Volume 78 Issue 3 by DartNewsOnline

A’S STA ND LAND ORY HISTORY

The complete narrative of how Mother Superior Evelyn O’Neill brought us to the Windmoor campus and the legacy J.C. Nichols planned for our land.

St. Teresa's Academy | Kansas City, MO| Volume 78, Issue 3

12 24

contents

News

4. STA hires new security guards

Star Spotlight

table of

6. Amanda Hawley

November 26, 2018

A&E

9. Exploring Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey

Reviews

10. "Mid90s" 11. Food hall trend comes to KC

Features

12. Views on vaccination 14. Using Adderall

Centerspread

16. Contextualizing STA's land history in J.C. Nichols' Kansas City

Perspectives

21. The R-word should never be used 22. Government needs to combat climate change 23. Young, chubby girls need representation

Sports Feature

24. Changes to the swim team

Community

26. Museum of Illusions comes to KC

Last Look

28. Tracing Kansas City's trails

Photo Essay

30. A shift at Betty Rae's Front and back cover designed by Anna Ronan

the staff 2018-2019

letter

from the editors Hello readers, Welcome to the third issue of the Dart! These past weeks we have been hard at work, especially during our trip to the National Scholastic Journalism Conference in Chicago. While there, we learned about photography, design and writing and best of all — visited the Bean in Millenium Park. We hope our new skills shine through in this issue. Our cover story explores STA’s early history as it relates to the creation of the Country Club and Brookside neighborhoods. Two out of three co-Editors-in-Chief (Julia Kerrigan and Margaux Renee) worked to bring light our school’s history at the turn of the century, while exploring its implications. We used the memoir of our Mother Superior Evelyn O’Neill “Who is Like God?” to drive the narrative of Kansas City’s development.

Check out Claudia Benge’s news story and photos about STA’s updated security measures. Then, take a look at Carmon Baker’s Star Spotlight on Amanda Hawley, our new Latin teacher. Keeping with the theme of Kansas City’s history, Kendall Lanier explored a local dance group, Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey with photos by Amy Schaffer. There’s something distinctly chaotic about a mall food court but the new trend of food halls aims to reinvent that environment. Opinion Editor Faith Andrews-O’Neal paid a visit to Parlor — the new food hall that aims to combine foods from around the world with a relaxed environment. We hope you’ll enjoy learning more about our community in this issue, because we’ve enjoyed putting it all together. Signed,

Editors-In-Chief Julia Kerrigan Margaux Renee Gabby Staker

WEB

Web Editor Lily Hart Social Media Editor Katie Gregory Social Media Team Maggie Hart, Tess Jones, Rachel Robinson Breaking News Editors Sophia Durone, Mary Massman Multimedia Editor Aspen Cherrito

Design Editor Anna Ronan Photo Editors Amy Schaffer, Maddie Loehr Page Designers Anna Ronan, Gabby Staker, Julia Kerrigan, Margaux Renee, Claire Smith, Ella Norton, Amy Schaffer, Maddie Loehr, Lily Hart, Katie Gregory, Olivia Powell, Mckenzie Heffron, Rachel Robinson, Tess Jones, Faith Andrews O'Neal

COPY

Features Editor Ella Norton News Editor Annabelle Meloy Lifestyles Editor Kendall Lanier Opinion Editor Faith Andrews O'Neal Sports Editor Claudia Benge Staff Photographers Maggie Hart, Grace Fiorella Staff Writers Carmon Baker, Mckenzie Heffron, Beatrice Curry, Olivia Powell, Olivia Wirtz Adviser Riley Cowing designed by Margaux Renee

NEWS

Live footage from the security cameras are visible on the surface pro in Administrative Assistant Kelly Drummond’s office Nov. 9. The cameras survey entrances points and the perimeter of campus. photo by Claudia Benge

Editorial Policies

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DartNewsOnline and the Dart are created by the student newpaper staff and are maintained and published by general operating funds of St. Teresa's Academy, a Catholic institution frounded by the Stisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. DartNewsOnline and the Dart will not publish opinions that contradict the teachings and beliefs of the Catholic church, whether on a diocesan or worldwide level.

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November 26, 2018

STA brings two new sergeants to campus This fall, STA welcomed Sergeants Mike Foster and Robert Wynne. They both spent 20 plus years in the Kansas City Police Department and bring a philosophy prevention, not just reaction to campus. Story by Claudia Benge Sports Editor

n a fall day at STA, some students gathered in the quad. They chatted aimlessly about tests and weekend plans, while eating their lunch. But without students knowing, Sergeant Robert Wynne was surveying the quad for potential security risks. “We never want the students to wonder is their safety is at risk,” said principal of student affairs Liz Baker. Baker and administration hired a security company and

officially welcomed Sergeants Mike Foster and Wynne to campus for the start of fall semester. Coming with extensive experience, they both spent 20 plus years in the Kansas City Police Department. “In looking at scheduling matters such as night time events, we decided that one person can’t be everywhere,” Baker said. “Two security advisor serve to cover drills and situational awareness as well as hands on things.” The safety directors primarily focus on cybersecurity and situational awareness while zeroing in on the idea of prevention not reaction. This includes focusing on giving tips that girls can take off campus to improve personal security. Baker admitted that as a principal, she has had extensive leadership and education classes but limited security classes. “[Wynne and Foster] are

Sergeant Mike Foster

really helping STA’s academic community to have more awareness,” Baker said. In previous years, STA conducted a combined practice drill for fires and tornados, which took place the first day of school. The school now partakes in monthly situational drills for intruders, storms and fires. Technology wise, electronic keypads and cameras are installed throughout campus and students and faculty are given designated codes for the opening of door. “School shootings were definitely more prevalent in the school’s mind frame,” Baker said. “Going forward, administration decided that the school needs to conduct drills every month to ensure that students wouldn’t panic if a situation were to arise.” Sergeant Wynne spent 27 years at KCPD. He worked closely with Homeland Security

and found a passion for educational services after the Columbine shooting of 1999. He specializes in cybersecurity and looks comprehensively at protocol for emergencies. “I got involved in something called critical infrastructure protection, which focuses on not only responding to emergencies but how to prevent them,” Wynne said. Foster also brings about 20 years of investigative work to STA’s campus. Foster is a retired Kansas City Police Officer and specialized in property crimes, as well as street narcotics. Putting aside emergency protocol plans, both sergeants can agree that personal security is one of the biggest concerns regarding STA students as individuals, especially when it comes to complacency. If there isn’t an incident on campus and things are going smoothly, people aren’t aware of their surroundings like they

Sergeant Robert Wynne

should be,” Wynne said. The sergeants have brought with them a campaign of awareness, promoting safety tips on topics regarding cyberbullying, driver safety and auto theft. Many students at STA are new drivers and according to the Missouri Office of Traffic Safety, a 16-year-old is 20 times more likely to be killed in a crash than an adult. Out of those crashes, six out of ten teen accidents involve distractions including, cellphones, music and multiple passengers. The sergeants have sent safety and security emails detailing tips on driver safety. These information resources aid students in developing personal security, while also contributing to the overall safety on campus. “As always, you have to have a balance of prevention, response and recovery,” Wynne said.

STAR SPOTLIGHT

Amanda Hawley Hawley recently moved from New York to Kansas City to be the new Latin teacher at STA.

