March 2019

THE PATRIOT VOLUME 53 / ISSUE 6 / MAR. 21, 2019 Shawnee Mission South High School 5800 W 107th St, Overland Park, KS 66207 913.993.7500

A WAY OF LIFE

Spring break often highlights the party culture hidden in high school.

02 / CONTENTS

TEENS often use Spring Break as an excuse to party.

However, according to several students, partying is a “way of life.”

PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS BY ABBY COX

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 REESE WOODS ABBY YORK

CLAIRE BRISSETT EDITORIAL CARTOONIST

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 Return of the Gatewood 06 Bye Bye Baranowskis 07 News Highlights 10 Lettering Policies 11 Four Years Later 12 Bracketology 14 Q&A with Mia Musson 16.17

Heritage Nominees 08 Meet this year’s candidates for Heritage Royalty.

13

The boys basketball team is on the road to State.

SPORTS Band 15 Brass “Ya like jazz?”

18.19 Q&A with Alex Phan PHOTO BY NAOMI CAMPBELL

FEATURES

22 PHOTO BY EMMA HARDING

of The Brands: 26 Battle Hulu vs Netflix

PHOTO BY NAOMI CAMPBELL

Stuck in Traffick There is more we can do to stop human trafficking.

OPINION

27

28 Second chances Wright Way 29 The Star Seniors

The Boys Are Back (at State)

PHOTO BY TRINITY CLARK

A Way of Life

20 Staff Editorial Debate: 21 The Current Drinking Age 23 A House Divided 24 So Fresh So Clean 25 Doing the Least

NEWS

PHOTO BY EMMA HARDING

Stan Invasion There’s a thin line between being a fan and having an unhealthy obsession.

A&E

04 / NEWS

M

SPORTS CLUBS ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OTHER

the CALENDAR

S March 24

March 31

April 7

April 14

THE PATRIOT

March 25

• Boys Golf match

April 1

• Boys Tennis Match

April 8

• Boys Golf match • Baseball game

April 15

• Boys Tennis match • Baseball game • Choir Festival

T March 26

• • • •

Boys Tennis match Baseball game Softball game Band Concert

• • • • •

Orchestra concert Girls Swim meet Softball game Baseball game Girls Soccer game

April 2

April 9

• Girls Swim meet • Softball game • Girls Soccer game

• • • •

April 16

Softball game Girls Swim meet Baseball game Girls Soccer game

W March 27

• Boys Basketball Game

April 3

• Boys Tennis Match • NHS meeting

April 10

• Band, Choir, and Orchestra KMEA performances

April 17

• Track & Field Meet • Boys Tennis meet

DESIGN BY NICHOLE THOMAS

SENIOR Kennedy Rater looks for an open teammate when playing against JC Harmon on March 6. The Raiders went on to win 57-46.

PHOTO BY TRINITY CLARK

SMSOUTHNEWS.COM

TH

F

March 21

• • • • •

March 28

Boys Golf match Girls Swim meet Baseball game Softball game Girls Soccer game

April 4

• Boys Golf match • Softball game • Arabic Festival

• • • •

April 11

Boys Tennis match Softball game Baseball game Girls Soccer game

April 18

• Girls Swim meet • Girls Soccer game • Band German Exchange

S

March 22

• Girls Swim meet

• Track & Field meet • Girls Soccer game

March 29

• No School • Forensics tournament

• • • • •

NEWS / 05

April 5

Heritage Assembly Track & Field Relays Girls Swim meet Baseball game Girls Soccer game

April 12

• Track & Field meet

March 23

• Girls Soccer game • Boys Basketball banquet

March 30

• Forensics tournament • Track & Field Relays • Baseball game

April 6

• Girls Soccer game • Band Solo & Ensemble Festival

• • • •

April 13

ACT Exam Girls Swim meet Boys Tennis match Baseball game

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

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

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

JUNIOR Brandon Kirmer plays in celbration of the basketball team’s trip to state. On March 6 the school rallied for the boys basketball team as they left for Wichita.

PHOTO BY NAOMI MITCHELL

PODCAST OUT NOW

smsouthnews.com

06 / NEWS

THE PATRIOT

RETURN OF THE GATEWOOD Guess who’s back.

A

BY MILAD JAHANI REPORTER

PHOTO BY ABBY COX

s two legends, the Baranowski brothers, are leaving South, one is returning in the form of English teacher Travis Gatewood. Gatewood attended South as a student from 1991-’95 and was on the Varsity soccer team. He left last year to work at the Center of Academic Achievement, more commonly known as the CAA, where his main job was to “oversee ELA, social studies and world languages” and to “support teachers to make their jobs easier.”

Gatewood is coming back next year to pilot an AP Capstone program for eligible sophomores who have shown advanced levels of language skills. When Gatewood was teaching at South two years ago, he was the AP English 11 teacher and the KSMS sponsor. It is unclear right now if he will return to teaching his former classes.

“The whole schedule is still in the process of

being developed, so we’ll see how it works out,” Gatewood said.

Similar to many former teachers, Gatewood missed the connections he had with his students the most. “[I’ve missed] the kind of energy and interaction every day and the culture and community. I enjoy working with students and help push them towards their goals and dreams and support them in that process. I like that daily impact and involvement,” Gatewood said.

The whole staff is excited to welcome Gatwood back to the building, especially his wife, English teacher Lindsey McFall.

“Let’s just say I’m going to try to get the bell music changed to My Boyfriend’s Back the first week of school. I’m excited because I love working with him and I think we do a good job of bouncing ideas off of each other. Plus it makes it a lot easier to plan dinner when he’s right down the hall,” McFall said.

BYE BYE BARANOWSKIS Brothers and English teachers begin to write the next chapters of their lives.

S

BY MILAD JAHANI REPORTER

PHOTO BY NAOMI MITCHELL

outh has gone through a lot of staff and schedule changes over the past few years and next year will be no different. English teachers Drew and Jordan Baranowski, also known as the all illustrious “Baranowski Brothers,” are leaving South next year to further pursue their own lives and “do something different” as Drew put it.

“I always kind of told myself that if ever I got to a point as a teacher where I was doing it more because I was already here and it was just easier to stay and keep doing something because I already had [my] foot in the door, then that was the time to go. So that’s where I’m at,” Drew said.

Drew is five years older than Jordan and they did not become close with each other until they were older.

“Growing up, we didn’t really spend a ton of time together because my parents didn’t make me let him tag along. So we actually didn’t really get super close until we were adults,” Drew said. Jordan loved the fact that because he could work with his best friend and brother. He always had someone he could trust to bounce ideas off.

“We have kind of different approaches to teaching, so I would say it’s nice to have someone you trust who does something differently than you because you can bounce ideas off them… Plus it’s nice to have someone you trust completely in the same workspace

as you,” Jordan said.

Both brothers have been freelance writing over the past few years for various online websites and magazines, but their future paths differ greatly. Drew is planning to primarily go into real estate.

“It allows me to dictate more of my schedule,” Drew said. “[I can] be more of a dad when I need to.”

Jordan plans work full-time as a writer for various websites and plans to eventually become an author. Jordan said he will miss the “connections you make with specific students.”

“I’m sad. They’re two of my good friends and they are excellent teachers.

I’ve co-taught with Jordan every day for the three years I’ve been here at South, so it’ll be a big loss personally and professionally,” special education teacher Seth Peck said, a good friend of the Baranowskis.

The Baranowski brothers have worked together at South for 10 years, having made countless connections with thousands of students, something that our community will forever be grateful for.

SMSOUTHNEWS.COM

ORCHESTRA SNOW DAY OUT OF TOWN SAGA Orchestra heads out of town for a music workshop.

