The Harbinger: Volume 54, Issue 1

S EPT. 6 , 20 1 6 VO L. LI X ISSUE 1

S H AW N E E M I S S I O N E A S T H I G H S C H O O L 7500 Mission Rd, Prairie Village, KS 66208

TEAMMATES THROUGH TIME 12

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Twelve seniors enter into their final football season together after playing as a team since the sixth grade page 16/17

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6 SMSD CHANGES POLCIES page 7

STUDENT’S FATHER RUNS FOR CONGRESS page 19

REVIEW OF STREET CAR page 24

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EDITORIAL

VALUE inVICTORY As a worldwide event that is highly in the spotlight, Olympic athletes need to focus more on sportsmanship than animosity

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t takes a lot to be an Olympic athlete: 5 a.m. wake-up-calls, three-a-day target practices, hours and hours of trying to perfect a single move. It even takes maintaining honest sportsmanship and respect – or, it used to. In these past 2016 Summer Olympic Games, this last requirement seemed to be missing in many of the athletes. With a seemingly rampant amount of insults and arrogance in Rio this summer, the Harbinger staff begins to question if Olympic athletes — and the people and nations they represent — still value the importance of good sportsmanship and genuine respect.

The Olympic Games are a time when the world should come together for healthy competition and a sense of unity, not conflict and insults. But athletes like American soccer player Hope Solo and swimmer Ryan Lochte have made that hard to see this year. Take Solo for example. Solo was suspended for six months after trash-talking their Swedish opponents following an American Women’s National Soccer Team loss.

“We lost to a bunch of cowards,” Solo quoted in a post-game interview, referencing the Swedish team that beat the U.S. in the last minutes of the game.

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AGAINST

While she later apologized for lashing out, the problem is that it happened in the first place.

Athletes in the Olympics are supposed to help set a standard for how we treat one another – nation to nation, person to person. But when we have some of the most respected athletes in the world shamelessly dishonoring one another, what can we say for the rest of the world?

These athletes’ actions can carry more weight than they know. By acting out, they can send political messages that carry on past the Games. Egyptian judo fighter Islam El Shehaby, for instance, shook the political boat after displaying unsportsmanlike conduct.

He was “strongly reprimanded” by the International Olympic Committee when he refused to shake hands after losing to Israeli opponent Or Sasson. El Shehaby acts resonated far beyond his match in Rio, and reminded the world that — in some respects — religious peace is far from being achieved.

But that is not what the Olympic games should be about. They are intended to promote and preserve peace, not threaten it. Two women’s 5,000 meter runners have shown us that this year.

After colliding in a race, American Abbey D’Agostino helped up New Zealander Nikki Hamblin. Then, Hamblin returned the favor and helped up D’Agostino who had fallen again due to an injury from the first collision. Together, the women worked to preserve not only their races, but also the image of Olympic peace.

This is what our Olympians should strive for. Genuine appreciation and generosity for one another. But when athletes act out with animosity, they go against that very purpose. Luckily, we can, and should, rise above that. In the case of El Shehaby, for example, the IOC quoted that his conduct was “against the spirit of friendship embodied in the Olympic values.”

By reminding the world that these kinds of unsportsmanlike injustices should be wholeheartedly condemned, we can regain focus on what is important: that sense of genuine respect. As these athletes return home, and we count the number of gold medals our country earned, we should remember that they’re not what really counts. All of our victories mean nothing if we can’t win them in a prideful way.

Top: Hope Solo, Ryan Lochte, El Shehaby Bottom: Gunner Bentz, Jack Conger Some of the Olympic athletes most notorious for being bad sports in Rio

HOW TO:

MAKE INTERACTIVES

SEPTEMBER 6, 2016

LETTER TO THE

STUDENT BODY August, 2016 Dear SME Student Body:

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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 2016-2017 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, video-production, 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 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.

John McKinney Principal

N E WSI NBRIEF

BY PORTER CARROLL

EAST

NEWS

photos of the

THE HARBINGER

3

week

East Alumni Releases Music Composition

Alumni Akshay Dinakar, released his newest violin composition on Aug. 28, “Outside In,” published by the International Music Score Library and Amazon. After his long-time violin teacher, Gregory Sandomirsky, introduced him to the KC jazz scene, Dinakar found his passion of improvisation and fusion music, which blends classical, jazz and pop.

“I’ve been very lucky to have musical opportunities through violin that other musicians can only dream of,” Dinakar said. “Throughout my life journey with music, I’ve had individuals and mentors who have taken a chance on me, singled me out and personally mentored me whether that be in classical music, jazz improvisation or other parts of performance.”

Having previously published a music composition with Amazon, Dinakar was already familiar with the process of getting a work up in their domain. The International Sheet Music Library is a project that publishes free sheet music as long as it does not copyright and is deemed worthy enough to go up on the site.

“The hope of my piece is that it pushes any performer to accept the freedom of interpretation that the piece comes with, and be a learning experience, rather than simply playing notes off of a page,” Dinakar said. “The piece is light, ‘roller-coastery’ and has several different moods, so I hope that it will be a creative and uplifting adventure for anyone who plays it.”

LOCAL

Apple Store Gets an Upgrade

A newly-designed Apple Store recently opened on the Country Club Plaza, aiming to be a gathering place for Apple users. This new addition is the first tenant in the former Halls building and the previous location on the Plaza is permanently closed.

The new Apple location has been designed to be an inviting space to attract foot traffic throughout the day.

There are really big windows and a lot of light, there are benches to sit down and congregate, there seems like there is less merchandise in the store than there was before, and it’s less cluttered,” avid Apple user and Spanish teacher Jeff Finnie said. “It is a re-branding almost, like the next generation of stores.”

Angela Ahrendts, former CEO of fashion brand Burberry and now head of Apple’s online and retail stores, helped introduce two new features: the Avenue, located

NATIONAL

on the South wall of the Plaza store. This showcases items such as headphones, apps, iPhone cases and photography accessories. The wall was inspired by retail window displays that change throughout the season, so it will be constantly filled with new items.

Another new feature is the Forum, a gathering space centered around a $6,000 dollar video wall located on the east side of the store. The Forum was created to be a place of education for Apple users. To get further input on art, photography, music and gaming on Apple products, customers are able to learn and get inspired by workers and other Apple users. Also at the Forum, Apple offers year-round programs for kids, new monthly events for teachers, sessions for current and aspiring developers and Game Night with editors from Apple’s App Store.

Price of EpiPen on the Rise

In the past decade, food allergies have jumped 50 percent, affecting one in 13 children under the age of 18, according to foodallergies.org. This increase in food allergies has lead to an increase in the number of people who require Epipens, which affects the 15 million Americans estimated to have food allergies. Insurance may cover most of the cost, but if people have high deductibles or no insurance, they could be left without this life-saving tool.

“My house recently burnt down,” junior Scheele Prust said. “I had two sets of them that were destroyed, but

insurance only covered one set since each set now cost $635.”

Since 2004, the price of EpiPens has increased by 450%, now costing more than $600 a dose. With an estimated 15 million Americans having food allergies, every three minutes a food allergy reaction sends someone to the emergency room, according to foodallergies.org.

“I understand why they are expensive because of the medicine that is in them, but at the same time they shouldn’t cost as much as they do,” junior Katie Uresti said.

“Anyone who needs [an Epipen] should be able to have one

The new Apple Store is now located at 227 Nichols Road on the Plaza

( A B OV E ) Freshman Megan Devolder splashed freshman Noah Nilsson-Paul with soapy water at the Theater Car Wash on Friday, Aug. 19. | Ellen Swanson FA R A B OV E ) The varsity football team competes in a tug-of-war competition with the varsity soccer team during last Wednesday’s pep assembly.

The soccer team beat the football team 2-1. | Kaitlyn Stratman

1 in 13 children have a food allergy

SPREADING DIVERSITY

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NEWS

SAVE THE DATE After a sucessful first year, the diversity club is expanding by involving other schools

BY ELLIE COOK

he Diversity Club’s efforts have spread throughout Kansas City after their buddy program with Wyandotte High School flourished last year. The Johnson County libraries and other local high schools have taken notice of their work and decided to join. Club sponsor David Muhammad and fellow sponsor Samantha Feinberg met with the Johnson County library, St. Teresa’s Academy, Notre Dame de Sion and a couple of East parents this summer to plan this year’s events.

St. Teresa’s and Sion first took notice of Diversity Club’s initiative and sent representatives to East when author Tanner Colby spoke at East last year. In hopes of involving these schools and any others interested, East will be holding a conference at UMKC next April, and schools from around the Kansas City area will be invited. The morning will start with

a Troost bus tour for all attending students, then students will come back to UMKC and be dispersed at tables with students from different schools to discuss Colby’s book, “Some of My Best Friends Are Black.”

To build up to the conference, students will be eased into tougher discussions throughout the year by first tackling these racial issues through fiction books. Starting Sept.

8, about 20 students from Diversity Club will read Greg Neri’s graphic novel “Yummy,” about a young boy in a South Chicago gang, then travel to Wyandotte to talk about the book with Wyandotte students. They will do the same with another book in October.

“Sometimes kids won’t just talk about these things,” Muhammad said.

“But if they can discuss this character, then they can kind of hide behind the character...So by [the conference],

we’ll have a group of kids who are very comfortable talking about these issues.”

These authors are all being brought in and paid for by the Johnson County libraries, who approached East wanting to join.

Besides the outside expansion, Muhammad hopes to grow the club within East, mostly by word-of-mouth.

Though he hand-picked students for field trips last year, he will be opening up events to more students and hopes to eventually get up to 60 students for one trip.

“What I want from these students is their willingness to be involved,” Muhammad said. “What I really want to see the students do is take what they’re learning from these experiences and help change the culture of East.”

SEPTEMBER About 20 students are going to Wyandotte High School to hear author Greg Neri discuss his graphic novel about a boy involved in a gang shooting as a 12-year-old.

OCTOBER

Going with Wyandotte students to see an author speak about his novel on police brutality.

APRIL

Conference at UMKC with other schools, then attend a tour of Troost and Kansas City, then come back and answer discussion questions.

THE HARBINGER 2016-2017 STAFF LIST PRINT EDITOR-INCHIEFS Ellie Booton Will Clough Claire Pottenger ASSISTANT PRINT EDITORS Daisy Bolin Grace Chisholm DESIGN EDITORS Anna McClelland Yashi Wang HEAD COPY EDITORS Caroline Heitmann Robbie Veglahn PHOTO EDITORS Haley Bell Morgan Browning Kaitlyn Stratman ONLINE EDITOR-INCHEIFS Ellie Cook Celia Hack ASSISTANT ONLINE EDITORS Morgan Biles Anna Kanaley

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NEWS

THE HARBINGER

MISSION

5

REDONE

The first phase of Mission Road renovation completed

BY WILL TULP

P

rairie Village adopted the Village Vision Strategic Investment Plan, an initiative filled with two years of research and 48 ideas for improving the safety, character and prosperity of the city in 2007.

The ideas ranged from further developing Corinth Square to giving out incentives for home renovations. Of the many suggestions was a plan to turn Mission Road into not only a safer street for pedestrians, but the “Main Street” of Prairie Village.

Now, after over a decade since the plan’s conception, the first part of Mission Road’s renovation, the reduction to three lanes from 71st to 75th Street, has been completed.

Making Mission Road safer became the city council’s priority for 2016 in a close 6-5 vote after a group of concerned parents and residents spoke out about the problems with the road’s safety in April 2015. The group was worried about the skinny sidewalks and lack of buffer space between the sidewalk and the street. After the vote, the council set out to determine the best plan for balancing the needs of pedestrians with the needs and wants of drivers.

“We had numerous discussions at City Council meetings, heard from the public and formed a committee to work with planners and engineers to investigate the concepts,” Mayor Laura Wassmer said. “We came up with several options and presented them to the public for input, and the option being

65.4%

implemented is the option that received the two. most support from the community and the According to Wassmer, the wider governing body.” sidewalks have already proved beneficial for The final plan for Mission Road’s walkers, runners and bikers alike since the renovation combined the safety needs of first phase’s completion. the residents with the desired character “I have seen more families with young improvements from the original idea, and it children riding their bikes along the trail, consisted of two phases. which I see as a positive,” Wassmer said. “I The first phase, completed in early am also excited that this area will be safer August, focused on the “safety” aspect of the for pedestrians during the Lancer Day Parade plan. It was comprised of and other school events.” shortening Mission Additionally, the Road to two traffic wider sidewalks lanes and one have made I have seen more families with turning lane, running on young children riding their bikes widening the Mission Road along the trail, which I see as a sidewalk to 8 much safer for positive, feet and adding East’s cross a 4-7 foot buffer country team.

