The Harbinger Issue 12 2023-24

Student Body President senior Jack Kessler was accepted to West Point

Members of the East community at the Super Bowl parade shooting deal with trauma and intense fear amid calls for legislative change

A current event happening in South Central Coppell, Texas, according to the Coppell Student Media news site

The Honors Astronomy teacher, Angela Barnes, recently hosted their annual Moon Party where students were able to use telescopes to observe the moon in honor of the upcoming solar eclipse.

The solar eclipse will happen on April 8 this year after a break last year due to an ice storm.

SCAN ME WEBSITE

Visit this link to view more stories from Coppell Student Media

PRINT EDITORS

Katie Murphy

Greyson Imm

ONLINE EDITORS

Aanya Bansal

Maggie Kissick

HEAD COPY EDITORS

Greyson Imm

Aanya Bansal

ASST. PRINT EDITORS

Addie Moore

Avery Anderson

ASST. ONLINE EDITORS

Connor Vogel

Larkin Brundige

ASST. HEAD COPY EDITOR

Ada Lillie Worthington

HEAD PHOTO EDITORS

Riley Scott

Liv Madden

Kenna Harrington

VIDEO EDITORS

Abby Lee

Ryder Hendon

ASST. PHOTO EDITORS

Caroline Martucci

Clara Peters

Amelie Wong

ASST. VIDEO EDITORS

Mason Sajna

Alex Sajna

design by avery anderson

cover design by katie murphy cover photo by liv madden

Visit smeharbinger.net to view additional stories, galleries, podcasts and videos

COPPELL STUDENT MEDIA COPPELL HIGH SCHOOL

DESIGN EDITORS

Veronica Mangine

Bridget Connelly

ASST. DESIGN EDITOR

Kai McPhail

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITORS

Maggie Kissick

Bridget Connelly

ASST. SOCIAL MEDIA EDITORS

Isabel Balsassaro

Lyla Weeks

ART EDITOR

Bridget Connelly

ASST. ART EDITOR

Kai McPhail

PODCAST EDITOR

Emma Krause

PHOTO MENTORS

Molly Miller

Paige Bean

Will Griffith

Mason Sajna

VIDEO MENTOR

Preston Hooker

PRINT SECTION EDITORS

EDITORIAL | Kai McPhail

NEWS | Sydney Eck

FEATURE | Sophia Brockmeier

SPORTS | Libby Marsh

OPINION | Isabel Baldassaro

A&E | Lucy Stephens

SCAN ME WEBSITE

Read an opinion on if Kanye West is coming back with his new album “Virtues 1,” a news story about issues in the parking lot due to a lack of space and an A&E reviewing different recipes from celebrities

ONLINE POST MANAGER

Luciana Mendy

COPY EDITORS

Katie Murphy

Greyson Imm

Maggie Kissick

Aanya Bansal

Ada Lillie Worthington

Addie Moore

Emmerson Winfrey

Libby Marsh

David Allegri

Sophia Brockmeier

Larkin Brundige

Lucy Wolf

Connor Vogel

Avery Anderson

Luke Beil

Neva Hudson

Luciana Mendy

STAFF WRITERS

Mary Gagen

Isabel Baldassaro

Maggie Condon

Christian Gooley

Preston Hooker

Lucy Stephens

Emma Krause

Michael Yi

Reese Dunham

Mya Smith

Neil Williams

Carl Sutton

STAFF ARTISTS

Larkin Brundige

Zane Laing

Julia Campbell

Hallie O’Bryan

Bella Broce

Francesca Lorusso

PAGE DESIGNERS

Emmerson Winfrey

Zane Laing

Lyla Weeks

Clara Burdick

Lorelei Galles

Julia Campbell

Bella Broce

Francesca Lorusso

Hallie O’Bryan

MULTIMEDIA STAFF

Mary Gagen

Luke Beil

Paige Bean

Ryan Dehan

Mason Sajna

Alex Sajna

Emma Krause

Preston Hooker

Christian Gooley

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS

Alex Sajna

Maggie Condon

Lyla Weeks

Molly Scott

Francesca Lorusso

Addie Clark

Katie Cook

Caroline Hoffman

SME Harbinger The Harbinger

SM East Harbinger smeharbinger

EDITORIAL POLICY

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 confrmed 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 though letters may be edited for clarity, length or mechanics. Letters should be sent to Room 400 or emailed to smeharbinger@gmail.com.

cartoon by hallie o’bryan

PREVENTION

EDUCATION

Gun education throughout grade school can prevent irresponsible decisions regarding guns in the future

THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS

swarmed to downtown Kansas City to attend the Super Bowl parade on Feb. 14. Local schools closed for the celebration, but the day ended with one dead and 21 injured after an argument between several people escalated into a mass shooting, according to BBC.

All gun owners need to be educated on the responsibilities of firearm safety and ownership to ensure that a simple argument does not escalate into a full-blown shooting — especially not in a public setting with children as collateral.

Prevention of gun violence starts with education in grade school. In a poll of 196 students, only 11% believe that East adequately educates them about gun safety.

In elementary school we’re taught that arguments should never be solved with violence and that the solution is to talk it out and settle it peacefully. Guns are no exception, and the lack of gun education at East needs to be fixed.

At the national level, according to Everytown for Gun Safety, only nine states — not including Kansas or Missouri — have policies that ensure gun buyers know the

safety basics for handling and using firearms. All states need to adopt this policy before allowing a citizen to purchase a gun. Though the Second Amendment states that United States citizens have “the right to bear arms,” it doesn’t say that citizens have the right to own guns irresponsibly.

According to the Kansas City Star, Lyndell Mays, a 23-year-old charged with seconddegree murder at the parade shooting, was previously charged with disorderly conduct when he pulled out a handgun during a dispute on a basketball court at a community center in Belton, Missouri in April 2021.

At the Super Bowl parade, Mays again drew a gun to “protect his siblings,” but in reality his poor decision led to the death of a mother of two and left a permanent scar on Union Station — an epicenter of city celebrations.

Regulations for pulling out a gun and firing need to be put in place. We no longer live in the Wild West, arguments just can’t be settled with bar duels.

And school districts can play a part in preventing gun violence through education. Currently, there’s no national law urging schools to educate their students on gun safety. That needs to change.

BOOKS NOT BULLETS

EACH DAY 12

CHILDREN DIE FROM GUN

4.6 MILLION CHILDREN ARE ESTIMATED TO LIVE IN A HOME WHERE A FIREARM IS PRESENT

WHAT IT ALLOWS

Yes, the Shawnee Mission School District instills the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program which educates students briefly on the topic of firearms, but this program ends in sixth grade. In a poll of 172 students, 74% feel that DARE did not adequately teach them about gun safety. Some SMSD schools like Westwood View Elementary don’t even include the DARE program in their curriculum.

A more extensive program needs to be brought to the high school level to ensure that students understand the importance of gun safety. A few minutes of advisory could be geared toward teachers presenting short engaging videos about gun safety to their students. East could also use seminar time to host assemblies discussing gun safety to address student concerns about shootings.

In a poll of 215 students, 62% worry about the possibility of a school shooting at East. And they have reason to be anxious. In February 2018, a teen fatally shot 17 students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida. In January 2023, a 6-year-old boy in Virginia shot his teacher after obtaining a gun from his mom’s dresser. Gun safety education

Stats about gun violence in the U.S. according to www.sandyhookpromise.org

GUNS ARE THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH AMONG KIDS & TEENS

programs could help dispel fear of incidents like these because students would better understand the danger guns can present. Death, disabilities and injuries from gun violence can be prevented.

Guns aren’t a toy that kids should have easy access to, and those who chose to buy them — especially parents — need to know how to safely own them.

Students need to learn how to store and handle firearms safely so that violent outbreaks like these are avoided. With education, students will better understand the importance of keeping guns away from their own kids once they reach adulthood. The minors — whose names were not disclosed due to a Missoui law protecting their privacy — involved in the parade shooting may have kept their guns tucked away in their backpacks if they were taught about the serious implications of pulling out a gun in public.

Nationwide gun education is the first step toward a safe community for students and their families.

68% OF GUNS USED IN VIOLENCE ARE TAKEN FROM THE HOME, A FRIEND OR RELATIVE VIOLENCE

FIREARM DEATHS OCCUR AT A RATE 5+ TIMES MORE THAN DROWNING

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.

Briefs . . .

smeharbinger.net/category/news

THE lancer minute

SCAN ME VIDEO

Visit Instagram Reels to hear staffer Emma Krause discuss these events and see more photos

THE FREELANCER IS FORMATTING THEIR FINAL PAGES

student-run literary arts magazine — is formatting their final pages and choosing what artwork will go in the magazine after their final submission deadline for artwork on Feb. 29.

“We can’t take any more pieces [after the 29th] because if we do, we’re not going to be able to get this publication finished,” Freelancer Design Editor Roslyn Carle said. “So if you’re a junior or sophomore or freshman, you can still submit stuff after the deadline, but it will be in next year’s publication.”

The publishing date is not set but the 20-person staff hopes to finalize the publication by the middle of April and publish in the first few weeks of May, mirroring the schedule from past years. The staff also chose the theme of their magazine in November, but the theme remains a secret.

“We did pick our theme, but it’s always top

secret,” Freelancer sponsor Amy Andersen said. “And one reason for that is that we don’t want the theme to influence the nature of the submissions. So the theme is always broad enough that it can be applicable for anything.”

Editors and staff will spend the next few weeks rating the artwork submitted and deciding what goes into the publication. The artwork is rated on a scale of one to five and the strongest-rated pieces will end up in the magazine, according to Andersen.

“Most of the time, we’re just looking at [the] quality [of the work],” Freelancer Editor-in-Chief Cil Hoch said. “Is this well written? Is there attention to detail or basics of composition? Does this look nice or not?”

This year’s magazine will be available to preorder in early May.

POTENTIAL KANSAS HOUSE BILL WOULD ALLOW RELIGIOUS CHAPLAINS TO PROVIDE RELIGIOUS COUNSELING IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

and Senate will hold a hearing for House Bill 2732 in March. This bill would allow religious chaplains — religious leaders who provide spiritual support and guidance — to provide religious counseling in public schools.

If enacted, the bill would allow individual schools like East to employ a chaplain to provide religious support, services and programs.The bill doesn’t specify whether or not schools would have to hire a chaplain for every religion. The chaplains would not be required to obtain any form of teaching license, according to Kansas House Bill 2732.

