The Dart: Vol 72 Issue 7

VOLUME 72 ISSUE 7 APRIL 11, 2013 ST. TERESA’S ACADEMY KANSAS CITY, MO WWW.DARTNEWSONLINE.COM

should we have

SPECIAL

NEEDS

students at a

COLLEGE

the

dart

PREP

school? see pages 10-11 for more discussion on the role of special education at STA

2 | news | dartnewsonline.com | the dart |April 11, 2013

dart the

people and policies

Mr. Eric Thomas....................................................advisor Emily McCann.................managing editor of design Anna Leach..........................managing editor of web Natalie Fitts......................managing editor of stories Emma Wheatley............managing editor of photos print Mickey Redlingshafer................................news editor Caitlin Fletcher.......................................features editor Emily Wemhoff.......................................features editor Shaeffer Smith........................................opinion editor Sara Jessica Dilks.........................centerspread editor Rosie Hutchison..........................sports/health editor Sara Meurer............................................lifestyles editor Katie Parkinson...............................................a&e editor Emma Willibey....................................in the mix editor Jordan Berardi........................................last look editor Maddie Knopke............................................copy editor Lindsey Valdiviez.........................................copy editor Emma Willibey.............................................copy editor Leigh Campbell.............................................staff writer Siobhan Miller................................................staff writer Grace Sly...........................................................staff writer Christina Elias.................................................staff writer Jordan Allen...................................staff photographer Grace Hodes...................................staff photographer Kathleen Keaveny.........................staff photographer Maggie Rellihan............................staff photographer web Lauren Langdon...........................................daily editor Adrianna Ohmes..........................................daily editor Lane Maguire................................................daily editor Meghan Lewis..................................web photo editor Menley Brennan..................................facebook editor Sabrina Redlingshafer............................twitter editor Madeline Best......................standing features editor Hannah Bredar...........................................school liason Taylor Steen................................................school liason Libby Hyde...................................................blogs editor Jordan Berardi..........................................videographer Caroline Fiss..............................................videographer Cecilia Butler..............................breaking news editor policies ownership and sponsorship The Dart is created by the student newspaper staff and is published by general operating funds of St. Teresa’s Academy, a Catholic institution sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. The Dart will not publish opinions that contradict the teachings and beliefs of the Catholic Church, whether on a diocesan or worldwide level. editorial policy The Dart is subject to prior review by the St. Teresa’s Academy administration in circumstances that concern student safety and illegal behavior by students. Otherwise, the policies above will guide the Dart. The Dart intends to be a public forum for voices regardless of diverse ages, sexes, races, cultures, religions or beliefs. Signed columns reflect the opinions of the individual, not necessarily the newspaper staff or the school community. letters policy The Dart encourages letters to the editor. Letters can be sent in the following ways: in person to Eric Thomas in D204; by mail to St. Teresa’s Academy, attn: Eric Thomas, 5600 Main Street, Kansas City, MO 64113; or by email to ethomas@stteresasacademy.org. Letters should be limited to 250 words.

The Dart staff reserves the right to edit or shorten letters for publication. photo illustrations Photo illustrations are conceptual photos that combine the limitless possibility of the drawing with the realism of the photograph. They are not intended to be documentary photos of real moments. corrections policy The Dart will print corrections as soon as possible after the error is discovered.

feeling the love H Peer Helpers Sammy Patterson, right, and Maddi Hughes-Zahner man the “Mending Broken Hearts” board during Anti-Bullying Week March 1115. This was the first year for the fundraiser and proceeds went to the Meghan Meier foundation. photo by SHAEFFER SMITH

Students mend broken hearts Peer Helpers urge students to get over the past by mending broken hearts during Anti-Bullying Week

by CHRISTINA ELIAS celias@dartnewsonline.com

During the week of March 11, the Peer Helpers sponsored STA’s second annual Anti-Bullying Week. This year, however, came with a few changes, such as selling broken hearts to students for $1 in Windmoor Center.

Students who bought a heart wrote one positive and one negative act on the two half of the “broken” heart, which would be separated and matched with someone else’s halves. The “mended” hearts were then put on display in Windmoor, and will continue to be there for the rest of the year.

“The broken hearts just basically represent that we all make mistakes and have caused someone else to feel poorly about themselves,” Peer Helpers club president and senior Samantha Patterson said. “But we’ve all done good things for other people too, or we kind of mended their broken heart.”

According to senior Kelli Strader, the hearts symbolize not only the mistakes humans make, but also the good deeds done to make up for them.

“I think [the broken hearts make] us realize what we’ve done,” Strader said. “Actually writing it down and publicly admitting it, [even] anonymously, really helps you see you’re wrong and face the facts of what you’ve done. It’s like once you’ve written it, it becomes real to you and you can’t run from it.”

The activity was initially met with some confusion as to what the hearts actually were, according to senior Morgan Bene.

“I was not exactly sure of the process but the ultimate goal still interested me,” Bene said. “After watching [the] ‘Just Like You’ film, I stumbled upon the mending broken hearts booth. At first, I was hesitant because who wants to recognize their own faults, put it on paper and display them? But after I did it, I was happy I did.”

According to Patterson, more girls might have participated if “it were in a location where more people pass often,” but that its first year was an overall success. Bene, however, thinks that sharing how liberating the activity was would have drawn more girls, not more advertisement.

make it whole H Senior Katherine Barnthouse connects two “broken hearts” on the Mending Broken Hearts board sponsored by Peer Helpers during Anti-Bullying Week March 11-15. photo by SHAEFFER SMITH

“The activity made me think about my actions and the effects they have on other people, something I realized I should do more often,” Bene said. “But it was also satisfying to acknowledge a positive action on the other side of the heart.”

Patterson hopes that the broken hearts continue to be a part of future Anti-Bullying Weeks because the hearts don’t just lift a burden.

They bridge the gaps between students.

“I found that one piece of my heart was paired with a friend of mine with whom I was having a conflict,” Bene said. “Seeing the hearts put together on paper made me see that we are all capable of hurting others, but we are all very capable of turning those negative actions into positive ones instead.”

STA counselor and Peer Helpers moderator Amanda Johnson said that Anti-Bullying Week will continue to maintain the same message, but with an altered perspective.

“Last year, we did a lot of focus on that severe bullying--what can happen when it reaches some really severe consequences,” Johnson said. “Whereas this year, I wanted to focus on . . . kind of that everyday, girl-on-girl interaction that we don’t even think about . . . we don’t really recognize how powerful those words are, and that is bullying.” H

French students inducted to National French Honors Society for first time

The first induction ceremony of the STA chapter of the National French Honor Society took place March 7 in Zahner Lounge during activity 1. According to French teacher Alice Amick, STA joined this society after juniors suggested the idea.

“The sense was that it would be a great way to raise the profile of the very dedicated French students in the community and also to have

something for the college resumé,” Amick said.

According to the American Association of Teachers of French, the organization that sponsors this society, to be eligible for membership, students must have taken at least three semesters of French, maintain a cumulative A- average in all French classes and a B- cumulative GPA. This year, 38 STA members were inducted.

During the ceremony, a candle was passed to each student, who then explained how French had opened up her world. According to Amick, this idea is based off the French Honor Society’s practice of the passing of the torch, an ancient tradition that used to take place in Greece. Citizens would line up and transmit a torch from person to person until it reached everyone. H brief by KATIE PARKINSON

April 11, 2013 | the dart | dartnewsonline.com | news | 3

Tech, religion teachers leave this year Religion teacher Betsy Hansbrough and technology teacher Kathy McCarthy will retire this school year

by HANNAH BREDAR hbredar@dartnewsonline.com

When the current school year is over, two teachers will retire from STA. Religion teacher Betsy Hansbrough and technology teacher Kathy McCarthy have both taught for multiple years but, according to Hansbrough, they have very different job histories.

Hansbrough had many different jobs, from a parole officer to a registered nurse, before coming to STA. After STA, Hansbrough will be starting her sixth career and will continue with volunteer work.

“I have enjoyed teaching very much,” Hansbrough said. “I do plan to go to other work that combines all the things I have done.”

On the other hand, McCarthy has only had a couple jobs, but her main career has been as a technology teacher. McCarthy worked for about six years as a secretary, then taught for a year at Savior of the World Seminary, a boarding school for men who were considering priesthood. According to science teacher Mary Montag, McCarthy taught her when she attended STA. “I believe I have taught a total of 37 years and 36 of those years have been at STA,” McCarthy said.

According to Hansbrough, she became a professional singer when she graduated from college and became a juvenile court officer soon after that, working with kids at juvenile court for 10 years. She then attended nursing school to become a registered nurse and worked for over 20 years as an ICU nurse. After that, she ended up at STA as a religion teacher.

A student of Hansbrough, sophomore Sophia Hall admires Hansbrough for experimenting in so many job fields.

“I think [Hansbrough] is so interested in many different fields and loves learning new things,” Hall said. “That is why she likes to change up her career. I think it is great that she is constantly furthering her education and sharing it with the world.”

Both Hansbrough and McCarthy are excited to start a new chapter in their lives but have mixed feelings about leaving STA. According to McCarthy, she will miss STA but hopes to keep active through volunteer work while in her retirement. After STA, Hansbrough will continue her study of the Girardian theory to spread it all over the

work it out H Computer teacher Kathy McCarthy instructs students from her computer during her tech and media class March 28. photo by MEGHAN LEWIS

listen up H Betsy Hansbrough instructs a morality class about their end of the year presentations March 27. photo by MEGHAN LEWIS

world.

“I will be working with others from around the world to create a curriculum for middle and high school students to teach [the Girardian] way of viewing the Gospel and acting in life,” Hansbrough said.

“I will also intend to take this to other schools.”

Theology teacher Mary Jo Coughlin, math teacher Kim Sirridge and head of security Bob Wessling will be leaving after the 20122013 school year as well. H

Economics course continues ‘Juiced Up’ smoothie business Craig Whitney’s economics class started a smoothie shop open to students every Monday morning

by SABRINA REDLINGSHAFER sredlingshafer@dartnewsonline.com

Craig Whitney’s economics class has started Juiced Up, a smoothie shop available to students every Monday morning from 7:15 to 7:45 a.m. in Verheyn.

Students in economics decided on a smoothie shop because of the success of last year’s smoothie business, Smoothie Queen.

“We discussed in class the business activities we could pursue,” Whitney said. “We talked about a lot of different things, but it was the one thing they enjoyed from last year. It was on the consumer’s side and they thought they’d give it a shot.”

Much like last year’s smoothie shop, Juiced Up gives students the opporWhitney tunity to deal with economics hands on.

“Juiced Up was started with the idea that

it would run like a small business,” junior Mary Hart, who is enrolled in economics, said. “This business is a smaller scale of a real-life business and ultimately all these types of businesses are what make up our economy today.

By creating this economic scenario here at STA, it prepares us for economic situations in the future.”

Hart Whitney describes his role to the smoothie shop as “a person to provide general oversight and guidance” to the entrepreneurial partnership the students run.

“It’s really, in my view, the students business and operation,” Whitney said. “It is so they can learn about what it takes to start, operate and the functions of a business.”

Economics is instilled when the girls have to deal with tasks like deciding drink recipes, dealing with scheduling and labor course, supply and demands, providing a product they have to create themselves, marketing through a Twitter account and on Moodle and ultimately, making a profitable enterprise.

“We all had to invest in the business by fronting $5 and then our profits each week

are divided into keeping on hand and reinvesting,” Hart said.

They are starting out selling at $3 per smoothie with natural ingredients such as pineapple, peaches, bananas, honey, mangoes, blueberries and strawberries.