LAURA WASSMER area between the “We [used PRAIRIE VILLAGE MAYOR sidewalk and the to] have to run curb. in single file or pass The second phase, starting in 2017, people on the street,” Senior varsity runner will concentrate on the “character” side of Jack Young said. “Now it feels safer. You the plan and will include adding aesthetic don’t feel like you’re going to get hit by a car improvements such as street tiles, benches every time one passes.” and streetlights with banners on the west Although feedback from pedestrians has side of Mission Road. In addition, the road been positive, many drivers, including junior will be repaved from 75th to 83rd Street Matthew Hyatt, have not been so ecstatic but will not be narrowed. However, more about the change. He is angered by the lane construction could be coming as early as this reduction and believes that having four fall in order to install the benches and do traffic lanes is more important than wider landscaping work in preparation for phase sidewalks.

OF EAST STUDENTS TAKE MISSION ROAD TO SCHOOL

57.6%

THOUGHTS ON THE

NEW MISSION

TAKE MISSION ROAD TO SCHOOL EVERYDAY

“It has made things a lot slower,” Hyatt said. “I used to be able to pass people whenever I wanted if they were going too slow, but now I can’t. I drive more, and I don’t see as many people needing wider sidewalks.”

Wassmer understands these complaints, though she feels that people will be more satisfied with the changes once the project is completed.

“Pedestrian safety [is] the biggest issue for residents living nearby,” Wassmer said.

“Based on the traffic studies, we felt we could create a safer pedestrian corridor while still handling the traffic.”

After the second phase is finished, the “Main Street” concept for Mission Road will finally be implemented, something Wassmer has wanted to see through since the start of the Village Vision plan. She also believes that people will come to accept the new changes to the road.

“We know that changing this stretch of Mission Road will take some time for drivers to adjust,” Wassmer said. “With time, we believe that some drivers will choose to find an alternative route [or] will learn how to better navigate the changes, just as they have north of 71st Street. where the traffic has been two lanes for years.”

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OF EAST STUDENTS SUPPORT THE CONSTRUCTION OF MISSION ROAD

58.2% OF THE CROSS COUNTRY TEAM THINKS THE WIDER SIDEWALK ON MISSION RD. IS BENEFICIAL FOR PRACTICE

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NEWS

SEPTEMBER 6, 2016

BUILDING FUTURE A NEW

Plans for a new Center of Academic Achievement are confirmed

BY DAISY BOLIN

T

he SMSD Board of Education confirmed the installation of electric car chargers for the new Center of Academic Achievement building on Aug. 15. The 130,000 sq. ft. multipurpose center is scheduled to open in spring of 2017 where the former Antioch Middle School was located.

The addition of the electric car chargers is a modern approach to encourage eco-friendly transportation according to Deputy Superintendent Dr. Kenny Southwick.

KCP&L made a deal with the Shawnee Mission School District to provide the chargers for free under a contract, SMSD superintendent Dr. Jim Hinson said at the board meeting. For the first two years, the District will allow staff and students to use the charging facility to aide the district’s eco-friendly efforts.

Along with its charging capabilities, the center combines three separate administrative buildings into one. The extended modern space will help with communication between districts and schools according to Southwick.

Taking the place of the Broadmoor PHOTO BY AUDREY KESLER

Technical Center, the center will also serve as collaborative space for signature programs including Culinary Arts, Biotechnology, Project Lead the Way, Engineering and Medical Health Sciences.

Although the building does not directly affect the teachers and administration at East, it is comforting to the school staff that signature program students will be going to one central location for their classes and being bussed back from one facility rather than many separate ones, according to Assistant Principal Britt Haney.

“I am excited because it will also be a beautiful space we can be very proud of for the district activities,” Haney said. “And I’m sure we will be using it for a number of different meetings in a bistro rather than just an elementary cafeteria. It’s just a nice central location for everything.”

The project is designed and built

by ACI Boland and funded by SMSD Capital Outlay. This means the funds for the building are strictly for items and facilities, unable to be transferred to supporting programs and teacher wages according to Southwick. Although they

have stayed much within the budget, they are mainly using environmentally beneficial materials.

ACI Boland has a modern design for the building with an eco-friendly theme for futuristic appeal. The majority of materials in the center are made out of recycled items. There will be an abundance of windows around the building for natural light to use less energy, along with an urban farming area and a rain garden, which will both be run by students.

“Although there’s some additional cost to the eco-friendliness of the building upfront, in the long run we will be saving money on upkeep and energy because of features, like it is rich with natural light,” Southwick said.

The birth of the new facilities and forward “thinking green” will benefit all different programs and make for stronger space for communication within administration..

WHAT WILL BE IN THE NEW CENTER? A public restaurant with a sustainable urban farm and indoor Cafe living wall for employees Connected educational and staff Patio wings to serve

Environmentally friendly features including: extensive natural light, rain garden and efficient HVAC system Wellness Center and an outdoor walking path

as an outdoor Health collaborative Clinic space to serve Laboratories, employees student union area and collaborative spaces for Signature Integrated Programs including technology Medical Health Sciences, with LCD screens Biotechnology, Project Lead and device connection the Way Engineering and capability Culinary Arts throughout the building

are some of the responsibilities that Q: What made you come to East?

Q: What you have as athletic director?

I’m very competitive, and Shawnee “I oversee all of the athletic programs, and I also do A: “Well, Mission East is very good at academics and A: instructional walkthroughs in the classroom. I also extracurricular activities. And honestly, I retired because I have two kids at college. One at Wichita, one at Arkansas, but I still loved what I did, so I wanted to continue to do it. And why not come to the Kansas side, and to one of the best schools over here.”

help with the community service project, working with SHARE, working with all of the different booster clubs. Really for me, I just really want to get involved. That’s why I was really stupid at the [pep assembly wednesday], and people were like, ‘Who is that lady, and why is she out there?’ but why not?”

are you most looking forward to Q: What Q: What do you want to accomplish this year? this year?

“I don’t know that I want to change anything, [East] most looking forward to seeing what I can A: already has a lot of great things going. But one of the A: “Idoamto help around here. Seeing what people need, and what I can do to make a difference. And hoping that kids that need things, or struggling in life, or just need a safe place to go will come in here. I worked a lot with the special needs kids at all the schools I’ve been at. Before I became an administrator, I taught physical education and adaptive P.E. So, I was very passionate about the special needs kids, and they always came to my office, which is why I always have candy!”

Q&A with East’s new athletic director, Debbie Katzfey

BY MONTY LYDDON

goals that I have is to get to know you and all the other students, and to get involved in the community. And to just expand on the great things that you already have. One of the things that I’m really passionate about is community service and giving back. I’ve asked the coaches that are currently in season to give me some names of kids that are in their programs that can be on my community service action team.”

Q: What’s your favorite part about working in a high school?

Really. I want people to say ‘Hello!’ I want to talk to them, and A: “Students. make them feel like that they’re a part of the school. You go through high school, and in four short years it’s over. I want people to look back at their high school experience, and I want it to be awesome.”

NEWS

THE HARBINGER

PUZZLING together the POLICIES Policy changes throughout the SMSD hope to ensure that all students have the same opportunities and experiences

BY ELLIE BOOTON

T

he SMSD board meeting on Aug. 15 introduced three major policy changes for the 2016-2017 school year: discontinuing the ability to waive non-AP finals, switching seminar’s hour and requiring documentation for absences after 10 missed days.

Traditionally, seniors have the option to waive finals in the spring. This year, excluding AP classes, the District is not allowing seniors to waive a final.

Principal John McKinney describes this change as an opportunity for students to show what they’ve learned over the year. “[Students] should be taking a summative assessment at the end of the year,” McKinney said. “Not only for students to demonstrate what they’ve learned, but for teachers to see how well they’ve taught the curriculum.”

Senior Bennett Hense had planned to waive most of his finals like his friends and cousins did at East years before. But because of the District’s ruling, he won’t have that option.

“I think if you’ve proven yourself with an A, it doesn’t seem right to potentially jeopardize that grade you’ve worked hard for,” Hense said. “It’s putting more stress on your senior year.”

Regardless of seniors being up in arms, McKinney stands behind the board’s decision, along with the decision to line up each SMSD school’s schedules.

Not all SMSD schools ran on the same schedule in years past. While East’s even block schedule was seminar, second hour, fourth hour, sixth hour, South’s was second hour, seminar, fourth hour, sixth hour.

Because of this, problems arose for students who would travel to a different building for classes their school did not offer, like Broadmoor for culinary class or SM North for biotechnology. Some students would be forced to miss core classes while others would miss seminar.

In an effort to prevent students from missing important classes, all SMSD

even block days will align to second hour, seminar, fourth hour, sixth hour.

“The goal of aligning schedules district-wide is to ensure that students participating in classes and activities in other buildings will be able to continue to do so with minimal disruption to their home school schedule,” McKinney said.

This new schedule, McKinney said, will hopefully set up SMSD for another schedule change. In the works for the spring is a plan to make every Thursday block an late start.

Staff would meet from 7:45 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. to talk with their Professional Learning Communities, or PLCs. PLCs are groups of teachers within education branches, who will use this time to discuss curriculum and compare teaching strategies.

All of the District’s changes are in expectations to ensure that all students . . . are treated fairly, equitably and have access to the same educational opportunities and experiences.

JOHN MCKINNEY PRINCIPAL “[PLC time] is fixed, focused time for teachers to plan, develop common formative and summative assessments, analyze data, and collaborate on lessons, activities, assessments, projects, etc.”

McKinney said.

For non-traveling students like senior Hailey Mohr, seminar’s switch from the first period of the day to second period means an hour and half less time to sleep. Mohr explained that she, and often other students, used seminar as a way to sleep in without missing an actual class.

“I think the fact that it’s an unexcused [absence] if you skip seminar is dumb,” Mohr said. “Especially for seniors when they could be in a class or they could be sleeping.”

Because students will be in class rather than bed, students will participate in a different 15-minute activity led by Link leaders at the beginning of each seminar. Link Crew sponsor and math teacher Hannah Pence explained that the seminar change will ensure maximum participation for these activities.

“I think [Link leaders] will have a better presence,” Pence said. “Ideally more students will be there, more Link leaders will be there and hopefully more people will be into it.”

In the past, parents could call the attendance center and excuse their child of an absence, like sleeping through seminar. The board’s new decision, however, requires that after 10 absences, documentation be provided for any absence thereafter.

“We’re just holding people responsible for their actions,” associate principal Britton Haney said. “If you’re going to miss class, you’re going to have to have documentation.”

For example, Haney said, if a student is ill or has a doctor’s recommendation to stay home, they would need to provide a doctor’s note. In the case that a family issue should arise, a parent’s note would excuse the student.

Last year, if a student had more than five unexcused absences, a 59.6 percent was the highest grade the student could receive in the class. Because the board believes there should not be a correlation between attendance and grades, that policy was terminated.

“Your attendance should not have an effect on your grade,” Haney said. “If you can miss 18 class periods and still get an A, then maybe it’s the class that needs to look at what’s going on.”

All of the District’s changes, McKinney said, are in expectations to ensure that all students, regardless of where one lives or goes to school, are treated fairly, equitably and have access to the same educational opportunities and experiences.

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SEMINAR THEN vs. NOW A breakdown of how and why seminar has

changed from last year’s policy of earlymorning seminar periods

last year

seminar, 2, 4, 6

THIS WAS A PROBLEM BECAUSE

SM West’s SM South’s Schedule Schedule hour 2 seminar hour 4 hour 6

hour 2 seminar hour 4 hour 6

SM North’s SM Northwest’s Schedule Schedule hour 2 hour 6 hour 4 seminar

hour 2 seminar hour 4 hour 6

These differences in even-day schedules meant that students who traveled for certain classes might have missed a core class at their school

SO this year

and all of SMSD

2, seminar, 4, 6

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OPINION

FALLING SHORT OF AN

OLYMPIAN Young Olympians set impossible standards for the average teenager

I

BY ANNIE JONES

f sitting on my couch watching world class athletes compete against each other didn’t already make me feel bad enough about myself, 13-year-old swimmer Gaurika Singh made me feel like a true underachiever. Singh was the youngest athlete this year in the 2016 Rio Olympics, returning to Nepal to start ninth grade this fall.

