September 2023

A swarm of pink takes over theaters across the country. Young and old, men and women alike all race to the theaters. A chorus of “hi Barbie” is heard above the chatter of people eagerly waiting to see the highly anticipated movie of the summer, Barbie. A transportation back in time to childhood, when playing with dolls and creating imaginative storylines entertained children for hours.

As loved as the Barbie movie was there was also multitudes of criticism.

“pure evil,” because it [reduces] cognitive load on our mind. Propaganda takes into account these tendencies.”

population numbers from the 2020 is African Americans, leading representation with #%.

LeJOURNAL

Transition

Film is very persuasive and can change the way the audience perceives the world.

IN 2008 New York University neurologists conducted a study testing how much effect movies have over our brain patterns. The participants watched an unedited clip of the New York streets for a baseline and then watched 3 different shows while connected to a brain scanner. All the participants had similar results between the 3 shows.

High School | Volume 45 | September 2023

From the creation of motion pictures with classics like Disney’s Snow White to the release of blockbuster films like Greta Gergwig’s Barbie, the movie industry profits. After all, the goal of every industry, every business is to make money. But how far will the film industry go and when does money outway morality?

Films are a medium unlike any other. It is a fully immersive experience engaging the

“In cinema, films lead most viewers through a similar sequence of perceptual, emotional, and cognitive states,” the researchers wrote. “Such a tight grip on viewers’ minds will be reflected in the similarity of the brain activity. By contrast, other films exert—either intentionally or unintentionally—less control over viewers’ responses during movie watching. Films can open us up to new

This should come to no surprise Black Lives Matter social movement gained lots of popularity these years. It is empowering to know social movements do in fact make but where does that put other Latinos make up 20% of the States population, making them biggest minority in the US, yet most underrepresented when it hollywood. In 2022 only 7% of movies had a latino as a lead actor. (maybe a paragraph saying

Regardless of what minorities leads, there is still the question films and shows that portray said culture rather than simply changing of the main character and not Disney did this well with having Berry play the Little Mermaid, Caribbean setting, costume and But how much more powerful would disney princess with struggles americans face today, rather than movie that wasn’t originally meant Take ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ for this movie had cast, crew and were asian american, and made was culturally relevant to them.

In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Universal Senior VP Marketing Fabian Castro said, say, ‘We’re going to target an ethnic Instead we say, ‘We’re going to a culturally relevant invitation

Film and Tv producers have to produce new movies and shows accurately represent and celebrate culturally different our society all that is what sells, minorities market, so why aren’t we marketing

UCLA’s Center for Scholars analyzed over 100 films released to 2019. They compared how much earned in the U.S. as well as its score on Mediaversity, which takes account not just who works on (in terms of gender, race, sexuality, disability status) but whether the authentic, culturally relevant, and

A&E: PAGE 26

They found that films that beow average in diversity made million less on their opening weekend, with a potential loss of $130 million total, regardless if they are known industries, they still took a big

Notre Dame de Sion

Orientation Week and The New Phone Policy

Exploring the up’s and down’s of the current film industry

Taylor Swift’s ‘The Era’s Tour’

say cheese

Dressed up with crazy hair and funny props, the senior class smiles for their school picture Sept. 14. The senior class created a new tradition of seniors dressing up for their school photos. Because they take separate pearl pictures for the yearbook, these photos are only used on their personal IDs. “I thought it was very class of 24’ to go all out,” senior Caroline Hammett said. “And it’s a memory I’ll never forget.”

editors’ ink student space

Hi everyone! We’re your 20232024 Le Journal editors: Ella Alexander, Arleth Guevara, and Lily Wilkin. We are so excited to bring amazing issues to everyone this year!

Welcome to Issue 1 of this school year. We’ve been hard at work in the lab curating the perfect assembly of stories and adventures from students’ summer and the first weeks of school. As we work throughout the year, we hope to bring you stories that broaden your worldview, help you feel connected to the people around you, and most importantly, are fun and interesting.

Flip to pages 20-21 to read about your fellow Sion students going through the recruitment process for their sports.

If you’re more of a spectator than an athlete, we have that too! Go to pages 12-13 to reflect on Sion’s school spirit before, during, and after COVID. This story is sure to get you in the mood to show your school pride!

Now if Koalas or wonderful French food seem like something you’d be interested in, pages 8-9 feature the Sion global exchange. You can also read about AI

and how it can both harm and help artistic creators, and highschool students like yourself, on page 10.

To see what’s going on with many public school districts in the area, and the country, check out our staff editorial (pages 22-23). This story is sure to make you think about the pro’s and con’s of losing a school day.

Finally, take a look at some new things happening at Sion. From painting senior parking spots and silly ID pictures, to new rules and regulations. Our story on the beginning of the school year will help you remember those first moments of being back in the Sion building on pages 4-5.

As a staff we have spent an enormous amount of time and hard work making this issue as perfect as it can be. We hope you enjoy reading as much as we enjoyed creating this experience for you all. As the year progresses, we are so excited to be able to report anything and everything that happens at Sion or in the world. So, with that, grab a snack, get comfy, and enjoy reading issue 1 and we’ll see you on the other side.

Thanks everyone, Arleth, Ella, and Lily

Gioia Serra

I was also not expecting the private photoshoots that brand’s book. I’ve been doing theater my entire life so this wasn’t scary at all for me. Personally, walking solo in front of people is much less nerve-wracking than singing for a crowd of people.

“This is my second season walking with KC Fashion Week. My favorite part is when we get to solo walk down the runway. Something about the crowd made me feel powerful and super confident. Something that shocked me was how early you have to be there before the show. This year my call time was 10 a.m. but I didn’t walk until 8 p.m. that night. We showed up and were put into a queue to get our makeup and hair done with all the other models. I probably waited around 6 hours total to get both my makeup and hair completed.

The walking itself goes by super quick. Once I stepped onto the runway I blocked out the experience and now I don’t remember it. I sort of went on autopilot.

Before the actual show you get one rehearsal to try on the clothes you’ll be modeling, and one rehearsal the day of on the actual runway. Then it’s show time!

I had no prior modeling experience except some for friends’ brands. My best friend Violet Gowin sent me an Instagram post saying they were holding open casting calls the upcoming Sunday and I decided why not! And now this is my second season walking.”

policy policing

The new technology rules that have been implemeted this year have created a divde between the faculty and students.

BY GENESIS MARTINEZ PORRAS WEB EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Prior to this school year, and possibly due to the pandemic, Sion had been pretty lenient about phone use, but new changes made to phone policies have brought students and teachers to a division.

According to the updated Sion Handbook, “Students may not use their cell phones or electronic devices during class, Maisons, Mass or other all-school activities without permission. If used inappropriately, the phone or device will be turned over to the Assistant High School Principal and a demerit will be given.”

Teachers have been enforcing the policy update with an influx of pink slips, and many students have been unhappy with the change.

“I think students should be held accountable for their own education,” junior Aubrey Nichols said. “If a student is on their phone but is still doing well in the class then it shouldn’t matter. If they are on their phone and don’t do well in class then that is their fault and they should figure it out themselves.”

In some cases, however, it might just be a struggle to adjust to this new rule, especially as part of the policy asks parents to call the front office to get in contact with their child, rather than text

them directly.

“I had a pressing matter I needed to discuss with my mother and so I asked politely if I could finish my text to her, and I was turned down,” senior Caroline Vogt said. “This was a health matter I wasn’t willing to share out loud, or to anyone. I had to walk out of the classroom to finish a simple but important text to my mother.”

The policy is meant to help students stay focused, but as parents continue to reach their children directly over text, students faces an increased level of angst.

“It’s scary if you get a text in the hallway that says ‘Call me’ and then you have to go to class and wait for 45 minutes to know what happened,” junior Kate Jansen said.

Besides communication with parents, students also struggle with the policy in regards to playing music and using headphones through mobile devices, during class.

“It’s tough to implement right away. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it, but we haven’t been doing it for so long so the implementation is tough,” psychology teacher Chris Schrieber said. “I understand the pushback from students

because it’s something new so that can be hard.”

The students struggling the most to adjust to the new policy are the upperclassmen.

“I think that being on your phone while something is going on in class is extremely disrespectful,” senior Caroline Hammett said. “But I think the rule went from zero to 100. If we’ve wrapped up the lecture and I’ve finished my homework I feel like we should be able to decompress on our phones.”

Faculty trying to remain a united front on the policy can be difficult, and it doesn’t always feel like enforcement is consistent. But despite the setbacks in implementation, multiple studies, including one in 2022 from the National Institute of Health, found that excessive phone usage can results in compulisive shopping, low moods, anxiety and boredom.

“I feel like people are paying attention and interacting with people in class better as opposed to checking their phone. It limits distractions,” Schrieber said. “We’re addicted to our phones, so we’re trying to get away from that. But I think overall it’s good and it’ll get better as the year goes on as we get used to it.”

PARKING PAINTING PERFECTION

Thhe class of 2024 is the second class of seniors in Sion’s history allowed to paint their assigned parking spots.

Student council president Lucy Shively worked with administrators for permission to allow students to use permanent instead of washable paints. An agreement was reached, and seniors paid a $10 fee to cover the cost of black paint which they will use to re-cover the spots at the end of the year.

