The Harbinger Issue 2 2023-24

Senior Lida Padgett leads the cross country team

Junior Sophia Beedle travels to all

nationwide news

See what’s happening at a different U.S. high school through their newspaper editor students from each club “paint the town” by painting windows in shops as a homecoming tradition shops have taken down the paintings by the Human Rights Club due to LGBTQ+ drawings in the past two years

this year, the Human Rights Club contacted a Starbucks in advance in order to avoid the issue

staf list

PRINT EDITORS

Katie Murphy

Greyson Imm ONLINE EDITORS

Aanya Bansal

Maggie Kissick

ASST. PRINT EDITOR

Addie Moore

ASST. HEAD COPY EDITOR

Ada Lillie Worthington

HEAD PHOTO EDITORS

Riley Scott

Liv Madden

Kenna Harrington

ASST. PHOTO EDITORS

Caroline Martucci

Clara Peters

Amelie Wong

PHOTO MENTORS

Ryan Dehan

Molly Miller

Paige Bean

VIDEO EDITORS

Abby Lee

Ryder Hendon

DESIGN EDITORS

Veronica Mangine

Bridget Connely

PODCAST EDITOR

Emma Krause

ART EDITOR

Bridget Connely

ASST. ART EDITOR

Caroline Daniels

EQUIPMENT MANAGER

Mason Sajna

THE FOREST SCOUT

LAKE FOREST HIGH SCHOOL LAKE FOREST, IL

SCAN ME WEBSITE

Visit

design by addie moore

cover design by katie murphy cover photos by riley scott & liv madden

SCAN ME WEBSITE

Read a feature on a SHARE project supporting the Olivia Bloomfield Foundation and see photos from a boys varsity soccer game against Blue Valley West

MULTIMEDIA STAFF

Mary Gagen

Luke Beil

Paige Bean

Ryan Dehan

Mason Sajna

Alex Sajna

Emma Krause

Preston Hooker

Luciana Mendy

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS

Mason Sajna

Alex Sajna

Will Griffith

Maggie Condon

Drew Heese

STAFF ARTISTS

Larkin Brundige

Kai McPhail

Lorelei Galles

Zane Laing

Will Griffith

ONLINE POST MANAGERS

Sophia Brockemeier

Mary Gagen

Connor Vogel

PRINT SECTION EDITORS

EDITORIAL | Caroline Daniels

NEWS | Libby Marsh

FEATURE | Veronica Mangine

SPORTS | Isabel Baldassaro

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITORS

Maggie Kissick

Bridget Connely

ASST. SOCIAL MEDIA EDITORS

Isabel Balsassaro

Avery Anderson

COPY EDITORS

Katie Murphy

Greyson Imm

Maggie Kissick

Aanya Bansal

Ada Lillie Worthington

Addie Moore

Emmerson Winfrey

Libby Marsh

David Allegri

Sophia Brockemeier

Larkin Brundige

Lucy Wolf

STAFF WRITERS

Mary Gagen

Connor Vogel

Libby Marsh

Isabel Baldassaro

Maggie Condon

Luke Beil

Christian Gooley

Neva Hudson

Avery Anderson

Lyla Weeks

Preston Hooker

PAGE DESIGNERS

Maggie Kissick

Aanya Bansal

Emmerson Winfrey

Zane Laing

Avery Anderson

Kai McPhail

Sophia Brockemeier

Libby Marsh

Caroline Daniels

Lyla Weeks

Clara Burdick

Sydney Eck

Lucy Stephens

Lorelei Galles

EDITORIAL POLICY

The Harbinger is a student run publication. Published editorials express the views of the Harbinger staff. Signed columns published in the Harbinger express the writer’s personal opinion. The content and opinions of the Harbinger do not represent the student body, faculty, administration or Shawnee Mission School District. The Harbinger will not share any unpublished content, but quotes material may be con rmed with the sources. The Harbinger encourages letters to the editors, but reserves the right to reject them for reasons including but not limited to lack of space, multiple letters of the same topic and personal attacks contained in the letter. The Harbinger will not edit content thought letters may be edited for clarity, length or mechanics. Letters should be sent to Room 400 or emailed to smeharbinger@gmail.com.

the Forest Scout’s website

RIGHT The Human Rights Club’s painting last year at Blu Violet Boutique which got taken down shortly after its creation due to customer complaints.

photo courtesy of amani yousef

art by caroline daniels

STOP

No one should do the tomahawk chop as it’s an offensive racist caricature of Native American culture

CHOP THE

AND THE HOME of the...”

As the band slows its tempo and the national anthem draws to an end, the student section collectively starts to take their right hands from their hearts. Lifting their arms in unison, they all suddenly slice their palms down.

“Chiefs!”

This motion and chant, known as the tomahawk chop, is supposed to resemble a Native American using a tomahawk axe to scalp their enemy in battle. East students and Kansas City Chiefs fans use it as a rallying cry to hype up crowds or celebrate good plays, but no one should be doing this cheer due to its racially insensitive implications.

From its inception in 1980, Cherokee and Creek tribal leaders have called for the end of the tomahawk chop due to its dehumanizing nature. Ignoring these tribes after over 40 years of pushback is blatantly disrespectful and ignorant.

“Although the Tomahawk Chop may be a game day tradition, it is not an appropriate acknowledgment of tribal tradition or culture,” Creek Nation Principal Chief James R. Floyd stated to CNN in 2019. “It reduces Native Americans to a caricature and minimizes the contributions of Native peoples as equal citizens and human beings.”

While it may seem like a way to join in on the fun at a sports game, it’s directly mocking indigenous culture and perpetuating racist and untrue stereotypes of the “violent Indian.”

Stereotyping goes beyond pure rhetoric. In this case, it creates tangible, real-life danger. The Jim Crow Museum reports that the perception of Native people as “dangerous” contributes to negative interactions and consequences for them, including higher rates of incarceration and a predisposition to violent hate crimes. Portraying an entire race of people as violent, tomahawk-wielding murderers makes most people perceive them as such.

FOR: 7 AGAINST: 2

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

Caricaturing indigenous culture also diminishes self-esteem in impressionable Native youth. Native Americans experience the highest rates of suicide among all races, and it is the second leading cause of death for youth ages 10 to 24, according to the National Indian Council on Aging.

Think about how these kids feel seeing their culture mocked at their high school football games for the sake of a few easy cheers after a first down. It’s an unfair portrayal of their people and a gross disrespect to them.

In recent years, the NFL and the Chiefs have both taken steps to dismantle the institutionalized racism in their organizations: banning headdresses in Arrowhead, ending the “Warpaint” horse riding tradition and leading diversity-focused ad cam paigns with messages of “End Racism” and “It takes all of us” plastered on everything from helmets to football fields. So why not end the tomahawk chop too? It’s striking ly backward for a crowd to imitate a Native American scalping their enemy fifty feet from an endzone reading “End Rac ism.”

Some make the claim that the tomahawk chop is “just for fun” and an integral part of the fan experience. While it may be fun for fans in the moment, it certainly isn’t for indigenous people seeing their sa cred culture mimicked to celebrate a touchdown. Plus, there are a million more ways to have fun at a football game tive culture, like wearing your favorite play er’s jersey or singing along to Tech N9ne’s “Red Kingdom” at the top of your lungs.

When our students see the crowd of mostly adult fans do the tomahawk chop at Arrowhead Stadium while watching Sunday night football, it sends the message that this

A HISTORY IN CONTROVERSY

A brief history of the tomahawk chop

The Tomahawk Chop was invented by the Florida State University Marching Chiefs, which was quickly adopted by FSU fans.

behavior is accepted — or even encouraged. Whether it’s a Friday night East football game with a packed student section or the Super Bowl, the chop is always a direct insult to indigenous people everywhere.

It’s embarrassing to have the fans representing our program so unwilling to change this cheer for the sake of “tradition.” This is a real, solvable problem with an easy solution — stop doing the tomahawk chop.

