Harbinger Issue 4 by The Harbinger

the harbinger. SHAWNEE MISSION EAST 7500 MISSION ROAD, PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS 66208 OCTOBER 15, 2018 VOLUME LXI ISSUE 4

CRAZE I N S P R I N G 2 0 1 7 , J U U L WAS A

B U T N OW. . .

CONTINUE IN OUR SPECIAL SECTION PAGES 13-17

In April 2017, Harbinger investigated a new type of electronic cigarette, the Juul, being found in the hands of a few students around the school. At this point in time, only 13 percent of East students could be found owning the device...

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ABOVE | Seniors Lucy Dozier and Tera Hawes spin on the marry-go-round in Harmon Park at the senior picnic after Senior Service Day. photo by grace goldman

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UPPER RIGHT | Sophomores Julie Fromm and Claire McPhail cheer with a mini Lancer cheerleader at the varisty football game vs. Shawnee Msion South. photo by kate nixon RIGHT | Junior Sean Paddack receives college information with his mom at the College Fair. photo by ally griffith

ONLINE 18 UNDER 18 by the harbinger staff

18 students who have had the most impactful influence on the East community are highlighted in this online feature package.

A RT I S T O F T H E W E E K : A L E X A A DA M S by rose kanaley Check out a look into the passion and work of East artist Alexa Adams.

SENIOR YEAR ON TENNIS by lucy kendall

In this opinion, Lucy Kendall details her experience in her last year playing tennis, as she will not be playing club tennis or in college.

GA L L E R I E S H O M E C O M I N G F O OT B A L L G A M E by lucy morantz G I R L S S TAT E T E N N I S by luke hoffman M O L E DAY by grace goldman

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S TA F F L I S T P R I N T E D I TO R S E m i l y Fey L i z z i e Ka h l e O N L I N E E D I TO R S Anna belle Cook W i l l Tu l p D E S I G N E D I TO R S L i l a Tu l p Grace Padon A S S T . P R I N T E D I TO R S Caroline Chisholm Carolyn Popper A S S T . O N L I N E E D I TO R S Jackie Cameron Ben Henschel H E A D C O P Y E D I TO R S E l i za b et h B a l l ew A l ex Fre e m a n P H OTO E D I TO R S Grace Goldman L u ke H o f f m a n Lucy Morantz MOBILE MEDIA E D I TO R S Lucy Hoffman B r o o k y l n Te r r i l l V I D E O E D I TO R D a lto n Re c k A S S T . P H OTO E D I TO R S Re i l l y M o re l a n d A i s l i n n M e n ke Ty B r o w n i n g P H OTO M E N TO R S Ally Griffth Ka t h e r i n e M c G i n n e s s A & E E D I TO R S Print Meg Thoma O n l i n e R i l e y At k i n s o n O P I N I O N E D I TO R Lucy Patterson S P R E A D E D I TO R G r a c i e Ko s t

E D I TO R I A L B OA R D Caroline Chisholm L i z z i e Ka h l e E m i l y Fey Carolyn Popper L i l a Tu l p E l i za b et h B a l l ew Anna belle Cook W i l l Tu l p Jackie Cameron Ben Henschel M a ya St ra t m a n Lucy Hoffman G r a c i e Ko s t A l ex Fre e m a n Lucy Patterson Av a J o h n s o n Grace Padon B r o o k l y n Te r r i l l N E W S E D I TO R S Print Natasha Thomas Online Julie Fromm Catherine Erickson S P O RT S E D I TO R S P r i n t L u c y Ke n d a l l Ly d i a U n d e r w o o d O n l i n e A l l i s o n Wi l cox E D I TO R I A L E D I TO R L i l a h Pow l a s F E AT U R E S E D I TO R S P r i n t Av a J o h n s o n Online Brynn Winkler Lucia Barraza WEBMASTER Julie Fromm M U LT I M E D I A S TA F F Rya n Gos s i c k M e g a n F u n ke y L a u r e n We s t Eve l yn Ro es n e r Ra c h e l C u r r i e M a d d ox M o g e n s o n

PA G E D E S I G N E R S Brynn Winkler A l l i s o n Wi l cox L i b by H i s e R o s e Ka n a l e y L i l y B i l l i n g s l ey Ke l l y M u r p h y Chase Conderman S TA F F A RT I S T S L i l a h Pow l a s R i ve r H e n n i c k S TA F F W R I T E R S Miranda Hack M e g a n F u n ke y Liddy Sta llard R i l e y At k i n s o n L a u r e n We s t Scout Rice C O P Y E D I TO R S Anna belle Cook W i l l Tu l p Caroline Chisholm Lucy Patterson A l ex Fre e m a n E m i l y Fey L i z z i e Ka h l e L i l a Tu l p Meg Thoma G r a c i e Ko s t M a ya St ra t m a n E l i za b et h B a l l ew Jackie Cameron Ben Henschel Natasha Thomas Carolyn Popper A D S M A N AG E R Catherine Erickson SUBSCRIPTION M A N AG E R G r a c i e Ko s t

