The Paw Print Volume III, Issue 4

pawPRINT VOLUME III ISSUE 4

KANSAS CITY CHRISTIAN SCHOOL | PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KAN. | APRIL 24

kansas city’s

s e r u s a e r t n e d d hi

Predicting success for Kansas City Royals

Senior class serves in Trinidad and Tobago

Go to Neverland with the spring play

table of contents 3 Be royal 4 Opinion 6 Setting the stage 8 KC’s hidden treasures 10 Trini 2k14 12 Flashing triangles 14 Heartbeat of the

staff co-editors

Kayley Forshey Maddy Hardt

staff writers

Olivia Madderom Grayson Bohlender Alyssa Elliott Turner Jones MaryElieen Kucera Josh Willis Ashley Moore

nighttime 16 Junior Senior banquet The Paw Print is the high school newspaper of Kansas City Christian School. It is an open forum and is distributed to all students.

This is a student publication and may contain controversial matter. Kansas City Christian School and its board members and employees are not responsible for the content of this student publication. Students and editors are solely responsible for the content.

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adviser

Kylie Briggs

Success may lie ahead for the Kansas City Royals Josh Willis

staff writer As a Kansas City Royals fan, I know the pains of heartache. For all of the 18 years of my life, I have seen time and time again where our beloved Royals have failed to live up to their expectations. And I have only been a conscious and avid fan for the last few years. There are people much older and wiser than me that have been disappointed again and again by the Royals.

To say that the Royals are in a drought is an understatement. Typically, a drought lasts several years, 10 at the most, and then the rain come and it is hopefully over for a while. In this case, the rain are the playoffs.

The Royals are in much more than a drought. They have not been to the playoffs since 1985, the year they won the World Series. I’m no math guy, but I know that is a long time. Twenty-nine years to be exact. Twenty-nine long and stressful years with seasons plagued by disappointed fans and no results. Like farmers waiting for rain, so too have Royals fans been waiting patiently for a chance to be proud of their team again. But there is hope. After all these years, the rains might come. This could very well be a year of redemption.

The Royals 2013 season was arguably our best season since 1985.

Not only did they finish 10 games above .500, but they also had the winningest record in the American league following the all-star break.

After starting the season at a mere 8-20 record, it would have been easy for them to fall apart yet again. But they didn’t. They battled back, and toward the end of September they were battling for a playoff spot. Wait, the Royals battling for a playoff spot? I had trouble coming to grips with it myself. Last year, as October drew closer, the Royals saw the most fan

excitement and involvement in a long, long time. The entire city was actually supporting their team, and people were actually going to games late in the season for more reasons that just a social event. Last year, the boys in blue gave us a glimmer of hope.

After their performance last year, expectations are even higher for the 2014 season.This year, the Royals gained new weapons in Omar Infante, Danny Valencia, and Norichika Aoki that will add to our lineup both offensively and defensively. Last year, we had one of the best overall bullpens in the major league. Although we lost a key starter, Ervin Santana, we signed a dangerous lefty, Jason Vargas. Along with these new additions, we are also returning most of our players from last year, and they have all matured for the better this year. So far, third baseman Mike Moustakas is shining. After last year, most people thought he was a lost cause, only batting a mere .183. But he has finally broken out and is looking like the star he was projected to be. Overall, the 2014 Royals are looking like a team that could finally make our city proud of them again.

"It's a fun team," Ned Yost, manager of the Royals said in an interview with espn.com. "When young teams grow into their confidence and they're athletic and have a lot of energy on the field, fans gravitate to that. It almost allows them to participate in the game.”

And, yes, the Royals are a young team. The Royals have the second youngest average age in the majors, only behind the Houston Astros.

All around spring training camp, the two words being used to describe the 2014 Royals were “athletic” and “fun.” They run on and off the field with a kind of enthusiasm and energy that everyone can see. I don’t know about you, but that sounds like the kind of team I would want to go watch play.

All this to say, the Royals have a chance to do something special this year. And while they are off to a bit of a shaky start at 5-7, they have shown signs of improvement in a lot of areas. Our new additions are doing exactly what the Royals want them to do. Our starting pitching has the fourth lowest ERA in all of the MLB. The baseball season is a long one, and they still have 150 games to go. If they can get their bats going, they could be a force to be reckoned with.They have a chance to bring back hope to a city desperate for their beloved boys in blue to make them proud. So don’t write off the 2014 Royals yet. They could surprise you.

