The Dart: Vol 75 Issue 8

the

DART

the official student news source of st. teresa's academy | kansas city, mo

ALL IN THe

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CODE The Dart explores the stigmas associated with certain geographical areas in kansas city and how they affect the sta experience. story on page 18

STA's Trans student policy | 15 Q&A with brookside artists | 29 photo by VIOLET COWDIN

2015-2016

DART STAFF

Adviser Brad Lewis Editors-in-Chief Mary Hilliard Maggie Knox Torie Richardson

WEB

Managing Editor Audrey Carroll Scheduling Editor Madi Winfield Copy Editor Alex Davis Photography/Multimedia Editor Kat Mediavilla Social Media Manager Bridget Jones Social Media Editors Zoe Butler, Lily Manning

PRINT

Design Editor Mackenzie O'Guin Visual Illustrator Eleanor Grever Photography Editor Maddy Medina Page Designers Maggie Knox, Alex Frisch, Anna Hafner, Katherine Green, Clare Kenney, Bridget Jones, Christina Kirk, Violet Cowdin, Mackenzie O'Guin, Linden O'Brien-Williams, Helen Wheatley, Meg Thompson, MaryMichael Hough, Torie Richardson, Madi Winfield

COPY

Managing Editor MaryMichael Hough Opinion Editor Helen Wheatley Sports Editor Elsa Feigenbaum Features Editor Linden O'Brien-Williams News Editor Katherine Green

Staff Photographers Kate Scofield, Cassie Hayes, Libby Hutchison, Paige Powell Staff Writers Meredith Mulhern, Katie Donnellan, Jeannie O'Flaherty, Victoria Cahoon, Claire Molloy

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LETTER FROM

THE EDITORS

Dear Readers, After rereading the first letter from the editors we wrote for last year’s senior issue, it is strange to be sitting in front of a blank computer document a year later writing our final letter and farewell to all of you.

For this issue, our last of the year and as editors-in-chief, we decided to explore the underlying social divisions caused by geographical diversity at STA. There are 30-40 different grade schools represented in each freshman class, encompassing almost just as many zip codes. How does where we come from affect our relationships with girls in our grade? And how do we stereotype each other based on where we live?

As we discovered, STA is a diverse community and while where we come from shapes us, it should not define us.

Also featured in this issue is a story about gender identity at an allgirls school. What would happen if a transgender girl wanted to attend St. Teresa’s? Helen Wheatley explores the policies in place should this situation arise.

We are so proud of our last issue and feel it is one of our strongest both in content and design.

To the readers, we hope in the past year the Dart has intrigued, entertained, and inspired you to question the norms that we do not always acknowledge or recognize.

To the administration, thank you for giving us more journalistic freedom than most private schools allocate to a student newspaper. You are the real MVPs. To our Dart staff, we love you crazy people. You foster a culture of inquisition, and you make us strive to be better leaders and writers. Your passion

the Dart | dartnewsonline.com | 6 May 2016

is admirable and contagious; we have no doubt you will all go on to do great things. This, the Dart, is just the first.

Torie: I am headed off to Oklahoma State University next year to study industrial engineering y estudiar espanol.

I’m so excited to join the honors college community at my beautiful campus while keeping in touch with my loves here at STA and, in a short time, spread across the country.

Maggie: I am taking on Creighton University next year and want to pursue a degree in the social sciences and humanities. I am hyped to expand my horizons in Creighton’s Arts and Sciences Dean’s Fellows Program. EICs ‘til we die <3 Mary: I’m going to the University of Notre Dame and not sure what I want to do with my life. Shocker. Also on the hunt for a winter coat. Much love to Maggie and Torie they are #goals.

As Mrs. Hudson advised, we will be hardcore stalking DNO next year (as should the rest of you seniors).

Linden and Helen, be ready for the best, most challenging, stressful, and rewarding experience yet. But just remember: for what it’s worth, it was worth all the while.

Direct your complaints and feedback to them.

Signing off (forever),

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The Dart vol. 75

Table of

Contents 6 may 2016

ISSUE 8

18

23 30 | Last Look | Gallery: last days at sta

28 | communty | brookside art fair: Q&As with artists

26 | Sports | injured athletes still contribute to teams

24 | Perspectives | a love letter to kansas city

23 | A&E | student productions directors

22 | Main ed | sta sisterhood is not defined by zip codes

18 | Cover Story | exploring students' regional differences

15 | Features | Students' descision to take ap vs ib classes

10 | Reviews | disney's newest "jungle book"

8 | Star Spotlight | Reilly Donnelly : song writer

4 | News | all-star csj leadership team

Monthly

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Question

what is the weirdest thing you've ever eaten?

A worm in the bottom of a bottle. history teacher craig whitney A shark meat empanada in Puerto Ricoâ&#x20AC;Ś they tasted like chicken.

Freshman molly cowan The weirdest thing I ate was on spring break freshman year- we were in the Caribbean and we ate swordfish, fried plantains, Puerto Rican takeout food, escargot, and conch fritters. sophomore olivia matlock Some mornings i eat a plain bagel with white cream cheese and salami on top. senior kristina coppinger compiled by CASSIE HAYES |staff photographer

cover designed by Maggie Knox | page designed by Alex Frisch

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NEWS

Editorial Policies

SCHOOL TO HOST CSJ LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

Ownership and Sponsorship

DartNewsOnline and the Dart are created by the student newspaper staff and are maintained and published by general operating funds of St. Teresa’s Academy, a Catholic institution sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. DartNewsOnline and the Dart will not publish opinions that contradict the teachings and beliefs of the Catholic church, whether on a diocesan or world-wide level.

Editorial Policy

The staff of DartNewsOnline and the Dart are subject to prior review by the St. Teresa’s Academy administrative team in circumstances that concern Catholic doctrine, student safety or illegal behavior.

DartNewsOnline and the Dart will not publish reviews of student work or performances. Personal columns reflect the opinions of the writer, not necessarily the staff or school.

Letters & Reader Interaction Policy

DartNewsOnline and the Dart encourage the community to post comments on the website. Letters to the editors can be sent in the following ways: in person to Brad Lewis in Donnelly room 204; by mail to St. Teresa’s Academy, Attn: Brad Lewis, 5600 Main Street, Kansas City, MO 64113; by email to blewis@stteresasacademy.org or to dartpaper@gmail.com. DartNewsOnline and the Dart staff reserve the right to edit or shorten letters for publication.

Comment Policy

DartNewsOnline and the Dart encourage readers to comment on all posts. However, DartNewsOnline and the Dart reserve the right to monitor and edit all comments on DartNewsOnline. Comments that disagree with the editorial policy will not be published.

Photo Use Policy

Photo illustrations are conceptual photos that combine drawing and photography. All photos on the website are free for public use. If a reader is interested in high-quality copies of photos, please email DartNewsOnline at dartpaper@ gmail.com.

Corrections Policy

DartNewsOnline and the Dart will publish corrections as soon as possible after the error is discovered.

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STA is hosting a CSJ conference over the summer that will include schools across the country, and one in France.

by AUDREY CARROLL | managing editor of web

Over the past few years at STA, students have been selected to be a part of the Carondelet Sisters of St. Joseph leadership team on campus.

These CSJ “campers” do volunteer work and learn about the work of the Sisters of St. Joseph, who founded St. Teresa’s Academy. Over the summer, a few campers have been invited to attend a CSJ conference at Avila University and on the STA campus hosted by STA to learn more about leadership skills and how to incorporate CSJ careisms into their school life.

Junior Emma Swinney who became a CSJ camper this past summer has been invited to represent STA at the conference.

“I think that this conference is going to be amazing, and I'm really honored to represent the school,” Swinney said.

Principal of academic affairs and CSJ associate Barbara McCormick has attended adult CSJ leadership conferences, where the idea to hold a student conference this year came about.

According to McCormick, students will complete half-day service projects and then do an excursion service project later that week where students will go do service in the Kansas City community. Students will also be doing leadership exercises.

CSJ schools from all around the country will be sending 8 students, with the exception of St. Joseph’s in LePuis, France sending 2 students, to the conference for a total of 42 students,

the Dart | dartnewsonline.com | 6 May 2016

according to McCormick.

Among the schools are St. Joseph’s Academy in Baton Rouge, La., Nazareth in Chicago, Mount St. Joseph’s Academy in Philadelphia, St. Joseph’s in Cleveland and St. Joseph’s in LePuis, France.

According to Swinney, she believes meeting with different students from other CSJ schools will be interesting and beneficial.

“I think that we could possibly begin a different kind of relationship with the other schools that the Sisters of St. Joseph have founded,” Swinney said.

The conference will not only be beneficial to the students attending, but to all STA students, according to McCormick, because the things learned will help reinforce the type of service learning and care for others our students participate in now.

“It is not only about the history of CSJs and our founders, but also about how do we take our knowledge and information and turn that into leadership roles to society and the school community,” McCormick said.

