2004-2005 Vol 64 Issue 7

YOU VOTED, THE RESULTS ARE IN...

BEST OF STA CENTERSPREAD

VOLUME 64 | ST. TERESA’S ACADEMY | APRIL 28, 2005 | KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI | ISSUE 7

Westport bar asks wait staff to wear schoolgirl uniforms

Upon the death Of John Paul II, ‘possibly one of the greatest popes in history,’ the catholic community turns to find leadership in the arms of

Pope Benedict XVI

Chandler Domian Staff Writer Flanked with silhouettes of naked women, and employed with young women required to wear manipulated versions of the Catholic schoolgirl uniform, Johnny Dare’s bar in historic Westport advertises an atmosphere of “…Hard Rock Café, strip club, and trailer park” and promises “a righteous place for regular guys to hang out.” The establishment sits two miles from St. Teresa’s Academy.

The 98.9 The Rock radio personality Johnny Dare opened the bar last July to reflect the theme of his morning radio show.

“The rock n’ roll music, comments, and skits talked about on the show come to life in the bar,” said Johnny Dare’s business consultant, Mr. Steve Conklin.

The standard dress for all wait staff is an altered form of the uniform worn by numerous young women attending Catholic schools in the Kansas City area.

According to Conklin, the waitresses consult a variety of sources when assembling their work uniform including kids, sisters, and uniform supply companies.

“A couple of the waitresses here went to Catholic schools and wear their old uniforms to work,” said Johnny Dare’s waitress Jillian Brentzel.

STA Theology teacher and author of Plaid and Parochial: Cultural Interpretations of Girls School Uniforms, Ms. Anita Reznicek, described Johnny Dare’s use of the school uniform as “a deliberate manipulation of a symbol in girls’ lives that sexualizes them and operates to fulfill male adolescent fantasies.”

Brentzel said that the majority of the male customers at the bar come solely because they are attracted to the idea of waitresses wearing short plaid skirts and blouses. Brentzel never feels uncomfortable with the attention she gets while wearing the uniform, but does disagree with the entire premise.

“Male adults shouldn’t be turned on by young girls,” Brentzel said. “There is something more tasteful and respectful, but the money is so good that I’ll wear whatever they want me to wear.”

Reznicek offered other explanations as to why women at Johnny Dare’s agree to wear the uniform.

“It could be funny for them because they are manipulating a symbol,” See SKIRTS, page 2

On April 19, after a two-day conclave, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, became Pope Benedict XVI, the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church. At 78 years old, Benedict is the oldest pope since 1730, and the first German pope since Adrian VI in 1523.

The conclave, or private meeting of the cardinals within the Vatican, was expected to last anywhere from two to five days, but ran just over 24 hours.

Ratzinger was the dean of the College of Cardinals from November 2002 until his election to the papacy, and John Paul II’s chief theological advisor for the past 20 years. As the defense against challenges to traditional moral teachings, he took staunch positions on issues like homosexuality, abortion and women’s

ordination. The public knows Ratzinger for his strictly conservative enforcement of church doctrines.

If Ratzinger chose his papal name as a tribute to the last Benedict as some have speculated, it may have been an attempt to soften his image as a strict traditionalist. The last Benedict, Benedict the XV, was known as moderate after Pius X’s crackdown against doctrinal “modernism.”

Around STA, rumors have circulated regarding Benedict’s involvement in Nazi Germany during his youth.

“I think the fact that he used to be a Nazi is a little awkward,” said senior Katie Murray.

At 14 years old, Ratzinger joined Hitler’s Youth Organization, in part for his own safety. Benedict later deserted the German military after two years of mandatory service. It is important to note that his service was not voluntary; in truth, he was drafted.

Despite speculations about Benedict’s history and religious views, there is still much hope for the future of this papacy.

“When I was a young nun, a sister told me that you get superiors in your life at the time when you need that particular person,” said Sr. Harriet. “The bottom line is you have to have faith.”

FOR MORE COVERAGE, see page 2 as STA students reflect on the life of Pope John Paul II Juana Summers

Supreme Court rules teens not eligible for death; Church agrees Jessica Closson Staff Writer Since 1938, Missouri has ended the lives of criminals by capital punishment.

In September of 1937, Governor Lloyd Crow Stark signed a bill enacting the death penalty by lethal gas; between 1938 and 1965 Missouri executed 39 felons in gas chambers. May 26, 1977, Governor Joseph P. Teasdale signed a new bill stating capital punishment to be constitutional after much debate in the 1960s. Today capital punishment is carried out through lethal injections for those 18 years old and over. However, the state can no longer execute 16- and 17-year-old felons.

“The Supreme Court ruled that teens (16-17) cannot be held as accountable as adults because they are still developing,” said Ms. Kate Mahoney, Assistant District Attorney for the Federal Government.

“Capital punishment would be considered cruel and unusual punishment.”

In August 2003, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that the capital punishment

for all those who were convicted of a crime before they were 18 are only eligible for life sentence without parole or probation, due to the evolving standards of decency and the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution, which states that “excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. The death penalty must be “proportionate to the offender’s personal culpability.”

Such was the case in the Roper v. Simmons trial in Missouri during 1993. Seventeen-year-old Christopher Simmons was found guilty of kidnapping and murdering St. Louis local Shirley Crook and was scheduled for a May 1, 2002 execution date.

According to the American Bar Association Juvenile Justice Committee, Simmons, along with friends Charlie Benjamin and John Tessmer, met at the home of Brian Moomey late in the morning of Sept. 8.

The three boys planned to rob Crook’s home and later murder her. As they prepared to leave, Tessmer bailed and the

remaining two broke into Crook’s home.

Upon breaking in, the two boys heard Crook’s voice through the hallway and

“

Teens cannot be held as accountable as adults because they are still developing.

-Ms. Kate Mahoney, Assistant District Attorney

proceeded to her bedroom, whereupon Simmons recognized Crook as the woman he had recently been in a car accident with. Simmons and Benjamin tied Crook up and drove her to the Meramec River in St. Louis County, covered her face with duct tape, and pushed her off the railroad track and into the water. Crook’s body was found Sept. 9. She was found with bruises covering her body and fractured ribs from being tied up with electrical wires and

leather straps.

On Jan. 26, 2004 the United States Supreme Court declared that it would re-examine the constitutionality of Simmons’s case, due to his age at the time he committed the crime. Eventually the court decided to sentence Simmons to life in prison without parole.

Another deciding factor in Simmons’s case was his history of a mental illness, although witnesses did not bring it to light during the trial. Dr. Robert L. Smith evaluated Simmons and concluded that Simmons did suffer from schizotypal personality disorder caused by a history of a dysfunctional family and drug abuse.

Simmons’s history and Dr. Smith’s diagnosis could have ended the trial sooner had the evidence been presented to the jury during the trial.

“If a person only has a mental disability such as a learning disorder, then the death penalty can still be implemented,” said Mahoney. “A person has to have mental retardation to avoid capital punishment,

otherwise it is up to the jury.”

The Catholic Church has been actively speaking out against the death penalty.

According to Catholic doctrine and the consistent life ethic, every human life is sacred and all humans are equal. Thus the felon’s life is just as sacred as that of the victim. As Mr. Matthew Bertalott, STA theology instructor, stated, whether someone is 17 or 71, the Church would still support life over death.

For the Church, the argument is that it is morally wrong to take the life of another.

The Church adorns positive rehabilitation within the prison community so as to change a felon’s attitude and lifestyle.

Simmons underwent a process of rehabilitation and is now working with religious groups and prevention programs to keep teenagers from committing crimes. According to Bertalott, prisons often have a chaplain who help many criminals face their convictions and realize that the actions they made in the past were harmful to others.

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The Dart, St. Teresa’s Academy

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OVERHEARD: Round II

Expressions

Ann Stacy Editor-in-Chief

In his masterful ballad, “Confessions, Pt. 2,” Usher proclaims, “These are my confessions.” Now I cannot boast the ability to execute Usher’s saucy, fluid dance moves, or compose Usheresque rhymes, but nonetheless, gimme a beat as I proclaim, “These are your expressions.”

Just as people develop personal quirks, they develop unique expressions—usually one-word sayings that they repeat several times daily. After a student weaves an expression into her vernacular for a few days, the expression undoubtedly strikes other people’s fancy, and faster than lice spreads throughout a fourth grade classroom, it becomes an STA staple. Girls carry it across the quad during passing periods, and soon, the expression is dropping from mouths in Donnelly, Goppert and M&A. Since the release and popularity explosion of the movie “Napoleon Dynamite,” many have religiously mimicked Napoleon’s speaking style. His expressions have become STA students’ expressions. The extended “ssssss” sound echoes through hallways, evidence of girls exclaiming “yesssss” complete with slow, downward arm pumps.

“Do you have government next?” a student asked her friend. “Heck yes I do,” her friend responded. “Do you want to walk over there with me?” the student continued. “Heck yes I do,” her friend repeated. “So do you know where you’re going to college yet?” a senior asked her classmate. “Your mom goes to college,” the girl answered in true Kip Dynamite style.

The variety of emotions that inspires expressions is wide: exasperation, satisfaction, frustration and excitement. Some of these short statements of emotion

logically convey an idea, but others simply fall into the category of “things that make you go hmmm.” The expression, “sick” is a prime example of this. We are all familiar with the usage of sick when someone is suited for the infirmary, but many take it back to the old school (circa 1985) by using the word for…well, just about anything or, of course, to mean just plain disgusting.

“Ewww, my hair is getting really greasy,” a girl said, taking inventory of her hygiene. “I need to wash it.” “Sick,” her friend said, clearly grossed out. “Guess what,” a student announced, “we don’t have to take our test today.” “Sick,” her friend responded, full of delight.

Pants urination is one topic that is without question un-sick. Yet, somehow it weaves its way into STA conversations at least once daily. You may think the only reason for this topic to enter verbal exchange is if there is a knock at the door of one’s bladder. That is not the case.

Fear, humor and anticipation are also common culprits.

“My paper is due on Tuesday and I haven’t written it yet,” a frantic student said. “I’m so scared. I think I’m going to pee my pants.” “Do you realize Prom is in two days?” a senior asked her friend. “I know,” the beaming girl answered. “I think I’m going to pee my pants.” “Stop it!” a laughing girl screamed as her friend tickled her. “I’m going to pee my pants.”

Moving from the not-so-pleasant to the steamy and attractive, we encounter another famous expression. You can always count on students to toss it into conversation, even sometimes when it does not seem truly appropriate.

“Hey I just got my film developed,” a student said, handing an envelope of pictures to a group of girls. “Awww yea,” one girl said, looking at the pictures. “You’re hot.” “You might not want to touch me,” a girl warned her friend, “I just got back from a run.” “You’re hot,” her friend said, looking her up and down.