With two Super Bowl wins in the past three years, a 2023 Team of the Year ESPY award and the world record for the NFL’s loudest stadium, there is so much more about Kansas City football to be proud of instead of an outdated, racist tradition. If you love your team, your school or your city, listen to what Native people have been saying

Al Sergel, a FSU alum and Northwest Missouri State band director, brought the cheer to The Chiefs.

1990 2020

Chiefs cheerleaders are required to use their closed sts to do the tomahawk chop instead of their open hands.

A petition to change the imagery of the Kansas City Chiefs, including the chop, is made. It currently has 19,737 signatures.

Briefs . . .

smeharbinger.net/categories/news

SME Choir and Theater hosted the annual Musical Revue themed Rock-N-Roll on Sept. 13

THE THEATER DEPARTMENT put on its annual Musical Revue on Sept. 13. The theme was “A Knight of Rock-NRoll”, and songs that were performed came from musicals such as “Jagged Little Pill” and “Grease.”

Though hosted and organized by the theater program, students from all grades could audition. Auditions happened on Aug. 16 — the first day of school — and rehearsals took place twice a week after school.

“One of the things that makes it fun is the interaction between

grades,” Chamber Choir member and senior Audrey Apprill said. “You get to know the underclassmen, and it establishes a strong senior-freshman bond for the year.”

Rehearsals consisted of running through the songs in performance groups and learning simple choreography that went along with the pieces. Apprill believes this choreography sets the show apart from other choir performances.

“Choir and theater really are a big community,” Apprill said. “[The

Musical Revue] definitely reflects that and it’s such a good time because of how well we all get along.”

SCAN ME WEBSITE

KC Ballet opened a new location on Nall Ave.

THE KANSAS CITY Ballet school location located at Nall Ave. and W 94th Street reopened on Sept. 5 after a $2.1 million remodel. The space tripled in size as it was expanded from 2,000 to 10,000 sq feet.

“The new space is really inviting, it’s new, it’s vibrant, and that feeds into the way our dancers

participate in their classes,” KC Ballet school director Grace Holmes said. “They’re going to progress much faster in a nicer space.”

Holmes oversees the program implementation and training of teachers for the school. The remodeling allowed the studio to offer a diverse array of classes to adults and to inspire people to try

dance.

“We also want to serve our community better by reaching out to different parts of our residents,” Holmes said. “So we’re able to provide services to many more different groups of people who have different needs.”

Shooting at the University of North Carolina on Aug. 28 killed a faculty member

SEQUENCE OF EVENTS

Notable events during the week of Aug. 28, according to Crosser

A text from Alert Carolina was sent out about a ‘dangerous suspect’ that couldn’t be located on campus.

Sirens and police cars were heard and seen all over campus.

PEOPLE WERE UPSET about the communication while it was happening. Every 30 minutes or so we would just get vague texts saying things like ‘the suspect is still at large.’ The texts from the university didn’t re ect the severity of what was happening.

A candlelight vigil was held on Aug. 29 to honor associate professor Zijie Yan.

Protests have been held on campus advocating for stricter gun laws.

TOP Senior Layla Ledford sings a solo to “Mama Who Bore Me” at the Musical Revue

photo by mary gagen

MACY CROSSER UNC FRESHMAN, CLASS OF 2023 EAST ALUM

DEBATE IS GREAT!

A breakdown of the topic the debaters will be studying all year

PRO- TIPS FROM

PRO- DEBATERS

“

HAVING BLOCKS written out will be handy, especially because I’m the [second speaker] and it’s a lot easier to not waste time. Also, [I’m] not using Google Docs for les and [instead] using Verbatim.

CLAIRE POLANCO

SOPHOMORE

SET-UP ROOM

A breakdown of this year’s debate topic

“

WHAT

“

What two debate partners are doing to prepare for the season

(the topic as it’s written)

The United States federal government should increase fiscal redistribution in the U.S. by adopting a federal job guarantee, expanding Social Security and/or providing a basic income.

IT MEANS

[WE NEED] MORE PREP, which means having more evidence for arguments that might be brought up against us.“

ADDI HALL

Ver•bat•im

a free, open-source platform for paperless debate; built as a template for Microsoft Word

AFF TEAM AFF TEAM NEG TEAM NEG TEAM PODIUM JUDGE

(the topic in simpler terms)

TERMS TO KNOW af•fir•ma•tive

the team in debate which supports the resolution (abbreviated to aff.)

ne•ga•tive

the team in debate which goes against the resolution (abbreviated to neg.)

cross ex•am•in•a•tion

period of questioning between constructive speeches (abbreviated to CX)

con•struct•ives

first four speeches of the debate round (separated by CX) where debaters build their arguments and construct their case

re•but•tal

design by greyson imm

copy by preston hooker

HARBINGER

SOBELA SWIMMING WITH

The Kansas City Zoo opened a new aquarium called “Sobela” on Sept. 1 in a conservationist effort

THE KANSAS CITY Zoo opened the Sobela Aquarium on Sept. 1. This new aquarium also added a new biosphere according to the KC Zoo CEO Sean Putney.

The largest tank holds up to 350,000 gallons of water and nearly 8,000 animals from various aquatic habitats now inhabit that aquarium. This includes three injured animals: one sea turtle and two sea otters who are unable to survive in the wild. According to Putney, when setting up the exhibit the zoo looked for animals that wouldn’t survive in the wild due to injuries they sustained.

According Putney, the new aquarium has opened with the hope of educating the greater KC Metropolitan area on the importance of aquatic biomes.

2013. By 2015, faculty began to assess how the aquarium would be funded.In 2018, an architect from El Dorado Contracting Company provided an estimated timeline of two-and-a-half years to build the exhibit. COVID set the building process back 6-months, but construction continued in late 2020.

While KC isn’t a coastal city, Putney believes that the zoo makes a larger impact through conservation education.

“If people are having fun, hopefully they’ll receive the conservation message we’re hoping to convey,” Putney said

Putney isn’t the only person with high hopes for the aquarium. Environmental Education teacher Rusty Debey believes that the aquarium provides a new perspective for students on ecosystems.

“Just seeing the diversity of life is incredible,” Debey said, “Especially since we’ve only been able to explore 30% of the ocean.”

The exhibit features a multitude of aquatic animals. The main difference in the animals, however, is their health. Providing homes for injured animals is one way to spread awareness of humanity’s impact on aquatic life.

has a lasting impact on people,” said Putney. Students in Debey’s classes have attended the new aquarium and to complete associated assignments and receive extra credit. Just as Putney hoped, the students have had only positive experiences of the exhibit so far according to Debey.

“[Students] can go to the aquariums just to learn more things, things that they’ll never see. And that’s the whole point of things is to get out and see those things that we just never see,” said Debey, “To just physically be there, to see the animals moving around, and living and breathing and doing their things is the coolest.”

650,000 GALLONS AND 34 habitats, you’ll see thousands of animals and learn how ocean currents connect us all.

TO KEEP ALL those animals healthy, more than five miles of pipes are located behind the scenes in a stateof-the-art water filtration system.

“It’s unique being here in the Midwest, there aren’t a lot of larger aquariums [here],” Putney said. “We wanted to make sure we had a different biome we could talk about to educate people about ecosystems and conservation efforts here in KC.”

The zoo received the idea from one of their lead sponsors, the Helzberg family, in

“The sea turtle and the two sea otters are rescue animals that would’ve been euthanized had we not taken them in,” said Putney. “They’re like the spokespeople for their species, so they’re our spokes-animals.”

Putney is hoping that the aquarium spreads joy and education simultaneously by hosting field trips and giving guided tours.

“We hope that [the exhibit is] exciting and

THE AQUARIUM INCLUDES nearly 8,000 animals representing more than 200 species, including sea otters, a

design by kai mcphail

photo by amelie wong

story by mary gagen

sea turtle, sharks, and giant Pacific octopus.

Fun facts about the Kansas City Zoo’s newest marine addition

WE WANTED TO make sure we had a different biome we could talk about to educate people about ecosystems and conservation efforts here in KC.

