April 2019

THE PATRIOT VOLUME 53 / ISSUE 7 / APRIL 18, 2019 Shawnee Mission South High School 5800 W 107th St, Overland Park, KS 66207 913.993.7500

THE PATH TO DESTRUCTION Without proper environmental education, the road to the future looks rocky.

02 / CONTENTS

RECENT rains have severely eroded a local trail. Though climate change may be a highly debated topic, this environmental problem is one of many in Overland Park.

PHOTOS BY NAOMI MITCHELL

THE PATRIOT

ON THE COVER

STAFF

AVERY WOODS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MIAH CLARK ASST. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, A&E EDITOR ANSLEY CHAMBERS COPY EDITOR ABBY COX PHOTO EDITOR EMMA HARDING ASST. PHOTO EDITOR ALI HARRISON NEWS EDITOR MEGAN SMITH SPORTS EDITOR NICHOLE THOMAS FEATURES & INFOGRAPHICS EDITOR LILY WAGNER OPINION EDITOR GINI HORTON WEB EDITOR EVAN SHIBEL ADS EDITOR ADDIE SOYSKI CIRCULATION MANAGER

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGERS MCKENNA PICKERING ANNALIE POLEN BRYNN TAYLOR REPORTERS CATHERINE GUNNIGLE KATIE HIEBL MILAD JAHANI PHOTOGRAPHERS NICOLAS CAMBURAKO TRINITY CLARK HALEY HILL KYLA HUNTER QUINN KASPAR JILLIAN MCCLELLAND NAOMI MITCHELL REESE WOODS ABBY YORK

MISSION STATEMENT The Patriot is a news magazine that aims to objectively present topics affecting Shawnee Mission South High School, as well as connect with readers on issues concerning the student body. Staff members reserve the right to express their views in the Opinions section.

These pieces are labeled and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the staff as a whole, except the Staff Editorial, which represents the views of the editors. Each section editor designs their own section’s pages, unless otherwise specified. Under the First Amendment and Kansas Law, The Patriot staff is entitled to freedom of the press and neither the school nor district is responsible for any content or coverage. The staff encourages letters to the editor; they will only be published if signed. The editor-in-chief reserves the right to refuse or edit any letters for reasons of grammar, length and good taste.

THE PATRIOT ONLINE @SMSPATRIOT

SMSOUTHNEWS.COM

@SMSPATRIOT

Find the hidden Rocky in the issue and win a gift card!

CONTENTS / 03

SMSOUTHNEWS.COM

TABLE OF CONTENTS

04.05 The Calendar Art Language Film Festival 07 AP 08 Return of the Measles 09 Lettering Policies 12 The Car Ride Home 13 Is P.E. Outdated?

14 Q&A with Bryn Davis

House to Big 06 Full House

Children of celebrities allegedly steal college admittance spots from hard-working students.

Problem 10.11 The with KSHSAA

A deep dive into KSHSAA’s unpopular and overly thorough guidelines.

with Ruth 15 Q&A Vaccianna

15.17 18 What We Can Do

Senior talks about the cultural differences living in Jamaica.

PHOTO BY NICOLAS CAMBURAKO

The Debate: The Green New Deal Must Be This Tall to Run PHOTO BY KYLA HUNTER

26 Glossier vs Milk

Battle of The Brands:

Corrupt Conspiracies Dark conspiracy theorist culture is leaking into mainstream society.

OPINION

27

the 28.29 Cracking Code on Prom Look: 30 The Lourdes Johnson

FEATURES

25

Staff Editorial

Political Correctness

SPORTS

PHOTO BY NAOMI MITCHELL

The Path to Destruction

21 22 23 24

NEWS

PHOTO BY EMMA HARDING

The Layers of Laramie

Newest show requires actors to play multiple parts.

PHOTO BY ABBY COX

A&E

04 / NEWS

SPORTS CLUBS ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OTHER

the CALENDAR

THE PATRIOT

S April 21

April 28

May 5

M April 22

• Boys Tennis match • Laramie Project

April 29

• Boys Golf match

May 6

• Boys Golf match • Baseball game

T April 23

W

• • • •

Softball game Baseball game Girls Soccer game South Area Band Festival

• • • •

Orchestra concert Boys Tennis match Baseball game Girls Soccer game

April 30

May 7

• Band Spring concert • Softball game • Girls Soccer game

• • • •

April 24

Boys Tennis match Girls Swim meet Baseball game Laramie Project

May 1

• Boys Golf match

May 8

• Baseball game

DESIGN BY NICHOLE THOMAS PHOTO BY ABBY COX

PHOTO BY NIC CAMBURAKO SOPHOMORES Lilly Howard and Eyan Appleman competed in the student relay during the spring assembly.

Howard and Appleman beat the other three teams competing.

NEWS / 05

SMSOUTHNEWS.COM

TH

F

April 18

• Girls Swim meet • Girls Soccer game

April 25

• • • •

Softball game Baseball game Girls Soccer game Laramie Project

• • • • • • •

Boys Tennis match Softball game Forensics Showcase Baseball game Girls Swim Prelims Extravaganza Girls Soccer game

May 2

May 9

• Girls Soccer game

• • • • •

April 19

No School Track & Field meet Softball game Boys Tennis match Baseball game

April 26

• • • •

Senior Signing Day Boys Golf meet Track & Field meet Laramie Project

• • • •

No School Boys Tennis match Girls Swim Prelims Extravaganza

• • • • •

Track & Field meet Boys Tennis match Raider Revue Senior last day Yearbook distribution

May 3

May 10

S

April 20

• Track & Field meet • Baseball game

• • • •

April 27

Prom Girls Swim meet Baseball game Band State

.

smsouthnews.com

May 4

Q&A WITH ANNA BURNS

May 11

HIM: “DON’T WORRY I’M ON THE PILL”

• Girls Swim Finals • Softball game • Band Evening of Jazz

• Track & Field meet • Boys Tennis match • Raider Revue

KEY

Due to the many spring sport activities, only varsity events are shown on the calendar.

Home events are shown in bold.

For more information visit: Athletics: www.sunflowerleague.org Band: www.smsraiderband.org Theatre: www.smstheatre.com

WHAT’S UP WITH THE WEB

Choir: www.smschoirs.com General: www.smsouth.smsd.org

BY AVERY WOODS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

BY CATHERINE GUNNIGLE REPORTER

GALLERY: TRACK AND FIELD

BY REESE WOODS PHOTOGRAPHER

THE DEATH OF A SPECIES: PART 1

BY BRYNN TAYLOR SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

CLASSROOM REVIEW

BY ANSLEY CHAMBERS COPY EDITOR

FUNNY BUSINESS

BY KATIE HEIBL REPORTER

KSMS BLOCK PARTY

BY ANNALIE POLEN REPORTER

SENIOR Gabe Smith jumps over a hurdle during the boys 110 meter hurdle race at South Relays.

PHOTO BY NIC CAMBURAKO

BOYS BASKETBALL STATE DOCUMENTARY

BY EVAN SHIBEL

ADS EDITOR

06 / NEWS

THE PATRIOT

PHOTO BY EMMA HARDING

FULL HOUSE TO BIG HOUSE Celebrities allegedly steal college admittance spots from hard-working students.

T

BY MILAD JAHANI REPORTER

uesday, March 12, the FBI formally charged 50 people, 33 of whom were parents, including the likes of actress Felicity Huffman and “Full House” star Lori Loughlin, with participating in a multimillion dollar bribery scheme that enabled privileged students with lackluster grades to attend prestigious colleges and universities. This has been described as the “largest-ever college admissions scam prosecuted by the Justice Department” by Andrew Lelling, the U.S. attorney for the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

The cheating manifested in multiple forms, from saying they played sports they never played, paying people to take the ACT/SAT for them and paying proctors to help them with test questions. Many of the students were not aware that their parents payed off admissions representatives, coaches and proctors.