“I felt that it would be a good way to keep color on the parking lot, no matter if it meant that we’d

have to paint over it at the end of the year,” Shively said. “[Working with administration] made me think that I have a way with words that I have a way with talking and coming up with solutions so that things can happen.”

For many seniors both this year and last year, painting a custom design took hours of work. If not allowed to use permanent paint, the art pieces would have washed away in a few weeks or after the first rainfall.

“I remember last year a lot of the seniors were disappointed with the fact that even though they asked for permanent paint,

the request was denied,” Shively said. “It rained the weekend after they put all their hard work and love into their parking spot and it was completely gone.”

Seniors were given time in the afternoon Aug. 14 to paint, and many took advantage of those sunny hours and came back throughout the week to work on their spots during cooler times.

“I spent at least four hours on my spot because I wanted it to be perfect,” senior Kate Peters said. “My spot is meant to represent me, and if I worked this hard on it I want it to at least last through the crazy Kansas City weather.”

ORIENTATION WEEK schedule MON

Students cheer from left and right all across the bleachers. Its the first day of orientation week, and the first day on campus for freshmen. The first day of orientation means all school pep rally.

“As a freshman coming into Sion things have been lots of fun. I liked the fun pep rally and how sion is about building a strong community,” freshman Jocelyn Moreno said “I love how Sion welcomed me in opened arms and that just gave me an opportunity to open up more. It didn’t make me afraid and I like how I’m making new friends.”

The atmosphere at the pep rally was buzzing with ecstatic energy, but after the first day the energy dwindled. The following two days were workshops created to help students follow the theme of this year: cultivating connections.

“I liked the returning speakers from Getting Smart,” sophomore Heidi Nance said. “They always bring a good energy and let us engage with one another in a way that’s actually beneficial to us.”

Getting Smart’s mission is “to amplify and accelerate equitable innovations in learning

that empower all people to build capacity, thrive and lead in a complex world. Together with our district, learning organizations and leader partners we are building the future of learning.”

Their workshop taught students about the importance of self awareness, through a presentation in which students had to interact by moving around and conversing with their peers about prompts they were given.

“The best I think were the 2 girls that came and spoke to us and had us move around instead of sitting the whole time,” freshman Jae High said.

There was also a workshop about prayer and meditation, and how it can help you build connections not only within yourself but also with the people around you and a higher spiritual power. Some students found the talk relaxing, and some were overwhelmed with the floor seating and time self reflecting.

“The field trip was very fun but I felt like the activity with Ms. Milazzo was also very entertaining,” freshman Raven Silvers said. “I know that some of my peers were bored with it, but I was not.”

Morning Pep Assembly, complete with performances from drum line, cheer and dance, as well as a rocking lip sync battle between seniors and teachers.

In the afternoonm, freshmen met with Peer Ministers and went through schedules while seniors painted and the rest of the school said hello to teachers.

TUES/WED

First all-school Mass

Maison Breakfast on the field Service trips, presentations and cultivating connections

THURS

Purple Carpet

Senior Tailgate

First day of Classes

1 sophia grantham

2 mae trotter

3 natalie stapp

4 hannah lange

1 4 3

2

feeling batty

Kneeling over the hot pavement, senior Grace Kiewiet paints the iconic superhero symbol on her parking spot Aug. 14. Kiewiet loves Batman, and even dressed up as Lego Batman for Halloween last year. “My spot was inspired by my car Bruce,” Kiewiet said “Which happens to be Batman themed.”

PHOTO | ARLETH GUEVARA

PHOTOS | GENESIS MARTINEZ PORRAS

STARTING OUT WITH

Beginning your first year in high school can be nerve-racking to say the least. You find yourself in a new environment with total strangers and surrounded by a maze of hallways with classrooms of all kinds - except, of course, the one you are looking for.

Playing a sport in the first quarter could be a cheat code to getting involved at Sion quickly.

“It’s nice to be a part of a community within a community,” freshman Evelyn Cramer said. “It’s easier to meet people more personally.”

Cramer has been doing cross country since she was in the fifth grade, so she knew she wanted to keep running in high school.

“I didn’t know anyone coming into Sion,” Cramer said. “But the first day I came in knowing four other freshmen because we ran with each other all summer.”

Most fall sports have summer opportunities to get involved, even though practices typically begin a week or so before school. However, the dance

and cheer teams holds tryouts in the spring of the previous school year.

This means, like cross country runners, there’s a whole summer of practice for these sports.

The team attended two-hour practices twice a week, making for great memories and lots of improvements before the big Rockhurst half time performance Aug. 26.

“Summer practices gave me a taste of what dance team would be like,” freshman Nicole Nana said. “It was super nice to get to know everyone in advance.”

In addition to simply knowing more faces going into Orientation Week, playing a fall sport comes with social experiences and traditions that are tied to the teams.

“One of my favorite memories was when the seniors woke us up for breakfast,” Nana said. “It was a great way to spend some time with my new team

In addition to sportspecific traditions like

attending a Cardinals game while in St. Louis for a field hockey tournament, most teams have group dinners, travel together in buses or vans, and in general get into the routine of seeing one another every day.

“I am glad I played tennis because it gives me something to do,” freshman Jae High said. “It gives me something to look forward to.”

This is High’s first year playing tennis, so not only is she starting a new school but also a new sport.

“Every time we play three-person doubles, it’s so fun because we’re all beginners,” High said. “We have a good laugh each time.”

Even upperclassmen can remember the benefits to starting out their high school career with a fall sport.

“Playing tennis forced me not to procrastinate on assignments because we had practice and game days every day after school,” sophomore Anna McGeeney said. “There wasn’t a ton of time to complete those things.”

Although the social aspects of a

ILLUSTRATIONS | ADDIE DOYLE

WITH A SPORT

sport were important to McGeeney, it was the other nontangeable, studious skills she gained as a player that she remembered from her first year. The work put into classes in addition to a sport can be stressful, but those scenarios build up one’s ability to time manage and balance life well.

“I feel like cheer gave me a community because it’s like a big family,” junior Annie Njogu said. “It brought us together and encouraged me to make unbreakable bonds with people I would have never expected to meet.”

BY ADDIE DOYLE REPORTER

Many freshmen choose to play a sport in the Fall which helps students meet new people before the first day of school.

SISTERS OVERESEAS

The Sion exchange program resumed this summer after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Rising juniors and seniors traveled to Sion schools in France and Australia, staying with host families and experiencing life and school in another country.

BY MANAGING EDITOR CLAIRE BOMA AND REPORTER GABRIELA SWINDLE

ÉVRY, FRANCE Six students step off the plane and head to customs after over 14 hours of travel. They are exhausted and feel gross from the trip, but their spirits are high as they await their first glimpse of France.

French life and culture are extremely different from that of the Midwest. Most of the students attending this exchange take French classes, and embarked on this experience to improve their cultural awareness and speaking skills.

“My [host] family helped me practice French by telling me they would only speak to me in French at certain times,” senior Kate Wren said. “I really enjoyed just learning new words, and I feel like I was always asking how to say new things or learn slang words.”

Those that don’t study the language still learned a lot. The trip helped expand students’ cultural awareness by experiencing the day to day life of France, an opportunity that is rarely available to regular tourists or vacation travelers.

“My family took me to all the tourist places like Versailles and Paris,” junior Ava Pammenter said. “But my favorite was when they took me to a local glassblowing shop. It was unique and I got some gifts for my parents.”

Our students also lived through the daily school experience of our French Sion sisters.

“Going to school there was so different,” Pammenter said. “It was extremely nice and had really good food. They also treated their teachers a lot more formally than we do, they all stood up every time a teacher entered the classroom.”

The French school day starts at 8:15 AM and lasts until 5 or 6 PM, although they typically have one or two hours for lunch. Students take public transportation to school, and they never switched classrooms, instead teachers would move

from room to room.

“What I think was really cool is that they are required to take two languages,” senior Lily Sutherlin said. “Everyone learns English, then students can choose between Spanish and German.”

The educational aspect of the trip didn’t overshadow the fun experiences the students had. Host families took the students to many tourist attractions, shopping and other exciting local activities like the Louver, Eiffel Tower and the Palace of Versailles.

“I felt like I was living in a piece of art,” Wren said. “It’s all very romanticized. We met up with two girls that we met from the Sion conference here in KC at a cafe under the Eiffel Tower and it was just magical.”

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA 9,000 miles away from home, four Sion students traveled to experience a world completely different from our everyday Midwest life.

Students visiting Australia did not face a language barrier like those in France, but instead an accented one.

“[My Host family] taught me how to say water with an Australian accent,” junior Camryn Markey said. “During the trip I started to say ‘mate’ a lot, like ‘Thanks mate’ and ‘How you doing, mate?’”

Students also lived through a school day with our Australian Sion sisters. They attend classes different to ours: Graphic design class, but for floor plans and architecture, sewing class and a food tech class. Each student had 5 classes, and every day was a block day.

“Every morning we would have to look at our schedule to see what classes we had that day.” junior Caroline Weber said. ” My favorite class was Food tech.”

After school the girls went on all kinds of adventures. The students went on different outings, tried new food and saw all

the tourist traps.

“After school we would go to different places in Melbourne, like a park. One day they brought me to see kangaroos, a zoo, and hot springs.” Weber said.

The girls went to Phillip Island Wildlife Center, an organization where you can hand feed over 100 different species of Australian animals, and The Aboriginal Culture Center, a community center where you can walk on nature trails with a museum about the Aboriginal culture.

