Volume 77 Issue 7

THE

DART Securing schools:

safety in the aftermath of mass shootings In the wake of the Parkland shooting the Dart investigates the need for security adaptations in high schools.

St. Teresa's Academy | Kansas City, MO | Volume 77, Issue 7

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TABLE OF

CONTENTS

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2 March 29, 2018

NEWS

Perspectives

Star Spotlight

21. Happy days are a possibility 22. Public school is not inferior to private school 23. Out with the old and in with the new

A&E

Sports

4. KC Race Project 6. Brooke Eldridge's family restaurant 9. Artist of the issue: Darcie Hingula

24. Student-athletes commit to playing sports in college

Reviews

Community

10. Kansas City fish fries 11. Love, Simon

Features

12. What's cookin' with Bistro 14. Girl gamers face prejudice

Centerspread

16. School security in the wake of school shootings

26. Hire KC Youth Job Fair opens doors

Last look 28. Real news vs. Fake News

ask the dart 30. I'm about to inherit $1,000, what should I do with it?

Cover and back page design by Gabby Staker, cover photo by Maddie Loehr

LETTER Hello readers, Since the massacre that was the school shooting in Parkland, Fla., this past month, administrators and security officials alike have been challenged to reconsider what security in high schools should look like. While some argue that guns need to be present on all campuses, others argue that would only increase the chances of a shooting.

The one thing that remains obvious is how complex of a situation this is-there is no one right way to go about this. When reading Julia Kerrigan and Zoe Butler’s centerspread article about the future of security in high schools, try not to side with one particular source.

Though it is a political issue, each person has their own speciality and therefore their own perception of what would be best for the well-being of students and teachers.

On a lighter note, junior Brooke Eldridge helps as a hostess for her mom and stepdad’s restaurant, Corvino. Head on over to page 6 for Gabby Staker’s story on what this has been like for Eldridge and what her plans are for the future.

Although most Catholic kids would argue their own parish’s fish fry to be best, check out Gabby Pesek’s review on fish fries around KC to see which can actually qualify for the title, between

from the e d i to r s

Christ the King, St. Patrick’s and Our Lady of Perpetual Peace.

Flip on through to page 12 for an in-depth look at the Bistro Boys,

by Ella Norton, from how they got to where they are to the dynamic between them. Also make sure to check out Mary Massman and Katy Rouse’s cooking video from inside Chef Scott’s kitchen, teaching you how to make Bistro’s notorious chocolate chip cookies.

With news coming fast and hard, it’s easy to get ahead of ourselves before verifying if the information is factually correct or if it provides the entire story.

Fake news is sadly a reality, bigger than what President Trump deems as fake or real based on his opinion. Check our Katie Gregory’s tips in the Last Look section on how to confirm if what you’re reading is valid.

As always, be checking out DartNewsOnline for a multitude of videos, podcasts, galleries, stories and more.

Peace out,

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 Photography 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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KC RACE PROJECT EXPLORES THE CITY'S PAST

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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4 March 29, 2018

STA students join other students around the city to learn about Kansas City's racist history through field trips and meetings.

Story by Kailee Ford | Writer Photos by Margaux Renee Features Editor

T

he KC Race project is an initiative coordinated by the Johnson County Library to teach high school students about race in America and, more specifically, in Kansas City. The students and coordinators meet September through April to hold discussions about race.

To help the students get a better

understanding of race in America, the group reads a book called “Some of My Best Friends are Black - the Strange Story of Integration in America” by Tanner Colby. The book details the author’s experiences of integration in the South and in Kansas City, tied together with experiences of a post Civil Rights Movement United States.

STA students are able to join the project in their junior year. Junior Gabriella Mesa joined the project this year because of her fascination with the book and the experiences she read about.

“It was really interesting to see how race played out in Kansas City,” Mesa said.

“I wanted to hear from other students who have had different experiences with race in Kansas City.”

The book “Some of My Best Friends are Black” was recently added to the

Students gather around Kehinde Wiley’s 2006 painting,“Saint Adrian,” March 2nd.

STA, Shawnee Mission West and Harmon High School students look up at the southend of the Nelson Atkins. Students discussed the controversial engravings on the building’s exterior and how they affect the museum's credibility, March 2nd.

A docent explains the origins of Joseph Hirsch’s 1946 work, “Lynch Family.” The Nelson Atkins acquired the painting the year it was produced after a rise in lynching following World War II.

juniors’ Social Concerns class curriculum.

Counselor Kelly McKee says that reading the book puts students in place to join the program.

Besides holding discussions about race, the program also takes students on field trips across Kansas City so that they can learn more about race in the city. Students go to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and take a bus tour that focuses on landmarks of the Civil Rights Movement in Kansas City.

Junior Audrey Giersch was another junior who joined the KC Race Project.

“At the Nelson we talked about how art represents how the city portrays different cultures,” Giersch said. “It was a very interesting [experience].”

McKee explains that the Nelson visit and bus tour is used to “expose students to a racial landscape of the city.”

“At the end of the bus tour all the students will meet up together,” McKee said. “We then discuss what we saw and what it means for our students and our city today.”

According to the KC Race Project website, the premise of the program is to help young people understand the city’s past, fix the present and make a better

future. The project puts an emphasis on the fact that students are very active in their communities. The project works toward helping students and adults get a more socially just view of America.

“I think that it has empowered both students and teachers alike,” McKee said.

“This gives students the tools to help build a better future.” H page design by Zoe Butler

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Star spotlight

Brooke Eldridge Junior Brooke Eldridge’s family opened their first restaurant, Corvino Supper Club and Tasting Room, in May of 2017. Eldridge worked as a hostess over the summer.

Story by Gabby Staker Design Editor Photo by Meghan Baker Photo Editor

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Chef Michael Corvino, from left, junior Brooke Eldridge and Christina Eldridge smile in front of Corvino’s entrance March 19. Over the summer, Eldridge works as a hostess at Corvino with her stepfather, Michael Corvino, and her mom.

March 29, 2018

H

ow long has your mom and step-dad been in the business?

“My step dad, he’s been in the restaurant business, been a chef, since he was 16. He started working at hotels and stuff, but he and my mom got married three years ago, and from that, they just started to plan that they wanted to open a restaurant in Kansas City. They opened it last year in May 2017, and that was kind of the beginning.

How did they start their own restaurant?

Michael has always had the dream to open his own restaurant, and my mom has had the entrepreneurial background with opening businesses and being in customer affairs. What they did was they saw these characteristics in each other and they said, ‘Hey that’s a pretty cool dynamic, we should open a restaurant.’ It’s really just the two halves of a restaurant that they respectively put together to make it work.

How do you fit in?

My mom always wanted me and my brother, who is 19 and in college, to be a part of their business, make it their legacy. So over the summer, I worked as a host in the restaurant, which I was so scared about, because the people that go into the restaurant, at first, were firstclass, business professionals. But, hosting is actually no big deal. We just seat people at tables. I liked meeting people and they always saw me and thought I looked like my mom and knew immediately that connection, and I think my mom really liked it because it makes that family legacy that she really enjoys.

Do you want to carry on that legacy in the future?

I’m not really interested in continuing working in the restaurant after high school or into college, just because it’s not really my thing as much as they want it to be my thing. But I do like to bring in my own personal interests and what I can contribute to the restaurant. So I like graphic design and stuff like that, so sometimes I’ll design the menus for that week or something like that. I think you just find your thing. My brother, he really likes music, and so he’ll bring in a Spotify playlist for different times of the night. We all contribute what we’re best at and put it into the business.

How much time would you say you spend there?

I would spend a lot of time there if I could drive, but since I can’t make my way over there -- it’s like 20 minutes away from my house -- so once I do start driving, I know I’ll be eating there every night for dinner because they have this thing called “Family Meal” every day before service starts where one cook will make dinner for the whole staff and everyone eats together. It’s really good food, too. Over the summer, I’m there every day eating and talking to people.

You said your parents are gone for most of the week.

How does that play out?

I think I’ve become a lot more independent. Their hours are weird: they leave for work around 12 p.m. and then they’ll come home at 3 or 4 a.m. They’re open as a bar too and have live music on the weekends, so they’re there late when people are at the bar having fun late. On the weekdays, it can be 12 o’clock, but usually I’m in bed by then, so we don’t really see each other unless it’s me on my way to bed. I really just had to learn how to live by myself, talk to my dog sometimes, but I think, also, my mom and I had to learn how to communicate over phone calls and make sure we’re keeping each other informed of things going on. We send random pictures and videos throughout the day.

Do you feel like you see the food industry differently based on your experience?

