Harbinger 20-21: Issue 1

the harbinger.

SHAWNEE MISSION EAST 7500 MISSION ROAD PRAIRIE VILL AGE, KS 66208

THE

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S E P T E M B E R 0 9, 2 0 2 0 VOLUME LXIII ISSUE 1 Party culture at universities around the country is leading to an increase in COVID-19 cases within the surrounding communities

T PARTY

THE HARBINGER | SEPTEMBER 28, 2020

02 | INSIDE COVER

ONLINE

PREVIEW

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STORIE S WHAT ABOUT CLUBS? Scan to read Sydney Decker ’s story on how clubs are functioning during remote school.

V I D E OS

WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH TIKTOK? Scan to read Caroline Gould’s story on updates about the rumored ban of TikTok in coming weeks

GA L L E R I E S

STAYING PRODUCTIVE Scan to see Lyda Cosgrove’s tips for a productive online school day

CARTO O N | n atal i e sc h o l z

BOYS VARSITY TAKES A WIN Scan to view Megan Biles’ gallery of the Boys Varsity Soccer Game against Shawnee Mission South

cover design catherine erickson cover photo by trevor paulus and julia percy

STAF F LIST PRINT EDITORS Catherine Erickson Rose Kanaley ONLINE EDITORS Riley Atkinson Lauren West ASST. PRINT EDITORS Celia Condon Annabelle Moore ASST. ONLINE EDITORS Sophie Henschel Campbell Wood HEAD COPY EDITORS Phoebe Hendon Allison Wilcox PHOTO EDITORS Sarah Golder Trevor Paulus Julia Percy ASST. PHOTO EDITORS Noelle Griffin Elise Madden Megan Stopperan MOBILE MEDIA PHOTO EDITOR Megan Biles VIDEO EDITOR Lawder DeSantis ASST. VIDEO EDITOR Sydney Williams VIDEO TRAINING EDITOR Roberto Galicia BROADCAST EDITORS Sam Freund ASST. BROADCAST EDITOR Brett Pendland Liv Olson Megan Stopperan PHOTO MENTORS Taylor Keal Megan Biles Annakate Dilks MJ Wolf STAFF WRITERS Catherine Erickson Rose Kanaley Lauren West Riley Atkinson Campbell Wood Celia Condon Sophie Henschel Annabelle Moore Allison Wilcox Lyda Cosgrove Caroline Wood Sydney Newton Ethan Enderle Lily Billingsley Kelly Murphy Elizabeth Mikkelson Tommy Paulus Sydney Decker Peyton Moore Lauren Dierks Grace Allen Kate Heitmann Cesca Stamati Winnie Wolf Madeline Funkey Grace Tucker Emma Brown Gibbs Morris

Ben Bradley Anna Mitchell Sophie Lindberg Nora Lynn Mia Vogel COPY EDITORS Catherine Erickson Rose Kanaley Lauren West Riley Atkinson Phoebe Hendon Allison Wilcox Celia Condon Annabelle Moore Sophie Henschel Campbell Wood Sydney Newton Winnie Wolf Lily Billingsley Elizabeth Mikkelson Lyda Cosgrove Caroline Wood Kelly Murphy EDITORIAL BOARD Catherine Erickson Rose Kanaley Lauren West Riley Atkinson Phoebe Hendon Allison Wilcox Celia Condon Annabelle Moore Sophie Henschel Campbell Wood Sydney Newton Lily Billingsley SECTION EDITORS EDITORIAL PRINT Sydney Newton NEWS PRINT Lauren Dierks ONLINE Caroline Wood OPINION PRINT Elizabeth Mikkelson ONLINE Winnie Wolf FEATURE PRINT Grace Tucker ONLINE Lyda Cosgrove A&E PRINT Tommy Paulus ONLINE Kate Heitmann SPORTS PRINT Peyton Moore ONLINE Cesca Stamati PAGE DESIGNERS Catherine Erickson Rose Kanaley Riley Atkinson Sophie Henschel Celia Condon Allison Wilcox Annabelle Moore Elizabeth Mikkelson

Lily Billingsley Lauren Dierks Sydney Newton Winnie Wolf Kate Heitmann Grace Allen Grace Tucker Cesca Stamati Peyton Moore Madeline Funkey Anna Mitchell Sophie Lindberg Nora Lynn ART EDITOR Celia Condon STAFF ARTISTS Natalie Scholz Sophie Henschel Mia Vogel Lauren Dierks Sophie Lindberg Maria Morrissey STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Emma Kate Squires Maggie Merckens Hadley Chapman Emily Pollock Maggie Klump Tristen Porter Rachel Bingham Molly Schumm Ella Hans Eva Berkley Macy Crosser Helen Rice Lily Mantel Sabrina Dean VIDEO STAFF Lawder DeSantis Sydney Williams Liv Olson Megan Stopperan Roberto Galicia Brett Pendland SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Annabelle Moore ASST. SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Sophie Henschel SOCIAL MEDIA STAFF Mia Vogel Sydney Decker Megan Biles Grace Tucker Julia Percy Celia Condon Lyda Cosgrove Kelly Murphy Grace Allen Anna Mitchell Liv Olson Paige Zadoo ADS MANAGER Caroline Wood CIRCULATION MANAGER Lyda Cosgrove SOCIAL CHAIRS Peyton Moore Tommy Paulus CONTEST COORDINATOR Celia Condon

design by sydney newton illustration by natalie scholtz

THE HARBINGER | SEPTEMBER 28, 2020

EDITORIAL | 03

E D I TO R I A L P O L I C Y The Harbinger is a student run publication. Published editorials express the views of the Harbinger staff. Signed columns published in the Harbinger express the writer’s personal opinion. The content and opinions of the Harbinger do not represent the student body, faculty, administration or Shawnee Mission School District. The Harbinger will not share any unpublished content, but quotes material may be confirmed with the sources. The Harbinger encourages letters to the editors, but reserves the right to reject them for reasons including but not limited to lack of space, multiple letters of the same topic and personal attacks contained in the letter. The Harbinger will not edit content thought letters may be edited for clarity, length or mechanics. Letters should be sent to room 413B or emailed to smeharbinger@ gmail.com

F O R : 1 1 AGA I N ST: 1 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

F A S T I S I N T H E PA S T Despite fast fashion brands being affordable and accessible to teens, their practices are harmful to factory workers and the environment

D

espite inserting itself as a key source of news and information in our modern age, platforms such as Twitter and Instagram are littered with jargon. But in the midst of political uproar and social justice campaigns, one term has stuck around, likely due to its incredibly literal meaning — fast fashion.

Most teens are familiar with fast fashion brands such as H&M, Shein and Forever 21, but few realize that behind the allure of cheap prices and flashy designs lies a history of unethical practices, including employee abuse and environmental damage. It’s impossible to achieve ethical perfection, but it’s time teens start making an effort to avoid fast fashion brands and adopt more sustainable shopping habits.

From March to May, quarantine supplied everyone with extra time — time many teens chose to fill with copious amounts of online shopping. According to consumer psychologist Paul Marsden at the University of the Arts London, “panic buying” was a popular coping outlet during isolation, as it provides individuals with feelings of control, family provision and competence. In the U.S., online retail sales grew 12.1% in March alone.

The unethical operation of most, if not all major fast fashion brands today originated during the 60s when the demand for new styles was so high that the U.S. and Europe began outsourcing their labor through opening textile factories overseas, saving companies millions of dollars in production costs. But even as environmental activists and labor rights organizations in the past decade have urged textile companies to adopt more worker-friendly and environmentally-conscious policies, many fast fashion outlets continue to utilize these corrosive practices.

In May of 2018, the Global Labor Justice (GLJ), an organization that works to “promote long term change in policy and corporate practice that prevents labor exploitation ... including modern day slavery,” according to their website, discovered frequent acts of violence against women in Asian

textile factories that supplied to American stores H&M and Gap. The abuse included physical assault, sexual harassment and poor working conditions, such as little to no breaks, long hours and nearly unlivable pay.

Along with several accounts of reported worker mistreatment in these fast fashion factories, the environmental impact of mass-produced clothing and cheap fabrics only accelerates the deterioration of the Earth and its climate.

According to experts with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the fast fashion industry can be accredited with 10% of global carbon dioxide emissions and the use of 1.5 trillion liters of water every year. Tests performed by environmentalists on rivers and lakes surrounding large textile factories revealed millions of microbes of plastic in the water, largely due to the high and frequent rate of disposal for cheaper, poor quality clothes.

But the issue of fast fashion didn’t just rise to popularity during quarantine, or even in the past decade. Fashion journalist Sara Idacavage cites WWII as the beginning of America’s transition to mass-produced clothing. The phrase “fast fashion” was coined in a 1990s New York Times article about fashion company Zara in response to their claim that it only took 15 days after an idea manifested in a designer’s brain for a piece to appear on department store racks.

It’s not that buying one crop top for a girls’ brunch when you’re in a last-minute pinch means you’re directly responsible for mass amounts of damage. But if you have the option to spend $5 more on a shirt from a company with a history of better practices than fast fashion shops, do so knowing that extra $5 isn’t being invested into the toxic industry of fast fashion.

In a world where some people are willing to sacrifice the good of innocent people in poverty, recruit them for jobs that pay next to nothing and provide poor working conditions and allow their factories to contribute to environmental damage, it’s not always easy to know if you’re making the most ethical purchase. But for those who are looking to update their closets

and upkeep their morals, there are affordable alternatives to getting clothes you can feel good about.

It’s easy to feel that sustainability is out of reach if you’re overwhelmed by eco-friendly brands that price a single bikini for over $150 and the only vegan leather you can track down costs more than a week’s paycheck. But Kansas City has plenty of thrift and vintage shops for people to snag pieces they’ll need for the upcoming fashion season — sweater vests and blazers are coming into style again, so raiding the adult men’s section of Savers is the perfect replacement for the online purchase you’ve been considering.

And although online shopping isn’t inherently a problem, too many people make purchases from outlets like Amazon without giving a second thought to the actual suppliers.

How many times have you clicked “add to cart” and thought about the people who aid in the process of getting your mini skirt from Sri Lanka to your door? Brands that use Amazon and eBay to distribute their products often utilize the same production methods as those the GLJ and environmental activists criticize, even if it’s a brand you think you can trust.

Younger siblings are far too familiar with hand-me-downs, but the concept of sharing and reusing old clothes isn’t as bad as it seemed when we were kids. Asking a friend to lend you a sundress in a pinch or borrowing your older brother’s graphic tees is a smarter option than resorting to a fast fashion purchase — while these outlets may be cheap, the cheapest you can get is right in your own home.

Fast fashion brands may churn out new styles over three times the rate of most high-end fashion brands, but the resulting fuel emissions and excessive water usage are speeding up the decay of our environment, bringing us closer and closer to irreversible damage — and not to mention the abuse employees at these factories face. As we move into autumn, it’s far better to shop with sustainable brands, thrift or share clothes with friends if you’re looking to embellish upon your wardrobe.

04 | News

THE HARBINGER | SEPTEMBER 28, 2020

design by tommy paulus photos by megan stopperan

CLIMATE

CRISIS Two guest writers weigh-in on the government’s role in climate change and its importance in this year’s election

by violet apodaca | seni o r

by ch a rl i e b i r t | se n i or

THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION of Human Rights

“CONSERVATION IS A GREAT

by the United Nation states that everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security of person. The United States, as a Member State of the United Nations had pledged to achieve and promote the universal observance of human rights.

The right to life not only applies to the present but to the future. As U.S. citizens, we have the right to a liveable future and our government has the duty to protect this right. This means acting in accordance with science, specifically the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The impacts of climate change are being seen today. Many people, including Americans are already being directly affected by climate change, a prime example of this is the Californians who are losing their homes and lives from record-breaking wildfires. Extreme weather events such as this will become both more frequent and severe, and other impacts of climate change will continue to impact the livelihood of millions if our government does not act accordingly. The government must take firm action to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and reach net zero by 2050. To do this our government must implement federal regulation, mobilize society to 100% clean and renewable energy, and provide a transition for both workers and frontline communities. Instead of allowing fossil fuel executives to profit while millions of Americans suffer from the climate crisis, our government needs to take strong action before it is too late. Policy makers can not continue to ignore this issue that threatens the lives of millions in order to appease those who do not agree with them politically. It is time our government listens to science and protects our right to a liveable future.

SHOULD THE GOVERNMENT HAVE A PROMINENT ROLE IN COMBATTING CLIMATE CHANGE? Instagram poll of 227 votes

84% YES 16% NO

PRESIDENTIAL POLICIES ON CLIMATE CHANGE

*photos courtesy of flicker.com

BUDGET:

S 2.0 TRILLION CITIES:

100k+

ACTION:

100

ROLLBACKS

IN-PROGRESS:

32

Cities with 100k citizens will receive zero emission public transit options such as bike trails and streetcars

Rescinded water pollution regulations for fracking

HOUSING:

COMPLETED:

Creation of 1.5 million sustainable homes and housing units

Canceled requirements to stop methane emissions

1.5 MIL

Proposing revisions to standards for carbon emissions for new or reconstructed power plants

68

Amended rules that govern how refineries monitor pollution

moral issue, for it involves the patriotic duty of insuring the safety and continuance of the nation.” These words echo from the amber waves of grain, to the rolling green hills, and across the fruited plains of our state. To many, they harken back to a time of social progress and uncertainty, not unlike today.

When President Theodore Roosevelt uttered this message in an address in Osawatomie, Kansas, he advanced centuries of pragmatic environmental conservation by American conservatives, unmatched by the Democratic Party. It was a Republican president, Theodore Roosevelt, who founded the National Parks and the United States Forest Services.

Republican President Richard Nixon founded the EPA, and a Republican president acts now. With conservative leadership, market innovation and limited government incentivization has pioneered patriotic environmentalism, and will solve any climate problems that arise. President Trump’s administration is combating environmental changes, by passing the USMCA, to replace NAFTA, with more environmental protections in industry, cutting trade with China (the world’s top CO2 emitter, producing twice the amount of the US) lessening demand for Chinese goods, and creating demand for American goods produced in environmentally conscious American industries. The President signed the Save Our Seas Act furthering removal of marine pollutants, the Great American Outdoors Act, to expand National Parks and public lands, and more. Contrarily, Democrats have failed and weakened America’s ability to confront climate change by embracing globalist ties to China, encouraging wasteful production by the CCP to meet neoliberal wishes, and selling out the American worker with “rules for thee and not for me.”

