December 2019

THE PATRIOT

DECEMBER ISSUE 4 | VOLUME 54

Shawnee Mission South High School 5800 W. 107th St., Overland Park, KS, 66207 913.993.7500

smspatriot smspatriot smsouthnews.com

HEARD IN THE HALLS PAGES 8 & 9

SMSD SUUS JUUL page 4

·

Sick of It page 7

·

Secret to Succulents page 13

2

Patriot Staff

Table of Contents News

Editors

Nichole Thomas Editor-in-Chief Alma Harrison Editor-in-Chief Evan Shibel Asst. Editor-in-Chief & Sports Editor Gini Horton Online Editor Ansley Chambers Opinion Editor & Copy Editor Annalie Polen News Editor Katie Hiebl Features Editor McKenna Pickering Arts & Entertainment Editor Naomi Mitchell Photo Editor Trinity Clark Asst. Photo Editor Emma Harding Asst. Photo Editor Reese Woods Multimedia & Video Editor Abby Cox Social Media Editor

03. No Deal 04. SMSD SUUS JUUL

Sports 05. Faulty Fantasies

Features 07. Sick of It 08.09. Heard in the Halls

Opinion 11. Debate: E-sports in College

Arts & Entertainment 13. Secret to Succulents 14.15. Living a Throwback Lifestyle

Reporters 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 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. 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 Editorsin-Chief reserve the right to refuse or edit any letters for reasons of grammar, length and good taste.

Ben Curtis Elias Henderson Nathan Judd Miles McKenna Sarah Ohlde

Photographers Kyla Hunter Nic Camburako Haley Carter Paige Lambert Julian Peeples Landrea Van Mol Jack Wagner

Advisor

Tucker Love

On the Cover

HEARD IN THE HALLS

An inside look of the hallway, its culture and how it represents the school.

The hallway is for more than transportation. Students use passing period as a time to communicate with others in the school – directly and indirectly. On page 8 and 9 are examples of what one might overhear in the hallway and how the topics discussed play a role in high school culture.

NO DEAL

As negotiations continue, teachers are still without contracts

By Sarah Ohlde & Katie Hiebl Reporter & Features Editor

A

s of Nov. 22, Shawnee Mission teachers have been working with an unresolved contract. SMSD and SMNEA (Shawnee Mission National Association Education) have not come to an agreement on the teachers’ 2019-’20 contract, causing them to still be working under last year’s contract.

Negotiations for the 2019-’20 contract started last spring. Those negotiations between SMSD and SMNEA were unsuccessful. Due to no progress being made, SMNEA declared impasse in late July. Once impasse is declared, a mediator is called to help the sides come to an agreement. When both sides were still unable to agree, a fact finder was called in to pull the essential information from both sides and give an evaluation on what can be offered from each party. Negotiations are currently in fact finding.

“We are trying to find a mutually acceptable date where [SMSD, SMNEA and the fact finder are] all available while we’re in the middle of Thanksgiving, holidays and final exam time so that’s not very easy to find a comfortable day that will work for everybody,” SMNEA president Linda Siek said.

The main topics of negotiation for the new contract are class sizes, teacher workload and teacher salaries. Due to the 2015-’16 budget cuts, teachers’ contracts

required them to go from teaching five A crowd of SMSD teachers and their supporters classes a day to six, leaving them with attend the Oct. 26 board meeting to stand against only their required plan period to answer current working conditions. The teachers have emails, grade papers, write lesson plans and worked without a contract for several years. collaborate with other teachers in their Photo by Paige Lambert department.

