Volume 79, Issue 6 by DartNewsOnline

DART

THE

ST. TERESA’S ACADEMY|KANSAS CITY, MO VOLUME 79, ISSUE 6

Relay For Life connects cancer to the community STA holds its first Relay For Life March 6. This event aims to raise money for the American Cancer Society and raise awareness for cancer’s impact on families in our community. p. 16

2 LETTER FROM THE EDITORS

MARCH 6, 2020

DEAR READER, Welcome back! Today, STA will be holding its first ever Relay for Life. This is a studentrun, overnight cancer fundraiser open to students, survivors and caregivers in our community. This issue, Lily Hart and Anna Ronan dove into the effects of cancer on the community and how Relay is bringing this issue to light. From starting the conversation, to fundraising and raising awareness — they spoke with affected community members who found unexpected benefits from Relay and will be in attendance tonight. The money from this event goes toward the American Cancer Society, and STA has nearly doubled the initial goal of $15,000! Former English teacher Jennifer Olson hopes that at the very least attendees will be able to empathize and validate each other’s experiences. Diagnosed with stage four metastatic lung cancer in 2015,

she also emphasizes that no two experiences are the same. All of the featured interviewees will be at the event. Read the story on page 16 for a deeper look into the effects Relay has had on local families, and have fun at the event! The Dart chimed in on the Kansas City Chiefs’ controversial history, name and emblem. We believe they should acknowledge and reconcile with their roots in the Mic-o-say tribe, an unofficial boy scout group that appropriates traditions of Native Americans. See page 20 for the full opinion. Never discounting our amazing Super Bowl win (Go Chiefs!), we need to seize this spotlight and use it to shine a light on this persistent trend in American culture. On a lighter note, on page 26, Lauren Brackney walks us through her bakeries of choice, whether

you’re in Waldo, Westport or Prairie Village. Any of these locations would be a great place to eat a cinnamon roll (vegan, if that’s your thing) and read a copy of your friendly neighborhood Dart ;) As always, stay tuned for our online content on social media and DartNewsOnline, and get ready for Spring sports content from Dart Sports.

Love,

TABLE OF CONTENTS

04 06 08 10 11 12 14 16

News Feature: Comparing presidential candidates Star Spotlight: Mia McManamy A&E: Students in bands Review: “The Illness Lesson”

Review: BTS: “Map of the Soul: 7” Feature: Coronavirus scare Feature: Donating blood for a cause Centerspread: Cancer in the STA community Perspective:

28 Interpreting the Constitution Perspective: Therapy is for everyone Perspective: Growing up between cultures Sports Feature: Cultural learning from Irish dancing Community: KC loves bakeries Last Look: Rock climbing Photo Story: A look at Prospero’s Bookstore Cover deisgned by Lily Hart | Editor-in-Chief

What’s New On the DNO

21 22 23 24 26 28 30 31

4 NEWS FEATURE

MARCH 6, 2020

A GUIDE TO THE 2020

With the 2020 presidential election in November, the Dart looked at the presidenital candidates currently running. The Missouri primary is March 10. Story by Iris Roddy|Writer

Photo courtesy of wikimedia

Photo courtesty of Gage Skidmore through wikimedia

Donald Trump (R):

Bernie Sanders (D):

President Donald Trump is currently running for reelection in the 2020 race with goals similar to his 2016 campaign. As president, Trump has increased military spending, cut back on federal healthcare protections and withdrawn the U.S. from the Paris Agreement. In 2017, Trump rescinded Obamacare’s Individual Mandate and worked on reforming the Medicare program. His campaign’s signature issue in 2016 was illegal immigration, and as president he commissioned the border wall. He also cancelled the Clean Power Plan and, according to his campaign, increased coal exports by more than 60% during his first year in office. Another major part of Trump’s campaign focus is cutting taxes, and he passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in 2016. According to his campaign, a vote for Trump is a vote to “keep America great.” According to CNBC, in early February Trump’s job approval rating among U.S. voters was at 49%, the highest level of his presidency, as of yet. The same poll found that among Trump’s target audience of GOP voters he has an estimated 94% current approval rate.

As mayor of Burlington starting in 1981 and as a representative from Vermont, Bernie Sanders focused much of his efforts into affordable housing, protecting the environment and furthering women’s rights. Now a senator from Vermont, Sanders identifies as an independent but is running for the Democratic nomination. He is a supporter of creating Medicare for All, a national health insurance program to give all Americans access to free, comprehensive health care, and he also believes in debt-free public colleges. Sanders campaigns in favor of the Green New Deal, expanding social security, combating the climate crisis and creating a 100% renewable energy system. According to NPR, Sanders currently possesses 60 delegates out of the 1,991 needed to win the Democratic Nomination and also won New Hampshire’s presidential primary.

PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

Photo courtesty of Elizabeth Warren Press kit

Photo courtesty of Gage Skidmore through wikimedia

Elizabeth Warren (D):

Joe Biden (D):

Elizabeth Warren was a law professor for over 30 years before becoming a senator for her home state of Massachusetts. Similar to Sanders, Warren’s administration strongly advocates for the environment by campaigning for the Green and Blue New Deals and advocating for 100% clean energy sources for America. Warren plans on fighting for equal justice under the law by providing safe and affordable housing, giving debt relief to Puerto Rico, instituting a welcoming immigration system and taking congressional action to secure choice in women’s reproductive health. She campaigns primarily to the middle class by promising to hold Wall Street accountable and end the stranglehold of healthcare costs on families by advocating for Medicare for All. According to NPR, Warren currently possesses eight delegates.

Joe Biden is a former senator and vice president to Barack Obama. Like many other Democratic candidates, Biden campaigns for rebuilding the middle class, reforming the criminal justice system and tackling the climate crisis to better protect our communities. His campaign site also prominently features universal health care, calling it a “right for all — not a privilege for the few.” Biden plans to build on the Affordable Care Act instead of getting rid of private insurance. His campaign also refers to him as a “climate change pioneer” due to his plans for environmental justice and a clean energy revolution. According to an article from CNN, Biden appeals to more moderate Democratic voters. According to NPR, Biden currently possesses 54 out of the 1,991 delegates needed to win the Democratic Primary.B

6 STAR SPOTLIGHT

MARCH 6, 2020

IA CMANAMY

Junior Mia McManamy sings with a group of high school students at Interlochen Center for the Arts this past summer. McManamy looks forward to being surrounded by many talented people next year. photo courtesy of Mia Mcmanamy

Junior Mia Mcmanamy will be transferring to Interlochen Arts Academy in Traverse City, MI for her senior year to enhance her acting and singing education. Story by Katie Massman Twitter editor

hat exactly are you doing next year? I will be attending Interlochen Arts Academy High School in Traverse City, MI for my senior year of high school. Why did you make this decision? I went to camp there summer before my 8th grade year, so I always knew that the school was something I wanted to consider, but I never fully took it into consideration until the summer of 2019 which is when I last went. I then decided to apply early to see if I could get a merit scholarship. When I did get in and received a scholarship, it made it possible. So how many times have you been on campus? I’ve been there for a total of three months because I’ve been for two six week sessions in 2016 and 2019. How did you apply? It is exactly like the college application process. I had to fill out all my personal information, and my parents had to do the tax form. I also had to send in an audition video, just like you would for a pre-screen for a college musical theater audition. When did you apply/find out you got in? I found out I got in in midDecember, and I made my decision in early January.

