Shawnee Mission South Patriot March 2013 by Alma Velazquez

the

PATRIOT SHAWNEE MISSION SOUTH HIGH SCHOOL • MARCH 2013 • VOLUME 47 • ISSUE 07

Everyone has a story

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the

STAFF ALMA VELAZQUEZ Editor-in-Chief Design

Casey lee Managing editor Sports OLIVIA FEATHERS News CALVIN FREEMAN Opinions HANNAH STRADER Features RACHEL ROSENSTOCK A&E DEREK FUHRMANN Copy JULIA LARBERG Photography HUNTER YOUNG Web SHELBY JOHNSON Ads

Writers LUKE HOLLAND HAYLEIGH CHUDIK

MARCH ISSUE

NATHAN THIMMESCH MIGUEL PALOMINO GARRETT MOULD GRIFFIN ZELLER TRIVETTE KNOWLES AMBER FELKINS ROLA ALASMAR GEORGIA DUBOIS KAYLIE STABLER Photographers ETHAN STONE SUSAN NGUYEN DEZARAE DUFFEY JULIE FALES Adviser

MISSION

The Patriot is a newsmagazine

that aims to objectively present the facts concerning Shawnee Mission South High School, as well as connect with readers on issues affecting the student body. Staff members reserve the right to express their views in the Opinions section. These pieces are labeled and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the staff, except the Lead Editorial, which represents the views of editors. Under the First Amendment and Kansas Law, The Patriot staff is entitled to freedom of the press and neither the school nor district is responsible for any content or coverage. The staff encourages letters to the editor, but they will only be published if signed. The editor-in-chief reserves the right to refuse or edit any letters for reasons of grammar, length, and good taste.

photo By ETHAN STONE

04 06 08 09 10 * 12 14

NEWS

The lit mag staff fundraises to pay for printing See photos from the two snow storms in February

OPINIONS

Editorial board expresses views on latest Boy Scout changes

16 17 18 19

Staff writer talks about the decline in Facebook’s popularity Staff writers debate whether or not teachers give certain students special treatment

FEATURES

Interesting South students from every grade share their personal stories with the school Successful South alumni reflect on high school and offer advice to current students

WANT MORE? * cover story

20 21 22 23

A&E

See SMS’s best dressed in an elaborate photoshoot Read about the latest music, movies and other bits of pop culture Choir teacher describes journey to her Grammy award A guide to visitng 10 new places around town

SPORTS

Boys swim team wins 5A State with head coach of the year, Bruce Bove A look at popular sports gear from then and now Athletes reveal thoughts on support throughout their seasons Sports editor explores and validates myths in sports

VISIT WWW.SMSPATRIOT.ORG for polls, staff columns, and pictures

TOC

mark your

calendar 11

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LIT MAG PRODUCTION IS UNDER WAY

By GEORGIA DUBOIS

early dismissal [MARCH 15]

SPRING

B-R-E-A-K march 18-25 making music [solo & ensemble]

recital

3/26 @ sms

[orchestra]

festival

photo Byjesse york Top: Seniors Julia Larberg and Claire Thomas and junior Georgia Dubois sell baked goods to fundraise for the lit mag. Bottom: Sophomore Julia Rose creates posters to publicize the magazine fundraiser.

hawnee Mission South’s literary magazine, Inscriptions, is a place where students can come as they are, share thoughts with the student body, and express themselves in nearly any medium. Inscriptions is currently accepting submissions. For the first time, threedimensional art can be submitted for consideration. Pieces selected will be photographed for the publication. When submissions are received, 15-some staff members will sort through them, select the final cuts, and organize them into 15-20 pages of creativity that will become the physical “lit mag.” So far the after school Monday meetings in Room 195 have focused on raising money. “We usually talk a lot about fundraising and getting ads, because that’s how we pay for the magazine,” senior Claire Thomas said. “Most of our money will come from ads so that’s really what we’re focusing on.” Each student in lit mag is required to contact at least four businesses to try to sell ads. “We don’t receive much funding from the school. It’s a good opportunity for the staff to get out and really work for their publication,” senior and editor Julia Larberg said. The staff recently hosted a Muffin Morning, where they sold muffins and other baked goods in the front hall for $1 each. The bake

sale raised $191. It costs about $350 to publish the magazine, so more fundraisers are needed. “I think we might try to do another [bake sale],” Thomas said. In addition to fundraising and editing, staff members are required to submit at least one piece to the lit mag. Senior Celina Garcia says she expects to submit both a poem and a drawing. “My poem will be about my struggles and my drawing is just me expressing myself. I hope they understand who I am and what I’ve gone through; I want to be able to let people know what I’m really about,” Garcia said. Thomas will also be submitting to Inscriptions. “[I’ll submit] a drawing. It will probably be about the disguises we put on, not literal disguises but things like the way we dress, the way we act, that convey a certain message to others but might be different from our personality,” Thomas said. This kind of creativity and free thinking is exactly what the publication welcomes. “Lit mag is usually interesting to those who aren’t super involved with the artsy side of South. It’s neat to see people admiring the hard work and dedication of all of the artists in school,” Larberg said. Submissions are being accepted in Room 195, the library or online at smslitmag13@gmail.com until April 1.

3/27 @ smw [band]

festival

4/2 @ sme

time

[march 30]

04 NEWS

WA RP photo By katie imes

BACK IN TIME WITH TIME WARP

CITY PLANS FOR STREET CAR By GRIFFIN ZELLER

By ROLA ALASMAR

t’s a chance to dress up like it’s the ’70s or ’80s again. It’s an opportunity to take an evening off and just hang out having a good time with friends. It’s a place to enjoy yourself and just get into the music. And it’s just $5, Saturday, March 30, at the Time Warp Dance. Students have a lot of freedom to decide what they want to wear to Time Warp. Instead of finding a fancy dress or spending money on an expensive suit, students get to express themselves by coming up with their own representation of what it is like to live in different time periods. A few common outfit choices include dressing up as babies or Native Americans. According to STUCO officers Ali Gascoigne and Justice Scales, Time Warp has not really been a big deal in the past and doesn’t

usually have a big turnout. They want to change that. The PTA donates cookies and other concessions for Time Warp, and KSMS usually provides the music. Junior Caitlin Duffy thinks that the Time Warp Dance is a good idea and a lot of fun. However, she may not attend the dance because she doesn’t like the inappropriate dancing she sees at school dances. “[The Time Warp Dance] is a good concept if people would stop touching all up on each other,” Duffy said. STUCO, along with the rest of the school, have been encouraging appropriate dancing to make dances such as Time Warp a fun and enjoyable experience for everyone. “[It’s your chance] to dress up in crazy stuff,” Scales said.

uring the most recent elections, downtown Kansas City voters approved the funding for a street car that will connect two miles of downtown, from River Market to Crown Center/Union Station, mostly on Main Street. The project will be built with a $100 million budget. Work on the project is supposed to start in June and will be finished by 2015. Kansas City is one of 10 cities that is planning to start building a street car in the next three years. The other two, in Los Angeles and Fort Lauderdale, are funded by private business groups. The Kansas City streetcar will be funded by business owners in the Transportation Development District, who will see a sales tax increase on their products. Although Missouri Mayor Sly James has expressed his interest in this project, it has caused some controversy among some of the merchants in the Crossroads who don’t agree with the tax increases on their businesses, saying the taxes are unfair and will scare away customers. The lawyer for the project, Doug Stone, has argued that the tax rights are just. “The maximum rates in the Petition to form the Transportation Development District reflect discussions with municipal finance professionals, regarding what annual bond payments could look like

based on the preliminary budget prepared as part of the Alternatives Analysis, and other factors that they project for the end of 2012, when the bonds could be sold,” Stone said. The city is working along with the businesses to make the construction of the street car go as smoothly as possible. “The city has been working with downtown businesses, residents and commercial property owners regarding the project. This will allow representatives of downtown stakeholders to participate in discussions relating to value engineering of the project and other issues that will impact project costs and design decisions,” Stone said. Even if Kansas City adds a streetcar, some students say they will not ride it. “I never use public transportations, and I have a car so there is no point,” junior Mitchell Fowler said. Junior Rendi Doran, however, thinks it would be helpful if it ran all the way to Johnson County. “It would be more efficient than riding a car and it would be cheaper,” Doran said. According to the Downtown Neighborhood Association, “attracting businesses and residents, and helping to redefine our city, streetcars benefit everyone.”

