Volume 78 Issue 8

THE

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ST. TERESA’S ACADEMY|KANSAS CITY, MO VOLUME 79, ISSUE 8

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2 LETTER FROM THE EDITORS

MAY 8 2020

DEAR READER, We know that right now, many seniors are feeling robbed of their final goodbyes to STA. But in a time of separation when we should be celebrating, we hope that you can find comfort in remembering your time at STA through these pages.

We felt it was important that despite losing out on many classic senior traditions, the Class of 2021 still got their print senior issue.

To hear more about how seniors Cece Wacht and Maggie Armstrong are feeling about missing out on traditions, check out Lilly Frisch’s news feature.

Although many of these traditions have been cancelled, take a look at Carmon Baker’s last look for a compilation of cherished past STA memories gathered from the senior class.

The COVID-19 pandemic has also impacted seniors’ decisions about where to go to college, as many schools have pushed back their decision date. Cara Barone sat down with some of these students along with Abigail Jelavich to talk about what the decision process looks like this year.

In her feature story, Sophia Rall talked to future college athletes about how the pandemic could impact their summer training and fall seasons.These athletes have committed an extraordinary amount of time and energy to their sport of choice throughout their years at STA, which we admire and thank them for.

Check out Iris Roddy’s story on Faith Andrews-O’Neal—a beloved member of the Dart and the senior class president—to read about her college aspirations at Columbia University and how STA has impacted her life.

Seniors, we want to emphasize how much you mean to us and to the STA community. Over the course of four years, have changed STA and secured your place in its history, even without your last quarter on campus. As a class, you have come together and made the best of your situation, which is commendable and a true testament to your strength during this uncertain time.

To our seniors on Dart, you have taught the rest of us so much

about what it means to be a part of a team. You have shown us how to express our opinions to the fullest and have shaped us into better writers, photographers and designers. Your dedication to the publication will be missed next year.

Ella and Lily, this especially goes for you. Your leadership and commitment to your role as editors-in-chief inspired us to take on the job and we will continue to look to your ideas as we shape next year’s publication. Your impact on the Dart will be felt for many years to come.

Love,

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DESIGNED BY LILLY FRISCH

04 06 08 10 12 14 16

3

News Feature: Senior traditions Star Spotlight: Faith Andrews-O’Neal Feature: Seniors in sports Feature: Picking a college Perspective: Senior columns Last Look: Senior year in photos What’s New On the DNO

THE DART/DNO STAFF 2019-2020 Editors-in-Chief

Lily Hart, Ella Norton

Adviser

Riley Cowing

PRINT

Design Editors

Anna Ronan, Claire Smith

Photo Editors

Amy Schaffer, Rebecca Speier

Page Designers

Cara Barone, Lauren Brackney, Sophia Rall, Lilly Frisch

COPY

WEB

Sophia Durone

Carmon Baker

Features Editor Opinion Editors

Faith Andrews-O’Neal, Rachel Robinson

Lifestyles Editor Olivia Powell

Sports Editor

Claudia Benge

Staff Writers

Iris Roddy, Lily Sage, Beatrice Curry

Web Editor

Multimedia Editor Aspen Cherrito

Breaking News Editor Mary Massman

Social Media Editor Tess Jones

Social Media Team

Sydney Waldron, Katie Massman

4 NEWS FEATURE EDITORIAL POLICIES Ownership and Sponsorship

DartNewsOnline and the Dart are created by the student newpaper staff and are maintained and published by general operating funds of St. Teresa’s Academy, a Catholic institution frounded by the 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 sudent 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 Riley Cowing in Goppert room G106; by mail to St. Teresa’s Academy, Attn: Riley Cowing, 5600 Main Street, Kansas City, MO 64113; by email to rcowing@sttersasacademy. org or to dartpaper@gmail.com.

DartNewsOnline and the Dart 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.

MAY 8, 2020

Senior Traditi There are many annual traditions that STA seniors can partake in at the end of the school year. The recent outbreak of COVID-19 has caused many of these traditions to be affected, postponed or canceled.