Man, the only thing I have on her is that I don’t have to live with braces anymore.

She swam a 100m backstroke on the second day of the Olympics in 1:08:45 and won her heat. That’s about how long it takes me to microwave three Eggo waffles for myself at 1:00 p.m. on a Saturday.

Even more disappointing, 19-year-old American gymnast Simone Biles — I’m sure we’ve all heard about her accomplishments — is currently sporting four gold medals around her neck after this year’s games. And here I am flaunting my $60 Kendra Scott necklace I finally saved up for after sacrificing many weekends to babysitting – my collegiate sport.

Not only does she have 24 total grams of gold on her, but she was provided with eight $500, one-of-a-kind leotards that took 18 months to properly engineer. The damage that my back-to-school shopping causes is only about one thirteenth of that. And even then, almost all the things I get are also owned by 60 percent of the girls I know.

If my self esteem hadn’t already completely diminished, China’s Ren Qian won a gold medal in women’s diving and she’s a year younger than me, at 15 years old. She sealed the deal by doing a perfect backwards 3½ pike off the 10m platform. I mean it’s trouble enough for me to roll onto my side in my bed, and she does three and a half flips in the air while touching her toes.

To make things worse for my confidence, Qian plans on studying law AND forensic medicine after the Olympics. Jeez.

Just to further emphasize my unimportance, here’s one more dignityshattering, young Olympian: 16-year-old Sydney McLaughlin. She’s an American track and field runner who specializes in the 400m hurdles event. She can clear 33-inch hurdles like I can clear a plate of nachos.

McLaughlin, like the others, can do amazing

YOUNG OLYMPIANS

things that I cannot, but I guess it’s cool to watch her while I procrastinate on Calculus.

The list of these ridiculous teenage superhumans goes on, only making me and the rest of the average teenage population feel worse about our problematic Netflix addictions.

So maybe I can’t execute a flawless back handspring-double-layout half twist, swim 800m of freestyle or run 400m in 56.22 seconds but that’s also because I haven’t committed my entire life to being an Olympian like all these teenagers have.

Instead my accomplishments are completing Netflix original, “Stranger Things,” in a record two days and being able to finish a pint of Ben and Jerry’s in nine minutes.

To get where they are, these Olympians sacrificed every Friday night with their friends and have instead spent the night at the gym, the track or the pool. What these kids do is impressive. Maybe even more impressive than me occasionally being able to solve a Rubik’s Cube, but I think that’s still pretty cool.

Olympians between 13 and 20 years old commonly compete in the Games

DANIEL GOODFELLOW

18 years old Earned 1 bronze medal U SA

LAURIE HERNANDEZ

T BRITA EA I R G

N

16 years old Earned 1 gold & 1 silver medal

R U S SI A

17 years old 1 silver medal

Earned

YANA KUDRYAVTSEVA

10

OPINION

SEPTEMBER 6, 2016

w

BY SEAN OVERTON

O

ne link.

It only took one link to open my eyes. Last May, my friend suggested the film Cowspiracy to convince me to go vegan, meaning I couldn’t use or eat any animal products. I somewhat knew of the animal cruelty and health issues before I watched the film. However, I wasn’t expecting to have my eyes opened to the countless environmental issues that are caused by animal products. It made me realize that it was time for me to make a difference and go vegan.

Before I watched Cowspiracy, I had always thought fossil fuels were the biggest cause of global warming. Although carbon dioxide emissions from cars and factories are certainly not helping the planet, methane, which is a gas that comes off of animal waste, is the biggest threat.

In 2014 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s overview of greenhouse gases explains that methane makes up more than half of the gases in the ozone layer. Not only that, in 2009, Science magazine explained

that methane has a global warming potential 20 times greater than carbon dioxide over a 20year time period.

It’s clear there needs to be more of a focus on the impending issue: methane coming from the agricultural industry. When we eat less animal products, the demand on the animal industry is reduced and as a result produces less methane. In 2014 a U.N. press release explained that if methane emissions are reduced there would be an immediate effect towards stopping global warming.

Not only is the animal industry harming the ozone layer, it is also messing with our ocean. A recent National Geographic research study released that there will be a fishless ocean by 2048, due to the overfishing, unless fishing is reduced. The ocean going to shambles would obviously be catastrophic because the ocean plays a huge part in the health of the earth.

If the human race cares about future posterity, they need to open their eyes.

According to a Worldwatch study, the ozone layer’s carbon dioxide limit will be exceeded by 2030 from the animal industry alone.

That’s less than 14 years away, people. That means if there’s an effort made to reduce the

consumption of animal products, there will not only be less methane in the ozone layer but also less carbon dioxide.

How had I been unaware of the animal industries power over the environment?

Knowing how near the earth is to falling apart scares me. I never knew that animals were the biggest source of global warming. When talking about ways to save the environment, no one says; ‘eat less meat!,’ or ‘go vegan!’

Whether or not this will make a huge difference, I know that by eliminating animal products from my diet, I will save the earth more than cutting down my shower times ever will. The Food, Science and Human Nutrition Dept. at Michigan State University, explained that on average one pound of beef takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce. Agreeing with the vegan theory of not harming animals, as well as the health benefits from going vegan, has also made it easier for me to make the switch.

While I have been able to make the change, I know that it isn’t going to happen for everyone. I constantly heard statements about needing animal products growing up. I would be pushed by my mom to stay healthy, or hear the countless ads regarding how I need dairy to grow properly. It was ingrained

in my brain that I needed animal products to be healthy – and I presume I’m not the only one who was taught that.

I understand that the general public probably doesn’t hear about the animal industry’s effect due to it being one of the most affluent industries in the U.S. Not only that, but it is way easier to tell people to cut back on their water usage than it is to tell them their way of eating is killing our environment.

We can all do our part. Whether that be cutting down your intake of animal products, spreading awareness or, if you are really bold, going full-fledge vegan. No matter what though, if our generation doesn’t start opening our eyes and making a difference in the amount of animal product usage, our earth will turn to waste.

Whether that be cutting down your usage intake of animal products, spreading awareness, or if you are really bold, going full fledge vegan. No matter what though, if our generation doesn’t start opening our eyes and making a difference now, our earth will be no more.

DAUNTING DETAILS

E AT W Livestock and their byproducts account for at least 32,000 million tons of carbon dioxide per year

S EMISS A G

S

C02

Agriculture is responsible for 80-90% of all United States water consumption

N IO

S

ISSION M E

R

CO

NS U

MPTION

Gas emissions for agriculture are projected to increase 80% by 2050

OPINION

THE HARBINGER

11

BY SCOUT RICE

T

CONNECTED SOLES The comradery and friendships gained through cross country outweigh the pains of running

PHOTO KATHERINE O’DELL

LAN

E C I O V CER

Other cross country runners speak on why they chose to run, and why it has been worth it

he fire in my lungs, the heat, the burning attention to who was near me. My mind wandered, sensation in my legs – it was all too much. thinking of an upcoming English quiz, Lancer day and It was the third day of practice, and I couldn’t the post-race picnic, while my feet kept steady on the take it anymore. At 66th Street and Mission, I was going path. to give up. No amount of water or promises of pineapple I remember being drained of all energy and being frozen fruit bars could have kept me going. unable to stand still or walk straight after crossing the “I’m going to walk the rest of the way,” I told senior finish line. Someone threw a cold, wet towel at me – a Carolyn Kinney and sophomore Hazel Eastlack running blessing after the race – and I immediately slapped it on alongside me. my head. I was so focused on not falling over, catching “Not yet, you said you would make it to the stoplight my breath and the towel that I hadn’t noticed what my and we’re almost there,” Kinney said. pink place card said.

I wanted to stop, overcome with fatigue and Twelve. dehydration. I rolled my eyes at Kinney’s words of I finished 12th out of 52. I was beyond happy, but not encouragement. just because of my place. I was ecstatic because someone Except she had a good point. came up to me and asked, “What’s your name?”

She had given me a reminder of what I was doing Upperclassmen were congratulating and introducing and why I put myself through the torture of running. me to everyone else on the team. I was no longer just That was all I needed to forget about a shadow at practices. These were the pain. I pushed myself to stick the people I was going to be with the people next to me, spending 15 hours a week not only because that’s how with.

These were the people I was going I improve, but because I When you run everyday to be spending 15 hours a week with. don’t want to let down my together, it’s inevitable to When you run everyday together, it’s teammates – the reason learn all about each other. why I run.

Whether it’s small talk inevitable to learn all about each other.

I thought back to about each other’s favorite SCOUT RICE last year and the feeling color or going through the FRESHMAN of accomplishment when “pre-race jitters” together, I finished the race with my you gradually grow to become teammates. Before I started best friends. running, I was clueless as to what that felt like.

We would text each other on the weekends to play a My very first day of practice, I sat in the shady quick round of hostages. Each time we would drop each grass under the cross country tree and listened to other off in random spots around KC, like the back drive an unfamiliar voice welcome us to the program. She of a retirement home or a forgotten bike path. rambled on about how great the program was. I didn’t We would throw spur-of-the-moment movie nights care. All I knew is that I would be expected to push and watch our favorite horror movies and comedies. myself everyday after school for two hours.

Some days we would make a quick stop at Winstead’s I ran close to some freshmen I hardly knew, all of us for a late night snack, each time attempting to finish trying to stick with the upperclassmen, a daunting task. a vanilla skyscraper but never succeeding. We would They would run fast, never stopping to walk up hills or carpool to carbo-loads, jam to pump up music on the catch their breath. To them, I was just another newbie bus before a race and cheer each other on while running. who couldn’t keep up and would eventually quit.

There is no way I could’ve ever kept running on days Some days I would run alone and question myself, like that Wednesday without Kinney and Eastlack by like how, out of all places, did I end up running on a 90 my side. I could never have finished a race without my degree day after spending seven hours in school. teammates’ support from the side of the route. I would That answer wasn’t made clear to me until two weeks never have been able to wake up at 5 a.m. on Saturdays into the season last year – the day of time trials. to run if they weren’t surrounding me on the bus, being I had been dreading this day for the past week. I the picture of positivity. If it wasn’t for a huge team of didn’t know if I could complete the 3.1 miles without support and the experiences I had last season, I would stopping, walking or altogether quitting. I had no one not have shown up to practice this season. to match pace or run with.

Coach Beaham started us at 7 a.m. I ran, paying no

I think cross country is fun because I have friends who do it and it’s a lot of exercise. Even though running isn’t JUNIOR fun sometimes, the JAMES POPPER team aspect is coool.

JUNIOR KIRBY MOTSINGER

Cross country and running brings people together and gives you and chance to meet people in other grades and friend groups.

12

PHOTO ESSAY

Athletes participate in weights and conditioning, soccer kick-arounds, basketball shoot-arounds, and a variety of camps over the summer to prepare for their seasons. The weights and conditioning was offered to everyone, including cheer, to help build strength and agility during the off season.

PRE SEASON PREP

( R I G H T ) Sophomore Noah Kurlbomb shoots around with friends at East. “A group of us like to go up to East and just play around, stay sharp and prepare for the season ahead. We like to challenge each other and get better whenever we can.

It’s our way of staying in shape, improving our skills and strengthening our team chemistry. Our main goal is to keep getting better and when the season comes along to get a winning season out” Kurlbomb said. | Kaitlyn Stratman

( A B OV E ) Senior Logan Cleaver does pro-wagility with his teammates to work on changing direction.

“Working out with the guys is always an awesome bonding experience. All of the football guys understand that all of the weight lifting and running will help us ultimately be able to compete for a state championship” Cleaver said. | Morgan Browning

SEPTEMBER 6, 2016

PHOTO KAITLYN STRATMAN

( A B OV E ) Freshman Will Mohr squats during the 7 am weights and conditioning session.

“I’m lifting for lacrosse and football. My goal was to have the strength to be physical on both the lacrosse and football fields. I am hoping to be able to play varsity lacrosse this spring and I figured the way to do that was to get bigger and more physical” Mohr said. | Morgan Browning ( L E F T ) Freshman Jack Friskel helps move the nets so the boys can scrimmage at soccer kickarounds. I didn’t go there as much as I should have but my motivation was to get better and get in better shape. The summer training helped me with talking on the field this season, and my favorite part was getting to know some of the other players” said Priskel. | Kaitlyn Stratman

13

OPINION

THE HARBINGER

E H T BY

RS E B NUM

Out of respect for veterans, there is no justification for refusing to stand for the national anthem

L

BY HARRISON GOOLEY

National Anthem.

