Spartan Volume 17 Issue 1
Voice
Spartan Voice
October 2023
Oh Mama, Welcome to the 60's! Seniors Win Best Dressed by Wambui Ngunjiri
The Week's Overview by Wambui Ngunjiri It’s Collegiate’s 60th birthday this year as well as its 60th homecoming, and what better way to celebrate this than to dedicate the week to the decade our school was made? We “rocked through the 60’s” all week starting off the festivities with the announcement of our 2023 homecoming court, comprised of 12 individuals: Mason Hart, Avery Elofsson, Asa Ahmad, Adelaide Fitzwater, Omar Al-Tabbal, Erin Rolfe, Price Johnson, Phoebe Ross, Isabella Galichia, James Shackelford, Brett Wetta, and Kalie Villagomez. The final two were not only the winners of our “Meet the Candidates” game, but were crowned King and Queen at the Homecoming Game by our previous queen, the glamorous AJ Nagabhushan. On top of this, we had our creatively themed days and costume contests. On Monday, everyone dressed according to their color; Tuesday, each grade had to “dress their age” for Age Day; Wednesday, we pulled up with anything but a backpack; and Thursday, we had a wardrobe throwback to the 60’s. After the Seniors cleared for the costume contest the whole week, we had a schoolwide celebration with our picnic buddy day and the Homecoming Game on Friday. All this culminated in a Collegiate victory against Chapman and, of course, the Homecoming dance. A night to remember for all students as we got dolled up to go out on the town (aka the Lair). All in all, a successful Homecoming week to add to the history books. You all looked gorgeous and I hope you had a ball.
There's nothing like coming together for a schoolwide fit check. Students got to show off their unique and creative outfits for what should be known as Collegiate Fashion Week as one of our many Homecoming traditions. This year, the seniors served look after look, absolutely dominating the week, and here are our winners: Color Day : Iya Wakil gave Elle Woods vibes and Pretty in Pink magnificence, winning the hearts of the student body. Age Day : Homecoming King Brett Wetta was the sweetest old lady and the sweetest guy, capping off his win with a Homecoming ask to his queen, Kalie Villagomez. Anything-But-a-Backpack : Omar Al-Tabbal brought a giant used trashcan... enough said. 60's Day : Asa Ahmad's outfit was a gas with his far out style. He closed out our fashion week with a bang.
Volume 17 Issue 1
Spartan Voice
October 2023
Interviewing the Teachers
How well do you know the Homecoming candidates?
Dr. MK
Which candidate's guilty Which candidate wishes we pleasure is racking up stars had a character day? on the Starbucks app?
Asa, James, Mason, Price, Brett, Omar Asa, James, Mason, Price, Brett, Adelaide, Isabella, Erin, Phoebe, Omar Avery, Kalie Adelaide, Isabella, Erin, Phoebe, Avery, Kalie
Which candidate wants to meet The Rock and fight no Which candidates one because they don’t understand that with ‘girl have enemies? math’ cash is not real money?
Asa, James, Mason, Price, Brett, Omar Asa, James, Mason, Price, Brett, Adelaide, Isabella, Erin, Phoebe, Omar Avery, Kalie Adelaide, Isabella, Erin, Phoebe, Avery, Kalie
Which candidates would trust Mr. Mykel to solve a Which candidate stated as murder mystery? their words of wisdom to “pay attention in Asa, James, Mason, Price, Brett, Humanities.”?
Dr. MK is our new Chemistry I and one of our AP Chem teachers. He is a Connecticut native who went to college in South Carolina, graduate school at KU, and did his postdoc in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was at KU where he met his now-wife, and from there, they have had three kids. Some of his favorite things are the color blue, New York Yankees, dogs, Parks and Rec, running, and, of course, teaching. According to Dr. MK, being able to connect with students is the marker of a good teacher. He tries to meet the students where they are at while still being a challenging teacher. In his classroom, “[E]ven if you do poorly on a test… the hope is that you learn from your mistakes. And so… embracing failure is a good thing. I've always told students ‘if you get something wrong… I’m more worried about what are you going to do about that?’"
Opening himself up and embracing individuals are at the core of Mr. Hibler’s teaching. He “[teaches] out of [his] heart, [teaches] from passion, [and] [teaches] with passion.”