Story by Lilly Frisch|Writer

O

Photos compiled by Beatrice Curry|Writer

n Thursday, March 12, senior Cece Wacht said goodbye to her advisor, waved at her fellow classmates and, without knowing it, ended her school day for the last time at Saint Teresa’s Academy. At first she was excited about the idea of an extended spring break and some extra days off while the COVID-19 was handled. It meant a week or two off school and maybe even a few days more in Florida with her friends.

However, once online classes began, it started to seem more real. Now students saw each other through their computer screens instead of face-to-face in a classroom. As the news got worse, it seemed less likely with each day that she’d be returning to school.

This outbreak left many students, teachers and members of staff wondering what the next steps were. After waiting three and a half years to partake in these traditions, Wacht is not sure if she is ready to finally leave STA without

them.

“I definitely am not ready to leave STA, because we haven’t been able to do many traditions.

I feel incomplete, and that I am missing something,” Wacht said.

Some of these events include Prom, Graduation, Senior Skip Day, the Mother-Daughter Luncheon, shirt-signing day spring season sports and the annual Color Throw.

“I was so excited to sign shirts. This tradition is so important to me because the shirts we sign are kept for the rest of our lives and we can always look back on them to remember STA and our sisters” Wacht said.

The Kansas City Marriott Downtown closed Friday, April 16 and Mother-Daughter Luncheon has been cancelled instead of being held on Sunday, May 24.

During this event, students dress up with clothes from local boutiques and stores and show off their outfits to the rest of the luncheon.

Students get to sit with their friends and classmates and share brunch

Traditions seniors looked forward to most Alternative coverage compiled by Lauren Brackney.

84%

89%

signing shirts

prom

56%

ss a l C ank Advisory Parties pr

61%

*out of 39 responses

a

Pizz

5

DESIGNED BY LAUREN BRACKNEY

ions lost to COVID-19

really made not having this season even more disappointing.”

Johnson said.

Each team had about two weeks of practice before they had to stop for spring break, and then indefinitely due to the COVID-19.

The team was planning on expanding their activities together through sleepovers. The team has continued to send out weekly challenges and Zoom meetings so they can stay connected.

“Not having these team bonding activities made me really sad because we were not able to fully meet our new teammates and really get to know our team as a whole outside of practice” Johnson said.

Some seniors were also looking forward to getting dressed up to a night with their friends at prom.

STA’s Prom was scheduled for April 17 for all seniors to attend. Since, it has been rescheduled and now is canceled for this year.

In honor of Senior Skip Day, seniors did not have online classes on April 20. The STA staff and members of the community tried to comfort the seniors by bringing posters to the homes of students

Seniors Lauren Scofield, from left, Julia Flores, Samantha Giangreco, Caroline Scofield, Ainsley Hoover, Agnessa Vilott, Elaina Jokerst and Sophie Brown gather on Zoom for a prom photo. The girls gathered virtually on the day originally designated for prom, April 17. photo courtesy of Sophie Brown and leaving them in their yards.

Every senior gets their picture posted on the STA Instagram account with their favorite memory and a word to describe their experience. Students have also created Instagram accounts to share with each other a senior picture and where they have decided to continue their studies.

May 1 marked the last day of school for STA seniors. Some students went to the STA parking lot to celebrate the end of their school year while others stayed home with their families.

“This community has always been a great support system in my life and has given me connections that I will definitely have for the rest of my life, so I hope I can come back in the future and give back some of what they gave me” Johnson said.

b

together with their mothers.

Spring is the season of lacrosse, soccer, track and cross country.

Seniors get the opportunity to become team captains and lead their fellow teammates during this last season.

Senior Anna Johnson was selected to be team captain during this season of lacrosse.

Johnson played low defense and was going to play for her fourth year.

“Every year I always look forward to lacrosse season just because it is a great way to end the school year. This year my lacrosse season was so important to me because it was really the last time I was going to play any sport for STA and the last time to play lacrosse at a competitive level” Johnson said.

The STA lacrosse team could have won the city championship for fifth year in row. Johnson was excited to lead the team and get to know the new freshman.

