The Patriot

3 | Dream School

‘Dream schools’ - helpful or harmful?

4 | Focus on the future

Xello and YouScience assist students.

6 | Snap: the teen Dating app

A discussion on Snapchat and teen dating.

8 | White Face

How racial acceptance influences us.

10 | Blondes have more fun

If you believe, you become.

12 | Ballin’ Out

South got some new students, who happen to be really good at sports.

14 | Thanksgiving traditions

What’s South doing for Thanksgiving.

16 | November Crossword

Staff

Head Editors

Noel Mohamed | Editor-in-Chief

Simon Cox | Assitant Editor-in-Chief

Management Editors

Fletcher Knowles | Head Copy Editor

Section Editors

Ren Park | Culture Editor

Reporters

Kareem Dadkhah

Greta Waller

Emmalee Rich

Evan Dahlke

Jameson Peeples

Photojournalists

Julia Schnittker

Gabbie Granoff

Ellen Lundin

Graphic Designers

Erika Spencer

Maya Coppkane

Adviser

Tucker Love

Mission Statement

The Patriot is a newspaper 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 Opinion 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. Under the First Amendement and Kansas law. That 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 reserve the right to refuse or edit any letters for grammar, length, and good taste.

Students and staff describe the racial battles they’ve faced. Cover Ilustration by Erika Spencer.

Dodgeball Fundraising Tournament is On. Editor-in-Chief, Noel Mohamed.

Football Finishes. Head Copy Editor, Fletcher Knowles.

Encountering Ecology. Reporter, Greta Waller.

U

niversity ream

‘Dream schools’— helpful or harmful?

Y ESTERDAY IS HISTORY

T OMORROW IS A MYSTERY IS A GIFT B UT TODAY

In this economy, college is treated as the path to success. It’s not only the next step in education, but— for many people— in life. While it’s not for everyone, and it’s certainly not the only option, college is a surefire way to get a stable job. Which is why it’s no surprise that many of us have gone through life picturing college as a when, not an if. With just a bachelor’s degree, your chances of getting a job in that field increase exponentially. There are over 3900 postsecondary schools in the United States. This leaves many high school students with a big question: Which college to choose?

A lot of students think they have it answered. It’s the college they’ve always wanted to go to; it’s their favorite team, or a parent went there. They might have decided on it before they were even in high school. It’s their dream school.

People’s dream schools vary greatly. Some choose theirs because of location, others prestige and others legacy. There are infinite reasons for these choices, but they always share one thing: ambition.

Let me reiterate. There are over 3,900 colleges in the U.S., yet if you were to ask 200 people what their dream school was, you’d likely get the same 10-20 schools on repeat.

There are obvious benefits to a college like Harvard. Benefits that somewhere like KU doesn’t have. Some colleges offer a big campus/ big population experience, while others offer one that is smaller, more connected and more local. Different colleges excel in different fields. They might have a top of the line engineering program, but a lower tier medical program. All of these factors are by no means unimportant, and should all be taken into account. But for the most part, a degree is a degree.

Most adults have some sort of daily job. It goes without saying that, while they spend a lot of time working, they still have a life outside of it. I think that often gets forgotten in the realm of high school. For example: a student that is taking four AP classes and is involved in extracurriculars— both of which are vital to college admissions and scholarships— it can be very difficult to maintain social relationships, indulge in hobbies, and maintain good habits (sleeping, eating, etc.).

I find it can become overwhelming trying to maintain grades, to maintain health and to maintain relationships, while still trying to just enjoy the moment. It often feels like an impossible balance.

So where’s the line? What school-life balance is healthy for high school students? Is there one right answer?

To me ‘dream schools’ are just an exemplification of the pressure to ‘make it;’ the societal (and economical) imposition for success as fast as possible. Do not pass go, do not collect 200 dollars. And when you’re solely focused on future success, you have no time for present experience.

School is a huge part of our lives, and it should be. However, it is just that— a part; one part of many. We live in a time where it’s hard not to get caught up in all the things society expects you to do, expects you to be and expects you to become. So I think it’s vital to our happiness and success, both now and in the future, to embrace the present.