Story by Carmon Baker Writer Photos by Tess Jones Instagram Editor

Novermber 26, 2018

Where did you grow up? I grew up in a small town called St. Joe, Michigan. It’s on the lake, and I went to a public high school there. What did you study in college? My major was Classical Language and literature and my minor was museum studies. How did you learn Latin? I took Latin as a blow-off class in high school. I actually took French for five years in high school. My last two years I needed to fill something — so I took Latin and I really liked it. Then, I took it in college because I didn’t know what to take. I decided to take Greek because I thought Latin was fun, then I went to grad school for it. I’m happy that I took it on a whim in high school. Other than Latin, Greek and French, what languages do you speak? I also know German and Italian. I was doing my PhD in Classics, and you have to know French, German and Italian in addition to Latin and Greek because so much of the scholarship is in those languages. Where did you work before you came to St. Teresa’s? I had a bunch of jobs before I came to St. Teresa’s. Before I moved here, I was in New York City. I was teaching at a high school there. I was also doing a bunch of tutoring. I did SAT and ACT prep stuff. I taught at NYU while I was [in school there]. Why did you decide to apply to St. Teresa’s? I decided to apply to cities besides New York. I had

heard of St. Teresa’s Academy because my brother lives here, so he knows some alumnae, and a lot of his friends know people who went to St. Teresa’s. So when I told him I was thinking about it, he told me it was a really good school and that I probably would enjoy it. I had interviews in Indiana, Utah and Colorado, but I was really excited that I got this job. It was the only school that I applied to that was all-girls, and I think that’s really special so I’m happy to be a part of that. So far, it has been a really good experience. What’s your favorite part about working at St. Teresa’s? I love all my students. Every class that I have is just really fun. The majority are super motivated and they’re excited to be there, it seems like, so we always have a good time. I just really like teaching Latin. The students make it so easy. What is your favorite class to teach? I like all of my classes. I enjoy my upper-level Latin classes because we’re reading literature in them. We get to read poetry in Latin and then translate it and talk about all the fun stuff that you get to talk about with poetry, like history and culture. But I also like teaching my grammar classes, and I think the students are really into it. Ancient world history is also fun, it’s different. Why do you recommend that students take Latin, as opposed to other languages? It’s a really rich subject matter. There’s a lot of practical benefits that you can gain from studying Latin. I’ve had a lot

of students tell me that their writing in English improves a lot after they do Latin because you break down grammar. The way to break down Latin grammar is to start with English examples and then translate that into Latin. You are also learning a bunch of new vocabulary, so your English grammar improves and your English vocabulary improves. Even beyond that — it’s a really fun subject because it’s about this whole time period and about one of the most important and influential historical eras that has influenced modern stuff so much. We can talk about Roman culture, history and literature and how that’s still having an impact today. What are some of your interests other than learning languages? I really like reading. I don’t just read classic stuff. I’m reading “The Plague” right now, which is good. I love going to museums. I live right by the Nelson, so I spend a lot of time wandering around there with my brother. I went to a yoga class this weekend, so I do that. I was happy to do that because being in a new city, I’m still trying to figure out how to find stuff to do. My brother and I like to explore. He takes me to restaurants he likes because he works in the restaurant industry, and we go to a lot of nature centers and go on hikes. I’m going to a lecture at UMKC about Nietzsche, so I think that will be awesome. He has a lot of cool writings. I love reading philosophy in my free time, too.

BITS AND PIECES

Student Dereck Richardson goes through a combination of movements in his advanced dance class at KC Friends of Alvin Ailey Nov. 10. The modern dance lesson challenges students’ balance and flexibility.

PHOTO OF THE ISSUE The Dart chooses a staffer’s photo to be featured each month. Photo by Amy Schaffer|Photo Editor

in the news:

November 26, 2018

national

local

Compiled by Katie Gregory|Social Media Editor A deadly wildfire has Missouri became one scorched an area the size of 32 states to legalize of Chicago in California. medical marijuana Nov. Since its eruption on Nov. 6, with voters passing an 8, the fire has claimed 77 amendment to the state lives and nearly 10,000 constitution. It was one of homes. Officials predict three medical marijuana that the fire won’t be measures on the ballot. fully contained until Nov. The measure earned 66 30. It is called Camp Fire percent of votes. Medical because the fire started marijuana is expected to on Camp Road. be available for purchase beginning in late 2019.

my life rocks

Compiled by Mary Massman Breaking News Editor

global

my life sucks

“I tried out for basketball, but when I got there I found out I was missing a form. My parents had just left the country, so they couldn’t sign it, and I had to sit out and watch the first day.” - Anna Glynn, freshman

“I surprised my sister in college. I hadn’t seen her since August, she didn’t know I was coming and when she saw me she started crying. Then she took me to an acapella concert.” -Grace Gaume, junior

A missing Argentine submarine has been found one year and one day after it vanished. It was discovered 2,850 feet below sea level Nov. 17. The submarine vanished with 44 crew members aboard. It “suffered an implosion,” according to the Argentine naval Captain Gabriel Attis, which caused the vessel to sink.

A&E KANSAS CITY FRIENDS OF ALVIN AILEY ENRICHES THE CULTURE BEHIND DANCE The culturally rich dance studio serves a larger purpose for the community.

Story by Kendall Lanier Lifestyles Editor

unior Christian Lunn was a dancer at Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey for two years. She was given several opportunities from dancing at the studio, from having the chance to dance with the famous dancer and choreographer Debbie Allen to performing for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Company. “[KCFAA] teaches you the importance of dance and why you should be dancing, basically the professional views of dance,” Lunn said. KCFAA is the official second home of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Ailey II, founded by Alvin Ailey, Allen Grey and community leaders. In 1981, Ronald Reagan eliminated the touring subsidy that funded tours of large companies like Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. According to Chief Artistic Official of KCFAA Tyrone Aiken, the company looked to set up a second home in Atlanta, Los Angeles or Kansas City. “Alvin Ailey chose Kansas City because of the warmth that he felt here and it being so different and arrested from the hustle and bustle of New York,” Aiken said. “But also because KC is a jazz route and he could explore choreographies that

Student Laila Atkins holds up two fists, following her dance instructor’s commands Nov. 10. The series of commands walked students through arm, core and leg movements. photo by Amy Schaffer

would explore jazz music and traditions.” KCFAA was created in 1984 and will be celebrating their 35th anniversary in 2019. Since its creation, the non-profit has grown tremendously. “[KCFAA] started to grow as we provided outreach to the community exposing people to dance which continued to grow as we had our Ailey camp programs, our studio programs and our youth development programs around diversity and inclusion,” Aiken said. The studio program offers classes for the youth from second grade through high school. There is a $35 annual, waveable registration fee but the classes are free. “The studio program is an opportunity to give high quality dance training at low cost to anyone that wants to come in and study,” Aiken said. In order to provide attainable dance for the community, KCFAA is a non-profit that receives compensations from several donors. The donations they receive stem from a variety of categories. A large amount comes from art-based groups, education and diversity and inclusion. “Non-profit means that you are competing for funding from

individuals, foundations and government support in order to provide community service programming to the community that we feel is relevant or important,” Aiken said. KCFAA does more than just provide dance classes. They present the Ailey trio who performs 15 different shows for public schools in the region, they hold a black history month program called Setting the Stage, host the Ailey camp and provide a symposium on diversity with a town hall discussion on large topics. Unlike other dance studios in the metro area, Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey makes dancing accessible for all. It provides a strong sense of culture through dancing. KCFAA is focused on providing for the community. “There should be spaces that have a sense of diversity, and a sense of wanting to raise young people to a higher standard and wanting to look at art excellence in ways to engage audiences in learning and exposures about the abundant diversities that is America,” Aiken said. They continue to live by Alvin Ailey’s mission: “Dance came from the people and should always be delivered back to the people.” designed by Maddie Loehr

REVIEWS

Mid90’s: reality captured in its most uncomfortable forms Jonah Hill portrays some of life’s darkest realities in Stevie, a young teenager living in Los Angeles in the 1990s.

