Issue 10 Harbinger 2021

5

NEWS

the harbinger.

Prairie Village considers the decriminalization of marajuana

SHAWNEE MISSION EAST 7500 MISSION ROAD PRAIRIE VILL AGE, KS 66208 FEBRUARY 22, 2021 VOLUME LXIII ISSUE 10

A LOOK

INSIDE

“It was nice to be able to see a lot of my classmates in person because I don’t see half of them even when I do go to school.”

henry decoursey | senior

25 PHOTO

29 SPORTS

The T-Bones changed their name to the Monarchs in partnership with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum

ME ASURING With Eating Disorder Awareness Week starting Feb. 22, many students who have struggled with eating disorders find importance in sharing their stories to bring attention to the magnitude of the problem

UP

02 | INSIDE COVER

THE HARBINGER | FEBRUARY 22, 2021

ONLINE

STA F F L I ST

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STORIE S SUMMER MOON REVIEW Scan to read Lauren West’s review of Summer Moon Coffee, located at 95th & Metcalf

HEAD-TO-HEAD OPINION Scan to read staffers Anna Mitchell and Paige Zadoo’s opposing opinions on the reality TV show “The Bachelor ”

GA L L E R I E S VARSITY SWIM MEET Scan to view Rachel Bingham’s gallery of SHARE’s cardmaking project for Ronald McDonald House

CA RTO O N

cover design by rose kanaley cover photo by photo editors

SWEETHEART CROWNING Scan to view Trevor Paulus and Julia Percy’s gallery of the annual Sweetheart king and queen crowning

PRINT EDITORS Catherine Erickson Rose Kanaley ONLINE EDITORS Riley Atkinson Lauren West ASST. PRINT EDITORS Celia Condon Annabelle Moore Sydney Newton 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 Sydney Williams VIDEO TRAINING EDITOR Roberto Galicia BROADCAST EDITORS Megan Stopperan ASST. BROADCAST EDITOR Liv Olson Natalie Scholz PHOTO MENTORS Taylor Keal Megan Biles Annakate Dilks MJ Wolf Emma Kate Squires STAFF WRITERS Sophie Lindberg Madeline Funkey Elizabeth Mikkelson Lauren Dierks Cesca Stamati Lily Billingsley Caroline Gould Peyton Moore Mia Vogel Lyda Cosgrove Kelly Murphy Anna Mitchell Grace Allen Kate Heitmann Caroline Wood Ethan Enderle Ben Bradley Paige Zadoo Tommy Paulus Emma Brown Nora Lynn Greyson Imm August Hyde Christian Gooley Liv Olson Winnie Wolf

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

Anna Mitchell Madeline Funkey Grace Allen Kate Heitmann Caroline Wood Nora Lynn Sophie Lindberg August Hyde Christian Gooley ART EDITOR Celia Condon ASS. ART EDITOR Sophie Henschel Natalie Scholz STAFF ARTISTS Sophie Lindberg Lauren Dierks Nora Lynn Christian Gooley STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Ella Hans Emily Pollock Hadley Chapman Jill Rice Lily Mantel Maggie Merckens Molly Schumm Rachel Bingham Sabrina Dean Tristen Porter Macy Crosser Maggie Klump Charlotte Emely Kate Beaulieu Amina Sankpill VIDEO STAFF Lawder DeSantis Sydney Williams Liv Olson Roberto Galicia Marin Bryant SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Annabelle Moore ASST. SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Sophie Henschel Celia Condon Liv Olson SOCIAL MEDIA STAFF Lauren Dierks Mia Vogel Kelly Murphy Grace Allen Ethan Enderlie Paige Zadoo Lauren West Riley Atkinson Rose Kanaley Lyda Cosgrove Maggie Merckens Nora Lynn Sophie Lindberg Madeline Funkey ADS MANAGER Caroline Wood CIRCULATION MANAGER Lyda Cosgrove COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER Anna Mitchell CONTEST COORDINATOR Celia Condon

THE HARBINGER | FEBRUARY 22, 2021

design by lauren dierks illustration by nora lynn

EDITORIAL | 03

G LO B A L I N F O D E M I C The recent surge of COVID and election information online has made it more important to beware of false information

A

s essential workers continue to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and political advocates fight to uphold the integrity of the 2020 presidential election, we are concurrently facing another lesserknown infodemic — a flood of false information.

Over the past 11 months, we have been inundated with an influx of both reliable and unreliable scientific studies, official government communications, messages from health agencies, news articles and social media posts. From the start, before masks were verified by the CDC and required, we heard contradictory information about the effectiveness of masks. And before the election results were certified, the internet exploded with conspiracies that the results were rigged.

While many of us are feeling overwhelmed by the circulating facts and opinions, we must remember to review everything critically. Due to the constant threat of misinformation and disinformation, it’s imperative that we carefully decide who and what to trust while navigating the wave of information.

In order to do that effectively, a distinction must be made between misinformation and disinformation.

They are both false; however, their motivations differ. Misinformation is anything considered an honest mistake, such as when a media company accidentally publishes an article with an error. Disinformation, on the other hand, is when wrong information is deliberately and maliciously spread.

We should be wary of both, but especially disinformation. During this pandemic, we are seeing it used as a way of eroding our trust in each other, in the press and in our government — leading to significant negative consequences.

According to a study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, areas of the country exposed to television programming that downplayed the severity of the pandemic saw greater numbers of cases and deaths. The people in those areas simply did not feel the need to follow public health precautions because their news outlets continuously told them that COVID-19 was not a threat.

This could be partially due to a psychological theory called

F O R : 1 1 A G A I N S T: 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.

the illusory truth effect, which is the tendency to believe false information to be correct after repeated exposure to it. The illusory truth effect has become more prevalent today due to the rise of social media. Our personalized algorithms suggest exactly what content we want to see based on our behavior, but when that includes untruthful content, we become stuck in an echo chamber of false information.

For example, many of former President Donald

Trump’s most popular tweets spread disinformation and distrust, according to a CNBC analysis. Of Trump’s 10 most-popular tweets, four contained false claims related to the 2020 election results. Individuals who interacted with these inaccurate tweets were likely recommended more content of a similar nature, which may have strengthened the views of those incited by Trump to attack the Capitol, leading to his ban from Twitter and other social media platforms.

Social media companies have an essential role to play in

stopping the spread of misinformation and disinformation.

Rather than removing an account that created and encouraged the amplification of false information after violence ensued, social media companies like Twitter should be proactive about aggressively monitoring content and accounts that spread disinformation, removing them if necessary.

Stopping the spread of misinformation and disinformation is not only up to powerful companies, but also us as individuals. It’s crucial that each of us do what we can to make ourselves less susceptible to dangerously misleading and straight-up wrong information.

We can start by reading articles in full rather than sharing or forming an opinion of them based solely on their titles. Headlines are often intentionally sensationalized to encourage readership, which can be deceptive in some cases. Similarly, infographics on social media have limited space and are designed to be visually appealing, so they tend to only highlight certain information that does not tell the full story. Take those extra few seconds to look over the content’s source to verify that it’s reputable and deserves your repost.

Another thing to check is if the information seems either too good to be true or too perfectly in line with your existing views.

While it may be tempting to believe it, evaluate your biases and ensure that they are not distorting your ability to distinguish fact from fiction. Take this a step further by actively seeking out reliable sources of information that cater to viewpoints different from your own, giving you a clearer view of the big picture.

If all else fails, consult trusted fact-checking organizations like the International Fact-Checking Network and global news outlets focused on correcting misinformation, including the Associated Press and Reuters. Additionally, if you come into contact with online content that you believe is false or misleading, you can report it to the hosting social media platform to help stop it from spreading.

Although we are all confident that we would not be easily persuaded into believing false information, no one is immune to the infodemic. Therefore, it’s essential that we proactively seek out the truth and cautiously avoid the red flags when consuming information.

E D I TO R I A L PO LI CY 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.

04 | NEWS

THE HARBINGER | FEBRUARY 22, 2021

NEWS

by sophie lindberg

EAST

HIGHLIGHTS Catch up on school, local and national news

A B OV E | Seniors Susanna King from Barstow School, Annika Lowland and Ryan Burns from Shawnee Mission South, and Sarah Golder and Sarah O’Bryan from East pose for a picture while putting together January’s JSU subscription boxes.

All JSU presidents from each school get together once a month to put these boxes together and distribute them around the city.

The Senate voted to acquit former President Trump

IN AN IMPEACHMENT trial that lasted a mere five days, former President Donald Trump was acquitted from his charges on Feb. 13 regarding the Capitol insurrection that took place on Jan. 6, which resulted in five deaths.

As stated by Politico, Donald Trump was brought forward and accused of inticing the insurrection and inspiring violence in the Capitol riots.

While seven Republican senators contributed to the majority guilty vote, Senate rules outline a two-thirds vote as a winning majority. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell stated that Trump was in fact responsible for the insurrection, but is no longer in office — making him “not eligible for conviction.”

East students such as sophomore Bradley Walton followed the results of the impeachment and found the results unexpected.

“I was pleasantly surprised,” Walton said. “I thought there would be around five [republicans who voted against Trump] with people like Sasse and Romney, but I’m glad to see more of them stepped up.”

Though Trump was not convicted of the charges Senate Democrats put forth, the trial

will go down in history with the most senators to vote against a former president of their own party, with the subject being charged with counts of high crimes, according to AP News.

A key moment from the trial was a video shown by democrats on the second day. One clip included protestors calling to “hang” former Vice President Mike Pence for his commitment to a peaceful transition of power and opposition to the protest itself. Other clips showed protestors searching for Nancy Pelosi inside of her office and the phone video footage of a woman being shot dead as she was trying to enter the hallway that leads to the lobby of the House of Representatives.

According to Business Insider, some U.S. lawmakers are calling for the invocation of the 14th Amendment — preventing Trump from running again — and Trump’s legal issues could be taken further than just the impeachment, such as federal, state and local prosecutions from election violations.

“I’m concerned because he shouldn’t be let off lightly,” Walton said. “But I’m hopeful that Congress will be able to ban him from running for re-election.”

Jewish Student Union distributes activity boxes

THROUGHOUT

THE

PANDEMIC,

members of East’s Jewish Student Union have been keeping busy with JSU Unboxed, a program that distributes boxes containing at-home activities revolving around the Jewish religion every month.

National Conference of Synagogue Youth member Rabbi Nati Stern created the program as a way for Jewish students to stay connected to their religion even when not physically present and communicate with each other on a common ground of religion, involving some self-guided activities like creating bracelets or keychains.

Once a month, the presidents of the JSU groups in SMSD and the Blue Valley School District meet up via Zoom to assemble the boxes, then deliver them to JSU members’ houses.

The boxes are delivered with the activity revolving around the Jewish holiday that month. For example, January

LOCAL

N AT I O N A L

design by caroline wood photo from nati stern

was based on Tu Bishvat, meaning “New Year of the Trees.” Some of the activity options in the box included growing parsley and ways to focus on selfimprovement, like writing personal goals or designing rocks with motivational messages. It also came with conversation cards for igniting conversation about the holiday.

“How can you pass up just having a box delivered to your house at no charge?”

Senior and co-president of East’s JSU Sarah O’Bryan said. “Another [reason] would be the pandemic. It’s just a nice thing to do — you have all the resources to complete your project before the meeting.”

According to O’Bryan, the creative freedom provided in each of the boxes creates a good atmosphere of religion and fun, and little effort has a big payout of engagement and connection to spirit and religion.

Sprint Campus transitioned to Aspiria and will undergo major renovations

THE OFFICE PARK formerly named Sprint Campus in Kansas City transitioned to Aspiria on Jan. 1 and will see massive renovations in the coming months.

Occidental Management — a real estate company based in Wichita — bought the 207-acre area of land on the corner of 119th St. and Nall Ave. to pursue an ambitious attraction of office space, retail, waterfronts, restaurants and multi-family complexes.

These new additions would expand the existing developed property by 75%, with an additional 2.7 million square feet of offices, retail and multi-family housing, according to the Kansas City Star. 35% of the land will remain green space, according to bizjournals.com. Potential loss of greenery was concerning to Overland Park planning commissioners, but the Occidental Management assured they’ll preserve the green ery by planting more trees than required by code.

According to the Shawnee Mission Post, Sprint originally came up with the concept 30 years ago, but never fully finished the project’s 60 acres of open land.

SCAN ME | LINK Aspiria’s website gives details on leasing office space and shows the vision of the campus’s future.

Occidental Management bought the property with intentions of creating “a live, work, play destination — in the heart of Overland Park,” as stated by Aspiria’s website.

“Aspiria encompasses the past, present and future,” chairman of Occidental Management Gary Oborny said in an interview with rejournals.com. “It’s a place where businesses aspire to be, and people are inspired to grow.”

I M P E AC H M E N T VOT E S Results of the U.S. senators’ vote to acquit former President Donald Trump of his impeachment charges on Feb. 13 67 needed to convict

57

GUILTY 34 needed to acquit NOT GUILTY *information from Apple News

43

design by tommy paulus

THE HARBINGER | FEBRUARY 22, 2021

NEWS | 05

P UFF P UFF P N D I N G

Praiire Village city staff members are gathering information and seeking community feedback regarding the decriminalization of marijuana by camp bell wood

P

rairie Village city staff members are currently gathering information on the decriminalization of marijuana and seeking community feedback to decide if they should move forward with the Cannabis Policy.

During the Prairie Village City Council meeting on Jan. 19, an ordinance proposing the city decriminalize marijuana received a unanimous preliminary vote from councilmembers to move forward into the research phase — which Mayor Eric Mikkelson predicts could be presented as early as March. City staff will research the pros and cons to decriminalizing marijuana while also taking community feedback via social media and emails into consideration.

“For a new initiative, this is kind of how we like to do it so we can really hear from all the stakeholders and take their opinions into account before we finalize any details,” Mikkelson said.

According to an Instagram poll of 367 East students, 89% are in favor of Prairie Village decriminalizing marijuana.

Councilmembers Inga Selders and Ian Graves presented the Cannabis Policy to the city council, in which they focused on two methods of city decriminalization: legalizing all municipal offenses involving marijuana and establishing minor penalties for small possession offenses.

While other methods of reform are still open for discussion, their presentation emphasized the importance of why marijuana reform needs to happen in Prairie Village.

One of Selders’s main points for decriminalizing marijuana was that, due to discrimination, minorities are more likely to be arrested for marijuana.

During the Jan. 19 presentation, they included a statistic from American Civil Liberties Union’s Marijuana Arrest Statistics that stated, nationally, Black people are 3.6 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than white people. But in Johnson County, that number is 8.4.

For senior Ana Sofia Lahovary, the racially disproportionate marijuana arrest statistics were eye-opening. As a varsity debater, Lahovary spent hours extensively researching evidence on this year’s topic, criminal justice system reform, where one of the cases was decriminalizing marijuana.

