of my fellow birdies and fair well!

zoie packard

I’ve only been on this newspaper for a year, but I’m going to miss it a lot.

While things weren’t always pleasant, especially when deadlines loomed over me, this experience is one I wouldn’t trade for the world. My fellow reporters are awesome, Maddie and Anna are great and Ms. Carnes has helped me learn and grow so much as both a person and an aspiring journalist.

I’m eternally grateful to have had the opportunity to write for The Trojan and wish everyone on the staff a bright, fulfilling future.

zoe cain

At first, I only joined the newspaper so I could have another class with Carnes because who doesn’t love her!

Through this class, I realized that I’m definitely not the strongest writer, BUT this class made me a stronger writer and I actually use commas now! I made a lot of new friends and this is a second family to me now!

I am Zoe Cain and I am a Senior. Next year I will be attending Maple Woods and study fashion and business. Over the past 4 years I have grown into my true self and found some amazing friends. I am happy that high school helped me with that but thank the stars it’s over. Don’t take the friday night football games and prom pictures for granted because I promise the memories you can make in high school won’t be all bad.

My first and last year on newspaper staff was one of confusion, procrastination, and triumph.

I managed to gain the accolade of best (and only) comic strip in the entire school, which I plan on maintaining even after my retirement. The support for my bizarre, twisted MS Paint hellspawn cartoon has been quite astounding, though I wonder if that’s simply because I used a mousepad (of all things) to draw them. That could be a dictionary example for tedium, but doing the comics never felt like a chore. Thanks to my full creative control, I could really get that hyperfocus and lose track of time while working on them. The same couldn’t be said for my beat coverage. Anyhow, I would like to thank the rest of the staff for supporting and accepting my contributions. I will continue to draw my comics until I graduate, even if I find myself on the other side of the world. vol. 50 issue 4

By: Madison Roberts

senior map 26

2019 Senior Map

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vol. 50 issue 4

By: Madison Roberts

senior map 27

Across the Nation Arizona

Grand Canyon University Emma Ball Emily Archer Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Murad Rahimov

Arkansas

University of ArkansasFayetteville Madison Roberts John Moran Maggie Redinger Allison Stubbs

Colorado

University of Colorado- Boulder Damon Borrayo University of Denver Corin Turner

Florida

University of St. Petersburg Gabriella Stringfellow

Illinois

Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville Sarah Hibbler Wheaton College Soonmin Kwon

Iowa

University of Northern Iowa Dylan Klann Central College Rachel Pella Northwestern College Carter Goslee Cole Gonier Jawan Grant Donovan Bustamante Payton Stanfield Mark Grant 27

Kansas

Kansas City, Kansas Community College Zayne Morrow University of Kansas Bridget Gerstner Caitlyn Crosby Josie Heckman Ethan Simon Fatima Haesemeyer Kori Smith Felicity (Skylar) Jones Gia Ngo Alexa Lashbrook Natalie ProcopioRoss Tristan Hardy Kansas State University Alexis Coleman Marta Richenburg Joshua Gabriel Witchita State University William Stevens Baker University Madison Buzard Ryan Graves Alex Nelson Dodge City Community College Joseph Daneff Emporia State University Mackenzie Sacuvich Pittsburg State University Kalynn Marrs Sterling College Joey Keeth Fort Hays University Katie Modlin University of St. Mary Morgan Young

University of Minnesota Devon Winston

Nebraska

University of Nebraska- Lincoln Madison Bechtel Davie Voelker Zach Howard Pierce Saylock Evan Ericksen Kolby Heinerikson Collin Streu Casey Lasaster Evan Ericksen Creighton University Honor Foutch Nic Zeil

Nevada

University of Nevada at Las Vegas Cassidy Wagner

Army

Haley Tenney Dorian Allen

Army-National Guard Garrett Bone

National Guard Brandon Flores Andrew Samuel

Navy

Graison Karbowski

Trade and Technical School Paul Mitchell The School Aubrey Runyan

New York

Stony Brook University Eunseo Jung

Oregon

Reed College Cooper Sturm

South Dakota

Augustana University Haden Wallace

West Virginia Stony Brook University Eunseo Jung

International: University of Toronto Nick Soulikias

Minnesota

University of Minnesota State at Mankado Ashtin Gravely

vol. 50 issue 4

the trojan 28

by: Madison Roberts

Show-Me Seniors Central Methodist University Hannah Redding

Crowder College Chandler Ashby

Drury University

Sabrina Lane

Kansas City Art Institute

Maryville University Corey Bradford

Missouri Science and Technology

Margaret Boecker Christopher Burke Lucas Chevalier Trevor Stammler Ariana Truby

Sophia Martin Isabella Torri Ashlyn Hanson

Missouri Southern State University

MaRya Smith

Missouri State University

Lindenwood University

Maple Woods Community College Business and Technology Brayden Wenta

MCC

Isabella Hermanson Ashlynn Baugher Brooke Moore Madison Auten Zoe Cain Andrew Samuel Charlie Jobe Rikki Greere Aaron Schank Zach Palmer Ruth Tsegaye Alexandra Roberts Lila Squire Max Pitts McGuire Woollen Lauren Meschon Mia Ashley Vanessa Beqiraj Lamia Mitchell Jaeden Shilko Leia Fonseca Abdirihman Akil Jaren Anderson William Atkinson Christian Burr Luis Reyes Tapia Joseph Serrone Sophia Romsland Tuhina Janssens Raeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Nesha Keaton Samuel Taylor

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Kansas Dreps

Aleece Noble Tessa Poolman Kamryn Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Dell Allison Deeter Lilyann Graham Samuel Cade Manuela Nyemeck Preslee Crowl Jeremy Kasper Remington Beasley Angelina Gonzales Madison Clayburn Emma Roberts Trey Safford Griffin Koski Isaac Martin