How long have you been thinking about transferring there? Like I said it was always kind of something that I had considered, but it kind of really hit home after I had such an amazing experience there this summer. I learned a lot and got to know more of the faculty which inspired me to apply and see if the possibility became a reality. It all still seems pretty surreal because it’s like a dream that I’ve always had that’s actually coming true. Telling people has also been a little bit weird because it doesn’t seem like I’m actually leaving. What are you most excited about? I’m most excited about the growth I’ll have there, because I know that the faculty is going to be pushing very hard. Since it’s for theater, I’m still going to have all of my academic classes but an added Arts major on top of it. I’m on the musical theater track so I’ll have acting, dance and singing every week which is just so much fun. I’m also excited to be surrounded by all different Arts majors because I have been there for summer camp and it’s quite similar — there’s just so many talented people that go there. And yes, it is scary at first but then you see them and you’re like “I want to be better, I want to be as good as them if not better.” It really, really, really pushes you. And it’s just such an inspiring environment — it’s in northern Michigan surrounded by the woods with like music playing —it’s like a movie. What are you apprehensive about? I’m pretty apprehensive about getting home sick because I am really close with my family and friends. I obviously want to stay in touch, but if I hold onto Kansas City too much I won’t get all that I can out of it. Obviously the last thing I wanted to do is leave my

family and friends, but I know it’s the right decision in my heart, I just had a lot of signs. I think it’s going to be very difficult at times, but it’s also going to be amazing so it’s just finding that balance. And I expect to have a hard time transitioning because my friends that go there have told me it’s really difficult, but it’s the most rewarding kind of difficult. Does this have anything to do with your college/post college plans? Absolutely, a huge factor in my decision was how it’s going to help me for the college audition process and the major that I’m in helps take us to those auditions in Chicago called Unified. The faculty there really trains you to be the best you can be for college auditions, and it helps with later scholarships in the future just because you have that extra training and better quality that they give you there. What are some major differences between STA and Interlochen? I mean, it is pretty much college — I’ll live in a dorm, eat in the dining hall, walk to my classes and we can go off campus. I think I’ve really gained that independent factor from STA, I remember my freshman year was you have to advocate for yourself. I’ve always been an independent person but high school has helped me become more independent. And I will still take math, English and have normal school from 8 to 2, but I also have that extra layer which is amazing, it’s a great bonus. And it’s all arts kids and boys. Also, I won’t have a uniform, but I’m probably going to wear leggings and a t-shirt or sweatpants, but the snow is going to be like 5 inches. There’s always snow, but it’s definitely very beautiful. B

8 BITS & PIECES

IN THE NEWS national local

According to KCTV5 News, the Missouri Democratic Party will host a presidential candidate forum two days before the Missouri primary March 10. There will be 78 delegates representing Missouri at the Democratic National Convention in July.

global

Compiled by Mary Massman | News Editor

A cove off Canada’s east coast is the proposed site for a sanctuary where captive orca and beluga whales can retire. The Whale Sanctuary Project selected part of Nova Scotia’s coast as a spot for a seaside sanctuary, over other regions in Canada and the U.S. It hopes to welcome its first cetaceans by the end of 2021.

Who is your favorite Disney princess?

MULAN

39%

Basketball player Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna were remembered at a public tribute Feb. 24. The proceeds from ticket sales were donated to the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation, an organization that “exists to further Kobe and Gianna Bryant’s legacy through charitable endeavors in sports,” according to its website.

ARIEL

24%

15%

OTHER 12%

JASMINE 9%

out of 33 votes

Compiled by Anna Ronan | Design Editor

PHOTO OF THE ISSUE:

Each month, the Dart chooses a staffer’s photo to be featured. photo by Amy Schaffer | Photo Editor Senior Kylie Schuster, third from left, plays guitar at a “Yellow House” band rehearsal Feb. 12. Bandmates Elizabeth Finnerty, Kenzie Pietzsch and Alex Ripplinger play the drums, bass guitar and lead guitar, respectively. photo by Amy Schaffer

BELLE

A&E

Bands channel students’ creativity STA student bands explore their own music styles and provide an informal outlet for creative performance. Story by Cara Barone | Writer

or senior Kylie Schuster, knowing she’s made music with her fellow bandmates that they can be proud of is a source of joy. “I think it’s a lot of bands’ dreams to succeed and make it big, but I think if I always have something to go back to and just people to make music with, I’d be happy,” Schuster said. Schuster’s band, Yellow House, primarily plays music in the alternative/indie genre. Schuster sings and plays rhythm guitar alongside her bandmates who play drums, bass and lead guitar. “Writing songs, I tend to write lyrics first, and then I’ll add a guitar part to it if I can, and then Kenzie and Elizabeth will figure out parts for themselves, and then Alex usually does an overlay of the guitar, riffs or harmonizes with his guitar,” Schuster said. “And so I think just the way it comes together, it ends up being kind of a weird amalgamation of things, as opposed to like a set style.” Yellow House meets to practice about once a week, on Wednesdays at Schuster’s house. The group has performed numerous times, including at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

“Yellow House” members rehearse for an upcoming gig Feb. 12. Senior Kylie Schuster, second from right, has been performing and writing music throughout high school. photo by Amy Schaffer

But to Lee’s Summit West High School senior Elizabeth Finnerty, Yellow House’s drummer, the best part of being in the band isn’t the performances they do. “Every single practice, or every time we’re doing something with the band, I’m getting to do it with my best friends, because Kylie, Kenzie and Alex are all pretty much my best friends,” Finnerty said. “And it’s just, I don’t know, really enjoyable for me to be able to do something that I enjoy doing so much with people that I enjoy being with, so that’s probably my favorite part, is the people I get to do it with.” In junior Kelsey Raymer’s band Copyright, on the other hand, semi-monthly practices involve a video call to include all the members, since one is away at college. Raymer and the two other bandmates that make up Copyright play the guitar, drums, bass and sing. “We play what I would consider ‘garage rock,’” Raymer said. “It’s kind of like Cage the Elephant, except recorded on bad recording material so it’s kind of distorted.” While Raymer says the group is

laid-back and just for fun, she has goals for what she wants the band to achieve. “Hopefully at some point [we’ll] play something live, get at least five songs written out and recorded so that we have the sheet music for them and the lyrics for them and actually a recording of what it sounds like when we’ve played it through, and [we’ll] make a song that is at least three minutes long,” Raymer said. Schuster also enjoys the relaxed nature of being in her band and is not concerned about defining the future of the group. “Maybe, you know, we can try to make things work in college, but I think mostly that we just get to put out something that we’re proud of,” Schuster said. To her, the most important thing is producing music that they can take pride in. “We’re working on writing more music now, we’re trying to find a place to record,” Schuster said. “And I think if we could just get music out there that we’re happy with, and we’re proud of, then I would be content with that.” B

10 REVIEWS Photo courtesy of CLAIRBEAMS.COM

MARCH 6, 2020

: On believing women Clare Beams paints a picture of historical bias against women with a modern voice that makes it relevant today. Story by Rachel Robinson | Opinion Editor

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ince starting high school, I rarely have time to read for fun. When I do, I pick books that draw me in right away. If I’m bored within the first few paragraphs, I don’t take the time to read 300 pages. With “The Illness Lesson” by Clare Beams, it only took two sentences for me to be hooked: “The first of the birds Caroline mistook for her own mind’s work. When the streak of red crossed the kitchen windowpane, fast, disastrous-bright, she thought it was some bloody piece come loose inside herself.” That surreal, colorful writing style knocked me off my feet and continued to for the book’s entirety. The story takes place in 1871 and centers on Caroline, the daughter of a famous short story writer named Samuel. In the beginning, a flock of bright red birds arrives on their land that had also been there 25 years earlier, around the time Caroline’s mother died of a seizure. Shortly after, the two of them along with Samuel’s friend, David, decide to open a school for girls. Many of their students are attracted by the elusive red birds, but they soon begin to fall ill in

unexplainable ways. Caroline is worried they will face a similar fate to her mother, but Samuel brushes their ailments off as purely in their heads. The brilliance of Beams’ writing is that she sets the scene for the reader to trust Samuel and David and not believe the girls. Their school is progressive; they teach the students subjects like biology and literature which was unheard of at the time. Caroline describes Samuel as a genius and David as straightforward, so you assume they know what they’re talking about. Furthermore, the first of the girls to get sick is Eliza, who Caroline finds manipulative and ill-intentioned because of her popularity with the girls and her father’s hatred for Samuel. Eliza comes off as snobby and controlling, and I did not like her as a character. For this reason, I first thought she was faking her symptoms for attention but looking back, having finished it, I had no reason to. I just thought she was annoying, and I trusted the men in the story more than I trusted her own judgement about her health. I think that Beams meant for her readers to have this transition from

misjudgement to realization of their bias. It’s easy to read a book about male doctors gaslighting women 200 years ago and think, “wow, these people are horrible,” but it’s a different thing entirely to see their ideology reflected in yourself. For me, it took the message of the book from one about how badly women were treated in the 1800s to one about little this treatment has changed. I loved “The Illness Lesson” because of how uncomfortable it made me with how I think and how we as a society still think about women’s health. According to a study conducted by Harvard University, women are still half as likely to be prescribed medication for pain as men. Beams does a great job of unearthing the origins of this kind of bias while using a modern writing style and a gripping story to accomplish it. For this reason, I give “The Illness Lesson” 5/5 stars. B

