The Harbinger Issue 15 2022-23

HEAD HEAD HEAD

FIRST. FIRST. FIRST.

Head injuries can have serious health repercussions, and ignoring the signs and symptoms of concussions can lead to damaging, long-term consequences for both high school sports players and non-athletes

CROSS - COUNTRY CONNECTION

See what’s happening at a different U.S. high school according to their newspaper’s Editor-in-Chief

HURON

HIGH SCHOOL

What current event are students and staff talking about?

MICHIGAN STATE SHOOTING

WE HAD A walkout for the MSU shooting, and it was kind of last minute. Everybody just kind of decided like fve minutes before, ‘Why not? Let’s go.’ It was very impactful to see how many came, and a lot of people spoke really beautifully. It’s a really sensitive subject, especially in the past year with the Michigan and Oxford shooting. But I think people reacted really well with the walkout.

Visit the website of Huron’s news publication, The Emery

Visit Charania’s photography Instagram to see more of his photos from Huron

RIGHT More than 200 students gathered around Huron’s arch in the student commons to participate in the Michigan State University walkout. guest photo by I zain charania

sta list

PRINT EDITORS

Peyton Moore

Francesca Stamati

ONLINE EDITORS

Lyda Cosgrove

Kate Heitmann

ASST. PRINT EDITORS

Greyson Imm

Katie Murphy

ASST. ONLINE EDITORS

Aanya Bansal

Maggie Kissick

PHOTO EDITORS

Rachel Bingham

Hadley Chapman

Macy Crosser

ASST. PHOTO EDITORS

Liv Madden

Riley Scott

The Harbinger

HEAD COPY EDITORS

Caroline Gould

Caroline Wood

ASST. HEAD COPY EDITORS

Aanya Bansal

Greyson Imm

DESIGN EDITORS

Nora Lynn

Anna Mitchell

ASST. DESIGN EDITOR

Bridget Connelly

VIDEO EDITORS

Abby Lee

David Allegri

PODCAST EDITOR

Emma Krause

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITORS

Mia Vogel

Paige Zadoo

smeharbinger SME Harbinger

ASST. SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR

Bridget Connelly

SECTION EDITORS

PRINT NEWS

Addie Moore

ONLINE NEWS

Hassan Sufi

ONLINE FEATURES

Ben Bradley

PRINT SPORTS

Ava Cooper

PRINT EDITORIAL

Sophie Lindberg

ONLINE OPINION

Larkin Brundige

PRINT A&E

Veronica Mangine

STAFF WRITERS

Isabel Baldassaro

Sophia Brockmeier

Larkin Brundige

Maggie Condon

Mary Gagen

Avie Koeneman

Libby Marsh

Lily Simmons

Gracie Takacs

Connor Vogel

Lucy Wolf

Ada Lillie

Worthington

PAGE DESIGNERS

Afa Akwanka’a

Sofia Blades

Adya Burdick

Ava Cooper

Grace Demetriou

Elle Gedman

Veronica Mangine

Kai Mcphail

Lyla Weeks

STAFF ARTISTS

Sofia Blades

Caroline Daniels

Madi Maupin

PHOTO MENTORS

Riley Eck

Julia Fillmore

Claire Goettsch

Caroline Martucci

Emily Pollock

Mason Sajna

STAFF

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Paige Bean

Kate Beaulieu

Lydia Coe

Audrey Condon

Sabrina Dean

Ryan Dehan

Charlotte Emley

Julia Fillmore

Will Griffith

Kenna Harrington

Molly Miller

cover photo by hadley chapman

smeharbinger.net

STORIES

MEDIA

Read news stories covering the Mission Road closure, gun violence walkout and more by visiting smeharbinger.net or scanning the QR code

SM East Harbinger

Clara Peters

Tristen Porter

Alex Sajna

Lili Vottero

MJ Wolf

Amelie Wong

Madi Maupin

VIDEO STAFF

Luke Beil

Calen Domingues

Ryder Hendon

political cartoon

cartoon by ava cooper

EDITORIAL POLICY

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

design by katie murphy cover design by katie murphy

SCAN ME

ANN ARBOR MICHIGAN

SENIOR TARIK FERMIN

MANAGING EDITOR OF THE EMERY

SCAN ME PHOTOS

design by sophie lindberg art by alex sajna

TIPPING THE SCALES

FOR: 14 AGAINST: 2

The members of the editorial board who agree with the viewpoint of the editorial are represented by for, and those who disagree with the viewpoint are represented by against.

The Kansas state legislature’s proposal to allocate federal COVID-19 relief funds to private schools removes funds from public school students in need

PUBLIC TAX MONEY should go to only public school students and families... right?

Not according to several Kansas lawmakers who proposed a school choicebased bill in early April. The bill would allocate money from a federal COVID-19 relief fund for any educational expenses to both public and private school students below the federal poverty line.

So not only will tax money be used in private schools, but the wealthier students will get thousands more.

The bill narrowly passed in the House 65-58 on April 6 but failed in the Senate 17-20 the next day. However, Republican legislators plan on taking a new vote over the proposal when the legislature reconvenes in late April.

Governor Laura Kelly vehemently opposes allocating federal funds to nonpublic schools, believing tax dollars only have a place in funding public schools — at least someone in Congress has our best interest as public school students in mind.

Kansas legislators pushing to allocate federal COVID-19 relief funds to private school students are wasting money that could be used to improve public schools and students’ experiences on private schools that are independently funded.

Republicans have advocated for the concept of school choice in Congress for

over two years, now pushing multiple school choice bills into Congress since 2021.

The terminology “school choice” is a contradiction in itself. Attending a private institution is a family’s own choice, but with that comes tuition costs, educational expenses, uniforms and more — none of which are surprise conditions of going private. While private school may be a necessary option in areas with low public school funding, removing even more money from schools with torn-up books, limited teachers and poor education will only worsen that situation.

The bill would take millions in taxpayer funds and provide $1,000 to public school students for educational expenses under the 250% poverty line. It would also give $5,000 to private school students for educational expenses like tuition, but with no government oversight on what the money could be used for, according to The 74 Million, a nonprofit news site that covers American education.

Private school students will receive $4,000 more in financial support than public school students in this bill — a slap in the face to every public school student and family only receiving $1,000.

Private schools were founded on the backbone of separation of church and state in the U.S. They’re allowed to teach or

practice whatever they want since they’re funded by themselves and not government dollars — so government dollars shouldn’t suddenly fund religious organizations.

With no government oversight or regulation, private school students under the 250% poverty line could take their $5,000 and use it for any purpose, from tuition to school trips to Bibles. So it’s no surprise those in the public school system might be upset that private schools who have total freedom in their schools are getting $4,000 more than they are.

While the government should ensure that those in poverty have equal access to education, the bill won’t aid in that goal. Public schools in the U.S. amount to 78% of all schools in America compared to private schools taking up only 17% of U.S. schools, according to weareteachers.com. We should prioritize funding schools attended by the majority of students in America — the ones who actually need help.

Most Americans in all socioeconomic classes have more local access to public schools than private ones in their communities. So we shouldn’t reallocate funds from the most attended schools in our country to niche, smaller institutions with no confirmation of improvement in quality education with potential unexpected costs.

Several Kansas legislators agree, including Representative Valdenia Winn,

who said Americans should note how this could impact their school, district and community. Along with Winn, Governor Laura Kelly supports giving $1,000 to students for public school educational expenses, not things such as private school religious activities, and she does have vetoing powers she plans to use.

Plenty of Kansas Republicans even opposed this bill proposed by their own party members, showing just how drastic this idea is. After all, for rural communities — typically Republican districts — all throughout the country, public education is a vital foundation point for them as they’re in areas with little to no private school. So of course they’d be opposed to taking away money from their childrens’ education.

Kansas lawmakers need to stop pushing tax money to private schools and instead spend their time, money and resources on public schools to ensure their students’ educational quality and standards are just as equal to those in private education.

Let’s protect the integrity of the educational system in America and reallocate federal taxpayers’ funds to where they should go: public schools.

stories by mary gagen

MEET THE TEAM

The four astronauts chosen to go on Artemis II

be the frst woman on the moon

CHRISTINA HAMMOCK KOCH

MISSION SPECIALIST

First Canadian to lead a NASA astronaut class

JEREMY HANSEN

MISSION SPECIALIST

TO THE MOON AND BACK

wrote.

THE NATIONAL AERONAUTICS and Space Administration is working with the Canadian Space Agency to send Artemis II into space for the first time since Apollo 17. On this particular mission, the designated team will explore further into space than ever before, according to NASA.

According to NASA, Artemis II will be a pioneer for future space exploration.

“Artemis II, the first crewed flight aboard NASA’s human deep space capabilities, paving the way for future lunar surface missions,” NASA officials

The team for NASA’s Artemis II mission was recently announced

The crew of astronauts that will be boarding Artemis II for a total of 10 days consists of a commander, pilot and two mission specialists. Commander Reid Wiseman is responsible for leading the team through decision making and dayto-day events, according to NASA.

Pilot Victor Glover is responsible for ensuring the team arrives and departs safely, as well as handling any technical aspects of the aircraft.

Mission specialists, Christina Hammock Koch and Jeremy Hansen are

SMSD’S GREAT IDEA

THE SHAWNEE MISSION School District is holding the “Next Great Idea” contest at the CAA on Apr. 29. The contest is under the Research and Development Forum. Family and friends of the presenters — or just interested individuals from the community — are encouraged to attend the presentations.

The introductory and secondary rounds have already were completed in March. The finalists will be pitching their ideas to the Startland Judges — a group

Astronaut

REID WISEMAN

responsible for knowing the mission inside and out — they must be the experts.

Chemistry teacher Susan Hallstrom interned at NASA in 2010 for two months, studying environmental science. Hallstrom says that working in NASA has given her an understanding of the dire needs for supporting and understanding the sciences.

“These people are experts in things that most people wouldn’t even think about,” Hallstrom said.

The “Next Great Idea” contest will be held on the CAA on Apr. 29

who provides a judge panel for various event — on April 29. Additionally, a practice presentation will be held on April 27.

The Next Great Idea contest provides students with an opportunity to pitch a business plan of their creation to a panel of judges who can make their goals happen by providing funding.

Sophomore Mariam Sufi is one of what she estimates to be 10-20 finalists this year.

TOYS FOR THE PUPS

Blacketer said.

Sufi based her project upon reading comprehension for language-learners. She started on this project six months ago. As the final competition approaches, Sufi says that the project has been challenging but rewarding.

“It’s given me insight on what people do in real life to start up a business,” Sufi said, “It’s also taught me a lot about public speaking.”

SHARE is hosting an event to make dog toys for Wayside Waifs in May

COMMANDER PILOT

STUDENT COUNCIL’S CHARITY Committee will be making dog toys as a fundraiser for Wayside Waifs in mid-May. Similar to what StuCo has done in the past, the event will be held during seminar in the cafeteria. An official date has not yet been decided on, but Sophomore Class President Ingrid Blacketer says that the event can be expected in mid May.

VICTOR GLOVER

“There isn’t a dead-set date for this, because the planning process for it has just started,”

Wayside Waifs is a nonprofit organization in Kansas City, Kan. that houses, trains and provides medical treatment to rescue animals.

Along with the Charity Committee, SHARE volunteers will craft dog toys from old T-shirts for the puppies. Participants will cut the T-shirts and tie them into balls or chew toys. Toys are one of many things that can be donated to support the non-profit, as well as food, money or time with the dogs.

design by addie moore photo by molly miller

BELOW The donation bin at Wayside Waifs. photo by I molly miller

Offce Will be the frst Black astronaut on the moon

Will

PROHIBITING

The Kansas State Legislature passed a bill banning female transgender athletes from participating in gender-affirming sports starting July 1

PROGRESS

story by avie koeneman

TRANSGENDER ATHLETES IN

Kansas will no longer be allowed to compete in women’s sports from kindergarten through college starting July 1, according to HB-2238. This bill was passed to preserve fairness in women’s sports without any physical advantages over others.