Story by Claire Smith Writer

walked out of the theater, my head spinning and my heart shaken. I honestly do not know if I should be recommending this to others. Topics like addiction and abuse were not handed on a silver platter but shoved in your face. Those who deal with these burdens were represented in this film through a group of teenagers in the 90s and how they helped each other through those hardships. Initially, I expected this movie to focus more on the skateboarding90s culture of inner-city Los Angeles. I was interested in how Jonah Hill would portray this story, being a comedic director and this movie was classified as a drama. Hill’s movie “Mid90’s” is an insight into five teenage boys and how they escape their turbulent home lives. The movie focuses on one boy named Stevie, nicknamed “Sunburn” and his journey in 1990s inner-city Los Angeles. At the local Motor Avenue skate shop, Stevie finds a sense of belonging with a group of boys of various ages who have come from all walks of life — abusive mothers, abusive brothers, alchoholism among more. The group ages ranged from an 11 year old Stevie to seniors in high school struggling with their impending futures of skateboarding careers, surviving an abusive home life and finding a place in society. Hill left no detail out to accurately depict the 90s — from

November 26, 2018

Ninja Turtle bed sheets to Wu-Tang Clan posters on the wall. While I praise Hill for his attention to detail, he focuses more on thriving in a lower class society in the time rather than just playing the “90s card”. He did not hold back in exhibiting the transformation from a troubled youth to substance abusing teen. Stevie and his friends have been exposed to some of the harshest realities of life including abuse, poverty and addiction. Stevie, who is abused daily by his older brother, looks for comfort in a group of skateboarders at a local skate shop. These friends become something like a family, spending almost every waking moment together. The teens struggle with breaking the identities that have been placed upon them since their youth. Hill divulges into the lives of the characters, showing their struggles and how they find their escape through skating. The leader of the skateboarding group, 18 year old Ray, discusses dealing with racism in his life as a young, black man. He played it off as a joke initially, but throughout the film he worked harder than the rest of the group by making

connections with profesional skateboarders and taking the sport more seriously than the rest of the group when in public. Skateboarding was more than just an escape — it was potential for independence. I redacted a star from this film because of the sheer intensity it brought. The film covered a variety of strong messages and topics, but too many to fit into one hour and a half movie. Viewers were hit with heart-wrenching scene after scene that my heart physically hurt by the end of the movie. Besides the emotional pain, the movie was well shot and written and the portrayal of skateboarding culture was done well. The movie ended feeling unfinished, telling the viewer that there is no “happy ending” to life. Hill leaves the movie with an uncertainty of where you are going next and scared to death of what you just experienced. Your childhood, family, friends and interests are what make you who you are. Hill’s directorial debut has left me shaken, speechless and intrigued to see what he does next.

Parlo KC: A Food Hall Food Haul Photos and Story by Faith Andrews-O’Neal Opinion Editor

The first food hall in Kansas City is a perfect communal space with diverse food.

arlor KC is a perfect combination of paradise and a nightmare-scape for me. On one hand, it combined all of my favorite parts of Kansas City: camaraderie, great food, and a new experience (as it is the first “food hall” in Kansas City). On the other hand, for someone who is chronically indecisive and a lover of all foods (excluding solid cheese of course), Parlor KC was like walking into a minefield. It is home to seven (seven!) restaurants, from Korean to Scandinavian, a bar, games like shuffleboard and ample seating for any group looking for an entertaining and delicious stop on their night out in the Crossroads. When I approached Parlor KC, it stood out in its inconspicuous nature as compared to the vibrancy of the Crossroads. The outside of the building is deep red brick, save the logo on the side of the building. Next to the colorful, graffiti walls of the Crossroads, and the bronze and copper rustic Grinders next door, its minimalist exterior immediately caught my eye. As I went inside, Parlor KC maintained that same vibe. The ambiance of Parlor KC was very millennial-chic. The interior was minimalistic, with exposed brick matching the outside and light wood flooring. Parlor KC was very aware of its young adult crowd,

which was made abundantly clear by the indie-pop playing over the speakers, abstract art on the walls by the seating and a framed portrait of Janelle Monae (unbiasedly Kansas City’s pride and joy) sitting on a shelf at the entrance. As I discussed the food options with the woman who greeted me as I walked in, it was clear I would not be able to reach all of the restaurants, as I had hoped. Instead, she recommended two places, and I went from there. My first stop was Providence Pizza. I grabbed a slice of New York Pepperoni. It was my favorite style of pizza: thin crust, a good amount of toppings and very greasy (so much so that it went through the paper plate the slice arrived on). The wait time was only a couple of minutes, and the pizza was one of the best I’ve ever had. The slice was the size of a dinner plate, full of mini-pepperonis. The toppings worked together with the crust to create, in my humble opinion, the perfect slice of pizza. The cheese was not overwhelming, they weren’t stingy with the pepperonis and the crust was amazingly crispy. Finishing the slice was no easy feat, but one I gladly took on. My next stop was Yaki-Ya, which was traditional Japanese food. I ordered the Osaka-Style, which came highly recommended by the greeter in the front of the restaurant and a Japanese soda called Ramune. The wait time was longer

for the pancake than the pizza, but it was a much more intricate. The Osaka Style was a savory pancake, filled with cabbage and onion, and topped with drizzled sauces, fish flakes, and pork belly (that I special ordered). It was more of an experience than the pizza, as I had never had anything like it before. I am incredibly picky, and I was unsure I would be able to eat the pancake upon viewing it, but I am glad I did. The different textures came together perfectly in a way that was so full of different textures and tastes, it could have been overwhelming if it weren’t so delicious. The fish flakes moved in the heat, and the smell that arose was very savory and strong. The single pancake was more filling than I expected. I would not recommend attempting to eat at every restaurant in one day, as I was ready to burst after eating from two. What sets Parlor KC apart from any other eatery is more than its multitude of restaurants — it is an experience. From the community-based seating areas to the shuffleboard on the upper floors, it is clear that this a space intended to foster community. One can come with friends, have a drink and enjoy foods spanning the entire world. To reduce Parlor to just an eating space is to disregard the welcoming environment it is clear they have worked to create. Parlor KC is a space to converse, to commune and to relax. designed byTess Jones

FEATURES

VACCINATIONS: OPTING OUT OF OUTBREAK

The current debate over vaccinations follows the fraudulent Wakefield studies of 1998. This manifests itself in Missouri’s vaccination requirements allowing for medical and religious exemptions. Story by Lily Hart Web Editor Graphics and photo by Julia Kerrigan Editor-in-Chief

atherine Tronnes, director of events at a non-profit and mother of three took her daughter to her first “chickenpox party” when she was just 2 years old. Here, the kids were encouraged to share snacks and sippy cups rather than scolded for it. The goal was to spread the disease from the one infected child to the rest of the community of unvaccinated children so that they would not catch it later in life and risk a more serious case. “Everyone who went to the party ended up getting chickenpox,” Tronnes said. These “pox playdates” were common before the introduction of the chickenpox vaccine in 1995 but now are rare to find as most medical professionals recommend the shot. Based off bad experiences Tronnes had in her childhood with mistakenly getting

