Issue 13 of the 2014-2015 Harbinger by The Harbinger

ISSUE 13 | APRIL 6, 2015

SHAWNEE MISSION EAST 7500 MISSION ROAD PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS 66208

written by Julia Poe

A “

photo illustration by Annie Savage

nyone have something they want to share?” Social studies teacher David Muhammad sits on the edge of a stool at the front of his room. The 15 students scattered in the desks in front of him make up only 0.8 percent of the total student body at East, yet they represent the majority of the school’s black community. They chatter comfortably, catching up on spring break stories and weekend plans as Muhammad starts the weekly meeting of The Union, an empowerment club for black students at East that began earlier this year. Muhammad shifts on his stool as he asks the class another question. “I think a good conversation we’ve had before is interracial dating,” Muhammad says. “How many of you girls have been asked to a dance?”

INSIDE:

Only two of the girls lift their hands, while the rest study their desks, kicking their feet against the tiled floor. “It’s like they don’t see us as beautiful because of our skin,” junior Ricki Taylor says. “Who would want to take prom pictures with someone who’s black?” Junior Malik Travis leans back in his chair and laughs sharply. “The guys got it bad, too,” he says. “It’s trashy for a white girl to date a black guy. I heard a guy the other day in class say, ‘Katie Phillips* likes black guys, she’s such a slut.’ He said that right in front of me.” The students in the classroom nod. Muhammad shakes his head. Their reaction is one of understanding, of mutual frustration. Each week, this

LOCAL ORGANIZATION RAISES AWARENESS THROUGH FILM

news: page 4

JUNIORS CREATE FIFA VIDEOGAME LEAGUE

group gathers in Muhammad’s seminar to share new stories of dealing with the issue of race at East — classmates’ jokes about slavery and quick quips about being able to dunk, clueless questions about the texture of black hair and the painfully uncomfortable moments when a white person uses the nword. This group isn’t official or school sponsored. They didn’t take a picture for the yearbook. Yet the members of The Union find that their shared bond of race is a powerful tool for navigating the issue of race at East. From weekly conversations to the viral #ITooAmEast movement in early March, The Union is bringing together a community that barely existed before this year.

features: page 12

story continued on page 6

A PREVIEW OF MIDDLE OF THE MAP FEST

a&e: page 21

2 editorial

CONCEALING OUR

inflicted wounds, and every year that number is steadily rising. These deaths are horrifying, and it is our duty as American citizens to make that number as small as possible. One of the easiest ways to do that is to require firearm training, safety and permits for gun owners. And without all of these requirements, the possibility of concealed carry without a permit in the state of Kansas is extremely detrimental. Senate Bill 145, otherwise known as concealed carry without a permit, has been passed in the Kansas Senate and House, and will eventually go to Governor Sam Brownback. If it passes, the bill would allow Kansans to carry concealed guns in public without permits. The Harbinger does not support this bill and believes that everyone in the state of Kansas should be required to carry a permit for any and all of their firearms. To get a concealed carry permit, a person must undergo eight hours of firearms training. This training gives you experience in cleaning guns, handling them and using them for self-defense. What Senate Bill 145 will do is allow gun owners to skip this step. If this bill becomes a law, anyone in the state of Kansas over the age of 21 can carry a gun with them in public without any sort of training or experience. And this inexperience is what leads to injuries and fatalities, as has been shown time and time again. In 2013 in the state of Kansas, the number of deaths due to injury by firearms was 11.4 per 100,000 people. Conversely, that number is 14.1 in Arizona, 16.8 in Arkansas and 19.8 in Alaska, all states that allow concealed carry without a permit. While correlation does not always equal causation, it is not out of the realm of possibility that if Governor Sam Brownback allows Senate Bill 145 to pass, the number of firearm-related fatalities in our state could grow much larger.

CONCERN

To allow concealed carry without a permit to become law is to allow accidents to happen on a much larger scale. When people don’t know how to handle a gun, the risk of an accident, injury or death is much higher. Unsuspecting people are put in danger. As was written in an ABC News article, the U.S. accounted for 80 percent of firearm-related fatalities of the 23 wealthiest countries in the world. The last thing we need is to let that number grow.

Senate Bill 145 will allow inexperienced citizens to arm themselves without considering the consequences

n the United States, the effects of inexperienced people using guns is more than apparent. Injuries, suicides, murders and accidents happen regularly as a result of firearm ownership. It was reported recently by WSBTV in Conyers, Ga., that a man accidentally shot himself at a gun show. According to Komo News, in Shelton, Wash., a man shot and killed his wife while cleaning his gun, claiming it was an accident. And, perhaps most horrifically, a girl in Arizona accidentally shot and killed her shooting range instructor. These shootings have a few things in common. The first is that they’re all accidents. They’ve also all occurred in the last nine months, with the first two occurring in the past month. The big differences? The shooters were a husband, a child and a gun-enthusiast. Normal people who, when handling guns, made grave mistakes. Over 30,000 people died in 2011 as a result of gun-

2015 Spring Harbinger Staff CO-EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Morgan Krakow Sophie Tulp

ASSISTANT EDITORS Caroline Kohring Tommy Sherk

SPREAD SECTION EDITORS Aidan Epstein Chloe Stanford

NEWS PAGE DESIGNERS

HEAD COPY EDITOR Pauline Werner

Will Brownlee Ava Backer Ali Lee Chase Tetrick

ART & DESIGN EDITOR

A&E PAGE DESIGNERS

Phoebe Aguiar

Sophie Storbeck

Anna Dierks Abby Walker Ellie Cook Katie Hise

EDITORIAL SECTION EDITOR

OPINION PAGE DESIGNERS

NEWS SECTION EDITOR

Will Clough

A&E SECTION EDITORS Audrey Danciger Yashi Wang

CIRCULATION Kylie Schultz

OPINION SECTION EDITOR Audrey Danciger

FEATURES SECTION EDITORS Courtney McClelland Claire Pottenger

SPORTS SECTION EDITOR Will Oakley

Ellie Booton Alex Masson Tyler Keys

FEATURES PAGE DESIGNERS Haley Bell Caroline Heitmann Daisy Bolin Celia Hack

SPORTS SECTION EDITORS Teagan Noblit Michael Kraske Ellis Nepstad Caleb Krakow

COPY EDITORS Maddie Hyatt Caroline Heitmann Sophie Storbeck

Kylie Schultz Will Clough Ellie Booton Sophie Tulp Morgan Krakow Caroline Kohring Tommy Sherk Pauline Werner Susannah Mitchell

PHOTO EDITOR Annie Savage

Allison Stockwell Abby Blake Kylie Relihan James Wooldridge Annika Sink Katie Lamar Elizabeth Anderson Annie Lomshek Ava Backer Ali Hickey

STAFF ARTISTS

Abby Walker ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITORS Caleb Krakow Annie Lomshek Hailey Hughes James Wooldridge

EDITORIAL BOARD Sophie Tulp Morgan Krakow Pauline Werner Tommy Sherk Caroline Kohring Susannah Mitchell Phoebe Aguiar Katharine Swindells Mike Thibodeau Will Oakley Audrey Danciger Julia Poe

ADS MANAGERS Abby Walker Celia Hack

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Morgan Browning Haley Bell Joseph Cline Kaitlyn Stratman Abby Hans

STAFF WRITERS Elaine Chamberlain Celia Hack Jessica Parker Daniel Rinner Chase Tetrick Ellie Cook Mac Newman Annie Jones Annie Lomshek Jemima Swindells Olivia Favreau Davis Finke

ONLINE EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Susannah Mitchell Julia Poe

ONLINE HEAD COPY EDITORS Katharine Swindells Mike Thibodeau

ONLINE LIVE BROADCAST EDITORS Ellis Nepstad

John Foster

ONLINE NEWS SECTION EDITOR Will Clough

ASSISTANT WEBMASTER Callie McPhail

MULTIMEDIA STAFF Alex Masson

ONLINE FEATURES SECTION Tyler Keys Gabe Snyder EDITOR Mike Thibodeau

ONLINE SPORTS SECTION EDITORS Michael Kraske Daniel Rinner

ONLINE ARTS EDITOR Sean Overton

ONLINE HOMEGROWN SECTION EDITOR Stella Braly

ONLINE OPINION SECTION EDITOR Celia Hack

Ellis Nepstad Matthew Bruyere Katie Lamar Abby Hans Annika Sink Nick Mantel Jack Griswold

SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR Katie Lamar

INTERACTIVE DESIGNERS Haley Bell Caroline Heitmann Mike Thibodeau Nick Mantel Jack Griswold

ONINE EASTIPEDIA SECTION ONLINE PHOTO EDITORS EDITOR Callie McPhail Matthew Kaplan

Katie Lamar

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Matthew Bruyere

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WEBMASTER Jacob Milgrim

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ANCHOR

Taylor Norden

ADVISER Dow Tate

School, Local and Worldwide News Broken Down written by Mac Newman

news 3

According to CNN, Germanwings flight 9525 was on a routine route from Barcelona to Düsseldorf, when the co-pilot crashed the jet into the French Alps. The event occurred on March 26. Reports now show that co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz, was suffering from psychological and physical illnesses including he depression, problems with his eyes that he thought would lose him his piloting license when he co-piloted the plane. The Germanwings CEO Thomas Winkelmann spoke with a CNN representative and said that

Germanwings Tradgedy

Co-Pilot Crashes Plane into French Alps Lubitz had 10 years of flying experience and the jet was fully inspected. One hundred fifty passengers died upon impact, including 16 schoolchildren and two teachers. An East foreign exchange student was classmates with some of the students that were inside the plane that plummeted. Mrs. Fishman’s class is sending sympathy notes written by the students. They are being sent to the plane crash victims’ school, Joseph-König Gymnasium in Haltern am see, Germany.

Normal Desent: 1,500-2,000 feet a minute

Kansas Labor Statistics Improve Reports came in from the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics saying that Kansas has gained more nonfarm jobs in February than Texas. The oil-rich state has repeatedly bested Kansas in job growth. However, according to the report on March 27, Kansas added 9,500 jobs, and Texas just 7,100. Therefore, Kansas was 14th in the country in terms of adding jobs. “I think its good that Kansas is slowly but surely improving in lots

of aspects,” Freshman Oliver Nichols said. “Especially in labor statistics.” Before the cuts, Kansas had lost 4,100 jobs in January, putting the state fifth worst in the country, according to The Kansas City Star. That made kansas 32nd worst in job growth in the country for the last 12 months as well.

Germans 35

Spainards Americans 2

Crew

Earth Fair Exhibited at East from 11-11:35 a.m. in the main gym. Kristin Riott also performed “Green Pocketbook: Shopping with the Environment in Mind”-- Bridging the Gap. In it she explained how to help the environment with shopping. “It was fun, I had to go for chemistry extra credit,” Sophomore Nora Engelken said. “I was really excited that I got to pet the environmental ed animals. More people should go because it was fun and I learned about the planet.”

The Fatalities Included...

Students

For the 14th year in a row, East hosted the Earth Fair. The theme was “Enlighten your footprint,” and focused on immediate actions to improve the environment. The fair was March 28 in the East Gym from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. There were many people showing off their environment-friendly cars, products and animals, like chinchillas and gerbils. There was entertainment and presentations, including a performance from the Belinder Elementary School Choir performed

Germanwings Desent: 3,400 feet a minute

Nosedive: 8,000 feet a minute

Photos of the Week below Band director Kim Harrison directs the symphonic band at the district band photo by Annie Savage festival above Junior Mark Ward faces an opponent from Chicago as East lacrosse pulls ahead in an unpredicted 15-9 victory. photo by Kylie Rellihan

photo by Morgan Browning

above

Senior pole vaulter Sean O’Toole celebrates after a sucessful jump. East placed first at the Varsity meet on March 27.