McCormick hopes the takeaways from the conference will affect student extracurriculars such as outside volunteering, tutoring, sports and more so the CSJ ideals will spread throughout the community by STA students.

“The CSJ ideal of loving the dear neighbor and ‘keeping your feet in the street’, which is service, really is a motto I live by,” Swinney said. “I try as hard as I can to live out these ideals through STA.” H

STA considers adding cameras to hallways

smile you're on camera | There are cameras on the outside of the M&A Building and Donnelly Hall. photo by LILY MANNING

Principal of student affairs proposed indoor cameras after attending a safety conference.

by MARY HILLIARD editor-in-chief

A few weeks ago, a fire alarm went off in the Music and Arts Building after school hours. The fire department and principal of student affairs Liz Baker arrived at the scene and had to do a walk through of the building to check for smoke.

Afterwards, they found out a child had accidentally set the alarm off.

According to Baker, this instance is a perfect of example of when having security cameras in the school hallways would be advantageous. If there had been cameras in the halls, she could have looked at footage and contacted the fire department to let them know they did not need to come to campus.

The idea of installing security cameras on each floor in the hallways of M&A and Donnelly Hall originated after Baker attended the Smart City Tech Summit, a conference about public safety and security technology.

“Part of my job is drills, crisis planning, safety of

the school, so I thought this would be a great opportunity... plus it’s about use of technology and public safety,” Baker said.

The conference included booths with security technology such as panic buttons, crisis apps, gunshot detectors, drones, and security camera systems.

Technology was primarily what Baker brought back from the conference to discuss with the rest of the administration and crisis team.

Cameras in the hallways would improve the communication between the school and police department in the event of a crisis.

“If there’s a crisis on campus, then the Kansas City Police Department can access our video cameras to see what is happening,” Baker said. “So that would be an ideal situation where the people who are coming to help already have an indication of what’s going on in the building.”

STA is not alone in increasing security. 40.6% of

private schools used security cameras in the 2011-12 school year, according to results from a survey conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics.

According to the Smart City Tech Summit website, technology plays a major role in helping detect and manage security threats.

“Selecting the right public safety technology is critical, but has never been more difficult due to rapid technology advances through innovation, new lessons learned from real life incidents and being able to properly assess your security risks in an era of dynamic and evolving security threats.”

When working on crisis plans and looking for ways to improve them, Baker keeps in mind that STA is an open campus with many visitors during the school day. There are also many events after school hours besides STA activities, such as Kansas City Young Audiences.

“I don’t want people to be scared about shooters… but

I also don’t want to disregard the fact that we’re an open campus,” Baker said. “...I want to make sure that the people on campus are supposed to be here and have a reason to be here.”

The administration is currently takings bids from companies and then examining the budget to see if security cameras are something they want to go forward with. The amount of access people have to the camera footage changes by company. Some allow streaming on phones for school administrators, others simply record footage that can be watched at specific time periods.

Security cameras monitoring the halls can come across as an invasion of privacy, but Baker assures that they are not for watching students in the hallways, but rather to obtain information in a crisis situation or monitor an unknown visitor.

“I’m not using security cameras as a discipline tool,” Baker said. “It’s about keeping people safe.” H

page designed by Anna Hafner

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NEWS

New ice cream shop adds fresh flavor to Waldo Unique tastes are introduced to Betty Rae's, a local shop that makes homemade ice cream, recently opened in a Waldo neighborhood. story by MEREDITH MULHERN | staff writer

When sophomore Kate Jones was making a trip down Wornall road, something new caught her eye. A bright, colorful sign adorned the formerly empty space that used to house the frozen yogurt chain, Orange Leaf, located across the street from QuikTrip.

This space now holds local ice cream shop Betty Rae’s Ice Cream.

Betty Rae’s opened in late March, according to owner David Friesen.

Betty Rae’s serves frozen treats such as multiple flavors of ice creams, milkshakes, ice cream sandwiches and sundaes.

Friesen first became interested in sweets and ice cream after working at an ice cream shop called Sparky’s during his time in college in Columbia. “[Sparky’s] was my first kitchen job,” Friesen said. “I saw how much fun it

could be. Even though that was nine years ago, it stuck with me and I saw how you could do it. I did a lot of work since then and learned new things, learned how kitchens work, learned how businesses work and how to make it happen.”

Before opening Betty Rae’s, Friesen worked at two local bakeries, Sasha’s Baking Company and Heirloom Bakery & Hearth.

According to Friesen, the process of opening Betty Rae’s involved “some pretty hard work.” Friesen and his brother-in-law built everything in the shop while Friesen also worked fulltime up until a few months before Betty Rae’s opened.

Finding the right location was also a difficult task, Friesen said.

“We looked in Kansas City for over a year to find a good location,” Friesen said. “The thing is, we’re an ice cream parlor. You have to pay your rent. You have to pay your rent in really tiny pieces because you’re selling ice cream. Say you’re at a nice restaurant, you have two people come in and they both order a twenty dollar item and then a bottle of wine. You’ve made a bunch of money right up front. [At Betty Rae’s], we sell small things, so that means you need a illustration by ELLIE GREVER | visual illustrator lot of them and a

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the Dart | dartnewsonline.com | 6 May 2016

lot more people to come in. When you need more people, you have to have a really good neighborhood around.”

According to Friesen, a “good neighborhood” would include lots of walking traffic, a decent amount of road traffic and surrounding schools and churches.

“Most of the places that are [good neighborhoods] already have something similar [to Betty Rae’s],” Friesen said. “For example, Westport. Westport is a good place to have a ice cream parlor, but they’ve already got Murray’s.

Brookside is great, Foo’s location in Brookside is phenomenal. We couldn’t be too close to any existing ice cream parlor but we needed all these things to be in the neighborhood, and we found [our current] place and it was just perfect.”

Along with the task of finding a good location and setting up Betty Rae’s, Friesen and his employees make the ice cream sold in Betty Rae’s from scratch.

According to sophomore Maureen Egan, an employee of Betty Rae’s, all of the ice cream and a large portion of the ingredients are made in house.

“We even make everything down to the waffle cones and the brownies that go into the ice cream,” Egan said.

“I think that makes [Betty Rae’s] more unique and homey.”

According to Egan and Friesen, flavors include lavender honey, caramel creme brulee, root beer, cookies and cream and brown butter toasted pecan.

Inspiration for flavors hits Friesen at random times, such as when walking through the grocery store or visiting a cafe.

“Sometimes, you just see different ideas in different places,” Friesen said.

“Maybe I’ll go to a bakery and see a

muffin they have and I’ll go, ‘Oh, that muffin, that sounds like a good combo, that’d be great ice cream.’ The other day I was walking through the grocery store and I saw some pineapple and then I happened to see Thai basil. So I was like, ‘Pineapple and Thai basil would be an interesting combination.’ So we’ve been making that and people have been liking it.”

New flavors and menu items are available every week as well.

“Since we’ve opened, I’ve added one new sundae, three new flavors, a new sauce, and I’m just gonna keep going like that,” Friesen said. “You could come in every week and there will be something new.”

The homemade recipes allow for unique flavor combinations to be created, such as the pineapple Thai basil or the root beer ice cream.

To create the ice cream, a madefrom-scratch base must be created out of cream, milk, sugar, and sometimes eggs. Different ingredients are added to the base, such as fruit, different creams, homemade cakes or brownies.

According to Egan, the appeal of the new ice cream shop and their unique process of doing things has proven to be successful.

“We’re busy a lot,” Egan said. “At first I thought the rushes were because we just opened, but there’s been a rush every single night.”

The atmosphere of the store is also appealing, according to Jones.

“I liked how [Betty Rae’s] was really colorful inside,” Jones said. “It was fancy ice cream, like [other local ice cream shop] Glace. I felt like it was more

the NEWS FEED in the world April 17, Ecuador had 7.8-magnitude earthquake, the largest in decades. So far, there have been more than 300 aftershocks.

The Spanish Red Cross estimated that between 3,000-5,000 people were left homeless and would need temporary shelter.

family-oriented than Glace. Betty Rae’s had chalkboards and coloring sheets.”

According to Friesen, a “bright, happy atmosphere” is exactly what Betty Rae’s is going for.

“Betty Rae is my grandmother’s name,” Friesen said. “She was a great lady, and she really loved cooking. She was really happy when she could just be cooking the whole afternoon or making dinner for family. She always really wanted people to be happy and eating and having a good time. That’s kind of what we wanted to keep going...that was the right spirit to have.”

Egan agrees that Betty Rae’s has a positive environment.

“It’s really kid-friendly,” Egan said. “We have coloring sheets up on the wall, it’s very open. We have a flavor suggestion board where you can suggest flavors and we show people around, so it’s pretty family friendly. The environment is my favorite part.”

Despite all of the time and hard work that went into the shop, the opening of Betty Rae’s has been positive for both Friesen and Egan.