November 26, 2018

additional vaccinations and her son’s violent reaction to them, she decided that her two daughters would not be immunized. “I didn’t want to take the risk,” Tronnes said. “I researched and learned enough to make me feel comfortable. I think there’s just as much risk in the vaccines themselves as there are in the diseases they claim to prevent.” This debate over vaccinations has been present since their introduction by English physician Edward Jenner in the early 1800s, but the current rise in opposition, specifically to the MMR (measles, mumps and Rubella) vaccine is largely due to the studies of former doctor Andrew Wakefield published in 1998. Emergency physician Dustin Urban from North Kansas City hospital has seen the results of anti-vaccination movements first hand and elaborates on the fraudulent study. “Basically, a bad study was done that linked the MMR vaccine to autism which then led to a 10-year period where there was this big debate,” Urban said. “It came out that the doctor who did that study

actually committed fraud and they had to remove the study from the record, but it has spurred the unsubstantiated belief that it has some link to autism.” This specific side effect has been completely debunked. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, there is “no data supporting an association between MMR vaccine and autism,” and large-scale studies actually proved the opposite — there is no correlation. However, the resulting surge of the anti-vaccination movement has resulted in measles outbreaks, one of which Urban experienced a couple years ago in his hospital. “I think I diagnosed the first case and until that, hadn’t seen one in the first seven or eight years of my practice,” Urban said. “In fact, most of the people I practice with have never seen measles before.” Urban fully backs vaccinations. “Vaccinations are the best way we’ve come up with for preventing [outbreaks],” Urban said. “Other than living in total isolation or just extreme hygiene

measures, there’s really no other way to prevent it.” Despite the arguments from the anti-vaccination movement, states are required to have school immunization policies. According to nurse Angela Sweeny, St. Teresa’s follows the Missouri set of requirements. “We follow [vaccinations] closely,” Sweeny said. “One of the first things we do at St. Teresa’s is make sure everybody is immunized accurately and appropriately before they can attend here full time and that’s right off the bat.” However, the Missouri policy allows exemptions to immunizations which must be kept on file for students to legally attend school. Tronnes’ son had a medical exemption from vaccinations upon school enrolment due to his seizures caused by the pertussis shot. For her daughters who had no documented reactions however, she had to procure a religious exemption. “I don’t have any issue with [school vaccination policies] until and unless they start to not accept exemptions,” Tronnes

vaccines required at STA

Alternative coverage compiled by Julia Kerrigan | Editor-in-Chief said. “I don’t necessarily believe the herd immunity is something that I’m concerned with and so I’m far more the pariah in this situation.” Sweeny is in support of these immunization requirements and Urban takes a similar position. He claims that although personal liberty is important, the public good needs to prevail when it comes to making decisions about vaccinating. “I’m always one for people’s freedoms and being able to do what they want to do with their time,” Urban said. “But at the same time when it’s a public health issue, you’re putting other people at risk. I think it’s dangerous.” According to the 2018-2019 Missouri School Immunization Requirements, “unimmunized children are subject to exclusion from school when outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases occur.” Tronnes finds this specific policy to conflict with her unvaccinated children’s best interests. “Just because she’s not vaccinated, that’s my risk.” Tronnes said. “She’s not a risk to someone else and so to prohibit her from going to school just because she’s not immune seemed completely backwards. These other children who allegedly gotten vaccinations still got chickenpox so what does my kid’s status have to do with anything?” Tronnes does not identify herself with

*according to the school handbook

the post-Wakefield antivaccination movement despite her aversion. She chose what she felt was right for her own family without any reference to what others do for theirs. “I am not anti-vaccine,” Tronnes said. “I am for me. I try to just stay out of conversations that are extremist. In my opinion, vaccines are not safe and effective and not more so than the risks of not being vaccinated.” Urban acknowledges the inherent risks associated with immunizations such as infections to the injection site and anaphylactic (allergic) reactions. However, he is steadfast in his belief in the science that backs vaccinations’ reliability. “It’s not just a mild thing, I mean, people used to die of this stuff,” Urban said. “Compared to how many lives [vaccines] have saved, [adverse reactions are] a drop in the bucket.” Nurse Angela Sweeny pulls down the Class of 2019 Vaccination Records from a shelf in her office Nov. 9. Sweeny often sends records to graduated students. designed by Gabby Staker

FEATURES

Becoming Generation Ad r l de a l

Adderall is a stimulant prescription drug used to treat ADHD and ADD. However, several students use it unprescribed, disregarding the potential health effects. Story by Ella Norton Features Editor Photos by Grace Fiorella Photographer

“A

thousand miles per hour,” is how junior Anne Chapman describes her Attention Deficiency Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD. Her mind jumps from thought to thought, thinking about upcoming events or a movie she watched as she tries to do math homework. She struggles with sitting down so she’d rather bake than watch TV. Chapman was diagnosed with ADHD in January of her freshman year. Coming from a family with a strong genetic background of ADHD, Chapman feels like her parents have always known that she might have it. “I’ve always had a lot of

November 26, 2018

trouble focusing, ever since I was a young kid at school,” Chapman said. “I was always just the really talkative, hyper, crazy one.” According to the National Institute of Mental Health, ADHD is “a brain disorder marked by an ongoing pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did research in 2016, which found about 6.1 million children in the U.S. have ADHD. However, Chapman didn’t begin to receive treatment until May of her freshman year. “The treatment process was really just taking the medicine and kind of just adapting to when I’m going to be on my best mindset,” Chapman said. “It’s a pretty strong stimulant to your mind; I had to work on what my body can take.” Chapman started with Vyvanse, a nervous stimulant used to treat ADHD, but felt it wasn’t a good fit. Her doctor then suggested she try Adderall. Adderall is a nervous system stimulant made up of amphetamine salts that is commonly prescribed to treat

ADHD or Attention Deficiency Disorder(ADD). ADD is similar to ADHD but without the hyperactive element. Chapman now describes her brain on adderall as a sort of “heaviness.” She is able to focus on one thing at a time, without suppressing her creativity. “Everything is complete,” Chapman said. “[It’s] a more complete thought and outcome.” While Chapman has been taking Adderall for a little over a year and a half, she believes that it does have an effect on her mood. According to Healthline; the side effects of Adderall include weight loss, stomach pain, headaches, dry mouth, mood swings, sleep problems and nervousness. “It’s not that I’m not happy when I take it, it’s just that I don’t want to deal with outside forces that are causing me to lose my focus,” Chapman said. “I think sometimes that when people see that, they translate it to it’s me being mad or [Adderall is] making me sad. It’s just making me focused on what I need to be doing when I’m at school.” Along with mood swings, Adderall also has a potential side effect for heart palpitations.

Lisa* is one high school students who takes Adderall unprescribed. She selfdiagnosed herself with ADD a little over a year ago and began taking Adderall every once in a while to help with her workload, anxiety and prep for tests. Lisa now takes Adderall when she feel it is necessary as it helps her feel motivated to accomplish things. However, Lisa said she also feels moody after taking Adderall, especially when it begins to wear off. “If someone is doing something that annoys me, it makes me more irritated than normal and it makes everyone I’ve seen take it [act] like a zombie, and numbs them out,” Lisa said. For Lisa, the side effects are worth the risks when she has something big to accomplish, such as finals, ACT/SAT tests or AP tests. However, Lisa doesn’t think this gives her an advantage as it simply keeps her from getting test fatigue and doesn’t affect her score. “It doesn’t make you smarter which is what I think some people believe,” LIsa said. Because Lisa is not prescribed Adderall, she gets it from others who are. Chapman said that she has had multiple people Alternative coverage compiled by ask her for Ella Norton| Features Editor Adderall, but 9.4 percent of children in the U.S. she has never are diagnosed with ADHD given any to anyone. About 1 in 2 children have “It’s not that behavior or conduct problem. I don’t want to help them 5.2 percent of all children in the but it’s really U.S. take ADHD medication. not safe and I would not About 77 percent of children with ever want to ADHD receive treament. put myself in a

Ashley Simmons is the noninvasive cardiologist at the University of Kansas and has seen several patients who have faster heart rates at rest or arrhythmias which are irregular heart rhythms. “Most of the time, a fast heart races so the heart never slows down to rest,” Simmons said. “That can be dangerous over time because that can weaken the heart if your heart is pumping all the time. It can get worn out and you can develop a cardiomyopathy which is basically a low heart function.” Simmons typically sees heart issues in adult women or in people with underlying or genetic history of cardiac conditions. It is because of the risk of cardiac problems that Simmons finds taking Adderall unprescribed dangerous. “Even in the Adderall studies that were performed before it came to market, there were deaths in adolescence and they were typically in kids who had underlying heart disease or who had family history of sudden cardiac arrest or had been resuscitated in the past.” Simmons said. “Adderall is not a safe drug to take, unless you have been screened by a physician.”