THEATRE DEPARTMENT BATTLES BULLYING IN PLAY By GARRETT MOULd

he theatre department is known for their annual shows such as the Diary of Anne Frank and Little Shop of Horrors. This spring, they will be acting out an entirely new type of production. The Bully Productions is a series of 24-miniature skits that will be presented to middle schools and elementary schools in the district area. Entertaining their audience is always a goal for theatre students, but during this play they are hoping to convey a deeper message as well. “Basically we are trying to get the message out to stop bullying, and letting everyone know it’s not OK,” junior Libby Weber said.

While the most vicious bullying may happen in high school, it often starts at an earlier age. By teaching kids bullying is wrong, and showing the effects that it has on the victims, they hope to alleviate some of the behavior. “We realized that bullying starts when we’re really young, so the goal of the play is to prevent bullying, intimidation and exclusion,” Weber said. The short skits will range from kids confronting beasts in Ancient Greece, to failed chemistry experiments, which creates a horde of homophobic zombie bullies. The stories and acting are designed to give the children different perspectives as to what causes bullying, and how to

stop it. According to the theatre’s website, smstheatre.org, the skits will even cover some recent bullying trends, including cyberbullying. Much of the production is still in the planning stages. They do not yet know where, or when they plays will take place. “I believe it starts around late March or early April. We don’t quite know where we will be touring, we’re still working out some of the kinks,” junior Evan Lavender said. Aside from The Bullying Productions, rep theatre will be hosting Improv Night March 8, in the Little Theatre. Admission is free for students with a student I.D.

how to deal with a

bully

[www.bullysafeusa.com]

inform yourself about the dangers of bullying

[www.stop-violence.org]

learn how to effectively combat the issue

[1-866-939-0911]

call the emergency communications network

[1 (877) 626-8203]

call the kansas school safety hotline

NEWS

WINTER STORMS CAUSE SMSD STUDENTS TO MISS FOUR SCHOOL DAYS IN TWO WEEKS PHOTOS BY SUSAN NGUYEN AND ETHAN STONE

ILLNESS TAKES ITS TOLL

The SMS court yard, as well as neighborhoods around the area, were covered in over one foot of snow by two storms: the first Feb. 20 and the second Feb. 25. Students enjoyed four snow days due to these storms.

By HAYLEIGH CHUDIK

pending eight hours in a crowded classroom with no fresh air creates a perfect breeding ground for germs. According to itsasnap.org, almost 22 million school days are lost due to the common cold. That doesn’t include other illnesses either, and unfortunately it’s not just a cold that has been affecting the students of South. “I have Mononucleosis. Mono,” senior Addison Goff said. The absence policy only allows students to miss 10 days a semester to receive credit for a class. This can cause problems with students who have serious illnesses. According to buzzle.com it takes, on average, 5 to 15 days to fully recover from the flu and it can take 5-7 days to recover from the common cold. “[I missed] a week and three school days, and some days when I came back I had to go home early,” Goff said. Sickness can be avoided, however. Simple things like washing your hands as much as possible can make a big difference. According to itsasnap.org only 58 percent of females and 48 percent of males wash their hands after using the restroom. Throughout the day people touch

06 NEWS

countless door handles, railings, desks, keyboards, etc. and and each can have millions of germs. In cases where sickness can’t be avoided, recovery time depends on the individual. Resting is key, as catching up on sleep can play an important role in getting healthy. Light exercise is proven to speed up recovery time as well. However, the body is weaker during sickness so exercise has to be easier than a normal workout. Eating healthy is another main part in recovery. A good diet will help the immune system fight off disease. Those who exercise, eat right, and keep up their personal hygiene are less likely to get sick than those who don’t. It is never too early to begin fighting off illness even if all you have is a sore throat. When illness sets in know when to stay home, it’s better to recover at home than risk spreading sickness to everyone else.

photo illustration by dezerae duffey

BOY SCOUTS CONTINUE HOMOSEXUALITY DEBATE By AMBER FELKINS

ecently, the Boy Scouts of America have tabled the option of letting homosexuals participate in troops. This decision came after the BSA decided to have each individual chapter decide on its own whether or not to include homosexual members. Currently, the policy states that if you are openly homosexual as a Boy Scout member or leader, you are not welcomed into the BSA. The last part of the oath, “To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight,” is part of the rationale of not letting homosexuals in BSA. This is not only the rule nationwide, but worldwide. Current Eagle Scout, junior Chase Allison disagrees with this policy. “We should allow homosexuals into Boy Scouts. It’s just the controversy of overlooking it and we need to stop overlooking things we could get done and push forward. And I think that’s what a lot of Boy Scout executives fail to realize. If you

wanna have an organization that pushes toward innovation, we need to allow for a little less regulation in some areas, so you allow more people,” Allison said. In 2011 a total of 2,832,636 boys were members of BSA. BSA offers scholarships for members, and also teaches lessons in leadership, commitment and much more. Homosexuals won’t be able to participate in the benefits offered by BSA. “It benefits you in all sorts of ways. Every Boy Scout isn’t a robot to the executives of Boy Scouts. It isn’t necessarily a trickle down type of theory. Boys are in Boy Scouts to learn to live independently, how to formulate their own ideas to kind of help with the world and their nation and community,” Allison said. About a decade ago, the Supreme Court upheld the ban on homosexuals in Scouts. In May there is expected to be a final answer at the BSA annual meeting.

join the

crowd.i

One in three first-year college freshmen who stay in Kansas attend JCCC.

www.jccc.edu

10362 Mastin Overland Park, KS 66212

STAFF EDITORIAL:

Should gays be allowed in boy scouts? F

reedom of expression has always been one of the United States’ most storied rights, one that many other countries around the world still work to establish. But the phrase “freedom of expression” comes with controversy and baggage. There are never ending battles to determine the full extent of freedom of expression and freedom of speech. The Boy Scouts of America are the newest participants in the heated discussion of gay rights and rights of private organizations, two issues that are becoming increasingly important in the 21st Century. As long as the Boy Scouts have existed, their ban on openly gay scouts and leaders has been in place. The organization is prominently supported and sponsored by church groups or small communities, and is generally considered conservative. The proposed lift on the ban on gays has come as a shock to the Boy Scouts, especially troops sponsored and led by traditional-valued churches or communities. The main issue in this debate is not only the current allowance of discrimination against gays, but ability of a private organization, such as the Boy Scouts, to be influenced by politics and and large corporations. By overturning their policy on gays, which the Supreme Court has ruled constitutional, brings into question how other private organizations can or will be influenced by the government and the public. But this isn’t a billion dollar corporation or Wall Street law firm in question here, this is Boy Scouts. Made up entirely of boys of all ages who want to learn skills and help their communities in a nurturing and comfortable environment. The nature of what the Boy Scouts teach and value won’t be affected by allowing gays in, it will bring diversity and real world exposure to the participants, because while the Boy Scouts foster independent and community-oriented individuals many of whom have gone on to accomplish great

07:10 08 OPINIONS

things, the world is not one big troop meeting of your closest friends. The Boy Scouts need to move into the 21st Century on their policy on gays, and they can do so and still preserve their integrity as a private entity. Even though much of politics these days deals with gay rights, the Boy Scouts decision to reverse their ban doesn’t have to be a political move. When the policy was created, the leaders of Boy Scouts probably never foresaw a drastic change in view of homosexuals like there has been in recent history. If the Boy Scouts want to keep up with modern times and expand their membership, they need to lift the ban as a good starting point. But this won’t solve everything, as the proposed change

THE VOTE IS IN: SEVEN OUT OF TEN EDITORS AGREE WITH THE VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THIS EDITORIAL.

affects only troops who decide to include gays, not all troops. Consequently, there are guaranteed to be troops who still discriminate. The question of the Boy Scouts imminent decision should not be one based on the rights of a private organization, but one on the rights of all people. The issues goes deeper than discrimination against gays, but what is the limit of discrimination in a private organization? Yes, the government has no hold over them, but where should the line be drawn? At what point is it unlawful to discriminate? Is there such a thing as legal discrimination? These answers are essential in this case, and the case of thousands other people in America.

WE VALUE YOUR VIEWS. if you wish to respond to this editorial, please submit it in the form of a letter to the editor. These may be submitted in person to Room 195 or e-mailed to almaighty@gmail.com. Responses may or may not be printed in the next issue.