“No other Johnson County District “They have spent their own money on has pretty much entire staffs teaching six graduate hours… They have incurred debt hours. And so it’s more students, it’s more or have spent a lot of money to get this demands, it’s more grading,” Siek said. degree and they are not moving over on In the new contract, along with the the salary schedule,” Siek said. proposition of teaching fewer classes, SMSD and SMNEA are both working teachers gave a three year salary proposal to come to a civil agreement that is equally that included a raise in teachers’ salaries fair and beneficial for all. as well as a budget for new teachers to be “We very strongly support our brought into the district to help with the teachers...And so we’re very supportive class size increase. of them and we want to come to an “And we proposed a 2 percent raise for agreement with them as soon as possible. this year, a 1.5 percent raise for next year They deserve that. And we’re going to and a 1.5 percent raise for the year after work really hard to make that happen,” that… With money leftover going towards SMSD Chief of Communications David moving high school teachers from six to Smith said. five [hours]. We’ll take a smaller salary In the end, teachers continue to increase than what we first brought to the dedicate their time and effort to their table. We want that money to go towards students. Despite the current contract a commitment from the district to hire standoff. more teachers,” Siek said.

“I think that people outside of the During the summer, teachers can go teaching profession don’t really get that back to school to earn a higher degree during the school year, a lot of us put in to increase their salary. With no current 60 hours a week and we coach sports and contract, teachers are frozen on the pay sponsor things because we love it,” science scale causing them to not be able to pay teacher Aaron Dean said. off the debt from earning their degree.

4 | NEWS

SMSD SUUS JUUL The district sues tobacco giant

SMSD SM SD

SMSD S M SD

J

UULs and e-cigarettes are a growing trend in high schools across the nation and schools have tried multiple methods to curb use including nicotine detectors, snitch programs and now a class-action lawsuit.

The Shawnee Mission School District joined the Olathe School District, as well as school districts in Concordia, Kansas, St. Charles County, Missouri and Long Island, New York, in suing JUUL. These districts claim the company deliberately targets school-age kids in its marketing campaigns and misleads them about the dangers of e-cigarettes and vaping.

The SMSD lawsuit is expected to mirror Olathe and the other school districts, which allege they have been forced to divert money, time and resources to deal with vaping. The lawsuit uses the U.S. Racketeer Influenced Corrupt

Usage rates by high school students have spiked from 11.7 percent to 20.8 percent, according to the 2018 National Youth Tobacco Survey.

SD M

SD M

SD SMSD S SM

SD SMSD SM S

By Elias Henderson Reporter

Organizations Act and common law claims of public nuisance and gross negligence, among other things, as its basis.

JUUL also faces more than 55 lawsuits filed by people who claim to have suffered pulmonary disease, seizures and other serious health problems after using JUUL’s products. Class actions alleging JUUL’s advertising and marketing misled customers to believe its products did not contain nicotine.

In July, JUUL executives testified before a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee. Last month JUUL announced it would suspend advertising of its products and its CEO stepped down.

This was “too late,” according to a Missouri school district’s suit, since “JUUL’s deceptive and illegal conduct had already succeeded in addicting a generation of America’s youth to its nicotine products.”

In 2016, about eight in 10 middle school and high school students— more than 20 million youth— said they had seen e-cigarette advertising. -CDC

JUUL’s advertising had been suspect from the beginning, using social media and other methods to market their products. The San Francisco company paid $134,000 to sponsor a summer camp in order to receive data on the camp’s participants: kids ranging from grades three to 12. They also handed out free samples at movie and music events mainly attended by people under 30. On social media JUUL hired influencers to promote its products and created hashtags — #juul, #juulvapor, #switchtojuul, #vaporized — that the influencers blasted out to their followings, often featuring images of young people JUULing, joking around or doing tricks with their device. The company switched its advertising earlier this year after coming under fire, but the hashtags and social media presence have only grown.

In 2016, approximately 1/3 of U.S. middle and high school students who have used an e-cigarette reported using marijuana in the device. -CDC

5 | SPORTS

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY TRINITY CLARK

FANTASY FALLOUT Are fantasy sports legal for teenagers?

