The Harbinger: Issue 1 by The Harbinger

the harbinger. SHAWNEE MISSION EAST 7500 MISSION ROAD PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS 66205

SEPT 5, 2017 VOLUME LIX ISSUE 1

d e n e p p a h t a h w ? m a r g a t s to in ws, of “Finsta” gro d rl o w d n u ro underg estion As the virtual comes into qu d n e tr e th f o the privacy PAGES 16-17

COVER DESIGN ANNA MCCLELL AND COVER PHOTOS DIANA PERCY & ELLIE THOM A

THE HARBINGER

2 CONTENTS

table of contents. editorial 3 Stop the Eastonian & letter to the Editors NEWS 4 News briefs 5 New parking pass system 6 Computer connundrum 7 New instructional coaches 8 Algebra 3 flipped classrooms

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 contents and views of the Harbinger do not represent the student body, faculty, administration or Shawnee Mission School District. 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, libel or mechanics. Letters should be sent to room 521 or emailed to smeharbinger@gmail.com

what you're about to read.

For the sake of our readers clarification we have listed a description of what each section means. Thank you, the Harbinger editors

editorial.

Written by a member of the editorial board, this reflects the view of the Harbinger as a whole. Each editorial must receive a majority vote from board to be published.

opinion + a&e.

Personal columns and commentary reflecting the individual writer’s views, not the Harbinger’s.

OPINION 9 Confederate monuments head-to-head feature. 10 China is an underappreciated destination An objective piece which 13 Staffer hates movie theatres alt-copy. humanizes an individual, Alternative packaging of a topic, group or event. usually stressing design . F E AT U R E S 14 Camp Cardiac 15 John Gorman PRINT EDITORS-INA&E- Grace Padon & Jackie Cameron CHIEF Liddy Stallard Maya Stratman 16-17 Cover story: finstas Grace Chisholm Sports- Elias Lowland Robbie Veglahn PHOTO EDITORS PAGE DESIGNERS Diana Percy 18 Denmark transfer student ASST. PRINT EDITORS Carolyn Popper Ellie Thoma Emily Fey Jackie Cameron Carson Holtgraves 19 Hazel and Quincy Eastlack Lizzie Kahle Natasha Thomas Gabby Leinbach ASST. PHOTO 21 Teacher feature: Amanda Doane HEAD COPY EDITOR Brynn Winkler EDITORS

the harbinger staff.

A R T S & E N T E R TA I N M E N T 22 Crazy for cookie dough 23 Buzz Beach Ball preview 24 Glass Castle movie review 25 Orbiters band feature SPORTS 26 Boy’s soccer program changes 27 Sports 360: new coaches 28 KSHAA eligibility changes 29 Kate Paulus feature MORE 11 Photo story: cheer scavenger hunt 31 Photo story: eclipse 32 Alt-Copy: eclipse

Daisy Bolin

ART & DESIGN EDITOR Anna McClelland ASST. ART & DESIGN EDITOR Katie Hise ONLINE EDITORS-INCHIEF Reser Hall Kaleigh Koc ASST. ONLINE EDITORS Annabelle Cook Will Tulp PRINT SECTION EDITORS Editorial- Caroline Chisholm News- Lucy Patterson Opinion- Gracie Kost & Scout Rice Features- Lila Tulp & Abby Walker Spread- Annabelle Cook

Kaylin McCann Sarah Wilcox Sarah Bledsoe Meg Thoma Elizabeth Ballew Ava Johnson STAFF ARTISTS Skyler Boschen Donna Kay

COPY EDITORS Mac Newman Madeline Hlobik Abby Walker Harrison Gooley Reser Hall Kaleigh Koc Annabelle Cook Will Tulp Caroline Chisholm Scout Rice Lucy Patterson Alex Freeman Pauline Shaver Daisy Bolin STAFF WRITERS Lucia Barraza Miranda Hack

Grace Goldman Print- Audrey Kesler Online- Maddie Smiley

SME PHOTOS EDITOR Carson Holtgraves HEAD PHOTO MENTOR Izzy Zanone STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Tyler Browning Ellen Swanson Reilly Moreland Luke Hoffman Lucy Morantz Elizabeth Anderson Ava Simonsen Morgan Plunkett Katherine Odell Katherine McGinness Hadley Hyatt Ally Griffith Kate Nixon Aislinn Menke Kathleen Deed

sports.

Objective news and feature stories about athletes, teams and athletics as a whole.

news.

Objective news coverage and factual information about recent or important events in the East community.

ONLINE SECTION EDITORS News- Alex Freeman Sports- Jet Semrick Features- Brooklyn Terrill A&E- Kaylin McCann Homegrown- Pauline Shaver Opinion- Miranda Hack Eastipedia- Lucy Kendall Humans of East- Kate Nixon MOBILE MEDIA EDITORS Anna Kanaley Lucy Hoffman ASST. MOBILE MEDIA EDITOR Brooklyn Terrill VIDEO EDITOR Avery Walker ASST. VIDEO EDITOR Drake Woods VIDEO TRAINING EDITOR Nic Bruyere LIVE BROADCAST EDITOR Peyton Watts

WEBMASTER Marti Fromm PODCAST EDITOR Lucy Patterson ANCHORS Ian Schutt Drake Woods INTERACTIVE EDITORS Will Tulp Annabelle Cook MULTIMEDIA STAFF Ian Schutt Dylan King Maggie Schutt Reilly Moreland ASST. VIDEO EDITOR Drake Woods EDITORIAL BOARD Grace Chisholm Robbie Veglahn Reser Hall Kaleigh Koc Emily Fey Lizzie Kahle Annabelle Cook Will Tulp Daisy Bolin Anna McClelland Anna Kanaley Lucy Hoffman Brooklyn Terrill Harrison Gooley Caroline Chisholm

SEPTE MBER 5, 2017

u R n

DESIGN CAROLINE CHISHOLM

EDITORIAL

THE EASTONIAN

Underground newspaper that bashes students should not be produced this year

FOR: 15

ast’s most infamous tradition, the Eastonian, must end with the school’s 60th graduating class. We’ve all heard how the underground student-run newspaper began as a mild joke a few decades ago – students poked harmless fun at the school and its faculty. But today’s Eastonian, the “most diabolical, ignorant, straight up abusive piece of journalism [they] could conjure up,” as last year’s writers said themselves, is a piece of paper that idolizes Keystone Light and proudly names “whores of the year.” What fun is that? It’s by no means harmless. It’s not complaining about the AirPlay going out every five minutes or how there isn’t enough time for lunch. As Lancer Day approaches and some may be tempted to follow in the footsteps of those who came before, focus on the reality of the Eastonian: it’s hurtful, it’s ruining our reputation, and it will ultimately harm those who write it. There’s no value in continuing this senior “rite of passage.” The days leading up to the release of the Eastonian are anxious: some stay home from school for fear of the public humiliation that’ll come if their name is in the edition. Once the concoction of insults and lies is released, the office phones ring constantly, the voices of outraged parents accused of condoning teen drinking and devastated kids who fell victim to sexual harassment waiting on the other end.

The hurt runs so deep that one student last year changed their college plans because they were tormented so deeply by the things creators pass off as a “newspaper.” As human beings, we have to stop this. We have to stop spreading rumors to friends, acquaintances, even teachers. Think about who we destroy when we forward the Eastonian on our phones or “accidentally” pick up a copy in the bathroom: the girl in our English class or the boy who smiles at us in the hall. A section about the Eastonian is the largest portion of the Shawnee Mission East Wikipedia page. We gained considerable news coverage last year, but not because we won state in boys swim or had seven National Merit semifinalists; at least five local news outlets covered the 2016 Eastonian, putting our most shameful tradition in the spotlight. The Eastonian isn’t the only problem our school has faced. Last year we were hit by sexual assault and anti-Semitism, too. But eliminating one factor recently contributing to East’s poor reputation begins the process of reclaiming a positive one. Leave your mark on this school: be known as the class who stopped the Eastonian. Several students have already dedicated themselves to upholding this school’s integrity. A group of senior boys submitted a contract to McKinney earlier this year promising they would take no part in the Eastonian.

DEAR SME STUDENT BODY

hat a privilege it is to write to you on behalf of the administration and staff of Shawnee Mission East. We are all very excited for the 2017-2018 school year. As you already know or will quickly learn, Shawnee Mission East is a very special and unique place. For years we have been recognized as one of the highest academic achieving high schools in the country; not surprisingly, we are now becoming equally well known for our prowess in athletics, debate, theater, videoproduction, forensics, robotics, music, cheer, dance, art, print and online journalism… The list

goes on and on! In fact, there is not one area where East does not excel, and that is, of course, thanks to you—our students. Your commitment to success, to setting ambitious, seemingly unattainable goals for yourselves and then not just meeting, but exceeding those goals, is unmatched. On behalf of the SME administration and staff, I want to thank you for representing our school, both in and out of the classroom. Everyone in this building is committed to assisting you in your efforts to succeed at SME. In fact, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the wonderful teachers and

counselors we are so fortunate to have. You have a staff of knowledgeable, professional educators ready and willing to help you achieve your goals and set you on the path toward your future. Trust them—they know what they are doing! If you set positive expectations for yourself both in and outside of the classroom, there is not a doubt in my mind that you will not just meet, but exceed your dreams. Finally, you are going to hear me say it several times throughout the year, but please take care of each other, watch out for each other and make good choices. If there is a question, a problem, a

AGAINST: 0

The boys basketball team has done the same. We commend these individuals for realizing the importance of taking a stand to end this now. And we hope anyone else who is thinking about participating in it realizes that the consequences extend beyond morality. An email McKinney sent Sept. 15, 2016, – eerily, the same date as this year’s Lancer Day – detailed the consequences of writing, editing or distributing the Eastonian. Any student participating in the Eastonian will be suspended from school, banned from all games, activities, dances and events, unable to walk at graduation and subject to any and all legal consequences. You won’t walk with your class after four years of 2 a.m. nights studying chemistry and three-hour group project sessions at Panera. You won’t see the Lancers take state again in the championship football game. You won’t go to homecoming or WPA or prom, let alone be named king or queen. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that it’s funny or cool to keep this going. It’s not. Be able to say that you left Shawnee Mission East a little bit better than how you found it. Because in the end, you’ll be gone, but the mark you leave – whether that’s tearing down your peers or ending the tradition that does – will remain.

situation, a concern—anything that you don’t think you can work out on your own—reach out to someone. Your friends, teachers, counselors, principals, SRO, social worker and campus officers are all here to help. Never be afraid to ask for help when you need it. Remember, once you attend SME, you are never on your own—Once a Lancer, Always a Lancer! Thank you for your hard work and commitment to our school. I look forward to seeing just how far you will go in the days, months, and years to come.

Dr. JOHN MCKINNEY, Principal

EASTONIAN breakdown violations of SMSD policies

obscene or libelous student publications policy JHCA: distribution of nonschool-sponsored publications that is obscene or libelous may result in suspension, expulsion or discipline

Intimidation | bullying policy JDDC: conferencing, corrective discipline and/or referral to law enforcement may be used

Sexual harrassment policy JGEC: violations will result in suspension or explusion

DESIGN CAROLINE CHISHOLM

THE HARBINGER

4 NEWS

NEWS IN BRIEF east

BY JAC K I E CA M ER ON Staff Writer

of the

Prairie Village hosts its eighth annual Jazz Festival

PRAIRIE VILLAGE WILL be hosting its eighth annual Jazz Festival on September 9th. The festival will take place from 3 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at Harmon Park. Tickets are five dollars for anyone over the age of 18. The event is self-funded with profits going towards next year’s festival. Since it’s debut in 2010, the festival has grown to a crowd size of about 3,000. According to Prairie Village Public Information Officer Meghan Buum, the jazz festival was created with the intent of bringing a signature festival to the city. This year’s headliners include: Oleta Adams, The Project H, Eddie Moore and the Outer Circle, Sax and

local

Violins,The Bram Wijnand Swingtet and the Shawnee Mission East Blue Knights. The Blue Knights consists of 22 people, and forms the top jazz ensemble of East. All of the performers originate from Kansas City. According to Jazz Festival committee member and Shawnee Mission East band teacher, Alex Toepfer, an emphasis is placed on local talent performing. The festival is sponsored by the City of Prairie Village, Republic Services, First Washington Realty, and Meadowbrook Park as well as several smaller level sponsors. “It brings jazz, which is kind of an urban thing, to Prairie Village, a suburban area,” Toepfer said.

Students create club to assist new students in getting involved at school

This year, unfamiliar faces of East have the opportunity to join the New to East Community Club, held after school every Thursday in room 511. The club, co-founded by junior Maddie Seymour, junior Kaiden Koerner and senior Jared Taylor, was created to aid new students in becoming comfortable at East. According to Seymour, returning students are welcome to contribute their knowledge about the school. Inspiration for the club came from Seymour’s own experience as a new student. “I moved here a year and a half ago, halfway through my freshman year,” Seymour said. “It was just hard to make friends [because] it’s such a big school.”

national

During the first week of school, new students received gift bags with invitations to the first meeting. The club’s weekly meetings focus on creating a smooth transition into East, playing getto-know-you games and providing advice on which activities to get involved in. Members occasionally use their lunch period to guide new students around the school. According to Seymour, they are also planning on attending a football or basketball game as a group. “If nothing else, they can meet at least the people in the club, have a few friends to start off,” Seymour said.

Hurricane Harvey hits Texas causing massive destruction

Hurricane Harvey, a category four hurricane, hit Rockport, Texas on August 25th. According to ABC, the storm brought winds up to 130 mph as well as heavy rain to Rockport and other areas of Texas. The hurricane went from being a category one storm on Thursday, Aug. 24 to a category four storm hitting land the next night. Prior to the storm, a state of disaster was declared by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, and President Trump issued a disaster declaration for the state of Texas. According to Fox News, the storm was downgraded to a tropical storm once winds dropped below 73 mph. Wind speed dictates the difference between tropical storms and hurricanes.

Catastrophic flooding was the primary concern and led to the failure of bridges and roadways. The Weather Channel reported southern parts of Houston receiving 43 inches of rain in about three days. “It was just so crazy to think that one storm could cause so much damage to so many parts of Texas,” sophomore Brooklyn Beck, who has cousins in Texas, said. “It’s not just where the storm hits, but there is so much rain and flooding that goes all over.” Tropical Storm Harvey remains strong and is spreading to other states. GoFundMe set up a page for donations and the United Way of Greater Houston’s relief fund has raised 7.2 million as of Aug. 29th.