Spanish teacher Dr. Anna Thiele believes that this bill infringes on the right of freedom of religion and the separation of church and

state. Additionally, she believes public schools shouldn’t provide religious counseling to students.

“It’s not [a public] school’s responsibility to provide religious support to students,” Thiele said. “We’re here to educate kids and get them ready for the real world.”

Thiele believes that if schools have the money to hire chaplains, they should utilize that money toward hiring someone who’s trained in mental health.

Sophomore Elijah Wilson believes that it’s fine for schools to hire religious chaplains. Wilson transferred from Bishop Miege High School this year, and he believes these chaplains would give similar religious resources like the daily prayers and monthly masses provided

at Miege for students who don’t go to private schools.

“[Hiring chaplains] won’t mean that [public] schools will be forcing religion on people,” Wilson said. “Students who want to talk about religion at school should be able to.”

In Kansas, clergy members aren’t mandated reporters. Thiele believes that hiring chaplains would create a space for abuse to be hidden. She’s also concerned about how religious minorities will be represented.

“If we hired a Christian chaplain, how do you think that would make an Atheist, Muslim or Jewish student feel?” Thiele said. “It seems exclusionary, not inclusionary.”

BLUE KNIGHTS JAZZ BAND COMPETED AT KMEA STATE FROM FEB. 22 - 24

jazz band performed at the Kansas Music Educators Association state music conference in Wichita from Feb. 22-24. They were one of five high school jazz bands from across the state chosen to perform.

In order to qualify for this event, the band had to send in an audition video. Band director Alex Toepfer submitted videos of the band playing four songs from their spring jazz concert last year, and the videos were reviewed by band directors and board members.

“It’s a really big deal for us to be selected,” Toepfer said. “I was really proud of how [the Blue Knights] performed and a lot of the music teachers there were really impressed with how we played, and I got a lot of compliments all weekend about them.”

Alongside the performance, the band had 16 members audition for the all-state band and seven members qualified. Four students qualified for the all-state jazz band — junior Brennan Barnes, sophomore Nash Ohlund,

sophomore William Barcus and senior Hudson O’Neill, the most from any school in the state. Three students qualified for the concert band: sophomore Eli Moon, senior Anson Tippie and sophomore Max McMahon.

“[The all-state musicians] performed really well,” Toepfer said. “The clinician was really happy with how they did. Those were two of the best high school Allstate bands I’ve ever heard. So they played really, really well.”

design

A video series highlighting photos from galleries and recapping recent events

ABOVE Senior Patrick Flint recreates Rihanna’s Superbowl performance during Mr. Cansas.

photo by kenna harrington

photo by lyla weeks

ABOVE Senior Beck Jones walks towards the back of the stage after being announced. photo by kenna harrington

ABOVE Seniors Rowan Gibson, Greyson Imm, Charlie Crossley and Beck Jones sing “Creep” during Mr. Cansas. photo by kenna harrington

ABOVE Sophomores Rosa Sosland and Jonah Rogers collaborate during a Free Lancer meeting

REZONING NIGHTMARE

THE JOHNSON COUNTY

District Court ruled that a petition requesting a city-wide vote on the city of Westwood’s “New Feature Park Development” was invalid on Feb. 26.

Westwood can now move forward with a redevelopment project, even if residents oppose it. The project, developed by Karbank Real Estate, includes office and retail buildings where Joe D. Dennis Park currently resides on Rainbow Blvd. The company also plans to create a new 3.8 acre park near the former Westwood View Elementary School.

“I am grateful for the Court’s ruling, which allows for the city’s vision — as reflected in years of work, planning and resident input — to become a reality,” in a press release Westwood Mayor David Waters said. “We understand that some residents may still have concerns with this project, but we are thankful for their engagement, which led to significant positive changes in the original proposal.”

Residents filed the petition due to their belief that the new development will be incompatible with the simple residential community and shouldn’t replace the current park. However, the petition was dismissed by both the judge and city council mainly due to the lack of a proposed question for the ballot.

Westwood View alum senior Adam Minto has lived in Westwood for 12 years and spent his childhood playing with friends, having water balloon fights and watching movies at Joe D. Dennis Park.

“I didn’t really know the full scope of [the development] but hearing that they were going to turn that into office space, I was not a big fan of that,” Adam said. “I really love that park, and now I kind of feel like it’d be good to bring business in but it’s definitely going to

change the feel of that area.”

The Friends of Westwood Parkland — formed by local residents — have opposed the proposed development for months. On Dec. 22 the group acquired 169 verified signatures for a protest petition towards the new development under Kansas Statute 12-1301—a law that gives residents the right to petition sales or exchanges of park land.

The city council unanimously invalidated the petition in January and filed for a declaratory judgment from a Johnson County judge on the matter. During the hearing, the judge decided on three main items: whether the protest petition language could be placed on a ballot, if there are any other reasons the petition is invalid and whether statute 12-1301 applies to the sale of Joe D. Dennis Park. The judge ruled against the residents’ petition on all items.

The city attorney explained that the petition’s lack of a possible question citizens wanted on the ballot made it invalid. According to City Council President Jeff Harris, the city would be in legal jeopardy if they were to write the question themselves and someone who signed the petition didn’t agree with it.

Resident of Westwood Hills Mike Hoffman who has lived directly across from Joe D. Dennis Park since 1983, opposes the city’s actions and responses to residents’ concerns.

“I think it’s hogwash, as far as a question to get the people to vote,” Hoffman said. “[The city] can write the question, the city should be writing that question, that’s not ours to write. Our [petition] was just saying [the Karbank Project] should go to a vote for the people, which is what 12-1301 cites.”

When Hoffman learned of the proposed project in March last year, he sent an email to Waters asking him to

reconsider replacing the park with fourstory buildings. According to Hoffman, he received no response but attended multiple city council meetings over the past months expressing his opposition.

Hoffman’s and other resident’s main concern is that the project simply isn’t compatible with the community. According to Hoffman, having four-story buildings in a residential neighborhood doesn’t fit with the local architecture. Another major issue was the amount of traffic the new development would bring.

“That whole area does have a lot of traffic and [the Karbank project] is probably gonna hurt that and make it more congested, so I hope they put lots of crosswalks and stuff because crossing [Rainbow Boulevard] is a pain,” Adam said. “I hope that they think about that when redesigning the area, making sure that it’s safe for people.”

The city has established a park planning committee to guide officials on plans for the new park. This group is set to begin meeting in early March. Adam’s brother, senior Chris Minto, was selected to be a part of the committee and hopes to make the development authentic.

“I want to shape something that the city of Westwood can really be proud of,” Chris said. “Joe Dennis Park was a huge part of my life growing up in Westwood, and a lot of people grew up in Westwood, so I think something unique to Westwood is what would be really good for us.”

This spring, the city will launch a citizen survey aimed at better understanding residents’ needs for other city services. Officials will use the feedback for a new strategic planning process. The city plans to close the sale with Karbank on or before Aug. 1.

COUNTDOWN TO BREAKING GROUND

A timeline of events concerning the construction of the park and surrounding area

MARCH ‘23

Karbank Real Estate proposed the new commercial development to the city council

DECEMBER ‘23

Residents fle protest petition requesting a citywide vote on the Karbank Project

JANUARY ‘24

The city council declares the protest petition invalid and fles for declaratory judgment in district court Court rules in favor of city’s request for declaratory judgment on petition, declaring it’s invalid

FEBRUARY ‘24

MARCH ‘24

The new park planning steering committee for the future Westwood park is set to meet, the sale is set to close on or before August 2024

design

Residents of Westwood are in opposition of the city’s development plans for Joe D. Dennis Park and Westwood View Elementary

APPLICATIONS OUT NOW!

Upcoming applications due for sophomores and juniors in areas of service, underclassmen orientation and social skills

LINK CREW | DUE MARCH 7

NEXT YEAR’S APPLICATIONS for Link Crew, East’s freshmen orientation group, are due on March 7.

Applications are open to current sophomores and juniors who are interested in leading freshman orientation day — or Link Day.

Coordinators Samantha Feinberg, Maggie Archer and Jeff Finnie are looking for a diverse group of people who show dedication, responsibility and respect, according to Feinberg.

“We want to have a good mix of people from all backgrounds,” Feinberg said. “Male and female athletes, non athletes, people who

contribute to the literary arts magazine, the people who are in Pep Club and some people don’t do any activities because we have kids coming in who relate to that. We want everybody to find somebody they can, you know, relate to or see themselves.”

Students can apply by writing an essay detailing why they want to be on Link Crew, fill out a Google Form and turn in their resume.

Selected leaders will meet for a basic information session at the end of the school year and then have two, half-day training sessions before school starts in August — ultimately leading up to Freshman Orientation Day.

Feinberg believes Link Crew helps the

freshmen get the feeling of the school and set its “vibe.”

“Every school you go to has a certain vibe or feeling about it and East has its own vibe, its own climate, its own feeling,” Feinberg said. “I don’t think Link Crew gets all the credit for that, but I think we have a part in determining what the vibe around East is, and making it the kind of place that we want it to be.”

Previous Link Leader and junior Hattie Brooks agrees that Link Crew has an impact on the incoming freshman class.

“I felt like I made [the freshmen] a bigger part of the East community,” Brooks said.

SOCIAL SKILLS PE CLASS | DUE MARCH 8

T HE DEADLINE TO apply to be a Social Skills class helper is March 8 and is open to any current student.

Socials Skills is a class focused on helping special education students form interpersonal relationships with other students. There are two different types of classes students can apply for — a third hour coffee shop where helpers will go around the school with the students with a coffee cart to deliver coffee to teachers and fifth hour in the classroom with the students helping students learn.

“High school students are more alike than

they are different,” MacNaughton said. “High school students all want to belong. They all want to be cool. They all want to have friends and be excited to be in school. They all have struggles and [the Social Skills students and helpers] can turn to each other for support.” Students participate in activities such as playing games or roleplaying different scenarios like interacting with teachers or ordering at restaurants. These help the special education students learn different skills you can’t learn in a regular classroom setting but also help the leaders improve their patience and empathy, according to Social Skills helper

SHARE EXECUTIVES | DUE MARCH 4

EXECUTIVE APPLICATIONS FOR SHARE, East’s student-run volunteering organization, are open for current juniors until March 4.