THAT’S WHY THEY CALL IT THE PRESENT

39%

28%

in 2003 only of students

said they’d get into their ‘dream school’ but be unable to afford the tuition.

of students of students

say their biggest concern when applying is the level of debt required to pay the degree. said debt was their biggest concern.

6%

focus

future on the

Xello and YouScience assist students with their individual plans of study.

reporting by ren park & greta waller

what to know

XeLLo - Provides lessons about college, careers and adult life. Students are matched with careers and can build resumes on the site.

yoUSCienCe - Allows students to take aptitude tests called “brain games” about their strengths, weaknesses, and learning styles. Tests results match with possible careers.

IPS - Your Individualized Plan of Study is a roadmap to your future. An IPS as seen on Xello or Youscience points students in the direction of education and career paths that might be a good fit for them according to their individual skills and interests.

of students must complete their IPS Programs by the end of the school year.

why should you care?

“I know Xello is kind of a bad word for people. However, the lessons are more than just lessons. All the parts put together make up an Individual Plan of Study (IPS), which can be good down the road because it helps plan for your future.”

- Tracy Johnston, Real World/Career Advisor

MVA - A Market Value Asset a is learning experience or certification that prepares students for success after high school. It is helpful for a college application or resume. MVAs include internships, professional mentorships, college credit through AP or dual-enrollment programs, and entrepreneurial experience through DECA or business partnerships.

“Understanding your strengths and skills with YouScience gives you ideas for careers, which allows you to make sure your college has the programs you need.”

- Lucy Coopman, College Advisor

Freshman Ximena De Anda learns about work-life balance on Xello during Advisory.

Photo by Ellen Lundin.

practical or pointless?

“The first two lessons on Xello are great, especially matchmaker and determining what kind of learner you are. But YouScience is just these 12-minute long quizzes that nobody really tries on. I just press “enter” every time. It’s not useful for real life.”

- Eve Snyder, junior

“I don’t understand why we need to look at pictures of jobs and match them to graduate high school. It’s unnecessary.”

- Bella Macpherson, senior

“If people took the programs more seriously it would be helpful, because it’s good to see what career paths are out there.

coopman’s corner

“Don’t just list your involvements on a resume or college application, connect them to how they have shaped your character and will benefit you in the future. Discuss why a specific job or college is appealing to you!”

“It’s hard to ask a 17-18 year old what to do with the rest of their lives, because for the most part, adults don’t have it figured out either.”

“If you’re bored or not passionate about what you’re actively learning, go and try something else! Around 75% of students change their major in college anyway. I did!”

Other tools: BigFuture, from Collegeboard, allows you to search for colleges and filter them based on location, major, and type of college.

MyMajors Assessment is a 15-minute questionnaire that can “match” you with different majors.

linking up with link crew

A Q&A with junior and Link Crew Leader Mark Ziegler.

Q: How much of your job is trying to have kids do Xello and YouScience?

A: Mr. [Jon] Duncan, my advisory teacher, usually reminds people they need to do [their Xello]. Being a Link Crew Leader is more about promoting a happy atmosphere for the freshmen.

Q: Why do you think there are a lot of people who don’t want to do it?

A: There are a lot of segments, so it might be overwhelming. People could just be lazy and not want to do it, and others might think it is unnecessary and not do it out of protest.

Q: Have you personally found the programs helpful?

A: They have helped me realize how to act in certain situations and see what strengths and weaknesses I have.

But a more personalized conversation with a loved one or college counselor is more beneficial. ”

- Gwyneth Brown, junior

SNAP: the teen dating app

A discussion on social media and teen dating.

story by: kareem dadkhah

Snapchat is one of the most popular social media applications for teenagers. In fact, it has 106.2 million active users from the US 48% of those users between 15 and 25 years old. The platform was created in 2011 by two Stanford students who felt emoticons weren’t sufficient enough in conveying accurate emotion.

Unlike Instagram and Facebook, which center on entertainment, Snapchat is used for casual communication. You can quickly send photos and videos, called Snaps, and text messages, called chats (that disappear unless saved, which cause notification), without any clutter of message history like with e-mail and instant messaging. This makes the platform quite palatable to teenagers.