In a CNN article covering the ban, State House Speaker Dan Hawkins, Majority Leader Chris Croft and Speaker of the House Blake Carpenter reiterated in a joint statement that the new law is protecting the rights of biologically female

The Fairness in Women’s Sports Act is to protect the rights of female athletes in the state of Kansas by requiring that female student

athletic teams are only allowed to include members who are biologically female, according to Hawkins, Croft and Carpenter.

The bill will require women to have biological indications of being female in order to participate in their sport from July and beyond.

The bill takes into account indicators like reproduction potential or capacity, sex chromosomes, naturally occuring sex hormones and unambiguous internal and external genitalia present at birth. It’s currently undecided how these things will be determined.

“This is without regard to an individual’s psychological, chosen or subjective experience of gender,” Stated in the bill.

However, the bill will not exclude students of the female sex to participate on teams designated for males and it allows for male to female transitioned students to participate in mixed sports and men’s sporting events.

There has been a continuous three-year effort by the Republican representatives to override governor Laura Kelly’s consistent vetoes on the bill. After the override, Kansas became the 20th state to enforce restrictions on trans students’ athletic participation.

Kelly’s veto was overridden 8440 — the exact two-thirds majority needed, according to AP News.

In Kelly’s message regarding her veto, she believes this bill will ultimately cause mental health problems for trans-student athletes.

“It won’t help any kids read or write,” Kelly wrote. “It won’t help any teachers prepare our kids for the real world. Here’s what the bill will actually do: harm the mental health of our students.”

Freshman Mazie Alber, who has two transgender cousins affected by this bill, feels this bill is reverting society from equality, she is devastated on how this will affect her loved ones.

MAZIE ALBER

Senior and Plus Club President Jeanne Ozkan argues that this bill is another way for queer rights to be stripped away.

“I think it’s utter bullsh*t, it’s just a disguise to allow hate on trans people,” Ozkan said.

“If they’ve fully medically transitioned, there is no difference [in ability].”

“There was a time where everything was starting to feel like it was getting better again, now after this bill was passed so much progress was just damaged,” Alber said. “I have two cousins who are trans, they are in college, and one of them plays basketball. From what I’ve heard, they’re devastated.”

FRESHMAN

THERE WAS A TIME where everything was starting to feel like it was getting better again, now after this bill was passed so much progress was just damaged. I have two cousins who are trans, they are in college, and one of them plays basketball. From what I’ve heard, they’re devastated.

TIKTOK TAKING DOWN TIKTOK

TIKTOK

story by libby marsh

The Kansas State Legislature passed a bill banning TikTok across all government-owned devices and networks, signaling increased restrictions on the popular social media platform

BRINGING ON THE

BANS

Some of the states that have banned TikTok and the regulations for each

THE KANSAS STATE Legislature passed House Bill 2314 on April 17 banning the popular Chinese social media platform TikTok across all government owned devices and networks.

While the bill was passed out of the House Legislative Modernization Committee unopposed, it didn’t reach the senate this legislative session, which will conclude in early May, as other bills were prioritized. According to Kansas Senator Ethan Corson, the bill will most likely be brought up again next legislative session in January of 2023.

“It’s probably an issue, whether it’s in this particular bill or a different bill, that lawmakers will continue to look at,” Corson said. “I think there’s just an understandable sensitivity and security concern around data and data privacy and data security.”

Under this bill, anyone connected to a state network will be restricted from using the app — a more serious step from Governor Laura Kelly’s bill issued last December that only banned the app on devices of members of the executive branch. The new restrictions are responses to national security concerns over the Chinese

UTAH

• Banned for all under 18 without parental consent

• Allows parents to see what kids post

• Platforms blocked between 10:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m.

*according to The Guardian

Communist Party accessing personal user information, according to the Kansas Reflector.

Although he didn’t vote on the bill, Corson supports it as he believes that restrictions on state-owned devices are reasonable. He thinks that it will continue to be an issue that will be discussed because of the security issues.

“It’s something that’s reasonable that we should look at when it applies to just government-owned devices and networks, not people’s personal networks,” Corson said.

Kansas Board of Education member Melanie Haas supports these regulations expanding to Kansas due to her concerns about security and mental health.

“I’d say I have a general distrust for [TikTok],” Haas said. “But also, it concerns me because it can be really addictive for both teens and adults, and I just don’t see it as a healthy habit.”

In recent years, TikTok has raised concerns about mental health in users, especially teens, according to Columbia University Irving Medical Center. A recent study by the center linked social media time

NORTH CAROLINA

• Recently joined the 22 states that have TikTok banned on government -owned devices

*according to NBC15

to increased depression in teens.

“We’re looking at other people’s lives through a lens that is essentially fake and trying to live up to a standard that is simply not achievable for us or for them,” Haas said. “[TikTok users] are essentially putting on a show.”

TikTok is used by students and teachers alike. Computer science and math teacher and soccer coach James Kelly uses TikTok to find soccer drills and watch funny videos. While he recognizes the security and health concerns, Kelly also doesn’t think a complete ban on the app is necessary.

“If it’s something that [the government] thinks should be done to protect us as Americans then, OK,” Kelly said. “I just know that there’s a lot of good things that are on TikTok. It’s not all bad.”

Freshman Gabrielle Higgins uses every minute of her hour and a half TikTok time limit — set by her parents — watching funny videos of capybaras to send to friends.

“I’m not going to know what to do with my time because I’m gonna have so much free time,” Higgins said. “And I’m gonna be insanely bored in class because if I’m bored, all I ever do is watch TikTok.”

• Banned on all personal devices

• This stands as the most extreme statewide TikTok ban

*according to CNN

Higgins is also concerned about losing a source of information. In an Instagram poll of 255 votes 123 people believe that TikTok is a necessary source of information.

“[TikTok being banned is a] problem because a lot of young people wouldn’t know what’s happening in the world,” Higgins said.

Despite these concerns with bans on personal devices, the Kansas Legislature isn’t the only government moving to restrict the app. Montana became the first state to pass a bill banning TikTok across all personal and state-owned devices on April 14.

While this may lead to greater restrictions in the state of Kansas, Corson believes that restrictions will remain fairly minimal for the time being. He doesn’t support banning TikTok on personal devices, believing that they should be controlled by only the owner and not the state.

“I think people should be able to do, within reason, what they want on their own personal device as long as they’re not harming anybody else,” Corson said.

design by kai mcphail

photo by mason sajna

DOWN DIGITAL FOR

story by david allegri

PROS AND

CONS

How online testing can be better or worse for students’ test-taking

THE COLLEGE BOARD has announced the option for schools to administer digital Accelerated Placement exams — specifically for AP European History and AP English Literature and Composition at East.

2023 will be the first time, aside from 2020, East will offer those exams digitally. The College Board will be using this year to gather data to decide the future of AP testing.

As the era of paper testing ends, the board is currently looking to shift to a fully digital testing platform, according to national trends from the National Association of Secondary School Principals. Along with AP exams, College Board will also offer the SAT digitally for the 2024 testing year, according to AP news.

“Most tests are going online,” East’s AP coordinator Jim Dusek said. “They offer to do this with a number of different schools to try to work out any kinks there might be with the online system if the school can support it.”

After 68 years of administering paper exams, AP has refined their digital exam model from the 2020 test — from the capabilities and features of a newer, more accommodating test platform on the Bluebook system — that will benefit the College Board along with schools and test takers, according to the AP newsroom.

Last year, over 4 million AP tests

PROS CONS

STUDENTS HAVE MORE time for writing portions because typing is faster than writing on paper.

AP TESTING ONLINE is generally more easy to navigate.

were administered throughout the US, according to College Board, which is roughly 1.4 million pounds of paper worth of testing materials. The new online test will eliminate a substantial portion of shipping costs of packets from test centers to College Board’s headquarters, as well as benefit the environment.

Additionally, the new test platform will include a timer at the top of each screen, tools such as a question strikethrough and highlighter, and the ability to flag and navigate between questions and type free response questions.

Sophomore Lulu Stadler, who is taking the AP Euro test, prefers digital testing and expects her performance to improve as a result.

“I feel it’s more productive because you can type, and writing longer hurts your hand,” Stadler said.

“Typing on a computer will make things go by faster and easier.”

While students handwrite an average of 8-10 words per minute, they can type at 30 words per minute, according to typing.com. As the amount of time for the FRQ section will remain the same, students like Stadler will have extra time to prepare and review work.

Since the change, AP Lit teacher Amy Anderson has been preparing for the online format by switching inclass timed essays from handwritten to typed.

The decision to test digitally was

STARING AT A screen for long periods at a time can cause headaches and loss of focus.

SOME STUDENTS

up to the English teachers. Andersen and AP Lit teacher Erica Jackson each polled their classes and got student input. The consensus was students were done with paper, as the majority of her students saw that taking the digital test would be more beneficial.

However, the ability to actually feel and touch the test could be viewed as an advantage for the paper test. If Andersen was able to make her own test, she would want a hybrid, but then said that the ability to type, and the time gained, was greater than the ability to have a paper MCQ portion.

Andersen predicts that in years to come, more teachers will opt for the digital test because if you look at our schooling system, it’s almost fully digital, and she believes that tests will follow the trend. In the meantime, she’s eager to see how the online format affects student performance.

While AP plans to offer more exams online in the upcoming years, results from this year will be a key factor in the decision, according to the College Board news site.

“I think digital is the way of the future,” Andersen said. “Eventually there will come a time when digital is the only test offered.”

The AP European History and AP Literature classes are offering online testing to students as a trial for future changes by College Board

ABOVE A student uses an online test taking platform.

PERFER writing on paper with scrap paper.

o p inion.

design by nora lynn

THIS WEEK IN OPINION

Recent Instagram polls on this issue’s opinion stories

DO YOU THINK THAT SENIOR YEAR IS MORE STRESSFUL THAN IT’S MADE OUT TO BE?

*Instagram poll of 312 votes

YES NO 45% 55%

DO YOU THINK THAT PEOPLE SHOULD CONSIDER THERAPY EVEN IF THEY DON’T HAVE A MENTAL ILLNESS?

*Instagram poll of 167 votes

YES NO 29% 71%

DO YOU THINK THAT PICKLEBALL IS THE NEXT OLYMPIC SPORT?

*Instagram poll of 311 votes

YES NO 58% 42%

DO YOU THINK THAT STUDENTS SHOULD GET JOBS OVER SUMMER?

Students share whether they think getting a job over the summer is a good idea

NEWBOLD

ELLIE MCDERMED

IT’S NOT NECESSARILY that I discourage people from getting jobs, it’s that I don’t think getting a job this summer is a required experience that people must indulge in. This is one of the few summers that people don’t have any school work before they enter college or the job market, and I think it’s a time to not to be thrown away or gone to waste.

WHAT A FLOP Leaving your toes out in the cartoon by caroline daniels

I THINK IT’S really good experience, especially if you don’t have anything to do over summer, to have stuff to do that’s outside of school. It’s a more productive thing to do over summer.

TAKE OUR POLLS

Follow the Harbinger on social media to participate in our polls

@smeharbinger @smeharbinger

@smeharbie

SENIOR

MICHAEL

JUNIOR

NO HARM IN HELP

GROWING UP WITH two psychologists for grandparents and a mom with a masters in social work, I’ve always known therapy as a science.

Sunday night family dinners spill into conversations about the steps of diagnosing ADHD, stress relief tactics and the Enneagram system. Five-yearold me thought I had to have a panic attack every-other week to be able to see a therapist.

But after realizing how many of my peers are in therapy, I’ve realized that anyone can and should visit a professional for emotional counseling. Therapy is a beneficial mental health buffer for everyone, whether you’re prescribed antidepressants or just needing to vent.