Yes, for sure. I started going to the fancier restaurants, because my mom and stepdad have super high standards now, I used to be able -- this is going to sound really snobby -- I used to just be able to go to Applebee’s and be like ‘Yes, so good, I love Applebees’, but as I started experiencing more fine dining and things like that, I definitely have a taste for the fancier kind of things, and I’d say I don’t judge things, but I do notice minor things like plating and flavor combinations. I always feel really bad about it, too because I feel like I’m being judgmental and fine dining isn’t something really common for teenagers to experience. Also, working in the restaurant business has given me a greater empathy for when I go to restaurants and they can’t seat you right away. I understand “Ok, there’s a wait, this table’s taking longer than usual,” and I appreciate service at restaurants a lot more because you don’t realize how much work is going on behind the scenes.

Does your mom and step-dad cook at home, too?

I’m actually terrible at cooking. You’d think I’m good because I’ve learned, but usually on nights that they’re not home, I have frozen pizza, pasta. I eat a lot of quesadillas.

But on Sunday and Monday nights, they make an effort to come home and cook dinner. One night we have pasta and it’ll always be a different kind of pasta, like we’ll do squid ink pasta and the next night we’ll do something random, like get takeout from one of [Michael’s] friends’ restaurants.

Is there a community around the restaurant business?

Yes, they’re buddies… all of them are because they’re all just so interrelated. By doing events throughout Kansas City, you just get into contact with so many different people and musicians, too, because we have live performers at the restaurant. We have met so many cool people who travel the world doing music. We hear all their stories and it’s pretty cool. So [the restaurant people] have this tight friend group where they just all share recipes. It’s kinda dorky, but it’s funny. H

page design by Gabrielle Pesek

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bits and pieces

PHOTO OF THE ISSUE Photo by Kate Jones

Senior Katie Willnauer rehearses at Rose Theater March 9. Willnauer starred as Bonnie in Rockhurst High School's production of "Bonnie and Clyde."

The Dart chooses a staffer's photo to be featured each month.

My life sucks

My life rocks

Compiled by Delaney Hupke | Writer "I was playing volleyball and I came down on another girl’s foot. My knee collapsed inward and I had to go get an MRI. Turns out I have an impact fracture in my femur and I can’t finish the club volleyball season. " - Bella Petry, sophomore

In the NEws Kansas City A group of Kansas City voters will have the opportunity in April to expand the streetcar line from the River Market to UMKC, instead of Union Station, where it currently ends. Voting will be open to registered voters within the TDD District, which stretches from State Line Road to Campbell Street and from the Missouri River to 53rd Street. Voters will be able to apply for a mail-in ballot from March 5 to April 3.

8 page design by Katie Gregory

"The night before lacrosse tryouts, I decided to try out for the team because my sister plays. I had never played before, but I made the team."

-Madeline Gentry, freshman

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

by Katie Gregory | Managing Web Editor

United states President Trump has announced a plan to impose higher tariffs on steel and aluminum imported from overseas. "We're going to build our steel industry back, and we're going to build our aluminum industry back," Trump said when he first announced the tariffs. Though Trump prefers to apply the tariffs to all imports, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced March 7 that there are potential “carve-outs” for Mexico and Canada.

World North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, has told South Korean representatives that he is willing to discuss relinquishing some of his nuclear weaponry. Jong-un told the Southern envoys that he would freeze North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs during talks with the United States if they were to occur. This news comes after weeks of diplomacy from North Korea during the Pyeongchang Olympics in South Korea.

freshman lights up

A&E

the stage Freshman Darcie Hingula has had a passion for music since youth.

Story by Aspen Cherrito Writer Photo by Amy Schaffer Photographer

I

t’s two hours before showtime at the Waldo Bar and freshman Darcie Hingula , at the time an eighth grader, is given the news that the girl before her has cancelled, leaving her a full hour to perform any songs she would like. The lights turn off, and she steps onto stage,the lights turn back on and she performs with all she can.

One hour and a full setlist later, she’s asked to come back to perform and the rest is history.

“Even though I don’t write a lot of my music, I do attempt, just getting to perform is so ecstatic, it's so amazing,” Hingula said. “Still to this day I get nervous, but it's just even though I’ve done it for so long the nerves never go away, it's just that excitement.”

When Hingula was in fourth grade, she performed "Only Exception"

by Paramore, due to the help of her dad helping her teach the chords.

Ever since then Hingula has craved performing.

With her dad also being involved in theatre, he’s played an incredible role in inspiring Hingula to pursue music, even helping her write her very first song “Baby Eagle,” leading her to win the contest and perform at her school assembly. “[The song is] about this baby eagle trying to learn to fly and the eagle is like ‘Oh I can’t do it,' but the dad is like, 'I know you can and it just takes practice and you've just gotta believe in yourself.'” Hingula said.

Hingula began to take piano lessons at a young age, but discovered that

she was better at sight reading on her own. This then lead her to come up with a technique, to listen to songs over and over again until she manages to pluck out the chords.

“I am more visual, I have to see things to do it,” Hingula said. “I’m not good at cite reading, which is weird for someone who is very musical but it's easier for me to see it happen first.”

As she’s gotten older, Hingula has began to post her covers to YoutTube where she has gained a following of 38 subscribers.

“There are a few people who I have no idea who they are and they follow me and I’m like oh that's cool,” Hingula said. “There’s one person that I remember and they asked me if this was on iTunes.”

At the age of four Hingula was cast in her first professional musical, Oklahoma, at Theatre at the Park.

Most recently, Hingula was in Charlie Brown at the Coterie Theatre “To look back at all those times, it's like a journey,” Hingula said.

One of Hingula’s favorite parts of doing theatre is being able to interact with the audience, such as a time she recalls at a meet and greet at the Coterie. Hingula remembers a little girl coming up to her and telling Hingula that her dress was her favorite color, green, where Hingula responded with ‘I wore this dress just for you.’

“Even if you’re having a bad day it [music] always cheers you up,” Hingula says.

Hingula says though her favorite show would have to be Shrek the Musical where she played the role of Gingy, Sugar Plum Fairy, a Rat tap dancer, a villager, and a duloc dancer.

“It gives off that message that beautiful isn’t always pretty, Shrek explains to Fiona I think you’re beautiful because it's the way I see

you,” Hingula said. “You shouldn't beat yourself up by the way other people see you.”

As well as being involved in musical theatre and plays, Hingula has participated in competitive dance since she was two, but has since switched to a less competitive studio in order to focus on musicals.

As Hingula comes from a family of performers and has participated in various musicals, she’s used to getting such praise but still, to this day she feels as if ‘Thank you’ is never a good enough phrase.

“It's weird, I just don't know how to react when someone says they are proud of me,” Hingula said. “Thank you is never just a good enough word, I always think how I express it more.”

Despite this, the best advice Darcie can give to aspiring performers is to ‘Just do it.’

“Like Nike says, just do it, you have to believe in yourself, if you don’t it's going to be harder for you to get somewhere, it's easier to do what you love, rather than what you hate.” H

page design by Anna Louise Sih

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Reviews

Somefin fishy in kc

Like most Catholics in KC during Lent, I'm always on the hunt for the perfect non-meat meal. Each local fish fry had their own flavor.

Story and photos by Gabrielle Pesek Writer and page designer Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish

HHHH

Within two minutes of being at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, I was thanked five times by workers with welcoming warm smiles. The shrimp was boiled and still shelled. The shrimp was a bit off-putting and hard to peel since the shrimps’ feet were still on it.

However, the shrimp had a nice little spicy kick to them. The potatoes were plain b-sized boiled potatoes. The “Oh So Sweet Lemonade” was just as you’d expect: very, very sweet. Although their selection was limited, their atmosphere made up for it. Everyone was really enjoying themselves, they had a packed house with music going and many conversations.

St. Patrick Parish hosts their Lenten fish fry March 2. The menu consists of mac and cheese, corn on the cob, hush puppies, southern fried fish and chocolate chip cookies.

Christ the King Parish

HHHHH

Christ the King Parish did an outstanding job. The parish hall was so packed it was hard to find a seat.

The hall was filled with laughter and memories made. They served a Wisconsin style fish fry with Alaskan Pollock fish freshly fried by a team of Knights of Columbus members from Christ the King, Rockhurst University and the University of Missouri-Kansas City. The boiled potatoes were coated in butter and parsley. The fried potatoes were crunchy and not fishy. They make sure to fry the French fries completely separately to avoid fishy fries. The coleslaw was phenomenal. Knights of Columbus member Jerry Maschler and his wife have made the coleslaw for the past five years.