M O B I L E M E D I A S TA F F Lucia Barraza Maggie Schutt L u c y Ke n d a l l L a u r e n We s t Re i l l y M o re l a n d S M E P H OTO S E D I TO R Ka t h e r i n e M c G i n n e s s P H OTO G R A P H E R S Ka t e N i x o n Julia Percy Sara h Golder Ta y l o r Ke a l Eve l yn Ro es n e r Megan Biles Megan Stopperan Au st i n H o u s l ey Tr e v o r P a u l u s Ca t h e r i n e E s rey AS ST. V I D EO E D I TO R Maggie Schutt VIDEO TRAINING E D I TO R La wd e r D es a nt i s AS ST. V I D EO T R A I N I N G E D I TO R Syd n ey Wi l l i a m s P O D C A S T E D I TO R Syd n ey Wi l l i a m s L I V E B ROA D CAST E D I TO R S Ben Henschel Ly d i a U n d e r w o o d M e g a n F u n ke y AS ST. B ROA D CAST E D I TO R S Brynn Winkler Scout Rice Lucia Barraza

EDITORIAL

design by lilah powlas editorial cartoon by river hennick

for: 13 These are the individuals on who

the

editorial

agree

with

READY FOR CHANGE?

board the

viewpoint of the editorial

ustice Brett M. Kavanaugh was confirmed to the Supreme Court by a margin smaller than any other nominee in U.S. history, 50-48. The way the Senate got there? Ugly politics, mostly. Both sides of the political aisle are at fault for the flawed process — Democrats used Kavanaugh’s accusers as political pawns to stall the process, and Republicans refused to reconsider their nominee, many of them criticizing Kavanaugh’s accusers despite there being no concrete evidence proving the accusations false. Yet, in the midst of this atrocious confirmation process, we remain optimistic. In wake of Kavanaugh’s confirmation, the outrage and contempt felt by many in the nation could very well prove to be a catalyst for a second wave of the #MeToo movement. The unrest caused by Kavanaugh’s confirmation may lead to something much larger than the nomination itself — a host of women encouraged to tell their stories without remorse, a new wave of female leaders elected to diversify the majoritymale Congress and a push to tighten the wage gap, just to name a few. Given the current political climate and the inflammatory words uttered by U.S. leadership regarding Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s accusations, these changes seem inevitable. After Ford’s empowering and heart-wrenching testimony, several U.S. senators criticized her account. Perhaps the most passionate, and angry, being Sen. Lindsey Graham. Graham declared the FBI’s investigation into Ford’s claims, as well as the hearing as a whole, to be the “most unethical sham since [he’s] been in politics.” And later, at the Atlantic Festival, he claimed Ford was “treated respectfully” and Kavanaugh was “treated like crap.” At a campaign rally in Mississippi, President Donald Trump blatantly and baselessly mocked Ford. “‘How did you get home?’ ‘I don’t remember.’ ‘How did you get there?’ ‘I don’t remember.’ ‘Where is the place?’ ‘I don’t remember,’” Trump said. “But I had one beer, that’s the

MeToo

against: 2 These are the individuals on the editorial board who disagree with the viewpoint of the editorial

Through the recent failure of the Supreme Court Justice nomination process, and confirmation of Kavanaugh, the #MeToo movement has taken a hit, but one that it will likely bounce back from ... hard. #MeToo ideals, its sights set on believing women in their stories, their credibility stemming from the emotions and trauma they face — could prove to yield even more. We’re ready for this new period of change, and in the coming months, we may not only see the mostly-male Congress diversify, but witness an age of unprecedented reform along with it. We’re ready to put up a new and relevant fight for #MeToo and the rights of women across the nation by spreading the word — letting the collective of powerful and determined women with their own stories rise above the criticism shown by U.S. leaders. We’re ready for not only a new year for women, but an era.

only thing I remember.” Instead of addressing anything near sympathetic for victims of sexual assault, Trump declared that today’s age — the age of the #MeToo movement — was a “very scary time for young men in America.” He had much to say of the difficulty men face living in America, but nearly nothing to say about how much harder it is to be a woman, in every sense of the word. These comments and Kavanaugh’s confirmation lit a fire of fury in the hearts of many Americans, sparking protests against his confirmation on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court and in cities across the nation. The Senate’s decision left 51 percent of the nation against Kavanaugh’s appointment, according to a CNN poll. The entire case now leaves a lasting impact on voters less than a month away from the midterm elections, which could lead to both an increase in votes for female candidates and a higher voter turnout. This seems like more than enough to spark new changes, but clues the past gives us into what comes next are even more compelling. We’ve found history isn’t repeating itself, but it’s certainly rhyming.