PHOTO BY ASHLEY MOORE

Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar high-fives Billy Butler, the designated hitter after he scored a run during spring training.

opinion 3

We are one big, happy family an opinion

by GRAY

BOHLENDER

“How many siblings do you have, Gray?” is a question I get asked frequently.

“I have eight - three brothers, five sisters.” is always my truthful response.

“No, I know, but how many of them are your real siblings?” is somehow the next most common question that gets thrown at me. And, to be honest, it makes me tear up.

I know what they mean. I know they are asking how many kids my mom has had in a biological sense. But with my great big family partially being adopted, people seem to discount the fact that they’re still my brothers and sisters. Truthfully, without thinking for a minute, I couldn’t distinguish my adopted siblings from my “real” siblings. We are family, and families don’t operate in a fashion of “who came from where,” but in a fashion of “where we all are going together.”

Encouragement impacts lives an opinion

by ASHLEY

MOORE

I heard somewhere that people are like hot air balloons. As the burner is released, the balloons rise into the sky. Eventually they begin to sink, needing to be refueled. The balloon needs the burner to constantly fuel it to keep soaring.

People are like this. They need to be constantly filled in order to reach their highest potential. The fuel is encouragement, and the source of that encouragement is you. It’s incredible what can happen to someone once they receive a little encouragement.

Whether it be a sports team about to play a game, someone giving a class presentation, or maybe even someone who seems a little down, everyone needs affirmation. People need to know that they have done well, and telling them will help them continue to strive for excellence.

Something I’ve found is that when someone is encouraged, it gives him the confidence to work harder. A genuine, “I’m proud of you,” from a teacher to a student might seem like a simple thing to say, but I’ve seen ordinary statements of encouragement like this go a long way. It could give that student the extra boost of encouragement they need to strive for the higher grade or the better paper.

Growing up I was always “the girl who never talks.” I’ve learned to embrace my nickname over the years, but that’s besides the point. I was always apprehensive about doing things, whether it be speaking up during a group conversation or giving a presentation in front of

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A little bit of it I understand. I wasn’t old enough to have previously considered much the fundament of adoption when my parents got the call asking if we wanted my first little sister, Savannah Zoe Bohlender.

But when I thought about it then, it felt weird that a Bohlender was being born from a non-Bohlender. Even stranger, a Bohlender was going to be a different color than I am. In theory, Zoe didn’t seem like my sister. From the moment I laid eyes on her deep brown eyes and head full of hair, though, I knew she was. She was my princess from the get-go and was never not a Bohlender.

Those calls have become more regular around my household, and the idea of adoption seems just as fluid as any means of welcoming a kid into a family. It definitely doesn’t feel any less legitimate. It doesn’t feel like a service to Zoe, Anna, Mercy, Cadence or Pudge, either; not like we did them favor because we are the middle-class white family to their underprivilaged minority. Zoe’s eerily-revealing wisdom, Anna’s keenness to the prophetic, Mercy’s gentle role as the mediator among sisters, Cadence’s unquenchable joy and the way Pudge balances out the Princess Tribe’s drama with an acute love for all things dude-related those are things that have become pivotal to our family dynamic. They aren’t afterthoughts, but my family.

So, I guess what my answer should be to that question should just be to repeat myself.

“I have eight - three brothers, five sisters.”

the class. Every once in a while, someone would step in and give me an encouraging “go for it” nudge. Whether it be a teacher, a friend, or family member, it never ceased to give me that necessary ounce of affirmation I needed, and ultimately everyone needs.

Even something as straightforward as a smile can be a huge encouragement. I know I’ve had days where things don’t seem to be going right, and a smile from someone has made all the difference. A smile is a sign of approval, and can give someone the encouragement they need to get through the day.

Filling others’ balloons will help them reach their full potential, but that’s not the only thing it does. Providing the fuel to launch someone’s hot air balloon will provide fuel for your own. Think back to the last time you encouraged someone. How good did it make you feel? The thing about encouragement is that it’s a give-and-take mechanism.

Encouraging someone provides enough fuel for the encouragee and encourager. So be an encourager. Fill people’s balloons.

Who is your biggest encourager? sound off: what is your favorite book?

“My sister because she listens to me when I need to talk and gives great advice.”

-freshman Maya Mastin “My mom and dad because they come to all my games and support me in my athletics.”

-freshman James Kucera

God just loves to hear us an opinion

by KAYLEY

FORSHEY

You know that thing all Christians do when they say the same old prayer before every meal? You know, the “Dear God, thank you for this food, bless it to our bodies, Amen” prayer that has become sort of a habit? Have you ever forgotten to say that prayer? Once, when I was younger, I forgot and I looked horrifyingly at my dad with half of my burger gone and said, “Dad! We forgot to pray!”