“My favorite part was going to all the nature centers and seeing kangaroos and koalas,” Markey said. “All the Sion sisters and us saw a pack of 50 kangaroos. We were just going up feeding and petting them. It was so fun, but the koalas were not cute in person.”

Our girls had the opportunity to try new foods like Tim Tam Chocolate, and Vegemite, which are very different from American food. They also brought American foods to their Australian family.

“They don’t have good BBQ,” Weber said. “I gave them BBQ sauce and they didn’t know what to do with it, So they put it on a hamburger.”

Our Sion girls were able to have unique cultural experiences that an average tourist would not be able to have.

“The mom got me a pair of uggs because apparently uggs are really big in Australia. It was cool to experience that, because I would never have thought they were big there.” Markey said

The exchange was a great experience for our Sion students to bond and make connections with our global sisters.

The French students will come to Kansas City to complete the exchange In October and the Australian students in late December/early January.

better together

With the calm waters behind her Junior Caroline Weber is on the pier after an AFL game (Australian Football League) with her Australian Sion sisters. ”My favorite part about the AFL was the way that nobody cheered for the same team, so there was constant competition, and everyone loved it.” Weber said.

art enthusiest

Posing for a photo, senior Kate Wren stands in from of the palace of Versailles on June 15. Her host family took her to many famous museums to satisfy her love of art. “I literally cried in a museum because it was just so beautiful,” Wren said.

PHOTO SUBMISSION | CAROLINE WEBBER

PHOTO SUBMISSION | KATE WREN

Artistic Innovation

Artificial Intelligence’s entrance into the art world is causing creators to rethink AI as a tool.

BY ELLA SATTERWHITE REPORTER

New developments in Artificial Intelligence have caused scandals, concerns, and conversations throughout various art disciplines. Some argue that AI tools will allow for more creativity and provide artists with more time to focus on their craft. Others worry that AI will displace artists, lead to homogeneity in design, and ruin the process of art.

“Part of the perfection that comes with algorithms, the 1001001011 you know, it's just the ones, right?” art teacher Penny Selle said. “What about the triangle and the square and the three and the four and eight and the seven?”

In the music community, increasingly powerful AI threatens artists through both the generation of new material and the use of stars’ voices. With dozens of AI platforms capable of creating songs from scratch, a deluge of new music may soon enter the market without the effort of professional musicians. Additionally, new AI tools allow the average person to create a song using an AI-generated voice. Creators used this technology to create the song “Heart on My Sleeve,”, which used Drake and The Weeknd vocals.

“I'm kind of against it in music,” freshman Cate Karumbi said. “Because recently it has been a lot of famous singers' voices being used as covers that they didn't check off on which could turn into a legal issue.”

In photography, AI photos won the 2023 Sony World Photography award for the creative open category. Photographer Boris Eldgasen, who made the photo, gave a statement that he submitted the photo to see whether photography competitions were prepared for AI images. Sony has stated they were aware the image was AIgenerated and still gave it the award. This led to discussions within the photography community about what constitutes a photo,

and if generated images should be allowed in future competitions. Beyond the realm of fine arts, people worry about more nefarious uses of AI.

“Where I really think there could be issues is when something is an image that's used as evidence,” Selle said. “Something that shows history, something that has been a job to do other than sell a product.”

One method to distinguish AI photos is the digital watermark placed on them by editing software such as Photoshop. While these precautions are not to be discounted, the rapid spread of AI may quickly lead to less regulated editing tools, threatening watermarking methods. Another issue presented by AI is the sheer quantity of images it can produce at inhuman speeds, oftentimes stealing from other artists.

“I think it's an interesting tool, but I personally don't love it,” art teacher Elizabeth Smith said. “To me it's kind of regurgitating a lot of things that are already out there and potentially stealing other people's original ideas. And that gets complicated too, because artists steal all the time. But it feels a little bit generic to me in some ways, it's just kind of recycling.”

This recycling also leads AI to portray sexist and racist ideas, emphasizing traditional gender roles and damaging racial stereotypes. According to Bloomberg reporters Dina Bass and Leonardo Nicoletti, AI consistently generated images of people with lighter skin tones when asked about high-paying jobs and darker skin when asked about lower-paying jobs. The same pattern was reflected between men and women, with men consistently dominating the images of higher-paying job fields.

“I'm not scared of it. I'm almost more sad about it,” Smith said. “It's like a really big shortcut in some ways, and I see the benefit of a big shortcut because I could use more shortcuts with things but like, for me, it's about the process and the trial and error

that lead to more things, and just going right to the final idea, I can't help but think that there's something lost.”

However, AI also has its benefits, such as allowing never-before-possible musical creations such as the final Beatles song planned by Paul McCartney. The song would be made using an AI technology that would extract John Lennon’s voice from an old tape. Similarly, AI can be used to break songs into individual components to easily mix tapes. These programs will make musicmaking more accessible and give artists more flexibility and options.

“It took Ansel Adams probably, I don't know, 50 hours in the darkroom to burn and dodge one of his photographs, black and white of Yosemite right. If an AI can do that in 10 minutes, absolutely,” Selle said. “You're going to get an Ansel Adams-like image, but it's still not going to be Ansel Adams.”

AI can also have simple but enjoyable uses for students. On Canva, a popular site for designing a slideshow, you can now use AI to create custom slideshow templates or graphics based on a text prompt. Artists can use AI-generated images as a starting point or inspiration for their own work. In Adobe Photoshop, even beginners can remove other tourists from their vacation photos or add an absent relative into a photo of a special event. The implementation of AI has already happened, but the future of its use is still to be seen. Art communities will need to consider whether to view and use AI as a tool or an encroacher and create sufficient regulations for either.

“We kind of think of creativity as what is ‘outside of the box’, when in fact, a lot of creativity is just plain hard work,” Selle said. “It's doing things over and over and over again, and when AI can help you do that and help you do it quickly, more power to you literally. You have the power to do things that you couldn't do five years ago.”

WELCOME TO SION

As the 2023 school year begans, Sion welcomes 3 new english teachers.

BY LAUREN HAGGERTY REPORTER

Dr. Furry

Dr. Angela Furry (pronounced “fury”) began teaching English III and AP Literature at Sion after moving from New York to Kansas City.

Furry grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, and decided to move back to Kansas City with her three cats this summer, because she missed being close to her family. The biggest culture difference Furry has experienced is how vehicles and transportation are necessary to get from one place to another.

“I keep wondering where the actual city is,” Furry said.

“In New York everything is very walkable and crowded, but here

Christie Jones is currently teaching academic and ACCP English IV.

Jones looks forward to fulfilling Sion’s mission by making a change for young women, and helping them develop their literacy skills throughout their education journey. She believes that the world still undervalues women and girls, and she wants to create change by helping her students to leave a legacy in life through their words.

Ms. Jones

“I feel it is an honor to be able to help young women discover their unique gifts and talents that they can contribute to the world to create change,” Jones said.

Marina Ganter just began teaching Designing Real World Impacts.

So far, Ganter has really connected with the French roots of Sion, and the all girl aspect. Ganter grew up speaking French in her home with her mom and brother, and later married a Frenchman. She also attended an all girls high school which helped her recognize her own potential thanks to the teachers she had to support her and help her grow.

there is so much more space.”

She has loved reading and English literature from a young age, books became an escape for her and opened a window into the world of imagination. What she loves most about it is that she gets to help open that window for her students and share her love for it.

“I get so much pleasure helping other people, and teaching is a great way of being able to do that,” Furry said.

This year her goal for students is for them to become stronger critical thinkers and readers by having them lead class discussions, and choosing

Jones’ goal for her students is to develop good studying habits, and look at the writing they created and be able to articulate their own growth.

“I want them to see their writing as a contribution to existing conversations that are happening in society,” Jones said.

This year Jones most looks forward to incorporating museums and public art into her curriculum. She wants her students to witness and absorb the beauty of public art all around them, which will help them develop their visual literacy skills as well.

“I want them to make connections to these art pieces

friendships and practice the skills they will need to become tomorrow’s leaders in all fields and disciplines,” Ganter said.

the learning experience they get in class.

“I want my students to feel like they can find and recognize their own personal insights, and then be able to fully develop those insights and share it with others,” Furry said.

Furry is very excited to have class discussions with her students, and hear their insight and interpretations of the books they will be reading, especially ‘King Lear’.

“It is such a wonderful play, and I am looking forward to helping others learn to love it,” Furry said.

and be inspired by them to further ponder humanity,” Jones said.

English was not originally Jones’ plan for her career, but rather medicine because of how much her mother loved the idea of her being a doctor. In Jones freshman year of college she took multiple science classes which was when she decided English was the love of her life.

“My mother eventually got over me not wanting to become a doctor and embraced my new path,” Jones said. “It has been the joy of my life, a true adventure that never gets boring.”

Mrs. Ganter

“I’m excited to play a small role in students’ journeys as they cultivate lifelong

Ganter had an eventful journey to teaching that opened the door to many opportunities. She got to work for National Geographic in D.C. where she got to learn from some of the world’s top writers, photographers, and filmmakers. After, she spent some time in New Hampshire deciding her next steps in life, and from there she decided to apply to KU’s Masters program in Creative Writing.

“Grad school offered

teaching assistantships and that’s when I discovered how much I enjoyed engaging with students,” Ganter said. “Every day I learned something new.”