It’s a three day process; they put the cabbage, mustard, vinegar and sugar in a five gallon bucket and rotate it from Wednesday to Friday to make sure it all gets mixed up to give the best flavor.

You may notice the coleslaw looks more purple than other coleslaw; they do this to embody the purple of the Lenten season. The cake was a bit dry but the chocolate frosting made up for it. Overall the Knights’ apron said it all, Christ the King hosts their Lenten fish fry March 9. The menu consists of freshly fried Alaskan Pollock fish along “It always tastes right when it’s with coleslaw, potatoes, and cake for dessert. served by a knight.”

10 March 29, 2018

St. Patrick Parish

HHHH

St. Patrick Parish hosted their fish fry in the parish hall with a moderate variety to select from.

The southern fried fish was coated in corn meal that gave it a thin crunchy outer layer. The mac and cheese was everything you look for in the perfect mac and cheese: it was creamy, cheesy and the noodles were soft. The corn on the cob was cooked and buttered and gave a great sweet taste. The chocolate chip cookie was crunchy, sugary and chocolatey sweet. The hush puppies were by far the best item on the menu.

They were crunchy on the outside and fluffy and flavorful on the inside with a bit of a spice to it. H

Our Lady of Perpetual Help hosts their Lenten Shrimp Boil March 2. The menu consists of boil shrimp and potatoes.

"Love, siMON" IS BUT LOVABLE

LATE,

Love, Simon is a touching and classic romantic comedy for its generation.

Story by Ella Kugler Writer and page designer HHHHH

I

f I’m being honest, the first time I saw advertisements for “Love, Simon”, I wasn’t interested.

The movie seemed ten years late (considering it’s much more normal for people to come out about their sexuality today). I’m not a fan of romance. Romantic gestures seemed pointless and sometimes cringy. For anyone who knows me well, I can be kind of cold-hearted.

Back to the point. "Love, Simon" had one particularly special quality about it, which made me interested in seeing it.

It's a romantic comedy that revolves around the life of Simon (Nick Robinson), a teenage protagonist who's secretly gay. His life is painstakingly normal, which he reminds his audience several times throughout the movie.

Similar to most romantic comedies, he has an unrealistically perfect family and a tight-knit group of friends.

His life is annoyingly safe, without there being severe changes to stir up many emotional reactions in the audience. However, despite the normalness of Simon's life, there's something powerful about it, considering it's one of the few films which revolves around a gay protagonist.

The movie never really reveals why Simon, a teenager with incredible support among his family and friends, would have such a hard time coming out. This could suggest this would

always be a recurring problem even though society’s constantly evolving.

Even though the world has gone through lots of change in just 20 years, there will always be discrimination.

Plus, it’s pretty normal for people to be insecure when they can be rejected for being themselves.

The beginning of the movie starts off pretty slowly, but there are parts of the movie that draw you in with witty and breezy humor, like when Simon’s mom (Jennifer Garner) delivers comical therapy burns, or Simon’s dad (Josh Duhamel), who is overly emotional and is always making inappropriate jokes.

“Love, Simon” also takes a shot at the idea of a reverse society, where being gay is the norm, going through several entertaining scenes where children reveal they’re straight and their parents have super exaggerated reactions of shock and horror.

Then one day, after Simon gets home from school, his friend Leah (Katherine Langford) FaceTimes him.

CreekSecrets, their high school's anonymous blogging site, has an interesting post. A fellow student posting under the pseudonym “Blue” reveals he’s gay. Hungry for connection, Simon creates a fake email address, then replies with the alias “Jacques”.

Not long after, a friendship is sparked between Simon and the mystery character. The two are seen to be in frequent contact, sending multiple emails to each other every day. During

one scene, Simon is seen texting Blue with one hand under the desk while he sits in class, his eyes still locked on the teacher in front of him.

I think one of the issues with the movie is that Simon actually seems pretty underdeveloped for a main character. His predominant trait throughout the film is that he’s secretly gay and also pretty awkward. His character almost comes off as ignorant sometimes, like when he fails to notice his best friend Leah very obviously has a thing for him, all because he’s so focused on Blue.

After a heartwarming scene with his mom, Simon grows inspired to make amends with Leah, who is quick to accept his apology. When he arrives home, his dad apologizes and he and Simon share several laughable moments.

From quirky characters, like the perky vice-principal Worth (Tony Hale), Simon’s chef-aspiring sister, Nora (Talitha Bateman) and hilarious theater director Ms. Albright (Natasha Rothwell) to the optimistic message very simply displayed in “Love, Simon”, the movie ends up being a heartfelt and classic romantic comedy for its generation.

While the movie has its flaws, like when the teenage characters' scripts are very obviously written by a middle-aged white man or the movie’s predictability, it’s a gem and is worth the watch. H page design by Ella Kugler

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features

what's cooking with bistro kids

Head Chef Scott Brake, Jordan Smith and Laura Gonzales cook the meals at STA every day.

Story by Ella Norton Brake believes that working with same time.

Writer local farmers is crucial and tries to use “Jordan and I have worked together local produce whenever it’s available. for four years now so we understand Photos by Anna Ronan “Being an advocate for local food how each other operates,” Brake said.

Writer and farmers, I believe there is a lot Smith had had a variety of cooking Alternative coverage compiled by of importance in eating healthy experiences before coming to STA. Lily Hart | Writer and local,” Brake said. “I am not a “I’ve worked at a couple of

I

t’s a Tuesday morning and music plays softly from the kitchen.

Inside, batter is being made, eggs are being cracked and cake is being cut. Three chefs work on the food, checking the recipe as they go. The kitchen is calm as they prepare for the next couple of hours in which girls will line up for lunch.

“My philosophy is life is too short to eat bad food,” head Bistro Boys chef Scott Brake said.

Brake has been interested in cooking since he was young.

“I grew up in my grandma’s kitchen so we would have Sunday lunch after church and that’s where I really started cooking as a kid,” Brake said.

“I took cooking classes in high school, back when they used to have cooking classes.”

He then continued cooking by attending culinary school at age 24 and working at multiple restaurants.

Brake is the head chef for Bistro and has worked at STA for over four years. He found out about the position through work with local farmers.

“I had done a little bit of volunteer work for some local farmers and that led me to getting to know Good Nature Family Farms, who had a relationship with Bistro, and they provided food to Bistro and they mentioned this position was open,” Brake said. “I applied for it and here I am.”

12

March 29, 2018

big supporter of the massive food industries.”

For Brake, eating locally goes into nutrition, something he would like to learn more about.

“My personal goal is to understand more about nutrition,” Brake said.

“I’ve often thought about going back to school and getting some sort of graduate degree in nutrition.”

For Brake, one of the main advantages of working at STA is the scheduling. Because STA is a school, the chefs don’t have to work holidays and nights, whilst most restaurants would require them to.

“One of the things that we really like here is that we get to work Monday through Friday and get to work during lunches which gives us our weekends free to spend with our friends and families,” Brake said.

As STA is a smaller school, Brake said they have less restrictions on what they can make.

“We don’t have to follow all of the rules that larger groups in [Bistro] have to follow,” Brake said. “We have a lot of freedom to do what we like.”

Working at STA is different from working at a restaurant where Brake said he would typically have ten employees working underneath him.

However, he said he gets along well with his coworkers.

“It’s nice and quiet and we all get along real well,” Brake said.

Brake and Jordan Smith, another chef at STA, began working around the

restaurants in Kansas City, Lawrence and Pittsburg, Kansas, where I’m from,” Smith said. “At a restaurant it’s way more fast paced and you always have to work weekends and holidays and nights.”

Smith knew that he was interested in cooking since he was young, but he didn’t know it was something he wanted to pursue.

“It kind of just happened,” Smith said.

Smith said he enjoys working at STA, especially with the small size of the school and his schedule.

“I like it here, it’s laid back,” Smith said. “I like my coworkers and I like St. Teresa’s, so it’s all good.”

According to Smith, he makes the majority of the desserts, which he likes.

out of 275 students

Chefs Jordan Smith and Laura Gonzales prepare manicotti March 23. Smith has been working at STA for four years and this is Gonzales' first year.

“The best thing about cooking is eating the food after,” Smith said. “The worst is chopping onions.”

Smith isn’t sure where he wants to go with cooking in the future.

“Who knows?” Smith said.

Laura Gonzales is the third chef working at STA. She is a native of Peru and moved here when her daughter, Spanish teacher Maria Lopez Gonzales, did. She started working at STA 10 months ago.

“I live with my daughter and my daughter is a teacher here,” Gonzales said. “When she moved here to Kansas City, I moved too. Suddenly the school needed one person more and my daughter said, ‘Do you want to work here?’ and I said ‘Okay, I like to cook, I’m here.’”

