Vol 77 Issue 3

THE

DART

LIVING A F T E R

LOSING

As many students and teachers have lost members of their immediate family, the Dart gets a glimpse of what their experience is like and how they have moved forward since.

St. Teresa's Academy | Kansas City, MO | Volume 77, Issue 4

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4

TABLE OF

CONTENTS

16

NEWS

4. Streetcar expansion sparks debate

Star Spotlight

6. Cece Torres

A&E

9. Teenage entertainment since ‘00

Reviews

10. Tea on Wornall 11. "Stranger Things" season 2

Features

12. Students with dual-citizenship 14. Profile on Raiyon Smith

Centerspread

16. Loss in the STA community and moving forward

2 Novermber 13, 2017

Perspectives

21. People turn into someone else online 22. Using the n-word is not cool 23. How Sam Kolder changed my life

Sports 24. Dedicated managers

Community

26. New volunteer organization for youths

Last look

28. Are you celebrating Christmas too early?

ask the dart

30. What do I do with my life now that I’ve finished my favorite Netflix show?

Cover and back page design by Lily Manning

LETTER Hey there readers,

We’ve all lost someone near and dear to our hearts, but only few can say they’ve lost someone in their immediate family. While we like to say that we know what it’s like to grieve the loss of a loved one, there is nothing as shocking and earth-shattering as losing someone you spend every single day with, someone you know better than yourself.

In our centerspread story by Zoe Butler and Ella Kugler, the stories of these people, who have lost their moms, dads and sisters, speak for themselves.

Make your way to our News Feature, and you’ll find interesting perspectives in the midst of the streetcar expansion debate, written by our lovely Margaux Renee.

It was recorded that 15.8 million people tuned into season two of “Stranger Things” in the first three days of its release Oct. 27. Faith Andrews-O’Neal reviewed this hit TV show on page 11.

Flip to the next page for insight

from the e d i to r s

on what it’s like for several STA students who have dual-citizenship. Julia Kerrigan shares the stories of girls with citizenship in the United States, as well as in Germany, England and Kenya. The girls share their experiences in both having this legal qualification, as well as how their cultures are expressed at home.

Don’t forget to check out Last Look’s tween magazine inspired quiz to see if you are celebrating Christmas too early.

Lily Hart, who passionately believes there is a specific time frame for the festivities to begin, leads you through to see if your timeline is skewed.

As always, be checking out DartNewsOnline.com for a world’s more of content. With our freshly redesigned site, we are updating it almost every day with breaking news, multimedia and more.

Cheers,

2017-2018 Editors-in-Chief Zoe Butler Lily Manning

WEB

Managing Web Editor Katie Gregory Social Media Team Aspen Cherrito, Kailee Ford, Riley McNett Breaking News Editor Trang Nguyen Multimedia Editor Kate Jones

PRINT

Design Editor Gabby Staker Visual Illustrator Nicole Slocomb Photo Editors Meghan Baker, Anna Louise Sih Page Designers Amy Schaffer, Anna Ronan, Delaney Hupke, Ella Kugler, Ella Norton, Julia Kerrigan, Katie Gregory, Lily Hart, Lily Manning, Margaux Renee, Riley McNett, Zoe Butler

COPY

Features Editor Margaux Renee News Editor Annabelle Meloy Lifestyles Editor Mary Massman Opinion Editor Julia Kerrigan Sports Editor Kendall Lanier Staff Photographers Amy Schaffer, Lucy Hoop, Madeline Loehr, Maggie Hart, Riley McNett Staff Writers Anna Ronan, Aspen Cherrito, Delaney Hupke, Ella Kugler, Ella Norton, Faith Andrews-O’Neal, Gabby Staker, Gabrielle Pesek, Grace Fiorella, Kailee Ford, Kate Jones, Katie Gregory, Katy Rouse, Lily Hart, Lily Manning, Olivia Wirtz, Reagan Penn, Riley McNett, Torri Henry, Trang Nguyen, Zoe Butler Adviser Brad Lewis page design by Delaney Hupke

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news 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 Stisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet.

DartNewsOnline and the Dart will not publish opions that contradict the teachings and beliefs of the Catholic church, whether on a diocesan or worldwide level.

Upcoming streetcar vote stirs opposition

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.

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

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November 13, 2017

The streetcar pulls into one of its numerous stops Oct. 23. Currently, the streetcar runs from Union Station to the River Market and back.

Voters will soon decide whether or not fund an expansion to UMKC, moving anti-streetcar advocates to speak out.

Story by Margaux Renee Features Editor Photos by Maggie Hart The Kansas City Streetcar Authority, KCSA, the non-profit organization tasked with managing the streetcar, maintains plans to expand the project toward UMKC as opposition in the community grows in response.

According to the KCSA, plans for a southern streetcar line are in the works through a partnership with the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, KCATA. With this proposed expansion comes the lengthening of the Transportation Development District, or as it’s commonly referred to, the TDD. Community member and attorney Sherry DeJanes became involved with the anti-streetcar cause in late 2012.

“I began questioning certain aspects of the project and felt like the answers I

was getting were very evasive,” Dejanes said. “So, I started digging in and piecing things together and in the final analysis, decided it was a much larger issue than whether or not the streetcar expanded into Brookside, but rather that it was, in effect, an injustice on several levels.”

DeJanes then founded an organization called Be Smart KC. According to their website, “Supporters of Modern, Affordable, Regional Transit KC (SMART KC)” is working to stop the streetcar expansion claiming it will bring “higher taxes on property owners, including non-profits, and sales taxes that will have to be paid by anyone shopping within the expansion district.”

Junior Jasia Tolbert lives downtown within the current TDD, a short walk from the closest streetcar stop.

Tolbert sees the side-effects of what she describes as the “hip and cool” streetcar, contrasting it with the bus of her daily routine.

“If anything, it’s slowed my life down because I catch the bus, and the bus gets caught behind the streetcar, and then the bus is late picking me up and then I’m late for school,” Tolbert said.

The new Tdd

Though KCMO is already home to a public bus system, many are drawn to the streetcar’s appeal.

“It’s the sleek and sexy thing to do; it has been for about the last 10 years,” DeJanes said.

But DeJanes speculates that there is more than what meets the eye when it comes to the push for the streetcar.

“It is my personal opinion that there are those in city government and organizations working closely with city government, that want to create a legacy and see this as a way to do so,” DeJanes said.

The Dart reached out to both the KSCA as well as city government officials and received no response.

“They view it as a development vehicle,” DeJanes said.

DeJanes, along with Be Smart KC, has filed a lawsuit against the State of Missouri, Secretary of State and all 50 streetcar extension petition sponsors, contesting the mail-in election’s “onerous procedural requirements” as it’s described on their website.

“We have filed to have the mail-in portion of the TDD statute of the TDD

held unconstitutional because I believe that it disenfranchises several groups or several levels of voters,” DeJanes said.

The mail-in election is conducted through a process where voters must request ballots in advance, fill them out and then mail them to the city by the chosen deadline.

Even with staunch opposition, Streetcar Authority Executive Director Tom Gerend told the Kansas City Star that the KCSA is “committed to continuing previously initiated planning and expansion activities.”

In addition to opposing the election itself, Dejanes opposes its subject matter. She lists the one percent sales tax that would be applied within the TDD, the nature of the mail-in election and the “61 million dollar a mile” proposed cost, as all being examples of injustice.

Tolbert sees both sides of the streetcar expansion debate.

“There are definitely some highs and lows,” Tolbert said.

For Tolbert, the streetcar as it stands is more of a novelty than anything else.

Her view, however, could be changed by the proposed expansion.

“I would consider using it more if it went down to UMKC because if I miss the bus or something, I have that option,” Tolbert said.

Tolbert also mentioned the streetcar’s modern appeal.

“For hanging out with friends that live in Brookside and Waldo, I think they’d want to take the streetcar more than the Metro,” Tolbert said.