“Those statistics are an example of the many areas that need to be fundamentally changed in the criminal justice system,” Lahovary said. “I think adopting progressive policies at any level is good in general, and hopefully we’ll continue to see a trend throughout the state.”

While marijuana is illegal in the state of Kansas, cities such as Lawrence and Wichita have established individual marijuana policies where the punishment fine in Lawrence is $1 and Wichita is $25. Selders and Graves mentioned in their presentation that they could consider modeling their Cannabis Policy after either of

these cities.

Another argument mentioned during the presentation was how Prairie Village neighbors Kansas City, Mo., where medical marijuana is legal and where people drive through Prairie Village to get there.

“Being a border city with a state that will plausibly legalize recreational cannabis in the next two to four years will likely result in a significant influx of Kansas residents driving through Prairie Village to purchase marijuana products,” Selders said during the council meeting. “This means we need to be ready and willing to evolve on this issue even if our state does not.”

One of the benefits Graves added is that when people are looking for drugs, they will lean more towards marijuana rather than harder drugs like cocaine and heroin. He also noted the medical aspect of how marijuana can serve as a better pain killer alternative than other drugs like acetaminophen where overdoses are more probable.

After failed medical treatments, senior Amelia Donner* started smoking marijuana to relieve the pain she experienced from her temporomandibular joint dysfunction that causes her jaw to lock up and make eating painful.

“When I was first diagnosed with TMJ, I saw a lot of doctors and I tried a lot of treatments and none of them really helped me,” Donner said.

“And our insurance wouldn’t cover any of the medical procedures to cure TMJ, so I just started using [marijuana] because it was something I could afford to help with the pain.”

However, because it’s illegal, Donner has to be careful when getting and smoking marijuana to not get caught by the police.

Medical purposes aside, junior Heisler Ferren’s concern is that people will see this law as an opportunity to use marijuana irresponsibly.

“For medical purposes, it’s obviously okay if people really need it, but on the other hand, I don’t really want everyone to be able to get it cause I think it might get a little bit out of hand,” Ferren said.

With increased teenage marijuana use being a common concern, Selders and Graves included a National Survey on Drug Use and Health in their presentation that showed marijuana use between the ages 12-17 has dropped almost 12% in the two years after Colorado legalized marijuana.

Mikkelson is keeping an open mind on the ordinance until more research is presented and a greater response from the community is received. So far, most of the feedback Mikkelson has heard of has been positive and in favor of decriminalizing marijuana. “[We want] residents of Prairie Village to know that we’re talking about [decriminalizing marijuana] and if they have strong opinions to call their councilperson, email their councilperson — we want to hear from them on this,” Mikkelson said.

S TAT E M A R I J U A N A L A W S *information from the FDA

Le g a l fo r recreational usage Le g a l fo r medical usage Le g a l fo r medical usage, limited T HC Co m p lete ly outlawed

RESEARCHING REGULATIONS On Jan. 19 the City Council motioned to start researching the decriminalization of marijuana under these circumstances:

1.

2.

3.

Striking Marijuana-related language from municipal enforcement code and our use of the Uniform Public Offense Code.

Reducing municipal penalties related to cannabis infractions, including transitions to citations in lieu of municipal court.

Similar solutions that present themselves during investigations of (1) and (2).

06 | NEWS

THE HARBINGER | FEBRUARY 22, 2021

CAREER SEAR HING Following the Board of Education Workshop, SMSD looks to improve usage of the career-searching program, YouScience by emma brown

S

MSD Superintendent Dr. Mike Fulton led a discussion to update the community about the YouScience and Xello career exploration programs at the Board of Education Workshop during the SMSD Board Meeting on Feb. 8. He explained how the program will be more controlled in future years, to spark the process for younger students.

Also during the Board meeting, Dr. Ryan Flurry, the principal of the Center for Academic Achievement (CAA), provided an update on the Equity and Access in Personalized Learning Plans. He shared details on steps that are being taken to support the district’s mission to help students explore their career and life plans — they specifically focus on personalized learning, along with college and career readiness.

There is a regional effort to increase student access to and participation in real-world learning opportunities.

According to the Equity and Access in Personalized Learning Plans, that consists of career exploration from 2020 to 2021, using Youscience.

SMSD introduced YouScience, a career-searching program, to middle and high school students in November of 2020 with intentions of helping them find potential careers suited to their natural skills and interests. In the past, SMSD students took part in a similar program called Xello. However, different from YouScience, Xello uses self-reported surveys based on interests, rather than evaluating actual skills. The district is encouraging the use of YouScience.

Junior Jack Muller claims to have become more aware of the skills and aptitudes that he possessed when he took the YouScience quizzes.

“I prefer YouScience because it has more activities that you can do to get results,” Muller said. “Those same activities are also more interesting and fun to take part in, you get more information about yourself.”

According to East Assistant Principal Dr. Susan Leonard, YouScience is used throughout several districts, along with SMSD, and it started with the Kauffman realworld initiative, which looks at ways to connect school with careers and establish career paths for students.

Due to the still-changing and altered school year, East has struggled with low completion numbers for YouScience, holding the lowest completion numbers in the district. According to Leonard, this may be because students are instructed to work on YouScience tasks during seminar, a time when most students typically log off.

“It’s hard for us to use seminar,” Leonard said. “Kids and teachers are checking in and leaving to go do stuff.

It’s not all bad because they could be checking into their math teacher instead, which is what they should do.”

East Students struggled with completing the tasks compared to other schools, like Shawnee Mission

Northwest, who holds the highest number of completions.

According to Leonard, their use of seminar time is a vital part of their day, so they were able to roll out numbers that East did not.

With East’s seminar being at the end of the day and a login-logout format, there were no true chances to crack down and get students to fill it out. According to junior Emma Brown, completing it is not a priority for most students.

“I think that students are struggling to complete this because it takes a lot of time,” Brown said. “It’s not for a grade so it’s not really seen as a priority for students to accomplish, more like something they do when their teacher forces them to get it done”.

With completion numbers being so low, there is very little information on students to help with enrollment and future plans. In the future, East faculty hopes to be able to use it as a reliable resource to help guide students to future career pathways.

“There is a lot of potential for this as a resource,” Leonard said. “So far we haven’t been able to hook it to your enrollment meetings, where you are having a discussion at a deeper level about what data [counselors] may have on you that might help guide you to make enrollment decisions”

Problems I had were timing. It took lots of my time, and when I made it part-way through, I didn’t see a point in continuing on. Most people I have heard from didn’t get good information back from it.

ellie mcdermed | freshman Freshman Ellie McDermed has started the YouScience activities during seminar, but found them time-consuming and has yet to finish.

“Problems I had were timing,” McDermed said. “It took lots of my time, and when I made it part-way through, I didn’t see a point in continuing on. Most people I have heard from didn’t get good information back from it.”

In the district’s careers and planning presentation, they state each student will have a personalized learning plan that will prepare them for college and careers based on their YouScience results, along with the interpersonal skills they need for career success.

On a state level in Kansas there will be a push for students to complete work like this. According to Leonard, the state wants to have an individualized plan for students career pathways by the time they get to college.

design by lauren west

STUDENTS ARE TASKED WITH...

Completing two brain games a week during seminar

YOUSCIENCE GAMES A look at two of the 11 brain games to compete on youscience.com

WORK APPROACH how do you respond to words?

Users will see a series of undefined words then respond to each word with the first word that pops into their head

TIMEFRAME ORIENTATION how do you percieve possiblities?

Users will see a picture, then enter the first response that comes to mind

68% of students

have not created a Youscience account *In an Instagram poll of 550

81% of students consider Youscience not helpful

*In an Instagram poll of 525

THE HARBINGER | FEBRUARY 22, 2021

design by mia vogel photos by trevor paulus

NEWS | 07

O FF T HE Frequent Fridays are up and running again after an almost year long halt due to COVID-19 by tommy p aul us

T

he Theater program’s first Frequent Friday show of the school year will be held on Feb. 26.

Directed by Theater Executive senior Elinor Zugazagoitia, the Frequent Friday will be the first of the senior student-run plays, previously unable to be performed due to COVID-19.

When theatre teacher Tom Defeo got the news that SMSD would be returning to hybrid learning on Jan. 26, he wanted to make sure the kids could get the chance to perform live while also staying safe.

“We are only in class once a week,” Defeo said. “So I want to make sure that along with class time, they can get as much acting or tech crew experience as they want.”

Each extracurricular has a specific set of guidelines to accommodate their COVID-19 situation, and theatre was one of the toughest, according to Defeo. They were told by the district that they couldn’t use the Little Theatre for spacial reasons, and many students were weary to perform due to safety concerns.

I have been looking forward to my senior year in the theater program so I could use my script, so I’m glad we won’t have to miss out on these.

elinor zugazagoitia | senior “When we first came back in October, the students were a bit reluctant to perform because of the risk that could come from COVID-19,” says Defeo, “However, when we found out we were returning, [the program] put in a lot of effort so they could perform again.”

According to East’s website, prior to COVID, the original plan for the Frequent Friday sector of the Theater Program was to have eight shows in total throughout the year. The shows were supposed to be Theater-Executivedirected. However, when COVID-19 hit the doors of East, it was curtains — indefinitely — for the theater program.

According to Zugazagoitia, she was given the opportunity to direct her the first show of the year after winter break, and took the chance immediately. She has been writing “Dinner at the Millers” since her sophomore year.

“I have been looking forward to my senior year in the theater program so I could use my script, Zugazigoitia said. “So I’m glad we won’t have to miss out on these.”

The program is now administering their own COVID19-safe guidelines to coincide with the district’s theatre guidelines. Rehearsals for Zugazagoitia show include masks worn at all times, along with limited viewing of the shows. The live shows will allow family of cast and crew, and the rest will be filmed live. According to Zugazagoitia, everyone who is rehearsing for her show has a great sense of excitement, along with performance jitters.

“Everyone working in the show, both crew and actors, are extremely happy to be back,” Zugazagoitia said. “There is nothing quite like rehearsing while being able to see everyone’s physical face.”

While Zugazagoitia’s show is underway, auditions for senior Barbara DeZutter’s show “Desperate SItuations” will also be held, bringing back some normalcy to the Frequent Friday process. According to DeZutter, while it may seem like a squeeze, it’s pretty normal to have overlapping rehearsals and brings back a sense of busyness that was missed.

“While it may seem like a lot going on, its nice to be able to direct and be in charge,” DeZutter said.

According to DeZutter, the auditions consisted of a cold read, but each student auditioning read from a music stand with their lines taped onto it. Along with this, costumes must be brought in from outside sources, either store-bought or homemade.

For freshman Livy Niermann, hearing about DeZutter’s auditions made her nervous, for both COVID-19 and the usual anxiety that comes with auditioning. However, since the program was back on track and functioning with COVID-19 safety guidelines, she decided to take the chance and show her acting chops.

“My high school experience so far has been very unusual,” says Niermann. “However, when my friend told me about the audition, I thought I might as well go for it.”

With Frequent Friday’s and other theatre program shows being back on their somewhat normal tracks, Defeo is happy things are looking up for the theater program.

“In the future, with the rumors of everyone returning, I’m very [hopeful] to see all the kids at once,” Defeo said. “But for now we are all excited to be in each others presence and do what we love together again.”

A B O V E | Senior Elinor Zugazigotia checks the technical software for The Little Theatre before the start of her Frequent Friday production. photo by trevor paulus

FREQUENT FRIDAY SHOWS A few shows, their directors and the Fridays they’ll premier DIRECTOR

ELINOR ZUGAZAGOITIA TITLE

DINNER AT THE MILLERS DATE

FEB. 26 DIRECTOR

BARBARA DEZUTTER TITLE

DESPERATE SITUATIONS DATE

MARCH 12 DIRECTOR

AUSTIN HOUSLEY TITLE

GLORIA MUNDI DATE

APRIL 23 DIRECTOR

ELLIE FREEMAN TITLE

THE WEIGHT WE CARRY

RETURN OF FREQUENT FRIDAYS march 13. 2020

COVID-19 shut down

october 19, 2020 musical revue

january 7, 2021 animal farm

DATE

MAY 14 DIRECTOR

MAZEY HEIM & KATE PEERY TITLE

THE GALLERY DATE

TBD

08 | OPINION

THE HARBINGER | FEBRUARY 22, 2021

OPINION

HIGHLIGHTS

design by lily billingsley

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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A look into student opinions and the opinion section

ST U D E N T TA K E S

THIS WEEK IN TWEETS R E P. B E N N I E T H O M P S O N A N D T H E N A AC P F I L E L AW S U I T AGA I N ST F O R M E R P R E S I D E N T T R U M P A N D R U DY G I U L I A N I , AC C U S I N G T H E M O F C O N S P I R I N G W I T H 2 E X T R E M I ST G RO U P S TO B LO C K T H E P R E S I D E N T I A L VOT E C O U N T BY STO R M I N G T H E U S C A P I TO L .

DO YOU THINK THAT TV SHOWS OVER-ROMANTICIZE TOXIC REL ATIONSHIPS BETWEEN CHARACTERS? Instagram poll of 312 votes

86%

NBC POLITICS | 2/16/21

T H A N K YO U C H I E F S K I N G D O M F O R A L L T H E S U P P O RT . WA S N ’ T T H E WAY W E WA N T E D I T TO E N D, B U T W E W I L L B E B AC K !

14% NO DO YOU THINK THAT TRANSGENDER PEOPLE SHOULD BE ABLE TO COMPETE IN SPORTS AS THE GENDER THEY IDENTIFY AS?

PAT R I C K M A H O M E S | 2 / 8 / 2 1

Instagram poll of 345 votes

HISTORY ALWAYS KNOWS THE TRUTH, LET’S LEARN THE LESSONS OF THIS EXPERIENCE, ADMIT OUR FAILINGS AND MOVE ON, THIS IS WHAT OUR COUNTRY DESERVES.

67% 33% NO

CNN OPINION | 2/15/21

I J U ST G OT O F F T H E P H O N E W I T H P OT U S A N D 7 OT H E R G OV E R N O R S TO P ROV I D E A N U P DAT E O N T H E C H A L L E N G E S K A N S A S I S FAC I N G D U E TO E X T R E M E W E AT H E R . P R E S I D E N T B I D E N A S S U R E D U S H I S A D M I N I ST R AT I O N W I L L D O E V E RY T H I N G T H I N G P OS S I B L E TO S U P P O RT O U R STAT E U N T I L W E A R E T H RO U G H T H I S E M E RG E N C Y.

DO YOU THINK KIDS SHOULD BE L ABELED AS GIFTED IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL? Instagram poll of 237 votes

24% YES

G OV E R N O R L AU R A K E L LY | 2 / 1 6 / 2 1

HOT TOPICS

76% NO

Students’ opinions on events that have been trending on Twitter

COVID VACCINES

My work sent us a link where we could sign up for a time slot and location to get the vaccine. Afterwards I didn’t have any side effects or anything.”

lilli smith | senior

YES

STOCK MARKET

THE BACHELOR

Back in March was definitely the best time to buy stocks because they were so low. Right now they are at a steady rise and are getting more expensive.”