If the thought of achieving such hotness through looks intimidates you, do not worry. A brightly wrapped box of it arrives with the formation of new and innovative expressions.

SKIRTS: Johnny Dare’s requires waitress to dress in Catholic school uniforms Continued from page 1

Reznicek said. “Maybe they want to sexualize [the uniform] because they felt desexualized in the uniform years ago. For some women they just like the response they get from males.”

To work as a server at Johnny Dare’s a woman must be at least 18 years-old.

The average age for the wait staff at Johnny Dare’s is early twenties. Brentzel said that a lot of the women that work at Johnny Dare’s choose to alter their uniforms to be more revealing than is required. They do this by wearing the skirt well beneath their naval and shortening their blouse to just below their bra.

According to Reznicek, uniforms were originally implemented in Catholic schools because they were simple, inexpensive and acted as an equalizer. The uniform then became associated with exclusivity, and then was first sexualized by Madonna in her 1992 book, SEX, and then by Britney Spears in her 2000 music video “Oops, I did it again.”

“The Polarized conception of Catholic school girls as innocent but repressed, and potentially sexually depraved, is apparently too rich an image for the sex industry to pass up,” stated Reznicek in Plaid and Parochial: Cultural Interpretations of Girls School Uniforms.

Conklin said that Johnny Dare want-

ed to outfit the servers in the Catholic uniforms because he thought it would be neat and playful.

“The response has been very good; humorous,” said Conklin.

According to Brentzel, male customers will often make snide remarks to her when she is working, including “why don’t you let me give you a ride to school instead of the bus,” and “I’d love to be your wrestling teacher.”

Conklin disagrees that in outfitting the waitresses in these particular uniforms the bar is affecting the young women who attend catholic schools and wear the plaid skirt.

“If anything, it might make our girls feel uncomfortable that girls are going to school in these uniforms,” Conklin said.

“It’s not different than going to a Halloween shop and dressing like a policeman. It’s all in jest.”

Reznicek counters Conklin’s views by discussing possible implications on women attending STA and other schools when a man’s sexual fantasy is reinforced and legitimized in an environment like Johnny Dare’s.

“The compromising part to me is that these are adult men thinking sexual thoughts about young women, and for some men, these sex fantasies might be taken a step further,” said Reznicek.

BIRTHS Ella Grace Thomas

EDUCATION Enrollment rising

Ella Grace Thomas, daughter of Ms. Polly Thomas and journalism advisor/ writing teacher, Mr. Eric Thomas was born Sunday, April 17 at 1:25 p.m. at St. Luke’s South Hospital in Overland Park, KS. She weighed seven lbs., 11 oz. and was 20 inches long. The three returned home together the following Tuesday. According to Eric, “She is the best person we have ever met.” Ella has now been photographed about 500 times by her new, proud father.

The entire Dart staff would like to congratulate Eric, Polly and Ella Grace!

Enrollment at STA has increased by 55 students over the past six years.

During the 1998-1999 school year, it was 473 and is now 528.

“We feel really fortunate that [STA’s enrollment] is holding, and the freshman class is so large,” said Ms. Sherry Neal, admissions assistant and scheduler.

Neal said the size of the current freshman class and incoming class, was a result of a greater number of qualified students taking the placement test.

NEWS

Kansas City, Missouri

The Dart, St. Teresa’s Academy

April 28, 2005

STA, world says good-bye

NEWS April 28, 2005

Lack of diversity seen in faculty

John Paul II leaves legacy of world travel, hope for future Colleen Owens Staff Writer Pope John Paul II died in April and left many in a state of mourning and reverence. While thousands prayed outside Saint Peter’s Square, millions waited for his pain to finally end.

“He was showing the world that suffering has meaning, a little man has power,” said Ms. Betsy Hansbrough.

For the past 27 years, the STA community has known no other pope than John Paul II, who David Van Biema’s refers to as the young man of destiny, the geopolitician, the evangelist, the mystical believer, the doctrinal disciplinarian, the scourge of feminism, the legacy in CNN article entitled, “Pope John Paul II.” Pope John Paul was considered a legend and possibly one of the greatest popes in history.

“He was a role model to everyone,” said sophomore Brynne Lee. “He basically was the image of Jesus in our world.”

His last years running the church were slowed by a severe case of Parkinson’s disease. With the Pope John Paul II health worsening, people slowly came to the understanding of this inevitable outcome.

“I wasn’t upset because he lived such a long life,” said Lee. “We weren’t just waiting for him to die, but we were all ready for it. We wouldn’t just sit there and cry…everyone kind of knew it was coming.”

Each person dealt with the loss a different way. As a community, STA held a memorial mass on the Friday of his funeral and read a piece of his life each day on the announcements. The week of mourning was an opportunity to learn more about his accomplishments and worldly endeavors, and not just about the man whose name was casually mentioned in every mass around the world since his election in 1978.

“When I was watching the news I all of a sudden had this feeling of ‘wow, he’s really cool,’” said freshman Emily Duesing. “It really touched me a lot.”

Not everyone’s experience with the Pope’s death was completely typical.

Sophomore Tracy Haden, wanting some friends to spend the night, told her mother they were going to watch the Pope’s funeral, which took place at 3 a.m.

Soon, word leaked about the formerly dubbed ‘Papacy Party’ and the KMBC Channel 9 News team officially invited themselves over to tape the girls watching the event.

“They were there from three to seven,” said Haden. “We looked awful. They were basically watching us watch the funeral… in our pajamas. It was not a very pleasant experience; it was fun though.”

A specific memory of Haden’s was

CORRECTIONS In the March 10 issue of The Dart we misspelled Grifter drummer Paul Schapker’s name. We apologize. The band is playing a tsunami benefit concert at the Uptown this Saturday April 30.

Admission is $10 and all the proceeds go towards tsunami relief.

Beyond Cool would like to apologize for an egregious mistake in last issue.

We incorrectly referred to Town Topic, the burger joint, as Hot Topic, which is actually a chain clothing store. A lot of people didn’t notice, but for those of you who did, we apologize profusely.

In “Overheard” of The Dart’s March 10th issue we reported that the STA school colors are black and gold. The colors are actually white and gold. We apologize for this error.

Colleen Slentz Staff Writer

Rachel Straughn Two women attend a celebration of Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Bishop Raymond Boland officiated the Mass in celebration of the life of Pope John Paul II. a commemorative video montage of the Pope and one photo in particular displayed him looking at the camera with hands to his face making it look like he was wearing fake glasses.

“The little popey…making a funny face,” said Haden, laughing and reenacting the picture with her hands.

Although Pope John Paul II was appreciated and beloved by many, students at STA had differing opinions about his teachings.

“I didn’t agree with all the stuff he said, but I found him as a really inspirational person for most people,” said freshman Laurel Beekman.

As a conservative Pope, John Paul II stressed against issues such as abortion, gay rights and female ordination.

“The Pope always believed in the sanctity of life,” said Haden. “He always thought life was so precious and that there was no exception to that.”

It is widely known that John Paul continually reached out to teens of the world believing there was a special connection to make.

“He got a lot of joy out of young people and had a lot of respect for young people, which is something a pope should have, really,” said senior Maggie McLaughlin.

Because of Pope John Paul II extensive reign, church officials are debating whether an older pope’s reign may prove more beneficial than a younger pope.

Although John Paul labored tirelessly in the church, as the years went on, his efforts became weaker along with his worsening health conditions. Officials speculate that an older Pope, having less time as a papal figure, will efficiently rule

Top Ten: Ways to meet the boys of summer 10. Royal’s games: Anyone can be a baseball fan and who doesn’t like the nice view of tight pants on built men?

9. You needed a new pool boy and being your eye candy was definitely part of the deal he cut with your parents.

8. There’s always a hottie browsing the video games section of Best Buy and the cute employees are an added bonus.

7. Abercrombie & Fitch personal shopping assistants are always ready and willing to help you decide on a purchase.

6. That “C” in math just won’t cut it,

S t . Te r e s a ’ s A c a d e m y

THE

Ann Stacy Editor-in-Chief

DART

with the years he has in the authority position.

“I don’t think it’s really a matter of age, rather who’s equipped with what it takes to carry what Pope John Paul II left for us,” said Lee. Others feel that a younger pope might relate better to the world and its youth.

“A younger pope is someone from our generation who would understand our traditions and what we have always done,” said McLaughlin.

Haden agreed that age was not the issue, although she preferred that the newly elected pope be open to new ideas, especially in relation to women’s participation in the church. Haden remains unbiased by the situation, believing that things happen for a reason.

“I was disappointed [about the Pope’s death] because even though I didn’t know him, I still liked him,” said Haden.

“I was still kind of excited because change can be good.”

As memories and hazy recollections of Pope John Paul II resurface, students will never forget the only pope that has so far ever existed in their lives.

“I remember [Ms. Reznicek] saying he was the ‘groovy pope’,” said McLaughlin. “It sticks out in my mind so I’ll just always remember him for how groovy he was.”

On Friday 8, 30 million said goodbye to Pope John Paul II at the Vatican while millions more watched on television, and STA was no exception to the tearful farewells.

“I’ll always remember him just because he’s been here for so long,” said Haden. “[For 16 years of my life] it’s all I knew... I felt like I knew him.”

5.

4.

3.

2.

1.

you might need a hot tutor for the summer and glasses are way hot.

Hit up the local pool, hot male lifeguards are an official requirement these days at most, if not all, country clubs.

Go for a drive. Around 7 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. are “primo” times to catch guys on their ways to and from parties.

Family “vacay” is not always fun, but that hot boy on the beach probably feels the same way.

Concerts are always crawling with hot and sweaty boys, and the fact that you like the same music is always good.

Two words....WATERWAY...ok, one word, but either way your car could use a wash and 75% of the employees there are model material...and you know they need some company after a long, hard day of work! ~Leslie Herring

5600 Main Kansas City, Missouri 64113 (816) 501-0011

Ann Langworthy Managing Editor: News/Front Page

Ali Ryan Managing Editor: Design/Center Spread

Rachel Straughn Managing Editor: Visuals

Rose Dillon Features Editor

Tyler Yarbrough Copy Editor

Maggie Mullane Graphics Editor

Caroline Findlay Co-Sports Editor

Katie Hembree Lifestyles Editor

Molly Huber Copy Editor

Cierra Obioha News Editor

Alex Hercules Co-Sports Editor

Julia McQueeny Thorpe Entertainment Editor

Juana Summers Center Spread Editor

Mr. Eric Thomas Adviser

Kathryn Fitzsimmons Advertising/Business Manager

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Kansas City, Missouri

Staff Writers/Photographers: Mary Kate Bird, Jessica Closson, Chandler Domian, Mollie Esposito, Nicole Farley, Leslie Herring, Katie Meyers, Colleen Owens, Kathleen Pointer, Alison Raybould, Colleen Slentz, Sarah Tampke Editorial Policy: The Dart is a student newspaper written, designed, and typeset by members of the newspaper staff. The Dart is published with funds from the St. Teresa’s Academy general operating fund. Unsigned editorials present the opinions of The Dart staff. Signed editorials reflect the opinions of the individual.

