Earth Day by The Chronicle

THE

CHRONICLE VOLUME 4 - ISSUE 6 - april 27, 2O17

EARTH DAY

in this issue Team Kingston

In New York and In-Tune

harp week

Every year, orchestras from schools across the KC a congregate to compete in a district festival, showing

ON Retweets

Can I ask you something?

Pollution and Pollunators

Did she rea

ON Cares: Olathe North Staff Members come out and support the Garcia family by wearing their Team Kingston shirts, bought with all the proceeds going to the family.

Spring Fever

Extra! Extra!

Where did the idea for eagle extra come from?

Good At Heart 1950s: Cinderella

Good at heart

10 ways to spice up prom

Role models and royalty

“A dream is a wish your heart makes.” In Cinderella’s case, her dream was for a prince to rescue her from her evil stepmother and stepsister. Let’s start off

foot that fits the shoe perfectly. This just goes to show how much Cinderella really meant to the prince if he can’t even recognize what she looks like. On top of

Contact Information

The Chronicle staff

Responding to the Publication

staff writers

Mailing address: 600 E Prairie St. Olathe, KS 66061 Phone: (913) 780-7140 Website: onhsnews.com Letters to the editor can be submitted electronically on our website at onhsnews.com under the “Contact Us” tab. Letters may be published either on onhsnews.com or in our print edition. Letters must not contain personal attacks against an individual and may be edited.

Isabella Bray Sheli Cohen Rachel Delehanty Molly Duke Advertising The Chronicle and onhsnews.com accept advertisements. Joey Guzman Pricing and information can be obtained by contacting us at MJ Ferguson rcaveon@olatheschools.org. Olivia Hamlin Purpose Grant Hrabik The Chronicle is the official high school news publication of Olathe North High School, an open forum distributed to all Amara Lindsey students 8 times a year. This is the second issue of volume Haley McGriff three. The Chronicle is printed by The Sedalia Democrat. This is a student publication and may contain controversial Audrey McWhorter matter. The Olathe Unified School District No. 233 and Autumn Mesmer its board members, officers, and employees disclaim any responsibility for the content of this student publication; it is not an expression of School District Policy. Students and editors are solely responsible for the content of this student publication.

editors

Skyler Daniels Abigail Miles Ana Schulte Magda Werkmeister Lauren Yoksh

staff artist

Josie Sloan

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Mary Hirtreiter

design editor Hunter Eisler

photo editor Kylee Weber

copy editors advisor Robert M. Cave, Jr.

Emma Reuter Alex Thompson

when one of their own needed help, all it took was an email, a phone call, and a message to create

Team Kingston 4 | The Chronicle | Issue 6

By Molly Duke and Skyler Daniels Staff Writers

Design By Ana Schulte Staff Editor

Team Kingston: Kingston Olathe North unites to support garcia family On January 31st, 2017, Olathe North art teacher Mrs. Garcia received a call during her 6th hour class that would change her life forever. She was told that her four and a half month old baby, Kingston, had become non-responsive after a period of choking and vomiting at his daycare. After driving to the ER and being transferred to Overland Park Regional Pediatric ER and then Children’s Mercy, Garcia was informed that Kingston had suffered traumatic brain injuries and now had bilateral subdural hematomas and severe retinal hemorrhaging. Almost immediately, North faculty was notified, while group chats and Facebook pages were made in response to the influx of information surrounding the family. The amount of support from Olathe North, especially the art teachers, was astronomical. An official Kingston Facebook page was created to update supporters on huge surgical or legal milestones concerning the case, and to share prayers and biblical verses for Kingston, hoping for a miraculous recovery.

Almost immediately, North faculty was notified, while group chats and Facebook pages were made in response to the influx of information surrounding the family. The amount of support from Olathe North, especially the art teachers, was astronomical. Since this time, Kingston has had 6 procedures and now takes 6 medications to try to limit his newfound brain damage. The implications of this damage will be revealed more as he develops. But, for now, both of Kingston’s retinas are split, preventing him from having any central vision, and it is unknown whether he still has the ability to use peripheral vision. There is currently not a medical or surgical way to fix the retinal damage. He has weekly physical therapy and retinal appointments, among other specialists. Now, the family works with Kingston on relearning the few things he was able to do prior to the incident and meeting developmental milestones. He is capable of moving all his body, drinking a bottle, eating baby food, rolling over, and vocalizing his emotions. “Everyday there are highs and lows,” Garcia explains.