“We’re starting out with these to get a sense of the nature of [the business] and what it was going to be like,” Whitney said.

All proceeds of Juiced Up will be donated to two charities: Alexander House, a perinatal hospice program that provides management for families pregnant with or who have a baby that is expected to die shortly after birth, and Harvesters, a clearinghouse for the collection of food and household products.

Whitney believes that this year’s shop schedule is a challenge and makes it harder for them to gain as much profit as last year.

“The new challenge for scheduling limits us to one day a week as opposed to two or more,” Whitney said. “The natures of scheduling is too tricky and really limits us.”

Some of the challenge Juiced Up faces are Bistro Kids occupying the Commons during activity, and competing with various morning enterprises like Muffin Mondays, Donut Thursdays and Starcups.

“These are all things that come with the logistics of running a business,” Whitney said.

“It’s good practice.” H

Juniors recognized on National History Day

At the annual National History Day Competition, 65 STA juniors and one senior competed at the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum and Independence Academy March 2 for their respective history and literature classes The juniors submitted the finished products (either self-produced or produced with a partner or group) of their Junior Integration Project in the competition. Students entered either a paper, documentary or website for judging.

Nine of the competitors took home awards from the competition and advanced to the state competition in April.

Junior Mary Grace Maschler won first place in the Senior Individual Website category. Juniors Maschler Cecilia Butler and Fiona Madden won second place in the Senior Group Documentary category.

In the Senior Group Website category, juniors Giggy Reardon, Heather Cigas and Molly Corless won third place and juniors Madi Kintzle and Paige Lankford won second place. Junior Isabella Nair won third place in the Senior Historical Paper Category.

These individuals and groups will advance to the State competition to be held at the University of Missouri-Columbia April 20.

Spanish teacher has baby

Spanish teacher Melissa Montoya had her son Eros Thomas Montoya O’Leary Feb. 18. Montoya named him after the Italian singer Eros Ramazzotti, according to Spanish teacher Julia Gargallo.

“I miss her, but she is so happy,” Gargallo said. “She is so ready to be a mom and is just so happy.”

Montoya, who was planning to leave school Feb. 22, had her baby a week early.

Long-term subtitute teacher Kylie Grasher Montoya has taken over all of Montoya’s Spanish I and II classes.

“I was nervous [taking over the class] because [not] knowing how the teacher has always run it is intimidating, but all my students have been super helpful and kind,” Grasher said. “And [Spanish teacher Carolyn] Hollstein has been a great friend and coworker, always willing to help out. I feel very welcomed, and I already love being a part of STA.” According to sophomore Hayden Lee, all her students miss Montoya, but are glad she got through her pregannvy without issues.

“I’m happy for her because she had a healthy baby, but I am sad that she left because she was a good teacher,” Lee said.

Briefs by LINDSEY VALDIVIEZ and LEIGH CAMPBELL

Bofest 4 | features | dartnewsonline.com | the dart | April 11, 2013

KC

by EMMA WILLIBEY ewillibey@dartnewsonline.com

The 1920’s scene was roaring, spontaneous, reckless. Rumbling jazz filled 18th and Vine venues like the Hi-Hat and the Hey Hey as audiences wriggled free of Prohibition laws and danced to artists that would shape modern music. Although Kansas City occupies 316 square miles, its culture thrived almost exclusively on the intersection of two inner-city streets.

However, today’s creativity that zips from First Fridays to the Brookside Art Fair suggests that the city’s dynamic has shifted. No longer restricted to downtown nightclubs, artistry thrives in the boutiques and barbecue hot spots that intersperse Waldo and the West Plaza. As for downtown, public spaces like the Bartle Hall Convention Center and the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts have modernized the nowhistoric jazz site. Although Kansas City bursts with award-winning venues, the three listed establishments have satisfied STA’s thirst for the visual, performing and culinary arts like few others.

1. sign of the times H The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art added a new addition, the Bloch Building, in 2007. Some of the Nelson’s most recognizable contemporary art is housed in the Bloch Building.

2. sit and think H The Dart selected The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art’s Bloch Building as one of Kansas City’s best institutes that respectively nurture the visual arts for STA students and the Kansas City community.

3. bring in the kin H The Dart selected Kin Lin Chinese Restaurant as one of Kansas City's best institutes that respectively nurture the culinary arts for STA students and the Kansas City community. photos by CAROLINE FISS

1.

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art: The Bloch Building

Hours slog by as sunlight pours through its panels. Yet when darkness jets across the horizon, the building’s glass pulses against the sleek night sky. Beside it, four identical cubes tumble down a slope and engulf the 840-foot expanse in electric white.

“The Bloch Building runs the line of traditionalist and modernist,” Adam Johnson, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art’s head of public programs, said. “Traditionalists hate it. Anyone with an appreciation for modern art enjoys it.”

The building’s conception began in the late 1990’s, when the Nelson-Atkins challenged architectural firms to enlarge the Nelson-Atkins without obstructing the 1933 museum. Of the nine qualifying firms, eight suggested renovating Nelson-Atkins’ north side. The remaining group, Steven Holl Architects, presented a layout that astounded Nelson-Atkins trustees.

“Steven Holl was the only one who did not have the addition to the north side,” Johnson said. “The board was very impressed with his design.”

Holl’s outline consisted of five underground “lenses”—glass forms that topple down the Kansas City Sculpture Park’s east edge.

Intrigued, the Nelson-Atkins invested about eight years and $200 million into Holl’s plan of the Bloch Building, a parking garage and an entry plaza. Since opening in 2007, the Bloch Building has housed the Nelson-Atkins’ contemporary art, African art and rotating photography. Despite positive press, Johnson said that the building has revealed weaknesses, such as failing to sustain a café. “[The Bloch Building is] a part of the building that people don’t naturally go into,” Johnson said. “In the use of the space, [the NelsonAtkins has] been learning new things, [and] there are parts that have not been successful.”

However, Johnson said that the Bloch Building’s space has enabled the Nelson-Atkins to expand its resources, especially for teenagers.

The museum’s Teen Advisory Group (TAG), a board of about 20 teens that organize activities for high school audiences, has utilized the Bloch Building to plan events. “Chill Out Before You Freak Out,” a prefinals party, invited teens to gather on the hillside for food, beverages and fireside games. “[The Bloch Building] gave the museum more space, and that space has allowed us to create more offerings,” Johnson said.

Rosie Riordan, the Nelson-Atkins’ head of school and educator services, agreed that the additional room has led the Nelson-Atkins to broaden its collection. According to Riordan, the Bloch Building not only certifies the Nelson-Atkins as an “encyclopedia of art,” but claims singular artistic merit.

“The building itself is like a work of art, and that was the intent of the architect who designed it,” Riordan said. “To me, [the Bloch Building is] the best-kept secret around.”

2.

April 11, 2013 | the dart | dartnewsonline.com | features | 5

Other KC Bests While the Dart compiled three bests of KC, The Pitch compiled a larger list of bests of KC 2012. The Dart selected a few of their categories to share some of KC’s best.

Best pancakes

Starlight Theatre

The carnival clings to its vestiges of life: popcorn bags, ticket stubs and lingering applause. Hours earlier, former gymnast Cathy Rigby suspended herself over the audience, sprinkling pixie dust over 8,000 heads. The venue will relive each detail tomorrow, inviting new viewers to recline beneath the stars.

“We have a beautiful venue here and we want to keep it filled,” Karen Massman VanAsdale, Starlight Theatre communications director and mother of STA freshman Kay VanAsdale, said of plays like 2012’s “Cathy Rigby is Peter Pan.” According to its website, Starlight is the United States’ secondlargest theater, and VanAsdale said that it caters to all audiences.

The theater presents concerts from rock group Styx to teen idol Victoria Justice in the hopes of amassing a diverse fan base, VanAsdale said. “[There is] not one particular genre [Starlight is] trying to attract,” VanAsdale said. “We’re trying to be broad and have something for everyone.”

To draw high school students, Starlight not only offers incentives like student discounts but maintains teen performing arts programs. Starlight encourages students to join its “STARS of Tomorrow,” a 7th- to 12th-grade group that performs before summer shows, and to apply for scholarships and summer camps.

“Starlight has an educational arm,” VanAsdale said.

In addition, Starlight hosts Kansas City’s branch of the Blue Star Awards, a countrywide theater program that honors school productions. According to VanAsdale, STA earned its first Blue Star for the lighting of 2011’s “Curtains” and could receive a nomination for November’s “Little Shop of Horrors.” Blue Star nominees, such as the “Curtains” team, not only enact a number at Starlight’s ceremony, VanAsdale said, but could accept a Rising Star Scholarship that grants access to New York’s national Blue Stars.

“We’re really proud of [the Blue Star Awards],” VanAsdale said.

However, VanAsdale said that Starlight’s most distinct feature is commitment to self- or co-producing many of its performances. According to VanAsdale, most theaters recruit touring casts, but Starlight employs an artistic producer to direct its plays. Paired with outdoor seating, Starlight is one of three of its kind nationwide, a statistic that VanAsdale said heightens the theater’s status.

“We [at Starlight] have beautiful grounds, we have acreage, we have fountains,” VanAsdale said. “We’re typically ranked as one of the best concert venues in KC.” Regardless of national distinction, VanAsdale attributed Starlight’s appeal to its longstanding reputation as a local fixture. “[Starlight is] just known as a landmark [and has] been a beloved spot in KC,” VanAsdale said. “It’s not just seeing a show. It’s having the experience.”

3.

Kin Lin Chinese Restaurant

Christmas Eve descends, and vacant storefronts shudder as their owners flock to fireside family gatherings. But on East 51st Street, light flickers inside a cozy restaurant sandwiched between a Subway and a Mediterranean café. Inside, UMKC students crowd around plates of Chinese food that Joanna Ruan, co-founder of Kin Lin Chinese Restaurant with husband Jeff Ruan, has prepared.

According to Kin Lin manager Donnie Quinn, Joanna opens the restaurant for Chinese college students before certain holidays to provide a home away from home for those distanced from their families.

“Joanna feels like a mother to [the students],” Quinn said. “[Kin Lin’s owners] love to feel part of people’s lives.”

Famed as much for its friendly staff as its $8-9 platters of lo mein and moo shu, Kin Lin has secured a spot as one of the South Plaza’s go-to solutions for Chinese food cravings. However, the restaurant did not achieve its treasured status easily: the road to Kin Lin’s current reception stretched over 20 years and 10,000 miles. “[At a family-owned restaurant], the potential is only limited by how hard you’re willing to work,” Quinn said. “Jeff was willing to work.”

A first-chair violin and an opera singer, respectively, Jeff and Joanna departed from Changsha, China to the United States in 1985 with their daughter, limited knowledge of English and aspirations of launching a business. Working as a busboy in San Francisco, Jeff developed the work ethic that would lead him to create an air purifier, a violin shoulder cradle (a rest that violinists position between their neck and the violin to practice comfortably) and, most importantly, Kin Lin. “[Jeff] wanted to start a better life for him, his wife and his daughter,” Quinn said. “[He and Joanna] realized the ‘American Dream,’ if you will.”

Despite the Ruans’ embrace of American ideals, Quinn attributes Kin Lin’s appeal to its distinctly Chinese philosophy of cuisine. According to Quinn, the Chinese consider sharing food a gesture that people should only perform with the utmost care.

While this outlook ensures that Kin Lin will strive to produce highquality dishes, Quinn said that obsession with customer satisfaction can leave Joanna frenzied at unfinished meals. “‘Why didn’t they finish their food?’” Quinn said, recalling Joanna’s reaction to half-eaten orders. “[Joanna] personally wants to make sure everyone who comes in enjoys the food.”