Democrat policies are forged in hypocrisy and corruption. The Green New Deal embraces this claim with the elimination of significant rights and livelihoods of citizens, costing trillions, and destroying the economy and the very systems allowing us to innovate and invent solutions to this problem through economic incentivization. Socialism destroys narratively inconvenient solutions; capitalism fulfills demand for solutions. Republicans want to solve climate change through effective energy alternatives like carbon capture, nuclear, and hydroelectric power, not insignificant methods. Progressives fearmonger with a ten year timeline, a Gore campaign tactic reborn through AOC to gain votes. Do not fall for this false deadline to Armageddon. Protect our home on the range by voting with courage and resolve to prevent authoritarianism masked in crisis, for in a republic, “the only thing that we have to fear is fear itself.”

design by lauren dierks photos by elise madden

THE HARBINGER | SEPTEMBER 28, 2020

NEWS

HIGHLIGHTS Catch up on school, local and national news

NEWS | 05

by madeline f unkey

EAST

Football makes changes to become COVID-safe

KICKING OFF THE first East football game of the season, the Lancers played Shawnee Mission Northwest on Saturday, Sept. 19th with an ending score of 6-36.

Covid-19 has made practices and games look dramatically different this year. One of the precautions being taken is that masks must be worn anytime off the field.

But, when helmets are on, and players are on the field, masks can come off.

For games, all coaches, staff, trainers and managers are required to wear masks and everyone is expected to spread out across 80 yards to keep social distance apparent. Community water bottles and cups have been replaced. Now each player has their own individual water.

Head football coach Justin Hoover has ensured the players have designated areas to come off the field to distance themselves. Hoover said that the boys

LOCAL

Taco Republic set to open in Corinth Square

LOCAL TACO JOINT Taco Republic is planning to open their second KC location in Corinth Square in spring of 2021. It will replace Arby’s, which recently closed due to business economic issues.

The locally owned Mexican restaurant currently has one location in Kansas City, KS, where they’re known for serving authentic street-style tacos.

Taco Republic owner, Whitney VinZant, told the Shawnee Mission Post that he hopes to “bring a fun atmosphere for families and friends to enjoy together for years to come.”

The new location plans to create an

NATIONAL

FA R A B OV E | The design for the new Taco Republic will be similar to the current restaurant on Mission Rd. and 47th St. ABOVE | The vacant space that used to be Arby’s in Corinth Square will be renovated into a Taco Republic.

M A R K YO U R C A L E N DA R SEPT. 29

SMSD BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING

OCT. 7

CL ASS REPRESENTATIVE ELECTIONS

OCT. 12

HOMECOMING COURT ELECTIONS

have been mature and responsible in this situation because it’s all worth it to them to be able to play.

“I just hate it for them that their friends and classmates can’t be there,” Hoover said. “That’s part of the experience of high school sports, and I hate that for them, but I understand.”

The seven weeks of summer without in-person contact has left a lot to do in a small amount of time. According to Hoover, they’ve been trying to make up for the time they’ve lost from shutdowns due to quarantine. The coaches and players are trying to keep high energy and motivation to get through each practice.

“We’re just kind of trying to win every day,” Hoover said. “That’s kind of been our motto up to this point. Wednesday needs to be better than Tuesday.”

outdoor area with family-friendly games and activities as well as their iconic onsight taco truck.

Sophomore Andrew West, who’s a selfproclaimed Mexican food fanatic, can’t wait for the new taco joint to be added to Corinth Square. He loves Taco Republic’s authentic food and outdoor environment, so when he heard the news about the restaurant opening he got the idea to apply as a server. He’s watching their website expecting applications will come out soon.

“I’m excited to have a job that’s close and convenient to my house,” West said.

“And [in] Corinth Square in general.”

Wildfires spread across the West Coast

WITH MORE THAN five million acres scorched in California, Oregon and Washington, wildfires on the West Coast slowly continue to spread. Unhealthy air quality due to large amounts of carbon dioxide and other harmful chemicals are being released into the atmosphere as a result.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said in the L.A. Times that this catastrophe is the tenth largest wildfire in state history. They also state that 2,000 miles away, New Yorkers are claiming to notice smoke from the fires.

The wildfires were ignited in early September when a dry lightning storm and 110-degree heat wave hit California.

Climate change is creating a drier environment with rising heat making it harder for the fires to be smothered.

According to The New York Times, meteorologists are keeping a close watch to see how the upcoming winds and humidity will affect the severity of the fires.

Kayla Schimdt, a close friend of junior

Charlotte Hawes, lives in the San Francisco area and has experienced the fires firsthand. According to Schmidt, the effects of the disaster have been apparent—from the freeway being covered in debris and ash to the apocalyptic orange and red skies.

One morning she woke up to a heavy, dark orange sky. She guessed it was around 6 a.m. and assumed the sun was rising. But after checking her phone, she realized it was almost 10 a.m.

“I think that’s when it really hit me,” Schimdt said. “I was like, ‘This is crazy.”

For about a week she was on house arrest because the air quality index was 200 micrograms per cubic meter, 150 over the healthy amount. When she did go outside it reeked of smoke and ash filled her lungs, causing her to choke on the air.

“We would be sitting outside for dinner and all of a sudden we could smell the smoke start to blow,” Schimdt said. “We would immediately shut all the windows and go inside.”

06 | NEWS

THE HARBINGER | SEPTEMBER 28, 2020

design by annabelle moore photos by trevor paulus, sarah golder and megan stopperan

KSHAA SPORTS VS KSHAA ARTS

Guidelines and regulations have been put in place to ensure all KSHSAA sponsored activities are carried out safely

LEFT | S en i ors Mackenzie Clevenger and Mac Muehlberger and junior Sam Huntley participate in KSHSAA activities at East.

S

by et h a n e n d e r l e ince the school board meeting that allowed Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) sponsored activities to resume on Sept. 9, guidelines and restrictions have been implemented for these sports and activities.

Athletics, marching band and debate make up KSHSAA activities.

Each of these activities have guidelines and requirements laid out by the CDC, the State Health Department, KSHSAA and the district.

While sports were highlighted during the board meeting, each with similar guidelines, activities such as debate and marching band received special attention.

Despite being a KSHSAA sponsored activity, debate is happening virtually because every component of it can be done virtually, unlike other activities. Tournaments will be held over Zoom with both teams and the judges on the same call.

“The only thing that being online has made difficult for tournaments is communicating with your partner during the tournament,” said junior and varsity debater Ibrahim Sufi. “We’re on one call with both teams and the judges and another call with just me and my partner.”

While debate is remaining virtual, marching bands will be continuing in-person.

The marching band poses an issue that other activities don’t have — playing instruments. A byproduct of playing a wind instrument is the spit from each musician’s mouth being aerosolized. This has led the district and KSHSAA to develop modifications.

Before COVID-19, marching band rehearsals were outside 80 percent of the time. Now, rehearsals are going to be only outside.

According to senior drum major Mac Muehlberger, each musician has two masks that they use during rehearsals — one for playing and one to use when not playing.

“When playing, we have masks that have slits in them that you can slide your instrument into them,” said Muehlberger. “When we’re not playing, [the masks with slits] are off, and the normal ones are on.”

Cutting slits into the masks decreases the effectiveness of them, but the musicians are blowing the air through their instruments instead of directly out of their mouths.

Along with masks for the musicians, the district invested in masks for the instruments called “bell covers.” These bell covers go over

the openings of wind instruments — such as the end of a trumpet or a trombone to limit the number of water particles entering the air coming from the musician.

Besides the masks and the bell covers, musicians are required to social distance at all times — from the time spent on the field to water breaks. These criteria must be met in order to participate and are enforced by the band directors, drum majors and leaders of each instrument section.

Alex Toepfer, East Area Band Director and SME Director of Bands, says the band is still able to do some of the fundamental activities that they were able to do before COVID-19, such as rehearsing pep songs and learning marching fundamentals and techniques. In addition, certain

THE BRE AKDOWN On Sept. 9, SMSD held a Special Board Meeting at the CAA where the Board Members voted to return to on-site elementary school starting October 19, and to resume KSHSAA sponsored high school sports and extracurriculars.

THE ACTIVITIES I think we all have realized how much we love band and love being together. In some ways, I think we will be better off than before.

alex toepfer | band director aspects of the marching band have been restructured and reformatted to allow for the new requirements. These include digitizing music, providing recordings and practice material and rehearsing at a limited capacity.

“A performing arts ensemble by definition relies on close interaction between its members, direct instruction from the teachers, and hours of repetition, reinforcement and guided practice,” Toepfer said. “Since [COVID-19] restrictions eliminate 90 percent of this, we’ve had to completely rethink how we run our band program.”

Despite the restrictions drastically changing how the marching band functions, according to Toepfer, he is still positive about getting something meaningful out of this season.

“I think we have all realized how much we love band and love being together,” Toepfer said. “In some ways, I think we will be better off than before.”

The sports and activities that can occur as of now include all KSHSAA sponsored sports and events including football, soccer, cheer, debate and marching band

THE RULES There are several rules and restrictions regarding the resumption of sports and activities, including mask wearing whenever the athlete is within six-feet of another player, with the exception of football while partaking in potential dangerous activity.

SCAN ME | VIDEO

Scan here to watch the Sept.

9 Special Board Meeting that voted to resume high school KSHAA sponsored sports and activities.

design by kelly murphy photo by julia percy & macy crosser

THE HARBINGER | SEPTEMBER 28, 2020

2O2O VISION By popular demand, blue light glasses have become a staple for online learning, despite the minimal knowledge of actual risks and benefits

NEWS | 07

TIME FOR A TECH-FREE BREAK

Set reminders to get up from your desk at multiple points throughout the school day

Get out of the house for some fresh air by taking a stroll around your neighborhood Opt for handwriting your notes in class to counteract your increased screen time Use the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away, for at least 20 seconds

by camp bell wood

W

ith online learning monopolizing the start of the 2020-21 school year, some East students are taking to blue light glasses to protect their eyes from the extended exposure to blue light — potentially harmful light that radiates off of digital screens — despite lack of research proving their effectiveness.

On average, East students spend over eight hours of screen time each day with the new virtual learning method, according to an Instagram poll surveying 260 students. Bill James, the Vice President and General Manager of Healthe, a company that works with blue-filtering technology, states that too much screen exposure can cause symptoms of digital eye strain including headaches, sore eyes and lack of sleep.

In an Instagram poll surveying 244 East students, one third said they have purchased blue light glasses since the start of online school.

Blue light glasses are designed to filter out high-energy visible light with lenses crafted to reduce glare. Nonprescription blue light glasses can be purchased for around $20, and the filter can also be added to current prescription glasses as well.

But are the glasses effective or just a trend?

A report from the American Academy of Ophthalmology says that there is no need for the glasses due to lack of evidence saying blue light is actually harmful. They said the blue light problems the glasses claim to solve — lack of sleep, eye strain and eye disease — can be prevented without spending money on the select eyewear.

The thought of blue light causing these problems is what’s made blue light glasses appealing to students.

Freshman Emma Krause heard about the negative effects and eye strain blue light could cause, so she purchased the glasses in an attempt to protect her eyes.

“I was just hoping that if I [had a hard time staring at the

screen] that I would catch it early with the glasses,” Krause said. “Just so I wouldn’t take any risks.”

Krause hasn’t experienced any positive or negative effects from the glasses, making it hard to tell if they are actually doing anything. She figures it’s better to be overly cautious than risk having eye problems later on.

Senior Stella McKinney thought that blue light glasses were more of a trend than a safety measure. She would joke with her friend who wore them frequently about how they didn’t really need them.

“They’re just fake glasses,” McKinney would tease.

It wasn’t until she started experiencing headaches and eye strain from online school that she gave in and bought a pair.

Since then, she has noticed a change for the better, and now considers them a virtual school necessity.

“When school shut down, I did [virtual class] for like two weeks and I was like, ‘My eyes are straining so bad,’” McKinney said. “So I ordered them…and they work so well, like my head immediately stopped hurting.”

Despite the popular demand for the glasses, it’s hard to determine if they’re actually effective, according to Fairway Eye Center optometrist Dr. Mark Bunde.

According to Bunde, there haven’t been enough studies to prove that blue light can actually lead to long-term eye damage. In some cases, he assures, it is possible to experience difficulty sleeping, as blue light has been known to cause a decrease in melatonin levels.

A University of Toronto study concluded that wearing blue light glasses increases melatonin levels and allows glasses users to sleep more soundly.

Sophomore Evyn Roberts noticed longer and more consistent sleep patterns after wearing blue light glasses when on her phone before bed.

“I think [the glasses] definitely helped with [sleep] the most out of anything,” Roberts said. “My phone screen isn’t

20

as bright or the light in my room isn’t as bright [with the glasses on] when I’m trying to go to bed, so it helps me fall asleep faster.”

Bunde says that eye strain is a frequent symptom from staring at a screen for too long.

“Your eyes converge so that the muscles around your eyes are turning in to point towards the object, and are also focusing,” Bunde said. “So like any muscle, you flex it for an extended period of time without resting it, you’re going to have strain.”

Bunde does think the glasses have a dimming effect, and he’s had patients who have found it helpful in terms of their experience with eye strain. Despite the lack of research, Bunde says there’s no harm in wearing the glasses for precautionary measures. However, Bunde usually recommends certain practices like the 20-20-20 rule — every 20 minutes look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds — before falling back on the glasses.

I like the relief of knowing that I’m prepared and safe to look at the screen for seven hours a day.

weston payne | senior Senior Weston Payne has been wearing glasses with a blue light filter since eighth grade. While he doesn’t have much to compare the experience to, he’s grateful to have them now that almost everything has switched to online.

“Constant headaches and just having that pain wouldn’t make sense to me,” Payne said. “I like the relief of knowing that I’m prepared and safe to look at the screen for seven hours a day.”

08 | NEWS

THE HARBINGER | SEPTEMBER 28, 2020

design by tommy paulus photo illustration by emily pollock

A SWITCH

TO IN- P E RSO N Some students have decided to switch to private schooling for in-person learning by caroline wood

A

s SMSD made the call to start this school year remotely, the desire for an in-person experience led some students to switch to private schools offering this option.

For parents and students alike, the appeal of switching to a private school is having the students return to school either in-person or doing some form of hybrid schooling, while public schools, like SMSD, have been doing online.

“For the public schools, we’re following the gating criteria and basing our decisions on data, whereas the private schools can make up their own decision, each school individually,” East principal Dr. Scott Sherman said.

The gating criteria Sherman references is released by the Johnson County Health Department. Public school districts used the COVID-19 statistics and updates outlined by the county when they decided which learning system would be safest for students.

After the district’s attempt at virtual learning during the fourth quarter of last school year, some students decided it would be in the best interest for their education to switch to a school where they can learn in a physical classroom.

While already making the jump from middle school to high school, Sion freshman Tara Alley felt she would work best in an in-person setting to start off her high school experience. She attended Indian Hills and was set on being a Lancer, but decided to transfer to Sion a week before school started after SMSD’s decision to go completely online.