I really like Matt as the Bachelor because he’s handled all of the drama maturely which is refreshing.

I also like the final four girls that he has now.”

aaron ralston | junior

sadie mcdonald | junior

YES

THE HARBINGER | FEBRUARY 22, 2021

design by riley atkinson art by natalie scholz

happily EVER AFTER

NOT SO

by syd ney newton

OPINION | 09

“THREE WORDS, EIGHT letters, say it and I’m yours.”

It’s become one of the most iconic lines from “Gossip Girl,” quoted constantly and printed on everything from T-shirts to coffee mugs. Blair Waldorf uses this ultimatum to get her lover Chuck Bass to say “I love you” after he ditched her for an entire summer without warning.

Chuck doesn’t say it, but returns two seasons later with a measly box of macaroons when he’s ready to be with her, finally saying it back — a gesture I personally would deny. Without hesitation, she welcomes him back with open arms... again.

When I watched this scene with my friends, they were in awe of how romantic Chuck’s gesture was, saying things like “this is my dream relationship” and “he’s so cute.” Don’t ask me why, but the couple immediately became one that they looked up to. In less than three minutes, one “cute” scene made the dozens of horrible things they had both done to each other seem perfectly acceptable.

This isn’t okay, or romantic — it’s toxic, and “Gossip Girl” isn’t the only culprit. TV shows romanticize unhealthy relationships, leading people to perceive horrible treatment from their significant other as normal.

What that scene didn’t show was the

TV shows romanticize toxic relationships, causing people to accept unhealthy treatment from significant others

number of times that Chuck made Blair cry. Or the number of lies he made her believe. Or the girls he assaulted before he was with her. Yeah, him saying “I love you” was “cute,” but shouldn’t that be something normal in a relationship?

Something expected? It doesn’t erase the emotional abuse he put Blair through.

Many shows love to use the idea of a “bad boy,” making abusive relationships seem charming. Perfect, desirable even.

The idea presented in these TV shows — that girls can change a bad boy into a “good guy” — leaves girls chasing their own bad boys who they hope will change for the better. The cliche rude-guy-changes-for-agirl shown in almost every popular TV show is something that’s become praised — and that’s the problem.

It’s simple. If your partner treats you badly at the beginning of a relationship, it’s unrealistic and ignorant to assume they’ll change for you — something no TV show talks about. You shouldn’t expect anyone to change for you, and you definitely shouldn’t seek out someone you think you can “fix.”

I’m not saying it’s any girl’s fault, but let’s face it: when’s the last time you’ve seen the main character go for the good guy?

TV shows and movies blur the line between passion and manipulation. When Damon tricked Elena into becoming a vampire in the “Vampire Diaries,” it made their love for each other stronger. When

If your partner treats you badly at the beginning of a relationship, it’s unrealistic and ignorant to assume they’ll change for you — somthing no TV show talks about.

You shouldn’t expect anyone to change for you, and you definitely shouldn’t seek out someone you think you can “fix.”

The couples in these shows become so dependent on each other that they can’t be happy alone, so they act like any issue or mistake in their relationship isn’t a big deal. And somehow, these are always the relationships writers want you to look up to.

No matter how small, a red flag needs to be recognized. A lie is still a lie. And just because that happened to a television couple who easily brushed it off, doesn’t mean you should.

DAMON & ELENA

CHUCK & BL AI R

gossip girl

Simon and Daphne both lied to each other about their intentions of having children with each other in “Bridgerton,” it helped their relationship grow. Producers use these deceiving actions as opportunities to show growth in a relationship, rather than actually recognizing it as an issue.

TOX IC T R AITS: MAN IPUL ATIV E AND CON TROL L IN G

vampire diaries TOX I C T R AI TS: OV E R LY DE PE NDE NT AND ME AN

THE TOXIC TRIO

According to USC Medicine, a toxic relationship can negatively impact your mental health, making you feel drained, insecure and can even lead to increased heart problems due to the increase in stress. Actual medical problems can come out of negative relationships shown in media. Accepting the manipulation and control that you see in relationships on the big screen won’t make your relationship perfect. It only hurts you more.

Not only are these relationships unhealthy, but they aren’t even real. Every line, movement and action is scripted to make the show as complex and compelling as possible. I know the drama increases with more toxicity in a fictional relationship, but just once can a nice, normal couple end up together? I get it, shows have to keep the plot interesting and their viewers intrigued by creating conflict and drama. But there’s a difference between including drama and encouraging it.

I’m not saying that if you ever catch your significant other in a lie, you should instantly break up with them. But you shouldn’t idolize relationships filled with lies and broken trust, or even worse, accept that as normal in your own relationship.

So next time you find yourself idolizing a TV couple, take a few steps back and think about them as real people. Sorry Chuck Bass, but I’ll forever be team Nate.

SIMON & DAPHNE

bridgerton

TOXIC TRAIT: PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE ACTIONS & WORDS

TV couples who encourage toxic relationships

10 | OPINION

THE HARBINGER | FEBRUARY 22, 2021

GI FT ED TR A ITS

BEYOND BURNT OUT

Common traits of gifted students vs their negative repercussions

Students labeled as gifted in school at a young age face consequences later in life of pressure to maintain their “perfect” status

by rose ka nal ey

C

onsistently praised for having the fastest time on Rocket Math and the highest score on the Kansas Assessments, I was hit with a harsh reality check when I made it to high school. No matter how much time I spent in EL (Enhanced Learning) or how many people called me “gifted,” high school was a different reality. I was being academically challenged for the first time in my life.

The term “gifted kid burnout” has recently been identified by my fellow former EL kids, and it’s popping up everywhere from my TikTok ForYou Page to the recents category in the New York Times.

Students, regardless of how well they scored on a MAPS placement test, should be expected to learn and do their best — not to strive only for perfection.

Labeled from a young age as “gifted,” students reach higher-level classes in high school and find they’re struggling more than they’ve been told they should be by their teachers and peers. Even though everyone seems to be collectively laughing about it on TikTok, the serious undertones to the message are very real and point out an underlying flaw in the education system — students are put under incredible pressure to reach unattainable standards of perfection.

Surrounded by the “brightest” from an early age, I assumed success was only attained through being able to easily accomplish every given task. If the math problem didn’t instantly click, or I didn’t get a 100% on the history quiz without studying, I was stupid.

I should know the material before any long-

lasting attempt at learning it, or I am not smart enough to be in the class.

But I found out soon enough that not everything comes easily. Maybe I didn’t ace my first biology quiz, or figure out the last chemical equation. And from there, it was a downward spiral.

Following the “put-a-finger-down” TikTok challenge, I realized all the traits — perfectionism, procrastination, fear of failure — were qualities I resonated with. So when all my fingers were down and I heard the final line telling me these were all related to “gifted kid burnout,” it all clicked for me.

I never would’ve thought a current struggle of mine could be related to my “gifted kid” label in elementary school, mostly because I forgot that I had even been one until the trend appeared on my phone.

According to helpguide.org, burnout is a state of “emotional, physical and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress.” And paired with students who were told early on that they’re “gifted,” the stress of living up to the title has brought us to a state of, to put it simply, exhaustion.

The list of social-emotional traits attributed with this burnout, according to Pace Academy, include anxiety, depression and harmful perfectionism, along with feelings of constantly underachieving, difficulty sleeping, issues with time management and procrastination. I’m a big fan of personality quizzes or anything explaining why I am the way I am, so finding a reason for my constant need for perfectionism and procrastination at least gave a slight sense of satisfaction.

But let’s be clear — this isn’t some group of smart kids begging for sympathy.

No “gifted” kid is saying the school system isn’t fair or that it’s rigged. And it’s not some excuse to brag over your elementary achievements (because how could that be

T HROU G H THE YE ARS

design by lyda cosgrove

perfectionism

fear of failure or underperformace

motivated to work to full potential

development of procrastination

tend to analyze and question more

doubting themselves and others

high expectations for themselves

high self-criticism and pressure

“bragging”) or explain why things aren’t going perfectly in your life. Really, it just proves that our education system expects students to consistently be perfect — and all students are falling victim to it.

Being part of a group of people who feel exhausted from aiming for standards set all too high from a young age makes it clear there’s a problem in how the priorities of the education system are set up — even if that group is the fifty-four thousand teens commenting on a TikTok post. We’re constantly trying to achieve perfect grades, as they’re ingrained as the most important things in our minds.

of K-12 students qualify as “gifted”

6%

*according to the National Association for Gifted Children

This current fad of “gifted kid burnout” is a reflection of an education system valuing grades and results over real learning and understanding. Grades aren’t directly correlated with intelligence, and that shouldn’t be told to us from early on.

Students, regardless of how well they scored on a MAPS placement test, should be expected to learn and do their best — not to strive only for perfection. Whether the pressure is coming from teachers, family or society, it’s something we need to shift away from, and that starts in the classroom.

But the light shed on this “burnout” isn’t necessarily exclusive to kids labeled as “gifted” from an early age. The struggle with school that too many students are experiencing can be rooted in the early association of students’ self-worth and grades — 100% means perfection, and anything less isn’t good enough. Separating students into

“smart” or “not so smart” categories instantly make students feel either not good enough, or like perfection is the only valid option.

No one should feel less important because their most recent report card wasn’t strictly A+’s, and it’s up to schools to remember this, as well as us students.

It’s not that gifted programs and pieces of this method are inherently bad. I loved my experience in EL. But seeing problems with common themes of low self-worth and fear of failure ingrained into our brains, we’re clearly missing a step. Students need resources to deal with anxiety and stress, along with other attributes like perfectionism and low confidence, that come in the classroom. With schools preaching the importance of maintaining perfect grades, they should be giving us tips to avoid feeling exhausted and overworked, and deal with the stress that comes with that status.

So regardless of whether the “gifted” label I received in third grade is a direct reason for my perfectionism, procrastination or stress level, it’s time for schools to shift their focus to ensuring that students don’t feel their grades are a direct reflection of their intelligence.

GIF TED STUDENT QUAL F ICATIO NS above-average intelligence superior talent for things such as music, art or math high academic aptitude

A timeline of how the gifted program is in place through the school years

E LE M E N TARY

M IDD LE SCHOOL

H IG H SCH OOL

stud ents v i si t EL ( enhanced le a r ning ) once a week co mb ined wi th students from other school s

st u d e n ts h a ve t h e o pt io n to ta ke SE E K — a ye a rlo n g , p roj e c t-b a se d e le c t ive

st u d e n ts ca n ta ke a se m este r- l on g st u d y h a l l e l e ct i ve a n d a re re q u i re d to q u a rte r l y w i t h a g i f te d coord i n a tor

THE HARBINGER | FEBRUARY 22, 2021

design by caroline gould

YOU When deciding on a college, don’t allow concerns about how other people will perceive your university distract from what’s truly best for you

R

OPINION | 11

NI V E RSI T Y 7

Posts

891

923

Followers

Following

Phoebe Hendon Northeastern ‘25 she/her E DI T P RO FI LE

SAV ED

by phoebe hendon

efresh. Nothing. Refresh. It’d been at least 30 minutes of anxiously waiting for my application portal to update, my heart at the tippytop of Splash Mountain every time I saw the webpage start to load. Still, nothing. Finally, on what felt like the millionth refresh, I saw the page load, but this time, it was different.

“Congratulations…”

I didn’t have to read any further. I’d gotten into Northeastern University, my dream school.

But as I read my acceptance letter, I had to stop and ask myself something: why was I still so unsure?

I told myself I’d found my dream school, but like most dreams, I confused fantasy with reality. I’d convinced myself it was the perfect school, but I forgot to think about the most important thing — I shouldn’t commit to “the best school,” but rather the school best for me.

Eventually I had to realize I was so invested in this school because it’d be satisfying to tell people I was heading there, to wear sweatshirts with their mascot on it and to add the school’s name to my Instagram bio for everyone to see.

For months of my college application journey, I was taking the wrong angle. I was concerned with the selectiveness of schools, perfecting my ACT score and essays, the level of accomplishment I’d feel if I got in and how cool the city might be to live in. But if you don’t stop to consider some of the deeper aspects of a college decision like the programs

they offer, the job availability in the city, the undergrad community and the financials, it’s possible you’re caught up searching for a bragging point rather than a school that truly caters to you.

I’ve had my eyes on Northeastern since the summer before senior year. I incessantly bugged a friend who went there with every question I could think of and emailed the head of every program I was interested in to get on their radar. I’d even nailed down my order at the closest coffee shops to the student dorms. I was completely hooked, head-overheels obsessed. With its 18.1% acceptance rate and top-tier programs, I thought I’d made up my mind — I had to be in Boston, I had to be at Northeastern.

I can’t remember a time in my life where I didn’t pick the “best” option when it came to academics. All advanced classes in middle school, honors classes during freshman and sophomore year, IB Diploma for junior and senior year — I even filled my senior year’s one open elective slot with an AP class. Now that college decisions are coming in and commitments have to be made in less than three months, the next “best” I’ll take on seems obvious. “Best” has to be Northeastern, right?

Sure, I was happy to get in, but between hundreds of miles and tens of thousands of dollars towards tuition, would I be happy actually going there?

I thought my acceptance would’ve solidified my plans for this August, but weeks have gone by since I was accepted to Northeastern and

DO’S

the thought of other schools still occupies my mind. Closer state schools might not have as selective of acceptance rates or the big city feeling I lacked from a lifetime of suburbia, but they have programs that I’d thrive in and offer more-than-generous amounts of scholarship money. There’s a reason over 200 students from last year’s senior class went to local schools like KU, Arkansas and JCCC — they’re great investments, academically and financially.

Eventually I had to realize I was so invested in this school because it’d be satisfying to tell people I was heading there, to wear sweatshirts with their mascot on it and to add the school’s name to my Instagram bio for everyone to see.

Maybe it’s the mild social media stalker in me, but I love swiping through Instagram stories and seeing someone celebrate getting into a school. I love hearing people’s early decision results come in and I love noticing my friends slowly start to add their whereabouts next fall into their bios. I’ve seen it all, from Duke to Arizona to Columbia to KU to Stanford. For months, I pictured the moment when I’d find out I got into my dream school and could add that major accomplishment in my bio right next to my pronouns, just so

everyone could see I’d done something worthy of accolade.

But you don’t have to commit to the most seemingly-impressive school just to prove to yourself and others that you’re worthy, smart or accomplished. That feeling of elation when the screen of your laptop lights up with your application portal’s decision is accomplishment enough. You’re not settling if you choose not to go with the most selective school on your list or the school with the most name-recognition — you’re prioritizing your needs over the judgment of others.

Growing up in the Midwest, it’s hard to shake this notion of college being your life’s one chance to leave the nest and seek out something, anything, that’s better than flat plains and always-too-intense weather.