National statistics on adhd g 25 m

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position where I put people in danger for what they think is for their own good,” Chapman said. Chapman doesn’t have a problem with people who use it occasionally, although she hopes that they have some sort of guidance to keep them safe. “Just be very careful because Adderall can mess with people especially if they don’t have that chemical imbalance of ADD or ADHD in their minds – it’s not going to work for them in the long run,” Chapman said. Chapman thinks that the rise in students taking Adderall comes from the changes in societal and school pressures. She mentioned that there’s almost a belief that people are at disadvantage if you are not on Adderall or Vyvanse in college. “Since there is something out there that can help make studying easier and better, there’s no reason why people wouldn’t want to take it,” Chapman said. “A lot of times, people just disregard any bad effects that may go along with taking it whether it’s prescription or not.” Simmons also mentioned that Adderall prescription has gone up over the last 15 years, but said her ideas on why were more theoretical than medical. “Most stimulants are going to make you concentrate and help you feel better [but] I think it still should be considered very much a prescription drug and should be used only by those who truly need it and have been evaluated by a pediatrician,” Simmons said.

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*information from the 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health

*Names of students who wish to be left anonymous have been changed.

CENTERSPREAD

STA’s Land History The complete narrative of how Mother Superior Evelyn O’Neill brought us to the Windmoor campus and the legacy J.C. Nichols planned for our land.

Story by Margaux Renee | Editor-In-Chief Julia Kerrigan | Editor-In-Chief Photos by Maggie Hart | Photographer

The newly built Music and Arts Building in 1911. The M&A Building was the only building on STA’s campus at the time. photo courtesy of the Kansas City Public Library

November 26, 2018

he first thing the Sisters of St. Joseph possessed upon their arrival in Kansas City in 1866, Sister Francis Joseph Ivory recalls, was a cow. Ivory arrived by train on an advance team to raise funds to furnish what would become the convent and school in Quality Hill, a neighborhood that sat at the highest point in Kansas City. It was there that the sisters taught art, French, math, English and anything else necessary to a young woman’s education in post-Civil War Missouri. On the St. Teresa’s Academy website, it reads: “In 1866 at 12th and Washington Streets in Kansas City’s Quality Hill district, the Academy rapidly grew in enrollment and prestige. By 1909, the Sisters relocated the school to a twenty acre site at 5600 Main — our current location.” Why did the sisters decide to leave Quality Hill, and how did they end up at the current location in the Plaza Country Side neighborhood? To guide our way through the history of St. Teresa’s and the surrounding areas, the Dart will use excerpts from Mother Superior Evelyn O’Neill’s memoir “Who is Like God?” where she chronicles the move to the Windmoor location we know today. “I was glad to be free to push the disposal of the dear old home in favor of going out farther from city traffic… [Bishop John J. Hogan] was irate at the bare mention of such procedure. My one desire was to see this school, which had known my presence all of thirty years, placed where it should be in Kansas City. But my heart sank to zero when Reverend Mother told me: ‘There is no use! You might as well give up the idea of a new building and a new site. I’ll never go near him

again.’” As real-estate development ventures began in Kansas City, Quality Hill became home to an increasing amount of businesses — by 1889, the Kansas City Merchants’ Exchange, the Coates Opera House and the Franklin School were just down the block. Private entities were buying property on the hill, and to the west, the Stockyard District began developing an area for farmers to buy and sell cattle. The sisters felt that it was time to move out from their brick building in Quality Hill and into a new location and approached Hogan to begin the search. Despite the Bishop’s protests due to miscommunication over who owned the Quality Hill school — the sisters or the diocese — the sisters persisted and were permitted to begin their search for new land for the school. In the second deed signed by Archbishop Peter Richard Kenrick for the school’s location in 1867, it was declared that “present purpose being to enable the good Sisters of St. Joseph to establish another school that may be more advantageously situated within the corporate limits of Kansas City.” During the same time that the sisters were scouting out new sites, real estate developers and politicians began advertising to “scared whites,” telling them their neighborhoods would be “safe from undesirables,” according to “Racism in Kansas City,” a short history book by G.S. Griffin. As Kansas City’s black population grew, the white population moved their schools and homes further away in a phenomenon known as white flight. As a result, the Country Club and Brookside areas

developed greatly between 1900 and 1920. “Putting St. Joseph, our man of the house, in my pocket, we started to find a salable place. The old Buckley home, a goodlooking brick house, faced us as we went down Jefferson Street. We rang and learned that it rented for $75 per month, and that the owner, Mr. J.C. Nichols, would be glad to sell it.” Real-estate developer J.C. Nichols’ objective was to “develop whole residential neighborhoods that would attract an element of people who desired a better way of life,” according to the Nichols Company records. But Nichols had a specific vision in mind for both the “element” of people he wanted in his neighborhoods and the sort of life they would lead. According to Griffin’s book, Nichols crafted elite neighborhoods in which membership in the neighborhood association was mandatory, legally requiring homeowners to enforce racial restrictions — “homes could not be sold to minorities.” Nichols himself confirms this in an article printed in the National Real Estate Journal in February of 1939. “For the first time in the United States, so far as we know, a plan was evolved by which restrictions automatically extended themselves at the end of the original restrictive period,” Nichols writes, directly referencing the restrictive racial covenants of his neighborhoods. English teacher Stephen Himes explains that these restrictions are not a thing of the past. “[Nichols] created a system in which the racial covenant would be extended in perpetuity into the future unless it was explicitly rescinded by the neighborhood association,” Himes said.

That way, Nichols’ neighborhoods would stay white unless its residents struck down the covenant on his terms. “J.C. Nichols basically perfected [this] practice and, [became] a national figure in real estate circles and then exported it all over the country,” Himes said. “Now free to act in the matter of a new school, we did some earnest praying and careful considering of many a site, and at length decided upon our present location at Windmoor. It was a moor indeed, windy and bleak and broken up by an elevating ridge running obliquely across its south half, while the north half had through it a low swampy ravine—nothing encouraging about it, nothing attractive in any way, but we had visualized it as we see it as this writing— the most beautiful school

November 26, 2018

grounds in the country, a little bit of paradise.” This moor the sisters found was land that Kate Simon Yeomans and Edwin Yeomans were eager to sell, but the two demanded payment in cash. While the Yeomans were clients of Nichols, his company had acquired so much property that it was run dry of both liquidity and credit and was unable to purchase the property, which LaDene Morton writes in her book “The Country Club District of Kansas City.” St. Teresa’s reputation as a “venerable,” well-attended school and its ability to pay in cash made the school an ideal buyer for the land J.C. Nichols intended to include into his Country Club District. The new location was bound by 56th and 57th streets and Main and Wyandotte streets, two blocks by four blocks of land sold by the Yeomans for

$40,000 consideration. This land was one of the last portions of a land parcel Nichols had prepared adjacent to the Kansas City Country Club beginning in 1905, which Sherry Lamb Schirmer writes about in her novel “A City Divided: The Racial Landscape of Kansas City, 1900-1960.” To “entice affluent buyers,” he dubbed the area the Country Club District. The school’s move to its new location occasioned much publicity, including ads published in the Kansas City Times from the school itself that promised “NEW, SANITARY, ABSOLUTELY FIREPROOF” grounds and dormitories. The neighborhood known as Country Side was poised to be an extension of the Country Club District. The plat of land surrounding STA was subdivided by the Yeomans in 1908, the same year the sisters acquired the land for their campus. In the text of the Country Side’s plat, Nichols’ brand of restrictions are clearly enumerated: “No part of the property shall during the period aforesaid be conveyed, owned, used or occupied by negroes.” “Plans for the new school rapidly materialized. Ground was broken by the venerable Bishop on the Feast of St. Teresa, October 15, 1908. On account of unavoidable delays, the cornerstone of the new building was not laid until November 12, 1909.” The sisters planned three buildings with the help of architects Messrs. Wilder and

Wight, and hoped to obtain a $300,000 loan, worth $7 million today. The directors claimed that such a project would result in unfinished grounds, and they denied the request. Once O’Neill adjusted the request to the construction of just one building, the Music & Arts Building, the directors agreed and the sisters signed 600 $500 bonds. Once built, the school could begin the search for young women. They placed an ad in the Kansas City Times before the 1910 school year which promised a “highly restricted neighborhood,” asked for references on family status and advised those interested to come by way of the Country Club Car, which stretched from Westport down past the campus. Within the next decade, Nichols announced his plans for the Country Club Plaza, a shopping district similar to the Tudor style storefronts established in the Brookside neighborhood. He planned to incorporate Spanish architecture, classical statues and vendors to provide a fine, outdoor shopping experience for Kansas City’s wealthy. Class of 1982 graduate Michelle Tyrene Johnson recalls visiting the Plaza with her friends and the different reactions she might get while shopping with either her white or black friends. “If I’m with the white girls, I’m a safe black child,” Johnson said. “If I’m with other black kids, then ‘what are we up to?’” Despite the clear divisions that existed in Kansas City when Johnson was attending St. Teresa’s, she says it is not something that was ever talked about in school or at all, but that it was and still is very noticeable.