— if over half of students have sought guidance, it’s nothing to be ashamed of.

Rude remarks like “She’s gonna end up in therapy when she’s older” and “I’d hate to be their therapist” stigmatize counseling. The second I entered my therapist’s office — a small gray couch with cute pastel throw pillows and self-help and therapy books lining the shelves — that embarrassment lifted off my shoulders. Instead of a moping session on an oversized couch like it’s often portrayed on TV, therapy was a conversation between me and a thoughtful adult that energized and motivated me to improve my day-to-day life.

AFTER REALIZING how many of my peers are in therapy, I’ve realized that anyone can and should visit a professional for emotional counseling. Therapy is a benefcial mental health buffer for everyone, whether you’re prescribed antidepressants or just needing to vent.

It’s more common than we often chat about in the hallways. In an Instagram poll of 256 students, 62% have been to therapy

Instead of digging into childhood trauma or labeling me with a diagnosis, my therapist surprisingly focused on current habits that could improve my well being. Without my therapist, I wouldn’t have been able to organize weekly priorities like chores and

homework or learning how to prioritize and change my wonky sleep schedule on my own — changes that improved my life by reducing stress instead of chaining my mind to some disorder.

Going to therapy isn’t something to be ashamed of and it isn’t a “last resort” or “giving up” — it’s choosing to better yourself.

Therapy is designed to help with every aspect of life, whether it’s something as benign as feeling down after failing a test or deeper issues like the death of a family member. Therapists are an unbiased outlet that can piece together handling mean girls and generic high school drama.

setting priorities and planning my week has made my C’s turned into A’s and I can finish a homework assignment without needing to take 15 TikTok breaks.

THERAPY

I’ve always thought, “There’s people that need it more than I do” and “My issues aren’t bad enough to need someone to talk to” — all of which is untrue. The embarrassment of telling people I go to therapy used to weigh down on me. Everyone’s problems are valid and you can’t compare yours to other people.

Having someone to assist with setting goals and help with motivation has been very beneficial for me. My grades, mood and stress levels have improved. It’s like having your own personal cheerleader or coach, helping you get better and cheering you on along the way.

Organizing my week with my therapist,

Therapists also ease the stress of high school. The United States ranks first as the most stressed country in the world, with 75% of high school students experiencing stress over school alone, according to Cross River Therapy. Pile on pressures from family, friends and extracurriculars, and every teen could probably benefit from a session to vent and plan a productive response.

IS designed to help with every aspect of life, whether it’s something as benign as feeling down after failing a test or deeper issues like the death of a family member.

story by addie moore

PICKLE

Pickleball is the greatest sport of all time and all other sports are worthless

NO, GRANDMA, IT’S not too late to pick up the greatest sport of all time.

BALLIN’ PICKLE

Athletes of all ages and skill levels should quit their current sport to play pickleball full-time. Throw out your basketballs, baseball bat and cleats — the only equipment you need to stay trendy while enjoying maximum benefits are paddles and perforated balls.

You aren’t cool if you don’t participate in pickleball-mania. Especially here in Overland Park, the most “pickleballobsessed” city in the country by a U.S. Census data study. Courts are sprouting up around the city faster than hipster coffee shops. As co-president of Pickleball Club, I’m here to indoctrinate more members.

Everyone who has been pretending to like tennis can stop. The 22 public tennis courts within 15 minutes of East finally have a higher purpose to serve: make-shift pickleball play using the service box as a boundary line.

Pickleball’s versatility means you can play anywhere — your driveway, basketball courts, your enemy’s rooftop, the moon. Find a quiet street, paint lines and upgrade it into a permanent pickleball avenue.

the lines in kindergarten, you’re on track to become the next pickleball world champion. While you’re at it, forget offsides and overtime. Forget wasting brain cells deciphering scoring in secret code: say goodbye to “40-love” and hello to “1-2 points.”

Hallelujah! Winning one point adds one point to your score! Not six points plus a field goal or three points if you’re behind a magical basketball line!

THE RULES ARE simple: get the ball over the net and inside the boundary lines. An industrial-sized fan pointed in the right direction or a correctly-timed gust of wind can play for you. If you could color inside the lines in kindergarten, you’re on track to become the next pickleball world champion.

It’s easy to become a pickleball powerhouse. You can run your friends into the ground simply by practicing one or two times more than them. The art of pickleball relies mostly on walking (sometimes *gasp* jogging) instead of years of agility drills. Maybe you can’t juke out your best friend who’s been playing soccer since they could walk, but you can slaughter them in pickleball.

You don’t even have to be fast — the court is only 20 by 22 feet, so one giant step and you’ve cleared the court and are halfway to St. Louis. Roll out a picnic blanket and charcuterie board for a picnic and you could still return most shots from criss-cross applesauce — while finishing lunch.

gossip with your doubles partner without losing your breath and still close out three solid sets.

While playing your new favorite sport, there’s no need to worry about hospital visits even after a particularly heated match. Pickleball’s biggest physical risks are stubbing your toe on the net while switching sides (unlikely) or being flash-mobbed by adoring pickleball fans (much more likely).

And don’t bother lifting weights to master your sport. Pickleballs are l-i-g-h-t — less than the weight of a pencil at just two-thirds of an ounce. Catch the wind just right and chuck the spherical scrap of plastic from East to Arrowhead Stadium for an easy warm-up.

I’ve personally wasted ten years playing the wrong sport on the tennis court, pickleball’s more pretentious and less enjoyable cousin. If I’d swapped tennis academy sprinting drills for light pickleball rallies with friends, I’d have D1 pickleball offers and a full-ride scholarship by now. Enroll your kids in pickleball lessons ASAP to raise a rare pickle in a sea of basic football, basketball, soccer and tennis players.

PLACES TO

Where to play pickleball in the Kansas City area

CHICKEN

The rules are simple: get the ball over the net and inside the boundary lines. An industrial-sized fan pointed in the right direction or a correctly-timed gust of wind can play for you. If you could color inside

The petite courts also promote mid-game chit-chat. Imagine that! Assuming football players could talk coherently through their massive helmets — they can’t — it’s not like they have extra time to recap their weekend while ramming into 200-pound linebackers.

But pickleball? Debrief a year’s worth of

Go kidnap some friends and take them to play pickleball — they’ll be hooked and you’ll get the honorific of pickleball trendsetter. I was skeptical at first. Then, less than a year after picking up a paddle, I became co-president of Pickleball Club and sold “I LOVE PICKLEBALL” sweatshirts to 50 students. No, I’m not kidding, and yes, that will be you soon.

It’s a miracle, a gift from the gods of racquet sports. We don’t need fancy equipment, years of training or flawless technique to enjoy competition anymore. Pickleball to the rescue.

7 am-10 pm

Every day

JOIN THE FUN

How to get involved with the pickleball community

1 Follow @SMEPICKLEBALLCLUB and wait for them to announce a tournament day 2

FIND A FRIEND to participate in the world’s best game with you

3 HAVE FUN competing for the trophy

design by bridget connelly

photos by audrey condon

satire by katie murphy

design by gracie takacs

photo by liv madden

art by bridget connelly

SENIOR YEAR

STRESS-OUT

People

Sbeen told that senior year is the time to kick back, relax and breeze through the home stretch of high school.

Lies.

This year has been stressful with a capital S.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had my fair share of stellar senior nights — probably too many — but the most exciting times have been coupled with an unprecedented level of anxiety about a slew of stressors like journalism leadership, semester-long projects and the future.

As a senior, responsibilities both in and out of school double as motivation dwindles. Add to that the pressure of facing what’s been the biggest decision of my life so far — college. Meanwhile, I’m expected to be having the time of my life.

Obviously no one forced me to take four AP courses or be involved in a dozen extracurriculars, but I wish someone had given me a heads up that during senior year it’s crucial to factor in fully stocked social and academic calendars, as well as

SUPER STRESSORS

Stress-ers seniors face according to an Instagram poll

the splitting headache that is the college admissions process.

Researching programs, going on college tours every other weekend, hunting for recommendation letters, searching for scholarships, fine-tuning my resume — I can’t keep listing things or I’ll have an anxiety attack.

That’s how I’d sum up the first semester of senior year. All the college preparation, along with massive reports for AP English, a ten page DECA paper and a Harbinger editorial position.

It just wasn’t plausible for me to be as involved as a senior as I’ve been the past few years. Attempting to do it all during the busiest year of high school was completely unrealistic. Halfway through the year I dropped one of my marketing classes, retired from lacrosse and told my boss I couldn’t work during the week anymore — an extreme but necessary stepback.

But not everyone is as privileged as I am.

It’s not as easy for most people to take a step back and reconfigure their schedules to accommodate the stress. Seniors who are committed to schools for their sport don’t

SENIOR PAPER

THE SENIOR PAPER IS a really big project that has a lot of pressure, there is also a lot of busy work that leads up to it.

have the option to be “too busy” to play. Similarly, those who have to pay for their college or don’t receive financial aid and scholarships can’t afford to work minimal hours.

I’m genuinely in awe of my peers who have been able to manage everything without sacrificing any extracurriculars — or their sanity.

And now everyone’s roommate-searching and finalizing their housing for next year, preparing for rush, planning graduation parties, organizing prom, planning banquets and closing out the year with a-dozenand-one miscellaneous social obligations. Exhausting.

This is not what I was promised!

I just felt so stupidly blindsided by the level of pressure I’ve felt as a senior because as an underclassmen I’d only ever hear people talk about the good times. How was I supposed to know my final year wasn’t all grad parties and senior sunrises?

It feels almost awkward to talk about because I’m supposed to be having a great

story by mia vogel

time and there’s a pressure to mirror this immaculate energy that was supposed to come with closing out high school.

I don’t mean to be so negative and make being a senior sound like all work and no fun, because that’s not true. Everyone squished in the front of the stands at basketball games, that secure feeling of walking down the halls and waving hello to everyone — even the teachers — and partaking in a plethora of senior traditions — assassins, skip days, senior spring break — scattered throughout the year has been amazing. But all the joy has been met with all the stress.

People need to be more straightforward about what senior year truly entails. I’m sorry to be the one to break the news to all you underclassmen, but it’s like any other year — there are just as many highs as there are lows.

DO YOU THINK SENIOR YEAR IS MORE STRESSFUL THAN ITS MADE OUT BE?

*Instagram poll of 318 votes

YES NO 45% 55%

need to be more candid about how stressful senior year really is

SENIOR

SOFIE CARSON

scenes from

LORENE

“Reverie” — a musical written, directed, produced and performed by senior Grace Fields — recounts her great -grandmother Lorene’s life as a fairytale through over 50 years of diary entries

BELOW During the “Welcoming to the City of Withdrawn Wishes” scene, senior Libby McShane plays Wishing Wella in Field’s musical “Reverie,” which premiered on April 12. photo by I claire goettsch

SCAN ME PHOTO

LEFT A notecard with narrator Lorene’s lines, played by Margo Mikkelson, sits on a music stand backstage. “Reverie” is based on Field’s great grandmother, who documented her life through diaries from 1917 into the 1970s. “She inspired so much of the show,” Fields said. “I would take lines from her entries and create whole songs from them.” photo by I macy crosser

RIGHT As fairy costume designer, junior Annabelle Reda ties freshman Maisie Alber’s dress between musical numbers. Reda used each of the fairy’s exact measurements to design four romantic era-inspired costumes for the show. “The fairies had to change casting halfway through after I had already started their patterns, which made it difficult,” Reda said.

ABOVE Senior Grace Fields gives a pre-show director’s speech before heading backstage with the cast of “Reverie.” “I was so proud that my cast and crew had faith in a show that no one had done before,” Fields said. “Show day was the best day of my life, up there with my sister’ weddings.”