Similarly, Joanna refuses to serve meals that she would not taste herself, Quinn said. Although Kin Lin offers Chinese staples like crab rangoon and General Tso’s chicken, Quinn said that Jeff and Joanna commit themselves to fixing recipes like those from their home province of Hunan.

“We [at Kin Lin] have an authentic, extensive menu,” Quinn said.

“We get people from Hunan who say, ‘Oh my gosh, this is the taste of home.’”

According to Quinn, Kin Lin’s accessibility, whether through its traditional meals or open atmosphere, invites customers to claim the restaurant as their own. Neighboring residents’ reliable business has established not only Kin Lin’s success but its role in Kansas City culture, Quinn said.

“I went to Rockhurst [High School] myself and I remember girls going to St. Teresa’s who loved [Kin Lin],” Quinn said. “Many people in the Brookside area have adopted [Kin Lin] as their restaurant.

It’s kind of like a living entity here.” H

Succotash is a restaurant located at 2601 Holmes. If you’re tired of eating the same old pancakes, you may want to try out “the best pancakes” in KC. “Succotash is amazing,” senior Katie Wilhelmus said. “Their biscuits and gravy are delicious, and they have this rainbow cake that’s really good too.”

Best park for JOgging

After school in the spring, you can’t walk

by Loose Park without seeing a bunch of people walking around, STA girls included.

“Loose Park is like the greatest park in the area,” freshman Kristina Coppinger said.

“It’s so versatile and family friendly. You see everything happen there: people sunbathing in the summer and jogging in the fall...Loose Park is the ultimate park.”

Best candles

Located in Brookside, 5B & Company was voted best candles in 2012. Who wouldn’t love a candle called clean undies?

“The candle company has really different scents and great names,” senior Annie Steinert said. “My family and I could spend hours in there.”

Best Thrift Store

Red Racks, located at 8026 Wornall, is a thrift store frequented by many STA students looking for gear for Sion games and senior theme days.

“I love Red Racks because it used to be like a DAV thrift store and it was always dirty and gross,” senior Mattie Davis said. “[But Red Racks] gets a lot better quality used things now.”

Best Royal

Billy Butler was the only KC Royal represented at the 2012 All-Star Game. While he was snubbed for the home run derby, he batted over .300 and proved to be one of the Royals’ greatest hitters.

“I really like Billy Butler because he’s a really great baseball player, and I like his charity, Hit-It-A-Ton that provides food for people living in Kansas City,” senior Andie Drummond said. H alternative coverage by CAITLIN FLETCHER illustrations by ANNA LEACH and MENLEY BRENNAN

DS FI U GR

6 | features | dartnewsonline.com | the dart |April 11, 2013

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Sleepless nights and an empty stomach were a part of what an STA student endured to achieve the “perfect� body the media promotes.

by MADDIE KNOPKE mknopke@dartnewsonline.com photo illustration by TAYLOR STEEN

April 11, 2013 | the dart | dartnewsonline.com | features | 7 “[The issue] was just everything,” she said. “My life was out of control so I turned to the one thing I could control...counting calories and losing weight.”

Tabloid magazines lined the racks in front of each check out station at her neighborhood grocery store. Instead of participating in shopping for tonight’s dinner, she read a People magazine headline, “Half their size!” and glanced at the photos of celebrities with “shocking body transformations.” She flipped through US Weekly and Star only to fix her eyes on further stories depicting the desirable bodies of Hollywood celebrities.

Why don’t I look like her?

This question would continue to replay in her mind for the next six months.

“I would compare myself over and over everyday to images of girls I wanted to look like,” she admitted. “Now I wish I would’ve just seen pictures of myself and seen how sick I was becoming. At the same time though, the only thing I used to see in the mirror was imperfection.”

Selena Gomez wore a sequined yellow top with black skinny jeans on Disney Channel’s “Wizards of Waverly Place.”

I wish I had that gap between my legs like her.

Blake Lively was dressed in a strapless black gown on an episode of the CW’s “Gossip Girl.”

My arms will never be skinny enough to wear a pretty strapless dress like that.

They didn’t all have the best legs, the softest hair, the flawless face or the flat stomach.

But each girl had something--something she wanted. It was each piece of perfection she saw in celebrities, models and even peers that she put together to form the ideal body that she thought anorexia would somehow help her to achieve.

“I just told myself that this was what was most important in my life,” she said. “These pictures in magazines and TV shows motivated me to push myself.”

It’s now activity period on a Tuesday. She types “thinspiration” into the Google search bar on her netbook. The page loads and she With clicks on the first blackened link which takes eyes and her to a blog enprotitled “Ana tips nounced & tricks.” She The only thing I used to see in cheek was quiet for a bones, a moment. the mirror was imperfection. woman “See, I’ve holds a been over [andelicate orexia] for like pink three years but cupcake looking at this in her hand. A bandage is wrapped around stuff...I don’t know, like anyone will start to her mouth with the word “control” written feel self-conscious. This is toxic.” on it in bold red letters. This image is among After scrolling through dozens of photos countless others currently streaming on of teenage girls’ “perfect” bodies and quote social networking sites. after quote encouraging one to “keep While “thinspiration” is a fairly recent calm and starve on,” she closed the Google term and an even more recent trending topic Chrome window. online, she explained that forms of “thinspi“A lot of girls want to be thinner so they ration” have existed for years. diet and workout and whatever,” she ex“In a lot of the shows I would watch, plained. “It’s when she compares herself to the characters would always be so skinny,” all these pictures of what she wants to look she explained. “Comparing myself to them like when it can become dangerous.” became encouragement for me to keep She paused for a moment and continued, starving.”

“She will do anything to get there...trust me, Maybe it wasn’t so explicitly defined as I know what it’s like.” “thinspiration” back then, but she thinks it She closed her STA netbook and shuffled played exact same role. it into it’s maroon case. As she stood up, she Victoria Justice, a teen celebrity, sported stopped half way and said, “You know, it a blue mini dress and leather jacket on Teen- just took a lot of honest people telling me to Nick’s “Victorious.” stop that made me realize how much I was I wish I could pull off that dress like she hurting myself. That’s what convinced me I does. needed to let go.” H

“

thinspired On social media sites such as Tumblr, Twitter and Facebook, there are pages devoted to posting images and quotes to inspire girls to lose weight.

“

A

10-ounce bottle of NyQuil, a green box of Sleepytime tea bags, a plastic jar full of yellow disposable ear plugs and last month’s Seventeen magazine.

She pulled a short string to shut off the miniature lamp that also rested on her bedside table.

Shifting from her left side to her right, tossing and turning as usual.

You’re not going to fall asleep tonight.

She could stare at the cream ceiling or maybe read over the letters inscribed on the spine of that Seventeen magazine, “seventeen.com. . . it’s fun to be seventeen. . .”

What time is it?

9:05 p.m. read the illuminated screen of her Verizon flip phone.

Early.

I should’ve worked out longer.

The guilt wasn’t just now setting in.

The guilt was constant.

Tormented by her own shame for eating 20 extra calories or not pushing herself to go those 15 additional minutes on the elliptical machine, she couldn’t dismiss the feelings of regret.

She laid on her twin-size mattress, painfully waiting for the NyQuil to kick in.

I know you’re hungry.

Stop being hungry.

Looking once again at the phone’s digital clock she saw 11:30 p.m.

Tomorrow I’ll be better. Tomorrow I can try again.

Yes, tomorrow she would wake up, throw on her plaid skirt, brush her hair into a low ponytail, avoid breakfast with her family, “forget” to pack a lunch and try once again to “successfully” endure the grueling process of anorexia.

Wishing to remain anonymous, this current STA student reveals how, what is now called “thinspiration,” affected her battle with anorexia. “Thinspiration” is a combination of the words “inspiration” and “thin.” The term is applied to images, charts and blogs created by those who promote an anorexic lifestyle. These multimedia pieces are then viewed by those seeking motivation to accomplish change in their body image. It has been almost three years since she suffered with the disorder during grade school.

“I was the new kid and like, well, I had some friends but not really a best friend,” she said.

What began as a simple desire to fit in, slowly escalated to engross almost every aspect of her daily life.

the SCARY facts 69%

1 in 10

Only

people with eating disorders receive treatment.

of girls in 5th-12th grade reported that magazine pictures influenced their idea of a perfect body shape.

5%

ly

ing is possessed naturally by on

advertis The ideal body type portrayed in of American females.

of girls between the ages of 11 and 13 see themselves as over% 0 5 weight.

Source: South Carolina Department of Mental Health

Source: Tumblr

8 | opinion | dartnewsonline.com | the dart | April 11, 2013

STA should introduce program for disabled students STA should allow mentally disabled young women to attend specific classes on campus because it would enrich the religious, social and academic lives of both current students and mentally disabled girls. These young women would experience a single-sex classroom, while incorporating their faith into their daily lives.

Offering religion classes would enrich mentally disabled students lives. As of right now, mentally disabled high school students in Kansas City have very limited options to receive religious education. It is not fair to exclude students from learning about their faith in a classroom setting.

Allowing these students to enroll in religion courses would allow them to learn about their faith and decide what they believe in. Attending these classes in STA’s classroom setting would make their faith that much stronger.

STA provides single-sex education. Many current STA students appreciate and benefit from this all-girl environment. There are two all-girls schools in the Kansas City area and neither of these schools offer their single sex environment to mentally disabled young

RIGHT ON

realistic to start off smaller and work toward women. a full-time program.

If this environment is respected and To incorporate mentally challenged revered by so many students and families students, STA could initiate a program linked of STA and Notre Dame de Sion High School, with a special education high school. This mentally disabled students and their famiprogram would allow kids from that school to lies should be offered this classroom setting too. come over to STA during the day for certain activities and Full integration of classes. mentally challenged The staff editorial represents the The classes ofstudents at STA is fered would include somewhat unrealisviews of the Dart editorial board: tic. It is not because all religion classes and most electives. it could not happen 4 out of 5 editors voted in support Allowing mentally eventually--it obviof this editorial disabled students ously can, looking at to come to STA for Archbishop O’Hara’s Foundation for dual-enrollment in Inclusive Religious non-core classes would allow STA to keep its college prep staEducation program also known as the F.I.R.E. tus while still expanding services to mentally program. disabled girls.

A problem here is that STA is a college Although many STA teachers believe it is prep high school and one of the credentials to be a college prep school is that each student important to involve mentally disabled young needs to take an entrance exam to be acwomen, they also believe it would hinder all students’ learning experiences. They think cepted. For this reason, it would very hard mentally disabled students would feel too to allow mentally disabled students while much pressure at STA, and other students maintaining a college prep status. It is more

would become distracted and feel like they were not getting enough help.

However, this dual enrollment program would not include core educational classes, allowing a productive classroom environment without the pressure. Also, mentally disabled students participating in this program could each have a teacher aid from their school in class with her. This would let all students have the time and help they need.

Allowing all types of students to interact in elective classes would teach all students how to work together. It would help students learn in new ways and allow interaction that, without this program, many students would not have.

Students could also come to STA’s campus for activity periods. This would allow all students to experience not only classroom interaction, but social interaction too.

It is essential that the STA community, both students and teachers, begin to work with, interact with and make friends with high school kids who are different from us.

Interaction in a school setting would enrich both STA students and high school students who are mentally challenged. H

Absolutely because STA is all about serving our community, neighbor to neighbor without distinction, and that applies to everyone. Teens with special needs deserve the opportunity to experience the sisterhood and academics that come with St. Teresa’s.

I feel that STA would be a great community to welcome children with special needs. However, our curriculum is especially difficult so I don’t think STA should integrate with special needs children.