“You know when you make everything yourself, when you can make different flavors, and then have a space where everyone can be happy, it’s just the best thing,” Friesen said. “You have to really love something to plan for nine years… you have to really love it or want to make money. I don’t really care about the money. I love it.” H

i scream, you scream (above) |Betty Rae's offers dozens of flavors from vanilla to jasmine green tea. photo by BRIDGET JONES serve it up (background) |Betty Rae’s makes everything in the shop. This includes the ice cream as well as the waffle cones and other other ingredients. photo

by BRIDGET JONES

Each issue, the Dart highlights groundbreaking events in the world, US, Missouri and KC.

in the u.s.

North Carolina legislatures passed a bill that declared transgender people must use the bathrooms and locker rooms that match the gender on their birth certificate. The Republicans unanimously supported this bill, while the Democrats tried to protest.

in missouri State Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal read for almost an hour from rapper 50 Cent’s self-help book, "The 50th Law," during a filibuster to table a sales tax proposal.

She opposed allowing unincorporated areas of St. Louis County to vote on a sales tax that would fund law enforcement.

by ZOE BUTLER staff writer

in kansas city Starting May 21, Union Station will be featuring a new display called “Body Worlds & The Cycle of Life” that will show the preserved remains of real, dissected human bodies and body parts with an emphasis on the intricacy of the human body and the effects of disease.

page designed by Katherine Green

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Star spotlight

Reilly Donnelly story by ZOE BUTLER| staff writer photo by ANNA HAFNER | page designer

Freshman Reilly Donnelly recently received third place for writing the song "The Answer" and submitting it to the contest "Faith, Love and Song."

What is the contest "Faith, Love and Song"? What was the scholarship for?

“Faith, Love and Song” is a competition for songwriters ages 14-21, and the concept is that you write a song about tolerance or faith or love or something like that. The contest is in association with this foundation called SevenDays, and the winner of the competition performs at the SevenDays Celebration. It’s a seven day celebration and each day has a different theme and one of the days is the ‘song day,’ and it is open to the community so anyone can go. Their scholarships are for the first place, second place and third place winners, for school. I received third place and won a one thousand dollar scholarship.”

How did you get involved with the contest?

“I first learned about it because Dr. Baker sent out an email about it and I was like ‘Oh that looks really interesting.’ It linked to their website, and then I read about it there, and I learned that SevenDays is associated with the Jewish Community Center and the shooting that happened there. A long time ago I was in a play with one of the victims and so I was like, ‘Oh that’s really nice, I should do this.’"

Can you describe the process of writing your song?

"Well, the process is kind of odd. So, first I usually brainstorm about concepts that I feel work. And then usually I’ll just kind of go. Sometimes I start in the middle of the song, I think with this one I started with the chorus, which was really fun. And then, I just kind of build it up, and then I add the music after I’ve written the lyrics. I just use Garage Band and do it digitally." H

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the Dart | dartnewsonline.com | 6 May 2016

BITS & PIECES

DAYS OF OUR

LIVES

Count down with the Dart to important STA events.

by CLARE KENNEY | page designer

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PHOTO OF THE ISSUE color bomb| Sophomores Monica Looney, left, and Adeline Kreighbaum are covered in color thrown by seniors April 22 at the Color Throw. photo by MAGGIE KNOX

My life sucks // My life rocks

Only days until seniors last day of school.

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Just days until the Class Day.

compiled by LINDEN O'BRIEN-WILLIAMS| features copy editor

“I left school for a 9th period free and was driving down Wornall on my way to dance and I was turning right onto 75th Street and my car lost control and there was a loud noise and then it was driving really bumpy. So I pulled over and looked at my car and the whole tire had come off and I didn’t have my phone.

So, I went into the tax service behind Pickleman’s and called my mom.“ - Emma Fernandez, senior

That’s what

she said

Each issue, the Dart shares entertaining student tweets. complied by BRIDGET JONES social media editor

“I got a 35 on my first ACT in February, which is really exciting in and of itself, and I wanted to try and get a 36, because that would help with scholarships and stuff, so I went back and took it again and I wasn’t feeling too confident or anything about it, but last week I got the news and I got a 36, and I’m really excited.”

- Madi Winfield, junior

freshman katie Gregory @katieeegregory the biggest unanswered question in my life is how did hannah montana travel for her shows yet always go to school the next day? senior caitlin O'Toole @caittheg8 one of the seven deadly wonders of the world: hiccups junior hannah grant @missouriqt1 wishing the "93% or above= no final" rule applied to everyone rn

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Exactly days until Graduation.

About

19 days

until finals begin.

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Precisely days until summer break.

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And only days until the new school. H

page designed by Clare Kenney

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REVIEWS

DISNEY'S ANIMATION ELEVATES THE JUNGLE BOOK"

by TORIE RICHARDSON editor-in-chief

HHHH

I’m sitting in the Lee’s Summit AMC theater, and I cannot overemphasize how strongly the man to my right smells like beer.

Still, in his altered state of consciousness, he can tell by the opening camera work that “The Jungle Book” is “gonna be really good.”

I had to agree. For a semi-animated film, it was hard to tell the difference between reality and something made on the computer.

After all, adorable and strong Mowgli (Neel Sethi) interacts so well with animals who don’t exist that I didn’t even start to wonder how this film was made until a good amount of time had passed. Sethi doesn’t miss a beat anywhere in the film. His expressions of pride, sadness, joy and pain are spot on, and integrate smoothly into the words and actions of the other characters, which are, to an overwhelming majority, animals.

The camera-work was pretty impressive, but if the goal was for it to look so realistic I didn’t notice, the Jungle Book fell short. I occasionally became a bit frustrated with how “showy” it felt, especially in fight scenes that unnecessarily zoomed into animal faces instead of showing the action. Despite this, I found the animation and camera-work well-done. The difference between the real Sethi and animals made on the computer was hard to tell, and I still wonder how Disney managed to transform a cartoon into a live-action movie.

One piece of advice: don’t go see the new “Jungle Book” with any pre-conceived notion of how it is supposed to look compared to the original version. This movie seems very loosely based off the older cartoon. The plot

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is much different, the characters aren’t quite the same, and even the songs, some of which are derived from the original, are mildly altered.

Firstly, the character Kaa, a small, sneaky snake in the original movie, has transformed into a terrifyingly large anaconda that introduces “the red flower,” an important concept throughout the movie. Even more importantly, Bagheera’s role in the movie is altered as well, and though I don’t want to give any spoilers, you may be surprised at how this will affect the plot.

Of course, Disney intelligently kept “Bare Necessities,” the one song everyone in the theater was probably expecting, and mixed it in casually by having Mowgli and Baloo sing it happily while cruising down a river. However, other songs weren’t so naturally integrated, such as when Mowgli gets captured by what my friend described on the way home from the movie as “an oversized Orangutan?”

This creature weirdly sings “I Wanna Be Like You,” then continues with his terrifying spiel on why Mowgli should help him conquer the animal world.

Though there are points in “The Jungle Book” that I can only describe as strange, there are many more that I would describe as impressive and forward-thinking. Disney was smart to change some plot points in order to ensure they didn’t just remake the same movie. The nature of the film is already unique, so it deserved a unique twist anyway.

So hey, go see Disney’s newest Jungle Book. The drunk guy sitting next to me thought it was out of this world, and I thought it was pretty great too. H

the Dart | dartnewsonline.com | 6 May 2016

Chloe and halle's "drop" skyrockets

by MACKENZIE O'GUIN | design editor

HHHHH Let me tell you about aptly named “Drop,” because that’s exactly what I did upon hearing Chloe and Halle Bailey’s first single. Some background: Atlanta-born, Los Angeles-based Chloe (17) and Halle (15) signed a $1 million deal with Beyonce last year. The sisters even cameoed in Beyonce’s visual album “Lemonade.” However, the Bailey’s don’t lose momentum without Beyonce’s direct endorsement, hence “Drop,” a captivating conglomerate of abstract, plotless performance shots in a desolate grassy plain. Despite the “simplicity,” there’s a lot of content, so I’ll discuss categories.

MUSIC “Chilling” is the sole word for the vibrato echoing of the verses. Each sung verse has a delicacy contrasted by the hook’s grandeur. Just when I’d become accustomed to this steady ballad, verse three hit. Chloe dominates these bars with an unforeseen rap. Her flow and phrasing were smooth enough to blend melodically, but sharp enough to provide the dimension and intensity necessary where singing might’ve sounded monotonous.

PLOT/PERFORMANCE “Drop” has four settings. First, Chloe and Halle running down a dirt road. These shots are sparse, but well-utilized (especially during the rap) given their establishment of pace. Next, Chloe rides a horse led by a nameless guide, Halle following behind.

It’s unclear where the girls are going or leaving, but the regalness of the horse and self-assured stride suggests maturity vital to the “wise beyond their years” image. The most interesting component here is the guide’s jerking, menacing gait as he leads the girls to their ambiguous destination, echoed cryptically in later choreography. Then, both girls sit back-to-back in a field, long hair woven together intricately.

Any choreography performed by one is mirrored by the other. The message is clear: the sisters’ bond is ethereal.