Gonzales said she enjoys the atmosphere of STA and likes the people she works and interacts with.

“This place is very good for me because all the people are very kind,” Gonzales said. “The chef and Jordan began to teach me when I began to work here. They’re very calm and patient with me. All the girls are very

Chef Scott Brake prepares a bag of rice for lunch before school March 9.

Brake is the head chef at STA and has been for four years.

good, too. It’s a nice place to work.”

Gonzales has cooked ever since she was little, with her grandmother teaching her. Gonzales’ mother also worked in a school’s kitchen and she would occasionally help out. When she finished her education, she began to work at the school.

Gonzales said she had received a couple of injuries from cooking, which is the only downside she could see to the job.

“There are no worst [parts] because when you do something you like, there is no worst, it’s all joy for me.

Only worst is when I get cut or when I hurt.”

Gonzales said she enjoys working in an all-girls environment and that it’s special because her daughter also went to a private, all-girls school.

“It’s very fun to work with girls at an

all-girls school because you can see the joy when they’re eating,” Gonzales said. “If the food is good, they’re very happy and for me it’s great to do that.

It’s a special place.”

Gonzales is going back to visit Peru in August and hopes to learn more Peruvian recipes.

“Peruvian food is my favorite,” Gonzales said. “I have to learn more so I can cook here for all the girls in the school. In Peru there are many Chinese people and many Chinese restaurants that I like so I know how to make some Chinese food, too.”

Gonzales said she loves cooking and it’s a special experience for her.

“You can put all of your love in a plate and people will come up to you and say, ‘your plate is so good, thank you, it’s amazing,’ and you feel so good,” Gonzales said. H

Chef Laura Gonzales prepares grapes for fruit cups before school March 9. The 2017-2018 school year marks Gonzales’ first year working at STA. Chef Jordan Smith chops onions before school March 9. Smith has been interested in cooking since he was a young kid.

CHECK OUT THE VIDEO ON DARTNEWSONLINE page design by Julia Kerrigan

13

Features

playing against predjudice Freshman Juliet Barnett plays Minecraft on her laptop March 21. Barnett began playing Minecraft after her brother introduced it to her.

Girl gamers discuss the struggles and stereotypes linked to being a female gamer.

Story by Trang Nguyen Breaking News Editor Photo by Meghan Baker Photo Editor

A

fter doing hours of homework on a Thursday evening, freshman Juliet Barnett turns on her MacBook Air and becomes @Lil_J_Bird. Although it’s already 9 p.m. and she should be finished with her Algebra homework, Barnett welcomes the familiar blocky world filled with

14 March 29, 2018

Creepers and Endermen. She decides to give herself a break from the equations and exams.

For Barnett, Minecraft is a recess from the busy school life.

“I play most nights,” Barnett said. “It’s my procrastination.”

She started gaming thanks to the influence of her brother and has gained more interest over time. According to an article on Huffington Post, lots of gamers play to “tune out the stresses of everyday life.” Gaming is the “largest entertainment medium in the world” according to an article in The Guardian.

Yet, many girls do not reveal their gamer identity.

“I think that boys and women too, think that it isn’t what girls are meant to do, and that it’s not right for us to play,”

Barnett said. “But I could find plenty of [pro] girl gamers on Wikipedia.”

Girl gamers receive sexist insults, and it prohibits them from performing to their fullest. According to Wikipedia, this is called being “tilted”, and specifically it is a “state of mental frustration in which a player adopts a less than optimal strategy.” When computer science teacher Alexa Varady isn’t playing great and other players blame her performance on her gender, Varady gets tilted.

“I feel offended,” Varady said. “And usually I think: ‘Okay I guess we’ll lose, and I’ll throw [the game].’ It’s pretty maddening.”

Society and media’s image of gaming gives it a bad rep. From an article by the Los Angeles Times, many parents

female gaming by the numbers The Dart compiled statistics about female gamers.

Alternative Coverage by Ella Norton | Page Designer

94% of girls play video games 22% of girls play video games daily 21% of "mature" and "adults only" gamers are girls*

41% o gam

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*according to Pew research center

discourage gaming at a young age for girls and kids in general because of media’s influence.

In the end, it’ll hurt the girls’ chances at becoming pro gamers.

“I think gamers are seen as nerds, no social skills and [in their] parents’ basement, and I don’t think that’s true especially nowadays because computers are so common,” Varady said. “There’s a wide range of people playing games and yet, there’s still that stereotype.”

Yet, both Varady and Barnett have had supporting parents who see the positive aspects like skill and strategy, and both play with their parents. Even junior Macy Bauers doesn’t struggle with her parents about gaming now, but she has seen her older brother struggling with their parents who didn’t accept gaming at first.

“My oldest brother didn’t do very well in school, and he didn’t manage his time well,” Bauers said. “But then my brother ended up becoming a computer programmer and they[my parents] thought it worked out fine.”

Varady has a possible theory in destroying the stereotype: there has to

be more gamers. Bauers believes girls see gaming as nerdy and boyish, but that girls are certainly just as capable of gaming if they wanted to. Barnett also agrees that anybody can play games if they are just creative.

“I think every girl would just figure out how to play if they tried,” Bauers said.

So many girls also struggle with online gaming because of the chatting.

21 percent of girls are harassed online compared to the 17 percent of boys, and there’s 23 percent chance for harassment in girls 16 and 17 yearolds according to Internet Safety 101.

Many girls are treated as boys and both Barnett and Varady only disclose their sex for communication through voice chat.

“Online people have talked to me as if I was a boy expecting everyone to be a boy,” Barnett said.

The limited amount of girl heroes in games restricts girls from chatting freely, especially when it comes to voice chatting. 82 percent of games had gender identifiable protagonists as of 2015 in an article by the Washington Post and only 46 percent of those games offered female heroes. Varady believes the absence of girl gamers has created an absence of girl heroes.

Mercy, a female medic in Overwatch, a multiplayer first person shooter game played on Xbox, PlayStation or PC, is Varady’s main-meaning she mainly plays Mercy. When Varady uses voice chat while playing Mercy, she receives comments along the lines of, “Oh, a girl,

[of] course she’s a Mercy main.”

Varady just enjoys playing as Mercy, but she can’t play without receiving scorn for playing a simple character.

“It feels like it’s looked down upon,” Varady said. “I think people see Mercy as an easy hero to play. [People then believe] girls are playing the easier characters because they’re really bad at games.”

She believes companies don’t intentionally make the girl characters easier to play either. It backs up Varady’s theory that there needs to be more girl gamers for more girl characters.

“Guys feel weird playing girl characters because more of the types of characters [in games] are stereotypically [show] guys as strong tanks with guns,” Varady said.

The girl-gamer prejudice sheds light on the question of sexism in the world and not just in the console.

“Why could a woman not do anything ever?” Bauers said.

Bauers believes the only solution is to normalize girl gamers for society by increasing the regularity of them.

“You just have to see that women are gaming, and they’re making money,” Bauers said.

Varady doesn’t know when gaming will eventually normalize for all genders, but she believes the stereotype will fade.

“It has to eventually,” Varady said.

“Everything changes eventually. It’s just a matter of how long it’ll take.”H

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centerspread

Securing Schools: Safety in the aftermath of mass shootings

Story by Zoe Butler | Editor-in-Chief Julia Kerrigan | Opinion Editor Alternative coverage by Katie Gregory | Managing Editor of Web In the wake of the Parkland shooting, the Dart investigates the need for security adaptations in high schools.

16 March 29, 2018

E

nglish teacher Stephen Himes could tell you the date of the Columbine High School shooting off the top of his head. It was his first year of teaching, 1999, and in the months following, Logan-Rogersville High School performed their very first intruder drill.

Himes stutters as he recalls how he was unable to lock the door that day. As he directed his students away from the doors, the Greene County Sheriff Department went door to door, knocking and banging. When they reached Himes’ classroom, the sheriff’s deputy burst in, saying to Himes and his room full of students: “Everybody in here is dead.”

Almost 20 years later, at a different school and in a different century, students wait impatiently outside of Himes’ classroom to check in and begin their day. He won’t let a single student into his room until he has unlocked the door and then set it to lock from the outside.

“I have taught over 1,500 days in a school, and every one of those 1,500 days I have spent a part of my day contemplating what’s going to happen if this is the day that someone shows up at our school with an assault rifle,” Himes said. “That wears on you over time.”

When principal of student affairs Dr. Elizabeth Baker first arrived at STA in 2015, their crisis plan was minimal.