SEAN PUTNEY

KC ZOO CEO

story by aanya bansal

design by katie murphy

and will griffith

STUDENT

SYMPTOMS

As COVID cases rise, students explain how the influx has affected them

JOHN GAGEN SOPHOMORE

THIS IS PRETTY

much the rst time that I’ve had symptoms, normally I’m asymptomatic. It was mostly just achy joints, I didn’t lose taste or anything like that.

ESMAE BOND FRESHMAN

A new surge of COVID has caused hospitalizations to rise since mid-July, affecting students’ and their families

NATIONWIDE COVID HOSPITALIZATIONS

increased by 8.7% during the week of Aug. 27 to Sept. 2, following a steady rise since midJuly, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Three omicron sub-variants — EG.5, XBB.1.5 and XBB.1.16 — are causing the escalation of cases.

Along with other states, Kansas has stopped updating the number of infected citizens on the Kansas Department of Health and Environment website since May 31, deeming the updates to be unneeded, according to the American Medical Association. Though the number of infected people has decreased since last winter, spring and early summer, there’s been a new surge of COVID cases in the past few weeks, according to Assistant Professor of the Department of Infectious Diseases at the University of Kansas Medical Center Dana Hawinkson.

AT THE START, it was just a really stuffy nose and a really bad headache, but now it’s more my throat and a headache.

JOHN MENDY SENIOR

MY DAD HAD

a cough and basically u-like symptoms. For a little bit he lost some sense of taste. He could still taste stuff, it just wasn’t quite the same.

STATS ON THE RISE

Statistics about the increase in COVID cases around school

“Currently our hospitals — local hospitals and here at KU Hospital — are equipped to handle this current surge or coming surge,” Hawkinson said. “We anticipate it won’t be as great as what we’ve seen in the past couple of years, but that’s just what we anticipate. We’re always ready to take patients as we need to.”

Hawkinson believes that the reason for this surge is due to a number of factors: groups are staying inside more due to high summer temperatures, families traveled right before school started and students have been back to school for about a month. Small classroom settings are likely adding to the increase in cases since COVID is spread by airborne particles and droplets, which are more easily transferred

SCAN ME INFO

Check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s dashboard for the latest national COVID updates

in densely populated spaces.

Senior John Mendy’s father tested positive for COVID on Sept. 4, and his symptoms included coughing, difference in taste and difficulty doing physical activity. However, he was able to continue going on daily runs.

“Honestly it didn’t seem as bad,” Mendy said. “During the original COVID pandemic, symptoms were really serious for people, but this time my dad was still going out on runs every day, so it wasn’t a big hindrance to his day.”

STAYED IN

room and tried to stay away from my mom, stepdad and sibling. I was the only one with it. They all tested negative.

ESMAE BOND FRESHMAN

Mendy had some mild symptoms himself, like a runny nose and trouble breathing, but tested negative on an athome COVID test. The rest of his family — Mendy’s two sisters and mother — had no symptoms.

Freshman Esmae Bond had a similar experience with the virus. She believes she caught the new strain at a freshmen party over Labor Day weekend. She’s heard of five fellow party-goers who also tested positive — all quarantined before returning to school.

“I stayed in my room and tried to stay away from my mom, stepdad and siblings,” Bond said. “I was the only one with it. They all tested negative.”

HAVE YOU BEEN SICK WITH COVIDLIKE SYMPTOMS IN THE PAST COUPLE OF MONTHS?

*Instagram poll of 233 votes 49%

What started out as a stuffy nose and bad headache turned into a sore throat and mild headache over the span of a week. Bond tested positive on Sept. 4 and then returned to school on Sept. 11 after quarantining.

“Schoolwork was my biggest worry because a lot of the work was done in class, so there wasn’t much for me to get done at home,” Bond said. “But my teachers have been helping me a lot with getting caught up and giving me more time to finish stuff.”

This lower severity of the virus is due to over 80% of U.S. citizens already being vaccinated, receiving booster shots or experiencing infection and reinfection, according to Hawkinson. Antiviral medicines like Paxlovid — an antiviral pill that can be taken at home — are also available to help keep high-risk patients from hospitalization.

Though these new variants seem to have minor effects, Hawkinson discourages those with symptoms from going out in public and wants people to understand that individuals should feel comfortable wearing a mask — especially in schools where someone may be immunocompromised.

“Number one is if you’re sick or have symptoms, you really shouldn’t be going to work or school,” Hawkinson said. “I know that’s hard for most people, but you should absolutely try to get tested either at an urgent care, a physician’s office or home testing as well.”

Local pharmacies and grocery stores including CVS, Walgreens, Target and HyVee continue to provide in-person testing as well as over-the-counter COVID tests.

%

OF STUDENTS HAVE A FRIEND OR RELATIVE THAT TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID IN THE PAST COUPLE OF MONTHS

*Instagram poll of 242 votes

I

my

FUELING FOR GOOD

In partnership with the Plaza 10k, National Honors Society hosted a volunteer opportunity for its members on Sept. 10

RIGHT The Plaza 10k supplies a T-shirt to all runners and volunteers. NHS volunteers were given a complimentary T-shirt.

photo by kenna harrington

LEFT Junior Lincoln King pours water into the cups at the fourth mile stand. “I always love talking to people,” King said. “Helping them through their race is always a good feeling.”

photo by kenna harrington

BELOW Junior Eli Wilson swings at a nearby park while waiting for the race to begin. After filling up the water prior to the race, Wilson and some friends passed the time by playing on the playground.

photo by kenna harrington

THE

photos and design by kenna harrington

SCAN ME PHOTO Scan this QR code to view more pictures from this event.

LEFT Junior Reid Hawks spills a cup of water while handing it to a runner at the beginning of the race. “We would all compete with each other to see who could go without spilling it,” Hawks said.

photo by kenna harrington

smeharbinger.net/categories/opinion

self help

Staffer gives advice to students who responded to an Instagram poll asking for advice

THIS GIRL KEEPS FLIRTING WITH ME BUT I HAVE A GIRLFRIEND. SHE’S KIND OF CUTE THOUGH.

- anonymous

ABSOLUTELY NOT. I will never understand this sort of mindset when it comes to relationships and dating. I would be open with your girlfriend about the thoughts you are having about someone else, never lie and be too scared to say it to her face. My only advice to you is be a better person.

I HAVE NEVER HAD A DATE TO A DANCE, AND I FEEL LIKE NOBODY WILL EVER LIKE ME.

- anonymous

SERIOUSLY DON’T FEEL bad if you haven’t been asked to a dance. You should try going with a group of friends or even by yourself without a date. I’ve gone with and without a group, and there’s a lot more laughing when you’re with friends.

“SOMETIMES I’M SCARED THAT MY FRIENDS ALL SECRETLY HATE ME AND THINK I’M ANNOYING.

- anonymous

I’M SURE THAT everyone gets this feeling at one point in their life. My best advice would be to just tell them and practice being vulnerable. 99% of the time you are overthinking the situation. Remember to always be the most authentic version of you.

hot take

story by maggie kissick

Concerts are not worth your money

LET’S BE REAL: concerts are not worth the money. You spend a small fortune on tickets if you want to stand anywhere near the stage. As soon as you arrive, you shove your way through large crowds. Once the lights dim, you’re packed into a sea of rowdy fans with loud noise and strobing lights, trying your best not to pass out.

But how often do you leave a concert and actually remember what you just witnessed?

The beats, the faces, the lyrics — you’re spending $500 for a few sensory-overloaded memories. And the financial blow? You could revamp your entire wardrobe with what you end up shelling

out for tickets, overpriced beverages and that obligatory, wallet-draining merchandise.

The entire experience is pretty miserable. Waiting four hours in the Ticketmaster queue, coordinating rides to the event and standing up for several hours?

I’d rather listen to my favorite artists from the comfort of my bed through my headphones.