BY ADDIE SOYSKI CIRCULATION MANAGER

As most students adjust to returning to classes after Spring Break, orchestra students will be preparing to leave on their trip to Chicago, leaving on March 21 and returning March 24.The trip is offered every two years and alternates with the trip to Europe. In Chicago students will go to workshops run by musicians from the Chicago area including a music professor from Northwestern University. The trip is open to all orchestra students with around three quarters attending this year. Students are looking forward to spending time in the city.

“Having free time in Chicago is always really fun. I’ve been to Chicago a couple times before with my mom and I really like the city,” junior Katie Cooper said.

NEWS / 07

Several snow days put students behind in school.

BY ADDIE SOYSKI CIRCULATION MANAGER

While December’s lack of snow left many longing for a white Christmas, January and February brought many a winter storm. As of March 7, SMSD has had a total of eight snow days. It’s yet to be decided what will happen if there’s a need for another inclement weather day and the district reaches its limit. It’s possible students could be required to return to school for a few extra days during what is currently scheduled as summer break.

Many students have enjoyed their many days off, despite it putting their classes behind schedule.

“I’ve had to move test dates and essay dates because we weren’t able to do them on the originally scheduled date. I’ve had to make a lot of the instruction a lot more compact. When we’d usually spend two or three days on something we’d have to do it in a single block period because that’s the time that we have,” history teacher Scott Hirons said.

ENROLLMENT CHANGES Schedule your time wisely with these new additions.

BY LILY WAGNER OPINION EDITOR

Blue Cards and Counselors The counseling department changed the enrollment process this year, requiring students to fill out cards with course requests instead of using Skyward. When the one-to-one technology initiative was put in place the counseling department decided to move enrollment online.

However, the ease and reliability of a physical record of student course requests caused this year’s switch back to physical instead of them being entirely digital.

Guitar Class Fall 2019 is the first time that a guitar class could be offered at South. Whether or not the class happens is dependent on both enrollment and teacher availability. Orchestra teacher Jonathan. Wiebe, who would teach the class, also teaches orchestra at Indian Woods Middle School.

AP Capstone

Current sophomores will have the opportunity to be in the Advanced Placement Capstone program beginning this coming fall. The program spans two years and requires students to take AP Seminar and Research courses, as well as earn a four or five on four additional AP exams. The program will be led by former English teacher Travis Gatewood, who will be returning to South. Completion of the program will result in students earning an AP designation on their diploma.

08 / NEWS

HERITAGE NOMINEES

THE PATRIOT

Meet this year’s candidates for Heritage Royalty.

LEFT to right: Milad Jahani, Mason Hoyt, Felix Johnson, Hayden Moreland, Nolan Thimmesch, Timothy Nunez, Elliot Huels, Teegan Swanson, Lily Wagner, Madelyn Musson, Anna Burns, Bergen Cooper, Blake Hardesty, Amelia Mullin and Emma Ross.

Not pictured are Sam Caldwell, Manal Boullaouz, Audrey Hartwell and Avery Woods.

PHOTO BY EMMA HARDING

Samuel Caldwell

Mason Hoyt

Elliot Huels

Milad Jahani

Felix Johnson

Zebulan Lyons

Hayden Moreland

Timothy Nunez

Teegan Swanson

Nolan Thimmesch

• National Honor Society • Varsity Baseball • Varsity Football

• Kansas Honor Scholar • Repertory Theatre • KSMS

Anna Burns

Manal Boullaouz

Bergen Cooper

Blake Hardesty

Audrey Hartwell

Amelia Mullin

Madelyn Musson

Emma Ross

Lily Wagner

Avery Woods

• National Honor Society • Varsity Basketball Co-captain • LINK Crew

• Symphonic Orchestra • Heritage Choir • Dual-enrollment, Early Graduate • Junior Varsity Tennis • DECA Executive Board Member • KSMS • Varsity Cheerleading • LINK Crew • Heritage Photo Editor

• National Honor Society Secretary • Varsity Swim and Dive • Varsity Cheerleading Captain

• Heritage Choir Section Leader • Musical • GSA/Spectrum Alliance Co-president • Varsity Pacesetters • Black Student Union • FCCLA

• Kansas Honor Scholar • Varsity Cheerleading Captain • Marching Band Section Leader

• Kansas Governor’s Scholar • Varsity Track and Field Co-captain • Student Council Committee Chair

• Symphonic Band First Chair • Jazz Band • Marching Band Head Section Leader • National Honor Society • Varsity Bowling • Heritage Choir

• Kansas Honor Scholar • Marching Band Head Section Leader • Student Council Committee Chair • Cross Country • Latin Club Event Planner • The Patriot Editor

• Kansas Honor Scholar • Senior Class Vice President • Current Affairs Club Founder • Kansas Honor Scholar • Varsity Soccer Captain • Pep Club Executive

• National Honor Society • National Art Honor Society • Arabic Club President • National Merit Finalist • Academic Decathalon Captain • Latin Club President

• Patriot Editor-in-Chief • Varsity Soccer • Kansas Governor’s Scholar

PHOTO ESSAY / 09

SMSOUTHNEWS.COM

SPRING FEVER

PHOTO BY NAOMI MITCHELL

1

PHOTO BY KYLA HUNTER PHOTO BY NAOMI MITCHELL

1. IPS students practice for the upcoming Job Olympics at Johnson County Community College with the help of the cadets. They will compete against all Shawnee Mission schools.

2. The basketball team walks through the main hall as students celebrate their trip to state. The Raiders won against JC Harmon 57-46 in Wichita on March 6.

3. Senior Bergen Cooper hugs her teammate at Senior Night. All senior basketball players, cheerleaders, and pacesetters were honored for their hard work and dedication to their teams on Feb. 14.

4. Senior Jordyn Martin conducts an interview-style presentation with Bob Kendrick on March 1. Kendrick spoke about the history of the Negro Leagues in celebration of Black History Month.

4

2 3

PHOTO BY ABBY COX

10 / SPORTS

WHAT’S

THE SCORE?

Your update on sports stats.

BY MEGAN SMITH SPORTS EDITOR

LETTERING POLICIES

THE PATRIOT

GIRLS BASKETBALL A few of South’s lettering WINS

4

LOSSES

11

The girls basketball team lost in their first round of sub-state games. They lost 51-58 to olathe south.

BOYS BASKETBALL WINS

19

LOSSES

6

The boys basketball team advanced to play in the state tournament in wichita, defeating shawnee mission northwest (63-56) and olathe east (50-44). THE RAIDERS triumphed over JC HARMON 57-46 and played hard against blue valley northwest, losing 57-61.

The raiders lost to wichita southeast, placing 4th in the state.

policies you might not know.

BY KATIE HIEBL REPORTER

RACK

Players wanting to letter in track must be in a good standing and a part of the team for the entire season, earn team points in an individual event at a League, Regionals, or State meet. Or be a member of a quality varsity relay team that places in a top five position at a League, Regionals, or State meet.

They must also make a positive contribution to the varsity team, earn a spot on the All-Time Top 10 list for an event, and qualify for State.

OOTBALL To earn a Varsity letter in football, you must play all four years, finish your senior season at SMS, play in a minimum of 16 Varsity quarters, be a contributing member on special teams throughout the year. Special consideration can be given to players who become injured that most likely would have played without injury.

ASKETBALL

In order to letter, players need to participate in 80 percent of the games and contribute to the varsity team. “There have been some years where I have lettered some guys that have not played on Varsity, but towards the end of the year we needed someone to play and they play one or two games,” boys’ coach Brett McFall said, “It all depends on the coaches’ discretion.”