JUST

4 news

Juniors Emily Frigon, Collin Wendel, Kyle O’Neill, Maddie Mann and Senior Caroline Kohring sit around the Frigon family’s kitchen table on a Saturday morning. They bounce around different ideas to publicize Autism Awareness month and think of ways to introduce Just Like You Films to the Shawnee Mission East student body. The Teen Advisory Board of Just Like You Films has recently started working on ways to help students at Shawnee Mission East better understand people with disabilities and conditions like Autism, severe burns and cancer. The Board is incorporating Autism awareness month to educate teens by planning a screening of the Autism film at East, and forming a Just Like You club for the East community. Just Like You Films (JLY), founded by East mom Jen Greenstreet, will be premiering their Autism Awareness commercial on local television with AMC Theaters in early April to go along with Autism Awareness month. JLY premiered their most recent film, “Autism”, in late March at Standee’s Entertaining Eatery. Just Like You Films is a nonprofit corporation that creates films and materials to educate audiences of all ages about conditions and disabilities that many people don’t understand, such as Autism and Down Syndrome. JLY distributes films to schools and other communities for free with the help of volunteers and sponsors. The mission of JLY is to help children that may look or act differently feel accepted. The stars of the films want to show audiences that they are more alike than they are different, or “just like you”. Greenstreet, the mother of junior Collin Wendel, premiered her first Just Like You film in 2006. This film was the start of the Just Like You Film’s success. When Greenstreet’s daughter, East graduate Whitney Wendel, was 10 years old, she had a friend named Caroline who was hospitalized at Children’s Mercy Hospital for a severe burn on her leg. Whitney and Caroline wanted to do something to give back to the burn unit at Children’s Mercy, so they planned on making pajamas for kids that were also severely burned. “The nurses told Whitney that the kids didn’t need pajama bottoms,” Greenstreet said. “What they really needed was a video that could explain to the kids back at school what they went through with their burns.” While Whitney and her friend raised money, Greenstreet wrote a manuscript for a film to give to the burn unit children. Greenstreet reached out to long time friend Isaac Alongi to help shoot and produce the film. The film, Burns as Told by Three Children, ended up winning The Freddie, an international health and medical media award. The widely popular first film sought the attention of

April is Autism Awareness Month

Local organization, ‘Just Like You’ raises Autism awareness, among other causes written by Chloe Stanford

the cancer unit a t Children’s Mercy, a n d also led to the Down Syndrome Guild contacting Greenstreet. Since then, the foundation has grown to six professional, documentary-style films, with several different translations and prestigious national awards. JLY has won the AMC Cares Award, the 2014 Golden Door International Film Festival Raising Awareness Award, and many more. JLY is currently in production of their sixth film about facial anomalies. The film will include birthmarks, vascular anomalies, and more. There is also a fundraiser planned to be in November of this year to raise money for the next project on diabetes. With over 300,000 YouTube hits in 117 countries, JLY continues to reach new people every day. The Down Syndrome film was recently translated to Portuguese for Brazil at the request of the Brazilian Ambassador, who has a child with Down Syndrome. “I didn’t ever expect JLY to grow into something as big as it has,” said Greenstreet, “We were also contacted a few weeks by a school in the United Kingdom, a college in Australia and a school in Kenya.” Junior Collin Wendel has been greatly influenced by his mom’s passion for Just Like You. Working with the JLY Teen Advisory Board has helped Wendel to understand kids with disabilities and the challenges they face. “My mom’s involvement has really had a positive impact on our family’s and my understanding of disabilities and the causes of them,” said Wendel. Wendel is looking forward to East students getting involved with JLY. He is hoping that once the club takes off, members can apply to be on the Just Like You Films Teen Advisory Board. The club can discuss ideas for future films and ways to promote JLY. “East students should try to watch the JLY films,” said Wendel, “It would really help to understand kids’ disabilities in an eye-opening way.” Through the success and publicity for JLY, there are many moments that touch the hearts of the foundation’s members, actors and volunteers. The films have received a lot of positive feedback and excitement, according to Greenstreet. “There’s kind of a need in these communities,” Greenstreet said. “There are a lot of resources available for the families themselves, but there aren’t a lot of resources educating the general public about what’s going on with them, and they need that badly.” “We really encourage kids to make their own JLY films,” said Greenstreet. “If you have a good idea, you can go

through the process and submit it to us. We then publish it to our YouTube channel.”≤ Greenstreet encourages Teen Advisory Board members to use social media to spread the word and show the films to their friends or community members. Teen Board members attend one meeting a month where the board discusses fundraisers, events and premieres. They also escort the kids starring in the films at the red carpet premieres, and take care of any needs they might have. Members use social media to get the word out about JLY. Many stars of the films have gone on to speak at engagements and screenings. Carrie Hudson, a star in the cancer film, is now a sophomore at Oklahoma State University. Hudson was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia when she was just nine years old. After she was diagnosed, her peers began to treat her like a different person. “Some of my peers almost began to baby me,” said Hudson. “Once my peers began to realize that the cancer was not changing who I was, they began to treat me normally.” Not only was it a huge life transition for Hudson, but it was also a big transition for her classmates. They learned at a young age what cancer is, and how cancer doesn’t really affect personality, according to Hudson. Since the film about cancer premiered, JLY has produced two more films and is currently working on another. Hudson has watched Greenstreet create Just Like You from the ground up. “I truly look up to Jen so much,” said Hudson. “I see her as superwoman. When I think of strong, female leaders, I think of her. I cannot wait to see where she takes JLY in the future.” “I think the film is fantastic because it gets on the kids’ level to explain what their friend or classmate is going through,” said Hudson, “It can be very hard to explain to a child what is going on. The film does a great job of staying relevant to the topic while staying on the kids’ level.” Hudson’s own Child Life Specialist at Children’s Mercy was the one to introduce her to Just Like You, which inspired her dream of becoming a Child Life Specialist herself. Hudson hopes JLY films can help people better understand that “no one’s disease defines who they are as a person.” Junior Emily Frigon was inspired by her parents’ involvement with JLY films to apply the Teen Advisory Board to herself. She has been a member of the Teen Board for two years, and says it has helped her learn that ignorant actions and words can really affect kids with disabilities, and a lot of people don’t know the harm they are causing. “The films have helped me better understand disabled children,” said Frigon. “That is the whole goal of Just Like You.”

No medical cure for autism 1 in 68

children have autism

More common in boys

only 20% of people with autism in work force

annual national cost for care is 300 million

Fastest growing disorder All info via autismspeaks.com

SEMINAR

SWITCH-UP East to implement major changes to next year’s seminar

Fact or Fiction? Rumors about next year’s seminar set-up are confirmed or denied

SENIOR JUNIOR SOPHOMORE FRESHMAN Looping

FACT

Seminars will consist of students of all grades mixed together, called “looping”

FACT

20 minute discussions

A class discussion will be led by link leaders at the beginning of each seminar

FACT

No more study halls

Free movement

All of SMSD will no longer offer study hall classes next year

POSSIBLY

Sessions of seminar will be disbanded allowing for free movement throughout the school

news 5

written by Ellis Nepstad Every year, East students have gone to seminar, and been divided by grade. Freshmen with other freshmen, or juniors with other juniors. But for future years, seminars will not be divided by class, and many more changes will be made. Of the many possibilities, only a few are definite at this point. The mixed-grade, otherwise known as looping, is going to happen, and a 20 minute discussion at the beginning of each seminar is very likely according to the administrators. East will be the first SMSD school to implement this system and its changes. “This is not the first time that East has been ahead of the curve,” principal John McKinney said. “One of the things that we are being encouraged by the district, is the idea of looping.” The goal is to build a group connection, having the same people in class for all four years. When a senior class graduates, their spots will be refilled with the incoming freshmen. According to McKinney, looping has potential to be effective outside of seminar, and the administrators have hopes to implement looping into core classes. “I am a big fan of looping,” McKinney said. “We will be doing it with the 9th grade into 10th grade English class, and with the 11 AP into the 12 AP English classes. When you think about it, you don’t have to start over after summer.” The other definite change is designating the first 20 minutes of seminar to have a class discussion about general topics such as homecoming, or how to use lockers. This discussion will include everybody in the class, and will be led by two upperclassmen link leaders. “We are trying to find a way to build a mentoring of older kids to younger kids,” associate principal Britton Hainey said. “One way to do that is to have those kids interact, and converse.” Like seminars, the study hall elective is used to get homework done during school hours. Next year the entire district will no longer off a study hall class. “[By not offering a study hall class] it encourages students to do some classes that they might otherwise not,” McKinney said, “If someone has to fill seven hours, instead of sitting in a study hall, they might take ce-

ramic or debate that they might not otherwise have considered.” It is possible that there will be no more sessions in seminar, and as a result there would be a free movement system. With the discussion at the beginning of class, the timing of sessions would be off, and the idea of signing out may become nonexistent. With free movement, students would not have to report back to their base seminar if traveling to multiple teachers. “It will be a little more chaotic in the halls,” Haney said. “But it will put more responsibility on the kids. Go see what teachers you need to see, go visit the clubs you need to visit, get everything caught up, and then go back to seminar.” Free movement is not 100 percent guaranteed, but if implemented, it would save time for students, and allow for more time with teachers, according to administrators. A student would sign out of their original class, and write where they are going. Once there, they can sign out to travel to a different class again. “I like the idea,” McKinney said. “Because if a student has multiple teachers they need to see, they can go to math for five minutes, then go straight to English for 20 minutes then walk down to science for 30.” Along with the other changes, special seminar classes will no longer exist. This means that journalism, drill team and others will have non-participating students in the class. Although they will have these non members, participants in the clubs will still be able to meet. “I think there is potential for the seminar changes to be successful,” junior Josh Clayton said. “I’m not sure how well it will work, but I guess I will find out next year.”

6 news written by Julia Poe photos by Annie Savage

[continued from cover]

THE BIG QUESTION The regularity with which white students joke and comment about race makes students in The Union wonder — is East racist? Black students at East are surrounded by a white-dominated culture and community, and they deal with constant jokes and inaccurate assumptions based on stereotypes.. Yet Muhammad and the students in The Union don’t think that East students are racist. They believe that issues of racism and prejudice at East stem from ignorance caused by what Muhammad calls a “whitewashed” community that hasn’t been exposed to or gained an understanding of black culture. The introduction of The Union has in-

spired its members to refuse to remain complacent about this hurtful ignorance. By bringing together this group of students, Muhammad aims to provide a sense of community for black students at East. He wants to take this vision a step further by educating white students to avoid the ignorance that causes a racial divide between white and black students. “I don’t think [East kids] are racist,” Muhammad said. “I think they’re ignorant. They just don’t know it. They haven’t been around black kids, and they don’t know how hurtful their words can be. They don’t know how it feels to be the outsider.” Muhammad thinks that part of this racial divide comes from the lack of a black student presence at East. In the entire student body of 1631, there are only 28 black students and three black educators. This means that it’s possible for white students to go through four years of high school without ever having a class with a black peer. As a whole, the black population makes up

1.7 percent of East. In comparison, the Kansas Department of Education (KSDE) reported a nine percent black population at SM South and SM North and 14 percent at SM West. With a KSDE-reported 86 percent white student body, East is the least diverse high school in the district. Without having black peers to interact with on a daily basis, Muhammad believes that most students at East receive information and understanding of black society from pop culture and social media. This creates a reinforcement of stereotypes that are created by the media. “There’s these expectations that people have because they haven’t really interacted with black people,” junior Georgia Weigel said. “They’ve never had someone who was black in classes or in their lives. They think [black people] are going to listen to rap music, or dress or talk a certain way. They couldn’t be more wrong about me. They have these stereotypes, and it all comes from ignorance.”