By Nathan Judd Reporter

F

ederal law sees fantasy sports as games of skill, so it’s not technically illegal; but many states disagree and say it’s illegal gambling. Gambling is considered betting on a game of chance. Either way, there are laws against minors winning or losing money. There are about 59.3 million people playing fantasy sports in North America and fantasy sports are gaining two million more people annually. In total, fantasy sports generated $3.2 billion in entry fees and about $335 million in revenue. But what are fantasy sports? Fantasy sports are online sports games where a group of people can draft their

own team of real players and, based on how their players do, they get points. People can create their own league with up to 14 of their friends. Most leagues require you to put in $5-10 and the winner ends up taking home all of the money.

The most popular sport for fantasy is football, although people still play fantasy basketball, baseball and hockey.

Fantasy sports are legal and millions of people play them. In fact, the average fantasy gamer spends around three hours per week managing a team.

“Just watching games, knowing who’s good, doing your research on your sleepers and

knowing what trades to make [is my advice for playing fantasy sports],” said Junior Erik Smith Fantasy sports are a great way to stay close to a group of friends for a whole season and have some fun. However, playing fantasy sports adds more pressure to the actual athletes since so many people are counting on their performance to earn money.

You can also win lots of money if you win your league and if you lose your league, you only lose the small amount of money you put in. Although it is technically illegal to win or lose money as a minor, fantasy sports can still be very fun.

DESIGN BY NAOMI MITCHELL

6 | PHOTO ESSAY

DEAD WEEK

DODGEBALL Pep club executive senior Molly Millett records a win for “The Weed Wackers.”

Pep club organized and ran the dodgeball tournament.

Photo by Naomi Mitchell

Competing in the first round of the dodgeball tournament, senior Shane Hermanson prepares to hurl the ball at his opponent. Hermanson’s team went on to win this match.

Photo by Naomi Mitchell Senior Jorge Romero dodges a ball thrown at him by his opponent. Romero and his team went on to advance to the next round of the tournament.

Photo by Naomi Mitchell

As a referee for the dodogeball tournament, pep club executive senior Miles Tuttle tells a player that they are out of the game. There were three referees at the dodgeball tournament, all pep club executives.

Photo by Naomi Mitchell Junior Lloyd Dodson throws the ball to the opposite side of the court, aiming to hit his opponent. Dodson competed with five other members of the cross country team.

Photo by Naomi Mitchell

7 | FEATURES

HEADLINE BY NICHOLE THOMAS GRAPHIC BY MCKENNA PICKERING

Hand, Foot and Mouth Five different illnesses and how to avoid them.

Flu

By Sarah Ohlde Reporter

Influenza, or the flu, is a common viral infection that can be deadly, especially in high-risk groups. The flu attacks the lungs, nose and throat. People with chronic disease or weak immune systems are at high risk. Symptoms include fever, chills, muscle aches, cough, congestion, runny nose, headaches and fatigue.

Treatment: The flu is treated primarily with rest and fluid to let the body fight the infection on its own. Over-the-counter antiinflammatory pain relievers may help with symptoms.

Prevention: You can get a flu shot, but it can’t guarantee you will not get the flu because it only prevents one strand of the flu.

Wash your hands frequently, cover your mouth and try to not touch your face with unwashed hands as it is the easiest way for germs to enter your body.

Sinus Infections

Acute sinusitis is a condition in which the cavities around the nasal passages become inflamed. Sinus infections can be triggered by a cold or allergies and may resolve on its own. Symptoms include headache, facial pain, runny nose and nasal congestion.

Treatment: A sinus infection doesn’t usually require any treatment beyond symptomatic relief with pain medications, nasal decongestants and nasal saline rinses.

Prevention: Wash your hands frequently and keep the nose moist with nasal saline sprays.

Hand-foot-and-mouth-disease (HFMD) is a common children’s virus, but older children and adults can also get HFMD. The virus causes sores in the mouth and a rash on the hands and feet. The condition is spread by direct contact with saliva or mucus. The virus usually clears up on its own within 10 days and pain medications help relieve symptoms.

Mono

Mono, or infectious mononucleosis, refers to a group of symptoms caused by the Epstein-Barr virus. Mono typically occurs in teenagers, but you can get it at any age. The virus is spread through saliva, which is why it is sometimes called “the kissing disease.” Symptoms include fatigue, fever, rash and swollen glands. Other common symptoms include sore throat, headache or nausea.