“From freshman year I have always looked up to the seniors on lacrosse and always wished I could be them so not being able to experience that form of leadership

FAITH ANDRE

6 STAR SPOTLIGHT

Senior Faith Andrews-O’Neal poses for one of her senior pictures at Wonder Wonder, a photography studio in Oak Park Mall, Sept.28. Andrews-O’Neal is motivated to do great things in her school community because of how much support she has received these past years. photo courtesy of Amy Schaffer

MAY 8, 2020

EWS-O’NEAL

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DESIGNED BY BECCA SPEIER

Senior Faith Andrews-O’Neal discusses her favorite STA memories and what motivated her to get so involved in the school community.

Story by Iris Roddy | Writer

W

hy did you originally choose to come to STA? I chose STA because it was the best environment for me. I’m Christian and I enjoy having that as a foundation. I think the idea of going to an all-girls school, while it was scary at first, is something that actually ended up being a big draw to me and my family.

What motivated you to get so involved at STA? There’s been a lot of support from my family sacrificing to help with tuition, and I have benefactors from St. Paul’s [Episcopal Day School] as well as STA which has really contributed to my education.

For me, my largest motivator is just being able to offer my support in any way, because this school and the community around STA has given me so much support, whether it’s financially or my teachers or counselors helping me. They’ve really helped me to become the person that I am. So anything I can do to contribute even a portion of what’s been given to me motivates me to get more involved here.

How has your experience on Dart staff been?

I found some of my closest friends in the entire world on staff. One of the things on staff that’s really stuck out to me is that you’re able to develop your skills as a writer and then get out into the world and explore for yourself. You’re getting out into the community in a way that’s unlike anything else in our school environment. You get assignments basically telling you to go out and explore the world

and figure out what it means and interact with people you might never interact with otherwise.

Why did you become an opinion editor?

I became an opinion editor because I love my opinions! I’m just kidding. I felt that was the area of writing where I felt the strongest.

So, sophomore year I had my blog and I realized when I was writing reviews and, of course, my two mandatory columns, that that was the area I felt most comfortable and confident in. It was just the natural next step to try and get a leadership role in that field because I felt I could offer advice in that area. It was the type of journalism I felt most drawn to.

Why did you start your blog, “Accessible Activism?”

I find myself just very, very passionate to say the least about activism and advocacy. I’m in a position that not a lot of people of color, especially working class people, are able to be in, and my blog gives me a platform. I think what drew me to my blog is the idea that I can speak up about all these things that really matter to me, and I can do so in a way that’s productive and able to inform as well as reach people in a way that, like, a New York Times article might not because those aren’t written for people our age.

Why did you run for senior class representative?

I was a sophomore class rep and a junior class officer. I knew I wanted to stay involved in this way, and I have a lot of school spirit, as

you can probably tell. I just really, really love the school and I saw how much I could connect with administrators and help students.

Also, on “Glee” Brittany Pierce was senior class president and performed a Beyoncé dance to make it happen. So that was also a big draw and I pretty much always wanted to be senior class president.

Have you decided on what college you’re going to?

I will most likely be attending Columbia University in the city of New York. I want to major in political science and minor in biology or chemistry.

Do you have a particular career after college in mind?

Yes! With political science I would love to go into journalism. There’s no specific major for journalism there until grad school, but that’s what I’d love to do because of my experience on Dart. If not journalism then law, but I’m not sure of what field yet. I also kinda want to be a doctor. I mean, I’ve always wanted to be a doctor, especially a pediatric oncologist.

It’s one of those three.

Do you have any favorite STA memories or traditions?

Oh, so many. One thing I think is super special is advisory time.