This new development however could have unintended consequences in Tolbert’s daily life.

“Then [the Metro] would just have to cut more lines than they already are,” Tolbert said.

Voters were able to begin requesting mail-in ballots for the third and final phase of the streetcar vote Friday, Nov. 3, with results to be released March 2, 2018. This vote will decide whether or not residents of the proposed TDD will agree to fund the district. Residents do not need to have voted in the other phases of the election to participate in this phase.

The map below shows the new planned Transportation Development District.

Altenative coverage

by Anna Ronan | Page Designer

page design by Margaux Renee

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Star spotlight

Cece torres Sophomore Cece Torres is in the process of writing a book. She hopes to have her book published in the near future.

Story by Reagan Penn Writer Photo by Lucy Hoop Photographer

6 November 13, 2017

How old were you when you began to write?

I didn’t start working on this project of mine until the summer I was going into seventh grade. I had to get surgery on my foot… and I was just really bored. I had this idea in my head and I thought I might as well write it down.

Who or what inspired you to write a book?

I’ve always loved to read. I don’t have a favorite author, I just have always loved reading. I’ve always made up stories in my head. As a child I would play with my dolls. The stories got really elaborate sometimes.

[Writing] has always interested me.

About how many words does your book have now and how many would you like for it to have?

Right now I have a word count of about 99,000. My friend said the average word count was about 100,000, and I’m only halfway done.

Where does most of your writing take place?

It usually takes place in my room, by myself. I’ll light a candle sometimes.

Is there a certain time you write?

I usually try to write in the evenings.

School time is usually my ‘I’m not

going to get a lot done.' Summertime and vacation time is when I usually get a lot of it done.

Who or what has been your biggest influence?

I have had influences from other books, media and shows. There really isn’t one more than the other. I think it’s mostly fantasy books, anime. If there has to be a biggest, I would say the show ‘Avatar the Last Airbender.’

At first I didn’t realize how much things influenced me until I re-visited them.

Without spoiling anything, what will your book be about?

It’s fantasy, it’s going to be a trilogy, and the guiding principle for the whole trilogy is ‘What is happiness?’ There’s a lot of the concept ‘Is this good or bad?’ as well.

What is your background with writing?

I have been reading practically since day one. I think there was a phase in third grade where I just started writing a bunch of random things.

Why do want to write a book?

I love the idea of creating my own world. I want to construct this beautiful world and show things.

It just makes me happy. When I’m building the world, it just feels like I’m immersing myself in my imagination,

it makes the world around me seem better, yet worse at the same time.

Have you experienced any setbacks?

I had written probably 30,000 words, and for some reason it just deleted. My mom brought me back up and told me ‘It’s going to be even better now,' and I think it is. But then it happened again, this time at 60,000 words. But likely this time it wasn’t the entire thing. But six months of work was deleted.

What has been your greatest accomplishment?

I think when I did reach 90,000 words and I thought ‘I can do this.’

Over the summer I tried to get a lot done. When I began this summer, it was at 50,000 and over the summer I managed to write 40,000 more words.

If you could give advice to someone who wanted to write a book, what would that be?

Don’t think your ideas are stupid, because a lot of that is what has been holding me back with my writing. You can have a dumb idea and pull it off exceptionally well. If you execute it perfectly, no one’s going to care about the initial idea. Don’t let yourself hold you back. H

Sophomore Cece Torres sits in the quad Oct. 30 while writing in her journal full of story ideas for her book. Torres has been writing a book she was in seventh grade.

page design by Amy Schaffer

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bits & pieces

PHOTO OF THE ISSUE

Photo by Trang Nyugen

The Dart chooses a student-taken photo to be featured each month.

Sophomore Alex Kerr waits with coach Andrew Boland for runners to finish their race during cross country sectionals Oct. 28. The race took place at Jesse James Park.

My life sucks

My life rocks

Compiled by Katy Rouse | Writer "I had to walk two miles at 12 a.m.

Alone. It was below 20 degrees and my phone was dead."

-Grace Gaume, sophomore

In the NEws

Each month, the Dart compiles current local, national and world news.

by Lily Manning | Editor-in-Chief

Kansas City Block Real Estate Services is working with a Dallas based real estate company to bring more nightlife and entertainment venues to Overland Park. This initiative comes after Overland Park leaders recognized a lack of entertainment for locals and visitors. The new development will be located across 36 acres between 113th and 115th streets and Nall. It is projected to cost around $184 million. H

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"One time the vending machine at my gym malfunctioned and it gave me a whole row of M&Ms." -Lauren Butler, sophomore

United states The bodies of 26 teenage girls were found off the coast of Italy on Nov. 5. Aged 14-18, the girls are believed to be immigrants from Niger and Nigeria, headed from Libya to Europe.

Autopsies are being performed to find the exact cause of death. These girls are just a few of the nearly 3,000 migrants that have died on the Mediterranean Sea route this year. H

World A 73-year-old farm owner was charged with 544 misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals. Located in Reed, Kentucky, over 400 animals were found and seized by Animal Control officials and officials of the Henderson County Sheriff's Office.

Officials were called to the farm after reports that animals were being mistreated and smell coming from the property. Most of the 400 animals were poultry, and officials report also finding over 100 dead animals mixed in with the living. H

A&E

teenage entertainment Through the decades

The Dart investigates what teenagers from the 1950s to the present did for fun.

Compiled by Anna Ronan Page Designer

page design by Ella Norton

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REVIEWS

THe meaning of home HHHHH Stranger Things 2 took place in Hawkins, Indiana during the early 80s. The show made me think of home, and its various manifestations. The first season premiered 15 July 2016 and was a big hit.

Story by Faith Andrews-O'Neal Writer

F

irst off, I give a fair warning, this is from the point of view of a girl who has had very little sleep, and a lot of feelings. There is a one hundred percent chance of spoilers, so beware.

This of course, is largely due to season two of one of the best shows ever in the entire universe. The first part of the season, I’ll admit, I was a little bummed.

It was almost too dark, and I wasn’t sure where the plot line was going. I was bored, and in my notes, one could find odd sentiments like “I wonder what the Byers’ house smells like” and “If you push down on Steve’s hair, would it bounce back up, or deflate like a balloon?”

10 November 13, 2017

However, as I got further into the series, I realized that this darker theme and the plot began to make sense. If you just copied season one, it would be redundant. And of course it’s darker, there’s an inter-dimensional monster possessing the body of a middle schooler, because Will Byers hasn’t been through enough already.

Moreover, there was a larger theme, one that I didn’t pick up on until Eleven was willing to walk away from her “sister”: home.

I’ve always loved the concept of home. Not just the house where you sleep, but the place where you belong, where you’re your truest, happiest self.

That same sentiment was discovered over time by Eleven, or should I say Jane, who runs away from Hopper to find her mother and her sister. Maybe it was the fact that I was working on approximately two hours of sleep, but Eleven going back home brought more tears to my eyes than the opening scene of "Up".

Of course, they faced the Upside Down and fought Demogorgons.

However, the underlying theme for every character was their home, good or bad. Stranger Things, at its core, is about

what people are willing to do to protect their home, whether it be the city of Hawkins, or the people that make this world worth risking your life for.

If I could, I’d seal a hole in the interdimensional fabric of the universe for my friends too. It’s the sheer ridiculousness, and they way creators the Duffer brothers pull it off, that make the show binge-worthy.

I was on the verge of crying the entire season, whether it be from the copious love Joyce had for her sons, the tragic death of Bob the Brain, or from laughing at Eleven’s attempt to go trick or treating. It made me grateful for my friends, and also wish I lived in the eighties.

There are a few things in this world Stranger Things taught me to be true.

Number one: Don’t eat popcorn at two in the morning in your bed while watching Stranger Things, because you will get scared, and make a ridiculously inconvenient mess.