The facebook phase

junior discusses how facebook has faded out of the social media spotlight By Luke holland

y guess is that 94 percent of the people reading this article have a Facebook account. The other six percent probably don’t own computers. Those who do use Facebook probably got sucked into it the way I did; you heard about it from your 7th grade buddy and made an account just for kicks, not fully understanding the concept. And before you knew it you were immersed in a new world where you can laugh at your friends, stalk that girl who sits three seats up and two to the left in English, and show the rest of your peers how cultured you are because you clicked “like” on 47 pages in one day. And you enjoyed it for a solid two, maybe three years. And then you stopped leaving your CPU constantly logged in. Hours, dare I say it, days, passed without you checking to see if anyone had written on your wall. And the proverbial scales fell off of your eyes and you saw the light as you realized, “Hey...this isn’t that fun.” I’ll be the first to admit that I was pretty consistent on checking my Facebook every day. To be fair, I didn’t have a cell phone until 8th grade, so I used it to stay in touch with friends. But logging in soon became the first thing I

would do when I got home and logging off the last thing before bed. Not that I stared at it for seven hours after school, but why log off when the overpowering thirst for knowledge and insight into your friends’ lives will overcome you in 20 minutes? The funny thing is, those other people were doing the same thing as you. There’s even a little sidebar that shows who else is staring at a screen, pretending to leech off of the apparent enjoyment that all their “friends” are having. (I use the term friend loosely, because let’s be honest; how many of your virtual friends, if you saw them in the food court at the mall, would you feel comfortable going up to and talking with? Or even waving to?) Let’s face it; Facebook has begun to lose its appeal. This is due to several factors. One obvious reason is the rising popularity of other social media sites and applications such as Twitter and Instagram. Both of these offer users a much more simplistic approach to viewing status updates and pictures. Facebook can often feel overwhelming with information that you really just don’t care about, and lately it has become much more cluttered with advertisements and promotions. And don’t even get me started on the growing issue of ridiculous “1 like=1 respect” pictures that are clogging up the news feed. Another factor in the downfall of Facebook is the ever-changing interface. It is more than a little frustrating when you finally get used to navigating around a website, and they change it again and again to keep you guessing. Granted, every once in awhile there is a decent feature, such as the Timeline/Wall switch that took place last year. But when I log in and there’s a box saying “How are you feeling, Luke?” instead of the emotionless “What’s on your mind?” I’ve come to know and love, I know there’s going to be an avalanche of boring and confusing new features waiting for me on my wall that I really just don’t need.

MIGUEL PALOMINO OPINIONS

Unfortunately, I think that Facebook will still be with us for the next few years. And unfortunately, I’m sure I will still feel obligated to check it every now and then. But for me, the overall simplicity and barebones approach that Twitter offers is much more appealing. Facebook has become a humongous haystack, with little to no needles of significant information to offer.

K O O B FACE

OVER time 2004

Mark Zuckerberg created thefacebook.com as a sophomore in college at Harvard University

2007

Facebook reveals Beacon program (feature that broadcasts people’s activities on numbers of outside sites) but is forced to remove it due to privacy and legal problems

2012

Facebook attempts to work out kinks in its app for iPhones and iPads to make it speedier and easier to use

IS BINGE TV WATCHING A NEW CRAZE?

find out

@ SMSPATRIOT.ORG OPINIONS

the

DEBATE PRO

by Trivette knowles

very student has had the feeling that a certain teacher has just, simply put, hated them. Sometimes, at the same time, showing unconditional love for another classmate a few seats away. From hard grading to countess insults, teachers are still humans. As regular people, teachers obviously still have feelings and some students disregard that. This causes a chain reaction in which other students feel as if they have been singled out. I’ve seen students belittled, praised, humiliated, rewarded and even victims of violence. I personally have been a teacher’s favorite child while being another educator’s enemy. Yes, sometimes it’s to be expected that a student who constantly interrupts the teacher probably won’t be well liked. But in many occasions all the negative energy in the relationship stems from a bad

very once in awhile, you’ll hear your friend or classmate talking about how much they hate Mr. or Mrs. So-And-So. When you ask them why they’re upset with that teacher, they might say that their teacher was making fun of them for the millionth time. I’ve encountered this a few times, and every time it crops up it seems too one-sided to make anything of it. Was your teacher really making fun of you, or did you do something that precipitated a little banter or joking around? Honestly, I do not think that teachers pick on certain students. I think that these students open themselves up for the teacher to make an example of. In almost every class, there is a class clown: that person who acts out - sometimes overstepping boundaries - to get a laugh out of classmates. And sometimes, the teacher turns that right back on the student. But does that mean that the teacher is inherently picking on that person, or is the

10 OPINIONS

do teachers show bias towards Certain students?

first impression. Some examples of bias that people experience every day in the classroom would be, whenever a teacher sighs when a specific student starts to speak. When a lecture begins about the disappointment in either the grades of the class or the maturity level and the instructor can’t stop staring at you. Situations such as these are prime examples that show signs of a teacher’s true feelings. Another type of bias is the type reserved for the “teachers pet” or the “goodie goodies.” The teachers favorite who receives special treatment such as lighter grading and more leeway with relation to trouble. Whenever you talk to most lecturers about if they have favorites or students they prefer over the other the usual response would be “I treat all my students the same,” or “I have no preferences in students” and a response I just recently heard “I hate all my

CON

students equally.” These types of statements are not only a cover up, they are straight lies. Bias is something we observe in everyday life and something we can’t avoid. It’s unfortunate to know that Mrs. Doe might like Jane more than you, but it’s something that everyone in the class can recognize and should be something the employees of our school should address also. Contrary to popular belief, teachers were once students too. Not all educators morals are as high as society expects. We see more and more scandals including teachers making ill advised decisions, so why can’t that apply to teachers in our own personal societies. By no means am I saying our teachers all have ill intentions, but maybe some of the “heros” in our life are just bullies who believe it or not get enjoyment out of picking on some kids.

By Nathan thimmesch

teacher simply trying to take control back? I don’t think so. If that person opened themselves up to the class for a laugh, how is it the teacher’s fault for turning that around on the student? I’ve had some personal experience with this. Freshman year, there was a particular class where I was, occasionally, the butt of the teacher’s jokes. Most, if not all of these jokes, were good-hearted in nature. And absolutely none of them were unwarranted. The jokes generally made observations that I hadn’t turned in an assignment or had done poorly on something. I was never too shy about sharing what I had in the class, so it never got to me on a personal level. But does that mean the teacher was going out of his/her way to pick on me? No. At the time, I may have felt a bit embarrassed, but looking back on it, this teacher didn’t do this to me alone, nor was the intent to emotionally scar me or anything.

It was just this teacher’s way of getting through to the students who had made the unfortunate habit of not doing their work or not achieving their potential. It wasn’t only something that happened freshman year; throughout high school, I’m sure I’ve annoyed my fair share of teachers (to say I can be loud and energetic in class is putting it lightly). And I’ve also had my fair share of teachers turn that right around on me. It can sting a little at first, but I never immediately assume that any teacher is trying to actually hurt me. This may just be a more effective way for them to make their point. Sure, some teachers may take it rather far, but I can’t bring myself to believe that someone who knowingly took a job that deals with teenagers would be someone who would deliberately belittle them on a daily basis.

: WORD T E E R ST E H T ON

“I think [with some teachers] there is a bias for some students, but for other teachers, it’s rather generic.”

—sophomore joshua ash

“If [the student is] in a club they sponsor then the teacher may call on them more but it wouldn’t affect grades or how they treat the student.”