One student’s parents payed a total of $1.2 million in bribes, which included a $400,000 bribe to Yale’s former women’s soccer coach to pretend the student was a recruit when she had, in fact, never played competitive soccer. Several parents also paid Georgetown’s former head tennis coach Gordon Ernst $950,000 to pretend their kids were elite tennis recruits. In one case, Ernst gave a California couple’s daughter a potential spot on the team, while her application had falsely indicated she was ranked a Top 50 player in the U.S. Tennis Association’s junior girls category from her sophomore to senior years. In reality, she had not played at any Tennis Association tournaments in high school.

“These parents are a catalogue of wealth and privilege,” Lelling said. “This case is about the widening corruption of elite college admissions through the steady application of wealth combined with fraud. There can be no separate college admission system

for the wealthy and, I’ll add, there will not be a separate criminaljustice system either.”

Many of the parents charged have turned to Justin Paperny, who, for upwards of tens of thousands of dollars, teaches people how to live in federal prison. Paperny himself spent 18 months in federal prison in 2008 for conspiring to commit fraud.

The whole scheme was uncovered on accident by the FBI while they were investigating an unrelated fraud probe. The unnamed financial executive had told agents about the scam in order to secure leniency on himself.

The ringleader of the scam, William Singer, received about $25 million from 2011-’18 and pleaded guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and obstruction of justice in federal court in Boston on Tuesday, March 21. He was released on a $500,000 bail.

“If I can make the comparison, there is a front door of getting in where a student just does it on their own,” Singer said in court. “And then there’s a back door where people go to institutional advancement and make large donations, but they’re not guaranteed in. And then I created a side door that guaranteed families to get in. So that was what made it very attractive to so many families… I created a guarantee.”

Singer accepted the money through his charity, the Key Worldwide Foundation, in order to make the bribes tax deductible.

Singer owns the Edge College and Career Network, also known as The Key- a for-profit college counseling and preparation company offering families help in getting students into competitive colleges and universities along with some other related businesses.

NEWS / 07

SMSOUTHNEWS.COM

SMART ART

Instead of taking AP exam, students prepare their art portfolios.

F

BY ANSLEY CHAMBERS COPY EDITOR

or many students, fourth quarter marks the start of the AP grind, the final push, the homestretch. Students taking AP tests truly begin studying harder than they have all year.

For AP art students, the wave of panic and stress still sets in, however, not in the traditional way.

“I think every student is better for doing this process… because it really requires you to think deeper and do research like they haven’t had to do before,” art teacher Cortney Dougherty said.

Dougherty guides students who have already taken introductory art classes and are currently enrolled in the AP class to produce their highest quality of work in hopes of receiving college credit.

The AP art test is set up a bit differently than most AP tests.

There is not a physical test, but a portfolio of work that students

create over time, mostly throughout the course of the school year.

There are three sections of the portfolio: quality, concentration and breadth. Quality is what the student selects as their five best pieces. Concentration is a themed collection of work. Breadth is where students show that they understand the more technical side of art and the variety of mediums they are skilled in.

Unlike intro art classes where students learn how to create art, the AP class is where students prepare and perfect their portfolio.

“I’ve learned that sometimes you plan things out and they don’t go how you originally thought they would go, especially with art,” senior Chloe Hubbard said. “I’ve improved a lot and I gained so many different skills.”

LIGHTS, CAMERA, LANGUAGE

Students compete in area film festival.

M

BY ANSLEY CHAMBERS COPY EDITOR

any South students have taken at least one language class and many have participated in the Show Me Justice Film Festival.

For the last four years, Spanish teacher Leigh Rysko has taken upper level Spanish students to the festival at University of Central Missouri. Students spend months brainstorming, writing, filming and editing. This year the competition was Friday, April 5. Senior Audrey Hartwell, juniors Arden Larson, Addie Soyski and Katie Oldham won third place in the advances best Spanish drama category for their film “Mil Palabras.” Junior Liz Crawford, sophomores Ella Buss, Evan Shibel, Katie Hiebl and Catherine Gunnigle won three social justice awards for their film “Paso a Paso.” Junior Will Cooper and his film “Fachada” won seven total awards, including overall best film.

“I really love making videos,” Cooper said. “Freshman year I got really into movies.. and when I heard about the film festival… I’d never made a video before and then I did… with my phone and laptop… and it was the most fun I’d ever had. So that summer I got a camera and started making videos all the time and now I still do it.”

Cooper has been participating in the film festival for three years, developing passion for film.

“My favorite part is definitely the feeling you get when you have an idea for what you’re going to shoot and then you film it and then you’re editing it and it looks… just the way that you wanted it to. You get this huge sense of satisfaction and accomplishment… just looking at what you made,” Cooper

PHOTOS BY NIC CAMBURAKO

said.

Cooper has won many awards at the festival. He enjoys seeing films from other students in the area.

“It was really fun seeing all the different students’ videos because you know they’re not really concerned with making them really good; you can just tell they’re having a lot of fun, which is how it should be,” Cooper said. “It’s really cool to see the more professionally made ones at the end that they show to all of us and to vote on them. It’s really fun getting to see everybody getting awards… for videos, especially when they thought that they didn’t do that well.”

Although students are not required to do social justice for a theme, Rysko highly encourages it.

“They get to do this project… not just for my eyes and ears, but a huge audience,” Rysko said. “They realize that they can use their second language to talk about or explore, make other people think about a real issue and that’s why I kind of make them do social justice. There’s other genres as well, but because we devote so much class time to it, I try and make it something that can turn into like a public service announcement or do some good… One is a documentary of South’s SPED program and the cadets and they’re actually using it to help recruit some more bilingual cadets.”

Filming is difficult, especially with winter sickness and weather.

“In the four years, this… was the best,” Rysko said. “I devoted a lot of class time to brainstorming because I realized that takes a lot longer than anyone thinks… It’s a monstrous project, but totally worth it.”

Despite these troubles, students still come up with creative solutions to problems concerning their creative ideas. Inspiration can come from anything and will strike at any time.

08 / NEWS

THE PATRIOT

RETURN OF THE MEASLES

The anti-vaccine movement has resurfaced previously eradicated diseases.

BY GINI HORTON WEB EDITOR

S

ince the

implementation of vaccines in the 20th century, 14 diseases have been declared eradicated by the CDC. Included in that list are the measles, mumps and whooping cough, all of which have made a comeback since the start of the anti-vax movement.

The fear of autism being caused by a vaccine began in 1998. Andrew Wakefield, a former British doctor, co-wrote a case series in which he suggested that an MMR vaccine, which treats mumps, measles and Rubella, caused developmental disorders. Wakefield sparked a panic, though others were unable to recreate his research and his license to practice medicine was later revoked because of scientific misrepresentation. Wakefield’s newspaper was funded mostly by lawyers caught up in lawsuits against companies that produced vaccines.

Today, there are almost 400 reported cases of measles in the U.S., and thousands worldwide. 130 people were infected with measles in 2015 at Disneyland in California. A state of emergency was declared in Washington on January 25, 2019, when 55 cases were reported. This winter alone, outbreaks have occured in 11 states. The measles is an incredibly contagious virus; 90% of unvaccinated kids exposed to the virus get it, and it can be caught

hours a f t e r someone with the virus coughs or sneezes.

Eradicated diseases are not the only diseases that have become more prominent with the rise of the anti-vax movement; 100 to 300 kids under five die from the flu, 85% of which were not vaccinated, according to Time Magazine. By the time a kid is ready to go to kindergarten, they are required to have had 14 doses of the Hib vaccination, which protects against influenza B. Kids over the age of two are required to have the MMR vaccine as well as the chickenpox vaccine. Kids from kindergarten to fifth grade are required to have the MMR, chickenpox, polio, hepatitis B and DTaP, whooping cough and tetanus vaccines.