THE ODD ONES OUT Black East students face the daily presence of familiar jokes and offhand comments that meld together to create a subtle yet powerful message — they are different.

“You can’t really get around it,” senior Ronnell Lewis said. “Race isn’t an easy thing to ignore, especially for people who don’t see much of it. I’m different. I stand out. But there’s also a way that people act, things people say, that make me feel even more like I don’t belong.” As a leader on the varsity track team, senior Kaycee Mayfield is constantly teased that she’s only fast because she’s black. Lewis’ football teammates asked if it was okay for them to call him “my n***a.” Even Muhammad encountered teachers and parents who made comments asserting that his position at East is based on the district’s need to fill a quota. The feeling of sticking out at East used to be a source of embarrassment for students like Mayfield, but Muhammad is working to empower black students to take pride in who they are. “I don’t think it matters what race you are, everyone wants to fit in,” Mayfield said. “I’m both black and white and I don’t want to be seen as just one or the other. I want people to know that I’m both. But I also want to be just me, just Kaycee. I want to be seen as kind and normal.” In a meeting of The Union, Lewis admits that many black kids wished they were white at some point in their life. Three or four other students nod in agreement. It would be easier, these students say, to have a skin color that allowed them to blend in with the student body, to avoid discrimination. But this isn’t how Muhammad wants them to feel about their race. He tells his students that being black isn’t something to be ashamed of — it is something to be proud of, to stand up for. When a student makes a derogatory or racist comment, Muhammad encourages the students in The Union to explain how those comments are hurtful or inappropriate. His emphasis is the goal of educating, not attacking or becoming defensive. “I’m trying to not react in a negative way and come back at them with intelligence and more maturity,” Mayfield said. “I’m obviously going to have more maturity than you if you’re going to say something derogatory to me for no reason.”

Muhammad wants to mentor students to react calmly to ignorance. He cautions students to avoid responding with aggression or anger, instead coaching them to focus on appealing to their compassion. “These students have to be smart,” Muhammad said. “If you get mad and yell at someone, that only cements that stereotype in their minds. You can’t solidify stereotypes. I have regrets over ways that I reacted in the past. But I know who I am now, and I’m going to speak up calmly and kindly, but I’m going to speak my mind, and I’m not going to let someone disrespect me because of my race.”

CHALLENGING IGNORANCE In early March, six months after the club was first formed, Muhammad realized that The Union could only go so far with in-class discussions.

Although teaching students how to react to racist comments was important, the key to the problem was that the comments were being said in the first place. He realized that the school needed to begin a community-wide discussion of race. “I’m not saying the kids are racist,” Muhammad said. “They’re culturally insensitive. They’ve never been told what’s wrong. If we weren’t so afraid to have this discussion, if we were telling our kids what is right and wrong when it comes to race, I think you would see this ignorance fade away.” This urge to educate was intensified after a derogatory Instagram account, “SMSSuckAss,” was made at the beginning of March. The account’s description read, “Only thing I hate more than South are Mexicans, n****rs and well SMSD n****rs.” Realizing that white students needed to appreciate the hurtful impact of their words, Muhammad started the #ITooAmEast campaign on March 11. Fourteen students wrote quotes of common racist comments — “Stop acting so white” or “You don’t sound black you sound educated” — on whiteboards, then posed for pictures that were posted on Instagram. The same day, the Kansas City Star picked up the article, and the story was shared and liked over 4,700 times on Facebook alone. The campaign’s impact relied on shock factor — the ability to make white students realize that their words have weight and often demean and ostracize black students — and Muhammad believes that it was successful in this regard. In the week after the campaign

took place, principal John McKinney and multiple students and teachers approached Muhammad to compliment the project, saying that it made them truly think about issues of race. This fits into Muhammad’s goal of making students think before they speak. He believes that jokes based on stereotypes are a large part of East culture, extending beyond relationships with the black community. He points to examples such as the old “South Of The Border” game theme to remind students that their racial stereotypes are often unintentional, yet still destructive. “You wouldn’t see that happen if we had a 30 percent, 40 percent Hispanic population,” Muhammad said. “It’s power in numbers, and because there are so few people standing up against that type of prejudice, it’s hard for [East] kids to notice their own racism.” Although he wants to bring attention to this ignorance, Muhammad and students like Weigel and Lewis don’t want white students to feel guilty about their lack of understanding of black culture and black students. However, they don’t believe that this is an excuse to not attempt to speak with respect. This is why The Union is focusing on education. The students believe strongly in the compassion of their fellow East students. What they hope to achieve is a mutual understanding. By explaining to white students what is hurtful and what isn’t, they believe that they can begin to ease the underlying tensions that exist between the races. “I see it as a privilege thing,” Lewis said. “A lot of these kids at East, there’s a lot of things that they’re doing right, so they don’t see what they’re doing wrong. But this is a great school, and a great community. Once you give them the chance, they can be incredibly accepting, so we’re trying to give them that chance.” The Union hopes to ease the awkwardness of interracial interactions. And although the Union members understand that there are changes they can make in the way they respond to ignorance, they want white students to understand that the bulk of the burden of fixing racism rests on their shoulders.

FIXING IT It starts with the jokes. Black students don’t want to be asked about their hair or told that they can jump high.

They don’t want to be teased about wearing Nike Jordans or having tattoos. They don’t want to be made fun of — even with innocent intent — just for the color of their skin. But it goes further than that. Muhammad and The Union challenge East

students to begin questioning their own stereotypes. They want to see East students check themselves before they expect a black boy to play basketball, or question a black student auditioning for a play. They want to see East students begin to recognize this internal racism, and to also begin fighting against it. “I don’t think they honestly mean to do it,” Weigel said. “I’m not saying that people, at least most people, are trying to attack black kids. [Racism] is something to fight against and fix, and we want to help you do that.” To continue this message of actively fighting racism, students in The Union want to see the eradication of the n-word. From hip hop music to casual captions on Snapchat and Instagram, black students at East see white students using the n-word on a daily basis. It doesn’t just make black students feel uncomfortable; the racially-charged word causes them to feel isolated, as a reminder of past racism and bondage that is impossible for black students to ignore. Muhammad encourages both black and white students to abandon the word, emphasizing that its negative connotation can’t be removed. “There is no way to remove the original context from the word,” Muhammad said. “We can’t empower it. If I call someone my n***a, what am I calling them? My slave? My inferior? There’s a context that can’t ever be changed. I want to call them my brother, my sister, my friend, not a slur that was created to degrade us.” These changes are just the beginning in the movement that The Union hopes to create. They want to sponsor events that encourage discussion about racial issues, and to host viewings of movies that show racism from the perspective of black youth. Most importantly, The Union wants to continue to create an environment that allows black students to feel confident in their own skin. And although Muhammad and The Union hope the district will begin encouraging more discussion surrounding racism, they realize that the real transformation will come from the students themselves. “We need to change,” Mayfield said. “We need to change how we respond, but we also need to change how white kids see black kids. The kids have to change it. It’s not gonna be an adult who changes racism. It has to be the students.”

news 7

8 columns

Tales

From a

Students should work to remove the connection between college admissions and self-perception opinion by Pauline Werner photo illustration by Callie McPhail

A Breakdown of the Ivies

Acceptance Rates Harvard

5.9%

Yale 6.8% Columbia 7.4% Princeton

7.9%

Dartmouth 9.4% Brown 9.6% University of Pennsylvania 12.3% Cornell

65.9%

0.4%

65.9% of Americans attend college

$43,210

16.2%

0.4% of Americans attend ivy league schools

The average cost of an ivy league tuition per year

Information from theivycoach.com and collegetuitioncompare.com

o my dream school, It’s not you, it’s me. And that sucks, because I really wanted it to be you. I wanted to convince myself that you’re not as good as I thought you were. That I’m too good for you anyway. It would have been easier if it was you. But instead, your rejection, though kind as could be, felt like an ironclad punch to my gut. More specifically, it felt like a devaluation of who I was and what I could do, all wrapped up with “genuine regret” and “admiration for all you have achieved.” It was the sobering realization that my best didn’t cut it. That what it took wasn’t something I could give — regardless of how much I honed my Common Application essay or how many practice tests I took. That I was wrong in thinking that working my hardest could get me the best there was. That was four months ago, on a Monday afternoon at 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time when I opened an email with shaky fingers. I’m choosing to write this now because selective schools around the country are in the process of releasing their decisions. Spoiler alert: the vast majority — anywhere from 70 to 95 percent of their applicants — will be turned down. And I want to take this opportunity to tell my fellow rejectees, of whom it’s safe to say there are more than a few, to resist the urge to feel diminished. I know how easy it is to treat this news as an indication of future failure. But I

could write a book on how untrue that is and how flawed the admissions game is. I’m writing this because too many kids find themselves reduced to tears, curled into fetal positions because of a rejection letter. Too many students give the college admissions process power it shouldn’t have. Too often, we give colleges the right to determine our worth as people, rather than just as GPAs and extracurricular activities. As young people, we tend to idealize brands. We buy into the idea that Lululemon clothes will make us graceful and elegant, and in the same way I bought into the glossy college pamphlets mailed to my house. I convinced myself that success meant getting an acceptance to a school that wouldn’t give it to just anybody, as if I needed my hard work validated. So let’s stop focusing so much on the brand we’re buying — whether it’s $98 for Lululemon yoga pants or $60,000 a year for a private education — and remember that the most high-end option isn’t the only one that will do the job. And let’s have a little confidence in ourselves and what we can do. When I read my denial, it felt like I had not only lost the four years I worked so hard for, but also the successful career I would’ve been set up for. So it took some distance to see the less glamorous paths to success that stretched out ahead of me. At the time, the upside of the

whole thing was that my parents took pity on me and we went out to dinner. It was nice, but Johnny Cascone’s couldn’t completely fill the loss I felt. I showed up to school the next day, my cheeks red with embarrassment, dreading telling people that I hadn’t gotten in. Then I had to force myself to churn out ten more essays to meet the Jan. 1 application deadline. I was at the end of the college application process, which started a year before when I registered for my first SAT. And I was fed up with the fact that I was supposed to count on a faceless admissions counselor to determine my potential for success. And decide they did. As for where I’m living next August, ask me in a month. It’s finally up to me. So, to my dearest dream school: last summer, I walked your literal ivy-covered campus, eager to count myself among the lucky few that got to call it home. I wanted nothing more than to learn from an institution that has stood since before the U.S. was a country. Now I know I should have realized that my SAT score wasn’t high enough, and that I really should have won more awards. So thank you for your feigned interest in my application file; it’s truly been an eye-opening experience. Very truly yours, Pauline Werner Rejected from the Class of 2019

FriendshipFormed Kansas City

A in

columns 9

Two girls bond through sharing cultures and visiting Kansas City landmarks

Tour of the Town

Kylie created a list of places to take Lara in KC. Below are the places they’ve visited and have yet to venture to art by Audrey Danciger opinion by Kylie Schultz