—senior lindsey vogt

“I don’t think that [teachers picking favorites is very prevalent in this school”

—freshman danny del castillo

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Once upon atac ti THE CLASSROOM CHAMPION

THE DANCING DREAMER

reshman Carsen Schroeder has taken to a passion idolized by many, but committed to by few. For her, dancing is more than a hobby or fun activity. It has been a dominant presence in her life and characterizes who she is. At a young age, Schroeder was kicked out of gymnastics. Dancing was her second choice, so without hesitation her mother signed her up for dance. And she has been faithful to that commitment for a solid 13 years. Schroeder has been dancing for the majority of her life. She commits just as much time and practice to her passion as many do for school sports. Six days a week, you can find her dancing at Kansas City Ballet, anywhere from three to four hours a day. And there’s no place she’d rather be. “I’m good at it, and it’s always fun when you’re good at something,” Schroeder said. “It’s a combination and form of expression, hobby and sport all in one.” It isn’t just a temporary commitment, however. Though she has danced throughout elementary school, middle school, and now her first year of high school, it is something that she wants to continue further as she grows. She wants to become a professional dancer and, in the long run, a choreographer. Freshman Kate Anderson also dances at Kansas City Ballet, with Carsen. She has danced ever since she saw her friends taking ballet in sixth grade and was inspired by the art of dance. She began with Dancers Unlimited, and soon moved on to Kansas City Ballet to continue with her hobby. “For me, it’s kind of a stress reliever,” Anderson said. “If you’re feeling a certain emotion, it provides a way to blow off steam and forget everything.” Anderson, like Schroeder, also wishes to continue dancing and sees it as a part of her future. These two individuals represent what dedication and commitment to a passion can yield, and how it can lead to a future doing what they love.

media dating family

FEATURES

he alarm clock blares, the numbers read 5 a.m. Senior Claire Thomas gets out of bed and begins her day with a church class at 6 a.m., then heads to school for a schedule full of AP and honors classes. She will even keep her brain churning out information past school hours with AcaDec, homework, and enriching hobbies such as painting and playing the piano. All of these factors have allowed for Thomas’s climb to the top of the Senior Class, and one could argue that such academic success simply runs in the family. Thomas lives in a family of six. Her oldest sister, Anne, graduated from Brigham-Young University where she studied psychology, and her next oldest sibling, Mark, is currently studying Social Studies at Harvard. Her youngest sister Leah is a freshman here at South. The three youngest siblings spent several years homeschooling together, which Thomas notes has helped the family bond as well as helped her develop her interests. “It’s really self-directed, there’s no sort of constraints for test scores or teachers, none of that pressure to get the right grades. I think it helped me to learn to explore my passions and realize what I was really interested in because there was no curriculum I had to follow. It was more of what I wanted to do,” Thomas said. Such an environment has caused her to set a high standard for herself. “No one puts pressure on me,” Thomas said, “but it’s a lot to live up to.” While sometimes her family life creates stress for her, Thomas loves living in a gifted

household. “We have really good discussions, especially now that we’re all older,” Thomas said. “We can talk about anything and it’s always really interesting.” Thomas’s favorite family activity is not having these conversations. The Thomas family enjoys filling free-time with worldwide travel. A few favorite destinations include Italy, Turkey and Croatia. “They’re really, really pretty and everyone is so nice and friendly,” Thomas said. “They’re just really cool places.” However, Thomas believes that her most significant experience while abroad occurred during her two-month stay in Russia. “I basically knew the alphabet of Russian, and that was more than anyone in my family so I was sort of in charge of reading everything and trying to figure out stuff,” Thomas said. Apart from gaining the knowledge necessary to live in a foreign country, Thomas found valuable life-skills in Russia. “It gave me a lot more responsibility and helped me to be more confident in myself and what I can do. It helped me explore the world, too.”

ime... ckling the students share their own personal tales

BY LUKE HOLLAND, OLIVIA FEATHERS, MIGUEL PALOMINO, AND HAYLEIGH CHUDICK PHOTOS BY JULIA LARBERG

ELEPHANT

AN ARGENTINE ADVENTURE

here’s an old saying that goes the most interesting person you will ever meet is probably sitting next to you on the bus ride home. In high school, switch bus ride to the lunch line and the same rule applies. Punching through glass walls and getting an arm lit on fire are just a few of the ordeals sophomore Isaac Lanan has dealt with because of the regular roughhousing with his 18-year-old brother. However, Lanan remembers these events fondly as just goofing off with his brother. “He’s actually my best friend. [But] I might have Stockholm Syndrome,” Lanan said. When he’s not hanging out with his brother, Lanan is participating in South’s Acadec team and Arabic club. Besides speaking Arabic and English, he also speaks Spanish fluently. La01 opportunity to experience what school is nan’s mother is Argentinian and that gave him the like in Argentina. Last summer Lanan went to the small town where his mother grew up in Bolivar, Argentina and stayed with a friend of his mother. “It had been two years since my last visit there and the longest I’ve stayed there was a month,” Lanan said For three months, Lanan ditched the busy suburbs of Overland Park and traded it for the small town atmosphere of Bolivar. To get an idea of the size, the only building over three stories tall was the church. The houses were scattered around and most buildings connect to each other. Every morning people go to marketplace and buy all fresh food they need for the day. Processed foods are rarely seen unless they choose to go the only supermarket in town. Lanan enjoyed the traditional Argentine foods like empanadas and asado, all of course homemade. Asado is barbecued meat that can take up to an hour and half to make depending on how

in the room

much meat you use and what kind. “It’s made outdoors over a fire,” Lanan said. “[The fire ] has to be made in a specific way, they’re really strict about. I really think the foods a lot better there.” Besides the differences of food, the small town atmosphere of Bolivar surprised Lanan. If a teacher couldn’t make it to class, then students just had a free period. Even though Lanan could already speak quite a bit of Spanish, language presented a bit of a problem. “I had trouble understanding jokes, slang, and understanding sarcasm when other students spoke with me because the only people I had really spoken Spanish with were my parents. The [students] said I sounded like an adult when I spoke.”

A PEPPY PRINCESS hether they know her personally or have just heard the name, most students know who junior Kelly O’Connor is. She is involved in everything

from KSMS to the Lady Raider Swim Team to NHS. As junior class president, a Pep Exec, and a member of Show-Me-South, being in the public eye is just a normal day for O’Connor. Her bubbly personality isn’t the only thing that makes her stand out. At 4 feet and 1 inch tall, O’Connor is one of the shortest students at South. “I think being a little person gives me a different perspective than other people. It forced me to 02 grow up a lot faster because I had to go through things that most kids never had to go through,” O’Connor said. Otherwise she is just a normal junior. O’Connor enjoys hanging out with her friends and family and her favorite classes: Pre-Calculus with math teacher Brendan Curran and AP English 11 with language arts teacher Travis Gatewood. Kelly hopes to someday work at a TV station doing broadcast journalism. “I used to want to be a lawyer, but I decided it’s too serious for me,” O’Connor said. You would never know by her happy demeanor that in fourth grade O’Connor was diagnosed with spinal stenosis. This is when the spinal cavity narrows and can cause pain, numbness and loss of motor control. “I had to go to Los Angeles to get a surgery on my neck where they removed a tiny piece of my skull and I had to go back three months later and get another surgery where they fused my spine to titanium rods,” O’Connor said. While most students were in class, O’Connor was forced to spend her time in countless appointments and surgeries. “I was in fourth grade and so I just really wanted to be at school and be with my friends, but I couldn’t because I had all these doctor appointments and MRIs and appointment after appointment and surgeries that I had to go through,” O’Connor said. Traveling back and forth half way across the country, leaving friends and family behind for numerous operations would be tough on anyone, not to mention the fact that O’Connor was just 10 years old at the time. It wasn’t all bad though, her experiences with her back brought her closer to her religion. When she was young, faith did not play a large part in her life. But before her surgeries O’Connor was baptized. “[Faith] really helped me have the strength to make it through the surgeries and know that God was there with me. It just helped remind me how there’s a plan for me and everyone has a purpose.”

FEATURES

LIFE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL By HANNAH STRADER

t may be hard to imagine while walking through these green and gold painted halls, being shoved to and fro between classes in a frenzied rush before the bell rings, but it is here that students really begin to prepare for their life after high school. Here, students hone in on their natural talents and begin to prepare themselves for a career. It could surely be argued that college is really where students begin to decide what paths they will take for the rest of their lives, but South is surely where interests begin to develop. The vast amount of different classes offered and opportunities for students to get involved are things South prides itself in on. Right now, it may be hard for students to appreciate these things or fully use them to their advantage, but it does play an important part in a student’s future. The high school experience is not unique. Regardless, Shawnee Mission South is something we all have in common. How each student takes advantage of school and the resources it offers, however, is indeed a unique personal experience. For example, Shawnee Mission South was where Kip Wainscott, a current political lawyer, first discovered his love for the political process. It was also here that Tom Kane, a professional voice actor, got involved in the radio and television program and progressed into the successful voice he is today. Patrick Ryan, a local chef and owner of Port Fonda (recently reviewed in The New York Times), found his start at South as well. Instances like these create great examples of students who took proper advantage of opportunities allowed here at South. Left South graduate Tom Kane educates the KSMS class on what it’s like to work in the world of professional voiceovers. Middle Students laugh at one of the many jokes Kane cracked about life in California. Right Kane launches into one of many exotic tales about various celebrity encounters he’s had in his line of work.