I applied to far-away, resume-impressive schools without thinking about whether I’d truly be successful there — I just romanticized living there. But those big cities and coastal beaches aren’t going anywhere, and you’re not abandoning anything by realizing your college years will be best spent somewhere else.

Despite reframing my mindset, I still love Northeastern, though I’m not sure where I’ll be next August. Maybe I’ll figure it out in a week, maybe it’ll be the night before the May 1 decision deadline. But whenever any of us, seniors or not, pick our colleges, pick for the four years you’ll spend there, not the social media show-off or the staple sweatshirts.

DON’TS

Do’s and dont’s to consider when deciding on a school

S

Ask yourself if you want to be somewhere with a strong undergraduate community

Feel pressured to go somewhere only because it looks impressive to others

Pick a school that’s financially reasonable for you and your family

Feel like you have to go to a certain school because you already have tons of merchandise for it

12 | OPINION

THE HARBINGER | FEBUARY 22, 2021

design by sophie henschel

T ITL E I X , H E RE TO P ROT ECT Title IX has rightfully been expanded to protect transgender student athletes

by august hyde

S

hortly after the presidential inauguration, I decided to venture into the cesspool of political social media comment sections. While skimming through a particularly angry group of comments under one of President Biden’s Instagram posts, I began to notice a reoccurring talking point that was unanimous among the furious commenters: President Biden has destroyed women’s sports.

The statement was surrounded by language that looked all too familiar— warnings of scary men infiltrating women’s spaces, calls for the protection of women and girls and the repetition of the phrase “It’s just basic biology.” Being a transgender person, I instantly understood the stance the faceless commenters were taking, and what had sparked this outrage.

On January 20, 2021, President Biden hormone replacement therapy a form of h o r m o n e th e ra py i n w hic h sex ho r m o nes a n d othe r ho rm o na l me di ca ti o ns a re a d mini ste re d to t ra n sg end er o r g en d er no nco nfo rm ind i n di v i d u a l s fo r the p urp ose of m o re c l ose l y a l i g n i ng thei r se co nd a r y sexua l c h a ra cter i sti cs w i th t he ir ge nd e r id e nti t y

called for all federal agencies to recognize a supreme court decision made in 2020 that expanded the definition of sex discrimination to include sexual orientation and gender identity. This decision applies to Title IX— a federal law that deems discrimination within state-funded schools illegal. This means that under Title IX, transgender students are able to participate in sports, and to join teams that correspond with their gender identity.

Transgender people in sports has been a contentious issue in recent years, largely following retired Olympic athlete Caitlyn

TE R M IN OLO GY:

Jenner coming out as a transgender woman in 2015. Even though she was no longer competing, a question was raised: would it be fair for a transgender woman to compete in women’s sports? For many, the answer is a definitive no. I hold a different stance.

I believe that, in many cases, transgender athletes should be allowed to join teams that correspond with their gender identity.

The belief that all transgender women hold an unfair athletic advantage over cisgender women is born from a narrow view of what is, in actuality, a highly diverse group of people with highly diverse anatomical makeups.

It is thought by many that all transgender women have bodies that perform more similarly to those who are “biologically male” than those who are “biologically female.” When discussing transgender women in sports, the scene imagined is of a “male” bodybuilder in a wig and lipstick outperforming helpless cisgender women.

In addition to simply being a transphobic caricature of a transgender woman, this image does not accurately represent the realities of many transgender people and their bodies.

To better understand this issue, it’s important to discuss the topic of medical transition. Some transgender individuals choose to alter their bodies in order to affirm their gender identity. This can be done through surgeries and hormone replacement therapy.

Many transgender women choose to undergo feminizing hormone replacement therapy, this can involve taking Spironolactone— a medication that blocks the production of male sex hormones such as testosterone. After six to eight weeks, some transgender women begin taking Estrogen— a female sex hormone.

Feminizing hormone replacement therapy

Being a transgender person, I instantly understood the stance the faceless commenters were taking, and what had sparked this outrage.

Professor of Clinical Family and Community Medicine at the University of California.

Even in the case that a physical advangtage is still present, this type of advantage is not at all exclusive to transgender people.

If transgender people shouldn’t be able to compete in sports because of a physical advantage, why should cisgender people?

According to the BBC, 23-time gold medalist Michael Phelps has a wingspan wider than his height, massive hands and the ability to produce unusually high amounts of lactic acid— a substance that helps the body recover from physical activity. Why are these advantages seen as any different than those that may be possessed by transgender athletes?

The idea of “protecting women and girls” is commonly weaponized by those opposing transgender equality within athletics. However, women’s and girl’s sports would be harmed far more by forcing transgender people to compete

with their assigned gender. The “protect girls” argument entirely disregards the existence of transgender men.

In 2018, Texas high school senior Mack Beggs was booed after winning a wrestling tournament. Beggs is a transgender man who— despite requesting the ability to compete against other men— was forced to compete against women. Excluding transgender people from competing on the correct teams leads to exactly what transphobic people are claiming to oppose— boys dominating girls sports.

While the narrative of transgender people destroying women’s sports gains traction, there is a striking lack of instances in which transgender people disproportionately ecxel in sports when participating with their correct gender. The International Olymplic Committee has allowed transgender athletes to participate since 2003, and to this day, not a single transgender person has even competed, let alone taken home a gold medal.

The discussion surrounding the inclusion of transgender athletes is full of bad-faith actors who ignore social and scientific realities in order to demonize an already-marginalized group. If issues arise with transgender people in sports, careful consideration should be made on a case-by-case basis. Transgender people are not a monolith, and we deserve the ability to participate in sports like everyone else.

*Info from hr.cornell.edu

G E N D E R E X P R E SS I O N : How one chooses to express one’s gender identit y through behavior, clothing, hairst yle, voice, body characteristics, etc.

TH E M IL ESTO NE S: 1997: Renee Richards, a transgender woman, won the right to compete in the U.S. open

is not purely cosmetic: it alters the way that the body functions. Decreased male sex hormones reduce an individuals ability to quickly gain muscle. Estrogen redistributes fat in the body and influences bone density, according to Dr. Maddie Deutsch, Associate

G E N D E R I D E N T I T Y: An individual’s sense of being male, female, or something else. One’s gender identit y is not necessarily visible to others.

CIS G E N D E R : Denoting or relating to a person whose sense of personal identit y and gender corresponds with their bir th sex.

T R A NS G E N D E R : Denoting or relating to a person whose sense of personal identit y and gender does not correspond with their bir th sex.

*Info from nowthisisnews.com 2004: transgender athletes of ficially allowed to compete in the olympics

2010: golfer Lana Lawless sued the LPGA for ther requirement that all LPGA golfers be “fe male at bir th” and won. LPGA later removed the requirement all together

2016: IOC released new guidlines making it easier for transgender women to compete

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14 | FEATURES

FEATURE

THE HARBINGER | FEBRUARY 22, 2021

HIGHLIGHTS

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H U M A N S OF E A ST SCAN ME | Q&A

T H E H Y B R I D WO R L D

Scan here to read the full Q&A

Students experience second semester classes in person and remote

by eliza b et h m ik kelson

DESCRIBE YOUR INVOLVEMENT WITH E AST THE ATER. L E F T | Senior Barbara DeZutter paints a strip of paper in her jewelry class with pink nail polish. photo by taylor keal B E L O W | Senior Alec Reed participates in a blind skittles taste test in an Anatomy Lab to test the equilibrium of humans’ special senses. photo by lily mantel

“I started in East theater with the drama class, which is the first of the four classes you need to take to get a Frequent Friday, and then on top of that I was doing the musical revue and the musical, which are both considered extracurriculars but are still the East theater department. I just stuck through with that the past four years. I’ve done one fall play, but other than that it’s just been choir, the Frequent Friday classes and then the extracurricular performances that they put on.”

A U S T I N ’S R O L E S freshman

ORT H AT

Circle the answers of these controversial questions that you think are correct

junior

senior

IS THERE A CERTAIN ASPECT OF SME THE ATER THAT YOU’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO FOR THE REST OF THE YE AR?

Fridays can stay on because it’s

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for since freshman year. I got into the theater classes to be able to do a Frequent Friday and put that on my senior year, and so the thought that I wasn’t going to be able

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staying hybrid that our Frequent

DO YOU EAT or

featured chef in “The Little Mermaid”

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dance troupe in “Curtains”

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A B O V E | A student gets her ring checked by her jewelry teacher Jennifer Hensley after welding it together. photo by taylor keal

THIS

sophomore

to do that was really upsetting. I’m hoping we can stay in hybrid long enough [for my Frequent Friday] and Godspell too.”

design by rose kanaley

THE HARBINGER | FEBRUARY 22, 2021

FEATURES | 15

STRIKE A

P SE

ALL PHOTOS | East alum Olive Henry worked with professional photographer Bryan Whitely in a photoshoot. photos from bryan whitely

RU N WAY RE A DY

Where and which brands Henry has modeled for so far in 2021

MAYBELLINE new york, new york

KENDRA SCOTT austin, texas

J.C. PENNY dallas, texas

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by riley atkinson

f t e r packing her hair products, a water bottle and an Rx bar to hop on the 2 p.m. train, East alum Olive Henry made her way from Boston to a production studio in New York City for a lifestyle photoshoot with Maybelline. When she arrived for her 6:30 a.m. call time the next morning, the makeup artists put the finishing touches on her stylized look so she’d be ready to sport her trench coat in front of the city skyline.

Her main goal for the day: provide the client with content that matches their marketing goals.

For Henry, professional modeling experiences like these have become a regular occurrence. Whether she’s taking the train to New York City for a job with worldrenowned models or flying to Austin for a jewelry shoot, she views each opportunity as a chance to grow as a model and gain confidence in her skills.

“I’m very much the kind of person where I use every shoot as a chance to learn,” Henry said. “Being given opportunities definitely makes me want to work harder in every aspect of the activity.”

With each shoot, she’s learned the key skill for brands to invite her back: adaptability. Whether it’s altering her expressions to fit the message of a campaign or doing her own research on each brand’s

image, Henry finds something to improve with every picture taken.

She’s found that her hair could be natural at one shoot and professionallystyled at the next. She may need to pack her own outfit to wear or they might provide an elaborate monochromatic outfit.

Shooting could be wrapped up around lunch time or past dark, but it’s her priority to be a strong asset to every brand she models for.

“She’s been super professional, really easy to work with,” Amanda Blu photographer Paul Hart said. “It’s just really easy to capture her expressions and a lot of the pictures that I take of her come out just perfect. Not very much post-editing has to be done with it and she takes direction really well too.”

Modeling is an art for Henry. It never feels like a chore. Even though the 12-hour shoot days are physically and emotionally draining, she loves perfecting her craft. She finds that there’s a lot of fine tuning that goes into being good at modeling, whether it’s portraying different emotions on her face or making her body move in a certain way.

Taking it little by little, she’s found that following the direction of the professionals around her helps immensely with her personal growth.

“I definitely think that she’s been able to evolve through modeling and gain more confidence because it definitely gives her this really great creative outlet where she’s able to challenge herself through modeling,” East alum and friend Kara Auvray said. “Olive is one of the most professional people that I’ve met, and that can be really in any sphere.”

Henry’s modeling career began with a split-second decision on a girls’ trip to Chicago. She spontaneously attended an open-call audition and left with a contract from Ford Models, which is almost unheard of, according to Hart.

Aspiring models typically try looking at agencies for long periods of time before being signed, but Henry’s professional manner and natural talent was instantly recognized by the agency.

“I definitely didn’t understand the severity at first,” Henry said. “I remember going home from Chicago with a contract after meeting with an agency for the first time and being like, ‘Oh my gosh, look what happened to me Mom,’ and she was very much like, ‘I don’t think you understand how big of a deal that is.’”

East alum Olive Henry has grown her adaptability skills through her experience as a professional model

After some experience with commercial gigs with local brands in the Midwest, Henry moved to the East Coast to attend school at Northeastern University and start modeling for the East-Coast editorial and beauty scene.

Since train rides leave NYC only a few hours away, her agency has helped her land jobs with major brands like Maybelline to produce content every two weeks or so. Ford Models has offices all over the nation, so she can meet up with someone no matter where she is to get help taking digitals or organizing her next job.

“I feel like I definitely have more opportunities in the East-Coast industry for sure,” Henry said. “The jobs over here are just different and they’re also equally as challenging [as the Midwestern jobs], and I think that’s one of the parts I like about [modeling].”

I’m very much the kind of person where I use every shoot as a chance to learn. Being given opportunities definitely makes me want to work harder in every aspect of the activity.

olive henry | east alum Her professional demeanor was curated during her time at East as she took on leadership roles that now aid in her modeling work. Her involvement with the Black student union at East helped her to coordinate the needs of various people and extend her flexibility, skills she now carries over to her photoshoots. Auvray feels those qualities have always held strong in Henry and definitely set her apart from others.

Although she’s not exactly sure how her modeling career will pan out, Henry expresses that modeling is always her favorite part of the week — she wants to continue her experience as long as possible.

“It’s definitely something I want to keep doing for a while,” Henry said. “I want to be working more, whatever that looks like, and I want to keep booking bigger gigs. I want to keep working with really talented, really interesting people for as long as I can.”

16/17 | NEWS-FEATURE

MONITORING T NEDA Awareness Week

HAVE YOU KNOWN SOMEONE WITH AN EATING DISORDER?

“The goal of NEDA Awareness Week is to shine the spotlight on ED by educating the public, spreading a message of hope and putting lifesaving resources out.”

National Eating Disorder Association

7 9. 7 % HAVE

*information from NEDA

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DO YOU THINK SOCIAL MEDIA HAS A NEGATIVE OR POSITIVE IMPACT ON BODY IMAGE?

INSIGHT COU NSE LIN G, LLC

8400 W. 110th St. Suite 610

MI DWEST CENT ER FOR E AT I N G D ISOR D E RS

2316 E. Meyer Blvd.

T HA L I A HOUSE COUNSEL I NG 4061 Indian Creek Pkwy. Suite 330

SME SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL COUNSELOR SUPPORT

90.2% NEGATIVE

ELIZABETH KENNEDY students last name A-K

EMILY MACNAUGHTON students last name L-Z

SCAN ME | CONTACTS

55%

2021 FEB S M T W T F S

RESOURCES

IF YES, WERE YOU ABLE TO ACT AS A SUPPORT SYSTEM?

FEB. 22-28

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT AWARENESS WEEK

Scan here for both of the social-emotional counselors’ contact information, including their phone numbers and emails to set up a meeting

design by tommy paulus and elizabeth mikkleson

THE MENTALITY

Students share their experiences with eating disorders to bring attention to Eating Disorder Awareness Week from Feb. 22-28

by catherine erickson *names changed to protect identity hen-junior Josie Lenger’s brain felt foggy. She glanced back and forth from her math review to her notes, but her eyes were blurry and she couldn’t make out her own handwriting.