Finally, Chloe and Halle in a clearing with two horses and anonymous guides (the male from earlier and a female otherwise unseen). I’m unsure what the extras communicate. I appreciate their subtle presence, but the video could do without them. This scene gives unprecedented creative freedom for the girls as individuals. In the sung verses, Halle has more natural swagger, and Chloe

could be mistaken for over-performing, but the dramatics work juxtaposed against her sister’s coolness. Chloe most comes into her own during her rap.

STYLING The makeup and hair throughout is appropriately minimalist. The girls have childish features branding them a dolllike pretty rather than the sexualized alternative. Both looks have their place, but the former suits Chloe and Halle by playing on youth to make vocal maturity shockingly counterintuitive. The wardrobe is crisp robin’s egg blues and linen whites strikingly contrasting with stark blues and greens of the surrounding landscape. My favorite garment is Halle’s Western feathered vest from the field, as it perfectly fit the aesthetic. The only displeasing piece is Chloe’s from the clearing: a blue shirt-dress with large pink pom-poms. The garment doesn’t fit and distracts. However, this outfit only stands out because the rest of the styling is so good.

“Drop” fantastically introduces Chloe and Halle as a soulful pop powerhouse.

With massive musical talent and industrial backing, they would have to try to be anything but groundbreaking. Mic drop. H

"All this panic" perfectly captures teen girl existence

by VIOLET COWDIN | page designer

HHHHH

As a girl in her teens I often curse this era as an uncomfortable, distressing, and unhopeful time in my life that will eventually pass. I know it’s a bit dismal, but between pounds of homework, early onset existential dread, and the complex sphere of teenage drama, the world can get a bit overwhelming.

But recently my perception on this strange time in my life was changed for the better. A few weeks ago, I attended the True/False film festival in Columbia an outstanding event completely dedicated to documentary films. As expected, the numerous movies I saw were absolutely brilliant and extremely touching, but one in particular stood out to me. “All This Panic," directed by Jenny Gage and Tom Betterton, is a documentary coming out in 2016 that follows the lives of seven girls spanning

over a period of three teenage years.

At the start of the film the girls are young and hopeful, full of bubbly energy that is both charming and naive. Yet, as it progresses the girls’ self realization begins to bud, and they are forced to confront their familial and personal struggles head on. The viewer is able to follow the growth of each teen as an outside source, but also feel as though they are in the room and connected with the girls on another level due to the intimate cinematography.

Watching a film about teenage girls as a teenage girl, it seems obvious that I would connect with this film. I saw parts of myself in each girl, and because of this I was able to view a time period in my life objectively as an outside source.

As different as the girls’ stories and experiences were, “All This Panic” was able to tap into a sort of universal teen girl soul. And the way they were able

to tap into this was because they let the girls tell their own story, they didn’t gloss anything over, or censor their struggles, they let the girls be just that; teen girls.

As a young woman on the tail end of her teen era, I felt that I too had freshly experienced this sobering time in life.

Leaving the theater, I had a revelation; though this time in my life is essentially a barren wasteland of horrifying reality checks and uncomfortable experimentation, it’s this special bubble of solidarity that we as women can share and grow within. It’s a time in my life that I should celebrate and be proud of. Too often, I find myself wishing I was younger or older, but “All This Panic” opened my eyes to the fact that though life in between childhood and adulthood is predictable, it is predictable in a way that is comforting, unifying, and empowering. H

page designed by Bridget Jones

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features

Academic ANALYSIS: A closer look at the unique aspects of STA's academics. story by CLAIRE MOLLOY | staff writer and LINDEN O'BRIEN-WILLIAMS | features editor

by ELLIE GREVER visual illustrator

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fter freshman, sophomore and junior students completed the final step of STA’s annual registration process March 2, educational departments across the school examined the data to gather information on how many students would be taking various courses the next year. English department head Lindsey Duff ran into some “surprising numbers” for next year’s enrollment.

According to Duff, for the 2016 - 2017 school year, 116 students from the current freshman class had signed up to take Advanced World Literature in their sophomore year. To contrast, only 34 students from the same class had signed up to take Regular World Literature.

For Duff, this discrepancy brings up a number of questions in addressing the situation. For the STA community, this is an opportunity to explore what makes STA’s academics unique, to explore the different facets of the educations students are receiving at this school.

WHY AP?

Since 1955, AP classes have “[developed] high school course descriptions and assessments

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that colleges would find rigorous enough to use as a basis for granting credit,” according to the College Board. In AP courses, students study rigorous content throughout the year, finishing the year off with a culminating test in May. Senior class valedictorian Sarah Cigas is currently enrolled in four AP classes. Although the acceptance of her AP scores as college credit depends on which school and major she chooses - different AP-friendly schools have different requirements on which scores merit credit - Cigas believes her STA AP classes have served her well, providing her with more of a challenge.

That “challenge” for Cigas means having a course with a pace that matches her own and an environment in which she feels will prepare her for college level courses.

Duff sees AP classes as a sound financial investment, assuming students can perform well on the culminating test.

“From a purely financial and practical standpoint, if you can pay 90 dollars and get three or more credit hours for a school, that’s obviously saving you and your parents a lot of money,”

the Dart | dartnewsonline.com | 6 May 2016

Duff said.

Duff also remarks that students who have previously taken AP courses are more likely to perform higher in required entrylevel college courses, regardless of performance on the actual exam.

AP vs IB

Around 14,000 public schools in the United States offer AP classes, while there are around 830 schools nationwide that offer IB, or International Baccalaureate. STA opted not to offer the IB program, but Shawnee Mission East High School does offer IB. The IB program is similar to an AP class, but is not yet as widely recognized, according to SME IB English teacher Kristin Fry. Class evaluations are spread over the course of the two-year program, rather than all culminating in one final exam, and can be both internally and externally assessed. If a student passes at the end of the two years, he or she will receive an international baccalaureate diploma, valid for college internationally and within the United States.

In an AP curriculum, students may pick and choose which classes in which to take an advanced

AP vs IB: What's the difference?

compiled by MARY HILLIARD editor-in-chief

Program Goals

Enrollment

Cost

Content, exams

Over 2 million students took an AP test in 2014

$92 per exam

Writing

135,000 enrolled in an IB program

$160 registration fee, $110 per exam

version, while SME’s IB program both Renee and Fry, describing dictates that IB students’ core AP as the “sprint” and IB as the classes must all be IB courses. “marathon.”

For students, this presents great “My perception of [AP coursrigor, according to SME junior es] is that they are competitive, and IB student Portia Renee, as like you’re competing for class the “baseline” amount of work rank, and you’re trying to get the is higher for IB than regular and highest score you can get on AP courses, with occasional your AP test, but in IB, it’s a comswells in homework loads. munity effort,” Renee said.

Because of IB’s “scripted” or For Renee and Fry, AP courspre-planned nature, STA chose to pursue As long as you are finding the AP option instead, balance, we are not here according to principal of academic affairs to say no to the number Barbara McCormick. of AP courses, but we are “Part of what we here to say ‘Do you have look at when we good balance?' choose a program is, is it scripted, how — principal of academic affairs much freedom is Barbara McCormick there at the school level and the student level es are “teaching to a test” while to make choices, and the AP IB courses are “learning for the program allows us to pick and sake of learning.” Duff, however, choose which courses will work feels that her AP English Lanwith our strategies, our initiative, guage and Composition course and even our student interest,” for juniors strikes a healthy balMcCormick said. ance between the two, since the Along with the tightly knit AP Language and Composition community that comes with a course skills, she believes, are select group of “35 kids in basiuseful skills to learn anyways. cally every class together,” the IB For Fry, the freedom of creatcommunity consists of a more ing her own booklist for her intellectually inclined group than IB class allows the class to be that of AP students, according to more personalized and unique,

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along with the motivation of the students. IB students at SME pay around $1000 per year for a “tuition” of sorts. Fry and Renee describe the IB program as a sort of private school at a reduced rate, drawing a comparison between STA’s environment and that of the rigorous IB curriculum across 830 schools in the U.S.

ADVANCED VS REGULAR COURSES

At STA, honors, AP, and dual enrollment courses provide a 5% weight to a student’s GPA, or grade point average. This, combined with internalized and externalized goals, often pressures students into taking the most advanced course option available, according to both Duff and McCormick. Ultimately, however, McCormick believes it is up to students to manage their time and know their own abilities.

“Every students is different,” McCormick said. “As long as you are finding balance, we are not here to say no to the number of AP courses, but we are here to say ‘Do you have good balance?’”

