Social pressures encourage students to purchase fake IDs without considering possible legal repercussions
02 THE HARBINGER
JANUARY 27, 2025
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Social media consumers should be responsible for fact checking the information they read on social media, rather than relying on third party fact checkers to tell them what is and isn’t accurate
BIDEN IS A robot with faulty programming created by the government.”
It doesn’t take a professional to debunk this completely inaccurate statement. But something like “Trump decreases tax on imports” could be harder to deem true or false by the average viewer.
For years, third-party fact checkers coming from the International FactChecking Network have flagged, researched and corrected potentially inaccurate posts on social media, all the while expecting viewers to blindly follow their findings. But following the trend of removing these fact checkers from X or Twitter comes their retirement from Instagram and Facebook as well.
On Jan. 7, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerburg announced that he would be removing all third-party fact checkers from Instagram and Facebook. He attributes the removal to their “biased” nature, saying they tend to flag far-right and conservative views over more left-leaning posts. And despite significant backlash, there’s no real need for them.
No one should rely solely on social media to consume news, whether the posts are fact-checked or not. There’s a general understanding that we, as social media users, should take the “news” we read with a grain of salt and further, make it our duty to fact check this information for ourselves.
But we’re not. Users go about their day blindly scrolling from post to post, not thinking twice about whether the information they’re so rapidly consuming is true or false. In reality, everyone should be consistently crossreferencing their social media news with
news from credited sources.
This doesn’t mean clicking the blue text in the comments section of TikTok posts and proceeding to go down a rabbit hole of more false information, viewing little content from accredited sources and news outlets.
This means finding articles from the BBC, CNBC, The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Kansas City Star or whatever your favorite fact-based publication is. Any publication that’s going to provide you with the facts, research and reliability you need to be a knowledgeable person, who contributes to the spread of accurate information is fair game.
Yes, it may take an extra few minutes out of your day to look up whether or not Trump is in cahoots with aliens. But if you have time to sit there and scroll through your phone, consuming more potentially false content, you certainly have time to look up the basis of the claims you’re reading about.
Those few extra minutes won’t drastically increase your screen time, either. The average American spends two hours and twenty-four minutes on social media every day, according to a 2024 survey by Exploding Topics, but you could easily spend two hours and fifteen minutes on social media, sacrificing those last nine minutes to research.
And let’s be real, it shouldn’t be up to a company to tell you whether or not a post is telling the truth. It’s ironic because Americans of all people — people who pride themselves on their individuality and independent thinking — should be the last group to do this.
And what makes a third-party fact checker more reliable? If they’re truly
as biased as Zuckerburg is claiming, you should be doing your own research regardless.
Plus, everyone has the ability to copy and paste a claim into their browser to do their own research on it. Hint: if the only results popping up are blogs with barely any views and other social media posts, it’s probably inaccurate.
It’s just simple research. Simple research that needs to become ubiquitous in the U.S..
According to an article by the Pew Research Center, 58% of US adults prefer to get their news from their digital devices — 33% relying on Facebook and 20% relying on Instagram regularly for information.
It’s completely acceptable to occasionally get information and news off social media. But the caveat needs to be added that this should always be followed up by further research and information gathering.
As long as social media exists, people will post inaccurate information, frame their opinions as news and fall victim to persuasive lies. It’s up to you as a responsible media consumer to separate the fact from fiction and become an educated viewer.
Fact checkers might be going away, but fact checking isn’t.
Use your brain. If it looks or sounds wildly inaccurate, it probably is. If your crazy Uncle Jeff is reposting it, be wary of its accuracy. If no one else seems to agree, it’s probably for a reason.
And for goodness sake, get your lazy, social-media-obsessed self up off your couch and be your own fact checker.
for: 7 against: 6
The members of the editorial board who agree with the viewpoint of the editorial are represented by for, and those who disagree with the viewpoint are represented by against.
A list of statistics on how adults share and gather news, according to security.org
One third of U.S. adults regularly obtain news on Facebook or Youtube 20% of American adults regularly acquire news on Instagram, 17% on Tiktok, and 12% on X
More than 50% of social media users sometimes share news without verifying facts
One in ve people don’t double- check information from television news
stories by sophia brockmeier
KC library showcase news
The Kansas City Public Library held the “New Year, New Discoveries” event on Jan. 25 to promote the library and local organizations
THE KANSAS CITY
Public Library held its “New Year, New Discoveries” event from 1-3 p.m. on Jan. 25 at the Plaza Branch to showcase Kansas City organizations and programs.
“New Year, New Discoveries” has been held at the library since 2023 and involves over 35 organizations sharing information about their programs. Spanning from the Kemper Teen Group to The Kansas City Star, each organization had a table set up to share information about their services with community members.
Teen Services Coordinating Librarian Kelsey Bates was enthusiastic about “New Year, New
THE SHINDIG, A a western-themed fundraiser, will be held at Milburn Country Club on Feb. 1 at 6:30 p.m. and will include a small dinner and entertainment. Sponsored by the East Fund, the event has raised grant money for East teachers since 2013.
President of the East Fund Board and East mom, Leslie Eakes has been integral in the planning process.
“The East Fund supports the school by awarding grants to teachers and educators to touch as many students as possible in the building,” Eakes said. “We want to further students’ education and
Discoveries” as a way to spread information to the Kansas City community.
“One of my main goals is for people to see the library as a community resource,” Bates said. “Being able to bring all of these additional community resources together to create a one-stop shop for people is something that I really value as a librarian.”
This goal of “New Year, New Discoveries” is evident in the East community as students use the library for resources outside of books. Junior Ava Carroll uses the library frequently for study sessions and appreciates the welcoming and quiet atmosphere.
“[The library] is a study place that’s quiet where I can work,” Carroll said. “I would say it’s cool that there’s all ages there too, and people outside of our circle that we get to see.”
Although “New Year, New Discoveries” had many opportunities for teenagers, including assistance with resumé writing and printing to prepare for interviews, the program was ultimately open to all ages including events such as library Tech support.
Giving the Lancer community a voice
“We try to make sure that we have something that would interest a 14-year-old or a 34-year-old because the library is there for everyone,” Bates said.
The East Fund will hold their annual Shindig event on Feb. 1, to raise money for school grants
enhance their experience at East. [The Shindig] is a wonderful event, a great cause and we would just love as many people to come as possible.”
The Shindig will feature the Lancer Mascot, SME cheerleaders and singer Travis Gibson. There will also be a small dinner and a silent auction — selling items like local artist Michael Savage’s prints, front-row graduation seats and a graduation party starter kit from the East Fund.
East Fund Ambassador and junior Anna Cicero will be at the fundraiser to give out silent auction tokens — allowing parents to bid on items — and welcome guests.
“It’s a really important job for
The Shindig has been happening since 2013 East Fund as a whole donates $75,000 in grants
Examples of these grants are the weights room and IB english
[East Fund Ambassadors] to be there so that we can talk to parents about how their money is actually going somewhere and how it impacts kids,” Cicero said.
Overall, the Shindig raises $30,000 to $50,000 each year, making up around half of the money that the East Fund gives in grants to teachers.
“I think it’s important to support our community and to support the East Fund,” Eakes said. “The Shindig is also fun to get out and maybe meet some new people and have a night out on the town.”
Raises roughly $30,000-$50,000 each year at just the Shindig
Q: How do you feel about the new technology ban?
A: This is a conversation that me and my whole family has had, I feel like the phone ban is not going to really fix our issue. I’m an adult, like I’m 18, and at this age when it comes to things like these restrictions it almost feels insulting, we should learn to have self restraint. I almost feel like me and several of my friends who are in a similar boat are being punished for something we did not do.
Q: How do you feel about the new technology ban?
There will be a silent auction taking place at the Shindig including the following items:
A: I am very against it. I think it sets up this rule, or thinks expectation that the school will basically babysit you. When you get a job your boss isn’t going to say, hey, put your phone away in the phone caddy, you’re just going to get fired. I think you have to teach kids how to self regulate and how to make, good decisions on their own.
Astory by connor vogel
TIKTOK’S ON THE CLOCK
NATIONWIDE BAN
OF of the social media platform TikTok went into effect across the U.S. on Jan. 19. For about 12 hours.
The ban was temporarily lifted when President Donald Trump signed an executive order instructing the federal government to delay the law for 75 days on Jan. 20. The proclamation gives the app’s China-based owner, ByteDance, the opportunity to sell a majority stake in the platform or reach a deal with Trump.
The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act — a bipartisan bill making it a crime, punishable with fines up to $5000 a day for any U.S. company that uses TikTok — has been fighting legal challenges since signed into law on April 24, 2024. TikTok’s lawyers argued that the ban would violate Americans’ First Amendment rights.