Maybe I just need to wake myself up.

Lenger hadn’t eaten all day, but out of habit, she walked to the bathroom to perform what had become her post-meal-ritual — purging.

She ended up pumping all of the fluids out of her system and had to be rushed to the hospital.

Lenger didn’t tell the doctors surrounding her hospital bed about her cycles of purging in attempt to rid her body of any fluid or food she ingested, but they could tell. Her liver was close to failing, her bladder was unnaturally dry, she had an ovarian cyst and possible appendicitis — all as a result of her eating disorder.

The doctors diagnosed Lenger with bulimia, an eating disorder that involves self-induced vomiting. However, she’s not alone. According to a study done by The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, about 11% of high school students are diagnosed with an eating disorder, and approximately 95% of eating disorder cases occurring in people ages 12-25.

In a survey of 136 East students, 80% said they know someone with disordered eating habits.

With Eating Disorder Awareness Week starting Feb. 22, many students who have struggled with eating disorders find importance in sharing their stories to bring attention to the magnitude of the problem.

In the survey, students stated they turn to disordered eating habits as a coping mechanism to deal with the physical changes of puberty along with the added stress of school, family, peers and social media. These habits can include restricting, binging or purging food, or taking popular diets and exercise routines to an extreme.

Licensed clinical therapist Emma Wood, who works with patients in the Johnson County area, said that eating disorders are often accompanied and provoked by an underlying diagnosis. People struggling with anorexia often grapple with perfectionism, OCD or generalized anxiety, whereas people struggling with bulimia and binge eating often experience impulsivity caused by an addiction background, bipolar disorder, ADHD or alcoholism.

According to Wood, when these underlying disorders combine with the transitions teenagers experience, teens often turn to an eating disorder to cope.

“There’s all those developmental transitions like puberty, early bloomers, late bloomers and how that impacts body image, in addition to the different developmental tasks,” Wood said.

T

“Kids might get overwhelmed because of social dynamics or body image change or grades or sports or a divorce. All these transitions happen, and then the eating disorder pops up when they don’t know how to cope with that developmental transition.”

Recent East graduate Clara Von Drehle — who graduated at semester to focus on her treatment — has struggled with restricting, binging and purging food as a coping mechanism for feeling out of place since middle school.

“I did grow up being bigger than any of my friends,” Von Drehle said. “I didn’t fit into any of my friends’ clothes, my sisters were smaller than me, my mom sort of had ingrained diet culture into me from a young age because she struggled with body image too. [I grew] up in a chaotic household [and had] turmoil in [my] childhood.

Then I came across the eating disorder. That gave me a sense of control and something that I could feel good about, even though it was making me feel terrible.”

This unhealthy coping mechanism is a way

[It helps] to understand your body is your body, no one else has control over it. No one else knows what goes on.

josie lenger | senior to suppress feelings and blur the line between emotions and food, according to Wood. People with binge-eating disorders emotionally eat to cover feelings of boredom and sadness, while people struggling with anorexia restrict food to feel a sense of control, along with becoming numb and dizzy to suppress emotions.

Social media is a significant contributor to insecurities and disordered eating habits among teens, according to Wood. Since beginning her career in the ‘90s, Wood has observed how the rise of social media has led to increased body comparison, as many influencers set unrealistic expectations.

East student Jamie Martin* feels this negativity while scrolling past influencers’ workout routines or beach pictures on Instagram.

Never seeing her body type represented in media makes her feel as though her body isn’t appreciated.

“If [the media is] like ‘This is what beauty is,’ and then they show the same body 100 times, it’s difficult to kind of feel like your own body is beautiful,” Martin said. “I still haven’t seen [my body represented] because I’m kind of short and smaller, but I definitely have thicker thighs.

[I sit] in the back of my coach’s car and notice

how much tighter my knee pads look [than other girls’]. That’s not really something you’re going to see in the supermodel industry — how tight someone’s knee pads look on them.”

Because of the toxicity of social media, Lenger forces herself to delete her social media periodically, giving her a break from comparing her body type and eating habits to the sometimes unrealistic ones shown on Instagram and TikTok. “I take monthly breaks from social media because I don’t really care to see, ‘Oh my gosh, she got a new bikini’ or ‘What I eat in a day’ videos,” Lenger said. “I’m thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, if I eat one strawberry I literally blow up,’ [comparing myself to the thin] girls who can eat a whole McDonald’s meal. [It helps] to understand your body is your body, no one else has control over it. No one else knows what goes on.”

East provides social workers, located in the counseling center, to help students battling with disordered eating habits and other mental health struggles. After receiving referrals from parents, teachers or administrators or being contacted by the students themselves, the social worker will sit down with the student to gather information about the concern and take steps towards treatment.

Although the social workers are able to help fix only the academic side of the issue — whether that means changing schedules or shortening their workload — they also help the student and family navigate outside resources and treatment.

“If somebody is needing an intensive outpatient program, that’s going to take hours on a daily basis, but those parents and students need to know that it’s okay, that mental health comes first,” social worker Emily MacNaughton said.

“If you’ve identified with being a really strong student or strong in theater or strong in the arts, it’s hard to put that aside and focus on yourself.

So that’s a role where we can help, because you’re going to miss school.”

East student Evan Wilson* has sought support from school-provided social workers since being diagnosed with a restrictive eating disorder in middle school.

“In middle school, [social worker] Mrs. Oliver was the one to help me get treatment in the first place,” Wilson said. “Then in high school, I’ve worked with the social workers a lot. For a while, I would eat lunch in the counselor’s office to make sure that I was eating and keep me on track because school is the place where I would restrict my eating. And then they’re always there to talk, they’re always there to listen, which is really helpful.”

According to Wood, teens struggling with eating disorders often do not seek help on their own because they believe the eating disorder is serving them in a positive way, either improving

their body image or coping with emotions. In this case, Wood believes friends should intervene and approach the problem from a place of concern.

“It’s important to not be judgmental,” Wood said. “Confront them in a way that is like, ‘I’m concerned, here’s what I’m observing. I’m here for you. I want you to get help.’ It’s saying I love you too much to keep this a secret. They’ll be like, ‘This is my eating disorder, don’t tell anyone,’ but sometimes it’s just meant to get a professional involved.”

Wilson also believes it’s important to provide support for struggling friends and be cognizant of the point they are at in their recovery when spending time with them.

“One of my closest friends has [an eating disorder] and we would do activities that weren’t focused around food,” Wilson said. “We would go to a movie, but we wouldn’t go out to lunch because I knew that could be triggering. And then eventually, we got to the stage where we could go out for lunch and I could encourage her to eat and tell her she could do it.”

For Von Drehle, having friends and family be patient with her recovery process was one of the most supportive factors. She understands that having loved ones suffer with an eating disorder can be frustrating because the recovery process often includes relapsing into old habits due to unresolved emotional trauma.

Finding intrinsic motivation by reminding herself of future goals helped Von Drehle pursue her recovery, even through these relapses.

“The weird thing about eating disorders is... a lot of times part of the disorder is wanting it to get worse,” Von Drehle said. “So finding that motivation, like I want to travel the world one day, I want to be able to have a family, I want to make good memories with my friends again, things that you can look forward to on the other side of recovery, helps the process.”

Freshman Izzy Margolin is working towards recovery from her restrictive eating disorder. She attends intensive outpatient therapy 11 hours a week which includes meal planning, therapy and meal support.

Although she is still in the recovery process, Margolin is very thankful to have support within the outpatient therapy and recommends that anyone who is struggling asks for support from a friend, parent, social worker, therapist or other adult.

“Ask for help,” Margolin said. “When I was struggling I was like, ‘This is what I want,’ but it’s not the right thing to do. At my sickest points I felt like sh*t all the time. Headaches, nauseous, almost passing out. Eating is so much better than feeling like that. It’s definitely worse to suffer in silence about it than to get help and be healthy.”

18 | FEATURES

THE HARBINGER | FEBRUARY 22, 2021

R O O M M AT E

R U N D OW N

design by peyton moore

Seniors are struggling to find compatible roommates amidst the pandemic and collegiate challenges

T H E STATS *Info from an Instagram poll of 153

by caroline wood

A

fter joining a Facebook group for incoming college freshmen, senior Caroline Kuhlman meticulously scans through the profiles for potential candidates to be rooming with next year. She reaches out to them and their relationship gradually grows from Snapchat to texting to phone calls — with some even popping the question: “Would you like to be my roommate?”

When Kuhlman finds herself in this situation, she lets them know that she’d love to, but she hasn’t decided on a college.

Between belated admission letters and the inability to visit colleges, some seniors have hit speedbumps in the roommate search, adding more pressure to the already stressful process.

Kuhlman hasn’t been able to decide which college she’d like to attend in the fall, making these types of conversations a common occurrence in her search for someone to live with her freshman year of college. “[The slow admissions process has] been kind of a damper,” Kuhlman said. “I [could’ve gotten] more of a feel for the environment way earlier on, because now I feel like time’s running out, I got to make a decision, I’ve got to introduce myself to as many people as possible and possibly find a roommate. Not being able to visit the campuses, is really hard because...I can’t commit to going to a school for four years without even being there firsthand.”

Similar to Kuhlman, senior Zoe Hartman also hasn’t been able to choose a roommate yet or even start looking because the pandemic has pushed the typical college timeline off.

Hartman is in a similar position where she can’t decide between her top colleges since she’s never visited them. She joined Facebook groups and followed Instagram accounts for the colleges she’s considering, but is hesitant to post or reach out to people because she doesn’t want to get too attached to a possible

H AV E

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meeting on zoom instead of in-person

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roommate only to go to a different school.

“I’ve talked to a couple people, but never have actually been like, ‘Do you want to room together?’ because I just don’t know where I’m going for sure yet,” Hartman said. “But I’ve talked about like, ‘Are you rushing?,’ ‘What are you looking forward to?’ and stuff like that just to see if we are compatible.”

On the social media groups, seniors post bios about themselves, along with a few pictures, and include their Snapchat and Instagram so they can reach out to each other.

Since this limited information is all the seniors have to consider, Kuhlman easily finds herself being judgmental of the people in the photos, thinking they’re too pretty or intimidating to ever be her roommate. But with various COVID-19 expectations, there’s

H AV E N OT

ok

lucy hartman | senior

SENIORS WHO H AV E F O U N D R O O M M AT E S

bo

“I’ve talked to a couple people, but never have actually been like, ‘Do you want to room together?’ because I just don’t know where I’m going for sure yet, but I’ve talked about like, ‘Are you rushing?,’ ‘What are you looking forward to?’ and stuff like that just to see if we are compatible.”

another level of criticism added to the mix.

“I feel like it’s kind of made me a judgy person and like, ‘Oh, you’re going out, that’s kind of not good,’ but also at the same time, I get it,” Kuhlman said. “Immediately in my mind it’s like, ‘Oh, you don’t care about other people,’ but I know that that’s not the case. I know that [COVID] doesn’t affect us that bad and maybe they’ve already had it or maybe they’ve gotten the vaccine and they’re immune. It just makes me so quick to judge.”

Once they’ve combed through the posts, they pull out a few that they could possibly see as their roommate and reach out to them. Kuhlman compares this process to online dating — you choose who you’re interested in based on photos and bios, then you steadily get in contact with them, having casual conversations about each others’ lives. Typically once roommates are decided, you start meeting them in person.

Since Kuhlman is looking at colleges that are out of state, a lot of her possible roommates are from across the country, so when she commits to a college and wants to meet them in person, she’d have to make a trip of it.

“If I could meet the people in person that would be so ideal, but I can’t — travel is so spotty right now,” Kuhlman said. “Like my friend from Long Island, I can’t just like fly up there, and I don’t know what she’s been doing...[and if] she has COVID, I go up there and I meet her and then I can’t fly home because of COVID and so I’m living with this girl.”

Avoiding these complications, senior Meredith McGannon was able to find a roommate without the stress, as she was ready to choose a roommate after committing to a college early.

McGannon is also grateful she didn’t have to deal with the searching process because she’s rooming with a family friend.

“I just think it’s hard because some people are...not as committed to college yet because they’re waiting for other schools or they haven’t visited yet but then they haven’t been able to get down because of COVID,” McGannon said. “So, I think it’s harder for some people to get a roommate because someone who they’re looking for is not committed to that college.”

Whether seniors are struggling to decide on a college and find a roommate or if the whole process was quite simple for them, next year’s roommates could possibly have an even bigger test than just being able to live together – quarantining together.

To Kuhlman, the possibility of having to be quarantined with her future roommate adds more pressure to the roommate decision, as it intensifies the need for a roommate that she’ll get along with.

“You can find a roommate and completely jive with them really well, but if we are in the fall, and...our dorm has been locked down,” Kuhlman said. “We can’t leave our room besides to go to the bathroom, and so I’m like, ‘Oh my god like what if I’m spending, literally, hours a day with this person, am I not going to get sick of them?’”

With all of the unknowns of the upcoming year, seniors like Kuhlman and Hartman are anxiously awaiting the search for a roommate that will help them navigate their freshman year.

Even though this year’s conditions may push off their process, they’re hoping they make the right judgements through the screen.

67 % 33%

speed dating type of questions DM possible roommates

THE HARBINGER | FEBRUARY 22, 2021

design by grace allen photos from seth meyer

POLICE WITH A

FEATURES | 19

PHOTO FAVORITES

Meyer’s favorite types of photos to take when practicing or just for fun

PA S S I O N

CANDID PHOTOS NIGHTIME LANSCAPES

MEYER’S WORK

Meyer stayed awake until around 1 a.m. to capture this perfect shot at Old Pier Park in Brooklyn, New York.

by cesca sta mati

M

ost soccer parents have their usual checklist of items to bring to a game: their phone, a chair and Cutie oranges and pretzels for a snack. But School Resource Officer Seth Meyer always brings something extra — his Canon-1DX — which he uses to take pictures of his 11-year-old daughter as she hustles down the field for her club socce-r games.

Like the other parents, Meyer is there to snap memories of his kids to cherish before they grow too old. But these moments with his family are also a way to weave his passion for photography into his busy life as a parent and SRO. “I’m the guy there with the big camera and the long lense,” Meyer said. “It sounds obnoxious, but [my kids] have gotten really used to it and they tolerate me really well.”

Starting as a photographer for his high school yearbook, Meyer has continued to grow his love of photography, now taking any opportunity — from his daughter’s soccer games to his son’s boy scout activities — to use his camera.

“Photography is kind of a freeing experience,” Meyer said. “Some students expect us to see us [police officers] as being these really rigid robots, like, ‘I’m a police

This is a portrait of Meyer ’s daughter, Sammy, that he took on a family outing in an apple orchard.

officer, ra ra ra,’ which is truly not the case for me. Doing photography is kind of that freedom away from this. You can escape being the cop and just kind of do your own thing and enjoy life.”