Number two: Steve Harrington is the big brother/babysitter/mother that America needs. Finally, number three (cheese alert): Home really is where the heart is, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. H

Spilling thE TEA HHHHH Emilie's Tea Shop opened less than a year ago in June, yet feels like a timeless treasure.

Story by Aspen Cherrito Writer

S

ituated off off the corner of Wornall and 81st terrace, lies Centered Spirit - Cultural and Holistic Center, and inside lies Emilie’s French Teas. Opened June, Emilie’s French Teas offer a large variety of tea goods from DAMMANN Frères, a French company Emilie has always been familiar with.

When I first entered Centered Spirit, I’ll admit, I was a bit confused, walking in I was greeted with an array of different teas, but not until I turned the corner was I greeted by Emilie. With her thick french accent she introduced me and told me a bit about herself.

Raised in Paris, she moved to Kansas City and opened her shop after meeting her husband in Mexico whilst doing international business.

Prior to my visit, I set up a tea tasting with her, so she lead me over to the wall

of teas. She briefly went through each one, having me smell the leaves and educating me on where they are from.

Her extreme hospitality relaxed me and stood out to me. You could really tell she was happy you were there.

After asking me a variety of questions of what tea I think smelled the best or what type of tea I like, Emilie picked three teas, The Blanc D’Anji, Quatre Fruits Rouges and Caramel Au Beurre Salé. She then lead me over to her station that laid a kettle and various tea brewing gadgets and whilst brewing the tea Emilie explained to me different ways of brewing tea, and how everything down to the type of water is extremely important in getting the most perfect cup of tea.

After brewing, Emilie walked me over to a table with the three small tea pots and two tea cups. One of the many things I enjoyed about my experience there was how welcomed Emilie made me feel. She was either teaching me about the teas, telling me about her, or simply asking me questions.

The first tea Emilie had me try was Thé Blanc D’Anji, a white tea from China. This tea had an extremely faint flavor, yet was extremely refreshing.

Since it is a white tea, the color was extremely faint and Emilie explained to me how most people can’t even taste the tea since the flavor is so faint.

In Quatre Fruits Rouges, various dried fruits such as strawberries, red carrot, raspberry, and cherry were infused in the light white tea.

In contrary to the first tea I tried, this one acquires a milky texture, almost like silk. Similar to Thé Blanc D’Anji, the color of this one was also quite faint, yet the smell was a stronger smell of dried fruit.

Lastly, after expressing my love of black tea to Emilie, she had me try Caramel Au Beurre Salé, a black tea.

This tea was blended with caramel, making it an extremely sweet treat.

Unlike the last two teas, the flavor of this one was a lot stronger and the color was a lot darker, making it one of my favorites.

Through the amazing, relaxing atmosphere of Centered Spirit to Emilie’s extremely welcoming personality and wonderful array of teas, Emilie’s French Teas is a place I will definitely return back to and recommend to anyone looking for a relaxing tea shop. H page design by Ella Kugler

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features

Defining duality: Students share their experiences as dual citizens

Sophomore Anna Swanson holds up the German flag beside Windmoor Oct. 27. Swanson has dual citizen in the United States and Germany.

The Dart explored students' experiences with dual citizenship and the opportunities it can provide.

Story by Julia Kerrigan Opinion Editor Photos by Aspen Cherrito Writer Sophomore Anna Swanson walks through the bustling Flughafen Airport with her suitcase in one hand and her treasured red Reisepass in the other.

Once she reaches customs, the line splits into two lanes, one labeled for

12 November 13, 2017

foreign visitors that the tourists crowd into and the other labeled Bürger, for citizens. With pride swelling in her chest, she files into the latter lane with the other German citizens. Her arrival in Frankfurt, Germany marks the beginning of another summer spent with family exploring a city that is technically foreign, but remarkably familiar.

“I could never imagine going somewhere in Germany as a tourist,” Swanson said. “It seems like a second home. I couldn’t imagine not having that part of my life.”

Swanson was born into her dual citizenship with an American father and a German mother. Swanson’s mother is also a dual citizen, because she was born in America. A couple of

other ways to obtain this status are by marrying someone from a different country or completing a naturalization process that requires an application, interview and English and civics tests.

All her life, Swanson has spoken German, eaten German food and spent summers in Frankfurt with her family. For her, citizenship is much more than just official government documents. It’s keeping in touch with her family and getting to know their neighborhood. She credits her dual citizenship with allowing her to be exposed to a different way of life.

With eyes alight, she describes hopping on the bus with her older sister to spend the day looking around for castles to visit, a popular pastime in Germany. For an entry fee of three

Sophomore Elianna Lee poses with her mom Grace Kaleli-Lee at their home Oct. 29. Both have dual citizenship in the United States and Kenya.

euros, they can spend the day hiding in dark, unexplored corners and searching for scenic views. This type of outing, along with her citizenship, has been a constant in Swanson’s life.

Not all dual citizens are born with the status, however. Sophomore Elianna Lee was born with American citizenship and applied for Kenyan citizenship at 10 years old. Her father is American and her mother Grace Kaldli-Lee was born in Kenya, and is now an American citizen. Lee’s parents did not want to jeopardize their children’s American citizenship by applying for a Kenyan passport.

For that reason, they waited until laws changed to ensure that their children could keep both citizenships.

Lee has gone twice to visit her family in Kenya and spent those trips attending long yet lively church services and searching for trouble with her cousins on her grandparents’ farm.

Lee doesn’t have to be in Kenya

to soak up its culture. KaldliLee often speaks Swahili at home and cooks Kenyan dishes that, by just mentioning them, cause Lee to close her eyes as if tasting them. Lee has even picked up on some conversational Swahili over the years.

These little things help bring the other country closer to her.

“Whenever I go it doesn’t feel like I’m in a ‘foreign country’ really, because I have so much family there and I’m used to the language,” Lee said.

Because citizens in Kenya are multilingual, Kaldli-Lee feels it is important to raise her kids the same way. She sent them to the French immersion school, Académie Lafayette, and taught them songs and stories in both Swahili and Kamba.

“In this world, we're never meant to be isolated from each other,” Kaldli-Lee said. “And sometimes we don't always get that when we're not integrated in our communities and cultures [on a] daily basis and [during our] growing up years. I wanted them to be aware of that as they were growing up.”

When she turns 21, Lee will have to decide whether she wants to retain her American or Kenyan citizenship, or complete an application process that allows her to keep both nationalities.

“The passport makes it more official, but I’ve always felt like they’re both a part of me,” Lee said.

Olivia Baker, former STA student who now attends secondary school in England, has a similar view on her dual national identity, which she has through her mother, a British citizen.

While she has deep roots in the U.S. after living there for most of her life, she has always felt connected to Europe as well because that is where her extended family lives.

“I feel like these days, people move around and live in so many different countries that being a citizen is no longer the only way to feel part of the country or passionate about living there,” Baker said.

Living in the UK now makes going to college in Europe more convenient, as she would be closer to her family and tuition is much cheaper than in the U.S. These students’ dual citizenships have allowed them to incorporate different cultures into their daily lives through food and language and broadened their opportunities for travel and, in Baker’s case, even college. For Kaldli-Lee, raising children with dual citizenship is about more than just legally or culturally belonging in two places.

“I want my children to go anywhere in the world and feel that they are true global citizens,” Kaldli-Lee said. H

number of countries that allow dual citizenship Only certain countries allow their citizens to have dual citizenship with other nations. Some do not allow dual citizenship at all and others simply place restrictions on the practice.

Alternative coverage compiled by Katie Gregory Managing Editor of Web

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page design by Katie Gregory

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Features

RAiyon

SMITH

model on the rise Modeling for a variety of Kansas City companies, senior Raiyon Smith is making a name for herself.

Story by Kendall Lanier Sports Editor Photo by Anna Louise Sih Photo Editor

Senior Raiyon Smith poses for a photo while waiting to rehearse for the Kritiq fashion show Nov. 3. Smith walked in the fashion show at the College Basketball Experience Nov. 12.