He just said, “The Bible says to pray without ceasing,” and then laughed at the absurdity of it all.

It is kind of strange isn’t it? That I freak out over not praying over my hot cheetos and chicken wings before devouring them. Or I forget to pray in the morning or at night before I go to sleep, and then I beat myself up over it. I get so angry at myself for drooling in sleep instead of praising the God of the universe.

Then that verse my dad quoted pops into my head, 1 Thessalonians 5:17, and I get a much-needed slap in the face.

While I don’t think the verse actually means to literally never ever stop praying from the day you are born to the day you die (I’m almost positive that’s physically impossible; we all fall short), it does put some things in perspective. My daily life should revolve around God so much that I’m talking to Him all the time. When I say “talk to God,” I mean just simply telling Him what’s on my mind or how I feel about things or even if I thought something was funny, in addition to praise and requests. God just loves to hear us; He wants us to tell Him about our day, express our passions to Him, show our frustration, and simply be ourselves with Him. I’m going to be honest. Usually, the only moments I’m purposefully spending my entire day just talking to God is when I’m lonely. It’s as if I think, “Well, since I don’t have my best friends, I guess I’ll talk to God.” It’s not something I’m particularly proud of and I’ve been trying to work on it. I’ve come up with a few tips for myself, and for others who may have the same trial, to help encourage that constant dialogue with our personal Creator: 1. Tell God when you are angry or frustrated. This usually helps me to calm down and think before I speak or act. It goes without saying, but I’m going to say it anyway: God is an incredible listener. And somehow, with His unfailing peace, expressing my anger to Him instead of to the person I’m actually angry at prevents strife. Then, I can go with a light heart to work through my problems with others.

2. Tell God when you are happy. When I’m in one of those moods where I can’t stop smiling, telling God, “God! I’m so happy!” makes me even more happy. I get all giddy for no reason and feel like a total idiot, but I love it!

3. Ask God questions. Whether it’s as simple and silly as, “Why don’t clouds fall?” or as profound as “God, where is my life headed?” God made us curious people and wants us to just ask lots of questions.

Our days should be filled with continual discussion with God, this way we are walking in Him in all we do and growing closer in our intimate relationship with Him.

staff editorial Don’t wait for senior year to serve!

As the plane lands to a bumpy stop on a dark, warm night in Trinidad and Tobago, KCC seniors decked out in sweatpants and chacos lift their sleepy heads among the other passengers, uncontrollable smiles plastered on their faces. Their senior mission trip had officially begun.

The tradition of the senior year mission trip has led to senior classes bonding year after year through service, and this year is no exception.

Clearly, classmates bond. But, that closeness seems to be postponed until senior year. We, the Paw Print Staff, believe classes should serve together before their senior year to strengthen class relations and help the local community.

Currently, groups like SLi and STUCO will serve as an organization, and it always results in closer community within that group. But, the classes themselves don’t serve until their mission trip. Class officers could easily organize service opportunities before their senior year.

Kansas City offers many service opportunities and the city needs those who are passionate about serving. Organizations KCC students have worked with in the past, such as Mission Southside and City Union Mission, are always looking for volunteers. And those are just two out of hundreds.

We as Christians are called to love our neighbors. KCC is good at loving self and immediate community by creating events to serve the student body, but not as good at creating events to serve others. Class serving is a great opportunity to reach people beyond the KCC bubble.

Administrative assistant Nancy Payne went on a mission trip to Trinidad and Tobago four years ago. She saw students grow individually through new experiences and grow closer to one another.

“I saw them [the students] grow in service. On those kinds of things, you are asked to do things you’ve probably never done before and you don’t really have the opportunity to say ‘no’,” she said. “The sponsors assigned rooms, and we tried to put people in with people they didn’t really spend time with here [at KCC]. The most common comment I hear after every mission trip is, ‘Gosh, I wish I had gotten to know that person before the mission trip.”

Students should not wait to experience this growth. Class officers should make a point to find other ways to serve before going on a mission trip. Whether it’s as simple as volunteering at a homeless shelter on a Saturday with your class or spending a week out of the summer to offer up your class’ service to an organization in need, serving together as a class is important.

Letters to the editor are encouraged. Letters must be signed by the author to be considered for the publication. The Paw Print encourages letters to be no longer than 500 words.

Letters should be submitted to room 311 or mailed to: The Paw Print c/o Kansas City Christian School, 4801 W. 79th St., Prairie Village, KS 66208.