So, before you willingly sign over your next paycheck for a concert, ask yourself: are you investing in a memory or just renting a space in the crowd? Save your money for something that will actually last instead of spending it on a concert you won’t remember in a month.

cartoon by lorelei galles

TAKE OUR POLLS

@smeharbinger @smeharbinger

@smeharbie @smeharbingerr

NO

design by kai mcphail

Opinion . .

WWhile I was “productively” scrolling on TikTok, I came across a video by @haley2024 — a fan account for Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley. It was an edit of Haley speaking during the Republican primary debate.

“If you want something said, ask a man,” Haley said in the video, quoting Margaret Thatcher. “If you want something done, ask a woman.”

The song “Maneater” by Nelly Furtado played behind Haley’s words as different clips of Haley smiling and posing with fans flashed across my screen accumulating three million likes. I couldn’t help but smile at her apparent, powerful femininity as I opened up the comments. But my eyebrows raised as I read what people were saying.

She’s got my vote.

President 2024.

Now I’m not into politics but I hope she wins.

Twenty-nine thousand more comments asserted their newfound political support for Haley’s “campaign” all because of her requote to a top-10 hit song from the 1980s. The clip didn’t include anything about Haley’s political policies, thoughts on reducing carbon emissions, stance on abortion or plans for government spending.

Young people may believe that they are politically “in-the-know” due to surface-level political social media posts but they should prioritize finding reliable, unbiased news outlets, instead of hopping on the bandwagon after seeing a 15-second, doctored video.

The video is just one of the many biased political posts on social media

that omit crucial details and spread biased or false narratives.

Similar to the Haley fan account, on Instagram Vivek Ramaswamy —another Republican presidential candidate— gained support by simply posting a compilation of himself with audio clips of people praising his ability to “take on the most difficult subjects” while “Superhero (Heroes and Villains)” by Chris Brown, Future and Metro Boomin played in the background.

Political information on social media isn’t just posts praising politicians but also diminishing them. TikTok account @genzforchange posted a video of “Ron DeSantis Being Inhuman For 30 Seconds Straight.” The video was just exaggerated clips of DeSantis laughing and his facial expressions during speeches, it didn’t include any inhumane policies or opinions he had.

Political social media accounts can also create posts without proper context to purposely distort the truth. This was done recently by multiple accounts on X, Facebook, and Instagram, that posted a video of Biden supposedly admitting to selling state secrets at a meeting with India’s prime minister that has been posted. The viral clip, however, conveniently cuts off right before Biden makes it clear that it was only a joke.

There was no educational value in any of these social media posts — none of them helped me learn critical information regarding the event or person they were about. Instead they merely showed shallow, superficial and sometimes just outright wrong information.

Teenagers are affected the most by these unreliable posts, it’s really easy

Young people should prioritize finding trustworthy news sources instead of depending on unreliable social media posts

to just scroll on TikTok when you’re tired instead of making the effort to look up reliable sources and learn from them. According to a Common Sense Media study, 54% of teenagers get their news from social media, and over half of those teens specifically use YouTube for news. However, 60% of teens who get news from YouTube say they are more likely to get it from “celebrities, influencers and personalities.”

While some may think that social media is a reliable source of political information, it has been repeatedly proven that it’s not. News on social media is often misinformed, exaggerated and biased to the point of distorting the truth.

Reliable news organizations adhere to strict journalistic standards — they fact-check, verify sources and have multiple accountability mechanisms. On the other hand, I could post that Joe Biden is going to start World War III on TikTok or Instagram without consequence.

Relying on social media for news causes teenagers to have shallow and incomplete views of the news

around them. So take five minutes to open Apple News to read about the most recent Trump allegations instead of just believing a random X account or watching a TikTok compilation of his mug shot.

According to Common Sense Media, two in three teens who get news directly from news organizations say doing so has helped them better understand current events.

I’ve started seeking out news sources such as AP News, The New York Times and The Washington Post, and resisting the urge to just click on TikTok for information. I already feel more educated about topics like how Maui is handling the repercussions of the recent fires and the details of Trump’s indictment.

With important events like the 2024 election only a year away, it’s critical for young people to be well-informed. Quick and oftentimes biased or even untrue social media posts have too much power over our opinions.

So I urge you to educate yourself with a reliable news source instead of just watching Instagram reels to form opinions about the current leaders and events in our country.

Stats about teens interacting with news from a survey on commonsensemedia.org

AGE 13 TO 17 IN THE U.S. SAY IT’S IMPORTANT TO THEM

design by caroline daniels

photo by paige bean

KATIE AT RSI

JUST APPLY

AS MATH PROOFS and historical document a nalysis made their way on and off my to-do list during the first semester of my packed junior year, one item was perpetually stuck on it: finish Research Science Institute application.

Last summer, a friend told me about RSI: a cost-free six-week residential research program run by the Center for Excellence in Education, hosted at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. I was hooked — living in the city, working in my own lab and meeting diverse friends? Count me in.

But as much as I wanted to live in Cambridge for the summer, writing five 800-word essays just to potentially receive a rejection letter was deprioritized compared to my AP Physics 2 problem sets and Harbinger story drafts. And, even as a Santa-believing, sparkle-loving optimist, the 5% acceptance rate still looked grim. Only one hundred U.S. and international students entering their senior year are chosen to participate.

A complimentary stay at MIT felt like a sketchy pop-up ad promising toogood-to-be-true bonuses, especially from my desk nestled 20 miles away from genuine farmland. The application was daunting — I had tennis practice anyway.

Except the December deadline kept approaching, so I sucked up my doubts,

UPCOMING

OPPORTUNITIES

Programs to apply for with deadlines in the upcoming months

gathered my transcripts and test scores and crafted up 4,000 words — fueled by the possibility of adventure. Six months and a few tears of joy later, I flew into Boston Logan International Airport armed with two comically large suitcases and my TI-84 calculator.

It’s not an exaggeration when I say those six weeks were the most insane days of my life.

Crossing Harvard bridge on the way to my new home (MIT’s Baker House dorm), I watched skyscrapers pass by out of the rolled-down taxi window, hair blowing — basically starring in my own personal cliché coming-of-age movie.

At the dorms, I met my roommates from Barcelona, Saudi Arabia and Philadelphia whom I still FaceTime with today.

Each morning, I walked through Cambridge and scanned my new ID card into my research lab to work alongside undergraduate researchers. I went to math class in grand MIT lecture halls. I was blessed to hear Physics Nobel Laureate Wolfgang Ketterle speak about the Bose–Einstein Condensate and meet CRISPR inventor Feng Zheng and Mathematica creator Stephen Wolfram.

I watched in amazement as my peers solved graduate-level math problems and quite literally wrote computer programs more efficient than Meta’s latest large language AI models. I learned more about Javascript, LaTeX and academic writing in six weeks than I did in a se-

INTERLOCHEN SCAN

Interlochen is an arts school with a renowned summer camp. Two Harbinger staffers attended Interlochen this summer, studying design and art.

After attending the Research Science Institute program, staffer recommends applying to programs of interest

mester of school.

To be fair, I know that definitely doesn’t sound fun to everyone. But I also made friends from places as far as Hong Kong and Bulgaria — who joined me walking to Chinatown, Newbury Street and through the underground tunnels below MIT. We took a boat ride around Boston Harbor, watched Fourth of July fireworks explode over the Charles River from the Great Dome front lawn and ate Boston’s specialty Toscanini’s ice cream. It was awesome.

Completing my lengthy and detailed RSI application was one of the best things I crossed off my to-do list last year, even though I had to stay up extra late to do it.

So to everyone, especially to underclassmen: don’t feel silly applying for things that might seem out of reach. Maybe research isn’t something that you would enjoy, but I urge you to go online and find your own adventure. Interview for that internship, try out for that sport, apply for that art scholarship.

Maybe you end up writing an abundance of essays and hurting your ego from a rejection, but you could end up having a beautiful and memorable experience. It’s worth a shot. At the very least, you’ll get practice writing for college applications and applying for jobs. Go put yourself out there — I’m rooting for you.