Do you feel STA should integrate a program with special needs students into our school? Why or why not?

TARGET Each issue, the Dart asks three people their opinions of the issue discussed in the main editorial.

Here’s what they said:

compiled by SABRINA REDLINGSHAFER

Natalie Kilgore junior

Kilgore

I think that it would be good idea to integrate special needs to our school, but if it gets rid of the college prep title, then I think that the administration should decide what’s best for STA as a whole.

Meghan King freshman

King

Madeline Mullen sophomore

Mullen

April 11, 2013 | the dart | dartnewsonline.com | opinion | 9

The best books for your bookshelf

Recent trends in lyrical laziness

by LEIGH CAMPBELL lcampbell@dartnewsonline.com

by JORDAN ALLEN jallen@dartnewsonline.com

After one week, four plane rides and plenty of beach time, I combed through some interesting books over spring break. The following novels illustrate in depth and diverse characters as well as interesting plots. If you are looking for the next interesting read, try any of these novels: “Argo” Former CIA agent Tony Mendez details his mission to extract six stranded Americans from Tehran at the height of the Iranian revolution. This straightforward novel is an easy read and interesting if you want to know about the inner workings of the CIA. The book goes into many of the painstaking details that went behind the almost impossible task of the extraction. I would recommend seeing the movie “Argo” before reading the book, as it is substantially better and more thrilling.

“Silver Linings Playbook” Author Matthew Quick’s “Silver Lining Playbook” narrates the story of a mentally unstable 35 year-old Pat Peoples. With almost no memory of his stay in a mental institution and the events leading up to it, the novel covers his journey of recovery with his cruel father, loving mother, changed brother, old friends, therapist, the Philadelphia Eagles football team and a new love interest. Told in Peoples’s point of view, the book is endearing and compelling at the same time. Although it sometimes contains unrealistically irrational characters, “Silver Lining Playbook” will leave you hooked and rooting for Pat Peoples.

“Into Thin Air” “Into Thin Air” is a first-hand account of the disaster on Mt. Everest in 1996. Detailing the actual events of the treacherous climb of Everest, author Jon Krakauer will leave you mourning the eight people who lost their lives attempting to summit the highest peak in the world. The true adventure story provides a page-turning plot and reveals research on things like lack of oxygen and its connection to rational thinking.

“Insurgent” The second installment in the “Divergent” series, “Insurgent” continues the story of Tris Prior living in a dystopian future society that is falling apart after a cliffhanger ending in book one. Confined to a city in which people live in different groups with different jobs, Tris must battle the authority that takes away society’s rights. Tris must learn who to trust while fighting to save her city and balancing her new love life. Although the “Divergent” series is not the strongest future utopian book on the market, if you enjoyed “The Hunger Games,” then you would like the “Divergent” series. H

It’s 3:05 p.m. on a Thursday. I’ve just experienced the longest day of my life with homework and college on the mind, my future staring me down and the daily drama flooding my thoughts. I basically feel like my entire world might implode due to all my impending stress.

I pull out of the STA parking lot, dodging soccer moms’ minivans and frantic students bolting across the pavement to their cars as if they’re being chased by the school books strapped to their backs. I sit at a stoplight as I head to Rockhurst High School to pick up my younger brother.

With my head cloudy and overworked, I decide some music would be the best way to calm my nerves. I turn on the radio which has been set to Mix 93.3 by someone clearly trying to torture me.

The first song I hear is Justin Timberlake’s “Suit and Tie.” As I listen, I am stunned to learn that these lyrics have earned him the number one song on iTunes: “I be on my suit and tie / And as long as I got my suit and tie / I’ma leave it all on the floor tonight / And you got fixed up to the nines.”

I immediately scan the next several stations only to hear the worst kinds of rhyming I’ve ever heard from artists like Nicki Minaj and Pitbull. Nicki blurts out, “I am Nicki Minaj, I mack them dudes up / Back coupes

up, and chuck the deuce up.”

In search of some lyrical redemption, I plug in my phone while I’m waiting in the Rockhurst parking lot and tune to Soundcloud, an app for music sharing for anyone willing and capable of recording and posting their own music. As I go to the Soundcloud of senior musician Page Kemna, I am pleased to listen to her personal and meaningful lyrics of “Right Decision” and “Confide.”

When asked what Kemna thought of the current trend in lyrical laziness, she said, “Some of the current music doesn’t really have as much of a purpose as older music did.

It seems like some artists just pick somewhat relevant words that rhyme, rather than those with a pertinent, more memorable meaning like groups like Of Monsters and Men, who keep the popular music industry what it used to be. ” But when looking at which artists are getting the most attention, it is very easy to see that those artists with the number one hits are primarily those whose lyrics will not be remembered decades from now as Stevie Wonder and Billy Joel’s lyrics are today. With Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’s “Thrift Shop” leading the charts followed by the explicit version of “Feel This Moment” by Pitbull, I am reminded of Billy Joel’s famous interview quote, “Have you listened to the radio lately? Have you heard the canned, frozen and processed product being dished up to the world as American popular music today?”

My answer to his question would be yes, I have unfortunately heard the ridiculous words being mashed together through autotune and paired with bass drops and fake beats. What I have also heard, however, is the memorable and meaningful words of classic as well as upcoming artists that put their hearts into their music.

As Stevie Wonder states his purpose “to create music that is timeless,” artists like Kemna have the same goals.

“I think it’s cool how I can put my thoughts with a melody and put it out there for people to hear,” Kemna said. “It’s just a way for me to get my feelings out of my head and into a more artistic and enjoyable piece of music that will last.”

With artists like Kemna intent on doing more than just rhyming their words to fake tunes, faith in the art of lyric writing can be restored.

Up-and-coming bands like The Wingdings, a group consisting of Kemna, Rockhurst junior Conner Ehman and Rockhurst seniors Drew Jurden and Ian VonFange, have the abilities and talent to put billboard-rising artists to shame as they play their fun and interesting music with passion and joy.

I want to stick up for those that are putting the most effort and soul into their music, not their egotism or wardrobe choice. There are times when artists like Nicki Minaj and Justin Bieber make me feel as if all hope is lost, but I am comforted by the knowledge that I can always come back to songs like Joel’s “Vienna,”John Lennon’s “Imagine” and Kemna’s “Confide” to restore my belief in music’s worth and promise.

Chris Brown can make headlines with the lyrics: “Yellow model chick, yellow bottle sippin’ / Yellow Lamborghini, yellow top missin’ / Yeah, yeah, that look like a toupee / I get what you get in ten years, and two days.”

However, Kemna shows passion through her words: “My novel of feelings is shared / Nothing between the lines / You see how much I care / It’s. About. Time.”

Who couldn’t agree that the words of Page Kemna trump those of Chris Brown tenfold? H

Don’t get me wrong, I love saying good morning to my advisor, but what is the point of checking in if we are going to do the same thing five minutes later?

Again, during our last class, we go through the same attendance process.

Teacher takes attendance. We sit through the 40-minute class. The bell rings. We walk to advisory. Check out.

Why is it so important to prove that I’m still at school even after the last bell has rang?

Didn’t I just say I was here last period? My teacher wouldn’t just let me leave during the middle of class.

I swear I was here during my last class.

So, I ask, do we really need to check in and out with advisory?

Climbing those Donnelly stairs to the third floor is not how I want to start or end my day. It begins to seem even more pointless when my teachers take roll anyway.

If students are late in the morning, they check in with the office. If students leave early, they check out with the office.

Anyway you put it, students are being held accountable by either their teachers or administrators in the office.

But what about students with frees during the first and last period, you ask.

Well, the only students not required to be held accountable are juniors and

seniors, due to underclassmen having accountability sheets.

If seniors have a last period free, they are able to leave school early by checking out with the office. Therefore, really the only people to worry about are the juniors.

My solution is, why don’t we just have juniors with period one or nine frees check in and out with the office?

With this method, everyone is accounted for and advisory check in could be put to an end.

I know advisories are a special part of STA and are meant to create a sense of unity with groups of students. However, while checking in and out, the unity is nonexistent.

I walk into advisory, check in, and walk right back out. Sometimes no words come out of my mouth at all. The rush to get to class or get to the parking lot takes away most of the possibility of advisory interaction.

Advisories are a huge part of the STA tradition. However, checking in and out is the downfall of advisories.

Recently, I asked one of my friends, “What’s the point of checking in and out?”

After about 3 seconds of looking to the ceiling and pondering the question, my friend laughed and said, “I have no idea.”

So, what is the point? H

Checking in and out: a wasted five minutes

by CASSIE FLORIDO cflorido@dartnewsonline.com

Twice a day, everyday.

It’s something we, as STA students, do without question. Everyday we pull up to school and make the walk to our advisories and check in. We say hello to our advisor, write our initials on paper, put our stick in a cup or place our name tag in the allotted spot. Any method advisories use, we have to prove we are at school by 7:45 a.m.

Then, we walk to our next class, only to go through the same process again as the teacher takes attendance.

Didn’t I just check in five minutes ago?

I don’t think I left school anytime between 7:45 and 7:50.

I promise, I’m still here.

So, why do we need to have that first initial check in with our advisories?

April 11, 2013 | the dart | dartnewsonline.com | centerspread | 11

10 | centerspread | dartnewsonline.com | the dart | April 11, 2013 STA junior Julia Hammond, left, shares a quiet moment with her 19-year-old sister, Kailey, who has intellectual disabilities. photo by MEGHAN LEWIS

SPECIAL ED & STA

The Dart asked 170 students about special education and its relationship with St. Teresa’s Academy.

Do you think STA students and faculty would directly benefit from having kids with intellectual disabilities on our campus?

87% Yes 13% No

86% Yes

Do you personally know somebody with an intellectual disability?

14% No

If you do, would they be eligible to attend STA if they were given the chance?

74% No 26% Yes

graphics by SARA MEURER

Diocese limited in special ed program options for high school students

by NATALIE FITTS

A SPECIAL NEED With only one option for kids with special needs to attend a Catholic high school, the Dart explores whether or not STA could ever implement a special education program.

by JORDAN BERARDI

“Is Patrick going to O’Hara next year?”

“Where else would he go?”

Of the Catholic high schools in the Kansas City area for boys to choose from: Rockhurst, Bishop Miege, Saint Thomas Aquinas, Saint Pius, Archbishop O’Hara and Saint James Academy, only one fit for Patrick.

It was not because it is the nearest Catholic high school to his house. In fact, it is 25 minutes away.

It is not because his parents favor that school over another. In fact, they wish Patrick could attend Rockhurst with his friends and brother, Jake.

The decision for Patrick to attend Archbishop O’Hara High School starting in the 2013-2014 school year was made simply because it is the only option for him if he wishes to receive a Catholic high school education.

A girl in Patrick’s situation would have the

like his big brother, that it’s not possible,” same limitations: one Catholic school, one Maggie said. option, O’Hara.

For St. Teresa’s and Rockhurst, both sinPatrick Cussen, an eighth grader, has Trisomy 9, a chromosomal syndrome with which gle-sex Catholic schools, one dominant thing the ninth chromosome appears three times in stands in the way of kids with intellectual and developmental disabilities attending: they are any given cell, rather than two. This disease causes handicaps, like mental retardation and college preparatory.