Treatment: Rest, fluids and other over-the-counter pain and fever-reducing medicines can help to ease symptoms.

Prevention: If you’re infected, you can help prevent spreading the virus to others by not kissing anyone, sharing food, dishes or glasses several days after your fever has subsided. Avoid close contact with anyone that you know is infected and wash your hands regularly.

Strep

Strep throat, or streptococcal, is an infection of the throat and tonsils. Strep bacteria are highly contagious. The strep bacteria is spread through direct contact with mucus from the nose or throat of the infected person or by sneezing or coughing.

Common symptoms include sore throat, fever and swollen lymph nodes in the neck. Rarely, complications can involve the heart or kidneys.

Treatment: Treatment is important to reduce complications. Oral antibiotics like penicillin, amoxicillin, cephalexin or azithromycin are commonly used.

Prevention: Wash your hands, cover your mouth, don’t share personal items like drinking glasses or eating utensils and make sure you are getting enough sleep.

DESIGN BY GINI HORTON

IN An inside look of the hallway, its culture and how it represents the school.

By Gini Horton & Evan Shibel Online Editor & Asst. Editor in Chief and Sports Editor

T

he hallways are a well oiled machine, students working like cogs going from class to class without any problems… sort of.

The hallways are plugged with group after group working together inadvertently to block the whole hallway from students trying to get to class. Among these barriers are PDA, slow walkers, slow talkers, those who manage to find the worst possible spot to stop, and the big circles forming a maze. While you may be late due to the inefficiency of some in the halls, they do have some easily overheard conversations.

EDITORS NOTE A majority of these quotes were overheard in the hallway and spoken by unknown students in order for the reporters to gather organic data from a random sample. These quotes do not represent the entirety of the student body, but attempts to surface a conversation about student habits – good and bad.

“THEY JUST LOOK AT EACH OTHER AND HIT THEIR THEN PASS IT OVER. IT’S WEIRD. IT’S UNCOMFORTABLE.”

juuls

N

– ANONYMOUS

icotine is the leading cause of preventable disease in the United States, according to the FDA, a cause for concern as it has become increasingly popular among high school students.

According to the FDA, the amount of high school kids who vape increased 78% from 2017 to 2018. Bathrooms have been comically renamed “JUUL rooms” in a popular meme based on how many use them for a safe space to vape. In a study done by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, they found that 17 percent of high school students vape, drink or use drugs during the school day.

“Pretty much everyday when I come up [to the top floor] to third hour – it’s in [the bathroom by the Spanish classrooms]

– there’s like four dudes, and they take up all the stalls,” Keller said. “There’s people coming in and they’re like trying to go to the bathroom because, you know, that’s what you’re supposed to do in the bathroom, and then everyone just stands around and waits for the people to get out of the stalls because there’s no room. And it sucks.”

While there are people vaping in the bathrooms, it is openly discussed in the halls.

Heard in the third floor hall at 2:24 p.m.

“Babe, do you have my vape?”

Students walk with their friends to the cafeteria. They excitedly discussed the day’s lunch options.

Photo by Naomi Mitchell

“DUDE I’M SO IN, [SHE] JUST SENT ME AN

eggplant BACK.”

– ANONYMOUS OUTSIDE ROOM 163

T

The crowded main hall is bustling with student activity.

Many conversations occur during passing period as students meet with their peers.

Photo by Naomi Mitchell On the way to their next class, students ascend the stairs. Students are often out of breath by the end of their ascent.

Photo by Naomi Mitchell

“OH MY GOD,

S

tereotypes are the backbone of a high school. The school you attend is built upon these different social classes based on appearance and who you hang out with.

Groups are formed of people with similar interests, appearances and personalities.

“I don’t think stereotypes majorly define students at South, but I think they contribute to discomfort when you’re

ugging on your mom’s shirt waiting to find out if your friend is allowed to spend the night then anxiously waiting for your first phone. We all experienced a similar childhood, a mixture of IPods and home phones, cable and your grandma’s old VHS player. As we have grown, so has technology, becoming rapidly prevalent in our lives, changing how we relate to one another.