STATE RESULTS: To get a Varsity letter in girls basketball, players are required to SWIM:200 YD MEDLEY RELAY (TURK, OWENS, KRUSSOW, SNYDER) 21ST PLACE, 100 BREAST(TURK) 18TH PLACE, participate in one quarter each game. Players can also honorably letter as a 200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY (TURK) 21ST PLACE senior if they are out for an injury, but have still participated and supported DIVE: JACOB HELD (4TH PLACE), SAM ALDEGUER the team.

BOYS SWIM & DIVE (10TH PLACE)

BOWLING

STATE RESULTS:

WIM Receiving a letter in swimming requires getting a state consideration time

GAVIN HARRIS PLACED 11TH AT STATE. or faster. Divers must qualify for the state tournament. Coach Derek Berg NICHOLE THOMAS PLACED 24TH AT recently changed this policy. Each sport has different requirements to letter because the coaches are allowed to create their own specific requirements.

STATE.

WRESTLING SOPHOMORE QUINN MCCALMON QUALIFIED FOR STATE.

“I just decided to use a system that has worked for me in the past,” Berg said.

HEER

For a cheerleader to receive a Varsity letter, they must complete a full season of cheer, be in good athletic and academic standing, be academically eligible, exhibit a positive attitude, have good character and represent the AS OF MAR. 9, 2019 school in a positive manner.

SPORTS / 11

FOUR YEARS LATER

SMSOUTHNEWS.COM

Seniors on the soccer team reflect on their time playing for South and the relationships they’ve made.

A

BY ANNALIE POLEN SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

s spring sports begin their seasons, the seniors and their success don’t stop at football and basketball. With 11 seniors on the girls soccer team and many playing on Varsity since freshman year, their bond has the potential to take them far.

“I personally think that you can have a team with a lot of good players, but if they don’t know how to play together, it’s not going to be successful,” senior Faith Danaher said.

Danaher has played on Varsity all four years.

Senior Lexi House has been playing soccer since she was four and has been on Varsity since she was a freshman.

“My parents both played soccer and I played basketball and volleyball and other sports, but I just stuck with soccer. It was the most fun,” House said.

She plans to continue playing soccer while attending Rockhurst University.

Becca Beeler is another senior who has been playing on the Varsity team for the past four years. Like House, she also looks forward to playing at Rockhurst University after graduation.

“Soccer is important to me because you meet so many people since it’s such a team sport. You can’t play soccer selfishly and I love team sports. Plus it’s outside. Soccer is just way more than a game because if it’s just a game to you, then your not going to succeed at it,” Beeler said.

Senior Nicole Cortez has been on Varsity for two years and plays center mid. She also hopes to pursue soccer in some way after college. One of the things she will miss most about the experience is the team bonding.

Carolyn Schneck will be attending William Jewell College to continue her passion of soccer. Like many of the other seniors, she has been on Varsity for four years and plays center mid.

“We’re all really close because a few of us have played club together and the majority of us have been on Varsity for all years so we’ve had four years to become best friends,” Schneck said.

This bond shown by so many of the girls has help make the team stronger.

“Since we’ve all played together for so long now and we’re all such good friends, we know how everyone likes to play, so we know who to pass it to in certain situations, so I think it’s helpful,” Danaher said.

Senior Avery Woods also has been playing Varsity since freshman year and has a close relationship with the team and feels that being together for so long has helped them be successful.

“I will miss the pre-games when we would be in the locker room jamming out and team dinners and kind of everything,” Senior Savannah Hasker said.

Senior Jordyn Martin feels similarly about the bond that the girls share.

“There was one time when we went to practice. We went to a sleepover and then we woke up and went back to practice. We literally see each other for hours on end so I think I’m going to miss being friends with them and seeing them,” Martin said.

As the seniors get ready to play their final year together, they leave behind one key factor that has been with them all along, coach Caroline Ewing.

“I think the best part for me is getting to see the girls develop into who they are going to be,” Ewing said. “I met them when they’re 14 or even younger. You know, for the Senior class, I’ve known them since sixth, seventh grade from camps and clinics and then they come and they are just little mini versions of the people they are going to be and then to get to watch them until they are 18 when they are who they are going to be almost. It’s just very cool to see their soccer develop, but also their character develops.”

Although they are approaching the end of this era, they still look forward to one last season to prove.

“We’re going to work really hard and we’re going to go as far as we can,” House said.

BECCA BEELER #4 CENTER DEFENSE

LEXI HOUSE #19 CENTER MID

CAROLYN SCHNECK #18 CENTER MID

AVERY WOODS #3 MIDFIELD

JORDYN MARTIN #8 FORWARD

FAITH DANAHER #13 DEFENSE

KATRINA SARGENT #11 DEFENSE

SAVANNAH HASKER #16 LEFT DEFENSE

NICOLE CORTEZ #10 CENTER MID

TESS CONLEY #14 DEFENSE

PHOTOS BY REESE WOODS

12 / SPORTS

BRACKETOLOGY

THE PATRIOT

Things to remember when choosing your bracket this March Madness.

PHOTO BY REESE WOODS

BY EVAN SHIBEL ADS EDITOR

EVAN’S TIPS AND TRICKS:

Coaching is key during tournament time.

Remember the strength of each teams’ schedule.

Compare this season to each teams’ past performances.

What are smaller teams’ records against ranked opponents?

How much NBA talent does each team have?

How many seniors does each team have?

Has this team had upsets in past tournaments and games?

How did this team perform in their conference tournament?

Seeds don’t matter as much as people think they do.

EVAN’S PREDICTED BRACKET:

AS OF MAR. 17 2019

You can find your own blank bracket at smsouthnews.com to fill in using Evan’s tips and tricks.

FIRST ROUND (1)

Duke NCCU/NDSU

(16) (8)

VCU

(9)

UCF

(5)

Mississippi St.

(12)

Liberty

(4)

Virginia Tech

(13)

St. Louis

(6)

Maryland

(11)

Belmont/TEM

(3)

LSU

(14) Yale

Louisville

(7)

(10)

Michigan St.

(2)

Bradley

(15) (1)

Minnesota

Gonzaga FDU/PV A&M

(16) (8)

Syracuse

(9)

Baylor

(5)

Marquette

(12)

Murray St.

(4)

Florida St. Vermont

(13) (6)

Buffalo

(11)

AZ St. /STJ

(3)

Texas Tech

(14) (7)

N. Kentucky

Nevada

(10)

Florida

(2)

Michigan

(15)

Montana

SECOND ROUND Duke

SWEET SIXTEEN

ELITE EIGHT

FINAL FOUR

Duke VCU

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

FINAL FOUR

ELITE EIGHT

SWEET SIXTEEN Virginia

Ole Miss

Mississippi St.

Oregon Oregon

VA Tech Virginia Tech

EAST

Tennessee

Duke

SOUTH

Maryland Purdue

LSU

Purdue Tennessee

Michigan St

Cincinnati

Louisville Michigan St

Tennessee

Duke

Michigan St.

Duke

Gonzaga

Tennessee

Tennessee

North Carolina N. Carolina

Gonzaga

Utah State

Syracuse Gonzaga

N. Carolina

Murray State

Auburn Auburn

Nevada

WEST

Buffalo

Kansas Michigan

N. Carolina

MIDWEST

Iowa State

Iowa State

Texas Tech

Houston

Texas Tech Michigan

Nevada Michigan

Michigan

UC Irvine St. Mary’s

Maryland

Florida St.

Virginia

Virginia

Duke

Iowa State

FIRST ROUND

SECOND ROUND

Wofford Wofford Kentucky

(1)

Virginia G. Webb

(16)

Ole Miss

(8) (9)

Oklahoma

(5)

Wisconsin

(12)

Oregon

(4)

K. State UC Irvine

(13)

Villanova

(6) (11)

St. Mary’s

(3)

Purdue

(14)Old

(10)

Iowa

Tennessee

(2)

Colgate

(15) (1)

Dominion

Cincinnati

(7)

North Carolina Iona

(16) (8)

Utah State

(9)

Washington

(5)

Auburn

(12)

New Mex. St.