This quarrel ended after the Supreme Court upheld the law banning TikTok in a 9-0 decision on Jan. 17. In the released opinion, the court ruled that the law didn’t violate citizens’ free speech.
“There were a couple differences of views among some of the justices, but at a basic level, the justices said that there was a legitimate governmental interest in the data security piece,” attorney Mark Cole said.
“So they passed a law to restrict a foreign adversary’s ability to gather, collect and utilize data from 170 million Americans.”
Former East soccer coach and head of the cybersecurity firm Tenfold Security Aaron Weissenfluh believes the court made the right decision. Working to protect his clients’ digital information, he’s seen the potential threats to data security TikTok poses firsthand.
According to Weissenfluh, the app isn’t just taking user data, but also information from third-party sites and devices on the same network.
“[Banning TikTok] really hit home for us [at Tenfold],” Weissenfluh said. “For example, we have a university that we protect, and we kept getting alerts that devices wanted to connect to the network. They’d immediately scan the entire network for hosts, looking to see if there are vulnerabilities on the network or what other devices they could get to.”
After digging through the list of connected devices, Weissenfluh and his team concluded TikTok’s software was accessing the network every time someone used the university’s Wi-Fi.
The collection of users’ private information is nothing new for apps, but the issue with TikTok is its ties to the People’s Republic of China’s government, according to East AP Government teacher Jacob Penner.
TIKTOK FACTS FACTS
The TikTok ban was put on pause by President Trump, awaiting the potential sale of TikTok’s parent company ByteDance to American-owned companies
“Any of the data that TikTok collects over US companies is technically accessible to the Chinese government as well,” Penner said. “They’re not private in the way that they would need a search warrant. For instance, our government is bound by the Fourth Amendment in search and seizure.”
This means that as a foreign company, TikTok doesn’t have the same protections guaranteed under the law to protect their data from being taken by the government without probable cause.
In order to prevent the ban from going into effect, ByteDance must sell a majority share in TikTok to U.S. buyers within 90 days, according to the bill.
In a statement on Jan. 21, Trump warned China against attempting to block any deal made with the U.S. before the 75day executive order ends, saying he would consider it an act of “hostility” and “put tariffs of 25%, 30%, 50%, even 100%,” according to Forbes.
But even with the action from the executive branch, bringing back the app to devices has yet to occur. Many tech companies, including Google and Apple, refuse to bring TikTok back to their platforms for updates and future downloads.
This is because, under the law, returning the ByteDance-owned TikTok to app stores would be illegal and potentially subject them to billions of dollars in fines. Trump taking
to Exploding Topics
executive action does little to change that, according to NPR.
This has caused issues for several people who make their livelihood on TikTok. For East science teacher Joshua Parker, who has over 200k followers, the threat of a ban could impact his side-hustle as a content creator.
“It affects more than just people’s data,” Parker said. “Some people build businesses off of [TikTok] and do a lot of good with it. I think there’s always some chance of a data leak, but I have the same chances of my data leaked from a credit card company or my bank.”
For people who already deleted the app, getting it back through the Apple store won’t be possible. Now, other sites like Instagram and Xiaohongshu — also known as RedNote, a popular social media site in China — have begun to fill the gap.
While access to the app is restored temporarily for existing users, many others will continue to find ways to access it even if the app is banned through the use of VPN or illegal websites, the future of the platform remains in limbo.
“If security controls are too difficult, people will always find a way around it,” Weissenfluh said. “Everybody will eventually, and I think that will be the case if TikTok is finally banned.”
SCAN
The Canopy Cover KC Project is being implemented across the KC area to improve the environment
“AS TREES GROW they absorb carbon dioxide and let out oxygen as a result, as well as the amount of carbon dioxide that is absorbed, it reduces the amount of pollution in our area. This results in us inhaling less pollution, and slightly reduces climate change.
SHUBRA DURGAVATHI
JUNIOR
According to Purdue University, implementing new campaigns to plant more trees is an important step to help the environment. Though this project is a good way to improve the environment, planting trees in KC isn’t always easy, because being located in the plains can make it harder for trees to grow and thrive, Homes explained
Although trees serve many benefits to a community, trees found around or in grasslands can negatively impact habitat quality for many grassland plant and animal species. Planting a large number of trees in the prairie could harm the natural balance by replacing grasslands with forests.
Home believes that since KC is located in the Great Plains, the new trees could have a
“As soon as we start planting trees out in the more countryside areas it will affect the local ecosystems that have managed to survive out there, even though we have cut away all the tall grass for a few decades,”
Planting these trees will still affect local ecosystems simply because the plains aren’t well-suited for trees, and the local animals and habitats aren’t accustomed to it. As a result, there is no ecological niche for trees
“Together with our partners, we are committed to building a greener, more sustainable future for Kansas City,” City Manager Brian Platt said in an interview
TAKING ROOT
The variation of tree species planned to be planted
design by lucy swope photo by lexi madden
TRUMP-
TRUMP- OLICIES
FROM DAY 1
Executive orders Donald J. Trump is installing on day one of his second presidency
The 47th President takes office with a range of proposals and policies that East students are passionate about
story by ellen bowser
AS PRESIDENT Donald Trump entered the office on Jan. 20, he was prepared to enact a wide variety of policies from ending the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine to high tariffs on nearby countries during his term. While his policy ideas vary in scope and variety, he has a few major talking points he’s been prioritizing.
Facing pressure from the public to curb inflation and lower grocery prices, Trump has proposed tariffs on countries such as China, Canada and Mexico. AP Government and Politics teacher Jacob Penner explains that tariffs place the charge on the country that imports.
for his second term is his stance against illegal immigration, specifically from the Southern border. Penner states that Trump has proposed to deport illegal immigrants throughout the country, starting with Chicago, in the coming weeks.
Freshman George Reardon shared his opinion on the deportations.
“The fact is that if you don’t have a border, you don’t have a country,” Reardon said. “I’m not saying we don’t need immigration, because we do need immigration for a country to operate, just not illegal immigration.”
“A tariff is a tax placed on foreign imports into our country,” Penner said. “The government gets that money; they’re raising money on that product.”
Trump and his supporters believe that these tariffs will allow the U.S. to be more selfsufficient and rely less on foreign producers. Some economists are concerned that the infrastructure — the factories and transportation required to respond to newfound demand — necessary to sustain American-made products will drive prices upward at first, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Junior John Gagen, who researched these tariffs on his own, believes that they will be detrimental to the country.
“I don’t think the whole idea of the tariffs are going to last,” Gagen said. “Walmart imports most of their products from China. If you place a 60% tariff on China, many products at Walmart are going to be 60% more expensive. It’s an inherently inflationary thing.”
Outside of country borders, Trump has also made claims to buy Greenland and the Panama Canal for both trade and foreign security reasons. Penner believes that the purchase of the Panama Canal is to gain more control over the trade between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, while Greenland would be taken for surveillance towards Russia.
“He’s wanting Greenland as a chokepoint to stop Russian incursion into the Atlantic,” Penner said. “We do a lot of trade [in the Panama Canal] and Panama can put a tax on us going through it. It would be like using a toll road... there’s an economic motivation for trying to gain that piece of land.”
Another pillar of Trump’s campaign
Immediately after taking office, President Trump signed an executive order to end birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants in America. Already, 18 states have sued Trump for violating the 14th Amendment, which states that anyone born in the U.S. is automatically a citizen, meaning that the executive order will likely not pass.
On his first day in office for his second term, Trump signed an executive order to end the recognition of any gender other than male or female. Despite talking little about inclusion policies along the campaign trail, Trump stated in his inaugural address that “there are only two genders, male and female.” East Junior Eli Moon is frustrated that Trump is focusing policies on limiting LGBTQ conversations.
“[Transgender people] are such a small portion of the population, but they’re such a large contention point in politics,” Moon said.
As Trump oversees the country’s federal spending, he also plans to cut purchases across the board, taking a “deregulation” stance throughout industries.
Trump also declared an “energy crisis” in his inaugural address in order to slash spending on climate-related policies and decrease the amount of regulations on varying industries.
“It’s the idea that there should be fewer regulations on the market so the market can grow and we can have a free market economy,” Penner said.
Trump’s initial policies and proposals only scratch the surface of his plans for this term, which range in scope and scale, just as much as East students’ opinions on them do.
opinion comic strip
art by avery foster
Harbinger staffer rank the best parking at East
1
3 sta
The front row of the senior lot is the best parking East has to offer. If you can get up early enough to snag a spot, it’s a two minute walk to the main entrance and it’s super convenient to escape the dismissal crowd.
The junior lot is a close second to the front row at East. If you have classes on the rst three floors, you can stay in your car until 7:35 and still make your class on time. It also offers an easier exit point during dismissal.