The original plan for the STA campus in 1911. The M&A and Donnelly Buildings can be spotted amongst the group. photo courtesy of the Kansas City Public Library

“You don’t really have to have the details of the racism to experience it,” Johnson said. Today, Johnson reports for KCUR and has focused on how housing discrimination has affected generational wealth and the wealth gap in Kansas City. She gives the example of two people she reported on, one white and one black, who bought houses in the 1960s. Forty years down the road, there was a $300,000 difference in favor of what the white buyer was able to sell their home for. When she looks at Nichols’ history, she looks for the “human destruction” his discrimination left behind. “I approached Mr. J.C. Nichols with a proposition to make Wyandotte Street curve west just at our entrance, which was very close to the street. The city agreed to have this done, and in May 1911 deeded us a curved strip of land, its greatest width being ten feet, and curving off gradually to the old street lines.” This proposition created the circle drive students drive into every morning, but it infringed on Yeoman’s property, and the school paid them $1,025. In

turn, the Yeomans deeded this strip of land to the city. Additionally, Nichols planned for two triangle shaped intersections running on Westover Road, something he often did to preserve “the natural topography’s rugged beauty in its layout,” Schirmer writes. He incorporated winding roads and complex property restrictions, allowing white Kansas Citians to “choose an address of lasting noblesse.” O’Neill remarked that “the beauty of the outlay attracted truly fine homes to our street.” Today the neighborhood is still marked by a sign on Westover Road behind our first building, M&A, serving as a reminder of the neighborhood J.C. Nichols meticulously planned. “If you erase that history then you can’t really learn from that [it],” Himes said. “If you really love an institution, you love it even if its past might not be what you want it to be.”

MAIN ED

Should STA incorporate its land history into curriculum? As our culture progresses, we are more aware of injustices. That should apply to our small STA community just as much as the global one.

n 1908, STA broke ground at its new location in the Country Club District developed by J.C. Nichols. Nichols’ master plan was to make a place for a certain kind of people: whites. STA’s exclusivity held an appeal for wealthy people of the Country Club District, and thus, Mother Evelyn O’Neill got to build at our current location. However, we continue to tell the story in Mother O’Neill’s journal entry on a “little bit of paradise,” instead of its role in the segregation of Kansas City. At a place where we promote sisterhood, STA needs a required contemporary history lesson. Kansas City seems proud of its growth. Walking around, it takes no time to see a KC T-shirt. But how can we be proud of any growth if we won’t recognize racism and redlining, a method of developing that ghettoizes ethnic groups, that Kansas City is built upon? In order to grow, we have to learn. We need to know

our school was marketed to a “highly restricted neighborhood.” We need to recognize the Troost divide still affects us today, even though it was drawn before our grandparents lived. We need to know that the houses surrounding our campus were not allowed to be sold to minorities through racial covenants. The issue is we still feel the effects of segregation in our city but are unaware. If incorporating a lesson on historic and modern race relations into our U.S. History or Social Concerns class will make us more informed citizens, it will benefit everyone. A WebQuest accompanied by a thorough packet of questions could take a week of homework. In-class discussion can supplement this knowledge and help form educated opinions. Alternatively, an entirely new elective dedicated to the history of Kansas City and the Country Club area could be

RIGHT ON TARGET Freshman Kya Vulgamott

We should include this in the STA curriculum. There is still a very clear line that separates these groups with very limited cross over since the boarders were created. It’s very sad that people continue to think that being white makes them better than other ethnic groups November 26, 2018

added as an STA course. At the end of the course, we can learn about how our knowledge can apply today. Then, we can publicize that knowledge via social media, or simply becoming a more active member in efforts for collaboration. As our culture progresses, we are more aware of injustices. That should apply to our small STA community just as much as the global one. Making the history of the Kansas City a mandatory part of the curriculum is the best way to work towards a place where it doesn’t matter which side of Troost you’re from. J.C. Nichols divided Kansas City in a time when division was the norm. Now, we have the opportunity to move forward into of unity and respect at STA, something badly needed to promote true sisterhood. The first step to achieving this is education. Because if we don’t learn from the past, we destroy our future. 26/26 staffers voted in agreement

Sophomore Georgia Winfield I think that we definitely should put the land’s history in our curriculum because just like in the United States how we learn about our U.S. history we need to learn about the history of Kansas City. We have become so divided and maybe that will help to fix some of our systemic problems.

THE “R-WORD” SHOULD NEVER BE USED Story by Olivia Wirtz Writer Even if used in banter, the usage of the “r-word” is demeaning to a large group of people.

ince grade school, I can recall the “r-word” being present in banter amongst friends, basically being used as another word for “stupid.” I didn’t realize the overarching issue with this word until I reached high school, when the spoken word suddenly started having a bite to it. Knowing that it was a derogatory slur for an individual with intellectual disabilities, I thought, “Everyone says it, why don’t they know the meaning behind it?” However, no matter how or why it is used the usage of this word is unacceptable. I was in middle school and sitting around the dinner table with my cousins. We were playing a game in which one of the questions was “what is your pet peeve?” Everyone expressed trivial annoyances, but my oldest cousin said something that clings to my memory. He said, while holding tears back, “My pet peeve is when people use the r-word. They are disrespecting one of the few groups of people in

this world that cannot defend themselves.” The fact that he was so expressive about this struck me. According to the “Boston Globe,” the r-word can be found in texts dating back to the 1600s. Ultimately, the word appeared in the “clinical context of a pediatric journal” discussing children with special needs. However, the term did not appear as a slur until the mid-twentieth century. This is when the word was used to describe people without mental disabilities who were viewed as foolish or incapable. And even most recently, the suffix “-tard” is used in terms like “libtard” — a stupid liberal. Any variation of this word is toxic. Whether deliberately or accidentally, the r-word disrespects those who have intellectual disabilities or cognitive disabilities. The word, even if meant as a joke, is demeaning because it broadcasts the idea that individuals who are cognitively impaired are stupid. It reinforces the negative connotation and gives strength to the cultural taboo about individuals with intellectual disabilities — that they are meant to be outcasts. However, by focusing our energy on the inclusion of these people, we can break down

PERSPECTIVES

the taboo which created the word in the first place. The r-word offends those who are unable to defend themselves. According to DoSomething.org, for the 6 million to 8 million Americans with intellectual disabilities and their families, this word is equally as hurtful as any other slur. The argument “words are just words” is not valid. Due to the language we use being our main form of communication, words actually do break people’s spirits. It is essential that we support and accept these people, not breaking their spirits but lifting them up. I feel that non-disabled individuals can be more aware of the usage of the word. By eliminating the word from your vocabulary, you are showing respect to those who are intellectually disabled. As a society, we should make the r-word just as unacceptable as any other slur. By eliminating the word from our vocabularies, and encouraging others to do the same, we are taking part in the acceptance of those who sometimes feel like outcasts. We need to defend those who cannot defend themselves because that is our job as decent and moral human beings.