St. Teresa’s has guidelines which need learning disabilities, and affects the formation of the skull and face. to be met to uphold the status of a “college Patrick attends St. Peter’s Catholic School preparatory.” Those guidelines include admission of students based on entrance exam test as part of the special education program, scores and elementary school grades. Therefunded by F.I.R.E., allowing him to receive an fore, a program where inclusive religious It’s hard to have to tell your education during his students with inteltime there. lectual disabilities are brother who has been present in class would However, after saying he wants to go to be a radical shift for the graduating, he has school. only one option in Rockhurst...that it’s not However, St. Teresa’s choosing a Catholic high school as a could do it. possible. student with special STA could implement

— Maggie Cussen a program where girls needs. with special needs are taught in a separate Maggie Cussen, Patrick’s sister and a class area on campus, however are included in of 2012 STA graduate, sees the hardship of sending Patrick somewhere he will know few, everyday STA activities such as lunch, assemif any, classmates. blies, sporting events and productions. The “It’s hard to have to tell your brother, who girls in the program would be taught according to their personal education plan to ensure has been saying he wants to go to Rockhurst

“

“

Is the STA motto “neighbor to neighbor without distinction” truly upheld in an environment that excludes those with special needs?

individual success.

In addition to inclusion of these students in school activities, STA students could interact daily with the girls in the program. An option could be offered for girls to spend a few free periods a week helping those in the program with schoolwork or basic life skills such as cooking or doing laundry.

This plan would take time, money and effort to put into action, but creating options for Catholic high school students with special needs is vital.

The money can be raised. The space can be made. The teachers can be hired.

Junior Abby Dearth and her brother Austin have encountered the benefit of Catholic special education by attending St. Peter’s.

Austin was born with Oculocerebrorenal syndrome, also known as Lowe syndrome.

The condition significantly affects the eyes, nervous system and kidneys and causes mental handicaps.

Austin graduated from St. Peter’s in 2007.

Area families of kids with special needs, along with his own, explored options for a high school willing to implement a special education program.

The families asked many area Catholic

In the fall of 2007, Archbishop O’Hara High School started the OPTIONS program, making it the only high school in the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph to offer a special education program. Nearly six years later, O’Hara remains the only option for parents in that diocese who want to send their handicapped child to a school in which he or she can receive a full-inclusion Catholic education while still having their special education needs met.

O’Hara assistant principal Jane Schaffer designed the OPTIONS program after visiting with the director of a similar program at a Catholic high school near Washington, D.C. According to F.I.R.E., the Foundation for Inclusive Religious Education founded by STA parents, the full-inclusion setup allows special needs students “to accomplish their own individual academic objectives while learning alongside their peers.” According to the O’Hara website, the program “has been a home for students from [diocesan] elementary schools, who would not have been able to receive a Catholic high school education” otherwise.

“The program...designs a curriculum for each of its students so that he or she can attend a Catholic school with his/her peers to have a true high school [experience],” high schools if special education would be possible at their school.

O’Hara was the only Catholic Kansas Cityarea school willing to take steps toward a special education program.

If O’Hara had not implemented the program, Austin’s Catholic education would have ceased after eighth grade. Instead, Austin graduated from O’Hara, earning a diploma with the class of 2011.

“I don’t know what kids in the area, before our families’ efforts, did,” Abby said. “Is your education supposed to stop after eighth grade? That’s not fair.”

Being around those with special needs her entire life, Abby sees the benefits of having programs like this in Catholic schools.

“I know Austin always loved, and still does, feeling like he belongs in a certain place,” Abby said. “That’s what [O’Hara] did for him.”

Because O’Hara’s program offers inclusion, their system is very effective. But one successful attempt at creating such a program does not mean the efforts to create special education in other area Catholic high schools should stop. Including girls with intellectual disabilities would only enhance STA’s community which “values, and therefore embrac-

Schaffer wrote in an email.

According to Schaffer, the husband-andwife team of Nancy and Steve McCoy are the special education teachers for the program, and they work with the 10 students with varying degrees of disabilities, as well as all the teachers in the school to modify lesson plans.

According to Steve, the 24 junior and senior peer mentors have helped the fullinclusion concept succeed. “[The special education students] have responded very well because they see their peer [mentors] and they interact with them, and I think their [mentors] kind of help them acclimate with the whole student body,” McCoy said.

According to McCoy, the mentors devote one hour each day to taking the special needs students to regular classes.

“If [the special needs student is] overwhelmed or there’s something they can’t do in that class, [their mentor] will bring them back to [my classroom], and I’ll work with them one-on-one,” McCoy said. “The idea is to get them out in a regular environment as much as possible.”

According to Schaffer, the program focuses on giving the special needs students the same opportunities and experiences as their peers.

“They have homework, they are involved, they are students,” Schaffer wrote.

This extends to the financial payments to O’Hara. According to Schaffer, the OPTIONS students’ families pay the same amount es, a culturally, economically, ethnically, and racially diverse student body.”

Steve and Nancy McCoy are the special education teachers at O’Hara and are instrumental to the program’s success. Steve feels the mentors benefit just as much as the students they are helping.

“Here especially, in a parochial school, where it’s in a Catholic environment, it’s about being there for other people,” Steve said. “Out in the world...we need to incorporate [special needs] people and help take care of them. When we see them...we need to learn how to interact with them.”

Mary Anne Hammond, whose daughter Kailey has been diagnosed with mental retardation, feels it is a “Christian...concept that we include and welcome those that have a challenge.” “[Including the disabled] builds in compassion, acceptance, tolerance and a sense of gratitude for those that don’t have the same challenges,” Hammond said.

Patrick’s mother, Kathleen, feels the lessons of being around those with special needs can only be taught one way: experience. “[My children] have an understanding of human compassion that cannot be taught-

tration is not currently opposed to workin tuition as any other student at O’Hara.

Additional expenses are covered partly by ing with a prospective student with minor disabilities to determine if she can prosper F.I.R.E., which provides grants for Catholic schools with inclusive education programs in at STA. the diocese.

“We can figure out if [STA] is a good fit for [that student]--if we can put her where [she] “We have received a grant from F.I.R.E which helps with part of the special eduis going to succeed,” Bone said. “The more severe [her disability] is, the more limited cation teacher’s salary,” Schaffer wrote. we are.”

“O’Hara’s budget covers the remaining amount of the teacher’s salary, the part-time According to Bone, any program that would make STA more capable of dealing paraprofessional’s salary, materials for the program, transportation for off-site workwith severe cases would not likely happen “next year or in three years.” study, training for the peer mentors, etc.

“Anytime we have any long-term visions, When extra money is needed we have asked we come up with a strategic plan,” Bone said. for donations and the community always “[That plan] would responds.”

They have homework, According to for sure [take] at Schaffer, O’Hara least three or four they are involved, they years...[with] studyalways finds a way to ing and figuring out overcome any finanare students. logistics.” cial obstacles related — Jane Schaffer, assistant Ultimately, acto the program. principal of O’Hara “We believe that cording to Bone, developing any special education program all students deserve a high school Catholic at STA would come down to maintaining the education and will fund this,” Schaffer wrote.

According to STA president Nan Bone, current quality, standards and atmosphere of STA. finances would only be one aspect an appointed committee would have to address “If I would undertake this as a president, if STA were to try a program similar to I would really do a thorough study of how O’Hara’s. Classroom space and college prepa- we could do the best job for all of our girls,” Bone said. “It’s [about] a lot more than ‘I’d ratory status would also be factors.

“You have to pass a high school placement feel really great if that happened.’ Just like St. Teresa’s [is currently] the best school in Kantest [to be admitted to STA] and a person with Down syndrome probably isn’t going to sas City, we’d have to be the best school that be able to pass that,” Bone said. educates anybody, whether they’re special needs or not.” H However, according to Bone, the adminis-

“

-it has to be lived, witnessed, experienced,” Kathleen said. “There is no other way.”

O’Hara junior JD Meyers, who is not directly a part of the OPTIONS program, feels it affects him regardless.

“My high school experience would definitely be different if it didn’t involve these kids,” Meyers said.

Seeing that both the special education students and those surrounding them benefit, Hammond believes the ultimate message is simple: “The lives of those kids with and without special needs have been impacted for eternity, and for God’s grace and the work of the Holy Spirit to that end, the founding families are profoundly grateful.”

———

According to president Nan Bone, “Anything is possible.”

The potential is there.

“We just need to try,” Dearth said. “And there’s no reason we shouldn’t try.”

One question remains: Can a single conversation initiate the process of fulfilling a special need within a school where a main goal is to serve “neighbor to neighbor without distinction?” Only time will tell. H

“

Archbishop O’Hara High School remains only choice for special education in the diocese.

from the president President Nan Bone explains how STA maintains college-prep status through selective admission.

“St. Teresa’s has in place educational guidelines that deem the school college preparatory. These guidelines primarily center around offering rigorous academic courses and programs designed to prepare students for post-secondary education. Selective admission into St. Teresa’s is measured by a matrix of variables, including entrance exam scores (high school placement test), elementary school grades, and teacher recommendations. These measures assist in determining whether a student has the potential and capability of managing higher level academic courses, similar to what can be expected within a college or university setting. The school’s ultimate goal is to ensure each student’s success throughout her high school tenure.”

12 | sports | dartnewsonline.com | the dart | April 11, 2013

State-winning relay team looking for back-to-back titles The 4 x 800 meter relay has all four runners returning this year and hopes to win an all-around banner.

by EMILY WEMHOFF ewemhoff@dartnewsonline.com With the weight of a 4 x 800 relay State title on their shoulders, sophomore Ann Campbell and seniors Hannah McCausland, Lane Maguire and Courtney Coppinger said that the preparation for this season of track and field has been much more intense than in past years.

“We want to defend our title and run even faster than we did last year,” Campbell said. “We went into the season in really good shape.”

According to McCausland, winning the State title last year increases the pressure on them to run well this season.

“Being defending State champs is a lot of pressure, especially since every member of our relay returned,” McCausland said. “We are preparing a little differently this year and we have incorporated more weights, abs and hurdle drills.”

With the State championships not too far off (May 17, 18, 24 and 25), the relay team is helping to motivate their other track teammates .

Sophomore sprinter Kennedy Bright said that she looks up to the older runners on the team.

“With them winning that State title, it really has motivated me to work harder and not slack off so I can do the same thing,” Bright said.

Seeing the success of the distance runners has also turned a switch on for the sprinters. “[The sprinters] want to do the same thing,” Bright said. “Our goal this year is obviously to take Districts. We’re doing more speed conditioning to prepare our bodies for running long periods of time in short bursts like you would at a meet.”

Along with the State title, the track team experienced much success last year. Bright qualified for state in the 100 meter dash, Coppinger and Maguire qualified in the 800 meter run and Campbell qualified in the 3200 meter run. The 4 x 400 meter relay team also qualified with juniors Mary Gibson and Lindsey Valdiviez and Coppinger and Maguire. “[State is] when all of your hard work pays off,” Campbell said. “People realize that they can do a lot better than whatever they are ranked. I know some people are really motivated to make it to State more so than last year because of how well everyone did.”

fierce H Seniors Lane Maguire, Hannah McCausland, Courtney Coppinger and sophomore Ann Campbell proudly hold their first place plaque for the 4 x 800 relay race, won last season. The team is determined to keep their title this year. photo by GRACE HODES

Overall, the track team placed 16th at State, but having multiple runners in different races will only prepare the team for more success this year.

“I now know what competition to expect,” Bright said. “Qualifying for State helped me see how far I can go.”

When asked the secret to their success, McCausland and Campbell both agree that

new distance coach Melissa Moody’s training style, combined with increased winter training, helped them to victory last year.

This year, they plan on doing it again.