“It was just kind of hard to talk to teachers,” Alley said. “I didn’t really understand most of the assignments because the teachers really couldn’t explain it unless you went on Zoom, and I’m not the best with talking to people not in-person.”

The start of the school year is when students meet new classmates, get involved in activities and begin to find their way around their high school.

Common concerns among parents and students were that if students had to do their learning from home and meet people and teachers through video calls, they would be losing a crucial part of the high school experience — especially for freshmen.

When the district announced that school would be fully online, Sion freshman Annika Griffin felt that she wouldn’t be able to get to know her peers and teachers as well in an online environment, causing her to consider switching to an in-person private school.

“It was my freshman year, so I thought that it would be kind of difficult to start off high school just doing online,” Griffin said.

Griffin has been best friends with Alley since the beginning of eighth grade. When she told Alley that she was thinking about transferring to Sion to pursue an in-person route and asked her if she wanted to join her, Alley couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

“I probably wouldn’t have been able to easily transfer if she hadn’t have gone with me,” Griffin said.

Sophomore Catherine Panko shares Alley and Griffin’s reservations about the difficulties of online learning, and although she planned on attending Pembroke Hill as a freshman, she chose to stay with East to be with her friends and join the golf team.

But, when COVID-19 forced school to be online in March, Panko struggled.

“Though my grades didn’t necessarily suffer, it definitely wasn’t ideal for me mentally,” Panko stated in an email. “I didn’t feel motivated and felt drained by the end of every day, even if I didn’t do much.

There just wasn’t the same pressure and excitement as I’d have when nearing the end of the school year.”

At the beginning of August, Pembroke had already released a detailed plan for what the school year would look like, and given that Shawnee Mission was still going back and forth, Panko decided her original plan to attend Pembroke was the best option for her.

Alley, Panko and Griffin all decided to transfer to private schools, and they found the transferring process to be much simpler than expected.

After unenrolling from East, getting their transcripts and filling out paperwork to transfer into the new school, all that needed to be done was processing tuition payment. For Griffin and Alley, Sion has an extra step — an interview to see if the girls would be a good fit at the school. But within a week, all three girls were no longer East students.

Although their new schools allow for in-person learning, changes are continually being made to the school day in order to keep all students, staff and families safe.

At both Pembroke and Sion, students have to wear masks all day and socially distance from other students and staff. Upon entering the buildings they get their temperature checked to make sure that they are below 100.4 F. Before and after class, they’re required to wipe down their desks, all spaced six feet apart from each other with tape marks on the floor.

The schools also work on contact tracing so they can track down which students may have been directly exposed in the event of an outbreak.

At Pembroke, the whole school gets tested weekly, and if cases arise, all students switch to online for a week. So far, they’ve done one week of online out of the five weeks they’ve been in school.

“I’ll definitely miss all of my friends and the entire golf team at East, but I’m also looking forward to making new friends and having new experiences,” Panko said in an email. “Once this all goes back to normal, I’m looking forward to a normal school year and being able to hang out with my friends, old and new.”

T O P | Some students decide to transfer from East to private schools due to East’s decision to go online.

IN-PERSON CHECKLIST WEAR FACE MASKS AT ALL TIMES IMMEDIATE SANITIZATION OF DESKS REGULAR TEMPERATURE CHECKS WEEKLY SCHOOL WIDE TESTS

T H E SCH O O L SH IFT

Statistics of the number of students from East who switched to private school by year

30 25 20 ‘19-20

15 10 5 0

‘18-’19

‘20-21

THE HARBINGER | SEPTEMBER 28, 2020

design by elizabeth mikkelson

OPINION

OPINION | 09

O P I N I O N AT E D

HIGHLIGHTS

DID YOU EVER CONSIDER TRANSFERRING TO A PRIVATE SCHOOL THIS SEMESTER? Instagram poll of 282 votes

28% YES

A look into student opinions and the opinion section

VIRTUAL LEARNING PROS/CONS WHAT ARE SOME POSITIVES AND NEGATIVES YOU’VE EXPERIENCED WITH ONLINE SCHOOL?

My one positive thing with being at home is that I’ve spent a lot more time with my dogs and one of them will sit on my lap during all of my classes. [Although] I can get such a bad headache after being on the computer for that long.

maeve linscott | junior

70% NO DO YOU THINK TIKTOK IS A TOXIC APP? Instagram poll of 314 votes

46% YES 54% NO DO YOU FEEL YOU HAVE GAINED MORE CONFIDENCE IN PUBLIC SPEAKING/OVERALL COMMUNICATION WHILE PARTICIPATING IN ONLINE SCHOOL? Instagram poll of 265 votes

24% YES 76% NO

I would say a big part of it is the free time I get during the day because they’ll just take roll call and let us go. If we don’t understand [something], it’s a little harder to reach out to [teachers] to get more of an explanation.

blake atkinson | sophomore

TO AVO I D A L L - O U T WA R OV E R T H E S U P R E M E C O U RT . I M P OS I N G T E R M L I M I TS - O F, S AY, 1 8 Y E A R S - O N J U ST I C E S WO U L D LOW E R T H E WAS H I N GTO N P OST | 9 / 2 1 / 2 0

F O L LOW T H E S E T I PS F O R A N E AS I E R T R A N S I T I O N TO O N L I N E SCHOOL

SPEAK UP IT CAN BE AWKWARD WITH EVERYONE ON MUTE, BUT SPEAK UP IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION

T H E E D I TO R I A L B OA R D : J U D I C I A L T E R M L I M I TS A R E T H E B E ST WAY

T H E STA K E S O F A N Y O N E S U P R E M E C O U RT P I C K .

WEBEX TIPS

WA K E U P E A R LY LOGIN TO WEBEX AROUND 7:20 TO WORK OUT TECHNOLOGY ISSUES

THIS WEEK IN TWEETS

C H E C K CA N VAS CHECK CANVAS FOR NEW ASSIGNMENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

C H E C K YO U R E M A I L CHECK EMAIL DAILY FOR UPDATES FROM WEBEX OR GENERAL INFORMATION FROM TEACHERS

C AT C H U P O N T H I S W E E K S O N L I N E O P I N I O N S

I N T H E C R A D L E O F O U R D E M O C R AC Y, A C O N T E N T I O U S L EGA L BAT T L E I S B E I N G F O U G H T OV E R O N E O F T H E M OST B A S I C R I G H TS I N A D E M O C R AC Y: T H E R I G H T TO VOT E .

B I L L W H I TA K E R | 9 / 2 0/ 2 0

H U M A N K I N D H A S D R AG G E D I TS F E E T F O R S O LO N G O N T H E LO O M I N G C R I S I S O F C L I M AT E C H A N G E T H AT I T I S N O LO N G E R LO O M I N G B U T I S U P O N U S , A N D W I L L B E I M P OS S I B L E TO U N D O. L.A. TIMES OPINION | 9/15/20

C A N C E L C U LT U R E T H EO RY: S P E A K YO U R T R U T H , A S LO U D LY A S P OS S I B L E , A N D B R I N G TO H E E L T H E P EO P L E W H O D I S AG R E E . B U T R U T H BA D E R G I N S B U RG ’S E N T I R E C A R E E R R E F L EC T E D T H E FA I T H T H AT YO U C O U L D M OV E OT H E R S TO YO U R P O I N T O F V I E W, J O N AT H A N Z I M M E R M A N W R I T E S I N A N O P - E D. C H I C AG O T R I B U N E O P I N I O N | 9 / 2 1 / 2 0

SCAN ME | STORY Read Sydney Decker ’s opinion on the ideals of gender reveals

SCAN ME | STORY Read Lyda Cosgrove’s story about how tea accounts are doing more harm than good

TA K E O U R P O L LS @smeharbinger

Follow us on social media to participate in the polls

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THE HARBINGER | SEPTEMBER 28, 2020

10 | OPINION

F OL LOW I N G

design by allison wilcox photo illustration by sarah golder

FOR YOU

TOXIC TIKTOK Staffer explains how TikTok can be toxic for a person’s mental health and body image

I

by gra ce a l l en

can’t tell you how many times I’ve scrolled through my TikTok For You page and wound up on a video of a pencil-thin model. I stumble across the comment section that’s full of comments like, “I’ll take this as a sign to not eat today” and, “I would do anything to have your body” and I quickly start thinking the same thoughts.

With influencers posting “What I Eat in a Day” videos with tiny portions not fit to sustain a healthy adult and haters commenting on young girls’ fun videos about how they need to lose weight or they don’t look like the “pretty girls,” Tik Tok became a toxic app. These types of videos are so easy to get across to young impressionable girls who want to look like their favorite influencer and romanticize not eating enough. As I scroll down my For You page, I’m appalled by the amount of harsh criticism I see from others onto young girls. The criticism on body types similar to mine makes me wonder if I need to lose weight and change myself to fit these standards.

The “What I Eat in a Day” videos are one of the worst trends on the app. Creators with a large following show small portions of food claiming that it’s all they eat in 24 hours. After constantly seeing these videos I go to the kitchen for dinner and question whether I should have that second serving of pasta or not.

Another toxic part of TikTok is the bodyshaming videos. The amount of times I’ve seen people duet a video of someone just to make fun of their body or body shame someone in the comments is sickening. Most of the time the

SCAN ME | ARTICLE TikTok has taken action to eliminate toxic body shaming trends. Scan to read a Forbes article that explains their decision to remove ads promoting fasting and unhealthy habits.

video is of a teenager doing a harmless dance that ends up with thousands of hateful comments.

Unfortunately these mentally destructive videos are extremely hard to escape from. I’ve clicked the “not interested” button more times than I can count, but they still keep showing

HOME

DISCOVER

up on my For You page. Whether the people watching struggle with body image or not, the destructive beauty standards are hard to watch on an everyday basis. The ideal body that so many of these creators are looked up for makes me feel like I’m not good enough, and sparks conversation between my friends and I describing our “dream” body.

The most heart-wrenching comments are when people make fat jokes and tell 13-year-old girls they should eat less or work out more. There’s no reason why someone that age should be seeing themselves that way. The comments tend to come

As I scroll down my For You page, I don’t have enough fingers to count the amount of harsh criticism I see from others onto young girls.

sarcastically, saying things like, “bold of you for keeping the comments on” or “guys I found out who ate all the leftovers.” They constantly bring people down, and I find myself burdened after I read them all day.

For a while, there was a trend going around where girls made videos asking their viewers what they could do to make themselves prettier.

This basically told girls they aren’t pretty enough.

After coming across these every day for a week, I found myself thinking of what I could do to be prettier — all because of a TikTok. Famous influencers or creators get paid for promoting these horrible habits. From weight loss teas to ab simulators, they are profiting on convincing people that their bodies need to look a certain way.

Influencers need to do a better job of promoting healthy habits, practicing better self-talk and not participating in toxic trends that lead into body shaming and bullying.

If these same influencers used their platform for good, such as promoting healthy relationships with food and working out, the entire app would be a much more stable environment.

A B O V E | TikTok user films an unrealistic “What I Eat in a Day” video with healthy portion outside of the frame

THE TRENDS Toxic trends taking place on TikTok

WHAT I EAT IN A DAY TO FILM WHAT I EAT IN A DAY VIDEOS, CREATORS FILM SMALL , UNREALISTIC PORTIONS — SUGGESTING THEY BARELY EAT

MY DAILY WORKOUT USERS POST VIDEOS PROMOTING UNREALISTIC HABITS SUCH AS RUNNING SIX OR MORE MILES DAILY TO GET IN SHAPE

INBOX

3.2M

861

11.4K

ME

design by sophie lindberg photos by maggie klumpp

THE I

by ben b ra dl ey

deally, I would rather be starting my sophomore year with my friends, gathered by the main stairwell on the fourth floor before class, than staring at my Macbook screen, waiting to be accepted into my Webex classroom — but, I understand that online school is the better, safer option. While most East students aren’t too happy with being full online, I am trying to look for the positives in online school, and wear my new blue light glasses while doing so.

Now that students and teachers are on the same playing field with being online, there’s much more leniency with due dates and technical problems. It’s funny seeing teachers stress out about a document not opening or a video being blocked; at least we’re not the only ones struggling to navigate our censored Macbooks. My teachers this year are way more sympathetic and understanding when something isn’t in on time, probably because they’re also suffering through the impossible maze that is Canvas.

With the tediousness of facilitating school online, my teachers have given up on assigning immense amounts of work. Last year I always felt like I was drowning in homework. It was so tempting to take a break to watch a few minutes of ‘Stranger Things’ on Netflix, but I knew I couldn’t afford it. Now, I feel like all I do is binge watch T V. I can tell that neither me, nor my teachers want to be sitting on a Webex call all day. Since I get off my calls at least 20 minutes early, it’s easy to open a new tab and start binging.

Don’t believe me? Think back: how much freetime have you had this past week, either because classes have ended early, or you don’t have homework?

Our relaxed schedule feels like we’re hardly ever in school, and I love it.

The night before the first real day of online school, I was dreading this whole year, thinking that I was gonna be on the computer all day and all night doing homework. But luckily, I was dead wrong. If anything, it feels like summer never ended.

Rolling out of bed three minutes before school and getting onto my classes has been a major plus as well. I worried that my summer sleeping habits would make it impossible to wake up before 11 a.m., but it hasn’t been an issue. I mean, I’m not going to bed at 3 a.m anymore, but since “school” is at my desk three feet from my bed, I’m not losing any sleep Getting to have school completely online and having the freedom to work around my own schedule is a huge benefit, don’t get me wrong, but there are some things that just can’t be replaced about a normal school year.

I miss jumping around with my friends during pep rallies, trying to be the loudest class. I miss being able to eat lunch with my friends, cramming for the upcoming test we had next hour. And I especially miss being able to meet up with my friends at a lancer themed themed football game on a Friday night: even though the “freshman move back” chant will forever

THE HARBINGER | SEPTEMBER 28, 2020

NL I NE be engraved in my brain.

Some of my friends considered transferring to schools like St. Teresa’s Academy or Rockhurst because they wanted a “normal” school experience so badly. But as much as I miss in-person school, the current hybrid system at private schools doesn’t sound much better than online to me. They don’t get any of the real in school experiences that I’m missing the most. Instead, they spend their days socially distanced with masks on, staring at their teachers as they drone on and on from behind a cage of plastic sheeting that separates teachers and students.

Rockhurst has had a small number of schooltransmitted COVID-19 cases; STA has had eight or nine that the public knows of. East has such higher class populations that even when we do go back, I don’t know how there won’t be at least a case or two.

Students are risking it all for a little bit more social interaction with students and teachers than we’re getting during online school. They’re even still talking to their teachers through a “screen” of plastic.