The anti-vax movement is now most popular with the millennial generation, aided its popularity on social media. There has been a rise in reported outbreaks in 19 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Texas and Washington. 465 outbreaks have been reported in the U.S. from Jan. 1 to April 4, 2019, the highest it has been since 2014, according to the CDC.

SMSOUTHNEWS.COM

WHAT’S

THE SCORE?

Your update on sports stats.

BY EVAN SHIBEL ADS EDITOR

SPORTS / 09

RETURNING RECORDS Teachers come back to coach

GIRLS SWIM & DIVE sports they participated in.

STATE QUALIFIERS: SWIM: OLIVIA RILEY, ELLA BUSS, lydia kernen, sarah ohlde, katie horner dive: OPHE SHAPIRO, MIA MUSSON

BOYS TENNIS

WINS

TIES

LOSSES

2GIRLS 2SOCCER1 WINS

LOSSES

WINS

LOSSES

WINS

LOSSES

5SOFTBALL3

1BASEBALL5

1 4 TRACK & FIELD

QUALIFIERS FOR KU RELAYS: GABE SMITH - 300 HURDLES SAM MACKLIN - LONG JUMP SUBY LEWIS - 100M DASH

BOYS GOLF LOW SCORERS:

DYLAN BLOOM - 74 (+4) DYLAN ALDRICH - 75 (+5) GRIFFIN BRASSELL - 78 (+9)

AS OF APR. 11, 2019

I

BY ANNALIE POLEN SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

magine coming back to South after graduating college to coach one of your favorite sports that you participated in while in high school. For math teachers Jake Caldwell and Kailey Groves, that is the reality as they both coach track. Caldwell coaches the long jump and triple jump. As a student, his main events were the 400 and the 800, but by his senior year, he went to state for the 200, 400, 4x8 and high jump. Groves, on the other hand, is the sprinting coach. As a track athlete, her main events were the 100 hurdles, 300 hurdles, 4x1 and 4x4.

“I decided to coach just because I ran track in college and I enjoyed it and getting to help other kids experience that is kind of a neat thing,” Caldwell said.

Groves also decided to coach to spread her love for the sport.

“I already enjoyed working with students. I was already teaching and I just wanted to continue that [with] the sport that I loved and just spread what I enjoyed about it with people that I’m coaching,” Groves said.

Getting to see track from the

student side and the coaching side is a unique experience and comes with relationships such as your former coach becoming one of your coworkers.

“It’s pretty fun actually because [J.J.] Wannamaker, the head coach, was my coach at the time, so it’s been really fun getting to work with him, getting to work with Coach Caldwell, who’s also back and getting to learn from someone who I was already learning from,” Groves said.

“It’s fun to get to see the same tradition that you were a part of as a student and now I see that other side of it as a coach. Getting to continue on some of those things that you did and getting to facilitate some of those fun activities,” Caldwell said.

Both coaches look forward to a see what the season holds and feel that they have a great group of kids.

“I’m just excited really to see how everyone does, we’ve got a great group of kids who are really excited about what they are doing,” Groves said.

2012 Groves 4x100 48.97

2013 Caldwell 400 48.68

10 / SPORTS

THE PATRIOT

THE PROBLEM

A deep dive into KSHSAA’s unpopular and overly thorough guidelines and inconsistencies.

A

BY ALI HARRISON NEWS EDITOR & EVAN SHIBEL ADS EDITOR

s we have a governing body for our country, cities, counties and even schools, we have one for high school activities. As with any of those governing bodies, there are flaws in the system. The overall goal of any governing body is to help the people it governs however it deems suitable. In the case of the Kansas High School Activities Association, many of its laws are highly flawed and hinder the progress and success of high school students in activities and athletics.

Cross country is one of the most regulated sports in Kansas. It’s not like there’s any detailed rules to the sport because people are just running, yet it’s probably the most over-regulated sport in the state. More specifically, it’s overregulated in regards to the attire - more than cheerleading.

Similar to cross country is track and field. In any relay, the entire team must be wearing the exact same uniform, including any adhesive tape, compression sleeves or even headbands.

This rule applies to everything that is above the ankle on the athlete, including braces and other supports for injuries.

Senior Suby Lewis experienced this firsthand. At the regional track meet in 2018, she was unable to wear her compression sleeves because of the aforementioned relay uniform rule.

“For me, it was upsetting because my compression sleeves help with my shins and hamstrings by compressing any pain in my shins or calves up against the opposite muscle and it helps limit that pain,” Lewis said.

Even the less physically-demanding

sport of bowling is over-regulated. Bowlers may not wear jewelry, though it is not considered a contact sport. In comparison, you can wear jewelry in track while you’re running and passing off batons, but not while you’re rolling a ball down a lane and making contact with only a ball.

Bowling also has a restriction on the signs allowed in bowling meets.

“Signs must not exceed 4 feet by 12

“

It was upsetting because my compression sleeves help ... limit that pain.

”

SENIOR SUBY LEWIS feet. Hand-held signs by spectators may not exceed 11x17 inches. Parades with signs and banners are not permitted.

Helium filled balloons or confetti are not allowed,” the handbook states. The first rule makes sense because a banner that size is large; however, restricting the size of signs held by fans at bowling meets is excessive considering signs aren’t an issue in other sports.

The KSHSAA rulebook is a whopping 68 pages long, which means an average of three and a half rules or “articles” per

page. Clearly KSHSAA tries their best to be thorough and cover all of the bases when trying to make sure they have some type of regulation for every situation that could possibly occur in a high school activity, but at some point these activities can become over-regulated. And not only are they overly thorough, but they also can be overlooked or sometimes straight up ignored. From the officials regulating the events to the staff overseeing the activity, even they sometimes aren’t educated thoroughly enough. KSHSAA may take the time to create all these regulations, but they don’t also take the time to inform their employees enough about them to effectively enforce them.

During basketball games, cheer squads do a chant during free throws followed by spirit fingers before players shoot the ball.

“During free throws, Spirit squad members must stand at attention, silently. This means absolutely no movement (which includes, but not limited to: movement of fingers, hands, talking, and shaking poms),” the rulebook states. This rule is reasonable; however, it’s unenforced because nearly every squad in the 6A division does it, as does the crowd.

On top of all of these overbearing rules, it seems as if most of the time they have no one to enforce them. The only times you can find any type of KSHSAA official is at regional or state activities that are run by KSHSAA. There are tons of rules and regulations, many of which are completely unnecessary, but do not have anyone present to enforce such strict and PHOTO BY NAOMI MITCHELL

CENSORED

SMSOUTHNEWS.COM

WITH KSHSAA

exhaustive rules. The amount of work in the modern day and being more put into creating these extensive and thorough and consistent with their rules thorough rules must be incredible and and the enforcement of them. the fact that KSHSAA doesn’t usually As stated in their mission statement, have anyone at activities to enforce “KSHSAA is best governed by them makes no sense and honestly, in representatives of the member schools some ways, makes them a waste of time. and its affiliated organizations,” meaning The rules can also, as we have learned it is partly the responsibility of Shawnee from interviews and discussions with Mission South to work cooperatively athletes, hinder with KSHSAA performance of to fix these some athletes. unnecessary This can and overbearing include athletes r u l e s . that need Additionally, certain braces they say, “The or medical KSHSAA is a devices that student-centered can help with organization.” reducing pain Therefore, during events. without student KSHSAA Obviously voices working devices that to right what we MISSION STATEMENT can assist with see as wrong, performance nothing will are clearly outlawed, but medical change. Democracy doesn’t work if the enhancements are different and after governed people don’t do their part and training or practicing with these devices, that goes for the governing bodies for all of a sudden competing without them our country, cities, counties, schools and can be almost a shockwave to some even high school activities. athletes.

Overall, KSHSAA is an outdated system without anyone to put the outdated system in place. With this amount of technology in the modern day, there has to be a better way for KSHSAA to create rules that work for everyone as well as give KSHSAA the ability to enforce them consistently.