Mr. Westfahl Mr. Westfahl is our new Modern World History teacher. A native Texan, University of Chicago graduate who moved up to Kansas to be closer to family. Some of his favorite things are the color orange, the Houston Astros, his dog Starbuck, the eagles from Lord of the Rings, Dunkirk, Star Trek, Star Wars, Dungeons and Dragons, and plenty of other typical “nerd” stuff. Mr. Westfahl teaches along the Henry David Thoreau quote, “The province of the historian is not the past, but the present,” taking it to mean that history “should mean something for the decisions that individuals and societies are making in the world today.”To him, a good teacher is always willing to challenge you and push you intellectually. He makes sure that students “have the tools that they need to be able to teach themselves.” This proves to be difficult since students’ grades can get in the way of them enjoying learning the material. He knows it’s hard to get rid of this “academic programming” that centers on numbers, but you should let yourself enjoy learning. Mr. Westfahl tries to encourage this in his classroom by being more authentic with his students and trying to connect them with the materials.
Omar Adelaide, Isabella, Erin, Phoebe, Asa, James, Mason, Price, Brett, Mr. Hibler Avery, Kalie Omar Mr. Hibler is our new band Adelaide, Isabella, Erin, Phoebe, teacher and a husband and a father Which candidate, in the Avery, Kalie of two who went to WSU on a scenario where Beyoncé saxophone scholarship because he says “Everybody on mute” Written by: Wambui Ngunjiri found music to be natural and fun would be quiet because to him. Some of his favorite things their lord and savior are the color blue, Chiefs, Beyoncé said so? goldfish, Pixar’s Soul, fitness, video games, and being a dad. To Asa, James, Mason, Price, Brett, Mr. Hibler, band gives “the Omar opportunity to show people how Adelaide, Isabella, Erin, Phoebe, to be a good person, be a team Avery, Kalie player, [and] how to enjoy life and the beauty that it has.” He believes a good teacher knows that Which candidate said that “[t]here’s always something else Victorious defined their to learn. There’s always childhood? something [teachers] can do Written by: Wambui Ngunjiri better.” Asa, James, Mason, Price, Brett, Omar Adelaide, Isabella, Erin, Phoebe, Avery, Kalie Phoebe (1), Price (2), Mason and Isabella (3), Omar (4), Erin (5), Kalie (6), Price, Omar, Adelaide, Phoebe and Kalie (7), Asa (8)
Volume 17 Issue 1 Time Management Tips If you are having things piled up to work on yet procrastinating, here are some tips for you to stop procrastinating and manage your time wisely. Time management is an essential process to live productive and effective days— not only during the school years, but also in an entire life. First, start with doing things that you don’t want to do. You will feel like the rest of the work is nice and easy and it would lead you to think “let’s just work on and get them done.” Secondly, remove distractions from you like a phone or TV. Identifying what distracts you the most and eliminating them would impact starting and finishing tasks quickly. Lastly, speak out about things you have to do to your close people. If you tell them you will finish things by a specific date, it helps to not procrastinate to keep the promise. It’s already been over a month since the school year of 2023 started. If you have problems with procrastinating, these tips will help you to make the rest of the school years satisfied and further your life. Written by: Sihyeon Byun
The Little Mermaid
Spartan Voice
October 2023
The Little Mermaid tells the romantic tale of a mermaid Zero Reasons Why If you are in either of these princess, Ariel, and a human Zero Reasons Why is a teen-led situations, I encourage you to visit prince, Eric. It follows the organization that focuses on the website to find more resources animated version of the movie, but mental health destigmatization and information. with expanded storytelling where and suicide prevention. This As stated earlier, there is a we witness the depths of these organization originated in Johnson ZRW branch in Wichita that is familiar characters. The beauty of County, Kansas in 2018 after looking to recruit more teenagers. The Little Mermaid is that we can fifteen teens died by suicide in the I am on the advocacy board for connect with the characters. academic year. Understandably, ZRW Wichita, and we are trying Unlike the wondrous underwater these terrible tragedies had an to figure out more ways to engage setting, we recognize the conflict with the community and stress the immediate effect on the whole between parents and kids, sibling importance of destigmatizing county. The community came relationships, or the search for mental health. If you have any together and decided to create an self-identity as our own. Our ideas, please feel free to email me organization that would strive to musical director, Mr. Webber, at ssharma@wcsks.com. If you amplify teen voices and share personally resonates with the would like to join the father-daughter relationship of stories in hopes of destigmatizing organization, reach out to me or Triton and Ariel and wants to mental