BTS is one of the most well-known K-pop Bands and their seventh album just released. The album was followed with many mixed emotions and opinions. Story by Lily Sage | Writer

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just want to preface this review by saying that I am not a big K-pop fan. I have never really liked a single one of BTS’ songs other than their track “Boy With Luv” featuring Halsey. I specifically remember around 2016, BTS became this huge hit, and it was like every single 12 year old girl was obsessed. With their first album coming out in 2014 to their seventh and most recent album, “MAP OF THE SOUL: 7,” which came out Feb. 21, 2020, the group of seven have made an incredible impact on the world of music, with their many collaborations to gaining fans all across the world, despite the language barrier. With the language barrier, it was harder to dissect what all the lyrics meant. I do not typically listen to foreign music, and it affected my view on whether or not I liked the songs. I say this because I like to relate to the lyrics, and they are one of the main reasons why I will download or put a song on my current playlist. So instead of listening to the lyrics and relating to them, I placed all my trust and opinions in the beat and sound of the songs. The newest album opens with a very different, heavily rap-type of song, “Intro: Persona.” It held a type of beat that I could have sworn to be a Fleetwood Mac

song in the first 15 seconds, then became a song I could hear placed over a car chase in an action movie. However, I’m not the biggest fan of rap which might have caused my indifference to this song. From rap, the album takes a more pop-sound with “Boy With Luv” featuring Halsey. I personally enjoy this song and the type of emotion it displays. The beat makes me think of summer and staying out late with friends. It holds a very special place in my heart because it was one of the first songs I played in my new car when I first drove by myself. A few songs down, the mysterious beat of “Make It Right” kept me intrigued the entire song. It opens strong with a hornsounding beat, that continues right when the beat drops. This song was a very traditional pop love song while the band sings “I could make it better, I could hold you tighter” showcasing the band’s softer sides. Right after “Make It Right”, the band produces a very electric sound with “Dionysus.” Originally I thought it was going to be a more alternative-indie sound because of the chord composition, but how wrong was I. While I sat through the next 4 minutes, I desperately wanted to skip through this song and listen to the next. Too much autotune filled my ears, and I

couldn’t stand it any longer. Farther down the list is “Filter,” which from the very beginning with the acoustic notes filling my AirPods, I knew I would love. What can I say, I’m a sucker for acoustic guitars. It keeps a very chill beat but just makes me want to dance around my room with this song on blast and not care who’s looking. Like “Intro: Persona,” the drum heavy track “ON” was not one of my favorites. While the members tried to match the drum line with their rapping skills, the song slightly sounded like a mod podge of different sounds that just didn’t flow together the way the band would have liked it to. However, I can see how BTS fans could like this type of song because it is a very typical sound for the band. It is also the second song on their top songs list, right below their collaboration on “Old Town Road.” Overall I give “MAP OF THE SOUL: 7” a 3 out of 5 stars. The care-free and upbeat sounds of many of the songs were something that I look for. However, there were some songs, like “Dionysus,” that I could not barely stand. I recommend that you all listen to this album, and give it a chance. Even if you aren’t a fan of BTS, I believe there is at least one song on this album for you. B

Photo courtesy of Tribune News Service

BTS takes typical sound, adds a twist

12 FEATURE

MARCH 6, 2020

P H O B I A

Story by Faith Andrews-O’Neal Opinion Editor

ixteen year old Angie Yang’s life in Shinzhen, China was not so different than that of an STA student. She woke up, went to class, went to the gym and did homework during the week. On weekends, she laughed, detailing late nights out with her friends. For Yang, this is no longer her life. Her school was supposed to begin again following the Chinese New Year Feb. 3. Instead, the Coronavirus outbreak occurred, and her school is now completely online. According to the New York Times, the Coronavirus is named for the crown-like structures that take place atop the microscopic

parasites that create viruses. It can affect animals and people, and can exhibit itself in a range of respiratory illnesses, from the common cold to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, also known as SARS. The virus originated in Wuhan, China and has spread to around two dozen countries. Those late nights are no longer part of Yang’s life, following the outbreak of the Coronavirus. “I go to an international school, so all of my friends are from America, or India, or Brazil; just like an international collection of students” Yang said. “They’ve all returned to their hometown.” With her friends leaving the country and online classes, Yang has not left her home for more than a meal or a short jog in more than three weeks. “I don’t have any reason to go outside, so it’s all at home by myself,” Yang said. Prior to her school postponing their return from break, Yang had heard about the Coronavirus through a fellow student whose mother had contracted the illness while teaching in Wuhan. The school began to host a series of

fundraising activities to help cover the mother’s medical fees. “We did a volleyball marathon, where the tickets were 100 RMB,” Yang said. “We got students to come and pay and all of the profits go towards her mom.” 100 RMB is approximately 14 American dollars. Prior to the personal contact, Yang and her peers were most concerned about the magnitude of the virus. “Like everyone else, we all crossed our hearts and hoped it wasn’t as big as a SARS outbreak,” Yang said. “We just thought it was a rare occurrence, until there were

“

I hope students understand that we need to fight the virus, not [the] Chinese. No one wants to be sick. Any of us can be a victim of COVID-19. Chiun-Pei Lin

“

With COVID-19, typically referred to as the Coronavirus, spreading from the Wuhan province in China to the United States, there is a rise in fear and misinformation, directed toward the East Asian community specifically.

Taiwanese citizens use protection masks on public transport to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus Feb. 4. Around 1,886 new cases of the virus and 98 deaths were recorded on Feb. 11. photo courtesy of News Tribune Service

more records of more cases being reported, and it started spreading out of the epicenter.” Senior Annie Riffel and her family feared infection when their father returned from a business trip to China. While on the two week trip, Riffel’s father met a colleague from Wuhan. Upon returning to the United States, he went to the doctor’s office to get tested for the virus. Soon after returning, the Riffel family found themselves semiquarantined within their home. “It was really scary at first because the doctor told us that no one could leave the house until we got the test results back,” Riffel said. “We didn’t really know what to expect, because if my dad had it there was a high chance we could’ve had it as well.” Because the disease originated in China, the discourse surrounding the virus has taken an arguably xenophobic tone according to Forbes. This xenophobia, meaning a dislike or animosity towards foreigners, was exhibited in west London, when an East Asian man named Pawat Silawattakun was mugged and beaten, while his attackers yelled “coronavirus” and filmed him. Senior Trang Nguyen also heard about the virus through the news, but like Yang, believed it to be a minor virus.