Along with his children’s activities, Meyer enjoys taking candid photos of people and landscape shots on family trips to Colorado or New York City. Going from developing photos in his high school dark room to using a professional camera and editing pictures digitally, Meyer’s photography skills have grown over years of practice. “[What I love most about photography is] the creativity part of it,” Meyer said. “Just trying to compose the shot and kinda telling a story as you’re taking a photograph, that’s kind of the more fun aspect of it. And honestly sometimes it’s just kind of the adventure of going out and finding something to shoot.”

Meyer knows that students might have a hard time picturing him as a soccer dad with a photography side hustle because of the uniform and stereotypes that come with it, but students like junior Gerson Cardona who often visit Meyer and his coworker, Officer Tony Woollen, know that the two don’t fit this stereotype.

“I don’t find [his photography hobby] surprising at all,” Cardona said. “I know

This sports photo is of his daughter Sammy setting up to save a goal during a tournament at the Olathe Soccer Complex .

them personally. They’re really kind and very generous. They’re there for people. They could be therapists for all I know.”

Meyer’s sister-in-law, Shannon Heffron, who works at CAA, sees Meyer’s photography hobby as a reflection of his caring personality.

“You might have the misconception that he’s just a tough guy, run-of-the-mill cop that’s just there to enforce the laws...There’s a lot more to him than that. He genuinely cares about people.”

shannon heffron | meyer ’s sister-in-law “If you just walked up to him in his uniform, he could look pretty intimidating,” Heffron said. “You might have the misconception that he’s just a tough guy, run-of-the-mill cop that’s just there to enforce the laws. That’s not really his personality. There’s a lot more to him than that. He genuinely cares about people.”

Meyer knows he isn’t the stone-cold cop that students might expect him to be from

This landscape shot was taken at one of Meyer ’s favorite vacation spots in Colorado, the Crags.

movies and tv shows, and has no desire to be seen that way. He enjoys when students come visit him between classes, and loves hearing about things going on in the students’ lives that he can help them with or give them advice on. His ultimate goal is to be approachable to students.

“At the end of the day for me, this is just a job,” Meyer said. “I come in and work my 40 hours a week. I love being here at East and hanging out with everybody, but anybody that walks in this office knows [Officer Woollen and I] are just two regular guys. We have our own lives and our own hobbies and we do the same things that everybody else does, so there’s no reason to be intimidated by us.”

Meyer loves talking to students about his hobby or his family, even though it might not be what students or other police officers would expect out of an officer. Befriending students isn’t a requirement for his job, but he genuinely cares about the East community.

“We’re very comfortable in, not just our job, but who we are,” Woollen said. “[His openness] just shows how not just ingrained he is in this learning community, but he knows who he is as a person, and it is very vulnerable and open to the community seeing how he is.”

20 | FEATURES

THE HARBINGER | FEBRUARY 22, 2021

Dear Student,

design by sydney newton photos by maggie klump

THE PEOPLE The ways that college deferrals have affected students

CAROLINE

Recent college deferrals have changed seniors plans for the future

KUHLMAN

C

deferred from university of michigan, and is hopeful she’ll receive acceptance in a few weeks

by w inni e wolf

rushed.

That was the only word to express how senior Cameron Hughes felt after opening her application status portal to Boston College.

Since the summer before her senior year, Boston College had been Hughes’ clear top choice. Between her strong academic record and her college counselor’s assurance of her acceptance, she felt confident in her chances of getting in. But she was deferred.

According to Forbes, the decision for a college to defer an applicant has become a more common option, especially this year due to the uncertainties of the admission process created by COVID-19. Some colleges were battling through a lower number of applicants than years past, but most top universities were faced with such a large volume of applicants after switching to testoptional that they had to postpone admissions decisions and increase the number of deferrals.

Although a deferral isn’t a a concrete acceptance or rejection, the uncertainty has led seniors, such as Hughes, to look into different options come August.

Hughes couldn’t wait three months for an answer.

Instead, she took the Boston College deferral to regular decision as a flat-out no, and looked to her next options.

“After my deferral, I really had to haul and work hard to get all of my other applications in,” Hughes said.

“I decided to apply early decision to my second choice school, Boston University, as a shot in the dark to see if I could get in — and I got in.”

Though the deferral left Hughes scrambling inbetween application submissions, she feels satisfied now that her decision is secured. With deposits down and enrollment complete, she’s done with the process, just like she was ready to be from the beginning.

But it wasn’t that easy for everyone. def•er•ral

t h e p ostp o n em ent of a d m issio n to a co lle ge i n w h i c h th e a p p l i ca ti on i s revi ewe d w ith re gul a r-d eci si o n a p p l i ca n ts.

The University of Michigan faced the problem of an unexpected applicant increase, leaving all of East’s portion of applicants with deferrals from the school.

With an already low 2019 out-of-state acceptance rate of 19.4%, seniors like Caroline Kuhlman had to work much harder on the application and supplemental essay this year, in fear of getting rejected or deferred from the school.

Kuhlman hoped to get in, considering her dad and older sister had both attended the university, but didn’t feel defeated when she received the deferral.

“I still have hopes for getting in,” Kuhlman said.

“I understand the volume of applicants this year was exponentially higher than usual, and they didn’t accept as many students. I applied early action and I don’t know a single person who got accepted, so I still have hope.”

After realizing she lacked the sense of familiarity

she felt with the University of Michigan with the other schools she was accepted into, Kuhlman found herself indulging in research — learning everything she could about the environments, scholarships and potential visits — to prepare herself for backup options.

“In a way, the University of Michigan was my top choice before my deferral,” Kuhlman said. “But isn’t my top choice right now. If I got in, I don’t know if I would go there. It’s just all so up in the air right now.”

While the deferral process left seniors like Kuhlman in a state of uncertainty, it made the process of narrowing down college choices easier for seniors like Zoe Hartman. Being deferred from both the University of Michigan and the University of Wisconsin-Madison didn’t come as a shock, leaving Hartman to eliminate her choices to two potential schools for next year: the University of Kansas or the University of Arizona.

ZOE

HARTMAN

deferred from university of michigan & wisconsinmadison, which helped her narrow down to two colleges

I still have hopes for getting in. I understand the volume of applicants this year was exponentially higher than usual, and they didn’t accept as many students. I applied early action and I don’t know a single person who got accepted, so I still have hope.

CAMERON

HUGHES

applied early decision to boston college and was deferred, now attending boston university

caroline kuhlman | senior

“I was expecting it honestly,” Hartman said.

“Everyone I talked to got deferred from Michigan and I had friends who were deferred from Wisconsin as well.”

Similar to Kuhlman, Hartman had family who previously attended the University of Michigan and had interest in the University of Wisconsin-Madison, but was still considering other options, before ruling them both out following her deferral.

“Neither school was ever really a top choice for me, and I knew I would want to decide sooner rather than waiting longer for a decision,” Hartman said. “I wanted to choose a school that would offer me the most scholarship money and was one that I really wanted to go to.”

As schools continue to send out acceptance letters and decisions for their applicants, it’s difficult to accurately predict how colleges and universities will approach their student numbers for the college class of 2025, according to Forbes.

Whether students are met with a rejection, waitlist, acceptance or a deferral, it brings different mindsets and opportunities for each individual.

“It was definitely stressful in between the deferral and the new applications I submitted because Boston College was my dream,” Hughes said. “I was really disappointed, but I really, really like the school I’m going to.”

T H E P R O C E SS A look at college deferrals

10%

INCREASE IN EARLY APPLICANTS FOR CLASS OF 2021

2 IN 10 STUDENTS ARE DEFERRED FROM SELECTIVE COLLEGES

15%

OF DEFERRED APPLICANTS GAIN ADMISSION *information from ivywise and collegevine.com

design by tommy paulus photos courtesy of apple, imdb and netflix

THE HARBINGER | FEBRUARY 22, 2021

A&E | 21

A&E

HIGHLIGHTS

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

SERIES

TO P O F T H E CH A RTS MUSIC

RECENT RELEASES

MOVIE:

PODCASTS

THE NEW YORK TIMES PRESENTS

GENRE: A L B U M | S U P E R M O N ST E R

P O D C A ST | T H I S I S AC T UA L LY H A P P E N I N G

DOCUMENTARY SERIES

RUN TIME | ~1 HR

~1 HR 30 MIN

RUN TIME:

A R T I ST | C L AU D E M I N T Z R E L E A S E DAT E | F E B 1 2

“Super Monster” is a pleasant Indie record from Brooklyn native Claud Mintz. The sounds are fun yet familiar.

SUMMARY:

“This Is Actually Happening” is a show that goes over the mildly interesting crime stories throughout history.

This series is full of different stories ranging from political to pop culture.

It also has the famed “Framing Britney Spears.”

MOVIE: A L B U M | F U T U R E N OSTA LG I A (MOONLIGHT EDITION)

THE VANISHING AT THE CECIL HOTEL

P O D C A ST | H I D D E N B R A I N

GENRE: TRUE CRIME

RUN TIME | ~50 MIN A R T I ST | D UA L I PA R E L E A S E DAT E | F E B 1 1

This album features seven new songs, and many artists, such as Miley Cyrus.

SUPERBOWL MEMES

RUN TIME:

This show discusses the psychology and in-depth analysis behind many everyday occurrences, such as the perception of oneself and dream theory.

~54 MIN

SUMMARY: This series covers the bizarre true crime story of Elisa Lam. The story telling is very

coherent and keeps

you on your toes.

MOVIE AUTHOR: JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH

GENRE: DRAMA/HISTORY

RUN TIME: ~2 HRS 6 MIN

SUMMARY: This movie chronicles the history of the Black Panther Party and the conflict between two members, one of whom is secretly working for the CIA.

22 | A&E

THE HARBINGER | FEBRUARY 22, 2021

design by anna mitchell photos by macy crosser

TEST YOUR

KN WLEDGE by greyson imm

INTRODUCTION:

WITH SECOND SEMESTER in full swing, it’s time for late-night test cramming, group study sessions and browsing countless websites that all claim to “dramatically raise your exam scores.”

Whether you’re in the process of taking standardized tests or just want to boost your grades, I tested some popular test prep and tutoring services and compiled a list of the top five programs for high-schoolers.

CHEGG WE’VE ALL BEEN there: it’s 2 a.m. and you’re frantically rushing to fill out your biology study guide when you get stuck on a question, and repeating the process when you get to the next question. That’s where Chegg comes in.

The process is simple: you take a picture of the problem, and an answer appears if the problem has already been submitted.

If it hasn’t, an expert will review your problem and answer it by a video walkthrough within 30-45 minutes. Chegg offers essentially the same services a live tutor would, but with 24/7 availability and a cheaper price tag.

Coming to a total of $14.95 a month for Chegg Study and $19.95 a month for the Chegg Study Pack — which includes the basic subscription, a math-solving algorithm and a citation authoring program — this is one of the more affordable study options online for its value. It also comes with a two-week free trial that allows customers to test the website’s features before investing.

Unfortunately, Chegg is mostly math-based, so you’d be better off directing your homework questions about Renaissance-era European history to another service on this list.

VARISTY TUTORS WHEN I WAS gathering information on Varsity Tutors, I was skeptical about how well this tutoring program works due to its seemingly incredible outcomes. Nevertheless, I was met with a multitude of positive reviews and genuine testimonials from many different families, all claiming spectacular results. Right now, Varsity Tutors is offering both in-person tutoring at your home and online tutoring over a virtual meeting. The website is very well-organized and boasts around-the-clock customer service. I had no trouble navigating the different services offered, which are plentiful and tailored to each learner based on individual needs.

However, all of these features come at a price (around $75-$90 hourly to be exact). While I wouldn’t choose this option solely because of the price, this tutoring service is still a valid choice for many teens with its proven success rate of raising test scores by up to 12 percentage points and 24-hour availability.

KHAN ACADEMY WHETHER YOU’ RE EXPANDING your learning outside of the classroom for fun or clarifying a bullet point on your study guide because your chemistry notes were too messy to decipher, Khan Academy offers in-depth lessons on any subject, from math to arts and humanities, to help build your classroom knowledge. Khan Academy covers the material needed for the ACT and SAT, as well as providing a free practice test for whatever subject you’re studying.

Published as a completely free program, Khan Academy is one of the leading academic platforms in the nation. I am an avid supporter of this website because of how easy it is to find and practice specific math topics. The feature that I find most beneficial about Khan Academy is the way each lesson is structured: an easy-to-follow video is posted, followed by a set of varying, real-life problems.

EAST 4 EXCELLENCE ON TUESDAYS AND Thursdays from 3-4 p.m., the school library becomes a bustling study space with students scribbling down practice math problems in their notebooks as teachers help them with homework questions. East 4 Excellence is a tutoring option available to all East students, with a wide variety of subjects available for tutoring. Students can receive support in almost any class, including ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies and World Languages classes. They also offer assistance for study and organizational skills. Currently, it is running fully in-person, but remote students may join via WebEx if needed — all for free.

East 4 Excellence is a great student resource because it’s tailored to each student’s needs, as the teachers are familiar with the content and individual questions of the students. This is a valuable opportunity to catch up on schoolwork, seek academic assistance or just to clarify an academic issue.

EBSCO LEARNINGEXPRESS PROVIDED BY THE Kansas State Library, Ebsco’s LearningExpress program provides all Kansas students with free access to tests, tutorials, eBooks, study skills tips and even career preparation.

For those wishing to prepare for the ACT and SAT, this site has test prep resources for five different college admissions tests and essay writing practice. If you’re looking for homework help or general academic support, LearningExpress has you covered.

It was difficult to navigate the website due to the high volume of resources and information available, but I eventually found the algebra test review question that I was searching for. I like how this resource is structured, with large, general topics at the top heading of subjects and smaller, more specific sub-topics with practices and tutorials towards the bottom of each subject heading.

With practice tests and additional curriculum material, you can study almost any school subject from the ease and convenience of your home.

Staffer tests free and paid online tutoring services for test preparation and additional instruction

GREYSON’S RATINGS CH EG G A B C D cost: $14.95

E 4/5

VA R IST Y T U TO RS A B C D E 3/5 cost: $75-90 K H A N ACA D E M Y A B C D E 5/5 free E AST 4 E XCE L L E N CE A B C D E 3/5 free E BSCO L E A R N I N G E X P R E SS

A B C free

D

E 5/5

SCAN ME | WEBSITES Scan this to access a Google Doc with the resources linked

THE HARBINGER | FEBRUARY 22, 2021

design by celia condon photos by elise madden

A&E | 23

B IL L I E ’S

GROCERY Staffer reviews Billie’s Grocery, a bakery and restaurant near the Plaza in Kansas City, MO

by celia condon

I T O P | Billie’s Grocery bakery display case and main ordering counter.

A B O V E L E F T | Co nd on ord e re d the Pesto Chicken Handheld as her meal, which was accompanied by fries and ketchup.