KSHSAA needs to do a better job of making use of resources they are given

“

KSHSAA is best governed by representatives of the member schools and its affiliated organizations.

”

SPORTS / 11

The original KSHSAA rulebook is 68 pages long.

There are additional rulebooks for each sport, averaging 37 pages each.

According to KSHSAA, bowling is a contact sport.

KSHSAA rules state that if cross country runners wear headbands, they must all be the same color.

12 / SPORTS

THE PATRIOT

THE CAR RIDE HOME The drive home from a practice or game has a huge impact on athletes.

BY CATHERINE GUNNIGLE REPORTER

“You

shoul

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game

A

s an athlete, I can understand how positive and negative the car ride home from a game or a practice can be. Sports can be very influential on your life, no matter how seriously you take them.

The Changing the Game Project is a movement trying to transform youth and high school sports to educate and empower their players, coaches and organizations as a whole. In the past five years, studies and reports are saying that six out of every 10 kids are leaving or quitting sports due to the car ride home.

“Usually it’s just when I reflect on the game and think about everything that happened. I go over how I played and if it’s with my parents then we talk about it,” sophomore and soccer player Dylan Ziegler said.

Sports are so influential; they are more than just an activity.

Team sports are opportunities to grow character and implement good morals based off of events that are bigger than just a ball or a playing field.

“Sports have taught me how to work with people and to overcome adversity,” sophomore, basketball player and baseball player Erik Smith said. “Whether it is basketball or baseball, I have learned how to work with others no matter the circumstances. I will definitely use that after high school.”

It’s amazing how a quick moment off the field can have such a detrimental effect on someone, especially so young.

However, thinking about

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all of the emotions during the ride home makes perfect sense.

Emotions are high, whether it be disappointment, anger and exhaustion or excitement, pride and joy. All emotions are extremely heightened for both player and parent, yet most parents choose that exact moment to confront their child about a play, criticize them for having a poor game or critique their child, their teammates, their coach or their opponents. Parents can be the biggest influence in a child’s life due the relationship they create growing up.

“My dad likes to critique things I do, but both of my parents are very supportive. I think it’s really easy to get into your own head and overthink your capabilities; I think that’s the reason kids probably quit,” Ziegler said. ”There could not be a less teachable moment in your child’s sporting life than the ride home, yet it is often the moment that well intentioned parents decide to do all of their teaching,” the Changing the Game Project said, Today’s issue is not the car ride home, but encouraging America’s youth to value endurance by teaching them how to overcome loss and struggle. We need to exemplify hard work and show that competition can be a good thing - that losing creates a hunger to win. Athletics are the perfect opportunity to equip them with valuable morals and life lessons on a very subtle and age appropriate way. The car ride home should not have this much power; let’s use that time to focus on other things and settle down.

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SPORTS / 13

IS P.E. OUTDATED? W SMSOUTHNEWS.COM

Some parts of P.E. are not as important as others.

COLUMN BY ANNALIE POLEN SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

hether P.E. is your favorite or your least favorite class, there are important aspects, but also parts of the curriculum that are outdated. There is a lot to be debated about when it comes to P.E. class and what the important aspects of it are. The class as a whole is very important, especially to kids who aren’t getting another source of exercise.

“P.E. is being able to work with people who may not be as good as you and handle different types of situations,” teacher Sue Williams said. The class is only required for one semester, which means the kids who need the exercise aren’t really getting it consistently. Also if students are required to take P.E. all year, that still may not change their health lifestyle because it is still not consistent in the long run.

“I do think that P.E. should be required all year. There’s not enough kids that get enough physical activity throughout the day and studies show that the more active you are, the more accidently better you perform,” Williams said.

Although many students would benefit from having to take P.E. all year, should the students who are consumed in many sports be required to take a P.E. class? Although the class holds importance, it seems that is should be more aimed at those who need it. Students who already participate in athletics and feel that they have a healthy lifestyle, may find the class useless.

The curriculum also doesn’t always touch on the more important aspects of P.E. such as, why you should be doing these activities.

For example, after finishing a unit over a certain sport the students are required to take a test over the unit. The tests consist of the questions about the rules of that certain sport. It would be more beneficial to take tests over different health aspects. Taking tests just over the rules of sports is not really necessary for everyday life. While knowing about different sports is important in society, the main benefit that should be taken away from the class is how to stay active and be healthy. Students are required to take a health class which would touch on the health related things not taught in P.E. class. IT is also only required for one semester.

“Well health is required to graduate and its a health as it own and it should also probably be required all year as well,” Williams said.

P.E. is an important class as a whole, but does have some flaws that also are not entirely caused from the curriculum and the requirements of the class. The class is often not taken seriously by students which also makes it so that it can’t fulfil the purpose of the class. The class will most likely always be part of the curriculum, so whether it is favored or not, what you get out of it depends on how much you put into it.

“P.E. is not so much outdated, the worst part of the P.E. class is people who are just not putting out the effort, which can bring down any activity whether it’s outdated, bad or current,” Williams said.

STUDENTS play ultimate frisbee in their Foundations of P.E. class. Teacher Sue Williams said that P.E. can be difficult because there are some people “who are just not putting out the effort.”

PHOTO BY ABBY YORK

Q&A 14 / SPORTS

THE PATRIOT

BRYN DAVIS

with Freshman talks about what it’s like to compete in figure skating.

BY CATHERINE GUNNIGLE REPORTER

PHOTO BY JILLIAN MCCLELLAND

Q: How did you get involved in skating?

A: I have grown up skating just for fun. It wasn’t until recently when I thought I could

actually compete.

Q: How long have you been skating?

A: I have been competing for three years, but skating my whole life.

Q: How does skating make you feel?

A: Skating is a huge stress reliever for me. It is therapeutic and so much fun.

Q: Where do you skate? What is the environment like there?

A: I skate out at KCIC (Kansas City Ice Center). It’s out in Shawnee. The environment is friendly; I really like it there.

Q: Who or what inspires you to skate?

A: It’s just a beautiful sport, but my coach probably inspires me the most. She is so good at what she does.

Q: What is the hardest skill you have to learn?

A: Jumping is really hard on your body because you have to land perfectly or else you fall and that hurts. Jumping is just really hard in any choreography.

Q: What does training look like?

A: I do a lot of “off ice” training. I like to walk and do ab workouts. Sometimes I go on runs, but mainly ab workouts and jump roping to keep my calves in shape.

Q: What are the levels and which are you currently competing in?

A: There are five levels: basic, pre-preliminary, preliminary, novice, junior and

then senior. [People who are at] the senior level are who you see at the Olympics, but I am just in Preliminary right now.

Q: Do you have any rituals or traditions you do before you perform?

A: I always have to listen to “All Star” by Smash Mouth before I perform.

Q: When you compete, how are you scored?

A: When I compete, I get scored on the artistry and technical details of my

performance. Artistry is based off my expression and emotion- so basically how I look and hold myself during a performance. And my Technical score is based off of the jumps and routine I do. It’s very complicated, but altogether worth it.

FEATURES / 15

SMSOUTHNEWS.COM

THE PATH TO DESTRUCTION

Without proper environmental education, the road to the future looks rocky.

R

BY LILY WAGNER OPINIONS EDITOR

ecord-breaking storms and wildfires, bleached coral reefs and melting permafrost. The early effects of global warming are beginning to bear their teeth and making climate change harder to deny. According to the Fourth National Climate Assessment, which was administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, the continental United States has warmed by 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit in the last 100 years. A report from the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has found that in order to avoid “intolerable” conditions around the world, the temperature of the earth can only rise another .9 degrees, to 2.7 degrees of total warming since the pre-industrial era. The world is already starting to see that ignoring the warnings of science will bring an expensive, destructive and deadly future. So the question we must ask

PHOTO BY QUINN KASPAR

ourselves is: are we doing enough?