“Before we ran our race, both Rockhurst and Sion won their 4 x 800 races, so we knew we had to as well,” McCausland said. “We didn’t want to be the only ones who didn’t get [that State title]. We had the dedication to win.” H

snow disrupts spring sports tryouts

Players on STA’s lacrosse team discuss the difficulty of spring sports tryouts, disrupted by recent snow days.

cradling queens H Sophomore Sydney Edmonds practices “cradling” at lacrosse tryouts, which were held indoors because of the snow, Feb. 27. photo by EMMA WHEATLEY

by Libby Hyde lhyde@dartnewsonline.com Due to school cancellations from the recent snowstorms, the schedule for spring sports tryouts was disrupted, forcing some sports to compensate for lost time and lack of field space.

While the field was covered in snow after Kansas City’s recent snowstorm, one lane of the track was cleared off, and in the days to follow, the field was cleared off so spring sports could resume in their original locations. However, until the snow was cleared off the track and field, teams were forced to do conditioning exercises and other drills on the stairs of both buildings, the Commons and the Goppert Center.

According to Senior Danni Porter, tryouts were supposed to begin Feb. 21 and 22 but those were canceled due to snow days. On the following Monday, school was released at noon again due to snow so yet again, tryouts were canceled, along with tryouts Tuesday and Wednesday. The first lacrosse tryout was Feb. 28 in the Commons, with tryouts Friday in the gym.

Sophomore Anna Meagher said it took 10 days of lacrosse tryouts before the athletes were told which team they would be on.

“It was very frustrating because everyone would want to be in the gym because it was the biggest space and we could throw the ball in,” Meagher said. “Having the tryouts span for a week and a half was just trainer, so they were really creative, but it still really nerve-racking because everyone wants to really sucked.”

It was really stressful, but the do their best and we were inside all the time, and According to sophomore Sydney Hunter, it coaches were really reasonable it was hard to show our full abilities. It was really was very inconvenient to have to have lacrosse on selecting the teams when we stressful for the coaches as well.” tryouts in the Commons because there was not Porter said the available drills for tryouts limwere confined indoors. enough room for athletes to move around and ited how well the coaches were able to evaluate really show their skills, unlike on a real field.

- Danni Porter player’s abilities.

Both Porter and Meagher agreed that it was “We did go outside some to play wall-ball,” most stressful for the freshmen who had never Porter said. “A little place on the field cleared up played lacrosse before. so we got to do a few drills out there and our coaches made us run on the “They couldn’t get a good feel for it until they really got on the field, track, but tryouts were still really restricted.” but now they have adjusted perfectly,” Meagher said.

Porter said the lacrosse team was not allowed to use any balls while According to Porter, the selection process of selection wasn’t much difthey were practicing indoors. ferent from what it is normally. Tryouts just spanned for a longer period “Our coaches are already really big on getting in shape so it was all of time. running up and down the stairs and moving the tables when we were in “It was really stressful, but the coaches were really reasonable on the Commons,” Porter said. “We did sprints in the bottom part where we selecting the teams when we were confined indoors,” Porter said. “Some eat, and in the gym, we did suicides. It was really kind of stupid because people may be really quick and good runners, but be completely uncoorwe didn’t get to do real [tryouts] at all. One of our coaches is a personal dinated when they get a stick in their hands.” H

“

“

back it up H Coach Volker watches as students do sprints in the gym during tryouts Feb. 27. photo by Emma Wheatley

Season ends with sectional loss April 11, 2013 | the dart | dartnewsonline.com | sports | 13

STA’s varsity basketball team was defeated by Blue Springs High School at Sectionals after making it to the tournament for the first time in 15 years.

by CASSIE FLORIDO cflorido@dartnewsonline.com

offended offenseH Senior Becca Lueke blows through Blue Springs senior Karyla Middlebrook during their Sectional game held at the Independence Events Center on March 6. The Blue Springs Wildcats defeated the Stars 56-42. photo by JORDAN ALLEN

1.

2.

After winning Districts for the first time since 1998, the STA varsity basketball team lost to Blue Springs High School 56-42 in the Sectional game of the Class 5A State tournament March 6.

In order to advance to the Sectional game, the Stars defeated Lee’s Summit West High School 59-57 with a last second layup from freshman Rachel Allard to become the District 13 champions.

In the District game, the Stars came back from a double-digit lead in the second half to make the winning shot on a sideline out of bounds play with 7 seconds left.

Junior Paige Lankford said making it to the Sectional game meant a lot to the basketball program.

“The program has gone through ups and downs for the past few years,” Lankford said. “[Reaching the Sectional game] shows that we are getting back on track and are ready to win.”

Last year, the team’s winning record of 15-10 came after three years of losing records with only a combined 18 wins over those 3 years.

Senior Becca Lueke said the biggest factor in making it to the Sectional game was wanting to do something rare for STA basketball. Lueke said the team wanted to prove that they were a good team despite their losing record, 11-15.

At the Sectional game, the team came out to warm ups dressed in black shirts that sported the saying “Water the Bamboo.”

According to Lankford, this saying came from something head coach Chance Stephen read to the team before a couple of games last season and this season.

“It basically means you water a bamboo for a long time, like 3 years, and it doesn’t grow,” Lankford said. “Then finally, one day after watering it for so long, it’ll grow a huge amount. We had a hard schedule this year and our coach kept telling us our time would come and we would grow like the bamboo.”

At Sectionals, the Stars faced off against a Blue Springs team that went 26-2 during the regular season.

At the end of the first quarter, STA was down 17-10. The Stars balanced out the score in the second quarter, finishing the half down 29-25.

However, Blue Springs went on a run in the third quarter, only allowing STA to score 3 points.

According to Lankford, once the Wildcats gained the lead, the team knew it would be hard to catch back up.

Lueke said the team played a good game even though the score didn’t reflect it.

“We shut down their main two players, which was our game goal, but other Blue Springs players stepped up that we did not expect,” Lueke said.

Freshman Grace Kitts said the team’s immediate reaction to the Sectional loss was disappointment in the loss and sadness due to the end of the season. However, after their coach came into the locker room and talked with the team, Kitts said the team realized all the good things they had accomplished this year.

“We realized even though we didn’t win [Sectionals], we played well,” Kitts said. “So we left the locker room a little sad but with a good outlook on our season and [Sectionals].”

The Stars finished the season with a record of 11-15, however the team advanced the deepest the program has gone in 15 years.

Just like with the “Water the Bamboo” saying, Lankford thinks their time finally came when they won Districts.

“We never put our heads down,” Lankford said. “We just had to keep playing each game as hard as we could.”

Lueke said this is a powerful team that will continue to grow.

“For many years in the past, we have just been pushed to the side,” Lueke said. “But we are slowly rebuilding the team and making a strong program.” H 1. reach for it H STA junior Paige Lankford reaches for the ball along with senior Maggie Rellihan during their Sectional game against Blue Springs on March 6 at the Independence Events Center. Despite the Stars’ efforts, they couldn’t bring home the win with a 56-42 loss for STA. photo by JORDAN ALLEN 2. pep talk H STA varsity basketball coach Chance Stephen directs junior Maggie Herrington during the Sectional game against Blue Springs on March 6 at the Independence Events Center. The Blue Springs Wildcats ended up defeating the STA Stars 56-42. photo by JORDAN ALLEN

14 | lifestyles | dartnewsonline.com | the dart | April 11, 2013

the voice of Junior Katie Crow has eleven tattoos, most with a specific meaning. Other students struggle with tattoo stereotypes.

INK

by CECILIA BUTLER cbutler@dartnewsonline.com

The hands of the girls in Mike Egner’s fifth hour American history class vary. Some have their nails filed and trimmed. Others have intricate doodles on their palms. Some hands bear reminders or notes. Others have nothing at all. The story of STA junior Katie Crow’s hands is different than the rest of those in her class.

It started Easter break of Crow’s freshman year. She sat at the desk in her room with her supplies laid in front of her.

She had cleaned and shaved the top of her left hand. A sewing needle, thoroughly wrapped in thread, stared at her from her desk, along with a cut-open black Sharpie.

She dipped the tip of the sewing needle in the Sharpie’s filter so that the black ink absorbed into the thread.

She then began to poke. And poke. And poke.

Crow was giving herself her first tattoo. Her first real, permanent tattoo.

Two years and 10 additional tattoos later, Crow reflects on this experience and cringes.

“The first time I ever [gave myself a tattoo] was really, really horrible,” Crow said. “It was red and disgusting.”

Crow redid her first tattoo with Indian ink and began using large amounts of antibacterial soap and hydrogen peroxide. She engraved seven of her 11 tattoos herself, all but one having a specific meaning.

Senior Samantha Zuehlke, from Sacred Heart High School in St. Louis, has a tattoo of her own. A tiny heart had been inked into her ankle on her eighteenth birthday. It is identical to her mom’s.

Zuelke and Crow agree on the idea that tattoos should have meaning, rather than be solely for physical attraction. “You get something that symbolizes something for you,” Zuehlke said. “It is a way to show your personality.”

Crow wants her appearance to portray her inner self, simply so that she feels more comfortable in her own skin.

“Sometimes I just have the urge to have

300

WORDS Modeled after Brady Dennis’s original 300 words, this series captures people and moments in 300 words: no more, no less

by NATALIE FITTS

inked H Junior Katie Crow has eleven tattoos, seven of which she has applied to herself with a needle and the ink of a permanent marker, later transitioning to using Indian ink. photo by EMMA WHEATLEY another [tattoo],” Crow said while taking off her sock to look at the 3-inch, black feather on her left foot. “It’s like I feel incomplete.”

Crow believes her tattoos reflect her true personality. Therefore, she does not want to disguise them, but rather, openingly display them to others. Contrary to Crow’s beliefs, many individuals with tattoos find the need to hide them from the public eye, inking their bodies in places that can easily be covered.

“I don’t think the stereotypes from tattoos will ever go away,” Zuehlke said. “Some relate tattoos to gangs and drugs, rather than art.”

Junior Zoe Krygiel is waiting until she is is 18 to get a professional tattoo and plans on

Just like any given Wednesday night, junior Shelby Hawkins was scrolling through her inbox when she spotted an email with the subject line “Your ACT Score Report is ready!”

Two and a half weeks earlier, she had walked out of Notre Dame de Sion High School, feeling confident about her first ACT. But despite that confidence, the preparation sessions during various lunch and activity periods, the ACT questions of the day, and test prep books, she never expected to see the number that appeared when she logged into her ACT account.

36.

The best possible score. The score fewer than one-tenth of 1 percent of students earn.

Her score.

getting one that can be easily hidden.

“My dad can hide his [tattoo] for when he has to look professional,” Krygiel said. “I want to get them in a place where I can hide it too.”

Krygiel plans to disguise her tattoos in order to maintain a formal appearance due to her beliefs that tattoos can alter others opinions of another person, especially in job situations.

“I don’t have a job,” Crow said, lifting up the sleeve of her left forearm to look at the words: “It is written” on her arm. “A lot of people don’t want to hire someone that looks like me. I’m a teenager with a mohawk and I have a bunch of piercings and tattoos.”

After she and her mom shared jaw drops and high fives, it was time to share the news.

First was a phone call to her older sister. Then calls to the rest of the family. Then a Moodle message to Ms. Hudson.

Those were the easy ones. Now she had to figure out a way to express happiness and pride to friends and acquaintances without feeling like she was bragging.

So after some Hawkins thought, she posted a Facebook status later that day about how glad

Crow, however, wants potential employers to respect her personality and value her for her work ethic, rather than her physical appearance.

“A lot of people who say that you can have this job but you have to have your hair dyed a normal color or you have to take out all of your piercings,” Crow said. “But I’ve never stood for that. None of this affects my work ethic so there is no reason for me to change it.”

She smiles and lifts the pointer finger of her left hand, neatly inked into her skin is a small mustache.

“It’s the only one that doesn’t mean anything,” Crow said. “But I still like it.” H she was “to be done with this experience” without giving her actual score.