“It doesn’t get easier, but this is our new normal so, you just get through it.” Despite the incident, the family is trying to return to life as usual. “Whenever I feel sorry for myself or think I can’t do it anymore, I look at this tiny little boy that has endured this all.” Garcia says. “We are just watching it. He has gone through it. He has fought through it. He continues to smile and laugh. How dare I not do the same.” Thus began Team Kingston, which is a foundation created by Olathe North teachers, Mrs. Bloomer and Mrs. Waldron, to help support Mrs. Garcia in this troubling time. The foundation’s main goal is to put together all things necessary to help the family. Together, they created t-shirts supporting Team Kingston and sold them to help cover medical expenses for Kingston’s treatment. In addition, Mrs. Waldron created a Meal Train so people could send food to Garcia’s house to feed her children and her parents, now living with them to replace Kingston’s daycare. Many other staff members and students have also donated food and money to her cause. “I’m heartbroken and I’m angry, but I’m also grateful. I am so thankful that Kingston is still alive. I’m grateful for my amazing parents who are sacrificing everything to be here. I’m grateful for my family, my friends, and my community who have all rallied around my family to help in any way they can. I have relied heavily on my faith and leaned into God during this time. I don’t know what I would do without my faith. It could be unbearable,” says Garcia. Moving forward, the Team Kingston group hopes that there will be enough funds to maximize Kingston’s abilities. Mrs. Garcia’s spouse Paul has a friend who set up a GoFundMe site to help collect money for their cause. Plans are also in place for a fundraiser at Johnny’s Tavern on April 20th where 20% of profits will be donated to Kingston, as well as a silent auction where gift cards to signed basketballs will be sold. Support for Team Kingston grows with more members and more awareness to their cause. No matter what the action, Olathe North has come together as a family to care for one of their own. Garcia has this message for North: “I want people to know never to shake a baby. Babies cry and sometimes it can get overwhelming, but you

can always put a baby in a safe place and walk away to regroup or call someone to help. Babies don’t die from crying. They don’t have brain injuries and go blind from crying. My hope is that people share this story and follow it because it’s important that our community stands up against child abuse. No child should have to endure the pain, suffering and life long struggles that Kingston will have to endure. We can make a difference together!”

Community Support

“King”-ly Support: Olathe North wasn’t the only part of the community to support Kingston and the Garcia Family. Meal Trains, Facebook friends and groups, fundraisers, and even baseball teams came together to support and help in any way that they could.

7 | The Chronicle | Issue 6

in new york and in-tune By molly duke and mj ferguson Staff Writers design by mj ferguson Staff Writer

Get a special inside look on the NY Band trip, KMEA Orchestra festival, and the annual choral Pop and Jazz Extravaganza.

Sharp week Every year, orchestras from schools across the KC area congregate to compete in a district festival, showing off their skills and getting their moment in the spotlight. That day this year was April 12th. Olathe North’s two upper orchestras - Chamber and Concert - went to get their pieces scored. Concert orchestra is the general population of sophomores, juniors, and seniors whereas Chamber is the school’s advanced orchestra. The orchestras competed among many other schools for a score on a scale of one to five; one being the best and five being the worst. Chamber competed with pieces ”Holberg’s II Sarabande”, an attention grabbing piece as well as the finale “The Dargason” from the Saint Paul Suite, which showed off their magnificent technique. Concert followed with the heartbreaking piece “On a Hymnsong of Philip Bliss” and “Fiddle Dance” from Folk Tune and Fiddle Dance. Both played their hearts out, and after a long day it was revealed that chamber scored a one and concert a two. Afterwards the groups celebrated and returned to school to begin preparing for their final concert of the year. Meanwhile, the Freshman orchestra will go compete at the annual “Worlds of Fun Orchestra Competition” on May 6th.

8 | The chronicle | issue 6

Mrs. Mahan “I felt that the groups played the very, very best that they could, and I was so proud of all of my kids not only for their performance, but for the way they took on the responsibility of contest. They were kind, they were polite, they were on it, they cared about it, and that’s all a director could ask for, that willingness to really try, and to put forth your 110% effort. No matter what the score is, if you do that, your director is in hog heaven.”

From Stage and Screen

Georgia Mitchell “The concert is done to take a break from the classical and give us a different variety of songs to practice.”

#oneinvadesnyc

First we take over New York, then the world!!! 03/09/2017

On Saturday, May 13th, the choir will be hosting their annual Pop and Jazz Extravaganza titled “From Stage and Screen”. The concert will feature different “pop songs” from popular movies and broadway shows such as Wicked, Beauty and the Beast, and Trolls. The choir have begun to rehearse for this event and choreography is being planned. Save the date and enjoy a night of popular tunes!

Posts from the ON Band’s trip to New York

We got to explore the infamous Times Square tonight! 03/10/2017

We found Mr. Love and Mr. Wickersham’s ‘doubles’ outside of Carnegie Hall. 03/10/2017

Super yummy after performance dinner! 03/12/2017

Look Mom! I’m on stage at Carnegie Hall!!! 03/12/2017

9 | the chronicle | issue 6

reTweets by Lauren Yoksh Editor

It’s a busy time of the year for many students and staff at Olathe North, with countless activities going on every day. In case you’ve missed what’s been going on, The Olathe North Chronicle has compiled some tweets that North staff have been tagging #ONTeach so you can see what your peers have been up to in and out of class in the past month.

By: Josie Sloan Staff Artist

Can I ask you something? Did she really just ask me this? Why oh why? I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t deserve this.

1st stage of Grief: Denial

Oh my gosh! Who does she think she is? She could totally do this

Well, I mean I don't have to do it, it's only a small thing. I should be nice.

HERSELF! ! !