Downtown Kansas City

Crown Center Union Station

Ice rink First Friday’s

Winstead’s Starbucks

Walmart

Taco Bell

Wild Bird Center

ZR Zona Rosa Great Wolf Lodge

IKEA

e stride into the large warehouse, gazing at the gray cement flooring and boxes scattered about, filled to the brim with offbrand candy. I skip in front of my friend, Lara Hellenbrand, spreading my arms eagle-style as a weak “tada!” leaves my lips. “This is Wal-Mart.” She falls into step with me, wrinkling her nose slightly. “It’s really freaking dirty.” I look around sheepishly. “Yeah…”

* * * Lara and I met one hot morning during cross country practice and connected over our mutual dislike for the heat and running. We discovered that we had loads of things in common. There’s just one small difference between Lara and I: we were born and raised in different countries. She’s a German exchange student. We ran together at least once a week in cross country, and I just barely got a sense of how different some aspects of our cultures were. Lara didn’t know how trick-or-treating worked, and when she tried to educate me on the German school system, I just kind of stood there, fish-mouthing. She’d never even been to a football game before. I took her to one or two, which resulted in her staring blankly, trying to comprehend the chants while I cheered like a lunatic. We started hanging out outside of school obligations a few weeks later. It started out in a Starbucks, and then a blur of other places, like thrift shops and my grandmother’s house, until we ended up in the language aisle of a Half Price Books, where I learned my first word of German: kartoffel. It means potato in English. There are no Wal-Marts in Germany. There aren’t any Targets or Taco Bells either. There are only Starbucks in large towns, and Lara lives in a small village about seven hours from Berlin. Now, we frequent Starbucks. I’ll stand in line behind Lara, snickering as the barista attempts to comprehend her accent. Lara will spell her name for the third time, and the lady behind the counter still fails to get it. We walk over to the counter where we get our drinks, and I’ll let out a cackle at the sight of “Lala” printed on Lara’s cup. We take a seat by the windows of the Starbucks to people watch, and I pull out my phone to figure out a place to go. Lara takes my phone from me, scanning the list of shops and locations I’ve created to provide her with the true American experience.

photo illustration by Kylie Rellihan

It involves going to a bunch of really mundane places and me watching her react to them. The cool thing is that she gets to see places like Downtown Kansas City for the very first time, and I get to relive it through her. It makes me appreciate the little things. Our greatest visit so far, aside from Wal-Mart, was the trip we took to Taco Bell a month or two back. We got two soft tacos apiece and sat in a booth, observing the place where so, so many arteries had been clogged. “What did you think of that one, Lara?” “I thought that it would be pretty disgusting, but after I tried it I really liked it.” We went to IKEA directly afterwards. It’s like the Nebraska Furniture Mart of Europe, apparently. Despite the store being overwhelmingly Swedish, it reminds Lara of home. She told me stories of she and her brother competing to see who could snatch the most miniature pencils from the holders they had sitting around, and was horrified when I admitted I’d never tried their Swedish meatballs. The single thing we did on our next trip to IKEA was sit in the food court, munching on meatballs. I don’t think I’ve ever received such a disgusted look when I told her I disliked them. We spent the remainder of our time shoving miniature pencils into our pockets. “I got 14, how about you?” “Seven.” We’ve also been privileged enough to expand our knowledge culturally by teaching each other words in our respective languages. I know approximately three words of German: hello, goodbye, and potato. I’ve taught her the words sketch, snazzy, and swaggie. With the help of each other, our dialects have never been more authentic. It’s just terrific. Nagging in the back of both of our minds is the fact that this all is temporary. As excited as I am for Lara to be reunited with her family, friends and cats, it’s really weird to think that such a large part of my life is going to be five thousand miles away in less than two months. We’re trying to cram as much as possible into the time we have left together, like those trips to Crown Center and Winsteads we always talk about making but never really do. I don’t want to think of the day I’ll have to say goodbye. But we’ve got that kind of friendship where we’re trying to find an island in the Atlantic Ocean to meet up on, because we believe it’d make an excellent halfway point between Germany and America. Both of us have declared that this most definitely will not be a goodbye, just an “until we meet again.”

VEGETABLESAND 10 columns

LIFE LESSONS “I’ll see you in a few weeks, I guess.” I mutter my half-assed goodbye to my parents before I give them quick hugs and hurry to the security line. I hand my ID and boarding pass to the TSA agent. I make my way through security and into the gate area quickly before my parents can change their minds and make me stay home. I’m a 17 year-old girl going to live in Nova Scotia, Canada for five weeks with people I had only talked to through emails. I was going to WWOOF from June into July of last summer. WWOOFing (WorldWide Opportunities on Organic Farms) is an exchange between volunteers and hosts all over the world, where volunteers trade experience and help for room and board, as well as opportunities for cultural change. So basically, I was going to spend most of my summer working on a farm. To most of us Johnson County kids, that sounds deplorable. My decision to spend my summer weeding vegetable gardens instead of laying out at the pool came mostly from the desire to travel, but also from my interest in nutrition and sustainability. When I was making my summer plans aka avoiding getting a summer job like my parents expected me to get. I needed a way to get out, so I started looking into WWOOFs after my older cousin gave it a positive review. Amazingly my parents had no qualms about letting their underage child live in a foreign country for an extended period of time with strangers. It is even more shocking when you consider that they fear for my health and safety if I’m home alone for a few hours. Regardless of this seemingly-flawed parent logic, I did my research. Only being 17 years old, I was limited to three countries out over 60 countries with WWOOF programs. I had Ireland, Italy and Canada to choose from. I settled on Canada, and became a member of WWOOF Canada, which is as simple as paying a small membership fee and creating a profile. Then, I began the process of sending out cookie cutter emails about who I was, glossing over the fact I had no idea what went into organic farming and hate manual labor. I hid the Prairie Village Princess persona and tried to market myself as a dirtworshipping tree hugger. Even though many of my emails for hosting requests went unanswered, I got accepted* to come to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, a group of islands in Nova Scotia in between the mainland of Canada and Newfoundland. Don’t know where that is? I didn’t either, and

photo illustration by Hailey Hughes

wasn’t really sure until I was driving down the highway with my hosts Terri and Dave and their Alaskan Malamut the size of a polar bear drooling in my lap. My first farm animal encounter. I spent the next several weeks in a daily routine collecting blue and pink pastel chicken eggs, weeding vegetable gardens, chasing loose ducklings and learning practical life skills like how to use a hammer and that if you don’t breathe out of your nose, a chicken coop doesn’t smell all that bad. But it wasn’t all monotony: there were moments of excitement when llamas and the eight live lobsters in the fridge meant for dinner escaped. After my month, aside from the constant bug bites and my irrational fear of roosters, my time in Nova Scotia was well worth it. What WWOOFing offered me was the chance to go out of my comfort zone. Both in terms of the amount of independence I was suddenly given and the work I was doing. I had expectations to do morning chores feeding animals, do garden and general farm upkeep and help make dinner, which only four to six hours a day. Other than that I got to integrate into my hosts lives, meet their friends and community members, and experience what life is actually like in Cape Breton. I wasn’t just a visitor, I got to be a part of life there, even if was for only a short time. I knew what I was getting myself into when I left Kansas City but I never expected to have been that impacted by vegetables. The easiest way to quantify the impact is my decision to spend more time and money this summer spending nine weeks WWOOFing in Marrakech, Morocco. I have the experience and knowledge to experience people and places that would inaccessible without taking time to live with them and experience their lives and routines.

Program allows individuals to spend time living and learning on organic farms all around the world, offering new learning experience for participants opinion by Phoebe Aguiar

HOW WWOOFing WORKS If YOU WANT TO VOLUNTEER

EXPECTATIONS

Browse the WWOOF website and find a country that interests you

Help with daily tasks which can be sowing seed, making compost, gardening, planting, cutting wood, weeding, harvesting, packing, milking, feeding, fencing, making mud-bricks, wine making, cheese making and bread making.

Become a member, which may require a small fee, and set up a profile. Contact hosts and receive permission to volunteer. Negotiate length of stay, anywhere from three days to six months. Be able and willing to pay for travel costs to your hosts farm

Be polite and respectful Get to know your host and others you meet

OTH E

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S OM E

H VI R A

Little things that can cause big reactions, those are pet peeves. Pet peeves are generally developed over time of explicitly noticing something that bothers you and realizing how annoying it is. The strange part about pet peeves is that one person’s biggest annoyance could go completely unnoticed to someone else. written by Daisy Bolin photo illustrations by Kylie Relihan

com beh ann has hea bot

Bot Pet Unc

Cup Complaints All of the five-yearolds sitting around the low rectangular tables are handed a napkin with a handful of goldfish, and a styrofoam cup filled with water. Finishing his snack later than the rest of his friends, one of the boys in the class slowly sips his water. Meanwhile, some of his buddies walk to the trashcan, crushing their styrofoam cups. Rodriguez’s face turns bright red, his eyes squint and his neck stiffens as he cringes. Rodriguez stands up and takes his cup to the trash, he pauses and then crushes it. His arms chilled with goosebumps and his eyes squinted in discomfort, driving him to quickly throw it in the trash and walk away. Now sitting in biology waiting for class to start, Freshman Nico Rodriguez, hears someone crushing their styrofoam cup from

across the room. “Oh my god why?!” His face turns cherry red and his eyes shut as he clenches his teeth. “There is no reason to crush the cup at all. Just throw it away,” Rodriguez said to the girl. Surprised by his unexpected reaction, the girl walks away with an eyebrow raised and chuckles, although it’s not so funny to Rodriguez. One day in specific happens to surround Rodriguez with these annoying cups, the Fourth of July. He walks through what seems like a styrofoam landmine, stepping on carelessly dropped lemonade cups in the yard and driveway of the party. He can’t help but hear the noise, the dreaded crushing noise. The painful screeching noise it makes is the one thing that forces Rodriguez’s body shiver in disgust.

“Style” by Taylor Swift blares in a beige 1995 Honda Accord. Two of the three girls in the car sing, belting out the lyrics in their own melody. One of them doesn’t. Senior Bethany Wiles drives her two loud friends to a movie. She changes the station as soon as she realizes her friends are at it again, harmonizing. Wiles doesn’t harmonize. “It’s not a part of the song, so why are you singing it?” Wiles said. “Let Taylor Swift do her thing.” Considering the radio practically plays the same ten songs all day, when Wiles changes the station, she is often stuck listening to one of the many songs

the girls like to harmonize with. It’s not that her friends don’t know how to harmonize. They do know how thanks to choir. The fact that the girls sing along to pop music is what bothers Wiles the most. As bad as it is when she is driving, the real bad luck is when Wiles isn’t driving. As she listens to her friends singing, she stares at her feet in discomfort, completely annoyed at the fact she can’t do anything but listen. The fun of harmonizing for Wiles’ friends only really began when she told them how much she despised it. Lesson learned: not such a great idea to share the peeve.