In 2016 the district held a Sustainability Youth Summit with student representatives from all six high schools. The students worked together to identify five sustainability priorities. These are: “school gardens and natural areas,” “education, awareness and student involvement,” “efficiency,” “transportation alternatives” and “health and well-being.” It is the job of Coordinator for Sustainability and Community Engagement Joan Levens to figure out how to bring these five priorities to the students and faculty across the district.

“They are integrated into the curriculum for the district. I’ve been working with curriculum, instruction and assessment to integrate the sustainability opportunities for project-based learning and to align it by grade level. So that in the elementary schools each grade level

has capstone projects in sustainability available to them,” Levens said.

Levens pointed out that many of the grade level alignments for capstone projects tie into one of the district’s five priorities.

“Pre-K through grade two is school gardens and native plants. Grade three is butterfly gardens, which is life cycles and habitats. Grade four is energy efficiency and air quality. Grade five is water quality monitoring. Grade six is energy alternatives including renewable energy.

And then the recycling and composting that we do actually aligns with the health curriculum in grades K-12. And then most recently we’ve been working with middle school teachers to integrate a water quality curriculum into sixth, seventh and eighth grade,” Levens said.

continued on page 16

18 / FEATURES Regardless of student interest, some form of required education or action on sustainability and environmental issues could be coming. In Minnesota a statewide regulation requires composting food waste in schools and in 2011 Maryland became the first state to require students graduating from public high schools to be “environmentally literate.” As of 2014, all but four states were either in the planning phases or had implemented environmental literacy programs. However, the recent decision to pull the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Agreement has many young people feeling like the older generations have failed to solve climate issues and that it is now the responsibility of the youth.

“The sad thing is we’ve known about the situation for a long, long time and we could’ve - should’ve - been leaders as a country in tackling the problem, but for some reason, we’ve chosen not to,” Born said.

Despite sentiments at South, other students around the district are

THE PATRIOT KINDERGARTEN students are led around the envionmental education classroom. South students in the class lead the tour.

PHOTO BY NAOMI MITCHELL

beginning to come to Levens with interest in sustainability in the high schools. Around the world, young people are at the forefront of taking action on climate change. From congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal proposal to Swedish 16 year old Greta Thunberg who started the global youth climate strikes, which, according to Time, drew 1.6 million students to walk out of their schools on March 15 to protest the global lack of action on climate change.

“I am talking with students in several

high schools who have these concerns and maybe it’s time to have another summit. It is a huge undertaking, which I guess is the hesitation, and there are so many things going on in the district,” Levens said. “But it sounds like students would have great interest in participating in another summit and refining and refocusing and let the students know what’s happened so far in the district as a result of these priorities that were set and then ask, ‘what’s next, what is a high priority now.’”

Q&A

FEATURES / 19

SMSOUTHNEWS.COM

with Ruth Vaccianna

Q: Where are you from?

A: I am from Kingston, Jamaica.

Q: Where was your favorite place that you have lived?

A: That’s really hard, I think probably Maryland because a lot of my mom’s family is there that I hadn’t met before… and we went to a church that was different from any other church we have been to and the people there were like family and even closer than family.

Q: Why did you move here?

A: Well we were in Maryland and my parents didn’t have a job at that time. We started praying for a few days like, ‘Lord, what should we do now,’ and we believe he said to come

Senior talks about the cultural differences living in Jamaica and the importance of being nice to others.

BY KATIE HIEBEL REPORTER PHOTO BY NICOLAS CAMBURAKO

here so we came and then a job opened up.

Q: What do you miss about Jamaica?

A: Definitely the beaches and my dad’s side of the family. They are still living there and I have a lot of family in Jamaica, so I think it’s the beaches and family - the culture definitely.

Q: What are some differences in culture here vs there?

A: Definitely the education system. In the Caribbean, high school starts in 7th Grade and then we have 13 classes. When I was in 7th and 8th grade I did French and Spanish… all the electives that we offer was a part of our core curriculum.

Definitely the work is harder in the Caribbean and then there is more respect there. Here in America you can call your friends their first name but there it’s like you need to call me aunt or uncle, Ms. or Mrs. Q: Do you ever go back to Jamaica and visit?

A: I have been going back to visit every summer since we left except for last summer, and we stay for about a month each time we go.

Q: People say you are a very nice person. Why do you think it is important to be nice?

A: For me I am a Christian, so I believe that me being nice and showing love is like a show of God and what I believe in and it just comes…

naturally to me. I think it’s important to me because people might be having a bad day and just smiling or high fiving them or just saying hi can change a lot, you know.

Q: What is your favorite food here vs there?

A: Before I moved to America, I just wanted to have McDonalds so bad I thought it was the best thing ever… I think my favorite food here in Kansas would probably be the barbecue. Then in Jamaica and the Caribbean there is jerk chicken which is kind of like barbecue.

You make it on a grill like barbecue but it is way more spicy... then in Granada there is this thing called oil down and it’s made of yams, potatoes, cabbage, a lot of vegetables, chicken, coconut milk and they all simmer it down in one big pot.

It’s really nice.

Q: What are some of the differences living here vs. Jamaica?

A: Here there are basements and there are upstairs and downstairs. Houses in Jamaica, it’s one level. The whole house is made out of concrete and we have to wear uniforms in Jamaica. When I was going into 7th and 8th grade I had to wear my hair in a low bun all the time. I couldn’t wear earrings that weren’t gold or silver and they had to be small and if they were hoops they had to be very small hoops.

Our skirts had to be past our knees and if they are at our knees it was too short.

Q: Do you want to keep living here in Kansas or is there somewhere else you want to live?

A: I love it here, so I think I will live here... I do want to do some mission work or go to other countries that don’t have enough medical help, like maybe Spanish speaking countries. I do want to use my Spanish for sure, but I think I’d want to live in Kansas and just go to those countries for a few months or something.

20 / PHOTO ESSAY

THE PATRIOT

AFTER THE BELL

PHOTOS BY ABBY COX

1 2

3 1. Freshman Moussa Henderson plays a game of

chess at the beginning of the Arabic Festival. The event had games such as checkers for students to play.

2. Sophomore Lauren Crain gives sophomore Reese Gilmore a Henna tattoo. Henna is one of the many cultural activities offered at the Arabic Festival.

3. Junior Nik Trofimoff returns a serve during tennis practice.

4. Senior Merrick Schofield takes a break during tennis practice to hydrate. Scholfield has been playing tennis at South since his freshman year.

4

OPINION / 21

SMSOUTHNEWS.COM

STAFF EDITORIAL Each one of us needs to be doing more for the

CARTOON BY JILL OLIVER GUEST CARTOONIST

O

ur sitting president has been notoriously against the idea of climate change. Many of his supporters agree. Over the winter, they asked, why would there be global warming if the weather is at record low temperatures? They said, there’s no specific evidence to point to climate change; it could be a blip in the radar.

They told us, it’s not what humans are doing, it’s natural.

However, since industrialization, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has risen to record levels over the course of the entirety of Earth’s history, according to NASA. Carbon dioxide traps heat; therefore, the climate must rise over time. Because the rise in carbon dioxide levels coincide with industrialization (a time when humankind was producing vast amounts of CO2 emissions, and has continued to produce vast amounts of CO2), we can concur that the rise in carbon dioxide is due to human industrialization and manufacturing.

To answer the all-knowing question

environment.

of, “How is there global warming when it’s still cold outside?” here’s some definitions. Weather is the state of the atmosphere at a specific place and time as regards heat, dryness, sunshine, wind, rain, etc.; Climate is the statistics of weather over a long period of time.

So when we look at climate change, we look at the change in the weather over a period of time. Even though it’s cold outside, the overall pattern is that the global temperature is rising. And why is this a problem? Raising the average temperature of Earth’s climate can cause ocean levels to rise and weather events to become more severe. That means more money spent on damage control that could be going to other things, and more lives unnecessarily taken.

Of course, that can’t be solved overnight. Just one person can’t save the environment singlehandedly. So people at South need to do more.