illness. Now, ZRW has go to Get Involved Tab on the explore the message of family in branches in several cities, website. the show. Mrs. Winters looks including Wichita. Most importantly, if you are forward to working closely with The reason ZRW is successful struggling with mental health, the students as the new stage is because, at its heart, it please don’t hesitate to reach out director for the upper school prioritizes teens, their stories, and to someone you trust. If you don’t musical and helping students find have anyone in your life that you their voices. It can be difficult to their passion through theater. think you can trust, I am always open up to adults about struggles The show, appropriate for all age willing to listen. It is important to with mental health, which is why levels, is a sea of extravagant know that you are not alone in ZRW keeps teens at the forefront. stage effects, costumes, iconic your fight and that your life does On their website, songs like ‘Part of Your World’, matter. Below are some resources and strong performers. The Little zeroreasonswhy.org, there is a tab that can help you if you are Mermaid will be performed on dedicated to sharing stories. struggling. Don’t be ashamed to November 9th and 11th at 7:00 There, you can find teenagers’ ask for help and please use these PM and the 12th at 3:00 PM. It's own stories about their struggles resources if you feel you need to. not just for upper school or theater with mental health and their own Remember that every breath you kids, but a musical anyone and struggles with suicidal thoughts take is a battle won. everyone can enjoy. Come and see and ideations. It is a great the show! Suicide and Crisis Hotline: 988
Get ready, Spartans! We’re about to dive under the sea. This year, resource for those who feel alone Substance Abuse and Mental Collegiate has an ocean theme for in their battle against poor mental Written by: Hannah Ternes and Health Services Administration: all the musicals. Starting the series health. If you feel comfortable, Jiwoo Lee 1-800-622-4357 with the upper school musical The please feel free to upload your Zero Reasons Why: Little Mermaid, the following 4thstory to the website. You have no https://zeroreasonswhy.org/ grade and 7th & 8th-grade shows idea how many people you would Sedgwick County 24-hour Crisis are SpongeBob and Finding be helping. Of course, there are Center: 316-660-7500 Nemo. The lower school science also resources for people who are Shanna Ahmad, Upper School class focuses on Reduce, Reuse, either struggling with suicidal Counselor and Recycle,making hallway thoughts or are friends with decorations for the productions Written by: Sia Sharma someone who is struggling. such as a bottle cap octopus, plastic squids, and egg carton sea plants. It’s a true cross-divisional collaboration at work.
Volume 17 Issue 1
Spartan Voice
Girls Tennis By: Lara de Carvalho This fall season, we have a spectacular group of girls on the tennis team winning multiple matches and tournaments. The highlights of the 2023 season include the Collegiate Classic, where the Spartans dominated, taking the team title, doubles title, and singles title; the Tournament of the Champions, where we had doubles and singles taking 5th with wins over 3-6A schools; and finally and most recently, our varsity league tournament, where everyone took first place in their brackets. Next is Regionals and the State Championship, where Collegiate is going for the 15th team title in a row! As a recap from last season, Emma Mantovani won the singles title, Laney Conrad and Julia Herrman won the doubles title, Tatum Bhargava and Kinsey Nichols got second in doubles and Lara de Carvalho took 6th place in singles. This year, Emma Mantovani, Kinsey, and Tatum graduated, but there is a very strong varsity squad. At number one singles there is Lara de Carvalho, at number two singles there is Amelia Blackman. At number one doubles there are Laney Conrad and Julia Herrman, and at number two doubles there are Langley Overman and Tatum Downing. Since Coach Dave Hawley left after the boys’ season in the spring, the new head coach is Coach Simon Norman. His Collegiate head coach career started pretty well as the team took the Collegiate Classic title. Now, he is looking forward to winning regionals and state to keep the Collegiate tradition alive.
Photo taken by David Ulrich
Photo taken by Max de Carvalho
Photo taken by Ellie Schulte Golf Success! By: Julia Longsworth It appears as though all of the Spartan sports teams are having massive success this fall, and our girls’ golf team is no exception. Led by Collegiate’s very own Mr. Widener, the players have been busy attending various tournaments since August. With only one returning player from last year, two-time Kansas 3-2-1A State Champion junior Margaret Ulrich, the program’s future was looking uncertain. However, there has been a considerable increase in the number of players, with 5 new athletes joining the squad. Among these new members are seniors Abby Walston and Mona Baggai. And after a recent victory at regionals, Margaret Ulrich is seeking out her third state title. It’s evident that our girls’ golf team is on the rise!