Harmonizing Headache

Food Fury Breakfast... lunch... dinner.... snacks. It is a constant cycle of smacking, crunching, mushing and sticky noises surrounding freshman Ava Renko. Her friend carries on and on about her weird weekend of running into numerous teachers she hadn’t seen in forever and something involving ice cream. Past that, Renko wouldn’t be able to recall a single detail. Her eyes sat fixed on the girl’s mouth jabbering away, chewing, talking and occasionally half swallowing her mouthful of food. Goosebumps rise all up and down her arms as the urge to hit someone inflates inside her. “Please.. please close your mouth,” Renko said. The girl talking laughs and apologizes, then continues her story. Less than two minutes later, chills are sent flying up Renko’s spine as she catches herself watching the girl’s mouth chomp and chew and talk and swallow all in one odd motion, yet again. Ever since she was in first grade, it has bothered

Renko to watch people who think it’s okay to eat with their mouth open. Unfortunately, it isn’t just one or two friends that this occurs with. She finds her brother, other friends, strangers and teachers that all struggle with the same talk n’ chew problem. “I notice it probably more than normal because of how much I hate it,” Renko said. Besides the fact that it is unattractive to watch the food be grinded down, she finds the noise repulsive. When she was young, one of her closest friends would chew with their mouth wide open, spewing food occasionally. She often tried to correct her even just as a first grader, but at a recent dinner with the same friend, she sadly noticed there was no change. “I can’t tell if she just thinks it’s funny because she knows how it bothers me,” Renko said. “Or if she really has never learned, and that just makes me sad for her. It’s very gross.”

Har Styr che

12 feature

FIFA FRENZY

In the middle of the match, junior Hayes Hendricks locks himself in the bathroom for 15 minutes. His opponent, junior Luke Ehly, pays no mind to Hendricks’ abandoned Xbox controller vibrating on the table, and continues to score goal after goal after goal. After all, he has a FIFA tournament to win. For a group of 16 junior boys, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association soccer game, or FIFA, is just as real as any of the other sports they play. Though the only physical effort executed is with their thumbs and forefingers, the soccer video game, they believe, requires a mental state equal to any other sport. Thier bodies may become sluggish in the off-season, but their minds stay sharp. During winter break, junior Andrew Stottle decided to organize a tournament based on the FIFA ‘15 video game, which was gaining popularity among his friends. 12 junior boys promptly paid the $10 entry fee for the victor’s pool and called themselves members of the tournament dubbed “The Amazing Cup.” Stottle, as the creator of the tournament, named himself the treasurer of the funds and randomly selected which team each member would play as. The experimental tournament proved to be as exciting as the boys had hoped. One of the boys’ favorite highlights was when junior George Colby upset a game with a free kick against junior Nathan Frank. “It was a beautiful set play, David Silva played a hard ball to Vincent Kompany, who then had a beautiful flick to the top right,” Colby said.

A group of junior boys creates The Amazing Cup, a soccer video game tournament, during their offseason photo by Katie Lamar written by Tommy Sherk

Yet, in the Amazing Cup, there are two sides to every goal. “He tried to shoot it but he missed and hit his own player in the face,” Frank said. “It deflected off of his face into the opposite side of the goal.” During the tournaments, the members try to meet up at one person’s house to watch the match as they would a real soccer match. When the members aren’t trash talking or speculating on the game, they are washing down Spicy Cheetos with Mountain Dew. “George Colby usually tries to fight me,” Stottle said. “He and I are the ones who take the games most serious.” The tournament sparked the first (and not the last), uproar against Stottle. This time he was accused of “fixing the teams,” and giving himself the best soccer players when they were supposed to be randomly selected. Yet, playing diligently through the controversy and the abundant trash talk, a victor still emerged- junior Andy Swanson. “He puts in a lot of hours, has played over 500 games,” junior Mark Manalo said. “He’s still a cheeky bastard though.” And as the champion, Swanson reaped the benefits, winning $60 with the rest of the money going to the second and third place winners, Hendricks and Colby. Swanson believes he was simply graced with the skills that he felt were necessary for him to win. Despite his unpopularity as the head of the Amazing Cup, Stottle was eager to set up a second tournament. This tournament, which is still in progress, is hosting 16

members. “We want more people because it means more prize money. More money to be embezzled,” jokes Stottle, touching on the latest controversy in which his opponents accused him of spending money that came from the tournament’s pot. The addition of four players poses different pros and cons. Returning player junior Tom Peters felt he lucky because he got to play against newbie junior Spencer Mustoe. “I was a much better player in every aspect of the game,” Peters said. “Mustoe has advantages elsewhere, but just not on the pitch [the field].” Yet, as the tournament begins to overlap with the spring sports season, players are having a more difficult time setting up matches. Even the reigning champion, Swanson, was threatened with disqualification because of his interfering lacrosse season. Still, Swanson hopes to apply his lacrosse skills to his FIFA playing and vice versa, as he believes they have similar strategies. Even with the rampant scandal and overwhelming “beef” constantly being pointed out between players, the boys continue to pick up their half-broken controllers, listen to their “Biggie Smalls” pump-up music and sit down to play FIFA. But, as usual, the comradery is soon broken as Stottle speaks. “Okay, yeah I embezzle money, but I don’t fix the teams!”

Featured players Though The Amazing Cup is really intense because there is a lot of pressure to have a good performance. It’s fun despite Stottle, who gave himself the best team. -Hendricks

“The Angry” Rating:

It’s cool to get to play other people in a tournament format and to have a chance to win a bunch of money in the end. -Mustoe

“The Nube” Rating:

It’s a battle of the best with blood and tears shed every match. It’s a lot more pressure when we all play together, but makes the matches more exciting. -Ehly

“The Magician” Rating:

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SPRING

feature 15

into something

NEW

written by Claire Pottenger

photos by Ali Hickey

The upcoming spring play has a variety of new aspects different from previous years. one character, the lines tend to blend together, but the different characters make the lines more distinct and easier to retain. Senior stage director Asia Mundy says that even though there aren’t a lot of familiar faces, the show has a huge amount of talent. “We have forensics students, techies and underclassmen taking center stage, which is awesome,” Mundy said, “They’re all so hilarious and have so much stage presence, and when they have the chance to shine, they really do make this show incredible.” She says that the cast and crew have been putting in 10 to 15 hour weeks of rehearsal, as well as additional time on the weekend. She also says there is a huge focus on characters and reactions onstage, to make sure every joke and gesture has the right effect. Mundy says that not only do the skits require acting versatility, but the play is also different from a technological aspect. Previously, full-length plays had one stage design. Now, all the different skits have to be considered. The technology has to make sense for the piece being performed at any one time, while still being cohesive with the rest of the sketches. Despite all these changes, Eddy, Liu and Mundy all expect the play to be a hit. It’s a comedy that is suppose to have a nostalgic effect that really connects with the audience. “I think that the audience will have a huge laugh at this show, which is exactly what we want,” Mundy said. “It’s a huge comedy and even though I have been working on it for months, every time certain lines come out, or certain jokes are made, I still find myself cracking up.”

above

Junior Jack Eddy performs as Greg Brady from “The Brady Bunch”

left

Rehearsal inPictures

Junior Jack Eddy has rehearsal in five minutes. Two rows from center stage, he goes over his lines. He begins as Greg Brady, from the TV series “ The Brady Bunch”, then he suddenly switches to a heavy accent and blurts out, “nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!” Eddy isn’t alone, all around him other performers are doing the same. They are each rehearsing lines and songs for multiple characters. That’s what sets apart this spring play apart from previous years. It will consist of a series of seven different sketches instead of one complete play. The two main sketches are “The Brady Bunch” and “Gilligan’s Island.” In addition, they will be performing four shorter pieces from “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” and a piece called “100 Greatest Movie Quotes.” Performing a sketch-comedy gives the performers less time on stage. Instead of having an entire hour and a half, they only have the few minutes to show the audience their character. But that isn’t the only thing different from previous plays. It’s full of people who have previously never been involved in mainstage productions, or in Eddy’s case, any theatre production at all. “I just totally decided to wing it,” Eddy said, “I had some friends in IB, after I read Hamlet in English class, keep bugging me about it until I finally decided to go for it. I mean why not go out on a limb, that’s where the fruit is.” Sophomore Brian Liu has also never been a part of a mainstage production. But unlike Eddy he has been involved in other theatre productions, like Frequent Fridays. “I’ve always wanted to be in a mainstage production but last year I was still trying to figure out what I wanted to do at school,” Liu said. “I didn’t really get overly involved in theatre. I had various things going on, and to be honest,I was just kind of nervous.” Liu found having different characters has made the memorization easier. He says that when he performs as

Junior Carlie Smith and Freshman Billy Fox take a break from rehearsing “Gilligan’s Island”

left

Junior Catherine Beasley, junior Nicholas Morgan and juniorJack Kneessy, perform “Monty Python’s: The Crunchy Frog”

16 Spread

Today:

p u d n u o R e i Room By Katharine Swindells

From GPA to social life to the amount of weight gained, studies from Dartmouth and Marquette University have shown the huge impact roommates can have on the way freshmen experience their first year of college. It used to be that the college would pair students up, either through a survey or by random draw. But these days, according to the Boston Globe, more and more students are choosing who their roommate will be before they even get to college. At some colleges, the Boston Globe says, as many as 90 percent of students choose their roommate themselves. Since its launch in 2010, roommate-finding website Roomsurf.com reports over 400,000 users. While some East seniors still don’t know where they’re going next year, let alone who they’ll be rooming with, many have already made the big decision as to who they’ll be living with in their freshman year of college.

y y e e s s d d n i n i L L & & e i e i h h p p o o SS

SOONE

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Katie & Asia

For seniors Ka with a current fri tie Sgroi and end, rather than Asia school ch Mundy, roomin let the oose for them. Ne g together is ither of them about place muc taking the best h trust in the KU parts of high potluck sysschool, tem, sayin and bringing th g a survey can’t em along to m at college. ch friends. Sgroi and Mundy “They could loo got to know each k really good on other per but wh through theatre cla paen you actually m sses at East, and eet each othbecame er, they good friends in th co uld be complete eir junior year wh en Sgroi Sgroi ly different,” performed in one said. “You could of Mundy’s show be rooming with s. When an ax they worked out in e-murderer. Peop September that th le lie on the In ey would ternet, both be attending they could make the University of themselves look Kansas really ap (KU), they quickly pe aling, but you decided to be room never know.” mates. “I wanted to room Mundy and Sgroi with someone I kn get what people alw ew, say -- that ro someone I woul ays d already be co oming with a high mfortable stops school friend with, and wouldn yo u from branching ’t have to get to out, but they don’t know all worry over again,” Mundy about it. They kn said. “Even though ow they’ll meet ne that’s people ev part of college, I w erywhere they go thought it would , whether on be fun to their go in with some so floor, in classes or rt of comfort level in extracurricular there.” When they knew s. “Rooming with a they were going to friend could feel KU, you’re exten both knew they wo lik e ding high school uld much prefer a little bit,” to stay Mundy said. “But with th e way we’ve experienced high school, through theatre, that wouldn’t be much of a problem . We’re carrying on som ething about thea tre that we like. We lik e hanging out together.”

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What’s your roommate nightmare?

Patrick Hornung

“Someone who just stays in the room all the time and just never goes out. Someone who just doesn’t have fun.”

Kathryn Peterson

“I think somebody who will start borrowing my stuff, or take over the whole room, and I wouldn’t know how to bring it up.”

Mitch Kerr

“Someone who smells bad, just all the time.”

16 Spread

Today:

p u d n u o R e i Room By Katharine Swindells

y y e e s s d d n i n i L L & & e i e i h h p p o o SS

SOONE

Katie & Asia

A NS

Spread 17

y l i L & e i c a r G

Lancer

l e a h c i M & l i W stratio

lu Photo il

Phail

l ie Mc n by Ca

What’s your roommate nightmare?

Patrick Hornung

“Someone who just stays in the room all the time and just never goes out. Someone who just doesn’t have fun.”