TOP | Senior Grace

Chisholm breaks it down at the freshman Link Crew dance

| PHOTO BY DIANA PERCY

ABOVE | Senior Oliver

Nichols and junior Dakota Zugelder perform at the Lancer Dancer pancake breakfast. | PHOTO BY

ELIZABETH ANDERSON

LEFT | Freshman EJ

Burdett wipes her face off after being splashed by a friend at the Band Car Wash. | PHOTO BY ALLY

GRIFFITH

SEPTE MBER 5, 2017

PARKING

DESIGN LUCY PAT TERS ON PHOTOS LUKE HOFFM AN

NEWS 5

PERILS

I think if they do it again next year they should definitely make sure if you’re a senior you should get a parking spot if you want one. E MM A L I N S COT T SEN I O R People lined up outside East to receive their parking spot on Aug. 10. The assigned time for seniors to receive their parking passes was 8 a.m. and juniors followed at 12 p.m. Lines formed as early as 3 a.m. – the earlier students showed up the closer their parking spots would be to school, Haney said. Nevertheless, students out of town or with a conflict on Aug. 10 had an added layer of stress according to junior Elle Angelo. “It was really stressful because both my parents and I were out of town, so I ended up having to have my boyfriend’s little sister wait in line for two hours to get it for me,” Angelo said. Following complaints from parents and students, Haney decided to put all unclaimed parking spots into a raffle. The raffle, drawn by StuCo officers,

distributed 28 remaining parking spots to some of the 40 remaining seniors on the waiting list. A second drawing, which took place on Aug. 25, pulled four more names. That raffle was the seniors last chance to receive a parking pass from the school. Those without a pass have two options: they can buy a pass off another student – some have offered as much as $500 for a pass – or hope a pass is turned in mid-year. “I just feel like I deserve it. I mean, I do so much for East that I feel like I need a parking pass,” Linscott said. “When I didn’t win the raffle I was upset because I honestly thought I would.” This year, however, complaints have not been limited to the East administration. At least one concerned parent contacted Dr. Gilhaus, the district’s director of secondary services, directly to express their concerns. But Haney ensures parents and students that he handles all calls directly. One issue that concerns many students, like junior Matt Ruther, is what happens if someone parks in the wrong spot. Just this week Ruther showed up only to find someone in his spot, and although it has not been a huge issue according to Haney, it can cause a domino effect. According to a harbinger poll, 82.9 percent of 41 juniors do not want this system in place next year. Overall, Linscott believes that the parking pass system should be improved upon to address students’ and parents’ complaints. “I think if they do it again next year they should definitely make sure if you’re a senior you should get a parking spot if you want one,” Linscott said.

of students surveyed do not want the parking system to be in place next year

83%

juniors and sophomores. Seniors were still given priority over the location of their assigned parking spot, Haney said, but 58% of 109 seniors that responded to a poll sent out to the harbinger were unhappy with this system because of the lack of seniority and the stressful process. Students were randomly placed on a waiting list after passes sold out Aug. 1 leaving some students without passes who wanted them.

parking by the NUMBERS

60%

or the 2018-2019 school year, the numbered parking pass system that was implemented this year will remain in effect according to associate principal Britton Haney. “I think it is a great success,” Haney said. “And yes, the system will be in place next year.” The new system, introduced this year by the East administration, models the one in Blue Valley district schools. The system, which has been successful at other high schools, was put in place to address the large number of parking violations documented last year, Haney said. According to Haney, numerous parents have called to complain about their child not getting a pass. The complaints and questions circled around how the new system works and why it was put in place. “I haven’t driven to school at all [this year],” senior Emma Linscott said, who wasn’t able to purchase a pass. “I always have to find people to give me rides and I never get to school on time now.” After students purchased a parking pass online with fee payment, they waited in line on Aug. 10 to get their spot. Numbers were distributed on a first-come-first-serve basis. Under last year’s system, students with a pass could park in whatever spots were available. “We decided that randomly assigning the passes was [a] better and faster method than having to deal with all the requests of people, but we did let them choose their lot,” Haney said. In the past, seniors were offered the chance to purchase passes before

East's new parking system creates problems for upperclassmen students

of seniors surveyed do not like the new parking system

45%

BY SAR AH BLEDS OE Page Designer & Staff Writer

of students surveyed didn’t like the idea of raffling off parking spaces survey of 187 people

111

DESIGN AVA JOHNS ON PHOTOS AUDREY KESSLER

THE HARBINGER

6 NEWS

SOLVING THE COMPUTER CONUNDRUM

The new school year brings major technological issues with student's Macbooks

BY ALE X FR EE M A N Copy Editor

s of the sixth day of school, 150 out of 1800 students did not have a working Macbook, according to assistant principal Britton Haney. Although all students were supposed to start the year with a Macbook, many students either had to turn their Macbook into the library for repair or arrived too late to fee payment and did not receive a laptop. Freshman Mac Muehlberger was given his laptop on the ninth day of school, Aug. 24th, and was one of the last students to get a Macbook. As a result, he was unable to access his online assignments for almost two weeks and had trouble getting work done at the same rate as his classmates. “It [kept] me from, well, learning would be an extreme, but you could say that,” Muehlberger said. “It [prevented] me from doing things I need to do in order to succeed in a class.” East librarian Bill Hiles estimated that at the peak of the Macbook troubles around Aug. 17, about one-third of the students didn’t have working Macbooks. He was spending 80 to 90 percent of his day trying to fix Macbooks. At that point, approximately 20 to 25 students came into the library each hour seeking help with their laptops. The majority of the issues were caused by

A QUICK BREAKDOWN

the age of the Macbooks or the unexpected district about the supplies that East still influx of students who enrolled in the district needed. On June 1st, technological supplies after Aug. 1st, Haney said. District officials were ordered for every student enrolled in the did not respond to an interview request. SMSD, but as of the first day of school, 200 East has been using the same Macbooks chargers, 100 Macbooks and 25 cases were for four years, and they are beginning to lack still on backorder at Apple. the functionality they used to have, according On top of that, 75 students enrolled at to Hiles. East after Aug. 1, a technological influx that “We’re just suffering some of those issues wasn’t accounted for back in June when with [software] upgrades that come in that supplies were ordered. This problem was really the product is unable to handle,” Hiles only exacerbated by the unexpected number said. “I knew we’d have some issues this year of Macbooks that were revealed to be beyond but it started earlier than repair when school started. I thought.” Those Macbooks had Among the most prevto be added to the number alent of the problems, of new laptops that needed "It [prevented] me from many of the aging lapto be ordered in order to doing things I need to do tops can no longer hold a satisfy the growing demand, in order to succeed in a charge consistently. This according to Haney. class.” failure led to nearly a There were enough third of the laptops being laptops at fee payment M AC MU E H L B E R G E R uncharged and unable to for about 95 percent of JU N I OR automatically install an the kids who went, Haney update over the summer said. Already suspecting which would have ensured that each Mac- students might encounter issues logging book had the correct date and time. Without in, there were members of the Information an accurate date and time, the laptops were Technology staff in the library to help solve unable to access the Internet, because the the problems that students encountered. Wi-Fi did not recognize that the Macbooks “It basically came down to whether you were in the building. attended fee payment or not and if your Working alongside Hiles, Haney spent English class was in the morning or not,” most of the first two weeks of school in the Haney said. “Because if you didn’t attend fee library. In addition to trying to troubleshoot payment and you have an afternoon English kids’ Macbook problems, Haney was also class, unfortunately I [didn’t] have anything responsible for communicating with the for you.”

3 in 5 students have had problems with their laptops this year

61%

61% of students experienced problems with wifi

The major technological issues at school were essentially resolved by Aug. 25, according to Haney. Following a shipment of supplies on Aug. 23 and 24, every student has a Macbook charger, and as of Aug. 29 at 3 PM, only eight students are still waiting on a laptop. Additionally, almost all Macbooks displaying an inaccurate date and time have been sent to the district’s network analyst and returned functioning. The number of students coming into the library for help every hour has dropped from 20 to 25 to two or three. Now, Haney and Hiles plan to tackle the main persisting problem: the inability to access Wi-Fi at home. Since they are spending less time working with the more pressing Macbook issues, they expect they’ll have time to meet with students individually to show them how to fix their connectivity issues. Although the more severe shortage issues have been dealt with, Haney acknowledges there is still work the school and the district have to put in to completely fix the laptops. Despite all the problems, Haney said that students were still getting their work done and teachers made adjustments to fit with the Macbooks. “We all have those problem solving skills that ages 14 to 72 can do,” Haney said. “There’s still learning going on in the classroom and that’s what we’re excited about.

35%

35 percent of students did not have a working Macbook on the first day of school *Gathered from a poll with 564 repsonses

DESIGN lizzie k ahle PHOTOS GRACE GOLDM AN

SEPTE MBER 5, 2017

NEWS 7

T E ACHI N G t e ac h e r s The new instructional coach helps teachers fulfill their complete potential

BY LU CY KE N DA L L Eastipedia Editor

or the 2017-2018 school year, the district hired a new staff member; Kristoffer. Barikmo was welcomed into the staff as the instructional coach for our school, another set of eyes in the classroom geared toward improving teachers’ education methods. An instructional coach is someone who is embedded within the staff who assists the teachers with ensuring the fidelity of the curriculums being taught, while also helping staff teach in a unique way. “It might be everything from the way to run a classroom, classroom procedures or how to organize content,” Barikmo said. “It allows teachers to have an understanding of what good teaching looks like so that students can learn in the most effective ways.” Along with practicing what effective teaching looks like, the dual purpose of instructional coaches is to show ways to better integrate the technology all students have easy access to. “Those devices are scary for teachers,” Barikmo said. “Once that screen goes up we don’t really know what’s being watched or what messages are being passed along. So I’ve been working with teachers to integrate that device more effectively and not see it as an enemy within the classroom.” Already, Barikmo has introduced different softwares and websites to progress student learning in the classroom. Through Barikmo’s help, AP American History

teacher Curtis White now utilizes Pear Deck in his classes, allowing a more personalized learning experience for the students. “I have used Pear Deck in all five of my AP American history classes,” White said. “It really helps me determine if the students are prepared and understand the material that I’m presenting.” The idea behind instructional coaches revolved around elementary schools within the district. A lot of that idea stemmed from the fact that most elementary schools only have one administrator, so they needed some support to help teachers out. Although there has been instructional coaches within the Shawnee Mission School District for three years, this is the first year that East has had an instructional coach that works within our school every day. In years past, there was only one instructional coach to work at all five Shawnee Mission high schools as well as Horizons. “One person did my job in all six buildings and it was impossible,” Barikmo said. “You can’t develop positive relationships with teachers, you can’t implement things and be effective, and you’re just bouncing around building to building.” Barikmo was a classroom teacher for 15 years prior to instructional coaching, teaching social studies at various public and private high schools in the Kansas City area. Most recently at Blue Valley High School, Barikmo taught government and economics until designations for several teaching awards got him up into a new environment. “[These designations] really gave me an opportunity to say, ‘how can I take this learning and help teachers out?’” Barikmo said. “‘And

what can I do outside the four walls of my own classroom to really build a positive culture of learning and reflection for teachers?’” While Principal John McKinney was hiring for Barikmo’s position, his passion and love for being inside a classroom stood out to him from the moment he met him. “This guy enjoys working with young people and enjoys working with teachers,” McKinney said. “When you have great teachers and passionate teachers who care about what they’re doing and love what they’re doing, that’s going to benefit the kids and the school.” Here at East, Barikmo has had the opportunity to work with teachers on matters such as ways of efficiently collecting data within the classroom to figure out whether students are learning or not, and being that second set of eyes and ears that can be available for teachers when in need. “I’m not their boss, I don’t sign their evaluations,” Barikmo said. “What we work together on, I don’t go and report to the principal, my job is really to be that partner right alongside the teachers.” Since instructional coaches are so new within our school and district, Barikmo hopes to one day be able to teach model lessons of a strategy in place of a teacher, allowing him to expand his influence among students as well. “I made the step out of the classroom and into this job,” Barikmo said. “It’s a new experience for me, but I think that classroom experience allowed me to say, ‘Alright, we can make education even better than it already is in the state of Kansas.’”

BREAK IT DOWN HOW THE INSTRUCTIONAL COACH IS HELPING OUR STAFF

ENSURES TEACHER QUALITY Works directly with teachers to practice what good teaching looks like HELPS INTEGRATE TECHNOLOGY

Demonstrates how to use new programs and devices that will help students in the classroom BUILDS RELATIONSHIPS Works with teachers one-onone to create respectful, friendly relationships

DESIGN K AYLIN MCCANN PHOTOS DIANA PERCY

THE HARBINGER

8 NEWS

Flipped

moorssalC

New classroom configuration allows students to have more independence in their own learning BY LU C IA BA R R A Z A Staff Writer

he sixth hour bell blares through the hallway. Senior Matt Hogan rushes into the Little Theater and takes a seat in the back row with his friends. A low hum fills the room as the teachers, Jamie Kelly and Ryan Oettmeier, take roll. “Quiet please.” Kelly says to the restless room full of kids, then continues to call out names. But it’s hard to keep 60 kids quiet, so the side talk continues. After about 10 minutes, Kelly and Oettmeier are finished calling out dozens of names and it’s time to move to the cafeteria. Students pile into the large space and spread out, filling 10 rectangular tables. Mr. Oettmeier rolls in the white board, and the screen in the front of the room is lowered, displaying the hour’s Google Classroom: Algebra 3, sixth hour. Kelly and Oettmeier’s two Algebra 3 classes, each packed with 60 to 65 students, are the first classes at East to use a flipped-classroom teaching style. In a flipped classroom the teacher and student’s responsibilities are switched. Students learn concepts on their own time from assigned videos rather than lectures, and they complete their homework during class. The students are able to ask for help in class and learn to become responsible for their own success or failure. “It makes you very independent and puts

your priorities straight knowing that I could sit here and not do my work,” senior Katie Uresti said. “I could so easily do that, but I’m going to do [my work] because I don’t want to have homework, and I want to use my resources and ask questions.” However, they are not completely left on their own. Every day, Kelly walks around the room answering questions and talking with every student that raises their hand, while Oettmeier is at the white board working out and explaining problems people are having trouble with. Various groups spread out throughout the room during work time, and students collaborate to help each other when Kelly or Oettmeier can’t reach them. “There’s usually four or five people at one lunch table and everyone kind of answers questions that people have,” junior Griffin Fries said. “I mean it’s not like we’re doing each others homework, but there’s someone who knows what they’re doing at each table.”The class may be unorthodox, but it does have one major benefit: the large class size and independent learning style will help prepare the students for college, according to Kelly and Oettmeier. Oettmeier recalls his first semester in college – being in a Biology class with 500 to 600 students. He believes that the Algebra 3 classes this year have an opportunity to understand learning in bigger class sizes, which will help them in college. Besides learning to adapt to large classes, Kelly and Oettmeier believe the students will

pick up valuable life skills, like learning to interact and work with others. “That’s a life skill,” Kelly said. “If you can’t work with your colleagues in your job then you won’t have that job much longer, or you won’t enjoy your job. I mean you have to [learn to] talk to people.” Despite the benefits of the class and the majority of the students liking it, some students have strong opinions on taking notes from assigned videos. While Matt Hogan enjoys writing notes on his time for homework since it keeps him accountable, Katie Uresti prefers taking notes in class. “Some people can [learn from videos] but that’s just not the way I learn so it’s difficult for me,” Uresti said. “I would definitely prefer to have [the teachers] sit down and teach more with notes on the board but that’s the only thing I would change [about the class] otherwise.” Although the students in second and sixth hour Algebra 3 are experiencing a different style of teaching than their peers, they are still learning the same material. What makes these classes so special, according to students, is not only the sheer size of the class, but the use of flipped-classroom style teaching. “The one thing that probably makes it different is the flipping,” Kelly said. “But also [having] much more of a reliance upon your peers to help you out as opposed to always asking the teacher.”