2nd Stage of Grief: Anger

3rd stage of Grief: Bargaining

3 seconds later...

sure. What's the point? Life is meaningless just like this task. There is no purpose behind this.

4th stage of Grief: Depression

5th stage of Grief: Acceptance

g n i r p #4

on the team for 4 years

shortstop

carson sader

on the team for 4 years

third base pitcher

dalton doyle

on the team for 4 years

#10

pitcher

detroy williams on the team for 3 years

18 | The chronicle | issue 6

left field

hayden foster

Max llewellyn

by grant hrabik Staff Writer design by emma reuter Editor

left field

#11

e f

r e v

As the crazy Kansas weather changes from cold to warm and back again, baseball starts to reclaim the sports fever it lost to football and basketball. The Kansas City Royals started their season back in February with Spring Training in Surprise, Arizona. Many changes were made during the offseason that Royals fans are excited about. The addition of pitchers Jason Hammel, Travis Wood, and Nathan Karns might just be what the doctor ordered for the Royals to head back to the World Series. Also, the outfield has been strengthened with the addition of Jorge Soler from the Cubs, as the Royals replace the loss of Jarrod Dyson. However, the biggest impact this offseason has been the death of starting pitcher Yordano Ventura. “His death will have a big impact,” said long time Royals fan Rhonda Reist. “Not only for the Royals but also on the League and the restrictions that will be now placed on young players.” Many hope that his death will be a force that pushes the Royals to win

and will bring them together more as a team. The Major League season is just beginning, while the high school season is in full swing. The Olathe North Varsity Baseball team is currently 4-8 and 2-4 in the Sunflower League, with wins coming against Blue Valley Northwest, Shawnee Mission North, and conference rival, Olathe South. The Olathe North Baseball team looks to snap their 28 year state championship winless streak. The team has stumbled a little at the beginning of the season, but they are hoping to turn it around and finish the rest of the season on a high note. The lineup is being shuffled in order to figure out the best possible combination for a dominating run over the next couple months. There are a lot of experienced and strong players on the team and the only setback is trying to fit them all together. The Olathe North Baseball team is somewhat struggling at the plate with only 37 hits on the season which then hurts their chances of run production, only scoring a total of 29 runs compared to the 69 runs against. The Eagles hope to get another win against Shawnee Mission North on April 25 and have the talent and the comradery to go the distance this year and possibly win the teams first state championship since 1989.

#19

right field pitcher

Luke patrie

on the team for 4 years

#15

pitcher

jonya boyd

on the team for 1 year

#30

pitcher

blake hearns

on the team for 1 year

Left and above, Olathe North`s Varsity Seniors.

issue 6 | the chronicle | 19

Eagle Sports SOFTBALL

Design by Kylee Weber Editor

By Kylee Weber Editor

The ladies are back and better than ever with their 2017 season. The girls are returning from an upsetting loss at regionals last year, but have been working hard trying to improve their game. The ladies have 4 seniors this season, and all of them are fellow players for Olathe Norths softball program. The ladies continue to lead the team by example and hope for an outstanding ending to their last season as an Olathe North Softball player. Senior Alli Dexter comments that they “are super excited for the season. We are hoping to beat our biggest rival this year, Olathe South.” Olathe South has been the girls biggest rival for the past 2 years, sadlyeach game they came up just a bit short. The team is hoping to meet them at state again and bring back their title. Olathe North’s Softball team continues to strive and work harder in attempt to get another state title in the books. The The team has been practicing and pushing each other to their limits, attempting to make them selves and each other better. The ladies play their annual “Pink out” game on April 25th against Olathe South, the girls hope to see you there dressed out in pink to support them The JV girls gather to celebrate after their and those fighting against Breast Cancer. fellow teamate steals home.

BASEBALL

Photo courtasy of Victory Views

By Kylee Weber Editor

The boys are approaching the season hoping to round third base and head all the way home. The team has been practicing everyday, and along with playing some of the toughest competition. Olathe South, being their biggest rival, has been one of the biggest games for them. They have played the team twice, one in a tournament, then the other in the Sunflower League, which they won. Senior Max Llewelyn shares “ [they] are competing as much as [they ] can, there is a lot of competition this season but [they] are doing great.” The coaches continue to push them to become better athletes Llewellen commented that “the coaches push [the seniors] harder than any one else.” With hope that all the seniors sign to a college, the coaches have given them the opportunity to go to their dream college. With that in mind, the underclassmen look up to those seniors as a leader, and an older brother to help guidance them. The team hopes to make all the way to state this year, and bring home a state title for the 2017 season. They are hoping to have a great out come for the rest of their games, with the hope of having a big crowd showing some Eagle spirit.