“I feel like people don’t like text as much because Snapchats more casual,” senior Aaron Fulks said.

Because of its widespread popularity and use, there is quite a lot of overlap between Snapchat and the modern teen dating experience.

“It’s definitely different than old fashioned dating would be, where you go out on dates, and you call people on the phone,”junior Emma Ward Said. “To some

extent, I think that it’s entirely bizarre”.

Snapchat includes a feature called “Quick Add”. This feature provides the user with a list of other users that they can add with the click of a button based on their location, mutual Snap friends and digital contact list.

“People use the Quick Add feature which is very open so people usually just add random

“Not always, but it’s typical to Snap somebody before you start talking to them.”

Sometimes Snapping can happen without any words at all.

“I think it’s so normalized to talk to strangers on Snapchat that it almost mimics a dating app for teenagers,” senior Emma Swartz said.

There is variability in how Snapchat is used.

“I would say some people would use it as a dating app, but not all of them. It’s also a way for people to stay connected, just as friends and like to know what everybody’s doing. Stuff like that,” Burris said.

Snapchat like many other social media apps, has its dangers.

girls and like text them ‘Hey’, or ‘what’s up’,” senior Ahmed Bakur said. “It kind of starts off from there. You also have a public story. So you’re almost like advertising yourself.”

It isn’t atypical at all to be Snapping with complete strangers. It also isn’t unheard of for romantic relationships to be sought after on Snapchat.

“A lot of relationships will start off by Snapping somebody,” senior Syrai Burris said.

“It’s bad because there are older people who prey on younger kids,” Fulks said. “They’re taking advantage of them.”

Senior Sally Foley shares simlar opinions to Fulks.

“You could add someone and then they could be a catfish, a person who’s pretending to be somebody else, usually it’s older people pretending to be younger,” said Foley, “but that’s the same with any dating app.”

Whether or not your Snapchat use is casual or romantic, it is important to be safe and smart.

Kareem’s thoughts

Kareem

I think Snapchat as a concept is strange. I think it’s even more strange how we use it, sending contextless photos of our faces to eachother.

That being said, I still use Snapchat. I’m not opposed to it. It’s useful and can be fun.

I think people who don’t use Snap miss a whole part of the modern teenage social scene. There is a casualness to it. I think that makes it a little more unfiltered.

Text messages are reserved for serious conversations and talking to adults.

Instagram is for more formal documentation. So Snapchat is used to fill the gaps.

As for the dating culture on the app, I think that it desensitizes a lot of the experience which is sad for our generation but there isn’t much you can do about it.

There is a lot of expectation and “rules” for how you’re supposed to use specific social medias, or how you’re supposed to act in certain stages of talking

If you don’t follow in line with these expectations you seem “weird”, like you come off too strong and you’re unaware. That’s something I don’t like about this generation, I feel like everyone is out to embarass everyone else.

With the “casualness” that I mentioned, a lot of Snapchat can be regarded as meaningless, which is unfortunate since it is prefered over a lot of other social medias.

I’m not sure what that says about my peers and I.

Washed Out Washed Out

story by noel mohamed

Nine-year-old, Gabby Phifer, looked at herself in the bathroom mirror sad. She wished her skin to be lighter, like her mother’s, and less like her father’s darker complexion. She wanted her eyes not to be deep brown, but ocean blue like her friends.

“I would find myself thinking ‘I didn’t feel pretty because all the boys would like them [white friends]’ and then my mom, I feel like she’s a gorgeous, strong woman. I had wished I looked more like her and not my dad,” Phifer said.

As children, it’s normal to look up to your parent or role model. You want to be like them, to emulate them. This desire can lead to unforeseen consequences if not fostered in the right environment. If someone cannot truly accept themselves for who they are first, how can they grow to become who they want to be?

This constant desire to be accepted becomes a never-ending cycle of changing who you are to meet society’s standards. Adjusting again and again and again until one day, you don’t remember who you are.

Several things can contribute to this “cycle,” but for people of color (POC), pivotal battles determine how the cycle ends. The first battle is internal — the struggle of accepting one’s inner and outer beauty, cultural identity and way of life. The second is the communal battle — the inner struggle lived out amongst your communal peers: not being black enough for your peers or not using African American Vernacular English (AAVE) to name a few examples.