I mean, I love my advisory and I always have but I didn’t realize how important that was to me until all of this. That sense of togetherness with people from all grades, from the seniors to the little freshies, is something I really, truly value now. B

8

FEATURE

MAY 8, 2020

Senior Kristen Ford steps back to pass a volleyball during her last season this past fall. Ford is committed to play volleyball at Northwest Missouri State University for the coming season. photo courtesy of Kristen Ford

Senior Carlie Duus runs across the field during a varsity soccer game during her junior season last spring. Duus is COmmitted to play soccer at Grinnell College in fall 2020. photo courtesy of Carlie Duus

Uncertainty for

Seniors Kristen Ford, Carlie Duus, Macie Washington and Mollie Plas are preparing to play sports at the collegiate level, while facing the cancellations and delays brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

T

Story by Sophia Rall | Lifestyles Editor

hroughout the spring, high school seniors preparing for collegiate sports would normally be playing club or high school sports and working out with teammates. However, these activities have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has affected various professional sports leagues, as the NBA, MLS, NHL and MLB have suspended their seasons. The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games have even been delayed to 2021. These suspensions and delays bring the question — what does the COVID-19 pandemic mean for future college athletes?

Senior Kristen Ford is committed to Northwest Missouri State University to play volleyball in fall 2020. Initially, she was going to NWMSU this summer to take a summer course and train with her team. Ford’s summer course has been moved online, but there is still uncertainty about other summer training.

“As of right now, most of my training and camps are in July, and they are still scheduled,” Ford said.

Photos by Katie Massman | Twitter Editor

“They are not 100% sure if they are still happening.”

Senior Carlie Duus is committed to play soccer at Grinnell College fall 2020. Like Ford, Duus is facing uncertainty not only about the summer but also the fall semester.

As of April 27, there are not any universities that have cancelled inperson classes for the fall semester, but universities have begun preparing for the possibility of virtual learning throughout the fall, according to CNN. “It is still undecided because my school is waiting until May 15 — that is their deadline to decide if they are doing the fall semester so we don’t really know at this point,” Duus said.

Senior Macie Washington is committed to play softball at Xavier University of Louisiana, located in New Orleans.

Washington is facing unique challenges because New Orleans has been considered a hotspot for COVID-19, according to the Wall Street Journal. There will be a stay at home order in New Orleans until May 15. However, Washington

does not have to report for training until early August, since she plays a spring sport. Still, Washington is facing the challenges of staying in shape under quarantine.

“My coach sends me workouts, and I try to workout every day,” Washington said. “Even if I’m working out, it’s still better to play the game.”

Washington would normally be playing club softball throughout the spring and summer. Her club is unsure if this will happen.

“We’re supposed to be able to go back on May 15th, but that all depends on if the city pushes back the quarantine longer,” Washington said.

The stay-at-home order in Kansas City has also affected high school sports. Duus would normally be playing for the STA Varsity soccer team throughout the spring, but the season was cancelled April 9, according to Missouri State High School Athletics Association. Since the season was cancelled, she has been working out from home to prepare for the fall.

“I have started riding my bike,

DESIGNED BY SOPHA RALL

9

Ford prepares to serve a volleyball during her senior season this past fall. Ford has been staying in shape while quarantined by doing at home workouts her college team has sent her. photo by Claudia Benge

College Athletes and I walk my dogs and run,” Duus said. “I also do abs in my bed.”

Senior Mollie Plas was also on the Varsity soccer team. She is committed to play soccer at the University of Missouri-Kansas City in fall 2020. Like Duus, she has adjusted to working out at home.

“I juggle every day,” Plas said.

“I haven’t been running as much as I should, but I run once or twice a week. There’s a soccer field by my house that me and my sister will drive up to, and I do short sprints there.”

Ford would normally be playing club volleyball right now, and would be preparing for Nationals in May. During quarantine, she has utilized many resources to continue training.

“My college actually sent me workouts to do, for summer and spring workouts,” Ford said.

“I’ve just been doing those, but obviously I am restricted. I don’t have any weights or anything at my house.”

Despite the uncertainty, Duus still hopes the fall semester will happen.

“I’m very worried about having to do my first semester online,” Duus said. “I am really excited to go to Grinnell so I really hope it happens.” B

10 FEATURE

MAY 8, 2020

COVID-19 changes college selection process

F

or seniors, springtime means finalizing decisions about where to go to college, but for the class of 2020, this process has coincided with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to CNBC, many universities have already extended their decision deadlines by a month to June 1, and some graduating high school seniors may postpone starting college until 2021. According to college counselor Abigail Jelavich, staying on top of colleges’ different decisions and changes, as well as connecting undecided students to resources, is an important part of her job right now.