20 | The chronicle | issue 6

The JV boys lean against the fence as they watch their fellow teamates. Photo courtasy of Victory Views

Track & Field By Joey Guzman Staff Writer With only a month into the season the Olathe North Track and Field team has hit the ground running. With over 20 events, the team has high hopes for the rest of the season. All the events have been working hard since mid-to-late November with after school conditioning and practice in hopes of achieving the season’s goal. Track and field is another sports where it appears individual on the surface but very much a team sport in hopes for their success. Sophomore Brian Beach explains this feeling saying for him he would like to go to the state meet again and “place top three in my best event, the 3200m”, but the team as a whole he says he would “love to get to as many people as possible to qualify for the state meet.” The Track and Field team has been pushing themselves, and each other to become better athletes. The team competes on Fridays, the athletes are hoping for their student section to grow and show Eagle Nation some love.

swimming By Kylee Weber Editor The girls swim and dive are ready to splash into their next season of swim. The ladies have been preparing themselves by pushing themselves at conditioning after school in the winter. After the conditioning and hard work came the season and their first meet. The team has competed almost every week against some tough competition. Every meet 12 different sections from 200 Medley, to 1 meter 11 Divers, and all the way to 400 Free Relay. Junior Camryn Akin comments that she is “most excited about bonding with the girls on the team”. The girls all compete together and have fun in between each others meets. Akin also shares how they are “each others number one fans, [they] get so loud when cheering for each other.” The ladies practice everyday at Mission Trail Middle School, during practice they each work on their individual along with their team meets. They each push each other to swim faster, and work harder. This season the girls are starting off to a great start, there are multiple girls that are eligible for state. The girls hope is to finish the season strong, and get most of the team a metal and bring home a team state title.

Girls soccer By Kylee Weber Editor

The lady Eagle’s soccer team is here and ready to have a dominant season this year. The girls prepared themselves for this season by working out everyday in January and February, then in preseason they practiced everyday, scrimmaging against one another trying to get themselves and their mentality for the game ready. Coach Sarah Thompson has been pushing more practices and allowing the Seniors to take the underclassmen under their wing. Senior Annalise Holland commented that they have “a lot of committed girls coming up, and that [she] can’t wait to play with them.” The underclassmen have been looking up to the Seniors for help on and off the field. The ladies like to call the seniors mom, or for Holland “Momalise.” The team likes to consider themselves a family, they try to go to team bonding and look out for each other for the season. The girls continue to compete against some of the toughest competition in Kansas, with the hope of beating them all and making it all the way to state this year. With the season continuing the team lives by their moto, ONE Team, ONE Goal, ONE Family.

21 | The chronicle | issue 6

Burn out;

the state of the modern athlete By Haley McGriff Staff Writer Design by Kylee Weber Editor A typical sports season in consists of 3 months, or 12 weeks, or 91 days, or 2,184 hours, or 3,144,960 minutes. Multiply that season by 10 years and you get the equivalent to 30 months, or 120 weeks, or 910 days, or 21,840 hours, or 31,449,600 minutes. This isn’t counting the sports that go year round. All of these hours, days, and minutes can lead to athletes getting better or, with some, burnout. “I began playing soccer since age 5, I loved it at first, then after years of playing, the sport I once loved became a job that I tried to avoid,” said Sophomore Vanessa Borunda. More and more society is beginning to see athletes specialize in one sport from a young age. Baseball can start at age four, softball at age five, and AAU basketball is year round starts at around age 8. The problem is, once they hit high school they could have been playing for 8-12 years already, which could send them into the “burnout process”. Burnout being the physical or emotional exhaustion caused by long-term stress. Someone may be a young prodigy but if they aren’t allowed to have fun, they can experience this feeling, and they might consider quitting a sport they’ve played for years before their careers can blossom. Multiple factors can contribute to an athlete feeling burn out. This can include extreme training volumes, time demands, and extreme performance expectations. If some of the following factors are met, some athletes may get discouraged, and end all participation in sports. “On top of the running we did at practice, if someone was jacking around or made a mental error coach made us run more,” states Borunda. One of the problems with extreme performance expectations is when someone cannot fulfill the expectations. If the expectations are not met than a punishment usually follows. Continued sustained punish-

22 | The chronicle | issue 6

ment can contribute to someone wanting to quit. Retired softball coach Sarah Hanson says, “A coaches second job is to make sure the athletes HAVE FUN!” If an athlete is being constantly yelled at and ridiculed what will make them want to play? Yes, telling them what they did wrong works, but also giving positive reinforcements every once in a while will boost self confidence. For sophomore Lily Matuszeski, the stress from school and not having a social life was a minor factor into ending a sport she loved for years. The main factor was the amount of training she went through over the years. Practice, games, and conditioning that she contributed to for 9 years. “I loved playing soccer from a very young age, there just became a point in time where I was tired of playing season after season without a break for 9 years,” says Matuszeski. Besides from being extremely tired and worn out, there was no fun in playing after so many years. Since sophomore Matuszeski has put an end to her soccer career, she has begun a dance career. After ending one or all sports, certain opportunities arise. For Junior soccer player Audrey Burks time is of great importance. After ending her soccer career, she has been able to be more involved with AVID, National Honor Society, and Animal Health. While trying to juggle loads of homework, a job, and sports, one may tend to slack off to compensate. Burks also says, “I miss definitely playing, but now I can spend time on other things.” Now she has more time to spend on homework, and a job. Despite our nations huge emphasis on sports culture, many are beginning to realize how bad playing a single sport for multiple seasons is for a young athlete. An athlete may have to handle multiple different responsibilities during a season. Sports can just become too much on top of all of it.