“Initially, I thought it would be a smaller outbreak,” Nguyen said. “But now it is becoming a big deal.” While not all of the discourse surrounding this disease is quite so violent as what Silawattakun experienced, it is still one centered around Asian people and their immigration or visitation to the country. Nguyen is Vietnamese, and while she has not dealt with any certain outbursts, she recalls her friend Aaron Le’s experience while shopping. “He was in a market, and he literally coughed,” Nguyen said. “A bunch of people walked away like, really quickly.” Nguyen’s life in America has not included blatant racism and xenophobia, but the spread of the Coronavirus reminds her of an unfortunate aspect of her East Asian heritage: being treated as one homogenous culture. “There is a specific difference, and it is a big difference,” Nguyen said. “People generalize and say things like ‘Hey, do you speak Asian?’ and I’m like...no.” Nguyen met a woman who was advocating for immigrant rights and was subjected to such treatment while discussing the right to come into the country. “She was talking about how it was important that everyone has the right to come to America and get the opportunities,” she said. “She looked at me and said ‘for Chinese

T h e c o st o f quarantine

As international governments attempt to contain the coronavirus, both Chinese and American economies suffer from a lack of migrant labor, exports, business travel and tourism. Alternative Coverage by Amy Schaffer Photo Editor Information from National Geographic

people too.’” This generalization leads to the misbelief that all Asian people are carriers of the Coronavirus. “There is a misconception, because it started in China,” Nguyen said. “People think that all Asian people have the disease.” Mandarin Chinese teacher Chiun-Pei Lin has been in the United States for 15 years, and first heard about the Coronavirus from an online Taiwanese news channel. She worries that the rise of the Coronavirus is bringing back the xenophobic mentalities that have led to harsh legislation in the past. “Covid 19 brings Chinese Exclusion back,” Lin said, referencing the Chinese Exclusion Act passed in the 19th century that banned Chinese immigrants from entering the country. “You can see it in the news, social media, and among people.” Lin has held discussions with her own students about the racism and xenophobia stemming from the Coronavirus, and sought to ensure her students understood the facts of the virus. She hopes that this can lead to viewing the virus through a non-xenophobic lens. “I hope students understand that we need to fight the virus, not {the} Chinese,” Lin said. “No one wants to be sick. Any of us can be a victim of COVID-19.” B

CHINA

$141 billion

U.S.

$93 billion

(0.005% of GDP)

(1% of GDP)

14 FEATURE

MARCH 6, 2020

s u p p ly i From recipients to donors, the STA community is directly affected by blood drives around Kansas City. Students will have an opportunity to donate for themselves March 30. Story by Sophia Durone | Features Editor

day in hospitals. More people should give back.” Senior Sophie Sweeny agrees with Majors after having a medical emergency in her childhood. “When I was about 13 years old, I was on a family vacation sleeping in a bunk bed,” Sweeny said. “During the night, I fell out of the bed and degloved my jaw, which

“Think about the dear neighbor that they are helping in a different way. Just consider those people that really are in need. mary fisher

“

hen-sophomore Emily Majors bent to reach the greencushioned chair as the blood drive attendant tightly wrapped her arm with an elastic band. Attempting to steady her breath, Majors reflected on her primary reason for pursuing blood donation. “Right when my mom gave birth to me, I wasn’t breathing and I had the wrong blood,” Majors said. “The doctors gave me a blood transfusion and if they didn’t do it in a certain amount of time, I would not be here today.” Although millions of Americans need blood transfusions each year, less than 10% of the eligible U.S. population donates blood annually according to GivingBlood.org. Now a junior, Majors believes donating blood is vital to saving the lives of individuals similar to herself. “A lot of people are put in situations where they do need blood,” Majors said. “Millions of people are put through that every

Graphics by Lauren Brackney | Page Designer

basically means all of the muscle ripped off the bone.” Sweeny underwent surgery after her accident and believes her blood supply was supplemented during the procedure. “I think if I hadn’t received blood, that definitely would have made it a lot worse,” Sweeny said. “I probably would have been in bad shape and dizzy — the process of getting better would have been longer.” Sweeny recognizes the importance of having large blood supplies in hospitals, as someone in the U.S. needs blood every two seconds according to LifeStream Blood Bank.

“In surgeries, I know having blood is super important,” Sweeny said. “If something goes wrong in a surgery and the patient starts losing a lot of blood, then they’re going to have to have more blood put into their system to survive.” While math teacher Mary Fisher has not personally needed to receive blood from the hospital, she frequently donates blood at her local center in Gladstone, MO. She had a poor experience with blood donation when she was in high school but revisited the act when she became a teacher. “A former graduate that I keep in touch with through Facebook really has serious health problems, and she has to have constant blood transfusions so I am thinking, ‘okay, I can do this for her,’” Fisher said. Fisher additionally has familial ties to transfusions, motivating her to donate frequently. “Last year, it became even more personal when my sister was diagnosed with cancer and my niece’s husband was also,” Fisher said. “They both needed blood transfusions. It was my way of helping them.” To further aid her family members and former student, Fisher has given double red blood cells, platelets and whole blood over the course of her 10 total donations. Fisher chooses to consider those she is helping rather than her own discomfort while giving blood. “After seeing what my sister and

ng life my nephew went through, I think, ‘this is the least I can do to help others in their same situation,’” Fisher said. “I pray for them, but this is something I can give of myself.” Fisher encourages eligible STA students to also donate blood in the upcoming drive, March 30. “Think about the dear neighbor that they are helping in a different kind of way,” Fisher said. “Just consider those people that really are in need.”

Blood in

Demand The American National Red Cross releases statistics of blood donation every year. Those statistics often reveal the importance of blood donation.

Alternative coverage by Claudia Benge | Sports Editor Information compiled from the National Red cross

16 CENTERSPREAD

MARCH 6, 2020

Relay for Life connects cancer to the community

STA holds its first Relay For Life March 6. This event aims to fundraise for the American Cancer Society and raise awareness for cancerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s impact on families in our community. Story by Lily Hart | Editor-in-Chief and Anna Ronan | Design Editor Photos by Becca Speier and Amy Schaffer| Photo Editors

Students cheer at the Relay For Life pep rally Sept. 26. The all-school assembly introduced the fundraiser for the first time in STA history.

ormer English teacher and mother of three Jennifer Olson was diagnosed with stage four metastatic lung cancer April 27, 2015, beginning a new phase of her and her family’s life. This meant she could no longer substitute teach at Visitation School due to her compromised immune system, participate in the carpool to the school play because she cannot drive on pain medication or plan a dinner two weeks in advance because she could not know how she would feel. The Olsons had to settle into a new routine, working around rounds of chemotherapy treatment to hold the cancer’s growth at bay. “‘Every three weeks mom has chemo and the next day she doesn’t feel so great, and the day after that she’ll go to bed, and we will kiss her goodbye from bed instead of her making sure we’ve got our lunches,’” Olson said, echoing her children’s daily routine during her rounds of chemotherapy treatment. Freshman Rose Olson put her mother’s diagnosis simply. “It’s a part of our life now,” Rose said. “It’s changed our life.” Olson remembers getting out of the hospital after a round of chemotherapy just in time for her youngest son’s first communion. “[My children] were so young that even though we were honest in appropriate terms that they could understand, you can’t really wrap your head around that when you are so small,” Olson said. “I wonder if [my son] even remembers what I was like before cancer, before treatments.” To aid in the fight against the disease, many people around the country take to donating to the American Cancer Society, a nationwide organization dedicated to eradicating cancer. Senior Brooke Fallis took raising funds and awareness one step further by bringing an ACS-inspired event called Relay For Life to STA to take place March 6. Relay For Life is a fundraising cancer walk, with proceeds that go towards the ACS’ goal of “[freeing] the world from cancer.” In teams, participants will have one member walking the track at all times, demonstrating how cancer never

sleeps and how cancer patients don’t stop fighting just because they are tired. According to Fallis, nearly 400 students will be in attendance for the 12-hour event. “I am blown away by the support from St. Teresa’s,” Fallis said. “So many amazing people were so willing to join the Relay For Life committee, and they are being incredibly helpful wherever and whenever we need help.” Since her diagnosis, Olson says their family has made a point to raise awareness about the scope of cancer’s effects on families. Most recently, she and her oldest children participated in the STA student-produced Relay For Life video called “Let’s Relay, STA” which premiered at the first informational assembly Sept. 26. “We wanted to be involved with [Relay] for the public awareness piece, not as much for the fundraising aspect,” Olson said. “I like the idea of this kind of event bringing awareness to how I bet every single person at that event knows someone and has been affected by cancer.” Rose expanded on her mom’s sentiment. “Also a part of that is we wanted the awareness, but we thought that that would also make it more likely for people to fundraise when they’re more aware of what’s happening and they understand more of what other people could be going through,” Rose said. “Then they’re more likely to do Relay for Life, because it’s a fun way to fundraise.” Already, Relay is beginning new conversations. Olson found that just by participating in the video, her family revisited her original diagnosis. “Because we live with it every day, we don’t talk about it every day, so it was a good conversation starter for us as a family in terms of… getting in touch with how [my kids] were feeling during diagnosis,” Olson said. “Because they reminisced about when I was diagnosed and what that felt like, and we really hadn’t talked about that for a long time.”