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PHOTO BY KYLIE BRIGGS

During the matinée, freshman Daniel Owens as Michael Darling pets senior Anna Rackley as Nana.

PHOTO BY KYLIE BRIGGS

While infiltrating the Lost Boy’s camp, juniors Thomas Rolston and Laryn Elliott laugh at the evil plan Rolston, playing Captain Hook, had just proposed.

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PHOTO BY ALYSSA ELLIOTT

Junior Thomas Rolston laughs at an off-stage remark. Rolston played the humorous Captain Hook in “Peter Pan and Wendy.”

PHOTO BY ALYSSA ELLIOTT

Senior Kayley Forshey “flies” on the shoulders of director Brian Miller. “The first time it was really scary, but with lots of practice he [Brian Miller] was able to spin me around without falling. The audience would laugh every time we flew because I’m sure I looked ridiculous.”

PHOTO BY LAUREN SMITH

During dress rehearsal, senior Kayley Forshey as Peter Pan admires her shadow.

Setting the Stage

Follow the cast and crew of “Peter Pan and Wendy” from rehearsal to the final performance

Alyssa Elliott

staff writer

The lights dim and a hush falls over the audience as senior Elisa Davis slowly moves from behind the curtain. The spotlight illuminates her as she begins to tell the story of “Peter Pan and Wendy.”

However, before the show can begin, hours of work are put in by the students involved in the performance. The cast stayed at school until at least 10 p.m. every night in the week leading up to their two shows.

When students spend hours doing the same performance on repeat, they decide to mix it up every once in a while.

“One day we were running through our scenes in class and all of a sudden everyone just randomly started talking in different accents,” senior Madeline McCully said. “We would change our accents every few lines.”

McCully has been in six plays at KCC and portrayed Wendy Darling alongside senior Kayley Forshey who played Peter Pan. For her, “Peter Pan and Wendy” was something new in her acting career.

“This play is so different from any play we have done,” McCully said. “[It] requires the audience to use a bit of their imagination.”

Though the audience may have needed their imagination for some parts of the play, director Brian Miller brought in a friend of his to choreograph the sword fight between the lost boys and the pirates to give the kabuki-style performance a professional twist. It required junior Thomas Rolston, as Captain Hook, and Forshey to learn complex choreography.

Prior to the performance Rolston said, “I’m nervous about the fight.

There is a lot of running on top of high objects.”

“Peter Pan and Wendy” was different from previous KCC plays. Often the drama department performs period productions, meaning they take place in different time, and the costumes are relatively simple, with many being readily found in prop loft above the stage. For “Peter Pan and Wendy” the costumes were drastically different. Because of this, Miller looked around the city to find costumes for their characters, like a full-body dog suit for senior Anna Rackley as Nana.

“It was really fun getting to dress up as an animal and wear that dog costume, also known as a sauna,” Rackley said. “The Neverbird costume was really fun too. I loved the bright colors and the feather mask. It was awesome being able to crawl around on stage and not worry about lines or anything.”

This spring play had more than just a different style, it also had a new director. Miller joined the school as a long-term sub in January. He took on the task of directing a play with actors he had never seen perform before auditions. It offered a fresh look at their talents and opened up new possibilities.

“It’s been really fun to try new things in a different way than we usually would have done them,” Rackley said. “I learned how to bark and speak bird.”

When the actual performances arrived, many of the actors felt a rush of nerves on Thursday night.

“I messed up twice so I was kicking myself,” Forshey said. “But overall I had a great time, and I know the cast did. We did better than any of our dress rehearsals, and the audience was really fun to interact with.”

After curtain call of the final performance, Miller took the opportunity to talk to the actors and thank them for all their hard work, giving each of the seniors a small gift. For them, it was the end of an era, but they made an impact on the other classes that younger students will remember.

“This is the only senior class so far that has actually had an interest in the sophomore girls feelings and being friends with us,” sophomore Kaitlyn Burns said. “I had grown to be very close with these girls and I really hate to see them go! I started crying because I was thinking about how this was going to be my last play with them.”

PHOTO BY MITCHELL PIVOVAR

Juniors Laryn Elliott and Luke Patchen, portraying pirates Smee and Starkey, threaten their Indian captive Tiger Lily, played by sophomore Kathryn McKenzie.

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kansas city’s

s e r u s a e r t n e hidd

GRAY BOHLENDER

staff writer

PHOTO COURTESY OF GETTY IMAGES

Kansas City is a phenomenal town , full of personality in storefronts, music and restaurants. It’s a very specific, very defined culture that, once adapted to, is more than easy to feel comfortable in .