EXTRA ex tra EXTRA ex tra ! READ ALL ABOUT IT You work hard. You are rarely tardy. You go to class. You don’t act out. For the longest time, you did it because, of course, it’s just something that you’re supposed to do. Although rewards aren’t really the main focus, with the new Eagle Extra program, there are now rewards and special privileges that can now be received. Not only will this help keep the good students to remain the same, it will also help get other students on the right track. This change, while seeming sort of lame at first glance, still comes with some privileges not all people get, and there will also be new privileges added once it has been up and running for a while. The Eagle Extra program is not the only school wide change coming, there has been rumors going around about fifty minute lunches and MacBooks to come sometime next year. These rumors were investigated as in if they’re true, where they came from, and how it will affect Olathe North.

BY JOEY GUZMAN Staff Writer Design by Alex Thompson Copy Editor

EAGLE EXTRAs

MR.

spring 2017

Herman interview

What are you hoping for the Eagle Extra future?

“I want 100% of our students to be on Eagle Extra. Along with this, let’s just say a student makes a poor choice and instead of getting ISS or OSS and affecting them being in class, they’ll lose a privilege like open lunches or to have ART freedom for a month. I also hope this will motivate students to be at school, get good grades, not get tardies, and not act out.”

Where did the idea for eagle extra come from?

Photos courtesy of amara lindsey and joey guzman

“About nine or ten years ago, me, Mr. Price, and about eight other teachers went to Adlai Stevenson high school in Chicago. This school has 5,000 students, open lunches, and I’m sitting there thinking ‘wow these kids are awesome what’s going on?’ So I grabbed a group of kids and asked them how everything is going so smoothly with so many kids. They answered by saying that they didn’t want an LOP, or loss of privilege.”

What are you hoping to accomplish with it and how?

“This is just the start. Ultimately what I’m hoping it’ll look like down the road is tiered in different grade levels, based off of attendance, grades, behavior, and tardies where students will have the opportunity to get privileges like preference parking, open lunches and ART, and maybe next year, a ten minute early release.” Mr. Herman with eagle extra idea board

23 | The chronicle | issue 6

Good At Heart

Story and Design by Magda Werkmeister

why the story of anne frank is still relevant

The spring season of Olathe North’s theatre department included the critically acclaimed The Diary of Anne Frank. The play, based off of The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, showcases scenes that took place in the annex in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam where the Frank family lived with the van Pels and Fritz Pfeffer (called the van Daans and Jan Dussel in the fictionalization) from 1942 to August 1944. Even though the real-life events behind the play took place more than 70 years ago, these stories maintain their relevance at a time when anti-Semitism and human rights violations are worldwide conversations. The play’s action is propelled by te Holocaust,ww the most well-known genocide in all of history. What many don’t acknowledge, however, is that there have been many other genocides that have gone relatively unnoticed, some shockingly recent. The Armenian genocide, which took place from 1915 to 1923, carried out by the Ottoman government, lead to the deaths of 1,500,000 Armenians; Turkey, the successor state of the Ottoman Empire, still takes issue with the use of the word genocide in relation to this event. The 1971 Bangladesh genocide, perpetrated by members of the Pakistani military, had 300,000 to 3,000,000 victims; powerful Pakistani officials still deny Pakistan’s role in the atrocities committed. An estimated 800,000 Rwandan Tutsi were killed by the Hutu-led government and government -backed militias in 1994 in the midst of a civil war; today, Rwanda mourns the genocide in two public holidays, but this is largely because the rebelling and majority Tutsi Rwandan Patriotic Front overthrew the government later that year. Anti-Semitism, of course another vital component of the play, is still a relevant discussion. In February, nearly two hundred graves were vandalized in a St. Louis Jewish cemetery; a week later, a similar incident occurred in a Jewish cemetery in Philadelphia, where at least 75 to 100 headstones were desecrated. Many remember the 2014

24 | The chronicle | issue 6

shooting at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City and Village Shalom, located in Overland Park, that caused three deaths and garnered national attention and even condolences from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. While many debate whether anti-Semitism has experienced a recent upsurge, it is undeniable that the ignorance surrounding Jewish history is astounding. The Anti-Defamation League reports that globally, only 54% of those polled have ever heard of the Holocaust. Two out of three people have either never heard of what is perhaps the most universally recognizable genocides, or simply don’t believe it happened. Since the Holocaust occurred, people have sought to deny it. The phenomenon of Holocaust denial has been influential enough to demand international and scholarly condemnation; in fact, Holocaust denial is illegal in 16 countries, including Germany. Recent gaffes made by public figures reveal an unsettling lack of awareness regarding the Holocaust. Sean Spicer,

Nearly 200 graves were vandalized in the Jewish Chesed Shel Emethe Cemetery of St. Louis this February.