Applicants are expected to have leadership skills, a respectable code of conduct and the ability to motivate students to continue East’s community service, according to SHARE Coordinator Erin Billingsley. All SHARE Execs are required to be in the second hour class as well.

“We’re looking for somebody who can be a good leader and has creative ideas,”

Billingsley said. “[Somebody] welcoming to all kinds of people and groups and makes people motivated to volunteer and be part of SHARE.”

Prior SHARE involvement is not necessary, but executives are expected to demonstrate a passion for community service.

Students can apply by filling out a Google Form which can be found on SHARE’s website, the QR codes on posters around the school or their Instagram, @sme_share.

Executive responsibilities vary day-today, but include duties like checking up on projects, promoting volunteering or donation opportunities on social media, helping to

and senior Hannah Geffert.

“Even if you’re really confident about your social skills, you go in there and you learn these things and you say , ‘Oh, wait, there’s always something for someone to work on,’” Geffert said. “Everybody’s working on something in there, so it’s really nice to just have that time to work with other people.”

MacNaughton is looking for students who have a compassionate nature, enjoy helping others and have prior experience with people with disabilities.

organize upcoming events or going out and volunteering.

Billingsley believes being an executive teaches students leadership skills, helps them learn more about service and is an overall great way to get involved in the school.

“[SHARE] is a little less formal than sitting in a classroom but you do get to develop your skills of reaching out to different organizations or doing project management and getting to know different kids throughout the school,” Billingsley said.

TOP Current Link Leaders party with the freshman at the Link dance.

TOP Students in the Personalized PE class play volleyball together. photo by riley scott

TOP SHARE Executives plan community service events throughout the year like Senior Service Day, a dodgeball tournament raising cereal boxes for Harvester and a pageant collecting cans for Veterans CommunitWy Project. photo courtesy of SHARE

design by reese dunham

story by emmerson winfrey

photo by mason sajna

design by clara burdick photos by paige bean

COMMON TRASH

The most common trash items in the SME parking lot ranked

WITH THE HELP of SHARE coordinators Erin Billingsley and Sheryl Kaplan, sophomore Bella Broce is organizing a SHARE project where students can earn volunteer hours by picking up trash on East’s campus. The project’s first meeting will take place at 11 a.m. on March 23 with contribution from members of the Environmental Club.

Earlier this school year when Broce was walking to the Prairie Village pool parking lot, she felt ashamed as she noticed the empty Whataburger container, disposable vape pods, crushed up Twisted Tea cans and a variety of other plastics scattered around East’s property.

“It’s wild what people will leave on the ground,” Broce said. “And it just doesn’t reflect well on our school. It hurts our environment as well. I wanted to see change.”

Broce’s project asks participants to meet in the parking lot off of 75th and Mission and pick up garbage around the entirety of the campus for about two hours. Participants can sign up by scanning a QR code to access the SignUpGenius for volunteers.

Environmental Club founder and sophomore Shubra Durgavathi is grateful to see other students working to care for the environment and litter on school grounds outside of the club. She’s been passionate

PROJECT

INITIATIVE TRASH

about the environment since visiting India as a child with her family and seeing litter there — sparking her dedication to keeping the environment clean.

“We’ve been able to do a lot of good things so far,” Durgavathi said. “But we can’t care for the school all by ourselves either. It’s nice to see others care too.”

WE’VE BEEN

able to do a lot of good things so far. But we can’t care for the school all by ourselves either. It’s nice to see others care too.

According to the National Library of Medicine, the pollution by plastics has become the most impactful environmental threat. There’s a major concern regarding ‘microplastics’ which refers to debris that result from the breakdown of plastic products. Similarly, Debey is hopeful that increased awareness will aid environmental efforts.

“Microplastics have many long term effects on the environment and the animals living in it,” Debey said. “Litter is also plainly unattractive and misrepresents our school.”

According to Broce, the project will continue throughout the school year. With support from faculty, Broce’s goal is to maintain a cleaner environment at East, and set a higher standard for environmental responsibilities in the process.

Environmental Club sponsor Rusty Debey hopes that members of his generation will set a better example for upcoming generations by caring for the planet through picking up after themselves.

“It’s really unfortunate, the world we’re leaving [the younger] generation with right now,” Debey said. “It’s encouraging to see students contributing to the environment as well.”

JOIN GROUP ME

Together, the new SHARE initiative and the Environmental Club are hoping to provide further opportunities for volunteers in the future. According to Billingsley, Broce has plans for larger events, such as an event for Earth Day, to fundraise.

“Students are always welcome to propose new projects,” Billingsley said. “Even if it’s not at the typical sign-up time, we’re always looking to support students in their work to improve East and our community as a whole.”

“

The most commonly found trash item in the parking lot is soda cans.

Students find discarded alcohol containers on sidewalks.

SODA CANS

SHUBRA DURGAVATHI ENVIRONMENTAL CLUB FOUNDER

Students begin a trash pick-up initiative to clean up East’s outdoor spaces through SHARE and Environmental Club

BELLA BROCE SHARE CHAIR

Opinion hot take

smeharbinger.net/opinion

story by michael yi

Pets are gross and unethical to keep despite being “cute”

OWNING PETS IS a sin.

Pets are inherently unhygienic. I don’t want to touch an animal that licks itself clean or is constantly infested with ticks. You either have to let the wretched thing outdoors, where it will eventually track mud and grime onto your carpet, or always keep it inside, surrendering your home to constant surprise excrement.

Not to mention the ethics of keeping caged pets, leaving them to waste away in the glass coffin of a tank or terrarium. Maybe bigger animals like dogs don’t live in cages, but they are commonly bred for traits that compress and damage their organs for the sake of being “cuter.” Then there’s the pets you spay, neuter and declaw so they act like meek little playthings.

trending

On top of all that, pets are a leech on the economy. They cost thousands of dollars in food, toys, beds and veterinarian care, yet generate zero value. If every pet-owner put that money into the S&P 500 instead, we might even avoid the next recession.

Sure, some fools argue that pets are cute, loyal friends in order to justify emotional attachment to a captive animal, but pigs are far more complex and social than dogs, and I’m not hearing anyone weep over their plate of bacon.

I do think there are certain exemptions for service animals or bomb-sniffing dogs, but the majority of pet-owning is immoral, costly and unsanitary, and the whole institution should be abolished. Release them all into the wild.

Polls and information about current trending topics in media

Once seen as a scam, now people of all ages are buying Temu packages after seeing the infamous Super Bowl ad.

*Instagram

Swedish candy TikTok

The new trends of influencers opening and trying bags of sweet and sour Swedish candies have taken over For You pages everywhere.

Temu

katie murphy

Books by diverse authors about a variety of cultures should be added to the required reading list

Isenior reading the last required novel for an English class in my high school career, and I’m disappointed.

Not because I’ve read too many required books — 16 total. I enjoy reading. I’m disappointed because I never once saw my culture as a Vietnamese American, or any Asian cultures at all, represented in the required reading.

Out of the 16 books, 12 were focused on main characters set in European cultures. Take “Lord of the Flies” about a group of white American kids stranded on an island and “Great Gatsby” about wealthy East Coast couples. Fifteen were written by white authors and 13 were written by men.

If the universe was constructed out of my required reading novels, it’d officially be a white male Eurocentric bubble.

Students from nonEuropean cultures need to see themselves

represented by diverse characters and authors to understand that they belong. Other students would benefit from reading about experiences different from their own — especially in a largely homogenous community like East.

But we can’t expect high schoolers to check out cultural books in their free time, so books by multicultural authors about a variety of backgrounds should be added to the required reading curriculum. The International Baccalaureate English program offered at East already includes books about Egyptian, Indian, Japanese, Black cultures and more, but standard, honors and AP classes should follow suit.

All students should be required to gain new cultural perspectives so that they’re more prepared for the real world after high school, which — spoiler alert — is full of diverse cultures. Access can’t just be restricted to a select group of IB students.

Going to school in Prairie Village is already isolating for minority students who learn about mainly Eurocentric history surrounded by mostly white classmates and teachers. English is a class with open discussions about novels — the perfect and only other opportunity for students to learn about the traditions, foods, struggles and overall life of Asian, Black, Latino and other cultures.

Both minority and non-minority students don’t even know what they’re missing out on.

Classics that hold valuable lessons about morality and literary analysis should stay, like Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451” which teaches about the dangers of censorship and Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” which introduces students to iambic pentameter.

But instead of reading two more Shakespeare plays — “Othello” and

“Hamlet” — I wish we had read a novel following characters in authentic African, Asian or South American culture. Even as a senior, I feel like my cultural understanding is lacking compared to out-of-state friends who study more varied curricula or are surrounded by a more diverse peer group.

I wish that as a class we’d read about at least one Asian role model or plot line that was more relatable during high school. As sad as it sounds, I hadn’t considered reading a book about Vietnamese characters until this year — or that a book like that might even exist — because I’ve been so conditioned to reading Eurocentric books at school.

Yes, the English department has taught me invaluable skills in literary analysis, writing composition, figurative language and poetry that I’m grateful for.

But I feel like I’ve missed out on four years of opportunities to read and have interesting discussions about other cultures with classmates that could’ve led to greater understanding, like breaking down multigenerational Latino conflicts in Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s “One Hundred Years of Solitude” or analyzing a variety of East Asian superstitions in Amy Tan’s “Joy Luck Club.”

Instead, I’ve sat through humiliating socratic seminars about “The Outliers,” a novel written by a non-Asian author that includes an entire chapter about how Asians are smart because their ancestors worked in rice paddies, where my majority-white class discussed whether or not the rice paddy theory is true. Academic success is a result of hard work and studying, not because a fraction of East Asians decades ago were farmers just like thousands of other non-Asian people.

I’ve read about satirical imaginary “savage”

Native Americans with “inhuman” face paint in “Brave New World,” when I wish we had read about real Native American experiences.

Harmful stereotypes don’t count as cultural representation.

The prejudice that many older titles contain might’ve been more widely-accepted in the past, but required classics in English class that include dehumanizing stereotypes should, at the very least, be accompanied with contextual information teaching students about the harmful truth of the stereotypes instead of ignoring blatant bias.

It’s true that many East English classes offer students “choice” novels, where we get to pick our own book, that allow individual opportunities for cultural learning. Reading about a Vietnamese family for the first time in my most recent choice novel was comforting as the characters ate food that I have at my grandparents’ house and dealt with refugee struggles that my family also navigates.