Kathryn Peterson

“I think somebody who will start borrowing my stuff, or take over the whole room, and I wouldn’t know how to bring it up.”

Mitch Kerr

“Someone who smells bad, just all the time.”

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feature 13

written by Alex Masson photos by Joseph Cline

FromTech toTeacher Autotech teacher Brian Gay quit his job as a mechanic to become a teacher at East

W The Perks

BMW East Directly works with the public

Works within a community

Higher Salary

Works with students

ach year, Brian Gay stands in front of his automotive technology class at the beginning of each semester and tells them that he’s still not sure he wants to teach. Even after eight years. He talks about a red Snap-On mechanic’s toolbox thats the size of two fridges inside his garage at home, filled with all sorts of wrenches, lug nuts and electromagnetic readers. The toolbox, which is all Gay would need to land a job, is ready at any moment to be wheeled into a shop of his choice. “Job security,” Gay calls it. Eight years ago, Gay left a master technician job that paid six figures at Baron BMW in favor of a teaching job at a community college that paid a third of his old salary. “It was boring,” Gay said. “Every day I would show up to the shop, line up the set of tools I would need to finish a job, imagine how I was going to do it, and then eight hours later I would be driving home to my wife. I wanted more excitement. Every day is something different with students.” In a little corner in room 101 next to a lift that has his atomic-yellow Porsche race car resting six feet above the shop floor, he has five wooden desks littered with engine parts ranging from superchargers to turbos

to spare seized pistons laying around, with 20 metal stools. Car magazines sit neatly stacked near a window, with diagrams of a Ford electrical unit on the walls. Pictures of his favorite race cars litter the walls of the room. A red line of tape divides the class from the shop. The kids that sit in the classroom day to day are what keep Brian Gay teaching at East. “I never know what to expect from these

I never know what to expect from these kids. I’ve gotten to meet some of the coolest kids ever. - Autotech teacher, Brian Gay said kids. I’ve gotten to meet some of the coolest kids ever. At my old job, I knew exactly what I would do when working on a car. Now, when teaching in a classroom I get to see all different types of responses and ideas about cars.” Now, Gay resides in the basement, surrounded by a variety of cars ranging from a white Porsche 991 GT3 donned in red and blue racing stripes to his very own Volkswa-

gen Microbus. He teaches four auto classes, ranging from the entry level auto essentials where students learn about the basics of the automotive world to auto 4. Auto 4 is a senior only class where they work on actual race cars in order to gain experience in the automotive field. To sophomore Ian Estes and other students, Gay’s shop class is more than learning about cars. “Gay is easily the best teacher I’ve ever had,” said sophomore Ian Estes. “It’s almost like he’s not a teacher, but just some guy that opened a business in the basement. Auto is honestly like heaven for me.” To sophomore Ian Armstrong, auto is the equivalent of an after school club more than an elective. “I’m pretty into cars,” said Ian Armstrong, “In auto, I can work on my car on an actual lift and use professional tools, too. Not to mention the fact I can also learn and talk about cars all hour, it truly is a bright spot in my day.” “My wife basically told me how much of an idiot I was for not realizing that I spent all this time in the business field and didn’t even realize that I wanted to be a mechanic,” said Gay. “Thankfully it worked out for me in the long run.”

20 feature

A DIFFERENT TUNE

written by Abby Walker

East students create hobbies and futures out of unordinary musical instruments

Caroline Kessinger ukelele

he song that first turned sophomore Caroline Kessinger onto the ukulele is called “Five-Foot Two, Eyes of Blue.” She was 12 years old, on vacation visiting her grandmother, Marsha Lundy, in Florida when she heard the song for the first time. “[My grandma] just kinda strode in, batting her eyes and singing while casually playing the ukulele,” Kessinger said. “We all just watched her and chuckled. We really weren’t even surprised cause it’s just how she is.” The ukulele Lundy was playing was given to her by her mother in Hawaii in the 1940’s. Lundy’s mom taught her and Lundy passed it down to Kessinger.

Her grandma taught her the song later during the trip and when Kessinger got back to Kansas City she got her own ukulele and taught herself. She recently started taking lessons because she liked it so much. “I love it because it’s nearly impossible to make a song sound sad,” Kessinger said. “It’s so upbeat and cheerful and can bring a smile to people’s faces.” Practicing takes time, but even with school and other activities, Kessinger hasn’t given up playing. “There’s been times I’ve strayed away from my uke,” Kessinger said, “but then I’ll hear a great song and just think ‘I have to learn this.”

Bryan Bailey

Oscar Motsinger

string bass

enior Bryan Bailey plans to turn his four-hoursper-day hobby into his college major. Bailey plays the bass in orchestra and his dream has always been to be a professional bass player. Before he could do this, he had to work to get into great music program. He auditioned at five schools: North Texas University, University of Cincinnati, DePaul University, Kansas University and Indiana University. Bailey got into all the schools he auditioned at, an impressive accomplishment. The school he was most anxious about getting into, though, was Indiana. “When I began searching for a school I was looking for two things: the best music school and the best bass teacher,” Bailey said. “At IU my only two points of interest are met.” The acceptance rate of the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana is 25 percent. Bailey knew the

photos by Annika Sink

homemade guitar

odds, and stayed focused on the competition. “There were lots of bass players that were socializing,” Bailey said. “But I wasn’t there to make friends, I was there to nail my audition.” Then, Bailey got an email from his dream teacher, professor Bruce Bransby, and he was informed that he would be one of the three bass players accepted to Indiana’s program. “When I opened the letter and realized that I had accomplished one of my biggest dreams. I was shocked beyond belief,” Bailey said. “It was the most gratifying moments in my life to understand that my hard work and diligence was going to pay off.” Bailey doesn’t expect the hard work to stop anytime soon, though. “I am never going to stop learning,” Bailey said. “It will take me my entire life.”

unior Oscar Motsinger has figured out how to balance his high standards and resourcefulness uses it to his advantage in his music. Motsinger’s dad plays guitar, and Motsinger was inspired in elementary school to start playing. Motsinger played on and off throughout middle school and early high school. Last year he picked it back up as a hobby as well as a way to procrastinate. “I spend more time than I should playing, probably,” Motsinger said. “Maybe a halfhour to an hour every night when I should have been doing homework.” Beginning to play more frequently, he started to think what his ideal guitar would be. Instead of trying to find and pay for a guitar that had everything he wanted already incorporated, he decided

to buy all of the parts he wanted separately. Then he would build his own custom guitar from home because getting his perfect guitar readymade would be more expensive than building it himself. “I wanted to combine a couple different guitar sounds” Motsinger said. He chose a Danelectro pickup, which is a sound transducer that works to convert the music straight from the guitar to recorded sound. “I didn’t want a pickup that sounded crunchy or distorted,” Motsinger said. “I like my tones bright and crisp.” He knew what kind of sound he wanted when he chose the shape of the guitar. Not settling for anything worked out in Motsinger’s favor, and he made the perfect guitar for him.

(Right) Malcolm Gladwell. (Below) A still from the film “Slow West” starring Michael Fassbender. photo by Bill Wadman

a&e 21

Slow West SATURDAY, APRIL 11 ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE

Malcolm Gladwell WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15 KAUFFMAN CENTER

“Slow West” makes its Missouri debut on April 8 after a successful showing at this year’s Sundance Film Festival — winning the World Cinema Jury prize for Drama. The film chronicles the life of a bounty hunter, Silas, played by Oscar-winner Michael Fassbender. He befriends a teenage Scottish Aristocrat coming to America to search for his former love. As the two journey across the rough terrain of 1800’s Colorado, their search leads to a bloody confrontation where Silas’ true motives are revealed.

If you’re familiar with Gladwell’s book “Outliers” from AP English junior year, then you might be interested hearing him speak in Kansas City. Now, the author of “Outliers,” “David and Goliath,” “Blink” and “The Tipping Point” will spend an evening focusing on his newest book, the paperback edition of “David and Goliath.” Gladwell will speak about what happens when ordinary people confront opponents of all kinds — from armies to disability and oppression. Drawing upon psychology, history, science, business, politics and sports, Gladwell encourages an understanding that much of what is important in our world comes from a struggle. Gladwell attempts to leave you with a new perspective on our world.

If you liked: The Road, True Grit, or Django Unchained

If you like: psychology, history, science, business and literature

MIDDLE OF THE MAP MUST-SEES

written by Sophie Tulp

For the fifth year in a row, Ink Magazine’s Middle of the Map Fest will bring film, keynote speakers and music to the heart of the Midwest. Spanning three weeks this month, the fest kicks off with the Art, Culture and Technology Forum from April 8-12. Next, the Film Fest takes place from April 15-17, and then the music festival concludes the event from April 22-25. Throughout these three weeks, Westport transforms into a cultural hub to host speakers, independent films and over 100 live music acts, all celebrating art and creativity in KC.

OK Go

photo by Gus Powell

OK Go WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22 UPTOWN THEATER

Iron & Wine THURSDAY, APRIL 23 UPTOWN THEATER

Atmosphere FRIDAY, APRIL 24 UPTOWN THEATER

You’ll probably remember this energetic quartet for their viral music video for “Here it Goes Again,” featuring a choreographed dance, taking place on moving treadmills. The video became an internet sensation on YouTube in 2006. Now, nine years later, Midwest natives OK Go are back in Kansas City following the release of their fourth studio album “Hungry Ghosts.” Bring a water bottle and comfortable shoes because this high-energy band will keep you dancing through their entire set.

Following Friday’s headliner OK Go, Iron & Wine is a mellower act. Sam “Jim” Beam, the solo singer-songwriter behind Iron & Wine, combines American folk influences with an acoustic, bluegrass sound cultivated from his home state of South Carolina. From poetic ballads to harmonious guitar tunes, Iron & Wine lyrics create rich imagery combined with intimate, whispery falsettos and rhythmic finger-picking that make you feel like Beam is sitting right beside you. No need to worry about a mosh pit or crowd surfing during this show, just quiet head bobbing, and plenty of acoustic guitar.

A shift from both of the weekend’s other headliners, Atmosphere is an “indie-rap” duo from the Midwest themselves. Hailing from Minneapolis, Minnesota, Atmosphere consists of rapper Sean Dealy, who goes by the stage name Slug, and DJ/Producer Anthony Davis, Ant. The duo began in 1998, when rap had an aggressive, unapologetic sound — think Biggie and Tupac. Atmosphere focused on lyrics and soul-searching. No longer the anomaly they were in the ‘90s, Atmosphere continues to use electronic tones coupled with acoustic sounds. Their underlying lyrics contain apt social commentary about injustices and problems faced in Slug’s life and observations about the world around him.

The Sound: heavy electronic influence with pop-synth keyboard and bass If you like: Vampire Weekend, Spoon, Broken Bells

The Sound: acoustic, singer-songwriter, with folk and bluegrass influence If you like: The Avett Brothers, Bon Iver, The Lumineers

The Sound: indie rap, underground, hip-hop If you like: Chance the Rapper, Childish Gambino, Kendrick Lamar

22 a&e The Clocktower Bakery offers a traditional English teatime complete with cute scones , cookies, and more written by Jemima Swindells photos by Haley Bell

It’s Time

for

Atradition starting in the early 1800s, the concept of afternoon tea has been around for over 200 years. Though not still in the daily routine, it’s still sometimes enjoyed on special occasions. Recently I heard from my mum that there was a cafe in Old Overland Park that did afternoon tea. Teresa, the owner of the bakery, is from Hampshire in South England so when she bought the cafe in May of last year, she decided to add some English influence. Being from London, my sister Katharine and I decided to check it out. Located between a liquor store and a quilting service, Clock Tower Bakery doesn’t look like much from the outside. The inside however is decorated with cute little signs with British flags and a large poster of London occupies the left wall. The layout of the cafe allows you to see the whole kitchen, which I found interesting to watch the bakers at work. As I walked in I knew immediately where to sit. There, amongst all the other wooden tables, was one that contained a white tablecloth and set with floral china cups and saucers. This traditional set up for English afternoon tea had to be for us. There was a menu set on our table with the different choices of hot drinks, ranging from fruit teas to Earl Grey. We ordered our favourite tea, the standard English Breakfast tea, and very quickly a huge teapot came out.