You can count me out on this one.

OPINION | 11 Online school gives students more time to focus on themselves and stress less about their workload

OPT I O N 50%

OF EAST STUDENTS ARRIVE TO ONLINE CL ASSES L ATE

Instagram poll of 204 votes

28%

OF EAST STUDENTS CONSIDERED TRANSFERRING TO A PRIVATE SCHOOL THIS SEMESTER

Instagram poll of 282 votes

But as much as I miss in-person school, the current hybrid system at private school doesn’t sound much better than online to me.

ben bradley | sophomore For those who are seriously craving an ounce of social to their social studies classes, pods are a safe way to gather for school. Pods are a small group of three to four friends — ones that you have already been exposed to — that you do school with either once or twice a week, or everyday if you prefer.

My pod rotates houses usually once a week and everyone meets at 7:30 in the morning before school.

It’s really nice to have other people there with you, especially if you don’t like speaking on the Webex meeting, whether it’s answering questions or asking the teacher to clarify something they said. I didn’t work with a pod for the first week of school, and I was arriving, without fail, at least a minute late to class. My friends help me remember what time each of my classes start, because to be honest, I still can’t remember on my own.

Hopefully after another week of online school I’ll have the system down and be more accustomed to doing school from my bed. There are some real benefits to online school, like free time, less and shorter assignments and time to go out during the school day. But I feel like there are some unsolved issues that can still be worked out. After Oct. 19, when all elementary school students go back, I hope they reconsider and find some type of plan to have us go in-person, but for now, I’ll be enjoying my midday Chick-fil-A and Webex breakout rooms.

ABOVE | Sophomore Ben Bradley talks to his teacher through WebEX

CONFIRMED CASES BY SCHOOL

0 0 9

EAST

confirmed school-related cases have appeared so far.

ROCKHURST

confirmed school-related cases have appeared so far.

ST. TERESA’S

confirmed school-related cases have appeared so far.

12 | OPINION

THE HARBINGER | SEPTEMBER 28, 2020

design by celia condon photos courtesy of gibbs morris

quality time

QUARANTINE Staffer's family grew closer during the months of what seemed like a never ending state lock down

by g ib bs morri s

J

ust about every student at East can agree that COVID-19 has made our year a complete and utter dumpster fire.

Schools across the country are no longer meeting inperson, and our school day has gone from being filled with crowded hallways and classroom discussion to seven hours of staring at a screen.

If it wasn’t for the fact that I had my family beside me to keep me sane, I don’t think I could have lasted through the first week of school without scissor kicking my computer after WebEx crashed for the fifth time. They’ve helped me keep track of my online education and been there to listen to my hour long rants about confusing Canvas calendars.

This altered style of living has proved to have its drawbacks for everyone, whether it’s lack of social interaction or even losing someone close to us. But in a way, COVID-19 has made us all take a step back and realize how important our routine and the things in our day-to-day lives are — from being able to walk about freely without worry of infection to simply walking into a grocery store without a mask. Despite all of this, my family was always there to lift my spirits.

I've spent more time with my family in the last six months than I have in the last three years. From late Friday nights vegging out on the couch watching our favorite episodes of NCIS to scrolling through various Pinterest pizza recipes, I've experienced quality time that never would have happened if I hadn't been cooped up with them for four months. Before the pandemic started, I had a relatively good relationship with my parents. I loved them and they loved me, but to be completely honest, we didn’t do a lot of things together as a family.

Sure, we had the occasional family road trip or vacation together, but I really can't remember another time when we've all been together for longer than a day or sat down all together at a dinner table. It wasn't that any of us didn't want to, but as I grew up and went to high school, I found myself involved with friends and work more than my family. I had more freedom to go out and do what I wanted, when I wanted — which meant far less time spent at home.

Growing up is an important process for all of us, and finding my path in life can only be done by myself. But it’s also easy to lose sight of what’s truly important when blinded by all the new things the world has to offer. In reality, I didn’t see my slow departure from family life until I was forced to spend days locked in my house with all of them because of COVID-19.

bond

HOW TO

When lockdown first began, family game nights became the highlight of my evening instead of the normal hangout with my friends that would normally occupy that time. I started cooking — something I thought to be impossible for myself considering before March, I couldn’t tell you what a sheet pan was to save my life. Nonetheless, when I began cooking with my mom, it became much less of a challenge.

I opened up more to my parents and was able to talk to them about things that before would’ve been a conversation for my friends only. Without having my friends around as an outlet, I felt lost with the lack of guidance on coping with things like stress or the new school year. But my family was always there for me to lean on. They never hesitated to ask how I was feeling or provide a shoulder to lean on.

This new, more private style of living has proved to have it's drawbacks for all of us, but has also, in a way, made us realize how important some of the things in our day-to-day lives were.

gibbs morris | junior As I began reconnecting with my family, I realized my friends knew way more about me than my actual family did.

The fact that my friends could tell anyone twice as much more about me than my family — who have known me my whole life — was concerning. This was the point that really changed my perspective on the pandemic as a whole. At first, I always saw the outbreak as a life changing catastrophe that would change the entire course of my life.

While I still hate most of this pandemic, I now think of it as a blessing in disguise.

I couldn't be happier about my newfound family dynamic. Even if life was a little bit bleak, I’ve found a lot of comfort in the time I get to spend with them. The light hearted jokes about my dad’s receding hairline, the heated games of Monopoly and everything we do together are what’s getting me through these unfamiliar times.

Quarantine activities among families: taken from a @smeharbinger instagram poll

POKER

BOARD GAMES

WALKS

GRILLING

Some learned how to play Poker as a family

Lots of families had daily walks around their neighborhoods

To pass some time, families played board games like Monopoly.

To make dinners more interesting, families decided to take dinners to the grill

RIGHT | Gibbs with his family through the years. photos courtesy of gibbs morris

THE HARBINGER | SEPTEMBER 28, 2020

design by elizabeth mikkelson photo by hadley chapman

OPINION | 13

CONNECTED IN CONFIDENCE Online school gives students more control and accountability over their own work, leading to a boost in self-confidence in a virtual setting

M

by emma brown

y setup for the first day of online school was casual — a plate of eggs and toast to my side and a steaming cup of coffee in my hand. But I couldn’t help but feel nervous as I navigated Canvas to find the Webex link for my first hour — Physics. Was my face red?

Did the background of my room look weird?

After reviewing the syllabus and sharing the highlight of my summer vacation, I was waving goodbye to my teacher and logging off.

Now, I’m in week four of online school, and I feel as if I’ve mastered my virtual day.

I’ve typed in chats, shared my screen and

collaborated in breakout rooms. But, this whole time, I can’t help but wonder — why is

With school online, I feel comfortable in class — no tech issues, no temptation to turn my video off and no pre-class jitters. online school so simple?

With school online, I feel comfortable in class — no tech issues, no temptation to turn

JOINING MEETING...

UNMUTE

2020

VI RTUAL SCH OO L Y E AR N AT I ON A L STAT IST I CS

*information courtesy of National Center for Education Statistics

STOP VIDEO

ENTER CLASS

3.3 MILLION

EXPECTED PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES FROM THE CLASS OF 2021

56.4 MILLION

STUDENTS PROJECTED TO ATTEND ELEMENTARY/HIGH SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT THE U.S. THIS YEAR

my video off and no pre-class jitters. Even though I anticipated to hate the change from in-person to online school, each day I feel more confident in class with the new system.

When class is in person, I’m rarely outgoing — presenting last in class projects, never staying after class to ask questions, rarely raising my hand to speak out.

Maybe it’s because all students are in the same situation, but being in a breakout room with a person you’ve never talked to seems easy. Chatting with them about coronavirus, college prep and summer life easily turns an awkward situation around. Usually a struggle, finding small talk has become painless for me.

For a Spanish project I had to present four items in my house that meant something to me. If we were in school, I would find myself showing my phone, airpods, a book and my teddy bear keychain.

Instead, I pulled out my tennis racquet, my favorite shirt — now a little worn out, a meaningful piece of jewelry and a family photo. I was able to fly through the presentation — with no sweaty palms and no foot anxiously tapping the ground.

There’s something about being in your own home that seems almost stress relieving. My house is a safe space for me and presenting or voicing my opinion in class is so much easier

$709 BILLION

PROJECTED ANNUAL GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURES FOR PUBLIC AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS

3.2 MILLION

EXPECTED AMOUNT OF TEACHERS TEACHING IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOR THE FALL 2020 SEMESTER

when in my fluffy socks and pajamas.

But that doesn’t mean I’ve fully gotten used to working on a group project over a video call. It’s no longer possible to split up sections of the project then come back together with no idea what your partner has written. I find myself constantly asking for reassurance that my paragraph over Christopher Columbus sounds properly written and makes sense.

When there’s a question I’ve been itching to ask during the teacher’s presentation, there’s always an extra amount of time at the end of class. I don’t have to rush to get to my next class or hold up other students who have questions to ask. Since we’re all trying to figure out online school, the teachers seem to be more understanding of me coming to them with questions. Not only have I become more comfortable asking my teachers for help, but I’ve also taken that confidence with me outside of school.

I notice myself being more forward when asking for help, like when I can’t find the milk at Hen House or want my iced coffee with light ice at Starbucks. Instead of hesitating and waiting for the Target worker to help me figure out self-checkout, I take the initiative to walk up to them and ask if

SCAN ME | INFORMATION Scan here to read the Shawnee Mission School District’s rundown of all things Canvas, from staying digitally organized to finding helpful resources that can better your personal Digital Learning experience.

I can split the payment between a gift card and cash.

After many months of break, I was dreading going back to school — especially when I heard it was online. I was worried that I wasn’t going to participate and learn very little from class. I was wrong. Online school has created an environment where I’m more willing to participate in class, and I have mastered a new confidence.

EMMA’S INSIGHT: “WITH THE CHAOS OF THIS YEAR, IT’S UNDERSTANDABLE TO HAVE QUESTIONS, SO STAY ATTENTIVE TO THE TEACHER AND YOU WILL ADJUST TO THESE CHANGES OF SCHOOL”

WAGSTAFF CARTMELL

&

EXPERTS IN HIGH STAKES LITIGATION CALL: (816) 701-1100 | EMAIL: RECEPTION@WCLLP.COM

design by grace tucker

THE HARBINGER | SEPTEMBER 28, 2020

FE ATURE

HIGHLIGHTS

S E N I O R C H I C K- F I L-A H A N D O U T

FEATURES | 15

F E AT U R E D A R T I S T A I DA N WINNE W I N N E PA I N T S A N D SK E TC H E S D I F F E R E N T CA RTO O NS A N D A L BU M COVERS WHEN AND WHY DID YOU START PAINTING? “I started painting about nine months ago because I can and because I’m good at it.”

WOULD YOU EVER TRY TO SELL YOUR ART? “I tried selling a painting on Etsy once but it got taken down for pirating. I would want to try and sell things again though because it would be easy money.”

WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DRAW AND PAINT? “I started with abstract paintings then moved more into painting actual things. I like painting cartoon characters and album covers. I also do spray paint art, but not graffiti to clarify. I also used to always draw Jayhawks all the time. I got so good at it I could draw a Jayhawk in under 10 seconds.”

SOME OF AIDAN WINNE’S ARTWORK:

A B O V E Senior Jilli Foley points out where the Chick-Fil-A sauces are to senior Lauren Sawalich during the first day of school drive-thru put on by pep club. photo by sarah golder R I G H T T O P Senior Cade Eldred hands out packets of Chick-Fil-A sauce. photo by trevor paulus R I G H T B O T T O M Kristine Tardiff and Brett Kramer greet seniors as they pull through for sandwiches. photo by sarah golder

V I D E O F E AT U R E SCAN ME Focus Up: 5 TIPS FOR A PRODUCTIVE ONLINE SCHOOL by sophomore lyda cosgrove

16 | NEWS-FEATURE

COLLEGE CASES

1178

CASE S AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI

88,0 00 CASES

612

AT COLLEGES DURING THE PANDEMIC

CASE S AT THE UNIVERSITY OF K A NSAS

60 DE ATHS

344

*information courtesy of new york times

FROM THOSE CASES

10

CASE S AT THE UNIVERSITY OF M I C H I GAN

C OV I D C O L L EG E ST Y L E

326

6%

CASE S AT THE UNIVERSITY OF OK L AHOM A

P R I M A R I LY ONLINE

as of september 10 *information courtesy of new york times

P R I M A R I LY IN-PERSON

*information courtesy of boone county public health and community services

7°

2.5%

P R I M A R I LY IN-PERSON

of positive cases come from community transmission

20%

15%

HYBRID

101.

°

34.5%

27%

O N LY ONLINE

1.3

24%

UNDECIDED

6%

OT H E R

How colleges across the US are handling coronavirus

*information courtesy of ldchealth.org

design by rose kanaley

FADED & FEVERISH College students continuation of party lifestyle amidst COVID-19 is leading to rises in cases and frustration among community members

by riley a tkinson

W

ith a disposable mask dangling from her wrist, she squeezed into a crammed frat room.

It was the infamous “sylly” week, the first week of classes at the University of Missouri where students’ workload is solely reading over the syllabus.

Everyone was ready for their nightly routine — dress up in tube tops, jump around to secretive parties, hope the cops don’t show up.

They’d all heard the stories from older kids, according to East alum and MU freshman Candace Johnson*, and they were ready to experience college night life for themselves — even with coronavirus cases multiplying daily in their college town.

[Most college kids] just feel like they’re invincible and also don’t think their consequences have a ripple effect — that while it might not affect them, the people they come in contact with can be affected. I feel like everybody was of the mindset of we’re in this together, before KU started classes, and now we still feel this way but the students just don’t feel that way.

ali wellinghoff | ku staff member “I was just thinking, ‘I want to have fun, I want to have a college experience, I want to have sylly week,’” Johnson said.

“Everyone talks about it, I wanna have mine. Going into a frat [party], I knew exactly what was gonna happen.”

After the first week of going out, Johnson and her friends tested positive, so they, along with hundreds of other students, were sent home to quarantine for 14 days. But they weren’t surprised in the slightest. They’d already decided that going to frat parties was worth the risk of getting Covid, according to Johnson.

College kids across the country made it back to campus after months of quarantine, and many of them couldn’t wait to get back into their partying routine, or experience it for the first time. Now that the cases in college towns are rapidly increasing, community members and local business owners are concerned for their own well-being. At East-alum-populated schools such as MU and KU, local law enforcement is now stepping in where the colleges can’t by issuing citations and breaking up off-campus parties.

According to Johnson, freshmen came to campus hoping for freedom and a real college experience after the end of their senior year was taken from them — even if it meant it was just for the first week. Returning students craved the

crowded bars and game day tailgates they were accustomed to before being sent home for the spring semester.