Looking around, nearly 37,903 men and women are standing, blue hats covering their hearts, mouthing the words “Oh say can you see...” All but a few: the ones sitting in their seats, wearing their hats, not even looking at the flag.

“Who the hell do you think you are?” I’m thinking to myself. “Do you think you are something greater than this country?” *** In light of the current incident with San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, refusing to stand for the Anthem or gymnast Gabby Douglas not putting her hand over her heart at the Olympics, this lack of patriotism is as relevant today as ever.

Today, I am noticing an increasing number of people not removing their hats or standing up increasing. At the last Royals game I went to, I looked around during the Anthem. I could count six out of the 20 people in my row alone who were sitting.

At every home game for the past three seasons, the Royals have honored a different soldier during the game. While honoring these brave men and women, I have still noticed people sitting in their chairs, not clapping, not smiling at all. That, to me, is pure disrespect.

The person they are honoring fought for you – And everyone else currently standing in the stadium.

You don’t have to agree with the war they were fighting, you have every right not to. But when these people risked their life to protect the country you live in, how can someone sit there and not clap at least? What in the world could be going through their level-headed minds that makes them just sit there?!

Even if you hate this country, you should have at least the self-respect to stand up and take your hat off to support the people fighting for you.

HARRISON GOOLEY JUNIOR

Kaepernick said he refused to stand because he doesn’t want to support a nation that oppresses black people. But there are different ways to protest without intentionally putting down the members of our military.

The “anti-Americans” who say things along the lines of “I’m not standing up for this *insert profane language here* country,” don’t deserve to call themselves Americans. It’s respect. No matter how much you hate this great country, it’s sign of respect for the men and women who built this place, the ones who are the ones sacrificing their lives so we can be free.

I get it. The flag stands for freedom and everyone has the

right to freedom of expression.

The first amendment clearly reads “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press” This is everyone’s right, and means you can just sit there and blatantly disrespect the country you live in.

But you should stand. Even if you hate this country, you should have at least the self-respect to stand up and take your hat off to support the people fighting for you.

I’ve grown up in a family where multiple members have served or are serving currently.

I have the highest respect for every man and woman serving this country because they are deployed all over the world, defending our country so all of us can sleep in peace at night. And the greatest way to show that respect is by standing, removing your hat and placing your hand over your heart for one short minute.

During this year’s summer Olympics, Jamaican track phenom, Bolt, stopped mid-interview to listen to the Star Spangled Banner.

He isn’t even a U.S. citizen. That should say something to all those who don’t respect this country.

The nation we live in is the greatest in the world. You have more freedom than anyone else.

You live here. So what’s the reason to not respect it, even if you don’t appreciate it? Men and women die every day for us. Just stand up and, please, take your hat off.

HOW OFFENDED ARE YOU East students were asked how offended they were (on a scale of 1-4, 1 being not offended at all) by those who don’t stand for the national anthem

% OF STUDENTS

adies and gentleman, we ask that you please rise and remove your hats for the playing of our

34%

1

IN:

20%

2

23%

3

22%

4

ZOOM IN //OUT OUT:

EAST

% STUDENTS WHO ARE PROUD TO BE AMERICAN

33% 6%

*A survey of 527 East students was compared to a 10-year Gallop Poll

Extremely proud Not proud at all

U.S.

% CITIZENS WHO ARE PROUD TO BE AMERICAN

54% 1%

N E V E R M I S S A P L AY .

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FEATURES HELP WANTED

Three students share their experiences after particpating in different summer internships

BY CAROLINE HEITMANN

S

enior Devon Dietrich bent over her computer and jotted down the words she and Dr. Clayborne Carson had composed together. She could hear the protests and envision the riots from Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birmingham campaign. She could feel history’s energy through the keys as she revised the screenplay. For Dietrich history was no longer slides of notes but instead a collection of documentary clips, journal entries and letters – a collection only possible through this internship. *** Senior Portia Reneé peered over Dr. Jianping Zhou’s shoulder and watched him painstakingly suction up the medium from the cell culture. One wrong move and years of research could be demolished. Perfect. They leaned back, exchanged a smile and continued on with lots more to learn about esophageal cancer. *** Junior Jack Furla handed the fun-sized bag of M&M’s to the little boy and a flier to his dad. It might be a blazing hot Saturday after a long week of school, but Furla couldn’t imagine a better way to spend his time. Kevin Yoder’s campaign staff moved slowly down the road in Bonner Springs. This is where Furla sees the connections, sees the Congressional candidate interacting with the crowd and sees just how intricate political campaigns are. *** Through internships, Dietrich, Reneé and Furla found experiences that couldn’t be found anywhere else.

Dietrich heard about the opportunity to intern at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute in February, sent in her application and resume and heard the good news by the beginning of summer. The internship was going to be a

nine-week long experience at Stanford University, but Dietrich wasn’t deterred.

“I find the independence really refreshing,” Dietrich said.

“Plus I think people miss out so much in life if they don’t put themselves in situations where they aren’t at least a little uncomfortable, and they have to figure it out themselves. It ends up being the best times of your life.”

Working alongside historian Dr. Clayborne Carson, she updated the website and created a video about the Institute, among other tasks. The Institute was founded in 1985 when I think people miss out so much in life if they don’t put themselves in situations where they aren’t at least a little uncomfortable, and they have to figure it out themselves. It ends up being the best times of your life.”

DEVON DIETRICH SENIOR Carson dedicated his entire life’s work to honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. after his wife, Coretta Scott King, asked Carson to be in charge of editing and publishing all of King’s undocumented manuscripts, correspondence, etc.

After putting finalizing the video, Dietrich was asked to help finish the Birmingham campaign screenplay that Carson had been working on for several years. Carson would walk through the scene, then the pair would talk. “[Carson] would give me a scene to work on or say something that he wanted to convey or emphasize in the script,” Dietrich said. “We discussed some of our ideas, bounced thoughts back and forth and then he would hand me his laptop and let me

write the scenes.”

For Reneé, her interest in medicine solidified through her experiences at the research lab in KC’s local Veterans Affair Hospital. Reneé started a few weeks before school started, and now during her seventh hour Independent Study, Reneé travels to the research lab to spend a couple of hours shadowing the scientists as they work.

“This year it’s like an educational internship where I’m not very hands-on,” Reneé said. “They don’t want to put anything in your hands until they really trust you so these upcoming months are [for] learning techniques.”

According to Reneé, because the scientists’ work is so precise – and the equipment is expensive – they have to have a lot of faith in the “interns” before allowing them to be hands-on.

Once Reneé turns 18 over the summer, she’ll have the chance to officially apply and do actual research.

One of Reneé’s favorite parts about the experience is her relationship with Zhou. Even though the doctor doesn’t speak English very well, he will slowly work with her until things are just right – even if that means pipetting water over and over for an hour before it meets his standards.

“I love him. He’s the funniest and just the most interesting guy ever. Whenever we are talking, we’re always laughing,” Reneé said. “He’s just really caring, and teaching me things is not part of his job description, but he takes the time out of his day and works with me.”

Furla’s role as a campaign staffer has him doing phone banks and walk books — going door to door — for about two months now. He doesn’t plan on pursuing political science, but still has learned so much from his experience.

“My parents were involved in these kinds of political internships and affiliations when they were my age,” Furla said.

“As of right now I think it’s a great learning experience – [you] get a lot of connections, learn how that whole field of politics works [and] learn how to win an election.”

Overall, all three stress the fact that internships are totally attainable and should be done by everyone. “[Shadowing at the research lab] would not have been possible if I had not taken the initiative to go and get it,” Reneé said. “It’s not a specified program; it’s not advertised anywhere.

Basically I called up somebody and I asked them to help me. I think more often than not if you do that you’ll be surprised on how many people just say yes and it’s worth a try.”

INTERN BREAKDOWN

76% JACK

Of interns are considered for future employees of the company

97% DEVON

Of interns say they gained valuable skills and knowledge

62% PORTIA have internships

Of high school students

16

SPORTS

SEPTEMBER 6, 2016

EVOLUTION a team’s

twelve seniors reflect on playing for the same football team since fourth grade PHOTOS BY HALEY BELL, KAITLYN STRATMAN & MORGAN BROWNING

SPORTS

THE HARBINGER

5

3/4 in.

eli kurlbaum

BY MEG THOMA andy drill!” Coach Young, senior Carl Young’s dad shouted. The tight-knit group of 4th grade football stars were delighted. It was their favorite drill and an annual Halloween tradition.

The defensive players lined opposite the offense with one goal: to claim the bag of candy behind the offensive line. If the boys could touch the bag within three seconds, they were granted the reward every grade school boy dreams of – a big

“C

david goldstein

11

carl young

3/ in. 16

handful of candy.

For the past eight years, not only has a winning football team been in the making, but the story of a friendship has been written. It may have been on a different field, a different team and a different school, but it was the same 12 best friends that always had each other’s backs.

Now, in their senior year, the boys have become the leaders of a powerhouse Varsity team: Peter Haynes, Matt Schotte, Sky Tate, Eli McDonald, Carl Young, Luke Kaiser, Ryan Kahle, Logan Cleaver, Zac Medley, David Goldstein, Parker Shirling and Eli Kurlbaum.

First stepping on the field as a selfproclaimed “fat fourth grader,” Haynes’ expectations were set pretty high for positions and field play in general – he thought he would be the quarterback, which was every new player’s assumption according to Haynes.

Most of the boys eventually came to the realization that they would not be playing starting quarterback for their Football and Cheerleading Club of Johnson County team. Instead, most were told to play offensive line.

They spent their days in Linwood Park, where they would practice their stance, perfect their double teams and build their chemistry. That was five years ago.

Now, as seniors, the practice tempo is faster, the hits are harder and the stakes are higher. An average Varsity practice consists of drills like “perfect play,” where the team runs through all 60 plus of Delaney’s plays. If anyone makes a mistake, no matter how small, that play goes to the back of the list and has to be run until it’s perfect. It’s two hours of sweat, hits and hard work.

“It’s in those times when you’re dead-

tired and you’re ready to stop, but you just look over and give a little head nod to the guy next to you just to keep you going,” Varsity captain Young said. “And it’s in moments like those when you really feel like you know somebody.”

The game was no longer solely about the love for the sport, but the fact that they get to spend every day together during the fall season. Practices, games and tough hits, the boys said, aren’t as bad when they have each other.

“Knowing you’re not the only one suffering in the heat and getting hit all the time really helps you keep going,” Kurlbaum, or as his teammates call him, Kurly, said.

Their bond is evident from the crowd as well as the field. Whether it be tossing the Gatorade squirt bottle back and forth on the bench or stretching each other out before the game, they work towards preparing each other for success.

“On the sidelines, they’re never not laughing [or] messing around with each other or a manager for that matter,” team manager Mari Long said.

Whether it’s laughing about the first time they had to do squats for four minutes, thinking “this [coach is] crazy” or joking about seeing each other at a high school reunion. “[At a reunion] we’d definitely go over some plays and maybe run a couple,” McDonald said.

“I know we would be tempted to throw on some pads,” Schotte agreed.

Although the boys can’t look forward to the candy drill anymore, they still have a reason to keep pushing and fighting for the team.

“Coming out to practice everyday and doing drills is a grind. It’s hard. So a lot of the days, you’re not gonna like it and you’re not gonna want to be there,”

17

change in dimensions players’ dimensions provide insight to the team’s growth since fourth grade

Haynes said. “But what keeps you coming back is knowing that these are the guys you’ve been playing with since fourth grade. You can’t quit on them and they won’t quit on you.”

luke kaiser

18

FEATURES

TEACHING

SEPTEMBER 6, 2016 Jennifer Davis uses son’s heart defect to connect with her biology class

Scan using the Harbinger App to view Jennifer Davis’ blog

B

BY KALEIGH KOC

iology teacher Jennifer Davis walked up and down the Price Chopper aisles. Grocery shopping used to be part of her routine, but after spending four weeks in the hospital with her son, Cutler, everything felt surreal. It seemed strange that nobody knew she had just watched her son fight for his life. She thought to herself that everyone else in that grocery store could be going through something traumatic. The woman who smiled at the cashier might be planning a funeral for their father. The man in the suit might have just been fired. The happy-looking couple might be scraping the little money they have to buy lunch for the week. And she would have no idea.