“From a day-to-day in terms of college counseling, it’s really been staying on top of all of the announcements colleges have been making,” Jelavich said. “...

Hundreds of colleges have moved their decision deadlines from

Senior Savanna Murphy will be attending Johnson County Community College. Murphy will be majoring in Business and Cosmetology.

that traditional May 1 deadline to June 1, or later. That said, not all colleges have moved that deadline, so kind of staying on top of each college and what their decisions are, staying on top of [what decisions] colleges are making for the next cycle, so this year’s senior class, rising seniors.”

“

I think colleges are being just incredibly flexible right now and doing everything they can to support students.

ABIGAIL JELAVICH, COLLEGE COUNSELOR

“

Story by Cara Barone Page Designer Photos compiled by Tess Jones Social Media Editor Alternative Coverage by Sydney Waldron Snapchat and Facebook editor

On the other hand, many seniors have already made their commitments, such as senior Cecelia Klem who is planning on attending Saint Louis University in the fall.

“I wanted to stay in the Midwest because I didn’t want

Senior Janey Stevenson will be attending Columbia College in Chicago. Stevenson will be majoring in acting with a minor in theater arts.

to go too far from home, and I wanted to be in a big city too because I don’t like small towns or college towns or anything, so that narrowed it down quite a bit because there aren’t a whole lot of big cities in the Midwest,” Klem said. “...Financial aid was also an important part of my decision, because college is expensive.”

Senior Agnesa Vilott had decided she wanted to go to the University of Missouri-Columbia even earlier, in Aug. 2019. While her decision process was not impacted by COVID-19 either, her freshman orientation is taking place online instead of on campus.

“That’s been the main thing that’s been impacted, like collegewise,” Vilott said.

However, many colleges’ decisions on when they will open their campuses back up are up the air currently.

“I think every college is having those discussions right now and making multiple game plans, basically, for next fall and this summer, like what does this summer look like, what does the fall look like, both in terms of visits

Senior Delaney Hupke will be attending Indiana University. Hupke will be majoring in Business.

DESIGNED BY KATIE MASSMAN

but also in terms of their classes for the fall,” Jelavich said.

Klem hopes SLU will have students back on campus in person for her first semester of college. If not, she is considering taking a gap year.

“I am not going to pay thousands of dollars to basically teach myself the first semester of college, you know?” Klem said.

“I’ve talked to my parents, I might move to St. Louis and get a job there or something, I don’t know.”

Klem is not the only senior considering putting off going to college because of COVID-19.

According to Jelavich, this seems to be the trend across the nation.

“It does seem like colleges are getting a lot more requests for gaps and deferrals, but as of right now there’s not a lot of information on how many of those are being approved, if that makes sense, because ultimately the colleges still want to have a freshman class in the fall,” Jelavich said.

But for now, the future remains uncertain.

“It’s all up in the air, which sucks because I want to know what I’m doing but I can’t because of this stupid virus,” Klem said.

Vilott feels incoming freshmen like her would be especially disadvantaged if fall classes were to be online.

“I don’t know anything about the school, and I feel like it’d probably be a lot more difficult to learn some things since I’ve never

Senior Mary Massman will be attending University of Notre Dame. Massman is undecided at this time.

been at the school, whereas an upperclassman would probably be more comfortable,” Vilott said.

In addition, the class of 2021 may see their college process impacted by changes caused by COVID-19, both in terms of visiting and admissions processes.

“There’s a lot of new policies and changes related to, particularly, standardized tests, and more and more colleges are choosing to go test-optional, either indefinitely

or for a one to three year sort of pilot period because of this too,” Jelavich said.

Overall, while the responses of colleges to the pandemic is varying, Jelavich is optimistic.