LEFT During a cleaning rehearsal a week prior to the show, junior Elliot Dagget dips freshman Lorien Colucci while performing the “Sirens Call” number as Fields gives notes.

photo by I macy crosser

THE HARBINGER design by macy crosser

Use this QR code to purchase photos from this event

photo by I macy crosser

photo by I macy crosser

feature.

design by bridget connelly

STUDENTS DEMAND ACTION

Held on April 5, students were led by East Youth and Government as they walked out of class and wore orange to protest gun violence in schools

JUNIOR

EMMA KUHLMAN

“I KNOW THAT people at our school are scared of it and they feel passionately about this topic, so I wanted to take the opportunity of a national walkout day to be part of something that big.” — Emma Kuhlman

Missed

Watch recaps here.

NOT SO WELL:

NOT EATING CHIPOTLE, CHIPS, PASTRIES, FAST FOOD FOR HIS PROGRESS

A look at what’s happening inside the halls of East

ABOVE Senior M Fischer sculpts a bowl in her Ceramics 1 class. photo by I kenna harrington

TOP Junior Issac Dean looks at the free comic books that were donated to the library. photo by I caroline martucci

LEFT StuCo Secretary and sophomore Maggie Condon begins to paint the staircase windows for Kindness Week. photo by I clara peters

EMMA KRAUSE

design by ava cooper

photo by amelie wong & clara peters

CONCERT CAUSE FOR A

WHEN SENIOR KURT Freeman’s teacher assigned the research paper in English this year, they knew exactly what topic they wanted to cover. The prompt of the research paper was to discuss a global issue and propose a solution, and the issue that first came to mind was a painful, personal and alarmingly important one. Suicide prevention.

Kurt was 10 when it happened. The research paper became a way they could express their years-long grieving process after their father’s suicide, as well as a way to investigate the topic of suicide and raise awareness.

“I lost him to suicide back in 2015, so ever since then, this is a very, very important topic to me and something that has driven a lot of the things that I’ve created, a lot of the things that I’ve done,” Kurt said. “It’s just something that [has] a big, big role in my life that I think is important to try to help.”

What started off as their required senior essay eventually morphed into an entire fundraiser concert over the course of a few months. On April 28, Kurt hopes to see the main gym filled with students — the more the better — because each $5 entry fee

collected at the door will go to a cause close to Kurt: the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

Starting their senior research paper focusing on suicide prevention in teens and adults was the easy part. The second part of the assignment — proposing a solution to the issue — was harder.

“I think music and mental health have a very strong [relation], they go hand in hand for a lot of people,” Kurt said. “Also I just love music and I love playing music and I think other people love seeing music live. I know I do. So I thought that a concert was a perfect way to [fundraise].”

From there, Kurt had to find other musicians to play, a school club to sponsor the event, a venue to hold the concert in and what seemed like thousands of other logistics. They devoted any free time over the past few months to plan this concert and went through a long trial-and-error process of countless emails to potential sponsors and performers to find anyone available.

But Kurt was determined for success. The pieces fell into place: Sources of Strength club agreed to sponsor the event, the main gym was available the day he wanted and the four of his friends from theatre he asked to participate were enthusiastic.

In fact, senior Kate Whitefield said yes immediately when Kurt casually asked her to play in the concert after a theater rehearsal. She trusted Kurt. She said she was aware of Kurt’s passion for both music and suicide prevention, so Kate was ecstatic to play guitar and sing to support her friend.

“They just came up and they showed me this poster on their phone that had my name on it, and they were like, ‘Hey, would you want to do this?’ And I agreed [right there],” Kate said. “Of course I would love to be a part of that and I’m really excited for it.”

Though she hasn’t finalized her official setlist yet, attendees can for sure look forward to hearing “Together Again.” The original song tells the story of Kate’s relationship with her cousin and how they grew apart due to her cousin’s mental health struggles — a fitting piece for a mental-health-related benefit concert.

Another performer, senior Grace Fields, notes how excited she is to connect with audience members through her music. It’s intentional, she said, that music is the medium used to support a suicide

prevention fundraiser.

“I think that music can be very powerful with suicide prevention in itself,” Grace said. “Just the idea we’re performing music for that is very fitting, I think, because music makes you feel that you’re not alone and that someone is feeling the same emotions as you.”

Seniors Fritz Sullivan and Aaron Cameron will also be performing alongside Kurt. The performers are playing a variety of music, from original songs to covers. Cameron is even writing an original song solely for this concert.

Over the course of the next week, Kurt and the rest will rehearse, run through logistics and polish up any last-minute touches before Friday. Despite all of the expectations, Kurt says they just want it to be an enjoyable, highenergy event. Ultimately, Kurt has two goals — to bring people together and raise money for the 988 lifeline.

“I want it to be a fun event,” Kurt said. “[I hope] everyone involved gets to have a little fun and support a good cause at the same time.”

To aid suicide prevention efforts, senior Kurt Freeman is organizing a concert to raise money for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

story SHOWTIME SPECIFICS More details on the 988 Hotline GET CONNECTED 24/7 call, text and chat access Connects caller with a trained crisis counselor Available in all 50 states and fve territories

by greyson imm

SENIOR

Students who will be performing at the concert

KURT FREEMAN

REPERCUSSIONS OF CONCUS SIONS

story by maggie kissick

CONCUS SIONS CONCUS CONCUSSIONS SIONS

*content warning:

2

4-48 HOURS.

HURT YOUR HEAD?

HERE’S WHAT TO DO

1

2

3

stop your activity or sport immediately, get an initial examination at the scene and professional one after take rest and follow a concussion recovery plan prescribed by your physician; check-in regularly

follow your physician’s plan as well as the school’s policy before getting cleared

CONCUSSIONS BY THE NUMBERS

*stats from KU Med and The CDC

433

CONCUSSIONS related to sports occur every hour in the U.S.

SYMPTOMS OF A CONCUSSION

OBSERVED

appears to be dazed or stunned forgetful confusion moves clumsily loses consciousness

balance problems

dizziness

double or fuzzy vision

feeling sluggish

nausea or vomiting

headache

29 of sportsrelated concussions are sustained by athletes age 16-19

Athletes often overlook the severity of head injuries despite the potentially drastic impact of concussions OUT OF

2 10 OUT OF athletes in a contact sport will get a concussion this year

5 10 concussions go unreported or undetected

MORE CONCUSSION CARE RESOURCES

Thedoctors Hunter the weekend his recent concussion.No sports, no technology. He got his concussion to take down a wrestling match. forward and slammed the rubber wrestling to wrestle through but felt like he afterwards. Instead of his birthday with think twice about bounce back, he did every time he And he did symptoms were the remainder to fully complete protocol, he wentback sport, pole vaulting,with issues. He felt the injury

warning: mentions of suicide

HOURS.

doctors told junior Avery he needed to take weekend to recover from concussion. No school, no technology. concussion while lunging his opponent during match. Avery tumbled slammed his forehead on wrestling mat. He continued through the third round, was going to throw up

resting, he celebrated with his friends. He didn’t about his injury. Surely he’d he thought, just like he he took a hit in a match. at first. His concussion mild, and after missing of his wrestling season complete the return-to-play went back to his spring vaulting, with no apparent lucky to have escaped seemingly unscathed.

three months after impact, Avery’s symptoms returned.

The fluorescent lights in the school that had never bothered him before are now like daggers in his eyes. He struggles to work on assignments for too long. Anything over 15 minutes results in nonsense answers on his English assignment.

con • cus • sion

a type of traumatic brain injury caused by a bump, blow or jolt to the head; this sudden movement can cause the brain to bounce around or twist in the skull, creating chemical changes in the brain and sometimes stretching and damaging brain cells

And Avery isn’t alone in ignoring his concussion symptoms. According to East athletic trainer Dakota Orlando, students often don’t take concussions as seriously as they should — valuing a high school football game, wrestling match or volleyball tournament over their developing brain — which can increase their risk of long-term brain

Concussions in sports have become an increasingly prominent concern in recent years, as awareness grows about the potential long-term health consequences of head injuries. The pressure to participate in sports and the commitment to overcoming pain can cause students to minimize the severity of a concussion, according to Orlando.

“The word concussion is overused to the point that people forget that a concussion is a brain injury,” Dakota said.

“When you say, ‘Your athlete has a brain injury’ the parents and coaches take a step back and realize that this is a serious

Students often return to play before it’s safe, which can potentially exacerbate the injury and prolong recovery. Returning to play before a concussion is fully healed can worsen the injury and delay the recovery process. Recognizing the impact concussions can have is essential since

they can result in harmful long-lasting effects, according to the Center for Disease Control.

Junior Emaline Handzel is all too familiar with the concussion recovery process. As a volleyball player, she’s sustained four concussions, which has taken a toll on her both physically and mentally. During games, she battles pounding headaches, and takes Ibuprofen beforehand to fight the pain.

Before her concussions, Handzel didn’t think twice about playing at a crowded convention center. Now, the loud noises and bright lights make her symptoms worse, so she’ll step out into the hallway between games to recover. Her doctors have warned her that she needs to take precautions to avoid further head injuries, so she’s now wearing a protective headband when she plays.

She’s been hit in the head a few other times, but doesn’t want to go to the doctor anymore because the symptoms usually “resolve themselves.” Still, her diagnosed concussions have led to vertigo at least once a week and pounding headaches three to four times a week, making it difficult for her to focus in school.

Sullivan. The initial symptoms — including headaches, dizziness and difficulty concentrating — can persist and eventually become chronic.

“Everybody only has one brain,” Sullivan said. “And I know that you think that football game is important. But when you have the possibility of living 75 to 80 years, you really want the best brain you can have.”

A split-second impact can have lasting consequences on the brain. As athletes continue to engage in sports despite suffering concussions, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy poses an additional risk to their long-term cognitive health. CTE is a degenerative brain disease that has been linked to repeated head injuries, including concussions, according to the Concussion Legacy Foundation.

have taken a lot of lives, unfortunately. And I feel like we’re finally starting to understand why this is happening. We need to listen to the research and pay attention and try to stop that from happening because no one, at any age, deserves that.

“I don’t know if [concussions] will affect me later in life, but when you have so many in such little time while you’re young, there’s prone to be some sort of damage,” Handzel said.

Pediatrician and East parent Dr. Lara Sullivan emphasizes the significance of providing concussions with adequate space and time for a proper recovery. While about 80% of concussions can resolve within two weeks, more severe concussions can take several months to fully heal, according to Beaumont Health.

Athletes are supposed to be symptom-free for 24 hours before easing back into sports. Rushing the recovery process to resume activities isn’t worth it, as it can lead to postconcussion syndrome, according to

ago. Sometimes he had a shorter fuse — having road rage or arguing over insignificant things.

When Andrew committed suicide in 2017, his brain was then sent to labs at Boston University, where he was diagnosed with stage 3 out of 4 CTE nine months after his passing.

Hannah believes situations like Andrew’s are the reasons athletes should take head injuries more seriously.

“[Head injuries have] taken a lot of lives, unfortunately,” Hannah said. “And I feel like we’re finally starting to understand why this is happening. We need to listen to the research and pay attention and try to stop that from happening because no one, at any age, deserves that.”

While CTE may not be as prevalent in high school sports as it is in professional and college sports, it’s still important for coaches, parents and athletes to take head injuries seriously and take steps to prevent and properly manage concussions. It’s currently unknown how many concussions it takes for an individual to develop CTE, according to Mayo Clinic.

After East alum Hannah Erker’s husband, Andrew Erker — a college football player — was diagnosed with CTE, she realized just how drastic the symptoms can be. Memory loss, confusion and aggression are common effects, according to the Concussion Legacy Foundation, all of which Andrew suffered from.

At 7 years old, Andrew started playing tackle football. He stuck with it until college at Kansas State University as a defensive back. He’d mention there were several games he didn’t remember after a hit to the head.

Anytime he forgot something, he’d joke, “I’ve been hit in the head too many times.”