Two days after Cutler was born, Davis and her husband sat down in a conference room and found out their son had six individual heart defects – something doctors had never seen before. He had a 35 percent chance of surviving the week. And even if he survived, he had a life expectancy of 25 days.

While 17 cardiologists brainstormed how to solve what they referred to as a “puzzle,” the Davises prepared for the worst. They kept in the back of their mind that he may never grow up to be a “big boy.”

Davis left Cutler – and the Kansas State University onesie she hoped to bring him home in – at the hospital. Instead of driving home with a perfect tiny baby, she drove home with an empty car seat.

Davis likes to be in control, from her science classroom to the fourth floor at Children’s Mercy, which is dedicated to “heart babies.” But when faced with something that even she could not control, Davis decided to let go – and let God take over. Davis and her husband decided to get Cutler baptized at Children’s Mercy.

After the baptism, Cutler’s heart was scanned again. This time the echo took longer than usual. The 17 cardiologists paged the technician repeatedly and asked for more and more scans. The

head of cardiology came down. Davis shrunk into the corner of the room, thinking something very bad had happened, because the head of cardiology doesn’t typically come to do echos herself. A medical student leaned over to her and whispered, “This is good.”

His heart had completely changed. Four of the six problems had somehow resolved themselves – doctors had no way of explaining it. Davis and her husband have since come up with their own explanation.

One week after Davis and Cutler returned home, Cutler’s older sister, Riley, ran up and plopped onto the couch next to Davis and said, “I really miss my grandparents.” Davis was confused, because Riley, age 6, had recently seen both sets of grandparents.

So Davis asked Riley to describe who visited her.

When she recounted their appearances, they matched that of Riley’s great grandparents, who had both passed away before Riley could form any memory of appearance. Riley said they visited her when Mommy and Daddy were at the hospital with Cutler. Davis came to the conclusion that the children’s great grandparents were their guardian angels. She attributed Cutler’s survival to them.

The doctors agreed that at one week old, Cutler was at his optimal strength. So with two of the six heart defects still present, doctors decided to operate. They only had one chance since his newborn body couldn’t handle more than one surgery. The surgery was lifesaving, and Cutler recovered at Children’s Mercy by Jennifer’s side for 37 days.

After taking full-time maternity leave until October, Davis was relieved to return to her passion and to have some control back in her life. Little did she know she would be equipped with a new way to explain biology topics.

Davis is now more aware that students have private problems that can interfere with school work. She doesn’t accept late work, but she

( A B OV E ) Two-year-old Cutler wears his Congenital Heart Defect survivors’ T-shirt and holds his heart-shaped pillow.

encourages students to come see her if they are going through difficulties and require help. She knows that people can have obstacles beneath the surface.

At the beginning of each school year, she also explains that if she ever gets a call saying she needs to be home because Cutler is sick, she may have to leave right away. And if she does leave, it’s not for some trivial cold. It could be life-threatening. When she’s at school she’s a teacher, but when she’s at home she’s a mom.

“She never slacked off. If she said she would have a worksheet graded by Tuesday, she definitely had it graded by Tuesday. There was never an exception,” junior Savanna Worthington said. “I think she did a good job of controlling everything in her classroom even with the stress of her son.”

Cutler’s experience was a wakeup call for the Davises. Instead of saying no to avoid cleaning up after her kids, she finds herself saying yes. She wants her kids to have as many memories as possible.

“You never know - just in general - when people are going to be taken away from you, so make as many memories as you can while you’re here,” Davis said.

After almost $1 million in medical bills, two open heart surgeries and two catheter procedures, the Davises treat Cutler like a normal 2 year old – aside from the biyearly doctor’s visits. Davis calls him her little Superman, and he has Superman decorum placed throughout his room. Above his “big boy” bed hangs a Superman crest with a “C” instead of an “S,” with a quote overlaying the personalized crest.

Today, Cutler wails and pulls Davis’s fingers until she rewards him with an orange popsicle, which later drips down his size 2T khakis. Just by looking at him, you’d never guess what he’s been through.

When posing for a picture with the orange juice dripping down his chin, he insists that Davis put him down. He’s a big boy and he can stand on his own, and even go grocery shopping with his mother.

( A B OV E ) Mr. and Mrs. Davis wear T-shirts designed to support “Team Cutler” during the CHD walk.

( A B OV E ) Cutler shows off the scar from his surgeries.

PHOTOS BY HALEY BELL AND ELLEN SWANSON

FEATURES

September 6, 2016

DAD

SIDIE

$

for CONGRESS

funded by: individual donations Photo courtesy of Sidie Family

F

where I felt I needed to step up.”

Initially, Jay thought maybe he’d help make phone calls to raise money for the Democratic Party of attend a few city meetings, but the Democratic Party of Kansas had other ideas.

They needed a replacement to Republican congressman Kevin Yoder, and Jay was just the kind of fearless, everyday citizen the Democratic Party was looking for.

All it took for Jay to say yes was confirmation from his wife that he was perfect for the job. That was in March. Since then, Jay has won the democratic primary and is now gearing up for the general election on Nov. 8.

With the vote soon approaching, Jay now spends every day in his campaign office getting ready. Prior to his congressional campaign, Jay would work at an investment company from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., leaving him with plenty of time in the evening to help with homework and cook dinner. He’d spent every weekday for the past five years working out through P90X with a friend of his over his lunch hour. He’d play tennis on the weekends and coach his younger daughter, Lola’s, soccer team.

Now, Jay works from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., leaving his daughters without their math tutor and his wife to cook dinner by herself. He spends his lunch hour at campaign meetings and his weekends at different parades and community organizations. But to Jay, all the sacrifices are worth it, because of the faith he has in his campaign.

“I spent four days with political analysts who did a lot of number crunching for me,” Jay said. “And according to their numbers, they said I’d have a great chance of winning.”

VS YODER

MBA degree in Finance

tic d wins democra Freshman’s da tives se of Representa ou H . .S U r fo y primar

BY COURTNEY MCCLELLAND reshman Eva Sidie opens yet another Snapchat of her dad’s yard sign. The light blue sign with “Jay Sidie for Congress” and a corresponding blue jay has become a recognizable symbol around the city, and for Eva that means an abundance of texts and snapchats asking if she’s related to the familiar name. She’s always proud to respond with a smile on her face; yes, Jay Sidie is her dad and he’s running for congressman of Kansas’ 3rd District.

The next question Eva’s asked is always “why?” Her dad’s not a politician, he owned an investment company. He has an MBA in finance, not a degree in political science. How can he be running for a high level political office? But to Jay and Eva, the campaign only seemed fitting.

“It kind of made sense,” Eva said. “He’s always loved politics and loved talking to us about them. He’s even involved in our neighborhood politics.”

It was that interest in politics that drew Jay to the congressional race. Jay had watched Kansas, under the direction of Republican Governor Brownback and Congressman Kevin Yoder, drop from 12th in the nation in personal income growth in 2010, to now 49th this year. He witnessed the public schools his two daughters attend receive budget cut after budget cut, and saw a government that he felt was failing to take action.

“I’ve been kind of selfish and have been focusing on my career, on my family, on my social life and have let somebody else worry about the politics, the economy and the schools,” Jay said. “But it reached a point

19

Even though Kansas appears as a dominantly conservative state, many of the registered Republicans are considered Republican in name only, or RINOs. This means that they’re actually moderate and vote for the person, not the party, but they register as republicans in order to vote in the republican primary. These votes are Sidie’s target audience.

However, the main obstacle in Jay’s campaign has been fundraising. A majority of his time is spent making calls to ask for donations.

“I haven’t even asked my parents for money since high school, and now I have to call up my friends and ask for money,” Jay said. “But I’m not asking for money for me, I’m asking so I can help the District.”

Even though asking for money pushes him out of his comfort zone, Jay has to do it in order to keep up with his opponent’s campaign. Yoder’s campaign is funded by five major lobby groups, including City Bank, Payday Loans and the gun lobby. However, Jay’s campaign is fully funded by citizens, with the average donation coming in at around $167, according to Jay. According to Jay, he believes that the source of their campaign funding is what represents the difference between the two: Jay is a man of the people, Yoder is a man of Washington. Jay recalls a veterans’ 5k that he ran this past summer. A volunteer of his, who has now taken Jay’s place as soccer coach for his younger daughter, Lola’s, soccer team, had asked him to participate. When he arrived to the race, ready to run with 800 others, he saw

Law Degree

funded by:

lobbying groups

more funding for

education

No additional funding for education

that Congressman Yoder would be handing out the awards and speaking at the end.

“We put up pictures of the two of us at the race on my website and said, “who do you want for your congressman? The guy that runs with the people, or the guy that runs his mouth?”

Jay said.

It’s this kind of stereotypical politician that Jay says motivates him during his campaign.

To get ready for the general election, Jay will continue reaching out to raise more money for TV ads, radio ads and mailings. This is all intended to get his message across: put the businessman and citizen in Washington and get rid of the professional politician.

Jay considers himself the opposite of a politician. He spends his evenings with his family, his wife in the kitchen cleaning up and his daughters running around the house. He sits in his family room wearing a T-shirt that says “your mom drinks decaf” adorned with a “Sidie for Congress” pin.

“When I’m 80-years-old I want to sit around and talk about when I was a congressman and what impact I had, instead of wondering what would’ve happened if I had run,” Jay said.

20

FEATURES

SEPTEMBER 6, 2016

Sophomore Molly McGlynn uses her artisitc talent to help herself and others

Timeline of Molly’s Art Career

BY EMILY FEY

S

ophomore Molly McGlynn stared at the white computer paper placed in front of her.

“Draw what you are feeling inside right now,” her therapist said.

I feel useless, ugly, fat and unwanted, that’s what I’m really feeling.

McGlynn started sketching out a figure with a dark shadow behind it.

“There is always this shadow there, and that’s kind of like my eating disorder,” McGlynn said.

“I’m always going to have that a little bit in the back of my mind.” ***** Since she was two years old, McGlynn’s life has revolved around art. Her mom, a mural painter, would set up an easel for McGlynn right next to her work space. While her mom worked with different brush sizes and stroke technique, McGlynn preferred using her fingers to create her first masterpieces. Her talent thrived as she began sketching two dimensional figures, which turned into three dimensional portraits, abstract sketches and surreal paintings.

Then came middle school. With it came a negative body image, self harm and an eating disorder. She wasn’t happy anymore and her grades felt the repercussions of it. Going a whole day without eating became a forethought and art became an afterthought.

She traded her artistic ideas for suicidal thoughts, before she realized she needed help.

She spilled out her feelings to her mother, who helped her find a team of therapists and nutritionists who could help her get back on track. But the therapy that McGlynn found most comfort in was art therapy. She went to sessions every couple of weeks and used art to relay her feelings.

Once high school hit, she filled her schedule

with photography, ceramics, drawing and painting to escape the shadow that is her eating disorder. She sketched to avoid the urge to starve herself, and painted to ignore the suicidal thoughts “When my eating disorder flares up again, there are two options,” McGlynn said. “Either I start spiraling into it more, or it sparks that I need to be creative. Instead of going deeper into my eating disorder, I go deeper into creation.”

This is not the first time that art has provided necessary help for McGlynn’s family. After accidentally signing up to volunteer to paint a mural for a building in San Francisco, Nicole Emanuel, McGlynn’s mom, discovered art as her new obsession. Emanuel credits it to stopping her from going down a bad path when she was younger.

“There is a phrase that ‘art saves lives,’ and I think you can see that as just a silly thing, but I’ve seen art change people and I’ve seen art change communities,” Emanuel said.

After McGlynn was able to find solace in art, she decided to use her talent to help others through volunteer work. She volunteers at her mom’s non-profit organization, Inner Urban Art House – an organization that offers studio space to artists in the downtown Overland Park area.

“There really isn’t a place for artists to gather and get information about how to become a better artist,” East art teacher, Adam Finkelston said. “[Inner Urban Art House] is not only for professional artists, but for young artists as well who want to learn what being an artist is really all about.”

So McGlynn passes out flyers for her mom’s fundraisers and runs errands for art supplies.

She delivers packages for the artists in the studio and interacts with them at the same time. She’s learning what being an artist is really all about.

Along with helping her mom’s non-profit, McGlynn also teaches art classes to kids at a local farmer’s market and volunteers to help adults with developmental disorders. She helps give them the chance to create their own artwork.

McGlynn helped an adult who didn’t have the full use of his hands create a piece of artwork that was to him. The ideas all came from his head; McGlynn just put his thoughts on the paper.