After graduate school, she swung back and forth between an editorial and teaching career until she got married and pursued her love of travel and food through magazine writing in New York. In 2001, she gave birth to her first daughter which is when she and her husband decided to move back to Kansas City, and eventually she switched back to teaching.

GHOSTEDSpirit

Once, students filled the stands with support at every game, school pride blaring, but in recent years, the emptiness of the stands reveals Sion’s spirit has faded into a ghost of the past.

BY CAROLINE DEACON REPORTER

As the volleyball slams to the ground, awarding the game-winning point, I raise my pom high in the air. “We’re so proud of you, yeah we’re so proud of you.” I chant the words, my smile spreading to my eyes as teammates hug each other with pride. One more wave of poms and I turn back to the student section. And I wonder once again, looking into the empty bleachers, why aren’t more students here to see this?

Once, glory, pride and support floated through the halls of Sion. Spirit screamed through students of every grade. There was constant attendance at games, and love in the hearts of the community. The 2000s were filled with champions and a deep felt comradery between Sion sisters. The liveliness of competition and passion for our school was unmatched.

“We had some games, especially STA games, where we had to move,” math teacher Reynold Middleton said. “We didn’t have enough room to fit in the gym. So we had to play some games up at Avila. Because the whole school would come, the STA students would come, all the parents would come. And the gym just wasn’t big enough.” The spirit that flowed in students just two decades ago is drastically different from the games we experience now.

President Alicia Kotarba, 2002 alumni, was an avid part of the community in her time at Sion, playing in the basketball state championship her senior year. In that championship game, Sion students swarmed the Mizzou stadium, and won Best Spirit, as well as Fan Sportsmanship. The love, support, and admiration for the student athletes is something that is missing in our community now.

“We had a ‘wall of fame’ where any senior who had played a sport for all four years through high school, had her pearl picture with her name and her sports,” Kotarba said. “This lined the hallway entering the gym. I remember as a freshman walking through that hallway thinking it was my goal to get my photo up there with my sports.”

However, as time went on, something within the spirit of Sion began to fizzle out, and when the pandemic hit, Sion’s spirit became a ghost in our halls, occasionally rediscovered in old photos and trophies. Attendance at games faltered and the love for the school, once so fiery and unmistakable, faded into a memory.

“I don’t know what happened, it just gradually started declining,” Middleton said. “I don’t know the cause, but the effect was that the student support and student participation, as far as spectators at games, kept going down. And then when COVID hit, there were no spectators. I mean you couldn’t have spectators, and some games even got canceled.”

In the fall of 2021 the world was recovering. My freshman year was filled with masks and social distancing. The games reopened to the public, however the attendance did not return. Excluding the STA vs. Sion games, attendance consisted only of freshmen thrilled to participate in such a vital part of the high school experience, senior scream team leaders doing their best to bring back the hype that Sion was once admired for, and the cheer team.

As I moved to sophomore year, I was no longer a member of cheer, and I too became part of the problem. Apart from the intercom announcements, I felt out of touch

Why Does Support Matter?

with school spirit. I didn’t know when games were, and when I found out it was usually too late. By talking to my classmates, I discovered many faced the same issues as myself. Not only did students not know about games in time, they didn’t feel the motivation to attend. No one wanted to attend a game without the excitement of a student section.

“I see a lot of the background and all of the ideas we generate as a school to raise the awareness for the different events so that participation reaches new levels,” junior scream team leader Addi Bowes said. “I think the numbers are pretty low for games. I personally have missed a game in the past due to work, a test, quiz, or a lack of transportation. We have been working to fix those problems, but it’s still in the works.”

This year, as I look back, I no longer want our school spirit to be a ghost of the past. There is no excuse now for the way we students ignore the spirit that once graced our halls. For the empty student sections and the nonexistent support. If no one steps up to solve this problem, and students continue their absence from games, the former excitement and spirit of student sections will be lost. Each and every student in the community needs to step up.

“Don’t ask me what you can do to make students come to games,” Middleton said. “Don’t ask Mrs. Brown-Howerton, don’t ask Carmody. This is self reflection; you guys need to ask yourselves: why do I and my classmates not come to volleyball or basketball or field hockey or whatever it is? And figure out ways to correct that. It needs to be cool again to go to games. Cool again to have school spirit. And I think it lost its coolness somewhere along the line.”

School spirit is critical to form connections throughout a school. Bringing comradery to

“It means a lot when people show up to watch a sport because that means they care enough to be there, to take the time to drive out there. “

Kate Suter

“You know everyones watching you, and that makes you nervous, but at the end of it, I’m just so glad when

“It’s the involvement that inspires you to keep being loud and keep cheering. When there’s no one there, it feels like you’re not really cheering for anyone. It’s not a good feeling when no one is there, but whenever people are cheering on the team, it feels so good.”

Denali Sanchez

life creates a sense of solidarity, building a community of people who want to cheer one another on. True, once students were barred from games, encouraged to steer clear of attendance. But it is time for those days to be left behind us. There is something extremely unique about the Sion experience that is too valuable to be forgotten.

“We don’t get the typical ‘Friday Night Lights’ at Sion. We don’t have boys. We don’t have a football team,” senior Maya Neenan said. “So volleyball, basketball, that is our Friday Night Lights, that’s our feel for the student section. It’s so simple to yell out to the sport in front of you, but it unites us so much. I just think [being in the student section]

“When you see all of your Sion sisters come in to watch you dance and cheer you on, it’s amazing. I want every athlete to feel that, that feeling that your whole school is here to cheer you on, its such a surreal feeling. I feel like everyone needs to experience that in their sport.”

Maya Neenan

creates such a great passion for your school if you don’t have it.”

Sion spirit is a part of my high school experience I never thought would be a challenge, or something to fight for. But our spirit has become a ghost of Sion’s past, and as much as we may feel like it doesn’t matter sometimes, the feeling of having friends, classmates, and students you’ve only seen between passing periods, all uniting to cheer on your team, to show the pride and love you have for not just your school, but for the people around you, for the community you are a part of, is not a feeling that should be ghosted anymore. It is time for us to bring our Sion spirit back to life.

juniors

Now Showing Hollywood: the C

rowds dressed head to toe in all shades of pink swarmed AMCs, B&Bs, Cinemarks and local independent theaters across the country July 21. Children, teens, grown men and women of all ages and life stages raced to ticket lines while a chorus of “Hi, Barbie” could be heard among the chatter of people eagerly waiting to see one of the most highly anticipated movies of the summer.

“The Barbie Movie” features the story of “Stereotypical Barbie,” played by Australian actress Margot Robbie, and her journey to discover the human experience.

She begins encountering strange changes which lead her out of Barbie Land and into the real world, where, hilariously, she discovers that dolls haven’t solved all the world’s problems. Ken, played by a tanned, muscled and “beached up” Ryan Gosling, explores the potential benefits of a patriarchal society and brings those ideals back to the Dream House. With the help of some friends, Barbie must learn what it means to be a human woman and find her own strength and confidence to take back her home.

The film is an explosion of nostalgic joy. The set is toylike and the characters behave with childlike wonder and farcical charisma. They, sometimes literally, sparkle.

And while millions of people sat in hot pink heart shaped glasses and giggled in one theater, across the hall, viewers came in masses to witness a cinematic masterpiece running just over three hours long. Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” also released July 21, and it would be the first ever movie shot in IMAX black and white film.

“Oppenheimer” is a historical biopic following the story of its namesake, the Manhattan Project, and a thrilling tension between Oppenheimer, played by Cillian Murphy and U.S. Atomic Commissioner Lewis Straus, played by Robert Downy Jr.

According to NBC, since its release, “Oppenheimer” has hit $912 million dollars in the global box office,

Showing... the good,the bad, the ugly

For years, the film industry has shrouded its lack of diverse representation and sometimes subpar storytelling with its need to make money. The 42 billion dollar industry has too much influence on American culture to keep hiding from change.

CO EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

ELLA ALEXANDER & ARLETH GUEVARA

making it the highest-grossing biopic of all time. “The Barbie Movie” has grossed over $1 billion dollars globally, making it the highest grossing movie of the year and the most successful release in Warner Bros. history, ever, according to the Los Angeles times.

These numbers alone suggest that viewers are willing to leave their homes to see a great movie. It’s truly well done movies that will bring families out of the convenience of streaming services and back into reclined seats while munching on overpriced popcorn.

The Barbenheimer phenomenon proved that audiences crave accurate representation, clever storytelling and quality production. But was it the memes that got us in the seats? Was “Oppenheimer” created simply to break records and “Barbie” created to sell toys? Where is the film industry going and why does it matter?

EVERYONE’S A CRITIC

T hough beloved by many, “The Barbie Movie ‘’ received criticism from far right viewers who claimed the film was “woke” and pushed a leftwing agenda. Director Greta Gerwig denied these accusations.

“Certainly, there’s a lot of passion. My hope for the movie is that it’s an invitation for everybody to be part of the party and let go of the things that aren’t necessarily serving us as either women or men,” Gerwig said in an interview with the New York Times. “I hope that in all of that passion, if they see it or engage with it, it can give them some of the relief that it gave other people.”

And while the intent of the Barbie movie was not to push an agenda on the audience, it begs the question: how much influence does Hollywood hold over public opinion and societal beliefs? And when do they use this for moral good instead of capital needs?