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F

lashback to Raiyon Smith’s first ever fashion show. Hardly being able to sleep the night before, her stomach is in a tangle of nerves. As she takes her first step onto the runway, all of her worries seem to go away and she instantly feels comfortable. It is a feeling like no other. She feels like she is on top of the world.

“It felt so good to be the main attraction and be full of confidence walking down that runway” Smith said.

Two and a half years later, Smith is a makeup artist and brand ambassador, doing photoshoots and runway modeling.

A normal teenager involved in everyday high school activities often receives positive comments like “You should really model, you’d be great”.

One day she finally listened and began starting photoshoots and testing out the modeling world.

Always a fan of the popular show “America’s Next Top Model,” Smith quickly picked up modeling tips and tricks including Tyra Bank’s famous “smize” which means to smile with your eyes. She is self taught and has learned from watching her peers she has met in the modeling world.

Working as a freelance model she is her own personal manager, networking as much as she can.

“It can be extremely time consuming preparing and planning on the weekends for upcoming jobs,” Smith said.

Smith’s process before shoots and shows depends on what the person in charge is asking for. Some shoots or shows will do her makeup and hair for her and other times she will have to come ready.

Her biggest way to prepare is by not eating right before her event. She feels that it will alter the way she looks.

If she does eat, it will be something very small. Smith is very focused on

what look she wants to acheive for that particular shoot or show, and will do whatever it takes.

“If I have a goal to look really fierce in this shoot or down this runway, I’m gonna do whatever it takes to look fierce,” Smith said.

With being a brand ambassador for local KC companies comes doing photo shoots wearing a certain company's supplies. Smith has worked with clothing and makeup companies such as Positive Vibes KC, Zosha Boutique and several others.

The longer Smith has been in the industry, she has realized her talent cannot be used for free. She makes a profit from working with certain companies if people use her coupon for that particular brand.

Smith has a large support system throughout this process. Her friends, family, mentors, and followers help to cheer her on. Over time, she has realized it is important to learn anything you can from anyone.

“Just by listening to the advice of my close friends who I’ve met in the modeling world or even just strangers who reach out to me, I’ve become a better model,” Smith said.

Social media has definitely helped Smith to get the work she has done out there. With a large following on Instagram, there are many people who come across her page and reach out to her in hopes of working with her.

“Instagram is my major social media base,” Smith said. “Different people around KC get the opportunity to see what modeling work I have done.”

Similar to any other industry, with modeling comes a competitive world.

Everyone is going after the same goal of wanting as much exposure as possible.

Smith describes it as a race.

“Everyone wants to be that top model that everyone knows and sees, and if you don’t have that, it’s like ‘what

do I need to do?’,” Smith said. “You want the best for yourself.”

Another aspect that is very prominent in the modeling world are stereotypes.

Fortunately, Smith has not experienced this yet in her career. A popular stereotype is many companies want really thin, tall women. This idea has started to change in today’s society as Smith generally works for people who want a more everyday, common look.

Along with modeling, Smith is also a self trained makeup artist. Growing up trying on her mom's makeup, putting it on as best as she could, sparked an early interest for Smith. Her mom saw this interest and bought her her own makeup to wear whenever she wanted.

Smith developed a strong passion for makeup and became more skilled overtime. Just recently Smith started her own makeup business which is currently run out of her home.

Smith generally does people’s makeup for big events like homecoming, prom or any other events. Smith runs it as a real business and offers discounts and specials for different occasions.

Smith hopes to pursue modeling and makeup artistry as a side job rather than a full time career in the future.

“I have bigger goals, which is running my own clothing business, doing fashion design and styling,” Smith said.

Modeling has definitely done a lot for Smith. Through every shoot or show, she gains more confidence. With modeling being such an independent industry, she has gained more independence and responsibility.

“Through modeling I’ve met a lot of friends that I didn’t even know lived in KC,” Smith said. “Modeling has really helped me to gain a lot of things that I haven’t [had] before. It brings a lot of networking and a lot of awareness to small businesses around the area.” H

page design by Gabby Staker

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centerspread

living after losing:

GRIEF IN THE MIDST OF DEATH

As many students and teachers have lost members of their immediate family, the Dart gets a glimpse of what their experience is like and how they have moved forward since.

Story by Zoe Butler | Editor-in-Chief Ella Kugler | Writer Photos compiled by Anna Louise Sih | Photo Editor

Becca Lueke, who passed away four years ago, in an array of photos with her family. photos courtesy of Maddie Lueke

16 November 13, 2017

IN THE MIDST OF GRIEF It was finals week at Rockhurst University. Her buzzing phone interrupted the silent library, notifying her about some car accident. She didn’t think much of it. Why should she? She gets those on a regular basis.

It wasn’t until her dad told her to come home that she started to panic.

“In my gut, in my gut I knew it was Becca; I knew there was something up with Becca,” science teacher Maddie Lueke said. “Because Becca and I -when I say she’s my best friend... we were super connected and I just knew it in my gut.”

As she sat outside the library, her boyfriend ready to drive her home, she tried to get answers. She called her older sister Allie, her younger sister Eleanor, her dad and her mom. No one answered.

“But I never tried to call Becca,” Lueke said.

Finally her mom called her back, informing her “it was an accident,”

killing her sister, changing her life forever.

It was the drive home where Lueke said everything hit her, meaning everything. “‘Who am I gonna share a monterey burrito with at Manny’s?’ I literally said that,” Lueke said.

She was supposed to be her maid of honor at her wedding, she and her sisters had planned it out for a reason.

And who was she going to share a bed with on vacation?

It was the little things Lueke initially noticed that reinforced her sister was, in fact, gone.

“She had gone shopping and there was a bag of clothes that she had bought on the ground and I was like ‘She’s never gonna wear those,’” Lueke said.

Lueke feels that, even today, when their entire family is gathered around the dinner table, it still feels small. “[It’s] noticeable,” Lueke said. “At her wake, when we sat in descending order,

we literally left a seat between me and Eleanor because it just didn’t seem right.”

Senior Kate Loman recalls similar feelings around the time of initial loss of her dad to Multiple Sclerosis when she was a freshman. She thinks about him around major holidays, but also smaller, more intimate times that only she would have a recollection of, like waiting for him to return from work. It was an adjustment breaking the habits she never consciously realized were there.

“I used to sit and do my homework at the kitchen table and stop and just stare at the door,” Loman said.

Loman’s dad was “one of those dads” -- the kind who would buy the over-the-top Russell Stover’s chocolate boxes and flowers for his “little princess” on Valentine’s Day. “On Valentine's Day, I somewhat grieve for that,” Loman said. “And it's not like I'm gonna make my mom do that. She wasn't the one who did that, so I can't recreate that memory. It's just kind of a memory I have now.”

It’s the hundreds of thousands of memories people shared with Becca Lueke that brought out a massive amount of supporters. But that isn’t to say there were some stray supporters who had good intentions, but didn’t help in Lueke’s grieving process.

“People would come up to me at parties and they’d touch my arm and be like ‘How are you?’” Lueke said, wideeyed about the ridiculousness of the situation. “I’m like ‘I’m doing alright, I’m here,’ and they’re like ‘Are you sure you’re alright?’ And I’m like “Yes, I’m trying to have a good time right now, so leave me alone.’”

Worse than that, Lueke felt like it had become a “thing” around her community.

“People would just look at you because you’re the girl whose sister died,” Lueke said.

She saw a lot of people “come out of the woodwork,” wanting to get involved for not all the right reasons.

“The thing that sucks is that when you are in that position, it sometimes feels like people are wanting to talk to you because they want to say they reached out to you,” Lueke said. “Some of it is people that care and some of it, page design by Lily Manning

17

unfortunately, is people that don’t care, but they want to be related to it.”

Loman had similar feelings towards some people’s unhelpful responses. She said that the hardest thing she has had to deal with throughout the entire grieving process was people’s pity.