Lancer VOICE Students react to the unconventional style

I like the class because you don’t have as much homework because you have time to work or ask questions. It’s also easier to get help during class.

Jac Pritchard senior

I like most of the class but I also think the class sizes are too big and it’s hard to get a lot done.

Kiki Ehrich junior

Personally I love the combined class. I always thrive better in classes where I can work with my peers and use my resources.

Amara Ivancic

senior

DESIGN GRACE CHISHOLM PHOTOS DIANA PERCY

SEPTE MBER 5, 2017

ONE NATION, DIVISIBLE UNDER GOD

OPINION

The removal of Confederate statues across the U.S. invokes split reactions

BY LIDDY STA L L A R D A&E Editor

he words “courage and fortitude” carved into the United Daughters of the Confederacy Memorial hardly describe the men it stands for. This memorial sitting at 55th and Ward Parkway is dedicated to the women of the South who supported Confederacy and slavery. A memorial that was vandalized with what looked like an old Soviet symbol and removed five days later due to its idealization of a dark time in U.S. history. I’ve grown up around this memorial. It was located right across the street from my old preschool and I walk right past it every Sunday with my mom. Over the years my mom and I had many conversations which have helped me decide that the words “courage and fortitude” are no way to describe people that supported slavery. The Civil War shouldn’t be forgotten; it was an effort to abolish slavery and kept America a country of democracy. However, leaving these monuments of historical Confederate leaders who fought for slavery is not a way for this time period to be remembered throughout our country. We should instead remember those who fought for freedom. These plaques and monuments should be moved to museums to educate

people about the past, and allow the US to rid the reputation of idolizing these figures and prevent further protests and damage. A statue of General Stonewall Jackson, one of the most famous Confederate commanders, sits on the south lawn of the West Virginia state capitol. Most students took a field trip in elementary school to our state capitol in Topeka. How could I forget my excitement as a 5th grader, climbing to the top of the dome and eating my sack lunch on the front lawn? I picture the African American students who live in West Virginia visiting their own capital building, having to reconcile the fact they are eating their peanut butter and jelly sandwich in the shadows of a monument of a man who fought for the enslavement of their ancestors. I believe the prominence of a public monument shows honor and respect to the historical figure being remembered. The thought of Jackson being honored for his fight for slavery sickens me. In an open letter to the Richmond mayor Levar Stoney, Jackson’s great-great grandsons expressed their approval for the statue’s removal. If ancestors of people who fought in the confederacy are able to recognize the difference between memorializing and remembering, then the rest of America should let go of the desire to leave these monuments standing. Slavery was abolished 152 years ago, but racial discrimination is still an obstacle the United States is working to overcome. As Jackson’s great-great grandsons stated, it’s time to end the suffering by placing Confederate symbols as public memorials. Let’s move this part of our American history to museums and celebrate the people who worked and are working to uphold our constitution, which famously states, “all men are created equal.”

AUG. 12

BY R ESER H ALL Online Editor-in-Chief

ith the current climate of minimal dialogue from opposing sides on anything politics, there needs to be a discussion on the removal of Confederate statues. There are solutions to this matter that don’t involve vandalism or killing people. It’s time to talk. This issue should not be based on party lines. There is no connection between either party and the Confederate States of America. The removal of Confederate statues isn’t just the removal of a portion of America’s heritage but all of America’s history. I’m not saying that because I’m racist or support the Confederacy, but with hopes that the terrible events in the Civil War never happen in our country again. The majority of Confederate statues should stay because they keep the Civil War fresh in the minds of people, reminding them of the horrific conflict. If all of the statues are brought down, a significant chunk of American history goes with them. As a nation, we need to use the statues as a teaching point to prevent another Civil War. I do not agree, however, that all statues need to stay. I believe

AUG. 14

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA DURHAM, NC A timeline of events regarding the nation-wide removals

White nationalists protest the removal of a Robert E. Lee statue; protests become violent

Confederate solider taken from courthouse; Robert E. Lee removed from Duke Chapel

AUG. 17

we need to take a comprehensive look at the history of the statues before blindly taking down monuments left and right. What I mean by this is if there is a statue of Robert E. Lee at the University of Texas, even though he never fought a battle in that state, it has no reason to be there. That could be a candidate for being taken down simply because there is no historical backing for that statue. I advocate for keeping statues and monuments with context behind them, such as the Arlington House. While he was a slave owner, Lee graduated second in his class at West Point and was regarded as one of the greatest military minds of the time. Despite his slaveholding status, Lee’s former residence is not idolized by racists, but looked at with historical perspective. After all, it is quite hard to compare someone from another time period under the scrutiny of today’s time. If there is a Stonewall Jackson statue memorializing the First Battle of Bull Run, where he earned the nickname ‘Stonewall,’ there is reason for the statue to stay put. Like Lee, Stonewall Jackson is more than just a slave-holder. Not only was Jackson one of the greatest military minds that the South had, he was the teacher of a class which taught slaves how to read and write, a practice considered progressive at the time. A slow, methodical approach to the Confederate namesakes and statues debate is the way to go. Simply going around vandalizing or removing every statue without looking into the background of it is in itself wrong.

AUG. 18

AUG. 25

WASHINGTON, DC ANNAPOLIS, MD KANSAS CITY, MO Pelosi calls for removal of 12 Confederate statues in the Capitol building and park

Statue of Robert B. Taney, Dred Scott justice, removed at 2.am. from State House

United Daughters of the Confederacy monument on Ward Parkway is removed

DE SIGN GRACIE KOST PHOTOS DAISY BOLIN

10 O P I N I O N

THE HARBINGER

CROSSING

CULTURES China is an overlooked country and travel destination

BY DA ISY B O LIN Head Copy Editor

aybe it’s your shirt or your shoes or your sheets or your hair ties – it doesn’t matter. You are guaranteed to have something tagged “Made in China.” But do you ever think past the tag or sticker with that label? The people there, what they are really like? It’s so easy to define an entire country of people and places based off of stereotypes: relentless studiers, factories and child labor. I know I have been guilty of this ignorance, or rather a lack of interest in this massive country. That is until I had the opportunity to travel to China as an intern for Mer Sea & Co along with Katie Hise. We had a mission to learn about product development and quality control in textile factories of Yiwu, in east China and were lucky enough to experience foreign business meetings in the modern hotels of Shanghai and Hangzhou. Little did I know by the end of my experience, my next mission would be finding a way to go back. Many people grow up thinking what I have assumed; that everything is made by machines or that these people resemble machines. But then I met the people who hand sew tags onto many thousands of Mer Sea scarves for FabFitFun boxes. Matching faces to the careful stitches felt somewhat enlightening. I realized how little I consider the real person behind much of what I own. At this factory in Yiwu, workers volunteered for extra hours to get ahead on orders and perfected each scarf they sewed and rolled. Their work is efficient and diligent as many people may assume. Yet, it’s also careful and professional–– not just crazed working. Even during their work, the women smiled at Katie and me and giggled as we joined the assembly line to roll scarves, not caring that we were interrupting their daily routine. They were surprised when we both almost kept up, throwing our hair into pony tails and launching ourselves into the sweat shop. Our experience working in this textile factory didn’t show the child labor violations and cruel working environment which many Chinese factories tragically endure. However, I still found the work ethic and morale of the employees motivating, considering their bathrooms are holes in the ground and they have to bring toilet paper from home. It has

made me look at each tag and think of JoJo waving at the camera and pointing at our finished scarves with a satisfied “ooo.” After a workday in Yiwu was finished, we immersed ourselves in the culture elsewhere. We ate authentic meals of dumplings, spring rolls and noodles accompanied by fresh tea. At one dinner with the textile factory owner we ended up sitting with Kurdish, Italian, Chinese and Belgian people. The meal was full of conversations led by hand motions and big smiles. The people we met along the way had such an impact on me – I still Facetime Jenny, one of the waitresses we met in a small restaurant there. What came to surprise me was not the peculiar sweetyet-tangy smell which lingered everywhere we went or the fact that practically no one follows stop lights or road lines, but the drastic difference between cities just two hours from each other. In the U.S. it takes a long road-trip to see a new landscape. But, in China, we took a cab for two hours to go from seeing a massively futuristic city, Shanghai, to a remote village, Yiwu, to an elegant gondola city, Hangzhou – and that’s not even all of China. Shanghai was strangely quiet despite the 24 million residents. While the city is cloaked in a film of exhaust, the streets are spotless and men with brooms that look homemade gather any rubble in sight. The cars are strangely narrow and bikers and walkers aren’t even phased when cars almost nick the back of their tires or shoulders. Watching the city at night was like looking at a light up Lego world, buildings in strange round shapes with shining pictures across the sides of them. We hopped in a cab to Hangzhou for two hours to find rolling mountains coated in fog, layering one another like a painting. Men in rice fields wore large, round, straw hats and along the city were gondolas swimming amongst water lilies. Just off the river kids sipped yogurt from straws and elderly men and women slow danced in massive groups to musicians playing Asian ballroom music. As we walked by observing the peaceful dancing, I was pulled in by a grandfather who took my hand and twirled me around showing me how to wave my arms back and forth and bow in the end. Somehow, we were an attraction amongst such beauty. Everyone asked for pictures and told us we were beautiful. I felt overwhelmingly welcomed into this stunning country, so diverse within itself. Before these experiences my mindset walking onto the

AirChina plane was that the trip would be interesting for a one time stop. But with every sip of fresh tea, every confusing conversation, and every moment sweating in the factory, I realized that I will be back. So, if China is not on your list, I ask you, why not? Add it. Without it, you will never experience a culture so different and welcoming, taste an authentic dumpling or see such stunning tea fields.

TOP | Factory workers in Yiwu send scarves through quality control for Mer Sea Co.

BOTTOM | A man fufills his daily ritual by lighting a fire in the center of the surrounding Buddhist temples.

DESIGN ELLIE THOM A

SEPTE MBER 5, 2017

P H O T O S T O R Y 11

FAMILY Cheer “families” have annual scavenger hunt on Aug. 27

FEUD LEFT | Junior Lucy Crum laughs as her friend shoves a french fry in her face during their team dinner at Red Robin. “It was my first year,” Crum said. “[Junior Tera Hawes] was feeding me a french fry because we were both starving after the scavenger hunt.” | DIAN A PE RCY

ABOVE | Juniors Caylen Ye and Maggie Gray laugh as senior Chloe Krause takes of her Homer Simpson mask to reveal her face.

| D IA N A P ERCY

RIGHT | Sophomore Kimball Gogel, dressed as Violet from “Willy Wonka,” holds up a picture for comparison. “My cheer family wanted to think of something unique where all the characters were different,” Kimball said. “That’s when I thought of ‘Willy Wonka’.” | EL L I E T HO MA

BELOW | Freshman Olivia Johnson struggles to close the trunk of the car as her team speeds off at the beginning of the race. | ELLIE THOMA ABOVE | Senior Scheele Prust high-fives her teammates after they were announced the winners. “We had a game plan from the beginning on where we were going to go and in what order,” Prust said. “We also had a really original costume idea.” | DIAN A PE RCY

LEFT | Freshmen Zoe Lovern, Holly Frigon and Becca Heinz sprint away after performing a stunt with a Waterway employee. “I was embarrassed of having to go up to random people,” Lovern said. “But towards the end of the night I got more into it and had so much fun.” | E LLIE TH O M A

DESIGN S COUT RICE

SEPTE MBER 5, 2017

O P I N I O N 13

MOVIE NIGHT FRIGHT Fear of movie theater persists despite attempt to overcome the fear