Moments from Katie’s experience as a Research Science Institute scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

RSI is a residential research program during the summer located at MIT.

design by lorelei galles

photo by kenna harrington

story by katie murphy

WHOLE PROGRAM PHOTO ON THE FIRST DAY IN BOSTON

RESEARCHING OUTSIDE ON THE MIT DOME LAWN

ATTENDING MATHEMATICIAN JOHN URSCHEL’S LECTURE

photo by molly miller

MEET YOUR HOMECOMING

Feature

.

Coffee shop staffers share their favorite drink on the new back-to-school menu

I LIKE THE raspberry Arnold Palmer because I’m a fan of tea and the mixture between the raspberry, lemonade and tea is great.

CLAIRE SCHUDY | finance

ABI LIMBIRD SENIOR

COLLIN FORD SENIOR

THE SALTED CARAMEL latte is my favorite because I don’t like the taste of coffee that much and with the salted caramel I can’t taste it as much.

ALEX FLOWER | sales

AUTUMN SUN SENIOR

A quick word from three of the nineteen Homecoming Court nominees on why you should vote for them

I THINK STUDENTS should vote for me because I feel like a good mix of upper and lower classmen know me well, and I’m a familiar face.

STUDENTS SHOULD VOTE for me because I represent all that’s great within the walls of East. I’m everything that an East student should be and people should try to be just like me.

I’M INVOLVED IN a lot around the school like Varsity soccer, NHS of cer and President of Pickleball Club. Because I’m involved in different activities, I know a wide variety of students.

design by veronica mangine

SENIOR

photos by amelie wong, caroline martucci, molly miller & mason sanja

photo by amelie wong

ABOVE Junior Naomi Kincaid carves an apple to make a swan in Advanced Foods class.

photo by amelie wong

ABOVE Freshman Spencer Thornhill places a fidget toy in a cubby.

photo by caroline martucci

50 STATES

TO GRADUATE

The Beedles, an East family, are planning on visiting all 50 states before their oldest daughter graduates

LAYING OUT

ON

the Destin, Florida beach gazing at the vast Atlantic ocean ahead, then-eight-year-old Sophia Beedle’s mom, Liz Beedle, turned to her in excitement.

“Sophia, I have a big idea.”

Toes in the sand, the pair formed a plan to accomplish what only 2% of people in the U.S. have done according to The Reader’s Digest— travel to all 50 states. One of Liz’s friends had successfully checked off a multitude of states, so she figured that her family could too.

The Beedles added an extra challenge to their already jam-packed schedule complete with daily soccer practices and school activities — do it all before Sophia, the oldest of the Beedle children, graduates.

“Our country is huge with different areas,” Liz said. “You can go to the South versus the West to the Northeast. They’re all so vastly different from each other.”

The Beedles began mapping out their journey in 2016, visiting Southern states like Arkansas and Louisiana outside of spring break trips to Kauai and Maui with their extended family — complete with memorable moments ranging from beach drama to daily adventures.

“We were just sitting on the beach, and our cousin Christian got taken out by a wave,” Sophia said. “He hit his knee, and was screaming ‘I can’t get up!’ We were all taking videos and laughing [with him].”

Sophia appreciates how her family is able to have a good time even in crazy situations.

The Beedle sisters visited 16 states prior to their challenge and after eight years are 49 states in. Her parents previously visited states as well but planned their trips out perfectly so that Alaska — their only remaining state — will be the whole family’s final state.

While they’ve done one-state trips, the Beedles agree that their favorite vacations are the ones where they visit multiple states.This past summer, they visited seven states in the New England region — New York, Connecti -

cut, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts.

“It depends on the area we’re going to,”

IT’S FUN GETTING

Sophia said. “On the East Coast, there were so many states [nearby] so it was easy to knock out a bunch.”

Some states with more sightseeing stops attract more of the Beedles’ attention. They spent six days whale watch ing, shopping, visit ing Circus Du Soleil and driving through the cities of Cali fornia and Nevada. Later, they trav eled to Hawaii and spent seven days hopping from island to island.

While the family has flown a couple times for their trips, Sophia’s young er sisters seventh grader Jane and sophomore Morgan Beedle say that their fa vorite memories are their car ride conversations on the way to each vacation spot.

TRIP AT A GLANCE

“It’s fun getting to hear stories about us when we were younger,” Morgan said. “And then we get to hear stories about our parents when they were little and that brings us closer to them.”

Sophia agrees that these trips have helped her grow closer to her parents and siblings. Since the sisters are all involved in soccer, they don’t spend much time together at home. But being on the road forces them and their parents to forget their busy schedule and spend more time poking fun at each other or discussing their plans for the upcoming week.

Her dad especially opened up during their scenic two hour car ride through California.

“We had the deepest conversation with my dad about his life and how he grew up,” Sophia said. “It was a wholesome and memorable conversation where he told us stories about his childhood.”

The Beedles also carry on family traditions

trips “The Beedle Five Summer Vacation.” They make sure to get ice cream almost every night for dessert and do “cheers” with their drinks at dinnertime without fail.

“There’s always one dinner where we’re all just laughing,” Sophia said. “It happens every time and we have a lot of fun. I also get a break from everything happening in life.”

With one final destination left in their journey, the Beedles are set to check it off by next summer, according to Liz.

“Alaska is next summer and we already have the plane tickets,” Liz said. “I’d been stalking Alaska Airlines’ website until the day they released the tickets.”

With tickets booked and plans developing, Sophia is eager for what this last state trip will bring for her and her family.

A photo collage of highlights from the Beedle’s trips

design by clara burdick story by isabel baldassaro photos courtesy of sophia beedle

to hear stories about us when we were younger. And then we get to hear stories about our parents when they were little and that brings us closer to them.

MORGAN BEEDLE SOPHOMORE

ROAD TO NEUROLOGY

4 years

4 years MEDICAL SCHOOL

BACHELOR’S DEGREE

DOWN NARROWING NEURO

Junior Hannah Todd is starting a neurology internship at KU after her ADHD diagnosis sparked an interest in the subject

BEGIN NOW.”

As her classmates flipped to the first page of their eighth grade history test and started writing, junior Hannah Todd stared blankly at the first question. She read it five times before processing what she needed to do.

Whether it was taking longer on assessments in elementary school or switching between a new hobby each week, Hannah knew she was different from her classmates. She had trouble concentrating and excessively fidgeted while working.

Todd was diagnosed with ADHD inattentive in September 2021. This was when she picked up a new interest — neurology. She wanted to better understand her brain and the effect ADHD would have on her. She wanted to know why her mind works the way it does and determine what makes it different.

This month, Hannah continues her goal of helping others struggling with ADHD as she begins her neurology internship at the University of Kansas Medical Center.

By talking to students at KU or using government websites, she was able to figure out why sometimes reading through her assignments felt like reading another language — nothing connected.

“If I can get the information I’m learning out to others, it’ll help them understand themselves better and understand others who are like them who have ADHD or other mental illnesses,” Todd said.

In kindergarten, Hannah was given a doctor’s kit with a real stethoscope from her mom, Sarah Todd. But Hannah didn’t want just a plastic medical instrument, she wanted to hear a real heartbeat. Sarah recognized Hannah’s drive to understand people and objects past the surface level.

“She’s a very good listener, very in tune to others and very perceptive,” Sarah said. “But she’s also very persistent and driven. She’ll stick with something until she figures it out.”

The KEE program is a chance for high school and college students to apply to shadow experiments and workers at KUMC.

“She was going to spend maybe an hour shadowing him,” Sarah said. “She spent over three hours [at KUMC] and loved it and came home on cloud nine. So ecstatic, so eager and excited to learn more.”

During the internship, she’ll be studying how the brain recovers from trauma by studying rats. The tests will focus on the neurons in a rat’s brain and the effect of the trauma on the rat’s ability to complete a task. She’ll observe the behavior during a task where the animals reach and retrieve food.