2
The back row of senior lot takes third place because of it’s distance from the main entrance and it’s accessibility for all grades. Since anyone can park there, you must get up at 6:30 at the least to get a spot. Claire
Rosen’s
Ellen’s hot take on the overrated main staircase of Shawnee Mission East
story
by ellen bowser
ONCE UPON MY freshman year, the remnants of the COVID-19 panic brought one silver lining to the halls of Shawnee Mission East: the up-and-down staircase system.
The main staircase in the connecting of the third, fourth and fifth floors was once the efficient and glorified “down staircase.” Now, it’s any naive freshman’s worst nightmare during passing periods and any senior’s daily inconvenience.
To avoid the cross-traffic on busy stairwells of the top three floors of East during the aftermath of the pandemic,
the side stairwells were additionally dubbed “up stairs” and the “down staircase” was born After I spent a year in this system, I grew accustomed to its efficiency.
After the summer reached its unfortunate end, I returned to East for my sophomore year to find that the “up and down stairs” were work of the past.
Students would run up and down staircases willy-nilly at their own leisure, causing congestion and overall mayhem. The main staircase is now a battle that I do my best to avoid fighting as a senior.
I can’t count the amount of times I’ve been shoved over — and I won’t
even recount the few times that I found myself on the floor after an unfortunate collision — on the main stairwell. Even though I won’t walk the halls of East next year, I will still wake up from nightmares about the horrible presence of the main staircase.
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Christian Clough
JANUARY 27, 2025
PLAY SOMETHING,
Everyone should play an instrument, due to the emotional and mental benefits that can be gained
story by alex harden
EVER SINCE DISCOVERING
my great-grandfather’s guitar at the age of six, I’ve been experimenting with music. Whether I’m gliding along the smooth ivory of a piano, feeling the vibrations of a drum kit or plucking the coarse strings of a guitar, I’ve never had a negative experience with an instrument.
Through four years of playing guitar, my stint playing the piano and my occasional messing with the harmonica I keep on my nightstand, I’ve noticed the benefits of playing music in every aspect of my life. I’ve become more creative, disciplined and less anxious. As a result, I believe that everyone could benefit from playing an instrument, just as I have.
immeasurable hours of trial and error, sight reading and repetition to play fluently. But the process, whether it be the calluses on my fingers or the carved out hour for practice in my otherwise busy schedule, has taught me discipline.
This sentiment applies to all instruments, from the imposing piano to the modest harmonica. With discipline and practice over time, any instrument can be played fluently.
Although practicing just 15 minutes a day to improve my skill is by no means a herculean effort, following a routine for practice has greatly contributed towards a healthy relationship with the disciplinary aspects of my life. For example, I’ve had better time management when it comes to
proven itself to become one of my main tactics to deal with stress.
And I’m not alone on this. The simple act of playing an instrument decreases stress in the brain, according to piano student and doctor Debra Shipman. Playing the piano lowers stress levels more efficiently than calligraphy or clay molding, meaning playing the piano has the ability to lower cortisol, reducing anxiety.
Some might be worried that they’ll be judged for playing an instrument. If you’re concerned about what others might think, worry not. Instruments can lead to viable career options, whether it’s striking it big with a record deal, playing in venues or playing at weddings, making it a career can and has been done.
WHAT’S THE HYPE?
How playing instruments benefits these students
I’VE ONLY BEEN playing guitar for two months, but now it’s my favorite thing to do when I need to relax or if I have any free time.
NASH OHLUND
And even if others judge you for playing an instrument, which some might do, remember the countless musicians even your harshest critics would do anything to
Playing an instrument is just a generally enjoyable pass-time. There have been plenty of times where I’ve played my guitar and simply felt happier. Playing instruments has been proven to elicit positive emotions for those who play. Shipman also explained playing the piano has the ability to improve
I’ve found a passion for music through playing an instrument that I plan to carry with me for the rest of my life. I’d love for everybody to reap the benefits of playing an instrument. The gains from playing take time, but I seriously believe that the benefits
I know that I wouldn’t care for a life without feeling the slick keys of a piano, hearing the crash of a drum kit or the
JUNIOR
WHENEVER I’M AT someone’s house and they have a piano, I always play a few songs for them. It’s fun because everyone’s in a group, and they clap for me and tell me it sounds good.
DO YOU PLAY?
Students share what instrument they play
OPINION
KILLING IT
FROM DESPERATE FIGHT
videos in the hallways of East and graphic video games to movies and TV, the media’s portrayal of violence has increased overtime. With this comes the normalization and the acceptance of violence in everyday life.
There’s no reason for 10-year-olds to have access to Mortal Kombat or Grand Theft Auto 5 — two games containing vivid and realistic violent graphics. When kids see violent interactions between people from a young age, it becomes the norm. Instead of teaching empathy, this media teaches apathy.
The overexposure to violence and brutality in the media is causing our youth to view aggression as the goto response for negative feelings. Exposing kids to this content increases the odds that they become more comfortable with harmful actions.
Aggression between peers is no longer considered bullying. They were just “messing around” or “had it coming.” I’m not suggesting that violence is a new phenomenon, but as the scope of media grows, its influence
Psychological Association, not only does this increase violence in school settings, but also suggests that there are dwindling consequences for outward aggression. Instead of being condemned by peers, the fights are filmed, cheered on and circulated around the school.
According to the APA, based on a 15-year-long study with 329 adolescents, being exposed to violence regularly negatively impacts their behavior. The study showed that continuous exposure to violence both in real life and through media made children, regardless of gender, more aggressive.
This doesn’t mean the violence of an individual can be solely attributed to the media they consume. There are a variety of factors, including family life, mental health and environment that also contribute to one’s inclination towards violence.
We consistently see individuals who have raped, murdered or assaulted others being glorified in the media. Whether it’s Jeffrey Epstein scandals or the Golden State Killer, people seem infatuated with horrific crimes. The crimes are created into documentaries, books and podcasts for average people
And we do consume it. We eat it up. The content continues being produced, and the cycle continues. No matter how seemingly justifiable or attractive the Menendez brothers or Luigi Mangioni are, they still killed someone.
We even enjoy series on psychopathic killers like Jefferey Dahmer. Admittedly, I love true crime. But it’s not good for me. As we absorb this type of media, the subject-matter becomes less and less alarming.
According to the Surgeon General’s 1972 report on television violence, exposure to brutality on television can lead to children copying the behavior short-term. It was noted
that other influences, such as family or environment, are more significant in their impact. We’ve known the impact of violence on psychology for decades, and done nothing to prevent it.
Society is effectively resistancetraining our brains to not react to violence with fear, sadness or anger, but rather to enjoy it and crave more.
It’s entirely possible I’m more sensitive than the average person, but there are better ways to spend our time. Instead of watching two kids you barely know throw wonky punches by the stairwell, you could be investing in improving yourself. Maybe develop a new hobby instead of encouraging hatred on the internet.
You can place restrictions on your social media apps that filter out violent content and focus on content that will build you up or make you smarter, rather than tear others down. I would highly encourage parents to make use of these filters. Self-care is so much better than watching teenage boys wrestle in a dirty stairwell.
Choosing to grow as an individual and reject the normalcy of aggression that’s so common nowadays and at our age doesn’t make you a snowflake, it makes you empathetic and human. Being mature isn’t something to be ashamed of. Having basic human empathy isn’t a bad thing, but rather something that should be a baseline expectation.
Rejecting the normalcy is a step towards breaking the cycle of violent media production that is harming our society more than it’s helping.
Games that portray violence in the media
Fruit Ninja - Fortnite
story by mary gagen
design by vanessa blades art by avery foster
JANUARY 27TH, 2025
VERSTOCKED
When winter storms circulate people tend to over prepare for them and most of the food they buy goes to waste, but there are other rational steps that can be taken to help be ready.
IT WAS THE first week of January when I turned on the TV and saw apocalypselike shots of people flooding local Costcos and ripping anything in eyesight off the shelves. Racks of toilet paper were left empty and cans of non-perishable food items were completely out of stock. I was astonished people would go to these extremes for such a short-lived event.
All I’d heard about the predicted winter storm was that it was supposed to hit on Jan. 4, dumping around 10 inches of snow on Kansas City. Additionally, people needed to stay home for a day or two to wait for the streets to be cleared. Obviously, some people misheard the weather report and thought the world was about to end.
Let’s be honest, there’s no way that one family needs 10 steaks, 22 cans of tomato soup and 30 rolls of toilet paper just to get
through three days of snow. At that point, it’s just overconsumption — not preparedness.
Going on an unnecessary buying spree leaves those who actually need food with nothing. This wasteful consumption makes it impossible for families in need to purchase groceries.