Letters Policy: The Dart encourages letters to the editor. All letters are to be submitted to Mr. Eric Thomas in Music & Arts 205. If a letter is to be considered for publication, it must be typed and signed by the author. The author’s name may be withheld upon request.

Julia McQueeny-Thorpe Junior Jazmyn Froe learns to solve a chemistry problem through hands on learning with the SMART Board, one of the few ways STA attempts to bring multimedia learning to students.

STA teachers move to multimedia

Alison Raybould Staff Writer

According to Mr. Roy F. Fox, author of the article “Kids and Advertising—What We Know and Need to Know,” all students must become media literate and be able to “decode, evaluate, analyze and produce both print and electronic media.” Because teens are constantly exposed to persuasive advertisements, they have to develop a form of resistance, and to help them do this, teachers must incorporate media and technology into their core subjects. But they must also use different forms of media to help different types of learners.

“Whether teachers like it or not, popular media exert the most compelling influence on adolescents today,” wrote Mr. Mitzi Witkin in his article entitled “A Defense of Using Pop Media in the Middle-School Classroom.”

To incorporate multimedia learning in the classroom, STA invested in the SMART Board, an interactive whiteboard that responds to a touch of the finger. It combines the power of a projector, computer and whiteboard into one multimedia learning system. Because of its mixed media, the SMART Board accommodates different types of learners and helps to communicate a teacher’s message across the entire classroom.

“No two people see the same movie or hear the same song on the radio,” wrote Ms. Elizabeth Thoman in her article “Skills and Strategies for Media Education.” “Even parents and children do not see the same TV show.”

Several features of the SMART Board target specific learners. For example, it has a touch-sensitive surface, meaning that the board can be written on and erased as if it were a whiteboard, which helps kinesthetic or hands-on learners.

“What is so great about the SMART

Board is that it is interactive,” said Ms. Mary Montag, who uses it daily. “For example, I can send a group of students to the board to solve a problem. That in itself is no different from a whiteboard, but the SMART Board also allows me to project more detailed diagrams, maps and chemical equations. Really the opportunity is limitless.”

The screen also displays notes similar to a projector, which assists the bulk of students who are visual learners. Like always, the teacher can read these notes aloud in lecture format for auditory learners.

“Of course, I prefer a classroom that involves the students more and less of me standing at the front lecturing,” said Montag. “But the direction of the class [when using the SMART Board] is still led by me. The more unique and varied opportunities I provide, the more the students learn.”

And also for auditory learners, when connected to a computer, the teacher can use it to present a video clip complete with sound.

“Technology is an intricate part of the science classroom,” said Montag. “Without the use of technology we cannot prepare our students for advanced work in science.”

Another form of multimedia learning at STA is the foreign language lab.

There, teachers have access to audio and video tapes, computer games, quizzing, workbooks and peer tutoring. Weekly assignments may vary from a listening activity to playing a game on the computer in Spanish. The language lab, like the SMART Board, assists all types of learners by reinforcing what the students are doing in class.

“I think the teachers use variety for visual learners,” said Ms. Stacie O’Rear.

“But it also stimulates the other students

and helps to keep classes from getting monotonous.”

Though O’Rear fully believes the language lab helps both teachers and students, she wishes that they could have access to some materials that are solely for kinesthetic learners, like matching and Jeopardy type games.

“It would be nice to have a separate area…where students could do response recording to practice listening and responses because they need more practice actually speaking the language,” said O’Rear.

According to Montag, new technology,

like the SMART Board and the language lab, are excellent outlets for extended learning. These two resources provide a link to popular media in the classroom.

“American culture is awash in media,” wrote Fox. “Our media has been called the ‘hidden curriculum,’ the ‘other curriculum,’ and the ‘parallel school system’.”

Media has always influenced society, but with new technology, this part of society can finally be harnessed and used in the classroom as a tool to help different learners comprehend the course material in different ways.

Julia McQueeny-Thorpe Science teacher Kjersten Metzler uses the smart board to reach students in AP chemistry, honors chemistry, and general chemistry who are kinesthetic learners.

Metzler has left the overhead projector and finds the SMART Board helpful.

Commotion, thrill emerge from Prom Julia McQueeny-Thorpe A&E Editor Friday April 15, a commotion surrounds Ms. Mary Montag’s room; senior Prom contracts and ticket money was due. While seniors handed her yellow forms and checks, Montag, with a smile on her face, answers questions regarding payments and delivers the steps to submitting all the forms; white envelope, first and last name and advisory-- and yes, lick the seal. Montag laughs about the turnout of seniors during activity period and the chaos surrounding graduation.

“Is this not the most expensive week of your life?” said Montag to a senior, who continues to joke about how one day she knows a frantic senior will stalk her in a bathroom just to turn in her forms and check. “[Prom is] the final opportunity to be in a formal setting with the whole senior class,” said Montag. “I think it is an opportunity to be together one last time to celebrate the relationships that have developed.”

For some, Prom has been on their minds since childhood.

“It’s our last high school dance to really be ourselves,” said senior Kaitlin O’Malley. “I’ve been waiting for this ever since I was a little girl.”

Unfortunately, many adults turn their backs on, even indulge underage drinking, especially around special events like the prom.

“Most Prom after parties are people getting trashed,” said Bishop Miege senior Jessie Rush, “And I don’t think most parents are around and if they are, they aren’t involved because they remember what it was like for them after prom.”

Laws vary from state to state regarding the liability for parents providing alcohol to their own children. However, social host laws allow people to be held criminally and/or civilly liable for providing alcohol to youth who are not their own children.

These laws generally allow people to bring civil suits against adults who provide alcohol to other youth or who

knowingly allow underage drinking in their home. Some states, such as Florida, make it a misdemeanor for an adult to knowingly allow alcohol to be consumed by someone under the age of 21 in a residence. Parents who are found liable could face jail time or fines exceeding $1,500.

Some doubt the seriousness of laws like the one in Florida, and sometimes the awareness altogether.

“The first time, someone is made an example,” said Montag. “Then people will realize how serious this is.”

Additionally, many states have keg registration laws. A 1993 report by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation shows that the most popular source for alcohol for those who are not of legal age was kegs. Keg registration laws require the retailers of alcohol to attach a tag or engraving with records the buyer’s name, address, telephone number and driver’s license, or other identification information.

According to Montag, teenage drink-

ing has never been an issue with STA, especially with Prom.

“Our number one concern is safety,” said Montag. “Making sure safe decisions are being made.”

The Underage Drinking Enforcement Training Center (UDETC) agrees with Montag, but adds prevention. Yearly, the UDETC publishes books and manual education parents and guardians the dangers in underage consumption and ways to prevent it. In 2004, “Preventing and Dispersing Underage Drinking Parties” was published and distributed. The 30 page manuscript describes the best way to prevent teen drinking is acknowledging that “not everyone is drinking”.

“People really look at it as part of being a teen,” said Montag. “The idea that everyone is doing it, and that it is a right of passage.”

However, at STA that idea does not seem to hold especially at Prom. “[The laws] won’t drastically change things,” said O’Malley. “But [alcohol] is not needed to have fun.”

At St. Teresa’s Academy, 93 percent of the faculty identified themselves as Caucasian, 7 percent as Hispanic and none as African American or any other ethnicity.

Why this lack of diversity? Some teachers at STA had a few ideas.

“I would start by saying that I think, in general, there is a shortage of teachers period, especially at the high school level, throughout the country,” said Mr. Mike Egner, social studies teacher and athletic director. “I think that minority educators probably see more of a necessity of teaching in the public school system, since it’s probably where they came from.”

Ms. Arlene Hernon, math teacher, thought the lack of minority teachers at STA was principally a result of the fact that teachers’ salaries at STA are notably lower than those offered at public schools.

“I think the pool of people who will teach in a school like St. Teresa’s is limited to begin with, and that’s primarily to do with economics,” said Hernon. “If you’re worried about retirement, this is not the place to be. If you have a large

“

Part of what happens, I think, is that the school is really committed to a diverse body.

-Mike Egner, social studies teacher and athletic director family to support, this is not the place to be.”

Ms. Sara Acton, social studies teacher, agreed.

“That’s another issue, because this school in particular pays significantly less than even some of the suburban schools,” she said. “I guess that’s another reason minorities wouldn’t be drawn to teach here, especially if there’s a single income, and the benefits aren’t quite as good.”

All three agreed that fewer minority educators than non-minority is not something restricted to STA, but seen in schools throughout the country.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 67.4 percent of students in public elementary and secondary schools were Caucasian, while 32.6 percent were minority.

However, only 10.5 percent of teachers nationwide are minority.

Acton believed the reason the proportion of minority educators to the minority population is low is that few there are few minority students that want to go into teaching.

“I think [non-minority teachers] have probably had fairly positive education experience – they went to good schools, they had good teachers,” said Acton. “I would guess that very few teachers I am teaching with, had negative experiences, which we associate with minority areas.”

Egner thought it was more that people tend to stick to what they are familiar with.

“A lot of times people are the products of the place they end up working,” said Egner. “They believe in that education system.” Prior to teaching at STA, Egner had been vice president at Visitation, a Catholic grade school, for five years, and said he never once had a minority applicant.

The administration has done little to rectify the lack of diversity in the faculty.

“Part of what happens, I think, is that the school is really committed to a diverse student body,” said Hernon.

“We’re more concerned about having students have opportunity.”

All of these factors – the low salary, the fact that few minorities have a background in Catholic education, and the lack of minority educators in the nation overall – contribute to the need for minority teachers on STA’s faculty.

4

The Dart, St. Teresa’s Academy

OPINION

The Dart, St. Teresa’s Academy

Kansas City, Missouri

April 28, 2005

poll PHOTO How do you feel about the College of Cardinals’ announcement of Pope Benedict XIV Allie Brown, senior “I like him, not as much as the last one though. It seems like they’re kind of just using this pope as a filler because they know he will die soon and they will have to chose another one.”

Jessica Reid, junior “I like him because JP2 selected him.”

Claire Cullen, sophomore “I don’t know if I like him or not because he seems a little conservative.

But I’ll give him a chance.”