Through this opportunity, Hannah will work with students ranging from high school to college to experience programs and neurology professionals

ADHD in•at•ten•tive

trouble paying attention to details, have trouble finishing tasks, often forgot routine, and are easily distracted

to get a real-world look into the field of neurology.

“Everybody knows what a physician is, but not very many people get exposure to what you’re doing,” Guggenmos said. “You can read about things in a science textbook, but that’s very different from the actual practice of doing research.”

Hannah’s goal for the program is to figure out if neurology will be a future career of hers — like becoming a bioengineer and inventing tools to regulate the dopamine system. She can take this research and reflect it on to others so they won’t feel like there’s something wrong with themselves. Their brain just works differently.

INTERNSHIP 1 year RESIDENCY

3 years

A family friend of the Todd’s, David Guggenmos, introduced Hannah to the internship. She originally talked to David’s wife about her interest in the brain and immediately built a connection. From there, Hannah got in contact with David, toured a building he works in and was informed of the KEE program — the KU Medical Center Educational Experience.

“There’s so many different internships, there’s so many different opportunities, there’s so many different careers,” Todd said. “The more you can narrow that down the better. [The hard part] is getting over that fear. Fear is what stops everyone from doing anything.”

The steps Todd plans to take to enter neurology in the future

design by sydney eck

photo by riley scott

story by larkin brundige

RHYTHM & RUBY

SENIOR RUBY WAGNER sat behind her shiny silver drum set, peeking her head around the cymbals to see the crowd of around 100 people at the 2023 annual Prairie Village Jazz Festival on Sept. 9. Wagner’s role in the band was heard through each rhythmic thump and crash of her flying sticks to the beat of “Mamacita” by Joe Henderson. It was impossible for the audience not to notice her.

Preparing for her third year of performing in this event with East’s top jazz band — The Blue Knights — Wagner spent three weeks of each sixth-hour block period practicing with the group, led by band director Alex Toepfer.

“When Ruby’s behind the drum set, I don’t have to worry about anything,” Toepfer said. “I just know that she’s always going to do the right thing. She’s in the top 1% of students I’ve had in my career.”

Wagner started drumming at Belinder Elementary School in fifth grade. She then spent the next seven years practicing and taking lessons at Explorers, a drumming company, to improve with her coach, Doug Auwarter. But the most recent spark in her musical career was joining a quartet last November with East alums Delia Cashman,

HER VENUES

Wagner has performed at multiple venues around Kansas City with her quartet

ROCKCREEK BREWING LEAWOOD WINE AND SPIRITS CROSSROADS MUSIC FESTIVAL

GRADUATION PARTIES APARTMENT VIEWING EVENT

bassist, Henry Revare, a trumpet player, piano player and sophomore, Nash Ohlund.

“We’re really close,” Wagner said. “And it happened really fast. We just started playing a lot together after school and just got really close after that.”

They began practicing after school four times a week until December when they played their first gig. later when they played their first gig that December. While searching through a thrift store for the perfect uniform, the four came across matching Pink Whitney hats. With Revare’s middle name being Payne, the group realized that they had found their name — Whitney Payne.

“At that start, I didn’t think I was gonna like [the quartet],” Ohlund said. “I was like this is kind of nerdy, but now they’re my best friends.”

The group was able to book gigs mostly because of connections through friends’ parents, the first being saxophonist, Sean Reed, whose dad owned Rock Creek Brewing Company where they first played an official gig.

After the first event, they continued to play at various holiday events throughout December. With all the extra practice, the

group naturally fell in sync which became one of Wagner’s core memories.

“I remember one time we were playing in the band room and we played syncopated path and all of us stopped playing at the same time and we just freaked out,” Wagner said.

Although Revare and Cashman have gone to college, the quartet still practices every few weeks and makes runs to their beloved post-performance restaurant Chelly’s Cafe on long weekends when everyone is in town. They dedicate time to hang out one night while everyone is in town and then practice the next day.

They recently played their biggest gig yet at the Crossroads Music Festival on August 26 where Wagner used a provided drum set rather than her own. Her frustration from how she might have played better if it was her own set, left her mind when the set owner told her he’d never heard someone play like she had.

“It was nice to hear that I brought something out of the drums that he hadn’t heard before,” Wagner said. “So that was cool.”

It also taught Wagner how crucial vulnerability is when it comes to playing an

RIGHT The trombone section plays alongside Wagner. “Whenever I play with Ruby, I’m never worried about what’s happening because she always knows what she’s doing and is our best drummer,” senior and trombone player Davis Muther said. photo

instrument that she wasn’t used to for big groups. The event became a test of if she could play as well as she would on her own set.

The quartet has performed original pieces like “Beatrice” and “Nardis” written by Revare. Wagner believes they specifically click and sync as a group when playing these songs. This helps them perform more loosely because they enjoy what they’re playing. It was something they would want to listen to whether or not they were practicing. Wagner is in the process of writing her own music, though she has yet to debut it in front of a crowd.

Besides the quartet, Wagner practices the drums in all of her four band classes, Jazz Nights, Marching Band, Music Technology and Independent Study with Toepfer. Though she might not be back at the Prairie Village Jazz Festival next year, since she graduates this spring, Wagner plans to continue her musical career and take on more opportunities to play.

“I hope that we can get more gigs where people are listening to us and not just background,” Wagner said. “I feel like we’re on a steep path, getting good at our instruments.”

Senior Ruby Wagner pursues her passion for drumming as part of the jazz band The Blue Knights

BELOW Senior Ruby Wagner reads her sheet music during sound check before she preforms her drum solo during the Prairie Village Jazz Festival. photo by liv madden

SCAN ME PHOTO scan this QR code to purchase photos from this event.

by liv madden

design by liv madden

TOP Band director Alex Toepfer warms up the band during sound check before performing in front of Prairie Village.

photo by liv madden

ABOVE Wagner packs up her drums before going over to the skate park where Toepfer warms up the band during sound check before performing in front of Prairie Village.

photo by kenna harrington

LEFT Wagner gets ready to perform her drum solo during the final act of the Shawnee Mission East jazz session.

photo by liv madden

NEW RELEASES

A E . . . & STUDENT

UPCOMING EVENTS

smeharbinger.net/category/a&e

ANGEL FACE

by Stephen Sanchez

Release Date: September 22

Genre: Pop Rock

SCARLET

by Doja Cat

Release Date: September 22

Genre: Hip Hop

SPOTLIGHT

I STARTED SEWING when I was seven-years-old, and my favorite thing is to design and create new clothing. Usually my designs are based on music artists like Lana Del Rey, emotions and personal experiences. Recently, I had a dress displayed in the Teen Fashion Show at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. It took around two months to make and was de nitely my most complicated piece so far. The dress has pearl beading on the front, and it was really technically dif cult to get them to stick on. I’m entering two pieces into the fashion show at East and am currently drafting designs for the dresses.

MAZIE ALBER SOPHOMORE

CHECK IT OUT:

NOW IN KANSAS CITY

Approaching events being held locally

PLAZA ART FAIR

WHEN: S eptember 22-24, 2023

THE CHALICE OF THE GODS

by Rick Riordan

Release Date:

September 26

Genre: Adventure Pages: 288

WHAT:

9/22: 5 a.m. — 10 p.m.

9/23: 10 a.m. — 10 p.m.

9/24: 11 a.m. — 5 p.m.

A collection of artists from across the state featuring their artwork and entertainment from various music groups including dining options.

THE COUNTRY CLUB PLAZA

RED SATURDAY

WHEN: S eptember 23, 2023

WHAT: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

A celebration of the Kansas City Chiefs rst Sunday home game including pictures with “KC Wolf” and family activities. Prizes such as gift cards, discounts and Chiefs-themed basket will be available.

PRAIRIE VILLAGE SHOPS

design by sophia brockmeier photo by amazon and courtesy of mazie alber

A look at sophomore Mazie Alber’s fashion design

story

by avery

anderson

design by zane laing photo by clara

peters

AVERY’S BIG FAT

WEDDINGGREEK

I’M A SUCKER for an early 2000s rom-com. Their silly plots and lovable characters make movies like “Legally Blonde,” “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” and “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” my go-to comfort movies. So when I heard a third installment of one of these classics was coming out on Sept. 8, I had to see it.