The recent discrepancy in

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Exam Scores

page designed by Christina Kirk

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features

Joseph Con-read | Sophomore Katelyne Kratofil reads Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, a novel required in English teacher Stephen Himes Advanced World Literature class. photo by PAIGE POWELL

a look at the books| A series of books required for STA English classes rest on a table. photo by PAIGE POWELL

numbers between regular and means that the regular course advanced enrollment in the Eng- work at STA is rigorous enough lish department, Duff believes, for you and the advanced is because students feel a sense classes are probably too difficult of peer pressure in signing up for you. And if the student really for an advanced version of a wants to take that class and course at a rigorous institution like STA. To We have high combat this, English teachers had individual expectations for conversations with you...we really want students to ensure that you to become students “aren’t taking high readers, [Advanced World Literature] just because they writers, thinkers, feel pressured to do [and] speakers. so -- that they’re taking — Barb McCormick it because they’re acaprincipal of academic affairs demically prepared…”

In order to enter an adthey excel in that subject, they vanced track course, one must should go talk to that teacher.” meet the prerequisites already For sophomore Karen set. However, for classes that Crouch, these prerequisites preoffer dual college credit, the sented harsh limitations. LeadCollege Board sets a minimum ing up to the annual computer GPA that STA has no control registration, Crouch attempted over. The prerequisites here are to enroll in AP American Lanto ensure that each student is guage and Composition, only to challenged appropriately, acdiscover that her math grade cording to McCormick. from freshman year lowered her “Prerequisites are there to GPA, making it “only 0.35 points set a standard,” McCormick said. too low” to enroll.

“If you don’t hit that mark, that McCormick and Duff both

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the Dart | dartnewsonline.com | 6 May 2016

agree that “regular” classes at STA are still excellent preparation for college, although they may lack an advanced title.

Duff describes the comparison between her previous education jobs at larger, public schools compared to her experience at the “wealthy, brookside” STA. “I think some of the regular classes at those schools are more focused on getting the kids to be able to read and write at grade level, so I feel like here, my [regular literature course] was more like an honors or advanced course at one of the other schools where I taught,” Duff said.

For Duff, what is most unique about STA is the culture of students and teachers, teachers truly wanting to support their students.

“I think the difference [between STA and other schools] is really that we have high expectations for you,” she explained.

“We really want you to become high readers, writers, thinkers, [and] speakers.”H

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by HELEN WHEATLEY

St. Teresaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plans to follow the mission of the Sisters of St. Joseph to devise a policy concerning future transgender students.

pages designed by Christina Kirk and Violet Cowdin

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features This past year, Americans have plastered Laverne Cox on the front page of Time magazine and watched Bruce Jenner make the transition to Caitlyn. Kansas City has seen a transgender homecoming queen from Oak Park High School take the national spotlight and Kansas public schools face possible bathroom laws restricting use depending on gender identity.

In the face of all this, the Catholic church has stayed quiet. Catholic, single-sex schools are discussing what the next step looks like. Could St. Teresa’s accept a transgender student?

When?

Last summer, St. Teresa’s began the discussion surrounding potential transgender students. It’s been important to the school’s administrators that they be prepared with some ideas of what may happen if a transgender student were interested in applying. Much of this planning has included discussion with other schools to devise what a policy may look like in the next year or so, according to the principal of academic affairs Barb McCormick.

Many area private schools, St. Teresa’s included, have a non-discrimination policy. For STA, adding a statement on transgender students would probably include adding a sentence or two about gender to this pre-existing policy.

“At this point you can see that we

don’t address gender at all, because we’ve been one female group and we haven’t had any experience with a non-female or transitional female,” McCormick said.

Were a transitioning female to want to attend the school, STA president Nan Bone hopes and assumes that she would be accepted. When approached with this situation, a lot of discussion with the family would take place to determine the student’s needs.

“We want to be very inclusive but we also want to recognize that we are an all-girls institution,” McCormick said. “It will take close work with a family to know where they are in a transitional state, for that to be acceptable just as they meet all the other admission requirements for St. Teresa’s.”

The magisterium of the Catholic Church has yet to explicitly state a position on transgenderism, but Rockhurst High School president Fr. Terrence Baum believes it will come down to a debate concerning natural law.

“There will be theologians who say that you are what God intended you to be at the moment of your birth, but then there are others who will come down on the side that the natural law could be more broadly interpreted to include how you are,” Baum said.

St. Teresa’s, founded by the Sisters

of St. Joseph, whose mission is to serve the dear neighbor, will defer to the mission of the sisters in conjunction with the teaching of the church, according to McCormick.

“Both [the church and sisters] identify with St. Teresa’s, and serving the dear neighbor means being inclusive,” McCormick said. “We’re not the institution for every student and that doesn’t mean just transgender people, that means all girls.”

A large part of the discussion has been concerning smaller, logistical things like sports and the state of the student’s transition. According to the Missouri State High School Activities Association, a trans female (male to female) student athlete being treated with testosterone suppression medication may continue to compete on the boys team. This athlete is not allowed to compete on the girls team until completing one calendar year of documented testosterone-suppression treatment. However, a trans male (female to male) athlete may compete on a boys team as long as the athlete has undergone any amount of testosterone treatment.

According to STA athletic director Mark Hough, the topic of transgender athletes has been prevalent at conferences around the nation. Hough says that generally, gender will affect an athlete at different ages in various sports. He gives the example that St.

THE TRANS alternative coverage by HELEN WHEATLEY

3/24/16 North Carolina implements a law that blocks cities from allowing trans individuals to use bathrooms of the gender they identify with.

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4/17/16

4/19/16

Federal officials begin an investigation into the treatment of LGBT+ inmates in Georgia’s prisons.

Target publishes a policy allowing people to use bathrooms of the gender with which they identify.

the Dart | dartnewsonline.com | 6 May 2016

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Teresa’s pole vaulters are generally higher jumpers than boys at other high schools, but that on a professional level, men will jump 3-4 feet higher than women.

Junior Lily Levi considers themselves genderfluid, meaning some days they feel more male than female and vice versa. While they identify with the pronouns they, their and theirs, they’ve decided not to correct people who aren’t their close friends while at St. Teresa’s.

“I think people don’t understand," Levi said. "It’s hard for them and it’s okay to mess up pronouns. That’s totally okay. For me it’s easier to go with the flow and not approach the situation.”

Levi says the next step for STA should be to recognize that there are students at the school that don’t identify fully with female. Levi understands that people will question their reasoning for being at an all-girls school, but has loved the environment too much to leave.

“This is one of the best schools, and this is where my friends [and] family are,” Levi said. “I didn’t know that right when I got here. I’ve thought about transitioning but it’s kind of really hard because I’ve been here for like three years and it would be weird to just leave. This is my community.”

While St. Teresa’s devises a precise statement on gender, public schools around the nation are facing potentially discriminatory legislation

concerning the bathroom usage of transgender high school and college students. Kansas has proposed a bill that would require transgender students to use the bathroom of their gender assigned at birth. Students who encounter a person of the opposite sex in a restroom or locker room can then sue the school for $2500 plus emotional and physical damages, according to the Kansas City Star.

Principal of Shawnee Mission East High School John McKinney believes the bill to be discriminatory and hopes that it will not pass. His school has had no experiences that would indicate a student was the in the wrong bathroom for the wrong reasons.

“Being a teenager is hard enough,” McKinney said. “Going through a transition in your gender compounds the difficulty greatly. The last thing a high school should do is make that situation worse, in my mind.”

If the bill does pass, McKinney plans on building more gender neutral bathrooms and fulfilling his duty to make sure that every single student in the school is safe and comfortable.

Levi believes the bill creates more unnecessary violence.

“Bathrooms can be very, very dangerous places,” Levi said. “People will not only bully you on media but they’ll physically assault you and call you the most horrible names… They identify as a woman, or a man, so therefore they are a woman or a man. They don’t go by their other gender. It’d be

weird.”

As of right now, the Church’s position and the laws surrounding the issue are still to be determined, but one thing is for certain: St. Teresa’s is doing its best to create an inclusive environment, according to Bone.

“We need to be educated about this, all of us, because if any of us has a fear it should take away that fear,” Bone said. “None of us know truly the person sitting next to us. That person is your neighbor. How we treat anybody is how Jesus would treat us.”

She wakes up, looks in the mirror and pushes away any negativity spewing from her mind. 14 years of studying have prepared her for this day, and nothing can take it away from her. She pulls on her tartan plaid, her STA polo and pushes back her hair. ‘I’m unstoppable!’ she thinks. Her knees wobble a bit as she quickly walks through the quad, heading for advisory. ‘Good morning!’ her adviser warmly greets her. She’s conscious of the muscles in her legs and her stature over the other girls, but her worries start to melt away as she realizes no one has been shaving their legs. She’s sitting in her first ever theology class when a student leans over and whispers, “Hey, what pronouns do you use?” An initial pulse of nerves rides through her system, but she replies with, “She, her and her’s would be awesome.”

The girl smiles and replies, “No problem!

What’s your name?”

S TIMELINE 4/20/16 Curt Schilling, former Boston Red Sox pitcher, is fired as an analyst for ESPN after sharing an anti-trans meme on Facebook.

4/25/16 Presidential candidate Ted Cruz on trans people: it’s like Trump dressing up as Hillary Clinton.