Pulling strings of Missouri’s budget Your parents decide to rearrange your family’s budget. Instead of setting aside enough money for you to eat three meals daily, they determine you only need food four days a week. The money they previously spent for the other three days will now go to their gasoline allowance. By this decision they supplement their lifestyle while depriving you of a necessity from yours, and thus make your life an uncomfortable struggle.

Like your parents in this hypothetical situation, first term Missouri Governor Matt Blunt and the Missouri House have been doing some budget rearranging. March 24, Blunt announced more than $239 million in budget reductions as a part of his proposed 2006 Fiscal Year budget.

These reductions are a part of Blunt’s plan to do something most Missourians would agree is a good thing—keep Missouri’s $19.1 billion budget balanced. According to a press release from the Governor’s office, “Failure to accept Blunt’s proposed budget reductions would require Missouri taxpayers to shoulder a $601 million shortfall in the state budget.”

According to the same press release, Blunt’s plan prevents the state income tax rate from potentially adding more than $308 in taxes for every Missouri family. But the means by which Blunt plans to achieve his goal raises questions to some groups, including the Missouri Bishops and the Missouri Catholic Conference.

Blunt’s budget reductions include $16.5 million in Corrections, $16.7 million in Mental Health, $15.1 million in Health and $94.2 million in Social Services. These make up nearly 60 percent of all budget reductions and affect Missouri’s most vulnerable citizens. At the same time, Blunt made no reductions in dollars budgeted for classrooms in Missouri’s elementary and secondary education, or for the operation of Missouri’s colleges and universities.

In a press announcement after making these reductions, Blunt said, “The actions I am taking today”…“compliment the priorities of mainstream Missourians to increase funding for our classrooms, hold the line on job-killing taxes and to ask state government to do more with less before we ask taxpayers to do more with less.”

Concerning the budget reductions, the Missouri Catholic Conference said in a press release, “The Missouri Catholic Bishops have also expressed their opposition to the severity of the proposed budget cuts, including”…“proposed cuts that will move many people with serious disabilities and mental illness out of state facilities and into communities that may not be prepared to receive them.”

It is important to assure adequate funding to all levels of our state’s educational institutions. But, does this need have greater priority than the meeting of needs of Missourians who do not fit into Blunt’s category of “mainstream Missourians?” Or should we accept the mission of “love of neighbor” from the Sisters of St. Joseph Carondelet by acknowledging the people whose lives have been most threatened by these reductions?

Missouri’s budget issue has claimed the spotlight in several recent articles and columns in The Kansas City Star, including one column by Mr. Joe S. Howard, special to The Star, on April 21. Howard focused on the negative impact Blunt’s budget reductions will have on one group that is STA’s neighbor not only in theory, but also in proximity.

Howard said, “The funding cuts to the Department of Social Service budget will affect the Adoption Resource and Recruitment program”…“This is the program that allows the Department of Social Services”…“to contract with agencies such as the Children’s Place in Kansas City that specialize in treating abused children and focusing on their needs, training new foster and adoptive parents, as well as training current foster parents”.

Mr. Blunt, here is some advice. Read the children’s book If You Give a Pig a Pancake with a group of three and four-yearolds at The Children’s Place. Then, answer this question: is it necessary to balance Missouri’s budget on the backs of these children and other vulnerable Missourians, or is there a conscientious, just solution?

Danielle Martens, freshman “I like him because he seems pretty religious and his name is Benedict.”

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Sr. Joan Tolle Computer Lab Moderator “I think we have to wait and see what he is going to do. He is very qualified for the job though.”

“I like the ones with the mint inside…Do they still sell those?”

Alex Horton, junior “I like the double stuffed ones because the more cream filling the better”

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Caroline Orscheln, sophomore

graphic by Ann Stacy

What’s -REALLY- Goin’ On: Responsibility beyond class divisions “There is more than one kind?”

Ms. Marion Chartier, Administrative Assistant “I really like the original….double stuff maybe.”

compiled by Alex Hercules

Leave me comments! Xanga unites Xangas and other online journals are popular methods to communicate one’s life. While some Xangans write seriously and often, other writers post less often and post less serious information.

Screen shots taken by Rachel Straughn Students use a variety of online journals like Xanga, Livejournal, and Blogger. Xangas, like center and two left shots, are common among STA students. Meredith Snyder favors Jude Law in her screen shot, center, while Julia McQueeny-Thorpe prefers Livejournal upper right. Rachel Straughn utilizes Blogger, lower right.

Katie Hembree Lifestyles Editor With the summer soon approaching, many students find themselves seeking a new way to stay in touch with friends.

Online journaling and diary posting through web sites like xanga.com is a popular way to communicate.

While some users find posting entries entertaining, some users are burdened by having to update their Xangas everyday. Xanga, pronounced “zanguh,” refers to its users as “Xangans.”

“I mainly update [my Xanga] on weekends because it gives me something to do when I’m bored,” said sophomore Oghosa Iyamu.

Iyamu explained that it’s not always the writing that requires the most time, but it’s the appearance of the web page that requires the most time to change.

While Iyamu enjoys changing the

Molly Huber Copy Editor

Joelle Mack, senior

Julia Oldenburg, freshman

April 28, 2005

appearance of her Xanga, some students opt to strictly use the site for writing purposes.

“I pretty much just keep it plain and simple,” said North Kansas City High School sophomore Brian Macmurchy.

“I haven’t had [my Xanga] for too long, so I’m still figuring out how to work everything.”

Iyamu explained that the site gets simpler to use the more one uses it.

She enjoys posting photographs of her friends on the site for others to view.

“Sometimes I put pictures of me and my friends on the site that I took over the weekend and then I write about what all we did that night,” said Iyamu.

Other online journaling sites like livejournal.com are popular as well, but the most popular of sites among STA students seems to be xanga.com North Kansas City High School soph-

omore Molly Smith commented that she used to have a live journal, but she got rid of it when she heard about Xanga.

“Xangas are so much easier to use,” said Smith. “Getting started on the site is really uncomplicated and it’s pretty easy to change things around when you want.”

Local students often find it frustrating that schools block the Xanga web site from the school’s internet services.

STA as well as North Kansas City High School block the site. Macmurchy believes that this is done to eliminate distractions.

“I can see why they block it because they don’t want kids to be writing about what they did over the weekend instead of doing their class work,” he said.

Even though STA blocks the site from being used at school, students have found a way to unite all STA Xanga

Tyler Yarbrough Copy Editor Sophomore Michelle McGill and I shuffle around the perimeter of the cafeteria with a certain air of uncertainty. Michelle pops her “Budget Gourmet” chicken strip meal in the greasy microwave. After two minutes, the tray stops spinning. I look over at her and invite her to sit at the bottom of the cafeteria with my other friends (who happen to be seniors) and me. She steps forward in a silent acceptance then steps back rejecting my offer saying that she would feel out of place. So we go our separate ways.

Several students have similar stories

because of the stigma behind having close relationships with younger students.

I can name a handful of seniors who have taken underclassmen under their wings and befriended them, regardless of the apparent age difference.

For centuries, people have been attracted to people who are most like them. The saying “Birds of a feather flock together” is true in most cases. But the differences that harm possible friendships are often as trivial as skin color, age, or socio-economic situations. We always find ways to divide ourselves and this is true in high school as well. Throughout these past eight months as a senior, I have been able to hear and see episodes of division that I had never noticed before.

For instance, I have heard time and time again the phrase “those stupid freshmen”

–and I can’t help but remember when I was a freshmen.

As a freshman, I had my older sister, Ashley, to watch out for me, but other than that I was invisible to the upperclassmen. The upperclassmen in my advisory were in my advisory were no exception. I couldn’t understand why they were so mean to us. Did age and experience give them some sort of dominion over the rest of us?

I have embraced students younger than myself because I can easily remember being in their shoes. I try to give them the lessons that I wasn’t taught— hoping to deter them from making the same mistakes. I use my age as a source of wisdom for them; in fact, a few of the freshmen go so far as to call me Grandma.

I love watching the students in the classes

that came after 2005, grow and understand what is going on around them. I have learned so much more than I have ever shown them.

Upperclassmen, it is our responsibility in the STA community to set the example and embrace everyone—especially those who are younger. Sure, there will be times when we are annoyed by our younger friends and there will be times when we are disgusted by their naivete, but those provide even better reasons to be friends with them. Moreover, younger students have more spunk and they see the world from a fresher, crisper perspective. We can learn from them. Enthusiasm and wisdom make a fine combination and is a good formula for a life-long friendship.

There is no denying the fact that many students at STA are avid viewers of the wildly popular teen series “One Tree Hill” and “The O.C.” One can find girls and boys alike in front of their televisions on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. central time or affixed to their seats on Thursdays at 7 p.m. to watch the dramas between complex characters unfold.

In following these stories, teens have become familiarized with characters Nathan Scott on “One Tree Hill” and Alex Kelly on “The O.C.” While both are intriguing and often problematic characters, both are emancipated teenagers, teens separated from their parents at a relatively young age who have chosen to lead lives of their own.

The term “emancipation” literally means to become free from the control or restraint of another. When minors are emancipated from their parents or guardians they become legally responsible for themselves and are free from parental custody and control. Emancipated minors (anyone under the legal age of 18), in effect, become “adults” in the state’s eyes.

The situations surrounding the emancipations of the fictional teens of “One Tree Hill” and “The O.C.” are glamorized. Nathan got married during his junior year of high school and lived with his young wife in an apartment; Alex got her own studio and a steady job soon after emancipation, but the reasoning behind their decisions are not all that far-fetched.

Many teens emancipate themselves because of trouble within the home, such as Nathan did, or because of personal problems and/or desires that might be remedied through achieved independence, such as Alex did.

According to the Emancipation of Minors Law, which is the specific California code that addresses teen emancipation and supposedly applies to the teens on “The O.C.”, a person under the

age of 18 is an emancipated minor if the person has entered into a valid marriage, is on active duty with the United States armed forces or has received a declaration of emancipation in accord with the California Family Code. After emancipation, a minor may generally make decisions concerning where to live, what school to attend, what medical treatment they will receive and what religion they will practice, among other things.

The majority of teenagers, or those who choose not to emancipate themselves as minors, will automatically be granted these rights upon reaching the age of 18 years. The emancipated teen is still obligated, however, to attend school and may not marry without parental consent.

In Missouri, the legalities regarding emancipation are generally the same.

One major difference, however, is that a minor is considered emancipated if they parent a child before the age of 18. Rachel Johnson, senior at Lee’s Summit High School, gave birth to a son almost a year and a half ago and is now emancipated from her parents according to proceedings of the state of Missouri.

“I didn’t really know if I wanted to be emancipated,” said Johnson. “Truthfully, I didn’t even know what it meant.”