Too often kids complain , saying it’s too boring, or too small of a city. Here are four favorite spots and people around town that have helped define this culture, and four reasons that those kids are wrong:

HIDDEN PICTURES As far as local music goes, indie-pop band Hidden Pictures is a Kansas City treasure that deserves mainstream discovery. They root back to a night at the Record Bar, a small venue here in town. Hidden Pictures has two albums out, including a 2008 self-titled album and a 2010 EP called “Choosing Sides”. Their inspirations include artists ranging from Josh Rouse and Sufjan Stevens, and it’s impressive how they fuse a lot of whom they look up to into a sleek and unique style.

COSENTINO’S: Downtown & Brookside When you’re in the Power and Light District, your options for grocery shopping is limited.

You can either drive for a bit to a Walmart or buy from the plethora of convenient store offerings, but a full-fledged grocery store is quite rare in that area. Cosentino’s Market, though, is one of Kansas City’s most original grocery and restaurant storefronts and is located in the heart of downtown.

Whether you’re hankering for a pre-cooked meal or just want to grab some candy before a concert, Cosentino’s offers it all. Its chill atmosphere and open floor plan welcome guests, and its intuitive product organization make finding what you need easy. It’s a quaint comfort in the hubbub of downtown, and I think that’s what city-grocery should be.

PHOTO BY GRAYSON BOHLENDER

LOLLICUP

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Sometimes you don’t want a fresh new spin on something or an innovative take on an old classic.

Sometimes you just want a good cup of lemonade, and River Market’s Lollicup makes a great one.

LITTLE FRESHIE

It’s hard to look classy with a snow cone in-hand, but Little Freshie’s distinct flavors and other creative offerings make it easy to look fly, This shop is located in the Westside.

HI HAT COFFEE: Westwood Hills Kansas City is for sure a coffee town. With local java chains like The Roasterie and Parisi, along with single-store operations like Broadway Coffee and Quay, it’s hard to deny coffee as a major player in the fundament of Kansas City culture. Kansas Citians are coffee critics, too, hailing their favorite local shops as “Stumptown before it was cool” and cringing at green-strawed iced mochas from their biggest prejudice in the industry. If you’re looking for a truly small local joint, though, and a great cup of joe, you won’t have to drive far down State Line before you hit Hi-Hat Coffee.

Hi-Hat has one of Kansas City’s smallest storefronts of any kind. It has mostly outdoor seating, and you could miss it if you blinked. Nestled in the heart of Westwood Hills, though, it’s one of my favorite spots in the city. It’s a shop with friendly baristas, creative drink offerings and a completely distinguishable atmosphere. Hi-Hat Coffee is a tight squeeze, but completely worth the pit stop.

PHOTO BY ASHLEY MOORE

PROSPERO’S BOOKS: Westport If you’re into old books and love the Westport area, Prospero’s on 39th Street is a “must”. With two floors of books and vinyls, ranging from 1950-oldballs to new releases, it’s got by far the most interesting selection in the city. No matter if you’re into unknown music artists or an unknown cat species, you’re bound to find something in this gem of a store.

More than selection, though, Prospero’s is often praised for its atmosphere. Its rustic basement, kept very well organized and tidy, is somewhere you could spend hours in. It wouldn’t be tough to get a stack of 10 or 12 books and explore them for an entire day down there. Upstairs, with the newer releases and more classically-searchedfor books, is less rustic but just as clean. It’s a quirky spot on 39th and Genessee that has been tailored to the adventurer and to the book lover and to anyone wanting to waste quite a bit of time.

PHOTO BY ASHLEY MOORE

SYLAS AND MADDY’S

For the best homemade ice cream around, Sylas and Maddy’s is your spot.

Located in Olathe (by AMC 30), this shop boasts all original flavors such as the popular Maddy’s Mud.

MARIO’S

Taking the classic grinder sandwich to a new-level, Mario’s in Westport makes a killer hot sandwich at a great, affordable price.

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trini 2k14 PHOTO COURTESY OF MARYEILEEN KUCERA

SENIOR CLASS SERVES PEOPLE OF TRINIDAD JOSH WILLIS

staff writer

About 2,836 miles from Kansas City, there is a small island, roughly the size of Delaware, that is just off the coast of Venezuela. While this island may have little or no significance to most people in this city, or even this school, the island of Trinidad holds a special place in the class of 2014’s hearts.