4/28/16 Caitlyn Jenner, conservative transgender female, makes a video of herself using the women's restroom in the Trump Hotel, in response to Cruz’s anti-trans comments. page designed by Violet Cowdin

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CENTERSPREAD

CRACKING The code The Dart examines how stereotypes associated with different areas of Kansas City affect the STA experience.

by KATIE DONNELLAN | staff writer & ELSA FEIGENBAUM | copy editor of sports

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the Dart | dartnewsonline.com | 6 May 2016

Rolling out of bed at 7:00 a.m., junior Nicole Snow curses the school gods for making her wake up so early. By the time you throws on her uniform and snag some breakfast the clock is already nearing 7:30 a.m. Still somewhat asleep, she stumbles out the door and jump into her car. She makes her down 56th St, and an extremely long 5 minute drive later Nicole pulls into the nearly full parking lot and races into advisory.

Senior Payton Seever, however, wakes up at 5:50, realizing that she accidentally pressed the snooze button and has lost that precious 5 minutes of time. Trying to make up for it, she pulls on her uniform as quickly as possible and makes her way downstairs. She hurriedly packs her lunch and gobbles down some breakfast, and before she knows it the clock is hitting 6:25 a.m. She rushes out of the house, aware that if she does not leave in the next five minutes she will be late. Shutting the car door, she settles in for the 30 mile drive to school. Sick of hearing Justin Beiber’s “Sorry” nearly 49 million times, she spends the time listening to a TED talk or an informative bit on the National Public Radio (NPR). A long hour later, Payton pulls into the parking lot and heads to her second floor advisory.

According to Junior Bailey Mitchell, the cliche of an STA girl in the morning is that “sleepy eyed, crazy haired, rolled out of bed ten minutes ago look.” But what happens to the student that had to get out of bed hours ago, that does not get to enjoy the luxury of proximity to her school? Does she worry about how her classmates perceive her based on where she lives, or if she is missing out on the true St. Teresa’s experience?

East of Troost Junior Haley Shaw lives one and a half miles east of Troost Avenue, traditionally marked as a racial dividing line in Kansas City. Shaw and her family live in an area called the Scarritt neighborhood, more well known as the Northeast Neighborhood, since she moved from Brookside at a young age.

According to Shaw, she began feeling the losses of where she lived as soon as first grade, as she was often left out of the social aspects of grade school since most of her St. Peter’s friends could walk to each other’s houses.

But more importantly, Shaw faced the stereotypes of living east of Troost.

Throughout her time at St. Peters, she constantly heard her classmates talk about how east of Troost was “ghetto” and how going there would result in being killed. Despite feeling offended, Shaw blames the ignorance on lack of experience with the area.

“I’ve lived east of Troost since I was four and I’ve never been afraid of that,” said Shaw. “There are nice people everywhere. There can be nice neighborhoods east of Troost.”

Shaw believes that where she lives has made a large positive impact to the person she is today by making her a more cultured person. According to Shaw unlike areas such as Brookside and Lee’s Summit, her area is home to

people from all over the world. It is this constant exposure to many different cultures from an early age that Shaw believes has made the greatest impact towards her over the years.

“On my drive home I pass by a mosque, temples, different things that you wouldn’t encounter elsewhere,” Shaw said. “It’s hard for me to remember that everyone doesn’t always see that everyday.”

The West side Self proclaimed “true Kansas Citian” Catherine Parra lives in the West side, a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood close to downtown. Throughout her high school career, she has started to embrace her neighborhood more with its recent increase in popularity including a newly refurbished corner at 17th and Summit of shops and restaurants.

“All I had to was wait until the time came, then the time came,” Parra said.

At the beginning of freshman year, Parra was hesitate to tell others where she lived, but now sees it as a unique trait defines a part of her.

“I don’t care that I don’t live in Brookside because I’m different, and where I live is unique to me and it makes me feel special because not a lot of people live down where I live,” Parra said.

Parra, like Shaw, still faces the challenge of being out of walking distance to her friends.

“I don’t like being far away from everyone and everything,” Parra said. “[I live] 10-15 minutes away from school.”

South off Nall Sophomore Megan Cotter lives south of STA in the Lionsgate neighborhood off Nall. While most of her friends live in Brookside, Cotter believes that it has had no impact on her social life at STA. In Cotter’s opinion, even though she lives farther away, she thinks STA was still the right decision for her. She chose to attend because she loved the all school environment, and preferred STA over Notre Dame de Sion because she loved the campus and the atmosphere.

“It’s 30 minutes for me to get to school,” said Cotter. “But it is 100% worth it.”

Living South, Cotter says she receives a lot people associating her with the Southern Johnson County girl stereotype, living in a cul de sac neighborhood with each house looking the same. According to Cotter, another disadvantage to her living situation is that she feels out of the loop from the “cool” things downtown.

“As of 2 months ago I had never been to the Liberty Memorial,” said Cotter. “My friends made fun of me and then proceeded to take me.”

According to Cotter while she likes the environment, small restaurants,

page designed by Mackenzie O'Guin

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and scenes of downtown, she rarely gets to go there. She feels if she lived closer to STA and downtown she would enjoy getting to venture out there more, but right now it is too far a drive to do on a regular basis.

Kansas City, Kansas In the 1970s, former STA student Michelle T. Johnson’s morning routine remained very different from her peers.

Living in Kansas City, Kansas, attending STA meant a roundtrip 2 hour city bus with a transfer in each direction. According to Johnson, this at times left her feeling disconnected with that token STA girl experience. For her, it was a “special treat” to hang out with friends that lived closer to school, because it made her feel more connected.

“I thought, what must it be like to live 30 seconds from school and not have two hours of your day taken with getting back and forth.”

While she may have lacked at times in the social aspects of STA, the bus rides and the people on them provided Johnson with a greater personal development.

According to Johnson, she dealt with all kinds of people while taking the city bus, and with that had to be safe and had to be smart.

“The world wasn’t served to me,” Johnson said. “I had to meet the world where it was for two hours a day. It made me more resilient, more resourceful, independent, not afraid of being in a strange environment, able to deal with all kinds of people better.”

Admissions Diversity According to Director of Admissions Roseann Hudnall St. Teresa’s, in recent years, has started to draw from a variety of middle and grade schools.

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“We draw in a freshman class we have between 30 and 40 different grade schools and middle schools,” Hudnall said. “When you look at all four years, you will see close to 60 to 65 different schools because we get different kids from different schools every year.”

Despite this growth in variety, Hudnall says the school has become very limited in how they can advertise. The school is only allowed to visit Missouri Catholic grade schools and some high school fairs, further limiting the pool of girls who choose to attend STA. “It’s become very limited to what we can do anymore so we just have to get out there who we are,” Hudnall said.

“We do have the opportunity to send mailing to anyone we want. We really rely on our marketing pieces. They really tell our story.”

What we can do moving forward With recent sports championships and $9 billion funneled at downtown revitalization, Kansas City pride is at a high, neighborhood stigmas hold the

city back from complete unification.

There are steps we can all take to prevent the harmful effects of these stigmas. According to Johnson, the solution is not to try to fix the problem but to create awareness.

She believes students should not focus on differences, but instead acknowledge them.

“Being aware that everybody is having a different reality than you are,” Johnson said. “There is nothing wrong with acknowledging.”

This awareness is based in the necessity of a comfortable environment. According to Johnson, the best to way to acknowledge someone is to make them feel comfortable to be themselves around you, so that you can better appreciate who they are.

“Learn to appreciate the uniqueness of people,” Johnson said. “To not try to make people bury who they are, or hide who they are so you can feel comfortable.”

It is not about how students get to STA, but what happens when they get here. Bailey Mitchell and Payton Seever may have woken up at different times and travelled different distances to get to STA, but they both pulled into the same parking lot and went into the same buildings, and they both still have that “token” STA experience. H

illustration by ELLIE GREVER visual illustrator

the Dart | dartnewsonline.com | 6 May 2016

DE-CODING

THE STUDENT BODY

The Dart compiled the zipcodes of STA's 596 students to illustrate the number of students from each part of Kansas City and the surrounding areas. complied by LILY MANNING | staff writer

64011 64012 64014 64015 64024 64029 64030 64034 64052 64055 64057 64063 64064 64068 64070 64078 64080 64081 64082 64083 64086 64106 64108 64109 64110 64111 64112 64113 64114 64116 64118 64119 64123 64124 64128 64131 64132 64133 64134 64137 64138 64145 64146 64149 64151 64152 64154 64155 64156 64157 64158 66061 66085 66101 66109 66204 66205 66206 66207 66208 66209 66210 66211 66213 66216 66217 66219 66220 66221 66223 66224 66226

64% of sta students live in Kansas City, mo 27% of sta students live in Kansas 7% of sta students live in other missouri cities

photo by VIOLET COWDIN | page designer

page designed by Mackenzie O'Guin

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MAIN ED

Where we come from helps define us, stereotypes don't One reason STA is so great, amongst many reasons, is because our students are diverse. Diverse in the sense that they all come from different places, are a part of many different cultures and communities. However, where you come from can also place you into a specific stereotype. We tend to stereotype Leawood as “preppy and rich,” east of Troost as “ghetto,” Raytown as “sketchy,” etc., etc. The truth is, just because someone is from a certain neighborhood or part of town, that does not mean they fit into the stereotype of that area.