But while all three of the choice novels that I’ve selected in the past four years have been about diverse characters — “A Lesson Before Dying,” “Joy Luck Club” and “The Refugees” — I’ve watched as classmates simply go for the book with the least number of pages.

We shouldn’t make cultural books a “choice” for students to decide whether they want to indulge in or not — which many students who would benefit from cultural exposure the most might not select.

I hope that the English department will culturally enhance the required reading list in the coming years. Or else, minoritized students will graduate disappointed, feeling like their family’s culture is less valuable than their white classmates’.

It’s time to pop that cultural bubble and read books that mirror the beautifully diverse real world.

THE READING LIST

A list of books that is required reading and Katie’s choice books

CHOICE

- “THE REFUGEES”

- “THE JOY LUCK CLUB”

- “A LESSON BEFORE DYING”

- “FARENHEIT 451”

- “THE GLASS CASTLE”

- “SHAKESPEARE”

- “LORD OF THE FLIES”

- “ANIMAL FARM”

- “THE BOOK THIEF”

- “FRANKENSTEIN”

- ETC.

design by kenna harrington

POWER

Chinese Club hosted a Lunar New Year celebration after school on Feb. 15 to celebrate the Year of the Dragon SCAN ME PHOTO

Scan this code to view the photos from this event.

OF THE DRAGON

“Traditionally, the Chinese Lunar New Year celebration is to scare away a mythical beast,” Rosemann said.

“The dragon and [the] lion dance are supposed to be really loud and flashy to scare it off.”

BOTTOM RIGHT Sophomore Leniah Ward poses with an umbrella while sophomore Joyce Jiang takes her photo. “I do really enjoy being around the culture and looking at all the things,” Ward said. “I just find it really interesting.”

photo by alex sajna

TOP LEFT Chinese Club President Nathan Daniels leads the lion dance, a tradition for Lunar New Year Celebrations.

“We went through a couple of test runs before the actual dance,” Daniels said. “My favorite part was controlling the eyes and mouth.”

photo by francesca lorusso

BOTTOM LEFT Chinese teacher Hau-in Lau serves dumplings into a bowl. “Each food has a meaning that helps enhance the probability of luck and prosperity into the new year,” Chinese Club member Nina Yun said.

photo by kenna harrington

TOP RIGHT President Blue Rosemann leads the dragon dance during the celebration.

photo by kenna harrington

Wgot home.

“We should stop overthinking it,” my sister said as we sat in silence in my mom’s car after being picked up early from school. We were both scared, but assumed some distant relative had passed.

Picturing the reason we were called out as a natural and inevitable loss made it easier for me to sit there and wait, not knowing what was to come.

When we got home my parents were sitting silently on the couch. Once we sat down they told us. My dad’s best friend, a former Marine Raider and close friend of mine — Frenchie — had died that morning.

“Death by suicide.”

Reaching out to veterans in need is simple and can save countless lives, even if you can’t see clear signs of mental illness initially. Just reach out, as I know how much I wish I did in regards to mental health.

I called him every week though, and we’d talk until one of us had to go since we couldn’t meet up in-person. He lived in Montana, and I’d driven up twice to see him surrounded by mountains and national parks. I was excited for a third visit. Now I’m not so excited.

I didn’t know Frenchie too well until about four years ago. I came down to the basement where my dad was on a call with him talking about military technology. I had input on the matter and used the correct jargon and

COUNTING

design by veronica mangine story by preston hooker

INVISIBLE INVISIBLE

WOUNDS

language without thinking twice. Frenchie was so impressed he bought me a year-long “Master Class” subscription.

We talked frequently from there, the topic of discussion being something intellectually straining like philosophy or technology. It felt like he saw me as more than just a teenage boy, but as a friend — someone he could genuinely talk to.

When I started to struggle with suicidal ideation at the end of last year, I didn’t tell anyone. So, when I eventually went inpatient my parents were confused and scared. When my dad first saw me in that psych ward, the first thing he said was “I have someone you should talk to — they’ve had a similar struggle.”

That someone was Frenchie.

We began to call more frequently, whenever we were both available. I told him everything, and he opened up some too.

It took me hours of therapy and medication to see that there is a way out, but I don’t have post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). I don’t have the same kind of trauma that Frenchie had. The lack of resources available to veterans has put emphasis on mental health more than ever because the source of the problem is directly seen as PTSD. But the evidence of how inefficient this system has been is overbearing.

According to the 2023 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report — over 17 veterans die by suicide daily in the U.S.. Those

are 17 individual lives that fought for the very country that didn’t account for the trauma they induced.

Reaching out to those who have served and encouraging them to seek help is something everyone can do, all you need to do is inform others.

Frenchie had tried to get help by going into in-patient therapy, yet it either wasn’t enough or wasn’t the right fit for him. He shouldn’t have had to seek out help; help should’ve sought him out.

I understand that the military has become much more accountable for PTSD and trauma with the addition of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) programs in recent years, but that doesn’t regard the thousands of former-soldiers who are still suffering every day.

Frenchie had done it all, he’d flown an F/A-18 Hornet, deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and Japan. He graduated from the U.S. NavyFighter Weapons School — TOPGUN — and fought with a special forces battalion as well as earned countless medals and awards while amassing over 400 combat flight hours.

He was the perfect soldier, but even a man like him didn’t receive the emotional support he needed. His duty was to follow orders without hesitation or question, yet had to live with the haunting burden of his actions that he was ordered to carry out by the U.S., causing large amounts of PTSD and guilt.

This was all during the early to late 2000s,

High veteran suicide rates show that students must advocate for veteran well-being and more accessible mental health resources

so the mental health advocacy had just started to become abundant. The main program — TRICARE coverage — was founded in 1996 but didn’t see real use until the early 2010s.

Yet the program still requires former or current military personnel to ask for help, when I believe that it should be a requirement to have multiple evaluative sessions with a professional psychologist or therapist in order to determine if more help is required or not.

And there are very successful solutions like EMDR, which has shown that up to 90% of single-trauma (single events that are traumatizing) victims no longer have PTSD after only three 90-minute sessions, according to PTSD UK.

Everyone has their struggles, but ignoring a huge cause of them for thousands of Americans is tolerated up until it impacts someone personally. I know that everyone that knew Frenchie wishes they would have reached out to help, as do I — yet there is no real way we could have helped. We are not professionals, we can’t prescribe medication or properly diagnose illnesses.

I encourage those who have family members or friends that are or have been in the military to find any potential signs of PTSD, as there are solutions. There is hope.

That day when I was called out of school, he was the last thing on my mind, and now he consumes it, but that doesn’t mean anyone else has to lose their Frenchie, because I know how much I miss mine.

Veteran mental health statistics according to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs for 2020 AN AVERAGE

16.8

THIS ISSUE IN

photos

A look inside student life at East in the past two weeks of school

SHOW AND

TELL

Two Mr. CANsas candidates share what their talent was at the Feb. 21 show

DAVIS MUTHER | SENIOR

WHAT TO PACK

Students share their must-have item for spring break trips

“

IT’S REALLY EASY to distract yourself because my family is kind of crazy. I like to listen to true crime podcasts and Taylor Swift music and enjoy my time being calm.

“

IF YOU’RE DOWN on the beach with your friends it just makes the vibe better and it’s not as awkward. When there’s music, everyone’s happy and that’s defnitely the case every time.

MY TALENT WAS playing race car noises on my trombone. I wanted to do something involving my instrument since I was Mr. Band, but I also wanted to do something kind of funny and witty and make people laugh.

“I WORK IN a distillery, so I know all about making mocktails, and I didn’t want to be doing what every other person was doing. I kind of fgured I’d be told I couldn’t do it, and they said that I was good long as I didn’t make a mess.

“

I FIND IT a necessity if you’re going anywhere warm and you want to get super tan. I know a lot of girls like to tan and use the fake canned stuff, but lotion is just another alternative.

BOTTOM Junior Sienna Aarons works on a piece in her painting class with painting teacher Jody Schnakenberg.

photo by paige bean

TOP Freshman Evelyn Bagley wraps paper in a spiral through a process called “quilling” in her Intro to Studio Art class. photo by caroline hoffmann

photo by caroline martucci

design by sophia brockmeier photos by riley scott, paige bean, caroline martucci & caroline hoffmann

TOP An elementary school student holds a tarantula during a presentation done by students in the Environmental Education class.

LUCY COSTELLO FRESHMAN

TUCKER WARD SOPHOMORE

STELLA KAUFMAN FRESHMAN

HEADPHONES SPEAKER TANNING LOTION

A COMMUNITY

RECOVERING .

MEMBERS OF THE East community continue to suffer from trauma and intense fear of gun violence after the Feb. 14 Super Bowl parade shooting and are calling for legislative change.

The shooting was a result of a verbal conflict between parade attendees and caused one death and 21 injuries, according to the Associated Press. Though this was the amount of direct casualties, East students and community members report being affected by the violence emotionally and psychologically.

Senior Claire Schudy was one of these students. Ever since the day of the shooting, she’s dealt with an intense fear that’s common among witnesses of traumatic events. For Schudy, it’s mostly manifested itself in the form of persistent violent dreams laden with imagery of guns and war.

Additionally, Schudy says she still doesn’t feel the same safety in large crowds like she once did. As someone who is used to regularly taking precautions like checking exits in large public spaces in case of a shooting event, actually having to use these precautions when shots are fired mere yards from you completely changes things, she said.

Between a rumored school shooting threat last December and witnessing a mass shooting just weeks ago, gun violence is one of her biggest concerns.

“You don’t think it’s gonna happen to you and so that slight chance of actually being near gunshots and an automatic rifle in a public place is just really unsettling,” Schudy said. “But the fact that two of these things have sort of happened in the past four months is very eye-opening and shows that [gun violence] is actually a real problem [in our community].”

She’s not alone in this sentiment.

Out of a poll of 276 East community members who attended the parade, 58% said they feel unsafe in large public gatherings as a result of the shooting and 62% said they are worried about the potential of a school shooting at East. Overall, students report feeling much more unsafe as a result, and this fear can have intense repercussions as well.

Children and teenagers who lived within blocks of a shooting were found to be more likely to visit the ER for mental health reasons following the incident with symptoms like panic attacks and suicidal ideation, according to a study published in JAMA Pediatric Health Journal. The same study reports that living near shooting incidents increased dropout rates, depression and learning difficulties while hurting academic performance.