“I think colleges are being just incredibly flexible right now and doing everything they can to support students,” Jelavich said. “That’s really been the big thing I’ve been impressed with, sort of the pivot that colleges have been able to do in a relatively quick amount of time.” B

11

Covid-19 Affects travel plans, college decisions The spread of Covid-19 has interfered with many students’ ability to travel along with causing them to reconsider their plans for college

54%

Said that COVID-19 affected colldge t ravel plans

27% 73% 45% Said that COIVD-19 did not affect college travle plan

Said COVID-19 did not affect college decisions

Said COVID-19 did affect college decisions

Out of 33 Responses

Senior Lauren Wittek will be attending University of Southern California - Los Angeles. Wittek will be majoring in Pharmacology and Drug Development with a minor in Neuroscience.

Senior Mary Grace Greene will be attending St.Louis University. Greene will be majoring in communications.

12 PERSPECTIVES

Sophomore year I adopted a mindset to say yes to every opportunity which gave me the confidence I was lacking.

Story by Ella Norton Editor-in-Chief When I think about the Ella Norton who entered high school in 2016, she is almost unrecognizable to me. She was shy, scared to speak up and preferred to hide from the world rather than face it. Middle school was a little rough for me, I dealt with some bullying, and I was scared of meeting new people. STA was a completely new environment for me, one where I didn’t know a lot of people coming in, so I felt the need to remain in the shadows.

Flash forward four years later and I am confident, self-assured and definitely not afraid to speak my mind. But how did I get here?

There’s a couple of reasons for the confidence I developed during high school. The first is STA itself. The all-girls environment and the mission of the school encouraged me to be a strong woman that didn’t doubt herself and for that, I am forever grateful.

The second reason is newspaper.

Beyond teaching me the joys of journalism, it also forced me to get comfortable with interviewing people I didn’t know and asking questions that were sometimes uncomfortable. And finally, around sophomore year, I developed this mindset of saying yes to every opportunity.

I had been reflecting on

MAY 8, 2020

Say yes to more opportunities the cost of attending STA and decided I should capitalize on my education as much as I can. This meant being involved in every extracurricular I was interested in, applying for every award I had the opportunity to and going on as many adventures as I could. As this mindset progressed, I realized that the worst thing that could happen with putting myself forward was that I wouldn’t like it, and then I could stop if I wanted. This idea of saying yes to every opportunity changed my life.

This attitude especially comes to mind with newspaper. One cycle, my sophomore year, there was a feature story about Soundcloud rappers that intrigued me. I wanted to write it, but I felt scared because I had never done anything like it before. However, this seemed like a time where life was offering me an opportunity. So I decided to say yes, and I took the story. I was terrified that I would do a poor job and felt completely out of my comfort zone, but I poured my blood, sweat and tears into the story. It turned out better than I could ever imagine and I was, and remain, so proud of the results.

The story unlocked my passion for feature writing, leading me to apply for Editor-in-Chief and Missouri State Journalist of the Year. I knew there was a chance I wouldn’t win, but by saying yes to the opportunity, I gave myself a chance. The worst that could happen is that I could lose, and then I was no worse off. I didn’t win Missouri State Journalist but I did get the position of Editor-in-Chief.

They both were a risk but they

taught me to put myself out there and showcase my strengths.

I also began to apply myself in different areas at school, which led to accomplishments I am proud of. It’s also the reason why I participated in so many extracurriculars and clubs, like FBLA and Windmoor Literary Magazine.

Besides school, saying yes has had a huge impact on my social life. It has led to alpaca conventions, seeing improv shows at Liberty High School, seeing live music in Tonganoxie, Kan. and creating relationships that I will cherish for the rest of my life. I used to be too scared to talk to people but now it has given me the confidence to talk to everyone, even strangers, which has become one of my favorite things about myself. Even now, I’m using this idea to try and find a college roommate.

By changing my mindset to say yes to every opportunity, I realized that I could accomplish everything I could dream of. Every opportunity you take could lead to a thousand more, and you will gain something, no matter what happens. Still, I feel it’s important to mention that sometimes it is necessary to say no, to protect your health and your energy. That is completely valid and necessary, only take on what you can handle.