Stereotypes can be harmful and limiting and we should not place them on our STA sisters based on where they come from. Where you come from helps define who you are, the stereotype associated with it does not.

Getting to know girls from different places helps expand perspective. You can learn new things or see situations in different ways when you have a community with diverse worldviews. Placing stereotypes on people from different areas can shield you from really getting to know their cultural understanding of the community. STA students are not all the same, and we should embrace that. We all go to different grocery stores, churches, grade schools, etc.

Despite these small differences, we all ended up here at St. Teresa’s for the same reason: a great education and a strong sisterhood.

It is closed-minded to consider east of Troost as “ghetto,” Leawood as “rich,” call Lee’s Summit “the scummit,” or think the Northland is a “wasteland.”

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The girl who runs the hip fashion blog is from Blue Springs. The girl who sits next to you in English class who you talk to about “The Bachelor” with lives east of Troost. The girl who never wears lululemon and shops at thrift stores for cool clothes and good deals lives on 151st street in Leawood. The girl who always has fun ideas and adventures in mind is from Lee’s Summit.

It doesn’t matter whether you live 40 minutes away from school or five minutes. Where you live may contribute to your values or how you see the world, but just because you live in Leawood doesn’t mean you have to be preppy. Just because you live east of Troost or in the West Bottoms doesn’t make you

“ghetto.” Just because you live in Blue Springs or Grain Valley doesn’t make you country. What makes STA girls so unique is that we can be whoever we want to be, no matter where we come from. STA simply acts as the connection between all of us, shaping us all into beautiful, strong, confident women no matter where we’re from. H

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9 of 9 editors voted in support of this editorial.

illustration by ELEANOR GREVER | visual illustrator

the Dart | dartnewsonline.com | 6 May 2016

A&E

THE SHOW MUST GO ON: SENIORS WRITE, DIRECT ONE ACT PLAYS Seniors reflect on their experiences with STA Student Productions.

The STA theatre department hosted Student Productions April 21-23. This year, five one act plays were written, casted and directed by seniors for the annual tradition. This year’s writers were seniors Grace Girardeau, Meredith Mulhern, Sophia Mandacina, Sarah Wunder, Cara Gose, Maddie Rubalcava, Josie Buford, Katie Donaldson, Isabella Meisel and Torie Richardson.

Wunder recalls that the first time she attended Student Productions was when she was in fifth grade.

“I remember that [the productions] were all really funny and captivating, and I decided I would write one of my own,” Wunder said.

Girardeau also experienced student productions firsthand at a young age when her sisters wrote and acted in them.

“I would get so excited when I went to see the shows or when their cast would rehearse at my house,” Girardeau said. “I had just always planned on it, and I'm so glad that [Mulhern] and I could do it together.”

Wunder and Mandacina wrote and directed "It’s Getting Ham#lit," which combines the Shakespearean plays "Romeo and Juliet" and "Hamlet" as romantic interests stray from tradition.

Wunder came up with the idea last semester while on a walk with a friend.

“Kind of out of nowhere she asked what would happen if "Hamlet" met "Romeo and Juliet," and it just spiraled from there,” Wunder said.

According to Girardeau, whose production followed an unlikely group of married couples working to strengthen their marriages by attending a couple's retreat, she and

story by MARYMICHAEL HOUGH | managing editor of copy photos by MADDY MEDINA | print editor of photography

Mulhern wanted to showcase many different characters equally.

“We thought that putting [couples] in a stressful situation would be the funniest way to [showcase them],” Girardeau said. “We changed some details after we spent our spring break in Costa Rica to make it more personal.”

If Wunder were to redo her student production, she would schedule more rehearsals and make time for bonding among cast members.

“It would have been really nice to just hang out and get to know the girls better without worrying about who has their lines memorized and if we should rewrite some of the dialogue,” Wunder said.

Girardeau advises those interested in writing a student production to avoid sticking to a strict vision.

“It's way more fun to let your actors help you write the show and to be open to changes and suggestions,” Girardeau said.

For Wunder, participating in student productions is a “truly rewarding experience” and a “nice way to finish out your career at STA.” “Just write a script that you really love, because you won't get tired of working with it and your cast will appreciate that you're invested in the production and work to make it great, because it's their production too." H

TORIE RICHARDSON: "OPEN MIC NIGHT"

MEET THE WRITERS

GRACE GIRARDEAU & MEREDITH MULHERN: "GET LOST"

SARAH WUNDER & SOPHIA MANDACINA: "IT'S GETTING HAM#LIT"

CARA GOSE & MADDIE RUBALCAVA: "BLACK SCRUBS"

KATIE DONALDSON, ISABELLA MEISEL & JOSIE BUFORD: "MOMENTS"

pages designed by Mackenzie O'Guin and Linden O'Brien-Williams

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PERSPECTIVES

A LOVE LETTER TO KANSAS CITY movie theatre.

Thank you for teaching me life lessons. You taught me how to drive, whether it’s adventures down Ward Parkway with your best friends or taking I-70 all the way to the Legends, then back again. You taught me that even the underdog turns into a winner if the fans cheer loud enough. You taught me that just because you’re in the middle,

by BRIDGET JONES | social media manager in one of those boring “fly over states” doesn’t mean you have nothing worth while.

Dear Kansas City, Thank you for the memories. Thank First off I would like to apologize. I'm you for all the nights I spent driving really sorry I used to hate you. Don’t around on your empty streets blasting take it personally. I think I just didn’t music with my friends. Thank you for take the time to realize how great you all the Royals games and the hotdog really are. I took advantage of you, races. Thank you for and I’m sorry for all the deliciously local that. I’m sorry that I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND restaurants serving up all I wanted to do everything from burgwas leave. I didn’t WHAT IT MEANT TO BE A BLOOMING, MID-SIZED, ers to Chinese food. appreciate your Thank you for giving sense of care and MIDWESTERN CITY me STA, a school community. I didn’t where I found my best understand what friends and my sisters. Thank you it meant to be a blooming mid-sized for your stunning skyline photos and midwestern city. I was stupid. Now that your dreamy sunsets.

I’ve gotten that off my chest I would like Kansas City, thank you. And as I to thank you. leave you and prepare to move on to Thank you for raising me. I spent another city and another community my childhood summers in camps at for college, I will never forget all the some of your greatest attractions. I wonderful and memorable moments I hiked trails at Lakeside Nature Center. had here in the good ole’ killa city. H I learned how to make soda at Science City. I dissected fish at the zoo. Then, once I outgrew summer camp I spent long days at Worlds of Fun and the Plaza trying to hide from the sun in the

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the Dart | dartnewsonline.com | 6 May 2016

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CHRISTINA KIRK:

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PAIGE POWELL:

An open letter to my knees

MADI WINFIELD:

Sexual assault threats affect the college decision process

ZOE BUTLER:

Atrocities in K-pop industry project ideas of perfection on younger generations

VICTORIA CAHOON:

Grandparents day should be appreciated

SOCIAL MEDIA: AN EASY OUTLET TO DEGRADE A POSSIBLE PRESIDENT

by LILY MANNING | staff writer

Everyday millions of people use social media to stay connected with their friends and family, share funny videos and pictures, and stay up to date on all the current news and gossip. With photos of Donald Trump’s hair blowing in the wind, and memes comparing Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton and their fabricated opinions, the upcoming presidential election is a hot news topic over social media. When posting about the candidates over social media, a lot of people fail to recognize how what they post relates directly to how that figure is respected. Social media is negatively impacting the election by disrespecting a figure that could be leading our country in just a few short months.

Since the last time America voted on its next president, social media has really taken off. This has led to people being more informed on topics, but it has also created a place where rumors can fly. In just minutes a hashtag featuring false information can be trending all over social media. If one of the presidential candidates is the subject of these rumors, they can reply quickly and get their side of the story out in the open. However, these rumors still exist

somewhere on the internet and they will always be there as blackmail that tarnishes the candidate's reputation.

Not only can information be incorrect, but it is often completely irrelevant. What does candidate's hair or outfit have to do with their ability to lead a country? People look to these trivial issues to for aid their opinion on candidates, sometimes without being knowledgeable on what the candidates stands for in his or her policies.

If people only listen to what people say about a candidate on social media without digging into actual research on the candidate, it is a guarantee that our next president will not be the most fit for the job.

Every candidate has their own personal accounts on social media. Many may think that the candidates pay no attention to what people are saying about them over the internet, but it is evident that they are based on the way they act towards each other. They see the catty way people treat them on social media and fire back with comments about each other’s wives, manliness, and appearances, all completely irrelevant topics.