It was about halfway through their relationship when Hannah noticed changes with Andrew. He’d forget Friday night plans they’d made weeks

Orlando advises athletes to be truthful regarding their concussion symptoms since neglecting them can prolong the healing process. She acknowledges that athletes often misrepresent their symptoms when returning to sports, but this may be due to their inability to evaluate themselves accurately.

Outside of athletics, lingering concussions symptoms can affect a student’s academic performance. In the classroom, concussion symptoms may translate into a variety of learning challenges. Avery used to be an attentive student, but now he has to lay his head down during notes because paying attention for too long gives him headaches.

“[Teachers] feel like I’m making an excuse when I say, ‘Hey, my head hurts’ or ‘Can I get a little bit of an extension?’” Avery said. “[They know] I was fine earlier and now it seems like I’m bringing this back up just because I don’t want to do work.”

Avery’s residual symptoms have led to him falling behind in his classes. As he struggles through his homework, he can’t help but worry about his upcoming AP tests. Avery knows he can’t keep making excuses for himself, but it’s hard not to feel discouraged. He wants to succeed, but his brain won’t cooperate.

“I’m trying my best, but it seems like I’m not trying because I’m not getting work done,” Avery said. “But the more I do, the worse it hurts.”

EAST ALUM

[HEAD INJURIES]

HANNAH ERKER

RAG TAG WININ THE BAG

STUDYING:

story by peyton moore

WHO’S STUDYING WHAT?

Meet the winning Rag Tag Team members and their individual subjects

THE REAL COMPETITION hadn’t even started yet, but Shawnee Mission East just kept winning. In the pre-competition raffle, East’s Academic World Quest Team seniors won vouchers to Freddy’s Frozen Custard, gift cards to Yogurtini and Baskin Robbins, and the juniors, Reese Algren, Rowan Gibson, Abi Limbird and Jackson Helmuth won the bonus question — earning them a combined $200 in Amazon gift cards.

Even though they haven’t competed in the real competition yet, the girls were satisfied — winning $50 in a raffle at a competition they signed up for on a whim was already a win. But the boys thought differently.

“It was better than I could’ve ever imagined,” Abi said. “But Jackson was still like, we haven’t won yet. He said, ‘I want that trip to D.C.’”

STUDYING: Arctic Council & Country in Focus

The boys’ focus and the girls’ enthusiasm led to a victory in the International Relation Council’s 18th Annual Academic World Quest competition — held at University of Kansas on April 1.

Rowan, the assigned team captain, created the team in September, recruiting Jackson first since his older sister went to nationals five years prior. He later recruited the girls after pitching Academic World Quest as a “friendly trivia contest.”

STUDYING:

Atrocity Prevention & Future of Global Supply Chains

The junior team was accompanied by Shawnee Mission East Team A or the team made of seniors and the juniors on East Team B were to compete in eight rounds where a set of articles were assigned to each team member. Then they had to answer 10 multiple choice questions with each round corresponding to a set of articles assigned to an individual team member.

Though most championships come with team practice, the junior team decided it was better to work alone. World Quest Sponsor and social studies teacher Brenda Fishman explained that this team never practiced even though they were encouraged.

“I think if we [practiced] together someone would leave crying or we would give one another a stress ulcer,” Abi said.

The team had all the intentions to make it to nationals in D.C. from the get-go. Even if they weren’t working for it.

“Every time Rowan was like, ‘You guys, just need to do your articles,’ and I still haven’t done them,” Abi said. “I was like well it doesn’t matter we’re going to Nationals no matter what.”

Jackson’s main motivation to make it to D.C. was to recreate the picture his sister took in front of the U.S. Capitol in 2019 that still sits beside Fishman’s desk.

Each round was focused on one of the eight articles including: Arctic Council, Country in Focus, Food Crisis, Wildlife, Atrocity Prevention, Future of Global Supply Chains, Autocracy vs Democracy and Economic Sanctions.

The self-proclaimed “Rag Tag Team” had its faults: Reese’s scores were not superb and Jackson found himself working solo on the current events tie-breaker round.

As the enthusiast and self-titled “clutcher,” Jackson led the team to a victory over the previous champions, Bishop Seabury, as he made an educated guess on the height of Kilimanjaro and encouraged the team with frequent fistbumps.

Reese and Abi, nicknamed by each other as the “Jester and Unlikely Underdog,” led the team’s enthusiasm and attitude during the local competition. The boys urged the duo to read their articles for months before competing, but Abi was impatient while reading her 40-page articles while toasting her bagel the Saturday morning of the meet.

“There’s a team dynamic: we have the in-it-to-win-it boys and then us,” Abi said. “Someone has to lighten the mood.”

The team explained that they weren’t exactly confident during the eight rounds of competition. Through the fourhour competition, the girls filled the scratch paper with inspirational messages in French and doodles of cats with frequent laughs at Rowan’s over-caffinated self and Jackson’s fistbumps.

But, they pulled it off. They were announced in an overly suspenseful manner of tying with the reigning champions from Bishop Seabury.

“When they announced that we were tied for first we were shocked,” Rowan said. “Before we were pretty positive we were in last place at that point.”

The team competed against the cowboy-hat-dressed reigning champs in the 10 question current events round — in the form of seven quizzes Jackson read that morning just in case.

When East Team B was announced as the overall winners that would represent Kansas in Washington, D.C. at nationals — the girls let out the loudest, jaw-dropped shriek and the boys sat in utter disbelief. They beat the cowboys.

“The day before we had the last meeting before the competition Jackson was like, ‘So when my team wins, we’re gonna take a photo in Washington, D.C.,’ and we couldn’t stop giggling, but look at us now,” Reese said.

The “Rag Tag Team” left the competition that day each $50 richer with a shiny 2-foot trophy and an all expenses paid trip to the U.S. Capital.

The team will compete against about 49 other fourperson teams from around the U.S. on April 29 in the Institute of Peace. Fishman assigned the four additional global articles to study alongside their previous articles for a total of 10 rounds at nationals.

Jackson and Rowan have already started taking notes on their articles and plan to go over them again before the 30th. And for Abi and Reese, they hope to download them on Apple Books and read them on the plane, because the information will be “fresh in their brain,” right?

Juniors Reese Algren, Rowan Gibson, Abi Limbird and Jackson Helmuth are going to Nationals for the Academic World Quest Challenge

design by nora lynn photos by paige bean

design by emmerson winfrey & katie murphy photos by kenna harrington

GETTING ON

INTRODUCTION

JUNIOR BOARD GROUPS presented to a panel of judges from the East community to win money for their chosen organizations on April 12. This year, the winning group received $2,500 from the school with the groups who placed outside of first also receiving between $500 and $2000.

Junior Board — started at East in 2017 — is a program where groups of four to six students work

BOARD

story by connor vogel

together and communicate with their contacts within their chosen nonprofits to collect information for their presentations they present at the end of the year. After eight months of meetings, site visits and interviews, the five finalists of East’s Junior Board competition presented their slide shows for their chosen organizations, covering the impact these organizations have on the community and how the prize money will be used to improve the agency.

$1000

HAPPY BOTTOMS 4 TH PLACE

WHEN GIVEN THE opportunity to do a junior board project, freshman Katie Cook never faltered on what she wanted her group’s Junior Board project to be. Her mother has been working with HappyBottoms Co-CEOs Susan Belger and Elizabeth Mayer for years, and holds the organization to a high esteem.

“We were looking at organizations that we’ve heard of to sponsor and I volunteered at HappyBottoms a lot, and I really liked it,” Cook said. “So I pitched the idea, and pretty much everyone liked it for our first choice.”

HappyBottoms is an organization that provides a monthly supply of 50 diapers or 30 training pants to children in need through over 60 Social Service Agency sites in the Kansas CIty area.

Cook and fellow team members Aidric Argie, Catherine Piraukuea, Emily McShane and Kai Campbell had their first official site visit back in October 2022. They toured the facility and listened to a presentation from Belger and Mayer about the organization.

“When we walked [into the building], they had a whole warehouse with the diapers,” Campbell said.

Freshman Junior Board finalists reflect on their experience in their first year of competing in high school Junior Board

$2500

GOLDEN SCOOP 1 ST PLACE

BECAUSE OF THEIR previous success as leaders in Junior Board at Indian Hills Middle School, freshmen Anna Cicero, Catherine Beltrame, Norah Anderson, Libby Marsh and Claire Langford decided to continue with the program when they came to East — but this time they finally got to choose their own groups and compete together.

“We get to choose our own groups now that we’re in high school,” Langford said. “Our group, we all have our strengths, and we put together a really good presentation this year.”

President and Vice President — sisters Amber Schrieber and Lindsay Krumbholz — about their mission with the shop.

Meeting with the employees like Trey during this project showed them the importance of organizations like the Golden Scoop and helped them gain the motivation to put in the eight months of work to make their presentation perfect.

“[When we volunteered] later I was kind of surprised by how hands off they were with [volunteers] and how streamlined and simple they made work [for us] with such a large operation.”

After months of follow-up visits, correspondence with the CEOs and monthly check-ins, they received a startling email a week before final presentations informing them they had the completely wrong financial information.

The group scrambled to correct the mistake on their slides as a frenzy of emails were exchanged, working right up until the deadline.

“The day before we had to present, a lot of us were finishing our slides and one person in particular hadn’t even started until like two days before [the deadline],” McShane said. “I was surprised when we even made finals, especially for it being [my] first time doing Junior Board.

Through sweaty palms and scribbled notecards, the group presented to the judge panel — up against three experienced groups of upperclassmen — and ultimately placed fourth, winning a $1,000 grant for HappyBottoms.

Cicero was passionate about partnering with the Golden Scoop — an ice cream shop that hires intellectual and developmental disabled individuals — because she grew up visiting her grandfather’s car dealership to chat with her friend Mikey, an employee that had developmental disabilities similar to those who work at Golden Scoop.

“I told the judges in the audience about how whenever I would go to the dealership, Mikey would always say ‘Hi’ and he’d take me to look at interiors of cars or the hot chocolate machine just for fun,” Cicero said. “I knew how much Mikey benefited from being employed somewhere and I saw firsthand how happy that he was to be able to have a job.”

The whole team became infatuated with the nonprofit during their first site visit. When they entered the shop, they were immediately met by “Super Scooper” Trey, who immediately asked them their names, birthdays and favorite colors.

“[Trey] would walk up and down the store and he’d keep giving us high-fives and he was always talking,” Cicero said. “It was really awesome how inclusive and talkative they were, everybody always feels welcome.”

Langford kept a running notes document on her phone, tracking what the group learned after every visit to help them when making their presentation. She scrolled through pages of information to find quotes from Golden Scoop’s

“[The Golden Scoop] really is making a change in the Kansas City area that you don’t see anywhere else,” Cicero said. “This is an organization that is really, really important to our area. And it needs to be expanded across the world because these people are uniquely-abled, and they struggled to get a job and that isn’t right. If anything, we need more [organizations] like this.”

With the group’s collective experience, there was little need for oversight from the group’s leader Catherine Beltrame, with each member completing their respective sections of the presentation including an overview of the corporate hierarchy, the impact of COVID, planned expansions programs or improvements and their impact on the community.

“I think we all have the potential to be leaders like this,” Beltrame said. “I don’t want to go around bragging but we’re all pretty highfunctioning individuals.”

Everything went well until the day of the final presentation when group member Nora Anderson was unable to attend due to East’s original theater production Reverie that same night.

“She was present during the first round, so the four of us had to divide up her parts without any practice and take a couple of questions about her [slides],” Cicero said. “I think it was a little bit of a change and we had to adapt to that pretty quickly, but it all worked out.”

“It all worked out” was an underestimate, as the group took first place in this year’s competition along with the $2,500 prize.

green thumb cate’s

saturday schedule

2 3

remembers.

THEN-SEVENTH GRADER Cate

Gallagher’s dad, Ed Gallagher, told her he found something out of the ordinary — one of the Gallagher family’s avocado pits had grown a sprout out of the top of the pit.