for example, when describing the reprehensible gassing of Syrian civilians by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said “someone as despicable as Hitler…didn’t even sink to using chemical weapons.” In a muddled clarification he further explained, “[Hitler] was not using the gas on his own people the same way that Ashad [sic] is doing,” and used the term “Holocaust centers.” His statements contradict the fact that many victims of the Holocaust were, in fact, German—Hitler’s “own people”—and betray his unconsciousness in the never-heard-before “Holocaust centers,” which most likely means concentration and extermination camps. Stories like Anne Frank’s keep the Holocaust alive in people’s memories—which may be grim, but reality should never be ignored or forgotten. The sheer quantifiable loss

of life is incomprehensible, and no one will never be able to understand the qualitative suffering, but telling the victims’ stories can bring people today closer to the past. Anne Frank should not be the face of all the victims—in a tragedy that led to six to eleven million deaths, how can one young girl accurately represent them all? These were millions of people who came from millions of different circumstances, millions of people who led millions of different lives, and millions of people who had millions of different fates. It would be dismissive to assign these millions one symbol—what Anne Frank can do, however, is be a reminder of the intricacies and depths of each of the Holocaust’s victims. Her story can be a reminder of the human capacity for hope, even when one has all the reasons to succumb to despair.

Spicer’s comments were widely ridiculed and condemned. Steven Goldstein, Executive Director of the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect, said, “On Passover no less, Sean Spicer has engaged in Holocaust denial, th emost offensive form of fake news imaginable, by denying Hitler gassed millions of Jews to death. Spicer’s statement is the most evil slur upon a group of people we have ever heard from a White House press secretary. Sean Spicer now lacks the integrity to serve as White House press secretary, and President Trump must fire him at once.”

The Anne Frank House has been grappling with growing ignorance on the subject of not only Anne Frank, but World War II, Nazi Germany, and the Holocaust as a whole. Garance Reus-Deelder, the museum’s managing director, said, “We find that, with the war being further removed from all of us, but especially for young people and people from outside of Europe, our visitors don’t always have sufficient prior knowledge of the Second World War to really grasp the meaning of Anne Frank and the people in hiding here. We want to make sure that Anne Frank isn’t just an icon, but a portal into history.”

issue 6 | the chronicle | 25

Family photo A

The Frank family (Margot, Otto, Anne, and Edith, from left to right) went into hiding when Margot, Anne’s older sister, received a call-up notice to report to a work camp. Out of the entire family, Otto was the sole survivor. In relation to reading Anne’s diary, Otto said, “For me, it was a revelation. There, was revealed a completely different Anne to the child that I had lost. I had no idea of the depths of her thoughts and feelings.”

Pictured here is, left to right, Miep Gies, Johannes Kleiman, Otto Frank, Victor Kugler, and Bep Voskuijl. These are the people that helped hide the annex’s occupants, as well as bring them food and other supplies. Only Miep Gies and Victor Kugler, called Mr. Kraler in Anne’s diary and the play, are in the fictionalization. 26 | The chronicle | issue 6

Album:

Below are pictures of the people who hid in the now famous annex in Amsterdam

Hermann van Pels, on the far right, worked with Otto Frank in Amsterdam. He and his family (Peter, above, and his wife Auguste, pictured to the right) joined the Franks in the annex a week after the Franks went into hiding.

Fritz Pfeffer, the family dentist of Miep Gies and the van Pels, contacted Miep Gies in late 1942, looking for a place to hide. In November, he joined the Franks and van Pels in the annex, where his medical license was useful as the occupants could not contact a doctor.

issue 6 | the chronicle | 27

10 Ways

to spice up prom next level prom themes for the 21st century By Audrey McWhorter and Kylee Weber Staff Writer and Photo Editor Design by Lauren Yoksh Editor Year after year, as trends and fashions change, prom themes seem to stay the same. From “A Night in Paris” to “Under the Stars,” these old-age prom themes are getting really bland really quick. So, here’s 10 ideas for prom themes that would totally spice up prom.

DIY

The average high school student spends over 300 dollars at prom a year. This hurts their wallet and makes them stressed on their teenage budget. However, if students were to make their own dresses, or used dresses and spice it up would make them unique and one of a kind at prom. The Do It Yourself theme it is an easy way to stay within budget and have fun while creating your prom decorations and attire. The decorations for the event itself is simple, people make creative crafts that only cost little to no money to the school, or themselves. The attire the students can wear can start off with a simple old dress, a little bling or left over ribbon can make that dress from a zero to a ten. DIY allows the people to interact with one another making it fun for each individual to do their crafts. The students can focus on having fun and making memories at the prom instead of going into debt with their high school budget.

bollywood

Masquerade

The mystery behind not knowing who someone is brings an intense thrill to the student’s dance. A masquerade ball allows the students to dress in elegant dresses, and creative masks, and not feel as if they are being judged by who they are. Although, wearing a mask allows them to have mystery through out their night. For everyone that wears a mask it allows them to use their creativity however they feel. This can go to matches their attire, or is just simply representing who they are. Each student must wear the mask until half way through the night, then they can reveal themselves to their classmates. This allows the students to spice up prom and make it as creative as they want.