BY CA R O LI N E CH I S H O L M Editorial Section Editor

or the sake of journalism, I mustered up the courage on Aug. 25 to face my biggest and (according to family and friends) most irrational fear: the movie theater. I can’t recall the exact date and time that my fear of the movie theater started, but I remember my grandma talking about the bugs, the confinement, the danger –– and I’ve been stuck with those thoughts ever since. She was my general leading me into the battle I faced ahead. But could I get past this? My stomach churns at the thought of the confined, dark room with littleto-no viable exit routes and the chairs that are probably infested with bed bugs or lice, but certainly covered in heaps of unnamed germs. When I told my Mom I was going to face this peculiar fear of mine, she was ecstatic. It’s only every weekend my family comes to my room asking “Hey, wanna go see a movie tonight?” to which I always reply with a firm “No.” She rushed to the computer to buy tickets for “The Big Sick,” a new movie about a Pakistani comedian falling in love with a girl who gets very ill. It was a comedy, so it might relieve some of my fears, she hoped. She was wrong. Armed with my blankets as if they were swords, I walked through the glass doors of the old, sketchy Glenwood Arts theater into a quiet room with a single ticket counter. Inside I saw a

small concessions stand surrounded by neon lights. It had that eerie, barren diner vibe –– the same diner where you would get kidnapped in the parking lot as you leave. Trying to avoid entering the theater itself for as long as I could, I quickly stepped into the line of people waiting to buy candy and popcorn. I was too busy focusing on my shaking knees to hear my Dad ask me what I wanted. But when I finally looked up at the grinning worker in his red vest and purple tie, I knew my choice of ammunition: Mikeand-Ikes. The clock read 7:45. It was time for us to grab a seat for the 7:50 pm movie. A propped-open, faded mint door led to what I was dreading most. I walked through the door, trying to pretend that I was confident the fear would raise its white flag, but I found that the door only led to a long, narrow hallway to the theater––the exact confinement I’d been dreading. As I panned the narrow hallway for my exit strategy, all I could think about was the Aurora, Colorado movie theater shooting. I am not crazy, this has happened before and could happen again. Every step forward felt like five steps backward. The hallway got longer and longer and longer. And my thoughts got stronger and stronger. When I reached the theater, I placed my blanket down to shield myself from one of my enemies: a creaky fabriccovered seat possibly covered in bugs located closest to the exit- just as a precaution. I shuddered as I looked around. The walls were covered in a

pleated, mustard fabric. It looked like an accordion ready to flatten together with me inside. All I could think about was the flammability of that hideous wal. It could easily burst in flames while I tried to shove my way through the other movie-goers toward the tiny, poorly lit exits outside. The lights dropped, and the green “The following preview has been approved for appropriate audiences by the Motion Pictures Association of America, Inc.” screen appeared. I fidgeted in my seat for the next two hours and four minutes, nervously ripping my cuticles apart until they were raw. As soon as I heard the music accompanying the ending credits start to play, signaling the end of the fight, I lept to my feet. I grabbed my bag of uneaten Mike-and-Ikes, threw off my hood and carefully picked up my nowcontaminated blanket with my thumb and index finger all while pushing my Dad out of the theater door. As we drove home, I knew I was never going back. Although I came out on top of my inner battle against the theater, I plan to put my arms and battle tactics away and not step into another one for the time being. My fear of movie theaters manifests from my fear of everything: big cities, being alone, heights, closed spaces and even ketchup. So even though I came out just as disgusted as I came in, I learned I’ll live. Even if my symptoms matched those of something that resembles PTSD.

NATIONAL MOVIE THEATER INCIDENTS

Lice, mice, and bedbug infestations (2016)

One man shot another man during the movie (2017)

Bomb threat at Cinemark at the Plaza (2016)

16 year old shot outside of movie theater (2017)

Carbon monoxide poisoning affects 17 people (2013)

Rats ran between seats and mice by the concessions (2015)

DESIGN LIL A TULP PHOTOS AVA SIMONSEN

THE HARBINGER

14 F E AT U R E S

CHANGE OF

HEART

Two junior girls find new passion in the medical field after attending a cardiacbased camp over the summer

BY R O BBIE V EG L A H N Print Editor-in-Chief

uniors Aakriti Chaturvedi and Alina Ward were herded along with the other students into a small room, covered wall to wall with medical diagrams and posters. Inside, their gazes immediately fell to the center of the metallic trays placed on the tables in front of them, lined with scalpels and forceps. In the middle lay a cold, real heart. The students looked up for instructions, a warning, for anything. But what they got was, “Have fun!” On June 18, Chaturvedi and Ward joined high schoolers from around the Midwest at Camp Cardiac at UMKC, an intensive weeklong medical workshop that provides firsthand medical experience and education starting. The program is offered at over 40 medical schools around the country. Chaturvedi and Ward came into the week thinking it would reinforce an interest in cardiology, and help them make sure it was the right career path – instead they left realizing that administering heart surgeries and diagnosing cardiac abnormalities was not something they wanted to pursue. But after the week, each has a new passion for different kinds of medicine and a clearer view of what their future holds. Despite its name, the camp is not solely focused on cardiology. Chaturvedi and Ward heard from panels of all kinds of medical professionals – pathologists giving lectures on disease and anesthesiologists giving a realistic look into their day-to-day work life. According to Dr. Carol Stanford, associate professor of medicine and a docent at UMKC, the girls practiced skills outside of cardiology, learning everything from CPR to how to record a patient history. “[With] high school students it is too soon to churn out any kind of specialist,”

Stanford said. “It’s more to broaden a high school students vision of what’s possible in the medical field, to show you can be anything you want to be.” Each eight-hour day started with lectures from UMKC medical students and faculty about basic heart anatomy – chambers of the heart, effects of outside stimuli on heart health, which parts of the heart are affected by heart disease. Then, the girls were diving deep into discussions about physiology, learning how and why the heart functions the way it does. According to Ward, her peers were far more serious at Camp Cardiac than other

[Alina and I] came into it as these two friends going to this summer camp thinking it was going to be so fun. It ended up feeling more like we were going into actual medical school. A A K R I T I C H AT U RVEDI JUNIOR summer camps she had been to. There was no playful banter with other campers as she moved down the lunch line, no shared chuckles or glances during lectures. As Ward saw it, kids had come from as far as Chicago to be here – this was not time they wanted to be wasting. “Everyone there was just very focused, and kind of just worked on their own,” Ward said. “Camp cardiac is very prestigious, so it just felt like everyone was trying to prove something.” At times, Ward and Chaturvedi felt overwhelmed by the lecturing. Spending so much of their day learning the intricacies of the human heart in a medical-school setting made them both start to re-think their interest

in cardiology. And after hearing a cardiologist give a brutally realistic glimpse into her long hours – the stress of caring for patients and the fact that she never had time to have a family – the girls began to write-off the profession all together. But their time at camp helped them find new interests and career paths. Ward, whose hang-up on medicine had always been that she couldn’t deal with gore, was enthralled when given the instruction to “Go wild!” and search inside for the liver and gallbladder of the open human cadaver in front of her. It gave her confidence about exploring other options in medicine, especially in the research field and anesthesiology. And Chaturvedi, who had always thought she might go into cardiology, found a new interest in being a pediatrician after practicing how to suture wounds on dissected pig limbs. “Being able to look at human cadavers and dissect pig hearts, it’s a pretty one of a kind opportunity,” Ward said. According to East counselor Brenda Tretbar, who initially told Ward about the camp, Camp Cardiac can be an eye-catching addition to a college resume while also doubling as a learning experience. “Experiences like [Camp Cardiac] that help a prospective medical school applicant know more about medicine are, in general, beneficial [to the medical school admission process],” said Jason Edwards, director of premedical programs at KU School of Medicine. But Stanford believes the most important part of the camp is the impact after college. “It’s an experience in what a medical career might look like [as well as] a great opportunity to learn new skills and interact with medical students,” Stanford said. “It’s a wonderful career searching opportunity, and just a growing experience for these high school students.”

CARDIAC CALENDAR

DAY PIG HEART

DISSECTION

DAY GET CPR

CERTIFIED

DAY SURGICAL

SKILLS

DAY VIRTUAL

AUTOPSY

DAY VIRTUAL

CARDIAC SURGERY

HEALTHY

HEART HACKS

EXERCISE FOR AT LEAST AN HOUR PER DAY EAT AND DRINK FOODS FULL OF ANTIOXIDANTS LIKE COFFEE DON’T FORGET YOUR YEARLY CHECK-UP GO OUTSIDE AND SOAK UP SOME VITAMIN D

SEPTE MBER 5, 2017

channeling his

DA R K S I D E Despite happy-go-lucky persona, deathcore music brings inspiration for short story

he pulls up the next chapter on the rewrite list for his novel, “The Foresters,” and finds that today he will be reworking the 3,000-word battle scene chapter. Gorman’s initial reaction is to scroll through his Spotify albums and s the Cotton Eye Joe minute music finishes hit play on one of his favorite death metal bands, Amon playing, all of the eyes in Madame Losey’s room Amarth. The viking myths told in this deathcore music immediately shift to watch the head of fluffy are going to be the catalyst for this battle scene. Listening yellow hair strolling into the room. In his hands lies a to the way the stories are told through the growls of the plate flawlessly wrapped in tin foil that catches the light in lead singer and the unruly beat of the drummer, Gorman the room, practically reflecting the overly-excited faces of is able to channel a darker, more intense mindset to the students. By the warm gleam in his eyes which radiate portray the violence of this scene just the way he wants to. “Sometimes I feel like we ignore the dark issues that from under his wiry glasses, all of the students in the room are present, like death,” Gorman said. “So writing about are well aware of what lies under the tinfoil. “I baked brownies for you all, I hope they turned out them is a way for me to bring that darkness into light, so people can see what it actually is, or what I think it is.” OK.” When Gorman wasn’t reAh yes. Senior John Gorman drafting his novel this summer, he baked his famous, chocolate was playing bass in a deathcore fudge brownies again — his band. It was cathartic, he said. Any class’ favorite. This is the anger or stress he has pent up, he epitome of John Gorman. He It’s like trying to tame a hurricane. is that positive, football-playing There aren’t many musical constraints is able to release all of it through his playing. kid who delivers random within deathcore, so I’m able to “[Playing deathcore music] is brownie surprises to brighten hear and play the message in the like trying to tame a hurricane,” his peers’ days. He’s the kid music how I want to, and then take Gorman explained. “There aren’t whose smile is stuck on his face many musical constraints within even when he’s been up writing something away from it. deathcore, so I’m able to hear and since 6 a.m. and doesn’t finish play the message in the music how wrestling practice until 7 p.m. J OH N GOR M AN SEN I O R I want to, and then take something But when given the chance away from it.” to put in headphones, John Gorman has always been Gorman is also the kid listening to deathcore music, most likely fantasizing about his next dark short story he will into punk rock since his mom, Amanda Gorman, was constantly playing “American Idiot” by Green Day around begin when he gets home. “I find it easier to relate to the darker aspects [of the house when he was younger. However, his growing music],” Gorman explained. “When I’m frustrated, I can interest in the genre of music led him to become the only listen to deathcore, and it reminds me that I’m not the member of his family to explore heavier versions of metal. “Some of the [deathcore] songs I heard digitally, I had a only one who has faced hardships.” From the random brownie deliveries to the bubbly physical reaction to,” Amanda Gorman said. “But as soon way he interacts with his peers, John Gorman doesn’t as I saw John’s friend Cam growl on stage this summer, it come off as your typical “deathcore listener.” However, was satisfying and I could appreciate it.” In Gorman’s eyes, writing and music both lie in the Gorman has a Spotify playlist preloaded with mashups of deathcore songs specifically for times when he is writing field of storytelling. While listening to deathcore, he can draw a darker energy into his writing so that he can relate his next short story, “It’s Always Darkest.” “This short story took me to a darker place that I didn’t to emotional problems people face, such as depression. Listening to deathcore and writing darker short stories know I could draw from. I’ve had a couple friends who faced depression, and through them I’ve come to learn doesn’t drag Gorman’s positive personality down though. that depression is not a rational thing,” Gorman said. “I Deathcore is “positive, angry music” as Gorman puts it. wrote these stories for them, and for the people who may He can always walk away from listening to deathcore feeling uplifted because it reminds him that he isn’t the not know depression.” Gorman is the kid who would rather write about only person facing a challenge. John Gorman may be depression and racism than rainbows and unicorns. But sitting in class, imagining what other dismal topics he can that’s what makes him even more of a people person. He cover, but he’s still the same kid who will randomly pop uses his dark stories to relate to other people about real into French class with an encouraging smile and plateful of brownies he spent the whole last night making. stories. When Gorman finally finishes the rest of his homework, BY M A D EL I N E H LOB I K Copy Editor

DESIGN ABBY WALKER PHOTOS DIANA PERCY

F E AT U R E S 15

FACES OF THE

DEATHSCREAM See progression of John’s infamous death scream

DESIGN ANNABELLE COOK PHOTOS DIANA PERCY & GRACE GOLDM AN

THE HARBINGER

16 F E AT U R E S

DESIGN ANNABELLE COOK P HOTOS DIANA PERCY & GRACE GOLDM AN

SEPTE MBER 5, 2017

F E AT U R E S 17

*based on a poll of 469 sturents

THE RISE OF THE

FINSTA

92%

of students already SO WHAT’S A FINSTA? have an Instagram noun • [fin-stah]

and 47% of those students also have a Fake Instagram

3 out of every 5 girls have a Fake Instagram

1. A fake Instagram

account, so one can post ratchet pictures without persecution from sororities, jobs and society as a whole •ex: “OMG I can’t post that my mom will see” “Just Finsta it” *courtesy of urbandictionary.com

Fake Instagram, a.k.a “Finsta,” has been growing in popularity, but declining in privacy BY L I Z Z I E K A H L E Assistant Editor *names changed to protect identities wo strangers approached junior Elizabeth Brown* on the fourth day of school, raving about one of her recent Finsta posts. “I barely knew them, but I guess I trusted them enough to follow my Finsta,” Brown said. “Basically, the rants I post [on my finsta] about how hard my life is make other people laugh.” Somewhere between the generational hijack of Instagram and the rise of Snapchat, a virtual phenomenon was born. The portmanteau of “fake” and “Instagram” was established: Finsta. The word has yet to earn its place in Merriam-Webster, but Urban Dictionary defines it as, “A fake instagram account, so one can post ratchet pictures without persecution from sororities, jobs and society as a whole.” The trend primarily rose from just two minuscule words of the 20-word definition: “without persecution.” According to Brown, the concept is simple. The quinoa salad you had for lunch? Insta it. A selfie of you hungover eating pizza? Finsta it. Gelato in Rome? Insta it. Shotgunning a beer on the coast of Italy? Finsta it. A trip to a museum? Insta it. Chipped your tooth after too many shots and went to the hospital? Finsta it. Get the gist? East definitely gets the gist: in a survey conducted regarding its prevalence in East, 424 out of 469 people said they knew of someone with a Finsta account. 206 out of 442 people said they personally own a fake account. Brown has been an avid Finsta user since she joined in Feb. of 2016. Aside from her original Finsta account with nearly 360 followers and 263 posts, she has made a second, more “exclusive” one with only 202 followers. With a combined number of nearly