THE VOICE

hough most students may not know Tom Kane’s name, they have definitely heard his voice. Kane, a professional voice actor and 1980 South graduate, has done work in multiple cartoons, video games and commercials, as well as narrating the Oscars in recent years. Kane can be thought of by some students as the voice of their childhood, acting as Professor Utonium in the Powerpuff Girls, Darwin the Chimp in The Wild Thornberrys, The Monkey Fist in Kim Possible, and Mr. Herriman in Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends. Currently, Kane voices Yoda in the Cartoon Network series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Kane has returned to South a few times to talk to the KSMS class and do a Q&A session. KSMS students heard interesting stories from Kane about his life in LA and the voiceover industry itself. When asked to choose a favorite project, Kane had a difficult time pinpointing just one. “My favorite cartoon character [to voice] is [in] Star Wars because I’m a Star Wars nerd and I’m Yoda. As a geek-out thing, that’s my favorite character, but my favorite show to work on was Powerpuff Girls. These people are so funny. I would come out of those sessions feeling like I needed to

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PHOTOS BY ETHAN STONE pay them. In terms of other kinds of announcing, the Academy Awards are fun. It’s such a bizarre, one of a kind thing. There’s nothing quite like the Academy Awards. It’s crazy. You have to sign all this paperwork to swear you to secrecy,” Kane said. Though a new actor took the voice-over reins for the most recent Oscars, Kane thoroughly enjoyed the time he spent working on previous shows and had some interesting stories to tell about that as well. Kane truly got an inside look at the inner workings of Hollywood beauty. “Some of them I don’t even recognize. The people who do the make-up jobs, especially on the women, they’re like $2,000 a day make-up people. They really do work magic,” Kane said. “[...] You look at some of these women in a magazine and in the movies and think they’re so beautiful or whatever... No. I’ve seen them without make-up on. And without make-up on, 9 out of 10 of them don’t look prettier than most of you. They look just like you.” When it comes to the time he spent at South, he joked of Gatewood’s classroom, “I’m trying to figure out where I used to sit when I was in this room. There’s probably enough of my DNA in here that you could swab it and clone me.”

As a teenager at South, Kane had no idea what the future held for him. He had little knowledge of the entertainment industry or of the possibility of making a living as a part of it. “I didn’t even know where Hollywood was. There was no internet, there was no computer, none of that stuff a lot of teachers use. I had never been out of Kansas. For all I knew Hollywood was by San Francisco.” Like Wainscott, he attributes part of his success in the industry to the activities he became involved in while at South. “This was the first time in my life where I got involved in things like theater and the radio and television class where you were forced to stand up in front of people, some of whom you liked, some of whom you didn’t like, and some of whom wanted to beat you up at school, and had to actually not sound like an idiot. That’s a terrific experience,” Kane said. This talent is something he believes will translate to any job opportunity. The simple things such as public speaking and other useful abilities can translate into a job interview and, in the long run, a career as successful as Kane’s.

THE CHEF

s of late, ’93 South graduate and chef/owner of Port Fonda in Westport, Patrick Ryan has gained the attention of the press everywhere. The Mexican style restaurant earned great reviews in not only local publications such as The Pitch and The Kansas City Star, but The New York Times as well. “Every day we work and try to get better, but right now we’re having a pretty good run,” Ryan said of Port Fonda. Ryan first discovered his love of the culinary arts in high school, taking classes such as home ec while also practicing his skills in the kitchen at home. “I was really lucky to just grow up where I did and have a lot of support from my folks. It’s really cool [that] now that we have the restaurant and it’s open, [I] see people here every single weekend that I either went to school with or know from my high school years,” Ryan said. Ryan first got his start in a restaurant called Jalapenos in Stanley, Kansas, a job he landed through some friends of his. Ryan has worked in no other profession for the 22 years since. “It was something that I really really liked right away and I was pretty good at right away, so I kind of just kept doing it,” Ryan said. While Ryan loves what he does for a living, it hasn’t all come easy. He sometimes found himself working hard at low paying jobs and struggling with what he wanted to turn into a career. As the owner of Port Fonda, Ryan still has to deal with mundane activities like doing payroll, scrubbing floors, or calling plumbers when needed. Another thing Ryan deals with on a daily basis is an assortment of characters, something he feels South prepared him to better handle. “As you get a little bit older in life, especially doing what I do, a huge part of it is managing and getting along with different types of personalities and people that are interested in lots of different things. We all work together and we’re kind of a family at work, but there’s a lot of people who are drastically different in age and interest and all that kind of stuff. I think when I was at high school I was friends with everybody from band guys to theater people and jock-y types,” Ryan said. Ryan was also involved in KSMS, basketball, a handful of intramural sports, and working in SMESL. Through this, Ryan feels like he had the opportunity to explore his creative side at South. “I kind of started in high school to get involved in as many different things as possible. I think when people are young and they’re still trying to figure things out and figure out if they have a calling or something that they really want to get interested in, sometimes it’s best to just try a bunch of different things,” Ryan said. Owning and being the chef of a restaurant as successful as Port Fonda can be no easy task, but Ryan somehow manages to keep a positive outlook on his career and success. “I think that most people would just define [success] as being happy. That could mean a lot of different things, and for me... I mean, I’m in a really, really unique situation where I get to do exactly what I want to do every single day and that makes me happy,” Ryan said. To any South students inspired by his career, Ryan encourages them to get in touch to teach them a trick or two. Ryan also wants make a point of how far determination can carry. “We’re just operating a really good, fun, and busy restaurant. These are all those words or phrases that sound really corny when you’re hearing them and it’s kind of repetitive, but I’ve never stopped trying and I’ve never given up and I really put myself out there. That’s a big part of it. I think too many people in this country if not the world just don’t try. They don’t put out an effort.”

Top Port Fonda owner Patrick Ryan Bottom Ryan proudly poses in a photo beneath the name of his newly opened restaurant in Westport.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF PATRICK RYAN & PORT FONDA

THE LAWYER

hen Kip Wainscott graduated from Shawnee Mission South in 2001, the world was a much different place. Cell phones were rare, texting hadn’t been invented yet, and Wainscott found himself facing the same difficult decision that many South students today are dealing with: the decision on staying local or traveling out of state for college. “I had a sense for the type of career I wanted to prepare myself for and it really just came down to how best to prepare myself. I felt like joining a community that was more attuned to my professional ambitions was important, so I ended up going to a very politically active school that was very engaged in my areas of interest and afforded a lot of opportunities,”

Wainscott said of his final decision to attend George Washington University in Washington D.C.. Wainscott, now a political lawyer, represents politicians, political candidates, national parties, and occasionally the President himself. Recently, Wainscott worked on the Obama-Biden reelection campaign, dealing specifically with the oversight of the President’s official nomination to the Democratic ticket and ensuring the President appeared on ballots across the country, along with any legal or litigation issues that presented themselves along the way. “I’m always careful about how I characterize any work that I do for the President. [...] I would just say that I represent political candidates and political organizations on navigating the political process and federal election laws and occasionally I get to represent President Obama on legal issues that fall outside of his government responsibilities. To break it down to you, my colleagues and I represent him in his personal capacity,” Wainscott said. Wainscott first discovered his love for politics at SM South. U.S. History and AP government are listed among Wainscott’s favorite classes and he certainly attended South at an interesting political time. “While I was in high school, the Bush and Gore controversy was unfolding. I thought it was just fascinating and I was riveted. I remember just watching the lawyers in the recount saga and just being mesmerized. I’ve always found the political process to be interesting and rewarding at times,” Wainscott said. Wainscott attributes some of his interest to his AP government class, which he said really opened his eyes toward a future in politics. At South, he participated in as many activities as he could, including KSMS, soccer, theater and student government. The diversity in people and personalities he encountered better prepared him not only for college, but his career as well. “I’ve met some amazing people from every conceivable background that you can imagine. It’s just amazing and inspiring the extent to which everybody’s story is different. The trajectory that any one person might follow, the extent to which it can be so different. We both end up in the same place, but we’re from such different places. It’s a great lesson to learn,” Wainscott said. Wainscott attributes most of his success to the time he spent discovering his multiple interests in groups and clubs at South. He suggests taking full advantage of any and all extracurricular activities as possible to find a passion to turn into a career. “I suppose I would define success as being in a position to do the things that you want to do in the places you want to be with the people you want to be with. If you can bring those things together, I think that you are inherently a successful person,” Wainscott said. Of his personal success, he has a more humble viewpoint. “I think that I’ve certainly got plenty left to learn and much more to do, but I’m happy with the opportunities that I’ve had and I’m very pleased to be doing the things that I’m doing. I look forward to what comes next.”