“I think from personal experience it’s hard for me to not want to live my life like I normally would knowing that if I got [the coronavirus], the chances of me getting very sick are very slim,” University of Oklahoma sophomore and East alum Molly Smith* said.

According to Smith, many of her friends from both college and East rationalize their desire for a social life with statistics that show how their age group is rarely placed in critical condition from the virus — 0.5% of almost 150,000 deaths were citizens aged 18-29, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

But even if the death rate for college kids isn’t high, the infection rates are. Douglas County, where KU is located, had new case averages in the single digits throughout the first four months of lockdown. Now, the average for new case numbers increases to around 40 every day, which impacts all age groups, according to the Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health Department.

“As soon as everybody came back, it just exploded,” Lawrence resident and University of Kansas staff member Ali Wellinghoff said. “Obviously when you bring 20-some thousand extra people, the number of cases are going up, but there’s something to be said that their behavior is different than everybody else.”

Wellinghoff drives by houses around campus to see hundreds of kids gathered shoulder to shoulder without masks, and she’s noticed frustration among her community members because many students aren’t trying to distance or follow the rules at all.

With cases rising, local bars and restaurants, such as Brother’s Bar & Grill in Lawrence or Nashvegas in Columbia, are closing indefinitely to keep everyone safe. According to Johnson, her and her friends don’t necessarily consider the long-term effects if places like those stay closed, they’re just disappointed that one of their go-to bar spots isn’t open for the time being. “[Most college kids] just feel like they’re invincible and also don’t think their consequences have a ripple effect — that while it might not affect them, the people they come in contact with can be affected,” Wellinghoff said. “I feel like everybody was of the mindset of we’re in this together, before KU started classes, and now we still feel this way but the students just don’t feel that way.”

Since many of the parties are occurring off campus, the community’s frustration primarily came from the fact that KU couldn’t do anything to stop them, according to Wellinghoff.

But some college towns, including Lawrence, are now passing ordinances that enable police to get involved if students don’t follow safety precautions, whether that be through issuing citations or requiring fines to be paid for not wearing masks.

“I don’t think it’s gonna be the cases that are gonna slow

kids down, I think it’s probably the immediate consequences of unfortunately having to pay a $500 fine,” Lawrence resident and KU parent Margaret Weisbrod said. “That’s an immediate consequence, and getting sick or possible infection is a consequence that’s a little less tangible in the moment.”

Lawrence city commissioners voted 4-1 to approve an ordinance on Thursday, Sept. 17 that gives police power to issue a ticket up to $500 if students aren’t adhering to social distancing guidelines.

“There are vulnerable people in our community that are relying on us to do what we can to ensure their safety during this pandemic, and that’s what we need to do,” Commissioner Stuart Boely said in an interview with KCT V5 News.

Johnson, who goes to MU, knows she can get a citation for not wearing a mask in a large group, and she feels that if she sees these types of punishments firsthand as they become more widespread, her friends may slow down and stop going out as much, but they might still find other smaller events to go to.

University of Michigan senior Katie Kuhlman feels that the way college kids have acted isn’t surprising, so local and state law enforcement should maintain regulations.

“I think it’s important to keep [the community] in mind because I feel like with college we are visitors, like I am a guest to Ann Arbor, and I would have a lot of trouble sleeping at night if I knew I was potentially keeping a bunch of local residents sick just because I wanted to go to a bar,” Kuhlman said.

Weisbrod and Wellinghoff don’t think the social aspect of college needs to be completely taken out — they could gather in small cohorts or go out to eat with masks and proper distancing. But it’s the endless frat parties with hundreds of people that they wish people would be more cautious with.

I think from personal experience it’s hard for me to not want to live my life like I normally would knowing that if I got [the coronavirus], the chances of me getting very sick are very slim.

molly smith* | sophomore “I don’t know how to get the point across to people that it really is life or death,” Weisbrod said. “It’s somebody’s life or death. And is that worth drinking a beer sitting on your boyfriend’s lap that you haven’t seen in six months or whatever? It’s not. Come be with your friends six feet away with masks on. You can still do it, just not on top of each other.”

*names changed to protect identity

18 | FEATURES

THE HARBINGER | SEPTEMBER 28, 2020

J

design by sophie henschel photos by annakate dilks

by sydney newton unior Chris Alka stepped out onto the sacred performance ring in the 95-degree heat, wearing his selfpainted leather cloth, feathered headband, beaded choker and a small strip of bells. As he clapped his hands and did jump steps, his focus was drawn to his mom and dad, who watched him from a ring of benches before joining in on the dance.

Alka was performing the ‘Dance of Joy’ to commemorate getting his Warrior — the highest rank within Mic-O-Say, an exclusive group within the Boy Scout community that you must go through multiple trials in order to become a member of. Alka and his fellow troop members practiced the dance for over eight hours in the blazing sun before performing as part of their trials. According to Alka, the dance is based off of the story of the person who created MicO-Say, someone who went through trial and betrayal in his life.

“Learning the dance together as a bunch of guys who are tired and ready to go back to their campsite to rest was pretty amazing,” Alka said.

“We just had a bonding moment where I realized

We just had a bonding moment where I realized this is family.

This is what I’m here for.

chris alka | junior this is family. This is what I’m here for.”

After dozens of campfires and four years of watching the older scouts do the “Dance of Joy”, it was finally Alka and the other scouts’ moment to become a Mic-O-Say — a tradition at Bartle Scout reservation, a 10-day overnight summer camp for Boy Scout troops in the Midwest

region.

Since it’s the highest ranking tribe at the camp, there are private spots throughout the campsite that only top-tier members are allowed to step on. Mic-O-Say holds three different ranks — Foxman, Brave and Warrior, which can be obtained at Bartle After a scout has attended camp for three years, he is eligible for Foxman — a title you can only obtain after doing a fivehour meditation and showing leadership.

According to Alka, Foxman is the easiest of the three ranks. The real challenges come when the scouts go for Brave. They must go through six to seven days of trials, including fasting for 24 hours and staying silent for several hours at a time, while monitored by their troop leaders.

“They say it gives you the time to think,” junior Evan Boyle said, who has also gone through the process. “The food is slowing you down and you’re not talking to other people, so it’s time to reflect on your life and who you are as a person.”

Boyle and Alka, along with 30 other Boy Scouts, were sitting at a campfire when the troop leader called upon them, telling them their time of silence has begun. The boys had to stay silent that entire night and into the next day, beginning their 24-hour fast after dinner.

During the silence, they weren’t allowed to signal or motion to other members — they couldn’t even

pick up their own plate at dinner. The next day they participated in different kinds of labor, picking up stones and creating paths in 90-degree heat for over six hours — all while keeping silent.

“The hardest part of the whole process is not being able to communicate during the workday,” Boyle said. “You’re constantly moving around, and you only have a couple of people that are supervising you, telling you what to do.”

An important element of the process to obtain Brave status is self-reflection. Given nothing but a match, sleeping bag and tarp, the boys spend two nights in the woods by themselves.

During this silent time, they have to create resolutions about their mom, their god, the people younger and weaker than them and their community, considering how they’ve been doing with each and how they can do better with each.

“I realized I was growing up,” Alka said. “They would talk about how we needed to think about family and religion. It was the first time I really had to think about what was in my life.”

While they were given an introduction before the process started, none of them knew what they were going to have to do. The surprises that come with entering MicO-Say are sacred and are not to be communicated with people outside the tribe.

“It’s definitely nerve-racking,”

junior Alex Buck, who went through the process, said. “They tell you the day before a general idea of what you’re going to do but you don’t really know until you’re actually in there doing it.”

A year after receiving their Brave award, scouts go through a similar process to obtain the Warrior status. They must go silent again, but this time with a catch — they can communicate through what the scouts call plains Indian Sign language. They have to memorize around 60-70 words of Indian sign languages in order to pass their test, where they must say the Scout Oath and Law, create a sentence and be able to repeat five random words chosen by their troop leader.

They also go through fasting and a workday, but to a lesser extent — less nights out and less periods of silence. The final step is creating their own Native-inspired attire to wear for the “Dance of Joy.” If they break their silence, break their fast or don’t show up for a task, they suffer the risk of not receiving their award. One mistake could cost them six days of work — and the boys don’t find out if they’ll actually receive their award until the closing ceremony.

The ceremony marks the end of the whole process, where every scout who has already achieved Warrior Status gathers with the boys around a fire. The boys receive necklaces to show their accomplishments, before greeting the other campers and taking photos boasting their awards.

“It’s like holding your breath underwater and then finally being able to breathe,” Alka said.

“You’re done with it, you’re just very relieved.

And you’re proud of yourself.”

U P P I N G T H E S TAT U S East boys use Mic O Say, a Boy Scouts status, to grow and reflect on their lives

M I C- O - S AY R A N KS The three rankings of Mic-O-Say consist of Foxman, the lowest, Brave, and then Warrior — here are the requirements for each

F OX M A N R E Q U I R E M E N TS :

B R AV E R E Q U I R E M E N TS :

WA R R I O R R E Q U I R E M E N TS:

M E D I TAT E F O R 5 H O U R S ST R A I G H T A N D S H OW L E A D E RS H I P S K I L LS

T WO N I G H TS O F R E F L E CT I O N , 24- H O U R FAST, S E V E R A L P E R I O DS O F S I L E N C E I N C LU D I N G A 24 H O U R S I L E N C E A N D A L A B O R DAY

ONE NIGHT OF R E F L E CT I O N , 24 H O U R FAST, 24 H O U R S I L E N C E A N D A WO R K DAY

design by lauren west

THE HARBINGER | SEPTEMBER 28, 2020

FEATURES | 19

A SEMESTER OF ONLINE

A look into the teachers and students that chose remote for the first semester of the 2020-21 year

by rose ka nal ey

W

hen sophomore Josie Gowen logs onto her French 3 Webex classroom it looks different. It’s a little bit harder to keep up with the 30 moving screens when her class is filled with people she’s never seen before, and listening to a teacher you’ve never met before isn’t nearly as welcoming online.

Every student is adjusting to this strange new reality — but for Gowen and the others who chose the semester-long remote option, it’s become even further from the norm, since classes are filled with students and teachers from all schools across the district.

When SMSD sent out a survey over the summer for parents and students to choose their preferred method of school, 71% chose the hybrid model out of the 27,000 respondents. The 29% of students who selected the remote approach were mixed into classes regardless of which SMSD school they attend, and they remained in this grouping when the rest of the district moved to virtual.

move back in-person, but she’d begin attending inperson classes at the CAA. “Everyone’s really made a different decision,” Poague said. “But [the decision] was made a lot easier knowing I could do Biotech if I went online.”

Poague found it hard to get to know the students before breakout rooms were added.

Since the feature has been added she has gotten to know students from other schools, and has ended up becoming friends with some and following them on Instagram.

However, working with students across the district wasn’t completely new to her, as her Biotechnology classes at the CAA are with students from across the district as well. Now her only class of only East students is Government, which she doesn’t mind.

According to Gowen, there are more East students than those from other high schools in her classes.

“We don’t normally have multiple kids from the same school who are in the class, unless it’s East,” Gowen said. “It’s normally one from each school I just really liked school because I’m a very [other than East students], kind of, so they just extroverted person, so it’s hard to be alone don’t really know anybody, which is a little weird.”

This change also leaves a different impact for so much. teachers as well, according to East Psychology josie gowen | sophomore teacher Brett Kramer, who is teaching students If SMSD does move students back to an in- who chose the remote learning option. With groups person setting for classes this semester, those who of students who may have never seen each other, originally selected the virtual option will remain it’s even harder to get them to talk or interact in virtual, as the decision was for a full semester. class.

Even when it was an option to do remote, it “They are the least talkative bunch,” Kramer was a difficult choice for Gowen, as she wanted to said. “Now don’t get me wrong, every class is less be in-person, but her parents thought it would be talkative than they would be if they were in person. safest to select the remote option.

But that group, it’s been a challenge.”

“It was [a hard choice] because school was like, According to Kramer, it’s also difficult to one of my favorite parts of everything,” Gowen develop personal relationships with the students said. “I just really liked school because I’m a very and overall class. extroverted person, so it’s hard to be alone so “They don’t know anything about this much.” community, and we don’t know their communities Luckily, Gowen has found that she has at least as well as they do,” Kramer said. “And that’s not one friend in each class, so if she needs clarity on anything that comes into play frequently, but it her Chem lab or a partner for an English project, is nice to be able to say, ‘who’s on the volleyball she has someone. schedule this week,’ and stuff like that.”

While Gowen went back and forth on the best Regardless, both students and teachers are learning option for her, senior Deirdre Poague making the best of the situation, and some, like knew a semester of fully remote learning was best Kramer, are looking for the silver lining. for her.

“I think that there’s been some perks to it,” To be in-person for her classes as a student Kramer said. “It’s neat to get to know other in the Center for Academic Achievement’s (CAA) students, even if it’s not in the same school.

Biotechnology research program, she had to remain And I’m hoping, of course, that that continues virtual for the rest of her East classes. Although throughout definitely the semester. But for as long both East and CAA classes are online right now, as I have them, I think it’s kind of neat.”

Poague would remain remote for East classes if they

PROS AND CONS TO A FULLY REMOTE SEMESTER Teachers and students of East share the pros and cons of a remote semester

DEIRDRE POGUE SENIOR PRO: CAN PARTICAPATE IN BIOTECH CLASS AT THE CAA

CON: NOT BEING AROUND AS MANY EAST FRIENDS

JOSIE GOWEN SOPHOMORE

PRO: SLEEPING IN CON: LESS EVERYDAY SOCIAL INTERACTION

BRETT KRAMER TEACHER PRO: GETTING TO KNOW STUDENTS FROM OTHER SCHOOLS

CON: IT’S CHALLENGING TO GET STUDENT PARTICAPATION

20 | FEATURES

design by grace tucker photo by noelle griffin & rachel bingham

THE HARBINGER | SEPTEMBER 28, 2020

The two sets of Blair twins talk about what they are missing out on this school year

T

by celia cond on

hen-freshman Anna Blair walked through the massive East building, weaving in and out of what seemed like millions of daunting seniors. The new ‘freshie’ took a sharp turn, making her way down what she believed to be the south ramp.

But as she reached the bottom, she found herself next to the hallway known as the art wing on the north end of the school. ‘‘How on Earth did I get here?,” Anna thought to herself.

“I thought I was on the other ramp...”

Although she’s a senior now, Anna still keeps the forgetful, scary memories of her confusing first day close to her heart.

She feels bad that her two freshman brothers won’t be able to experience those moments of confusion, or any of the memorable first semester.