A B O V E R I G H T | Condon ordered the Tahini Millionaire Bar, which is a shortbread based gluten-free and vegan caramel dessert, for dessert.

T H E A LMOST I T E MS A few of the menu items I was stuck between when ordering

SMOKE D SA LM O N BAGEL crea my f rai che, o rg a n ic w ild g re e n s, tom a to, ca p e r b e rri es, s mo ke d sal mo n, M esh u g g a h eve r y t h in g b a g e l , l e mon *dai r y f ree, pean u t f ree, eg g f ree, s h e l l f is h free, soy free

CO OKI E DOU GH BAR b u tte r co o k i e do u g h b a tte r m ixe d in w it h ch ocol a te ch i ps a n d ch ill e d to fo r m a b a r *glu ten -f ree

SA L MON ME ZZE BOWL s mo ke d sal mo n, sof t e g g , org a n ic w ild g re en s, sou rd ou g h toa st, p ickl e d o ni o n, pi c k le d on ion , ca p e r b e r r ies, roa ste d toma to, crem e f rai che *dai r y f ree, pean u t f ree, s he l l f is h f ree, f is h free, soy free

T I M E TO COOK Upcoming cooking classes available to take at Billie’s Grocery

“LOW CARB ITALIAN” 2/25 6:00 PM

“GLUTEN FREE BAKING” 3/13 10:00 AM

HANDS-ON WITH CHEF CHEROKEE TOWN

HANDS-ON WITH BAKERY MANAGER AMBER ABRAM

haven’t recently been someone on the search for cute locations to take Instagram photos, since most places I go require me to be in four layers, snow boots and of course a mask — not the best look for the ‘Gram. But if I was, Billie’s Grocery would be my first stop.

It wasn’t exactly a hidden gem, given that their iced lattes and colorful salads practically filled my Instagram feed during the abnormally warm weeks of winter, but I still wanted to try it out for myself.

The name is deceiving, since it’s a restaurant rather than an actual grocery store, although it offers a variety of items — from flowers to juices to baking kits. And if you’re looking to splurge, they host cooking classes and have booking options for a private event space.

The restaurant offers dozens of vegan and gluten-free items, bakery-made desserts and decadent breakfast, brunch and dinner options, which are all available all day: an aspect I especially liked as the Chick-Fil-A breakfast menu’s early expiration of 10:30 a.m. has caused me a few tears.

I went at 3 p.m. — a dull time of day — so the restaurant only had a few customers, who all happily sipped on coffee and read their books or worked on their laptops. I can positively say that the fresh and calm atmosphere in Billie’s Grocery made me want to sit in a corner with a scone and a coffee, reading a book until I was forced to leave.

I spent some of my time waiting for my food wandering the restaurant. It was easy to take into account the beautiful architecture of the space, with huge windows and high ceilings. The whole environment feels clean, easy-going and cozy — a perfect place to stop and get warm during a blizzard.

Although the menu was filled with items, I spent more time trying to decide what to order than actually eating my food. I browsed the bakery items — knowing I would be back for more — before landing on the Pesto Chicken Sandwich.

While the wait was on the longer side — about 15 minutes — it was totally worth it once I got my food. My sandwich was accompanied by french fries, ketchup and ranch-like aioli dressing.

I can’t say enough about the Pesto Chicken

Sandwich. For my own sake, I cut it in half: partly because it was so big I couldn’t fit a bite in my mouth, and partly because I knew I’d be happy with myself if I took half of it home for my lunch tomorrow. I personally love pesto, however, if you’re not a huge fan of it, I wouldn’t suggest ordering this item, as they really pack it on. For me, it was a treat.

It was easy to take into account the beautiful architecture of the space, with huge windows and high ceilings.

And the fries...

As I was eating them they were literally changing my life and my whole perspective on fries. I’ve never been one to dislike any french fries, but these easily made it to the top of my list (coming close behind the Kansas City Joe’s french fries.) They had the perfect amount of seasoning, and mixed with the dip, they were delectable. In fact, looking back, I’m upset with myself for not taking multiple orders to go because they were so delicious.

After devouring my fries, and leaving half of my sandwich for later, I knew it was time to keep my promise of heading back to the bakery counter for something sweet. This decision was harder than the last: I ended up stuck between the the bakery’s upscale dessert renditions of a Snickers Bar, a Twix Bar, the Cookie Dough Bar and the Tahini Millionaire Bar. After some help from an employee, I landed on the Millionaire Bar — a shortbread base with caramel and chocolate on it. This version however was gluten-free, and vegan, so the caramel was a nut-based substitute.

The Tahini Millionaire bar is definitely an acquired taste. My first bite was the most shocking, but it got better and better with each bite. Although delicious, when I go back I may try one of the three options I decided against.

The total for my whole meal was around $17 with tax — the sandwich was $12 and the bar was $4 — and while more expensive than my typical Chick-Fil-A meal, definitely worth it. The only downside was the drive, as it’s located a bit north of the Plaza. If I’m near the area and looking for a bite, I’ll definitely make the stop at Billie’s Grocery.

24 | A&E

THE HARBINGER | FEBRUARY 22, 2021

HISTORY ESSAY DUE: Friday

design by nora lynn photos by lily mantel

DON’T FORGET: movie night on Saturday 8:00 p.m.

A OTION OF ORGANIZATION

PRE-CALC WORKSHEET DUE: Wednesday

ENGLISH HW: read chapters 5-8 DUE: Thursday

Organizational app Notion helps staffer organize school work and obligations with sports

by a l i son wi l cox

M

y brain is clogged with about 20 mental notes at all times. Between finishing my AP Gov homework and practicing my tennis serves, I always have something on my mind. Rated 4.3 out of 5 stars in the productivity sector on the App Store, the free app “Notion” seemed like the perfect digital planner to help organize my hectic on-the-go schedule.

At first glance, I was underwhelmed by the dull screen with tabs of different lists and notes users can personalize.

But after selecting each tab and seeing the different headings and subheadings to organize everything from my after school tennis lessons to babysitting schedule, I realized it’s a solid way to sort out my thoughts.

A side panel on the app has examples of notes you can make, from reading lists to journal entries. I opted out of those two and instead created two tabs I found more applicable to my life: a to-do list and a homework list.

SIMILAR APPS: DRAFTS free 3 THINGS $9.99 The tabs can be personalized with the option to adjust the color, add stock or personalized photos for the cover and choose icons to represent the page — I chose a notebook for my list of assignments and a check mark for other tasks. Notion allows users to design the page however they’d like, whether that’s a pastel pink page or cheetah print design — making those to-do lists just a little easier to get started on.

Every other TikTok I scroll past features people developing in-depth lists for the smallest tasks, while

others stick to the basics. Since the app is made to be specific to each individual user, you can be as descriptive as you’d like — I of course took the simplest route possible.

Although logging the pages I have to read in my English book and my VHL assignments became tedious quickly, I was relieved to have all my tasks laid out. Even more satisfying than finally being organized was sliding my completed assignments from the “to-do” list section to the “done” section.

Before Notion, I tried my best to write out my assigned work during class, but grew lazy when I constantly found myself rushing to cram my notebook into my backpack when the bell rang. After a few days of remembering to use the app, I developed the habit of recording my homework, and became much quicker and more comfortable using Notion.

From creating lists on future books to read or daily journal reminders, there’s no limit to the information you can organize in Notion. After determining what you want to keep track of, all you have to do is stick to it.

Once I was committed to my homework tracking, I still lacked motivation to record my other tasks — from getting a birthday present for my friend to making a return at Target. I figured it would be easier to just remind myself throughout the day to get those things done instead of going through the trouble of using the app. But for those people who let tasks slip their mind often, this app is just what you need to keep you on track.

Sure enough, I forgot to take my car to get an oil change — three days in a row. I took that as a sign to type it out in Notion, and since then, I’ve been much better about completing what I’d usually forget to write down by consistently checking the app for reminders.

After using the app for a week, I became much more accustomed to checking it each time I got on my phone — even before I opened Instagram or responded to a text.

The daunting reminders to complete my Calc homework halted my procrastination because I wanted to feel the satisfaction of shifting them to the “completed” section of the app.

While it’s definitely impractical to record every note running through your mind in an app, the more I was willing to write down, the more I got done. So if you can’t quite remember how far to read in your English book or constantly forget to pick up your paycheck, try Notion — you might just find another aspect of your life to organize.

TIPS FOR STAYING ORGANIZED: MAKE SCHEDULES & DEADLINES FEB

28

Stick to deadlines Make a schedule for every day Don’t waste time

GIVE EVERYTHING A HOME Keep things in their proper place Make folders to keep files organized

ONLY KEEP WHAT YOU NEED Throw out old papers Make space by cleaning your workspace

DECLUTTER REGULARLY Make a specific time to declutter each week Get rid of trash from the week before *Information from lifehack.org

design by julia percy

THE HARBINGER | FEBRUARY 22, 2021

PHOTOSTORY | 25

CROWNED ON CAMERA

StuCo held their annual Sweetheart Crowning over livestream, despite having no Sweetheart dance

A B O V E | Seniors Ava Peters and Drew Parisi stand in the middle of the court in front of the live-stream camera after Peters is given her crown and sash. photo by julia percy RIGHT | Brenda Fishman points to the spot on the basketball court where nominee Henry DeCoursey and his father will stand. “It was nice to be able to see a lot of my classmates in person because I don’t see half of them even when I do go to school,” DeCoursey said. photo by julia percy

ABOVE | Nominees Anna Heide, Kennedy Kaufman and Nina Gunter look at a layout of the gym, marked with where everyone was standing, to make sure they knew where to go. photo by julia percy

SCAN ME | GALLERY Scan the QR code to look at the full Sweetheart Crowning gallery

A B O V E | Senior Sam Fountain gets crowned as second attendant King by senior and student body Vice President Maisie Sheets. photo by trevor paulus LEFT | One of the teachers running the Sweetheart Crowning, Ms. Pence, explains to all of the parents, families and nominees where they will be walking and standing in the gym. photo by julia percy

The Plaid Pen Personalized stationery www.theplaidpen.com

THE HARBINGER | FEBRUARY 22, 2021

design by cesca stamati

SPORTS | 27

SPORTS

HIGHLIGHTS

Updates, schedules and quotes about the sports season

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

12

BASKE TBA LL | B OYS VARSIT Y SE MIFIN ALS

COMING UP THIS WEEK FEB. 27

MARCH

13

BASK ET BA LL | BOYS VARSI T Y STAT E CHAM P I O NSHI P

MARCH 2 MARCH 5

VARSITY WRESTLING STATE L O C AT I O N : W I T C H I TA T I M E : T B D

BOYS BASKETBALL SEMIFINALS L O C AT I O N : T B A T I M E : T B D

BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP L O C AT I O N : T B A T I M E : T B D

SPRING SPORTS CONDITIONING What student athletes think about training before tryouts

SOCCER “It’s really great because it keeps you accountable for working out. It helps me get in shape for tryouts because without it, I feel like I wouldn’t run on my own. It just makes me get up and work out so I can get in shape.”

abby carter | senior

TRACK “[The best part about conditioning is] you have some sense of normalcy when doing your workout. We didn’t get track season last year so we haven’t really had a true team track workout for a really long time.”

tyler debey | senior

BASEBALL “For me, since I’m I senior, it’s nice to meet the young guys.

Especially this year, it’s nice to meet the sophomores ‘cause we didn’t get to play with them last year so it’s cool to meet everybody.”

brady friend | senior

MISS THE MEET? B E LOW | With two minutes left in the fourth quarter and the Lancers up by 20, senior Charlie Sublette drives to the basket to shoot a layup but misses the shot. photo by lily mantel

TO P | Senior Sarah Bingham reaches over an Eagles player to get the ball, but fouls her. She goes to the free throw line and makes both shots. photo by lily mantel B OT TO M | T h e J V dan ce te am pe r fo r m s at h al f t i m e of the gi r l s varsi t y basket bal l gam e wh e re t h e te am l ost 20-5 8 to S h awn e e Mi ssi o n West . photo by rachel bingham

Scan the QR code to access the Harbinger website and view the gallery from the Boys Varsity Basketball game on Feb. 16

THE HARBINGER | FEBRUARY 22, 2021

28 | SPORTS

design by annabelle moore photo by rachel bingham

A SUPER

B R E AK A look-back at the best Super Bowl LV commercials by chri sti an gool ey

MOST OF THE 100 million people watching the Super Bowl were attentive for the football, rooting for their favorite team. I, however, watched it for the commercials. This year’s commercials were the pick-me-up everyone needed from the curve-balls 2020 threw at us, delivering comedy and hope. Here’s a look at my top three.

SCAN ME | VIDEOS Scan here to view all of the Super Bowl LV Commercials through Vulture.com

A B O V E | Sophomore Christain Gooley rewatches the Super Bowl commericals to review their quality.

‘ TWAS T HE NIGH T BE FORE S U P ER B OW L RANKED NUMBER ONE on my list was the Frito-Lay commercial: “‘Twas the Night Before Super Bowl.” The two-minute commercial featured a multitude of former NFL superstars including Marshawn Lynch, Peyton Manning and many others. The players anxiously await the game, unable to sleep, tossing and turning in their sleep, leading them to walk around in PJ’s and act like little kids — all while eating their favorite Frito-Lay snack.

The Frito-Lay commercial was a good mix of humor and information about their products. When Peyton Manning threw a ball straight into the wall, I laughed so hard I also spilled my chips, and more importantly, almost forgot about the devastating Chiefs score. With all the different types of Frito-Lay chips, they’re the perfect football-watching snack for die-hard Chiefs fans, as well as those who prefer the Puppy Bowl.

F R I T O - L AY A D | 5 S TA R S FE ATURING | Former NFL superstars, such as Marshawn Lynch, Pe y to n M a n n i n g , Tro y Aikman, Jerry Rice and more.

ALE X A’S B ODY THE NUMBER TWO spot on my list, (in a very close battle) goes to the Amazon ad, “Alexa’s Body.” The minute-long commercial features Micheal B. Jordan, who acts like an Alexa to show off the new design for the speaker.

The commercial begins with a group of Amazon employees looking at and admiring Alexa’s design when one employee says, “I mean, I literally couldn’t imagine a more beautiful vessel for Alexa to be… inside.” At that moment, a large truck with a picture of Jordan drives by, and the employee begins to imagine what it would be like if her

Alexa was “Micheal B. Jordan.” Jordan becomes the Alexa, answering questions and turning on the sprinklers — until she realizes it was all just her imagination.

My favorite moment was when the employee asks Jordan to dim the lights and he takes off his shirt, leaving her in shock. The commercial left me laughing for the rest of the break, leaving the idea of Alexa in my mind — so long my mom even considered buying one.

I thought that this commercial was a simply hilarious and a genius way to show off just how sleek the new Alexa design is.