After 12 hours of traveling, the seniors finally arrived in Trinidad, at 11 at night. Excited yet exhausted, the seniors made their way out of the airport and onto the busses that took them to the TTUM (Trinidad and Tobago Urban Ministries) compound, met some of the TTUM staff, and then headed to bed in order to rest up for what would surely be a week full of hard work.

The first full day in Trinidad was kicked off by going on a tour to two different Hindu temples, followed by a presentation about the culture and major religions of Trinidad. That afternoon, the seniors split into three different groups, each setting out on different busses to the villages where they would be running VBS for the next five days. The three groups then split into smaller groups and walked throughout the villages recruiting kids to come to VBS. “It was awesome when we found kids to come. Sometimes we would walk down a street and just get stared at by a bunch of old men because there weren’t any kids there, but when we did find kids, it made everything worth it,” senior Annie Keel said.

VBS was the main focus of the trip. The programming was unlike that typically seen in America. Most groups hosted VBS in a field, with some concrete and a tent. TTUM had a great vision for VBS because they knew from firsthand experience that it worked. TTUM was started and is still led by a man named Pastor Bachew. While there, the seniors had the opportunity to hear Bachew share his story. Bachew was born

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into a Hindu family in Trinidad, and Christianity was something that was never even discussed. When he was around 12 years old, there were some missionaries from Michigan that came to Trinidad and ended up leading him to Christ, and his life was changed forever. That is the reason that Bachew started TTUM, so he could bring in people to come into Trinidad and share the gospel to kids just like him that had never heard the truth.

Every day consisted of all the boys and some girls playing soccer, cricket, or just chasing each other around. Meanwhile, the girls and some of the younger boys gathered around under the tent for facepainting, crafts, and conversation. The kids particularly loved painting on all of the KCC students’ faces.

At the end of VBS session, all would all gather around and listen to a short Bible story and eat snacks. At the end of the week, each VBS group told the story of Jesus and gave all of the kids opportunities to pray and ask Jesus into their hearts.

Libby Fields got the opportunity to do this one-on-one with a little boy named Rohan.

“He loved everyone there and the last day made a Jesus bracelet, and I helped him ask Jesus into his heart. He loved to pray for his family and friends,” Fields said.

VBS was not the only way the seniors served. During their week in Trinidad, they also had the opportunities to go to different schools, orphanages, a drug rehab center, and even a juvenile detention center.

They proclaimed the good news of Jesus in each place they visited.

“The most impactful part of the trip for me was the orphanage we visited. It was beautiful to see my classmates give those kids love that they have never gotten before,” senior Mariah Rogers said.

While the senior class may have had a little bit of an impact on Trinidad, Trinidad had an impact on the senior class.

“Everybody did something at least a little out of their comfort zone and that shaped us because we all went through it together,” Fields said.

PHOTO COURTESY OF KRISTEN LONEY

PHOTO COURTESY OF KRISTEN LONEY

PHOTO BY MARYEILEEN KUCERA

PHOTO BY LAUREN SMITH

PHOTO COURTESY OF KRISTEN LONEY

PHOTO BY MARYEILEEN KUCERA

Clockwise from top: Alicia Sotelo, Libby Fields and Taylor Breckenridge strike a funny pose with one of their Trinidadian team leaders.

Lauren Smith takes a selfie with a young girl while visiting a preschool.

Madeleine McCully, Mariah Rogers and Michayla Kramer pour dirt while doing construction work on the TTUM compound.

Lizzie Wrablica, Kari Burns, Taylor Breckenridge, Mariah Rogers, Chessie Esposito, Libby Fields and Alicia Sotelo spend an afternoon break relaxing with their feet in the pool.

Kari Burns, Michayla Kramer and Chessie Esposito smile next to an elephant statue at a Hindu temple.

Annie Keel entertains girls while spending time at a local preschool.

Lizzie Wrablica paints a boy’s face during VBS.

PHOTO COURTESY OF KRISTEN LONEY

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Located in the KCC Gymnasium

Flashing Triangles History and symbolism behind the secret society of the Illuminati Olivia Madderom

staff writer

Beyoncé flashes a symbol of a triangle using two hands during a performance at halftime of the Super Bowl game and throws up the hand symbol for 6-6-6 at the Grammys. Miley Cyrus covers one eye with her hand, and on her forefinger has a tattooed eye of Horus. Lady Gaga makes the symbol for 6-6-6 over her eye in music videos. Justin Bieber, Drake, Jay-Z, Rihanna, Kim Kardashian and almost any topnamed celebrity has at some point in his/her publicized career flashed an Illuminati symbol.

But what is the Illuminati?