Even among other members of the East community, the impact of trauma was apparent. Local emergency doctor and East parent Adam Algren was working at University Health hospital just half a mile from Union Station when the shooting occurred. Once several ambulances brought more than a dozen shooting victims into the hospital for treatment, staff members were forced to enact the mass casualty protocol for the first time in Algren’s 25-year career at University Health.

“As our society has evolved over the last decade or two, unfortunately across the country we certainly have seen more of these incidents, and unfortunately we’ve had to understand that it could happen in our community and have to think about how we would respond to an event like that,” Algren said. “So it is a rather unfortunate thing that is a part of our society nowadays, but we are prepared to manage if needed.”

While he deals primarily with physical injuries,

Algren notes the psychological severity of fear-related trauma after witnessing an event like this.

Though junior Brynn Delaney initially felt this sense of fear when she was running from the shots, it was replaced with sadness in the following days and weeks as she heard of the children injured in the shooting. Watching the news and seeing several children reported injured, she thought of the little boy she hid under a semi truck with until his mom found him.

Though she wasn’t severely psychologically impacted by the event, the sadness for the victims still persists.

“When we came out from under the semi truck we saw all the moms and dads standing up, screaming for their kids and on the phone just crying,” Delaney said. “It’s still weird to see that these two guys impacted the entire city of people.”

Sophomore Hank Hunter had a similar experience, viscerally remembering the crying children and adults he had to help get over the metal barricade at the front of the rally.

He echoes Claire’s shock that an event like this happened in his home city, on a day of celebration for his hometown football team. Though he doesn’t have a hard time in public spaces, going back down to Union Station to visit Science City with his family felt “off” and “different,” as it brought back the memories of panic and fear the day of the shooting.

“When bad things are brought up I feel like a lot of people make the assumption ‘That’s not gonna happen to me,’” Hunter said. “But the shooting did happen, and I was there for it. It’s just pretty shocking to know that these things could escalate to the point where someone would feel the need to bring a gun to this celebration where people are trying to have fun.”

To offer support to students after the shooting,

Student Resource Officer more conscious about being and keeping his office available who wanted to talk to him

“We’re obviously more [Shull] and I are more visible give people some comfort,”

However, he said no resulted from the shooting, building is already safe during one unlocked entrance.

Grandparents for Gun Judy Sherry says she’s seen sense of community fear into

At the monthly Grandparents Meeting on Feb. 26, Sherry people in attendance compared Out of those 140, at least Sherry is disappointed for attendance, she’s appreciative people fighting for change

“We do not deserve to go,” Sherry said. “The whole new sense of fear after this.”

Though little legislative far since the shooting and procedure is undergoing accommodate for mass shooting Kansas City Mayor Quinton

Trauma and fear of gun violence proliferates the East community after Feb. 14 Super Bowl parade shooting 2

AMERICANS

MILE OF A 2014 ACCORDING GUN VIOLENCE

Tony Woollen says he’s been being there for students in need available for the few students him after it happened.

vigilant and [Officer] Jeremy visible after [the shooting] just to comfort,” Woolen said. policy or procedure change shooting, as the SROs confirm the during the day with the only

Safety president and founder seen people turning this pervasive into action.

Grandparents For Gun Safety Sherry noticed more than 140 compared to the usual 60-70. 30 were new members. While the reason behind the spiked appreciative that there are more change alongside her organization.

Kansas City Chiefs win the Super Bowl next year, he’s thinking of moving towards a smaller celebration at Arrowhead Stadium.

It also forced smaller, surrounding cities like Overland Park to evaluate their emergency procedures in case of a similar event.

“This incident and others give our police, fire and emergency management staff opportunities to train and carefully consider how to keep the community safe during major events,” Overland Park City Communications Manager Meg Ralph said. “Overland Park is constantly evaluating security risks as part of the community event planning and emergency management process and will continue to do so for upcoming events.”

While the future is uncertain for upcoming events, Sherry said the fear and post-traumatic stress caused by gun violence alters a community and the individuals in it forever. The sense of fear she and the students reported experiencing continues to weigh on Kansas City, according to her and Algren.

Algren encourages individuals to check in on one another in times like this after large casualties, and seek professional help if mental health problems become unmanageable.

RESOURCES & SUPPORT

Community resources and support available to students and community members following the shooting

MENTAL HEALTH

Elizabeth Findley

Emily MacNaughton

to feel unsafe everywhere we whole community will have a this.”

legislative change has resulted so was so recent, city policy undergoing potential changes to shooting events. For example, Quinton Lucas told KMBC that if the

“It’s been challenging for all those involved,” Algren said. “As healthcare providers, and as a community, although we’re trained to help people, that type of scenario is something we’re not used to dealing with ourselves. It’s been difficult and has weighed heavily on people, so I think that it’s important to understand that it’s going to take some time to heal from something like that.”

1 2 3

4 6

5 GUN SAFETY & EDUCATION

GETTING

TO THE

POINT

THE KITCHEN WAS silent. Four people huddled around the phone, collectively holding their breath, waiting to hear what the speaker on the other end was about to say.

“I wanted to be the first to congratulate you on your acceptance into West Point.”

The voice on the phone faded into the background as the family cheered in excitement and group-hugged their future West Point Military Academy student, senior Jack Kessler.

Ever since he first found out about the esteemed U.S. military academy West Point in sixth grade, Kessler has been piling on leadership roles, meeting with past graduates and attending military-style summer camps in the hopes of being accepted into the historic college.

“This has been his dream since seventh or eighth grade,” his sister, sophomore Fina Kessler said. “I had a good feeling he was getting in so when he got in I was just kind of relieved.”

The rich history of the college, dating back to the American Revolution, as well as influence of veteran family members, contributed to his desire to attend the school.

“One of my grandfathers served in Vietnam and my great-grandpa, who I was actually able to have a pretty close relationship with, and who I’m named after served in WWII,” Kessler said. “I got to spend a lot of time with him and he was a pretty big influence.”

When applications for the class of 2028 opened last year, Kessler immediately pulled out his list of extracurriculars and military camps — building an application stacked with leadership roles such as Student Body President and useful experiences such as being a SHARE chair.

Kessler then scheduled interviews with several Kansas Representatives and political figures who would potentially nominate him to be admitted — a required step for all applicants. But

after countless interviews with little to no follow-up, he began to second guess his chances of getting in.

After a year of applications with no letters of encouragement or assurance from West Point and no idea where he stood as a candidate, he was forced to consider his alternatives. Applying to other schools like the University of Kansas thankfully proved to be an unnecessary precaution.

“I would say it was around September that it occurred to me that I should probably apply to other colleges, which was hard since I’ve wanted to go to West Point since I was in seventh grade,” Kessler said. “It was hard for me to even think about other colleges, and writing essays to go to other colleges felt pointless.”

However, his attitude towards his potential acceptance would soon change.

“By early December I found out I got principal nominations from both Kansas Senator Jerry Moran and Kansas Representative Sharice Davids,” Kessler said. “So that made me feel a lot better because that’s a very good sign that you’ll probably get accepted.”

But in order to get into his dream school, he had to prepare himself for the notoriously grueling and extremely selective application process.

He began preparations around seventh grade, getting in touch with former graduates, people in the military and current students. Through inperson meetings and a constant stream of advice from mentors, Kessler began to piece together an idea of the program and just how much work it required.

In the summer before eighth grade, Kessler attended the Mexico Missouri Military Academy to get a feel for military life and talk to current members of the military. For the next few weeks, he followed a strict schedule along with other military-bound high schoolers. Since then he’s attended multiple other military camps in preparation.

He attended Boys State where

he stayed with peers who had been nominated for the program who all worked to form a mock society with a government, jobs, laws and businesses. There, he was able to work with professionals who guided him through the replica government.

Long-term friends of Kessler have witnessed his dedication and seen the work he’s been putting in for years. Kessler’s childhood friend, senior Emma Krause, believes the camps he attended aided in his application.

“Over the summer he went to a bunch of military camps and he stayed there for maybe a month,” Krause said. “He was really good in those camps and he got awards.”

Now that he has been accepted, he can start preparing himself for the lifestyle change. He now wakes up at 4 a.m. for his morning run every day and plans to spend the next few months preparing his body, mind and family for his departure to West Point’s freshman boot camp this summer.

Though his major will remain undecided until sophomore year, he’s leaning towards an international relations major due to his interest in the topic. He plans to finish his required five years of military service before deciding between a different career path or continuing with the military.

Kessler looks forward to the rigid structure of daily life of West Point with strict wake-up times, daily military training and required uniforms that his connections with students currently at the school have clued him in on. His goal is to show up in fall as prepared as possible to ease the transition.

Despite these sometimes brutal adaptations and the months of stress the application process brought him, both Kessler and his family are eager for Kessler to fulfill his childhood dream of attending West Point.

PREPPING FOR WEST POINT

Tasks Kessler completed as part of his West Point application

59 PUSH-UPS IN 2 MINUTES

13 PULL-UPS IN 2 MINUTES

80 SIT-UPS IN 2 MINUTES

Senior Jack Kessler reflects on the work he’s done to get accepted into West Point Military Academy

ABOVE Kessler with his West Point merchandise and certificate of appointment that he received this past month.

SCAN

ME

LEVITAN DYLAN

POSITION TIMELINE

FRESHMAN SOPHOMORE JUNIOR SENIOR BASS 3 BASS 5 SNARE DRUM PERCUSSION

CAPTAIN VARSITY LETTER

SNARE DRUM PERCUSSION

“

copy & design by addie moore

ONE MAN BAND

The other instruments Levitan plays as a percussionist

- GLOCKENSPIEL

- MARIMBA

- SNARE DRUM

- CYMBALS

VARSITY LETTER

CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE FEELING OF THE FIRST TIME YOU DID IT?

“

I DID IT a couple of times my sophomore year because [the guy that normally did it] was sick, so it was pretty scary because I wasn’t expecting to have to do it.

WHERE DID THE NICKNAME “DRUM DADDY” COME FROM?

“

SOMEONE JUST CALLED me it one day and it stuck. I think it’s funny [when I embrace it] because it

can make people uncomfortable.