Decades

The worry of your attire to be the “hip” trend, or make a fashion statement has become stressful to students. With the decade prom the class will choose a certain time in history to base their dance around. The students will then be challenged to find the proper attire for that decade. For example, the students could go to a thrift shop and find their attire, or go through a family members closet to try to find the perfect outfit for the time provided. For example, with the 70’s they can wear tool dresses, along with the guys wearing velvet tuxedos. With this theme it allows the students to express themselves through that given time, and feel as if they have gone back in time. The decade prom allows the students not to spend too much money for the night, making a budget not a big deal. Also, people can go through the night without worrying about their attire not being good enough and just have fun instead with their prom group.

The rules that come with dances has forced prom to become more stiff and uncomfortable for the students to have fun. The students worry about having a place to sit, or not being comfortable during it. However, with a Bollywood theme this doesn’t become an issue anymore. Bollywood allows the students to sit with a cushiony surrounding allowing them to enter another universe of relaxation and comfort ability. The Bollywood theme allows the women to wear a comfortable dress, or pants suit to make them feel not as stiff or uncomfortable in a long dress. This prom theme allows the students to express themselves however they please and bring them a different view of the strict rules.

haunted house

ball

The old fashion simple Ball, the one all the princess’ went to and the ones that allow the students to feel like they are in their own little fairytale. The Ball allows the women to dress up in ball gowns and elegant dresses and express themselves as the princess they wanted to be when they were little. With the Ball the students can dance around with elegant music, and of course, music they can enjoy as well. They can enjoy their night with the Ball themed letting the students go back to their childhood and have their own fairy tail come true. The students will truly live, happily ever after.

Casino

For a not-so-mainstream prom, have a haunted house themed prom! This would be fun because you would still have the opportunity to dress up in your dress or tuxedo, or you could wear a costume if dressing up isn’t your thing. One of the hallways could be turned into a haunted house, the dance floor could be filled with fog, and the room could be lit with spooky dark green lighting. Wearing a costume is definitely a way to make this a prom to remember, so you could take pictures in your costume in a photo booth with a lot of scary props, like masks. Part glamorous, part Halloween.

Yule ball

For those of you who don’t know what a “yule ball” is, it’s a dance that originated from Harry Potter. It’s pretty much a winter themed dance, with fake snow, fake ice, and all things winter! The great thing about this theme is that it’s fairly traditional, so you could still rock that prom dress. Hot chocolate could be served, along with apple cider and warm coffee to go with the winter theme. There could also be tables out full of winter-inspired snacks, like dirty snowballs, and food dusted with powdered sugar. If you want to dress with the theme, wear royal blue, silver, dark green or white. Also, a station where you get to “make your own snow!” could be set up. The music would mostly consist of a lot of classical, or slow music. The theme is overall very beautiful, with ice sculptures, evergreen trees, fake snow, and a lot of light blue and white.

If dancing isn’t your thing, a casino themed prom might be the way to go! This dance’s colors would be a lot of white, red, and black, and it would be very classy. The music would probably switch between jazz and upbeat current songs. The dance would be filled with red and black balloons, along with giant decks of cards, dice and huge poker chips. There would also be a photo booth with props like feather boas, and sunglasses.

Gatsby

This prom theme is perfect for both juniors and seniors since both grade levels will have read F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby by the time prom rolls around. The novel has a lot of iconic symbols in it, including vibrant colors, cars, and water symbols. Plus, prom would feel like an upscale 1920’s party! A Gatsby prom would be a night full of glitter, feathers, and gold accents. A giant tribute to the “eyes of T.J. Eckleberg” could be hung up on the wall, with feathers boas and sequined headbands worn by all the guests. Hanging over the middle of the dance floor could be the iconic green light from the Buchanan’s dock, all in honor of Mr. Gatsby.

outer space

For an “out of this world” prom night, have a space themed prom! This prom would be fun because black lights could be set up with 3D planets hanging from the ceiling that glow, accompanied by a lot of strobe lights. Twinkling fairy lights could be hung up to represent the stars. The theme colors would probably be neon and black. To dress with the theme wear bright colors bright pink, bright blue, bright green, etc. Everyone would be handed glow sticks when they come in that they could wear for the rest of the night. Snacks could include cosmic brownies, along with other space inspired foods.

29 | The chronic le | issue 6

r ole models By Sheli Cohen Staff Writer

and royalty

It has almost been a century since the release of the first Disney Princess movie. Disney has been producing movies with prominent, strong female role, however, these roles have not always been such great “role models” at all. From the early 40’s to present day we have seen both sides of the spectrum with the perception of a true female role model differs from decade to decade. We look back and decipher between which Disney princess is actually worth looking up to.