The overconsumption of food ultimately leads to food waste when those 10 steaks go bad because, shockingly, the three days you were stuck inside weren’t enough time to finish them. Purchasing a month’s worth of food for just one weekend is simply irresponsible. It’s reasonable to get a few cans of non-perishables and some easy meals, but people don’t need to buy more than they would during a normal grocery store trip.
From what I saw on an Instagram Reel, there were so many people buying
out Costco that the employees had to make an entire system where only a certain amount of people could shop at a time. Formulating an entirely new system is inconvenient and mimics the COVID pandemic, where stores only let a few people in at a time due to families’ panic buying.
The fact that people were preparing for a three-day storm the same way they were preparing for months quarantined in their houses is so unnecessary and overkill in every aspect.
I fully understand the amount of time stuck in your home wasn’t set, but people should listen to experts and weather reporters and wait to see if drastic measures need to be taken. Weather reporters were telling us to stay inside until the roads were safe and to buy some non-perishables, not to buy enough food to feed your entire block for a year.
If someone is truly worried about
the effects of the storm, such as power outages, more reasonable steps can be taken and if you already have non-perishable goods you do not need to stock up.
This can include purchasing generators to help cope with the loss of power. Candles and flashlights can also be great to have on hand in the case of a power outage.
Another way people can prepare for these winter storms to hit is to gather items they have in their house like blankets and hand warmers. Then, these can be organized into a bin that you already have on hand with other necessities like batteries and a radio to hear weather updates.
Preparing for a winter storm to an extent is necessary, but panic is unnecessary because Kansas City has had frequent bad winters for a long time. If people are concerned about having what they need they can take more rational solutions and skip overbuying and wasting food.
FLYING SHELF THE OFF
Here are the most common items that sell out quickly before a winter storm
design by miranda liberda
photos by katie cook
story by reese dunham
ROCK
THE
ABOVE Senior Anne Alt writes down the names and phone numbers of finished order for students to contact them.
SCAN ME PHOTO
Scan here to view and purchase photos from this photo story
HAWKS
HAWKS
Student store prepares for the boys varsity basketball game against rival school Rockhurst by designing, printing and selling shirts for the SM East student section
their lists
“[Students] put their name, email, phone number, and size of shirt they want when they order it,” Freund said. “We did this same system for Lancer Day jerseys and it actually went really smooth so we thought it’d be a good idea for this too.”
ABOVE Senior Maggie Condon uses a shirt press to paste “Beat Rock” onto the front of a t-shirt.
photo by paige bean
photo by zac russell
LEFT Seniors Lola Condon and Annabelle Covell cut out decals to be pressed on shirts for sale.
photo by paige bean
LEFT Seniors Ashley Freund and Anne Alt check
of students who ordered t-shirts.
photo by ava towner
photo by paige bean
ABOVE A t-shirt is pressed on the shirt press to seal the decal on. The machine heats each shirt at 350 degrees for 65 seconds.
design by clara peters art courtesy of lili vottero
meet the ASU execs
Meet all of the people who run the SME Asian Student Union
time to celebrate
annual fortune
Here are three of the many traditions that take place each year
Red Envelope
Red envelopes containing money are given as gifts, symbolizing good luck and prosperity.
The first 4 days of Lunar New Year and their significance
Paper
Lantern
Homes and public spaces are decorated with red lanterns and paper cuttings featuring auspicious messages.
Certain foods like oranges, dumplings, rice cakes, and fish are prepared and offered on altars or enjoyed in feasts. 9% 2 days
of east students celebrate Lunar New Year until Lunar New Year
Day 1: Lunar New Year’s Eve
Day 2: Lunar New Years Day
Day 3: Visiiting family and honoring ancestors
Day 4: The day of the Red Mouth
this week in photos
January 28th
January 29th
January 30th
January 31st
Food Offering
design by miranda liberda
BELOW Junior Izzy Hunter focuses on her clay bowl project during 6th hour Ceramics photo by francesca lorusso
BELOW Junior Mirabelle Heinen gets assistance from chemistry teacher Mr. Bardwell during a lab photo by zac russell
Jamie Wilborn PRESIDENT
Miranda Liberda EVENT COORDINATOR
Quinlyn Anderson SECRETARY
Sophia Yanics PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER
Yabo Wang TREASURER
MEET OAKLEY
design by caroline beal
photos by caroline hoffman
Freshman Bronson Skelton’s unique pet is a friend of the East community
ENTIFICATION
DECEIT
Students obtain fake IDs despite potential legal penalties due to a prevalent drinking culture
Easy tells that an ID is fake, according to webrestaurantstore.com
each state has speci c holographic images on their ID’s
story by michael yi
ON THE MORNING of Lancer Day, senior Nancy Davis* pulled out her new fake ID at the liquor store register, ready to pay for her 24-pack of Michelob Ultras. She wasn’t nervous. After all, over 30 of her friends had fake IDs, and they had already figured out which places cared and which didn’t. At this store, as long as the code on her fake would scan properly, she was all set.
“There’s only a couple places that would call the police, but even QuikTrip doesn’t call,” Davis said. “They’re just like ‘get out’ and they’ll take your ID.
THERE WAS A bit of pressure. wanted to be useful, and as someone who doesn’t drink, it kind of put me on the outside of things. You’re not drinking when going out with your friends, so you could at least be helpful and buy alcohol for your friends. think that was kind of my thought process. KYLIE DEFOUR* JUNIOR
So you just have to be careful about where you go.”
Possession of a fake ID in Kansas is a Class B nonperson misdemeanor, with a punishment of at least 100 public service hours and a fine of $200-500. But according to Davis, the social pressure to buy alcohol at East encourages students
to get fake IDs, ignoring the possible legal repercussions.
“[Fake IDs] have gotten very normalized,” Davis said. “My sister didn’t get a fake ID until college, but every grade at East I feel just grows up sooner and sooner. People don’t really think about the repercussions when everybody around you has one.”
According to Davis, the most common way for students to get fake IDs is to contact somebody — typically a college student — that is placing an online bulk order through a Google Form. Customers typically join a Snapchat group chat for the order, and are incentivized through discounts to add more people to the group chat to increase profits for the person ordering.
“A lot of people will say, if you bring 10 people to this group chat, I’ll give you $20 off,” Davis said. “So a lot of people will try and get as many people as possible in the order so that they can make money on their own.”
On an Instagram poll of 325 students, 23% admitted to having used a fake ID. But Davis estimates that number to be closer to 80% in her senior class, and School Resource Officer Tony Woollen estimates it closer to 90%, based on the students that talk openly about their fake IDs with him in his office.
According to Woollen, East’s ingrained culture of drinking is responsible for the social pressures that drive students to purchase fake IDs. In an Instagram poll of 215 students, 24% of students reported having felt pressure to get a fake.
“The issue is that some people get fakes
just to fit in,” Woollen said. “They’ve got friends that want to go to bars, or they just want to be cool and be able to buy booze.”
Junior Kylie Defour* doesn’t drink, but got a fake ID her sophomore year to buy her friends drinks for social events. As the oldest looking friend, she was pressured by her friends to be the first to get a fake.
“I wanted to be useful, and as someone who doesn’t drink, it kind of put me on the outside of things,” Defour said. “You’re not drinking when going out with your friends, so you could at least be helpful and buy alcohol for your friends. think that was kind of my thought process.”
Junior Matt Wiley* doesn’t have a fake ID, but has been tempted to get one when prompted to join group ID orders with friends. According to Wiley, students may be encouraged to get a fake if they feel guilty about asking friends to constantly “buy for them.”
“[Fake IDs] are not a good thing, because it gives high schoolers access to alcohol,
culture. For Davis, a big factor in getting a fake ID was so she could get a feel for colleges apart from academics. She used the ID to visit college bars before
[FAKES ARE] GOOD FOR seniors to have so you can get the gist of what colleges are like, not just academically.
NANCY DAVIS SENIOR
committing to the college she’s attending this fall.
“It’s good for seniors to have so you can get the gist of what colleges are like, not just academically,” Davis said.
Woollen has noticed that fake IDs have become so normalized that students rarely fear legal consequences, with some students even showing their fakes to him to check their quality or asking for the SROs to recover fake IDs stolen from their cars. According to Woollen, the SROs see a fake ID every few weeks, but confiscate only one every couple of months.
nicotine, stuff like that,” Wiley said. “But at the same time, part of high school culture is the parties and having fun. So think that having fake IDs kind of makes having fun like that easier.”
According to Davis, seniors often feel like obtaining a fake is a social requirement for college, especially at schools with a reputation for a prevalent drinking
“We have people that openly talk about it a lot, and so people look at us and go, ‘Why aren’t you doing your job by taking the fake IDs?’ Woollen said.
“Well, we’ve got lots of stuff to do. I’m not trying to minimize that, but you know how ingrained the use of alcohol is in our learning community.”