So for all the people out there, who are like freshman year Ella, desperate to get involved in the world but feeling too scared to, I strongly recommend to take on this mindset of saying yes. It will lead to so many unique memories, and you could discover a passion you weren’t even aware of. B

13

DESIGNED BY RACHEL ROBINSON

Dear Claire, One of the reasons my last year on staff has been so incredible is because of my co-editor and friend Claire.

Story by Anna Ronan Design Editor I remember when it all started—I was so excited to get a co-editor that I scheduled a meeting at a coffee shop before the year even started to talk about design and how excited I was to have you on board. Everything in my brain was moving ten thousand miles an hour, and I’m sure that nothing I said made any sense to you at first.

Since you were named my coeditor for my last year on the Dart, I have never been more grateful and excited to work beside someone. Not only have you been an incredible co-editor, you have been an incredible friend.

I love how we balance each other out — I’d like to consider us the yin and yang of the Dart’s design side. I am the yang; firey and energetic, fastpaced and impulsive. You are more like the yin; more passive and understanding, as well as meticulous and analytical.

It’s a pretty common thing for my brain to go way faster than it needs to. I get so excited about a topic that I simply can’t help but talk fast and spew concepts and directions to other designers left and right. Ever since you’ve been with me, I’ve been able to take a step back, look at the bigger

picture and understand that not everyone moves as fast as I do.

Another great thing about us working together is that we can work hard and have fun at the same time. Even if it’s silly banter between us, like you making fun of me for not utilizing layers to organize my InDesign file or me making fun of you for using said layers, I have always found that we can have a friendly conversation and do our job as editors simultaneously.

I remember our first project together during the very first issue of this year. To kick off our print issues, I designed the first cover and you designed the first centerspread. Instead of working with what we already had, we decided to kick our designs up a notch and take our own photos — the day before we sent the issue off to the printer. It was stressful, but we pulled it off and created an awesome design package (and hey, it won you an award!).

Since our first meeting, our first project and our first issue together, I have been so incredibly lucky to call you a friend. What started as a strictly professional, Dart-oriented relationship quickly turned into us sending each other funny pictures on Instagram, laughing our faces off while watching music videos in the back of the Environmental Science classroom and walking around Westport, buying sweaters even if the weather was getting warmer and warmer.

So, thank you. Thank you for understanding my wacky design ideas and encouraging me to

run with whatever comes to my head. Thank you for helping me to slow down, calm down and help people with their struggles and trials with design whenever they need. Most of all, thank you for becoming one of my closest friends this year. I will miss you so dearly next fall.

With love, Anna P.S. I will never, ever use layers on InDesign. B

14 LAST LOOK

Looking back:

MAY 8, 2020

senior year in photos

The Dart compiled photos from the class of 2020 of their favorite memories from senior year.

Photos compiled by Carmon Baker|Web Editor

A group of seniors take a photo around a bench during a photo shoot with senior Amy Schaffer Sept. 14. According to senior Lauren Wittek, “we were doing a photo shoot just to have good memories from the beginning of senior year,�

Wittek said. photo by Amy Schaffer

A group of seniors take a selfie during the Relay for Life event Mar. 6.

Relay for Life was an overnight fundraiser held in the Goppert Center. photo courtesy of Cari Compton

DESIGNED BY CARMON BAKER

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The seniors on the dance team take a photo during their first performance of the year at a volleyball game. There were seven seniors on the dance team this year. photo courtesy of Sadie Shugart

Seniors Agnesa Violtt, from left, Elaina Jokerst and Julia Flores take a photo in their Kansas City Chiefs jerseys during the Super Bowl victory parade. This year was the first time since 1970 that the Chiefs have won the Super Bowl. photo courtesy of Julia Flores

STA students cheer in the bleachers at the Rockhurst High School vs. STA volleyball game held at Rockhurst Feb. 24. The theme for the student section was denim. photo courtesy of Liv DeSantis

Seniors Lily Hart, from left, Amy Schaffer, Sophia Durone and Ella Norton stand in front of the Washington Monument Nov. 23. Members of the Dart and Teresian staffs travelled to Washington D.C. to attend the National Scholastic Press Association conference. photo courtesy of Ella Norton

DESIGNED BY LILY SAGE

ON THE DNO

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