Ivan Winfield, a father in the STA community, believes Relay For Life is giving hope to those who have limited knowledge of, or little experience with cancer. “[Students are] going to see a lot of people there that have recovered and have tackled cancer,” Winfield said. “It’s great to see now that more people are surviving and taking part in these things.” Two months into her first year at STA, Madi Winfield, Winfield’s oldest daughter, was diagnosed with stage 4-A Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Four years later, he himself was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma in his spine. Being both a patient and a family member of a patient was important for Madi’s understanding of the illness. “Cancer is something where no two experiences will be the same and it’s hard to relate between them,” Madi said. “Coming at it as a previous cancer patient and seeing it from both sides has been an eye-opening experience.” Madi encountered widespread and steady support from STA during her treatment. “Very few people were asking me questions beyond just ‘how are you feeling, what’s going on, give me information,’ and that was really wonderful because I was so overwhelmed that I couldn’t have answered those anyways,” Madi said. “It was just support, and that was so great.” Even with the support from school, Madi found that talking about her illness wasn’t the first

Junior Georgia Winfield and father Ivan Winfield talk about changes MARCH 6, 2020 in their family dynamic when her sister was diagnosed while enrolled at STA Feb. 20. Her Sister’s diagnosis came four years before Ivan’s diagnosis.

School mascot “Twinks” shakes pompoms to raise the crowd’s energy at the pep rally Sept. 26. Toilet paper littered the floor after a relay race involving “mummy wrapping” students. thing she wanted to bring up in conversation. “Talking about other things is Relay for life has made absolutely key,” Madi said. “Not many contributions for trying to pretend that the cancer fighting cancer around the doesn’t exist, not trying to sweep globe. it under the rug, it’s letting the Alternative coverage compiled cancer patient live a normal life.” Winfield believes that education by Iris Roddy | Writer is an important part of the cancer Relay for Life has over 2.5 million discussion, and that’s one of the participants across 27 countries. reasons he appreciates the Relay For Life campaign. “The more people that know about their own cancers and the In 2017, Relay for Life helped provide over 450 thousand nights of free lodging for patients at other people’s cancers that can reach out and help one another,” Hope Lodge communities. Winfield said, “I think those are the kinds of things that are going to help people get through it In 2018 the American Cancer Society and continue on the legacy of gave out nearly 480 thousand free better treatment and better lives rides to cancer patients. afterwards.” Winfield’s younger daughter, junior Georgia Winfield, organized STA’s Pantene Beautiful Lengths In 2018, 24% or $172 million of the American ceremony in 2017 but found that Cancer Society’s public financial support came from Relay For Life. it didn’t give her much of an opportunity to teach people about cancer. For her, Relay For Life is a Information compiled from Relay For second chance. Life and the American Cancer Society. “There’s a lot more education of

Fighting against cancer

Freshman Rose Olson talks about her involvement in the upcoming Relay For Life event at STA Feb. 19. She explains her excitement for students to fully understand the struggle with cancer after involving themselves at the event.

Senior Maggie Rowland, left, protests as junior Mary Kate Gallagher attempts to put paint on her face Sept. 26. Both students arrived at school early on the day of the pep rally to decorate the quad in chalk. because they don’t know what it’s like,” Rowland said. Rowland and her mom took part in the video for the initial assembly as well, and Rowland is on the Hospitality Committee, which organizes the food for the event.

“

I have had teachers come up and ask about my mom. I can see people feel more comfortable talking about it.

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what cancer is and what people are going through,” Georgia said. “I think that’s something that’s really important that I missed the mark on with the hair donation event that we really need to push in Relay.” Georgia, who witnessed two members of her family go through treatment, encourages support within the family to truly understand both the perspective of the individual with cancer and the family members surrounding them. “Everyone that I’ve met that’s dealt with it directly, whether it’s being in the same house or having it, there is such a different reaction and there’s no one way to treat that person [with cancer],” Georgia said. “It’s an instance where you really need to listen to whoever you’re talking to and get to know them to help them.” In terms of support, senior Maggie Rowland found it hard to ask for help from people in her community. Rowland’s mom, Kelly, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017. “I didn’t know how to ask for support, especially from people that hadn’t been through it before,

maggie rowland

“I think once we did the video and my mom was here at the assembly, I think that was when I wanted to be more involved in [Relay For Life],” Rowland said. Before taking part in the video, Rowland tried to not talk about her mom’s sickness at school. She found the conversation

surrounding cancer opening up after Relay For Life was announced. “I have had teachers come up and ask about my mom,” Rowland said. “I can see people feel more comfortable talking about it.” As a survivor, Madi found that talking about cancer can be tricky and that understanding a cancer patient’s needs when they are going through treatment is key. “Everyone’s experience is so different, physically, emotionally, spiritually;” Madi said, “giving them space until they tell you anything they need is my biggest tip to people around people with cancer.” Olson, Kelly, Winfield and Madi will all be attending the event in support of Fallis and the other Relay for Life committee members, and to continue to fight against cancer. “I love that the students at the event, whether it’s through the luminaries… or through conversations, or both, would be able to share with each other what their experiences are with cancer,” Olson said. “And that in those conversations, you each would validate each others’ experience.”B

MAIN EDITORIAL

20 The Kc Chiefs should reconcile with the history associated with their name

t is 1963. Clark Hunt is looking to relocate his football team, then known as the Houston Texans, realizing there could not be an AFL and NFL team in Texas at once. After much persuading from mayor Harold Bartle, Hunt moved his team to Kansas City, and renamed them the Chiefs, in part due to Bartle’s nickname of “Chief.” Bartle was a troop leader for the Mic-o-say tribe, a group of unofficial boy scouts whose traditions often mimick that of actual Native Americans. It is Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020. Once more, the Kansas City Chiefs pull through with a secondhalf victory, to the awe of the record-setting roar of their fans, who chant and swing their arms to the traditional tune of the “Tomahawk Chop.” The Dart believes that such a chant, and the history behind the Chiefs, must be reconciled with in order to move forward. As our city gathers around our Super Bowl winners in support and pride, we must also grapple with the fact that the name is rooted in oppression and appropriation. Since this nation’s founding, Native people’s land has been stolen, their communities

ravaged and their people displaced and forced out of their ancestral homes. Nothing about the Chiefs honors their heritage. Instead, it reinforces a lack of regard this country holds for native culture. Riding in on a horse called Warpaint, showing up to games in face paint and native headdresses, do not honor the tribes America has robbed and mistreated. Furthermore, even the name of the Chiefs reinforces that idea. Our sports team is named after a white man who led a group of white boys in imitating native rituals, dances and tribal traditions. Nothing about that lends to the narrative of respect or honor. In order to heal and work toward change, we must fix the narrative surrounding our team. There has been progress, such as getting rid of the native figurehead that used to be our logo, and no longer having a man in a headdress and face paint ride Warpaint into the arena at the beginning of the game. However, there is still work to do. The ideal change would be to change the name and insignia to something that does

not reference Native culture whatsoever. However, if that is not an option, the team needs to do more to condemn the appropriation on part of its fanbase. The Chiefs could begin each game with a land acknowledgment, which is a practice in which you recognize the fact that you are standing on stolen land, and seek to remember the tribe whose land was stolen. Furthermore, there are many native people’s associations all over the country, including Kansas City’s own Bureau of Indian Affairs. Should Native people feel comfortable doing so, the Chiefs organization could find ways to partner with native organizations and share some of their funds as well as offer resources. The Chiefs are under a spotlight now, having won the Super Bowl for the first time in fifty years. This is not the time to be apolitical or push the issues to the backburner. Instead, this is an opportunity for the city to set an example for other teams in how we acknowledge and help heal our own Native communities. B 22/23 staffers agree, 1 staffer absent

RIGHT ON TARGET Nora Lee, Junior “I don’t have a good idea of how they should do it but I do think they should at least try to get the opinions of people who are of Native American descent because I think it’s up to them in the ways that they want to address that controversy.”