BIG FAT

Movie MARATHON

Avery’s take on the previous two movies

Release Date: Aug. 2, 2002

Run Time: 1 hour 35 minutes

“A family-friendly classic lled with hilarious mishaps and overbearing Greek relatives, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” is a timeless movie with a little something for everyone.”

Release Date: Mar 15, 2016

Run Time: 1h 34min

“While not as sentimental as its predecessor, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 follows the story of Ian and Toula into their parenthood while acknowledging the ups and downs of life in a big family.”

“My Big Fat Greek Wedding” is among the early 2000s treasures that continues to appeal to me even two decades after its release due to its timeless humor. Its sequel, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2,” wasn’t considered as successful as its predecessor — typical of most sequels — but still a lovely addition to the original story. “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3” on the other hand, was lacking completely in all aspects, making the original and second installment infinitely more special to me.

Five minutes into the movie when my favorite Greek couple’s family arrived at the airport to depart for their trip to Greece, I could already tell I wasn’t going to like it due to the rushed and unfunny introduction. Between the forced jokes and an awful plot, the movie was simply worse than the previous two.

The movie begins by acknowledging the death of former actor Michal Constantine, who played the father Gus in both “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” and “My Big Fat

The third installment of the My Big Fat Greek Wedding franchise does not live up to previous t films

Greek Wedding 2.” Recovering from the death of an actor portraying a main character in a movie franchise is a difficult task for any director. So while I agree with director Joel Zwick’s approach to incorporate the character’s death into the plot rather than completely cut him out, it was poorly executed.

Alongside this character’s death, the production team also removed the mother from the movie by diagnosing her with Alzheimer’s — which made no sense because it only complicated the plot. The loss of these two crucial characters creates poorly patched-up plot holes.

After setting a rocky base for the film with the introduction of the current condition of the family, some members set off on a trip to Greece for a family reunion in Gus’s hometown. When they arrive at the airport, they’re met with an unexpected cousin and the information that most citizens her father had known in the now-dreary town have moved away.

The entire exposition felt rushed and information clarifying what had happened to the family following the second movie was simply not there. This set the stage for a wholly confusing movie.

It’s at this point in the film when each character reveals a goal they’re trying to achieve or a secret they’re keeping from their family. Each character is followed on their individual journey to resolve their

31% CRITIC S

REVIEWS

40%

respective conflict. With so many different storylines in the film and over 10 different characters to follow, it makes it hard to keep track of each one and makes their personal conflicts short and pointless.

Not to mention the ridiculousness of each conflict. One of the characters meets her long lost brother — a classic rom-com cliché. The whole movie felt like watching an episode of “The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse” — I kept wondering which “mousekatool” they were going to come up with to resolve their issues.

Following the resolution of countless side-plots that complicated the movie, there was — you guessed it — a big fat Greek wedding.

I loved the idea that they brought back the wedding aspect of the franchise and included it in the movie, but similar to the rest of the plot, it was frantically crammed into the last 25 minutes of the film with little explanation or lead-up.

While all issues are eventually resolved and it’s wholesome to see the characters together as a family at the end, I found nothing else positive to say about the production as a whole.

Between a plot that didn’t make any sense, crucial characters who were barely included and forced jokes that crash landed with the audience, I can confidently say that I never need to watch “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3” again.

“We’re still left with cute but thinly drawn characters with little personality beyond signature quirks.”

- ROTTEN TOMATOES CRITIC PAT PADUA

“The expanded saga of the Portokalos family becomes less compelling, introspective and funny the more time we spend with them.”

- VARIETY CRITIC COURTNEY HOWARD

A review of the Green Dirt Farm in Weston, Missouri

Milk

WEDGED BETWEEN MY dad and brother, standing next to a 10,000 foot freefall on a trail known as Vail Pass in Colorado, my mom stands ahead and pulls out her phone for a picture.

“Cheese!”

Cheese? I thought. Hm. I’ve always completed the predestined action of smiling wide after the five letter word is spoken by someone snapping a picture, but why? What’s so special about cheese anyway? And why is it a given hint to make someone smile?

It wasn’t until I visited the Green Dirt Farm that I was revealed with the truth.

Tucked away down a gravel road off of the historic Missouri town of Weston — about a 45-minute drive from Prairie Village, sits a local cheese and sheep farm called the Green Dirt Farm. Along with their weekly tours and celebratory events, the experience of the tour and tasting will take you through a journey while you also observe the process of cheese making and the committed effort of the staff —plus the added bonus: sheep sightseeing.

The farm is home to over three-

hundred sheep, who spend their days basking in the agricultural pastures and undergoing a milking procedure to make the award-winning cheese that Green Dirt Farm sells— the Fresh Sheep, Dirt Lover, and Prairie Tomme.

gravel roads up to the sheep pasture.

THE MAGIC OF BREAKDOWN

The quiet countryside air and the enchanting view of the rolling hills filled our surroundings. The sounds of roosters and border collies guarding their beloved sheep were heard throughout the farm. We proceeded to walk to the milking parlor, where sheep are milked twice a day.

flavor. Then it becomes chewy and warm — melting in my mouth.

GREEN DIRT

Farm holds some of the best cheeses I’ve ever tasted. My expectations for the grocery store samples that greet you when you walk in through the sliding doors have just been raised.

Once I arrived in Weston, I was welcomed by a stone building proceeding the entrance and rustic patio lined with seven older women with smiles and — you guessed it, cheese.

Opened in 2008 by owner Sarah Hoffman, this female-run small business is brimming with delectable food items on the menu, accompanied by engaging tours. Our tour guide, June Garcia, was a reflection of a passionate and instructive teacher and made the experience feel very inviting.

He led my group through the property, while we followed along the

THE MEETING

1

Following the trip to the milking parlor, we visited where the magic happens—the cheese making lab. I truly mean when I say this: cheese making is way harder than it seems. This ten-byten cement room was covered in pipes and electrical gear (and the sharp smell of age cheese).

After 20 minutes of watching the tenuous cheese making process, I was finally able to taste the cheese. I tried three of Green Dirt Farm’s top-tier cheeses: Fresh Sheep, Dirt Lover and Prairie Tomme.

My first taste of Fresh Sheep Cheese hit me with a salted yet not overwhelming, light cheese, perfect to spread onto a cracker.

Next up was the Dirt Lover. This cheese consists of a bloomy rind — soft, flurry and white — with vegetable ash. In just the first bite I can immediately taste remnants of a savory vegetable

THE BARN

We walked into the common area and greeted our tour guide and our fellow tourees. 2

The final cheese I tried was the Prairie Tomme, another iconic cheese for the farm. This cheese received first place in its category — the Oscar’s of Cheese — at the American Cheese Society. This cheese was nothing short of impeccably aged, leaving a crumbly texture and sharp flavor on my taste buds.

Green Dirt Farm holds some of the best cheeses I’ve ever tasted. My expectations for the grocery store samples that greet you when you walk in through the sliding doors have just been raised.

Looking back at the time I spent at Green Dirt Farm, I keep asking myself the same question: when can I go back? This is the sort of place that defines small business and community.

The friendliness of the staff and welcoming visitors are the type of people to leave a long-lasting smile on your face and the sheep’s legendairy product will make you never want store-bought cheese again. Now, I smile even bigger when someone behind a camera yells, “Say cheese!”

THE TASTING

The tour guide explained how the chickens and dogs protect the sheep. 3

We were given three different pieces of their top cheeses to try.

design by bridget connelly photo by paige bean

Steps during the tour at Green Dirt Farm

AUDRAGIBBS

Senior Audra Gibbs fills her free time with her passion of crocheting

HOW DID YOU GET INTO CROCHET?