PERSPECTIVES

U.S. GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO DO MORE TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE Story by Carmon Baker Writer We cannot be considered one of the great countries until our leaders stop neglecting the well-being of our planet.

or a year in middle school, a week rarely went by without my history teacher exclaiming, “America, the greatest country on Earth!” when referring the U.S.’s militaristic power or technological advancements. However, I have always had an issue with this idea. It is true — we have a strong military and our citizens are guaranteed rights. But how can we consider ourselves a great country if our government is ignoring one of the most pressing international issues — climate change? The U.S. government needs to implement more laws to combat climate change if we want to be considered one of the great countries in the world. We have to set an example for other countries in order to logically consider ourselves one of the great countries. However, we are not meeting this standard. According to the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, there are a few laws imposed by the Executive

November 26, 2018

Branch to help regulate climate change. For example, the Clean Air Act mandates the collaboration between the EPA and states to lower greenhouse gas emissions. Laws like this are too broad. They need to be more specific in order to truly implement climate change reform, like in Norway. According to The Guardian, in 2016, an initiative was approved by the Norwegian parliament which lays out a plan to reach “climate neutrality” by 2030 and reduce their carbon emissions. The fact that they have a specific plan will make accomplishing their goals easier and more efficient. Not only is our country ignoring the issue of climate change, they are also taking steps backward. The U.S. is the only country in the world that is not a part of the Paris Agreement, an international agreement that works to combat climate change. The U.S. was an original participant in the agreement, but we have recently backed out. It makes me think our leaders do not care about what the people think. According to a 2018 study from Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context, 62 percent of Americans think the government needs to do more to protect the environment, yet they are still ignoring these people.

The first step to implementing more climate change reform in the United States is for our government to rejoin the Paris Agreement and show that we are truly interested in stopping climate change. Other initiatives and laws are also important, like nationwide taxes on carbon dioxide pollution or zero deforestation acts. As citizens, there are things we can do to push our government toward climate change reform. For those old enough to vote, supporting local and national measures is an option. If you are under 18, you can participate in protests and write letters to make sure your voice is heard. Walking or carpooling to and from events is a great way to reduce carbon emissions. I always try to carpool to sports practices or social events with my friends. It is very clear to me that the United States can and should be following the example of countries who have already implemented climate change reform and be setting an example for those who have not. Most importantly, our government cannot logically continue to insist that we are one of the great and powerful countries of the world, while, at the same time, they are ignoring what I see as one of the most pressing issues in today’s society.

YOUNG, CHUBBY GIRLS NEED REPRESENTATION Story by Katie Gregory Social Media Editor If diverse body types were more accurately represented in children’s toys and movies, less children would suffer from a lack of confidence.

am 8 years old, standing in my purple-walled bedroom and examining myself in the mirror. I twist and turn, poking at my stomach, my arms and my thighs — any part of my body that had more fat on it than I wanted. I wondered how to look skinnier. After about 20 minutes and some experiments, I found out that if I put on a tank top and tied it tightly in the back, it could suck my stomach in and make me appear skinnier. I pull out my stack of sticky notes from my desk and write myself a reminder: “Tie tank to make yourself skinnier.” I am 14 years old and sitting in my eighth-grade history class. It is the end of the year, so the temperature outside is steadily rising and slowly the pants and boots of wintertime have been swapped out for sandals and shorts. I am sitting next to somebody I have known for almost a decade, a stick-thin girl whose mom was my thirdgrade teacher. Nonchalantly, she tells me how disgusting she thinks it is when girls in our grade

have stretch marks already. Quickly, I shift to make sure mine aren’t visible. I am 17 years old and scrolling through an article about the most popular romantic comedies of the early 2000s. I’m a huge romantic and have spent many a Friday night watching Netflix’s entire collection of romantic movies, so none of the titles listed are unfamiliar to me. I do notice, however, that none of the lead actresses look like me. The voice in the back of my head wonders for the millionth time if my weight is the reason I’ve never been on a date. As a child, everything I watched, read and played with reinforced the idea that being chubby was bad and a trait you needed to get rid of immediately. I frequently played with Barbies, one of the most popular toys of the 2000s. I always wondered, though, why there wasn’t a doll that looked like me. I wasn’t tall, tanned and thin. I was a kid who hadn’t lost her baby fat yet. So why was the message sent to me that I needed to look like an adult supermodel? Because I never saw my body type represented in popular media, I grew insecure early on in life. I was constantly comparing myself to my friends, wondering why they had bodies that were so different

than mine when I knew my family ate much healthier. When I went over to their houses, they would offer me sugary snacks and cereals that I knew wouldn’t stick to them. I didn’t understand why. My insecurities were only exacerbated by the lack of representation I saw in the media. I remember walking through the aisles of Target, staring at all the skinny women on the magazine covers, and wondering how old I had to be to look the same. Though there were plenty of women I knew personally who had similar body types to me, the TV shows and movies I watched taught me that if I wanted to be successful in life, I needed to fit into a mold. A skinny one. If diverse body types were better represented in the media, I may have been more comfortable in my body as a child. I may not have religiously counted calories before every big event in a last-ditch effort to lose weight. Most importantly, I may never have developed that doubtful voice in the back of my head. Despite my efforts to accept myself, it sticks around. Except now, popular media includes more and more body types each year. Hopefully, mine will be the last generation of children to grow up hating their bodies. designed by Julia Kerrigan

SPORTS

Swim changes Coaches and Locations

Assistant coach Grace Scovell teaches the swim team a new drill Nov. 9. The team had their first practice at University of Missouri-Kansas City.

The Swim program has all new coaches, practice times and pools.

Story by Tess Jones Instagram Editor Photos by Maggie Hart Snapchat Editor

hen sophomore Ellie Fuemmeler walked into the swim informational meeting, she was expecting things to be as they were last year. Yet when she left she was “nervous.” The swim program made two big changes to this year’s season. “There were like 50 girls on

November 26, 2018

swim, this year it's the top 24 who will make it,” Fuemmeler said. Cutting the team in half was something that Fuemmeler or head coach Andrew Meyer were not expecting to happen. Andrew Meyer, the new head coach, explained that there were many different reasons for these changes but the biggest one was that because their old pool got sold. Last year the team practiced at Longview Community College Recreational Center, which was about a 30 minute drive, the team would all take the vans to and from practice. However, Longview sold their Recreational Center and

Aquatic Center to the City of Lee’s Summit. This eliminated any possibility of the team having their full practice at Longview this season. While the coaches work with the City of Lee’s Summit, they will be practicing at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Swinney Recreation Center in the afternoon from 3 to 4 p.m. and in the morning from 5 to 6:45 a.m. Besides the new times and locations for practice, the swim program has new coaches. “We have a completely new coaching staff, including myself as the head coach, the old St.Teresa’s head coach

four years ago Andrew Wilcox and Grace Scovell a St.Teresa’s alum,” Meyer said. He fears that these two big changes will be difficult for people to understand. “The unfortunate thing is that we are at the will of the pools,” Meyer said. With the availability of the pools and practice times, they will only be able to have 24 girls on the team. When swimmers like Fuemmeler heard that they were only allowing 24 girls, she started was nervous that seniority would not be a deciding factor when making the teams. Meyer explained that the way tryouts will go this year will be a drastic change from last year. They needed to find an objective way of making the decisions for who will be making the team.