“When my boyfriend and I first started talking, Snapchat made it a lot easier, otherwise I probably wouldn’t have kept talking to him after we first hung out, since he goes to West,” senior Kate Herrmann said.

The convenience of technology has increased communication between romantic relationships, platonic relationships, familial relationships and everything in between. We can call, FaceTime, text, we even have our own language based on emojis.

Communication has never been easier.

“Technology makes it easy to communicate with my friends, I think it really fosters our relationships,” Herrmann said.

Walking through the halls, we see these relationships that were more than likely bolstered through snapchat, and people that are always glued to their phones. These phone-walkers may cause some traffic jams, but they are just trying to text with friends or keep up with Snapchat. Throughout the hallways, 47 people were observed on their phones on the way to class, most of them clearly texting, or pretending, in order to avoid an awkward moment.

“It’s [technology] had a weird effect on people,” junior Alex Starke said. “People look at each other differently through a screen, and they feel more free to talk about things they normally wouldn’t talk about.”

emo GIRL, YOU LOOK SO CUTE.” – ANONYMOUS AFTER ADVISORY

talking to an unfamiliar person,” senior Addie Soyski said.

Stereotypes have the influence of the media, movies and other forms of entertainment.

“We always watched movies and shows that had the same types of people playing the same person every time,” senior Brandon Kirmer said.

In our halls, the stereotypes most often heard are those in a joking manner, most likely inspired from our Disney filled past.

Band geeks and dumb jocks are what we grew up watching.

“I would like to say that I’m not stupid and I’m not mean, I feel like that’s a common sterotype for cheerleaders.” senior Parrish Mock said.

12 | ONLINE

smsouthnews.com

PRESENTS RESERVATION FOR ONE...

CAR

Bidding on reserved parking spots is an inaccessible process for most students.

By Nichole Thomas Editor-in-Chief

A

t the northwest side of the front lot, there are five reserved parking spots. Many students don’t mind these 24/7 reserved spots and wouldn’t park over there anyway. The issue I have with these spots is not that of inconvenience or fairness, but rather the lack of knowledge about the event at which to bid on these spots.

The South Foundation works alongside Fathers’ Connection to provide the opportunity for large funds to be gathered with the intention of putting it towards the South community during the Shawnee Mission South Foundation Annual Golf Classic. The money they’ve raised has gone to providing student scholarships, teacher grants and school improvements.

This event is not well known amongst many South students nor their parents. It is an event open to the public and highly encouraged for all to participate. The only requirement to be apart of the auction to purchase the spot is to be a supporter of the tournament and to be one of the first five people to email the board president

Tara Gatti once the auction goes live at 7 a.m. In September they raised $24,000 and had 144 golfers in attendance. It is advertised on Facebook and through emails, letters, Family Focus and PeachJar. However, this is clearly not the best way to reach the student body. The vast majority of us don’t know how these spots come to be marked as “reserved.”

The current spots were purchased at $500 each. Last year they had only gone for $250 and before that only $100. It is evident that these spots are becoming more coveted.

I suggest to the SMS Foundation and Fathers’ Connection to reach out to their students and families more directly. Let people know that this opportunity is out there and that we have the chance to buy these spots. It is a wonderful idea and

SMS STUDENT DISCOUNT

SIMPLE INGREDIENTS AND HOUSEMADE FOOD YOU’LL LOVE Stop by McLain’s for lunch or an afternoon treat today!

Mon-Sat 7am - 6pm | Sun 8am - 2pm 10695

such a simple way to raise money; the advertising just isn’t what it could be.