In order to lead a country successfully, a leader needs respect from his or her citizens. How are we to respect our future leader when we have a readily available platform that can be used to spout off petty opinions

that hold little truth? Many are worried about what the outcome of the election in November will bring. If people look to the research and attention that they’ve paid to the election, I don’t think there is anything to worry about. But if people are only looking to outlets like Twitter or Instagram or Facebook to form their opinions, I do think we have something to fear. H

page designed by Helen Wheatley

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SPORTS

Torn away The Dart takes a look at how the common ACL tear affects student-sport relationships. story by VICTORIA CAHOON | staff writer

This season three STA athletes have torn their ACLs. While the recovery process takes months of physical therapy, the end result is worth the time spent healing. Although the girls may be out for the season, the injuries won’t stop them from being a part of the team.

After tearing her ACL during a one-onone drill at a Sion clinic, senior Cara Gose lost her chance of finishing her last season of lacrosse at STA. Similarly, sophomore Maggie Prim tore her ACL and both of her meniscuses during soccer practice. Both girls act as managers and help out

if needed at practice and come out to support the team for games. Prim explains that although managing is a better alternative than doing nothing, she misses the game.

“It sucks,” Prim said.

“I just get to watch the games, and wish I could be out there playing the whole time, I definitely feel like I’m missing out because while I am on the team, I don’t get to go out and actually put in the work.”

Last season, junior Tess Rellihan tore her right ACL. But this current season Rellihan tore her left ACL during the

second game of the season against Lee's Summit North High School.

“I was turning with the ball when one of their defenders ran into my leg in mid-turn, Rellihan said.

“I heard grinding sounds and went immediately down, knowing it wasn't good.”

Junior Elexa Pierson, who broke her clavicle freshman year, which can take three to eight weeks to heal, relates how it feels to see another teammate get injured.

“Whenever someone goes down and then holds their knee it’s a scary moment,” Pierson

illustrations by ELLIE GREVER | visual illustrator

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the Dart | dartnewsonline.com | 6 May 2016

said. “It definitely sucks, first of all with an ACL, when they hold you out for months and it’s horrible to see someone go down like that.”

For Rellihan, while having and dealing with an injury can be hard, the first step to a true recovery is acceptance.

“Although it’s hard, accepting the injury is important because every new day is one day closer to being able to play again,” Rellihan said. “You must work harder than ever and take the recovery process very seriously to get you back even stronger. From experience, it definitely can mess with your emotions, but try not to let it get too out of hand and use the anger and sadness for motivation and determination.”

Advice to athletes given from Lisa Gross, STA’s Athletic Trainer, is to remember what comes with being an athlete, whether it comes to staying in shape during off-time or having a consistent, proper diet.

“Understanding the difference between hurting and being injured is the foundation to a successful career.

Rehabilitation for an ACL tear, after surgery, can take from six to nine months.

During the months of recovery, physical therapy is also needed to help return some of the strength and motions back to the ligament

that supports the knee. According to the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine, about 150,000 ACL injuries occur in the United States every year.

All ACL tears this season took place on turf fields, including the STA turf field.

Pennsylvania State University’s Center for Sports Research examined whether turf fields are more prone to causing injuries than

playing on grass. This study has shown that as friction increases, there is an increase in the rate of lower extremity injuries. This means that the more traction you get on the field, the higher the risk of injury. Turf is believed to have more traction than grass, and, therefore, there is a higher amount of injuries.

Women are eight times more likely to tear their ACL than

men, due to of many anatomical and hormonal differences, and while other factors like the friction caused by the surfaces played on can also cause injury. At STA, an all girls school, this information is key to being cautious of injuries.

“No matter how strong you are, there’s always a high risk of injury,” Prim said. H

Senior Cara Gose stands in front of STA District and Sectional sports awards. Gose tore her ACL, and is currently in recovery. photo by CASSIE HAYES

Junior Elexa Pierson smiles in front of the field. Pierson, a soccer player, broke her clavicle her freshman year. photo by CASSIE HAYES

The Dart researches statistics about ACL tears for girls. Source: momsteam.com compiled by LILY MANNING | social media editor

Sophomore Maggie Prim sits among multiple trophies on display in the Goppert Center. A soccer player, Prim suffered an ACL injury and is in recovery. photo by CASSIE HAYES

Junior Paige Powell wheels herself down the halls of Donnelly. Powell is recovering from a surgery, needed due to a soccer injury. photo by CASSIE HAYES

page designed by Meg Thompson

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COMMUNITY

STATE OF THE ART

Brookside hosts Art Annual

by JEANNIE O'FLAHERTY | staff writer

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the Dart | dartnewsonline.com | 6 May 2016

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1. Ceramicist Tara Dawley explains her creative process to interested art fair patrons.

2. An art fair participant brushes the tops of some ceramic cups at the annual Brookside Art Fair.

3. STA Senior Mary Campbell tries on handmade felt hats at the 2016 Brookside Art Fair.

4. A glass artist looks on at the crowd during the Brookside Art Fair April 30th. photos by VIOLET COWDIN

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ver the weekend of April 29 - May 1, 180 local and national artists presented their art in booths in the center of Brookside. This was the 31st year the Brookside Business Association hosted the Brookside Art Annual which draws over 70,000 people from all over the city. Artists present work in mediums from jewelry, pottery, print-making, weaving, photography, glasswork, and more. The Dart sat down with three artists for a quick Q & A.

Ella Richards, Two-Dimensional Mixed Media/Scissors drawings

Jeri Vitello, Fibers

Where are you from?

Greenwich Village, New York

Where are you from?

Bremen, Indiana.

How did you become an artist?

Scissors drawings evolved from my watercolors. Around the arrival of my first child, my life changed and so did my art. I realized that cutting my drawings out of a sheet of black paper was the simplicity I sought; it allowed me to focus on the line and emotions of the piece.

How did you become an artist?

I started taking classes, which developed into buying my own loom, and from there I ended up on the street under a tent

What inspires your work?

My friends, my family, people I meet at art shows, and I also draw from my memories of my childhood.

How often do you travel for art shows?

About 20 shows a year.

What inspires your work?

My love of yarn and my desire to create something out of a spool of yarn How often do you travel for art shows?

About 15 weekends a year

Andrew Kosten, Printmaking/Graphics Where are you from?

Brookings, South Dakota How did you become an artist?

I went to school for printmaking at Washington University and got my fine arts degree at the University of South Dakota What inspires your work?

History, politics, satire, human nature, idiosyncratic behavior, quirkiness, just being weird How often do you travel for art shows?

About 10 shows a year

Check out more of Violet's photos from the Brookside Art Annual on dartnewsonline.com page designed by MaryMichael Hough

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LAST LOOK

Color me cheerful Students participate in the Color Throw and Student Appreciation Day, staple end-of-the-year events at STA.

by Maggie Knox | editor-in-chief & Anna Hafner | page designer

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1. Seniors Hayley Burgess, left, and Maddie Summers blow bubbles at the Walk of Fame April 22. 2. From left, seniors Gwen Robertson, Gillian Cutter and Claire Finn sit under a parachute on the field at the Walk of Fame. 3. Senior Emma Jensen gives a motivational speech to the senior class before the Color Throw as fellow seniors watch on. 4. Freshman Mary Sullivan runs through a tunnel of seniors at the Walk of Fame April 22.

5. Seniors Sadie Green, from left, Kat Mediaivlla, Casey Campo and Sarah Cigas hold senior Natalie Rose for a photo after the Walk of Fame and Color Throw April 22. photos by MAGGIE KNOX

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LAST LOOK

4. Freshman Lauren Daugherty, right, gets her face painted with music notes Friday at Student Apprecaition Day, a school event put on by the Student Community Organization. photo by MAGGIE KNOX 5. Juniors Jamie Hafenstine smiles after getting her face painted during student appreciation day April 29. photo by ANNA HAFNER

1. Junior Ellie Meysenburg dances at Student Appreciation Day April 29. photo by MAGGIE KNOX 2. Freshman Caroline Franke, left, checks out her balloon animal. photo

by ANNA HAFNER 3. Senior Katie Donaldson stares off into the distance while getting her face painted. photo by ANNA HAFNER

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8. Senior Meg Thompson dances at Student Appreciation Day Friday. photo by MAGGIE KNOX 9. Freshman Hannah Bland gets her face painted at Student Appreciation Day Friday. photo by MAGGIE KNOX

6. Junior Samantha Panis, right, gets her face painted during student appreciation day April 29. photo by ANNA HAFNER 7. Petunia the Clown smiles as she makes balloons for students at Student Appreciation Day Friday. photo by MAGGIE KNOX

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8. page designed by Torie Richardson

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The Dart Vol. 75

In the DNO Check out the coverage on dartnewsonline

darttube: student productions

history of the seal

videos by christina kirk

story by katherine green

sexual assault threats affect the college decision process

gallery: walk of fame

column by madi winfield

photos by maggie knox and violet cowdin

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

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the Dart | dartnewsonline.com | 6 May 2016 | page designed by Madi Winfield

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