According to an Instagram poll of 163 students that currently use fake IDs, 79% believe that the chances of them getting
caught within a year is below 25%.
Hills Liquor manager Sara Sharp catches about four fake IDs a week, but believes the actual number of underage buyers is much higher. According to Sharp, the quality of fake IDs have improved in the last seven years, to the point where almost all the IDs she scans will show up as legitimate.
“These kids are spending hundreds of dollars on these fake IDs, so they will scan like a real ID,” Sharp said. “A lot of times you just have to see if they know their own birthday or where they live.”
When Sharp confronts underage buyers about their fake ID, she confiscates their ID. She’s been given conflicting information from Alcohol Beverage Control and the police as to what she should do with the pile of IDs she has.
“We’re supposed to give them to the police, but I’ve been told by the police that there’s nothing that they’ll do, which puts us in a problem,” Sharp said. “And then talked to my ABC agent, and he said we’re supposed to give them to the police.”
According to former deputy and fake ID educator Allen Kisler, there’s nothing the police could do with the fakes but destroy them. Unless law enforcement directly catches someone with or using fraudulent identification, it’s difficult to charge them, making it even more rare for suspects to face charges.
“Unless the liquor store calls [911] on those people right there and there, nothing’s going to happen,” Kisler said.
01/01/1999
a
ID CRACKDOWN
The maximum repercussions of getting caught with a fake ID, according to Greg Hill & Associates can be charged as a Class B nonperson misdemeanor
POSESSION OF A FAKE ID MEANING: PUBLIC SERVICE HOURS FINE 100 100 or $200500 $200500
WORLDS
BEST OF BOTH WORLDS
Junior Iris Chabanis and East alumni Tristan Chabanis spend every winter and summer break traveling around Europe and Asia to visit their dad
FIFTEEN STEPS AWAY from the beach at her house, junior Iris Chabanis spends her summers with five-hour-long tranquil beach days and tedious games of French monopoly with her family who lives in France. She spends most of her days sitting atop ash-red rock formations with her thirteen-year-old cousin Louise, ending the day watching the sunset at the beach.
Being able to travel to France and around Europe almost every summer isn’t only a vacation for Iris and her brother, East alum Tristan Chabanis, it’s a home. Iris and Tristan travel to France during winter and summer break, spending six weeks of their summer in the vibrant and quiet south of France to visit their dad, Thomas Chabanis.
“The special thing whenever they come to France is that we’re back to our [French] roots,” Thomas said. “That’s the important thing. It’s a lot of fun moments. It’s the laugh of my kids when we’re on the boats, or when Iris comes her birthday is celebrated because it’s in the middle of summer. All of our family really wants to make it a special day.”
Thomas was born and raised in Paris, France and moved to Washington D.C when he was 24 for a job. He moved back to France
in 2021. He had the opportunity of buying his mother’s beach house and taking a job in Paris as a general counsel for a medical company.
Life in France is a stark difference from America for Tristan and Iris. In place of the typical rushed American lifestyle of being a workaholic, and always being on the go, French people typically live a slower life, even when it comes to simple things like lunch, or sleeping in.
“It’s definitely a lot more laid back,” Iris said. “People here [in the U.S.] are always doing stuff. They always have stuff on their schedule. In France, we just lay around the house, or around the beach. Work isn’t always on people’s minds.”
Seeing all of her American friends’ posts about their summer makes Iris miss her friends, but nothing beats memories like watching fireworks with her family on the French Independence Day on July 14th, or eating her grandmother’s home-cooked meals.
Both of the siblings grew up around French culture — with having a dad who was born in France and a mom with a major in French. Speaking both French and English has been part of the siblings’ dialogue
MOMENTS IN TIME
SANREMO, ITALY
Iris and her family will often drive an hour and a half to go to these markets. In this photo it is showing one of the cheese stands at the market.
since they were old enough to say “mom” or “maman” which is the french word for mother. They commonly mix both languages together in sentences.
The majority of the siblings’ travels have been to France, but from 2013-2020 the tradition of visiting France had changed to visiting Shanghai, China, where their dad was working at the time.
“
THE SPECIAL THING whenever they come to France is that we’re back to our roots, that’s the important thing.
THOMAS CHABANIS EAST PARENT
Over those seven years, Thomas has made it his goal to bring his family with him through his travels. During the seven-year period he lived in Shanghai, the family’s summers were spent in Asia. They’ve traveled through Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Japan and the Philippines together.
The family has experienced being trapped in the Philippines during a typhoon with no
Photos and stories from Iris’s France visits
THÉOULE-SUR-MER, FRANCE
This is a photo of some of the cliffs right next Iris’ house that looks out on the bay. Iris and her brother Tristan go there often to watch the sunrise at one of the many secluded beaches.
electricity, traveling through cities with an ox cart and being welcomed into Myanmar by local villagers who make brooms for a living. With a variety of cultural experiences, Tristan highly values going on these trips.
“We have so much privilege to go to a high school with teachers who have spent their lives earning a degree,” Tristan said. “There were 30 kids in one school [In Myanmar] of all different ages being taught by one teacher. They were being taught English, and I got to stand in front of the class and teach them a few English words up on the chalkboard. I’ll surely remember that forever.”
Having a parent that lives 4,748.82 miles away wasn’t easy for the family, space comes with missing your family, but ultimately makes them appreciate the time they do get to spend together more.
“It’s not that I wanted to do it for them,” Thomas said. “It’s because work leads you to different places, so I was curious by nature. I always wanted to learn more, and that’s the part that I wanted to share with them. I think naturally you want to share that experience with the people closest to you. I wanted them to see what I saw. And it’s a wonderful thing to share.”
THÉOULE-SUR-MER, FRANCE
This photo was taken on France’s Independence day, July 14, Bastille Day. Iris and her family went to a hotel for dinner so they could watch the fireworks from the beach front restaurant.
story by mya smith
photos courtesy of iris chabanis
Traditional Māori dance, traditionally with music, involving performing with flaming balls attached to string.
ALLEN ALLEN
WHO INTRODUCED YOU TO THE ART OF FIRE POI?
MY COUSIN INTRODUCED me to it. [I took] a six-week Crash Course on Poi, rst day that [me and my cousin] practiced we used re. [It showed me that] it may be on re, but it’s not necessarily dangerous.
HAVE YOU PERFORMED PROFESSIONALLY, OR CHARGED FOR YOUR PERFORMANCES?
NO, I HAVEN’T monetized at all yet. It’s purely for pleasure, and it’s usually at family events. I used to do it around Christmas time, because there’d be a lot of people together. Getting big groups of people is not always the easiest, but [when I perform] it’s just for fun.
WHAT ARE THE SAFETY PRECAUTIONS THAT YOU HAVE TO TAKE WHEN PERFORMING POI?
[OBVIOUSLY] YOUR HAIR is very combustible, so when you start out [it’s recommended] to put a bandanna or durag over your hair. When I started, I had my hair and face covered. Some people like to wear pants, but as you practice you’re not as afraid of the re. I don’t have any scars from it, my worst burn that I have right now is from a Crock-Pot
WHAT’S KEPT YOUR “FLAME” ALIVE?
THE CATHARSIS THAT I’ve experienced through the process has been really cool, and then I’ve shared it with a few other people. It’s one of those things that you share, and you kind of let linger. It’s an extra little feather in my hat that I get to show friends and family. “
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PART OF FIRE POI?
“IT’S KIND OF a moth to a flame, [I’ve] gone on float trips, and once you light the poi and start your performance, everybody kind of starts to come over.
JANUARY 27, 2025
YEAH, YEAH,
A group of senior girls serve as Glo Tanning ambassadors, receiving free services in exchange for posting on their Instagram
SENIOR GIA TUSO opens the glass doors welcoming her into Glo Tanning. A simple pink “Glo” sign greets her at the front desk and staff members immediately recognize her as a familiar face. She selects her service upfront — a light spray tan with no add-ons — and walks to a cube-like room housing the Mystic tanning box.
Tuso applies a blending cream to prevent her nails and toenails from absorbing the tan and puts a plastic shower cap over her short, brunette hair. She waves her hand in front of the machine’s green start light and holds her arms up facing the front to get the most tan on her body. She then flips around to her back and repeats the process, the tan
COCOON
misting her back from top to bottom.
“I’ve gotten spray tans a lot, especially for school dances, and usually, the process when I go to other places is pretty long, and it’s not a machine doing it for you,” Tuso said. “But when you go to Glo and get it done, you just stand in a machine and it takes five minutes for the spray tan to be completely done, which is super time-saving.”
After waiting a few minutes for the tan to dry, she is out the glass doors and on her way home. The whole process took five minutes and cost her nothing.