Lauren Hawley, Senior “I don’t think they need to change everything as long as there’s other sports team that have been worse. They can’t change it now that we are famous because if they change it now then it’s going to become a thing.”

PERSPECTIVES

Consider the Constitution’s historical context When reading and interpreting the Constitution, we need to acknowledge its historical context and compare it to our society today. Story by Carmon Baker Web Editor

ver everything else, my high school experience has been plagued by one thing — school shootings. After the devastating shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018, my freshman year, there has been a constant fear from myself, my peers and my teachers that something similar would happen at STA. We have had lockdown drills and practiced what to do in an active shooter situation. I’ve even had a conversation with my friends about where I would run if I was outside during a shooting. This experience has made gun control a very important issue in my life today. In my opinion, the U.S. needs more restrictions on who can purchase guns and what types of guns can be purchased. I think it’s ridiculous that students have to go to school every day in fear of losing their lives to a school shooting. However, when I discuss this issue with more conservative individuals in my life, their first response is always something along the lines of, “We are guaranteed the right to bear arms in the Constitution.” While I agree that technically, yes, we are guaranteed the right to bear arms in the Constitution, a large part of today’s society

uses this amendment to justify anything, ignoring the historical context that comes with this document. According to an article from the Atlantic, Thomas Jefferson, one of the main authors of the Constitution, acknowledged that his writings would eventually become outdated in a letter to James Madison in 1789. However, despite this initial intention for change, we have updated the Constitution very minimally from its original version. “No society can make a perpetual constitution,” Jefferson said. “The earth belongs always to the living generation and not to the dead… Every constitution, then, and every law, naturally expires at the end of 19 years.” The Constitution was written in 1787. The Bill of Rights (including the Second Amendment) was proposed in 1789. Clearly, the societal and political situations were very different in the U.S. during this time period. At this time, slavery was legal. Women were denied the right to vote and did not have equal rights to men. The United States had just endured a difficult war to win their freedom from Great Britain. This society was very different from ours today, and the authors of the Constitution had no way of knowing how our society would evolve. Some of their writings have become outdated, yet we as a country refuse to acknowledge this. A perfect example of this is the Second Amendment. When the Second Amendment was written, the

authors of the Bill of Rights were referring to muskets and rifles that could be used to protect yourself for military purposes.They did not acknowledge or even know of the military-grade assault weapons that have been developed today, that are now being turned on civilians. This is not only an issue with the Second Amendment, but to other amendments and rights, as well. For example, the First Amendment was written with the intention of allowing American residents to speak out against a corrupt government, or one that they did not agree with, not giving them the right to say whatever they want, no matter how cruel or derogatory it is. Not only this, but the original Constitution has proven over time to be imperfect. It is a document that not only allowed slavery and did not given men and women equal rights, but that has been changed and added to 17 times since the Bill of Rights. It is unclear to me why Americans worship this document unconditionally today, despite its proven flaws in the past. In the end, we, as a society, need to stop looking to the Constitution as a literal, allimportant document that regulates our entire lives. It was written in a very different time period, and we need to acknowledge this and account for changes in society. B

22 PERSPECTIVES

Stepping into a therapist’s office two years ago changed my life, and I think it would for others as well. Talk therapy has huge benefits and should be an emotional foundation for teenagers to seek out. Story by Claire Smith Design Editor

ept. 18, 2018, I walked into a therapist’s office for the first time. Summer was fleeting, sophomore year was gaining speed and I was struggling with both. I had been battling my demons for years leading up to that summer, but something shifted in my mindset in August 2018. I went up to my mom and said “I want to see a therapist.” Frankly, the reaction was not great; she was shocked that I had brought it up in the first place. I had never shown interest in going to therapy, and I had good communication with both of my parents about my day to day struggles. But I needed a new, third person perspective from someone who could give me professional advice on what I was dealing with mentally at the time. She was confused as to why I couldn’t go to her anymore with those problems, but I simply told her it was a different type of conversation that I needed. Talk therapy is professionally called psychodynamic therapy. According to Psych Central, “the goals of psychodynamic therapy are a client’s self-awareness and understanding of the influence of the past on present behavior...

MARCH 6, 2020

Let’s talk about talk therapy a psychodynamic approach enables the client to examine unresolved conflicts and symptoms that arise from past dysfunctional relationships and manifest themselves.” I have been seeing the same talk therapist since then and it changed my life. We are not deep-diving into my psyche and divulging my deepest darkest issues in every visit. Rather, most sessions we just talk about what’s going on in my life: social dynamics, stress, things that wear me down more than they should, the usual stuff I could talk about with my parents. But the major differences were professional perspective and advice. Visiting a therapist not only obtains an outsider’s perspective, but also allows your mind to lay out the emotional strain of situations. For me, talking through social grievances helps me to see what’s truly going on in the situation emotionally. According to Psychology Today, “Research confirms that psychodynamic psychotherapy is highly effective… One major study found an ‘effect size’— a measure of treatment benefit — of 0.97 for psychodynamic psychotherapy. For [cognitive behavioral therapy] 0.68 is a typical effect size. For antidepressant medication, the average effect size is 0.31.” For clarification, cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on current issues and behavior patterns to change. As previously stated, psychodynamic psychotherapy is another term for talk therapy, which dives into past and present issues that could cause rooted emotional distress. I understand that while many

would be open to receiving talk therapy, the opportunity does not often present itself. Finding the right therapist can be a challenge and the expenses of therapy are not often totally covered by health insurance. Mental health services are covered by the Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act. According to the American Psychological Association, “The parity law prevents insurers from putting a firm annual limit on the number of mental health sessions that are covered [by insurance]. However, insurance companies can still manage your care...They will evaluate your case to determine whether additional treatment is ‘medically necessary’ according to their criteria.” The loophole of determining mental health care according to their standards leaves a lot of families and teenagers helpless financially for therapy. The parity law is a step in the right direction for national mental health services, but it rarely is emphasized or useful in attaining mental health coverage. Mental health care should be covered by health insurance, and so many people are deprived of care because of it. Talk therapy is a foundation of a healthy mindspace and lifestyle that should be available and offered to everyone. The benefits of it should be available to everyone and should be taken advantage of by all teenagers no matter the circumstances. Therapy changed my life and has the capacity to change lives. B

Growing up international creates unique opportunities Growing up, my life was a merge of British and American culture. This gave me a variety of different opportunities that I am so grateful for but it’s important everyone receives the same opportunities. Story by Ella Norton Editor-in-Chief

ince I was a baby, I’ve lived in a world of merged culture with a British mother who has taught me English customs while living in the U.S. While British culture is not that different from American culture, it has provided me with a variety of opportunities, both positive and negative. Still, it is important that I recognize the privileges I have been given. My mother was in her early 20s when she traveled to Colorado on a whim where she ended up meeting my dad. They fell in love and when my mom had me, my family planned on moving to England. However, life was life and because of various factors, we never did. Because my brother and I couldn’t have the experience of growing up in England, my mom did everything she could to try and bring British culture into our house. She made sure every holiday was celebrated with British customs, like crackers for Christmas dinner and Cadbury chocolate for Easter. The tradition of drinking tea became entrenched in my life. Metal tins of British chocolate are littered around my house, and we have traditional British meals, such as a roast.