And for all the students who had been wondering who got to buy these spots, now you know. If you or your family has $500 or more that you are willing to donate in order to win these auction items, go ahead and join this event; give back to the community while potentially winning a reserved parking spot in addition.

roe ave, opks

$2.75 a game

Address 1020 S Weaver St., Olathe, KS 66061 Phone Number (913) 782-0279 Hours of Operations Sunday 12pm-10pm Monday 10am-10pm Tuesday 10am-10pm Wednesday 10am-10pm Thursday 10 am-10pm Friday 10am-10pm Saturday 10am-11:30pm Coupon not valid on Monday or Thursdays after 5 pm.

1 coupon per student per day.

13 | ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

SUCCULENT SECRETS A guide to growing six types of succulents.

T

he snake plant is nearly indestructible. It only needs water about every two weeks, and thrives in low light.

Sansevieria is a slow grower, but it’s a great houseplant for beginners.

1/5 1/5

Pothos Plant

Snake Plant

Beginner Level

By Naomi Mitchell Photo Editor

P

othos, also known as the money plant, is 2/5 very easy to care for, only needing water once every 10-12 days. It is a vining plant, which makes it very easy to 2/5 decorate with.

1/5 4/5

P

eace lilies thrive in bright indirect light, and usually like to stay fairly moist. The peace lily’s leaves will start to droop when it needs water, which is usually every 7-10 days.

T

he prayer plant is very unique, because at night, its leaves fold up in “prayer,” hence their nickname. Although fairly easy to care for, prayer plants require high humidity to avoid browning on their leaves.

3/5 3/5

Prayer Plant

Peace Lily

Intermediate Level

3/5 4/5

F

iddle leaf fig can be quite difficult to grow. This tree does not adapt well to changes in its environment, and can be quite finicky when it comes to watering.

P

eperomia can be quite difficult to keep happy when it comes to watering. Because peperomia are quite tolerant of many light conditions, finding a watering schedule that works for your plant can be hard.

3/5 4/5

Peperomia

Fiddle Leaf

Difficult Level

14 | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

LIVING A THROWBACK LIFESTYLE Today’s youth connect with the fashion and music of decades past.

By Annalie Polen News Editor

MUSIC

All sorts of trends come and go with new eras, but for some students, certain era trends stick out more than others.

These styles and trends can even affect the way these students dress, the music they listen to and even some parts of their lifestyle. Old music has a way of bringing a familiar sound, even if it was made years before many of us were born. The way we listen to music has changed a lot through the years, but the music still delivers the same effect.

Junior Macyn Terrill is inspired by lots of music from the ‘90s and and other eras as well.

“I like Britney Spears, ‘90s and 2000s. I also like a lot of 2000s music, but mostly that era,” Terill said.

She was first influenced by this style

when she started getting into music and concerts, learning more about different artists.

“I just wanted to go to concerts and then I started getting more into the older stuff the more I went to and I learned what the background of their music meant,” Terrill said.

Junior Amy Woltering on the other hand is more drawn to bands and artists from the ‘60s and ‘70s. The Smiths, The Beatles and Grateful Dead are just some of the influential bands that Woltering enjoys listening to. Like Woltering, senior Jose Stuart also frequently listens to the Smiths. He also appreciates ‘90s bands such as Nirvana.

Past songs provide one of the closest ways to go back in time.

Records are black disks that once placed on the turntable begin to spin.

The arm connected to the turntable starts at the end of the disk and works it way towards the center, as the beginning of the album begins to play.

These were most popular during the ‘60s and ‘70s.

A cassette player is a small case that holds cassettes and is portable. These hit their peak in the 80’s.

A CD is a shiny round disk that can be played in any CD player. This was a common way to listen to music in the 80’s and 90’s.

FASHION

MUSIC

Which style from the specific era is better in your opinion?

Out of each era, which has the best music choices?

70s

35%

70s

60%

80s

25%

80s

19%

90s

40%

90s

21%

Out of 25 People

Out of 25 People

15 | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

FASHION Not only does music give us a glimpse of the past, but fashion can also have a similar effect. Junior Macyn Terril is often affected by the ‘90s style. It is very apparent in her fashion that she is inspired by this time period.

“I like the grungy feel of things and just more old-school stuff than the stuff that is popular right now,” Terril said.