The Illuminati, meaning “enlightened ones,” was, according to Sylvia Browne, author of “Secret Societies and How They Affect our Lives Today,” allegedly started by a Bavarian law professor, Adam Weishaupt in 1776. He first recruited his students to be initial members of the secret brotherhood. With the purpose of breaking from Catholicism, government, and social order, the Illuminati pursued knowledge and a desire to overthrow countries to establish a new world order, in which Catholicism would be completely destroyed. Weishaupt supposedly joined the Freemasons as well, and some Illuminati followed. This mix of Freemasons and Illuminati planned the French Revolution according to Browne. In the 18th century the Illuminati began to spread across Europe.

The Illuminati, along with the Freemasons, have been linked to almost every covert organization. The Illuminati infiltrated many countries under different names and supposedly was behind the rise of Hitler and the Third Reich. Much like the Freemasons, the Illuminati operate

with a military pecking order on a need-to-know basis. The “Elite,” or the rulers of the Illuminati, represented the top section or “all seeing eye” of the pyramid and controlled everything, supposedly knowing the “ultimate secrets.” After facing persecution, mainly from Catholics, the Illuminati “disbanded” in 1790. However, many believe they simply went underground. Browne also notes, “Of all the secret societies I’ve read about or researched, this one is by far the most vile.”

But is the Illuminati real? Are American celebrities a part of it? KCC students have their own theories on the matter.

“The Illuminati is a secret group of people who have infiltrated the government and use celebrities and people in high power as cover-up for what they’re actually doing,” senior Taylor Breckenridge said. “The people in the Illuminati are not well-known. Their end goal is absolutely world domination.”

Senior Lizzie Wrablica believes the Illuminati are using mainstream stars to confuse any and all Illuminati hunters.

“It’s a secret society of people that are really big in pop culture,” Wrablica said. “They’re figureheads, but there are actually people behind it and are the headquarters for an eventual world-take over.”

Some students think the Illuminati run on a different track geared toward degrading society and demoralizing culture.

“I think [the Illuminati] integrate Satanist things into their music and are putting across their agenda,” senior Libby Fields said. “But I don’t think they’re a secret society that meets and runs the world.”

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heartbeat of the

NIGHTTIME

Workers of the night shift share their stories Gray Bohlender

staff writer

It was midnight, and I was more than out of place at this Waffle House in Grandview, Mo. I had my MacBook out on the bar-style counter, and my chocolate-chip waffles were neglected to my side. Waitresses were the butt of witty bickering between the regulars. Jokes were flying over my head, perhaps a few drunkenly, but the the atmosphere was well-controlled by the girls clad in blue-and-white uniforms. It wasn’t chilled to a coffee shop vibe, but neutralized to where you didn’t feel like you were going to die right then and there. And, for a couple of young waitresses on Main Street Grandview, especially at 12 a.m., neutral was an accomplishment.

This is the mystique of overnight shifts. It’s a work schedule that alters your sleeping patterns and must have some effect on the customers that you serve. Those working it are the counterpart of a day crew, but their 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. shifts entirely alter the social aspect of their job. It’s a shift of people with stories to tell, and they’re stories worth hearing.

“Excuse me! Excuse me,” a man a few seats down grouched at the waitress, “I’d like a black coffee, Michelle. Black. You guys always mess that up.”

The waitress barely glanced at him before she sarcastically said, “So, no cream or sugar this time, Sam?” “Black.”

It was rude, but it was also midnight at Waffle House.

Rude didn’t seem out of the ordinary. The waitress brought him his coffee, though, and his banter continued.

“Can I get some cream in this, please?” snarked Sam, without making eye contact. She obliged, with the pitcher already in her hand. He was obviously a regular, and this was obviously a habit. After having a sufficient amount of cream poured into his cup, he looked at me.

“Hey, did you know,” stuttered Sam, “did you know I walked 20 miles to get this?”

He showed me what he claimed to be his U.S. Army I.D. card. It was a weird thing to utter, but it broke the ice. He told me how the police called him Chainsaw Sam, because he had a chainsaw chain in his hand

14 feature

when he was first arrested.

“I thought it was a bike chain,” he clarified, “but it didn’t work as a bike chain.”

He told me about how good he is at balancing things on his ring finger.

He, without saying it, told me all about what the nighttime customer scene looked like.

By the time my plate was empty of waffles, but not before Chainsaw Sam had time to go through quite a few stories, it was 1 a.m. and time to leave. As junior Turner Jones and I left, we discussed a plan for where we should go next. We hopped on the highway and were heading westward before we realized our mutual hankering for an off-the-record QuikTrip stop. Journalists need wee-hour slushies.