October 2023 Volleyball By: Hannah Ternes Spartan volleyball is in full swing with an impressive 27-3 record. Despite graduating three seniors last year, the varsity is stacked with seniors #6 SJ Crosby (outside hitter), #24 Addison Goree (setter), #13 Avery Elofsson (middle hitter, outside hitter), #25 Phoebe Ross (middle hitter), and #9 Kalie Villagomez (libero), all of whom were celebrated on Senior Night on October 3. Two juniors, #15 Macy Beran (opposite hitter, setter) and #3 Natalie Hobart (defensive specialist), return to play varsity, as well as two sophomores, #4 Carlyle Johnson (middle hitter, outside hitter) and #2 Savannah Vess (defensive specialist). Eight sophomores and three freshmen are cultivating their skills on the JV team, including sophomore floaters #1 Khloie Villagomez (libero, defensive specialist) and #22 Maddie Ternes (setter). Under new head coach Chris Zandler and assistant coaches Nikki Hansson and Montana Soderberg, the Spartans only bear three losses as of the last week of September: a 2-1 loss to Salina Central in the finals of the North High tournament in August; a defeat by Andale, runner-up at the Class 4A state tournament last year; and a 2-0 loss to Cheney in the final round of the Cheney tournament. They’ve only won in three sets twice, against 6A North and 4A Circle. Their other 25 wins have been straight-set victories. Elofsson recently hit her 1000th career kill, while Kalie Villagomez reached 600 digs and Goree is seeking her 2000th assist. This season, Elofsson is 9th in the state in kills and 28th in aces. Goree is 18th in the state in assists and up-andcoming Johnson is 36th in the state in kills. The Spartans look forward to sub-state play at Haven High School, forty minutes northwest of WCS, on Saturday, October 21, where they will likely be the first or second seed.
Volume 17 Issue 1 Spartans Triumph! By: Lara de Carvalho The Wichita Collegiate football teams are off to a great start this season. After an extremely successful football season last year, the Spartans have shown even more ambition this fall. The varsity team began this fall with a bang, winning against Rose Hill 35-0. This momentum has only increased over time, earning the team a 51 record as of October 12. The Spartans have been training and practicing diligently since last season, led by head coach Troy Black and assisted by coaches Bill Messamore and Mike Gehrer. It’s evident both the players’ and the coaches’ hard work has paid off! This year, the team is fairly upperclassman-heavy with ten seniors: James Shackelford, Nick Adams, Lucas Ranney-Brown, Givi Gibson, Asa Ahmad, Jacob Chappell, Peyden Chronister, Brett Wetta, Hayden Anderson, and Hudson Ferralez, who is a new transfer to Collegiate from Hesston High School this year. It seems as though Ferralez’s addition to the squad has only made the team’s synergy skyrocket! Each of the players this season has shown true dedication to the game, and it is apparent that the Wichita Collegiate Spartans are aiming for a state title this year! US Open history and results By: Lara de Carvalho The US Open is one of the four Grand Slams in tennis. It is one of the most prestigious professional tournaments in the world. It is also the highest-paying one. It was founded in 1881 and has been played on all three surfaces: clay, grass, and hard court (today’s surface). It occurs at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, New York. It is where the biggest tennis stadium in the world is located: Arthur Ashe Stadium. It holds 24,000 people who travel worldwide to enjoy the highest level of tennis that can be played. This year, in 2023, it was celebrated the 50th anniversary of equal pay for men and women. In 1970, Billie Jean King, an American tennis player, started advocating for equal pay, and she successfully achieved what she wanted, winning the singles bracket.
Spartan Voice Men play best of five sets: the first to win three sets wins. Women play best of three sets: the first to win two sets wins. This year, the winner of the women’s singles bracket was American Coco Gauff. She beat world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the final. Coco Gauff won her first Grand Slam title. After finding herself down in her firstround match, she bounced back and won. She then proceeded to win three more matches in the deciding set to win the tournament. She is only 19 years old and has a bright future ahead of her. The winner of the men’s singles bracket was Novak Djokovic. He beat world number three Daniil Medvedev in the final. Novak Djokovic is now tied with Margaret Court for the most Grand Slams ever won — 24. He celebrated his 24th slam win by wearing a Kobe Bryant shirt. Kobe Bryant was one of his biggest mentors because of the Mamba Mentality. Novak Djokovic is now considered the greatest tennis player of all time. He broke records in rankings and tournament wins. After the US Open, he passed Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz to once again become number one in the world. Overall, this year’s US Open was very unique and exciting. Some were happy; others were disappointed with the results. It will lead to fascinating WTA and ATP finals. It is uncertain who will take the final title of the year, but it seems like on the men’s side, most people think it will be Novak Djokovic. On the women’s side, though, we can’t know until the actual day of the championship because the level is so close. Cross Country By: Max Timsah This 2023 cross country season, we have an exciting group of athletes who are sprinting their way all across the state. Senior athletes in the group include Mason Hart and Price Johnson. The Juniors are Will Meyer, Jalil Hemphill, Macy Beran, and Dahlia Issa. Sophomore athletes include Cooper Ryan, Ellie Howell, Heer Barot, Charlotte Pigg, and Savannah Vess. The new freshman group consists of Reide Rasberry, Joshua Lee, Alegra Fazio, Sophia Santo, and myself. Recently our team competed at Rim Rock Farm in Lawrence, Kansas, a competitive course hosted by KU.