Johnson discovered that she had been emancipated from a counselor at

“

the Jackson County Division of Family Support during a custody battle with her child’s father.

“I didn’t know what to think about it,” she said. “It’s not easier or harder, because I still live with my parents and still abide by their rules.

I’m not treated any differently than my siblings just because the state says I’m emancipated.”

Although her parents do not treat her differently than they did previously, Johnson is still able to enjoy some of the privileges that accompany emancipation that the state.

Johnson is able to call herself out of school if she’s sick or does not feel like attending on a given day, and teachers give Johnson her grades instead of sending them to her parents. She is also able to file herself as an independent when filling out paperwork for the A+ Program. This program is offered to high school students and offers college tuition money in exchange for performing a set number of community service hours.

“Because I filed as an independent, my college gave me more money to go to school,” said Johnson. “They’re paying $13,000 for my first year of schooling alone, meaning I only have to pay $2,000. If I was a dependent, I would probably only get $2,000 to 3,000.”

Although she is sometimes able to make her emancipated state work to her advantage, Johnson maintained that she does not feel any different than before.

“Nobody treats me any differently because nobody really knows except for my teachers,” said Johnson. “It’s not like

Itʼs not like I go around wearing a T-shirt that says ʻLook, at me! Iʼm emancipated.ʼ Iʼm just a regular teenager for the most part, except for the fact that I have a son, and that means Iʼm emancipated.

-Rachel Johnson, senior at Leeʼs Summit High School, claims that even though she is emancipated, she is not treated any differently than her other siblings

5

Kansas City, Missouri

users. A blogring is used to connect a group of users who express a common interest or theme, and STA students have created one entitled, “STA Mafia.”

The site currently contains 167 members, all of which have some connection to the school. Most members attend or have attended the school, and other members have close friends at STA. “A lot of my STA friends are on the site and I read their Xangas to see what’s going on with them and their lives,” said Iyamu.

Smith explained that she enjoys reading other peoples entries because it gives her an insight into how they respond to certain events throughout the day.

“I find that Xangas are a great way to stay in touch with my friends and even if I don’t see them at school, I can read about their day online,” said Smith.

Teen emancipation: media vs. reality

What is your favorite kind of Oreo?

“Christmas?”

LIFESTYLES

I go around wearing a T-shirt that says, ‘Look, at me! I’m emancipated.’ I’m just a regular teenager for the most part, except for the fact that I have a son, and that means I’m emancipated.”

Johnson is unlike most other emancipated teens in that she still lives with her parents. Many teens petitioning the state court for emancipation do so because they wish to live outside the realm their parent or guardian offers them. While Johnson’s high school would be compliant if she ever decided to move out of her parents’ residence, the scenario would be different if she attended STA. STA’s Statement on Student Residence simply asserts that “Students attending STA are expected to live with parents or a guardian, acceptable by parents and St. Teresa’s Academy.” In other words, if a student wished to become emancipated and live on her own, that would mean ending her Academy days.

According to Ms. Mary Anne Hoecker, Principal Student Affairs, this policy has not caused problems very often. In fact, Hoecker admitted to being somewhat unfamiliar with STA’s policy on teen emancipation.

“I wasn’t sure of the policy because we never have to refer to it,” said Hoecker. “I don’t remember ever dealing with a situation where a student has had to stop attending because of it.”

Hoecker does, however, recall dealing with students who wished to live with people other than their parents.

In those cases though, the parents and school typically agree upon the student’s desired guardian.

Although Hoecker has never had to deal with a student becoming emancipated and living on their own, this does not mean she dismisses the possibility of dealing with it someday.

“I think…I don’t know,” said Hoecker. “It might be something we have to discuss in the future. It does raise the question, ‘What if?’”

HOW TO...

be a true Royals fan Ann Langworthy Managing Editor It’s that time of year again–the boys in blue are back. This year, they are ready to make their fans proud. In the past several years we have seen some turbulent times for the Royals.

Their seasons are like that old wooden roller coaster at Worlds of Fun—a little shaky with lots of ups and downs. (I think they tore that roller coaster down for safety purposes, but that’s beside the point.) I have come to the conclusion that the Royals’ success is based 100 percent on the attitudes of their fans. This year, as the official fans of the Royals, we need to step it up a notch.

We were all there to witness the amazing 9-0 start to the 2003 season. Royals mania swept over the city like a tornado through Oklahoma. Kansas City’s love of baseball was rekindled. Everyone wanted to be at the games, which of course were sold out. The sky was bluer, the air sweeter. The world was at peace and the Royals were cool again.

Then, the later season took a turn for the worse and they finished at 83-91.

This is completely the fault of the fans. We should have cheered harder; we should have been there for them on the road. Their first loss of the 2003 season, April 13 at Cleveland, was due to the lack of Kansas Citian support. In fact, the first nine losses of the season were all away games. The cold hard truth is that if we want a winning baseball team, we have to take this show on the road. Take time off work, heck quit your job. The Royals need your help.

The 2004 season was slightly embarrassing. The Royals finished 58-104, ranking them last in the AL Central, 34 games back. Where were the fans? Definitely not doing their job. Every single home game should have been sold out. Every real fan should not only own a Royals baseball hat, but wear it all season long.

The big blue fingers are optional, but would definitely increase your standing on the fan scale.

Warning: a challenge you will come across when venturing out to the ballpark is the ever-pertinent question of what to wear. Two words, one hyphen: SportyChic. Royals games require some blue, some white, maybe a little gray if you want to spice things up, and definitely a ball cap, no excuses. It doesn’t have to be an official Royals hat, any blue cap will do.

I understand worries of hair catastrophes; I advise not taking the cap off once it is in place. But if you must, just realize that is the price you pay for the athletic look. You never know when the “KissCam” will land on you. (What are the odds, right? It will happen when you are least prepared. It has happened to me... you’ll never see it coming.)

I had the privilege of attending a game of our Royals on April 15 with a large posse of STA ladies. Whew, it was intense.

Not only were the boys looking especially cute in their blue and white uniforms, but they came back from a 5-0 deficit to win the game 6-5. I’m not going to say it was because of our extremely enthusiastic cheering, wink-wink; I’ll let the numbers speak for themselves.

I have on rare occasions come across people who say that baseball isn’t their “thing.” They need to leave this city. We are only big enough to house the true Royals fans.

Only kidding.

There are other reasons to attend baseball games aside from the sport itself. I ask, have you ever heard of Buck Night?

Yes, hot dogs for a dollar. Friday night fireworks? It’s like the Fourth of July every week. Baseball is the perfect outdoor activity for warm, Kansas City summer nights.

Kansas City has no other professional, major league teams during the summer.

The Royals are our only hope.

Baseball is America’s sport. It is classic, old-school fun. They don’t call is “America’s Pastime” for no reason; it has been a part of our culture since the early 1800’s. Plus, the players wear their cute little uniforms and run around like crazy.

What’s not to love?

The Royals have big plans for the 2005 season. As their fans, we owe it to them to pledge our unfaltering support. Let me remind you that there is no “I” in team.

We are the fan team, therefore we all must step up to the plate and bring home the bacon. We can show this country how the game of baseball should be played.

The question is: do you believe?

6

The Dart, St. Teresa’s Academy

CENTER SPREAD April 28, 2005

The Dart, St. Teresa’s Academy

Kansas City, Missouri

CENTER SPREAD April 28, 2005

Bes in v t f ma endood chi ing Chi nes ps : r eache The t ng upi t sit that is n the third o s r i sta g her sippin m , r o o o fl oke fr Diet C ip and r QuikT the stylg n i k o o l atie Ms. K can s i ish n . Dola Dolan wearing n be see t outfits n e r e ean diff n all-j k a m o fr ac l b to a dress d whitean shirt utfit. o s t n a er p got ov is n a Dol t r h tes fo 20 vo y but close r catego with 15 d n i beh Ms. were n s e t vo o m Har Mimi . Jessie s and M son. p m o h T

s wa art D e Th as the bpu d e vot t STA he t T bes tion. es ou a m sa c o i l e s rt c Da en tim bring sev r and he t yea s to that new dents local stu both nal. o are nati t is , d ar n ole a e D asser h “T a c wo like kes t ove, a d a it t s of l n an , o cup lespo sugar f b a o t alf of a h inch k, and f r p o a w ling o m a k te rin n,” n p a s icatio or An i e d d sen thy. d sai gwor baby/ n La s our !” ’ “It serole a c s

A T S t t s r e a B D Briefs by: Alex Hercules, Sarah Tampke, Leslie Herring and Kathryn Fitzsimmons Photos by: Rachel Straughn and Caroline Findlay Graphics by: Juana Summers and Ali Ryan

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o d o t g n i h t Bestfree: Sleep in a

Best restaurant for advisory parties: Chipotle

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: n o i t lica

For popu all those st la sics o r elective udents w ho ar . Ms. f all t en L y the e nd of pes of dan iz Jeans t ’t freshm eache en, In the s and t c e .

T emes s h ter in he class le the class tro to Dan Howe e relaxed ar ce wh th at v ence er, the cla mospher e class. T ns routine ich focus is the mo e may mods he po ss is es on st s and p als pu b scatte th red th o a nice b e the reas lar music erforms t e bahe on re rough w out th ak from a why the c ith great m at ll tho beats l e day a ss i se ro . ugh m s so popu la ath a nd sc r. i-

Best e Intro lective: to Dan ce

Ah, the wonders of a one-pound burrito filled with rice, meat, beans, salsa, cheese and lettuce. STA students never seem to get full (there always seems to be room for more food), Chipotle wins for the best advisory party food.

Chipotle has 2 nearby locations at both 75th and Wornall and 48th and Main where for a measly $5 to $7 the STA community is able to fill their stomachs with the tasty burritos and tacos.

n s bee e ha e most g d i th irr Mr. S s year as er. Siri h h c t ed d ea vote siastic t ly referr u n enth commo aches te e, ridg ir-dog, required S a s , a t and to en iors, rnm gove e for sen elective. ss s a cour ology, an each cl s h n c i y g y s r e p o b dge ny st Sirri th a fun that is a i r off w the pape ourse or e h c from d to the lso has t st a e e t t e a y l g re ver rid . Sir ys” in e the e k o j u to ic G . late “Son er to re eaching ; t d e r s g i o d i e in h irr ee ents of S stud words ife and s e l h t d oo In eag .”

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ing on d morn ents to n a t h ig d of the n k looking stu e a , hours all thos le ly r b n a o d e n p r a u o , d h e te a y tc la e a d c e ry fin up till th se many drea t better way to he trick is to T au ha Staying c make ?