Senior Dylan Levitan reflects on being the leader for the Viking chant at sports games

THEIR NEXT CHAPTER

Seniors are beginning to write their annual senior research papers on books their relating to future career options

ALL SENIOR ENGLISH classes are writing the annual Senior Research Paper over the course of the first quarter of second semester. The paper is a graduation requirement and capstone project at East. It requires students to pair a “work of literary merit” with a secondary discipline, typically an existing field of study that can be applied to their chosen novel and explored throughout the paper.

“We live in a world in which transfer from one field to

LIDA PADGETT

excercise science

AFTER CONSIDERING ALL 295 suggested book options to work with for her senior research paper, none seemed to align with senior Lida Padgett’s interest in exercise science.

Over an email exchange with Andersen, she was directed to and settled on the novel “The House of God” by author Samuel Shem because of its medical focus. For her paper, Padgett chose to pair the novel’s storyline about a man’s exposure to surgery and treatments during a medical internship with exploring the practice of comparing inactive and active medical care.

“I’m focusing on how over-prescribing treatments can affect [a patient’s] health more than not doing anything,” Padgett said. “And the concept of letting the body take care of itself.”

As a cross country and track athlete, her love for fitness encouraged her to combine her affinity for science with

THEN-MIDDLE-SCHOOLER

Mia Stamos first fell in love with the field of biotechnology at a summer camp held at the Center for Academic Achievement in 2019, fascinated by growing bacteria in petri dishes and running gels with strands of DNA.

When sophomore enrollment came around, Stamos knew what she would use her two free electives for — the biochemistry class at the CAA. She found interest specifically in molecular and cellular biology, which served as inspiration for the secondary discipline element of her paper.

“I really enjoy the interdisciplinary angle,” Stamos said. “I have these books and this science that I love and it’s been really interesting to think about how I can find deeper meanings

another is very important,” AP Literature and Composition teacher Amy Andersen said. “It’s an important skill to be able to apply knowledge from one discipline to another and problem solve fusing together different fields.”

Many students chose to work with topics that they are interested in pursuing after high school, from medicine to biochemistry.

healthcare, and resulted in her current hope to pursue exercise science in college. Padgett first discovered her interest in the medical field through taking Anatomy and Medical Science her junior year.

“Because I’m a runner, I’ve seen people who are in sports medicine and they’ve helped me a lot to stay healthy and not get injured,” Padgett said. “I want to do the same, and I realized that I can do what I want to do and what I love at the same time, like medicine and sports.”

MIA STAMOS

biotechnology

within the novels using science.”

Stamos chose to analyze two texts for her paper, choosing “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller and “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood to examine how science has historically been used as justification for the oppression of women.

“In both of these books, the response to a fear of the unknown is trying to find a way to solve this which leads to the oppression of women,” Stamos said. “The question I’m answering is as our society evolves, and further scientific advancements are made, will we be less likely to oppress women?”

After high school, Stamos hopes to go on to both undergraduate and graduate studies, with a major in biotechnology.

“[I love that] I get to critically solve problems and do all these experiments working with my hands,” Stamos said. “I’m not very good at sitting down, so I like the laboratory work and the science of it. I love that kind of mix.”

GENRE satirical novel, medical fction SUBJECT

Emotional impact of working in the 1970s American healthcare

GENRE tragedy SUBJECT

Salem witch trials, McCarthyism

GENRE tragedy, drama, dystopian fction SUBJECT

extremist beliefs, dystopian patriarchal society

Samuel Shen

Arthur Miller

Margaret Atwood

RECENT

Look out for these new releases coming to theaters

MOVIE PREMIERE

GHOSTBUSTERS:

FROZEN EMPIRE

Release Date: March 22

Genre: Adventure, Comedy

Running Time: 2 hrs 5 mins

Starring: Paul Rudd, McKenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard

ARE YOU GOING TO WATCH THE NEW “GHOSTBUSTERS” MOVIE?

*Instagram

MOVIE PREMIERE

KUNG FU PANDA 4

Release Date: March 8

Genre:

Animation, Action

Running Time: 1 hr 34 mins

Starring: Jack Black, Viola Davis, Dustin Hoffman

I’M VERY EXCITED for “Kung Fu Panda Four” because the past three movies have all been amazing. I’m ready to see what the plot of the new movie brings.

ZAC RUSSELL FRESHMAN

smeharbinger.net/category/a&e

KANSAS CITY

For those spending spring break in Kansas City, see some local events and attractions

CROWN CENTER

2405 Grand Blvd. Suite 200 Kansas City, MO 64108

EVENTS:

“The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical”

THE COTERIE THEATER @

Buy Girl Scout Cookies

CROWN CENTER SHOPS @

FRIDAYS 4 p.m.- 7 p.m.

SATURDAYS 10 a.m.- 6 p.m.

SUNDAYS Noon- 4 p.m.

OSCAR

RIVER MARKET

Kansas City, MO

FARMERS’ MARKET

THE CITY MARKET @

Open Saturdays 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.

TASTE OF BRAZIL

Brazilian restaurant and bar

21 E 3rd St, Kansas City, MO 64106

POPULAR DISHES: Carne Louca Da Odete Pao De Queijo Acai Berry Bowl

SCAN ME MENU Scan

NELSON ATKINS MUSEUM

4525 Oak St, Kansas City, MO 64111

Native American Cultural Celebration

MARCH 4

Free entry

Monet and his Modern Legacy

UNTIL MARCH 10

Tickets: $22

Exploration of Watercolor and Technique

UNTIL JUNE 9

Free entry

Students share their predictions for the Oscars on March 10

“I THINK [“BARBIE”] WILL will win best picture because it had the most cultural impact and a lot of people cared about the movie. It was just a very well written and well put together movie.

EMILIE ELMORE SENIOR

I THINK EMMA STONE is going to win best actress because “Poor Things” was a great movie, and I haven’t met someone who didn’t like the movie. I feel like the critics also liked the movie a lot.

MADIE HUDON SOPHOMORE

ARE

“AMERICAN FICTION”

“ANATOMY OF A FALL”

“BARBIE”

“THE HOLDOVERS”

“KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON”

“MAESTRO”

“OPPENHEIMER”

“PAST LIVES”

“POOR THINGS”

“THE ZONE OF INTEREST”

FPODCAST Moments

Influencer Lexi Hidalgo’s “Moments Podcast” is a worthwhile listen for young women

Sounds like a perfect time for Noah Kahan. Going on a run? Let’s play Taylor Swift. Doing homework? Put on Zach Bryan.

I love music. Any task I completed was accompanied by music blasting from my bluetooth speaker and me dancing around my room — until I discovered podcasts. Now, at any moment that I would normally listen to music, I press play on a podcast.

I decided to listen to Lexi Hidalgo’s female empowerment “Moments Podcast” in celebration of Women’s History Month, and the podcast was made for a meaningful and thoughtful listen.

Started by TikTok influencer and model Lexi Hidalgo, the podcast covers topics from fashion trends to relationship advice and each episode lasts about 50 minutes — a perfect length for a digestible listen. The “Moments Podcast” — geared for women of all ages — is a “place for you to feel understood, a place for you to know you’re never alone, a place to escape,” according to the Spotify description.

As I pressed play on episode 114 called “Why we should be grateful to be alive” on an early Saturday morning while drawing for fun, I felt motivated as I listened to Hidalgo’s words and her message about life’s gifts like friendships and education.

The episode covered several different reasons why Hidalgo thinks that everyone should be grateful for their life and the impact they get to make on others, and it left me feeling inspired and ready to share my new knowledge with others.

“

AFTER

THE

40 minutes with Hidalgo were over and dozens of fun doodles of fowers were created, I took a moment to evaluate how I felt after listening to her podcast. I found that taking less than an hour out of my morning to listen to a perspective-shifting podcast shaped the way that I carried out the rest of my day. It altered my predecided mindset for the quality of my Saturday, and I felt more refreshed and motivated to do my homework and chores.

But I cringed when she would pause in the middle of her story and comment on how off track she was getting, or worse, mention the number of bullet points she still had left — making the podcast feel scripted and ruining the flow.

Part of what makes popular podcasts like influencer

Emma Chamberlain’s “Anything Goes” so great is the unscripted realness of the host’s voice. When the recorder has a clear, overall topic they want to get across and the podcast flows as if they are making it up as they go it is a much more enjoyable experience.

In general, I wish that Hidalgo wouldn’t stick to a pre-formatted list of what to say. But this didn’t take away from the meaning of her words. Even though the delivery of the content was disappointing, the quality of her words made the podcast worthwhile for me.

Hidalgo’s gentle voice and casual language made the podcast feel more conversational than a lecture. It felt like she was recording from the comfort of her living room couch or kitchen table, not in a sterile room with no breeze or additional noise like other podcasts.

HAVE YOU LISTENED TO THE “MOMENTS” PODCAST?

*Instagram poll of 186 votes

82% NO YES

18%

After the 40 minutes with Hidalgo were over and dozens of fun doodles of flowers were created, I took a moment to evaluate how I felt after listening to her podcast. I found that taking less than an hour out of my morning to listen to a perspective-shifting podcast shaped the way that I carried out the rest of my day. It altered my pre-decided mindset for the quality of my Saturday, and I felt more refreshed and motivated to do my homework and chores.

The “Moments Podcast,” though missing a sense of natural flow and visual connection, brings listeners pieces of wisdom through the eyes of Hidalgo. The next time you’re feeling unproductive and unmotivated it’s not too late to pause for a moment and turn on a podcast.

ABOUT LEXI

Fun facts and stats about Hidalgo

-656,000 Instagram followers

-2.5 million TikTok followers

-Lives in Boca Raton, Florida

SCAN ME PODCAST

Scan me to listen to Hidlago’s podcast

BEST EPISODES

Sophia’s opinions on her favorite episodes

“WHY SHOULD WE BE GRATEFUL TO BE ALIVE”

-Seemed a little too scripted and stiff

-Liked the message

-Had valuable insight and stories

“ASKING A THERAPIST HOW TO CHANGE YOUR MINDSET”

-Loved the professional sourcing

-Seemed more conversational

-Too long

“THINGS I’VE LEARNED ABOUT FRIENDSHIP”

-Cute stories to go along with topic

-Felt like she could’ve applied her insight more

-Shortest one

ONE

LOVE MOVIE

-LY

WHEN I THINK of summer, the song “Could You Be Loved” by Bob Marley immediately starts playing in my head. I reminisce about the memories in my car with the windows down, blasting Marley’s reggae-rock music that puts me in the most content state of mind.