(4)

Kansas Northeastern

(13) (6)

Iowa State

(11)

Ohio State

(3)

Houston

(14) (7)

(10) (2) (15)

Georgia State

Wofford Seton Hall

Kentucky Abil. Christian

SPORTS / 13

SMSOUTHNEWS.COM

THE BOYS ARE BACK (AT STATE) Coach Brett McFall reflects on this year’s basketball team and what led them to the state tournament.

H

BY EVAN SHIBEL ADS EDITOR

eaded into the 2018-‘19 boys basketball season, Shawnee Mission South was expected to be a decent team, maybe a sub-state contender. With five returning seniors and one new addition in senior guard Rio Bingley, the Raider basketball team started the season optimistic. They started the season on a 5-0 tear, anchored by seniors and with Skyler Rhoads stepping in as the breakout star in those first five games.

“We thought Skyler [Rhoads] was going to be good inside, but we didn’t think he was going to be great inside,” head coach Brett McFall said.

After a rocky winter break with the Raiders losing two in a row, the boys went on a successful run, winning 11 of their last 13 games to round out their regular season.

With a high seed in the sub-state tournament, the Raiders secured a place in the state tournament through their sub-state bracket, winning both games, first against Shawnee Mission Northwest then Olathe East.

“I always tell our guys to focus on one game at a time; you can dream big, but you have to take care of business one game at a time,” McFall said.

Before the Raiders started their run through the state tournament at the state of the art Charles Koch Arena, in Wichita, Kansas, McFall took time to reflect on their somewhat surprising success.

“Putting together a team is like a puzzle and we were really lucky this year because we had six veteran seniors that each filled their own piece of the puzzle,” McFall said.

McFall was even able to make some comparisons between the boys and his undefeated 2013 5A state championship winning team.

“These two teams are similar in the way that they are just able to have fun off the court together, just being buddies, hanging out in the hotel and off the floor,” McFall said.

On the morning of March 6, a send off parade through the school was set up for the team that was headed to Wichita for their first game of the tournament that evening against the Hawks of JC Harmon who were coming off a 19-3 regular season.

The Raiders started the game on fire, opening up a 10-0 lead in the first minute and a half of the game, playing like the pressure was nothing unusual. As the game continued, the Hawks slowly clawed their way back into it, leaving the game

SENIOR Kennedy Rater goes up for a layup in the Raiders’ game against Shawnee Mission Northwest.

The Raiders defeated the Cougars 63-56.

PHOTOS BY TRINITY CLARK

only a two point lead for the Raiders at half, 29-27. Both teams continued to scrap their way through the third quarter, leading to what would be a pivotal fourth quarter. With around three minutes to go, the Raider boys started to put together a quick run. Within a minute they had pulled ahead with an 8-0 run capped by Bingley, that left everyone watching in disbelief. At that moment it was evident to Raider fans and players that they had won the game. A huge celebration with the fans ensued, sending the Raiders to a date with one of the best teams in the state, the Blue Valley Northwest Huskies, on March 8 in Wichita.

The atmosphere in Charles Koch Arena that Friday night was something different. Walking into the gym that night, you could feel the tension in the air. Everyone had the same feeling, that the winner of the state tournament could come from this game. The Raiders came out the way you would expect them to on the offensive end, firing threes and driving to the hoop, but the difference came on the defensive end. Their zone defense helped contain Huskies’ two star seniors: Christian Braun and Markell Hood. This helped the Raiders off to a hot start from defense that turned into offense. The Raiders lead nearly the entire game, with the lead not changing hands until 6:38 left in the fourth quarter. It was then in the fourth quarter that the Huskies started to mount a comeback, despite South keeping them at an arm’s length nearly the entire game. In the fourth quarter momentum shifted and a corner three from Blue Valley Northwest senior guard Jack Chapman late in the game ignited the Huskies’ crowd. Despite a tough final fight, the Huskies pulled away in the dying moments of the game to pull out a tough fought 61-57 victory, sending them to the state championship.

The third place game was next for the Raiders and they had a tough task at hand, taking on the Wichita Southeast Golden Buffaloes. The game felt over from the start, with the depleted Raiders, who had fired all their bullets in the previous matchup, starting the game down 14-0. Southeast continued to hold the Raiders to a 10 plus point deficit the rest of the way, leading them to a third place finish in the state tournament.

Although a fourth place finish seemed like a loss for the Raiders at the end of the tournament, it really was quite the accomplishment as South wasn’t even predicted to be in the top 10 before the season began.

Check out the state tournament documentary on smsouthnews.com.

SENIOR Evan Hickman gets ready to pass in the first round of the State tournament against JC Harmon.

The Raiders went on to win against the Hawks 57-46.

SENIOR Skyler Rhoads shoots a layup in the Raiders’ final game against Wichita Southeast. South lost to Wichita 6677, placing fourth in the state.

14 / SPORTS

THE PATRIOT

MIA MUSSON

with Beginning a new season, junior Mia Musson talks about all things diving.

BY KATIE HIEBL REPORTER PHOTO BY HALEY HILL

Q: A:

How long have you been diving?

I used to just dive in the summer and then I started year round in seventh grade. So

I’ve been diving for about four or five years.

Q: Do you dive for any teams other than South?

A: I dive for my country club. And year around… [I do what’s called]…

Kansas

diving and it’s in Lawrence at K.U.

Q: What is your favorite dive?

A: My favorite dive is probably the front jump.

Q: How do you prepare for a meet? Do you

superstitions?

have any pre-dive rituals or

A:

Normally I just pretend like the meet isn’t happening that day and then when it is actually time for me to dive and in warmups it kind of just hits me that I have to compete and I freak out and I will try to get out of it, but I never do. Yes, I have a shammy that I got in seventh grade at a meet in Texas and I have to dive with it every single day and I have to use it every single meet. I can’t go to practice or a meet without it.

Q: How does the point system for diving work?

A: Each dive there is a degree of difficulty and you either have three or five

judges and if you have five judges they throw out the highest and the lowest score and then they average the three and multiply it by the degree of difficulty and at the end they just add them all up.

Q: What is the hardest dive you have had to learn?

A: The most difficult dive I’ve learned is the two and a half.

Q: What is the scariest thing about diving?

A: I’m most scared of hitting the board. I have hit the board multiple times and it always

scares me.

Q: What are you most looking forward to this season?

A: Honestly, I am looking forward to state with [Ophelia Shapiro] again. It was so fun

last year.

Q: Have you had any injuries from diving? If so, what?

A: Right before champs during the summer, at warmups the day before, I cut off the skin

on my knee caps because I hit the board. I have broken a couple toes, but they’re not bad; I have never sat out for them. I keep going. I have hit my hair on the board a couple times; if it gets too close to my head, it kind of freaks me out.

FEATURES / 15

SMSOUTHNEWS.COM

Bringing a splash of jazz to South.

W

BY GINI HORTON WEB EDITOR

hether it’s at a pep game or a barbecue

face. This type of music has an endless

restaurant, the Southland Brass Band

capacity to bring joy to so many people

will be there playing jazz in tacky

and I believe a lot of people really

Hawaiian shirts.

“It’s just a fun way to make music with some of

connect with it.”