W s n n d a . a s c c io u eople camp nights ee per p l fr A r o e T g o S ition to h th in c d r e s ps du nt of o me ad oss th a e r o n c s m lc a g e e r v w a in o tak ext clas dm ps a appe their n me, lay z’s than atter an ot only are na z r z h fo c d e d e s e th o mis rgiz . N ere go h e reene achieve lace wh ey can quiet p eye harder to tudents becom e day until th . s d th utrest of ht ahea ey help that sh mod, th t through the r the long nig e e fr y fo an m ge prepare lps the and he the couch and n down o

d e n s s a l e o r D d Best her: Katie teac

What’s that smell? Is it your lunch? Is it the teacher’s lounge? No, it’s the Wallerstedt advisory’s Rotel wafting through the halls.

“We have the best food and we have [a party] every week,” said junior Franny McShane.

“Rotel is the core to our parties,” said advisor Ms. Wallerstedt. “If you opened our veins you would probably see Rotel running through them.”

7

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Best advisory for parties: Wallerstedt

Kansas City, Missouri

Most challenging class: Chemistry

The dreaded class of chemistry is where many students learn to be satisfied with a C. Ms. Metzler’s challenging class lectures and tests prove to be one of the hardest parts of attending STA. Attentiveness and commitment are key factors in successfully passing chemistry. As hard as the class is, it can be made less difficult by keeping on top of homework and not procrastinating on anything involved with the class. While chemistry is hard, the enormous amount of topics covered will always stay with the students that pass.

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8

The Dart, St. Teresa’s Academy

A&E April 28, 2005

Controversy in Sports The Dual Participation Act Caroline Findlay Co-Sports Editor

Talent Fo’ Show

STA Showcase displays students’ hard work, aptitude for the arts Mary Kate Bird Staff Writer STA delivered the annual Fine Arts Showcase April 20 to a crowd of nearly 500 people. Every year, hundreds of students participate in the Fine Arts Showcase. In the art department, almost 200 art students from every art class selected from their body of work, at least one piece that was displayed at the show. Those pieces were gathered by art teacher Ms. Theresa Wallerstedt and art teacher Ms. Lisa Dibble, who then labeled the pieces and matted more than half of them.

Senior Claire Gude has been involved in the arts at STA since her freshman year.

This year, not only could Gude’s work be seen at Fine Arts Showcase, but also with Senior Emily Lodigensky’s work in the Donnelly exhibition room. Inside the room one will find the dress Gude created, in only three weeks time, that is now the winner or nominee of four prestigious art awards around the country. The dress, made out of holepunched magazine clips, was laminated and then

woven together.

Arts Showcase they can see that it is all fun. It’s not “I made a laminated purse for Ms. Dibble’s class,” just classical [music] or drawings.” said Gude, “and the idea Accompanied by Seniors Sophomore Katarina Vaughn Laura Brewer, Allison Brown, sparked from there.” (top left): Plays violin in the Gude’s dress will be on Ann Langworthy, Kathleen STA orchestra. display in Washington D.C. at Musgrave, Sarah Snyder, Caitthe Corcoran Gallery of Art lin Turney and Rachel Wilson, as part of their Scholastic Art Senior Amy Kuhnlein (center): the orchestra performed a and Writing Awards National medley from the Broadway Co-director of the student pro- musical “Chicago,” as well as a Student Exhibition. duction Mission Improvable.

The STA music departBeatles medley. ment also contributed to this According to Vaughn, it years Fine Arts Showcase with Senior Emily Lodigensky (top took nearly two months for performances from all choirs the orchestra to memorize the right): Winner of certificate and a performance from the pieces and perform them in a of merit, the National vision orchestra. Sophomore Kataway that met their standards. award, a Silver Key Award, and rina Vaughn, a 13-year violin“The pieces that we [played] two Gold Key awards for her ist, played in the orchestra and took about two months to saw importance in STA having learn,” said Vaughn. “I have to artwork. an annual Fine Arts Showcase. go home and practice it on my “Not everybody is really interested in going into own, and I have to memorize what I’m playing so an art class or choir,” said Vaughn, “through Fine that I can play it without the music in front of me. It

took me about two months practicing daily.”

The third component to STA’s Fine Art Showcase was the theater department. The acting/directing class entertained the crowd by presenting two scenes and, in STA tradition, the Forensics team performed a scene written by Junior Carly ThomaPerry and Senior Mandy Ingram. The scene— imagine Alice in Wonderland with a little STA student humor twist—lit up the stage with screams and chants for the forensics team. Other drama students helped by greeting, selling candy, and helping Fine Arts Boosters with sales.

Fine Arts Showcase was a free event; however A Cappella CD’s, pink STA sweatshirts designed by graphic design student Meaghann Taylor and refreshments were sold as Fine Arts Booster fund-raisers. All of the proceeds from this year’s fund-raisers go to help support future fine arts projects at STA. Fine Arts Showcase is not the only event students can attend to see the performances and work of their peers, STA also holds the fall concert and Christmas concert throughout the year.

Junior pursues Student Productions: professional acting Seniors dabble in direction, Katie Meyers Staff Writer

Magdalene Vick dedicates her time and energy to a new and interesting theater career.

2004-2005 seasons.

STA junior, Magdalene Vick, has acted since fifth grade. This year she was a cast member in three separate shows and two of the roles were in professional theatrical productions. Vick ended 2004 as a member, for the second time, in “A Christmas Carol,” put on by the Kansas City Repertory Theatre; in Feb. she began rehearsals for “Jesus Christ Superstar,” put on by Rockhurst High School while simultaneously rehearsing for the Coterie Theatre's production of “Between Land and Sea: A Selkie Myth.” Her performances for the Coterie Theatre ended in late March. Vick continued to rehearse “Jesus Christ Superstar” until the performances ended last weekend. Vick insists that she never tires of her schedule.

"It's about determination," said Vick. "If there is anyone in the world who wants to do something, they can do it. I guess I'm just hungry for it."

The amateur "My first acting experience was when I was 5," said Vick. "I don’t remember what it was called but there was a ladybug. After that, when I was in fifth grade I did “The Music Man” at Rockhurst."

Vick's mother, Ms. Teresa Petrovic, believes the experience and her one line had an impact on Vick.

"After 'Music Man' she started taking lessons," said Petrovic. "She took lessons at the Heartland for four years, every Saturday. She also took voice lessons. That may have been where we got the idea to try out for 'A Christmas Carol.'"

The high school professional "She tried out for 'A Christmas Carol' freshman year and didn't make it," said Petrovic. "Then she tried out again sophomore year and got in. This year she got in and then an opportunity for a bigger part came up.

After that, the Coterie stuff [Between Land and Sea: A Selkie Myth] kind of fell in her lap."

According to Jim Mitchell, the stage manager at the Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Vick impressed and inspired a lot of people with her talent and professionalism.

"She's a dream to work with," said Mitchell. "She's dedicated, she's not a wild child and she seems more mature than other people her age; she's not so swept up in the business. She works hard and heads home."

The Little Sister "There are some people who think of her as the little sister," said Petrovic. "And then there are others who see her as who she is and then realize that she's Henry's sister.'

Vick's older brother, Henry Vick, is also an actor.

Henry made his debut with The Acting Company— a renowned traveling repertory theatre group- during its

"At first I thought that Magdalene was only doing this because of Henry," said Petrovic. "But she has gone about it in a different way. She's kind of got her networking in professional theatre and started out at a younger age auditioning with the public."

Having an older sibling in the business has the potential to affect her career.

The student "At first I was nervous about leaving school to go to performances," said Vick. "But I guess you're allowed to adjust your schedule if you're training for the Olympics, and my mom just said, 'Magdalene, you're training for the Olympics. You're training for your life.'"

Vick is responsible for dealing with her teachers, rescheduling tests and receiving assignments while she is gone. This past year Vick's schedule for “A Christmas Carol,” 55 performances, was such that she missed classes, she also rescheduled her first semester finals.

According to Vick, it is difficult but a sacrifice that she willingly makes.

The friend "Ah, you got me, Magdalene Vick has no social life," said Vick. "When I'm doing a show I have to tell my friends that it's going to be like I'm in a coma for a months."

Deciding between friends and her career is a hard choice for Vick.

"I don't know of many people my age in professional theatre," she said. "They're all older than me, and outside of rehearsals and performances I hardly see them."

The obstinate actress After six years, Vick believes her resume to contain about 17 credits including both professional and school affiliated productions. After completing “Jesus Christ Superstar,” next on her list is the Missouri Fine Arts Academy, a three week long program beginning in early June. Then comes “Jesus Christ Superstar” in Scotland; last year Rockhurst was invited to join several schools from across the country at the Fringe Festival in Scotland this summer.

After graduating from STA Vick plans on going to a liberal arts-type college with a strong theatre program. What happens after college, however, is yet to be determined.

"I just want her to be happy," said Petrovic. "I don't want her to get caught up in the superficiality of this business. There's more than enough of that already."

While Vick acknowledges that it is entirely possible that she may decide to do something else, but for now she’s determined to go the distance.

"Even if don't get anywhere in four or five years after college, I won't give up," said Vick. "I'll either make it, or die trying."

sprinkle their personalities into the short acts.

Mollie Esposito Staff Writer

Each spring STA seniors are invited to direct a play. They are able to write, cast, rehearse and present a play to the school. This process is known as Student Productions. Many people attend the performance and are able to see the finished product. However, they are not able to see all of the work that went into the shows.

Inspiration Senior Laura Brewer recalled Emma Goldman, the first play she was in at STA. Brewer was a sophomore at the time and can remember the positive impact Senior Laura her senior director had on She had a good experiBrewer: stu- her. ence in that year’s Student dent direcProductions and decided tor of A Day then to write and direct her own play when she became in the Life of a senior.

Brewer attended a meetBoots Kinsinging earlier this year to get inton, the Last formation about the process.

Good Man. Then she and her boyfriend began writing the script.

Brewer admits that while she had originally planned on a play about, “hobos in a box car,” she changed her mind when her boyfriend came up with the “Charlie Brownish” character who would become the protagonist of brewer’s play, A Special Day in the Life of Boots Kinsington, the Last Good Man. Auditions The next step for Brewer was finding a cast for her play.

Auditions for student productions were open to everyone. They were held after school in the basement of Donnelly. The students met in the art room then stood in line to wait for their turns to audition.

Among those students was junior Erica Hougland.

She remembered there being a lot of waiting and a lot of freshmen and described the experience as “fun.”

Brewer, however, found the experience both overwhelming due to the number of students auditioning and interesting because she had never been “on that

9 SPORTS Varsity soccer prepares for LSN showdown

The Dart, St. Teresa’s Academy

Kansas City, Missouri

side” of an audition before. She remembered there being several students that “stuck out” to her. These students, she explained, were the ones she “fought for” when the directors met after auditions to make their final lists.