Sure, we have a composting program, and sure, there’s an environmental education class; sure, there’s a woods next to us. But what are we actually

doing?

The “Education, Awareness, and Student Involvement” webpage of the Department of Sustainability of the Shawnee Mission School District has barely a paragraph on what the district does in teaching students about the environment. There’s no AP Environmental Ed class. And Environmental Ed mostly consists of just playing with animals and showing kids around the SMESL. Even though the district diverted 600,000 pounds of food and paper into compost in 2017, there should still be more education on the environment.

With climate change becoming a politicized subject, there should be more education on what trends are occurring and what people should do to help the environment. Regardless of whether you think that global warming is real or not, it’s still important to take care of our Earth, because as of right now, scientists haven’t found another one.

11/11 EDITORS AGREE WITH THE VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THIS EDITORIAL.

22 / OPINION

THE DEBATE:

THE PATRIOT

The Green New Deal.

PRO F

BY MILAD JAHANI REPORTER

or the past 63 years, the world has been aware of our planets rising temperatures from a New York Times Article in 1956, yet we have done nothing about it. Even since the

56%

W

e all want- or should wantto help the environment.

Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and congressman Ed Markey proposed the Green New Deal to try to slow global warming and deal with the socioeconomic repercussions of climate change. After reading and annotating the 14-page document, I can say that it’s not entirely for the environment. The bill adds in policies unrelated to the environment: redesigning the economy in ten years, upgrading all existing buildings and build new ones that are environmentally efficient and create quality and highpaying jobs along with education.

The New Deal of the Franklin Roosevelt administration was a response to the Great Depression. Its goal was to pull the country out of the economic recession and skyrocketed unemployment.

This bill seems to have the same PHOTOS BY TRINITY CLARK

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was formed in 1988, our politicians have refused to take large enough steps to ensure a healthy planet for future generations. The time for action is now.

The implementation of the Green New Deal would result in far lower electric bills and taxes, as solar power is far cheaper than conventional fossil fuels. Consider this: global coal prices have historically averaged $0.06 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh), fossil fuel steam averages $0.05 cents/kWh and small scale natural gas can go as low as $0.03 cents/kWh. In 2016, a major commercial solar installation bid the lowest price to date at $0.029 cents per kWh, which is over 50% cheaper than coal. The clean energy that we will be able to produce will also make our wars for oil no longer needed, as the U.S. currently has over 750 military bases in the Middle East in part to protect

TWITTER POLL* intention, focusing on environmentalism, except the economy is currently thriving.

However, instituting all the policies mentioned in the bill, including the “social justice” ones, could cost up to $92.9 trillion from 2020 to 2009 according to the American Action Forum. That would surely cause economic trouble and potentially failure, and it wouldn’t grow domestic manufacturing as mentioned in the text.

In the end, the bill failed in the Republican-held Senate with a vote of 0-57. Of the 49 Democrats, only 43 voted “present,” yet none of them voting for the bill, including several up for candidacy in the 2020 presidential election. Three Democrats even voted with Republicans.

This only proves the ridiculousness of the bill further: the tight-knit Democrats won’t even vote for a bill sponsored by members of their party. However, this bill has been condemned on both sides of the

oil fields. Our current military budget of nearly $600 billion (which is more than the next eight countries combined) would therefore be cut in half, allowing much needed investments to go towards the development of more efficient clean energy along with investments in public transit, regenerative agriculture and the conservation/restoration of critical infrastructure, including ecosystems.

Many people who oppose the Green New Deal cite that “clean coal” (which is an oxymoron in and of itself) miners would no longer be able to support their families. If the Green New Deal were to be implemented today, it would not go into action until the year 2030, giving those who work in the coal and oil industry 11 years to plan. This kind of change is not something new; throughout all of history, older technology has been replaced with newer methods, and people have always managed to adapt.

44%

*of 36 votes

aisle. It’s not environmental policy but government intervention in the economyand other places it doesn’t belong- to fulfill a radical left-wing vision of destructive and unsustainable socialism.

BY ALI HARRISON NEWS EDITOR

CON

SMSOUTHNEWS.COM

MUST BE THIS TALL TO RUN

We should embrace only qualified candidates.

T

BY ADDIE SOYSKI CIRCULATION MANAGER CARTOON BY JOSE STUART GUEST CARTOONIST

here’s no way around it: the current president is undeniably unqualified to be commander in chief of the United States.

This fact is concerning in the context of upcoming elections. Having a “successful” celebrity candidate lowers national standards and opens the floodgates on primary elections. Now that even the most unlikely and seemingly ridiculous candidates have a chance at winning, the 2020 field is being bombarded with presidential hopefuls. In the 2016 election, there were a total of six democratic candidates, most of which dropped out early in the race. As of April 8, there are 17 democrats running. A change from less than 10 to almost 20 is pretty major. While some of these are legitimately viable candidates, some are honestly small, unheard of politicians and some are straight up celebrity business owners.

Being the mayor of a town is not enough experience to be president of the United States.

Neither is being a self-help author. I believe everyone should have access to government and you don’t have to be a career politician to run for office, but the presidency is the single highest office in the country and requires ample experience and a unique skill set. While options are necessary for a healthy democracy, having lots of mediocre people means coverage of each individual candidate will be less in depth

and voters will research less and less into each candidate. Not to mention, presidential debates will be completely worthless if each person has to split their response times with 20 other people.

This is perfect for really problematic candidates to make it further in the race.

Whose responsibility is it to vet candidates?

In a sense, it’s on the voters. People need to elect strong candidates who will do their jobs well. Don’t support a celebrity politician because it’ll shake things up in Washington. If you want change, vote for someone who has the experience to deliver. Additionally, the political world needs to be vetting itself. Politicians should voice the need for quality candidates and create a culture of certain expectations for higher office. Unqualified candidates shouldn’t be getting endorsements from capitol hill. The press also needs to do in depth analysis of each candidate. While many outlets produced some great journalism during the 2016 election, some arguably were swept up in the political whirlwind and neglected some much needed perspectives.

Ultimately, everyone needs to become aware of the demands of the presidency and turn a critical eye to anyone who claims they can fulfill them. By nature, candidates have to be at least a little selfrighteous and should be investigated thoroughly.

OPINION / 23

24 / OPINION

THE PATRIOT

TOO P*LITICALLY C*RRECT?

Some people go out of their way to avoid hurt feelings.

BY MEGAN SMITH SPORTS EDITOR

L

ike frosted tips, low-rise pants and jorts, political correctness is another trend from the ‘90s we would all rather forget. While this trend was for the most part, confined to academia, when it first emerged in the ‘90s, it has spread the rest of the population, causing those with little to no knowledge on current events to use political correctness as the driving points of their political conversations.

Conservatives generally dislike the growing influence of being “PC” in political discussions, while liberals usually embrace this trend.

O bviou sl y, it’s wrong to use slurs and other historically derogatory a n d oppressive terms against marginalized groups, but there is a point at which political correctness becomes a hindrance to constructive conversation.

While many parts of political correctness aim to be respectful of others, there is a difference between being politically correct and polite. Using someone’s preferred pronouns or avoiding using words that are blatantly offensive, such as slurs and other historically oppressive terms, is not being “overly PC,” as many conservatives claim. It

PC

MOST OPPRESSED

is just being a decent human being and respecting the fact that not everyone has had the same opportunities and privileges that you have in the past.

However, one part of political correctness that I think can get out of hand at times is the concept of “trigger warnings.” In some cases, especially when someone is suffering from a past trauma, trigger warnings about assault and violence can be incredibly beneficial to the mental health of those who have been through a distressing event. However, the real issue behind the necessity for trigger warnings is the lack of comprehensive mental health care that is readily available to victims of traumatic events. Because these victims are sometimes unable to be treated for their PTSD or other anxiety disorders, their mental health ultimately suffers and there is a necessity for trigger warnings that otherwise would not be needed. However, there is a point at which using trigger warnings is unnecessary and actually hinders conversations.