Tuso and seniors Addie Moore, Annabelle Covell, Camilla Simmons, Evie Ordonez, Francie Garrison, Lili Vottero and
Sophia Beedle serve as Glo Tanning ambassadors promoting the company’s new announcements.
The girls receive services like red light therapy, water massages and spray tans for free and in the future, possibly PR packages and access to exclusive services. As a tradeoff, they post four Instagram story posts and one actual Instagram post per month, tagging Glo tanning.
story by lucy stephens
recommended their other friends, Simmons, Ordonez, Garrison and Tuso, to Glo as other candidates for the ambassador program.
“Do you wanna go Glo together?” is a frequent text Moore and Tuso exchange, as if “Gloing” is a verb. The two live 15 minutes from the salon and frequently try out their red light therapy cocoons or water massages together.
“For [Instagram] stories, it doesn’t just have to be posting yourself at Glo it could be you got a spray tan and the next day you’re with your friends,” Beedle said. “You can just tag Glo Tanning and #GloGang in the corner and that counts as a post.”
Moore, who has been going to Glo since freshman year, will tell Tuso what services to try out based on what she’s had in the past.
“I usually do something different every time I go, because I want to try everything,” Tuso said. “You can do multiple things in a day, too.”
MACHINEBREAKDOWN
But the girls didn’t just sign up to be ambassadors. It all started late December when Vottero received a comment from Glo on her senior Homecoming post telling her to “check her DMs.” Vottero had been to Glo before for spray tans, but this was the first she had heard of the ambassadorship.
WELLNESS PRO REVIVE PRO STAND-UP
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With caution, assuming the comment was a scam, Vottero opened the message. She was surprised to see it was from the legitimate Glo account with almost 20k followers telling her she would be a great fit for their sixmonth ambassador program.
ERGOLINE TANNING BED controls acne quick tanning increased vitamin d
Vottero’s friends — Covell, Moore and Beedle — soon received the same comments on their posts.
“I have no idea how they found me because I used to get my spray tans at KC Tan but all in the same timeframe, Glo followed me and DMed me,” Covell said. “I had never been to Glo before.”
The three then
Each girl accepted the ambassadorship invitation within the 72-hour time frame before the fleeting offer was passed on to another candidate. The girls received an email detailing the duties of their ambassadorship.
The biggest requirement is posting the needed amount on Instagram each month and reposting any Glo announcements, all of which are recorded on their ambassador portal on the Glo website.
“[Posting] is a little bit embarrassing,” Simmons said. “So I really try to make the most out of it. If I’m gonna do it, I’m gonna do it well and then also get all the benefits that I can.”
While their guy friends might make snarky comments about the #GloGang they need to include in their posts or mockingly tag Glo in their Instagram stories, the girls have learned to embrace it. Their posts save them money on Glo’s services that would otherwise cost hundreds without the ambassadorship.
Some of the girls plan to be ambassadors for just the six months for Glo to gain publicity, however, Covell, Beedle and Tuso hope to continue the program as they go to college this fall.
“You’re only there for like, 15 minutes, and then you’re out the door,” Tuso said. “So it’s like a really quick, easy thing to go and do. It’s also fun to post on your social media more, it makes you kind of feel like an influencer a little bit.”
addie moore
photos by rubi hakes
grammys best new artist
CHAPPELL ROAN
TEDDY SWIMS
MIXED BETWEEN THE
predominantly Mexican restaurants on Southwest Boulevard, Café Ollama offers a menu of original coffees and a variety of Mexican pastries.
The one-room coffee shop has an antique feel, with dark wood walls, mixed-matched furniture and Spanish tiles at the front counter, which add a needed pop of color.
After the barista answered no less than ten of my questions about her favorites on the menu of drink eight options, I decided on three coffees and two conchas — Mexican sweet rolls with crunchy sugar toppings.
While waiting for my coffee, I tried the chocolate and vanilla conchas. The vanilla was lovely, everything from the thick layer of sugar to the bursts of vanilla flavor from the sprinkles, but the chocolate was dry and lacked the rich flavor it looked to have from the dark chocolate sugar coating.
After I tried both pastries, the three coffees were ready at the front counter, and the smell of rich brewed coffee
Café Ollama offers original Mexican coffee with flavorful blends and delicious pastries
and subtle spices filled my nose before I picked them up.
I first tried the Café de Olla, their most well-known coffee on the menu, and I immediately tasted the cinnamon and the sweetness from the piloncillo — pure sugar with slight hints of smokiness and spice. The salted sweet foam on top added a sugary and salty contrast, giving the coffee drink an authentic twist.
After downing half of the Cafè de Olla in less than five minutes, I tried the Abuelita Lupe and the La Tia Rosa.
The Abuelita Lupe had an elevated hot chocolate taste, a smooth texture and a lingering rich chocolate flavor. Although this drink was sweet and nostalgically winterfeeling, I could easily make it at home from a Swiss Miss packet.
La Tia Rosa was by far my favorite. The marzipanbased latte tasted like a Snickers bar, with little chunks of peanut candy floating in the drink and a subtle sweetness. Although the rose petals floating on the top were aesthetic, I ended up fishing them out to enjoy the latte without tasting Earthy flowers.
After drinking almost three coffees in thirty minutes, each coffee had a fun Mexican twist and offered original flavors that you can’t find at any ordinary Starbucks.
photos by addy newman & IMDB
JUST
story by addie moore
PERFECT
Just Dance 2025 offers more than new dances, with a focus on inclusivity and catering to a wider audience
AQUINTESSENTIAL
SLEEPOVER activity for any and all elementary kids in the 2010s, the game “Just Dance” created sweaty, aggressive competition in basements and living rooms alike.
Every year, the “Just Dance” franchise releases a new version of its iconic game with fresh songs and characters. Having 16 different versions of the same game seems like something parents would roll their eyes at every year on their kids holiday wishlist. But in reality, with the release of “Just Dance 2025,” each edition has continued to get better and more advanced than the next.
My 11-year-old nanny kid Paige — an avid “Just Dance” user — was more than willing to guide me through each specific feature and change from years past. Nintendo Switch remote in hand, this miniature dancer talked me through the characters, their storylines and all while dancing her heart out.
Upon opening the game, there is a new “surprise me” dance selector on the screen above the list of new dances. The feature is helpful for anyone who’s indecisive, but rather than cueing “Party in the U.S.A.” by Miley Cyrus or “exes” by Tate McRae, it pulled up songs I had never heard of. And with almost 25,000 minutes on Spotify last year, that’s saying something.
“Just Dance 2025” enhances the alreadymemorable reputation of the “Just Dance” franchise with its broader audience reach and improved quality and music. Although there are many different versions of the game, the new installment is a positive expansion of the brand.
Instead of dancing to a song chosen by
the generator, Paige and I opted for some of the classic 2024 hits including, “Paint the Town Red” by Doja Cat, “Boy is Mine” by Ariana Grande, “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter, “Lovin On Me” by Jack Harlow along with 36 other new songs and dances.
One of the most prominent changes from previous versions is the calorie tracker, located at the bottom or side of the screen. During the dances, it records how many calories you burn based on how accurately you do all of the moves. The attempt to expand their audience from mostly younger players to include fitness enthusiasts was a genius move even though I doubt the game’s ability to accurately count calories.
They’ve also implemented a “challenge” version that allows you to compete against an AI dance partner, for solo players needing a competitive incentive. In my prime “Just Dance” days, I’d get bored when my siblings left me after a mere 20 rounds and I was forced to play by myself. The new AI feature is great for those like me who need competition to fuel even their basic daily tasks.
But what’s truly fascinating about “Just Dance 2025” is the intricate storylines with characters. Dances reuse characters from past versions of the game, making users seek them out and make connections between the different dances and songs.
The dance for “Payphone” by Maroon 5 included the bride from “Sweet But Psycho” by Ava Max in the 2023 version and the character from “Rasputin” by Boney M. According to Just Dance Wiki — yes there is an entire website focused on the character’s lore — the two characters were supposedly
GOOD SUPER OK
Sadly,
the infamous Panda, who’s been in 18 different dances throughout the last 11 years, isn’t present in the 2025 version. But, its absence is nearly made up for with new characters and more defined features on their vibrant painted skin.
“Just Dance 2025” also includes a wide range of difficulty levels to cater to all users no matter what age or restrictions. One dance that stands out to me is the seated version of “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter. This addition joins 18 other dances from throughout the years that cater to people with mobility issues. Though it’s easy, it provides an inclusive approach to a sometimes mobility-restricted game, making it an imperative addition.
Unfortunately, the seated versions aren’t compiled into a playlist, or collection of related dances, like other songs are — arguably one of my only complaints about this new installment.
However, it does have other new playlists including Ariana Grande’s hits, a girlpowered compilation entitled “Who Run the World?” and “Travel in Time” with dances from all different decades.