“We had what’s on the doors,” Baker said, pointing to a standard evacuation poster that hangs in every room at STA. “And this little flipchart.”

She grimaces as she recalls how

necessary she felt the change in security measures would be.

Within the following year, she attended FBI training specific to church and school safety and met with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials. After consulting with these experts and pulling from emergency references used at other locations, she created the new crisis management plan.

The first tier of this plan is personal crises, which covers issues such as a death in the school community or car crashes. The second tier is classified as critical threats, which includes anything from an active shooter to a plane landing on campus.

“It’s not just about active shooting, it’s about the safety of students on campus,” Baker said. “It’s an ever growing, changing, fluid kind of situation.”

Each year administration reassesses the crisis plan and meets quarterly to talk over crisis scenarios to discuss plans of action with teachers. Still, Baker admits that educators in general are hardly equipped to handle any crimes that might occur on or around campus.

“So, having someone that is certified, trained, equipped is really important to us,” Baker said.

The school recently hired security from Titan Protection and Consulting, whose site confidently advertises: “When nothing happens, we have done our job.”

According to Josh Leon, Director of Training Operations at Titan, their officers are trained in policy and procedures, conflict de-escalation

tactics, defensive training and report writing over the course of three days.

This period also includes training simulations, in which Leon guides his trainees through simulated conflicts with “angry or belligerent subjects.”

“If you have a well trained and a sharp security officer, who has been trained properly in de-escalation techniques, their mere presence and verbal skills can diffuse a lot of tense situations,” Leon said.

Another aspect Baker felt was important to parents and students was that the guard remained unarmed.

“The studies are very clear about what happens whenever guns are introduced in the school,” Himes said.

“Most of the time, they are used to oppress students of color. I just don’t see it as an answer.”

However, Bill Regina, owner of Specialist Research and Training (SRT) Group based in Fort Scott, Kan., says that firearms are a necessity on campuses, at least for the time being.

“Because bad guys don’t show up with sticks and bows and arrows,” Regina said. “They show up with guns.”

SRT Group covers services for almost everything in the world of security, from beginning firearms classes to analyzing how to best provide security for daycares or churches. Regina is retired from 29 years of police work, and his business’ website cites upwards of 20 different programs he’s graduated or certified from. “[Those programs] mean nothing,” Regina said.

SRT Group works out of several locations, one of them being The Bullet

page design by Lily Hart

17

a shot at the facts

18 March 29, 2018

Hole, a gun shop and shooting range in Overland Park, and as he talks fast, the faint sound of bullets being fired can be heard up above.

He hopes that in the future “society won’t suck as much,” and guns on campus won’t need to be required for students and teachers to be safe.

“We’re trying to control the wrong things,” Regina said. “You can’t place limits on your safety and security because the bad guy coming in doesn’t place any limits on his response.”

According to Baker, the administration utilizes the phrase coined by DHS and the Department of Defense: “Run, Hide, Fight.” Along with this message, teachers are equipped with hammers and wasp spray to defend themselves.

Recently, art teacher Kelly Scott expanded on the phrase with a poster emailed to students before a recent lockdown drill. The poster covers how to recognize signs of potential school violence and how to respond when law enforcement arrives on the scene.

“Run to a building, get to your car, just do things that you can do as young women,” Baker said.

But Regina calls “crap.”

“You got guys thinking up something in a room somewhere [in the DHS], and that’s what you come up with?” Regina said. “Please. I need more than that.”

Outside of Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas, the regulations for private security companies, like Titan, are minimal, according to Regina. Depending on the location,

security companies need to fulfill certain requirements, but most of the standards are set by the employer, not the local or state government.

“Security guards are good, but they’re going to be the most minimally trained people,” Regina said. “There’s no set standard for even a school district for what [protection] they have.”

Regina then slams his elbow on the table and and starts rubbing his fingers together, shaking his head, suggesting that there’s no money for schools to have a form of protection that goes across the board.

Baker insists that money is not a barrier when it comes to providing the best security for students, shaking her “no” head decisively.

In the recent Capital Campaign, the school is pursuing a fence to surround the campus. The idea behind this is not that it will keep active shooters out, because it would not include front gates, but rather to keep anyone who has committed a crime in the area from running onto campus. This is as advised

by DHS. Regina said that the only reliable school security would be getting a protection specialist on campus at all times.

“There were times at where we used to work, the school resource officer couldn’t make it, so they’d take a guy off the street and put him in the school,” Regina said. “Well now you’re taking a guy that’s never been in the school...

And he’s not going to know anything and that’s a bad situation to put

maintained an inspiring tone during and after his speech. James has been an active advocate, recently, for the participation of students protesting for changes in gun legislation.

“There is too much money in the gun industry for them to give up, shake their heads, and say ‘Oh my gosh, you got us. We’re giving up,’” James said. “It’s not going to work like that. You got to work it. You got to work it. You got to be persistent.”

"

The United states could do it right this minute. we could stop every shooting in six months. We won't do it.

- Bill Regina

"

somebody in.”

STA is currently looking in to hiring someone along these lines, who is not coming from an outside company like Titan.

“What we would call it is a safety director,” Baker said. “That’s what we’re looking into.”

Along with the administration, students from STA are joining others across the country to take action after the third deadliest school shooting in the United States at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. last month.

Junior Mo Burns was one of a few students who helped organize a schoolwide walkout March 7. The purpose, she says, was to diminish the feeling of hopelessness she felt caught up in, and help others do the same.

“Everyone was affected, but students were targeted,” Burns said.

As far as her safety goes while Burns is in school, she’s never felt to be in harm’s way, at least not since recently.

“It is kind of a rude awakening,” Burns said. “You never suspect yourself or your own school. So I feel safe when I go to school, but when these things happen, it does make you think.”

Mayor Sly James was one of the speakers at the school walkout, and

According to Regina, it would be five years down the road, at the least, before anything is legally implemented.

“Congress moves like a freaking elephant,” Regina said.

James has similar doubts about what the government will accomplish with gun control in a timely manner, but

he remains confident that persistence from the people, especially students, is what is needed and is what will make a difference.

“I don’t have a lot of faith right now in what they’re doing in Jefferson City, but I think that can be changed by pressure,” James said. “And I think you guys are the ones to bring that pressure.”

But Regina says that school shootings could end right now, and it doesn’t have to do with banning guns.

“The United States could do it right this minute,” Regina said. “We could stop every school shooting in six months. We won’t do it. We won’t do it because we won’t spend the money and it’s too logistically hard.”

He says this in a mocking tone critical to politicians. He believes that what is needed to stop school shootings is a set security standard amongst all schools.

But Himes remains doubtful about ending school shootings while certain guns are accessible to anyone.

“You cannot make this campus safe,” Himes said. “You cannot make campuses, period, safe from those kinds of weapons.” H

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main ed

STA needs a protocol reform for school shootings Reevaluating security post-Parkland shooting, STA seems unprepared for the reality of shootings.

D

ecember 14th, 2012 was a Friday. I was in school, and most likely waiting to leave school so I could go and visit my grandmother. Everything was fine, and I was safe. However that was not the case for the students at Sandy Hook Elementary. Instead, they experienced a mass shooting, one that resulted in 28 deaths, 20 of which were children between the ages of six and seven.

Immediately after, there was a mass call for gun control. Around the country, students grappled with feelings of fear and denial of that situation occurring at their own schools. It was easy to think of these shootings as “other” and not relate them to your own campus and classmates.

However, it did happen. It happened to Columbine High School, it happened to Sandy Hook, and it happened to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Lulling oneself into a deluded sense of safety will not fix anything.

It is time to acknowledge that there needs to be more safety protocols in our learning environments. With the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shootings, and gun threats as close to us as Raytown, the student population needs more reassurance from the

administration as far as our collective safety. Now is the time to create change, whether it be in federal law, or our own schools.

St. Teresa’s beautiful campus is one of its main attractions. Students pride themselves on the extensive quad, which we walk through every school day. However, that also causes some anxiety in the wake of a recent school shooting. The protocols we have in place do not feel like enough. There is only so much the school can do, but currently, it feels like there is very little being done regarding a shift in procedure when an active shooter is on our campus. With four buildings and an open campus, the student body seems incredibly accessible to outsiders who may wish us harm.

Nationwide, students have been protesting and asking for reform on a legislative level. While this is immensely important, there is also a large question of safety, not just through the country’s laws, but through individual school policy as well. Like many schools, St. Teresa’s partakes in lockdown drills, in which the students sit, hiding in a dark, locked room, in the case of a school shooter. However, if we were ever in the situation of an actual school shooter,

Right on Target

this drill would do little to protect us.