600 followers, she is often praised about her posts by her peers feel like you trust the person asking you to share. Your images – as well as complete strangers. may appear in Google search results if your account is accessed As the Finsta trend grows, so do the number of followers using a web viewer, which authorizes the that viewer to access that aren’t necessarily close or loyal to the account owner. This your profile and images. Images from your account can also becomes an issue particularly with third party sites, such as show up on third party sites through screenshotting – which is Facebook, Twitter and Google that may display posts that are completely out of the account owner’s control. in a private account. According to the Instagram Help Center However, even though users like Brown claim they are for Privacy and Safety, Instagram may share user content and conservative with the quantity of followers, the quality of the information with businesses that followers remains in question. are legally part of the same group Senior Ashley Jones* chooses of companies that Instagram is a to keep her account private, part of. with only 75 followers. She does Brown, who uses her fake not want her Finsta account to “Some people use [their Finsta] as accounts to share mainly memes, affect her college acceptance selfies of her and her friends or sorority recruitment. She is a rant account to be like ‘listen to drinking or videos of her “juuling,” often appalled at the type of what this b––– did’ or to be like ‘look material she scrolls by on her has seen much worse content via her finsta feed. One of the more at what drug I did this weekend.’ I’ve feed. explicit posts she has seen was a “Some people use it as a rant even seen people post pictures to selfie of a girl she followed, halfaccount to be like ‘listen to what naked in a mirror, captioned, “can’t this b–– did’ or to be like ‘look at brag about getting arrested.” let you forget I’m a #slut.” what drug I did this weekend,’” Brown wasn’t planning on Jones said. “I’ve even seen A S H L E Y J O N E S* creating a second Finsta account people post pictures to brag SENIOR until her parents found her about getting arrested.” primary one, forcing her to delete To Jones, the concept of posts they deemed inappropriate. Some of her posts have even having a Finsta account with 200 plus followers that are “close caused her parents to lose trust in her, but she doesn’t see why and loyal friends” is impossible. With posts that she considers they care. The account is private. private, she doesn’t want strangers seeing them. And while “If they found my other [account] I would be dead,” Brown posts from Finsta accounts may not always appear on third said. “They would ground me in a heartbeat and send me to party websites like Facebook or Twitter or Google, she doesn’t boarding school.” want her private life screenshotted and sent around in group Instagram’s official recommendation is to never share chats. something you wouldn’t want other people seeing, even if you Meanwhile, the virtual underground world of Finsta is

gaining more traffic. According to child psychologist Caroline Danda, the motive behind these posts for teens is freedom. As more parents are “friending,” “following” and “double-tapping,” the allure for teens to use traditional forms of social media is declining. Platforms once synonymous with freedom became constrained with oversight. The logic behind Finsta and what it stands for can be somewhat confusing to adults who didn’t grow up sharing photos instantaneously on social media. Principal John McKinney, who doubles as a father, believes social media can be a positive thing – when used correctly. He thinks that the trust between child and parent pertaining to social media should be steady until there is a reason for the trust to be broken. While McKinney is aware of the Finsta trend, he does not see a problem with it unless the posts are not morally correct. While the school does play a role in helping students stay safe on the internet, he hopes the conversation starts at home. “We have so little understanding,” McKinney said, “of what is actually accessible by someone who is determined or has the wherewithal to your Finsta account or your Snapchat posts or things you think are private. We sort of take the word private for granted. The posts are going somewhere.” Teenagers use clever, “punny” usernames to create their alternate personas. Yet, according to Danda, even though these accounts are referred to as “jokes” and “fake”, they are rather a raw, unfiltered image of the owner. “Finsta is quite ironic,” said Danda. “Teens refer to it as their ‘fake’ account, but their real Instagram is the fake image they give off to society.” Yet, to both Brown and Jones, the photos posted on Finsta accounts are still looking for shared romanticization, reassurance and validation, even on what should be happening in private. As Finsta grows, the posts are becoming more explicit – while the true privacy of the trend is declining.

@the.kevvy.g

KEVIN GRINSTEAD JUNIOR “It’s a looser bit of social media where you’re typically just sharing to your friends...The feeling that you have that safety can lead to some ill advised posts and decisions”

@hallllliellujah HALLIE HIGGASON JUNIOR

“It’s not necessarily smart to put drugs and alcohol and vaping on your Instagram but if that’s what they want to do I’m not going to stop them”

DESIGN E MILY FEY PHOTOS AISLINN MENKE

THE HARBINGER

18 F E AT U R E S

f innessing HIS

transition Senior uses a familiar passion to help him transition into his new home.

BY M AYA ST R ATM A N Staff Writer

After playing with Jespersen these past few weeks, Nelson has seen his ability to control the ball and beat players one-on-one. Although his style is less physical than most Americans he’s played with, Nelson was sure Jespersen would make the team after only the second day of tryouts. Jespersen took a varsity spot playing the position of striker no problem. His responsibility is to score goals and to create scoring chances for other players. Jespersen has secured a “family” as he describes it, through the soccer team. They have allowed him to experience a new culture while keeping his roots in soccer. “I have [soccer] to fall back on,” Jespersen said. “I always have something that I can do well. If my English wasn’t as good as it should be or school was difficult, I still have something I’m good at.” Jespersen started playing soccer when he was eight years old on a local club team in Denmark. At age 12 he moved up to the bigger club and new team which he played on for five years – until his knee injury. After injuring his knee, Jespersen got out of shape. Instead of going out and playing his sport with friends, Jespersen had to sit at home playing FIFA and swim laps at the pool to keep himself busy while he anxiously waited to play soccer again. By the time his injury healed, his coach had lost faith in his abilities as a player. He didn’t feel Jespersen had given his full effort during recovery. This year at East is Jespersens chance to prove himself again. “I think this is a new start,” Jespersen said. “Restart and do it all again. I like to get back in the training period where you concentrate all about the soccer and giving 100%.” While he’s playing, Jespersen isn’t thinking about the loads of sociology homework or US history he has – Jespersen is thinking about the game. He’s ready for the next ball. The next move. The next pass. “When you’re playing soccer everything [else] doesn’t matter,” Jespersen said. “You can put everything in a little box and just lock it and put it in the corner.”

he soccer ball sits between senior Kristian Jespersen’s orange and black cleats. “Let’s see it Kristian,” a teammate calls from the background. His face turns somber with concentration as he strikes the ball powerfully. Too powerfully. The ball flies over the goal and beyond the fence. He smiles as he shakes his head, looking down toward the turf. Time to go run after the ball – a familiar action in an unfamiliar country. *** Jespersen is a foreign exchange student from Randers, Denmark. “I came to America, because I wanted to experience a new culture,” Jespersen said. “I was getting stuck in the daily life of Denmark.” Kristian was getting use to all the same things. Same people. Same food. Same schedule. As he tries to come “unstuck” in a new country, he brings something familiar with him – soccer, a passion that’s given him a home 4,665 miles away from home on the varsity boys soccer team. Jespersen came without any expectations for what his new country would look, feel or sound like. Jespersen didn’t research anything about America so he wouldn’t get his hopes up. His only presumption, which he saw in the movies, was that there’d be a nice big hill he could stand on and look out toward a scenic view. He waited to form his opinions of America on his own. And so far they have been positive. “Everyone over here is more kind and more open, you know?” Jespersen said. “They want to influence everybody, and I really like that.” Most people Jespersen meets seem to be just as attracted to his smiley, upbeat personality as he is to theirs. When asked if he was excited to have Jespersen on the team senior varsity soccer player Tommy Nelson just laughed. “Uh, hell yeah,” Nelson said. “We all like him as a person and especially as a player.”

LUGG AGE T RANS F

BOARDING PASS

Jespersen/Kristian

Allen and Sandy Burger, Jespersen’s host family, have seen a change in Jespersen comfort level since soccer season started. He is their seventh foreign exchange student they have hosted through Rotary International Youth Exchange. “He was nervous about soccer at first and wasn’t sure what to expect here,” Burger said. “The minute he got that soccer ball in his hand and was on the field, he was a lot more comfortable.” East and it’s administration have made Burger feel confident about sending Jespersen to East. She believes it will not only benefit him, but also other students, to connect with someone from another country, especially with someone as positive as Jespersen. “His glass is always half full. Except I guess for [during] soccer games,” Burger laughed after Jespersen had bolted out of the room minutes ago to root for Denmark while they were behind. Jespersen is going to continue to watch every Denmark game possible. He is confident that being away from his friends and family will make him value them even more when he goes back home. But for now he is going to keep trying new things, like Chick-fil-A and orange Gatorade. He’s planning to keep up his enthusiastic, smiling attitude. He will continue to tie his right lace before his left – like he does before every game. And he’s going to keep complaining about dressing up on game days and how Americans try to be so special by calling it soccer. In Denmark it’s futbol. *** The soccer ball sits between senior Kristian Jespersen’s orange and black cleats. After two weeks of practice, it’s finally time for varsity’s first game: the blue and black scrimmage. Jesperson’s eyes lock in on the cross coming from the right corner. He shoots from just outside the sixyard box, burying the ball in the side netting. People cheer from the stands, the voices no different than those he hears back home.

Class Senior Seat 17

From Randers, Denmark to Prarie Village, KS, here are Jespersen’s firsts and favs:

CPH MCI Ticket 000673510372

Newly Tried Food

Best Spot in KC

KC Barbacue

Union Station

Dialectical Difference

Ending sentences with questions

Jozy Altidore

Senior Ian Schutt

U.S. Soccer Player

First Met Friend

Scan h ere to Kristian watch a video ab ’s return to socc out er

MC I

DESIGN ELIZABETH BALLEW PHOTOS IZZ Y ZANONE

SEPTE MBER 5, 2017

F E AT U R E S

TWINCEPTION

After 10 years, junior twins are finally brought together again in the classroom

BY PAUL I N E S H AVER Copy Editor

reschoolers Hazel and Quincy Eastlack sat side-by-side. Staring down at her lap, Hazel glowered. Sitting there was a red, shiny and unbitten apple. For some reason, taking the first bite out of apples was the task preschool Hazel hated most. Without saying a word, Hazel handed the apple to Quincy, who promptly took a mouthful and gave it back. This type of thing was completely ordinary for the Eastlack twins. They played together, shared their toys and liked many of the same things, such as cars and animals. They got along so well that their mother, Angela Eastlack, often felt reluctant to allow their friends over: they had each other, who else did they need? After kindergarten, though, their parents decided that it was best to keep them in separate classes. “For me, for my kids, it was important,” Angela said. “Just so they could develop their own friends and their own independence and not constantly be relying on each other.” Despite being almost completely separate through ten years of school, now-juniors Hazel and Quincy share similar interests, such as school, athletics, reading and history. Their unique bond and close friendship has stayed intact through all of this time and, even with the changes that junior year proposes, they don’t plan to change that. At the time they didn’t know that their relationship could last. It saddened their six-year-old selves to be separated – especially Hazel – but they quickly found their own friends and activities. While Hazel gravitated towards horseback riding and swimming, Quincy, who is

CONVOS WITH HAZEL AND QUINCY

allergic to horses, played many sports that included a ball, something Hazel avoids on principle. It wasn’t until Hazel joined cross country at Quincy’s recommendation that any of their activities crossed over at all. However, their similar interests, and the fact that they both did IB, caused the Eastlacks’ schedules to be almost identical this year, something that hasn’t happened since they were in kindergarten. “We took the classes that we wanted to take and it just happened that we’re in five [together],” Hazel said. “And all the teachers are like, ‘Alphabetical order so I can learn your names’, so he’s always behind me.” Although it’s been a while since they’ve been a seat away from each other in class, it’s undeniable that they’ve always spent time together. They share a friend group, a car and, according to their mother, have personalities that balance each other out remarkably well. “They’ve never had that regular sibling friction, it’s just not there,” Eastlack said. “Every once in awhile they’ll kind of get on each other’s nerves slightly, and just be kind of like, ‘eh,’ and then they’ll need some space or something, but they don’t ever have a fight.” Even though they hardly ever argue, they are definitely competitive with one another. A few weeks after Hazel got up on water skis for the first time while at the lake with her swim team friends, Quincy decided that he had to as well. They also dispute over who the older sibling really is, to the point where Hazel has actually checked the birth certificate. According to the twins, Quincy is one minute older. The competitiveness doesn’t cease at school. In two of the few classes they’d shared previously, EHAP sophomore year and World Regional Studies freshman year, they constantly competed for the best grade, though they ended up having identical AP test scores in EHAP. As well as their parents emphasis on good grades, this friendly competition

could be a contributing factor to both of their impressive academic records. However, Hazel is slightly stronger in math while Quincy excels in English. Despite competing in previous shared classes, this year proposes a change. The sheer amount of time they spend together during the school day is strikingly different to what they’ve had experience with in the past. They drive to school together, sit next together for more than half of the day, go to cross country, and then drive back home. “If I had to spend this amount of time with someone, I feel like she’s best,” Quincy said. “We work well together.” Always there to watch history documentaries, see “Dunkirk” for the second time when nobody else wants to, or even FaceTime across the house to ask about a math question, they both feel very lucky to have such a well suited, built-in companion. “They’re closer than any other pair of siblings that I’ve ever known,” Anika Radidiya, friend and fellow IB student said. “They depend on each other a lot, which is adorable. When they need something, they know they can go to each other, or just someone to talk to. They’re definitely best friends to each other.” Both Hazel and Quincy hope that their new crazy, shared IB schedule won’t change their relationship much, because who doesn’t love having someone to start their apple for them without even asking?

“I am just obviously older,” — QUINCY “ Okay but it doesn’t matter, we’re still just twins!” — HAZEL “Okay. You’re my little sister though. Always,” — QUINCY

WANT EVERY ISSUE DELIVERED TO YOUR DOORSTEP?

CONTACT SMEHARBINGER@GMAIL.COM TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE HARBINGER TODAY!

Join us for the 31st anniversary of SME SHAREâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Renovation Sensation The tour features four distinguished and unique homes in Old Leawood, Prairie Village, and Fairway.

REN SEN

2017 Wednesday, Septemer 20, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Tickets may be purchased at Spruce Home, Hen House in Fairway, The Village, Corinth and 119th & Roe.