A three-tiered stand was soon placed at the end of our table displaying a variety of food. The bottom layer was the savoury tier and consisted of cucumber, egg salad and chicken curry sandwiches, vegemite (an Australian spread) pinwheels and sausage rolls. The sandwiches were nice but they were nothing spectacular. What stole the show however were the vegemite pinwheels and sausage rolls. The miniature pastries were flaky and delicious. The sausage is spiced by the bakery and they do it perfectly to be flavorful, but not overpowering. The buttery crust of the pinwheels was fantastic. The top layer was my favourite. It hosted two large, golden brown scones, and little bowls with clotted cream and strawberry jam. The scones were the next layer to be eaten and they did not disappoint. Cutting them in half, Katharine and I both reached for the clotted cream first. We were always taught to do cream first and then jam. Some places in England do it the other way, however. I bit into the scone and it is as good as I could of hoped. The clotted cream was sweet, the scone crumbly but the outside slightly crunchy. It tasted like home. Finally, we ate the center layer that held blueberry and vanilla macarons, lemon bars, millionaire shortbreads and profiteroles (a pastry ball filled with cream). I immediately went for the millionaire shortbread. It’s a layer of shortbread, topped with a layer of caramel, topped with a layer of chocolate and it is amazing. This one in particular used dark chocolate instead of milk. It was still delicious. Katharine and I split the vanilla macaron, and it was better than I expected. I have never been a massive fan of macarons but this one was perfectly sweet and chewy. The two of us were completely stuffed when we finally called it quits and we still had a lot of food left. The bakery owner came over for the second time during our meal to talk to us and ask us how it was. The service was a good balance. During the meal I felt like I could ask for something if I needed but at the same time I didn’t feel crowded by the staff. All together the meal was $30 for two people which though not cheap, I’d say was definitely worth the money. There was easily enough food for an extra person and the quality combined with the experience made it a really memorable time.

Jemima’s Rating:

What’s Included: Choice of British tea Selection of sandwiches Mini sausage rolls Roasted vegetable pinwheels Lemon bars Millionaires shortbread English cookies French macarons Cream puffs English scones

MEALS M DIFIED TO MORALS a&e 23

Jubaland Grill and Rachels Cafe in KC offer affordable, delicious halal and kosher appropriate cuisine

The Shalom Club from Rachel’s Cafe, including beef salami, pastrami, roasted turkey, fresh lettuce, onion and tomato with vinegar oil, herbs and horseradish sauce on a hoagie roll. (RIGHT) written by Will Brownlee

s an observant Muslim, I try to follow my dietary restrictions as closely as possible. Luckily due to Kansas City’s sizeable Jewish and Muslim populations, there are many restaurants that offer halal and kosher options whether it be a kebab shop, African restaurant or kosher snackbar. I visited two of these restaurants. As a result of the unrest in Somalia, many refugees have fled to the U.S. According to the State Department, over 7,000 Somali refugees were given asylum in 2013. There is a high concentration of Somalis in the midwest in places like Minnesota and Kansas City. They have brought both their culture and cuisine with them, allowing Americans to finally sample east African delicacies. At Juballand Grill, a Somali restaurant located in northeast Kansas City, you can enjoy an authentic Somali meal. Juballand Grill’s food is a mix of east African fare and American cuisine, serving both goat curry and philly cheese steaks. The food and ambience of the restaurant are excellent despite bars being on the windows. I was greeted warmly when I strolled in on a warm Saturday afternoon. Regulars were gathered around making casual conversation and enjoying a meal. I ordered goat. It was served with fries, rice and a side of spaghetti. I was at first surprised to see the spaghetti but after some research about Somalia’s history, I made the connection that the spaghetti came from the Italian colonization of east Africa. The food was very affordable and

the service was excellent. I got a full plate for under six dollars. Chicken and fish are also served; all of the meat being halal, meaning it is Islamically acceptable. The animal is killed in such a way that minimizes its suffering and the name of God is mentioned. This is also very similar to kosher slaughter with only a few differences. Rachel’s Cafe is a restaurant in Village Shalom, a retirement community run by Kansas City’s Jewish community. It is also the only kosher restaurant in the entire metropolitan area. When one thinks of an old folks home, they don’t think of an upbeat, lively place with a quality restaurant. But that’s exactly what I experienced. I ordered the Shalom Club which included beef salami, pastrami, roasted turkey, fresh lettuce, onion and tomato with vinegar, oil, herbs and horseradish sauce on a hoagie roll. I was satisfied; all of the flavors complemented each other and pleasing my taste buds. I was grateful to get a quality, seven dollar, pork-free meal and at the same time the sincere smiling faces of affectionate senior citizens. Even though this is the only kosher restaurant in the metro, there are still several other kosher options for those following their religiously prescribed diets. Hen House boasts a large kosher section including baked goods, cheeses, and meat. Other restaurants also occasionally serve kosher food. There is also a kosher subway on College Boulevard, which is frequented by both Jews and Muslims which meets both affordability and dietary standards.

KOSHER VS HALAL:

terms to know

KOSHER HALAL

• Means proper or fit in hebrew

• Means permissible in arabic

• Only rabbi can slaughter meat

• Any muslim can slaughter meat

• Do prayers before first slaughter and after slaughter • No mixing of meat and dairy

• Pronounce name of god during slaughter • No alcohol

information from http://meat.tamu.edu/ansc-307-honors/kosher-halal/

a&e 24

ADAPTION age 524. One more page left. I’m not really sure why I kept reading Veronica Roth’s “Insurgent.” Halfway through the novel it became obvious Roth didn’t know where to go after “Divergent.” I loved “Divergent” so I was initially surprised by how painfully slow the second book became. When I heard that the new “Insurgent” movie’s plot differed from the book, I hoped for the best. The “Insurgent” movie strays from the novel, but ultimately ends at the same place. The dystopian movie is set in a postapocalyptic Chicago. The city is split into five different factions, each with distinctive qualities— Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Dauntless and Erudite.

FACTION photo credit Lionsgate

ABNEGATION

THE SELFLESS

“Divergent” sequel diverges from written series, but offers potential for more satisfying series ending written by Sophie Storbeck “Insurgent” follows Tris Prior (Shailene Woodley), who fits into more than one faction— a Divergent. “Insurgent” dives right into the story without reviewing what happened in “Divergent,” so make sure you or someone you’re going with has seen the prequel. It starts with a message from Jeanine Matthews (Kate Winslet), the malicious leader of Erudite, announcing to the city about the danger Divergents pose. The story is built from this fear of Divergents destroying society. “Insurgent” puts emphasis on the storyline rather than the characters. The movie created a more focused plot that Roth’s book lacked. The beginnings and ends were alike in the book and movie, but everything else was different. I was really impressed by the way the movie rewrote the plot

ERUDITE

THE INTELLECTS

while still weaving in pieces that happened in the book. Because “Insurgent” focused on moving along the central plot rather than details, it was faster-paced and kept my attention more than its predecessor. The movie was action-packed. Sure, some parts were a bit stretched and unrealistic, like when Tris and Four fight 30 factionless people at one time and manage to walk away uninjured. To enjoy the movie you have to look past little inconveniences like this, because there are a lot. The biggest problem I had with the movie was with the characters. I wanted to care about them, but I couldn’t. It was because of poor writing, not bad acting. The characters weren’t given strong arcs, which made them one-dimensional and flat. And maybe it was because of

AMITY

the flat characters that I had no emotional attachment to Four and Tris’ romantic relationship. I’m not saying that their relationship was a key part of the movie. This is something that sets The Divergent Series apart from other young adult dystopian novels. It’s more about Tris and Four working together to stop Jeanine than them acting like an actual couple. The other actors did what they could to bring their characters to life. Peter, played by Miles Teller, stole every scene with a snarky comeback or joke at Tris’ expense. I wish Octavia Spencer got more screen time, but she still shined as Johanna. Overall, I’m looking forward to them returning in “Allegiant.” Since the final novel was so drawn out and boring, I hope the writers decide to remake the plot again.

DAUNTLESS

CANDOR

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left

photo by James Wooldridge Mrs. Knop holds her grandchild during her last Book Fair on Saturday. The book sale is one of many events Knop will miss next year. “Every year I think we won’t have any more books donated, because so many people are going to e-readers and not buying books,” Knop said. “But every year I’m surprised and they start rolling in.” Although this is her last year, the book fair will continue in years to come.

THE FINAL PAGES

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Junior Caroline Olsen scans a section of books during her class. “The book fair was very successful and we raised a lot of money to help out our budget for next year,” Olsen said. Her main job was to stock up books on Friday and working the sale. “I think that everyone who knows Mrs. Knop is going to be very sad that she’s leaving next year. She is a phenomenal librarian and the school won’t be the same without her.” photo by Kylie Rellihan

East Librarian, Kathy Knop has been putting on the Used Book Fair since it first started, 13 years ago. Friends of the Library helps run the event by doing things such as sorting books into sections based off genres, setting up on Thursday and working the event all of Friday and Saturday. The money raised from the book fair goes back to provide new books for the library in case they don’t receive a budget. The total raised in two days was $2500. photo by Annie Savage

far left Senior Katherine Kashka flips through books on the last day of the book fair. Although she is not an official member of Friends of the Library, she helps out whenever there is extra work. “I am happy for her that she is going to be able to spend more time with her family,” Kashka said. “But I am going to miss her. The idea of coming back to visit next year and her not being here is still sinking in.”

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photo by James Wooldridge

left Juniors Lily Wulfemeyer and Priyanka Radadiya joke around during the setup of the Book Fair on Thursday afternoon. Friends of the Library members as well as nonmembers volunteer their time to work and also enjoy the three-day long fundraiser.

Sophomore Katherine Vanderlaan takes a break during the book fair and hangs out underneath the tables. Vanderlaan knew that the fair would be successful. “My favorite part is probably handling all the old books,” Vanderlaan said. Like many other students she will miss Mrs. Knop next year. “I’m sad but I hope she has a great time in retirement and that she will get to spend more time with her grandkids.”

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“Our biggest opponent this year is definitely Blue Valley because they have one of the best pitchers in the state going to Mississippi State. That and Olathe South. We’ll get everyone’s best this year, so none of the games are going to be easy. Except for South because we already beat them and they suck. “

-Max Byers

PLAYERS GOING COLLEGIATE: JOEY WENTZ: VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY

MAX SANBORN: PITTSURG STATE UNIVERSITY

photo illustration by Annie Savage

sports 29

“We want to win state and we definitely have the potential to do it as long as we put all of the pieces together.” -Charlie White

“What seperates us from other teams is our chemistry. This group of guys has been one of the closest families I’ve ever been a part of.” -Max Sanborn

“Last Wednesday we played Blue Valley. From the 7th, each team was back and forth. We each had runners on third twice before the tenth inning. Then in the tenth, I hit a double down the left field line with one out. Then Charlie White hit a single up the middle to bring me to third. Then Luke Anderson hit a line drive to center for the walkoff. “ -Karl Harding

WE FULLY EXPECT TO GO TO STATE LIKE LAST YEAR. -Max Sanborn

“It’s awesome being with these guys seeing the game from the dugout and the base paths. It gives the game a different angle.”