FEATURES

16A&E

DRESSING THE

2 9s

WHAT YOU SEE: SHOES: CONVERSE

SHIRT: VINTAGE

SENIOR ALLISON SCHWEIKER

EARRINGS: STATEMENT

WHAT IS DRESSING TO THE NINES? The Patriot holds a monthly competition to find fashionable students around the school. On the 29th of every month, The Patriot photographers will be in the cafeteria during 1st and 2nd lunch to photograph anyone willing to enter the competition. The winner each month will be featured on this page, and the second and third place winners will be on SMSPATRIOT.ORG, along with other finalists. The competition is based on creativity, variety and individuality and anyone is able to enter.

PHOTOS BY JULIA LARBERG

See

photos @

SMSPATRIOT.ORG

PHOTO BY RACHEL ROSENSTOCK

reMIX

reviews of the latest in pop culture

CONCERT: MAROON 5

BY RACHEL ROSENSTOCK A huge fan of Maroon 5 since listening to their first album, Songs About Jane, many years ago, I couldn’t have been more excited to finally see them live in concert last month. Dubbed the tour for their fourth studio album, Overexposed, I was thrilled to realize a shortway into the concert that it was more of a performance of all their most popular songs from all four previous albums. The show started with the hit “Payphone” which pumped up the nearly packed Sprint Center to on its feet and singing. Lead singer Adam Levine started with high energy despite have just recovered from laryngitis the previous day. The band continued with many of their biggest hits including “Makes Me Wonder,” “Sunday Morning” and “Harder to Breath.” Levine took full advantage of the large stage, shaped like an “M,” to excite the crowd and encourage them to sing along. It’s no secret that Levine is lusted after by millions of women and the cameras took full advantage of that, often zooming in close to Levine’s face. While many might think of Maroon 5 as a one man show led by Levine, I was one of them before the concert, I left with a new perspective on the other members of the band. Guitarist Jimmy Valentine showed off his skills at many points during the night and switched to acoustic during their rendition of “She Will Be Loved,” a crowd favorite and what many consider the band’s most recognizable song, despite being released almost 10 years ago. Overall, I was impressed by the production of the concert. I had seen the band perform on TV many times and had a little idea of how they sounded live, but didn’t keep my expectations too high. But considering the fact Levine had laryngitis the day before and still managed to perform an hour and half concert seamlessly, amazed me. He sounded just as good live as on a CD, and the energetic setlist left me with a great experience I hope to repeat on their next visit to Kansas City.

FOOD:

PAPA KENOS HAYLEIGH CHUDIK Having a New Yorker dad with a love for pizza has made my family somewhat pizza connoisseurs. The four of us have tried almost every pizza place in town and our names are on at least three of the original De Bronx’s booths. Having been to most of the pizza places in Kansas City we can say that by far our favorite is Papa Kenos. With only two Kansas locations we are lucky to have one close by in downtown Overland Park at 7901 Santa Fe. The restaurant has my favorite pizza and cheesy-garlic bread and with slices as big as your face, you can get more than enough food for your money. The atmosphere of Papa Kenos is very laid back. The lack of decor shows that they have enough confidence in their food’s taste that they don’t feel the need to distract by having flashy furnishings. But even better is that Papa Kenos has something for everyone. Not a pizza fan? They also have the options of calzones and salads just as delicious as their pizza. In the back they have a mini arcade for the little ones, and flat screen TVs hung around the restaurant to keep you up to date with the news or the score of the big game. So the next time you’re looking for a place to eat and you’re tired of Chipotle or Panera, I highly suggest Papa Kenos. It’s great food for decent prices and it is fully deserving of 4 and a half stars.

MUSIC:

BOY

BY GEORGIA DUBOIS German duo BOY made a splash with their debut album, Mutual Friends. A cross between Feist and Regina Spektor, with some subtleties of the Format, the CD features upbeat songs like “Waitress” and “Numbers,” singles that the band released prior to their debut of Mutual Friends. “This Is the Beginning” is the first track, a simple but charming song - only to be followed by 11 other just as simple and charming songs to fill out the album. While there are some great pieces like “Waitress” or “Drive Darling,” they’re lost in the humdrum of the rest of the release. It’s not that the album’s boring, but if BOY tried new things to liven up some of the songs, the CD could’ve been better received. I think that this album can be dubbed “good study music”: the tunes are mellow and easy enough to push to the background. If you stop and listen to the lyrics, you’ll find some really profound thoughts and meaningful verses. As far as sound quality goes, the pair has struck gold. They have solid technique, and the singing is an honest, round, sound that’s hard to find on the radio with your every-day popstar. I can’t wait to see their new, hopefully more adventurous work. Mutual Friends is a decent album, especially considering it’s the first release for the duo. If you don’t mind the likeness of the songs, the album’s a great listen, and a good value at $7.99.

MUSIC

THE NEIGHBOURHOOD

BY MIGUEL PALOMINO I first discovered The Neighborhood while listening to 96.5 the Buzz, a radio station I regularly listen to because of their great taste in music. Every Friday the buzz samples new songs, I happen to be listening when a song came on that I really liked. The song “Sweater Weather” instantly captivated me, making me think of the beach, love and California. The song in its whole is really upbeat and is officially my new favorite song. Another song I particularly liked was “Female Robbery.” It’s really the opposite of “Sweater Weather.” “Female Robbery” is dark and tragic, yet there’s something beautiful and alluring about the song that makes it irresistible not to listen to. I decided to buy their EP on iTunes, and it was probably one of the best decisions in my life. All the songs have a nostalgic and timeless feel to them. The songs have a 1950s and ’60 sort of vibe. If you like Lana Del Rey, The Neighbourhood is like the male version of Del Rey soundwise. Even though the EP only had five songs I really liked all of them and their songs never get old. Coincidentally, The Neighbourhood is coming to Kansas City for Buzz Under Stars which I’m definitely looking forward to. The Neighbourhood is one of new favorite bands. I definitely look forward to any future songs or albums.

A&E

GOING FOR THE GRAMMY choir teacher wins Grammy for group chorus

BY ALMA VELAZQUEZ

er disbelieving eyes scanned the e-mail one last time. Confirming what she hadn’t initially believed, she turned to her friend and they both screamed with joy. She knew what she needed now... to text every person in her phone. This reaction wasn’t in response to a callback or an acceptance letter. This was recent faculty addition, choir teacher Elise Peterson’s reaction to a notification that the album she had recorded with the Kansas City Chorale was nominated for not one, but two Grammys. Peterson’s journey to this Grammy begins far before the recording of composer Rene Clausen’s Life & Breath album, which has since won the Grammy for best choral performance. Her love of music and passion for performing stems from early childhood and, more specifically, her family’s lifestyle. “My mom was a music teacher; it’s a part of what we did. I took piano from the time I was in first grade. My mom was also involved in church liturgy stuff, and she was the organist there. We’d sing with the choirs, and I’d play guitar in front of the church and stuff like that so I was always involved in music,” Peterson said. Despite her ability to play piano and guitar, Peterson admits that singing is her first love. Figuring this out was a relatively natural process for her. “[My mom] would play for a bunch of weddings and I’d turn pages for her, so I got the music as we were going along. Then when I got old enough and I started cantering in church, people started asking me to sing and to be a part of their weddings and that kind of stuff,” she said. “I think that was the one thing that sent me right over the edge as far as knowing that music was important to me.” It was no surprise to Peterson or her family that her plans after high school included pursuing a career as a musician. “I really wanted to be a performer. I went to college thinking that’s what I was going to do. Then realistically things hit me, and all of the