On Feb. 14, the new Bob Marley biopic “One Love” came out in theaters, and I couldn’t have been more impressed with the overall storyline of the film and the look inside Marley’s life that it reveals.

The movie, co-produced by his wife Rita Marley and his eleven children, narrates the story of the Jamaican singersongwriter whose songs took the world by storm in the early 1970’s and still does to this day.

The movie begins with “Redemption Song” by Bob Marley and his band, The Wailers, playing slowly. While I’ve heard the song before, it felt as if I was hearing it for the very first time with Marley’s soothing singing filling the theater.

I watched as Marley planned a peace concert as Jamaica is in a state of war and terror, something I had no idea about before the movie. I’m grateful for the cultural exposure and new perspective that the movie showed me.

As the story continues, Marley’s friends contemplate whether or not they should perform their concert, even as the date of the concert approaches.

Marley felt he needed this concert in order to bring people together in a

peaceful setting, even while his friends tried to convince him otherwise — something that stood out to me as he knew the risks of performing in front of a tense crowd. In the heat of a Civil War, he still felt the need to bring peace to people.

Following the concert, the story starts to flow in a more sporadic, yet interesting way.

An array of scenes show Marley and his friends singing, playing soccer and enjoying life together as “Get Up, Stand Up” plays in the background. A logical, organized movie keeps the informative moments separate from the movie style, which is exactly what this movie did — allowing me to fully comprehend the serious moments.

Experiencing both his well-known and older music drew me in as I wanted to find out more about how his music came to be, and why so many of his hits are known to people who love all types of music.

Between the flashbacks to him meeting his wife Rita, how the band came to be and his religious values as a Rastafari — a monotheistic religion, the movie kept me intrigued. I couldn’t seem to look away as the movie progressed. His growth through childhood inspired me and had my eyes locked on the screen, keeping me watching after each cliffhanger.

As it’s portrayed in the movie, Marley met his wife at a young age after leaving his harsh home life, adding the romantic aspect I love to see in movies. Their relationship progressed as they shared their love for music and devotion to the

Rastafari — wholesome moments that had me hooked.

Even through his evolving fame, Marley never grew accustomed to having a lot of money and nice things — an inspiring thing from a well-known celebrity. He remained how he always was, a kindhearted and loyal man.

The movie portrayed his adorable love for his family — taking the time to care for his kids and wife — as well as his devotion to keeping peace amongst the people of Jamaica. He asserted himself as a hero in my eyes, and someone I easily look up to.

I did notice, however, that many people seemed to walk out many times seemingly without caring if they missed the movie, and one group left halfway through.

I understand if you don’t love the autobiographical style of the movie, but I felt as if they did a unique job portraying the events of his life by adding a movie aspect that felt like I was watching a timeline of his life.

Plus the movie was the perfect length, running for only one hour and 47 minutes.

Marley died at age 36, so the movie could only portray so much of his adult life observed by his band and family members. Yet, the movie still felt so personal as it gave a direct insight into his life and proved how important of a story he had from the start of his career to the end.

VS. CHARACTER REAL-PERSON

Isabel’s comparison of Bob Marley and his character in the movie

Bob Marley is played by British actor Kingsley Ben-Adir, who couldn’t have portrayed Marley better. Some critics were upset he wasn’t actually Jamaican but after watching the flm, I went back and watched videos of Marley to see how similar they were and was surprised at how well he played Marley — especially his look and the way he talked. From the dreads to the thick, iconic Jamaican accent, I was convinced it was him. He did a great job of channeling Marley’s calm, cool mannerisms he held throughout his life. And when it came to concert scenes, he danced exactly like Marley would in his real concerts — spinning around and shaking his hair.

The Bob Marley biopic “One Love” is an impressive look into Marley’s life

photos courtesy of IMDb

THE ICE

The Carriage Club hosted their 60th annual ice show on Feb. 23 to wrap up the skating season, with multiple performances by East students

SCAN ME GALLERY

Scan this to view more and purchase pictures from this event

RIGHT The ice skating costumes hang on a rack in the Carriage Club lobby. Many of the skaters have multiple outfits for their various performances.

photo by amelie wong

ABOVE Senior Hallie O’Bryan performs her senior solo, one of her four performances throughout the ice show. O’Bryan is a member of Carriage Club and has been skating for 10 years. “Being a senior is special,” O’Bryan said. “You get to take the leadership if someone is not doing something and they’ll respect you.”

photo by amelie wong

ABOVE MIDDLE Seniors Elle Siegel and Hallie O’Bryan stretch before heading out to the ice rink. “We have off ice stuff like Pilates during the season, which is a lot of fun” Siegel said. “But other times we’ll stretch really fast and get out there because time is precious.”

photo by amelie wong

ABOVE Senior Elle Siegel, an ice skater of 14 years, leads the team in a spirit circle before the ice show. “I really wanted to be like someone that the little girls look up to the way that I looked up to the seniors when I was younger,” Siegel said.

photo by clara peters

LEFT Sophomore Georgia Wolf stretches on the ice rink before beginning practice. Wolf has been skating for 12 years and participated in a total of five performances during the show.

photo by molly scott

5:00 p.m.

Varsity baseball jamboree @ BV Athletic Complex

1:00 p.m. 3:15 p.m.

6 MARCH

5:00 p.m.

Varsity softball jamboree @ ANDAC

NORA

A recap of the East vs. South basketball game

THE VARSITY BOYS basketball team fell 66-53 to Shawnee Mission South in a rematch game on Feb. 28 played at East. After losing 31-30 on Feb. 23 at SMS in the last minute of the game, the Lancers

HERRING VARSITY SOFTBALL player review “ ARE

RIGHT Senior Blake Hanson collides with the SM South point guard after poking the ball loose. Hanson later ends up causing a turnover for the Lancers that they could not capitalize on.

photo by will griffith

BOTTOM LEFT Junior Cole Chinnock shoots a floater for the Lancers first basket of the game. Chinnock missed his shot earlier in the possession and collected his own rebound that gave the Lancers a second opportunity for a basket.

photo by will griffith

BOTTOM RIGHT Senior Teddy Saylor drives into the lane and goes for a up and under layup that he converts for an and one. This play extended a Lancer scoring run in the third and early fourth quarter that gave a lancers a lead going into the dying minutes of the game.

photo by will griffith

took on their longtime rival once again in the sub-state playoff game. They remained withing 15 points of the Raiders for the duration of the game and will not be continuing on to compete at state.

Lancer Dancers will compete in dance Nationals over spring break

3

DANCING THROUGH THE YEARS

How long each of the Lancer Dancer seniors have been dancing

Laynie Manning

Dancing for 13 years, and dancing competitively for seven years

AMarin McElhinney

Dancing for 15 years, and dancing competitively for seven years

FTER FINISHING THIRD

at State, the Lancer Dancers are continuing to Nationals in Orlando, Florida from March 8-10. They hope to improve on last year’s performance by placing in all three dance categories.

At state, the Lancers Dancers performed only their game day routine. However, they’ll compete in three categories — jazz, hip-hop and gameday — for the first two days and in the finals on the last day if they qualify according to Lancer Dancer Head Coach Alexis Close.

“The goal is always to try to make finals and anything beyond that is icing on the cake,” Close said.

meant to mimic what the Lancer Dancers would do during a football game when they are on the track and facing the crowd.

Unlike gameday, their jazz routine is less sports-related.

“For jazz, we’re working on making really clean and beautiful lines but also trying to tell a story while dancing,” Close said.

The dancers also spend a lot of time perfecting their hip-hop routine because of its intricacy and detail, according to Close.

Bella Hakes

Dancing for 15 years, and competitively for three years

Liv Noble

Dancing for 14 years, and this is her 11th year competitively dancing

Last year the Lancer Dancers didn’t qualify for finals in all of the categories, only for the final in two categories — jazz and hip-hop. This year, they’ve been practicing 10 hours a week on all three routines.

“Gameday has more pomp in it, so we really work on arm strengthening and strengthening our emotions,” Close said. “We’re really working on projecting their voices and having a lot of strong spirit.”

A gameday routine consists of the school fight song, a sideline chant and a timeout section. The whole dance is

To qualify for nationals, the dancers attended the National Dance Alliance camp last May.

At NDA camp, the Lancer Dancers begin to learn their routines, and over the summer they attend band camp to learn flag choreography. Next week, they’ll meet with their jazz choreographer to go over their routine. The amount of time spent practicing is just one of the more challenging parts of dance, according to team captain and senior Liv Noble.

“I just think the mental aspect of it like continuing to push, being there for your team and showing up to practice is way more of a mental thing,” Noble said.

All of the practices and games they perform are easy for the dancers to lose sight of their goals at nationals.

“I guess it’s hard to feel like our goals are so far away,” team captain and senior Marin McElhinney said. “It’s a little bit easy to lose track of them. Like with [nationals], I always feel like it’s this thing that’s so far away at the end of the year and now that

it’s coming up we really have to lock in.”

Freshman Hannah Klumpp is one of only three freshmen on varsity for the Lancer Dancers, and even though she’s been dancing since age three and training for months, she’s still nervous about performing on such a big stage.

THE GOAL IS always to try to make fnals and anything beyond that is icing on the cake.

ALEXIS CLOSE COACH

“I’m very scared about it,” Klumpp said. “I think it’s gonna be super fun, but it’s something I’ve never experienced before. So there’s always gonna be nervousness”

Klumpp also hasn’t had as much experience with the Lancer Dancers’ game day routine, but is constantly improving because of the extensive practices.

“[The dance is] very strict. You have to get a certain count.” said Klumpp “It’s a very certain thing you can do for it. It’s just very tiring, because it’s so long.”

Despite the intensity and competition they will face at Nationals, the team refuses to let hundreds of hours of hard work go to waste.

“We’re gonna have fun, but we’re not here to play,” Close said. “We’re here to put in the work.”

RIGHT The Lancer Dancers practice their routine in the gym while the boys basketball team has away games. They do this so they can use the full space to see what their routine will look like in the gym where they will perform during basketball games and other events.

photo by will griffith

KICKING OFF

BETWEEN AP PSYCHOLOGY Quizlets and AP Statistics study guides in preparation for winter finals, East alum Ava Weiland didn’t know a month from then she’d be on a plane to Santa Clara as a college student.

“It was scary because going to class on the first day I was like ‘I went to high school a month ago,’’’ Ava said. “And now I’m in college and it’s just crazy.”