DESIGN K ATIE HISE PHOTOS ELLEN SWANS ON & K ATE NIXON

SEPTE MBER 5, 2017

F E AT U R E S 21

Wildest

BY MI R A N DA H AC K Staff Writer

n her years at Shawnee Mission East, marketing teacher Mercedes Rasmussen has undoubtedly heard this school compared to many things. But Disneyland— that one, she hadn’t heard. At least, not until fellow marketing teacher Amanda Doane’s first day. This sentiment— that Shawnee Mission East is truly the happiest place on Earth— is what brought Doane to East in the first place. This is Doane’s dream job. She has been wanting to teach business and marketing at East since she first moved to the area in 2006. Now, 11 years later, she can finally call herself a Lancer. Her students are now her neighbors, and the jobs she is preparing them for in class are just down the street. That’s the main reason Doane decided to make the switch after 11 years at Olathe South High School – because of the impact she has at East, an impact that she can see the results of in her own neighborhood. The skills taught in her class are helping her students get jobs — and be successful in them — whether it be at the Hen House right down the street, her favorite boutique or TCBY. “I’m really preparing them for jobs in this community, in my community,” Doane said. “It’s just so rewarding.” Doane may teach marketing, but her class is truly about learning skills with real-world application. She has her students writing ad campaigns, printing ads and planning pricing for companies, all concepts that will be invaluable to the business world both in and outside of the East community. “Everything is a project,” Doane said.

“Because you have to do it. You can’t just learn about it.” Doane’s hands-on approach and love for teaching was born in a rather unlikely place. As a grad student, she spent her Sunday nights sitting at her parent’s kitchen table doing trigonometry homework. She was tutoring her younger sister— not exactly a glamorous job, nor a well-paying one. However, neither is teaching. But Doane wasn’t in it for money, and she certainly wasn’t in it for fame. She was in it for the feeling she got when she heard that her sister had passed the class. It’s a feeling that she now gets every time she completes a lesson, or every time one of her students aces a test: a feeling of pure joy, of knowing that her knowledge has helped to advance someone else’s learning. She has been teaching ever since. Doane discovered her passion for teaching in grad school, but it was when she moved to Prairie Village that she found the place she wanted to put that passion to use — here, at Shawnee Mission East. While it is a dream of hers to work here, there have certainly been some major changes from her last school. After her first day, she went to fellow marketing teacher Mercedes Rasmussen with a concern — all of her students had said thank you after leaving her class. She was wondering if that was normal. It had never happened to her before. “It just reminded me to be thankful for all the little things here,” Rasmussen said. “I’ve been here for so long that sometimes I forget to be.” This friendship between Doane and Rasmussen has been growing for nearly 11 years now, and it’s another reason Doane was

A new marketing teacher lands her dream job

Dream

so excited about getting a job at East. The two first met at a DECA competition while Doane was still teaching at Olathe South. “I actually started DECA at Olathe South, and when I met [Rasmussen],” Doane said. “She helped me answer a lot of questions at the beginning. She’s a really great mentor, so working with her is a dream.” DECA is one of Doane’s favorite aspects of marketing. At Olathe South, Doane served as the head DECA advisor; at East, she is the assistant DECA advisor to one of the largest DECA programs in the district. “I love that it is creative, and it’s peopleoriented. I also love that it’s teaching kids how to do something,” Doane said. “It’s a verb, and so you are really teaching a skill.” The experience that Doane brings is a major asset to the marketing department and the DECA program. With over 250 students involved in marketing, and over 150 in DECA, Rasmussen needed another teacher to help her manage all of the participants. “She comes in with the knowledge of teaching marketing for the last 10 years and is able to immediately assist me,” Rasmussen said. “And she has taught the curriculum, so she has all sorts of awesome ideas.” So when Doane first interviewed for the job, Rasmussen was the first person she called. “She said to me, ‘Mercedes, I’ve got to get this job,’” Rasmussen said. “She lives in this community, she’s a part of this community, her kids are going to come to school here, this is her dream job.” Doane’s enthusiasm for East, the community and marketing are evident in her classroom. She’s constantly willing to help and establishes a collaborative environment for her students. “She makes business seem interesting, and she talks about all of the different options within business,” junior Gretchen Ternus said. “She’s really opened up my mind to the business world.” So as Doane continues her transition to East and her work in the marketing department, she keeps one goal in mind for the future. “I want to be able to provide a rich experience for students that is real world,” Doane said. “I want to pull in students that maybe didn’t know that they had an interest in business or marketing and provide them with opportunities to excel.”

Path to East Had marketing experience from a young age – doing commercials for Channel 5 News as a kid Moved on to work in sales at Lincare Pharmaceuticals Got a job as the marketing teacher at Olathe South High School

Finally landed her dream job at East

DESIGN GRACE PADON PH OTOS MORGAN PLUNKET T

22 A & E

THE HARBINGER

BELOW | A single scoop of red velvet and

BELOW | Pink lights and pink and

funfetti cake batter sit on a table inside.

purple polka dots adorn the walls.

DOUGH

CRAVINGS

LEFT | A container filled with frostingcovered animal crackers sits on a counter. This is the main ingredient in the Frosted Sugar Sweet Dunkaroo cookie dough.

New cookie dough parlor offers delicious, original flavors which can satisfy any sweet tooth

BY DONN A K AY Staff Writer

large block letter sign hangs on the wall of Cookie Dough Madness proclaiming the message, “The future belongs to those who eat cookie dough.” After trying several flavors of their delicious batter, I have become a firm believer in their motto. What started out as a church fundraiser in a Grandview, MO parking lot is now Cookie Dough Madness, a sweet shop dedicated to creamy batter. Its brand new location at 99th and Holmes Road opened on Aug. 11. Cookie Dough Madness offers seven house-made, hand-scooped flavors, ranging from classic chocolate chip, to the more unusual flavors of cookie dough, like red velvet and animal cookie. Walking in, you’re greeted by kind-hearted employees and the sweet smell of chocolate. As I approached the bubble-gum colored wood counters to place my order, I noticed how the polka dot walls were rose tinted from the pink light bulbs creating a flirty ambiance. This made a relaxed environment, perfect for enjoying cookie dough. The best flavor they offer is brownie love, a brownie batter mixed with creamy fudge. It is a thick batter with a rich chocolate flavor. On my second visit, I was even more excited to stop in because of how delicious it had been the previous day. After returning, I decided the flavor peanut butter craze deserved a second-place award. This consisted of a peanut butter filled dough, mixed with Reese’s Pieces. I decided to drizzle the buttery dough with hot fudge for an additional 50 cents, skipping out on my other options – caramel, sprinkles or white chocolate. I was served my scoop of cookie dough in a cup, although waffle cones and bowls are options as well. But don’t let my chocolate obsession hold you back if you are looking for something more colorful, funfetti cake batter is the flavor

for you – bright blue with different rainbow sprinkles, white chocolate chips and swirls of vanilla frosting mixed throughout. In addition to the colorful spectrum of flavors, monster munch contains a hearty mixture of M&M’s, chocolate chips and oatmeal. They also offer frosted sugar sweet dunkaroo, a sugar cookie dough mixed with strawberry frosting swirls. I also tried the animal cookie dough. It was too sugary. It seemed more like something a child would ask for as a birthday treat instead of a dessert anyone else would wish for. However, when you have a big sugar craving, you may enjoy this flavor. If you’re looking for the classic cookie dough, get the double chocolate chip which is topped with milk and white chocolate chips. Along with the great taste, I have to give Cookie Dough Madness credit for the clever names of their flavors, such as frosted sugar sweet dunkaroo. When they could’ve taken the easy route and called it something like animal cookie dough, they chose to be innovative and name it something intriguing. You can see the owners have a clear passion for their business. A single scoop of their dough is $4, two scoops is $5.25 and three scoops is served for the minimal price of $6.50; all of these options will leave you fully satisfied. Cookie Dough Madness has already gained a huge following in the community, gathering almost 10,000 likes on their company Facebook page. Since the grand opening, the owners have experienced such a high volume of customers that they are currently exploring opportunities for expansion, but as of now are only open from 4-9 p.m. every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evening. As I was leaving the shop, another sign reminded me to “Eat cookie dough and live happily ever after.” And if I keep coming back for their cookie dough, I know I will “live happily ever after.”

BELOW | The cookie dough is kept in trays inside of a refigerator.

specialty flavors are f e at u re d Seven served in cones or bowls;

Flavors brownie love

pints are also avaliable

Frosted sugar sweet dunkaroo m

peanut butter craze

m m m

funfetti cake batter

monster munch

SCAN double chocolate chip

red velvet

TO VISIT COOKIE DOUGH MADNESS'S FACEBOOK PAGE

SEPTE MBER 5, 2017

DESIGN ANNA MCCLELL AND

snoop dogg “ZHYUUUMMMMM. When the pimps in the crib ma-” Legendary. The beginning of the world-renowned song by one of the first rappers known to the 2000’s generation. “Drop it Like it’s Hot.” Snoop Dogg. This year at Buzz Beach Ball, Snoop Dogg will be the first performer on day one. For those of you who aren’t familiar with my role model, Snoop Dogg, is a west-coast rapper. From his solo in “California

BUZZ

23 Gurls” by Katy Perry, to his top hit, “Young, Wild and Free,” his sound makes me feel like I’m walking the streets in Cali. His style of rapping has changed throughout the 22 years he’s been in the game. He starts each song with free-styling, and making up his own acapella beat. He then slowly warps it into a song to be produced.

LEARN EVERY WORD:

@SNOOPDOGG

PREVIEW

Read about some of the most exciting artists at this year’s Buzz Beach Ball BY GR AC IE KOST Opinion Section Editor

uzz Beach Ball. Try saying that five times fast. Though it would probably take more time and concentration to list every single band performing at the twoday music festival. In years past, the festival has been held at Children’s Mercy Park, but this year it will be held at Providence Amphitheater in Bonner Springs on Sept. 8 and 9. Buzz Beach Ball is two days of

who

Other headliners include Bishop Briggs, Weezer and Spoon

when

Sept. 8 & 9

alternative music, festival style. The show is put on by the radio station 96.5 “The Buzz.” Doors open at 3 p.m., but to get at the front of the line, you should get there close to somewhere around 6 a.m. to beat the crowds. As a broke high-school student myself, I understand we all have tight budgets. However, tickets for Buzz Beach Ball start at just $30 for a two day lawn ticket. So while most concert tickets hit the hundreds, I would call this ticket for 20 concerts in one, a good purchase.

how

Purchase tickets at www.beachballkc.com

where

Providence Medical Center Amphitheater

-Drop It Like It’s Hot -Who Am I -Beautiful

@SNOOPDOGG

foster the people

THIS BAND TAKES ME right back to fourth grade. That’s when I first heard Foster the People’s hit “Pumped Up Kicks.” Foster the People will be performing their alternative music on the first day, although their catchy tunes will stay in your head long after. I find myself whistling to songs after first hearing one of their albums. My favorite song, “Don’t Stop (Color on the Walls),” tells a story about what a four year-old would do if he or she took over the world. The randomness of their lyrics keep me listening to hear the end of the story. Every. Single. Time. Despite the upbeat vibe, some lyrics

interestingly show that the lead of the band isn’t afraid to come after you if you mess with him. Like in “Call It What You Want,” the lyrics “Yeah you’ve crossed the line, I’ve got a knife behind my back (just sayin’)” resembles revenge. But behind their lyrics, the rhythm of a majority of their songs is composed of an array of noises produced by a synthesizer and special programming systems, in addition to traditional instruments like drums, guitar and bass guitar. Out of the entire Buzz Beach Ball line up, I’d have to give my “favorite award” to Foster the People. The question at stake is if they can transfer their vibey music to a cool, live performance.

@FOSTERTHE PEOPLE @FOSTERTHE PEOPLE

LEARN EVERY WORD: -Pumped Up Kicks -Houdini -Helena Beat

run the jewels

NOW, HOW DO I explain this band. This is one I came across while researching the line-up that particularly caught my eye – well ear, in this case. Run the Jewels is a loud, lit rap duo. I’m into it. Their music has an outer space vibe because of the inter-gallactic sound effects in the background, yet surprisingly gives me a subtle hint of a Tech N9ne-ish style, with the lyrics hinting at partying paired with a head-bangin’ beat.

@RUNTHEJEWELS @RUNJEWELS

They performed at Coachella in 2015 and have received praise from critics for all three of their albums. This year they’re performing second on Day Two at Buzz Beach Ball. Their number one hit is called “Legend Has It,” so at least they’re confident in themselves. While some people may feel pain from the loud bass and beat of this duo, others may bump it on the way to football games or at a party.

LEARN EVERY WORD:

-Legend Has It -Close Your Eyes -Blockbuster Night Pt. 2

DESIGN BRYNN WINKLER

THE HARBINGER

24 A & E

MOVIE

MOVIE ADAPTATION SCORE:

MISCONCEPTION

Movie adaptation of “The Glass Castle” falls short of famed memoir

BIG issues

D O W N P L AY E D

BY CAR O LY N P OP P ER Page Designer

parknotes is the first suggestion in the search bar every time I type the letter “S.” It has piggy-backed me through almost every assigned reading. But “The Glass Castle,” a memoir by Jeannette Walls, made Socratic seminars and 20-point packets bearable. In fact, it may be one of the only assigned reading books I’ve ever read in its entirety (I’m sorry, Ms. Jackson). “The Glass Castle” was a look into a homeless girl’s life, but it was nothing like the homelessness I’ve witnessed on the corner of Ward Parkway and JC Nichols. Walls was the kid you pass on the way to seminar that you wouldn’t know went to bed hungry. She was the girl who just lent you a pencil, the girl you’d never know had slept in her car the night before. The novel’s authenticity fascinated me. So you can imagine my disappointment as I sat in the fourth row of AMC theaters watching it’s cinematic reproduction and realizing it was nothing like the book – in the worst way possible. I’ve seen bad movie adaptations based on novels, but I was especially disappointed by this one. Some of the most sincere moments of the book had been completely overlooked in the movie, like how each child consecutively left the life of poverty behind for a new beginning in New York City. My expectations for the movie were at an all time high, as some of my favorite actors – from Woody Harrelson to Naomi Watts – starred in the film. Watts couldn’t have played Rosemary Walls, the mother, any better. However, the way director Destin Daniel Cretton depicted her didn’t show Rosemary’s true character. In the film, she was portrayed as a concerned mother who would comfort her children after their father, Rex’s, drunk outbursts. But in the novel, Rosemary never takes action after her children are sexually

assaulted numerous times. In the book, Rosemary Walls’ unmotherly behavior almost showed signs of mental illness. Her unrealistic hope of becoming a world-famous artist was put before the wellbeing of her children. When Jeanette comes to her mom begging for money to buy food, she brushes off Jeanette’s hunger like it’s of little importance. But in the movie, she was never shown refusing her children’s requests for food, an example of Cretton barely scratching the surface of her personality. This gives a false sense of sympathy for Rosemary, when in my opinion, she is far from deserving of any pity. Not only was Rosemary totally misrepresented, but Rex – father and head of the Walls family – was shown in a more positive light than he deserved. In the novel, when there was money for food, Rex would spend it on Parliaments and the “hard stuff.” However, in the memoir, Rex’s persuasive manner was depicted well. He was so influential on the family that he convinced Jeanette repeatedly to hand over what little money she had to feed his alcohol addiction. And while his persuasive ways were touched on, they were overwhelmingly downplayed in the film. He was a greedy alcoholic who often put himself before his kids: when Jeanette narrowly missed being burned alive in the novel, Rex stole her out of the doctors’ care to avoid bills. On screen, the scene in which Rex, Woody Harrelson, takes Jeanette, Ella Anderson, out of the hospital is set to adventurous and upbeat music. Not exactly the theme that I gathered from forcibly removing your child from health care. The hardships Rex put his children through, like hitting Jeanette and drinking himself so far into oblivion that he ruined Christmas, were underexaggerated in the film. Cretton portrayed him as a fun-loving, adventurous dad, with a bit of a drinking problem on the side. These small details that weren’t carried

over into the movie lessened the severity of their struggles. In the book, Jeannette and her brother dig through dumpsters to find food because Rosemary was too busy painting – a scene that showed exactly where her priorities were. But this scene was completely left out in this movie. One of the most prominent examples of her selfishness was when the kids hadn’t eaten for days, and Rosemary had been scavenging family-sized chocolate bars for herself. This moment that showed Rosemary’s egocentricity was also skipped over in the movie. Or the fact that the movie never displayed Rosemary’s teaching job, or lack thereof. It’s like committing a crime and getting away without a scratch. She shouldn’t be represented as a caring mother when she let her children go hungry while sitting on almost one million dollars worth of inheritance. Key events were left out in the new movie, Cretton added new too. The movie transitioned back and forth between her childhood, and the period of time during her engagement. One minute, a freckled-faced Jeanette was feeding her little sister butter because there was nothing else to eat. Quick transition, and Jeanette is sitting across from her polished and functional fiancé in a mod, upscale apartment. In a climatic ending scene, Jeanette makes a scene at her engagement party, confronting her parents for everything they put her through. It tugged on my heart strings, and had the whole theater silent. Beggars can’t be choosers but, it just wasn’t in the book. So, a word of advice to future sophomores: read the book. Seriously. It wasn’t bad, and not only will you miss out on an actually decent summer reading assignment, you’ll be screwed for Socratic seminars. Cretton, I’m not impressed. Even though a movie can give the gist of a novel in about two hours, I promise setting aside time to read the Walls’ story will feel like time is going by just as fast.

IN THE FILM Major themes in the book are not represented by the movie

HOMELESSNESS BOOK: some nights the Walls would have to sleep outside MOVIE: times like these are depicted as a grand adventure

SEXUAL ASSAULT BOOK: Jeannette experiences sexual assault several times MOVIE: issue is glossed over and many assaults are left out altogether

3 CHILD NEGLECT BOOK: children are neglected and left to fend for themselves MOVIE: neglect is brushed over and goes unaddressed

SEPTE MBER 5, 2017

THE

DESIGN LIDDY STALL ARD

A & E 25

RIBTERS

Five friends who share a passion for music start a band that students are going crazy over BY E MI LY F EY Assistant Editor

n the corner of Mills Record Company on Aug. 26, seniors Jackson Bush, Sam Fay, Billy Fox, Cal Knabe and junior Dakota Zugelder make their way to a makeshift stage complete with tangled cords, amplifiers and mic stands. About to perform in front of strangers flipping through vintage rock records and a few familiar friends, the five boys were all laughing as the set up their equipment on stage. Bush flipped the switch on his keyboard. Fay resituated the mic in the stand. Knabe messed with the tuning of his guitar, while Fox did the same thing on his bass. And Zugelder plugged his headphones in order to better hear the pace of the beat. Bush walked up to the mic. “Hey everyone, we are The Orbiters,” he said smiling back to his four bandmates. As he introduced their first song, “All the Small Things” by Blink 182, the vibrations from the electric sounds of the guitars and hard-hitting beat of the drums could be felt by every person in the room. “They had such a fun and exciting atmosphere about them that the crowd was able to catch on to,” senior Emma Renwick said. “It seemed like everyone [there] was wanting to sing along with them, they’re such a great group of guys.” Knabe and Fay had always discussed starting a band during their weeknight jam sessions; with how much they enjoyed music, the felt as if they weren’t doing enough to fulfill their passion. Finally on a whim, the two boys put their words into action and ran the idea by their mutual friends Fox and Bush last May. Between the four of them, they had a keyboard, bass, and guitar player and they all had voices talented enough to earn them the title of “Chambros” in the SME chamber choir. All they needed was a drummer to pull together the perfect sound. That’s where Zugelder came in. “I’m the odd man out because all of these guys are in Chambers and all of them are great singers,” Zugelder said. “And then there’s me. I sound like a dying pig.”

Bush looks at Zugelder in astonishment. “But you’re the legend and arguably the best asset we have to the band.” The chemistry apparent in the boys’ performances comes from their ability to combine all their innate skills. They all bring something different to the table, whether it’s Bush’s ability to hype up a crowd, Knabe’s behind-the-scenes logistics or Zugelder’s iconic hair flip. The boys are able to all collaborate and work together. All five guys are equals; they have no band leader.

They had such a fun and exciting atmosphere about them that the crowd was able to catch on to. It seemed like everyone was wanting to sing along with them, they’re such a great group of guys. E M M A R EN W I C K SEN I O R

“We all have different strenghts,” Fay said. “Everyone would think Jackson would be the leader, but Cal does a lot of the logistics and Billy is really the idea man, so we are all pretty equal.” At first, choosing a band name seemed pretty straightforward, but the end result was a competition to see who could come up with the most amusing band name. “We were joking about how [the band] Whiplash is a medical condition, so I looked up and bunch of diseases and we joked about naming our band Head Trauma, Mild Fever and Heat Stroke,” Fox said. But eventually, after one of Knabe and Fay’s frequent talks about the cosmos and physics, the boys realized “The Orbiters” had just the right ring to it. Practices and rehearsals became a priority. The

location changes every session, from Zugelder’s, Fox’s, Fay’s to Knabe’s – never Bush’s, the guys explained with a disowning laugh at Bush. But with the boys’ busy schedules, forgetting about rehearsals, even the ones at their own homes, is more common than not. “I had had a really late night, it had something to do with band,” said Zugelder. “In the morning, I heard my dog go nuts and my front door open and all of a sudden my stepmom walks down and goes, ‘You had rehearsal this morning didn’t you?’ and groggily I said ‘Yeah.’ Then there goes Cal walking down my stairs and I just said ‘crap.’” “I think this is The Orbiters in a few words: ‘Where are you?’ ‘Oh crap’,” Bush said. The Orbiters’ primary focus is rock music, but they will perform anything they have to work with. So far, they have perfected songs such as “Year 3000” by the Jonas Brothers and “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes. Their goal is to work with more acoustic versions of songs in the future and even start working on a few original songs. “I’ve been writing songs for three or four years, but most of them are garbage,” Bush said. “Occasionally I write one I can stand for more than 45 minutes, but there is an original I recently found that I think we are gonna play with and see what we can do with it.” The boys have gotten endless support from friends and family members ever since they announced the band. Renwick was the one who booked them their first gig: performing at the Lancer Dancer Pancake Breakfast. Fox’s sister has agreed to help create a logo for the band. College freshman and East graduate Haley Lynch created a Buzzfeed quiz titled “Which Orbiter Are You??” for the enjoyment of fans. But their most important encouragement comes from each other. Their unceasing support is present when they help Zugelder haul this drum set to and from practices. It’s clear when they adjust their own singing parts in order to let Fay sing the lower notes when he is plagued with a sore throat on performance day. They’ve discovered that starting a band is hard, but harder if you aren’t with your best friends.

Meet the Boys:

“Which Orbiter Are You?” Quiz

Cal Knabe

Jackson Bush

Dakota Zugelder

Sam Fay

Billy Fox

DESIGN GABBY LEINBACH PHOTOS K ATHERINE ODELL

THE HARBINGER

26 S P O R T S

Leveling the playing field Boys soccer changes to two C-level teams in hopes of bettering the program

BY W I LL T U LP Assistant Online Editor

LANCERS

BENEFITS OF THE CHANGE

Increased competition between teams

Flexibility in roster

Even team development

Higher level of play than D-team

More balanced scrimmages

his soccer season marked the beginning of a major restructuring of the program, changing from a C and D team to two C-level teams. This is the first time the program has used this structure in five years, and the coaches believe the change will improve the soccer team as a whole by starting with improvements from the bottom. “We wanted to balance out the teams to make them both more competitive,” varsity coach Jamie Kelly said. “[Having two C-teams] is an opportunity for more players to play at a high level.” The two C-teams, now called Blue Team and Black Team, are led by former C-team coach Elliott Pattison and a new coach, Fernando Rodriguez respectively. They hope that through the two C-teams, the players will be able to develop at an equal rate and improve their skill set further. “Having just the Blue and Black [teams] will allow us to be able to compete really well and help kind of bring everybody up at the same time instead of just having the C-team progress

LANCERS

Black Team Coach

and the D-team just a little bit…” Pattison said. “Now with two C teams, everybody is going to push each other [and] everyone is going to get playing time. They’ll really be able to get those minutes that everybody needs to hopefully move up to the JV/varsity level.” The teams are also more flexible now in terms of their practices and rosters. By having two

Now with two C teams, everybody is going to push each other [and] everyone is going to get playing time. They’ll really be able to get those minutes that everybody needs to hopefully move up to the JV/varsity level. ELLI OT T PAT T I S ON B LU E TEAM COAC H C-level teams, both will have the opportunity to practice game-like situations and play more scrimmages together. Additionally, players can be moved freely from team to team in case of injuries or missing players now that Blue Team and Black Team are playing at the same level. However, the change has not come without

Fernando Rodriquez First year at East Previous coaching experience: New Mexico youth teams: 2013-2015 Sporting Blue Valley: 2015-present

its difficulties and sacrifices. Because the two teams are playing at the same level, the amount of games must be shared between the teams. Players have also been opposed to the new team structure, including sophomore and Blue Team captain Simon Zimmerman. “Coming from the D team, and then going to both even teams kind of makes me [...] feel like I tried really hard to get on the upper team, but it’s the same team basically all over again,” Zimmerman said. “We just have to get better chemistry throughout the team, and I’m really happy for what the future holds.” Pattison encourages his players to be patient though, and he believes his players will “see the light at the end of the tunnel” as the season progresses. In the coming years, he predicts major growth in the soccer program as a whole. “I see in the next 2-3 years both our JV and varsity being just outstanding teams,” Pattison said. “When we are able to develop these C-team players on both the Blue and Black team and then continue pushing them into that JV spot, they’re just going to be that much more prepared. Then, it's not so much teaching them the fundamentals anymore; it's more of the strategy, [and] we can really just focus on and get them ready for those higher competitive games.”

Elliott Pattison Fourth year at East Previous coaching experience: Multiple KC youth teams KC Fusion: 2016-present

LANCERS

Blue Team Coach

DESIGN SARAH WILCOX PHOTOS T Y BROWNING

SEPTE MBER 5, 2017

MEET THE SPORTS COACHES 360 S P O R T S 27

BY N ATASH A T H OM AS Page Designer

New coaches set to help teams reach their goals for the season

NICOLE DALTON The volleyball team is starting up the season with new varsity coach Nicole Dalton, a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. She grew up as one of seven athletic siblings, which translated to UT Austin where she played division one volleyball for five years. Dalton credits her achievements in college to her coaches as a young girl, and hopes to give other girls the same experience. “I had so many great coaches in college and high school that I admired,” Dalton said. “I think you can make a difference in high school girl’s lives and that’s what I want to do.” Sophomore on varsity Ali Slaughter admires Dalton’s effective teaching style. “She’s really looking towards our future as volleyball players, instead of just being focused on winning right now,” Slaughter said. Slaughter says having Dalton play with the team at practices helps her grow by playing someone older and more skilled. Dalton’s hopes her approach will ensure that this year’s varsity team has even more wins than the last. Slaughter thinks this year’s biggest challenge will be filling the shoes of last year’s graduating seniors. Dalton agrees, but has high hopes for this years varsity team. After last years volleyball team placed third at state, Dalton’s wants to go to state again, and this time shoot for the title. But all trophies aside, what matters most to Dalton isn’t a state title, it’s the girls. “The most important thing for a coach to do is genuinely care about the girls.” Dalton said. “One of my biggest philosophies is teaching them not only to be great volleyball players, but also great young women.”

SPORT

VOLLEYBALL

POSITION

HEAD COACH

TEACHES

PERMANENT SUB

WILL GORDEN SPORT

BASEBALL

POSITION

HEAD COACH

TEACHES

HEALTH & WEIGHTS

After three consecutive regional champs trophies under last year’s coach Jerrod Ryherd, the baseball team is getting a new head coach: Will Gorden. Gorden has an extensive background in coaching baseball. Before coming to East, Gorden took the opportunity to spend a year and a half coaching major league baseball in China. He has also coached for Bishop Miege, Rockhurst, and coaches at Gold Glove Baseball Academy. Senior Jonah Watt will be playing his fourth year of East baseball this spring. He has two older brothers that have been coached by Gorden in the past, so Watt is excited to have a familiar face as new head coach. “Gorden’s been around baseball his entire life.” Watt said. “He has really good experience with professional players, and he knows what he’s doing on the field as well as off the field in the weight room.” Gorden already has a concrete plan for the spring season. Besides having players lift three times a week months before the season starts, Gorden is planning to have all the players practice together, from D-team to Varsity. He believes the younger athletes will benefit from practicing with older, more skilled players. “We are going to focus on development over all, so players at all levels will be able to move up to create a successful varsity team,” Gorden said. “Development will be the key to our success.” Gorden wants to make sure his players are hard-working on and off the field. He preaches good grades, encourages his players to attend peer’s games in other sports and most importantly values supporting each other and the community.