“I’m just glad I didn’t miss any of my freshman year,” Anna said.

Anna and her twin Brooke are two of the 450+ seniors beginning the most unprecedented year of high school via their bedrooms. Mitchell and Cooper, the younger set of Blair twins, are beginning their freshman year at SME, wishing they had the opportunity to dodge all the scary seniors and find themselves late to class.

Whether it be the Freshman Link Crew Dance, or playing Assassins as a senior, there are many big events that take place during the first and last years at East. However, when a global Pandemic hits, it becomes much more difficult to live

out a normal year of high school. The Blair crew is getting the short end of every stick, with Anna and Brooke missing out on their sweet senior year as Mitchell and Cooper hardly get the coveted freshman experience.

“One of the biggest things I’m missing is an actual classroom,” Mitchell said. “It’s way easier to focus. Also actually being able to talk to friends during class, cause you can’t chat online.”

Although the older twins miss the tiny parts of highschool like side convos in history class and the columbia blue lockers, Anna and Brooke are specifically missing the elements of East that are a little easier to appreciate during the last go round.

“This is gonna sound so stupid, but parking spots as a senior are so exciting,” Brooke laughed. “I got a killer parking spot this year. It’s super random, but I’m sad that I don’t get to pull up on the first day and be like ‘I’m in the front row, this is so fun.’”

The Blair family is one of high athleticism, so emotions were tense within their home when fall sports were originally cancelled. Cooper and Mitchell were planning to start their first year of high school football, and it felt like a football to the face when the announcement was made.

“I was finally getting in the groove,” Cooper said. “I was getting excited, we were getting the team kind of ready, we were just getting to know each other better, and that just got cut off.”

While Brooke doesn’t play a fall sport, Anna plays

TOP THREE THINGS THE TWINS ARE UPSET ABOUT MISSING OUT ON

1

TEAM BONDIING COOPER AND MITCHELL BL AIR ARE SAD ABOUT NOT BEING ABLE TO DO TEAM BONDING FOR FOOTBALL

2

SMALL TALK ANNA BLAIR SPECIFICALLY MISSES THE LITTLE CONVERSATIONS AND MOMENTS DURING PASSING PERIODS

volleyball. For her and the boys, the announcement that fall sports were back on was relieving. But in a COVID dominant world, you wear masks on the sidelines, you don’t get that after-win-hug and you have to stay six feet apart on the court.

On volleyball’s senior night, rather than having her bio read off while her parents walked her onto the court, Anna

One of the biggest things I’m missing is an actual classroom. It’s way easier to focus.

Also actually being able to talk to friends during class, cause you can’t chat online.

mitchell blair | freshman stood six feet apart in a line with the rest of her teammates, taking one step forward as the names were announced.

All four of the Blair kids are hoping to soon make their way over to 75th and Mission, and be in that building with those dreadful ramps, for the first time ever, or, the last first time ever. It’s the things the girls never expected to reminisce on, but when they’re stuck at home during the beginning of their senior year of high school, they begin to cherish moments like being lost in the halls as a wee-little freshman.

3

PARKING BROOKE BLAIR TALKS ABOUT HOW SHE IS GOING TO MISS PARKING IN HER PARKING SPOT

THE HARBINGER | SEPTEMBER 28, 2020

design by rose kanaley photos by megan biles

A NEW

FEATURE | 21

Three teachers picked up unique hobbies over quarantine

TE ACH E R TRAD E L A N G UAG E

HEARING ABOUT YOUR teachers lounging around all quarantine and knitting is almost as likely as you picking up a chemistry book and reciting the periodic table. Our SME teachers certainly spent some time during our extended vacation watching “Tiger King” and mastering Canvas, but that wasn’t all. From creating melted metal masterpieces to skyping with Arabic teachers from across the world, the SME staff took advantage of their six-month summer.

AS A SPANISH teacher, Dr. Finnie has always loved languages.

He used his quarantine to expand his cultural knowledge by taking Hebrew, Arabic and Portuguese.

After hearing about italki.com, a language tutoring site, Finnie decided it was time to broaden his knowledge by taking beginner courses. Much like a dating site, Finnie could look through the thousands of teacher profiles — including introductory videos, reviews from other students and a short blurb about their tutoring style to see which one could be the best fit.

Finnie met once a week with each tutor via Skype. Since people all over the world are using italki.com, Finnie had tutors from Israel, Rio and Germany.

“With my Portuguese tutor, we would just have conversations where I could rely on my Spanish,” Finnie explained. “I would

WHEN HER FIFTH metal yard sign had to graduate to the trash, SME math teacher Jennifer Horn decided the startup of her welding career was well overdue. After taking an in-person welding class in late January from Hammerspacehobby, a community workshop for all DIY-ers, Horn had all the skills to create personalized yard signs to sick in front of her lake house. All she needed was a welding machine.

“The welding class was a one night, three-hour class,” Horn said. “It was a beginner class, but we got to learn enough knowledge to be dangerous.”

During Horn’s bored, get-me-out-of-my-house stage of lockdown, she decided to invest in a $99 dollar welder to start her path in hopes of becoming a pro. The first couple of projects weren’t very sturdy and didn’t last in the yard for more than a few minutes. After a couple of weeks spent perfecting her craft and figuring out how to avoid starting a fire in the nearby trash bin, Horn began to create all types

K AYAKING

by peyton moore

fluke a word or mispronounce and the tutor would correct me and move on. It was really kinda cool.”

Considering that Portuguese is so similar to Spanish, Finnie is now almost fluent.

However, Finnie was not as successful in the confusing language of Arabic. Finnie only retained the basics in tutoring, such as going over the alphabet and the occasional ‘Hi how are you?’

Finnie used his free time to practice what his tutors had been teaching on sites like Duolingo and Mango Language, hoping the language would stick until December. Finnie had a trip planned to Israel where he was preparing to use his new knowledge.

Unfortunately due to COVID—19, the dream is postponed, but he plans to use the time to continue learning and be versed enough to find a bathroom or even order off a menu.

of artwork. From longhorns to dogs to snowplows, Horn meticulously welded each using all different metals.

To get her supplies, Horn searched through the scrapyard of her husband’s workplace.

Every two to three weeks, Horn went to pick through to find her desired metals. Piles two feet high start forming, consisting of wrenches, wire, aluminum and more.

These projects aren’t the kind you try at home after little to no guidance. To create the melted metal needed to weld together the materials, a wire spool is fed through the gun, creating a spark. Then, that spark aids in creating a puddle that quickly dries to create the weld.

“Timing is everything. You must act quickly, but not too quick,” Horn explains. “The metal must cool after it is welding so these projects usually take about a month or so.”

Horn has begun to make yard signs for others throughout the community, but she decided that she will continue to pursue welding as a hobby rather than a second job.

BY THE TIME late May rolled in, Señora Holder desperately needed something to get her off the couch. Her students were stuck at home thinking about everything other than Spanish and her daughter was busy working in a hazmat suit saving lives as a nurse, so she needed an outlet of her own. After what felt like day 500 of quarantine, Holder spotted her year-old kayak rotting away in her garage and decided that the gathered dust was getting a little too thick.

The next day she convinced her daughter to join and bought a second kayak. COVID-19 not only made it difficult to find toilet paper, but made the kayak market extremely competitive.

“When I bought my daughter’s kayak, the prices were unbelievable,” Holder said. “Her kayak was three times the amount of mine, truly ridiculous.”

Kayaking leisurely on weekdays with some extra motherdaughter time quickly became addicting for Holder.

WELDING

“In the middle of the lake, you don’t have any worries. No one around, no rush to get home, and nothing to do except relax,” Holder said. “It is the most relaxed you will ever be.”

To create the most relaxing atmosphere possible, Holder leaves out the little details when planning a kayaking adventure.

If Holder and her daughter have a couple of free hours they’ll pick up their grabbags — a waterproof phone holder, a petite sham to wipe off the kayak at the end, easy snacks and a water bottle — and go. In Holder’s eyes, no plan means no worries.

Once Holder became a frequent kayaker at Shawnee Mission Lake, Pomona Lake and Lenexa Lake, she started searching for new spots to explore. Either Siri is listening in on her prekayaking conversations with her daughter or Holder picked up a penny heads-up, because the “Kansas City Kayakers” Facebook group happened to pop up on her feed. By joining the group, she found a bunch of new kayaking hot-spots that have now been added to her continuous must-try list.

22 | A&E

THE HARBINGER | SEPTEMBER 28, 2020

A&E

HIGHLIGHTS

Catch up on what’s trending in the arts and entertainment world

RECENT RELEASES MOVIES

TO P O F T H E CH A RTS MUSIC

design by tommy paulus photos and information courtesy of spotif y, IMdB and app store

MOVIE: I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS

PODCASTS

GENRE: HORROR/DRAMA

A L B U M | F O L K LO R E

RUN TIME:

P O D C A ST | W I L D T H I N G

2 HR 14 MIN A R T I ST | TAY LO R SW I F T R E L E A S E DAT E | J U LY 24

“Made from afar, Swift’s eigth album is a sweaterweather record filled with cinematic love-songs and rich fictional details” - Pitchfork

RUN TIME | ~25 MINUTES

SUMMARY: “Full of misgivings, a young woman

Wild Thing is a podcast about all the strange and unusal things that capture our imaginations.

travels with her new boyfriend to his parents secluded farm.”

MOVIE: REBUILDING PARADISE ALBUM | ALICIA A R T I ST | A L I C I A K E Y E S R E L E A S E DAT E | S E P 1 8

“ ‘Alicia’ does further, freakier, funkier, quieter and jazzier, with expierements in subtly melodic soul.”

- Rolling Stone

WIDGET INSPO

GENRE:

P O D C A ST | S WAY

DOCUMENTARY

RUN TIME:

RUN TIME | ~50 MINUTES

1 HR 58 MIN Power, unpacked. “Sway” is a new interview show hosted by Kara Swisher, “Silicon Valley’s most feared and well liked journalist.”

SUMMARY: “Early in the morning of November 8, 2018, a spark flies into the parched brush of the Sierra Nevada.

Propane tanks explode as desperate citizens... hope to escape.”

POPUL AR APPS NAME: AMOUNG US

TYPE: VIDEO GAME

OBJECTIVE: SPOT THE IMPOSTER BEFORE THEY KILL YOU

MOVIE: WIDGETSMITH

GENRE: PRODUCTIVITY

ABILITY: CUSTOMIZE WIDGETS

THE HARBINGER | SEPTEMBER 28, 2020

design by catherine erickson photo by trevor paulus

A&E | 23

MOVIES Staffer reviews “Tenet” and the COVID-style movie theater experience

SCAN ME | SHOWTIMES Scan for a list of upcoming movies and their showtimes at AMC Town Center. Buy tickets directly from this page.

SAFE & CLEAN AMC’s initiative to reopen theaters in a safe manner

MASKS REQUIRED Masks are required for all customers and employees.

They may be removed while eating or drinking.

REDUCED CAPACITY All AMC Theatres are at 40% capacity or less. Ticketing technology will block any seats not distanced from your selection.

SIMPLIFIED MENU SELECTION Concession selections have been temporarily simplified for shorter lines and quicker service.

CASHLESS TRANSACTIONS Cash is not accepted at concessions or the bar to avoid shared contact between cash and food. *Information courtesy of AMC Theatres

A B OV E | AMC Theatres have implemented safety protocols including social distancing and hand sanitizer throughout the theater. The concession stand no longer has open refrigerators or shelves of candy.

by lily billingsley

T

he movie industry has been at a standstill for the past six months, with ads for planned summer Blockbusters still running as we reach the end of September. Since movie theaters are normally jampacked with bawling babies and grandmas who can’t figure out how to turn on Do Not Disturb, they don’t exactly align with social distancing standards. But with theaters reopening COVID-19 style, I figured it was time I redeemed myself from my last theater endeavor, “Cats,” with the sci-fi thriller film “Tenet” at AMC Town Center.

AMC’s Kansas City theaters reopened on Aug. 20, introducing AMC Safe & Clean — their initiative to safely operate during COVID-19. The main points of the plan include seat capacity restrictions, social distancing efforts, new intensified cleaning protocols, contactless ticketing and expanded mobile ordering of food and beverages, according to a statement released by AMC CEO Adam Aron.

It was clear how serious these precautions were being taken by AMC from the moment I walked into the theater. If there hadn’t been a giant “Now Open” banner waving outside the building, I wouldn’t have guessed there were any movies showing. The box office was empty due to the new contactless ticketing and the hallways were still lined with movie posters featuring their original June and July release dates.

Outside of every theater was a bottle of hand sanitizer and a container of wipes, provided to wipe off your seat, cup holder and seat control panel as an extra layer of protection.

Masks are required at all times while entering and exiting the theater, but can be removed when eating or drinking during the movie. But knowing the rate some people can shove popcorn into their mouth for an entire movie, in a busier theater I wouldn’t have been surprised to see people without masks on for the entire film, which is antithetical to AMC’s safety policy, but some people are really just that crazy about their Junior Mints and Twizzlers.

Even though there were only four people in my theater, I opted to shove my snuck-in Hot Tamales under the opening in my mask — after months of wearing masks inside it just feels wrong not to.

Although I tend to prefer a rom-com over an action movie

like “Tenet,” it’s essentially the only movie playing right now with any buzz around it. The trailer limited itself to vague references to the plot, but the cast of recognizable names including Robert Pattinson and John David Washington had me excited to see what director Christopher Nolan’s latest project was all about.

And after watching all 150 minutes of “Tenet,” I honestly couldn’t tell you.

I can usually handle mind-bending movies; I trust that by the end, the explanation will be wrapped up nicely to tell me the deeper meaning — but this was not one of those situations. The plot was over-the-top confusing, to the point that the scene that should’ve been a big reveal meant so little to me that it was ultimately unsatisfying.

I spent hours after finishing “Tenet” desperately searching for summaries and articles on what the meaning of the movie is, sure that Google or YouTube could connect the pieces of Nolan’s impossible puzzle together. But all that I could find was the film’s informationally-lackluster one-line synopsis: “A secret agent embarks on a dangerous, time-bending mission to prevent the start of World War III” — and that seems to be all anyone’s picked up about the plot.

Although the movie overtly wanted to be more clever than its viewers, it had its standout moments. “Tenet” was packed with high-intensity fight scenes and a surprising amount of humor for a thriller. The spectacle of the movie was intriguing enough to distract me from the mask I had been wearing for nearly two and a half hours, but not quite enough to make me forget the headache that was forming from trying to follow the plot.