Rehearsal The cast met in Brewer’s backyard nearly every day after school to rehearse.

According to Brewer, the play was short enough and the cast was small enough that most practices consisted of the entire cast running through the entire play mulSenior Megan Kelly: tiple times.

Co-director of student Brewer also had the cast production Turbulence work on improvising their characters. She had them stand, sit and walk in character because she felt that they were behaving too much like STA students. She also had her cast watch movies with topics similar to the play’s topic. In her down time during rehearsal, Hougland was able to “play and frolic” in Brewer’s yard.

Brewer hopes that the time the cast spent rehearsing strengthened the bonds between members of the cast.

Tech Week and Performance Tech week began on April 22 and will continue until the time opening night. During Tech Week, cast, crew and directors come together to set the lights and sound for each play. They also do run through of all the plays. A week before opening night, Brewer explained that her cast was excited. She believed that the excitement the cast had last week will carry into the performance and make the play a success.

The productions open this Friday at 7:30 p.m., and continue Saturday at the same time. The price at the door will be $4 for students, and $6 for adults.

On the sports page of the last issue of The Dart, a story was written about the changes made to the STA swimming team. One of which was the new Dual Participation Act that was recently passed by the MSHSAA. This act allows both swimmers and divers to compete with their high school team as well as their club team or private coaches during the same season. This affects the ultra-competitive athletes that take their sport very seriously, therefore needing a rigorous training schedule to stay in shape.

I have always known that athletes in all sports must forgo their club season while playing for their high school, so this new act interested me. But as of right now the act has only been passed for swimming. Though some officials in Missouri are trying to pass it for all Olympic sports. This would affect volleyball, softball, tennis, basketball, track and field and soccer, in addition to swimming at STA. The current system has seemed to work well, so why change it? It keeps the athletes balanced between their sport and academics. If an athlete has two practices on top of their homework to do each night, they would tire easily, right?

There is no rule that bans athletes from competing in two different sports during the same season. For example, a girl can play basketball for STA, while still playing for an indoor soccer league in her spare time. The athlete must choose which sport to participate in, if and when they conflict.

So, will this act pass and if it does, is it right? Let’s say it does get approved, allowing athletes to play for their school and club at one time. Some argue that college recruiters pay closer attention to club sports (like Amateur Athletic Union—AAU), so it benefits athletes to participate with their club team all year to increase their collegiate exposure. Last month (during the STA soccer season), three varsity soccer players—freshmen Molly Campbell and Britney Scott with the same team—and sophomore Lauren Fowlkes with a different team—went to Europe to compete for the Olympic Development Program (ODP). Each competed on a National team, which is permitted during the high school soccer season because it is not a club.

The other argument is high school sports are not as cutthroat and offer more team unity. Also, club sports sometimes take away from the high school scene. Because some high school teams are not as competitive, athletes may lose elements of their sport when solely competing for their school depending on the type of program.

There is not enough time for athletes to do both at once. Plus, athletes have a higher risk of injury when they compete in both sports.

I would like the rule to stay the same, which prohibits athletes from competing in both during the same season. Even though I agree that the more exposure an athlete receives the better it is for their future, recruiters can also watch high school games. And a club team can be just as competitive and united as a high school team, and vice versa. If the rule has worked in the past, it should not be changed for any reason.

Mark Your Calendar Varsity, Junior Varsity and C Team Soccer: May 2 @ O’Hara (Var/JV) May 2 vs. Miege (C) May 4 @ Shawnee Mission East (Var) May 4 vs. Shawnee Mission East (JV/C) May 6 vs. Lee’s Summit (Var/JV) May 9 @ Pembroke Hill (Var/C) May 11 vs. Columbia Rock Bridge (Var/JV) May 11 @ Northeast (C) May 12 vs. St. Pius X (Var/JV) May 16-20 Districts (Var) Swimming: May 3 @ Blue Valley West May 6 Independence League @ Central May 21 State Track and Field: April 29 @ Aquinas (Var/JV) May 5 @ Piper (Var/JV) May 10 @ St. Joseph Benton (Var) May 11 @ Blue Valley (Fr/Soph) May 14 Districts May 21 Sectionals May 27-28 State

April 28, 2005

Kansas City, Missouri

Kathleen Pointer Staff Writer This afternoon at 4 p.m. the STA varsity soccer Stars will take on the Lee’s Summit North Broncos at STA. This game poses a challenge for both teams. “[Playing STA] offers a challenge to play one of the top teams in the state,” said Broncos head coach Mr. Tim Richards.

Senior Suzanne Russell feels that although the LSN game will be an exciting challenge, it will not be different from others. She is also confident the Stars will play a smart, fast game and will be ready to play.

“For each game we work hard, so [this game] is no different really,” said Russell.

Sophomore Lauren Fowlkes thinks facing LSN’s goalkeeper Megan Newland, could be difficult. Fowlkes played on a club team with Newland, and said she is “very good.” Fowlkes remembers the LSN game last year and although STA came away with a win, many of the goal shots did not go in.

Richards named Newland among the top four LSN varsity players.

“It isn’t intimidating that LSN has two of their best players in the midfield,” said Russell. “They have a good midfield, but if the rest of the team doesn’t play up with them, then they don’t have a team.”

The Broncos are also prepared for a tough game. LSN will face an opponent that beat them last year, 3-2. A factor working against LSN is the fact that they, according to Richards, haven’t been able to get a good, strong, consistent streak going, thus their 5-6 record. STA, however, has a 10-1-1 record for the season.

“The Stars have played [what] I believe to be the toughest schedule teams in KCMO and we have found a way to win or at least tie in each of those games,” said Fowlkes.

Rachel Straughn Junior Riki Allen protects the ball while sophomore Alexandra Kurth defends her as freshman Molly Campbell, right, and goalkeeper senior Emily Welch look on during a team scrimmage after their opponent forfeited April 21.

Russell feels the season has gone well for STA and they could be on their way to State. Fowlkes said that the team is working harder and putting forth a better attitude than last year. They plan on doing well

in Districts, Sectionals and State and the entire team shares this mentality.

“Our goal is to go and win state,” said Russell. “That is the ultimate goal and that is where this team wants to go.”

The game played this afternoon is another stepping stone in that direction.

“LSN is a team we may encounter on the road to state,” said Fowlkes. “So it is important to get a feel for how they play.”

Captains motivate teams for success Upperclassmen, underclassmen take on leadership roles Maggie Mullane Graphics Editor

Colleen Owens Middle distance captain and senior Michaela McKenny assists sophomore Kathleen Medina with a pre-practice stretch while sophomores Amanda Morrall, left, and Jacqui Lindsey stretch behind.

SPORTS BRIEFS

Varsity Soccer The team’s record is 11-0-2. Notable wins have been against Olathe South (2-1), Sion (1-0) and Blue Springs South (2-0). They played at Sion yesterday, though the score was not determined by press time.

Junior Varsity Soccer The team’s record is 5-3-1. Notable wins have been against Miege (1-0), Sion (4-0) and Blue Springs South (2-1). They also played Sion yesterday, though the score was not determined by press time.

“C” Team Soccer The team’s record is 5-3-1. Notable wins have been against Olathe South (21), Miege (2-0) and Northeast (6-0). They played Blue Valley yesterday, though the score was not determined by press time.

Swimming and Diving Freshman Rebecca Rogers qualified for State in the 200 Individual Medley last Saturday in the SME Invitational.

Diver junior Katie Adair also qualified at the Parochial School Meet April 26. State starts May 21 at the St. Peter’s Rec-plex.

Track and Field The team placed first at Turner April 5 and at O’Hara April 13. They placed third at Miege April 8, where freshman Kellyn Smith won the Normile mile.

Also at Miege, the 4 x 800 meter relay team consisting of senior Bridget Moran, juniors Jen Schuler and Kate Harbin and sophomore Amanda Morrall set a new meet record of 10:22. Smith and Moran also competed in the KU relays last Saturday.

As far as sports go, they are the most reliable people to the team. They are on the court, field, track, in the pool, or on the sidelines yelling, cheering and encouraging their team. They are the team captains.

Most high school teams elect captains to lead, work hard and act as role models for teammates. Generally, they are seniors, although underclassmen are also recognized. Captains are not only found in varsity sports, but also junior varsity and freshman teams. The STA freshman basketball team rotated captains every game, allowing each player a chance to show their leadership.

“We rotated captains every game,” said freshman Sami Setter. “The captains would have to talk to the refs and discuss the rules of the game. They kept the team going and the motivation up.”

In many varsity sports, athletes are nominated, and the team votes for who exhibits the qualities necessary for a captain.

“Leadership will emerge,” said STA athletic director, Mike Egner. “The other athletes are the ones who recognize the leaders before anyone else. You can’t make someone a leader, you have to let it come out on its own.”

Egner believes voting on captains can often turn into a popularity contest.

Teammates will vote for whom they believe to be “cool,” the loudmouths or the best athletes.

“Not everyone is meant to be a captain,” said Egner. “It’s just not in everyone’s personalities. Some seniors would just as soon let someone else do the work. Sometimes the best athletes don’t necessarily make the best leaders.”

Egner recalled a time in his bas-

Star Athlete

Junior Morgan Wiley

submitted photo Wiley rides a replacement horse after Odie got sick last summer.

ketball coaching career when the girls organized a scrimmage. They picked their teams and acted as their own coaches and support group. The girls were forced to take charge, and he felt the ones that did should lead the team.

In other cases, coaches allow team members to organize team dinners and outings, as well as snacks after practices and before games. Teammates are forced to handle the situations themselves, therefore allowing their leadership skills to shine.

“We, as coaches, expect our captains to be good role models, enthusiastic, positive and dependable, as well as committed to the team,” said Ms. Ann Bode-Rodriguez, of her five team captains. “They must be hard working and able to put their team first.”

The track and field team is split into five different sections, each with its own captain. Throw captain Trenisha Ford is a junior, and as a three-year thrower, she exhibits the necessary qualities of a team leader. The distance team chose senior Angela Garozzo since the new coach did not know the girls well enough to nominate anyone. According to Bode, middle distance captain senior Michaela McKenny, sprint captain senior Amber Bryant and jump captain senior Tyler Yarbrough also demonstrate many essential leadership characteristics.

“Being a captain entails leadership and encouragement,” said Bryant. “You always have to try hard and give it your all. It definitely requires sacrifices. One day at practice we were doing 200’s and 300’s and I finished mine in a certain time. Bode said I didn’t have to do anymore, but I went ahead and finished everything with the team so they would have some motivation.”