A M A ZO N A D | 4.5 STARS FE ATURING | Creed and Black Panther Star Michael B. Jordan who becomes the body of Alexa

L AST Y E AR’S LE MONS HOLDING THE THIRD and last spot on my list is the Bud Light Seltzer lemonade commercial, “Last Year’s Lemons.”

Displaying the brand new Bud Light Seltzer, this ad shows a group of people standing at a wedding who say, “When did Bud Light start making lemonade? Probably when 2020 handed us all those lemons. Yeah, 2020 was a lemon of a year.”

The ad then displays people about to kiss on New Years Eve, when suddenly it starts to rain lemons — before demonstrating all the things that COVID-19 ruined last year such as sports and weddings. I believe Bud Light did

a seamless job in showing the hardship and loss that 2020 has brought to our nation. Ending the commercial with a group of people, all shocked and in denial about the events that occurred in 2020 made the commercial come full circle.

While the commercial talked about serious problems in todays world, the sprinkles of comedy added a light-hearted tone. At one point, a lemon flew out of the ski, knocking a biker into two trash cans. My stomach hurt from laughing so hard. The commercial combined a perfect mix of reality and euphoric comedy, almost making a satirical joke about the horrible year we’ve all had.

S E LT Z E R A D | 4 STA R S FE ATURING | Actor Bryan Cranston creating a call-toaction for safety and hope amidst the pandemic

THE HARBINGER | FEBRUARY 22, 2021

design by annakate dilks photos by sarah golder

SPORTS | 29

The Kansas City T-Bones changed their name to the Kansas City Monarchs in a new partnership with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum

HR WING A CHANGE-UP A

by l i l y b i l l i ng sl ey

fter officially announcing their partnership with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum on Jan. 21, the Kansas City T-Bones baseball team changed their name to the Kansas City Monarchs.

The team began the process of partnering with the museum and renaming last fall before settling on the Monarchs — a nod to the Negro Leagues baseball team that competed in Kansas City from 1920 to 1965.

“The Monarchs is such a well-known name within baseball and sports in general, and obviously we had kind of gone back and forth with deciding what we were thinking,”

the Kansas City Monarchs are formed

the Monarchs win the first Negro League World Series

the Monarchs are relocated to Michigan

the Monarchs’ production and digital assets manager Morgan Kolenda said. “Coming off of COVID and into 2021 with a fresh name, and to have that connection with the Negro Leagues, we thought it would be a good idea.”

According to Kolenda, the new name will act as a fresh start for the T-Bones, after being forced to take a year off due to COVID. Although the T-Bones name has been with the team since it began in 2003, she believes that the new name will be an exciting change for the team.

“The T-Bones has been just such a staple in the Kansas City and Wyandotte County area, and that was a hard thing to part with,” Kolenda said. “But this will be a good decision for us going forward.”

Before partnering, the team spoke to the board of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and worked to bring the Kansas City Monarchs back to life. The negotiation took several months, given the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum owns the Kansas City Monarchs name and wanted to protect the historic impact of the team’s name. According to Bob Kendrick, the President of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, both parties worked together throughout the negotiations knowing that they all wanted the partnership to happen.

The hope of both the Monarchs and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is that the joint effort brings awareness to the history of the city and the Negro Leagues, while offering a unique experience to baseball fans.

This newfound partnership includes more than just a name change — the Monarchs are hoping to include a popup museum inside of their stadium where fans can learn the history of the name. They’re also offering a special “Monarchs Membership,” where fans can purchase two tickets to the opening day game, along with two tickets to the Negro Leagues museum. A portion of the team’s ticket sales will also go to the museum.

“The whole purpose of this is to basically educate people on the history behind the Monarchs, and that all started with the Negro Leagues,” Kolenda said. “So what better way than to direct them to the museum, and to get them to drive traffic over there to learn about the history?”

Kendrick is excited about the prospects of the collaboration extending the reach of the museum into parts of greater Kansas City.

“Essentially, now the ballpark becomes an extension of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, and that’s very exciting and very appealing to us,” Kendrick said. “We want to get ourselves to reach as many people as we possibly can with this incredible story of triumph over adversity.”

Kendrick sees this collaboration as an opportunity to teach younger generations about the Negro Leagues and the Monarchs, given that

KC Monarchs 1924 jersey versus the 2021 jersey

t h e league has been disbanded for decades.

He hopes it will create relevancy for the museum and make the history of the Negro Leagues appeal to a wider audience.

“When those young athletes put on those uniforms, they will be channeling the spirit of Buck O’Neil, of Satchel Page, Bullet Rogan or Milton Smith,” Kendrick said. “The spirit of those players and the history of the Monarchs will come to life.”

Senior Kayla Andrews, a member of Race Project KC, thinks that this partnership will cause fans of the team to become more interested in the Black history of the city.

“With the Monarchs becoming a team again, I think that more people will be interested in learning what it really means,” Andrews said.

According to Kolenda, the partnership will add an educational opportunity for the fans of the team, while still allowing them the baseball game experience that the team is known for.

“We offer something that a lot of Major League teams don’t offer, and that’s the on-field experience and the interaction with the players,” Kolenda said. “We’re hoping to continue that for the years to come and with the help of the Negro Leagues, that definitely helps as well.”

Now there’s only one thing left to do in order to successfully bring back the Kansas City Monarchs — win.

“The pressure is, when you put the Monarch uniform on, you have got to win,” Kendrick said. “The Monarchs only had one losing season in their run, and that was during World War II. So if you’re going to put those uniforms on, you’ve got to really play.”

30 | SPORTS

THE HARBINGER | FEBRUARY 22, 2021

design by sophie lindberg photos by campbell wood

A STRI K I N G SE ASON The boys bowling team has greatly improved this season with the help of their new coach, Curtis Wells

R I G H T | After the meet, Coach Wells assists junior Brady Aebersold in comparing his scores to the other varsity bowlers. photo by campbell wood

Practices Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday

by mad eline funkey

W

hen a boys bowling team member’s phone lights up with a GroupMe notification during their last hours of school, they know it’s from their assistant coach, Curtis Wells, saying his famous cheesy, game-day catch phrase, ‘It’s our day to shine.’ Getting the team excited before their bowling matches is one of Wells’ specialties.

“I’m a kid at heart, so hyping them up always gets me in a good mood,” Wells said.

“We feed off each others’ energy, which makes the sport more lighthearted and fun.”

varsity 4-9

junior varsity 12-1

Since January, Olathe Mission Bowl has been occupied by the boys varsity and JV bowling teams almost every day after school.

With Wells as the new assistant coach, the team’s average scores are about 100 points higher than each of last year’s meets. For an hour and a half, they drill on techniques for consistency — like where to line up on your lane and how to pick up difficult spares.

Having bowled since the age of eight and having played pro after high school, Wells knows how each ball rolls and plays, which helps the team understand the ins and outs of bowling.

With guidance from Wells, sophomore Zach Sederquist completed nine strikes in a row as a member of the JV team. Everyone at Olathe Mission Bowl’s eyes were glued to Sederquist’s 15-pound ball — which was one of Wells’ extras that he handed down to him at the beginning of the season. Knocking down every pin, the team jumped up while Sederquist and Wells exchanged high fives — celebrating yet another

win and the rarity of a nine-strike bowl.

“Wells taught me to come about each bowl like it is a new one, like the last one didn’t matter,” Sederquist said. “If you keep it in your head that you need to bowl a strike then you’ll probably crack under pressure.”

Under Wells’ coaching this year, the boys bowling team has gained more confidence and skill than ever before. By focusing on each stride, and keeping their cool when things don’t go their way, they’ve all been able to learn more about the sport and hit more goals as a team.

“With coach Wells there he knows all the mechanics to the sport,” Sederquist said. “He knows exactly where you should line up and where you should roll the ball.”

As an East bowling team alum, Wells came into this season aiming to help the kids build confidence in shooting spares and strikes, as well as preparing the team for state. Over the past month, Wells has improved their scores by working individually with each team member and using his old bowling balls to show them how each one rolls and reacts differently.

“I’m teaching them how to avoid my bad habits of showing up on the line in time, sliding too much, and not getting mad, in the lane,” Wells said. “Steering them in the right direction, so they can be the best of their abilities.”

At the beginning of the season, Sederquist and the rest of the bowling team struggled with picking up spares and strikes, but with Wells correcting Sederquist’s striking technique, he has improved by 20 pins throughout the season. His average score went from a 140 to consistently scoring a 160.

Since Wells joined the team, the boys have noticed an increase in motivation from the players during practices.The loud cheers and words of encouragement he brings to the environment of practices and matches make the hard work feel more fun and rewarding, according to Sederquist.

“Wells has impacted the boys on the team

a lot,” Sederquist said. “He’s not so much of a strict coach type of figure, he feels like more of a friend helping us bowl.”

Junior and varsity bowler Harrison Flanagan has also improved his form and shooting technique with the guidance of Wells.

According Flanagan, Wells is isn’t afraid of taking risks, such as changing up how a player shoots at a meet, which almost always helps them score higher.

“He’s really good at explaining to a kid what they’re doing wrong and how to easily correct it,” Flanagan said. “I think, as a whole, the team has improved from him pushing us to take risks with how we bowl.”

Wells has made it a priority to build trust with each kid by remaining patient and not getting frustrated with them — creating a dynamic that makes coaching easier for the kids and himself. He makes sure the kids stay on task while helping them be calm with each shot.

“He doesn’t let anyone go unnoticed,” Flanagan said. “He gives advice to the people who are struggling, but also pushes the people who are good to better themselves.” strike

a ter m u sed i n b ow l i n g to i n d i ca te t h a t a l l ten p i n s h a ve b een k n ocked d ow n i n t h e fi rst rol l of t h e b a l l i n a fra me

Wells believes his job as assistant coach is to not only push the players beyond their comfort zone, but to also know each of the kids personality.

“I hope I’m impacting them by being motivated and supporting them,” Wells said.

“If they have a question on a spare, I will definitely make sure I have an answer for them.”

Feb. 16 All district meet, all SMSD schools

Feb. 24 Regional meet with 4/5 SMSD schools

March 5 State meet, schools depend on regionals

design by sarah golder illustration by tommy paulus

THE HARBINGER | FEBRUARY 22, 2021

CURTAIN CALL

A B O V E | Senior Elinor Zugazagoitia watches the cast members perform scene 10 from “Dinner at the Miller ’s” during a rehearsal. “The excitement around it, I love being a part of shows so when I’m in one I get really excited and motivated. I think that’s to me, the best part,” Zugazigoitia said. photo by trevor paulus R I G H T | Sophomore Isabelle Scmitz and Livvy Niermann perform their best grandpa impressions at senior Barbara DeZutter ’s audition.

“I’m super excited,” Scmitz said. “My first [show] last year was ‘Something To Do,’ and it brought me so much joy. I’m just so glad theater is back this year.”photo by ella hans

PHOTOSTORY | 31 SME Theatre’s Frequent Friday shows move online, now being recorded ahead of time and streamed to the audience B E L O W | Senior Barbara DeZutter stands on the drama room stage to inform students in the room how auditions for her show, “Desperate Situations,” will run. “I held auditions, and I just decided who instantly made me laugh, because it is supposed to be a funny show,” DeZutter said. photo by ella hans

L E F T | Zach Torkelson sets up a camera and tripod to record scenes from Elinor Zugazigoitia’s Frequent Friday production of “Dinner at the Miller ’s” as Zugazigotia directs cast members on stage. photo by trevor paulus

L E F T | Sophomore Libby McShane rehearses her role in the Zugazigoitia’s Frequent Friday with junior Liam Howey. As someone who has preformed in previous Frequent Fridays, including Studio C Skits, McShane has lived through the changes COVID has brought upon performances: “Being in a show you have to be loud and have people understand you and with the masks that makes it extremely difficult.” photo by trevor paulus

32 | ALT-COPY

THE HARBINGER | FEBRUARY 22, 2021

design by elizabeth mikkelson

STILL WATCHING? Now that the Chiefs’ football season is over and mainstream sports are slowing down, here’s a look into other Kansas City sports available right from your living room

by kate heitmann

NOW THAT WE’VE gotten more than our fair share of Patrick Mahomes commercials and down-to-the-wire Chiefs games, it’s time to find a new sport to fill the downtime on our Sundays.

Without any live Kansas City sporting events happening, flip the

channel to one of these lesser-viewed sports. It’s not like all of your classmates posted the results of the latest poker tournament on their Instagram stories, but who knows, you might become inspired to start a new quarantine hobby.

HOCKEY THE OLYMPIC CHANNEL THE OLYMPIC CHANNEL is the place to go when you have the urge to bury yourself under blankets and embrace the cold weather.

Featuring all of your go-to winter Olympic sports, from skeleton to slalom skiing to speed skating, this channel has you covered.

Watching Adam Rippon skate across the ice might just inspire you to try out skating yourself, whether it be digging out the roller skates from that phase in quarantine or skidding across the frozen Ward Parkway fountains in your rubber boots.

Although some of the shows may just be re-runs from the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, it’ll take you back to a simpler time of the world uniting for a peaceful Winter Olympics.

CORNHOLE WITH SHARE’S UPCOMING cornhole tournament, it’s time to brush off your cornhole skills and study the masters.

Cornhole tournaments are as straightforward as recess games — winners play winners and each team consists of two players.

Watching a cornhole tournament is an easy way to pass the time spent trapped inside avoiding sub-zero temperatures. After all, we’ve all played cornhole, and it’s proven to be the easiest sport in which to say, “I totally could’ve made that shot.”

IF YOU’RE GETTING tired of the constant stream of Chiefs red or royal and sporting blue, switch it up and pick a Hockey team with an entirely different color scheme to add some fun to your closet.

Since Kansas City doesn’t have an official National Hockey League hockey team, you’re a free agent. Carefully pick your alliances and team favorites — whether it be the San Jose Sharks or Pittsburgh Penguins.

And if you want to entirely shift your focus to Canada, join the Scotia North Division and add the Toronto Maple Leafs to your feed.

The hockey season started just a month ago, so there’s plenty of time to catch up between now and the Stanley Cup. While poker and cornhole are a lot more calm, hockey is good alternative to fast-paced basketball games. Watching the players zip by on the ice is a lot more enjoyable when you aren’t on the edge of the skating rink at Crown Center.

POKER EVEN IF YOUR knowledge of poker is limited to the poker scene in “Casino Royale,” I promise poker isn’t too hard to figure out.

A common card game, poker consists of players creating what they think would be the best possible combination of their cards, and it sometimes involves gambling thousands of dollars on a single game.

Only a quick wikiHow poker video is needed to pick up the gist of the game — leave memorizing the terms for later. And even if you haven’t learned to play yet, it’s still fun to look at the players’ face to see if you can surmise any of their plays — nevermind the camera showing their cards.

Although the players may be stressed as they might just be able to retire off of that night’s winnings, poker is a stress-free experience for the viewer. The quiet scene and commentators leave you to figure out what you think each player should do, so it’s almost like you’re playing right there with them.