Though it has only been

the best musicians in the school,” junior Julian Duff

four years since it was created,

said. “You don’t have to worry about reading the

the Southland Brass Band

right rhythms on the page of music; you just go out

has already been invited to

there and just make music.”

play at the state concert. The

The Southland Brass Band was created by John

Southland

Brass

Band

was

Selzer, a retired band director, four years ago to

invited to play at the Kansas

perform New Orleans style jazz, the typical style

Music Educators Association February

for stand up jazz. In the band are three trumpets,

21 and 22 in Wichita. To get invited to

a sousaphone, a trombone, four saxophones and

KMEA, a band must send in a recording to

three percussionists. Rehearsals are spent playing

be judged along with other bands of the same

through music, memorizing and critiquing as they

age and musical style throughout

go. The band only meets on Monday nights for an

the state.

hour and a half to practice the music picked by

“Regular band is clean-

Selzer or to make rhythms off of scales they learn.

cut and classical, but you

The percussionists work without any music, making

can’t describe jazz style;

up a funky rhythm until they hit their stride.

you just have to listen

“Jazz is more funky and you can groove to it,”

to it and do it,” Duff

senior Emma Ross said. “But brass band music,

said. “There’s just an

New Orleans style, is a whole other level of funky

element of listening to

and fun. It’s hard not to move a little to it and

each other and playing

impossible to stop it from leaving a smile on your

the music.”

THE Brass Band plays for the school in celebration of the basketball team’s trip to state. Students watched in the halls.

PHOTO BY NAOMI MITCHELL

Q&A 18 / FEATURES

WIT H

THE PATRIOT

Alex Phan

Sophomore shares his experience with trditional Lion Dancing.

BY MCKENNA PICKERING REPORTER Q: Which traditional dance do you

bad luck in the store or building and

perform?

bring happiness and good luck.

A: At my temple, Gia Đình Phật Tử Phổ

Q: How long have you been doing this?

Hiền, a Vietnamese Buddhist association,

A: I’ve been [doing] Lion Dancing/Múa lân

I usually perform Múa lân/Lion Dancing.

since I was about five or six years old.

Q: Is there a main type of dance? Or are

Q: What or who inspired you to start

there different ones?

dancing?

A: Lion Dancing/Múa lân (in Vietnamese)

A: In the beginning, I really thought it

is the most well known during the Lunar

would be cool to be part of the team at

New Year, which you could say is the

my temple, so I decided to join. Now

main dance.

what aspires me every year to practice

Q: Does the dance represent anything? If

and perform would have to be the bond I

so what?

created. I’ve been with my same partner

A: Múa lân/Lion dance [is a symbol] for

for almost 11 years now and been with this

good luck for the upcoming year in which

loving group, Gia Đình Phật Tử Phổ Hiền

we dance for grand openings, weddings

Lion Dance Troupe, for 11 years also.

and various festivals to chase away all the

Q: What do you enjoy most about it?

A: I really enjoy the bond that we created during

Lion

Dancing.

We

would usually spend up to 100 hours every year practicing.

Then during the performance, we all come together; about 20 people perform while a lot of parents watch and support us.

At the end of the performance, if we have time, we all come together and hang out.

Q: Did/does anyone else in your family do it? If so who?

A: My brother, Antonio Phan...

We do Lion dancing.

Q: When do you perform the dance? Is there a specific time and place?

A: Most performances of Lion Dance/Múa lân is usually during Lunar New Year, but occasionally we perform throughout the year for weddings or events. This April I have a performance for a wedding.

SMSOUTHNEWS.COM

FEATURES / 19

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ALEX PHAN

Cosmic Bowling

$10

Bowling with shoes Cut out coupon and redeem at front desk.

Saturday 10pm-12:30 am www.missionbowl.com

20 / OPINION

THE PATRIOT

CARTOON BY JOSE STUART EDITORIAL CARTOONIST

STAFF EDITORIAL

The rising issue of hate crimes needs to be addressed.

O

n Jan. 29, black and gay actor Jussie Smollett, claimed to have been attacked while walking home at 2 a.m. in Chicago. When news of the attack broke, many across social media condemned the attack, calling it a hate crime. Senators Kamala Harris and Cory Booker went as far to call it “an attempted modern day lynching.”

The FBI defines hate crime as a “criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender’s bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity.”

And according to the FBI’s 2017 Hate Crime Statistics report, these crimes increased by 17 percent from 2016.

Much of the time, these crimes have motivations against minority groups.

Of the reported hate crimes in 2017, 28 percent had an anti-black motivation, 17.4 percent had a motivation against certain sexual orientations and gender identities and 13 percent had an antiJewish motivation.

It was later discovered that he had paid two Nigerian immigrants to throw bleach on him, tie a noose around his neck, use racial slurs and even say, “Make America Great Again,” in the fabricated attack. Smollett’s suspected motive was to gain publicity and higher pay from Fox for his role in their TV series “Empire.”

Smollett’s fabricated attack is one of few, yet its impact will be greatly detrimental to survivors of hate crimes.

This will negatively affect how victims go about telling their stories - if they choose to at all. A 2017 report from the Department of Justice says that between 2011 and 2015, about 54 percent of hate crime victimizations were not reported to police. Even when crimes are reported, many are not recorded as hate crimes and 87 percent of police agencies did not even report having a hate crime in 2017. This reluctance to report hate crimes has several causes, one being the difficulty of presenting tangible evidence, as hate speech does

not count as tangible evidence. Out of fear of deportation, Latinos often don’t report hate crimes. Another fear is not being believed.

Smollett perpetuates the myth that people often fake hate crimes. This myth is fed by alt-right rhetoric that similarly attempts to silence sexual assault victims. This is the same rhetoric that motivated an Australian man to open fire and kill 50 people and injure another 50 at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand on March 15. Minutes before the shooting he sent an 87-page hate-filled manifesto to members of the media and political officials, including the Prime Minister of New Zealand, in which he espoused anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim views.

We as a society need to figure out how to combat the rhetoric causing these crimes as well as balance being sensitive and supportive of victims while thoroughly investigating claims of hate crimes.

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

OPINION / 21

THE DEBATE:

SMSOUTHNEWS.COM

The current drinking age.

PRO A

BY ANSLEY CHAMBERS COPY EDITOR

lcohol is always a touchy topic.

Being a symbol of adulthood and freedom to teenagers, underage drinking is rather common.

According to CDC, 11 percent of all

30%

T

he American drinking age has been an often debated topic for years. Personally, I think the higher-than-average Americanimplemented drinking age, 21, is one that causes a sort of “forbidden fruit” effect with the act of drinking, creating an environment where the underaged drink is all too common in risky and unsupervised settings. The drinking age is not entirely to blame for the American drinking culture, but it definitely plays a part.

European countries are often brought up when arguing a change in the American drinking age, but that is because with a change in drinking age could also bring a change in culture.

The United States are considered to be a “dry” country, meaning that alcohol is less often consumed frequently in small amounts, but rather sporadically in large amounts. This is widely seen in instances

PHOTOS BY KYLA HUNTER

alcohol in the U.S. is consumed by people ages 12-20. Many youths wish to indulge in various substances around their peers to seem “cooler” or “more grown up”; however, it is a very risky game to play.

Putting the lives of yourself and others in danger isn’t really “cool”. Our brains are not done developing until we are roughly 25 or so.

Alcohol consumption can be greatly damaging to the development of a teenager’s brain. It can also be damaging to the overall quality of life for a teenager. Excessive drinking is responsible for over 4,300 deaths of minors in the U.S. each year, costing $24 billion. In 2013, roughly 119,000 people ages 12-21 visited the emergency room due to alcohol related injuries.

Youth who drink are more likely to having drinking problems later in life and experience issues that affect their quality of life both short and long term.

TWITTER POLL* of underaged drinking. Feeling stunted by their inability to drink at their leisure, American teens instead drink in large quantities whenever alcohol is made available. Drinking in America is done to get drunk, not to enjoy an alcoholic beverage.