“I was his hands,” McGlynn said. “That was a really special experience for me because in a way my eating disorder is kind of like that for me. Sometimes people have to be my normal thoughts so that I can have them. I get stuck and he’s sort of stuck in his body where he can’t use his hands. It’s a physical way of showing what my problems are.”

McGlynn hopes to be able to attend an art school for college and turn her lifelong passion into a career someday. Right now, she is looking at attending Columbia in Chicago, school known for their liberal arts program. While McGlynn isn’t sure what type of art is her niche, she knows that her talent is there, she just has to find it.

“I think that Molly is a healthier, more resilient human because she knows that she is naturally gifted,” Emanuel said. “It gives her purpose and expression, which I think is critical to humans. I would say on a daily basis, the way she walks the planet is creative.”

So when there are the days she senses her shadow’s presences more than usual, she doesn’t criticize her body for every bite of food she takes, she reaches for a pencil and a piece of paper.

( L E F T ) Throughout the studio supplies are scattered for easy access when any spurof-the-moment ideas strike. | ELIZABETH ANDERSON

( R I G H T ) In the studio, Molly paints the background of her canvas for one of her new surrealism projects. | ELIZABETH ANDERSON

age 2

fingerpainting alongside her mother as she worked

age 6

deciding she wanted to be an artist

age 8

first time making the SMSD Honors Art Show

age 13

began working with artist Lacey Lewis

age 14

entering advanced art classes due to portfolio

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22

FEATURES

SEPTEMBER 6, 2016

CULTURES

( A B OV E ) Junior Katie Faught coloring in front of her house with her host family | Photo Courtesy of Katie Faught

BY LIDDY STALLARD

T

he worksheets and nightly Conjuguemos lessons that the students completed in Spanish class were finally being put to use. These students were preparing to travel for several weeks to South American and Central American cities through the Amigos de las Americas Program.

Most people don’t realize these kinds of experiences can cause discomfort for the students while being in a new setting, as well as when re-entering the United States.

Because of the cultural differences, it’s not uncommon for the Amigos participants to experience culture shock. Culture shock is the realization of how different one culture is compared to another.

Students participating in Amigos spend seven months during the school year training to prepare for their trip. They focus on cultural sensitivity, language immersion and ways to interact with host families.

However, there is no training that can be done to prepare them for the shock of coming home after being away for so long.

“Suddenly they come home and they have this huge house and a car, where some of the happiest people in the world only have a dirt bike and mud floors,” Amigos Representative, Carol Swezy said.

Junior Denny Rice spent seven weeks in Paraguay. During his stay, Rice realized the American culture tended to be less welcoming and more anxious than the Paraguayan culture.

“They don’t run around in a hurry for fear of being a few minutes late,” Rice said, “Everything is more calm and laid back in Paraguay, it’s just not part of their culture”.

One of Rice’s favorite moments with his host parents, Blanca and Delfirio Martinez, was sitting around an open patio in front of his house every morning and evening drinking Mate, a traditional South American caffeine-infused drink similar to tea.

Spending this quality time with his host family made him appreciate his family at home and the time he gets with them.

“It’s really essential to the culture and to life that the family unit is important,” Rice said.

It has been almost a month since he returned home. Since returning, he has taken on the role of being a more inquisitive and open person.

“I definitely ask a lot more questions now, it’s really interesting getting to know people,” Rice said.

Junior Katie Faught, who spent six weeks in Managua, Nicaragua came home to a house full of things that seemed unnecessary. She had drawers full of clothes that she didn’t wear and most of the things in her kitchen, she had never touched.

“It was different coming back and seeing all the stuff that I had, compared to what I had been living with,” Faught said.

In Nicaragua, she had been living in a house that contained only the bare necessities. There was a table and chairs in the main room of the house where they ate all their meals, but they were also used for socializing because they did not own a couch. There was also a small box TV, a radio and pots and pans in the kitchen that her host family had made by hand.

Faught brought three Frisbees from home to share with her host family. By the

third day of her trip, some of the children found the Frisbees and were ecstatic by the new toys.

“They had no idea how to use them, so I taught them how to play Frisbee and then let them keep the Frisbees after I left,” Faught said.

She quickly noticed it took little to nothing to keep the kids happy and entertained.

“They appreciated things way more then people do here, so when they saw the Frisbees they were so happy and excited to have something new to play with,” Faught said.

Junior Kirby Motsinger who spent seven weeks in Bajo de Güera, Panama got back on Saturday, Aug. 13 and started school the following Monday. She was used to spending most of her days without a planned schedule, so coming home and almost immediately being thrown back into school was bit of a shock.

“It was crazy being back because I hadn’t seen that many people from America for a long time and it was also hard because people would ask how your summer was but it wasn’t something I wanted to talk about right then because I missed being there,” Motsinger said.

In the end, the culture shock these students faced was a big part of the learning experiences the program provides.

“When I was there it felt like I had a purpose,” Motsinger said, “coming back there’s a lot more going on but you’re really aware of what you should and what you want to do.”

( L E F T ) Junior Kirby Motsinger sitting outside her community church playing Uno | Photo Courtesy of Kirby Motsinger

( A B OV E ) Junior Denny Rice posing with his host dad as he leaves his community in Paraguay | Photo Courtesy of Denny Rice

( A B OV E ) Junior Kaite Faught sitting outside of her house with her host family after dinner | Photo Courtesy of Katie Faught

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

BY ALI LEE

h, the first day of school, where everyone’s outfits have been carefully picked out, planned for weeks in advance. From then on it’s all downhill. 2015 WPA T-shirt, athletic shorts, Nike shoes, hair in a ponytail.

Comfort takes precedence over effort.

Wearing what is comfortable and what looks good shouldn’t have to be a choice. With easy touches, sweats can transform into so much more than loungewear.w PHOTOS BY ALLISON STOCKWELL

WEEKLY WEAR

A

TO CREATE a façade that time was spent getting ready, go for a romper.

This means that time doesn’t have to be spent matching a shirt to pants, as trivial as that sounds. Rompers made out of a simple cotton material are just as comfy as a T-shirt and athletic shorts, except now you’ve pulled off a “fancy” look.

However, no outfit is complete without accessorizing. Shoes are the ultimate accessory– they can make or break the outfit. If the shoes don’t elevate the look, they’ll drag it down. Comfortable shoes that won’t ruin the look can vary from a trendy sandal like Birkenstocks to a pair of New Balances. Jewelry doesn’t need to be huge and bulky to make a statement in the outfit–a thin gold chain necklace would work perfectly. Combine all these basic elements, and people will successfully be fooled into thinking excessive time was put into getting this look. Ha, fooled them.

GOING FOR the all athletic look is common at East, throwing on the first sport shorts you see in your drawer.

But the trick is to avoid looking like you just spent two hours on the treadmill.

Instead, go for a more fashionable tennis shoe, like Converse or Superstars by Adidas, and avoid an athletic shoe, or even a casual sandal such as Rainbows.

To liven up a look, throw on a headband.

The headband goes along with the athletic look, but also makes the outfit appear like it wasn’t just thrown together especially if the headband matches the colors of the outfit. In order to stay away from the gym look when wearing a headband, wear your hair down. Another accessory essential to upgrading a look is a charm necklace, which will make the look more ‘going to school’ and less ‘going for a jog’. Together, this will make an elevated outfit for school while also keeping the comfort element.

IT’S BEEN a rough week and the only thing that will make the day more bearable is wearing a comfortable pair of sweats.

Don’t worry– because even these comfort essentials can be styled. While sweatpants and a hoodie are easy and comfy, skip the hoodie and instead wear an athletic fitted top. With some tennis shoes and a cool subtle necklace, the outfit will go from just ‘rolled-out-of-bed’ to ‘actually-tried’.

A fashionable tennis shoe is the way to go when wearing sweats; sandals will make the look very hobo-esque. Bunch up the sweatpants at the end to show some skin and to create a break between the pants and shoes. This will also allow the shoes to stand-out a little more. Try jewelry such as thin gold hoops or a gold chain necklace to make the look trendy. Throw it all together to make sweats a decent outfit to wear to school.

IT’S OFTEN tricky figuring out how to style a comfy tee with things that won’t make it look like pajamas. An option is to wear the shirt with something that is subtle but also comfortable, like black Lululemon shorts or just plain jean shorts. The outfit will be cozy enough to relax in all day without having to worry about constantly adjusting the shirt or un-bunching the shorts. Make sure that the shoes add to the outfit but don’t clash with the look you’re going for, like wearing wedges with athletic shorts. Instead, go for a look that flows with the outfit, like Converse. Adding funky and trendy jewelry to an otherwise casual outfit can really boost the look. Chokers are a great way to style up a T-shirt and plus you’ll look cool as hell. It now looks like the relaxed T-shirt Tumblr look, when really there wasn’t time to iron out that one blouse. It will be comfortable enough to wear all day and even to musical rehearsal or during your daily nap .

GET THE LOOK: Zara, Adidas

GET THE LOOK: Lululemon, Adidas

GET THE LOOK: Lululemon, Athleta, Adidas

GET THE LOOK: Made in KC, Lululemon, Adidas

Take a look at three of many diverse shopping, eating options found along the Kansas City Streetcar route

BY GRACE PADON

T

he Kansas City Streetcar opened on May 6 this past year after two years of construction. The streetcar system was introduced as a part of the RideKC initiative, where the city supplies several ways of getting around town at minimal costs, such as rentable bikes and public buses. The streetcar is free to ride and covers a 2.2 mile stretch with 10 stops along Main St. The streetcar route flows through three major parts of Downtown Kansas City: the Crossroads Arts District, the Power and Light District and the River Market, leaving the rider limitless options for shopping, eating or exploring.

In order to ride the streetcar, passengers must board at a stop, which is marked by a tall blue pole with the current stops name on it and a sheltered bench, decorated by local artists. The stops have kiosks, which allow one to explore the city with their interactive touch screens. The the front and back cars have bench like seating, while the middle cars have stadium like seating to allow for wheelchair accessibility. For the passengers who aren’t lucky enough to snag a seat before the streetcar takes off, there are several rails hanging from the ceiling that can be held on to. Clumsy passengers, beware of the abrupt stops, or as the lady behind me said, “I wouldn’t want to ride this drunk.”

WHOPPER BAR

S

patula-shaped door handles greeted me as I stepped through what seemed to be a familiar atmosphere. The traditional Burger King that I had grown up eating on road trips had been amped up to a more industrialized, modern version, in a spinoff called the Whopper Bar. While still featuring the same menu, the atmosphere is very different compared to the typical Burger King. A dark charcoal color covers the walls and counters, which contrasts nicely with the pops of fiery red. Next to the two registers sits a counter with an array of all the possible toppings for Burger King’s signature burger: the Whopper.

The traditional Whopper burger is

R

egal purple walls and the overwhelming aroma of floral-scented hair spray dominated Posh KC Blow Dry Bar, located just across the street from the 12th and Main St. stop on the streetcar route. The glamourous atmosphere was completed with white chandeliers and plush, large white chairs.

At every beauty station was a cabinet equipped with the necessary styling tools for a blowout: a hairdryer, flat iron and curling iron.

The receptionist who confirmed my 5:15 appointment guided me to a styling chair while I met my stylist, Alexis, who promptly started to wash my hair with a sweet-smelling shampoo.

I opted to go for “The Posh” package,

12th & Main

POSH KC BLOW DRY BAR

14th & Main

topped with lettuce, tomatoes, mayonnaise, ketchup and pickles, but at the Whopper Bar, the quarter pound sandwich is made to order. Customers also get a choice of onion rings or french fries with their burger.

TVs airing the Royals game adorn the walls, while high, bar-top tables fill the seating area of the restaurant, adding greatly to the change in atmosphere from the original Burger King. The Whopper Bar is just one block east from the 14th and Main St. streetcar stop, making it a perfect quick meal before a concert or a sports game across the street at the Sprint Center. Not only is the Whopper Bar close to the streetcar, but the food is cost efficient too.

19th & Main

J

which consists of a quick wash and a styled blowout. Alexis first started the process by drying small sections of my hair, and then curling it and pinning it to the top of my head. She reassured my concerned looks by saying, “You’ll look like Medusa for a little bit, but then the curls will fall.” My hairstyle ended up being just what I came in for: voluminous, healthy curls.