Cate rushed to find a pot and placed the pit inside. While Cate had been introduced to the art of gardening through plants scattered around her house, she had never been as captivated by them as her plantloving parents — until this avocado pit.

Her fascination grew and nowsophomore Cate has a four-foot tall avocado tree along with new additions of lemon trees, raspberry and kiwi sprouts and snake plants — a pointy green-andwhite striped plant. Although the avocado tree is still young and hasn’t borne fruit yet, Cate is still fascinated with the phenomenon.

“After [watching the avocado tree grow I] realized, ‘Whoa, I can grow stuff out of nothing,’” Cate said. “It was so cool, and I just started getting into it.”

Cate’s mom, Lori Gallagher, isn’t surprised by her sudden interest in gardening — in fact, Cate’s gardening roots might go down deeper than she

Sophomore Cate Gallagher’s intrigue in gardening had made a positive impact on her personal life and others

plant talk

Some of the pots and devices Cate uses

turn on a podcast: Sidedoor, Every Little Thing and Chuckle Sandwich

change the water from propagated plants to water her potted plants

1 chop off dead leaves and rotate plants in the sun

she tasted nothing but wood.

“When [Cate] was really little, she always [had] a dream of being fully sustainable,” Lori said. “She would always do experiments in the yard, trying out different plants and growing things from seeds, [and] she has always tried to [grow her own food].”

But Cate isn’t your standard gardener working long hours outside in the sweltering sun and tending to her plants — she prefers to grow her plants in her living room and bedroom where she can keep an eye on them.

“[My house] has a really bright, southfacing window in my dining room, so me and my dad built a little stand to rest under the center of the window,” Cate said. “That’s where I’ll put like any new plants if I’m growing stuff from seeds. Once plants get bigger, [I] put them wherever they fit around my house — my lemon trees in my room and [the rest are] scattered throughout the house.”

Cate learned her lesson with produce planted in the ground. She tried to grow radishes in a pot to keep the plant away from the swarms of squirrels, but when she went to try her freshly harvested radishes,

propagules moisture meter nodes that have slits in them for houseplants to hang in

“They did not taste anything like radishes,” Cate said. “I think it was because I tried to grow them in a tiny pot, but that was definitely a learning experience.”

Through trial and error, Cate has learned what works best for her. Every Saturday morning, after sorting through her laundry, Cate cues an episode of the podcasts “Every Little Thing” or “Side Door,” sometimes calling her grandparents before heading straight to her plants to tend to them and keep them healthy. She replaces the water and monitors the health of each of her propagated plants in their red clay pots.

If 13-year-old Cate spotted the slightest sign of wilting, she’d drench the sick plant in a whole watering can’s worth of water. But over two years later, Cate knows better. She keeps her plants on a routine schedule each Saturday, freeing up time in the week for her other activities — Freelancer, International Club, Youth Group and occasional dance classes.

“It adds routine to my life that I like,” Cate said. “It’s fun to look at each plant and say, ‘Oh, it’s been a while since I’ve repotted you.’ Sometimes they’ll just go

a thermometer to see how wet soil is for potted plants

through spells of being sick, and I have to make sure they get light every once in a while, so I’ll have to move it to the south window.”

Although Cate hasn’t grown enough produce to sell, she’s grown gifts for friends and family like sugar snap peas and snake plants.

“I will just cut [some of the snake plants] and within a few months, it’ll be its own plant,” Cate said. “It’s a little way to share a hobby in a positive way.”

Whether it’s replacing the water inside the pot of a plant or gifting her aunt with a snake plant last Christmas, Cate adores the magic of growing plants from essentially nothing.

“I would say a lot of people [think], ‘Oh, I can never grow plants,’ or ‘I don’t have a green thumb,’ but I think it is all completely just how much time you put into it,” Cate said. “I don’t think anyone has a green thumb or [doesn’t have] a green thumb. It’s just a matter of how much you care. You can just try cutting off a little node and sticking it in water and seeing if you could grow something because it’s just a surgical process.”

LEFT Gallagher shows the plants her dad is propagating. He mostly propagates milkweed but there is a variety of native plants as well. “We always have house plants around the house,” Gallagher said. “My mom is definetly into house plants and same with my dad. I was never really interested in it until about seventh grade and then I got really into it.”

I

THE

design by peyton moore photostory by rachel bingham

SCAN ME PHOTO

Use this QR code to purchase photos from this event on Harbie Photo

ABOVE Gallagher holds one of her many succulent plants she keeps around her house. “I don’t really like growing [plants] in the ground,” Gallagher said. “We have a ton of squirrels and rabbits around the house. So I just tried growing them in a pot.” photo by I riley eck

photo by

riley eck FAR LEFT Gallagher is propagating an apple tree sapling. She keeps it inside during the winter months to avoid harsh weather. photo by I riley eck

ABOVE A moisture meter sticks out of a pot inside of Gallagher’s porch. She uses these meters on larger pants to see how much water they need, green being an adequate amount. photo by I kate beaulieu

TOP LEFT Gallagher’s plants sit along her window seal to receive the most light. “It’s just such a cool idea to be able to grow and make something out of just water and light,” Gallagher said. photo by I riley eck

a&e.

ANTICIPATED ARRIVALS MOVIES BOOKS

Book Club: The Next Chapter

May 5

A group of best friends take their book club to Italy for a once in a lifetime cross country adventure.

Rally Road Racers

May 12

A rookie race car driver gets the opportunity to compete against the reigning world champ in this animated comedy.

Fast X

May 19

Dom Toretto and everyone he loves is threatened as a new lethal opponent emerges.

BUCKLE UP !

Formula 1 fans review season 5 of Drive to Survive on Netflix and gear up for the 2023 racing season

Atalanta by Jennifer Saint Genre: Fairytale

Releases: April 11

Simply Lies by David Baldacci Genre: Mystery

Releases: April 18

THE SAVANNAH BANANAS

LOCATION: Legends Field

1800 Village West PKWY, KC, KS 66111

DATE: May 5 and May 6

TIME: 7 PM

Meet Me at the Lake by Carly Fortune Genre: Romance Releases: May 2

DRIVE TO SURVIVE has popularized Formula 1 because the races are pretty boring if you know nothing about Formula . If you know things about the teams and the drivers, you start to develop who you support which makes it really fun.

THOMAS RHETT

LOCATION: T-Mobile Center

1407 Grand Blvd, KC, MO 64106

DATE: May 19

TIME: 7:30 PM

I AM LOOKING forward to the Monaco Grand Prix this season because it’s the best one. It’s really interesting, the turns are really cool and it’s a pretty dangerous race. I want Carlos Sainz to win.

OLIVER

DRIVE TO SURVIVE changed my view of the races because it gave me in-depth knowledge about what’s happening. The series has made Formula 1 more popular because it makes it more humanized and easier to understand.

design by veronica mangine photos from t-mobile center, mlb & claire gottesch

photos courtesy of IMDB & amazon

EMERGING SLOWLY FROM the kitchen, weaving its way through dozens of tables with the manager at its side, Lulu’s Thai Noodle Shop’s robot “Servi” approached our table with my order of Pad Thai — creepily emulating a human server.

In a restaurant crowded with customers, the toddler-sized metal beeping robot stuck out like a sore thumb. However, robot servers are more common than you might think.

Due to a shortage of workers in the food industry after Covid, robots have started to replace human waiters in restaurants like Magic Noodle, on 159th Street and Lulu’s Thai Noodle Shop in the Crossroads. The mechanical workers serve food, bus tables or provide assistance to customers. When my friend mentioned a robot restaurant in Overland Park, I knew I needed to try it.

The first robot restaurant I visited was Magic Noodle, a Chinese noodle restaurant that introduced their automated worker “Bellabot” when they opened in April of 2021.

On the way to my booth, I passed the kitchen and saw human expert chefs lovingly stretching and kneading homemade noodle dough — making it ironic when the aluminum robot server arrived at my table.

Magic Noodle’s robot is a white, toddler-sized cat. Bella has four tiers that are large enough for multiple dishes on each level. At first glance I was startled by the large rolling cat. But as Bella continued to wheel around the restaurant, my eyes began to adjust to the abnormal rob-o-cat. The robot cat’s main feature is the touch screen that reveals Bella’s face — a small black nose and two big black cat eyes that blink.

After meeting Bella, my expectations were high as I entered Lulu’s Thai Noodle Shop. Lulu’s has employed their robot “Servi” for nine months since they adopted it last July to help smoothly run their restaurant. Unlike Magic Noodle, Lulu’s robot wasn’t in action the second I walked in.

AT FIRST GLANCE

I was startled by the large rolling cat. But as Bella continued to wheel around the restaurant, my eyes began to adjust to the abnormal rob-o-cat.

Bella is only used to carry and deliver appetizer dishes, so I ordered the $6 edamame and $7 crab rangoon appetizers. As the workers typed A6 — my table number — into her touchscreen, Bella smoothly wheeled over to my booth, paused so I could grab the food and beeped, “Thank you, goodbye,” before returning to the kitchen for her next order. While the robot’s high-pitched voice startled me at first, I was used to the monotone voice of human waiters and I eventually got used to the sound playing throughout the restaurant. The heavily salted edamame and tangy crab rangoons were mouth-watering, but getting my food delivered by Bella the robot cat topped off my experience at Magic Noodle.

Servi was far slower than Bella and notorious for getting trapped behind tables and chairs in the shop, so the workers only brought it out when the restaurant really needed an extra set of hands — or in Servi’s case, wheels. After ordering my $17 Pad Thai and $10 pork potstickers, I talked to the manager with a request of seeing their robot. 15 minutes later, Servi rolled out of the kitchen with my meal — clearly not as seamlessly integrated into the restaurant since I had to request it and it wasn’t a cute cat.

Servi had two circular tiers, the top one containing the Pad Thai and potstickers, as well as a builtin bin at the bottom to store dirty dishes when busing tables. The robot was mainly blue, red and white, to match Lulu’s logo that was on the bus bin at the bottom of the robot. Without features like Bella’s big blinking eyes or black nose, Servi seemed stark and emotionless.

Once I grabbed my food from the robot and tried it, the subtle spice in the Pad Thai and the crispy pan fried potstickers made me realize that food is better served from a robot. Even with or without an expressive face and blinking eyes, the whole idea of a robot delivering my food made the restaurant experience more enjoyable.

design by caroline gould

Staffer tries two Kansas City restaurants with robot servers that assist their human servers

story by lucy wolf

photos by alex sajna & clara peters

BELOW Robots Servi and Bella serve Lucy at Lulu’s Thai Noodle Shop and Magic Noodle.

PROS

story by emmerson winfrey

Reviewing cheap and expensive protein powders to compare their differences

THE BARGAIN

T HE CHEAPEST ON the shelf was the GNC brand Pro Performance 100% Whey Protein at $1.40 per scoop, which promised a lot in the name without breaking the bank.

The chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, cookies and cream and unflavored powders weren’t too different from any other protein powders in the store, but nothing worth complaining about. I grabbed the chocolate flavor for a safe bet.

The macros were in the same boat — not what I’d usually go for, but not bad enough to totally throw me off. Each scoop has 140 calories, two grams of fat, six grams of carbohydrates and 24 grams of protein per scoop. For comparison, my usual four ounces of plain chicken has

PROTEIN. BOTH MY best friend and worst enemy. While I appreciate how it builds and repairs my muscles, hitting my excessive 150g of protein a day is also a chore. I regularly find myself trying to choke down plain chicken — which my friends love to make fun of me for — to avoid using my protein powder I spent way too much money on to not ‘waste’ it.

After trying what feels like every

100% WHEY PROTEIN

120 calories and 26 grams of protein.

semi-overpriced protein powder I’ve seen on fitness influencers’ Instagram stories, I wondered how these compared to a more budget-friendly alternative from a chain supplement store such as GNC or The Vitamin Shoppe.