From the creation of every motion picture, including Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” the upcoming “Snow White” and the recently released “Teenage Mutant Ninja

Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” the movie industry profits. After all, the goal of every industry, every business, is to make money.

But films are a medium unlike any other. They are a fully immersive experience that engage the audience’s imagination and draws them into a different world. Whether the viewer is watching “Top Gun” or “Bluey’’ there is a connection formed between that world and the audience - a connection that stems from the reliability of the human experience.

Movies captivate us by creating characters that have the same emotions and experience the same situations as us. This is a mirror by which we can see ourselves reflected in. According to an article on the psychology of filmmaking by Vivian Jiang at The Cornell Daily Sun, viewers can empathize with their fictional counterparts in a way that is purely human.

REPRESENTATION MATTERS

According to the 2020 US Census, the Latino community makes up the largest minority in the United States at 20% of the population. Yet, UCLA’s Center for Scholars & Storytellers found that they are underrepresented in Hollywood, with only 7% of movies and shows released in 2022 having a hispanic/latino lead role.

We’ve all heard the phrase “#OscarsSoWhite,” a hashtag coined by April Reign in 2015 when she tweeted it after the academy gave all 20 acting awards to white nominees. Reported in a New York Times article by Reggie Ugwu, after Reign’s declaration came #WhiteWashedOUT for Asian representation and the Time’s Up movement for gender equity.

The industry then followed up with diverse topcharted releases like “Get Out,” “Black Panther,” “Coco,” and “Crazy Rich Asians” before devolving again by announcing no female would be nominated for best director at the 2020 Academy Awards.

“It could’ve been a bunch of different things,”

THE WRITE FIGHT

The Writer’s Strike in Hollywood continues with no agreements being made.

CO EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

ELLA ALEXANDER & ARLETH GUEVARA

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) — representing 11,500 screenwriters—went on strike over an ongoing labor dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), on May 2. With the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, (SAG-AFTRA) joining them in July, shortly after Barbie’s press tour ended.

WGA’s goal is to come to an agreement with AMPTP, that will include new rules that require studios to staff TV shows with a certain number of writers for a certain period. The writers are also seeking compensation throughout the process of preproduction, production and postproduction. As of now, writers are often expected to provide revisions or come up with new material without being paid.

Over 100 days later, it looks like WGA has made some progress. At a conference earlier in the month Warner Bros CEO David Zaslav called for an end to the strikes.

“We need to do everything we can to get people back to work,” Zaslav said at an investors’ conference. “We really have to focus as an industry, and we are, on trying to get this resolved in a way that’s really fair.”

On Sept. 20 the WGA and the AMPTP released joint statements that the two groups are finalizing bargaining agreements,.

In an interview with ABC, Writer Christina Piña said, “It’s been tough, It’s been a long summer, We walked in Earth’s greatest heat wave of all time, but the mood here is cautiously optimistic, We’ve been out here long enough that we just really hope to get the deal that we fought for.”

Reign said in Ugwu’s 2020 New York Times article reflecting on her tweet five years before. “There were no women in the directors category, there were no visibly disabled people nominated — so #OscarsSoWhite has never just been about race. It’s about the underrepresentation of all marginalized groups.”

This summer, Disney released a live-action “The Little Mermaid” with Halle Bailey as Ariel. The new and improved film included a specifically Caribbean setting, with costumes and music to match. Other people of color representation came from Awkwafina as Scuttle and Daveed Diggs as Sebastian.

“I think they shouldn’t be making these classic princesses POC, I think they should just make a new princess,” senior Mary Margaret Perkins said. “The Little Mermaid doesn’t need to be black. Just make a movie about a black mermaid, I don’t understand why there’s not any because the only black princess is Tiana.”

The industry moves in strides typically before taking two steps back in cultural influence. Rather than recycling a storyline that wasn’t originally meant for POC characters, how much more powerful could a fresh story starring a new black Disney princess overcoming her own unique yet relatable struggle be?

Take “Encanto,” for example. The animated Disney film follows the Madrigal family, whose members have been given a ‘miracle’ in the form of a magical door connected to their unique powers – all except for Mirabel, who finds herself on a quest to find her own ‘miracle’ and in the process discovers a deeper connection to her family and history.

The movie is so relatable to minorities, especially immigrants, as it helps viewers with that background identify and overcome their own generational traumas through the story. And it’s not just for the minorities watching - anyone who is the oldest sibling or the middle or youngest - anyone with a family can watch the film and feel the human experience we all share, without any whitewashing of culture or character.

In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Fabian Castro, the senior vice president of multicultural marketing at Universal, said, “We don’t say, ‘We’re going to target an ethnic segment.’ Instead we say, ‘We’re going to create a culturally relevant invitation for that audience.”

UCLA’s Center for Scholars & Storytellers analyzed over 100 films released from 2016 to 2019. They compared how much each film earned in the U.S. as well as its diversity score on Mediaversity,

which takes into account not just who works on a movie (in terms of gender, race, sexuality, and disability status) but whether the story is authentic, culturally relevant, and inclusive.

They found that films that were below average in diversity made about $27 million less on their opening weekend, with a potential loss of $130 million in total, regardless of the stature of the film company that produced it.

The industry has the capacity to produce new movies and shows that accurately represent and celebrate how culturally different our society is. After all, it’s these stories that sell.

DON’T YOU, FORGET ABOUT ME

public support and a sense of nationalism within each country.

In September of 1941, a Senate subcommittee authorized an investigation into Hollywood. Their goal was to determine if the film industry was campaigning to bring the United States into World War II by inserting proBritish messages into their scriptsand releasing anti-nazi films.

The subcommittee came to the conclusion that Hollywood took advantage of their access to the American people in order to promote involvement in the war.

Films excel at putting expansive ideas into a 90 minute plot and sorting morally gray ideas into black and white, easily digestible concepts.

D

iversity is more than race representation; films could show diversity in culture, language, body types, gender identity and sexual orientation, to name a few.

According to a 2021 study conducted by Dr. Martha Lauzen, executive director of the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University, 85% of films that year featured more male than female characters.

Male characters outnumbered females by almost two to one, and just 31% of films featured sole female protagonists. Only 7% of films had more female than male characters, while 8% of films featured equal numbers of female and male characters.

Beyond the numbers, when considering diversity one must consider what type of role is being cast and for whom. Female roles should be taken out of the background and put into the spotlight, built more directly into the storylines.

Films like “The Barbie Movie” showcase this by putting women and their endeavors center stage, including the difficulty of discovering one’s identity within a male-dominated world, or even visiting the gynecologist.

“Barbie surprised people. It went deeper,” senior Kate Wren said. “I think since it was an allegory for growing up and girlhood and a female fantasy world, it made people think it was too woke, but really it was so fun and I almost cried at the end.”

YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH

F ilm is powerful.

Throughout history, the relatability of film has been used to sway public opinion. During World War II, the United States, Great Britain and the Nazi party each created propaganda films in order to generate

“[The] human mind has a way of simplifying complex ideas into not-so-complex compartments.,” Devika Kapoor, a Mumbai-based counseling psychologist, said in an interview with VICE. “We want to fit ideas into boxes. It’s easier to pin the blame on somebody else and to believe that there exists “pure good” and “pure evil,” because it [reduces] cognitive load on our mind. ”

Film is very persuasive and can change the way the audience perceives the world. In 2008 New York University neurologists Uri Hasson, Barbara Knappmeyer, Nava Rubin, and David Heeger conducted a study testing how much effect movies have over our brain patterns.

While connected to a brain scanner, participants watched an unedited clip of city streets for a baseline control, and then watched three different movies. All the participants had similar results and the study showed that movies affect the way people think.

“In cinema, films lead most viewers through a similar sequence of perceptual, emotional, and cognitive states,” the researchers said in their writing. “Such a tight grip on viewers’ minds will be reflected in the similarity of the brain activity.”

They have the power to influence or be shaped by the lives of an audience and society as a whole, but lately, films and shows have leaned toward being money grabbing marketing machines.

Instead of procuring powerful stories, they resort to filling a quota and making “safe” decisions in order to please the masses.

“For me, the film industry is having worse years because they are trying to push all these money sucking blockbuster films instead of focusing on important, diverse narratives that have meaning,” Wren said. “Barbie and Oppenheimer will never happen again, at least not for a while. Barbenheimer got people to go to the movies. It brought people to together.” CAMERA

Dr. Taylor Hersh spent months researching empowered women in Spain, and now works as a World History teacher empowering young women.

BY LILY WILKIN PRINT CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Meticulously scouring every word of a midevil tome, the musty old smell of its pages wafts up into the archives room. A light, consistent keystroke sounds from another person typing across the hall. 24-year-old Ph.D. student Taylor Hersh researches religious women in the 16th and 17th century in Madrid, Spain.

Now teaching with her doctorate degree, Dr. Hersh was once a Sion student in the class of 2008. She attended Kansas University for both her undergraduate and graduate degrees, earning a bachelor’s degree in History and her Ph.D.

“In undergrad at KU, you choose areas of emphasis. My areas of emphasis were in History in Latin America, the US, and modern Western Europe,” Hersh said.

Hersh continued her education in History and went on to conduct research into women’s history and religion as the topic for her Ph.D. dissertation.

“I was researching the possibilities and limitations of women’s religious expression,” Hersh said. “I was looking at this era of widespread religious reform, during this time of challenge, and the challenges of rearticulating what was acceptable religious behavior for women.”