But it did not take long for everyone to find out the exact score. With Shelby’s permission, Hudson notified all the teachers of the accomplishment. Shelby knew “the floodgates were open.” Congratulations came from teachers and fellow students alike.

Then came the blurb on the nightly news on Fox 4.

But she hasn’t let her accomplishment and minor fame get in the way of her routine. She is determined to keep doing well in her classes and continue her college search as it was before.

Besides, she still has to conquer the SAT. H

April 11, 2013 | the dart | dartnewsonline.com | lifestyles | 15

living and learning

Sisters Gloria and Violet Cowdin were homeschooled in the Reading Reptile, a locally owned bookstore in Brookside

by LANE MAGUIRE lmaguire@dartnewsonline.com

The Reading Reptile is more than a bookstore to the Pettid-Cowdin family. It is a family business. A school. A successful, independent store amidst giant “superstores.” A second home.

“It’s like my home because I spent all my time there when I was younger,” sophomore Gloria Cowdin said.

Cowdin’s family owns the Reading Reptile, an independent children’s bookstore located in the Brookside neighborhood that has been in business since 1988. Gloria and three of her four siblings, Sally (22), Violet (15) and Blue (9), were or will be homeschooled in the upstairs portion of the Reading Reptile bookstore from first through eighth grade. Gloria’s brother, Clyde (19), was the only sibling not homeschooled. All five siblings work or have at some time worked at the bookstore.

According to the siblings’ mother, Debbie Pettid, the same elements that make the Reading Reptile a successful business also make the store a good environment for homeschooling.

“The kids had an extraordinary amount of freedom growing up in the bookstore,” Pettid said. “And I’m really glad that I was able to offer that. I think you can learn an extraordinary amount by having freedom and by just recognizing that learning in and of itself is really exciting.”

A similar kind of freedom comes along with owning an independent business. This freedom and flexibility is one element that, according to Pettid, distinguishes the Reading Reptile from larger retail stores.

“Once a store becomes static, it’s a dud because I’m not interested in being bored,” Pettid said. “And so we’re able to do a lot in our store all the time because we own it and we work there. I don’t have to ask anybody, ‘Would it be okay if I did this or this?’ We can just do it.”

The Pettid-Cowdin family hand-picks every book that is sold in the store via galleys (prepublication versions of upcoming published books) and magazines that book representatives provide to the store.

“If my parents don’t like a book, they don’t carry it, even if it sells a lot,” Gloria said. “Like we don’t carry Junie B. Jones books because [my parents] really don’t like them. Our selection is a lot more picky [than most typical retail stores]. We don’t just carry anything. And we also a carry a lot of small, random books that people wouldn’t normally see or buy.”

With a smaller, more selective collection of books, the store, according to Gloria, has a more personal feel.

“I think we just really depend on our knowledge of books because every book that we have in the store my mom has read or browsed,” Gloria said. “You can name a book and she will know whether we have it or we don’t have it.”

Because reading played a large role in their education, Gloria and Violet are also familiar with many of the books in the store.

“There was a time where I would just go through all the chapter books and take out each one that I hadn’t read and read them,”

book worm H From left, freshman Violet Cowdin and sophomore Gloria Cowdin peruse a book in the back of the Reading Reptile. photo

by KATHLEEN KEAVENY

rainbow room H The Reading Reptile is a popular store in Brookside with quirky touches and decorations. photo by KATHLEEN KEAVENY Violet said. “So I definitely know my way around [the store].”

Pettid estimates that 80 percent of her children’s education was reading-based.

“With the kids at the store when they were homeschooling, they have an incredible amount of knowledge at their fingertips,” Pettid said. “So if you’re studying snakes, here are the snake books. It’s like going to school in a library. It’s just filled with information.”

Aside from reading, Pettid said interacting and creating were also a part of her children’s education. The Reading Reptile hosts a number of activities fostering creativity and interaction including summer workshops, writing contests, baby music time, story hour and author events. The bookstore also contains a bakery, Le Petit Rouge, which sells cupcakes, cookies, scones and other desserts made in a kitchen located at the back of the store.

Through the author events, Gloria and Violet have become friends with many authors and illustrators. One of their favorites, Bryan Selznick, author of “The Invention of Hugo Cabret,” Gloria and Violet said has become a large part of their family’s life. Selznick formerly worked at a children’s bookstore in New York with Pettid and has attended multiple author events at the Reading Reptile.

“For our kids growing up in bookstore, they had and still have so many opportunities to engage in conversation and participate with really intelligent people both in and out of the business,” Pettid said. “…They’ve just always been surrounded by ideas. It’s good to have ideas that challenge your way of thinking all the time. And it’s good to be surrounded by creativity. And I think a lot of kids that go through a typical school experience are not able to experience that." H

16 | A&E | dartnewsonline.com | the dart | April 11, 2013

Pl ying Live

The Dart compiled a list of all the concerts coming up this summer that you won’t want to miss.

by EMILY MCCANN emccann@dartnewsonline.com

photos by MCT Campus

Pop

Indie

Rock Dart pick

Dart pick

Dart pick

OAR

The Postal Service

Chris Mann

@ The Crossroads 6/21

@ The Midland by AMC 7/30

@ The Midland by AMC 6/1

Short for, Of a Revolution, OAR has been together since their college days at The Ohio State University. Their songs are largely based on their experiences there.

The band formed in 1996 and relied mainly on word of mouth to gain the popularity they have today.

The Postal Service is an electronic musical group made up of Ben Gibbard from Death Cab for Cutie, Jimmy Tamborella and Jenny Lewis. They are most well known for the song “Such Great Heights,” which was featured in the UPS white board advertisements in 2007 and 2008.

Similar concerts

Similar concerts 5/10 Styx, REO Speedwagon and Ted Nugent @ The

Starlight Theater •

5/10 Zoso @ The Crossroads • 5/11 Rockfest @ Liberty Memorial • 5/22 Soundgarden @ The Midland by AMC • 5/25 Cheap Trick @ Voodoo Cafe and Lounge at Harrah’s • 6/22 Widespread Panic @ The Starlight Theater

Kanrocksas

By now, we’re sure that you’ve heard the buzz surrounding Kanrocksas, Kansas City’s biggest music festival held at the

ARTIST OF THE

ISSUE

Every issue, the Dart interviews one of STA’s rising artists about her talents and inspirations. compiled by MADELINE BEST

Classically trained, Chris Mann is almost a Kansas City local. From Wichita, KS, he came in fourth on the second season of “The Voice.” Although he is trained classically, he will be performing pieces of all different styles, including alternative and pop.

5/11 Daughter @ The Record Bar • 5/19 Vampire Weekend @ The Midland by AMC • 5/21 Of Monsters and Men @ The Crossroads • 5/25 El Ten Eleven @ The Record Bar • 6/28 - 6/29 Kanrocksas @ The Kansas Speedway • 7/12 David Byrne and St. Vincents @ The Crossroads • 5/1 Diana Krall @ The Midland by AMC

Similar concerts 6/4 The Xx @ Uptown Theater • 6/20 Huey Lewis and the News @ The Midland by AMC • 7/19 One Direction @ Sprint Center • 7/21 New Kids on the Block, 98 Degrees and Boyz II Men @ Sprint Center • 8/2-8/3 Taylor Swift & Ed Sheeran @ Sprint Center • 8/9 Bruno Mars and Ellie Goulding @ Sprint Center

Kansas Speedway. This two day festival has attracted some of the biggest acts from across the country. Some of these include: Fun., The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, MGMT, Passion Pit, Pretty Lights, The

Avett Brothers, Sublime with Rome, Kendrick Lamar, Imagine Dragons, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, She and Him, Grouplove, T Pain, Macine Gun Kelly, ZZ Ward, Aer, and

The Floozies. Camping is offered with the purchase of a special pass. Tickets are available at ticketmaster.com and kanrocksas.com/store.

Kaitlin O’Brien sophomore

studio of one our closest family friends, who is also [an] artist [and] dabbles in about every art field, including ceramics. I was looking at one of his pieces, and I was amazed that someone could take a wet lump of mud and turn it into something so beautiful. I’ve been hooked ever since.

What advice would you give to someone interested in ceramics? I would tell them to not be afraid. It seems extremely daunting at first to look at a chunk of clay and envision how you are going to transform it into a piece of art, but once you get started everything falls into place.

What is your favorite thing about ceramics? I love ceramics because there are no rules. You can dream up almost anything, and then you can create it. You can create things that are dimensional or flat, realistic or abstract. The options are endless.

Do you plan to pursue art in the future?

I’ve always known my career would be something in the art field, but what specifically has always been changing. As of right now, I’m thinking either graphic design, interior design or fashion design. H

When did you become interested in ceramics? I’ve been interested in ceramics since I was little. My dad owns an art gallery, so I’ve been around O’Brien art and artists my whole life. I remember one day I went to the

April 11, 2013 | the dart | dartnewsonline.com | A&E | 17 Use your smart phone to scan this code for access to the “I Love Kansas City” Facebook page to see more of senior Ema Brzon’s Kansas City artwork. artwork by Ema Brzon

color fun H Senior Ema Brzon shows off a painting of the AMC building, which she plans to sell prints of online. photo by GRACE HODES

Senior has big break in social ARTworking Senior Ema Brzon earned recognition when her artwork was uploaded onto a Facebook page March 7, gaining more than 1,500 likes.

by SARA-JESSICA DILKS sdilks@dartnewsonline.com

O

n the evening of March 7, aspiring illustrator and senior Ema Brzon was initially “shocked” when she discovered seemingly endless Facebook notifications. Her inbox was overflowing with urgent, enthusiastic messages from unfamiliar names.

Brzon’s artistic success exploded literally overnight. A photo of her illustration of the downtown AMC Mainstreet building was posted by the Facebook page “I Love Kansas City!” and gained over 1,500 likes and more than 100 shares within a few hours. Initially, the Facebook page did not give

any credit that the artwork was done by Brzon besides posting that it was created by “a local high school senior here in KC!” A friend of Brzon’s recognized the illustration and notified her. Once Brzon’s name had been identified as the artist, she was bombarded with messages from hopeful buyers of her artwork.

“I got close to like 200 people trying to contact me and ask for prints of my illustration,” Brzon said. “It was a definite big break for me.”

At the beginning of the year, Brzon selected “Kansas City” to be the theme of her portfolio in art teacher Theresa Wallerstedt’s art portfolio class. Along with paintings of Kansas City-related scenarios, Brzon developed a distinctive style for some of her artwork: colorful line-style illustrations inspired by infamous Kansas City landmarks, such as the downtown Western Auto Building, the downtown AMC theater and the Kauffman Center for Performing Arts.

“Now people recognize my artwork and . . . so many people

are asking to buy prints [of the AMC building drawing],” Brzon said. “Not only that but also people are interested in my other art as well.”

Former graphic design teacher and current STA development graphic designer Megan Schaefer came across Brzon’s artwork in her Facebook newsfeed and immediately recognized the illustration from the 2011-2012 edition of Windmoor, STA’s annual literary magazine. The STA advertising and PR department spoke with Brzon the next day, offering her advice on how to take advantage of the overnight “big break.”

Through alumnae director Kathleen Barry, Brzon was put into contact with Tim Ward, co-owner of local framing and prints company, Ward & Ward. Ward said that he could provide advice for Brzon if she was seeking to create a business to sell her work in the future.