And not that all of Europe is innocent and setting good examples in their drinking habits, but southern Europe is known for their healthier introduction to alcohol to their children. The average legal drinking age in Europe is 16 and European children are eased into drinking culture by being taught to drink casually and in moderation.

If the U.S. were to lower their drinking age, I believe there would be a change in our drinking culture, a gradual one, but one that over time will become healthier in both the amount of alcohol consumed and in how we consume it.

If American children are able to begin

Examples of these are trouble in school, social problems, legal trouble, decline of physical health, higher risk of unwanted sexual activities, assault, suicide, abuse of other drugs, injuries, death, etc. Underage drinkers tend to be less responsible and aware of the consequences of their actions, drinking more per drinking session than adults.

Adulthood should remain a symbol of drinking. Alcohol would lose all appeal if it was an available option at any age, although losing appeal may not be such a bad thing. We are all just children until we turn 21, and even then, our maturity is still questionable. We need to embrace being children and accept that it’s ok to hang on to our youth for as long as possible, both by not participating in adult activities and by making our lives last until we reach well into adulthood.

70%

*of 46 votes

drinking at a younger age, parents have the opportunity to introduce healthier ways to drink, rather than waiting until they are adults who in earlier years had started drinking recklessly.

BY MIAH CLARK ASST. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF & A&E EDITOR

CON

22 / OPINION

THE PATRIOT

PHOTO BY EMMA HARDING

STUCK IN TRAFFICK

There is more we can do to stop human trafficking.

E

BY ALI HARRISON NEWS EDITOR

very 30 seconds, another person becomes a victim of human trafficking: modern-day slavery and the greatest human rights violation of our time. Gun policy is and has been one of the most discussed topics in American society, yet it is minor in comparison to human trafficking. To put it in perspective, in one day, 342 people are directly affected by gun violence; 2,880 people, over eight times that number, are affected by human trafficking.

Americans have the right to own guns because of the second amendment, but it is our God-given right and 13th Amendment right to live freely. Under no circumstances will any human be a slave to another, neither legally or illegally.

No human will be kidnapped and raped, bought and sold or beaten and killed, yet it happens daily. This is a dangerous and pressing issue, worth the declaration of a national emergency even, but it’s unlikely that the average American has heard politicians mumble a word about it. President Trump has been a great advocate for human trafficking and has signed several bills to fight against it and support victims, but there is still work to be done.

Legislation isn’t the only way to help stop trafficking as exemplified by actor Ashton Kutcher,

who has done immense and incredible things to help victims directly and help the government rescue victims. His exwife Demi Moore and he founded Thorn, an organization dedicated to help children of sex abuse and fight against child traffickers. In 2017, their software helped law enforcement and investigators identify nearly 6,000 child sex trafficking victims, working to rescue and help victims at home and abroad.

Trafficking requires a cyber fight as much as it does a physical or legal one.

Often times, involvement in sex trafficking begins with watching online porn, which can escalate into buying prostitutes and then engaging in sex trafficking. A website called backpage.com is known for its lawsuits of enabling trafficking. CEO Carl Ferrer pleaded the website guilty to “human trafficking of a teenaged girl, and money laundering by concealing the proceeds from facilitating criminal activity,” according to the Washington Post. Before the FBI seized the website on April 6, 2018, they were posting one million sex ads per day.

Though this crime affects all demographics, women are by far the most targeted group and teenage girls are especially at risk for sex trafficking. The men who engage in sex trafficking are not the low-life human being one might imagine. They’re

businessmen.

They’re politicians.

They’re suburban dads. They’re the men you wouldn’t necessarily expect it from.

This is one of the mostif not the most- difficult crimes to stop. Whether it’s through a fake job offer or runaway teens who are lured into trafficking, traffickers use emotional and psychological tactics, lies and deceit to drag their victims into trafficking.

Traffickers manipulate their victims and even brainwash them into thinking they’re unwanted or that their situation is normal. They prey on the fears of insecure people who are afraid of the consequences they could face if they told someone what was happening to them.

These victims are left to hide in plain sight, which is the hardest place to look.

This isn’t meant to scare anyone, but instead should bring to light the horrors of human trafficking. Anyone is vulnerable to this disgusting occurrence and you, as an American and as a human, should be educated on the risks and statistics in order to protect yourself and others.

OPINION / 23

w

A HOUSE DIVIDED

Having different political views than your parents.

BY BRYNN TAYLOR SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

W

hen you are growing up, beliefs of your family and friends have practically been shoved down your throat and when you try to remove them, they’ve already made their way to your brain.

Growing up conservative is tough because as your family is ridiculed, you don’t really understand why you, as a child, are getting yelled at for what your parents believe. It’s the whole “judge a book by its cover” thing. Just because your parents believe something, that doesn’t mean you have to as well.

I don’t want to get into what I believe yet, but for right now I’ll tell you a story, not exactly as it happened, but a short summary. The first time I realized I wasn’t “politically involved” was - and is - every time I do something bad or that doesn’t meet my mother’s standards, she says, ”you’re acting just like a Democrat.” That doesn’t make me feel too good because no, I’m not liberal in any sort of way, but I’m not like her and if I told her that, she would have a fit, just like if she read this.

I would say I’m a nonpartisan, a person who is not affiliated with a particular party, but I could say I could identify myself with the Independent Party, which means I have support for policies which are different from those of the major political parties. I believe in the sense of morality. Some of their ideas were fine, some good, and others awful. Deep down, and this is something that I don’t really say much due to a kind of embarrassment I receive if I do talk about this but, I don’t really get why politics has to inducted into pretty much every conversation I’m in.

YES 70%

Do you have different political views than your parents?*

NO 30% *of 64 votes on Twitter

24 / OPINION

THE PATRIOT

SO FRESH AND SO CLEAN Spring is a great time to refresh.

I

BY CATHERINE GUNNIGLE REPORTER

know I’m not the only one who feels like winter is the longest season of the year and I definitely know I’m not the only one who forgot to put that shirt away or forgot I tossed that water bottle into the back seat of my car two months ago. I also know that when March 1 comes around and the spring sunshine sheds light on all of those messes I forgot about, I freak out. Spring is right around the corner and that means spring cleaning is a necessity for me. I love nothing more than when I get to pack away my big winter coats and retire my layers upon layers of thick, heavy clothing. I get so excited when I can pull out my shorts and say, “hello,” to my t-shirts as if I ran into an old friend and it was time to catch up. And although I dream of the days when my skin is tan again and I get to see the sun more than once a week, until the careless days of summer come back, I have to enjoy the few days of spring Kansas gives and all of its glory first.

However, the same question comes up every year when I see all the messes that have accumulated during the long winter months when I ask myself, “how am I supposed to enjoy those nice, first few days outside if my closet looks like a tornado, my dresser drawers are hanging out or even the black hole I call my backpack?” Spring cleaning, it’s the best time to clean because I have the hope of a genuine change to motivate my habits and change my ways of being orderly. I don’t have to keep refolding 10 sweatshirts and I don’t have to sort through 15 binders anymore. Tossing out old papers, worksheets and handouts is probably one of my favorite activities.

It’s like an appetizer for the main meal of what’s to come on May 28.

Your backpack feels lighter and a burden has, not just theoretically, but literally, been lifted off my shoulders already.

Next I focus in on the areas where I spend a majority of my time outside of the beloved Shawnee Mission South walls. That would entail my car and my bedroom. For my car, I like to start with it empty, first I will take everything out. I take out every hoodie I threw in my backseat after basketball practice from the wintertime, all the water bottles piled up in my passenger seat, I throw away all the fast food receipts from the late night away games; I purge everything. I then take it through the car wash, vacuum everything and only replace the necessary items while adding a fresh car scent and an emergency sweatshirt. I throw away everything I don’t need in my car and sort through the few clothing items miscellaneously placed in there into the beginning of my “give away” and “keep” labeled piles.