October 2023 At Rim Rock, our junior runner Will Meyer took home the first-place spot in the boys’ varsity race. Led by coaches Mica Elkouri, David Keller, and Clark Ensz, our team continues to set big personal records at every meet. Recently our girls’ team placed 13th in a coaches’ ranking, the first ranking the team has had in Collegiate history. The boys’ team was ranked 7th, and our team overall continues to be strong. If you are looking for a close-knit team of people who want to work hard and improve, look no further! New runners are always welcome to sign up by watching for a sign-up sheet or contacting our coaches before the track, summer running, or cross-country seasons start.
Photo by Johnny Abromeit
Photo by Price Johnson
Photo by Ellie Schulte
Your Headline Here Volume 17 Issue 1 Guts Review By: Ethan Mackenzie GUTS is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter and actress Olivia Rodrigo. Rodrigo previously released her debut album SOUR in 2021, which had a diverse range of production as well as quality vocal performances as well consistent songwriting. After taking nearly two years off from new music releases, I was eager to see how Rodrigo expanded upon, or if she even did, the themes of teen issues and high school breakups presented on her debut. The first song of the album is the opener “all american *****,” and while I did appreciate the introspective lyrics, I felt the constant switch-ups in the production between the lush verses and the pop-punk chorus were a bit discombobulating. The album then moves on to “bad idea right?”. The lyrics at first seemed a bit cheesy, but throughout a few listens, I did appreciate the comedic aspects of them, as Rodrigo considers re-visiting one of her exes. The production on this track is fantastic with larger-than-life guitar riffs, and the outro to the song exemplifies that. After “bad idea right?,” the next song is “vampire.” This was the first song released off the album and has over 400 million streams. Unlike the last two tracks, I didn’t enjoy the lyrics, particularly the vampire metaphor. However, Rodrigo’s vocals do shine through on this track as well as the production, which does feel like an evolution of some of the concepts of SOUR. After these three songs, the album then moves to “lacy.” On this track, Rodrigo sings about a girl named Lacy, who to her is the ideal girl that all the guys want, and how it makes her jealous. The lyrics aren’t the best so far and I wasn’t a huge fan of the vocals, although the softer, almost Taylor Swift Folklore-like production was a plus for me. After this track comes “ballad of a homeschooled girl,” which switches back to a rock aesthetic. While the production was nice, the song did feel a bit too similar to “bad idea right?.”The next track, making the bed, also felt like a knock-off, this time of SOUR’s “driver’s license,” but I did enjoy the song’s lyrics about being lost in your mental state. The song after this, “logical,” was probably my favorite listen on the album. Not only did I enjoy the way Rodrigo’s strong vocals contrasted with the soft production, but this track also contained some of my favorite lyrics on the album .
Spartan Voice Not only did I enjoy the way Rodrigo’s strong vocals contrasted with the soft production, but this track also contained some of my favorite lyrics on the album, such as “And I fell for you like water falls from the February sky. But now the current’s stronger, No I couldn’t get out even if I tried.” The midsection of the album finishes off with “get him back!” which goes back to a more pop-punk-like groove. While I did enjoy the variety of vocal deliveries Rodrigo brings, I felt the lyrics were quite cheesy and a bit unlistenable at times. The back end of the album starts with the track “love is embarrassing,” which I did not enjoy compared to other songs off of the album. I felt the vocals were annoying at times and the lyrics felt like a derivative of the other songs on the album rather than something new on their own. After “love is embarrassing” comes “the grudge.” I enjoyed the song’s intro as well as Rodrigo’s vocal performances, but I felt the track did feel like it belonged more on SOUR than GUTS. The next track “pretty isn’t pretty” reverts to pop-punk, and while the production is solid, the lyrics and vocals did feel a bit generic and similar to her sad-girl-pop contemporaries. Finally, the album closes out with the outro “teenage dream.” I liked the minimalistic production and vocals, and I enjoyed that the lyrics felt like an evolution of SOUR rather than a direct copy-and-paste. Overall I felt this track was a nice closer to the album. After listening to GUTS, I gave the album a 7.2/10. I enjoyed the production, as well as Rodrigo’s vocals on almost every song, however, there were a few spots where the lyrics did feel a bit too similar to Rodrigo’s previous works. My favorite tracks were “bad idea right?,” “making the bed,” “logical,” and “teenage dream.” My least favorite tracks were “love is embarrassing” and “pretty isn’t pretty.” I think this album is a worthy listen for any pop or pop-punk music fan and is one of my favorite pop albums of this year so far.