Alongside a reform on gun control policies, there must be conversations held on schoolwide policies to protect its students from outside harm.

Although the traditional way of preparing students for an active shooter is to go on lockdown, there are many alternatives that may better prepare the student body for such an event. There are training programs, such as ALICE (Alert Lockdown Inform Counter Evacuate). Programs such as these prepare school communities with various options in place to protect themselves from dangerous situations. Instead of students sitting idle, programs like ALICE give us the opportunity to actively counter an attack such as a school shooting.

It is easy to feel afraid, or unsure of what to do in the case of a school shooting. However, as a community now is the time to take a hard look at the protocols we have in place and confront the possibility that they may not be the best. Instead of relying on traditional methods of protection, schools everywhere should look at what happened in Parkland, Florida as a wakeup call. H

32/32 staffers voted in agreement.

The Dart asked students, "Is STA prepared in the case of a school shooting?"

Compiled by Kailee Ford | Writer sophomore Grace Mackiewicz "We know the basics to lock the door and hide in a corner of the classroom but it just makes it easier for the shooter to get inside and to know where we are in the classroom."

20 March 29, 2018

Senior Monica Looney "Yes, we have all been properly informed. Our drills keep us ahead of the game. We now have a great officer on our campus all the time which is very comforting. I think no one can ever be 100 percent prepared for such a tragedy but STA is doing its best."

perspectives

Happy days are a possibility I used to live with a weight on my shoulders, but some recent realizations helped take off some of the weight and given me more happy days.

I

t starts with a few anxious thoughts in my head. Sometimes it’s a worry about some homework, other times it’s a misunderstood message from a friend. But no matter what it is, it eats at my brain. From there the frantic worry gives me a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach and then I feel a bit shaky, uncoordinated in the steps I take.

These feelings carry on throughout my day. I walk around with a weight on my shoulders, living each moment in some blurred schedule: out of bed, school, some time to socialize, more school, work, homework, back in bed.

Up until about two months ago, a lot of my days looked like this. I would drag my drained body and exhausted mind around, fulfilling obligations and expectations while I sat behind a fake smile feeling empty. I felt like if I continued on this way, one day things would just get better.

Eventually, though, I got sick of constantly having days like this. A couple months ago, I started to rewire the way my brain thought about life and relationships and communication.

I realized the way I had been living my life turned me into a really unhappy person, and I took it upon myself to figure out what was making me unhappy and cut it out of my life.

I started to realize that a lot of the friendships and relationships I had felt forced on some front. I felt the need to be friends with people in order to be in some “group”, and I felt like I didn’t come out as my full self in doing this.

Once I realized that, a lot of things fell

Story by Lily Manning Editor-In-Chief in place so I could be more enthusiastic and happy about life.

I thought a lot about the people I was friends with, thought about the qualities I liked about them, the qualities I didn’t, reflected on the way they treated me. In doing this I was able to really narrow in on the friends that really valued having a relationship with me. I no longer feel some obligation to go out whenever invited because I don’t feel any attachment to a “friend group” mentality, which had previously drained me as I tried to keep up with it. I have more recently been able to focus in on individual relationships with people inside the previous group, and make more time for people I really value outside of this group. This has been one of the heaviest weights off my shoulders recently, and what I credit for a lot of the happy days I have had recently.

I found taking time for myself has been one of the most important parts of me becoming a happier person. I think something a lot of us can struggle with is finding time to relax. For me, relaxing doesn’t mean just laying in bed, watching TV or browsing through your phone. True relaxing is being able to let it all go, and simply sit with yourself and reflect, and this time to reflect has been so helpful to me in being able to locate and let go of what makes me unhappy.

Over the past few months, I have spent countless hours just driving around Kansas City. Being alone in the car with music blaring over the speakers has given me a chance to keep my hands

busy while my mind is empty, allowing me the time I need to reflect on myself.

I’ve found that life is a lot more fulfilling when you live more consciously. It’s hard to do with all the distractions we have in life, but now I try to be more purposeful with my words and actions. I don’t always think a lot before I speak, and this has been something that leads me to uncomfortable places when things get misinterpreted. Even though it’s somethings that is hard, and I struggle with it all of the time, I’ve found that putting in the extra few seconds beforehand can save a lot of feelings.

I think we all fall victim to the routines we put in place for ourselves.

I know it makes me dizzy to think that everyday I eat the same thing for breakfast, take the same route to school, follow the same mindless schedule around school, and, except for some rare occasion, I don’t deviate from this. I think we lose a lot of the special things about life when we ignore all but our daily routines, and I’ve found that by either being more observant in my routine or axing it altogether has made me a lot less anxious for the day.

Since realizing some of this, my days have gotten better. Not everyday looks good or feels good, but more recently I have had days where I walk around with a cheesy smile on my face and without a weight on my shoulders, where I feel happy for no reason and strong because I know not everyday has to be a bad one. H page design by Amy Schaffer

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public school is not inferior to private school Reevaluating the private school bias is crucial, but can be hard wthout an eye into the unknown.

Story by Lily Hart | Page Designer

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common thing to witness in a crowded room during activity is a loud, animated Académie Lafayette alum, surrounded by her peers, retelling (with no less than a full reenactment and a chorus) an outrageous moment from her years at the school.

Despite Académie Lafayette stories being wildly amusing, and my story telling being wildly captivating, what is more wild for some of the girls who have asked me for this kind of story is the idea of a schooling so unlike their own.

Académie Lafayette is a French immersion charter school (publicly funded yet independent from the school district), kindergarten through 8th grade, with three campuses throughout Kansas City. I attended school there for nine years, and though I didn’t appreciate it then, I do now.

It is a bubble in itself, but a bubble encompassing people from Kansas City to West Africa, from below the poverty line to wealthy, from Jehovah's Witnesses to atheists, from black to white.

Disclaimer: My experience with public school has been limited to charter school. They are public, since there are no tuition fees, but I personally have not experienced a traditional public school.

Along with the fascination with public school that I have noticed in girls at St. Teresa’s, I have found equal amounts of fear.

At Académie Lafayette, in 8th grade, when we were all having to decide where we would go to high school,

22 March 29, 2018

there were many schools to choose from. The large majority of students go on to attend Lincoln Preparatory High School, a public magnet school in KCMO, ranked number one in Missouri.

It was not until I came to STA that I encountered people who thought less of public school than private. I had always assumed that private and public schools were equal in quality of education but differed in cost and religious affiliation.

I have had conversations with multiple people where I would mention a friend to went to Lincoln, and their faces would turn to ones of pity. They nodded understandably with a look that said, “poor them, they were forced to go to public school.”

Contrary to popular belief, that is not always the case. The universal goal is not to attend private school.

It is narrow-minded to think that public school students are all there by necessity and that they would rather be in private school. It is beyond condescending.

A public education is not automatically worse than a private one, and yet this is often the assumption among people who have never had the public school experience. Public school kids are not lesser than private school kids.

My experience is more than it is made out to be in the meme accounts, and even in my own well-rehearsed historical dramas.

It is more than the dust storms on the rocky soccer field, it is the magic of different cultures, ages, and languages bonding over a common sport. It is

more than the outings to Quiktrip, it is the 6th grade trip to France. It is more than the outlandish anecdotes told by alums, it is the mixture of cultures, and the broadening of worldviews that can’t be found anywhere else.

The fear of public school cannot be the fear of public school itself because the people who say they are afraid of it have never experienced it. No, the fear of public school is the fear of the things associated with it. Those things being diversity of race, ethnicity, religion, and wealth.

It is the fear of a bubble being popped, leaving you exposed to things outside of your comfort zone. It is simply the fear of the unknown, a thing we all have, but played out in ignorant misconceptions and assumptions.

Public school is not to be feared, ignorance and prejudice are to be feared.

It is not enough to enjoy Académie Lafayette stories. You can never truly know a thing until you experience it firsthand, but once you have, being shoved into a bubble (like I was when I started STA) is as much culture shock as a private school kid even hearing stories of public school.

I am always happy to tell an Académie Lafayette story, not only because they make me question if my whole experience there was some alternate dimension, and make me feel nostalgic, but because I think sharing my experience with people who have never heard of a school with no cafeteria is genuinely important. H

out with the old and in with the new Giving up procrastination has changed my life.

Story by Reagan Penn | Writer

J

ust ten more minutes, I'll start my homework in ten minutes.

Ten minutes turns into an hour, an hour turns into two, and all of a sudden it’s 9:00 and I have yet to start my homework. Day after day this was not only my routine, but also a routine many high school students share. However, recently, I have made an attempt to spend less time procrastinating and more time doing homework, spending time with my family, reading for pleasure and best of all sleeping.