For being such a short distance from the streetcar stop, Posh was surprisingly elegant, due to the contrast of the urban exterior of the building to the comfy and stylish interior. Posh is a great place to go for a quick and well done hair style for a dance or any other big occasion.

cabinets, displaying their many styles of T-shirts, while the right side of the store displays smaller accessories from other brands, such as Band.do and Sock101. Housemade posters line the walls above the T-shirt. Some of the more popular designs sold at Raygun contain catchy pro-midwest slogans, such as “Kansas City: Too much city for one state”. These popular prints and sayings are also featured on stickers, post cards, coasters and even child’s pacifiers and temporary tattoos, and are just steps away from the street car.

Raygun also has a line dedicated solely to the street car. There are T-shirts and other miscellaneous items with the phrases: “It just got rail” and a graphic of the streetcar.

These items are exclusively sold at Raygun.

Raygun is the perfect store to find the Kansas City apparel and accessories that have been taking over the streets, and streetcars, of KC.

RAYGUN

ust one block north of the 19th and Main stop will take you to the tall brick wall with “THE GREATEST STORE IN THE UNIVERSE” blazoned in large, white type.

Raygun, the store with these wise words on the outside of its building, is stocked with variations of Midwestern-themed apparel and accessories.

The left side of the store is filled with

PHOTOS BY CARSON HOLTGRAVES

A&E

THE HARBINGER

T

he newest Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art luxury exhibit, Treasures of the Roman Empire, opened its doors July 9 to offer an interesting and fresh summer activity. It shows the extraordinary artistic achievements of the Romans and portrays the complex social life of their Empire.

When I first entered into the dimly lit exhibit, it felt as if I had just stumbled upon El Dorado. Gold jewelry studded with various gems, gold ingots and shimmering coins filled the exhibit – and that was just the beginning.

As I moved through the exhibit, the gold section and the silver section were separated by an enormous sculpture made

of 100,000 tiny stones arranged to create a mosaic painting of the Greek god Narcissus. I audibly said “oh my God” when I first saw this masterpiece; saying this was my favorite piece in the exhibit is an understatement. The silver section consisted of meticulously decorated goblets and beautiful tableware. Some of these artifacts were created 2,000 years ago; their durability a testimony of artists’ skill.

The silver section was a step down from gold. However it still kept my interest as I strolled around each glass case. It felt like I was dropped into the fantasy land of Game of Thrones drinking wine out of intricate goblets and eating off silver platters with the cast.

The final section was made up of the Berthouville Treasure, a collection of priceless silver artifacts accidentally discovered by a French farmer in 1830. This was the largest section of the whole exhibit, full of silver utensils, tableware and gifts for the gods. Even though this was the largest section, quantity doesn’t always mean quality. Most of these artifacts, although priceless, seemed like plain silver bowls, pitchers and other small silver items. It may seem naive of me to call these priceless treasures boring, however it really was a disappointment going from solid gold ingots to dented and scratched silver bowls.

Along with the artifacts in the glass displays, there were plaques on the wall offering insight into the Roman culture which were sprinkled throughout the exhibit. There was also a captivating interactive where you could face swap your face onto the faces of some of the sculptures. I may or may not have spent way too much time doing that, ignoring the children and weird stares from their parents in line behind me.

Spread throughout the exhibit were impressive sculptures made of marble, both large and small. As well as some that looked as if someone had just chipped out perfectly detailed

25

soldiers or nobility on a large slab of marble pinned to the wall.

These were the perfect artifacts to disrupt the constant flow of gold and silver.

Overall, this exhibit was an amazing way to spend an afternoon and well worth the $6 I paid after showing my student ID. It was a time machine back to when gold, silver and gems really showed someone’s wealth and power, as well as a nice history lesson on the Roman culture. This display adds an extra aspect to an already great art museum. The exhibit ends Oct. 2, and is well worth a trip for anyone willing to learn about an empire through art.

( A B OV E ) This bracelet from the Byzantine Empire around 500 B.C. features emeralds, blue sapphires and pearls imported from places like Egypt, Sri Lanka and the Red Sea set on an intricate gold design. | Ellie Thoma

GOOD

4.5/5

New at the Nelson Acts of Nature: Contemporary Decorative Arts Aug. 24, 2016 - April 30, 2017

PURE ENJOY(MENT)

Restaurant, Enjoy, offers fresh food, worth the high price I WALK into the restaurant decorated with all white, chic furniture and pops of green air plants. Clean. Immediately the smell of quinoa and lemon hits me. Fresh.

Welcome to Enjoy.

If you prefer greasy McDonald’s french fries, Enjoy isn’t your place. For me, it hit the spot.

Tucked back in Mission Farms, Enjoy is a restaurant based solely on serving fresh food and drinks. Everything on the menu contains all natural, organic ingredients. I decided to give it a try when I heard it would force the healthy into me and that there was an East connection too. Junior Kellen Cross’ mother decided to open this restaurant due to her love for cleanliness and living a healthy life.

Surrounded by people who had just been released from a Fusion workout class next door, I scanned the large, green menu. Reading over the descriptions for each item I realized how healthy every option was, I really couldn’t go wrong. Eggplant,

Emperors, Scholars and Temples Aug. 12, 2016 - July 09, 2017

Cuba Bound: Photographs by Jesse A. Fernandez Sept. 15, 2016 - Dec. 31, 2016

squash and shredded beets made frequent appearances in most choices. Shredded beets? I was starting to second guess my lunch choice.

Overwhelmed by options, I decided on the Mexicali Cool Wrap, the ‘Tastes-Like-Ice-Cream’ kale smoothie as well as chips and guacamole. They can’t mess up chips and guacamole, can they? All three items cost me around $26 which is a lot for a non-working high school girl; however it ended up being worth every penny.

The smoothie was served within 10 minutes and the chips and guacamole followed shortly after. I was quite nervous to try the kale smoothie considering I usually stick to a typical strawberry banana smoothie. After two minutes, half of the smoothie was gone. No way this was a mix of kale—it tasted exactly like ice cream.

With the sweet taste in my mouth, I balanced it out with

MORE REASONS TO ENJOY

Enjoy’s mission is to provide wellness for all. Read how they do it here.

1%

of all profits are donated to local charitable organizations

Visit these other exhibits: open now or coming soon.

slightly salty blue corn tortilla chips and scooped some lime green guacamole into my mouth. There were endless amounts of flavor in this small bowl of mixed avocados, chiles, lime and tomatoes; a slightly sweet flavor that was hard to stop eating.

Even the organic blue corn chips had flavor.

Chips and a smoothie in, I was ready for my Mexicali Cool Wrap. Inside the wheat tortilla was grilled chicken, avocado, white cheddar, cilantro-hemp seed pesto, Mexican coleslaw and cumin seeds. A bubbly brunette waitresses made sure everything was accounted for. I took a bite of the wrap and immediately my mouth watered at the fresh avocado and cilantro pesto.

Although expensive, the clean atmosphere and wholesome food was refreshing. Just sitting there surrounded by healthy people, and glowing waitresses I felt healthier. I plan to go back to satisfy my craving for light and refreshing snacks... even if T. Loft is close by.

Enjoy uses eco-friendly packaging and recycling systems to protect the environment.

Pure, fresh, healthy food is their priority: produce and in-season ingredients are locally acquired.

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27

Local farmer’s markets prove to be a great Saturday activity

BY ANNA KANALEY

B

right orange and red peppers, daisies and sunflowers straight out of the ground, cinnamon rolls right out of the oven. Three of the farmers markets in the Kansas City area offered these types of fresh produce, pastries and flowers, so I had to check them out.

After parking across the street from where rows of booths were set up, we made our first stop at the Tea-Biotics booth for kombucha on-tap. I bought a $4 bottle of Mule Mix, their most popular flavor of kombucha, made from ginger, lime and sugar. Kombucha is a fermented tea, and in this case it tasted like an iced ginger juice. While the kombucha tasted a little bitter, the ginger and lime flavor was there. Next time, I would go for a fruitier flavor for more sweetness. Nevertheless, I could still see why the regulars were regulars.

In addition to Tea-Biotics, most of the booths sold fresh berries, vegetables and flowers, with the exception of two bakery booths. It was early and I still hadn’t eaten, so I ordered a Nutella and strawberry crêpe from Le Petit Garden’s stand for $6 and a cup of blackberries from Mule Barn for 75 cents. Overland Park’s Farmers Market offered a much better breakfast than my usual bowl of Cap’n Crunch.

The only downside to this market was that a sign reading “No Animals Allowed During Market Hours” hung proudly above the booths. I was disappointed, knowing I couldn’t bring my 110 lb golden retriever back next time I came. Luckily, the atmosphere proved lively without dogs.

For our next stop we headed over to the Brookside Farmers Market, where white tents filled the back of a parking lot off of 63rd and Wornall. While this farmers market was smaller than the others, it felt tightly-knit, like the customers had their regular vendors, and they all knew each other. Shoppers brought their dogs, who seemed to enjoy the market just

( A B OV E ) An eldery woman working at a french booth makes fresh crepés for Overland Park market goers | Diana Percy

as much as their owners, which made it stand out to the Overland Park market.

The sound of acoustic guitars and live singing spread throughout the parking lot. I couldn’t resist buying carrots and sugar snap peas to munch on later, along with refreshing cold-pressed juice.

The booths at this farmers market were mostly for fruits and vegetables, with the occasional honey stand with soaps and lips balms. Heirloom, the bakery located down the street,

Fresh fruits and vegetables like ears of corn, blood-red tomatoes and juicy blackberries that were picked that morning filled the booths ANNA KANALEY JUNIOR held its own booth with freshly baked pastries and bread. I had to buy a loaf of cheesy pesto bread – one of my family’s favorites.

For our final stop, we drove to the Historic City Market’s weekly farmers market and spent 35 minutes searching for lights suggesting that cars were leaving their space. After a car finally gave up its spot for us to take, we walked through the booths full of fruits, vegetables, flowers and jewelry.

Street performers filled the open spaces. A 30-year-old man performed magic tricks next to the booths, like getting himself out of a straight jacket. A homeless man banged out

( A B OV E ) A homeless man plays his beatup guitar near the entrence of the River Market in downtown KC | Diana Percy

his favorite rock-n-roll songs on his guitar, which was missing a few strings.

Food trucks and restaurants lined the outside of the market. Fresh fruits and vegetables like ears of corn, blood red tomatoes and juicy blackberries that were picked that morning filled the booths. They briefly tempted me to make my meals for the next week using only ingredients from the farmers market, but that would require giving up Culver’s kids meals, so that idea quickly died.

After exploring the food and jewelry, I checked out the flower stands, which ended up being my favorite. With the biggest flower selection of all the markets and bouquets the size of my face filling the booths, I couldn’t resist. The $1 sunflowers were almost necessary to buy as a citizen of the Sunflower State.

Even though it took ages to park, the experience made it worthwhile. However, next time I go to the Historic City Market, I’ll be taking the streetcar to get rid of the unnecessary pain that came with parking.

Going to these farmers markets made me rethink my options at Hen House. The fresh foods, bright flowers and original jewelry can’t be bought just anywhere. I’d go back to all of these farmers markets any time, but the Historic City Market had to be my favorite because of the variety. Even though farmers markets are open just once a week, they make grocery-shopping and exploring into an experience.

( A B OV E ) The 5th grade son of Janet Smith, owner and CEO of Borgman’s Dairy farm, hands out samples to staffer Anna Kanaley | Diana Percy

SPORTS

GIBBS CHANGES THE PR GRAM New tennis coach alters training program after taking over as head coach in 2016

BY JET SEMERICK

W

hen the sun is high in the air and students are wearily flooding out of Shawnee Mission East, English teacher Andy Gibbs laces up his tennis shoes in preparation for an afternoon directing his lancer tennis team. Gibbs spends three hours everyday during the week on the Harmon Park tennis courts working to get the tennis program back to a state championship. At the conclusion of last year Gibbs took over the program after 19year head coach Sue Chipman retired.

In those 19 years practices have been the same. Players show up, they play a match, and that is the end of practice. This system has been successful, winning 14 state championships. Even so, Gibbs decided it was time for a change.

Over the offseason, Gibbs and new assistant coach Frank Gagnon worked to develop a new practice routine that meets the needs of the players. According to Gibbs, the biggest complaint from players was that they felt they did not improve over the course of the season.

“I really like the differences because it feels like an actual practice,” senior tennis player Camille Moore said. “We are more productive this year than we have been the last couple of years.”