Dictionary.com defines AAVE as a dialect of American English characterized by pronunciations, syntactic structures and vocabulary associated with and used by some North American Black people and exhibiting a wide variety and range of forms varying in the extent to which they differ from Standard American English. The final one is societal — the portrayal of racial stereotypes such as the angry black woman and how that affects the way young people of color develop. These cyclical battles are often a product of whitewashing.

“I think that whitewashing affects many different things, like the way you act and speak,” senior Shyanna Lindsey said. “I think my being light-skinned and speaking ‘grammatically correct’ makes other black people have this idea in their head like ‘oh she ain’t about it or whatever’. To them I’m whitewashed.”

Merriam-Webster defines whitewashing as film practice in which white actors portray non-white characters. not commonly prescribed. The act of not stereotypically portraying your race, culture, or both as it creates a divide and casts you as whitewashed.

One side is then known as ghetto, uncivilized, improper and dangerous. The other is intelligent, proper, quiet and “white.” You can’t just be as POC; you’re one or the other.

POC who live in predominantly white areas often struggle with fully embracing their beauty because it’s uncommon for them to see someone who resembles them. They walk into school and rarely see a teacher who looks like them, they go shopping for toys and have trouble finding ones that are of color and turn on Disney after school to an all-white cast except for the token funny best friend who just happens to be a person of color.

“I grew up hating my skin color a lot,” junior Tola Abitogun said. “I didn’t accept that I was black and learn to embrace it until last year. That shows how important it is to represent people correctly and give people somebody to look up to. When you don’t do that, then people will be looking to turn themselves into something that they’re not. That has a negative effect on people’s minds.”

Senior Melanie Interiano-Giron experienced similar feelings to Abitogun about her appearance growing up.

“I used to always want straight hair because I noticed all these white girls did not have curly hair,” Interiano-Giron said. “They only had straight hair, so I’d always want to straighten it. When I was younger, I never got complimented on my hair and appearance.”

This internal battle of embracing one’s heritage can be a lifelong struggle. This struggle is evident from childhood for those who grew up in a predominantly white area. Those who grew up in a diverse environment may not experience that internal battle until later.

“I’m originally from Chicago and I grew up around people that look like me in some way,” counselor Jasmine Morgan said. “A lot of my experiences are tied to that. So, my experience with white people didn’t happen until college.”

Morgan experienced a significant culture shock when she moved to Columbia, MO to attend the University of Missouri.

“I was like, ‘how do I show up as a Black woman?’” Morgan said. “I started to understand the nuances of how the things that I did growing up or times acted

DEFINE WHITE WASHING

staff and student share their definitions of white washing.

around my Black family and friends may not be accepted in the white world.”

Morgan, who is also the Black Student Union sponsor, found a safe space at Mizzou where she could connect with other Black students was helpful.

“I was intentional about seeking out those safe spaces for myself, and I had opportunities in college to create a space specifically for Black women on campus to talk about their experiences,” Morgan said.

Once the internal battle begins to bleed into one’s relationships with family and friends, it shifts from the internal to the communal battle. This can stem from many things: negative comments about how one speaks, how one dresses, where one grew up.

“The ‘competition’ within the black community is something that I’ve struggled with. I know a lot of POC, specifically Black people themselves, that I wouldn’t fit in with at school just because

STAFF STUDENT

“I would define it as the term to define POC who don’t fit into the stereotype of their race. Whatever that may be for that certain group.”

- Shyanna Lindsey

“For POC, I think it is assimilation. Your experience around other white people affect your view of yourself and other POC view of you. You sort of assimilate to that culture, and it may not be done intentionally.”

- Jasmine Morgan

Students, staff of color describe the racial battles they’ve faced in predominately white institutions.

the way that we do things is different,” Abitogun said. “ I’m not saying this to bash on them either, because I really do admire them. I have been bullied for being whitewashed and told that I’m not ‘Black enough’ and that I don’t ‘act Black.’ I think there is a hierarchy and that if you’re not ‘Black enough,’ you’re kind of left to find different people to hang out with.”