It doesn’t matter if you prefer to dance to the extreme version of “One Last Time” by Ariana Grande or choose the easier and more accessible dances, “Just Dance 2025” has ensured there’s a place for everyone.
Popular songs featured on Just Dance 2025 BANG BANG by Galantis ESPRESSSO by Sabrina Carpenter EXES by Tate McRae LUNCH by Billie Eilish ONE LAST TIME by Ariana Grande LOVIN ON ME by Jack Harlow
HARBINGER
design by sydney eck photos by anastasia flower
BOREDOM
AFTER SPENDING AN
entire week’s worth of snow days inside to avoid the freezing temperature and icy roads I was going stir-crazy. The last thing I wanted to do was watch more TV or scroll on Instagram Reels. Searching for an alternative, I visited the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in the Plaza for their Teen-Led Saturday: Scraps & Stickers event to make a scrapbook.
The Kemper Teen Council holds events for anyone ages 13-18 once a month. One of their most recent events was Scraps & Stickers, held on Jan. 11 from 1-3 p.m.. It was a unique experience for teenagers and gave me the chance to take a break from the monotony of winter and be creative.
Entering the event room, about 20 teens filled the tables talking and laughing, all while cutting into pieces of decade-old Vogue magazines and writing in paint pens on their colorful scrapbooks.
The cozy craft room had a circle of tables where participants created their scrapbooks. Two couches were nestled in the corner of the room and two tables sitting at the back of the room were covered in crafting supplies. Calming music played in the background and free popcorn bags and Pringles cans were
provided, along with cans of sparkling water which only added more to the welcoming, laid-back atmosphere.
After finding a place to sit in the crowded room with a group of friends, I went straight to the line of tables at the back of the room to grab one of the scrapbooks provided by the museum. Then I dug into the endless supply of crafting materials.
The table of supplies lining the back wall had everything imaginable from the necessities — scissors, glue and pencils — to supplies to add to the scrapbook. This included stacks of magazines and colorful cardstock, and a bin that stood almost as tall as me was overflowing with an assortment of scraps of paper. There were pages of colorful letters, paint swatches, printouts of flowers and scraps of old art projects and paintings.
If not for the two-hour window of craft time, I could’ve spent the whole day digging through that bin of scraps gasping with excitement at every newly uncovered gem.
But there were more supplies than just paper. There were also adhesive rhinestones and even a Polaroid camera to take pictures with — a cute addition for any friend groups participating in
story by libby marsh
The Teen-Led Saturday: Scraps & Stickers event hosted at the Kemper Contemporary Art Museum was an innovative space giving teens a chance to be creative
the activity. The assortment of materials available ensured that everyone was able to make their own scrapbook with whatever vision they had in mind.
After gathering a few supplies I was at a loss of what to create. I had no plan going into my scrapbooking excursion, but soon I began finding words and pictures from a fashion magazine and started gluing teal and maroon paint swatches to the front of my scrapbook.
IF
NOT FOR the two-hour window of craft time, I could’ve spent the whole day digging through that bin of scraps gasping with excitement at every newly uncovered gem.
I stayed for the entire event, and two hours was plenty of time to gather supplies and make progress in my new scrapbook, as well as talk with friends over each of our individual masterpieces.
After I finished adorning the cover with my paint swatches and sheet music, I signed my name with a gold cursive paint pen in the middle. On the inside, I
continued my theme of colorful collages and added cutouts of magazines that I loved as well as fun textures I found in the scrap bin.
On the way out I couldn’t help but tuck a few extra scraps of paper into my book to add later. And the scrapbooking didn’t stop when I left the museum. Right when I got home I found myself digging through my room to find old cards, polaroids and gum wrapper hearts to add to my book.
Thankfully, this isn’t the first nor last teen event hosted by the Kemper. They have monthly events like art therapy and an upcoming block party on May 10. The next time I find myself stressed or bored you will most likely find me at the next Kemper Teens event.
Teenagers spend so much time on school work and the majority of free time is spent on social media or sleeping that it’s difficult to take time to create something just for the fun of it.
The mere act of sitting down and taking the time to create something out of my own free will was surprisingly relaxing.
So, thank you to the Kemper Teens and the Teen-Led Saturday: Scraps & Stickers event for giving me a breath of fresh air.
Materials Libby used to make her scrapbook
Another program to look out for at the Kemper Musum
design by sophia brockmeier
photos by paige bean & katie cook
PHOTOSTORY
An attendee at
BELOW Some of the supplies that the Kemper Teen Council provided for participants of the “Scraps and Stickers” event.
photo by katie cook
ABOVE Junior Libby marsh searches through supplies before crafting.
TOP LEFT Two members of the
Council begin to create and look for pieces to sscrapbook with.
Kemper Teens Art
photo by paige bean
photo by paige bean
ABOVE
the “Scraps and Stickers” event cuts paper to make stickers with.
photo by paige bean
RIGHT Junior Catherine Beltrame looks through a magazine to find elements to cut out — adding to the collage of her scrapbook.
photo by paige bean
JANUARY 27, 2025
ACTION BACK
IS
“Back In Action” had witty humor surrounding the generation gap and has created a new industry standard for action comedies
DUO DYNAMIC
Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz have starred in multiple films together
ANNIE
Release date
story by christopher long
SPRAWLED OUT
ACROSS a mesh car seat, I groaned as I saw the overdone opening scene where a plane is dangling off of the side of a cliff in desolate, wintery Eastern Europe.
But as I made my way through two Topo Chicos and a packet of pickles, I slowly became engrossed in the plot.
Where to watch
Apple TV, Amazon Prime, and Google Play Movies & TV
Rating December 7, 2014
Apple TV, Amazon Prime, and Google Play Movies & TV ANY GIVEN SUNDAY
Release date
Where to watch Rating December 22, 1999
With brilliant and unique chemistry between characters, “Back in Action” enhanced the way that I will view action comedies in the future.
Instead of a cliché gunfight between people camped behind pick-up trucks, “Back in Action” had road chases in soccer mom minivans and a makeshift flamethrower crafted from a gasoline pump.
The movie follows two ex-CIA agents, Emily, Cameron Diaz and Matt, Jamie Foxx, on the run to protect a hard drive with codes for worldwide infrastructure. When they lose the hard drive and their kids are kidnapped, Emily and Matt have to find a way to get them back and save the hard drive.
These complex combat scenes transformed the actors from cheesy romcom superstars into CIA exspies through intelligent combat choreography.
The actors’ ability to engage in hand-to-hand combat with Belarusian assassins amidst witty banter made for captivating, multifaceted scenes.
The movie’s discussion surrounding intergenerational problems, such as emotional misunderstandings between Gen X and Gen Z, resonated with me because of their applicability in today’s world.
The relationship between generations in this family stood testament to the shocking depth of an action comedy. Aside from gun fights from moving vehicles and speed boat chases across the Thames, “Back In Action” forced me to rethink the everpresent generation gap within their own family and rethink the validity of those age-related arguments.
“‘BACK IN ACTION’ demonstrated the qualities that make a movie truly stand out — attention to detail and clear concern for the plot.
“Back In Action” demonstrated the qualities that make a movie truly stand out — attention to detail and clear concern for the plot. Many action comedies such as “You Don’t Mess With the Zohan” or “The Meteor Man” slink into trite and overdone lines that bore the viewer with their aggravating predictability.
Each piece of “Back in Action” mimicked that of an Alfred Hitchcock movie: brilliantly deceptive lines, an alluring plot and an understanding of the actors’ strengths and weaknesses.
Ken Seng, “Back in Action” cinematographer, filmed rolling hills, picturesque mountains and even mossy caves that pulled me into the plot as if I was watching it happen in real time. Seth Gordon, the director, and the production crew utilized a variety
of camera angles and speeds to give off a feeling of exclusivity as opposed to a monotonous live stream from a recreational league soccer game.
The crew’s recurring motif was a slow-motion shot in the middle of the action, such as covering the flash drive as it flew through the air or the bullet shell casing as it shot out of the chamber.
The production crew shot above and below the main characters to make you feel like you were sipping a cappuccino at a picnic table across from the British manor where most of the warfare occurred. The film’s crisp CGI and extensive vehicle arsenal pointed towards the director’s intention of making the viewer believe they were watching a documentary, instead of a movie.
Although the basic plot outline, violence and banter from any average action comedy was present, Gordon elevated the script, setting and cinematography to forge a new path in the future of modern filmmaking.
“Back in Action” made me reconsider what constitutes a good action comedy with quippy lines, brilliant casting and a moral reminder for each watcher to consider the effects of a generation gap on their family.
design by evelyn bagley photos courtesy of imdb
4 until the East vs. Rockhurst boy’s basketball game
FEB.