Growing up, I thought that everyone’s family was this way. I thought everyone had dualcitizenship, and I couldn’t hear the funny accent my friends claimed my mom had. I didn’t realize that some people didn’t have their family spread out all over the world and as a result, they got to see their grandparents more than once every other year. I also didn’t realize how lucky I was to have the experience of growing up with two cultures. Being a dual citizen, I have been given so many opportunities. The biggest for me has been travel. I have been lucky enough to travel the world to visit my family, from New Zealand to Ireland. I recognize that there are many international families who don’t have the option to travel and visit their families so I am so grateful for every chance that I have had. Furthermore, being an international family has exposed me to many different cultures. I have learned different traditions and customs, which has expanded my worldview as I am able to consider how people in other countries might address a problem or situation. However, it hasn’t all been easy. As I mentioned before, my family is spread out all over and while that means I get chances to travel to see them, it also means I don’t get to see them very often. Before this year, I had only ever met my Aunt Alice once and that was when I was 2 years old. It was also extremely hard when my grandmother in England was diagnosed with cancer because being so far away created a tremendous amount of stress on

my family. Still, my family has used the struggles of being so far away to make it even more special when we do get together. We dedicate every moment to each other whenever we have the opportunity and create memories that will always stay with me. The distance is definitely the hardest part, so I always try to remember this. While my family has had its fair struggles of being international, we still have the benefit of being from a European country. For us, the government doesn’t put any restrictions on going and back forth so much, like they do with some countries, such as Cuba. My mother isn’t going to be interrogated every time she flies home, and she hasn’t ever run the risk of not being let back into the United States. I am grateful that we don’t have to face these issues but it is important that we provide access to everyone to return home and see their families, especially when big life events happen, such as weddings and funerals. Overall, I am so grateful and proud to be from an international family. It makes us who we are and it has made my relationship with my family so much more special. I love the exposure I have had to British culture and love that my mother has made it an important part of our life. B

24 SPORTS FEATURE

Juniors Erin Scanlon and Maeve Burns practice their jumps to ensure their legs are straight Feb. 17. The girls practice their routine multiple times before switching rows. photo by Tess Jones

MARCH 6, 2020

Irish Dance: community that creates cultural connection Irish dancers spend hours preparing for their unique sport, creating a tight-knit community. From performing to competing, dancers have a variety of different experiences. Story by Ella Norton | Editor-in-Chief

s junior and Irish dancer Maeve Burns gets off stage after performing in the Irish Fest, she knows what her next few months are going to look like. She’ll go to practice five times a week with practices lasting anywhere between one and a half hours to three. She’ll spend her time and energy focused on preparing for regionals which falls on the weekend of Thanksgiving. When that’s over, she’ll do minimal competitions until it’s time to start practicing for the St. Patrick’s Day parade. She’ll perform in both the Brookside parade and the Kansas City parade. Once that has passed, Burns will begin to practice for Irish Fest and repeat the process. “I know we’ve calculated how long it is, I think it’s like 15, 16 hours a week,” Burns said. “It takes up a lot of your time.” According to the Trinity Irish Dancers, Irish dance is a type of dance that is similar to tap dancing. Irish dancers must keep their arms still and the dance incorporates cultural aspects of Irish culture, such as traditional Irish

music. Irish dancers can perform individually or as a team. Burns began dancing at the age of 6 after her mother had a college roommate who was an Irish Dancer. From a young age, Burns and her sister fell in love with the sport. “It’s such a funny thing because you don’t hear about it that often,” Burns said. “We slowly started to compete and then we would do performances. My mom said we are not going to travel more than four hours for a competition and then all of a sudden we are on a flight somewhere. It really just took us to places that we didn’t think it would ever.” Junior Mary Kate Gallagher began dancing at 4 years old because her older sisters did it. One of the things Gallagher loves the most about the sport is its distinctiveness. “I enjoy the uniqueness of it because there’s no other dancing type like it,” Gallagher said. “The competitions, the actual dancing part of it, is completely of its own. My family is also Irish, so it’s also deeply rooted in that, so it’s also a

good cultural aspect of it for me.” According to Gallagher, part of Irish dancing is competing in “feis,” the Galic word for competitions. At the competition, the beat of the music determines what type of dance it is. “Let’s say “reel” is a type of dance that has a certain tempo beat that is different from a slow “jig” type of dance,” Gallagher said. “You have to win a certain amount of times in each of those categories of dance to move up in your level. “ Burns is currently a preliminary champion, the second highest level for Irish dancers and she attends the the Driscoll School of Irish Dance. For her, one of the most important things about the sport is the tight community, especially with Kansas City’s big Irish population. “Last night I was at practice, and I’ve sprained this ankle three times, and I rolled it and it snapped a little,” Burns said. “Everyone was automatically worried and going to help me sit down and grab an ice pack and it’s one of those moments where you’re like

‘wow, this is why I love what I love’ because the people you’re there with and the people who are there to support you.” Although both Gallagher and Burns mentioned how close the Irish dance community is, dancers perform individually at events, something that junior Ella Masek enjoyed when she was an Irish dancer. “The movement of it [was different],” Masek said. “For competitive dance it’s very team based and for Irish dance, every single person kind of has a different routine.” Through performing Gallagher was able to compete in Nationals in Vancouver and ended up ranking, a high accomplishment for an Irish dancer. However, Gallagher’s favorite aspect is performing. “There’s a picture of me when I’m four and I’m on the Irish Fest stage, the big one, and my sister’s in the back counting me in,” Gallagher said. “That’s one of my favorite pictures we have of me dancing and every year I get to perform on that stage which is kind of fun.” Burns also said her favorite aspect was performing, specifically at the Irish Fest. “It’s funny we say there are two times of year when people want to see us, Irish Fest and St. Patrick’s Day,” Burns said. “It’s one of those weekends where people are there to see you I guess, and you get to perform what you’ve been working on for months and what your blood, sweat and tears have been going into.” Along with performing for the Irish Fest, Burns has also performed for Irish bands such as the Galic Storm, the Elders and the Band of Three. “It’s like the late night performances I guess and you’re back stage and it’s fun because you can look out and people are enjoying their music and you come out and it’s this adrenaline almost,” Burns said. “I think moments like that are so fun to be apart of.” For Burns, Irish dancing

has allowed her to be more submerged in the Irish culture but she thinks it’s up to the dancer. “I’ve met Irish bands and that kind of thing,” Burns said. “Going to Irish fest, going to Winter Fest, going to Ethnic Fest, I think that has enriched me in the culture.” Masek believes that the sport of Irish dancing is more popular here

at STA then at her grade school, and both Burns and Gallagher agreed that people at STA tend to know what the sport is. “At my grade school, I was the only one and people knew I did it and they would ask me to Irish dance but here I could name off like five people right now who are also Irish dancers,” Masek said.B

IRISH Heritage IN KANSAS CITY Graphic by Aspen Cherrito|Multimedia Editor

The Kansas City St. Patrick’s Day Parade is the 6th largest in the country. The Kansas City Irish Fest is also held over Labor Day weekend ever year in Crown Center and Washington Park.

Kansas City is the only place in the United States where Irish immigrants outnumbered German immigrants significantly. Information compiled from Midtown KC Post & Fox4 News

26 COMMUNITY

MARCH 6, 2020

local bakeries grow community awareness

McLains Bakery, Mud Pie Bakery and Dolce Bakery use baked goods and food to bring others together. These local Kansas City bakeshops are able to generate a sense of togetherness and the ability to celebrate each of life’s best moments.