After I have a clean car and backpack, I move on to the biggest task of them all: my bedroom. I start by changing my sheets and making my bed because, in my opinion, a made bed already makes my room look 10 times cleaner. I then focus on the closet, separating cloths between what I want to keep vs. what I need to giveaway. After that I refold, wash, put away or just throw away everything I don’t need. I love sorting, taking inventory and getting rid of or donating the things I no longer use. Spring cleaning is one of my favorite times of year, I finally feel like I can breathe again without all the winter clutter. I feel in control of my life and I enjoy cleaning as it’s almost therapeutic.

So I encourage you all to blare your music, light a candle and clean.

PHOTO BY KYLA HUNTER

SMSOUTHNEWS.COM

doing the least

OPINION / 25

recent movements promote the idea that less is more. by brynn taylor social media manager

m

inimalist living is known most as a person having a minimal, clutter-free environment, which is a large part of it, but it’s so much more than that. the minimalist lifestyle includes looking at the way you spend your time, your money and even the way you think. tiny houses seem to be a foreground of minimalistic practices. from mobile homes, tiny apartments and what seems like an empty box, minimalism comes in many different ways for different people. keeping your environment as minimalistic as possible will ensure a less cluttered and stressed mind. personally, i have noticed that i focus better in a clean space with just a few necessary items, especially when i’m doing homework. clean desk, clean mind. even when i am not working, i feel calmer in a minimal and clean environment. when i am in a crowded or cluttered environment, i tend to feel unproductive and a bit anxious. when you don’t have a lot of clutter, your mind is freed up for more important things to think about. being part of the minimal practice offers much more than just tiny houses; it is a belief. it’s an idea, another way to imagine what the future could be, a future where success and power have another meaning. many believe becoming a minimalist or following the minimalism practice means that your goal is to have the least amount of things, but they couldn’t be more wrong. minimalism isn’t about owning less than 20 or so items; it means owning things that have meaning to your life and don’t weigh you down. the things you own should bring you enjoyment and make you feel a particular way, whether that be liberation or satisfaction. almost everyone owns at least one thing that they don’t really need. while minimalism takes getting rid of stuff to an extreme, if you pick a couple of major items to sell, you could even make a little extra cash. social media is another big thing involving the practice. many minimalist bloggers, vloggers and instagrammers take to their platform to post all about their minimalistic travels, meals and even

their decluttering methods. well known minimalists, joshua fields millburn and ryan nicodemus have helped over 20 million people live meaningful lives with less by using their blog to relay their opinions through their popular posts. they even have their own documentary on netflix. speaking of netflix, a relatively new show called “tidying up featuring marie kondo” came out on jan. 1, just in time for any new year’s resolutions. the show follows a japanese organizing consultant and creator of the konmari method marie kondo, as she visits families to help them organize and tidy their homes. many organizing practices are used to tidy up including feng shui and many other home decluttering practices. to keep it simple, minimalism is a tool that can assist you in finding freedomfreedom from fear, worry, guilt, depression, the overwhelming feeling of the consumer culture we have built our entire lives around. just simple, real freedom. that doesn’t mean there’s anything essentially wrong with owning tangible possessions. today’s problem seems to be the meaning we assign to our stuff; we tend to give excessive amounts of significance to our things, often deserting our well-being, relationships, emotions, our individual growth and the ambition to provide beyond ourselves. detachment from personal objects whether that be clothes, nicknacks, or even homes can be tricky but knowing that weight will be lifted off your shoulders and freedom will soon come, you receive a feeling of relief which will enter your mind and heart, making a better you.

26 / A&E

BATTLE

of the

THE PATRIOT

BRANDS

BY MILAD JAHANI REPORTER & ANSLEY CHAMBERS COPY EDITOR

PHOTOS BY TRINITY CLARK

HULU

A

T

and news, HBO and Showtime. According to a study by Reelgood, Hulu also has more “quality” and “high-quality” shows (shows which have an IMDb score of at least 6.5 and eight) than Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Showtime and HBO. While Hulu does not have as many original shows as Netflix, they make up for it through their clean interface and rights to series like “The Bachelor,” “Saturday Night Live” and “Good Morning America”. Furthermore, Hulu trumps Netflix through its rights to provide big hitting late night shows like “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” “The Late Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and “Late Night with Seth Meyers”. So the next time you think about queuing up Netflix to binge watch your favorite show with a bag of Hot Cheetos in your lap instead of doing your chemistry homework, turn on Hulu for a change.

VS with pretty accurate recommendations. All of this makes finding new shows to watch much easier than Hulu.

Say you find a new show to watch. On Hulu, you run the risk of only having the most recent seasons or episodes available.

Netflix almost always has the full series.

Netflix also comes out with many original serieses on a regular basis. Some are kind of worthless, but many blow up with popularity. “Stranger Things”, “13 Reasons Why”, “Orange Is The New Black”, “Birdbox”, “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before” and “Sex Education” are just some of these Netflix Originals.

Name one Hulu show that blew up. “The Handmaid’s Tale” is probably their biggest accomplishment, but even that is nothing in comparison to “Stranger Things”. The only thing Hulu has going for it is the ability to watch “The Bachelor”.

RESULTS FROM A @SMSPATRIOT TWITTER POLL OF 78

85%

NETFLIX

oday there are so many different streaming services to watch TV shows and movies, but Netflix and Hulu seem to take the lead. Both provide an abundance of entertaining hours; however, Netflix is clearly superior, having 137 million subscribers compared to Hulu’s 25 million.

While Hulu is cheaper, there is a reason for that. Netflix can cost $8.99 a month for the most basic plan and $15.99 for more available options. There is also the standard $12.99 plan. You can pick whichever plan suits your needs best.

Netflix is significantly more user friendly. The layout is very simple and makes it easy to find the shows that you have been watching, that are on your list and that may be of interest to you. If you’re looking for a specific type of show to watch, it is very easy to find various genres of shows and movies. Netflix also comes up

s an owner of both Hulu and Netflix memberships, I can tell you there’s a reason why I always choose to stream on Hulu. With over 4,200 shows and movies, it’s impossible to get bored, especially with shows like “Atlanta,” “South Park” and “The First 48”, which appeal to every possible demographic.

Hulu has repeatedly shown its dominance over Netflix by stealing shows and movies like “Naruto,” “Family Guy” and various Disney movies, all while being available at a cheaper price than Netflix. Hulu starts at $5.99 per month, while Netflix starts at $8.99 per month. Because Hulu is owned by large media companies like 21st Century Fox and Disney, new episodes of shows are usually available the day after they air on TV, while Netflix users have to wait until the season ends. Hulu also offers various add-ons such as live streaming of sports

15%

SMSOUTHNEWS.COM

STAN

A&E / 27

invasion

There’s a thin line between being a fan and having an unhealthy obsession.

PHOTO BY NAOMI MITCHELL

F

ans sending odd things in the mail to their celebrity idols, breaking into their idol’s house, getting tattoos of a celebrity’s face… sounds like a weird story, but it’s happened. All of these instances are examples of the crazed fan, also known as stan. A stan is an overzealous maniacal fan for any celebrity or athlete. This word was invented by Eminem in his 2000 song by the same name, in which he describes an obsessed fan of his. Recently, stan culture has become a constant facet of social media. Stans are constantly active on different celebrities’ Twitters and Instagrams. When rapper Mac Miller died, his stans left mean comments, or trolled, his ex, singer Ariana Grande.

Beatles member John Lennon was murdered by a crazy fan.