The new practice agenda includes 20 minutes of warmups and running to get players ready to play. The major change comes with drills, during which the team spends time during practice working on specific parts of their game such as forehands, backhands and serving. Practice will also include matches to keep the athletes ready for matches.

The same practice system will also apply for the boys season which starts in the spring. Sophomore Jack Mikkelson will be going into his second season with East tennis this spring. According to Mikkelson the practice experience will be very different.

“The practices last year were really fun, but I think Gibbs’ new drills are trying to make us better and honestly that’s the way to do it,” Mikkelson said. “I think the whole team is going to better as a result.”

The practices have changed in nature but they are not the only thing that has seen change. This fall marks the first time that a structured tryout was held in 19 years.

According to players, in previous years coach Chipman determined who was on varsity and junior varsity through word of mouth and observation during the first few practices. Essentially, the rosters were set before the first practice began.

Beginning the first day of school, the 96 girls trying out for the tennis team were randomly placed into groups for pool play.

Pool play took place for four days. At the conclusion of the pool play the players who won the matches were placed into a bracket for tournament play. At the end of tryouts the top 32 players were placed on the varsity and JV teams.

“Things were much more competitive [at this year’s tryouts], but the hard thing is anytime you start identifying a group of players is that you have players that don’t end up where they want to be,” Gibbs said.

The 64 remaining tennis players were placed into two groups known as blue and white. Those teams each practice for an hour twice a week after the two hour varsity and JV practices. The shorter hours for the blue and white practices has caused a number of players who did not make varsity or JV to quit East tennis according to Senior Emily Kohring. “[The seniors] were frustrated and I wish I could be on the team[varsity and JV], but I know that there are a lot of good

freshmen,” Kohring said.

Although Gibbs has brought many changes to the tennis team, he has kept one tradition concrete: the team does not cut anyone. The goal is to get as many people playing tennis as possible.

“The great thing about what we are trying to do is that we are still giving those kids an opportunity to play tennis,” Gibbs said. “[At] a lot of other places they wouldn’t have an opportunity to play high school tennis.”

Gibbs is confident that the changes will help continue the success that East has seen over the years in the sport. Since the school opened in 1958, East has won 44 state championships in both girls and boys tennis girls combined.

“I think success obviously comes from the talent level that we have and then also the intention of getting better, and getting players better from where they were,” Gibbs said. “This is a way to ensure that we continue to have a successful program.”

A HISTORY O F C OAC H ANDREW GIBBS 1

Two time NAIA Scholar Athlete at Olivet University

2 Part of team that won NCCAA championship

3 Head Tennis Coach at Paola High School

4 Head Tennis Coach at Olivet Nazarene University

5 Head Coach at Shawnee Mission East High School

SPORTS

THE HARBINGER

IVY LEAGUE Shawnee Mission East Senior Carl Young is

29

EXPECTATIONS

using football to attend the college of his dreams.

WHAT COLLEGES WANT University of Chicago Acceptance Rate: 7.6% Average ACT: 33 Average GPA: 4.16 Princeton University Acceptance Rate: 6.5% Average ACT: 32 Average GPA: 4.33 Washington University Acceptance Rate: 16.2% Average ACT: 31 Average GPA: 4.24 University of Pennsylvania Acceptance Rate: 9.4% Average ACT: 32 Average GPA: 4.24 information courtesy of collegedata.com

BY ELLIE MITCHELL

L

ooking around the box of cones, senior Carl Young decides who the fastest player is to pick off. Once he picks off the fastest player, the other three seem like a piece of cake. The quickest athlete has the most moves according to Young. He moves in a counterclockwise circle with his plan in his mind: look around the entire time to find the opportunity to grab somebody.

His head on a swivel, Young lunges at the second guy. Two guys down, two to go. He turns his head to the final two and judges which is easier to pick off. The last two are the easiest ones. Ten seconds flat.

Young learned this play at University of Pennsylvania and others similar at multiple football camps this summer at top tier schools like Princeton, University of Chicago and Washington University. All this was with the hopes that football will give him an upper hand in getting into prestigious schools, so he can pursue his dream of a career in engineering and finance.

As high school progressed, Young never considered playing at the collegiate level, but the more he researched the possibility, he saw that it could help him get into highly selective schools.

“These schools want more than just athletes,” Young said. “They want good students who can balance everything and I think I am able to do that.”

Young is reaching out to coaches with the help of his consulting agent, Brad Kroh. Kroh works nationwide to help students like Young who are looking for elite schools that will allow them to pursue more than just sports. When Kroh meets with an athlete, the parents and the athlete must have the same goal in mind: for the student to play collegiate football.

Kroh takes the proactive approach by reaching out to coaches, which is different from what most consulting agents do. A majority of agents wait until Young is approached by scouts to set up meetings and campus visits, but Kroh instead will go out and find academically aligned

colleges that match Young’s academic capability.

Young attended camps and campus visits to see if the campus and football program is the right fit for him. Young knows that these schools may not accept him solely based on academics.

“What will happen is that the coach will sit in with the admissions board and vouch for someone like Carl,” Kroh said. “Depending on the certains school they may lower their standards for athletes to get in.”

Being an athlete gives that particular student an upperhand in the admissions process, but the athletes still have to have to maintain a high GPA, for example, the University of Chicago’s average GPA is a 4.16. Young has always maintained his grades while also improving his athletic skill set.

After each football game Young would ask his dad “what did you see?” Young’s father, Tim, would help his son get better by letting Young know that he didn’t make that block there or that he needs to go straight up the middle instead.

“Carl is one of those kids who may fall between the cracks,” Kroh said. “He isn’t quite big enough physically for the big schools like KU and Mizzou, but academically he is higher than that, so we try to find a school that meets in the middle.”

Young’s mom, Eun and Tim decided that the best thing for Young to do was figure out what he wants to do for his first career. When Young figured out that he wanted to major in engineering, Kroh helped speed up the process by finding schools based on Young’s list of wants.

Tim or Eun attended each camp to support Young through his college process.

“Carl basically just took this into his own hands with Kroh, we are just there to give him help when he needs it through this process,” Tim said. “Every kid is a little different, their bend is totally different and we are just trying to help Carl maximize his experience with this and give him the most leverage.”

Playing any collegiate sport, no matter the division, is hard work and takes up time according to head football coach Dustin Delaney. The athlete

must know all of the requirements going into it.

Delaney helps to prepare his players for collegiate football as best as he can.

“I try to set them up with knowing what it will be like so they aren’t just thrown in there,” Delaney said. “Carl has gotten a lot stronger over the years because our weights program is very similar to collegiate level programs. I make sure all of them know that it is like a job.”

A job that Young has been doing for years, and a job that he feels will make all the hard work worth it someday.

“If you want to be good at something you have to put in the work, you have to put in the time, you gotta do everything that it takes to get there,” Young said. “It’s not just you’ve got some talent you’re gonna be great, it’s you got some talent but you’re not there yet.”

GO? E H E DID R E H W UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO

PRINCETON WASH U ST. LOUIS

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(TOP) Senior Carl Young Poses on the upper field with the various t shirts from the camps that he attended| KAITLYN STRATMAN ( B E H I N D ) Members of the freshman football team stand watching practice atop a hill. | KAITLYN STRATMAN

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31

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THE HARBINGER

S U M M E R S TA N D O U T S In case you were living under a rock, here’s what you missed this summer

BY ANNA MCCLELLAND

R . I . P. HARAMBE M AY 2 8

A

fter a young boy fell into a gorilla enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo on May 28, a 17-year-old gorilla named Harambe was shot and killed by a zoo worker.

According to witnesses, the three-year-old boy climbed a short fence intending to join the gorillas in the pit. A video of the incident went viral on various social media platforms, the hashtag ‘#RIPHarambe’ trended on Twitter for weeks.

ORLANDO SHOOTINGS

TAY LO R & K I M Y E FEUD

A

“I

JUNE 12

t the Pulse, an Orlando Nightclub, 49 people were killed and 53 others were wounded on June 12, according to CBS News. The attacker, 29-year-old Omar Mateen, was a security guard at the club. He targeted The Pulse for being a gay nightclub and for hosting a Latin Night. ISIL claimed responsibility for the attack, but CIA investigations unearthed no connection between Mateen and ISIL. Mateen was shot and killed by an Orlando police officer, ending the attack.

J U LY 1 7

feel like me and Taylor might still have sex. Why? I made that b––– famous.” These notorious lyrics sparked a fullon feud between Taylor Swift and Kimye – Kim Kardashian and Kanye West. After West’s song “Famous” was released, Swift claimed she had no knowledge of the lyrics. However, Kardashian revealed videos of a phone call between Swift and West on her Snapchat story of West telling Swift about the nature of the lyrics. The videos went viral and created a mountain of media attention.

A: “I’m on Kimye’s side, although Taylor has a soft spot Q: Who’s side in my heart. She got are you on, exposted so badly Taylor’s or and it made her look like a liar. “ Kims?

SENIOR TEAGAN NOBLIT

R E P U B L IC A N C A ND I DAT E : TRUMP

D E M O C R AT IC C A ND I DAT E : H I L L A RY

J U LY 2 4

AU G . 5 - 2 1

D

onald Trump was elected to run as the official republican candidate at the Republican National Convention which took place July 18-24. The convention was held in Cleveland, Ohio and featured speakers like Senator Ted Cruz, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and other political leaders. Religious leaders, celebrities and even survivors of the Benghazi attacks spoke. But media attention swarmed around Trump’s wife, Melania, because her speech was plagiarized from one of Michelle Obama’s speeches. Trump Organization speechwriter, Meredith McIver, took full responsibility for the incident, claiming that the plagiarized speech was an accident.

JUNIOR JACK FURLA

Q: What’s your biggest take-away from this year’s election?

A: “What’s important for someone at our age is to try learn about the real issues and how they can impact us, as opposed to blindly following one candidate or another because of perceptions or party loyalties.”

SUMMER O LY M P I C S J U LY 2 8

A

t the Democratic National Convention, Hillary Clinton was elected the official democratic candidate for the 2016 presidential race. Her candidacy was solidified July 25-28 in Philadelphia at the Wells Fargo Center. Clinton appointed Senator Tim Kaine, Rockhurst High School alumni, to run with her as Vice President during the convention, and shared the stage with other speakers like Michelle Obama and Bernie Sanders.

BY THE NUMBERS HILLARY 51% TRUMP 42% Hillary leads the race with 51%, leaving Trump at 42%

91%

66%

of black voters support Hillary over Trump

of Hispanic voters support Hillary over Trump

INFORMATION COURTESY OF PEW RESEARCH CENTER

O

nce again, the United States dominated the summer Olympics. The XXXI Olympiad was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The swimming pool turned green, athlete’s dormitories flooded, and a third of the Russian team didn’t compete due to failed drug tests. American gymnast Simone Biles triumphed, winning four gold medals and one bronze, at her first Olympic games. Michael Phelps won five gold medals and one silver in men’s swimming, bringing his total medal count to 28. He currently stands as the most decorated Olympian of all time.

U S A M E DA L COUNT UP

46 gold

37 silver

38 bronze

32

PHOTO ESSAYS

SEPTEMBER 6, 2016

WELCOME to the JUNGLE Link Leaders welcomed freshmen to their first week of school at the safari themed link crew dance

( A B OV E ) junior Venus Gutierrez pumps her fist in the middle of the crowd.

“It was incredibly hot. It was horrible. Everyone was stuck together and sweaty,” Gutierrez said. | HALEY BELL

( A B OV E ) Freshman Jane Sonnichsen dances to “Thriller” with friends. “When I was singing and having fun, all my first week worries disappeared,” Sonnichsen said. | ALLISON STOCKWELL ( R I G H T ) Senior Mazie Brooke whips her hair while dancing to DJ Kirby’s mix. “I try to go very enthusiastic because other dances you are just kind of staning around,” Brooke said. “Also, you are really just trying to set the tone for the freshmen. That’s the first taste they get of East.” | HALEY BELL

( L E F T ) Senior Link Leaders, Bailey Riecker and Fallon Herrick, rush to get ready for the dance.

“We were in a time crunch so I was trying to eat pizza while Bailey did my make up, but it was a struggle trying to not move and chewing my pizza at the same time,” said Herrick. | SOPHIE STORBECK

( A B OV E ) A dance circle forms around freshman Jerry Walker as he hypes up the crowd.

“If you want to start a party right, you’ve gotta do a backflip,” Walker said. | HALEY BELL