The Kansas City Monarchs

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National Sports News

photo courtesy of Wikimedia

photo courtesy of Wikimedia March Madness According to NCAA.com, Selection Sunday for the March Madness tournament will occur on Mar. 14. The first round of the tournament starts on Mar. 19, with the championship game set for April 5. Most of the tournament’s games will be played in Indiana, primarily Indianapolis. Because most of the games are being played in the same location this year, there will be changes to the typical bracket. It will be filled using the “S-curve,” meaning teams will be placed based solely on ranking, while normally geography is a consideration as well. Kansas City NWSL starts strong According to their official website, the Kansas City NWSL team won their first exhibition game against the Orlando Pride March 3. The final score was 1-0 and the game was played at Sylvan Lake Park fields. Kansas City’s only goal was scored after 59 minutes of play. The team will play in the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup beginning April 9, and their first regular season game is May 15. Season ticket deposits are currently open for fans.

photo courtesy of Wikimedia Coming up

MARCH MARCH

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JV Track Meet Varsity Soccer game vs. Liberty High School Varsity Track Meet

NFL hires Maia Chaka According to ESPN, the NFL has hired Mai Chaka as an official starting in the 2021 season. Chaka will be the first Black woman to be an on-field official in the league. She has been involved in the NFL’s officiating development program since 2014 and has finally received a promotion. As of March 5, the complete list of NFL officials for 2021 has not yet been published.

Athlete of the issue

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Emma Hiss

Sophomore Emma Hiss started her sophomore year as a first time varsity athlete for the St. Teresa’s basketball team. “I couldn’t be more excited for this experience to represent St Teresa’s,” Hiss said. Being one of the younger ones on the team could be intimidating to some, but Hiss comes at the challenge with full force. “I’m not only getting the opportunity to meet new people, but I’m also learning from this experience. Balancing academics and sports can be challenging, but by staying focused and putting in the work I can be prepared and ready for every practice and game,” Hiss said.

26 COMMUNITY

What’s the scoop?

The Golden Scoop is an ice cream and coffee shop employing individuals with developmental disabilities. Story by Sophia Rall | Features Editor Photos by Mara Callahan | Lifestyles Editor

Ijust think there’s something to be said for when you grow up or if you have a lot of exposure to somebody who’s different than you are,” The Golden Scoop vice president and Director of Marketing, Culinary and Creative Michelle Reeves said. “I think you learn to be kinder. I think you learn to be more inclusive of people.” Reeves has been an integral part of creating The Golden Scoop, an ice cream and coffee shop located in Leawood that is set to open this spring. The shop will hire individuals with developmental disabilities, called Super Scoopers. Since the store has not opened yet, it is currently raising funds for operating. Senior Marie Bruck held a fundraiser at STA and raised over $800. The funds will go toward paying Super Scoopers, equipment and day-to-day operations. In order to be inclusive in every aspect of The Golden Scoop, Reeves works directly with the Super Scoopers to develop the ice cream flavors. “Each month we have a Super Scooper of the month, and they get to work with me and create an ice cream flavor based on the things that they love,” Reeves said. “And with that, they get to market it and they get to name it. They get to do social media posts and blog on our website about it. They get to promote it when people come into the store. And then the coolest thing that we’re doing that we’re excited about is that, we’ll actually have like a discount code. And so, if their friends and family come in and they say like Charlie 10, then they get 10% off their purchase.” Involving the Super Scoopers goes far beyond developing the ice cream, though. The Golden Scoop also purchased a coffee machine and other equipment so the Super Scoopers could be involved in every aspect of the store. “They’ll be working the coffee machines, they’ll be working the registers, they’ll be merchandising the store and of course they’ll be baking and cooking,” Reeves said. “So we really love the idea that in a shift, in a four hour shift or however long their shift is, if they want to do six different jobs that day they can.” Reeves hopes that The Golden Scoop offers opportunities to individuals with developmental disabilities, as well as change misconceptions about those individuals. “I’m excited for the community to see how skilled our staff is,” Reeves said. “I

“I just think there’s something to be said for when you grow up or if you have a lot of exposure to somebody who’s different than you are.”