Northwest Missouri State University

Kaz Brandt Sabrina Smith Ryan Pappert Cameron Woodward Tori Hipper Kade Palguta Miles Pitts Teng Akoi Caleb Dantzler Tanner Edwards Miles Pitts Aaron Simpson Matthew Falbo Zachary Linard

Park University Lindsey Kobe Hope Berry

Cameron Knight Patrick Lee Isabelle Wahlert Jake Cobb Taylor Moore

Penn Valley

Mohanie Cheek

St. Louis University

Savannah Castleman Lauren Steckleberg

Rockhurst University Ryan Kiser Mac Cross Connor Jones Mireira Valles

State Technical College of Missouri Max Sweetwood

Truman State University Gabriel Smith Abbey Brooks Deegan Rodriguez Brooklyn Pierce Ashlyn Hanson Abigail Bidwell Jackson Austin Amelia Pelaez Katelyn Robey Moriah Thompson Mason Huddleston Irma Bienaime Maya Krump

University of Central Missouri

Josie Phillips Garrett Raynor Hayden Bone Shalleica Bowen Taylor Frerking Evelyn Kirtley

University of MissouriKansas City

Johnna Arnold Zach Palmer Zavier Jones Juliet Kim Caytie Connor Meghan Chen Muskan Rawoot

University of Missouri Isis Irving Landyn Powell Davis Suppes Dakota Bullin Julian Rickman Jesse Berlin Savannah Gay Alex Stevens Joseph Anders Brandon Vorngsam Quinton Albright Karsyn Chambers Stefan Derra Ellie Neprud Bailey Frerking Blake Harris Carter Bates Jasmine Brown Parker Canfield Eric Connelly Samuel Duesterhaus Tyler Koch Bere Fuentes Brandon Vorngsam Delanie Whitman

University of MissouriSt. Louis Abigail Culp

Washington University Hirad Hirad

Westminster College

Shannon Kauffman

William Jewell Emily King

Riley Brady Meghan Chen Leana Chen Zoe Strohm Anisa Mukhtar

vol. 50 issue 4

the trojan 29

By: anna turnbull

How well do you know

the trojan staff?

1. Which two staff members did Karate for seven years and is a second degree black belt?

A. Anna and Dana

B. Jesse and Anna

C. Haylee and Aleece

D. Miss Carnes and Logan 2. Who’s one rep bench max is 120?

A. Madison Roberts

B. Aleece Noble

C. Haylee Harrell

D. Miss Carnes 3. What is Logan’s favorite Radiohead album?

A. The Bends

B. OK Computer

C. Kid A

D. In Rainbows 4. What is Daniel’s favorite drink?

A. Hot Chocolate never with mint, but with marshmallows

B. Diet Coke

C. Iced Macchiato

D. A nice glass of non-alcoholic champagne 5. Who’s Tessa’s favorite artist?

A. Taylor Swift

B. Tim McGraw

C. Mac Miller

D. Madonna

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6. Which song does Jesse listen to the most?

A. “Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor” by Seregi Rachmanioff

B. “Texas Flood” by Stevie Ray Vaughn

C. “Cell Block Tango” from the musical “Chicago”

D. “Smack That” by Akon ft.

Eminem 7. What is Haylee’s favorite store?

A. Francesca’s

B. Forever 21

C. Barnes and Noble

D. American Eagle 8. What five pets does Anna have?

A. ferret, dog, 2 cats, bird

B. chamaeleon, dog, cat, bird, ferret

C. Bunny, 2 dogs, cat, hamster

D. Dog, 2 cats, lizard, hamster

Answers: 1. A, 2. D, 3. D, 4. C, 5. C, 6. D, 7. C, 8. D vol. 50 issue 4

by: haylee harrell

Park Hill School District Art Show Winners

Junior Olivia Von Behren Sophomore Jenn Claytor Freshman Terra Matters

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Senior Madison Austen

Featured PhotoJournalism P h o t o g r a p h e r : Ella Sedlock

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vol. 50 issue 4

corner design by: anna turnbull

tech

The Big Question:

Are we getting new laptops?

Fall Semester 2019 high schools are getting new laptops!

campus 31

tech jokes:

See answers on bottom of page 1. What do computers eat for a snack?

Anything adobe related:

2. What computer sings the best?

These steps will fix 99% of Adobe issues:

3. Why do they call it hyper text?

For problems with PDFs, Photoshop, Premiere, etc.

1. Close all open programs.

2. Click your Cortana search bar and type “Creative”.

3. Click “Adobe Creative Cloud” from the results.

If you have a login prompt, continue to step 5, otherwise continue with step 4.

4. Click the blue circle to logout.

5. Click the lowest blue link “Sign in with an Enterprise ID”.

6. Enter your full school email. It will take you to the Park Hill Portal to login.

7. Login with your Park Hill credentials.

8. Wait until the Creative Cloud fully loads.

9. Restart your computer.

comic 31

by: logan coats

Answers to the Tech Jokes: 1. Microchips 2. A Dell 3. Too much JAVA 31

vol. 50 issue 4

YOUR COLLEGE. YOUR FUTURE.

#MCCYourFuture

• Large variety of Programs • Small classes • Best Tuition Value in the Northland • Easy to Transfer Credits

MCC-MAPLE WOODS

Enrollment begins

YOUR SMART CHOICE

APRIL 8

Financial Aid priority by

MAY 30

Summer Classes begin

JUNE 3

Fall Classes begin

AUGUST 20

MCCKC.EDU/VISITMW

816.604.3587