LEFT Freshman Ava Morgester scores two points on a layup. photo by molly miller
RIGHT Senior Luke McCullough competes in the 500 yd freestyle with a time of 6.23.16.
1:01 was sophomore Cole Person’s 100 yd butterfly heat, quali ying for a state consideration cut
RIGHT NOW WE’RE in the hardest part of the season because we’re in the middle season, and these next couple weeks will be very dif cult, but once we’re through that... it’s not going to be easy, but it’s going to be a lot easier. 43 62 45 138 23 53 29 41
TO TO “ TALIA AUGUSTINE JUNIOR VARSITY BASKETBALL
WE’VE BEEN PLAYING pretty good this season, and even though we haven’t won all of our games, like whenever we lose, we’re playing hard and we’re playing together as a team. The team is really close this year, and that’s what I like about it the most. Q: the latest recap on our athlete’s current season
TOP Sophomore Jane Kapke practices her shot during halftime.
photo by vivien glenski
photo by sylvie degalan
RIGHT Junior Hank Hendon
photo by sylvie degalan
MERIT MERIT
literally won the Australian Open while pregnant.
San Francisco 49ers linebacker De’Vondre Campbell on the other hand, abandoned his team while they were fighting for a playoff spot in the third quarter of a tied game against the Los Angeles Rams in December. All because he “didn’t want to play,” according to 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan.
The 49ers lost 12 - 6.
You’d think that with an annual salary of $5,000,000, thousands of fans and a dream career for many, Campbell would be motivated to do his job. However, it’s become more common for professional athletes like Campbell to disregard any responsibility to work hard and show passion for their sport, while still expecting the fame and money that comes with the career.
It’s wrong for professional athletes to sit out during a game without reason or to not give effort to their sport if they’re not injured, for the sake of the integrity of the game and the fans. These players also set the bar extremely low for high school and college athletes hoping to play professionally.
It’s understandable if a player is injured, but athletes are increasingly refusing to put any effort into their sport due to a lack of grit and value for the game itself, besides the paycheck it brings.
It shouldn’t matter if the game is an “easy victory.” Athletes should never take their privilege for granted — true respect for the game doesn’t differ depending on the opponent.
Athletes like Campbell forget their responsibility to show up for their fans. Think about how many kids went to the Broncos’ Empower Stadium that day wearing a Campbell jersey, eagerly waiting to see him play, just to be disappointed.
Fans invest significant time, money and emotion into supporting their favorite teams and players. The least athletes can do is play when they’re able to do so.
A lack of passion and care for the game can also impact a team’s chemistry and performance.
On-field relationships and trust are built through playing together consistently. If key players sit out, it limits the team’s ability to
performance during playoff games. The Chiefs did this when they rested starters Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes against the Broncos. Not playing as a strategic or health decision is more acceptable, because it’s for the sake of being better in the next game, but it still costs fans the experience they paid for.
If a player knows they are going to want to rest at some point in the season, their managers should at the very least try to proactively figure out what games would be best to sit out at and communicate that ahead of time to the fans.
So while there is merit to “load managing” athlete fatigue, teams need to find ways to manage their workloads without defaulting to sitting out. In recent years, the NBA has struggled to do this, and though it can be argued that it is because of an 82-game season, former players like Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone and Larry Bird never “load managed.”
Professional athletes should focus on maintaining their fitness levels, and teams should work to develop rosters that can
much.
Players not giving 100% effort also sets a bad example for young athletes. By promoting the idea that it’s acceptable to simply not play when tired or you don’t feel like it, they directly contrast the values of perseverance and dedication that sports are meant to uphold.
If an athlete doesn’t want to put in the hard work for the job, there are hundreds of other people willing to sacrifice everything to play under those stadium lights. It doesn’t just take skills to be an elite athlete, it also takes determination.
Legends like Michael Jordan and Serena Williams are revered not just for their skill, but for their relentless pursuit of excellence despite their fatigue. All athletes should strive for the same legacy.
In a time where young athletes can now become closer to the pros than ever before with social media and NIL deals, they need to have role models that show them the importance of passion for the game and the work ethic that must come with it, not just the money.
story by luciana mendy
30 SPORTS
JANUARY 27, 2025
SHRINE BRADY’s BRADY’s
SENIOR BRADY
Haughton’s heart was pounding, mind racing, as he stood on the SM North football field moments before kickoff against Olathe East. He glanced towards the stands, picturing a Brigham Young University football recruiter peering out over the turf, examining his every move.
He knows no one’s watching him, but this image helps him calm his nerves and play his best. He takes a ritualistic deep breath and starts the game.
and Western regions of Kansas and takes place on June 21 in Dodge City, Kansas. His decision to nominate Haughton was based on Haughton’s selection for the first-team all-state defensive back.
A Player Selection Show is released each year to reveal the top 88 players chosen for the game — voted for by sports media members — out of 447 players nominated.
When the Player Selection Show started, Haughton sat with his parents at home on Jan. 1, watching the twohour-long YouTube livestream.
“Once it got towards the end, I was kind of losing hope because it was almost over, and so I didn’t think I’d be selected,” Haughton said.
Then, exactly one hour and 41 minutes in, he saw his name and picture pop up on the screen, along with his school, height, weight and position as a defensive back.
Haughton’s face lit up in excitement. He lifted his hand to dap up his dad and wrapped his arms around his mom for a hug.
“I’ve already started looking at my receivers, who I’m going to be going up against,” Haughton said. “They’re really good and so obviously I’m a little nervous, but I’m excited for the opportunity. I know that I can perform well. I trust my ability.”
Last month, East head football coach, Mark Simoneau, nominated him and a few other seniors to play in the Kansas Shrine Bowl.
The Shrine Bowl is an annual football game between high school seniors in the Eastern
story by grace pei
Senior Brady Haughton was selected to play in the Kansas Shrine Bowl and hopes to use the skills he learns to continue his football career in college
Kansas Shrine Bowl his senior year of high school, describes Haughton as assertive and open-minded with a desire to be coached.
“[It’s] just a matter of just giving him the direction to go, and after that he’s gonna take care of it,” Simoneau said.
Before the game, Haughton will attend a six-day training camp with his Shrine Bowl teammates, staying overnight at the Dodge City Community College dorms. The Shrine Bowl game will be held on the last day of camp.
Haughton and his teammate at East, senior Luke Bartalos, who plays the same position as him in the secondary, are always the first to congratulate each other after a win.
“I think he’s one of the best, if not the best, defensive backs in Kansas,” Bartalos said. “I kind of assumed it was gonna happen.”
From tossing the football back and forth with his three older brothers their backyard, starting to play flag football in first grade, tackle football in second grade and making the varsity football team his sophomore year, Haughton wants to continue his football career in college at Brigham Young University where his older brothers attended.
by
SHRINE BOWL STATS STATS
Information about the Shrine Bowl
Haughton is the first player to be selected from East in three years.
In the livestream, Chet Kuplen, founder and CEO of Sports in Kansas, mentioned how he was a large reason for “why [East’s] defense was much improved over the last year.”
Haughton was also selected for first-team all-state defensive back KSHSAA, which — according to Simoneau — played an important role in him getting selected for the Kansas Shrine Bowl.
Simoneau, who also played in the
As of now, Haughton hasn’t committed to a college. He hopes that college scouts will be at the Shrine Bowl on June 21 in Dodge City, Kansas so he will have more recruitment opportunities.
“[Haughton] was definitely one of those kids that really fully invested in [football] — strength training, working hard, trying to get faster [and] trying to get more explosive,” Simoneau said. “It’s just paid off for him with all the work that he’s done and he’s invested into it.”
WHERE & WHEN - June 21 in Dodge City - Training camp is six days for players in Dodge City - began in 1974 - high school’s across Kansas form two teams — East & West - proceeds go to Shriners Children’s hospital
REQUIREMENTS senior in high - played in 4+ games during nominated by head coach or athletic director max two nominated per school
WHAT is the BOWL?
design
bella broce photos by zac russell
TikTok is bought by an American company
predicting
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce get engaged
Throughout the year look for these predictions and cross them off as you go
Sydney Sweeney gets canceled
The Royals make it to the playoffs
East basketball beats Rockhurst
One-piece swimsuits come back in style
LeBron James doesn’t retire
Skinny jeans come back in style Aliens are discovered
Side parts are popular again Slime becomes popular again
“Stranger Things” season 5 release date will be extended
Macy’s in the Village renovations are postponed Barikmo gets a new scooter
Taylor Swift releases Reputation (Taylor’s Version)
Pilates gains popularity
The phone ban will be changed
“Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping” will be a flop
There will be a new, popular water bottle
“Wicked: For Good” will make over $800 million in pro t
Lancer Dancers place at nationals
SMSD has another snow day
Slick-backs go out of style
Lululemon goes out of style