1940s: Snow White

Let’s be honest, the early 20th century was not very forgiving when it came to “being yourself ” or “showing your true colors”. There were very specific gender roles at the time in which it seemed like every American would participate in. While men went to work to bring home the bacon, it was expected that the wife would stay home to cook, clean and take care of the children. This sort of behavior is conspicuously portrayed through Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs; Snow White, the effortlessly beautiful and whimsical princess, is made to be completely dependent on her prince, whom she barely even knows. While waiting for her prince to arrive, Snow White becomes a de-

ranged house wife by doing nothing but cooking, cleaning, and making fun of the dwarves for being so dirty. Can a man not take care of himself and his home without the help of a woman? I think he can. Not only is it misogynistic to depict the woman as the house maid, the producers also had to make her into a ditsy, gullible middle aged woman that can’t even comprehend the idea of “stranger danger.” All in all, Snow White isn’t the best role model for young girls. Maybe at the time of the creation of Snow White, it was thought that all the young girls of America aspired to be the best darn house wife her family had ever seen. Doubt it.

1950s: Cinderella “A dream is a wish your heart makes.” In Cinderella’s case, her dream was for a prince to rescue her from her evil stepmother and stepsister. Let’s start off by talking about this so called “Prince Charming”, not a bright fellow I assure you. We all know the story, the Prince dances with Cinderella all night, at midnight she runs off and leaves a glass slipper behind, and the prince searches the kingdom for his mystery girl by having every able woman to try on the glass slipper to find a perfect match. Rather than using logical reasoning and cross off all the girls that don’t have blonde hair and blue eyes, Prince Charming has girls try on a glass slipper to find a

foot that fits the shoe perfectly. This just goes to show how much Cinderella really meant to the prince if he can’t even recognize what she looks like. On top of that, when the prince arrived at her estate, looked at Cinderella straight in the face, and still couldn’t come to the conclusion that was the woman he danced with for hours on was standing directly in front of him. Maybe it was because she was dressed like a beautiful princess at the time and he couldn’t see Cinderella for who she truly is through the rags she was wearing when he saw her again. There shouldn’t be an excuse, a man should find the beauty with or without fancy clothes and a face full of makeup.

1960s: Sleeping Beauty

This one’s for all the ladies out there. You are not helpless, you do not always need a man to save you, you are capable, strong, and independent, Sleeping Beauty is not. Once again, the beautiful princess falls in love with a handsome prince she hardly knows. Honestly Disney, what’s up with that? In a movie completely about her, Princess Aurora hardly plays a part because she is asleep for most of it. This just symbolically shows what little respect there was for women at the time of this movie’s release. However, it isn’t the character of Sleeping Beauty that is at fault for being dependent on a prince to save her from her fateful downfall. The producers and creators of the movie are at fault of portraying the sweet and down to earth Princess Aurora as an uneducated, damsel in distress, completely unaware of her surroundings.

1980s: Little Mermaid

The decade where women were finally making their mark in the business industry, the 80’s. Women were finally showing their true potential and how much of an asset they were in this world, but it is discouraging to see that Disney still portrayed women as helpless and clueless beings. Which leads us to The Little Mermaid. Ariel, a mermaid princess is head over heels in love with this mystery man whom she doesn’t even know. Not only does she go behind her father’s back after he explica-

bly told her to stay away from humans for her own safety, she also goes to the evil sea witch and trades her voice (one of her best qualities) to be someone she’s not, a human. This just goes to show that it was a normality for women to change the way they are to make a man notice her, which shouldn’t be something to be proud of. However, unlucky for Ariel, everything backfires and her handsome prince falls in love for the sea witch in disguise, using Ariel’s voice to seduce him. Maybe he’s just not that into you.

1990s: Pocahontas She taught us that Earth isn’t just a dead thing you can claim, that every rock and tree and creature has a life, has a spirit, has a name, that we can all paint with the colors of the wind. The first Disney princess to finally show all the children of the world that being a princess does not make you a helpless and ditsy woman, dependent on the opposite sex. Pocahontas, the daughter of the Chief of the Powhatan tribe, is a fun-spirited and nature loving woman that is set to marry a warrior named Kocoum who is too serious for her liking. As the story progresses, a ship from En-

gland arrives to land near the tribe, carrying supplies for making homes, weapons, and most importantly, the one, the only, John Smith. As dreamy as John is, Pocahontas is skeptical of him at first. Who wouldn’t be? Finally, a princess that understand it is just plain weird to trust someone you don’t know. Soon, John gains his trust from Pocahontas and she teaches him the meaning behind being a decent human being; don’t take things that aren’t yours, and everyone is made equal. Intelligent, sensible, reasonable; finally, a princess worthy enough to be looked up to.

2012: Merida

Fiery personality, fiery red hair. There is a no better combination when it comes to Merida, the fearless and BRAVE young, Scottish princess. Because of tradition, her mother forces her to choose an eligible prince for her betrothal, but being so young, she isn’t ready to give up her freedom and start a family, this does not fly with crazy queen mom. Upset and hurt that her mother won’t see that she isn’t ready to be married, she runs away and finds a witch who claims she can help change her fate. Without really

knowing what would happen, young Merida agrees and soon finds out that changing her fate meant changing her mom, more specifically, changing her mom into a bear. Searching endlessly for a way to find a reverse the spell, Merida and her mother find the answer, true love, but not just any true love, a bond created between a mother and her daughter, how sweet. Merida teaches us that making mistakes is a huge part of life and finding solutions are just as important.

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