Senior Chabelly Palacio has had similar experiences being judged for her physical appearance and friendships.

“I think many people from my culture, especially people that are Mexican, my age and look traditionally Mexcian, tend to always assume that I’m whitewashed,” Palacio said. “It’s because I have white friends and I would dress a certain way. I don’t think those things matter.”

Another communal-centered conflict relates to the way people speak and how dialect may impact another person of color’s opinion about you.

“I’ve found that if you speak ‘more proper,’ or you don’t use AAVE then you’re considered whitewashed. There is nothing wrong with speaking in any way, but depending on how someone speaks, they’re either whitewashed or ghetto. It’s like you’re one or the other,” Phifer said.

Phrases like “the blacker the berry the sweeter the juice” push an abundance of people into limbo. This grey area of not being black enough but also not being white. Why must one always go down for the other to go up, when

COMMON DIALECT

A list of popular slang terms that are rooted in AAVE.

Heada** — stupid Finna — Going to

Been — (I been knew...)

African American Vernacular English —

to society black is black no matter the shade?

While the internal and communal battles can bleed into one another, the societal battle primarily stands on its own. This battle consists of a multitude of fights, microaggressions are an example.

“It was freshman year and I was walking up to my friend and another girl, and I was wearing Ugg boots. The other girl said, ‘those are white girl shoes, why are you wearing those? You so act white,’” Lindsey said. “ Later that day, I posted on my private story and said, ‘Guys my friends think I ‘act white’ and she swiped up and said, ‘you do.’ I then said, ‘You can’t act a color,’ and she said, ‘yes you can.’ After that, I said, ‘ well, you’re acting very purple right now,’ and she said, ‘you’re acting orange.’ She thought it was funny.”

Junior Korrey Womack shares a similar experience to Lindsey.

“Around the school, people I say I act more ‘white’ than I do ‘ghetto,’ Womack said. “That’s so weird to me because it’s my skin color; I’m still black.”

This divide between the Black community has been documented as early as the 1930s. Harvard researcher--Ellis Monk, wrote a paper titled ‘The Unceasing Significance of Colorism: Skin Tone Stratification in the United States’. In it, he recounts sociologist Charles S. Johnson’s observations, in his ethnographic study of a rural Alabama town in 1934.

“Darker-skinned Black women did not want to marry lighter-skinned Black or mulatto (Black and White) men because the darker-skinned Black women considered lighter-skinned Black and mulatto men untrustworthy and “poor providers for dark women,”’ Johnson said.

Merriam-webster defines microaggressions as a comment or action that subtly and often unconsciously or unintentionally expresses a prejudiced attitude toward a member of a marginalized group.

I’ve been called ‘exotic looking’ and I know POC who have been called ‘ethereal,’ and I don’t know about these so-called ‘compliments.’ It’s like we’re all fantasized about, and our cultures are appropriated yet when we express ourselves we’re looked down upon. However, when white people do it, it’s cool and trendy.”

- Gabby Phifer

Whip — Car Paper — Money

Pressed — Upset

A common form of microaggressions is the backhanded compliments many POC hear daily. These ‘compliments’ can be about many things: looks, offspring, dialect and education to name a few.

In late August 2022, Hailey Bieber posted a TikTok showing her favorite lip combo from her brand, Rhode Skin. The video has around 24.5 million views and the comments section is filled with reminders that this lip combo has been used by POC women since the 80s.

“Twitter users underscored the longevity of the beauty trend and how it was popular with women of color long before Bieber posted about,” Time Magazine wrote. “They also pointed out how the racism inherent in beauty ideals means that Bieber is being celebrated for doing the same thing that women of color have been criticized for.”

This incident sparked discussion on the unfairness of status between white and women of color.

“I don’t necessarily think that Haley Bieber was wrong for posting the video,” Phifer said. “ It’s just the fact that she was not considered ghetto or unprofessional looking, goes to show that white people can wear almost anything and be called positive things. Then when POC do it, they’re judged.”

Microaggressions, to people who don’t receive them constantly, can seem unimportant. However, to people that experience them daily, the annoyance of a microaggression becomes hurtful.