“I hate the ‘I’m so sorry,’” Loman said.

Loman feels as if people were defining her by this single thing in her life when apologizes for her loss came.

“I don't want your pity,” Loman said.

“I want you to see me for who I am, and that is just a piece of me. It is not who I am. It's just there.”

Loman says that this is due to the fact that she is simply a more rational than emotional person. The way she handled her father’s passing was first emotionally, then rationally.

Both Lueke and Loman described their life now as a “new normal.”

“Now I look back on things and laugh instead of cry,” Lueke said. “I mean some things still make me cry, but it’s easier to talk about. You can’t think about the way things used to be because they’re not gonna be like that anymore, and thinking about it isn’t going to help. So you have to just find ways to move forward and not live in the past.”

Loman described her life now similarly,

18 November 13, 2017

saying now she just has a “new routine.”

“I just wanted to feel normal again,” Loman said. “That was what my main goal was… I still don't feel ‘normal.’”

Lueke felt extremely grateful that the loss of her sister didn’t cause a divide for anyone her family, especially her parents, seeing as divorce rates spike to eight times the norm after the loss of a child, according to the Journal of Family Psychology.

“I don’t think [the loss of my sister] made anyone [in my family] distant, and I’ve repeatedly said just how important that’s been and how special that is,” Lueke said.

According to Lueke, her parents’ leading response was to blame themselves. Her mom was the one who told Becca to wait to drive back to college in the morning, because the roads would be safer. And her dad thought he should have bought a safer car.

But come the time of Becca’s wake, Lueke’s family wasn’t focusing on their own grievances. Lueke said it was a time for other people to grieve, and for them to comfort, a “really weird dynamic,” but she doesn’t remember crying much during the wake. Junior Clare Herrington, who lost her mom when she was a freshman, feels similarly.

“When you actually have a funeral, it seems like it is more for other people than yourself,” Herrington said.

Picture a family party, except you know fewer people. Awkward, stiff and overall uncomfortable.

“I hated it,” Herrington said.

But for Lueke, she remembers Becca’s a little differently.

“Her visitation was nothing short of amazing,” Lueke said.

It was held at St. Teresa’s, and the seniors had just decorated the quad with white, twinkling lights, as they do every year, but this time made it even more beautiful for the special circumstances. It was estimated that 2,500 people were present.

Counselor Amanda Johnson Whitcomb recalled how powerful it felt being in a room with that many people, and how the group setting was meant for those grieving to not feel as though they are alone.

“Sometimes it’s not even what people say or do, sometimes it’s just being with one another,” Whitcomb said.

For Loman, her dad’s funeral was an opportunity to keep her mind busy. She organized the entire

Senior Kate Loman is pictureed with her dad in an array of photos. Loman's dad passed away in 2014. photos courtesy of Kate Loman

thing -- she picked the building, the songs, the floral arrangements and the photographer. “[My mom] knew this was a way for me to get closure,” Loman said. “She knew this was one of my things, and she would help me at times, with the credit card. But at the end of it, I was the one who organized the funeral, set the time, the date, all of it.”

In one word, her father’s funeral was overwhelming. They expected about 300 people and got a thousand. It was a huge throng of humans giving her endless hugs, telling her how similar she looks to her dad, making her “terribly uncomfortable…[and] stiff armed.”

“It was just a big mess of people,” Loman said. “And not a bad mess, it was a beautiful mess. My dad was a very loved man, but at the end of it, it was for us.”

MOVING FORWARD Herrington said that there were some shifts that naturally had to occur in her family dynamic in order to compensate for the absence of her mother.

“My older sister, Maggie, she took on more,” Herrington said. “...Me and my younger brother looked up to her for things, she kind of filled some of the roles that my mom had. And then I had

to become more responsible for myself, just doing things that she'd normally do.”

On top of that, she said her dad had to take on a bigger role, and her aunts would come to her house and bring food or help clean, whatever was needed.

After Loman’s dad passed, there were similar adjustments, but also some new opportunities. His life insurance was able to pay for Loman to start school at St. Teresa’s her sophomore year.

“As a child, [my dad would] push my mom really hard for me to go here,” Loman said. “It was [my first day] at STA, in the quad, and I was looking at the bricks because I was like, ‘What the heck is this?’ So I started reading them, and there was one that I specifically remember and I know where it is in the quad, and it says, ‘Kate rocks.’ So I just knew that I was supposed to go here.”

According to Lueke, her family would not have gotten through it if it weren’t for her seven year old brother, William, who was four when his sister passed.

Her parents were determined to not let him have a depressing childhood, including opening presents just a couple weeks after Becca died, on Christmas morning.

“It makes me sad that William won’t remember her,” Lueke said. “He does, he has the best memory. He will tell me about things he did when he was two years old. And I think one of the reasons he has a good memory is because he works on it so hard, so he doesn’t forget her.”

However sudden it was, Lueke has still found signs that align what happened with her sister, “little things that happen all the time.”

The night before Becca’s car accident, Becca and her mom were watching "Grey’s Anatomy". In the episode, a boy died in a car accident and ended up donating all of his organs. Not only did Becca also pass in a car accident, but she donated all of her organs.

The morning of the accident, Lueke’s mom texted in their family group message: Today’s a good day, there were just three cardinals outside. Lueke found out later that cardinals and other brightly colored birds are a famous sign of loved ones who have passed away.

“She was very there,” Lueke said.

According to Lueke, this was the most defining moment in her spiritual journey, seeing as she could have so easily given up.

“I found those things comforting, and I still do because there are still things that pop up and I’m like ‘Damn it Becca, I know that was you,’” Lueke said.

Now, Lueke’s family seizes every opportunity.

“My dad has just embraced living in the moment and maybe not living everyday like it’s your last, because he’s fiscally super responsible and a financial planner, but now, when opportunities present themselves, he takes them,” Lueke said.

The year after Becca passed away, University of Dayton, Lueke’s older sister’s college, made it to the Sweet 16 in basketball, and with a text from their dad saying: Who’s in? their whole family went. But it wasn’t anything compared to the spontaneity of when, at 2 a.m., right after New Year’s Eve, he texted: Who wants to go to Disney World tomorrow? And they went.

“It’s still not that it made sense,” Lueke said. “But the way that things happened, you feel like it was set up so you know she’s alright.” H page design by Lily Manning

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main ed

there is no right or wrong way to grieve

W

hether it be a pet, a family member or a friend, loss is one of the most difficult experiences to go through. Not everyone may experience it at a young age of an immediate family member.

But, at some point everyone does experience it, and everyone reacts and copes in a different way. Loss affects people directly and indirectly, impacting those closest to anyone affected. What is most important in this is that we are there for the person going through this time of loss, and that we support them in however they cope.

Whether it be showing it outwardly or keeping their grieving private and inward, there is no right or wrong way to cope or grieve. Everyone reacts differently to loss, but that does not make a right or wrong way to process it.

Some people shake it off and pretend like nothing happened to avoid the pain. Others may grieve by comforting others. There are endless amounts of ways to react, each way is unique to the individual and how it works for them.

We have to remember we cannot tell someone how they “should” or “should

not” act or react. We have to respect everyone’s healing process and make sure to be there when needed, showing them unconditional love.

In some cases, people feel guilt, anger or fear. They may yell at God or others.

They may act out and rebel or stop caring. Many even fall into depression after experiencing a loss. This is where we have to love more than ever. Loss evokes these emotions and love can help level it out and help them feel reassured that everything will be alright.

There is not a time limit on grief.

Some push it off for months or years, others deal with it right away and for some it is a longer more complex process. Whatever the case may be, we cannot make them feel like they have been grieving for too long or too short.

Rather, we need to be there for them every step of the way. Loss can feel like a constant battle of pain that never fully goes away.