History • Began riding horses “Western” style at age seven • Started riding “English” at age 11 and has been competing since Accomplishments • Wiley and her horse, Odie, were reserve champions (second place) at a competition in St. Louis in January • As of their last competition, they are ranked 16 out of 50 pairs in the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) standings • Will be going to competitions in Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee, Kentucky and Iowa this summer Goals • Go to Southern Methodist University in Dallas on an equestrian scholarship and bring Odie with her • Advance to four foot jumps

10

The Dart, St. Teresa’s Academy

FEATURES April 28, 2005

Kansas City, Missouri

St. Teresa’s living legend

Sr. Harriet Koutsoumpas is a fixture at STA Rose Dillon Features Editor

Rose Dillon Features Editor So late in the year, these columnists decided that it was high time this column produced a full-on, didactic rant. We’ve discussed so many aspects of cool that it’s time to focus our attention on something cool, something that inspires passion, something that is sometimes thought of as dead.

And that subject, dear friends, is feminism. It’s almost become a dirty word in this culture. When did strong women start to be called “femi-nazis” (thanks, Rush Limbaugh)? And are we going to put up with it? Are we going to let a prescriptiondrug addled political pundit “put us in our place?” No! Because we attend St. Teresa's Academy, a school that has taught us that we’re good enough, we’re smart enough, and gosh darn it, people like us.

This is the second to last (that is, penultimate) Beyond Cool column you will ever see, so read carefully: we are strong, we are invincible, we are woman. Women. Um … well, it’s a great song even though I butchered the quotation.

The point is that Beyond Cool is taking this opportunity to emphasize what is the Beyond-est of Cool – you. Your self hood, your sense of identity and your inner strength are irreplaceable, unique and vital to the well-being of the entire planet. It’s highly important that you spread the light.

This is an age where women are able to achieve more than ever before (although it’s pretty amazing that it took this long). We’re making huge strides in business, politics, and education, which makes it all the more disturbing when gender biases come to light and when subtle misogyny is revealed lurking behind pop cultural facades.

In a time when more women than men are attending college, it’s alarming to hear Harvard President Mr. Larry Summers suggest that men are by nature more scientifically apt than women. For Summers to imply that 50% of the student population at his university might not be able to make it because they’re inept is an outrage.

Whether or not Summers’s remarks were taken out of context, they reveal a bias against women in the sciences. Not only that, but only four of 32 tenure positions available at the university that year went to women. It doesn’t look coincidental.

It’s even more alarming to read headlines on teen and women’s magazines emphasizing the importance of looking hot for a date. Words women read every day advocate using the female form to entice and interest men. This is bound to seep into the collective unconscious.

On top of the emphasis on female sexuality as our only tool, these magazines promote emotional dependence on men.

There’s nothing wrong with having a boyfriend, and luckily these same publications do not endorse financial dependence, but it’s important that women stand on their own two feet. Deep inside, we know that we don’t need boys, which makes them all the more enjoyable when we choose to hang around with them.

We cannot allow our lives to be ruled by societal restrictions imposed on us by an over-saturated celebrity culture. Magazines like Us Weekly and Cosmopolitan are entertaining, but they’re hardly conducive to a strong sense of freedom or faith in one’s ability to be awesome. Being your own person doesn’t hinge on physical attractiveness.

Sexual exploitation has replaced real girl power. Celebrities like Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Jessica Simpson are famous not because of their intelligence or talent, but because of the way they look in a bikini. It’s not a good situation for those of us who choose to use our brains.

Don’t buy into the myth of the physical. We are not confined to our bodies, and we will refuse to be exploited because we have smaller bone structure and larger mammary glands. Happiness comes from within, and it is achievable only with independence.

“Feminism is the radical idea that women are people,” but it’s much more. It’s an understanding of women as equal to men even while we’re fundamentally different in many ways. It’s a realization that even though it’s not all the rage to be feminist the way it was with Gloria Steinem, it’s still important to understand that there’s a long way to go.

“Most kids think I’m just a crab,” Sr. Harriet Koutsoumpas said wryly from behind the computer desk in the English Resource Center. “They didn’t know me when.”

That is, they didn’t know Sr. Harriet Koutsoumpas (pronounced “koot-soombus”) when she coached basketball in a full habit. They didn’t know her when she beat all the boys in the Newman Club at poker.

They didn’t know her when she commanded a chemistry classroom.

“I never saw her more animated than she was teaching,” said President Dr. Faith Wilson, who was head of the science department when Sr. Harriet came to St. Teresa’s. “It was like being on stage.”

Sr. Harriet knows about being on stage.

She and some of her high school classmates wrote and produced their senior play, and she often had parts in plays in the novitiate as well. She loves musicals, and made an announcement before every performance of St. Teresa’s spring musical, Nunsense: “I am Sr. Harriet, and I approve this play.”

“She’s sort of a legend,” said Mr. Mark Fudemberg, English teacher, who has known “P.J.” for almost 23 years. “She’s got a good sense of humor; she loves the school.”

Sr. Harriet, then Sr. Paul Joseph, first came to St. Teresa’s in August of 1957, to teach chemistry at the college when it was still on the Windmoor campus, and when she still wore the full habit.

“We’d sleep out on the roof because it was so hot,” she said. “A lot of places didn’t have air conditioning.”

She left for Green Bay, Wisconsin, during “the Packers years,” and returned to Avila in 1962. She began teaching at the high school in 1979, as a substitute for an ill math teacher. In the fall of 1980, she began teaching chemistry. The rest, she says, is history.

“I think that’s why I wanted to be a good high school teacher,” said Sr. Harriet. “I saw so many kids in college so ill-prepared.”

And she did prepare her students.

“It was a mark of courage to get through [Sr. Harriet’s chemistry] class,” said Wilson.

“But then [students] found out when they had her that she was extremely helpful.

She came early and stayed late to help students. I had great admiration for her teaching skills.”

But the thing Sr. Harriet misses most about teaching is opening class with a passage from Scripture, often by her namesake St. Paul.

“The most important thing I can do for them is not the teaching, it’s the praying,”

Clockwise from left: Submitted photo, submitted photo, Caroline Findlay, Rachel Straughn Clockwise from top left: Sr. Harriet Koutsoumpas, second from left, wearing the full habit; Sr. Harriet, left, plays ping pong in her transitional habit; Sr. Harriet knits in the ERC; Sr. Harriet attending one of the home soccer games. she said. “To the core, I’m a sister of St. Joseph.”

She became a sister after she graduated from Fontbonne University in her home town of St. Louis. Raised Greek Orthodox, she joined the sisters soon after converting to Roman Catholicism.

“It was hard for me to separate being a nun from coming to the faith,” she said.

In the days before the Second Vatican Council and subsequent restructuring of the church, to become a nun was a long process. Sr. Harriet went through a sixmonth postulate, a two-year novitiate and five years of temporary vows before becoming a full sister.

“When I was in Green Bay, it was during Vatican II,” she said. “It was a wonderful time to be in the church. As a convert, I never had Catholic hang-ups. It reaffirmed things I already believed, and it made religious communities go back to their heritage.”

That eventually meant leaving the habit. Sr. Harriet wore a transitional habit while teaching in Green Bay and when she returned to Avila, she switched to regular clothes.

“My faith and vocation doesn’t depend on being in a habit,” she said. “It’s the person that’s important.”

The habit never got in her way physically either. In Green Bay she coached basketball wearing the old wool serge habit and her team won the city championships.

She even wore it while riding in a toboggan one Wisconsin winter.

She never let a childhood bout of rheumatic fever get in her way either. Before entering the sisterhood she played volleyball and basketball and attended baseball games with her father.

“I thought my parents would have a heart attack when I invited them to a basketball game and they saw me on the team,” she said with a laugh.

After joining the sisterhood, she coached, bowled and played ping pong.

She even led a team of teachers to victory in a student-teacher volleyball game.

“We whipped them,” she said, with obvious satisfaction. “They never knew what hit them.”

Although she no longer plays sports, she’s still a fan, attending every home game and keeping score for volleyball.

“As long as she can put one foot in front of the other, she’ll be at every game,” said Fudemberg.

It’s just one more way that Sr. Harriet stays involved at St. Teresa’s.

“Her work has changed but her relationship with us hasn’t changed at all,” said Wilson, who has known Sr. Harriet as her colleague, as her friend and as a mother of two of her students. “I consider her a very integral part of the STA community. She has never missed being a part of our community for a single year.”

A rose among dandelions Anna Johnson’s hand-painted car attracts attention

Tyler Yarbrough Copy Editor On the last Saturday of Spring Break a few of STA students, from all classes, and a few Rockhurst guys, came together for one reason: to paint junior Anna Johnson’s car.

The rose grown among dandelions is a sufficient analogy for Anna’s brightly colored vehicle in the STA parking lot. The designs: light green bubbles that spiral out, a dragon devouring the key hole on the trunk, the peace sign on the top and the back two tires etched with flower petals, mimic thoughts that inhabit the minds of the teenagers who painted it. This unusual spectacle was a result of one student’s longtime aspiration.

Anna and her friends didn’t paint the car impulsively; it has always been Anna’s goal.

“I’ve been thinking about painting my car for a while now, so I just set a date, and told all my friends to come,” Johnson said.

The Johnson’s had a family van that Anna wanted to paint, but her parents sold it. So Anna decided to paint her own.

One of Johnson’s friends, junior Lizzie Beier, accompanied Johnson on her errands to get materials for the car and remembers the long history of Johnson’s dream.

“It’s her car, so she just wanted to paint it,” Beier said. “It is just something she always wanted to do.”

According to Beier, the salespeople at the paint shops were discouraging.

“The people at the paint shop gave us weird glares when we told them about what we planned to do,” Beier said. “They also told us that we should go to a car body

Colleen Owens Anna Johnson and her friends painted her car to imitate the famous hippie-style vans of the sixties. paint shop instead of doing it ourselves.”

Johnson recalls the people’s reaction to her idea.

“They all laughed at me and told me I couldn’t do it,” Johnson said.

The girls trotted on to K-Mart where they purchased the pre-mixed, latex-free, oil-based paint they needed.

Although Johnson gave her friends the freedom to paint whatever they wanted, there were a few restrictions.

“Anna told us that we could do whatever we wanted but not to paint on her lights or hubcaps,” said Beier. “And she told us not to paint anything incredibly stupid.”

Anna’s rules were based on the idea that she would have the car painted that way for a long time.

“I told them not to paint names, inside jokes or quotes from movies that no one will remember two years from now,” Johnson said.

With the advice of neighbors and family friends, who decorated their cars in the ‘60s and ‘70s, the students painted Johnson’s car. “[The people at the paint shop] didn’t believe that we could do it—that’s pretty funny,” Beier said with a slight chuckle.

According to Johnson, the paint job is not yet complete; Johnson plans on getting the original painters together during the first week of summer to finish the job.