A six-year-old video titled, ‘How microaggressions are like mosquito bites - same difference,’ uses the analogy of mosquito bites to describe microaggressions.

“For people that still don’t think microaggressions are a problem: just imagine that instead of being a stupid comment, a microaggression is a mosquito bite. Mosquitoes are one of society’s annoying pests, but if you’re only bitten once in a while it’s not that big a deal. The problem is that some people get bitten by mosquitoes a lot more than others.”

When you’re bitten by a mosquito it doesn’t seem to be that big of a deal, however, when you’re bitten constantly you’ll become extremely irritated. One day, lashing out because of how painful and hurtful the bites are.

“I feel like people always make it seem like POC don’t have feelings,” Palacio said. “They [white people] think that POC are always strong and tough, and so they shouldn’t be ‘overreacting’ when they’re just speaking up. I think when POC speak up about these ‘small things, it’s not small anymore. They’re hurt and they feel uncomfortable. It’s as if POC aren’t allowed to voice discontent like their feelings are pushed under the rug. That’s not fair.”

a dialect of American English characterized by pronunciations, syntactic structures and vocabulary associated with and used by some North American Black people and exhibiting a wide variety and range of forms varying in the extent to which they differ from Standard American English.

Illustration by Maya Coppkane

is acknowledging the fun parts over his brain that he will have more fun, the placebo effect says his brain will produce

The fun that results from being blonde can also be applied to everyday life. “It Was A Good Day” by Ice Cube, is a great way to harness this effect. In the song Ice Cube talks explicitly about how great of a day he had, so when you sing along, you are also singing about the great day that you are going to have. These affirmations

the pace, the understanding of the game,” retired all-star Tyson Chandler said. “You can tell when a guy isn’t really that skilled but is just having a good stretch. This guy is skilled.”

When Lin heard these quotes from accomplished stars and media headlines like “Lincredible” and “May the best man Lin”, it is hard not to feel more confident, and along with confidence comes better focus and the ability to shake off bad plays. But after one breakout game and the thought that he could really play, Lin was able to keep performing at a superstar level, because of the prophecy that he was truly skilled.

This power can also work in the reverse. In the series Harry Potter, Lord Voldemort is told a prophecy that someone born on July 31st, Harry Potter’s birthday, will eventually kill him. To prevent this from happening Voldemort attempts to kill Harry as a baby. Harry survives Voldemort’s attack through the power that eventually allows Harry to kill Voldemort.

today will be of quality make any day, in my opinion, significantly better. Through

The power of the self-fulfilling prophgreat effect on you. In February of 2012,a team full of 6’8 trash cans (Melo was injured). Afterwards, fans and analysts

“Just the confidence [Lin] plays with,

Anyone could fall into a negative prophecy. A single lapse in judgment or bad grade could cause someone to start believing the incorrect notion that they are worthless or stupid. This could lead to a spiral of making more bad decisions and performing worse academically because that is who they are defining themselves to be. The ability to rid yourself of these negative thoughts is essential to preventing yourself from falling victim to a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Like everything, there are positives and negatives to self-fulfilling prophecies, but it is up to you to use them to your advantage. There is very little concrete evidence suggesting that what I have said is infallible. But if you believe what I have said is true and act as if this knowledge is a key to success, you might just fulfill your own prophecy.

“Choose your beliefs wisely, for they will become your reality.”

Ballin’ ut

two transfer students look forward to playing basketball.m.

story by evan dahlke

Each year, South basketball shows up and puts on a show for the student body. Each minute of all four quarters the players put it all out on the court to make the school, their team and themselves proud. While we’ve been pretty good every year, dding additional weapons or talent to the roster could make them even better.

There are two new additions to the girl’s basketball roster this year: juniors Katherine ‘Kate’ Blumenthal and Azailah ‘Zai’ Funches. Blumenthal said her transition from Bishop Miege to South has been easy, and she feels she is fitting in with the team well.

“So I think there’s just a variety of more different types of people and just different genres,” Blumenthal said. “Just a variety I guess of life groups, and it’s really fun because you get to experience all these different people.”

Blumenthal said the chemistry formed with her new team has been really beneficial for all of them.