We got our drinks, and gave the gentleman behind the counter what we owed him. He worked there; he was doing his job. Just as I was turning around and ready to leave the gas station, I realized where I was and what I was doing. I reached into my backpack, slid my laptop out of its sleeve and plopped it on the gas station counter. I was going to ask Clemente from QT a few questions.

“I work from 9:30 p.m. to 7 a.m., ” Clemente said, “and it has changed my days big time. I feel like it makes me seem neglecting to my family.

I miss tucking in my daughter.”

He said that he had only been working that shift for a few months and that it was not intended as a long-term solution. It pays his bills for now, though, and it’s an opportunity for him to move to a management position. He seemed confident that a new position would come with a new schedule, and that regardless, God has a plan for him. He recognized a life-altering plot twist as direction from God, and an incremental step forward.

Encouraged by Clemente, Turner and I got back in the car. We decided that a nearby HyVee market would be the ideal place to talk to someone about this shift that we were intrigued by.

We walked into the grocery store, emptier than I’d ever seen it, with just one cashier. She was smiling, helping a police officer check out a bag of apples. She saw us come in and waved as we hurried over. She introduced herself as Linda, who covers the 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift at HyVee. I told her what we were up to, and she was just as giddy about this article as we were.

“Oh, I wanted to be a journalist at one point,” she told us. “I got married

PHOTO BY TURNER JONES

Standing behind the counter, Clemente explains what he gives up to work this shift. Clemente discussed his plan to get promoted and start working during the day.

Waffle House employee, Michelle, jokes with a friend on the other side of the counter. Michelle recognized most customers who walked in that night.

though, and started playing house. Plans change. People change. I was 45 until I got into college.”

After she told us a little bit about her story, which included 21 years of the same hours at the same store, we got to talking about why she felt compelled to work under such an unconventional timecard.

Before I had all my words out of my mouth, she had answer.

She said, “I feel like God put me here. People need to be loved and hugged at nightime. This is the perfect fit.”

I urged her to talk more about what God’s placement looks like, and why she personally felt she was placed there.

Linda said, “I think God’s placing me here because with Internet and texting and computers, people are starved for a kind word at this time of night. People want to be listened to and seem to trust me enough when they come through the line.”

She told me about her regular customers, and each of their reasons for coming in so late. One comes in after he closes at a nearby bar.

A few come in at night just to avoid the “rat race” that comes with shopping during the day. Another few have grown kin with the quirks of nighttime HyVee, including a ceramic frog named Ricardo Alfonzo, Jr. that has become a mascot of the late-shift. His back is bowl-shaped, and Linda’s night-lingering customers can take coins out of him if they are short a few cents.

It’s easy to think that our sleep schedule, our work schedule, and the people that we interact with every day are nearly-universal. We often picture different cultures as places far away, or people of different race or religion. It’s hard for us to think, though, that the world spins 24 hours a day, and we only see a bit of it. Make time for people that it’s hard to make time for. Make time for the night shift.

PHOTO BY TURNER JONES

Linda works the only checkout lane open in an empty HyVee at 3 a.m. She immediately smiled at anyone who happened to walk in.

PHOTO BY TURNER JONES

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Masquerade Ball JUNIOR SENIOR BANQUET

Seniors Kayley Forshey, Hayden McBee, Elisa Davis, Sarah Birchler, Ashley Moore, and Madeleine McCully dress up with crowns and boas.

Juniors Caroline Nichols and Luke Streeter smile before dinner.

Juniors Theo Young and Anna Isaacson grin before the meal.

Juniors Jake Fields, Ellen Lee, and Olivia Madderom stand together for a photo.

Bible teacher Allan Chugg smiles with senior Luke Gromer.

Seniors Libby Fields, Mariah Rogers, and Alicia Sotelo hit model poses.

Seniors Luke Gromer and Maddy Hardt laugh and swing dance together.

Juniors Theo Young, Jenny Jenkins, Brooke Roberston, and Grayson Bohlender show off funny faces during the dance.

ALL PHOTOS BY JOSH WILLIS AND ALYSSA ELLIOTT

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Juniors Jenny Jenkins and Anna Isaacson smile with frosting on their lips during dessert.

Junior Thomas Rolston gives the camera a confused up-close-and-personal stare.

Seniors Taylor Breckenridge and Alicia Sotelo laugh with Bible teacher Allan Chugg.

Seniors Annie Keel and Patrick McEldowney glance back at dance instructor, Leah Miller.