Using political correctness as the main point of your argument is not doing anything; you are actually perpetuating the idea that many prejudiced individuals hold of “Oppression Olympics.” While this idea may sound incredibly idiotic, it is a term used when two or more groups compete to prove themselves more oppressed than each other. The truth is, nearly everyone suffers from some sort of oppression, and competing to see who has it worse off just makes everything worse for everyone. Telling someone that they are being oppressive for saying something as insignificant as “forefathers” (because it says father, implying that they are male), “manly” (implying that women can’t be strong) or “violate” (implying violence or assault) just makes you seem hypersensitive to anything that does not fit your preconceived notions of what is good or bad.

OPINION / 25

SMSOUTHNEWS.COM

THEORETICALLY SPEAKING

Dark conspiracy theorist culture is leaking into mainstream society.

W

BY BRYNN TAYLOR SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

hen thinking of the term conspiracy theories you may come up with the topics Illuminati, Slender Man, and even aliens. The term conspiracy theory was said to be created by the CIA in order to limit the skepticism of official government stories, at least that’s what people think; and that could be a conspiracy theory of its own. Although conspiracy theories date back hundreds of years, the earliest usage of the term conspiracy theory, a belief that some secret but recognizable organization is responsible for a circumstance or event, did not always have this meaning. Although the theories can quite often be perceived in other ways, the term used to mean it’s just a simple way of identifying one theory from another theory that can be conspired, make secret plans jointly to commit an illegal or malicious act. Many people communicate the phrase with a witty and almost comical essence, joking about there being Walmart prison camps or a hollow Earth, but it’s much more.

The dark side of conspiracy theories is something many do not really talk about. When they are discussed, several people think it’s all harmless fun or something that shouldn’t be taken seriously. Currently, studies are being made on how to prevent people from believing in such fictional suspicions. As an example, the most relevant theory is the story of Pizzagate. Back in March 2018, two people were photographed with the letter “Q” on signs and t-shirts during the Republican presidential campaign in Florida and were associated with the election cycle and the rigging of the population’s votes. One of the first and most popularized conspiracy theory is the tale of the Sasquatch, otherwise known as Bigfoot. This phenomenon has been talked about for decades.

When the conspiracy emerged of a seven-foot-tall man like figure

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY KYLA HUNTER

that appeared out of the forest back in 1958, many thought the figure was a mere costume or an upright bear but never, at the time, would they think that it could be something different.

Conspiracy theories are popular and there is no doubt that the internet has hyped them up. From the theory that 9/11 was an inside job to the idea that reptilian humanoids rule the world, and that climate change is a hoax, conspiracy theories have found a stable home online. But the degree to which we can actually credit their reputation to the internet is a question that has concerned many people for several years, and the answer isn’t very straightforward. While some argue that conspiracy theories flourish on the internet and social media, there is not yet any evidence that this is true. Conspiracy theories have always been with us. But today the internet feeds them in new ways and allows the deepening of conspiracy making in certain online communities. Many social media influencers create content based on conspiracies and their history. Most known for making conspiracy theory videos is YouTube personal Shane Dawson who has made famous many unknown theories, such as celebrity affiliation with the previously said Illuminati. But since then many of his videos and other influencer’s videos have been demonetized and even removed because of the controversial topics being talked about.

With enough belief by the people, conspiracy theories will continue to make many question what is real and what is lurking in the shadows, basements, empty streets, and government facilities, but until the truth comes out people can only assume and hope to understand the secrets being kept from us.

26 / A&E

BATTLE

of the

THE PATRIOT

BRANDS

BY MIAH CLARK ASST. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, A&E EDITOR & NICHOLE THOMAS FEATURES EDITOR

PHOTOS BY HALEY HILL

C

GLOSSIER

ompared to any other makeup brand, Glossier reigns superior both in its range of easy to use products and in the empowering community you join when becoming a customer. CEO Emily Weiss first started the brand in 2014 after wanting to provide a brand that emphasized their customer’s ability to have control over their style and enhance their natural beauty with simple products as desired by the audience of her beauty blog “Into the Gloss”.

The goal of their makeup and skincare is to provide lightweight and easy to use products that accent the existing natural beauty that all people have. Owning or having owned all 52 products, I can vouch that they do exactly that. My personal favorite item is the Cloud Paint, their cream blush that blends perfectly into the skin to give a natural flushed look. It is available in six shades, ranging from

M

a pastel pink to a deep rose. My favorite shade is Beam, their peachy pink color.

Since launching, Glossier has been named as a top beauty brand by Allure, Teen Vogue, Glamour, Nylon, Women’s Wear Daily and Cosmopolitan. The success of their mother brand even led them to recently launch Glossier Play, a more high fashion makeup line that continues the Glossier tradition of easy to apply makeup, but adds a more playful and colorful touch to original products.

The only flaw I can imagine Glossier having is the fact that they sell primarily online, with the occasional pop up store in popular cities including Los Angeles or Miami. I was lucky enough to be able to visit their San Francisco popup, but even having the opportunity to try products in person I still prefer and enjoy purchasing online. All in all, Glossier is the perfect makeup brand for anyone and everyone.

VS Something unique to Milk is their skincare line. They have toners, serums, masks, cooling water, hydrating oils and primers, all in sticks making it impossibly easy to apply. The sticks come in mini versions as well, especially useful for the cooling water, which can be rolled under your eyes to relieve dark circles.

New products have been added, given a festival theme. Their holographic shimmer and mini body art pens make festival prep simple and easy.

Overall, their original products remain fairly inexpensive, ranging from $10 to $42. Both brands seem fairly similar, but all of Milk’s products are vegan and cruelty free. It is also easily available at Sephora unlike Glossier which can only be bought online.

42%

58%

MILK

any of us don’t wake up early enough to cake on the pounds of makeup we did our freshman year. We are lucky to get on mascara most days, but there is a solution to the panicked makeup routine - Milk Makeup.

Their products make applying makeup so quick and simple. Instead of spending 15 minutes blending out foundation in your disgusting makeup sponge that you haven’t washed, you can glide on a blur stick and blend with your fingers. It takes just a few seconds and gives you the effect of having spent laborious time with foundation.

By far, Milk’s most useful product is their all-in-one blush and lip tint.

Coming in the form of a stick, you can blend it out with your hands or a brush.

It comes in five shades suitable for any occasion and for all skin types.

RESULTS FROM A @SMSPATRIOT TWITTER POLL OF 19

A&E / 27

SMSOUTHNEWS.COM

THE LAYERS OF LARAMIE Newest show requires actors to play multiple parts.

F

BY ADDIE SOYSKI CIRCULATION MANAGER

ollowing up light spirited performances like Peter Pan or musical masterpieces like Jesus Christ Superstar, is a different kind of show. The theater department’s production of the Laramie Project is the story and aftermath of the murder of a gay college student, Matthew Shepard, in Laramie, Wyoming in 1998. The play was written by the Tectonic Theatre Project who traveled to Laramie four weeks after to document the community’s reaction to the hate crime. The play is based around hundreds of interviews, journal entries, and news reports. “[The show] means a lot to me because I think it’s very interesting seeing how so many different groups of people reacted to this one situation and what they saw and what they encountered... It just means a lot to get to tell the story of this horrible thing that was committed. But it also shows how a community can really come together,” junior Jessica Fischer said.

The show has inspired attempts to combat homophobia and ignorance. Dean Walton, after seeing the show, donated 500 books to the Rainbow Resource Center at the University of Wyoming, which now has the biggest lgbtq library in the state.

The story is often used as a tool for teaching about hate and tolerance in the modern era despite being from 1998.

“We’re doing it now because some of the elements in it, you can really see them nowadays in the present era. This took place in the 1990s. What happened then, he was murdered because he was gay, being relevant now is heartbreaking,” senior Daniel Rangel said.