Throughout my experience in the theater, I felt relatively safe. I didn’t have to sit next to strangers hogging the armrest and AMC’s mandated precautions were followed by everyone in the building. With the exception of the mask wearing and increased personal space (which I’ll take any day), it wasn’t too different from a normal movie theater experience. But if theaters are expecting to make it through the rest of this pandemic relatively unscathed, they’re going to need to start playing movies for every kind of viewer — a movie that leaves people more confused than satisfied isn’t going to cut it.

24 | A&E

THE HARBINGER | SEPTEMBER 28, 2020

THE

Staffer reviews the three obscure products from a Buzzfeed list of must-haves

SWEAR BY

PRODUCTS THIS CUTE BABY Nessie the Loch Ness Monster Tea Infuser caught my eye right away. I had seen other “Nessie” brand products like their ladles and strainers. But I tried out the tea steeper — place your tea leaves in it and into the hot water it goes. It’s bright blue, bendy, about four inches tall and, of course, shaped like the loch ness monster.

I originally thought the steeper was for loose leaf tea — or tea leaves

without a bag. After all, the product photos show Nessie filled with loose leaf tea. But upon closer inspection, there are large holes for the tea leaves to escape. As a result of my confusion, all of my passion tea leaves dispersed into the hot water after dunking Nessie in. Turns out, Nessie isn’t great for loose leaf tea — which was disappointing. I personally don’t see the point in buying a steeper for tea that’s already in a bag.

SLICE I DON’T WEAR rings too often, but when I do, the ring is usually too big.

When BuzzFeed recommended a ring adjuster kit, I was intrigued and decided to try it out. This $4 ring adjuster kit comes with a set of four clear, tightlywound plastic springs to wrap around your ring to temporarily adjust the sizing. Once wrapped around the ring, you simply snip the excess material off.

It allows for the ring to fit a bit more

by kate heitmann

EVERY ONE OF BuzzFeed’s never ending, must-buy recommendation articles basically put me to sleep. It’s the same type of products everytime, with the same recycled headlines describing how “lifechanging” the products will be for me, how customers swear by them and how they can’t live without them. And sure, maybe there’s a market for it somewhere, but personally I feel like I could live

But even though I don’t understand why tea bags make the most sense with this product, they’re really the best option. That is, unless you like a bit of crunch in your earl grey. For $12, I was expecting I could use loose leaf tea. However, that’s not to say Nessie is getting the boot. She’s adorable, I’ll give her points for that. If I’m looking for a way to spice up my boring mug, I’ll be sure to give Nessie a call.

THIS TWO AND a half inch long paper and packaging slicer is surprisingly a blast. It’s a small blade that cuts through packages. It cuts like butter and yet it’s still super safe, featuring a ceramic blade that only sticks out a milliliter from the body of the slicer.

Using the slicer is amazingly simple. All I had to do was run it along my package without much pressure at snug on your finger.

This product did its job and I was able to adapt my rings to fit the size of my fingers. Nothing too crazy, but definitely not underwhelming. I might actually consider wearing a ring now that I don’t have to stress about it slipping off my finger and into the sewer.

Buying a pack of these is also cost effective. I did the math and my guess is

M O R E M UST-HAV ES

design by celia condon photos by elise madden

without a clothing hanger organizer.

But BuzzFeed insists on cranking out these one-note articles almost daily, bringing me to the big question: are these products really as amazing as they’re promised to be? To put them to the test, I ordered three products from their recommendations and spent a week trying them out.

B A BY N E SSI E

all. I can run my finger along the blade without any worry of it being cut — leaving it safe for kids and cats. So no worries if your cat likes to paw at small objects. Plus, it’s magnetic. If I had a magnetic fridge, this slicer would certainly be featured on it.

Given how easy it is to use, this slicer is definitely worth the $8 price.

It quickly cuts open packages and is

that you could likely adjust 16 rings with just one set. At only $4, it’s certainly cheaper and quicker than taking them to a jeweler. Now, borrowing your friend’s (or mom’s) rings is no problem.

I could see this becoming a staple item for those who scrounge for jewelry at garage sales, flea markets or any other place where their size isn’t always available.

like a letter opener, but it’s safer and can be used for anything. It’s tempting just to spend all class cutting a Christmas decor catalog. It could come along with me anywhere: school, work and even through TSA without raising any eyebrows.

RING A DJ U ST E R

A few of Buzzfeed’s picks not included in Kate’s Review

PINK LEMONADE FILM

PHONE STAND

ALEXA HOLDER

amazon revi ew I 4 .5 stars

a m a zo n rev i ew I 4 . 7 sta rs

amazo n review I 4 .8 stars

Spice up your polaroids with a colorful film: comes in 10+ colors

A hands-free phone holder to simplify talking on the phone

An easy way to get an Alexa off crowded counterspace

SCAN ME | WEBSITE Scan here to see Buzzfeed’s full list of must-haves referenced in the story

THE HARBINGER | SEPTEMBER 28, 2020

design by rose kanaley photos by mj wolf & eva berkley

F EE LI NG

A&E | 25

b u bb l y Staffer reviews three different bubble teas from Bruù Cafe, a new bubble tea shop

by caroline gould

A B O V E | Staffer ordered a strawberry marble latte, hazelnut milk tea and lemon honey green tea to be delivered from the Bruù Cafe. photo by mj wolf

#1

HAZELNUT MILK TEA

p r i ce

$5.50

75%

#2

S T R AW B E R R Y M A R B L E L AT T E

p r i ce

$6.00

75%

#3

sweetness level

sweetness level

LEMON HONEY GREEN TEA

p r i ce

$5.50

75%

sweetness level

A

s a self-proclaimed bubble tea fanatic, I’m always on the hunt for new cafes. While being seemingly limited to Lulu’s Noodle Shop, there’s not a wide variety of bubble tea cafes near me to choose from. But just as I was about to give up hope on finding a new supplier for my addiction, Bruù Cafe opened and changed the game.

And let me tell you, I’m already a fan.

My obsession with bubble tea started back when we could go out to restaurants without wearing a mask and having to sit six feet away from everyone. Sitting in the wooden booths at Lulu’s Noodle Shop, I was awaiting my steamed, pork gyoza when my friend suggested that I order a strawberry bubble tea, which I did, oblivious to the delicious experience my mouth was about to have.

I jabbed the pointed straw through the thin seel, slurping up the milky, strawberry liquid and doughy tapioca pearls. I was hesitant at first, but then immediately dove back in for more. And more.

Since then I’ve been wanting to find a more authentic, Asian cafe where you can customize the amount of sweetness and ice in your drink — that’s where Bruù comes in.

Despite its online store recently opening in August, they already have a wide variety of options such as refreshing teas, milk teas, cheese macchiatos and lattes. After browsing their website and admiring the selection, I narrowed it down to three drinks — the Hazelnut Milk Tea, Lemon Honey Green Tea and the Strawberry Marble Latte.

After spending the ride over tucked inside a cooler, the drinks arrived at my house chilled. As of now, Bruù is only offering order-aheads, where you order the day before and schedule a time slot for your beverages’ delivery. I chose the 4 to 6 p.m. time slot for a refreshing after-school treat, and the teas arrived just on time at 4 p.m. The perfect way to end a seven hour school day via my bedroom and a glitchy MacBook.

I first stabbed my straw into the $5.50 Lemon Honey Green Tea, which I had ordered with regular ice, the free crystal bubble tapioca pearls that it comes with and 75 percent sweetness. I was immediately surprised by the profound sweetness that this drink contained. It tasted just like an Arnold Palmer, but with multiple spoonfuls of sugar added. I definitely have a sweettooth, but the amount of sugar in this drink was a little over the top for me.

As for the tapioca pearls, the crystal bubbles most likely won’t be my go-to option next time. The pearls were like a jelly with a soft shell that spews out a sweet

and sour flavor when you chew into them. I didn’t detest this bubble option, but I think I would rather go for the regular tapioca pearls.

Even though I slowly finished this drink sip by sip, I would actually recommend it. Now hear me out, even though it was so sweet it was sour, there’s an option when ordering to change the sweetness levels to your liking. You can raise the sweetness level to 100 percent if you’re a sugar lover, or you can lower it down to 25 percent sugar — which is the way I’d go when ordering this again. You can also change the tapioca pearls, so if the crystal bubble doesn’t sound like it’ll float your boat either, we can switch to the original bubble together.

Because there are ways to adjust the drink to your taste-buds, this could be a refreshing year-round beverage.

After the tangy taste the Lemon Honey Green Tea left in my mouth, I was ready for something sweet.

This time I poked my straw into the Strawberry Marble Latte with original bubble, 75 percent sweetness and a regular ice level. This drink gave me déjà vu to my previous taste of the strawberry bubble tea from Lulu’s and consisted of a light sweetness and strawberry taste.

Not to mention, the marble effect with the strawberry puree was extremely satisfying to stir in.

This bubble tea cost an additional 50 cents compared to the other drinks I ordered, which I assume is because of the different layers of flavor in it. But this slight price increase was worth it for me. If you’re a sucker for the more simple, original flavors of bubble tea such as taro and mango, this drink is for you.

Lastly, I tasted the drink that I had been looking forward to since ordering it: the Hazelnut Milk Tea. I ordered this tea with original bubble, 75 percent sweetness and regular ice — like the Strawberry Marble Latte — but this one was definitely my favorite.

The subtle, yet fulfilling taste of hazelnut chocolate was balanced out perfectly with almond-hinted milk.

This tea reminded me of chocolate milk, just silkier and lighter. Not to mention the almost-bitter taste of the boba balanced the drink out perfectly. Out of all the drinks, this one is by far my go-to bubble tea order at Bruù.

It’s safe to say that I’ve found my new favorite bubble tea place. I’m currently awaiting the day where I don’t have to order in advance and pay the three dollar shipping fee that currently comes with purchasing from Bruù Cafe, but the variety of teas and mouthwatering flavors made it worth it. I’m crossing out the days on my calendar until in-person-Bruù opens in October on the Plaza. And when they do, you’ll find me first in line.

26 | PHOTOSTORY

THE HARBINGER | SEPTEMBER 28, 2020

design by photo editors

THE ART B E H I N D Kansas City comes together to support the Black Lives Matter movement with hand painted murals A B O V E | An aerial view of the BLM mural designed by local artist Michael Toombs. This mural takes to importance the history of the jazz district and incorporates piano keys across the bottom of the letters. photo by annakate dilks F A R L E F T | Artists and volunteers painted one of the six Black Lives Matter murals on Sept. 5 along Troost Avenue. photo by taylor keal LEFT | A view from the end of a Black Lives Matter mural on 18th and Vine. A KCTV5 article about the murals said that “[Toombs’] focus was highlighting African Americans that helped the country evolve”. photo by annakate dilks

A B O V E | A Black Lives Matter mural now covering 10th street painted by volunteers stretching 2,000 feet. As reported in a KSHB article, “Katie MabryVan Dieren, Troost Market Collective co-founder and BLM mural project lead, said the volunteer form for the project had to be disabled because more than 600 people signed up.” photo by elise madden A B O V E | The “L” in Black Lives Matter displayed on 63rd street in Brookside. Inside this letter, police brutality victims are honored with their names written to be remembered. photo by emma kate squires

design by peyton moore

SPORTS

THE HARBINGER | SEPTEMBER 28, 2020

HIGHLIGHTS

SPORTS | 27

AT H L E T E’S TA K E

Updates, schedules and quotes about the sports season

O N T H E D OW N FA L L S O F N OT H AV I N G FA N S AT G A M E S

COMING UP THIS WEEK SEPT. 29 SEPT. 30 OCT. 1

JV TENNIS MATCH LOCATION: SME, TIME: 3:30 P.M.

VARSITY GYMNASTICS LOCATION: MILLCREEK, TIME: 5:30 P.M.

VARSITY SOCCER GAME LOCATION: LHS, TIME: 6:30P.M.

M A R K YO U R C A L E N DA R Important sporting events in the future OCT.

13

G I R LS G O L F | R EG I ON A L C OM PE T I T I ON AT H E R I TAG E

OCT.

16

G I R LS T E N N IS | STATE C OM PE T I TION

During the game when we play in front of fans and I feel more driven to do well because they are cheering us on. [Fans] give you more of a purpose [to do well]. Right now the field feels kinda empty. I guess it is easier to communicate, but I wish my friends could come see me play.

miles crosser| sophomore

I would say it is pretty different without fans there. Without the student section, it just isn’t the same atmosphere. I am very glad that we still get to play football during this time even if there are less fans attending.

tate moody | junior

There is a lot less excitement in the gym. Without the fans [there is] less adrenaline and less motivation for me to want to win. Usually at our games the other volleyball teams come to watch but now they even can’t.

ella bunde | junior A B O V E | Junior Duncan Bennett throws the ball into play in the first half of the JV soccer game. photo by hadley chapman TOP RIGHT | Sophomores Grace Tucker and Riley Eck strut off the court after winning their doubles match. photo by julia percy RIGHT | Junior Alex Manning pops junior Lindsay Brown’s back during a water break at cheer practice. photo by taylor keal

M I SS T H E M ATC H ?

Scan the QR code to access the Harbinger website and view the gallery from the tennis match on Sept. 14.

28 | SPORTS

THE HARBINGER | SEPTEMBER 28, 2020

design by cesca stamati photo by taylor keal

B E L O W | Ar t tea cher Ad a m Fi n kel ston hands a student the kit for online art during the supply pickup.

H A NDS-ON LI NE by allison wilcox N OT EVERY STUDENT has a pottery studio in their basement for Ceramics class, so art classes have been modified during virtual learning so everyone can complete their clay pots or elaborate portraits outside of the typical studio.

The art department held a supply pick-up for students to claim supplies they needed to complete projects for the semester. With the help of the supplied paint brushes and poster boards, students are able to create all of their projects from home. Art teacher Adam Finkelston has been trying to make accommodations for usual in-class projects, changing the directions so they’re possible to do at home without studio equipment.

“We’ve worked really hard to find things students can do at home,” Finkelston said.

“Most students don’t have a dark room at home so we can’t do that, but we can still do analog [film] photography.”

In addition to at-home versions of projects, Finkelston has assigned his students with more academic work, involving readings about art history and art criticism.

While most of the projects and assignments in Finkelston’s class are similar to years past

WH AT’S INSID E T H E

SCISSORS

NEEDLE AND THRE AD

with minor adjustments, sophomore Livia Barbre misses the collaborative atmosphere of her Graphic Design class where she can gain project inspiration from her classmates. “[With class] being online it’ll probably be hard to get ideas since you can’t really get energy from other people,” Barbre said.

Finkelston agrees with Barbre in that he also misses the community aspect of making artwork together.

“I do this job because I love hanging out with kids making artwork,” Finkelston said.

“I love doing that. Like I said the noise, commotion, the music, conversations — I love that part, so I miss that.”