JED BAIR This year, East hired Jed Bair to help coach the 100 plus girls that made the tennis team. Although Bair is only “an assistant to the assistant” as he puts it, he has been at tryouts and practices since the very first day. Bair’s decided to coach at East is because of his children’s connection to the school. His daughter Quincy graduated from East last year, and played each year for the tennis team; next year his son will be an East freshman trying out for tennis. Bair is excited to coach his son, but until then he is focused on helping the many tennis players individually improve by adding one more coach ready to listen and teach. Its Sophomore Maddy Slaughter’s second year of East tennis, and she says that what makes Bair a good coach is that he works with players individually. “At tryouts my doubles partner and I kept rematching the same team, and coach Bair was really encouraging to us,” Slaughter said. “He’s rooting for you the whole time and wants everyone to do their best. I think it’s a great quality for a coach to have.” Bair’s goal is to help each of his players get better, even if they just learn how to properly hold a racket. “Some of the girls might just want to get to compete in a match, and some of the girls want to win state,” Bair said. “Everybody has different goals.” Through the years Bair has learned that just relaxing and enjoying the sport can get the best results in tennis. “In tennis it’s really easy to want to be a perfectionist, but tennis is a game of mistakes,” Bair said. “How you handle those mistakes is what gets wins; you can throw and break your racket, or you can let it go and get ready for the next point.”

SPORT

TENNIS

POSITION

ASST. COACH

TEACHES

N/A

DESIGN ELIAS LOWL AND

THE HARBINGER

28 S P O R T S

K athletes ON TRAC g n i p e e k

PATH OF PARTICIPATION

New policy change enforces daily eligibility checks of athletes

BY E LIA S LOW L A N D Print Sports Section Editor

student athlete eligibility policy put in place last year is now being enforced more stringently, requiring all coaches to check the eligibility of all their players daily. The “daily live eligibility,” according to East Athletic Director Debbie Katzfey, aims to keep students academically eligible both semesters instead of falling behind without teachers and coaches noticing. “What has happened [in the past] is a kid is eligible in the fall, but then he just tanks at the end of the semester and he fails three classes, and now second semester he’s not eligible,” Katzfey said. “If you’re doing these daily live eligibility, you hope that you start noticing the grades drop [as early as possible], and you can get them and interact with them sooner.” Prior to this new policy being put in place, the eligibility standards did not follow a student through the semester. According to Katzfey, athletes’ eligibility was checked at the beginning of each semester, and after that “[coaches and administrators] didn’t pay attention until the end

of the semester.” The guidelines at East were no different from the KSHSAA regulations, stating that an athlete must have passed five classes at their school the semester prior to their involvement in the sport, as well as being enrolled in five classes the semester of their participation. The eligibility daily tracker originated at Shawnee Mission North, where former principal Richard Kramer first instated it. When he was promoted to the District Athletic Director position, Kramer made it mandatory that all schools follow the procedure. At East Katzfey, as well as each coach of the current sports will receive an automatic email from Skyward of the ineligible athletes at 2 a.m. While the policy will potentially benefit student athletes, coaches will be forced to work harder to ensure that every student participating in their respective sport is eligible. This is particularly difficult for teachers at the beginning of each semester, when there are very few grades in Skyward. Because of this lack of points, if students do poorly on the first exam, athletes’ eligibility can be in immediate danger. If, early in a semester, a student is failing

because of a small number of assignments in Skyward, Katzfey says she will bring those respective students in for a face-to-face meeting to discuss their participation in their sport. In accord to school, district and state policy, athletes are allowed to practice while failing two classes, but are barred from competitions. “Even though this policy is hard on the teachers because an early grade can drop a student to an ‘F’, and difficult for coaches since we have to check every day, it is ultimately a good thing,” Jaime Kelly, teacher and head soccer coach, said. “With this tracker, it keeps kids from falling through the cracks, completely unnoticed.” Although the policy is intended to benefit student athletes by keeping track of their academics more closely, the pressure increases for students to maintain good enough grades to play, every day of the season. “[The policy] is good since it will keep people more [regularly] eligible, but I think it should be a weekly check [rather than daily],” senior diver Dante Stokes said. “That way, when you have a missing test or something, it gives you time to make it up.”

Skyward sends automatic email to coaches

Coaches notified of all eligible athletes

Athlete withheld from competition

ON SOCIAL MEDIA

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DESIGN MEG THOM A PHOTOS COURTE SY OF K ATE PAULUS

SEPTE MBER 5, 2017

S P O R T S 29

Making a Racquet After 5 years of pursuing her tennis career in Florida, senior has moved back to KC for senior year BY M AC N EWM AN Copy Editor

THE PAY OFF

The rewards she has reeped in trade for her hard work

CHAMPION

2015

ST. LUCIA International Tennis Federation

AGE 15

QUARTER FINALIST

2015

MEMPHIS USTA National Clay Courts

AGE 15 CHAMPION

2016

PUERTO RICO International Tennis Federation

AGE 16 SEMIFINALIST

2016

MARYLAND International Tennis Federation

AGE 16

enior Kate Paulus is 12 years old sleeping in bunk beds shared with three other girls in her tennis coach’s team house in Boca Raton, Florida. Three other boys are also living in the house, all tennis players from across the country to train with one of one of the best coaches in the nation. Paulus was an elite tennis player. Her entire family, except her dad, moved down to Florida for her to train and improve in the top tennis hub in the nation. Until a shoulder injury that stopped her tennis career which allowed her to move back to Kansas City to have a normal senior year. Kate’s coach was Martin Blackman, the current head of the United States Tennis Association (USTA). Paulus met Blackman at a tournament when she was competing for the Missouri Valley USTA junior region. Kate fell in love with Blackman’s ability to be a laid-back coach that made tennis enjoyable, while also pushing Paulus to impress. Paulus emailed Blackman and flew to Florida alone for a few days every other week during the school year. Then the summer for a month to feel him out as a coach. Once she returned, she and her family knew she had to pursue her dream of playing professionally by moving to Florida, leaving behind Kansas City and her eighth grade year at Cure of Ars. According to her mom, Ellen, she didn’t want to regret never taking the chance and felt it was crucial in Kate’s future. “[Moving] was a big decision because we had three other kids and my husband

has a job here,” Ellen said. “So before her eighth grade year we decided to go for it and we bought a house in Boca Raton, [FL], without seeing it...we called it ‘our adventure.’” And it payed off. Last October, Kate verbally committed to Texas Christian University with a full-ride scholarship for tennis. She wants to study political science and will be able to play amateur professional tournaments while attending TCU. The university allows Kate to compete in amatuer professional tournaments while playing for the school team, earning points as she wins which allows her to play in more prestigious tournaments. “I took her down to a tennis weekend and a football game and she said to me, ‘This feels like home,’” Ellen said. In Florida Kate had to do online school to allow for more flexibility. The tennis courts were Kate’s home. She would wake up at 7:30 a.m. and head to the courts to warm up. Training. Schoolwork. Fitness. Training. Schoolwork. Bed. Repeat. No football games. No smiling at friends in the halls. No 20-kid classrooms. All tennis. According to Paulus it was near impossible to make friends outside of tennis because she had no time for anything else. She didn’t have a real school to constantly be exposed to new people or clubs or friend groups. “All my friends in Florida were the people I trained with, my tennis friends,” Paulus said. “I did not have friends outside of tennis. It’s so isolating, travelling all the time. There is not time to make friends outside of that.” Last October, what Kate had known all of her life was suddenly impossible.

She reached back in her car to grab the seatbelt and triggered a torn labrum in her dominant left from overuse. At first Paulus welcomed the injury; she was finally able to rest and relax after months of stress and training. Able to hang out with friends and get a taste of what her next year would be like at East. Kate moved back to Kansas City last October to recover. During the winter, she travelled to Scranton, PA to undergo rehab. Then, over the summer, she and her mom had a realization. “We were having lunch in March and I said to her, ‘do you ever think of just saying YOLO and going to high school in the fall for your last year,’” Ellen said. “[Kate] said she had been thinking about the same thing, so I called East the next day and she just went for it.” Kate, now a senior at East, has been able to experience the classic high school experience. Paulus hadn’t been in a classroom since seventh grade at Cure, and was initially shocked by the halls of East, not able to move two inches without bumping into someone. Kate loves the group projects, the teacher that answer questions, the scheduled days, the school spirit at football games, the friendly faces in the halls, the normal school day. Her current coach at Blue Hills Country Club, Chris Smith, said Kate will hopefully be back on the courts hitting in March, with the hope of returning for D-1 tennis next year at TCU. “She cant play tennis because she had surgery in January, so she has this whole semester to hang out, go to parties, meet people, go to football games and be a normal kid,” Ellen said.

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DESIGN DIANA PERCY

SEPTE MBER 5, 2017

SME TOTAL

LIPSE

P H OTO STO RY

On Aug. 21, the 2017 Solar Eclipse passed over students gathered in the East football field LEFT | Sophomore Ryan Gossick takes a

selfie with her friends, sophomores Reilly Moreland, Sabrina Feigenbaum and Sydney Crane. “In 50 years it’ll be cool to look back on,” Gossick said. “This is a big deal in history and I’ll be able to show my kids one day.” | E LIZABE TH AN DE RSO N

CENTER MIDDLE | Senior Tyrionna

Clardy lays on the ground staring into the eclipse. “The whole time my friend and I were cracking jokes about how each others’ heads would be big enough to eclipse the sun,” Clardy said. “But my favorite part was when it got quiet after being so loud because everyone was in awe.”

| IZZY ZAN O N E

BELOW | Sophomore George Morgan whips up a Moon Pie recipe in his “Focus on Foods” class on the day of the eclipse. | RE ILLY M O RE LAN D

RIGHT | Seniors

Julia Kapros and Madeline Stump take a picture of the sun through their eclipse glasses. “My friend and I were trying to take a picture but it didn’t really go by plan,” Kapros said. “It turned out as a dark picture with a red dot for the sun.”

| EL I ZABETH A N D ERSON

RIGHT | Junior Aaron Winter makes a pin-

hole camera in Mr. Martin’s Physics 1 class on the day of the eclipse. “The sun was less detailed looking in the box and I would’ve preferred the solar eclipse glasses.” Winter said. “But it was still a surreal experience.”

| REILLY MORELAND

FAR RIGHT | Senior Carly Dreyer stares

in awe at the sun. “I wasn’t really sure what to expect,” Dreyer said. “I was hoping it would get a lot darker.”

| ELI ZABETH ANDE RS ON

DESIGN ROBBIE VEGL AHN

SEPTE MBER 5, 2017

Road TRIP Blasting bonnie tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” senior Daniel Hill and four friends split a 12-pack of La Croixs and experienced the total darkness and corona of the eclipse in amazement. The friends trekked up to Hill’s lakehouse at Lake Viking in Cameron, MO, located on the path of totality. Hill invited seniors Matthew Trecek, Denny Rice, Claire Evans and Kirby Motsinger to drive up Sunday and spend the night so they could drive 30 min. South to Lathrop, MO for an even more spectacular view the next day. “We were worried we would miss the corona, but right before the moon was supposed to cover the sun, a patch of the sky cleared up and we could see

everything,” Motsinger said. “When the moon moved far enough off the sun that the daylight was back, we were all in awe.” Though the drive from the viewing spot to Kansas City was only about 40 minutes, the ride home took over four hours due to heavy traffic and rain. However, the group said it was well worth the drive and spent the extra time belting 80’s classics and telling stories. “The most interesting part to me was when the sudden temperature drop caused the clouds to briefly condense into rain,” Hill said. “Although I must say the best part was experiencing something new with people I wanted to be with. It made the overcast day sunny in spirit.”

Roughing IT Stoked for total viewing, sophomore Josie Lenger camped out at Smithville Lake the weekend leading up to the eclipse with her stepmom. Equipped with Kindles, an iPod and a speaker, Lenger thought they were prepared for the weekend. But what they weren’t expecting was the rain. It wasn’t until Sunday night when a bright flash of lightning woke up Lenger, causing her and her stepmom to flee to the shelter area. When heavy rain followed, they rushed back to the tent to retrieve their belongings, only to find themselves sloshing through the tent that was flipped over and filled with

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LATHROP, MO in the totality

SMITHVILLE, MO in the totality

three feet of water. “I actually dove – it was that deep – into the tent and saved some of our electronics, but I only saved the iPod and the speaker,” Lenger said. Despite the tent malfunction, Lenger and her family still enjoyed the eclipse itself. “[The eclipse] was pretty amazing,” Lenger said. “We got a view of the totality, so it got pitch dark and actually my grandpa came out with his dogs and he set up all of his tents, and the dogs went to sleep because they thought it was night time.”

Only certain areas actually got to view the total eclipse; here’s a look at who could view totality without glasses

SIDEROAD OFF I-35 | LATHROP, MO IN TOTALITY: Yes, able to remove glasses in totality THE VIEW: TIME IN TOTALITY: About 2 min 30 sec

SMITHVILLE LAKE | SMITHVILLE, MO IN TOTALITY: Yes, able to remove glasses in totality THE VIEW: TIME IN TOTALITY: About 2 min 20 sec SHAWNEE MISSION EAST | PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS THE VIEW: IN TOTALITY: No, couldn’t remove glasses TIME IN TOTALITY: None

East students view the once-in-alifetime total eclipse of Aug. 21 in different ways

BY ANNA K ANALEY Mobile Media Editor

total BUMMER hustling their 7-year-old black lab into the house to keep him from being blinded was the most excitement for senior Grace and freshman Violet Apodaca on Aug. 21, the day of the eclipse. They watched from their backyard near 63rd and Roe with their mom and grandma, and while the girls were excited to see the eclipse, their concern with keeping their dog safe outweighed their original interest. “We thought our dog was going to get blinded, so we had to bring him back inside,” Violet said. “He was a bit freaked out. I think he was just really confused because it got kind of dark.” As for the eclipse itself, the girls found it overrated. “It felt like there was a lot of hype over it,” Grace said. “It was underwhelming and

PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS no totality

the hype wasn’t really worth it.” The girls were excited to see the eclipse, and hoped watching from home would still bring a fun experience. However, the actual eclipse left the sisters having differing opinions on whether or not they’d travel to the path of totality. “I don’t think it would’ve been worth it to spend the whole day traveling just for 30 seconds of total eclipse,” Grace said. Violet, on the other hand, said it would have lived up to her expectations had she gone outside of Prairie Village to see the total viewing. Overall though, the sisters agree that they would be interested in viewing a future eclipse in the path of totality after hearing their friends rave about the life-changing experience.