“We went to Pitt State this summer and from there I just like, they’re like my best friends. I do everything with them,” Blumenthal said.

Adding Blumenthal will be a great addition to the girls basketball team and she hopes

she’ll make an impact on the team for the upcoming season.

“Overall I feel like I’m pretty good as just a team player and I support my team and hype them up, and I just think we have really great chemistry together,” Blumenthal said..

As for Funches, coming from a small school in Missouri, she had been friends with some of the girls on the team prior to her transfer. As a result, fitting into the team seems like it won’t be much of an issue.

“So I actually played with Cameryn [Smith] and Joycelyn [Moore] over the summer, and I already knew them,” Funches said. “They introduced me to the team and like, it’s been really good. We all bond together. I’m really excited for the season.” Funches said.

Funches is confident that the team as a whole will perform well together.

“I think that as a team, we’ll just, we’ll be really good. I think I’ll add things, and have the same opportunities as everyone else.”

There’s been lots of hype around these newcomers. Girls basketball fans are hopeful that they both will do great in this upcoming season.

GAME SCHEDULE 22’-23’

December 9th -- Home -- vs Olathe West

December 13th -- Away -- vs Spring Hill

December 16th -- Away -- vs Olathe North west

January 6th -- Away -- vs SMW

January 10th -- Away -- vs Gardner-Edger ton

January 13th -- Home -- vs SMN

January 19th -- Away -- vs Liberty North

January 31st -- Home -- vs Olathe North

February 3rd -- Away -- vs SMNW

February 10th -- Away -- vs Lawrence Free State

February 13th -- Home -- vs Pembroke Hill

February 14th -- Home -- vs Olathe East

February 17th -- Away -- vs Mill Valley

February 21st -- Home -- vs Olathe South

February 24th -- Away-- vs SME

2021-2022 RESULTS

December 10th -- L -- vs SMNW

December 14th -- W -- vs Spring Hill

January 1st-- W -- vs Lawrence Free State

January 6th -- W -- vs Schlagle

January 7th -- W -- vs SMN

January 14th -- W -- vs SME

January 17th -- W -- vs Louisburg

January 18th -- L -- vs Olathe Northwest

January 21st -- W -- vs Junction City

January 27th -- W -- vs Marysville

January 28th -- L -- vs Olathe South

January 29th -- W -- vs McPherson

February 3rd -- W -- vs Mill Valley

February 4th -- W -- vs Gardner Edgerton

February 8th -- L -- vs Olathe South

February 11th -- L -- vs Olathe North

February 15th -- W -- vs Olathe East

February 18th -- L -- vs SMW

February 22nd -- W -- vs Lawrence High

March 1st -- L -- vs Blue Valley North

Overall - 13-7

Kate Blumenthal on left and Zai Funches on the right

Photo by Julia Schittker.

Students and staff explain what they do for thanksgiving.

story by emmalee rich

Ellen Lundin

Traditions

What foods are you excited to eat for Thanksgiving?

“I want to have all the famous Thanksgiving foods, like turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce, because I have never had it.”

What makes you excited to eat these?

“I’ve heard a lot about it. I’ve heard about it in English class during this time of year in Sweden. We learned about Thanksgiving and why they celebrate it and it just feels like it’s such a cozy and nice tradition.”

Riko Uehara

What foods are you excited to eat for Thanksgiving?

“I’m excited about eating turkey because Turkey is not so common in Japan.” Is there a holiday in Japan that is similar to thanksgiving?

“No, because we don’t have any religions in Japan so there aren’t many holidays.”

Shea McNellis

What do you do for Thanksgiving?

“I go to my aunt’s house and we have a lot of food like turkey, dark Turkey and white Turkey and the white ones health ier and we have cookies, sugar cookies. We have sweet potatoes with marshmallows on the top. We all go to eat and pray together and we thank the cooks and talk about what we are thankful for.”

What’s your favorite food that you have at Thanksgiving?

“Cheesy corn. So it’s like you get a bunch of corn in a crock pot. You’ve been going to cream cheese and like there’s like a bunch of different cheese and it’s like creamy, cheesy corn.”

Tierney Devins

What do you do for Thanksgiving?