This past year, I became more aware of the amount of time I spent procrastinating. I wanted to make a change, but I kept procrastinating ending procrastination. I would spend hours scrolling through social media, looking at the same post multiple times, watching really random YouTube videos, watching Netflix and turning off my WiFi to play the dinosaur game on Google.

I was waiting until 8:30-9:00 to start my three to five hours of homework, and by then I was already so exhausted that I just wanted to go to bed. As a result, I was rushing through my assignments at home, and telling myself I would just finish the next two things during activity or a free. However, my time prediction skills are not very good, and I was under estimating the time it would take me to finish something. This caused me to rush through those assignments as well.

I would then wake up later than I was supposed to in the morning and

would rush out the door, just moments after seeing my parents for the first time that day. My focus in class was sometimes on working on another classes assignment from the previous night instead of the material that was being instructed, ultimately affecting my grades.

When Lent was approaching, I was procrastinating deciding what I would do. Knowing that procrastination was an issue, I took the leap to give up procrastination for Lent. My friend and I decided to do it together, and keep each other accountable for making sure all of our work is completed in a timely manner.

However, I am still able to find loopholes. I decided that if I’m not working on homework immediately, I need to be doing something productive, whether that’s going to the gym or getting my car washed. If something will truly benefit me, I allow myself to do that before homework.

The first day of not procrastinating was eye opening. I came home from school, gave myself 30 minutes to do whatever I wanted, and then I turned my phone on airplane mode. I then sat down to do my homework, giving myself 15 or 20 minute breaks after every hour-hour and a half. I was done with all my homework by 8:45, the time I would normally begin my homework.

With all the extra time on my hands, I am able to read, something I love to do. I make my lunch for the next day the previous night, so I don’t have to worry about it the next morning, and I

am able to be in bed by 10:30. I wake up the next morning without having to worry about making my lunch, or when I was going to finish an assignment.

I follow the same routine every day after school. 3:30 to 4:00 is my time to do whatever I want to do. It often involves a snack and a little bit of Netflix. At 4:00 I turn my phone onto airplane mode, so I am unable to receive any notifications and to ease the Netflix temptations. I start my homework at about 4:00, and work anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half before taking a 15 minute break.

Most of the time, I am finished with my homework between 8:45 and 9:30 and have thoroughly completed my assignments.

Now that I no longer rush through assignments, I know what is actually happening in class, and feel prepared for tests and discussions. I get more sleep at night, which makes it easier to wake up in the morning, and am happier overall as a result. I come to school less stressed and overwhelmed about how I am going to cram an assignment in before class. Even though I kept procrastinating this new way of spending my time, it has made such a positive impact on my life. H

more columns on Dartnewsonline a voice for those who bark Story by Mary Massman Lifestyles Editor

Debunking Bitcoin: Why crpytocurrencies are worth your time Story by Lucy Hoop Photographer

the lessons i learned from bullying Story by Kailee Ford Twitter Editor page design by Amy Schaffer

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sports feature

Senior Monica Looney walks down the field March 8.

Looney has played at STA for four years.

Seniors journey to continue their athletic career Senior athletes are rewarded for their hard work with the opportunity to continue their sport in college.

Story by Kendall Lanier Sports Editor Photos by Torri Henry Writer

S

eniors Monica Looney, Claire Ryan and Olivia Matlock step onto the bright green turf on a crisp February afternoon. As they lace up their cleats, it dawns on them that this will be their last lacrosse tryout at STA. Though this will be their last season wearing black and gold, it won’t be the end of their athletic careers.

According to the three, their commitments to the sport has paid off. Countless practices, games and tournaments at times obscured the finish line. But in sticking with the sport,

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March 29, 2018

all three girls will have the opportunity to play lacrosse in college.

Looney is continuing her lacrosse career at Regis University, Ryan is playing at Benedictine College and Matlock at Monmouth University.

For both Looney and Ryan, participating in college level athletics has been a dream since just seventh grade. For Matlock however, higher level lacrosse didn’t seem like a possibility until the end of her freshman year.

According to Ryan, the recruitment process can be very stressful because coaches cannot reach out to the athletes until junior year, so it is a great deal of personal responsibility reaching out to as many coaches as possible.

Ryan says that before the athletes go to a tournament, they do as much research as possible to try to see what colleges will be there and what their coaches typically look for.

When narrowing schools down, the athletes looked at many aspects

of a school’s lacrosse program. They explored the dynamics of the teams, the personalities of the coaches and the varying difficulty in playing level.

“At my school, it’s a newer program, so it will be nice to build a foundation for others,” Matlock said.

Playing lacrosse in Kansas City has made this process even harder for Matlock. It is not a popular

Senior Olivia Matlock, guards the goal during practice March 8. Matlock will continue her lacrosse career at Monmouth University.

They do better in school when they are busy because there will be no time to procrastinate.

“There’s no time to dilly dally but it might be good to have a schedule because once you finish everything then you can go do other things,” Matlock said.

"

It was a lot of work but when you look back on it you have so many good experiences - Olivia Matlock

"

sport in the Midwest, so this has required the athletes to travel more to get exposure.

“In the beginning we traveled so much to the point where we were only [home] for about two weeks in the summer,” Looney said.

Similar to lacrosse, rowing is a relatively uncommon sport especially in the midwest. Senior Karen Crouch is planning to continue her rowing career at Creighton University next year.

“My club team has had new coaches each year which has made for a hard adjustment at times, so it has been a lot of work on my own,” Crouch said.

With Crouch being a very competitive person, it has made her determination to succeed in the sport even greater. Crouch didn’t start rowing until sophomore year, but she was a volleyball player so she already had much of the strength needed for rowing. Her goals have always been very clear to her: to work hard and get to the next level in her sport.

“I’m really competitive, and I don’t want to lose,” Crouch said. “My club rows with boys and I don’t want to lose to boys and I don’t want to lose to the girl next to me. It feels great when you win, especially when it’s against boys,.”

For all of the athletes, the most important thing has always been making sure the school fits their academic needs.

“Make sure the school has what you need in an education sense before looking at the sports program because it could be perfect but it may not have your major,” said Matlock.

Although playing a sport in college is a large desire, it will not trump the importance of the level of education they receive according to the athletes.

Although the athletes schedules will be very busy, they won’t be going through it alone. They will be spending a lot of time with their team.

“The team looks out for everyone and makes sure they’re on track,” Ryan said.

According to Crouch, there are several perks that come from playing a sport in college.

The athletes are given loads of gear to wear. They are provided with an academic counselor specifically for their sport who is there to help them at any time.

As their senior year comes to a close, the athletes have mixed emotions about the uncertainty to come.

“It’s always going to be hard meeting people going to a new place but I’m excited,” Matlock said.

The athletes are going to put in a lot of work during the summer to make sure they are ready for their season. Crouch feels she is ready to take on what the college athlete lifestyle brings.

“I’ve gone through a lot of adversity in rowing, with being in a small club, and I’ve really had to prove myself,”

Senior Monical Looney reaches up for the ball at practice March 8. Looney will continue her lacrosse career at Regis University.

Crouch said.

According to Looney, it has not been easy getting to this level but it has definitely been worth it.

“The work that we put in has made me who I am,” Looney said.

Over the years, this hard work paired with fond memories has shaped the athletes’ experiences.

“It was a lot of work but when you look back on it you have so many good experiences,” Ryan said. “It probably sucked in the time being but then you realize it all pays off.”

All of the athletes could agree that for future college athletes, starting the decision process as early as possible can help in the long run.

“It can be an awful experience at times,” Crouch said. “I’ve put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into it, but I’m starting to get it all back now that I’m getting to the college level. If you want to put the time into it, it’s worth it.”

Although at times sports may feel like the main focus, it is important to enjoy the journey.

“Don’t take it too seriously to the point where it has become your whole life,” Ryan said. “Part of the process was making the fun memories.” H

Senior Claire Ryan holds her lacrosse stick during practice March 8. Ryan will continue her lacrosse career at Benedictine College.

page design by Ella Norton

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Community

Hire KC Youth Job Fair offers opportunities for young people The fifth annual Hire KC Job Fair took place March 24.

The job fair offers unique job opportunities for Kansas City's youth.