Story by Lauren Brackney | Page Designer

ansas City thrives on baked goods. Whether it’s breakfast, catching up with friends, or celebrating anniversaries, bakeries find a way to fit the needs of the community. “We just try to evolve as we go and try to do what we do as best as we can,” owner of Mud Pie Ashley Valverde said. Mud Pie Vegan Bakery and Coffeehouse has been part of the local Kansas City community since 2011. Mud Pie noticed that there weren’t enough bakeries to serve the vegan community and wanted to do something to better serve them. “We became vegan about a year earlier and we’re passionate

about that and felt like Kansas City needed some options so that more people could enjoy [baked goods],” Valverde said. Their accommodating menu has helped put their name on the map. “We are known for our house-made vegan milks, our vegan baked goods and for being the first all-vegan bakery and coffee shop in Kansas City,” Valverde said. One of Kansas City’s oldest bakeries, McLain’s Bakery, is celebrating 75 years of serving the Waldo area since it opened in 1945. They pride themselves on their sense of community and coming together. “One of the things that is really

core to who McLain’s is and what we’re trying to promote is a place that people can gather and so we really encourage the community to think of us as a place where they can come and make life moments here,” sales and marketing director for McLain’s Bakery Kasey Cacy said. McLain’s bakery tries to provide intimate relationships with their staff members in addition to serving customers. “A lot of the staff know the owners, they see the owners in the stores, and it’s a very well connected community of staff that are here and so I think that it really creates that culture where people feel safe and feel at home and feel valued,” Cacy said.

A child admires the cookies on display at McLain’s bakery Feb. 21. McLain’s cookies come in a range of sizes and their flavors alternate every day. Photo by Beatrice Curry

Though McLain’s Bakery has since opened two other locations in Overland Park and Lawrence, it has remained true to its Kansas City roots and original recipes. “Celebrating 75 years, we have pulled out some of our old recipes that we have just on pieces of paper,” Cacy said. “We have things that have been passed down from the original owners but then we also really like to make sure that we’re staying relevant with the current market today so we really try and find outlets to make sure that our employees feel that they can be creative in terms of coming up with new product or ideas that we can sell and take to the market.” Dolce Bakery, opened in 2008 in Prairie Village by Erin Brown, has found a way to stay true to Brown’s baking origin throughout the years. “Brown started to bake with her aunts and grandmother when she was a young child and then

she later went to culinary school. For Dolce, the recipe that really started it all was her Aunt Cindy’s cinnamon roll recipe,” director of sales and operations for Dolce Bakery Kathleen Cussen said. To this day, Dolce bakery has stood behind that cinnamon roll recipe and it has brought them success. “We’ve been voted best cinnamon roll in Kansas City here and there over the past 12 years,” Cussen said. Behind the cinnamon rolls, plenty of work goes on behind the scenes at Dolce Bakery. “There are no shortcuts, Brown uses the highest quality ingredients that make sense for the product, whether it be a cake or a cookie or any detail; what type of flour, what type of sugar, what type of vanilla,” Cussen said. “She’s meticulous about it tasting the way she wants it to or the way it should or the way she remembers it from childhood and she will adjust and finesse the recipe until she gets it just the right way.” Local businesses provide a more intimate shopping and dining experience. They are able to level themselves with their customers through authenticity and face-to-face experiences. “I really believe that local business is a way that you can change communities, just in being able to really understand the needs of the community and what the desires are of this community,” Cacy said. “Because [McLain’s Bakery’s team] are local to Kansas City, and are still fairly small, we get some flexibility with being able to cater to those things.” In addition to being supported by the community, local businesses often find ways to give back. These bakeries have found their own way to treat the community and encourage togetherness. “We consider ourselves a great partner with charitable organizations, schools, things like that we’re always happy to donate baked goods or gift certificates or things like that to help support whatever events that are happening in Kansas City,” Cussen said. B

Localbakeries: Bakeries: Local where WheretoTofind Findthem THem Dolce Bakery: 3930 W 69th Terrace, Prairie Village, KS

Mudpie Vegan Bakery: 1615 W. 39th Street Kansas City, MO + 7319 W. 95th Street Overland Park, KS

McLain’s Bakery: 201 E Gregory Blvd Kansas City, MO + 10695 Roe Ave Overland Park, KS + 1420 Crescent Rd Lawrence, KS Information compiled from: dolcebakes.com, mudpiebakery.com, mclainskc.com Alternate coverage compiled by Beatrice Curry | Writer

28 LAST LOOK

MARCH 6, 2020

“CLIMB ON”

KANSAS CITY Kansas City is home to a vibrant and upcoming community of rock climbers and climbing gyms. Andrew Meyer also talks about STA’s connection to the climbing community through his interim class. Story and photos by Claire Smith | Design Editor

ANDREw MEYER on rock climbing

ndrew Meyer has been rock climbing as a hobby for four years now. Meyer’s climbing gym of choice is RoKC, located in north Kansas City. Meyer sees climbing as a form of relaxation. “I think one thing that [rock climbing] offers, taking it on as a hobby, is working at it and developing skills, you start seeing it as a way of decompressing and a therapeutic thing” Meyer said. This past January, Meyer hosted an interim that brought girls to RoKC to climb and become belay certified. “When it came to thinking about an interim [class] I thought ‘well it’s something that I think a lot of people will enjoy,’” Meyer said. “So what I did was, we set up the

class - a half day class. Basically the first parts of the day were just a little bit of climbing games and competitions. Then each day we learned a broken down version of the class you would take in order to become belay certified. It’s a pretty neat thing, the girls got to have a good time climbing as well as [learn] and were able to become belay certified.” Meyer says he hopes to implement the class in the interim next year as well.B

RoKC climbing gym has locations across the Kansas City area, featuring an underground bouldering gym and a regular gym in Olathe and North Kansas City. The North Kansas City location features an array of activities outside of climbing, such as a fitness center, bouldering, and yoga. The facility is located in an revamped warehouse north of the Kansas City river and was used for the STA climbing interim class. See more about the interim class offered at STA in Andrew Meyer’s interview.

Sequence Climb is new to Kansas City and is only one year old. The gym is located off of Washington St. across from the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. As well as indoor climbing, the facility has a full fledged workout facility and yoga room. Sequence Climb hosts a number of events in cooperation with Messenger Coffee.The climbing gym also hosts bouldering competitions for the Crossroads community to participate in.

A climber tries his hand at the red route while being guided by a certified belayer Feb. 15. RoKC features programs that can help climbers become belay certified.

Apex Climbing Gym is located in Overland Park, and offers a number of features outside of climbing. One of their most notable programs is their Ninja Training program. The back of their gym hosts an “American Ninja Warrior” training facility, where kids and adults can take classes to train for the iconic television show. They also have two large aerial silks to swing from and learn that form of trapeze, as well as a yoga program. Junior Abby Farmer reaches for the next grip as she makes her way up the climbing wall Feb. 15. The auto belay system allows climbers to make their up almost 40 feet.

30 PHOTO ESSAY

A view of Prospero’s extensive dvd collection. The randomness and retro art match the randomness and retro books, DVDs and records that they sell.

Records sit by the second floor window. In addition to books, Prospero’s also buys, sells and trades records.

Prospero’s Books Founded in 1997, Prospero’s Books is a used book store that buys, sells and trades books located on 39th street within a mile of KU Medical Center.

Sophomore Brighid Raymer uses a retro telephone in the basement of Prospero’s books. Many of the decorations are from old stores in Kansas City.

The neon book store sign lights up the window on an overcast day. Prospero’s Books is an independent bookstore that opened in 1997.

Photos by Sydney Waldron | Snapchat and Facebook Editor

A stack of old books are arranged in a tower. Many of the books that are not sold for years are repurposed into these book towers around the store.

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