The recent scandal in which reality TV star Khloe Kardashian’s boyfriend cheated on Kardashian with social media influencer Kylie Jenner’s best friend, Jordyn Woods, has caused Kardashian stans to troll Woods’ website and social media.

The first stan culture moment I remember was the One Direction craze. As a teenage girl, I witnessed many of my friends in hysterics after the boy band broke up. One of my close friends routinely gets updates on the boy band 5 Seconds of Summer.

Another one of my close friends cries over Brockhampton

BY AVERY WOODS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

frequently. And though I’m not one to judge – everyone has their passions – I feel that stanning can be detrimental to both those fans’ mental health and the mental health of celebrities.

Fans who obsess over celebrities to the point where they’re tracking the celebrity’s every move risk entangling their life with the celebrity’s life. This can cause the celebrity’s problems to become the fan’s problems and events in the celebrity’s life significantly impact the fan’s life. Thus the fan’s mental health can come into question as they are so focused on somebody else’s life that they can’t separate it from their own.

Additionally, stans can often negatively impact celebrities.

Leaving mean comments on a celebrity’s social media just because that celebrity was beefing with the celebrity that they stan is detrimental to the celebrity’s mental health. Celebrities have died from their crazy fans. They’ve been put in danger because of their fans or other celebrities’ fans. I’d be stressed if I couldn’t go outside without being bombarded by people.

The bottom line is that we should stop normalizing stan culture. Yes, it’s fun to support celebrities, to enjoy their music, to keep up with their lives, but there’s a line between supporting and obsessing that too many people have crossed.

On Dec. 8, 1980, John Lennon was shot and killed by crazed fan Mark David Chapman.

KPOP star Taecyeon was given a letter from a fan written in her period blood and sprinkled with her pubic hair.

Jared Leto received a package from a fan that included her own ear.

Zachary Self, a man from Overland Park, broke into Lana Del Rey’s vacant home and was found in the garage.

28 / A&E

THE PATRIOT

IN NEED OF SECOND CHANCES Shows on Netflix that deserve another season.

BY MEGAN SMITH SPORTS EDITOR

PHOTOS COURTESY OF IMDB

Dear White People

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his show is based on a movie of the same name, following students at a primarily white Ivy League school.The main character, Samantha White, navigates being black in an environment wrought with racial bias and conflict. This show, while it does make viewers laugh, does so only to make the truth easier to bear. Through the use of irony, brutal honesty and humor, “Dear White People” shows viewers the issues that people of color in college and modern society face. Its social commentaries about racism, politics and activism are ones that the world needs more of today.

Parks and Recreation

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he last couple episodes of “Parks and Recreation” summed up about 30 years of the characters’ lives. I think this show was deserving of another season to show how all of the characters ended up where they did.

The last few episodes could easily have been stretched into at least another hilarious season that everyone would enjoy. In an interview on Ellen last year, actress Amy Poehler said that she would “absolutely” consider making another season of the show and that her costars “would all do” more episodes.

The End of the F***ing World

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his show, similar to “Dear White People”, is based off a previous work.

It was based off the comic series “End of the F...ing World” by Charles Forsman and follows two 17 year olds, James and Alyssa, on their road trip across England. While the show ends with a main character’s presumed death, there was never any confirmation that they died and the show could very well have another season. “End of the F***ing World” is a compelling journey of self-discovery and is an atypical coming-of-age story with messages that everyone watching can relate to.

RATINGS

NETFLIX

TV-MA IMDB

6.3/10 MEGAN’S

9/10

RATINGS

NETFLIX

TV-14 IMDB

8.6/10 MEGAN’S

8/10

RATINGS

NETFLIX

TV-MA IMDB

8.1/10 MEGAN’S

8.5/10

SMSOUTHNEWS.COM

the WRIGHT way

Students share writing at professional

BY ANNALIE POLEN SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER theater. ehind the scenes of some of your favorite plays, comes an equally difficult task:

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the writing. Some students here at South have gotten an inside look on what it takes to write and see how plays are written at the Coterie Theater. These students got the opportunity to be a part of the Coterie Young Playwrights Roundtable, a place where they get to showcase their writings, after being selected in middle school based off of their writing skills. In order to keep this position, the young writers must attend three of the Coterie shows a year, which are professional productions, attend the meetings and bring in something to share at some of the times they meet.

“I’ve just always loved to write and I wrote a book and I wrote all these other things and then I wanted a new challenge so I started play writing. Also because of my love for theater, I got to bring my two worlds together,” sophomore Maria Heath said.

Heath has written a one-woman monologue about current events that she was able to perform at the showcase last year. Like Heath, sophomore Seneca Sims has also had the opportunity to write for the Coterie.

“They’re aren’t a whole lot of places that I know of at least where young people can share their writing and have it be performed, because obviously we’re kids still, so it’s not like any big theaters are trying to perform our work. This is a place where we can work on stuff and get and give feedback,” Sims said.

STAR SENIORS

Seniors up for local arts scholarship.

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BY ADDIE SOYSKI CIRCULATION MANAGER

outh has many talented artists, photographers and actors, though they’re not always recognized. The Shooting Stars Awards Program celebrates Johnson County students in the arts through a recognition gala in April as well as scholarship money: nine first place scholarships of $1,400, nine $700 second place scholarships, and none teacher honorariums of $350. South has 7 finalists including Nick Velicer, Fernanda Fergoza, Miah Clark, Katie Horner, Ashley Hayes, Annie Barry and Leah Lissauer. Students were nominated by their respective teachers. For senior Leah Lissauer who is a finalist for theatre performance, her nomination came from her theatre teacher, Mark Swezey.

“I was nominated by my teacher Mark Swezey and before the competition I had to perform a monologue and a solo. So I had to prepare those two pieces for about three or four months before and then I performed them for some judges. He nominated me based off past roles that I had…” Lissauer said.

Lissauer practiced with accompanist Kim Gibbs for about a month in order to prepare her pieces. When she did perform, it was filmed so that it can be played at the celebratory gala.

While Lissauer was perfecting her solo and monologue, senior Katie Horner was compiling a portfolio of ten pieces of art; five having dimension guidelines, the other five not.The piece that she won for is a set of 2 vases from this portfolio. While the scholarship money is recognition of artists’ talents, the award means more than that for many of the finalists.

“I think it just means the level of my art is good enough to compete against other people’s. I think it’s really cool to be able to take a special type of dirt and make it into something really cool,” Horner said.

A&E / 29

COTERIE

YOUNG WRITERS Heidi Welkner Freshman

Megan Bogner Freshman

Maria Heath Sophomore

Seneca Sims Sophomore

Sofia Dadkhah Sophomore

Miah Clark Senior

SHOOTING STARS NOMINEES Literature Miah Clark

Photography Annie Barry

Production & Design Ashley Hays

Theatre Performance Leah Lissauer

3D Art

Katie Horner

2D Art

Fernanda Fregozo

Winds & Percussion Nick Velicer

30 / FEATURES

THE PATRIOT

THE LOOK.

BY ABBY COX PHOTO EDITOR

ADIDAS Pharrell Williams Human Race $250 ADIDAS

CONVERSE Comme des Garcons collab $180 CONVERSE

ASICS Gel Lyte III $140 ASICS

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My style icons are probably like Pharrell Williams or Tyler the Creator.

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JUNIOR JACKSON KELLER Everyone looks at your shoes first.

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SMSOUTHNEWS.COM

ADS / 31

32 / FEATURES

PERFECT POTTY PASS

THE PATRIOT

The quirky, cute, and crazy bathroom passes of South.

“The Potty Protractor” Mr. Bervert

“Chemical Waste” Mr. Hodge

“Gladiator Helmet” Mr. Dixon

“Potty Pass” Mr. Tinich