18A&E

sudden it was like, ‘I gotta figure out something else I want to do, and I can’t see myself doing anything other than music,’ so I just decided I would go into education,” she said. However, the road to becoming the music teacher she is today was fraught with challenges for an accustomed performer. Peterson admits her love for teaching has grown since the earlier portion of her career. “To be honest with you, I didn’t like teaching for the first few years. It just wasn’t very fulfilling for me. But that has completely changed. You find ways to be a better teacher and you find things that really click with kids and now I wouldn’t change it,” she said. One of these challenges involved determining the age group she felt most comfortable working with. Peterson moved back to the metro area after 17 years of living and working in Western Kansas. She recalls the struggles she underwent at her job before coming to South. “There was a middle school opening, so I taught at Pioneer Trail Middle School for two years,” she said. “[High school students are] more dedicated, and I like the repertoire, the music we can do. You can do everything from pop music to really serious music, like our masterworks; and they get it. Sometimes they don’t want it, but they begin to understand the things that click and what makes music all-encompassing and becomes a big picture.” It wasn’t her job, however, that got Peterson the Grammy. Unable to give up her love of performing, she sought out a particular choral group upon her move back East. “My aunt, who was my mom’s sister, she had sung with the Kansas City Chorale for 20 years. I’ve always looked up to my aunt,” she said. “I [thought to myself ‘I want to be a part of that, I want to do Kansas City Chorale.’” Soon after calling the director and making an appointment, Peterson was part of the group. Though she is no longer a member due to the time constraints of her job at South, she was a member

during the recording of the Grammy-winning album. “I was only in the chorale two years, but it happened to be that we made this recording for the Grammy,” she said. “And the reason I was only in it two years was because I chose to quit when I took the South job, just knowing that it was going to be a big job and I wanted to make sure that I was able to do my job first and foremost, rather than do both.” But those two years yielded an award-winning experience she is likely never to forget. Composer Rene Clausen, also a Minnesota professor known for his “eclectic” composition style, created his Life and Breath album as an expression of his life thus far. “There was a specific mass that was written for double choir. It was written for the Kansas City Chorale, by Rene Clausen. Rene Clausen is what the whole album is about,” she said. “Once the mass was written, the concert then became a Rene Clausen concert. So we did the concert, and we perform each of our concerts three times.” After these three concerts, the recording began. Peterson recalls the grueling four days in which they recorded the album. “We were there for hours, and hours, and hours. And then we’d listen, and they’d cut. ‘You’ve got to redo this section,’ and ‘this wasn’t good enough,’ it was just this constant interplay of ‘No, do this differently,’ ‘try this,’ ‘move over here.’ They moved the altos three times to a different place,” she said. On Dec. 5, 2012, the nominations were announced, and Life and Breath was up for two Grammys: Best Choral Performance and Best Engineered Album, Classical. Eventually winning the former, Peterson watched the ceremonies for the classical genre via Internet. After she won, she was pleased with the reaction of both her students and her colleagues. “There was only one question [from my students], and it was ‘Why are you still here?’” she said.

top

kansas city

10 BY GRIFFIN ZELLER

alamo drafthouse

destinations in

LIberty memorial

Address:14 West 10th Street Kansas City, MO 64105 Phone Number: 816.701.3400 Cost: Free Existing patio/outdoor furniture includes tented tables, moveable chairs, and wooden benches. Contemporary landscaping that features native grasses and trees. Decorative lighting on perimeter rails, tree planters, and glass tiles. Life sized chess set. You can play chess on the roof, attend a fancy party, all while on top of one of the most unique buildings in Kansas city.

arboretum

KANSAS CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY ROOFTOP

screenlands crossroads

glace artisan ice cream

Kansas city boardwalk

You can walk along the Missouri river and really just observe the beautiful scenery. Why it’s cool: Take a walk along the fabulous mighty MO, and discover the history of downtown Kansas City

Address: 4960 Main St., Kansas City, MO, 4535 w 119th st., Overland Park, KS Phone: Number: 816-561-1117 Ice cream store that has unique flavors and all natural ingredients that make it a top dessert destination in Kansas City.

pizza 51

05 Boomerang

Address: 5938 Mission Rd Fairway, KS 66205 and 5600 Oak Street Kansas City, MO Phone Number: 913.766.1133 Cost: Pizza By the Slice $3.25 Pizza place with great atmosphere, great pizza, and they let you play with the dough.

Address: 3900 Pennsylvania Kansas City, MO 64111 Phone Number: 816.531.611 Offers vintage clothing from the 1940’s to the 1980’s for affordable prices

CLiff drive

Address: 3218 Gladstone Blvd Kansas City, MO 64123 Located in George E. Kessler Park, 4.27 miles. See the evolution of Kansas City in the natural features including limestone bluffs, natural vegetation and wildlife. Located adjacent to downtown Kansas City and has one of the best disc golf courses in Kansas. Featured during the 2009 world championships.

A&E

PHOTO COURTESY OF JOEL WOODWARD

just keep swimming

by trivette knowles

boys swimming wins 5A state title

or the first time in over 20 years, South’s swim team was named 5A State champions. They grabbed the top spot with a score of 202, followed by Topeka Hayden, who scored 199. The Raiders were lead to the top by senior, and team captain, Kenny Bergman. Bergman placed in the 100 freestyle, and finished off the fourth leg of the 400 freestyle relay. Another key to the Raiders success was sophomore Ryan Sweat, who placed first in the 200 freestyle, and second in the 100 butterfly. To top off the first place finish, the team’s head coach, Bruce Bove, was awarded National Swim Coach of the Year. With the move to 5A from 6A, South has been able to succeed in the new environment and competition. “5A is a little bit less competitive as far as entry times and the cuts to get into 5A State are a little easier,” Bergman said. “It gives our State team more depth.” The season has been a long journey for the team, and the expectations were high going into the State

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tournament. With five different practice groups it was evident the Raiders had a lot of swimmers, but the big question was, were they good enough to win State? “I thought we had a good chance at the beginning of the season because we had a good team. We had some kids coming back that I thought could make some strides. I knew we had a good team regardless of the state classification we were in,” Bove said. While the team dropped from 6A to 5A, the number of State qualifiers did the exact opposite. Last year only eight swimmers went to State, this year the State team had 17 swimmers. Part of that success is because of the easier qualifying times, but Coach Bove made sure to push his swimmers to the limit, letting them know nothing is guaranteed. “I was tough on them. I pushed them all year to reach their State qualifying times. I knew we had divers that could do well at State too, but they had to qualify first,” Bove said. On some days, certain groups can swim up to 10,000 yards, while other days the practices are

only a few thousand yards. On a few occasions the team even took a break from their rigorous workouts to play water polo. “On a hard day we do a thousand yard warm up, then four or five thousand more yards, then we finish it off we another set, and an easy warm down,” Sweat said. After finishing this season, the team is already looking forward to next year. They will be without some key seniors, but will also have younger swimmers stepping up to fill in. “We’re going to have a good team that comes back next year. We’ll be missing a few seniors, like Kenny Bergman, but we’ve got a few guys that can step into his place and be ready to go next year,” Bove said. While a State championship season is never easy to repeat, the Raiders will do everything they can to keep improving, and hopefully bring home another title.