While researching in Spain, she spent most of her time in the National Library and the National Archives in Madrid. Hersh took multiple trips to Spain, each lasting two to three weeks in length. While there, she faced a myriad of cultural and educational difficulties.

“I had to learn and study different languages to research and look at documents from the 16th and 17th centuries. I could read them pretty well and use that to discern and read the sources of the past,” Hersh said. “But hearing it spoken in the 21st century was definitely challenging to navigate.”

When researching such an extensive topic, Hersh was forced to become an expert in unexpected areas of study. Hersh became adept at paleography,

which is the study of ancient writing systems and the deciphering of historical manuscripts.

“You have to figure out what is written or what is said, then you have to figure out the standardization of spelling,” Hersh said. “So you have to decipher what that letter is. Of course, it’s cursive. Then discern what the word is, and then translate it, and finally make sense of it. The paleography and handwriting part of it was really time-consuming.”

Despite the time-consuming work and overbearing amount of sources in the archive, Hersh stuck with her topic.

“I really like stories about empowered women and the many ways women become empowered,” Hersh said. “I also like stories about how women can be themselves even amidst limits from others or that society pushes upon them.”

While navigating the archives themselves was an something Hersh felt under-prepared for, the immersion into an entirely different environment helped her complete these daunting tasks.

“The process of the archives I wasn’t familiar with, and it could be a little daunting because it was new and I didn’t know what to expect,” Hersh said.

There isn’t an endless array of old books and documents right at your fingertips at the National Library in Madrid. In order to view a document or source you must go through the archivist.

“We couldn’t have a writing utensil, but I was allowed to have my computer so I could type out notes and transcribe some of the documents,” Hersh said. “But pretty much all of your bags had to be in the locker. Then you have a research room with tables that are spread out, you have to have an idea of what you want to request and what you’re looking for, because there are rooms and rooms of documents so you want to have an idea of what to request. Then you make that request to the archivist and they pull it for you.”

The archive’s research rooms are set up so experts and students can sit in close proximity, which makes it possible for attendees to look to one another for help. For Hersh, this time allowed her to make lifelong friends, and connect with other historians.

“You never know who you’re going to be sitting next to at the archives, which is really neat. You want to respect their research and respect their time, but sometimes you get excited about a major scholar,” Hersh said. “Some people might be like ‘I don’t know who that is,’ but you’re like ‘I know exactly who that is’ because you’ve dedicated months on that specific topic, and it’s really exciting to see those people, and they’re usually really excited to talk to you about their research.”

Her Sion education gave her the tools to excel in higher education, not just because of the rigorous academics, but because of its core teachings and values, and its eagerness to hear everyone’s opinions.

“I was very quiet when I started at Sion and didn’t talk very much, but as I continued at Sion, I felt known and that my voice mattered,” Hersh said. “Even though I can be shy, Sion gave me greater confidence to speak up and share my perspective.”

Wanting to pursue a higher education is not a decision taken lightly. It requires a lot of schooling and money, and it requires students to be so passionate about a certain topic that they can conduct research on it for months, maybe years. While it seemed like a scary and daunting task for Hersh, she knew her experiences at Sion gave her the tools to succeed.

“While I was at Sion I had no idea that this was going to be the path I took, but I came to know that all of these little things were important and led up to where I am today,” Hersh said. “Sion really nurtured the idea that it’s okay to be frightened, and to go ahead and do it anyway.”

Recruiting roundup

An inside look into the sports college recruitment process from Sion Students.

BY MARYKATE LILLIS REPORTER

Into The Unknown

Fierce face

Senior Grace Kiewiet stares down the field during the STA vs Sion soccer game on May. 5. “We went into this game with a fierce mindset,” Kiewet said. “I am super proud of our effort and attiude.”

PHOTO | KDOG

While taking her senior photos at the World War I Memorial, senior Sophie Saxton poses in her volleyball uniform in front of the Kansas City skyline July 9. Saxton committed to St. Olaf College in Minnesota.

PHOTO | Creative Kaylee

Senior soccer player Grace Kiewiet has been playing soccer since the age of three and decided she wasn’t quite ready to give it up yet.

I decided at the end of sophomore year I wanted to play for sure,” Kiewiet said. “Once I figured it out I started going out to the schools I wanted to go to and reaching out on my own”

Kiewiet is still uncommitted but now narrowed it down between two schools.

“I have come a long way facing obstacles and have faced lots of rejection,” Kiewiet said. “It has been a long journey but I am excited that I have narrowed it down to two options.”

Kiewet’s guidance through her recruiting process was heavily aided by Sion soccer coach Doug McLagan who has been coaching for over 40 years.

“Any player who comes to me and tells me they want to play college, and we don’t have a lot at Sion if I am going to be honest,” McLagan said. “I will support their work with them, and help them with my school.”

McLagan always suggests the same bit of advice and support every time a new recruit comes to him for help.

“It’s a long slow process, you have to be on a competitive club team to get seen,” McLagan says. “I always say get a list of schools and send emails out to all those schools. It takes a lot of time and work but it will be worth it in the end.”

Constantly communicating with coaches and sending emails can pile up on top of school work, especially in season. Kiewet shares that by the end of her junior year her workload was piling up.

“I managed it pretty well at the beginning of my junior year,” Kiewiet said. “But by the end of finals and high school soccer season, I was getting super overwhelmed and tired of constantly sending emails out.”

McLagan emphasizes the fact that the recruiting process can cause a major strain mentally.

“It can be very draining, if you want

to go to a certain school and that school isn’t getting back to right away, and then you can kind of lose hope a bit,” McLagan says. “The timeline is a long timeline where you can send an email as a freshman in September and you might not hear back in a year.”

According to Scholarship Stats, only a little over 7% of high school athletes end up continuing their careers in college. This percentage looks way less hopeful with two lower back fractures. Junior volleyball player Ava Lynn is determined to beat those odds as she continues her recruiting journey with her injury.

“My back injury has definitely set me back a ton in my process,” Lynn says. “Trying to get recruited while having a back injury has been horrible. But the constant encouragement from my coaches and teammates has given me the confidence to continue my recruiting process even with an injury”

Lynn’s back injury is not the only thing discouraging about her recruitment journey, Lynn expresses that the pressure to perform in high school for the expectation of college takes the joy out of the sport at times.

“There are times when I feel a lot of pressure, and maybe that comes from just myself, but always looking at where other people are committing sometimes I think I should already be committed right now too,” Lynn said. “But I know my process looks a little different and I will end up where I am supposed to be, Just right now it takes the fun out of the process a little bit.”

According to the NCAA, studentathletes have shown increased issues with mental health, something Lynn can relate to.

“My mental health has definitely taken a turn,” Lynn says. “There are good days and bad days with pain levels, there are days when there is no hope, and then I get an email or a letter from a college, and that hope sparks up again.”

Regardless of every single obstacle, Lynn shares her outlook of staying positive and grounded in the purpose through this process.

“Even though there are a lot of stressful times,” Lynn said. “I am going through this because I love my sport and the thought of not continuing is devastating to me. But without the support of my Sion community, I don’t even know how I would be still going.”

Lynn’s teammate Sophie Saxton has found her future home at St. Olaf University in Minnesota.

“What really sold me on the program was the coaches talking about what they want to do in the future,” Saxton said. “Seeing how much the girls truly loved each other on the team, it’s something that really drew me in because I have never had that in the past.”

Saxton gave advice on how she narrowed down her options which led her to her future home.

“I slowly narrowed down my list to more academic schools,” Saxton said. “That was something that really helped me figure out where to go, find which schools matched my priorities, one of mine being to attend an academicaly successful institution.”

Even though Saxton faced a lot of obstacles, she shares a bit of advice on how she moved forward.

“I faced a lot of rejection from coaches and a lot of injuries, which was a major setback for me,” Saxton said. “But what kept me going is my family and coaches constantly reminding me that I am enough, and my sport doesn’t define who I am.”

Down and Ready

Squatting, junior Ava Lynn waits a opposing serve against St. Teresa’s on Sept. 5. “Even though we ended up losing,” Lynn said. “I am proud of how hard we worked to stay in the game.”

PHOTO | LILY KRUMM

School Day Switch

This year, over 1,600 schools in 24 states will transition to a four day school week, including the Independence School District (ISD) in the Kansas City metro area.

It may sound like a great idea at first, after all, who wouldn’t want an extra day off? However, not only does the new policy fail to address problems like the lack of state funding and extremely low teacher wages, it also creates more problems for parents, students, and teachers such as finding childcare on days off, increased food insecurity, and decreased instructional time.

“I actually polled my classes last year on whether they were looking forward to the four day week in the upcoming year and most of them said no,” ISD middle school teacher Nicholas Middleton said. “I thought they would be all for a three-day weekend, every week. And they were like, ‘Nah, I think we’d rather be in school.’”

In contrast, 59% of 105 Sion students polled said they think a four-day school week is a viable solution to the problems in the U.S. education system. Sion students may be more inclined to think this because problems in the educational system affect them differently.

Private schools like Sion tend to be better equipped to hire and retain staff at higher salaries, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

Because of this, a four-day week might be successful in a small private school like Sion.

“The four-day school week would drastically improve mental health for the majority of students,” junior Kat Jansen said. “The extra day would allow for some rest and the ability to let their body adjust after sports, school, or work.”