“I’m still trying to figure out the right way to [do] it,” Brzon said. “I probably won’t be able to make a business without doing it through a website [because of college].” H

18 | health | dartnewsonline.com | the dart | April 11, 2013

Divorce leaves students feeling torn

getting a grip H Senior Sarah Kostoryz poses in Zahner Lounge to symbolize the conflict of her parents’ divorce. “The tearing for me occurred with the constant traveling back and forth; the financial matters discussed at dinner about who was going to pay for what, “ Kostoryz said. “Here I am as a single child with two amazing parents, but no concept of family.” photo by MENLEY BRENNAN

by GRACE SLY gsly@dartnewsonline.com

R

R

Sophomore Abbey Curran had a sense it was coming. Even as a fifth-grader, she was aware of the tension. The arguments became more frequent as the conversations became shorter and blame was in the air, passing from one person to the other.

Nonetheless, the actual announcement was shocking.

“We had a family meeting,” Curran said. “I was speechless for a while. I didn’t really realize what was going on.”

Curran’s parents, like 40 percent of couples with children, were talking about one of the toughest subjects that could arise: divorce.

Richard Niolon PhD, a clinical psychologist, wrote in a psychpage.com post titled “Children of Divorce and Adjustment” that the topic is sensitive and varies from family to family.

Niolon said the toll on children involved is different as well, as some deal with the change quietly while others have trouble adjusting.

For Curran, the changes were strange at first but not a huge deal.

“It can be annoying going from house to house,” she said. “But my parents live close to each other, so it isn’t that hard.”

While some families like the Currans split when the children are older, many couples divorce before their kids have memory of it, such as senior Elena Spaulding’s mother and

THIS NOT

THAT:

FAST FOODS GO FIT The Dart suggests healthy fast food alternatives to keep you feeling good on the go.

by EMILY WEMHOFF ewemhoff@dartnewsonline.com

father who divorced almost 17 years ago.

“I was pretty young when I was told [about the divorce], so I don’t really remember [it],” Spaulding said. “But the way they act now, I’m glad it happened. They are much happier divorced than they were married, from what I’ve been told.”

This realization usually does not come easily to children. According to the website for the University of Missouri's human development specialists, kids often feel that they are at fault. They may think that they did something that caused abandonment by a parent.

Adolescents and teenagers tend to take one of their parents’ sides in the divorce as well.

“An older child is better able at understanding their parents’ divorce,” licensed pediatric psychiatrist Lesley Foulkes-Jaminson wrote in Gainesville Family Magazine. “[They] are likely to consciously express their disapproval and tend to take the side of one of their parents. Anger at their parents is conscious.”

With blame comes the question of “why?”

Factors that contribute to a split include money, cheating, addictions, mid-life crises and physical attraction, DivorceGuide.com writes in an article titled “Top 10 Reasons for Divorce.” The most common reason, however, is not obviously one person’s “fault.”

Divorce/separation lawyer Howard Lewis writes on Avvo, a website specializing in legal advice, that no-fault divorce is the most commonly stated divorce reason. This means neither spouse accuses the other of wrongdo-

ing but must give a reason recognized by the state to file for a separation. The most familiar reason is “irreconcilable differences.”

More often than not, the split is beneficial, writes divorce specialists Rebecca L. Palmer and Crystal Espinosa Buit on Mondaq, an online legal library.

“I'm used to [my parents’] separation now,” sophomore Viridiana Hernandez said. “As

Achievement of High School Seniors”) show that not only do “adolescents from intact families outperform students from other family structures” but “females were more negatively impacted by family structures due to divorce than were males.”

This may not always be true, but living in two homes can be hard for many students.

“It can be annoying moving from house to house,” Curran said. “Sometimes it’s hard stopping in the middle of homework and going to my dad’s Here I am as a single child with two house or realizing I’ve forgotten amazing parents, but no concept of famsomething at my mom’s.” ily.

Curran also says that at her father’s house, she takes over the —Sarah Kostoryz, motherly role for her four younger senior siblings, especially her secondgrade sister. This is not unusual, as divorce tends to accelerate an much as I wish my parents would've stayed adolescent's independence. together, I know [divorce] was for the better.”

According to Foulkes-Jaminson, children But with a split usually comes a custody and teenagers must integrate a divorce experidebacle. Child Custody Coach, a website that ence into their own developing identities. helps parents through custody discussions, “Having my parents split has affected the states that 75 percent of child custody cases way I view relationships,” Hernandez said. award the mother, while 10 percent are to “I feel like I take them much more seriously the father. The last 15 percent involve a joint and am more cautious than I would be if my custody agreement. parents remained together.”

“I live with my mom primarily,” SpauldCurran said she will never get a divorce ing said. “Weekend sharing can be tough. so as not to put her children through her When I’m with my dad, it’s hard to go out own experience. The stress and complexity with friends. He wants to spend time with me that came with her parents’ divorce is not because he hardly sees me.” something Curran wants to pass on. She Students are affected by divorce academipromises to spare her own children from a cally as well. Studies (such as Barry D. Ham’s broken household because “I know what it titled “The Effects of Divorce on the Academic feels like.” H

“

“

With divorce rates at 50 percent, students feel the academic and social effects of parents’ separation.

McDonald’s Egg McMuffin, not Big Breakfast

Subway’s Double Roast Beef sub, not 12-inch Tuna Sub

Taco Bell’s Fresco Beef Tacos, not Steak Fiesta Taco Salad

McDonald’s large biscuit, pancakes and syrup have a combined total of over twothirds of your recommended daily calories.

The meal also has over a day’s worth of saturated fat, and with syrup, more sugar than two packs of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

Excluding eggs, all items on this plate will leave you hungry. However,the Egg McMuffin contains one-third of the Big Breakfast’s saturated fat and only 450 calories.

Even with twice the meat and double the protein, Subway’s 6-inch double roast beef sub still has only a fraction of the fat found in the mayonnaise-based Tuna sub. The Tuna sandwich is the caloric equivalent to nearly an entire 14-ounce bag of Chips Ahoy! cookies.

Tuna has heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, but a dollop of mayonnaise offsets the sub’s nutritiousness.

Don’t let the name fool you: the Steak Fiesta Taco Salad is probably the worst Taco Bell option, with 840 calories and 45 grams of fat. Instead, try two Fresco Crunchy Beef Tacos. With items in the “fresco” style, salsa replaces cheese and sauces to cut calories and fat by at least 25 percent. Foods not listed as “fresco” and prepared with “layers,” like Grilled Stuft Burritos, are least nutritious.

Instead, order any pair of the following: crunchy tacos, bean burritos or a Fresco menu offering.

April 11, 2013 | the dart | dartnewsonline.com | in the mix | 19

20 QUESTIONS WITH...

LAUREN ZASTROW

by EMILY MCCANN emccann@dartnewsonline.com

jump for joy H Junior Christi Backer jumps on junior Margaret Weiler. Along with junior Lizzie Luallin, right, the girls enjoyed the weather in the Quad during Anti-Bullying Week after the students watched “Finding Kind” March 15. photo by KATHLEEN KEAVENY

DAYS OF OUR

STUFF STA GIRLS

The Dart created a countdown to some of the most anticipated upcoming days of school

The Dart prowled Twitter for the most catchy and intriguing statuses on the social network

LIVES compiled by SIOBHAN MILLER

SAY

compiled by CECILIA BUTLER

A brief 7 days until the Junior Ring dance.

Just 8 days until Prom.

A mere 11 days until the Grandmother’s Tea. Approximately 14 days until Student Productions.

Coppinger

Torres

And only 66 days until summer. H

Cigas

ROCKS

In February, I went to a Zac Brown Band concert with my cousins. Our tickets were only $40 [because] we were in like the very last row. Right before the Ismert concert started, this lady comes up to us and is like, ‘Hey, you guys want an upgrade?’ We told her, ‘Of course,’ and she takes us down to the pit. For $40 I got to be 20 feet from the stage. My life rocks.

–Ceci Ismert, sophomore

MY LIFE

We accept the swag we think we deserve. —Libby Torres

20 days until STAR Night.

Exactly 38 days until

graduation.

Apologies to all those romantic picnics and slumbers we ruined today running hills at loose, it probably will happen again. —Courtney Coppinger

MY LIFE

Dear lady sitting in the gym parking lot listening to music. It doesn’t count as working out unless you actually go in. —Heather Cigas

We found smoke in a pope less place.

—MaryMichael Hough

Hough

SUCKS

My family decided to adopt a dog from a shelter in Oklahoma.

After driving with it for two hours in the car, we stopped in Rogers, Ark., to let it out on the leash, but it had Mullen never been leashtrained . . . and the new dog slipped out. We ran through fields and streets chasing her while it was freezing cold and snowing. Since we had only had her for two hours, she was still not used to us so she wouldn’t come near anyone. After two hours of chasing after her . . . we drove back to Kansas City. My life sucks.

–Molly A. Mullen, sophomore compiled by CHRISTINA ELIAS

1. Most played song on your iPod? Probably something by John Mayer.

2. Morning person or a night owl?

Morning person. I usually get up at like 6:45 or so.

3. What do you want to be when you grow up?

I wanna be a doctor, I think. I just don’t know what specific field I want to go into yet.

4. Waldo Pizza or Chick-fil-A? Chick-fil-A for sure.

5. If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing you would do?

Go on a trip, like travel the world, probably.

I would go to Greece first.

6. What is your favorite holiday and why?

I like Christmas because everyone is so excited and in the spirit.

7. Who was the last person you hugged?

A friend.

8. Best vacation you ever took?

To St. Thomas [in the U.S. Virgin Islands].

9. If you got a day off school to do anything, what would you do?

Probably just be with my friends and hang.

10. Favorite thing you have done at STA? I really like the yard days– how everyone’s outside and happy and all the food there is to eat.

11. What are two things you can’t live without?

Fitness and positivity.

12. If you could change one thing about STA, what would it be?

Wednesdays we would have an actual late start instead of having to come in at 8:30.

13. Scary movies or romantic comedies?

Romantic comedies. I just like them better than scary movies.

14. Do you want to live in KC when you grow up?

No, I don’t. I want to live somewhere in Florida, maybe. Somewhere in the South.

15. In another life, what do you see yourself doing?

I would be married to Ryan Reynolds– basically, just being Blake Lively.

16. Cats, dogs or reptiles?

I hate cats and reptiles. Dogs for sure.

17. Describe your family.

My family is comical and interesting. I have two sisters; one is in eighth grade and one is in first grade.

18. What is one thing that people at STA don’t know about you?

Hmm, I have a birthmark that goes all the way across my back.

19. Your style in one word.

Preppy. But not too preppy. My favorite outfit would be anything from J. Crew.

20. If you could switch places with anyone at STA for a day, who would it be?

Probably [senior] Rose Hutchison, because she’s just so fun. She’s on top of everything and so cool.

20 | last look | dartnewsonline.com | the dart | April 11, 2013

1 spring in

word

photo by MENLEY BRENNAN

May junior Abby Dearth Flowers senior Grace Scovell Break senior Mattie Davis Baby chicks senior Mary Heiman Fun sophomore Sabrina Saleh Birthday sophomore Gretchen Dudley Colorful freshman Meg Sweeny Soccer senior Maggie Rellihan Roses senior Rosie Hutchison Rain junior Natalie Kilgore Frolicking junior Kelly Gardella Sports junior Maggie Allen Warm weather sophomore Lauren Dufresne Pink freshman Savaria Goodman Rabbits senior Hannah Taft Grass senior Anna Heldt Cleaning junior Erin Trainor Pastels freshman Abby Small Green junior Madison Fitzgerald Robins senior Kate Sanders Tulips sophomore Monica McGraw Fresh counselor Amanda Johnson Warmth English teacher Dianne Hirner Dew senior Margie Stone Sperry’s senior Hailey Waldenmeyer