There are five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Denial is denying that the loss took place and holding back emotions about it. Anger is the feeling

Right on Target

Compiled by Mary Massman Lifestyles Editor

The Dart asked students, "How have you helped your friend in their grieving process?"

sophomore Carmella Bailey "[My friend] was very strong so my help was more of just support and an addition to her strength. I just would stay up and talk if she needed it or give her hugs if she needed those. Through her dad’s whole treatment process and fight I tried my hardest to be there for her at all times. If your friend is going through loss another thing that can be hard is if you are overwhelming them rather than helping. I think it's smart to still do anything to be there with them cause in the end they need you even if they don't think they do."

20 November 13, 2017

of frustration and aggression and sometimes people take out on the ones around them. Bargaining is trying to make deals with God saying, “I’ll do blank if you just do blank for me”.

Typically asking God to either bring the one lost back or to be able to have some sort of sign from the one that was lost. Depression causes a loss of interest in activities once enjoyed and can progress into emotional and physical problems. The last is acceptance, where the loss is accepted and the one affected is now at peace with all that happened. However, it is not necessary to go through each of the 5 stages in order to heal. For some they may only need to go through 2 or 3 stages in order to feel healed, but others may need to go through all 5 until they feel closure or at peace.

Going through a loss leaves a life lasting impact on someone. Make sure you are there to comfort, love, care for and respect the way people experience and cope with that loss because everyone experiences it, and no one should have to go through it alone.H

Senior kate willnauer "On the annual day of [my friend's] dad’s death, we took her out to Lawrence, KS, where the sunflowers were, and we took pictures of us with a few other friends. We tried to keep her mind off of things. We went to dinner and stuff. That night before, I couldn’t be there with her physically, but of course I was there for her over text message and emotionally she knew that she could talk to me. She went over to a friend’s house and spent the night. We tried to make memories over that specific day and especially that month to make it not about her dad."

perspectives

internet linguistics aren't the end of english, but an evolution Formalists have cried out against the relaxed grammar commonly found online, but fail to see that these distortions of common language are critical to expressing emotion across a medium that does not allow face to face contact.

Story by Julia Kerrigan Opinion Editor When the Internet first began, people found themselves needing all new sorts of words. Linguists encountered a variety of new phrases, from “website” to “boot up” to the ever popular “surfin’ the web.”

The rise of social media has led to another wave of new and exciting words, expressions and sentence structures to accommodate online communication, where body language is entirely absent and intonation can be hard to convey. While these aren’t grammatically correct in the formalist sense, I think they add a fascinating level of complexity.

Take, for example, this text I might send to a friend: "Why do we have so much homework tonight? We need to sleep."

While grammatically correct, it’s painstakingly formal, right? All I’d need to do is slap and MLA header on it and then I could submit it on Turnitin.com. It means exactly what it says, no subtext and no frills.

If I employ more current uses of punctuation, the text suddenly becomes much more engaging.

"Why..,,,.,....do we have…..,.,.,So Much hOMEWORK tonight? We need!!! To sleep!!!!"

Now this is an eyesore when you combine that many conventions into one text, but bear with me. By using so many periods with commas inter-

spersed, the writer can communicate their exhaustion between each word.

The random capitalization of Certain Words is something I picked up in a book I read in grade school, but has been used increasingly to communicate their importance or a shift in tone. The grADUAL capitALIZATION of words probably should have set off something in your head to make you start yelling the words. And excessive use of exclamation!!! Does exactly what you think it might!!!!! But more dramatically.

These little punctuation and capitalization quirks make a big difference in everyday communication, but there’s even more to it than that. Would you agree that casual “ok” is different from the hostile “K.”? And that a gentle “:)” is worlds apart from the uncomfortable and passive aggressive “:-)”? These little tics make all the difference when you’re trying to communicate online, and can only really be picked up by doing so.

This all sounds very trivial when it’s explained like a grammar textbook might in 50 years from now, because it has all developed so naturally that I sometimes feel like it can’t be taught, just learned through experience.

Within 140 characters, the Internet generation has created ways to convey that they’re mocking someone, that they’re being ironic or that they are (on occasion) being serious.

Some might say that this warped use

of grammar has ruined our generation’s ability to communicate well, but I see it the other way. What is happening online every day is not the degeneration of a language, but the development. If one were to take a look at any essay I have written for a class, they can see that I’m perfectly capable of writing with formalist grammar rules.

Put me in the middle of a comments section or a group chat and immediately a switch is flipped. Being able to communicate well in both circles is what makes this generation well rounded.

What is so fascinating about these new ways of expressing emotion and intonation is that they are not cataloged anywhere. There are no official rules, no printed style guides. This generation, sometimes demeaningly called “screenagers,” has taken their main method of communication and created a complex set of grammar rules that take what have been supplied for them in grammar lessons and used them to create emphasized meaning in an era where getting your point across is harder than ever. Anyone who dismisses or disses these new writing techniques are missing out on an entire subsection of the English language.

To those who are mistaking a creative shift in language as a movement of lazy and undereducated teenagers bent on destroying English forever, I just have one thing to say to you: K. H page design by Anna Ronan

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perspectives

If you're not black, don't say it Non-black people should never say the n-word regardless of its ending.

Story by Margaux Renee Features Editor I’ve grown up listening to rap. Among other genres of course, but since I was about seven, hip-hop has been central to my musical taste. From old school to Soundcloud, I’m a big fan, customer and concert-goer. With rap though, comes the n-word, more specifically its derivative with the “a” termination. Because hip-hop culture so often crosses over into the mainstream, people of all ethnic backgrounds consume it, naturally repeating its lyrics. Consequently, white people and non-black people of color everywhere have come to believe that it is okay for them to say this word. I’m here to tell you it’s not.

My explanation begins with the word’s origin. The n word, terminating in “er” stems from the Portuguese and Spanish terms, negro, meaning dark or black. As with so much of our vocabulary, this term made its way into the English language and took on a new meaning, denoting laziness, irresponsibility, a lack of intelligence, aggression, and any other stereotype associated with black people in this country.

It was used by white people to signify their perceived superiority, and immeasurable disdain and repugnance for African-Americans. It was used by slave-owners and klansmen alike, not only to demean black people, but to threaten their lives. It remains the most harmful slur in the English language.

Anyone wishing to contest this need

22 November 13, 2017

only to conduct a Google image search of “Jim Crow art.” This will expose a swath of images that depict white america’s image of black people at the time, an image perfectly articulated and synonymous with the n-word.

As with any word, time can be influential. A mere glance through Twitter reveals an alternate meaning of the nword coming closer to the term “guy.”

This usage is not new however. According to the journal of Language and Communication, linguists suppose that the n-word first became integrated into black vernacular during slavery, progressively becoming more widespread and accepted in the black community as time passed. Today, the n-word ending in the letter a is used widely, through the process of “normative reversal.”

This term describes the re-claiming of a slur by the targeted group in an attempt to empower themselves. In cases like these, it is endearing or humorous when ingroup members use it amongst themselves. It is offensive and unacceptable when someone outside of the group uses it.

Think of the difference between a girl calling another girl the b-word, perhaps endearingly, and a guy using the term.

With the guy’s use comes a mountain of misogyny, stereotypes and inherent disrespect, in a world where some women are killed for merely trying to

get an education. It’s the same thing.

Black people can say the n-word no problem, but it takes on a whole new meaning when a white person uses it, especially in an America where unarmed black people are killed by police officers.

It’s because of this that white use of the n-word is never okay. It instantly becomes charged with the history of colonialism, slavery, Jim-Crow and mass-incarceration the moment it passes a white person’s lips.

Now, one could argue the opposite.

I was born in 2001. I didn’t own any slaves. It’s not my fault my ancestors did so why can’t I say it? The fact is you can, but it’s a matter of if you should. It is my, impressively pale, whitebread opinion that caucasians and non-black people of color should never utter this word, no matter its form. Even if your black friend gave you a “pass” and told you it’s cool.