paying the ultimate price the recent inflation of sporting equipment

BY DEREK FUHRMANN

o you remember when Marty McFly went “Back to the Future” and wore those Nike high tops with “power laces”? Are those shoes a mere figment of a director’s imagination, or could we potentially see the inception of such radical footwear in our generation? Or what about Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez’s P.F. Flyers in “The Sandlot”? In the last 20 years, athletic equipment has become more sophisticated and expensive. From the days of leather football helmets, literal pigskins, have spawned state of the art uniforms custom tailored to increase the athlete’s range of motion. Now, granted, the price of a pair of running shoes has greatly inflated since 1980. In this age of modern technology, prices for a pair of basketball shoes can reach upwards of $200. The highly anticipated “Lebron X” shoe will retail for $315. Yes, good people, $315. Senior Jon Prueter thinks the reason behind buying such expensive equipment is two-fold. While there are “scientifically backed” sports accessories that people buy just for the look, most

technology is actually legitimate. For example, football helmets were created in 1896. They were made of leather and resembled airplane fighter helmets. In the physically demanding world today, helmets are state of the art and are designed to prevent serious brain injury. Granted, not many people walk into Dick’s Sporting Goods looking to buy a football helmet. Phiten titanium necklaces and bracelets are a new trend catching on with baseball players. According to the manufacturer, the necklaces and bracelets work by stabilizing the electric flow that nerves use to communicate actions to the body. The Phiten products are seen most often on professional baseball players. Another controversial accessory is the popular shooting sleeve worn by basketball players. This strip of spandex and nylon is popular among athletes at the professional level. More and more youth players are taking the court sporting these sleeves. This begs the question, how necessary are endorsements? Granted, the businesses have to make money, and what better way is there to get

a kid to buy your product than to slap the face or autograph of their favorite athlete on said product. Before sports agents, and the multi-million dollar athletic apparel industry came to be, athletes played simply for the love of the game. There were no outlandish contracts or signing bonuses, just men and women playing the game that they love. While not every athlete in the realm of professional sports is in it for the money, there are those whose actions off the field suggest that they are more passionate about their paycheck than their sport. With the countless endorsements and commercials, professional athletes have become role models for a large percentage of youth. It is likely that this form of media strikes a note with kids, setting a mentality that they will one day achieve success if they have all the right gear. While there is some credibility to the scientific claims, does it make that much of a difference? As long as professional athletes are signing endorsement deals, America will be eating out of the palm of their hand.

photos by julia larberg

substate & State: boys basketball, wrestling, bowling BY CASEY LEE

substate champs The boys basketball team, led by head coach Brett McFall, has been turning heads this season. After beating every team they came in contact with, they finished with a perfect 20-0 season. After beating school rival, Shawnee Mission East on their home court, South became the Sunflower League champions. Since that win, the boys have been focusing on sub-State with hopes of reaching, and winning, the 5A State title. After beating Turner 79-42 in their first sub-State game, and Blue Valley Southwest 55-40 in their second, South became sub-State champs and are ready to play in the State tournament.

state placers Wrestling: For an overall score, wrestling is mostly a team sport. However, when it comes to state, two South wrestlers stood out to place in the tournament held at Hartman Arena, Saturday, Feb. 22. The team qualified six wrestlers for the State meet. Senior Reis Humphrey, placed second in the State tournament. Junior Rasheed Brady placed third in State. Overall, the team came in 15th at State. Bowling: The boys varsity bowling team took sixth place at the state tournament. The team missed third by only 74 pins. Senior Daniel Coup was the top bowler with a 688 series, placing him fifth out of 72 bowlers, winning him a medal.

SPORTS

PHOTOS BY SUSAN NGUYEN

just missing the spotlight spring sports lack proper recognition BY NATHAN THIMMESCH

hen fall sports begin, football is the dominant sport. In the winter, basketball is the game that so many are looking forward to. However, for spring, the crowds have all but vanished, and few could tell you what the “main sport” would be for the season. For some, soccer is the main spring sport. For others, that designation may fall to baseball. Perhaps some feel that sport is track and field. Whatever the case may be, spring seems to be the only season where students aren’t constantly looking forward to that Friday game, planning themes and chants, and getting out their green and gold. Senior varsity baseball player Jordan David expresses why he thinks basketball and football may entice more viewers than spring sports. “I feel like people pay attention to basketball and football more than any other sport [because] they’re exciting [and] always fast-paced,” he said. David also feels that not only is it an attraction to fall and winter sports, but a lack of interest in spring sports that accounts for such a difference in the amount of viewership. “I feel like some people think [baseball] is boring to watch,” he said. Senior and varsity soccer player Amanda Schwabauer also knows how it can be playing a spring sport where the viewers are not as numer-

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ous as they are for sports in other seasons. “I think that girls’ sports in general don’t get as much recognition as guys’ sports. For volleyball and soccer, it doesn’t get very appreciated and not many people come,” Schwabauer said. Schwabauer feels that not only could it be the difference students’ interests in sports, but also that basketball and football are more emphasized in general. “I think there’s such a big [emphasis] on guys playing those sports and it’s the guy’s big thing and they spend so much time doing it and preparing for the season,” she said. “Football and basketball are more out in the open and people realize how much [time the spend on it].” Schwabauer not only plays soccer: she participates in volleyball in the fall and basketball in the winter. She knows what it’s like to be seen as a spring athlete as well a fall and winter athlete, and how different it is between the seasons. “I think especially being girls (and this sounds bad), we’ve gotten used to not having [as many] fans there so we don’t play for the fans, we play for ourselves and play for each other. This year, though, for basketball, there have been a lot more fans than there have been in the past years,” she said. Senior varsity sportsman Jeramie Fischer also

knows how it is to be on both sides of it: both the bigger group of people associated with football and the more personalized feeling of track and field. “I like football because it’s a lot more competitive and it’s more of a team sport but then at the other hand during the spring I get to play track and field and that’s more individual,” Fischer said. Fischer says that there is a noticeable difference in the support that spring sports get versus their fall counterparts, particularly football. “Yeah, there’s a lot more parent support than there are students [for track and field]. There are [also] so many athletes there to support with you,” he said. “I support some of the Blue Valley kids and the Blue Valley kids support me. So you’re always cheering your competition on I guess.” However, despite the fact that there is support from parents and from other competitors, Fischer mentions that it comes down to playing for yourself and for what you enjoy, rather than for the recognition of fans. “It’s a lot more playing for your sport and playing for yourself, especially with track and field. Football, I guess it could be harder [to stay motivated] if no one showed up. But track, you’re on your own pretty much,” he said.

www.sinfulwishes.com

DOES COACH KNOW BEST? debunking common sports myths

Whether our coach told us, we heard it from a teammate, or we heard it on social media, we seem to always believe common sports myths. How do we know when to distinguish between the facts and the fables? Society has led us to believe that we should constantly work out, drink tons and tons of Gatorade, and leave plenty of time to stretch before we exercise. Are we overthinking things, or is it worth all the fuss?

01 Is stretching a good way to avoid injuries?

Are sports drinks really better than water?

This question is a complicated one. The belief is that stretching will improve flexibility which decreases the risk of injury. Many will still argue that stretching is good for you, but recent studies show otherwise. The Human Performance Laboratory at Boise State University found that stretching prior to competition or other physical activity did not prevent injury, and that stretching prior to activity could have a bad effect. You might not jump as high or run as fast. They found that warming up -- actually exercising muscles instead of stretching them -- helps boost flexibility and performance.

Unless you are working out for 90 minutes or more don’t waste your money on sports drinks. Although it’s old school, drinking just plain water will be the most beneficial. However, for longer workouts or competitions, a sports drink that provides carbohydrates, fluids, and sodium is the better option. And if a sports drink isn’t always the better option, athletes typically consume more fluids when their hydration beverage is flavored, as is the case with a sports drink. So if anything, it’s helping you stay hydrated.

You can workout too much Actually, muscles need days without exercise to refuel and recover. Taking a day or two off from training does not decrease performance and may in fact have performance benefits. You can actually work out too much. Doctors say that most people should not be exercising more than 30 minutes to an hour, 3-5 times per week.

Does icing an injury actually work? For those of us who have sustained injuries, we’ve spent hours upon hours icing. However, there isn’t a lot of research suggesting that ice does anything beyond helping with pain. This topic is a main point of discussion and I can’t confirm or dismiss if you should. My advice? Keep getting into ice baths, and continue to ice injuries to your hearts desire. Brrr.

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Does it matter what you eat before you exercise? It’s a couple of hours before our game, so we run to Subway, or QuickTrip and down whatever food we can get our hands on. It’s not the healthiest, but we’ve all done it. We question whether it has any affect on our level of play. We also know those teammates that could eat a whole Chipotle burrito before a game and be completely fine. So, does it really matter what we eat before we exercise? It’s recommended that endurance athletes consume their pre-exercise meal about 2–4 hours before exercise, as this allows enough time for the food to pass through the stomach. What you eat before a workout is crucial to the amount of energy you have throughout the game. Even more importantly is the meal you have after you play, your body needs to restore nutrients and proteins.

BY CASEY LEE

SPORTS

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Spotlight

At the Chinese cabaret, levels 2, 3 and 4 perform a Chinese fan dance.

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photo By Mike abell

Towards the beginning of the year we performed the dance at [a] summit, so we knew what we were doing. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;sophomore Jess Jurczak