-Gunnar Englund

MEXICAN MADNESS

30 sports

It’s a bad idea to be worried about watching the NCAA tournament on spring break in Mexico written by Will Oakley Art by Caleb Krakow

oomer Sooner… but we’ll get there in a minute. After voyaging on a journey through the heart of the Mexican jungle to a hotel in Puerto Vallarta, I am here to tell a story of a week full of excursions, sunburns, and, most importantly, my utterly horrific March Madness bracket. I had a set picture in my mind of sitting poolside while a waiter brings me and my dear friends endless virgin Pina Coladas. Relaxing. Comforting. Delightful. Not so. There’s no room for relaxation and Pina Coladas when your March Madness bracket is at stake. Nobody’s bracket was safe... The first news came at the beach while a harmless game of whiffle ball was easing our fears of a swift misspick. But we weren’t immune from news of the tournament, even on the beach. Baylor and Iowa State had been shocked in the first round of the tournament. At that moment, we realized that our brackets, along with the Big 12, were complete and utter dog poop. I felt confused. Alone. Degraded. I felt like the poor University of Villanova girl crying while playing her tiny flute after her beloved Wildcats were routed by NC State. That was unquestionably the saddest face that I have ever seen in my life. In fact, that’s even more impressive that she was able to weep all over her metal instrument while staying on pitch. Good for her. I hope I’m as good at something in my life as the weeping whistle blower of Villanova. The shame didn’t stop after the news of the Big 12 blowouts. I predicted that West Virginia would be upset by Buffalo for the sole reason that if you say buffalo ten times, you successfully make a grammatically correct sentence (no joke. Google it). Although Buffalo didn’t pull through in the first round, West Virginia and their overzealous freshman point guard Daxter Miles Jr. thoroughly embarrassed themselves two rounds later. For context, our friend Miles Jr. predicted a Mountaineer victory over the unbeaten and “unstoppable” Kentucky Wildcats before their meeting in the Sweet 16. Miles didn’t score a point in their 78-39 slaughter. Nice one, Miles. Even though I had sand all in my bum, at least I wasn’t the laughing

stock of half of the nation. Anyways, I was still comfortably sitting on my bum at the beach, watching an NCAA tournament to remember. No matter the outcome of my bracket, it truly is a pleasure to be able to watch players like Frank “the Tank” Kaminsky and the Sunflower League’s very own Willie Cauley-Stein (you blew that one, Bill Self) tear it up on the court. But I haven’t even mentioned the best point guard in the nation, Jerian Grant of Notre Dame, nor the freshest of freshman D’Angelo Russell of Ohio State. The level of talent in the nation this year is incredible when compared to years past. The best illustration of this would be the Big 12’s horrific, awful, blindingly-terrible showing in the tournament. Everyone was positive of the conference’s superiority because of their high level of talent. Yet everyone, as well as the players of the Big 12, were shocked to realize that the talent in the rest of tournament was easily equivalent to the “superior Big 12.” Regardless, the week carried on. The beach and sunset cruises were overshadowed by some of my stranger upset predictions. For instance, Georgia didn’t end up beating Michigan State. Rather, the Spartans won three more games and are going to the final four: Montezuma’s Revenge... Get it? Yes? No? Scratch that joke. In other news, being an Oklahoma fan, this is the first year since Blake Griffin’s

“Sweet 16” appearance that I was able to say “Boomer Sooner” in March without fear of ridicule. Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield is a man among boys on the court. But, all good things come to an end as Michigan State and Travis Trice showed Hield that he wasn’t a man, but was, in fact, a little boy with a pogo stick compared to their superiority. Don’t laugh because that wasn’t even funny in the first place — you should be just as impressed with Michigan State as I am. Electric. Efficient. Terrifying to OU and Louisville fans. The lesson that I am haphazardly and decrepitly attempting to convey is this: if you are so inclined to embark on a journey of your own to Mexico during spring break, shut off your computers. Throw your phones in the water. Let the resorts play futbol on all of their televisions. Believe me when I say you will be sorry if you’re told of any news of the tournament. As they say, “what happens in the tournament must stay out of Mexico, or it will ruin your trip.”

photo by

Annie Savage

LOOK

INTO

sports 31

BOYS LACROSSE WORKS ON THE MENTAL PART OF THE GAME

fter a three-year hold on the championship title, the boys lacrosse team lost the title to Pembroke last year. “Last year we thought we were going to do a lot better,” junior Mark Ward said. “This year we are going to make up for [losing the championship], at least we SENIOR GIRLS LACROSSE are going to try our hardest to.” PLAYER AND HER FATHER The team’s three championships were won under former head coach Chris KliewWORK TO IMPROVE RECORD er, however he had never played lacrosse. This season, Will Garrett, who played for written by Teagan Noblit four years at Washington and Lee Univerenior Margaret Krause makes a to practice hard and play to their strengths sity in Virginia, was promoted from offenstray pass to the other team in which will give them a chance to win every sive coach to head coach. a girl’s’ lacrosse game against game. “[Our new coaches] really underShawnee Mission South, a silly “Our goal is to be one of the top four stand how the game works,” senior Sam mistake. She is immediately scolded by the teams and be in the playoffs,” Kevin Krause, Huffman said. “Our previous head coach coach, “Margaret, we have to make this bet- Margaret’s dad said. hadn’t played lacrosse, but he brought a ter c’mon!.” She looks over and yells while Margaret also wants to the girls to folot of assistants in to help him with that. rolling her eyes, “OK, Dad.” cus on going to every practice and going to [Kliewer] was more of a motivator.” Lacrosse coach Kevin Krause just ig- all the team building events. This includes Garrett’s promotion allowed the playnores her — he understands her defiant events like a fundraiser at Buffalo Wild ers to improve their spacing and planning personality and takes it with a grain of salt Wings and team dinners. for goals on the field by learning about because he used to be that way too. But this Kevin wants to help improve each indithe awareness and strategy on the field. defiance has served her well on the field. She vidual player by having the players run drills During practices, the coaches work with will be playing lacrosse next spring at Adri- specific to their weaknesses. That way they the players to learn where to be on an College in Michigan. can continue climbing up the ladder, wheththe field, Margaret hopes to help the underclass- er that be moving up to play with JV or DIFFERENCES what to see man who want to play college lacrosse. She Varsity. on the field GIRLS BOYS compares watching the underclassmen to T h i s and to plan Hiting- can hit opponent carrying Hitting- can only knock the ball out watching her kids grow up right in front m i n d s e t for specifthe ball from the front between the of opponent’s stick, no body-toof her, just like her dad has done for her for will also ic plays shoulders and waist body eight years. help the d u r i n g Margaret constantly tries to encourage beginning games. Uniforms- wear helmets, face Uniforms- only wear mouth guards girls to play lacrosse by spreading the word p l a y e r s Scrimmasks, gloves and shoulder pads and goggles with advertisements in the school newspa- get a betm a g e s per and hosting open practices. Her efforts ter underallow the Stick- deep pocket used for Stick- shallow pocket because of seem to be paying off, as almost 20 new s t a n d i n g cradling lack of contact coaches players have joined the team this year. Even of the stop plays and break them down for with all the new players, the girls feel expe- sport and begin to appreciate it more. the players. They show the players rienced because they have seven returning They will learn the technical bawhere they are supposed to be on seniors. sics from experienced players like the field and help them to underAlthough Margaret is a varsity player, Margaret. stand how the play is supposed to she wants the whole program to be success“There are many college lacrosse work. ful. Varsity is expected to improve on their opportunities these days as many “Especially here in Kansas City, 8-4 record from last year. schools are adding women’s lacrosse a lot of these kids didn’t grow up Barely missing the playoffs last year, the as a varsity sport,” Kevin said. playing lacrosse, so it’s really imteam was unorganized, Margaret says, but Both Margaret and her father hope portant that I teach them, I call it this year she and her dad feel like they have that each player can bring the passion Lacrosse IQ,” Garrett said. a better understanding of the team’s goals. and energy needed to win to every game. The team is also able to use film They sat down together and discussed ex- That is one of the many things actly what they want from the teams and she will miss most about high what the expectations will be. school lacrosse. One of Margaret’s expectations is that the girls continue

written by Haley Bell

this year, because of the coach Dustin Delaney’s addition, which has helped the players to see their mistakes on the field during practices and games. “[The film] really helps us to see what we’re doing wrong,” Ward said. “The coaches can circle players, put out notes for each player and we can all access and see that. We all go over it as a team so we can fix that on the video and then we go out and fix it on the field.” After watching the film from the first game, Garrett was pleased with the improvement the team made already this season. “Their spacing that we worked on is 10 times better than last year, and it’s really setting up some of our good scorers too,” Garrett said. “It makes their life a lot easier. I think John Aliber had 10 goals in our first game and a lot of that was our offense setting him up correctly.” The team won their season opener 16-4 against Lee’s Summit High School. Later this season, the team is scheduled to face Rockhurst, Pembroke and St. Louis University High School, three of the six teams that they lost to last year. “Last year in those games, I feel like we got really flustered,” Huffman said. “[The teams we lost to] forced us to either make awkward passes or they set the tone of the game and the tempo they wanted to play. All we were doing was reacting. This year, with new coaching, we’ll be able to play to our style and our tempo.” Two of those teams, Pembroke and Rockhurst, along with Olathe East, will be the East’s most important games this season according to Huffman “Not only are those big games for us mentally since we’ve built up rivalries, but also because those are the most important for seeding in the playoffs,” Huffman said. Before these games, the team will meet in locker room to prepare and get pumped by listening to “I’m Shipping up to Boston” by Dropkick Murphy’s. The East-Rockhurst game is scheduled for April 23 and the East-Pembroke game for May 1.

center

Senior Margaret Krause defends a teammate at practice

right Junior Mark Ward defends a midfielder on the St. Charles North Varsity team

left

photo by Annie Savage

photo by Haley Bell

photo by Annie Savage

Senior Jack Werner saves a shot from a St. Charles North player

32 photoessay

LANCERS

Go Pro

Freshman Melanie Vahle recently bought her GoPro and tried it out for the first time this Spring Break. “I love how many differnt ways you can use it,” Vahle said. At first her parents were worried about the amount of use she would get out of her new gadget, but she soon proved them wrong.

Take a look into the lives of the Lancers who took their GoPros on Spring Break

Seniors Jordan Kiehl, Mackenzie Hanna, and Sydney Bahr capture the size of their cruise ship cabin with their selfie stick. “I’m obsessed with video montages so I figured I’d get a GoPro. This was the perfect time to have one,” Kiehl said.

Seniors Max Danner and Corey Knabe snap an underwater shot. “It took me a while to figure out how to use the GoPro, but once I got it down I was able to capture sweet footage I would’ve missed without it,” Danner said. Senior Carolyn Wassmer has taken her GoPro on almost all of her scenic vacations. “It’s super small and durable so it makes it perfect for capturing your travel experiences,” Wassmer said.

Freshmen Alyssa Vuillemin and Katie Hise were selfieobsessed this Spring Break. “We wanted to get a photo with this really cool scenery as a background, the GoPro was a perfect way to capture it,” Vuillemin said.