You can’t bypass white supremacy. It doesn’t work that way.

In America, we are blessed with the First Amendment; free speech. But white people's use of the n-word comes at a cost. In using it, you threaten the lives of African-Americans. So next time you find yourself at a Chance the Rapper concert, consider holding your breath during that one part of “No Problem.” You’d be surprised how much cooler that makes you. H

perspectives

An alteration to your inspiration We need to make sure our idols are positive influences, here's why Sam Kolder is mine.

Story by Amy Schaffer Photographer When other people hear the word "vlogger," they imagine a young man sitting in his car holding a small, pointand-shoot camera at double-chin angle, obnoxiously telling his viewers about his day. Think Jake Paul. However, for me, vlogs are much more than an update of someone else’s life.

I used to scroll through YouTube watching videos of people doing entertaining things like eating at an expensive restaurant in L.A. or bungee jumping in Colorado. I would put myself down as I binged these vlogs of other people's fun days. Here I was, smack-dab in the middle of the country, far from the excitement of the world. The problem was not only did I lack hope of an interesting life, but I didn’t have the motivation to change anything about it, convincing myself a boring future was inevitable.

One day I was getting my daily dose of YouTube and came across a video titled "Hawaii v1.0" by a man named Sam Kolder. Assuming it was just another travel vlog, I clicked on it. Suddenly, I wasn't sitting in my room anymore, but in between two forest covered mountains, fog rolling in all around me.

A deep, anonymous voice spoke to me, saying, "We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us." Before I knew it I was flying over a volcano, then falling into the ocean, then walking along a rocky cliff.

The vlog continued like this, showing me Hawaii by taking me over hills and through caves. Then, it was over. The screen had gone black. I felt as if I had been thrown back into my twin-size bed at 100 miles per hour. I was left with a lump in my throat and my hands shaking, not knowing what exactly to do with my emotions. Had I just watched a video or had I just seen the world?

Unlike in the past, I didn't scroll on to the next vlog and continue to mope about my uneventful life. Instead, I did as much research as I could on who this Sam Kolder was. After lots of Googling, I learned Kolder was a 20 year-old college dropout from Toronto who had gotten into film and photography at a young age, his career taking off when companies started paying him to film their products around the world.

With a passion I’d never felt for anything else before, I set on my quest to live like Kolder. Over the next two weeks, I circled places I wanted to go on a world map, looked for jobs and searched the internet for cheap plane tickets. I subscribed to the National Geographic magazine, made a music playlist titled "For Travels," and spent all the money in my bank account on a new camera. I don’t regret these investments in the slightest.

This new motivation fueling me, I landed a job at my dance studio and

worked with my parents to fill my upcoming summer with trips. I abandoned my boxed up frame of mind that too many of us possess and adopted one that made me curious to see as much as I could. My priorities went from staring at videos of the world all weekend to seeing the world for myself. Kolder had empowered me to step outside of what I’d been so comfortable with my whole life.

All I’d done was watch a video made by a better role model than the uninspiring ones I had before. Without this vlog, I would still be full of selfdeprecation and wouldn’t have this new mindset that has allowed me to grow as a person. Here I am a year later, having traveled to seven different countries and booking photoshoots with eager clients. You don’t need to live in L.A. or be famous to lead an interesting life.

Surround yourself with positive influences that will show you there’s more to the world than you think not make you feel as if you can’t reach it. I found what makes me happy by watching a single video on YouTube, so there is always something to inspire you that might be closer than you think. If you do not allow yourself to get inspired, you will not make a change in your own life. H

page design by Anna Ronan

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sports feature

Behind the scenes with sports managers Students not playing sports can choose to manage a team to fulfill that credit. They're in charge of the logistics behind the scenes.

Story by Delaney Hupke Page Designer Photos by Meghan Baker Photo Editor When you go to a sports event, you see the crazy student section yelling at the top of their lungs. You see the players on the court, playing their hearts out. You see the coach on the sidelines, sometimes getting a little too excited, and the referees telling them to calm down. The ones who go unnoticed are the managers, hard at work behind the scenes.

According to junior Brooke Eldridge, who manages cross country, the hard work from sports managers is often glossed over. She says the support they provide is critical for the team’s and coach’s success. Athletic Director Mark Hough said the managers are “similar to an assistant coach”. Their role includes

24 November 13, 2017

anything from filling water bottles to taking stats at a game.

Volleyball manager Molly Cowan would also describe herself as the “coach's assistant”. She runs errands for the coach and players, and does all the small things at practice, like retrieving balls and refilling water bottles.

Cowan, a third year manager, first decided to manage a sport her freshman year to get to know people coming into the school year and to be involved in STA athletics. People take the managing route for other reasons, too.

Sophomore, Lauren Wittek was going to try out to be on the soccer team last year, but then tore her ACL. She decided managing was the next best option. She still wanted to be a part of the team and know how everything works for next season, when she plans to try out.

“This spring, I will have a better connection with the coaches and the players and they will know me better,” Wittek said.

Cowan thinks that even seeing the pride and determination on the team’s

Junior Brooke Eldridge records times for members of the cross country team while practicing for the cross country State tournament Oct. 30. Eldridge managed cross country this year to get a P.E. credit.

face can be rewarding.

“My motivation is just to see them succeed and to see our girls win and just to see them happy and playing well and healthy,” Cowan said.

Brooke Eldridge recalls the beginning of the season when she was very unorganized and trying to learn the ropes. She thinks that managing a sport may be a little difficult to get the hang of, in the beginning, but like many things, practice makes perfect.

“I remember the clipboard with all of the times on it [being] a complete mess at the first meet [I managed]," Eldridge said. "I [had] no idea how any of the coaches could read it."

As time went on, she learned the ins and outs of the sport, and her job could be done more efficiently. She found out that many of the things she had been doing the hard way, could be done easier.

“It completely changed the game when we found out we could park in the coach's parking lot instead of having to carry the water coolers for what seemed like miles,” Eldridge said.

Eldridge managed cross country

this year to get a PE credit, but ended up actually enjoying it. When it came time for post season, Eldridge willingly volunteered to stay for the extra couple weeks.

“I knew the coaches really needed me because the other managers weren't going to stay during post season, so I just stayed with the team,” Eldridge said. “At that point, I was too invested in the team to leave right at the end.

Seeing how hard the girls worked to get to where they are now was enough to keep me motivated.”

Hough said managers need to be good teammates and get along well with the coaches. He would even call them an extension of the coaching staff.

“A good manager is an integral member of the team and often spends extra hours helping the team,” Hough said.

Cowan feels that through managing, you can also gain friendships that will last. Cowan remembers a time this year when she was unable to travel with the volleyball team so she made each player a personalized card.

“I came down to the buses before they went to the airport and I passed them out and some of them started crying and that just made me so happy,” Cowan said. “After they played the next day, they all texted me how they did and that they missed me and all their little achievements.”

Hough feels that managers are part of the team just like the athletes, and they are just as invested in the team’s success. When the team wins, that is also a win for the managers. In the end, that’s what it is all about.

“Seeing the excitement on a runner’s face when they [run a personal best time], the anticipation at the starting line and the weekly pasta parties make it all worth it,” Eldridge said.H

Senior Hunter Loehr, from left, sophomore Lauren Wittek and senior Maureen Egan laugh together on the sidelines before the second half of the soccer game April 18 begins. Loehr, Wittek and Egan are the soccer team's managers. photo by Anna Louise Sih

Junior Erris Pierson, left, smiles as junior Molly Cowan tweets from the STA volleyball Twitter account during the state volleyball championship in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Oct. 27. photo courtesy of Laura Cowan

a manager's daily schedule The Dart looked into a manager's routine during practice.

Alternative coverage compiled by Katy Rouse | Writer

page design by Anna Louise Sih

25

Community

New volunteer organization prioritizes youth involvement Youth for Kansas City is a service organization. It started in 2017 and focuses on youth leadership.

that needs so much of it."