October 2023 Drake originally planned to drop this album on September 22 but pushed the release date back two weeks until 12 A.M. EST on October 6th and delayed it, yet again, until 6 A.M. EST October 6th. Three weeks ahead of his new album release, Drake dropped “Slime You Out” ft. SZA, a single that is included within the album. There has been some speculation around SZA and Drake and their relationship for quite a long time. This has recently emerged once more when SZA sang about him years after the end of their relationship in the song “TELEKINESIS” on Travis Scott’s third studio album UTOPIA, which was released in late July of this year. Drake was also a featured artist on UTOPIA on the song “MELTDOWN.” Drake also released a video on his social media platforms for his song “8AM in Charlotte,” featuring his five year old son, Adonis, on October 5th. In the video, Adonis discussed his process of designing the album cover for his father. Drake has five other songs released throughout his career with a timestamp and location title, also known as his AM/PM series, such as “8AM in Charlotte.” Since Drake pushed back the release time by six hours, he released the titles of all twenty-three tracks on For All the Dogs. The featured artists on this album include Teezo Touchdown, 21 Savage, J. Cole, Yeat, SZA, PartyNextDoor, Chief Keef, Bad Bunny, Sexyy Red, Lil Yachty, and Drake's son, Adonis. If you have listened to For All the Dogs, what are your thoughts?
For All the Dogs By: Isabella Alvaez Multi-Grammy Award winner Drake released his long-awaited eighth studio album, For All the Dogs, on October 6th. As For All The Dogs Album Cover an influential figure in modern day rap and hip-hop, Drake has released seven studio albums, two collaborative albums, and many other mixtapes and singles.
Guts Album Cover
Volume 17 Issue 1 The Barbie Movie By: Iya Wakil RATING: A groundbreaking, earth-shattering 100000/10 There is no doubt that Barbie was the most talked-about movie of the summer, bringing in record-breaking box office sales within the first week. Greta Gerwig, one of the most iconic directresses to date, created yet another cinematic masterpiece with this film. I genuinely cannot think of a better director for this movie, as she brilliantly constructed every aspect of this film. The actors and actresses were incredibly wellsuited for the roles. Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken? HELLO? Legitimately the absolute best individuals for these roles. I could not imagine anyone else wearing a fur coat and obsessing over horses and the patriarchy for twothirds of the film. Let’s not forget Weird Barbie’s casting, too, because Kate McKinnon absolutely killed it. Her impersonations on SNL are hilarious, so I had absolutely no doubt in my mind that she would kill this role. Besides the amazing cast and directress, the film’s overall empowering and honest message was done flawlessly. From America Ferrera’s monologue about the unrealistic expectations placed on women to constantly be a certain version of “perfect” all of the time to the ways in which Barbie was treated in the real world versus Barbieland, the overall message was not only directly discussed, but also showed unfortunate events that occur with women very frequently in the real world. The last scene with the creator of Barbie and Margot Robbie was an incredibly significant scene in the movie as well, painting the beauty within our stories as women and the unity that we all fall under despite the struggles we face in our daily lives. It is a comfort to see the power we possess as women through how we all choose to strive after our dreams despite our hardships; seeing the beauty in our stories is beautiful beyond words. I was definitely expecting this movie to be entertaining; however, I was not expecting to leave the theatre having teared up several times throughout the film. The message portrayed in this film is incredibly important for everyone to recognize. As a woman of minority, having this movie created has helped me and many other women feel empowered and encouraged to embrace our experiences and fight hard in the progression to equality. Overall, I am so glad that I decided to wear the most pink outfit I had and went to watch this movie because it was worth EVERY MINUTE!
Spartan Voice
October 2023
Touche Pas à Ma Religion!
THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS
By: Elizabeth Timsah Don’t touch my religion! Women in France proclaim it, protesting through the streets with signs above their heads. In 2004, France succeeded in banning people from wearing religious symbols in educational institutes. Soon enough this ban began to extend to other parts of public life, with women no longer being able to wear faceconcealing articles of clothing in public spaces. Some of these religious symbols are the hijab, burka, and even the burkini, modest articles of clothing worn by Muslim women. Yes, this ban is technically against most religious articles, but it disproportionately affects Islamic people and forces them to take off an article of clothing that is integral to their personal and religious identity. When a country as respected and allied as France tells women they are not allowed in public spaces if they are wearing their hijabs, what standard does that set for the rest of the world? Many towns began banning the usage of burkinis, which are modest swimwear for Muslim women. The head of municipal services for the town of Cannes, Thierry Migoule, is quoted saying, “We are not talking about banning the wearing of religious symbols on the beach… but ostentatious clothing which refers to an allegiance to terrorist movements which are at war with us.” This proves that the ban is a target, that it is not for secular practices in France, but instead a law used to target Islamic people. This law is misguided and wrong; it goes against the values of religious freedom and targets religious minorities in France. Not only is this law harming women in France, but its influence extended outside of the country, when in 2017, Austria made a movement towards a similar law. In summary, France has a long way to go when it comes to equality and humanity in their religious
Scrolling through social media, it’s not uncommon to see the phrase “thoughts and prayers” under posts about tragic events like school shootings and murders. It usually comes from a place of genuine sympathy, but the frequency of the phrase can make it seem vacuous and dismissive. Because tragedies of this sort are so common now, many people have become desensitized to such news, so their comments can often come across as cold and apathetic, even if that wasn’t the intention. Whatever the intention, I still feel as though the phrase “thoughts and prayers” is a cop-out response to terrible news. I think the main reason this comment is so common is because people truly believe that there is nothing else they could say that would make the situation better. While it is true that, yes, no comment can bring someone back to life, I think there are more genuine ways to express your condolences. For example, a little while ago, the murder of Jaahnavi Kandula was brought to the public’s attention. She was hit and killed by a police patrol car; a recording later came out that showed two officers joking about her death and calling her “limited value”. The comments under the Instagram post were varying; some people blamed her for her death, others blamed the police officer, and some were disgusted by the officers’ words. But a majority of the comments contained some variation of the phrase “thoughts and prayers”. Like many others, I was initially angered by these comments because they felt so dismissive. But after thinking about it a little, I realized that people felt helpless, like there was nothing they could do to make the situation better, so they just sent their thoughts and prayers. But I don’t think that’s true. I think the best way to engage with this kind of post is not only to leave comments but to repost them as well. Spreading awareness is one of the most important ways to really make a change. It allows more people to see what’s wrong in the world, and, hopefully, some of them are willing to make a change. Another way to help is by donating directly to the victims or their families. This one is a little harder to do because not everyone is in the position to donate money. If that’s the case, I think people should just focus on raising awareness. But for the people who can donate, gofundme.com is an amazing resource that allows you to donate and spread awareness. Similarly, signing petitions to make changes is also a great way to elicit real change in the world. It doesn’t cost any money (unless you want to donate), and it can help those in power see that people really do care about a cause. It forces them to at least acknowledge it, if not change it for the better. I think all of these options are a better way to show your support than simply commenting your thoughts and prayers The point is thoughts and prayers aren’t going to fix anything. It is a nice starting point, but to really make a change, we all need to make an effort to help in any way we can. I don’t want this article to come off as reprimanding or insulting. I do honestly think most of these comments come from a genuine place of empathy and support. I just think that if you really care about something, you should make an effort to change it for the better. I know you can’t sign every petition you see, or donate to every family in need, but I think even just helping once is enough because you are actively making a
policies.
change in the world.
By: Sia Sharma
The Spartan Voice is a student-driven publication. Students who write for the Voice choose topics of publication based on personal interest and the interests of the student readership. Editorials reflect the personal viewpoints of their writers and do not reflect the opinion of Wichita Collegiate . School. If you would like to write for the Spartan Voice, text @wcsvoice to 81010 to join our Remind and receive updates about upcoming meetings. If you would like to submit a personal editorial to be printed in the next issue, email Ms. London (Spartan Voice advisor) at jlondon@wcsks.com.