Now, Ava lives on campus at Santa Clara University where she trains with her team, after committing to play D1 soccer there in September 2022.

Graduating early was something she’d always considered but it wasn’t until her coach at Santa Clara suggested it last December while Ava was recovering from a torn ACL, that she took it seriously.

“Injury was part of it because you can have a lot more attention with the trainers and strength and conditioning coaches out in [Santa Clara] and starting to get used to soccer again with the people and the speed of play that you’ll be playing with,” Ava said. “It was the best decision.”

Ava had been counting down the days until she could move to Santa Clara since her first visit at the beginning of her junior year. She’d looked at other schools, but the Santa Clara coaches and team made an impression that made her decision easy, and a week after her trip she had officially committed there.

“[The coaches] just cared a lot about me as a person and not just me as a player,” Ava said. “They would ask about my family and how school was going. They didn’t just care about the soccer side of things and [they’re people] I’m gonna respect and admire as an authoritative figure for four years and beyond.”

After deciding early graduation was the right path for her, Ava started the process at the beginning of winter break in hopes she’d graduate by January. That meant writing a seven-page research paper, creating a multimedia presentation about universal healthcare and passing the AP Government final test all in two weeks, all while packing and purchasing dorm room furnishings.

“It was completely chaotic, we didn’t know what we were doing,” Ava’s mother, Valerie said. “We bought stuff thinking well I guess we could always return it if it didn’t work out.”

GROWING

UP

Ava took the final test needed to graduate on Jan. 4 and found out she passed later that same day at 3:30 p.m. Relieved that they wouldn’t have to cancel their flights to California the very next day they double-checked their packing lists and left. Her family headed to Santa Clara not sure what dorm she’d have or who her roommate would be.

After a few AirBnB extensions, Ava’s mother and brother had to head home. Ava’s father, Kurt stayed longer until there was a dorm ready for Ava to move into. A few extra days into Ava’s move-in, Santa Clara was able to work out what dorm she’d have. After settling in, classes like critical thinking and writing or sociology began on top of training. It was a chance for her to prove what the coaches had seen in her during the recruiting process. Her parents still reflect on Ava’s recruiting process with gratitude because of the extent of coaches that wanted their daughter to play for college teams.

“

IT WAS SCARY

because going to class on the frst day I was like ‘I went to high school a month ago.’ And now I’m in college and it’s just crazy.

AVA WEILAND ALUM

“As a parent, when coaches are seeing your kid for the defensive things and the other things she excelled at was cool because everybody talks about scoring goals, they don’t talk about defending,” Kurt said. “But to hear some of the best coaches of college soccer talking about your kid positively from a defensive perspective was cool.”

Ava’s days are now filled with classes, practices and meals at the dining halls with teammates.

Nights are filled with locker lounge room movie nights with her teammates, watching the “Maze Runner” or “Teen Wolf” series.

“I feel like I’m adjusting well,” Ava said. “The team is nice, they’re all super friendly. I’m becoming good friends with some of them and it will make it that much easier in the fall when we are playing actual games in conference.”

A timeline of the soccer clubs Weiland has played for

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL MIDDLE SCHOOL HIGH SCHOOL

Ava began her club soccer career with the Kansas City Legends when she was seven years-old

Weiland later switched to Sporting Blue Valley Soccer Club in sixth grade

Lastly, she moved to Kansas City Athletics her freshman year

Alum Ava Weiland graduates high school a semester early to play soccer at Santa Clara University

ABOVE Weiland stands inside the Santa Clara stadium photo courtesy of ava weiland

design

design by libby marsh photos by molly scott

PICKING UP THE WHISTLE

Due to a recent ACL injury, senior Claire Schudy is the Shawnee Mission Girls Lacrosse team’s goalie coach and defensive coordinator instead of being the varsity goalie for a fourth year

WALKING THROUGH HER her front door after a Hauberk latenight work session, senior Claire Schudy found her parents sitting on her couch with serious looks in their eyes.

Her heart dropped. “Who in the family died?” she asked.

Nobody had died — her parents had just heard the results of her MRI scan: a full ACL tear. Schudy broke down in tears knowing this was the end of her nine-year lacrosse career.

“I had my heart set on playing my senior season, and I’ve been playing in every game the past three years,” Schudy said. “I take so much pride and joy in playing and being a part of the team.”

After playing starting goalie since freshman year and keeping a two-year winning streak, Schudy was still determined to contribute to the Shawnee Mission Girls’ Lacrosse team despite her knee injury. This year she’s acting as the SMGL goalie coach and defensive coordinator — making her the team’s only teenage coach.

Her knee pains started after jumping around at a school-wide pep assembly in September. She landed wrong and instantly felt her knee pop. She then again re-injured her knee in November missstepping over a curb. Once her knee pains started to worsen, she decided to get an MRI on her knee, to confirm nothing was torn or injured. She didn’t think anything was actually wrong with her knee.

It took Schudy many days to finally process the fact her ACL was fully torn, she knew she would eventually need surgery, but she had to decide if she would do the surgery before or after the season.

“I was either going to give up my senior lacrosse season or my whole summer and the beginning of my college experience,” Schudy said.

SCAN ME GAMES

Watch Schudy in action with this schedule

If she received surgery as soon as possible, she would still be sitting on the bench for the entirety of her senior lacrosse season. And if she waited to get surgery until after the season, she would be unable to play at her full capacity due to the limited range of motion in her knee.

Prior to her injury, Schudy was hoping to be the varsity team captain. She was a player who used her skills and leadership to benefit the team to the point where her coach, Aidan McEnery, thought she was the senior captain when she was only a junior.

“EVEN THOUGH

I’m not physically on the feld, she still trusts me to lead the team. That just meant a lot.

CLAIRE SCHUDY SENIOR

“Even the girls that were above her respected her,” SMGL head coach Aidan McEnerney said. “She has this presence that makes everybody feel appreciated and also makes everybody want to work a little bit harder.”

After she was injured, McEnerney and Schudy grabbed coffee at a local coffee shop to discuss her role as goalie coach. During their conversation, McEnerney expressed that she still wanted Schudy as team captain — something she had no intention of expecting because of her injury. In that moment, Schudy stood up from the table and hugged her coach.

“Even though I’m not physically on the field, she still trusts me to lead the team,” Schudy said. “That just meant a lot.”

“HER SKILLS ARE

Schudy is currently two months into her recovery process — having had her surgery on Dec. 29 — and is already able to work with the team’s new goalie, junior Amelia Stinson.

“I’ve had lots of coaches who have tried to help with goalies but it’s really difficult because when you’re not in there, you don’t understand,” Stinson said. “She understands [playing goalie] and she’s really good at explaining all the techniques you should use.”

Schudy hopes to teach Stinson the skills she has acquired in playing lacrosse since third grade and lead the team to another championship title.

“I’m taking those skills and things that I remember doing when I was a beginner that helped my footwork, my speed and my hand-eye coordination.” Schudy said, “It’s the small things that end up building up to the big things.”

Although Schudy will be spending her very last season playing lacrosse on the sidelines — as she doesn’t plan to play after high school — she hopes to do as much as she can from the the bench, motivating her teammates to remain successful throughout the season.

“I couldn’t ever not be a part of [the team] because Shawnee Mission Girls Lacrosse has been such an impactful part of my life,” Schudy said. “It’s helped me become the person I am today.”

COACHING QUALIFIED

just a cherry on top. It’s the person she is and the way she leads that makes her the most valuable. On or off the feld, she’s still someone [the team] all listened to, no matter what.

AIDAN MCENERNEY

GIRLS LACROSSE HEAD COACH

Skills and qualifications that make Schudy a good lacrosse coach according to her team THE TEAM KNOWS HER SHE’S WELL RESPECTED UNDERSTANDS THE SPORT

1 2 3

Statsics about recent shooting accodring to apnews.com

MASSACURES

THE ATTACK AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, LAS VEGAS SENT SHOCK WAVES THROUGH A CITY STILL SCARRED BY THE DEATHS OF 60 PEOPLE IN A 2017 MASS SHOOTING.”

THE GUNMAN WAS A PROFESSOR WHO UNSUCCESSFULLY SOUGHT A JOB AT THE SCHOOL

@ UNIVERSITY OF NEVEDA - LAS VEGAS

1 OFFENDER 3 VICTIMS 1 INJURED NV

FROM THE

SCAN ME State of Nevada’s school safety report

ANOTHER HIGH-PROFILE PUBLIC EVENT WAS MARRED GUN VIOLENCE.” BY

3 OFFENDERS 1 22 INJURED VICTIM IT TOOK

MINS.

1 OFFENDER 8 7 INJURED VICTIMS

PERSPECTIVES

4 PEOPLE

Quotes about the recent shooting at the Chiefs Super Bowl parade

“ -HANK HUNTER

EVERY TIME A MASS SHOOTING LIKE THIS HAPPENS, EVERYONE TALKS ABOUT HOW GUN LAWS SHOULD BE RESTRICTED, NO ONE REALLY DOES ANYTHING, AND THINGS GO BACK TO NORMAL, AND THEN ANOTHER THING HAPPENS.

SOPHOMORE

KANSAS CITY,

MO

SCAN ME Police bodycam footage of the shooting

“THE LATEST U.S. COMMUNITY RENT BY AN ERUPTION OF VIOLENCE IN A YEAR THAT HAS SEEN AN UNPRECEDENTED PACE OF MASS KILLINGS.”

MAY 6, 2023

ALLEN, TX

1 OFFENDER

18 VICTIMS 13 INJURED MAINE’S CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION IS CALLING FOR THE ARMY TO INVESTIGATE THE EVENTS THAT LEAD UP TO THE OCTOBER MASS SHOOTING - THE DEADLIEST IN THE STATE’S HISTORY - BY ONE OF ITS RESERVISTS.

“

WE ALL SAID OR THOUGHT ‘IT CAN'T HAPPEN HERE IN KANSAS CITY’ UNTIL IT DID. WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO WERE SHOT AND SURVIVED AND THEIR POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS, AND THEN YOU TAKE ONE LOOK AT THE PEOPLE WHO WERE JUST THERE AND SCARED, ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE WILL NEVER BE THE SAME. WHEN YOU THINK SOMETHING CAN'T HAPPEN, AND IT DOES, YOU'LL NEVER BE THE SAME

-JUDY SHERRY

FOUNDER OF GRANDPARENTS FOR GUN SAFETY