To find out for myself, I went to GNC and got the cheapest and most expensive protein powder they had to see if I could save my bank account, taste buds and plain chicken habits.

TASTE: 2/5

After mixing the protein with my almond milk, I noticed the clumps of unmixed powder in the drink and began to dread my first sip. The texture was exactly what I had expected from the cheapest one on the shelf — grainy and clumpy.

The flavor also unsettled me. While it had the classic chocolate taste promised in the name, it had an oddly sour aftertaste, like my almond milk was expried, that I couldn’t get out of my mouth.

While I wouldn’t choose this over my usual protein options due to the horrendous texture and flavor, it wasn’t as tragic as I had expected for being the cheapest option offered.

TEXTURE: 2.5/5

$1.40

DYMATIZE ISO 100

WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATE

TASTE: 5/5

TEXTURE: 4/5

MACROS: 4.5/5

$2.25

MOCHA LATTE

FLAVOR

WHEN SKIMMING THE shelves for the most expensive protein powder, I could already hear my bank account yelling at me when it saw the price of the tub. It was the Dymatize ISO 100 Whey Protein Isolate at a whopping $2.25 per scoop.

MACROS: 3/5 per serving per serving

for extreme dieters and lifters. This protein also contained 95 mg of caffeine per scoop — perfect for a morning pickme-up on the way to the gym.

The flavors offered more variety and unique flavors than the cheap GNC brand. They had the classics: chocolate, vanilla, chocolate peanut butter but also had novelty collaboration flavors such as Fruity Pebbles and Dunkin’.

As an avowed caffeine-junkie and coffee-lover, my heart skipped a beat when I saw the Mocha Latte flavor from their Dunkin’ collab — which I will be attributing to excitement rather than my second Celsius I downed on the way there.

The macros were also better than the cheaper option at 0.5 grams of fat, 3 grams of carbs and 25 grams of protein, totaling up to 120 calories per scoop. Nothing too notable for most but the extra few calories saved could be crucial

WHILE I STILL don’t quite understand why protein powder has to blow my budget every time I buy a tub, I do get why people continue spending more money

It was also, thankfully, much less clump-ridden when I mixed it with my almond milk. The texture itself was nothing that made this protein worth the extra $0.85 per scoop, but it was undeniably less grainy and smoother than the cheapest. Still, I wasn’t wowed.

What did surprise me was the impact the high price had on the flavor difference. It perfectly balanced the sweet chocolatey flavors of a mocha with a slight coffee taste coming through. While a protein powder will never be able to perfectly match a sugar-filled coffee, this was close enough for me to call it a win.

I will undoubtedly be adding this to my cart again next time I need a protein restock — it’s worth every extra penny.

THE INVESTMENT THE VERDICT

on a quality supplement over a cheaper option. The difference in texture and flavor between the two were enough to validate my over-spendings on the powder.

design by kate heitmann photos by kate beaulieu

design by anna mitchell

art by sophie lindberg

IT’S ME,

MARIO

story by avery anderson

UNFORTUNATELY, THE SUPER

Mario Bros Movie was released on April 5 — years ago, my Mario Kart-obsessed, fourth-grade self would’ve devoured the predictable plot line unlike highschool me. I would have died to see the characters I loved to play come to life.

The screenwriters obviously based this movie more on nostalgia than the plot. The movie follows heroes Mario and Princess Peach on a journey through the various kingdoms in the fictional world that Mario and his brother Luigi fall into while trying to prove themselves as plumbers in the “real world.”

When the brothers are separated after falling through one of the classic tunnels, Mario has to find a way to save Luigi from antagonist Bowser. He teams up with Princess Peach to defeat their common adversary before it’s too late — basically the most predictable plot line to exist for those who have played even just one Mario video game.

Despite the obvious plot issues, the way the screenwriters created it was confusing. I had trouble following the plot of the movie — especially at the beginning. The opening scene — Bowser barraging a castle of penguins to steal their “Super Star” — was unnecessary and askew from the actual storyline. The reason for his hostile attack isn’t clarified until long after the main plot regarding Mario and Luigi is introduced, effectively confusing the viewer.

The different plot lines of Mario, Bowser and Luigi seemed jumbled together and at the end of the movie, I had all too many unanswered questions. Many of the scenes were unnecessary

SUPER FACTS

and only added to the confusion such as a scene showing a commercial made by the Mario brothers about their plumbing business at the beginning. Even with this confusion, however, the movie was predictable from the very beginning.

Its chaotic storyline pushed The Super Mario Bros. Movie too close to the territory of flops like The Emoji Movie, with a headache’s worth of cutesy animation and typical pop culture references. Relying more on familiarity than a cohesive plot, the movie was excellent for kids used to Octonauts and Paw Patrol, but not for anyone over the age of 12 — a letdown considering its 7+ age recommendation.

However, the characters were brought to life in a bubbly and colorful way with their animation that is similar to the newer Super Mario Bros. games like Super Smash Bros. adding to its nostalgia. They also had multiple admirable traits like courage and perseverance that any parent would love for their children to learn from the movie.

A surprising role model in the movie is Princess Peach. The creators of the movie chose to steer away from the classic damsel-in-distress portrayal of her character, instead depicting her as a woman in power. She chooses to help her subjects in the Mushroom Kingdom and never wavers from her core beliefs, such as her refusal to abandon her toad subjects.

Mario’s positivity and family loyalty in the movie is also admirable. He never diverges from the end goal of saving Luigi despite many battles with other characters. Their brotherly love is a powerful lesson for kids with younger

siblings watching the film. Older siblings — even high schoolers such as myself — might get teary-eyed at their bond.

Delighting the viewers, the movie also wove in several allusions to the old and new Nintendo games. The most noticeable was an homage to the very first Super Mario Bros. game with a scene in which their object was to avoid mushrooms and other deadly objects.

References to Super Mario Odyssey and even Donkey Kong were embedded in the movie’s whimsical scenery filled with lifesize mushrooms and castles. Details such as cart customization, bananas and the green tubes cleverly tied together all of the Mario Universe Games, a satisfying union for players.

As is the case with most children’s movies, older audience members can easily predict the end of the movie. But that didn’t stop kids in the theater from audibly gasping. Their joy and excitement to see that Mario and Princess Peach had (can you even call this a spoiler?) won the battle was contagious and made the $15 ticket worthwhile.

As I walked out, almost every kid in the audience was singing the Super Mario Theme Song or pretending to gain powers after eating an invisible mushroom. I may be too old for the movie but never old enough to play Super Mario Bros. games, which I’ll be sticking to for now.

Some fun facts about the Mario Bros. industry, according to theguardian.com

While the new Super Mario Bros movie is reminiscent of the classic games, its plot is predictable and geared toward children — not original players

LETTER TO THE EDITORS

by sam lewis

DEAR EDITOR OF the Harbinger

In the April 10th, 2023 issue of the Harbinger, the staff published an article called “Into the Spectrum”, centering on the experiences of two East students on the Autism Spectrum. As a Twice-Exceptional individual (Autism Spectrum diagnosed and gifted identification), I was interested to see how the Harbinger would handle this multifaceted issue.

As a portion of my Honors English 10 course last year, I focused my Multi Genre Project on curating and conveying my experiences with my Twice-Exceptionality. My experiences differ in some crucial ways from those portrayed in the article–including some that are perhaps important for our SME community to consider.

Though the article is not overtly offensive, it misses some key truths about ASD. First, while all those highlighted in the article are female,

the gender ratio of ASD is 4:1 male. Because ASD manifests and is perceived differently by gender, this matters, including for how youth experience school. More importantly, the article’s nearly single-minded focus on the negative aspects of ASD fails to portray the intricacies of the condition. While the article acknowledges that it can be hard to even recognize someone is on the spectrum, descriptions of those with ASD as “completely alone” and an emphasis on their struggles overemphasizes their symptoms, thereby undermining the very humanity that must be validated. Further, the point of the “S ‘’ in ASD is that the experiences and even functioning of two people with the diagnosis can be vastly different; it may be said that knowing one person on the spectrum means you know one person–not what ASD is “like”. Additionally,

while the accommodations of 504 plans are referenced, some students on the spectrum struggle to secure those academic adjustments, while others–like me–have IEP plans that incorporate both ASD and special education needs, such as giftedness. Finally, the article appears to come to the conclusion that people on the spectrum must learn how to navigate society, which overlooks the many advantages if society learns to ‘bend’ in our direction. In addition to the immunity from peer pressures described in the article, the honesty and directness of those with ASD can facilitate forthright communication and lead to clearer expectations. Reducing stimuli and ambiguity eliminates stresses for those on the spectrum and helps others focus and thrive. Similarly to how accommodations made for those with physical disabilities can improve

access for everyone, ensuring our systems work for those whose brains work differently can bring positive outcomes for all.

I would never deny that people on the spectrum face many complications in grappling with a world not designed for our brains, but it is my concern that the article in question does not adequately portray the holistic effects of Autism Spectrum Disorder on the neuro-atypical and how it factors into their personalities, but reduces these intricacies to a single attributed quote. In contrast, my experiences and those of many with ASD illustrate the simultaneously beautiful uniqueness and challenge that both the article and public understanding fail to fully recognize. I thank the Harbinger staff for giving space to the stories of students on the spectrum, and for attempting to aid in comprehension of this complex condition.

A student’s response to the Issue 14 center spread “Into the Spectrum”

Updates, schedules and pictures from the spring sports season so far

A look into East’s spring sports the past couple of weeks

design by ava cooper

photo by rachel bingham & macy crosser

photo by charlotte emley

photo by tristen porter

photo by caroline martucci

HITTING ALL THE Bases

The new Major League Baseball rules liven the game and reengage fans into the sport

CRACKER JACKS, PEANUTS, cold beer, dirty pants, “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” and boredom all characterize the classic American pastime: baseball. Major League Baseball has set a precedent of boredom for decades. Games have dragged on a whopping three to three and a half hours — until now.

At the beginning of the season, the MLB made three new rule changes to promote thrilling play: implementing a pitch clock, banning the shift and expanding the size of bases. The rule changes make baseball one of my new favorite sports to watch.

In past seasons, baseball was full of a plethora of outs and strike-outs for three prolonged, excruciating hours. With the new rules, the game is an action thriller of stolen bases and hits after hits. Already, games are an average of 26 minutes shorter, according to The Athletic.

Nearly half an hour — that’s enough time to hit Chipotle between games, mow the lawn, visit the grocery store, finish statistics homework or watch an episode of “Victorious.” We no longer have to dedicate entire nights to watching what used to be the most boring game in the world.

Thank the pitch clock for that. It eliminates the 30-second pauses pitchers take to pick their nose in the middle of a ballgame. By punishing pitchers — and batters — for dawdling at the plate or on the mound, the pitch clock successfully engages viewers.

PITCH CLOCK PREFERENCES

The average sports fan craves action — watching heavyweight beasts knock each other out in football or skyscrapers dunk so hard the backboard shakes in basketball as the giant hangs from the rim. One thing we don’t love is watching players kick their feet in the dirt

shift

a term used to describe the situational defensive realignment of fielders away from their “traditional” starting points

for the length of “The Titanic.” It’s like all the annoying ads have been removed from a TV show, freeing up time for constant action.

Stolen bases — one of the most exciting plays in the game — used to be nearly impossible. Only the Usain Bolts of baseball could pull it off. Although bases are only 3 inches closer than in previous years, baseball is a game decided by inches. There’s already been a 9% increase in runs since slower players can now steal more easily.

Banning the shift was a brilliant last rule change. Nobody wanted to watch the shift as it allowed for teams to place their fielders wherever they wanted based on the statistics of where each player usually hit the ball.

I’d lose count of all the swallowed-up balls that should’ve been doubles or triples. By banning the shift, we see more

story by hassan sufi

baserunners — which means more exciting plays at the plate and grand-slams that have the crowd roaring.