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Volume 17 Issue 1 Halloween Cupcakes By: Liliana Varchavtchik Cupcake Batter: ¾ cup all-purpose flour (leveled) ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 teaspoon espresso powder (optional) ¾ cup baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon salt 2 large eggs (room temp) ½ cup granulated sugar ½ cup packed light brown sugar ⅓ cup vegetable oil 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract ½ cup buttermilk (Don't use whole milk) Polka dot cupcake liners Frosting: ½ cup salted butter 1 tablespoon whole milk 2-3 cups powdered sugar ½ teaspoon vanilla extract A few drops of edible grey food coloring
Spartan Voice Cupcake Batter Instructions: 1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners 2) Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder (optional), baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl until thoroughly combined. Set aside. 3) In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, canola oil, and vanilla together until smooth. Pour half the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients then add half the buttermilk into the same bowl. Whisk this for a few seconds and repeat with remaining wet ingredients and buttermilk. Stir until combined but make sure not to over-mix. The batter should be thin. 4) Pour or spoon the batter into the cupcake liners and only fill halfway to avoid spilling over the sides or the cupcake sinking. 5) Bake this for 18-21 minutes or until the toothpick is clean when inserted and taken out. Allow it to cool completely before frosting, or it will melt on the cupcake. Frosting Instructions: 1) Add ½ cup butter to a mixing bowl and wait 20 minutes for it to soften 2) Once softened start by adding 1 cup of powdered sugar and a bit of a teaspoon of milk to the mixing bowl then mix with a handheld mixer until combined. Repeat the process until the frosting is the desired consistency. 3) Add the vanilla extract and a few drops of food coloring then using the hand-held mixer mix again until combined. Place in fridge for 30 minutes then frost the cupcakes using a 1M piping tip or whatever available adding an even amount to each. TIP: If the frosting is too wet add more powdered sugar and if it is too thick add a tiny bit more milk. Decoration instructions: 1) Place mini marshmallows in a microwave-safe cup and place in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. 2) Take the marshmallows and stretch them until little webs form and wrap around the cupcakes. 3) Place either a plastic spider on top or if making fondant spider set aside to form fondant. 4) Take fondant and roll it out, make 12 big balls, 12 small balls, and 96 little legs. Form spiders by placing a big ball in the center then a small ball in front of it attaching them then adding 4 legs on each side to the ball to create a spider. 5) Place the formed spider on the cupcake frosting and either eat it as is or set it in the fridge for later.
October 2023 17 Signs Your Crush Likes You Back By: Zaryn Thompson (DISCLAIMER: DO NOT TAKE THIS AS A FACTUAL RESOURCE. PLEASE AND THANK YOU!) They might be a little bit awkward around you No (1) Maybe (2) Yes, Definitely (3) They ask questions about you or the topic you’re talking about No (1) Maybe (2) Yes, Definitely (3) They remember details about you No (1) Maybe (2) Yes, Definitely (3) They lean in when you talk to them No (1) Maybe (2) Yes, Definitely (3) They make an effort to be around you No (1) Maybe (2) Yes, Definitely (3) They are willing to help you No (1) Maybe (2) Yes, Definitely (3) They try to keep the conversation going No (1) Maybe (2) Yes, Definitely (3) Their body language changes around you No (1) Maybe (2) Yes, Definitely (3) Their feet face towards you when talking No (1) Maybe (2) Yes, Definitely (3) You can see their hands No (1) Maybe (2) Yes, Definitely (3) They tilt their head when talking to you No (1) Maybe (2) Yes, Definitely (3) They are consistent in communication with you No (1) Maybe (2) Yes, Definitely (3) They touch their throat a lot when around you No (1) Maybe (2) Yes, Definitely (3) They update you on big things happening in their life No (1) Maybe (2) Yes, Definitely (3) They tell you something about themselves no one else knows No (1) Maybe (2) Yes, Definitely (3) They mirror the way you speak No (1) Maybe (2) Yes, Definitely (3) They admit it No (1) Maybe (2)
Crossword by: Ethan Mackenzie
Yes, Definitely (3)
Add Them All Up! 17-28 points Probably not. While you might see them in a romantic sense, they most likely do not feel the same way. If so please respect their wishes and don’t constantly try to get them to date you. 29-43 points They might! There is a possibility of their feelings being a bit muddled up and confused. If this is your score range then just act as you normally would but with maybe a few jokes about dating thrown in there. 44-51 points There is a high chance of them liking you back, but I would still take it slow and play it safe. This quiz was made as a fun thing and is to be taken with a grain of salt, not to be used to base your relationships off of it.
Editors: Isabella Alvaez, Lara de Carvalho, Wambui Ngungiri, Sia Sharma, Zaryn Thompson, Liliana Varchavtchik Copy Editor: Hannah Ternes Faculty Advisor: Julianne London Contributors: Sihyeon Byun, Caroline Kuglich, Jiwoo Lee, Julia Longsworth, Ethan Mackenzie
POINT OVERRIDE: If they admit it, then congrats! You didn't even need to take this quiz.