Story by Delaney Hupke Writer Photos by Olivia Wirtz | Writer

T

he doors open and an upbeat and hopeful atmosphere Representatives from KC Mothers in Charge talk to each other at the Hire KC fills the air. Senior Tone’Nae job fair March 24. The fair was held to help youth in Kansas City find employers Bradley-Toomer looks around at seeking to hire for part-time jobs. the hundreds of employers waiting to interview her. She straightens her blazer and walks up to the first City Area Development Council, with paid work from the 1,000 jobs that booth, eager to begin her opportunity- where she had to keep up with the were offered at the fair. filled day. development in Kansas City real estate “Usually we get 600 people This is the Hire KC Youth Job fair. and business. registered, but find hundreds more An event that is solely for the purpose “I have gotten to meet some really just show up,” Dorn said. "It brings of helping young Kansas Citians find cool people and learn more about hundreds of students into contact employment in the summer. It is also Kansas City and all the work that is with nearly 100 employers. Besides a way to introduce young people to being done to improve [the city],” jobs and internships, employmentthe professional world and prepare Bradley-Toomer said. "The program is seeking young people can discover them for what is to come when they a big time commitment." more about their work-based options, get older.

Aside from her internship, she had learning pathways and skill-developing “The job fair is one of the best to attend an additional meeting every opportunities.” ways to directly put young people Tuesday night in the summer to work The registration process includes and employers together to exchange on their professionalism for their a questionnaire that can help narrow resumes, meet and interview,” internships and future job interviews the job search to what would interest Nicholas Dorn, Hire KC Youth Program and encounters. someone or what would be easiest for Coordinator said.

“It was like an intro to whatever situation they are in. Also, a Bradley-Toomer has attended the professionalism course,” Bradleyresume needs to be prepared to show job fair since her sophomore year. One Toomer said. “I made a lot of friends the employers and people applying job she had was working at the Kansas and learned a lot.” are given tips on how to prepare for Last year, the Hire KC Youth Job Fair interviews with potential employers. was able to connect over 350 people Attending the job fair also means

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March 29, 2018

Cristo Rey Kansas City High School junior Brianna Williams, left, talks to a representative for the city of KCMO’s Neighborhood and Housing Services at the Hire KC job fair March 24. The fair was held at the Metropolitan Community College.

dressing nicely in a business casual style to make a good first impression for the professional people at the job fair.

The Hire KC Youth program began in 2014 as Mayor Sly James’ employment program for the youth of Kansas City.

It holds opportunities not easily found elsewhere and allows young people to develop respect and a sense of responsibility.

Dorn thinks that, “dressing nice, shaking hands, preparing a resume, responding to questions, setting goals and thinking intentionally about the roles,” can teach people to be more respectful alongside learning the responsibility of their new job.

The young people in attendance aren't the only ones receiving an unusual opportunity.

Topgolf, an organization that attends the job fair and hires students from it, also gets to see potential employers in a different setting from a normal job interview.

"The job fair allows us to connect with prospective candidates before they are invited out to one of our [other] hiring events," Dane Swan, the Hospitality Manager at Topgolf in Overland Park, said.

Swan takes this opportunity to explain to potential employees what they could expect from working at Topgolf.

"Our team always enjoys connecting with everyone at the job fair, and have built meaningful relationships with companies and candidates involved," Swan said.

Swan said that they look for things like a positive attitude, commitment and ability to ask questions in attendees at the job fair.

"We typically find the most engaging, self-driven and curious candidates to bring on to the team," Swan said.

From the actual job fair to the professionalism meetings to the internship that lasts all summer, the effects of the Hire KC Youth Job Fair lasts much longer than just the day of the event.

“Several of our interns have gone on to full-time roles or went to college but returned to the same employer during the holidays to help out with projects,” Dorn said.

Young people can take the respect and responsibility they have gained through the whole employment process to create strong relationships in the summer to lead to more opportunities for work during the rest of the year.

For people like Dorn, it is also a time commitment to put the job fair together. The 1,000 jobs offered at the fair come from many employers who the Hire KC Youth program takes time to find.

“We usually explain that having a young, creative, savvy person in the workplace usually vitalizes colleagues and culture,” Dorn said. “We use a variety of techniques but most importantly we seek employers who believe in investing in young people to develop more than just an intern but a potential future employee.” H

page design by Riley McNett

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lAST LOOK

How to spot

fake news

Story by Katie Gregory Managing Web Editor The issue of fake news has been brought to the forefront in recent months. Here's how to spot it on social media.

1

Double check your sources

Take a second look at where you’re getting your news. There are thousands of news outlets and only a handful are thoroughly researched.

Websites like cnn-trending.com and ABCnews.com.co imitate legitimate news sources but perpetuate fake news.

If you’re a little suspicious of something you read on a website and suspect it may be fake news, take a look at some of the other stories on the website to confirm. If they all seem to be a bit off, there’s a good chance you’ve run into some fake news.

2

Be self-aware

Be critical of yourself in thinking about whether or not your own biases could affect your judgement.

We all have opinions and partiality, but if we continue to perpetuate our own beliefs rather than look at the objective facts in a new story, we won’t get anywhere. Some news sources, like Fox News or CNN, have a slant towards one side, and getting your news solely from these sources can reinforce your own beliefs. For middle-of-the-road, objective news look to sources like NPR, the Wall Street Journal or BBC. Another way to self-check is to look at who you know is sharing the piece. If the only people you see posting the story all share similar political views, that can be a red flag that the article is biased.

28 March 29, 2018

3

Check the date

Every so often, an old news story may find itself at the top of your timeline. The headlines of these old stories may have different implications today then they did when they were posted. Most credible sources will include the date when the story was posted at the top of the page, so make sure the story is timely. Though this “old news” may be technically true, sometimes it can lend itself to other conclusions that would not have been made at the time of the original posting.

Context is key when it comes to old news, so be sure to double check what month, day or year the news is coming from, and confirm with a quick Google search if you’re not sure.

4

Research the author

If you are suspicious of a news site, pick an article and research the author of it. Most reliable journalists will have enough of an online presence for you to be able to determine where they went to school and what their credentials are. If they are credible, you will also be able to find some of their other work from whatever news sources they may have worked for.

Read through some of their other work to pick up on any common threads of misinformation or biases they may have.

5

Check the account that broke the news

As of March 2017, Twitter had 319 million monthly users. A study conducted by University of Southern California and Indiana University found that nearly 15 percent of those are bots, accounts created by software designed to perpetuate a bias or skewed news.

If an account responds to you within seconds, tweets the same thing to everybody or has a big difference in their followers versus their following, chances are they are a bot.

6

Read the “About us” section Reliable news outlets will have an “About us” section that includes the history of the company, the name of the parent organization, the leaders and editors of the news site and the mission and ethics statement.

The language will be simple and straightforward and the information presented here should be able to be confirmed with outside research. Fake news websites will either not have an “About us” section at all or have one which contains facts that cannot be verified. A quick Google search should be able to confirm any information presented in any “About us” section. H

page design by Margaux Renee

29

ask the dart

I'm about to inherit $1,000, What should I do with it?

Each month, students submit their questions to the Dart, and we choose one to answer.

Story by Lily Hart Page Designer Illustration by Anna Ronan Page Designer Right off the bat, I would tell you to think about the long run and what this money means to you. For example, if you inherited it from the passing of a relative, consider what they had in mind for you when they chose to give it to you.

I would recommend splitting up the money, so that you can have some for different aspects of your life. Save some, donate some, spend some.

For the portion that you save, put it in a bank so that it can start accumulating interest. This portion can be saved for the future in general, or be put towards a specific fund such as college, a trip or even retirement (if you want to be especially prepared). This could work as a great starting point if you haven’t started saving and could make a huge dent in the cost of something expensive that you eventually want to do.

Then, donate some of the money

to charity. Lots of places run solely on donations, and appreciate any amount you can give them. It always feels good to make a difference, and you could really change someone’s life.

If you don’t know what charity to donate to, do some research. Some ideas are Planned Parenthood, the Against Malaria Foundation and Let America Vote, all of which make great use of donated money, and make critical changes in people’s lives.

For example, Let America Vote actively fights against voter suppression in the U.S. It was started by Jason Kander, Missouri’s former Secretary of State and helps protect the people’s right to vote regardless of age, ethnicity, race or income.

Another charity option would be to go onto GoFundMe.com. These causes are not non-profit businesses, they are

people who are seeking help from the general public. This website allows you to choose what sort of cause you would be interested in helping out with, as well as the ability to get updates from the person you donate to so that you can keep up with how your money is being put to good use.

Now for the fun part. Use the money you haven’t put away or given away as pocket money. Go buy food, splurge on that makeup that you normally couldn’t afford, fill up your tank with gas, buy a swimsuit because you’re so excited for summer. Take your friends out for food or pamper your mom. In short, treat yo’ self!

Or, if you really just can’t decide what to do, and having all this money is too much pressure, I can take that weight off your shoulders. H

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