Due to the nature of the story, the performance has an intensity that many other don’t.

“Most shows are animated. Most shows are very charactery like LeFou in Beauty and the Beast. [But in The Laramie Project,] every single word in this play was not made up. It was from someone’s mouth. They always say in theatre that you have to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, but this is literally putting ourselves in other real people’s shoes,” senior Logan Stevens said.

Because of the sheer amount of characters in the story, actors take on multiple roles. For Stevens, that means portraying Matt Galloway, a bartender and one of the last people to see Matthew Shepard alive, Aaron McKinney, one of the boys who beat Shepard to death, Doc O’Connor, a limousine driver close to Shepard, and Fred Phelps, minister of the Westboro Baptist Church.

“When I think of a character I try to think of one specific emotion. So for Fred obviously it’s vice, but I think of anger and hatred and I try to connect to a feeling I’ve felt like that before and then just use that for that character. You also have to get your mindset to “how do they feel?” “do they really believe this?” and you kind of have to get into their mindset,” Stevens said.

The Laramie Project will open Monday April 22 with additional shows April 24 through the 26. Tickets are free with a student ID.

SOPHOMORE Morgan Lank practices her lines for the upcoming production of The Laramie Project. This will be Lank’s fifth show that she has acted in.

PHOTO BY ABBY COX

28 / A&E

THE PATRIOT

CRACKING the CODE on PROM Debunking what prom is, why it happens and how it’s evolved over our time.

BY KATIE HIEBL REPORTER & MCKENNA PICKERING SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

T

he end of the year is upon us and that means it’s Prom season. Long dresses, suits, ties, fancy restaurants, etc. It’s the time of year where the upperclassmen get fancy, but why? What is Prom and when did it all start?

Prom, short for ‘Promenade,’ began in the 19th century and was originally a college formal. The first high school Prom wasn’t until the late 1920s and was used to teach students how to behave as respectable men and women along gender and racial lines and also excluded black students. By the time the Great Depression hit in the 1930s, Prom had become a big enough deal that some high school principals cancelled their Proms so that poorer students wouldn’t be “psychologically wounded.” Proms really took off in the 1950s, when a post-war boom and new consumer market geared toward teenagers made the celebration a mainstay of the high school year.

Misogyny and racism were huge factors in the late 1900s but not so much now. Prom is a dance for all juniors and seniors. Some schools have two separate Proms for the grades because Senior Prom is a greater importance.

Newer and more updated traditions for Prom include where to take pictures, where to eat, what dress to wear, styles, colors, all kinds of things. Taking pictures for dances, especially Prom, tend to be showy and fancy places. For example, Loose Park for outside pictures or Union Station for inside pictures.

“Everyone wants to take them at the World War One Museum.

Since everyone takes them there, I don’t want to, but that’s where a lot of people get theirs taken. I have never been to Loose Park, but

PROM FUN FACTS In 1975 Susan Ford was given permission to host her Senior Prom in the White House.

Although the President was away in Europe, the Prom event was chaperoned by the Secret Service.

Corsages used to be worn by girls around their waist.

The average teen now spends about $1,000 on prom, including an average of $325 on the “promposal.”

There have been exactly 65,000 movies made about Prom.

I have seen pictures and they turn out really good for most people.

Maybe Shawnee Mission Park by the lake or somewhere outside because it is nice out during May,” senior Chloe Hubbard said.

Restaurants to go to for dinner tend to be more expensive and nice. Somewhere like McCormick and Schmick’s or the Cheesecake Factory could be an option.

“I would probably recommend somewhere kind of nice to sit down like Buca Di Beppo is a good spot. There’s also Cinzetti’s or other italian food. That is definitely... the way to go,” junior Brandon Kirmer said.

The most popular aspect to Prom is the attire. Color coordination is key if you have a date because it will make your pictures look better. Prom dresses can be very expensive, but there are places you can find quality dresses for way cheaper than what is usually charged for a Prom dress. Dress shops like Windsor’s or online stores like Lulu’s have really great options for any kind of dress you want.

“Normally I get most of my dresses for all dances at Lulu’s because I don’t like to shop in store, so I shop online. I know a lot of people who have gotten from Tobi,” senior Maddy Musson said.

“There’s also Windsor’s at the mall. It has a lot of not only dresses, but they have dress tape too so if you don’t want your dress to slip.”

The theme for this year’s Prom is “Garden of the Gods” and “Blue Sky”. Decorations will include columns and patches of greenery like plants scattered around the area. The Prom committee is also going to try to incorporate the Blue Sky theme into that as well.

What was your first impression of prom?

PHOTOS BY NAOMI MITCHELL

“I have not been to Prom, but I have been Prom dress shopping with my sister before, but that doesn’t really count. I feel like it is just going to be like other dances but with long dresses and at a fancier place.”

junior Kate Hermann

“I wasn’t expecting too much out of it, but it turned out to be really fun and even though the music kinda sucked, it was still a lot of fun and I came out of Prom with a boyfriend.”

senior Kate Riley

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UPPERCLASSMEN FAVS

FOOD

“I would say Outback is good because their food isn’t too messy so you won’t get it on your dress.”

“I would probably recommend somewhere kind of nice to sit down, like Buca di Beppo. There is also Cinzetti’s; I feel like Italian food is definitely the way to go.”

senior Kelly Johnston

junior Brandon Kirmer

PICTURES

“I have never been to Loose Park, but I have seen pictures and they turn out really good for most people, or maybe Shawnee Mission Park by the lake somewhere outside because it is nice out during May.”

senior Chloe Hubbard

junior Matt Miller

“Well I normally get most of my dresses for all dances at Lulu’s because I don’t like to shop in store so I shop online that’s a good place. I know a lot of people who have gotten from Tobi.”

“I have been looking at Revolve.

It’s a United States based website and it has nicer dresses, but sometimes they’re too expensive, but they have a lot of cute ones.”

senior Maddy Musson

senior Meredith Bunker

DRESS

What are South kids’ Prom preferences?

LONG OR SHORT DRESS? 88% LONG 12% SHORT

LAID BACK OR FANCY DINNER? 65% FANCY 35% LAID BACK

BEST RIDE TO THE DANCE? 71% PARTY BUS 26% CAR 3% LIMO

“I mean it could really be anywhere, but I would say somewhere with some nice colorful flowers in the background... Use nature to your advantage.”

with Mrs. Graham Q&AJunior Class Sponsor What is the theme for Prom?

The theme is “Garden of the Gods,” so the idea is a little bit between Greek mythology and “Garden of Glamour”.

What was your inspiration for the theme?

Whatever the students told me. I didn’t have a personal inspiration; it was what our students came up with What kind of decorations are you planning on having?

Some columns and some greenery and stuff for a little bit of a sky blue theme. That’s about it. I told the decorator ideas and then I’m letting him go with it.

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TANK thirfted $5

SHOES Uggs $130

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BELT FTarget $9

I go for a theme with the colors I wear.

BY EMMA HARDING ASST. PHOTO EDITOR

SCRUNCIES Walmart $5

JUNIOR LOURDES JOHNSON

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THE LOOK.

THE PATRIOT

CARDIGAN thrifted $5

EARRINGS Forever 21 $10

JEANS American Eagle $70

DRESS Forever 21 $8

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THE PATRIOT

We asked, you answered:

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST PET PEEVE AND WHY?

PHOTOS BY ABBY COX

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I hate when people pop their knuckles.

People chewing, I can’t handle it. I hate when people chew. It’s the worst sound ever, like loud crackers. Or putting stuff where it doesn’t go, like when my mom puts something in my room.

I really hate when people have the back of their hair, like at the barber shop, they cut the back of their hair like unnaturally short and it looks so bad.

Soccer should be called football, anyone who says any different is wrong.

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FRESHMAN EMILY HAINES

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SOPHOMORE GRACE VAVAK

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JUNIOR WILL COOPER

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SENIOR MARCO VASQUEZ