She went on to explain how some of her favorite style trends from the ‘90s include plaid skirts, big sneakers, animal print and high waisted jeans.

Senior Jackson Keller is also influenced by the ‘90s.

“I think my style… is a mixture of a lot of things… I base some stuff from the ‘90s, but I’m also influenced by modern trends,” Keller said.

He went on to explain some of his favorite trends to follow.

“Really it’s been the big, oversized pants; I’ve been liking the oversized things just because I think it looks good and it’s really comfortable too,”

Keller said.

Although the ‘90s style is especially popular among these students, many other eras such as the ‘60s and ‘70s also influence students.

Junior Amy Woltering showcases the ‘60s and ‘70s style through her clothes, music and even lifestyle.

“I would say I’m a really natural person, so that also probably goes into my style – things that are comfortable, but then also just fit what I’m doing. I’m usually outside a lot so I like to fit the nature,” Woltering said.

She went on to explain how the clothing and lifestyle go hand and hand.

“I feel like in that era everyone was more free and I like that kind of clothing where it’s like bell bottom pants – you know loose, not skinny jeans… Everyone was just… more together in that time period,” Wolt said.

As fast as life moves, sometimes it doesn’t hurt to take a look back and be inspired by the past.

Check out the companion video on https://smsouthnews.com

By Reese Woods Video Editor

PHOTOS BY NAOMI MITCHELL

DESIGN BY NICHOLE THOMAS

16 | DECEMBER

SOUTH SCHEDULE Date

Event

Time

Location

12.6

Winter Sports Pep Assembly

10:00 a.m.

SMS Gym

12.6

Debate Tournament

3:00 p.m.

SMS

12.6

Basketball: Girls Varsity game

6:00 p.m.

Blue Valley North High School

12.6

Basketball: Boys Varsity game

7:30 p.m.

Blue Valley North High School

12.7

Band: KMEA District

All Day

Blue Valley High School

12.7

Choir: KMEA District Choir Festival

All Day

Shawnee Mission Northwest

12.7

Wrestling: Varsity Tournament

8:00 a.m.

Sumner Academy High School

12.7

Swimming: Boys Varsity District

1:00 p.m.

SM Aquatic Center

12.9

Basketball: Girls Varsity Tournament

TBD

Liberty North High School

12.11

Basketball: Girls Varsity Tournament

TBD

Liberty North High School

12.11

Wrestling: Varsity Dual

6:00 p.m.

SMS

12.12-14

Theatre: Stocking Stuffers

7:30 p.m.

SMS Auditorium

12.13

Basketball: Girls Varsity Tournament

TBD

Liberty North High School

12.13

Swimming: Boys Varsity Invitational

5:00 p.m.

Summit Trail Middle School

12.13

Basketball: Boys Varsity Game

12:00 p.m.

SMS Gym

12.14

ACT Exam

8:00 a.m.

SMS

12.14

Wrestling: Varsity Invitational

9:00 a.m.

Highland Park High School

12.16

Basketball: Girls Varsity Game

5:30 p.m.

SMS

12.16

Basketball: Boys Varsity Game

7:00 p.m.

SMS

12.16

Counseling: Cram and Cocoa

6-8 p.m.

SMS Library

12.18

NCAA Signing Date

TBD

SMS

12.18-20

Semester Exams

All Day

SMS

12.20

Early Dismissal/End of Semester

1:10 p.m.

SMS

12.20

Wrestling: Varsity Tournament

2:30 p.m.

Blue Valley High School

12.20

Basketball: Girls Varsity Game

5:30 p.m.

SMS

12.20

Basketball: Boys Varsity Game

7:00 p.m.

SMS

12.21

Wrestling: Varsity Tournament

9:00 a.m.

Blue Valley High School

12.23-1.3

Winter Break

Only Varsity (home) events are on the calendar. For all other sporting events, check out the Sunflower League calendar:

Helpful tip!

For iPhones, use your built in camera app to scan the QR codes found throughout this issue.