INITIALLY, MY MOM crocheted, and I thought it was cool. She just had a ball of yarn and could made things from it. I asked her if she could teach me but that didn’t work out, so I ended up teaching myself.

WHAT’S THE MOST DIFFICULT PROJECT YOU’VE MADE?

THE LARGEST TEST to my patience is probably the full cardigan I’ve made. That took a long time. I found a pattern that I thought was cool so I decided to make a cardigan from it, and it took me several months to nish.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PIECE YOU’VE MADE?

KATHERINE SHALAZAR IS a book character from the series “Guardians of Childhood” that I made, which I’m proud of because the design itself is pretty simple. But I sewed little beads on her dress to look like buttons, so it’s the right combination of intricate and complex.

WHAT’S YOUR NEXT PROJECT?

I’M PLANNING A a project that’s going to be a little more complicated. It’s a character I created myself, and I’m excited about it because I’m going to try jointed limbs for the rst time. So it will be like a hip joint that you can move like a human.

AUDRA’S ADVICE

A list of materials Audra uses and her additional tips for crocheting

YARN

HOOK

Used to pull yarn through to create the loops, it’s essential for crocheting

NEEDLE

Yarn needles are used to weave in the yarn ends at the completion of a project

BOOKS & MAGAZINES

Books and magazine articles can teach you how to crochet

VIDEOS

Videos are the most helpful to see steps physically worked out and explained

BE CREATIVE!

Embellish crochet projects with beads, embroidery floss, fabrics and more

photos by clara peters

design by isabel baldassaro

Sports . . . nut cup countdown days left 5

smeharbinger.net/category/sports

game recap

A rundown of the Saturday Sep. 9 Varisty Quad games

DO YOU PLAN ON ATTENDING A VOLLEYBALL GAME THIS SEASON?

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FABULOUS FRESHMAN

Varsity Volleyball Coach Henton’s opinion on the Sep. 9 games

ALEX HENTON COACH

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OUR FRESHMAN LAINEY

Coaching East’s Varsity Volleyball team for the past six years

Led Varsity Volleyball to victory in the Louisburg Tournament two years in a row

Varsity Gymnastics @ Olathe East

LEFT Sophomore Macy Sims spikes a ball across the net while being blocked by an opponent. Her attack was successful, making the score 4 to 3 Lancers.

BOTTOM

LEFT Senior Zoë McDonald high fives senior Anna Alexander after the other team had an attack error, setting the score against St. Pius 6 to 7.

photo by mason sajna

BELOW Senior Anna Alexander celebrates with the rest of the team after they scored a point from a successful assist by sophomore Macy Sims, raising the score 22 to 22 with both teams tied. photo by mason sajna

photo by mason sajna

V ARSITY VOLLEYBALL won all three matches in their Quad on Saturday, Sept. 9. The set scores of the first match against Staley were 25-15 and 25-21. The second match against St. Pius was 25-15, 27-25. The final match against St. Joe Central was 25-17, 25-9. Coach Alex Henton believes the team has the capability to win upcoming games this season, no matter how tough the competition, based on their current success.

Varsity football @ SMN

Varsity Soccer @ ONW Varsity Soccer @ SMSC

2022 STATS

LOYOLA

LUCK

IT WAS A typical winter game for senior soccer player Beck Rettenmaier — cloudy gray skies, stinging cold gusts of wind and numbed fingers and toes — playing with his club team, Kansas City Scott Gallagher. Throwing on tights and a long sleeve shirt to combat the February cold, Beck had one goal in mind: find a way to win.

Unbeknownst to him, a college recruiter sitting in the crowd was there watching one of his teammates play. But Beck got the attention of the recruiter after he scored two goals, leading his team to victory. Those goals made Beck stand out — eventually getting him a D1 offer from the University of

“They weren’t even supposed to see me,” Beck said. “It just goes to show that there’s a lot of luck that goes into recruiting sometimes. I was just at the right place at the right time.” But Beck has dreamed of playing D1 soccer ever since he was in fourth grade. Doing homework on the road to a tournament and missing outings with his friends due to Saturday games were just some of the sacrifices Beck would make.

12 YEARS PLAYING

7 GOALS 8 ASSISTS

“He’d be asked to guest play for other teams and we would always think maybe that’s too much soccer,” Beck’s mother Debra Rettenmaier said. “[But] he always wanted to do more and play.”

Beck believes Beck believes his drive and dedication from a young age, and his love for soccer led to him being noticed by Loyola. led to him being noticed by Loyola. Prior to him being recruited by Loyola, Beck had been to showcases in places like Florida, California and Illinois. He’d reach out to college coaches but very few attended his games due to the high demand of other high school soccer players.

“For a big school like Loyola Chicago to [send recruiters] down in Kansas was a really cool opportunity and chance for me,” Beck said. “The feeling of getting that text from them after was just a huge weight lifted off my

How senior Beck Rettenmeier was recruited as a Division 1 commit at the University of Loyola Chicago

shoulders.”

Beck also attributes much of his success to KC Scott Gallagher, which he has played with since 2017. Beck believes the team has helped with not only increasing his skills as a player but also was a crucial part in him getting his name out into the college world.

“He’s had back and foot injuries but he’s someone who’s always had a good attitude regardless of what the situation was,” Head coach of KC Scott Gallagher, Brandon Waterman said. “For him, everything has always been about how can he help the team win and be a leader, and during

MORE OF

I don’t lead by shouting at people. I’m more of someone who leads by example and not trying to be someone I’m not.

BECK RETTENMAIER SENIOR

that process is where his exposure came from.”

Now that Beck is committed, his main focus has been on the East soccer team’s season. He’s the only player on the team that has played on varsity all four years, making him a captain and the most experienced of his teammates.

Due to this title, Beck along with his fellow senior captains, Conor Neusel and Wesley Cribb, have been looking to lead the younger players who may be nervous about playing. They coach them through drills while also holding them accountable when they make mistakes.

“I’m more of the quiet captain out of the three,” Beck said. ”Usually I don’t lead by shouting at people. I’m more someone who leads by example and not trying to be someone I’m not.”

The main goal for Beck and the team as a whole this year is to win the first state championship for East in school history. After their loss to Mill Valley in the semifinals last year, Beck has used that to fuel his drive to win the championship this year.

“We’ll mess around during water breaks at practice but then immediately lock back in, “ Beck said. “I think that’s good because I don’t want to be too over-the-top and hard on people because it could make them burn out.”

Coming in as a freshman at Loyola, Beck is looking to incorporate himself in the starting eleven man roster. He hopes to do this by taking it day by day and not worrying about what the future may hold.

“I just want to enjoy and take in everyday from when I’m first dropped off on campus cause it’s a big jump from Leawood to Chicago,” Beck said.

design by bridget connelly & emmerson winfrey

photo by riley scott

story by luke

I’M

the quiet captain out of the three. Usually

Beck’s stats from his junior year

design by lucy stephens

photo by alex sajna

story by sophia brockmeier

THE HARBINGER

‘CER- PERLATIVES

BECK RETTENMAIER SENIOR

WE DIDN’T EVEN think we were gonna get the theme in the rst place, but when we did our rst thought was to do the Battle Bus. After that, the soccer moms took our idea and made it come to life.

THEME IDEAS: FIFA FORTNITE 3 DAYS TO BUILD IT

BOYS SOCCER THEME: FORTNITE

265 BALLOONS USED

SOPHOMORE

WE PAINTED THEN taped two plates back-to-back, wrapped them in cellophane then tied them with bows. It was really time consuming, but I think it was a really good addition to the oat.

BEST DETAIL

200 ft.

OF CELLOPHANE USED TO WRAP “CANDIES”

26

UNIQUELY-PAINTED PAPER PLATES

CHEER THEME: CANDY LAND

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MY MOM OWNS a shop called Jubilee Balloon Co. where you make balloon garlands. [Junior] Grace Demetriou and I chose different colors and patterns that would go with our theme, then we started on the garland.

$250 BUDGET

photos by preston hooker & molly miller

LOLA CONDON JUNIOR