Conversely, the idea is much less popular in public schools around the country. To many, the four-day week seems like a trade-off, sacrificing student learning to gain teachers.

“Of course, there’s going to be differing opinions with this kind of matter because people don’t like being in school,” Truman High School senior Gary Cowdrey-Mota said. “But also some people realize and recognize that it was important for people to have all five days.”

The largest underlying issue in the U.S. public education system ties directly to the lack of funding schools receive from state governments. According to Kansas City University Radio (KCUR), Missouri public school budgets have been cut significantly in recent years, and laws regarding state budgeting have been created or amended specifically to prevent additional funding for public schools. This leaves schools without the money they require to retain staff or sometimes even keep the lights on five days a week.

“Unfortunately, some of those decisions are political decisions that are being made in the Capitol. And the school districts’ hands are tied,” Middleton said. “The district might have a lot of things that they could do if they have the money and if they have the funding. But they don’t always have that power.”

The four-day schedule is meant to appeal to potential teachers by offering them more days off, since decreased funding means less money is available for teacher salaries. According to the National Education Association (NEA), the state of Missouri ranks 47th in average teacher salaries and 50th in average starting pay for teachers. This leads to countless teachers leaving the state in search of higher pay.

“If your problem is teacher shortages, there are lots of different things that will motivate people to join the profession and I think income is a huge one.” Middleton said. “There are other ways to attract and retain teachers that don’t come at the expense of the students’ learning.”

Cowdrey-Mota said he is worried the new schedule will make it hard for his AP Literature and Composition teacher to properly prepare students for the exam in May.

“He’s losing an entire day of schoolevery single week where he can instruct.” Cowdrey-Mota said.

All information in this graphic is according to Oregon State University Four-Day School Week Policy Team

A map of four-day school weeks in the United States

States with four-day school weeks

States without four-day school weeks

Public schools around the country are switching to a four-day school week, causing many to question whether this is the right move.

“So he’s going through the dilemma: ‘Should I put homework on the students and make them work at home?’ Because he doesn’t want to do that. But he’s on this road where he probably has to.”

Another major problem caused by the four-day school week is the effects outside of the classroom on students and their families. Few parents of younger children will have the fifth day off work and those who don’t may struggle to find childcare.

“It was kind of haphazardly thrown together,” Cowdrey-Mota said. “What will happen to not only elementary schoolers whose parents rely on them being at the school, but also kids who need to be at school so they can actually get food?”

In public schools especially, many students and their families rely on school lunches for accessible healthy meals five days a week. According to the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), an estimated 30.4 million children participated in their program in 2016. The new four-day program in Independence schools applies to meal programs as well, which adds even more stress for families that already struggle to put food on the table.

“Getting meals at the free lunch makes a lot of difference for most of our kids,” Middleton said. “I think 88% qualify for free and reduced lunch here at the school, which tells me that at home they might not even have much to eat.

So really, I think most of them are better off being here.”

There is no question that the U.S. education system needs to change, but it needs to be the right change. For public schools, a four-day school week doesn’t solve enough problems to truly be worth it in the long run. However,

“ Nicholas Middleton

given the limited resources these schools have, it seems to be their best option at the moment.

“The ISD has not been the best with retaining teachers and keeping them at the school or even in the district… And so they said, ‘Let’s do something radical,’ and that can change a lot.” CowdreyMota said. “Really, the education system needs to be rebuilt from the ground up if they want to really see that change.”

This editorial was voted yes by 7/13 of Le Journal staffers.

If schools switched to a fourday week, what would you do with that extra time?

Spend more time preparing for college and meet with friends in person instead of just texting

Help take care of my goats, catch up on any school work, and help clean my house.

41% No

A slight majority, only 59%, of 105 Sion students and staff polled said they think a four-day school week is a viable solution to the U.S. education system’s problems. “My biggest problem with school is the late nights that come with it— by the time I finish classes, practice, homework, and chores, my day is over,” senior Maddi Adkins said. “Productivity is not measured by the amount of time spent sitting in a chair.”

Maggie Grilliot ‘27

I would have more time to reflect on the week and get homework done. stress free instead of rushing.

There are other ways to attract and retain teachers that don’t come at the expense of the students’ learning.”

I would probably work on getting organized for the next week and putting my life back together.

Ms. Maggie Killian

Grace Baggott ‘27

Cate Karumbi ‘27

Brooke Petro ‘25

Plan for my next week’s classes and spend more time with my family.

Abby Pantaenius

‘24

I would use it by spending more time on assignments and preparing for any upcoming tests.

worth the weight ?

As a school that prides itself on its unique experiential curriculum, the current weighted GPA system is holding students back from taking courses they might truly enjoy.

Instead, students fill their schedules with more highly weighted classes under the impression that they need them in order to get into college.

But that is not true. While difficult classes are necessary for a shot at some of the most highly selective universities, the weighted GPA does nothing to benefit a student’s application process.

According to David Hawkings, the educational content and policy director for the National Association for College Admission Counceling, differently weighted GPA scales are “as numerous as the number of high schools.” He also stated that around half of all accredited colleges in the United States recalculate student’s GPAs.

For schools that do not recalculate GPAs, they communicate with applicants’ schools to understand how their weighted GPA system works.

According to Spark Admissions, “Admissions officers know whether they’re looking at a weighted or unweighted GPA, and will only compare like with like.”

So if a weighted GPA poses no benefits to students in the college application process, why do we even have it? Especially when we claim to value experiential learning courses but don’t give them adequate weight?

A weighted GPA can help determine class rank. By giving harder classes more value, students who take AP and ACCP classes rank above those who take Honors and Academic levels.

But college admissions officers still review the courses taken by a student to see

if they are taking the most challenging classes available. This means with or without the weighted GPA, college admissions officers still recognize that you have taken AP and ACCP classes.

Aside from the five top scholars named at graduation, Sion does not have class ranks. So theoretically the weighted GPA has no impact on over 90% of the class.

Many Sion students agree. Almost 30% of 105 students polled do not think the weighted GPA system is worth it.

But since the school and many parents put so much value on their child’s GPA, students still feel pressured to take classes with higher weights.

Almost 60% of Sion students consider GPA when selecting classes and 22% of students have chosen not to take a class because the GPA weight was too low.

“I considered taking honors Physics this year, but ultimately settled on AP Chemistry because I wanted the weight,” junior Elwyn Patterson said. “I am quitting American Sign Language next year because only academic is offered.”

Patterson is far from the only student frustrated that their preferred classes have lower weights. Most experiential courses are

58.1% of 105 students polled consider GPA weight

BY MANAGING EDITOR CLAIRE BOMA

unweighted or partially weighted, even though they are advertised to students as the best and most challenging courses available.

“We understand that the emphasis of learning should be on the process in itself and building lifelong skills rather than the regurgitation of content,” Director of Instruction and Engagement Emilie Lai said. “However, we are still in a traditional system where colleges look at GPA or AP classes.”

This systemic need for weighted GPAs is holding the students back from fully embracing the experiential learning model, which is proving to be the best form of learning and education at Sion.

“When we bundle an AP class with experiential learning, it is so effective,” Lai said. “Every single student who took that class last year got a four or five on the AP literature exam even when it was rooted in experience. So I think the balance can happen, but it needs to happen from an institutional perspective to transition into an educational perspective.”

Overall, the weighted GPA system reinforces to the students that their abilities and worth can be reflected within a single number, and prevents them from embracing the best of what Sion can offer.

27.7% of 105 polled students do not think the weighted GPA system is worth it

Are weighted GPAs actually benifiting students, or just holding them back?

when selecting classes

a wild ride

Senior Reagan Wesley spends many of her weekends off the beaten path off-roading with her family

BY ELLA SATTERWHITE REPORTER

The wind whips against her face as Raegan Wesley races across the sandy hills of Moab at 100 miles an hour, barreling around corners and up near 90-degree cliffs. Such stunts would leave most nauseous or afraid, but this is almost second nature for Wesley.

“Reagan is our biggest adrenaline kid. She will do anything and everything,” Wesley’s mother Brooke Wesley said. “She started on a dirt bike when she was six or seven. So [the kids] love their bikes, they love four-wheelers, and then the Razor seemed like the next thing that we could take out as a family.”

Wesley is well versed in all things off-roading, because her family has immersed her in the community since an early age. For as long as she can remember, Wesley has explored the terrain surrounding the family’s Oklahoma farm, nurturing her love for off-roading.

“I love being outside and seeing everything because there are trails that you can’t go on with regular cars, places that you wouldn’t be able to see,” Wesley said. “But I also

love going fast. I don’t like it when we’re going slow on our trail, I like it when we speed up and go around the corners fast and drift a little. It’s more fun. It’s my adrenaline pumping because I’m like, ‘Oh we could fall off this 80-foot cliff.’”

Off-roading is more than a leisure activity for Wesley. The family also uses the trips as bonding activities.

“The adventure is so cool. I mean, there are always fire pits, we’re always eating together and we’re exploring some really cool places,” Brooke said. “We might go out to this really cool peak on a mountain and then pick up a trail and hike to the top or take a picnic with us and sit out on a cliff somewhere.”

Off-roading also provides Wesley with access to a thriving and widespread community. Wesley has made many close friends through off-roading, and community events on weekends are the highlights of many off-roading trips.