“My husband’s family comes to town from LA. His sister lives in LA with her kids and so they come to town. When I was growing up though, my mom’s family would always come to town. That was like the time that we could hang out with my cousins.”

What’s your favorite food for Thanksgiving?

“My favorite food for Thanksgiving is my grandmother’s corn casserole.” Australia

Countries that celebrate Thanksgiving

The Wonder-full Taste Of Thanksgiving

Three thanksgiving recipes that you can easly make at home

Story by Jameson Peeples

Greenbean Casserole Roasted potatoes Apple pie

Time-90 minutes

Ingredients:

-1 can of Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup

-3/4 cup milk

-1/8 teaspoon of ground black pepper

-2 cans of canned green beans, drained

-11/3 French’s original crispy fried onions,divided

Instructions:

1)Preheat the oven to 350°F. Mix cream of mushroom soup, milk, and pepper in a baking dish. Stir in green beans and 2/3 cup Crispy Fried Onions.

2)Bake for 30 minutes or until hot then stir!

3)Top with remaining 2/3 cup onions. Bake 5 minutes longer or until onions are golden brown.

Time-50 minutes

Ingredients:

-Red potatoes

-Yukon Potatoes

-Olive oil

-Garlic powder

-Salt

-Pepper

Optional ingredients:

-Fresh parsley

-Rosemary

Instructions:

1)Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

2)Slice the potatoes into even 2-inch chunks.

3)Toss with olive oil, garlic powder, salt and optional rosemary.

4) Roast for 40 to 45 minutes, tossing halfway.

5)Season with optional fresh parsley, salt and pepper.

Time-2 Hours

Ingredients:

-2 1/4 lbs Granny Smith Apples,peeled,cored 6-7 apples (7 cups thinly sliced)

-1 ½ tsp cinnamon

-8 tbsp unsalted butter

-3 tbsp all purpose flour

-¼ cup of water

-1 cup granulated sugar

-1 egg, +1 tbsp for a egg wash

Instructions:

Make the pie crust recipe and chill per instructions while preparing the filling. Preheat oven to 425˚F

2) Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in 3 Tbsp flour then simmer for 1 minute, whisking constantly. Whisk in 1/4 cup water, 1 cup sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and continue simmering 3 minutes, whisking frequently then remove from heat

3) Peel, remove cores and thinly slice 7 cups of apples and place them in a large bowl. Sprinkle the top with 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon and toss to combine. Pour the sauce over the apples and stir to coat the apple slices.

4) Sprinkle your work surface with flour and roll out the bottom pie crust to a 12” diameter circle. Wrap it around your rolling pin to transfer it to the 9” pie plate. Add apple mixture, mounding slightly in the center and being careful not to get the filling on the edges which would make it difficult to seal.

5) Roll the second crust into an 11” round and cut into 10 even thickness strips using a pizza cutter. Arrange strips in a woven lattice pattern over the top (see video tutorial). Beat together 1 egg and 1 Tbsp water and brush the top with egg mixture.

6) Bake at 425˚F in the center of the oven for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350˚F and continue baking another 45 minutes or until the apples are soft and the filling is bubbling through the vents.* Rest at room temp 1 hour before serving.

Across

1 Person seen on ‘Wanted’ posters

7 Mister in charge of The Big Steppers

8 Hawk’s prefered item

13 __ Hao, Ki-Lan

14 Two radio settings

15 Thanksgiving bread salad

18 Vegan deli meat

20 Bad thing to say to an aunt: “You’ve ___”

21 __shambo

22 Where the tree is in the painting Starry Night

Down

1 Multiple sacred mantras

2 Icelandic dream pop and indietronic

3 Portal where K-State got Adrian Martinez

4 You are at 38.9

5 Many drink this when ailed

6 Can be dark or spider

9 What you should do when someone doesn’t have pencil?

10 Self-reflective question about youthfulness

11 What A Flock of Seagulls did to get so faraway

12 Apple disk image file

16 __ mom

17 Crossword by

18 The opposit of fat

19 Disney channel special agent

23 Piedmont Triad Airport

24 Percenatge gain or loss on investment

25 Matrix’s “Chosen One”

26 Text abbreviation for the suspicious

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