“In order to take all of our bias out of it, we are doing a time trial swim meet for the tryouts,” Meyer said. This will allow the coaches to decide who’s on the team by their numbers, not other factors. When Fuemmeler heard about how tryouts would be this year, she explained, “If you are 25th on Tuesday, then you’d be cut, and that potentially the team could be all freshman.” Though the team will be different and the girls are nervous new assistant coach Andrew Wilcox believes “Coach Meyer is putting his branding to the team to make it ‘his own’ and making it the best it can be at this time.” Even though this season will be a different one for the girls, coaches and fans, Meyer believes that, “With the change

of coaching we will bring a new vision and new atmosphere that will really push them to be their best, the morning practices and constraints are really going to push the swimmers to do their best work every practice, and this will give us a really strong team this year.” Fuemmeler agrees that with the new way of tryouts it will make the girls really think if they want or deserve the spot. Though Fuemmeler and other girls are nervous about tryouts this year and practices, they believe that this season might be one of the best. “The team will be more cohesive, and will be much closer than they have in the past couple of years,” Wilcox said.

SWIM TEAM PRACTICE SCHEDULE alternative coverage by Ella Norton | Features Editor

Monday - 5 A.m. practice at Jewish Community center - 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. practice at UMKc

Tuesday - 6 A.m. Conditioning at Sta - 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. practice at UMKc

Thursday - 6 A.m. Conditioning at Sta - 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. practice at UMKc

wednesday - 5 A.m. practice at Jewish Community center - 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. practice at UMKc

Friday - 5 A.m. practice at Jewish Community center - 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. practice at UMKc

Senior Evelyn Moser does breaststroke at swim practice Nov. 9. Moser has been on swim team since freshman year. designed by Mckenzie Heffron

COMMUNITY

The Mirrors Behind the Mind Tricks

Starting in Croatia and advancing to North America only earlier this year, the new Union Station attraction is as scientific as it is illusive.

Story by Rachel Robinson Writer Photos by Maddie Loehr Photo Editor

At the Museum of Illusions at Union Station, the mind tricks start outside the door. An employee will point out the “hallway illusion,” a 3D picture made up of walls and doors that move depending on the angle they’re viewed at. Director of operations Shane Sachs says that understanding the hallway illusion is essential

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Museum of Illusions attendant Brandon Azim demonstrates an illusion for guests Nov. 5. Mirrors placed below the table make Azim appear to be just a head, when in reality he is standing underneath the table.

to understanding the rest of the museum. “People normally start out slow and don’t know what they’re supposed to be expecting,” Sachs said. “We make everybody see [the hallway illusion] before they walk in so it kind of gets them ready for what’s coming.” The point of the museum may be to trick the mind, but it’s also to educate people on how the illusions work and why they appear the way they do. Every illusion is accompanied by a scientific explanation as well as a description of what you should be seeing. “We just don’t show you what they are and how to view

them,” Sachs said. “If there’s a mirror [creating the illusion] we tell you there’s a mirror, we’re not trying to hide and lie about it. We want you to understand the first perspective that you get, but if you step back you’ll see something completely different.” Sachs originally got involved with the Museum of Illusions through a prior connection with Union Station as the operations director of Escape Rooms KC. Both projects had shared reasoning behind their location. “We wanted something new and different,” Sachs said. “We had one of the first escape rooms which was a big hit. We would go out looking around

trying to find something new and different to bring to Kansas City. With Union Station and all of their projects here like Science City, we thought it would be a great fit.” Deciding where to put the museum was easy, but constructing it was quite the opposite. Realizing their ideas and getting them to perfection proved to be very difficult for Sachs and his business partner Alex Doroskovs. “It was measure twice, cut once,” Sachs said. “We were on general contractors so we didn’t have a company overseeing it. It was just us on the ground making sure these lines were done correctly, measurements were correct and double-checking everything.” Sachs and the rest of the museum staff stay engaged with the museum visitors, especially at the beginning and end of the experience. When Sachs is at the museum, he will often stop people before they enter the museum, ask about their expectations and then talk to them again after they’ve been through it. “A lot of times people will see a picture or hear about it from a friend and come in,” Sachs said. “My first question is always: what are you expecting? Some of them say, ‘Oh just some

pictures’ and other ones say, ‘We don’t know.’” Sophomore Micah Quinn’s expectations before visiting the museum were very similar to those of the people that Sachs has talked to. “Obviously, I’m expecting some wicked illusions, but I’m not sure what else,” Quinn said. “When you go into something called a museum of illusions, there’s a lot of different things that could happen. You can’t really expect anything.” Despite being called a “museum” of illusions, the Union Station installment lacks many of the staples that make up the traditional idea of a museum. For one, pictures are encouraged if not required for certain illusions. There are no security guards watching for people getting too close to the exhibits and of course, interacting with the illusions is allowed. One of the things that stuck with Quinn the most about the museum was this difference in the environment. “The concept was very different,” Quinn said. “Most museums are like ‘here’s this old guy who died 600 B.C.E. and here’s what he did.’ This one is more out of the box.” One thing that all of Sachs’s projects have in common is their motivation. “We enjoy seeing people

get happy,” Sachs said. “It’s the wow factor. Sometimes we ask somebody if they saw [the illusion] and they say ‘I think so.’ If you think you saw it then you didn’t see it because you would definitely know you saw it. So then we’ll go back in and try to get people to see it and after they do, they’re like ‘I didn’t see that the first time!’ So seeing that excitement out of them is what inspires us to the next thing.”

A museum goer attempts to understand an illusion in which one crescent shaped piece appears to be different sizes depending on its position Nov. 5.

Global Illusions The Museum of Illusions has 13 locations all over the world.

Alternative Coverage by Aspen Cherrito Multimedia Editor

LAST LOOK

6 (1.5 miles) crosses the Woodswether Bike/ Pedestrian Bridge and allows trailgoers to branch in one of three directions: West toward Huron Park, North toward Jersey Creek Park, or East toward Lewis and Clark Kaw Point Park. Kaw Point, at the convergence of the Kansas and Missouri rivers, offers a view of the Kansas City skyline across the river.

5 (2 miles) begins at the top of the bluff near the Lewis & Clark memorial and base via the Bruce Forrester Viaduct. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the route escaping slaves took to reach the Free State of Kansas and first tracks of a frontier railroad that would eventually place Kansas City in the center of commerce.

4 (1.2 miles) follows West Pennway, passes over a pedestrian bridge at I-670 and connects on the North with downtown. The trail meanders through the Westside Neighborhood, where it features several works of art associated with the Mayan Culture.

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1 (1.4 miles) runs along the riverfront, sandwiched between the Bond Bridge and the Town of Kansas Bridge. This segment includes panoramic views of the Missouri River and leads visitors toward the historic site of the Town of Kansas and the remains of steamboat docks.

2 (.75 or 1.2 miles) At the Town of Kansas Bridge, the trail adopts a more urban scene and moves South on Main St., West on 3rd St., and includes an option to visit the City Market before ending at the River Bluff Park.

3 (2.1 miles) Part of the trail takes visitors to the bluff where the Lewis & Clark Expedition stopped for three days in 1804, historic Kaw Point. The bluff offers a view of the Kansas City skyline across the river.

The Riverfront Heritage Trail, begun in 1998 and completed in 2016, is a 15 mile bike/pedestrian trail that connects downtown Kansas City, Missouri, downtown Kansas City, Kansas and Kaw Point. The trail which is divided into six different segments, bridges two states, three counties, three cities and two major rivers according to the Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation. Photos by Amy Schaffer Photo Editor

Story by Gabby Staker Editor-in-Chief

PHOTO ESSAY

A SHIFT AT Photos by Aspen Cherrito Multimedia Editor Various ice cream pints sit stacked in the freezer at Betty Rae’s. Betty Rae’s employees hand packed their pints for customers to take home.

A Betty Rae’s employee scoops ice cream for a customer. Each of Betty Rae’s flavors are freshly made in the back of the shop.

Various cones sit on the counter at Betty Rae’s.

A Betty Rae’s employee checks his phone while the shop is slow. During the winter months, employees have more time to help out in the kitchen.

Cardboard box scraps hang on the side of the fridge, each with an employee’s name on them. The cardboard pieces come from a box sent to the shop.

ON THE

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