Some old heads may be upset with the new rules, but let’s be frank. Not everybody has three hours to watch the Yankees play the Red Sox on Sunday Night Baseball. We have jobs, school, families and more important things to deal with. Baseball may be a priority, but nobody has time for a game that wastes my entire day.

So far this year, I’ve been pleased. My appreciation for the MLB has skyrocketed due to the changes. Before the rule changes, I wouldn’t have had time to write this story — I would still be stuck in front of my TV waiting for the pitcher to start his windup.

Baseball players comment on the new pitch timer rules

LUC PRENDIVILLE SENIOR

I think it increases the pace of play while also increasing fan engagement by making it more exciting.

SAMSON EBY SENIOR

I like the pitch clock for the regular season games because it makes games go a lot faster, but I’m worried for the playoff atmosphere.

JACK JONES JUNIOR

It makes the game more interesting for people to watch, but as a player I feel it would be frustrating being quick-pitched.

2017 2022 2023

*according to The Ringer

design by sofia blades

photos by lydia coe

A timeline of the Pitch Clock’s invention and purpose 2001

Longest game ever at 190 minutes

The idea for the pitch clock is born

The MLB announces the use of the pitch clock

First game using pitch clock logs 150 minutes

SEASON BREAKDOWN

Information about the sports and rosters

TEAMS

THE SHAWNEE MISSION School

District will add boys and girls soccer to their middle schools in the spring of next year, and then football in the fall of 2024.

The Board of Education voted 6-0 on the additions after District Director of Athletics and Activities Kent Glaser presented it at the March 20 board meeting.

“Every year, we’ve been trying to bring [new opportunities] along,” Glaser said. “And then this was just the time that we were able to accelerate that and offer some additional sports.”

By expanding sports options, SMSD hopes to provide students with more extracurricular activities and compete with nearby districts, according to Glaser. Once implemented, all six school districts in Johnson County will offer football, but SMSD will be the first to offer soccer too.

“We have opportunities for our students to be involved in a variety of activities, but in comparison to some of our local middle schools in the area, or across the state, we didn’t have the same opportunities,” Glaser said. “So we wanted to be able to make sure that we were providing something comparable to other middle school students in the area.”

After seeing the relationships between sports that both Indian Hills and East offer, Vice Principal and Athletic Director of Indian Hills Middle School Tara Mahoney expects the addition of the sports to build a stronger connection between middle and high school athletic programs as students can play the sports with their potential, high-school teammates earlier.

“[We want] to encourage students to be active in their school community,” Mahoney said. “Being able to build those relationships, from middle school to high school — from what I’ve seen so far here at Indian Hills, just with those connections — that’s been a really great growth area for us that we’ve been able to celebrate.”

district’s football programs,” Hoffman said. “All of the other Olathe [and] Blue Valley schools have had [middle school football] and they’ve had much more success in the playoffs compared to Shawnee Mission schools.”

for our middle school students to their schools, and build that pride,” Glaser said. “Studies show that when you’re involved, you’re more connected to the school, and that connects directly to academic achievement.”

WANT]

Head football coach Mark Simoneau is excited for football to be introduced in middle school, where athletes can train to better prepare for the high school team.

“Any time you have an extra year of plan or participation in a sport, it will be an added value,” Simoneau said. “So now, instead of only playing four years of football, they’ll have the opportunity to play five, which they’ll get more experience.”

The National Education Longitudinal Study looked at students’ school success depending on if they participated in extracurriculars, finding that 30.6% of those participating had a GPA over a 3.0, while 10.8% of those who weren’t involved in extracurriculars did.

Varsity football player and junior Joey Hoffman sees the addition as having potential to improve football at East. Their competitors have had the advantage of more play time by their districts providing football for middle schoolers, so he’s excited for the sport to now be offered at Indian Hills.

“I think it’s going to improve the entire

As many middle school athletes already compete in these sports in out-ofschool clubs, the district saw enough interest to offer them at school, according to Mahoney. While it will conflict with club seasons for some students, it will also provide an easier, cheaper opportunity to play, as well as get students more involved with their school.

“I think it’ll help bring connection

Adding to the growing tie from middle school and high school sports, there is likely to be overlap between middle school and high school coaches, according to Mahoney. Several of Indian Hills’ teachers already coach sports at East. East’s Athletic Director Ryan Johnson would like to see collaboration between the middle and high school programs so they both can improve.

“The best case scenario is where high school coaches and middle school coaches work together on program philosophies and building the program from the middle school up,” Johnson said. “Maybe coaches [would work] together over the summer to implement team tactics.”

design by sophia brockmeier photo by ryan dehan

Shawnee Mission School District will offer soccer next year at middle schools and football the following year to add variety to their sports

INDIAN HILLS VICE PRINCIPAL

[WE

TO encourage students to be active in their school community. Being able to build those relationships, from middle school to high school [has] been a really great growth area for us.

TARA MAHONEY

story by caroline wood

story by libby marsh

DEFENDING THE OFFENSIVE

MY SPIKED RACING shoes pounded the track during the only two mile heat of the varsity meet. My arms were pumping, legs burning, people shouted all around the track. I glanced over my left shoulder and saw a Shawnee Mission North coach running down the sideline yelling at the girl behind me: “Catch her! You can beat her, we’re going to medal!” I felt the girl closing in on my heels. No, I thought back, I’m going to medal — And I did.

While the coach may have meant to discourage me, the only thing her words did was motivate me to work harder. This competitive, aggressive talk — or trash talk as it’s more commonly known— from coaches and players alike is one of the core components of sports. It’s just another part of competition, just as important as fighting another player for a soccer ball.

But this vital part of sports is slowly being phased out of not only our school’s sports but national sports with vague rules about respect and conduct such as: “Be courteous to all” as said in the KSHSAA rule book.

While it can be taken too far, getting to the point of being disrespectful and obnoxious (including getting in peoples’ faces or being physical), most of the time trash talk is just meant as friendly competition between opponents merely motivating athletes rather than harming them.

Threats of being carded, benched, or cut from the team are enforced by coaches and administration for players merely expressing themselves. Lacrosse player freshman Emily McShane finds that the trash talk only increases her competitiveness, giving her more drive to play harder and win.

“[Trash talk] makes the sport more competitive, it makes the game feel like you’re actually fighting,” McShane said. “Let’s say someone says something about you, you want to beat them and you want to play better than they are. [It] makes you work harder.”

KSHSAA’S RULE 52

KSHSAA’s Rule 52 outlines sportsman-like conduct under six interpretations of the rule

Oftentimes, the trash talk being exchanged is just a back and forth between friends on a team and nothing meant to hurt anyone’s feelings. As long as the recipient knows that it’s a joke it only spices the game up a bit. Volleyball player and track athlete, freshman Rebekah Slaughter trash talks with her close friends on the team giving them something to joke about.

“There’s not really a trash talk [on my team] with the meaning of: I don’t like them, it’s more of the meaning of: it’s just part of the game honestly.” Slaughter said.

Some competitive banter between teams only helps to build a relationship between opponents or teammates and makes the game more interesting.

The biggest culprit in criticizing players for trash talk are parents overly concerned about little Billy getting his feelings hurt. They are aiding in this unnecessary attempt at changing sports.

And the hushed whispers and looks only get worse when a girl trash talks as opposed to a boy. Despite the rules being the same for both boys and girls sports, girls receive much more backlash for speaking aggressively during competition. McShane has noticed this when attending boys and girls games and sees the difference. Everytime a girl says something parents react and gasp yet in boys games it’s treated as another part of the game.

In an Instagram poll of 121 girls 45% regularly trash talk their opponents. While the majority of girls at East choose not to trash talk it should always be an option rather than something that is looked down upon. Parents are always reminded at the beginning of games to respect the call of officials, they should be reminded that trash talk as well is a part of sports not to be argued with.

Be courteous to all (participants, cheerleaders, coaches, offcials, staff and fans)

Win with character and lose with dignity

Display appreciation for good performance regardless of the team

Trash talk is a vital part of sports that nearly every player uses, but female athletes face severe backlash merely for speaking competitively

Freshman Macy Sims runs an Instagram bakery where she sells cakes to friends and family in her free time, though she rarely eats the cake herself

@macy.cakes

WHY DID YOU START BAKING?

TIP FOR OTHER BAKERS?

design by francesca stamati photo by mj wolf

ALT-COPY

COUNTRY CLUBS

WITH ABOUT 10 different country clubs in a 10-mile radius of East, it’s no surprise they make for a popular summer job spot. In a poll of 237 East students, 35% say they work at a country club. Whether it’s lifeguarding, serving at the snack bar, maintaining golf courses or working in the cart barn, country clubs offer a variety of job options for high schoolers.

SOPHOMORE

I LOVE BEING OUTSIDE. I wanted to work in some place where you’re doing something, not just sitting down all day. And then I mean, it pays pretty good.

ICE-CREAM

NOTHING SAYS “SUMMER” quite like the classic, cool-down treat. About 14% of East students spend their summers scooping up cones and drizzling hot fudge, according to a poll of 210, often working with friends and spooning their fair-share of complimentary ice cream,

Freshman Millie Craven enjoys the engaging and laid-back environment she’s found while working at Summer Salt Ice Cream Co. in Corinth Square, keeping busy with the rushes, while having fun working with others her age during breaks.

MILLIE CRAVEN

FRESHMAN

SUMMERSALT

I LIKE THE INTERACTIONS with people. Also, it’s my frst job, so getting to experience it and switching shifts and fguring everything out is kind of fun.

DAILY TASKS:

• Washing golf carts

• Welcoming members coming to golf

• Picking up golf balls on the driving range

• Keeping up with maintenance around the clubhouse and on the golf course

MILBURN APPLICATION

Milburn is hiring golf operations, servers, and lifeguards

NANNY

FLEXIBLE HOURS, FREEDOM to do summertime activities around the area and the often-high pay make nannying a popular summer job for students like sophomore Adelaide Ecton, who will be nannying four days a week for 5-6 hours each day.

NANNY JOBS

Scan to view summer nanny jobs in Kansas City

HUSTLE SC H OOL HI G H

copy by lyda cosgrove

With summer approaching, students share their experiences with summer jobs, and who’s still hiring

BLUE CHIP APPLICATION

Scan to view their job application and apply now

DAILY TASKS:

• Helping customers

• Cleaning the store during breaks

• Keeping cups and cones stocked

• Making waffe cones and disk-shaped ice cream for sandwiches

• Cleaning dishes and mopping at close

DAILY TASKS:

• Arrive in the morning around breakfast

• Change clothes

• Watch a show

• Take kids to the pool

• Dropping off kids at practice

• Making meals

ADELAIDE ECTON SOPHOMORE

I WOULD RECOMMEND [NANNYING], I think it’s just easier than a regular job and you’re not bored and you get paid probably more than a pool job or something. I also like working with kids. I’ve babysat this girl for a while and she’s really sweet.

SIXTEEN HOURS OF in-water training, CPR and First Aid certification class, plus ongoing in-service training — the process to become a certified lifeguard is lengthy. But for students searching for a rewarding summer job, senior and Fairway City Pool Manager Caroline Gorman says it’s worth it.

WOODSIDE APPLICATION

Woodside is hiring lifeguards starting at $13.50 an hour

DAILY TASKS:

• Organize poolside chairs and tables

Between the six public city pools and a handful of private pools in the area, 27% of East students from a poll of 227 said they lifeguard during the summer.

MARIN BRYANT SENIOR

ONE YEAR OF EXPERIENCE

• Pickup toys around to pool

• Set up lane lines for swim team

• Help set up swim meets

• Vacuum pool at end of the day

IT CAN BE STRESSFUL, but you do so much training to be prepared and you have so many other people on staff, you’re never alone. It’s a good job because you get a good sense of responsibility.

BRADY HAUGHTON

THE HARBINGER design by veronica mangine photos by emily pollock & kate beaulieu

MISSION HILLS