“There’s a lot of people and a lot of things going on, different races and stuff. We basically hang out,” Wesley said. “We have dinner and then there’s

normally live music. So then we go and listen to the bands or we go to the drag racing and check that out.”

On the other hand, off-roading is not all fun and games, it comes with many risks. While there are safety systems built into the vehicle, such as a roll cage and five-point harness, accidents and crashes still happen.

“My brother loved off-roading. But then he and my dad went down to the sand dunes in Oklahoma and they fell off like a 40-foot cliff and totaled the machine,” Wesley said. “So after that, I think he got a little shaken up, so he doesn’t love it anymore.”

Still, weighing the risks with the benefits, Wesley loves to hit the trails. Her trust in her father’s driving and her desire for the thrill of speed allow her to set aside fear and enjoy what off-roading offers.

“I think it’s exploration at its finest. We get to see some of the coolest things, we get to the outside, whether it’s in the mountains or in the desert or in the sand dunes or in a really, really beautiful forest,” Brooke said. “It really is being able to explore uninhibited.”

ench a nted at

Sion’s Taylor Swift fans share their expierences from Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour” over the summer.

BY BRIDGET BENDORF REPORTER

Inside massive stadiums filled to the brim with glittering costumes and screaming fans, global popstar Taylor Swift took her millions of listeners on a musical journey unlike any other during ‘The Eras Tour’.

Eras was more than just a concert; fans found themselves not only singing along but also reminiscing about their own memories built around her music. With major hits spanning from 2006 to the present day, Swift is an icon for multiple generations. Watching her walk out on the stage decked out in a rhinestone bodysuit and saying “Welcome to the Eras Tour” sent fans right back through time reliving each chapter of her career. For local fans, Swift played two shows at Arrowhead Stadium on July 7 and 8.

“Getting ready took about two or three hours with hair and everything,” senior

have to wear stuff like that. “

Swift’s 10 albums are each considered its own “Era” built from her past 17 years of music. Swifties all over the city planned creative ways to dress as their favorite of her albums, from spending hours on a DIY outfit to finding local boutiques to capture their vision. The albums “Speak Now,” “Lover,” and “Reputation” were the most popular eras to dress as at the concert.

“I dressed as Speak Now. I had a different idea for my outfit but it didn’t work out,” said junior Kate Spenceri. “Last minute I ordered a purple fringe skirt from Amazon and then used spray-on glitter and heart-shaped sunglasses from my house and did my own DIY.”

Fans found ways to connect with each other by making beaded friendship bracelets consisting of song lyrics, song names, or even inside jokes from Swift’s

to the same concert, even if they were

“Everyone in my section was complimenting each other and trading bracelets, I had a whole sleeve of bracelets by the end of the night.” and Spenceri said. “It made me feel all warm and fuzzy, and then I got to reciprocate the compliments back. It was just a bonding experience for me and my Kansas City community.”

Along with thousands of other Swifties, they all packed into the stadium or even outside the stadium. Those who were unable to purchase tickets found their own special ways to unite for the concert.

“There were crowds of people, a mosh pit outside, and all these people singing to her songs,” senior Maggie Axtell said. “People brought lawn chairs and pizzas and just enjoyed the atmosphere. Me and my mom laid down on the asphalt of the parking lot and just listened to the music and the echoes throughout the stadium.”

Even if the music was delayed by 30 seconds, they couldn’t see Swift, and all they could see were the lights coming from

The Best Day

After finding their seats at Arrowhead, Kate Peters takes a selfie with her mom before the July 7 concert. Every car ride leading up to the show, Peters and her mom would listen to the setlist to prepare for the concert. “It made me really happy to experience it with my mom,” said Peters. “Every Taylor Swift concert I’ve been to has been with her and I wouldn’t be able to experience it ever again so I tried to soak it in before senior year.”

Friendship Bracelet Frenzy

Mother Daugter Duo

Enjoying the concert from the front row, Sophomore Madeline Green snaps a photo with her mom. Green dressed for the Speak Now Era. “The concert was so nostalgic for me and my mom since we went to the Reputation Tour together in 2018,” said Green. “I’ve loved Taylor Swift my whole life and it was amazing to get to see her up close and in person again.”

Taylor-gaiting

While tailgating outside Arrowhead Stadium, seniors Maggie Axtell and Livvy Cavaliere take photos before the show July 8. The first thing the girls did was compliment each others outfits. “We bought a parking pass and just went a couple hours early to tailgate,” Axtell said. “There were a lot of people in the same boat as me so tailgating was really big.” PHOTO

Stacked to the brim with friendship bracelets, junior Addi Bowes shows off her wrist before the Eras Tour at Arrowhead Stadium July 7. Bowes and her mom spent nearly two hours making bracelets together.“I felt really bonded and connected with people in my section,” Bowes said. “Trading bracelets gave me a memento from the concert that I will always remember.”

SUBMISSION | ADDI BOWES

PHOTO

PHOTO SUBMISSION | KATE PETERS

PHOTO SUBMISSION | MADELINE GREEN

t h e e r a s t o u r

inside the stadium, Axtell and her mom still shared the same experience as the other fans throughout the stadium.

“It was inspiring seeing so many people come together over a common interest and seeing so many people appreciate the same thing,” said Axtell. “It was really exciting doing it with my mom, and I feel like it was a bonding experience for us.”

While some people accepted that they weren’t getting tickets, some Swifties took extreme measures to enter into the concert. Freshman Lexie Blomquist found a way to get into the concert after it had started.

“We saw these vendors with the light-up wristbands, and my dad asked if I could have one,” said Blomquist. “They said that we could get into the concert with these, so we paid about 30 bucks for two and wore them and showed them to the people and they let us in.”

Whether it was waiting to get into the stadium, merch lines, taking

Teardrops on my Guitar

While waiting for the concert to begin, juniors Aubrey Nicols, Tessa Lind, and Greta Martin take a photo with the stage behind them at Arrowhead Stadium July 7. Lind had a particular idea for what she wanted to wear and searched on Curtsy for hours until she found that perfect “Speak Now” themed dress. “It was so much fun I screamed every single song.” Martin said. “When she first started singing Long Live, for the first time ever, I started crying.”

pictures of each other, tailgating outside, or even sneaking into the concert, Swifties bonded with their friends and family or even with complete strangers throughout the night.

“It was just a really incredible experience,” said Blomquist. “Just seeing the passion that everyone has and uniting as one almost to celebrate her amazing career, everything was so much fun.”

Welcome To Houston

Waiting to go to the concert, Adele Milligan snaps a photo before going to the Eras Tour in Houston, Texas April 23. Milligan went to both the Kansas City Shows and the Houston shows. “The Texas concert had a lot more energy because people didn’t know what was going to happen because it was earlier in the tour and it was only her fourth stop.” Milligan said.

Bear Hugs

Hugging her best friend, senior Abby Pantaenius prepares for the concert to begin. “This concert meant so much to me.” Pantaenius said. “I’m so grateful that I got to experience it with my family and my best friend Charlie. It was definitely a night I’ll never forget.”

PHOTO SUBMISSION | ABBY PANTAENIUS

PHOTO

PHOTO SUBMISSION | GRETA MARTIN

SION ZODIAC PREDICTIONS SION ZODIAC PREDICTIONS

BY LAUREN HAGGERTY REPORTER

ARIES

Our Aries friends will find themselves presented with leadership opportunities this year. We may see the Aries students starting new clubs, leading activities or finding the strength to speak up in class.

CANCER

Cancers are here for this year’s theme: Cultivating Connections. They will find themselves in front of new people that will push them, challenge them, and make them laugh. This is the year to befriend a Cancer.

LIBRA

This school year, Libras will find themselves connected more to the physical sciences, logic and straightforward thinking. If you are a Libra, expect to see some improvements in your STEM course scores.

CAPRICORN

Capricorns should try to seek adventure this year. Maybe this comes from joining crew, or trying out for a new sport. Taking risks and stepping out of your comfort zone will pay off this year.

LEO

You can find Leos getting in touch with a new passion or reigniting their love for an old passion this year. Don’t be surprised if you see them try a new hobby or fad that becomes a trend at Sion.

TAURUS

If you are a Taurus, you may be feeling some extra Sion spirit. A Taurus motto for this year might be, “Why not?” As in, why not go all in? You will find our Taurus friends going all out for Spirit Week and Storm Stomp - prepare to be envious of their outfits.

SCORPIO

Scorpios should find themselves in good health for the 2023-2024 school year, and should be able to dodge some common schoolwide illnesses.

AQUARIUS

Aquarius students will find good things happening in the areas of academic interest. As an Aquarius, you may discover a new favorite subject or mentor in school this year, and you will excel doing what you love.

GEMINI

Geminis are feeling the enthusiam this year. They do get tired just like the rest of us, but overall they are craving the good vibes. You will see Gemenis spending this school year as the loudest members of the student section.

VIRGO

Virgos are currently working for the weekend. They understand the value of a dollar and are appreciating the finer things in life. Your Virgo freinds will find themselves in a job they enjoy, and they may find themselve with good fortune - in more ways that one.

SAGITTARIUS

The Sagittarius community is feeling prompt and punctual. They will get into better routines and begin to see their assignments turned in on time.

PISCES

Our Pisces people will mostly see their efforts pay off outside of school, maybe even in a worldwide way. It’s possible a viral internet moment is in the future...