The youths involved in Youth for Kansas City make all the decisions about what type of events they do and what projects they want to start.

“I could easily commit to projects but I don't because it's the kids decision,” Castle said. “ We will get together and talk about ‘what do you want to do?’ Doing service and doing good things doesn't have to be big and doesn't have to be flashy. It all just comes down to, can we all together come to an agreement on some

with an event in early October called the Kansas City Victory Tour, which benefitted wheelchair basketball and tried to bring a wheelchair basketball team to Kansas City. They then had a silent auction and a gala dinner.

Story by Ella Norton "We greeted people and told them Writer about us, sold tickets and monitored the auction," Christianson said.

Sarah Castle would describe Youth for Kansas City is open to herself as crazy. She’s a four-time any young person to join with no size Paralympian in swimming and limit. basketball, a lawyer and now one of "This group has no limitations and I the founders of Youth for Kansas City, say the more the merrier," Castle said. a new nonprofit for young adults that "I certainly think that it's a great started in early 2017. opportunity for kids around Kansas Youth for Kansas City's goal is "We just need to ha ve An City to meet kids they wouldn't to connect youths from all around normally meet." the Kansas City area through open dialogue Instead of Right now the group currently service projects. has members from all around the "I guess I sort of started the concept in that all of the kids acting as if there's an Kansas City area.

"Getting kids who don’t involved were kids I knew in know each other to care about some fashion and had spoken to an elephant in the room" something similarly is really about service, non-profit and our interesting," Castle said. "You hear community and they had some - Sarah Castle different points of view, you hear interest in some way of making our different perspectives. We open up community better,” Castle said. "The project that we want to do?” the dialogue, we talk about what our aim is to make change in Kansas City Senior Louise Christianson is differences are, how we have different through service." one of the 13 youth members of Youth opinions and different experiences Youth for Kansas City prioritizes For Kansas City. and can still be valued. I think having being a youth-driven organization, "I'm really into service, I feel very an opinion is important, but respecting something that Castle is very strongly about that," Christianson said. an opinion is equally important. " passionate about.

Youth for Kansas City met every "I think that's the thing I love about "Just giving back to people of lesser income or opportunities is important day during the summer and was in this being a youth driven concept, to me." constant communication whilst they the creativity of youth is so much Christianson found out about tried to plan the Kansas City Victory greater than I will ever have,” Castle Youth for Kansas City when her old Tour. said. “There is a passion and love for swim coach, Castle, reached out to her Castle has always been driven life and hope that comes with being and told her about the organization. to do service which she partially young that doesn't fade away when "I think that one goal of Youth for attributes to her family and school. you're an adult but changes when you Kansas City is to get the youth of the She is now on the board for the start to have bills and jobs and things differently-abled community involved National Wheelchair Basketball to do. I love the thought that kids can in the Kansas City community," Association and before that, worked be the catalyst for change in a world Christianson said. for a non-profit that did disability Youth for Kansas City started off advocacy.

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November 13, 2017

Senior Louise Christianson wheels through the quad Nov. 2. Christianson is a member of Youth for Kansas City, which is an organization that gets the youth of the differently-abled community involved in the Kansas City community. photo by Meghan Baker

"I got a lot of success out of a lot of things in my life because other people were willing to volunteer and it's like a pay it forward concept,” Castle said. "Somebody was willing to pay it forward to me, I should be willing to do it for somebody else."

Both Castle and Christianson said they would like to see more awareness of differently-abled people.

"I would like to see more awareness of people who use alternate modes of transportation and a decrease in ignorance towards our

population and more consideration of our needs and abilities," Christianson said.

Castle said that for her, Youth for Kansas City is a form of disability advocacy.

"We need to get comfortable having uncomfortable conversations,"Castle said. "I sat down with a group of high school and college students and had a raw conversation about disability. The fact I'm in a wheelchair is not hidden from you, It's just a fact and I can talk

to you. We just need to have an open dialogue instead of acting as if there's an elephant in the room."

Christianson would like to see Youth for Kansas City spread, and hopes that one day it could spread nationally.

“I think it would be cool if it could spread nationally, not just in our community,” Christianson said. “I think it would be cool if more people nationally got in involved because I think it would be a bigger deal and we could do more.”H

YOUTH FOR KANSAS CITY: BY THE NUMBERS The Dart compiled data from Youth for Kansas City about their members.

Alternative coverage compiled by Kailee Ford | Writer

Members range from 13 members 2 differently abled 14-22 years old

Started in early

2017 page design by Julia Kerrigan

27

lAST LOOK

Are You Celebrating Christmas Too Early?

Take this quiz to find out when to begin Christmas festivities this holiday season.

Compiled by Lily Hart | Page Designer

Are houses in your neighborhood decorated for Christmas?

YES

Have you started receiving Season’s Greetings cards?

YES

NO

NO

Have you started listening to the Pentatonix Christmas album?

YES

Have you broken out your fuzzy socks?

YES NO

NO

Have you begun practicing the Mean Girls' jingle bell rock dance?

YES

STOP There is literally no reason for you to be celebrating. Have some dignity.

28 November 13, 2017

NO

‘TIS THE SEASON

START HERE Have stores started selling Christmas products?

NO YES

STOP Ah, it must be the one week where they don’t have them up. Cherish it -- there is plenty of Christmas to go around... LATER.

YES

NO

Is your Christmas countdown in months?

NO

Is there another major holiday coming up before Christmas?

YES

NO

‘TIS THE SEASON

STOP It’s just too early. Please have some decency and respect for the other holidays.

YES

Has someone made you or brought you Christmas cookies?

NO

YES

PROCEED WITH CAUTION Be nice, eat them and get pumped, but don’t shout it from the hills that you’re ready for Christmas.

page design by Lily Hart

29

ask the dart

WHAT DO I DO WITH MY LIFE NOW THAT I FINISHED MY FAVORITE

SHOW? Each month, the Dart chooses a student- submitted question to answer.

Story by Olivia Wirtz | Writer The day has come when you have finished your all-time favorite Netflix show. Sitting in your bed, you blankly watch the ending credits scroll by as you start to panic. You are completely thrown off when the “watch next episode” button is not popping up. You knew this moment would eventually come where you ask yourself, “What now?” You are convinced that you will never find another series like the one you have just immersed yourself in.

I am here to tell you that there is a lot more to life than your favorite Netflix show. Yes, cuddling up and binging Netflix sounds like a pretty

great way to spend your time, but you could also decide to roll out of bed and reemerge into the world.

You could hangout with friends or get dinner with your family; anything that creates memories with the people you love. I guarantee that when looking back, you are more likely to remember the time you spent with actual people rather than the time spent with your screen.

Finding a new hobby is a great way to spend your time. You could learn how to knit, sew or even play chess. Something that forces you to step out of your comfort zone will benefit you in the long run.

Dedicating yourself to a sport or school can sound daunting, but it will keep you focused. Instead of tapping on the Netflix app that you

will waste a good four hours on, maybe consider finishing that paper due on Monday. Joining one of STA’s amazing sports teams is also a great way to spend your time. Creating bonds with your teammates will be much more fulfilling than creating “bonds” with a show’s characters.

And my final piece of advice for you is to find another Netflix show. There are so many great series, and to find one you could ask a friend or even browse the home page. Try to search outside the genre you would usually choose.

Though binge watching Netflix seems like the easiest option after a long day of using up all your brain juice at school, it is important to engage in the world around you rather than escaping to an alternative universe of time wasting. H Disclaimer: for entertainment purposes only.

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA @dartnewsonline @Dartpaper @Dartnewsonline 30 November 13, 2017

/dartnewsonline /Dartnewsonline @Dartnewsonline

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MATH TEAM triples in size

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alternative thanksgivings

pop culture podcast: Riverdale

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Podcast by Lily Manning

Video by Kate Jones page design by Zoe Butler

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