According to Finkelston, 98% of the art department’s teaching is working with students individually, making it challenging to give specific advice to students without working with them in person. But he still believes that the skills learned by students in their art classes this year will be just as valuable as those from years past if not more.

Finkelston considers the ability to create artwork without equipment to be a skill with more longevity that students will be able to take with them later in life.

GRAPHIC DESIGN KIT?

CARVING TOOL

GLUE

ERASERS

CONSTRUCTION PAPER

30-MINUTE RACK WORKOUT

PUSH -UPS

How art and gym classes are functioning during online school

Five common excercises for a workout during online weights

RE VE RSE LUNG ES

RUSSI AN T WISTS

SCAN ME | VIDEO

AI R SQUATS

FLUT T ER K I CKS

TYPICALLY, YOU WOULD peer out at the East field to see a group of 20 kids playing ultimate frisbee or open the door to the weight room to find sweaty kids taking turns doing bench presses. Since gym classes weren’t created with the intent of being done through a computer screen, changes have been made to this year’s gym classes in order to adhere to social distancing protocol.

Instead of packing into the gym before the bell rings, the new daily meeting place for gym classes is Webex. This has forced coaches to adjust their touch football games to an athome strength conditioning day involving push-ups and lunges.

Gym teacher and coach Shawn Hair constructed programs for his Team Games and Weights classes in order to ensure each student is able to achieve their fitness goals, regardless of whether or not they have access to a gym.

One app Hair has taken advantage of this year is “Rack”, which includes daily 30-minute bodyweight workouts for students while tracking them. Once students complete their

Here is a quick 30-minute workout to do at home if you’re not enrolled in a gym class.

workout, Hair is notified.

While senior Hudson Mosher has enjoyed having more free time to do his own fitness activities like tennis, he doesn’t think his gym classes will have the same intensity online as they would in person. “[It’s] probably less beneficial because we don’t have a coach or someone there to push us,” Mosher said. “We just have to do it ourselves.”

Hair trusts that most kids will engage and take the workouts seriously, but is worried about students missing out on the social aspect of being at school and participating in sports.

“I think the biggest thing is we want to make sure that kids are mentally and physically doing okay,” Hair said. “I think when you don’t see a kid every day face-toface, [and] you’re just seeing them through a computer screen, you don’t get a real good feel of how that kid is doing. We’ve tried to do some journaling, some writing and I’ve let the kids kind of express how they’re doing, how their mental fitness is, how their physical fitness is and how we can help them with it.”

design by lauren dierks photos by maggie merckens

THE HARBINGER | SEPTEMBER 28, 2020

SPORTS | 29

PA N D E M I C

PEP

The cheer team was prohibited from wearing masks while stunting, but was recently informed that stunting is prohibited until further notice

ABOVE | Junior Ashley Garverick shows off her triple toe-touch as the rest of the team gives her constructive criticism from a distance.

A

by nora l ynn

s cheerleaders were called up to the front of the gym to pick up their uniforms, they also grabbed the newest addition to their ensemble — individually wrapped, black and blue masks with SME Cheer logos spread across the fabric, matching their attire.

All summer, East’s cheerleading squads have been practicing outside with their masks on and performing socially distanced tumbling, cheers, chants and dances.

After a two-month break due to a rise in COVID-19 numbers causing SMSD sports to be postponed, the Board of Education voted on Sept. 9 to allow sports to continue.

They also gave permission for cheer to hold indoor practices.

However, on Sept. 22, Kansas State High Schools Activities Association (KSHSAA) stated in their Activity Specific Risk Mitigation Consideration that no stunting is to take place in mask mandated areas. As of Sept. 17, the mask mandate in Johnson County was extended to Oct. 15. According to Head Cheer Coach Mkilar Otte, the teams were allowed to stunt prior to the new regulations.

The University of Kansas Medical Center and the National Federation of High School Sports both advised athletes not to wear masks while participating in physically-demanding activities. However, prior to their update that stunting could not take place, the KSHSAA stated wearing masks while stunting was strictly prohibited. Per suggestion, cheerleaders were also not allowed to wear their masks

during competitions.

Before receiving the news they weren’t allowed to stunt, according to Otte, wearing their masks was a safety issue and the cheer team could have been “ground bound,”— forced to stop stunting — by KSHSAA if they were seen with masks on while in the air. Prior to new restrictions, Otte devised a system ensuring that masks can come off safely only while flyers were up.

“They have a place in their uniform that they tuck them into,” Otte said. “It’ll be super fast changing, and it allows them to keep the masks on as much as possible while also allowing for them to stunt.”

Stunting took some getting used to, according to senior and Co-Cheer Captain Zoey Lovern, but the cheer teams have also taken other precautions to keep people safe. Each cheerleader is six feet from one another on the field for games, mats are cleaned before and after use and stunting groups are localized to the same four girls to avoid extra exposure if a COVID-19 outbreak were to occur. If one girl in the stunt group tests positive, the whole stunt group is required to quarantine.

Due to social distancing guidelines, everyone is spread across the gym at practices, which can make it difficult for cheerleaders to talk with their teammates, stated sophomore cheerleader Greta Dickerson.

During summer practices, the cheer teams worked around stunting and focused on perfecting their cheers and tumbling.

Lovern feels the circumstances COVID-19 has placed onto the cheer team has led

them to take cheer more seriously.

“I think in some weird way, everyone’s a little more positive about cheer this year, just because we know what it felt like for that to be taken away,” Lovern said.

Not only has it been more difficult to practice, but the restrictions have taken away from the team’s preparation time.

The cheerleaders usually practice for two months before the first game, whereas this year, they were persistent through only a week.

“We [had] to kind of work two steps ahead of ourselves to get everything ready by the first game, when normally we would have all summer,” Dickerson said.

The cheer team will have to work even harder this week, since a portion of the cheerleaders went on an annual fatherdaughter camping trip from Sept. 19 through 20 and now have to quarantine for two weeks. The school also made a rule stating that anyone who had been in large group gatherings, inside or outside, must self-isolate for 14 days from sports and activities to ensure the safety of the programs and school.

Although this year’s sports conditions are different from previous years, the cheer teams are trying to keep everyone safe in hopes of some normalcy later in the year.

“It’s been really hard being a senior and knowing that this might be my last year of cheer ever,” Lovern said. “I just hope that fall sports are able to stay open so that we have a chance to cheer for everything — have a nice last year.”

KSHAA RULES

A few of the things the cheer team is doing to keep safe throughout this year according to KSHAA

STUNTING Masks pose a risk of being caught during stunts and are not allowed to be worn

COVID CHECKS Before every event each team member is required to take a survey to make sure no one has been in contact with someone with COVID-19

SANITATION Cheer mats and practice surfaces are to be santized between practice or performances

30 | SPORTS

GONE

East student and alum move on to the Bassmaster High School National Championship after placing third at State

by catherine erickson

S

enior Ty Neidlein and East alum Werner Brundige qualified for the Bassmaster High School National Championship that will take place Oct. 22-24, after placing third in the Kansas High School State Bass Fishing Championship.

The pair, alongside their team captain, Werner’s dad Tyler Brundige, caught 10.66 pounds of fish over the course of the two-day tournament, which consisted of 20 teams and took place on Sept. 12-13. However, the qualification came as a shock after an unsuccessful first day left them with a ninth place standing.

The team didn’t catch their first “keeper fish” — a fish large enough to weigh-in by competition standards — until 2 p.m. on the first day, seven hours after the competition started. But by 3 p.m, the competition day was over, forcing them back to shore. Returning the next day, they drove their boat to the location where they caught their previous fish, suspecting that they found a pattern.

Finding a pattern is an important fishing technique — it involves a combination of discovering which bait to lure the fish with and where in the lake the fish will be most active.

“They had switched to sort of a different pattern, using a plastic lure that didn’t have a weight on it, and they’re fishing in the trees [at the end of the first day],” Tyler said. “So then that pattern, they thought, would probably hold up for the next day.”

The boys were right — they had found a pattern. The second day of the tournament kicked off at 7 a.m., and by 7:45, Neidlein and Werner had already caught two keepers using the pattern they discovered the previous day.

Normally, Neidlein, Werner and Tyler go pre-fishing before a tournament to scout the lake and discover a pattern. However, the tournament was postponed from the summer to September due to coronavirus, leaving the boys unable to take days off of school to pre-fish.

As captain, Tyler’s role is to drive the boat and give the boys insight into possible successful locations or lures to use, but he’s not allowed to fish. Tyler went pre-fishing himself before

TO P T WO S TAT E Q U A L I F Y I N G TO U R N A M E N T S

6TH & 12TH

THE HARBINGER | SEPTEMBER 28, 2020

fishing the State tournament, but did not find a significant pattern and couldn’t give the boys many tips.

“I thought that really the coolest thing about that tournament is that they figured out what they thought could be a good pattern themselves,” Tyler said. “Then they stuck with it the whole next day and had the biggest catch of the day out of anybody in the tournament on that second day that took them from ninth place on Saturday to third place on Sunday.”

Finding the pattern wasn’t the only challenge faced during the State competition. According to Werner, a virus circulated the lake before the tournament, killing many of the fish.

“Basically there was just an abundance of food and hardly any fish to accommodate for it,” Werner said. “So even if there are fish there, they’re overfed, probably. So, it’s tough to get the bites...There was probably a good amount of teams that didn’t catch [any keeper fish].”

Due to these unfavorable conditions and t h e results from their first day, the team w a s expecting to come out in fourth or fifth place by the end of the tournament, and only the top three finalists qualify for Nationals.

The teams with the highest weights from the first day weighed in last, leaving Neidlein, Werner and Tyler unsure of their placement until the final team weighed in.

“We thought we were kind of screwed because we placed like dead middle the first day and then we knew that... there were three teams that had nine pounds on the first day,” Neidlein said. “So if they were to catch like one fish, we would have been

design by riley atkinson photo courtesy of ty neidlein

3RD PLACE 10.66 LBS

done for, but none of them caught fish so we were pretty lucky.”

Werner also said he was surprised when he found out they placed high enough to qualify for Nationals.

“I really wasn’t expecting to do very well,” Werner said. “It was just a good feeling to be able to say I was actually decent, because I hadn’t done super well leading up to that point [in the qualifying tournaments].”

As soon as Neidlein got home from State, he watched the 2019 Bassmaster National Championship to get a feel for the competition set-up. According to Neidlein, Nationals will be a competition on a much greater scale than anything they’ve ever done before.

Before this year, the team had never qualified for State, and had only participated in local competitions and the four State-qualifying competitions that take place each year. Now, on their way to Nationals in Tennessee, the stakes are higher than ever— instead of 20 boats on the water like they’re used to, they’ll be accompanied by over 200.

The team is guaranteed to compete in the first two days of competitions, but by the final day, the amount of participants will be cut to the top 12.

No matter how they end up placing at Nationals, Werner is proud he and Neidlein have gotten as far as they did and is excited to have the chance to advance to Nationals. “[Qualifying for Nationals] felt really good, just to get that opportunity,” Werner said. “I mean, I thought [State] was going to be my last tournament too, because obviously I graduated so I can’t [participate in more high school tournaments]. So it was nice just to be like, ‘Oh yes, I get one more.’”

design by photo editors

THE HARBINGER | SEPTEMBER 28, 2020

GARDENING WITH

G R AC E

TOP | Kirkland holds her Chinese Evergreen plant she has placed in the corner of her room. She explains, “It’s a special plant because it tolerates very low lighting...It sits in the corner of my room with no light and it is thriving.” photo by trevor paulus B OT TO M | Kirkland opens her plant app to search for a new plant and how to take care of it. The app “tells [her] what plants [she] should or shouldn’t buy... and will give [her] reminders to water [her] plants”. photo by julia percy

PHOTOSTORY | 31 Senior Grace Kirkland cultivates her love for plant caretaking over quarantine.

ABOVE | Reading a beginner ’s plant caretaking guidebook, Kirkland looks for new plants to learn about and how to take care of them. She started her collection by going to buy flowers with her dad during quarantine and has been adding to it ever since. photo by julia percy

ABOVE | Unhooking her Philodendron plant from the ceiling, Kirkland takes it down to water and check the health of the plant. photo by sarah golder L E F T | A new leaf begins to open on Kirkland’s Philodendron plant. photo by sarah golder

32 | ALT-COPY

THE HARBINGER | SEPTEMBER 28, 2020

design by annabelle moore photos courtesy of spotif y

P L AY L IST

POV: you go back to school but it ’s remote A playlist and brief review of some of our staffers’ favorite back-to-school jams Created by The Harbinger Staff • 9 songs, 31 min

SCAN ME | PL AYLIST Scan here for a link to the real Spotify playlist

TI T L E

A RT IST

ALBUM

STAFFER

S ofia

Clairo

Immunit y

Annabelle M

“I like this smooth, serene song because it calms me throughout the stress of online school.”

Spooky Chills

Suede Silver

Spooky Chills

Emma Kate S

“ This is a great so ng fo r so me chill, remote Halloween vibes. It ’ll rea lly g et yo u into the fall s pirit while we wait fo r the leaves to c ha ng e co lo rs.”

The Stor y I Heard

Blind Pilot

3 Rounds and a S ound

S abrina D

“ I found this o n my friend’s playlist and I love it so much. I love c hill music to just listen to and it ’s the o nly t ype of music I can stud y to.”

SUPERBLOOM

Misterwives

SUPERBLOOM

Nora L

“ This is a kind of new indie upbeat so ng that ’s abo ut how thro ugh tea rs a nd anger there are new beginnings, which I think so unds p erfec t fo r the beginning of o nline scho o l.”

Huit octobre 1971

Cor tex

Troupeau bleu

Sydney W

“ This 70s French jazz -funk fusio n band never fails to make me visua lize dynamic scenes. As I listen to “Huit o cto bre 1971,” visio ns of d a nc i ng leaves play in my mind.”

Growing S eason

Love You Later

Growing S eason

Phoebe H

“ Love Yo u Later ’s layered vo cals and faint piano refrains make me more appreciative than hostile abo ut autumn taking summer solitud e away fro m me.”

Nate Growing Up

Labrinth

Euphoria

Paige Z

“ B la ring this so ng while driving with the windows down always g ets me excited and makes me feel like a main character [in Eup horia]. There, I said it.”

my future

Billie Eilish

my future

S ophie L

“ I think this so ng can really be applied to a lot of things. I p ersonally use it as my so ng to calm myself down when I get to o in my hea d abo ut the future and I need to be gro unded in realit y.”

Liv O

“G ood Day” quickly climbed to the to p of my playlist this scho o l yea r, not o nly because of the feel-go o d vibes and the welco me b rea k f rom realit y, but because it serves as a reminder that it is a g ood day — even if yo u have o nline scho o l.”

Good Day

Surfaces

Good Day

ALLURE

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