Twenty-seven years ago, in 1991, it was Justice Clarence Thomas being confirmed in spite of sexual misconduct allegations. Anita Hill, who worked under Thomas in the Education Department, claimed he sexually harassed her frequently during their time working together — citing conversations about “pornographic films, such as women having sex with animals” among several other serious offenses. Due to the lack of evidence supporting Hill’s claims, it wasn’t a question of whether or not it happened, it was just his word against hers. It was whether or not it was even worth the chance of Thomas having done these things, in the same way it was for Kavanaugh. Four days after Hill testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Thomas was confirmed anyway. Then the nation erupted. The next election brought five women to the Senate and twenty-four to the House — more women elected in one year than ever before. 1992 was appropriately dubbed the “Year of the Woman.” This was in a time before the #MeToo movement, and today’s world — driven by

editorial policy The Harbinger is a student-run publication. Published editorials express the views of the Harbinger staff. Signed columns published in the Harbinger express the writer’s personal opinion. The contents and views of the Harbinger do not represent the student body, faculty, administration or Shawnee Mission School District. The Harbinger will not share any unpublished content, but quoted material may be confirmed with sources. The Harbinger encourages letters to the editors, but reserves the right to reject them for reasons including but not limited to lack of space, multiple letters of the same topic and personal attacks contained in the letter. The Harbinger will not edit content though letters may be edited for clarity, length, libel or mechanics. Letters should be sent to room 521 or emailed to smeharbinger@gmail.com

For information on the history of allegations against in the supreme court nominees see page 7.

04 NEWS

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS by chase conderman

EAST

LOCAL NRCC pulls funds from Yoder

Former East teacher passes away

WITH A LITTLE LESS THAN a month before the Kansas congressional election, Kevin Yoder lost the support of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC). KCUR public radio reported that the NRCC pulled more than $1 million in advertising support from the incumbent. A recent poll from the New York Times showed Yoder’s opposition, Sharice Davids, leading in the race by 8 percent. According to KCUR, this could be a major reason why the NRCC is pulling support for their conservative candidate. However, the poll also only talked to 494 people and as of the year 2000; over 670,000 people live Kansas’s third district. Government teacher Ronald Stallard thinks that part of the NRCC’s reasoning could be the fiscal value that comes from endorsing a candidate. “If they can spend more money and boost them, then they are going to do that,” Stallard said. “They want to maintain control of the house. It seems to me like they look at Yoder almost as a lost cause.” The NRCC wasn’t Yoder’s only funding. The Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF) has already poured $1.8 million into the campaign and still backs the congressman. Yoder still has the capital to be elected for another term in House of Representatives. University of Kansas Political Science Professor Patrick Miller said in a tweet that the NRCC pulling money from Yoder is “not a sign of confidence in his re-election odds.”

FORMER TEACHER RICK ROYER passed away on Sept. 26 at the age of 67, six years into his retirement. Royer was a math teacher at East for 40 years from 1972 to 2012. His days spent teaching were before the time of the current students attending East, but he left a lasting impression on the students he taught. Math teacher Hannah Pence was Royer’s student and later on worked with him in the math department for 16 years. “He always took care of other people and helped support people and was a friend to anyone,” Pence said. “You could ask the man for anything and he would do it for you,” For Royer, supporting students went beyond the four years they spent in high school. Five years after Pence graduated from the University of Kansas, there was a job opening in the East math department and Royer helped Pence obtain the position. “He was my biggest cheerleader,” Pence said. In 2012, Royer was interviewed about his retirement by Harbinger staff member Matt Hanson. Teaching wasn’t about making sure students learned the subject being taught, it was a conduit for positively impacting the lives of the people seated in his classroom. “I feel the greatest gift that one human being can give to another is to make them feel respected, appreciated and loved,” Royer said. “[That is] a gift that the community of Shawnee Mission East has given to me. I will be forever grateful for that.”

ABOVE | Past East teacher Rick Royer at fellow

ABOVE | Kansas Rep. Kevin Yoder speaks at

teacher Hannah Pence’s wedding. photo courtesy of hannah pence

Johnson County Republican victory party. photo courtesy of mct campus

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Important events coming up in the SM East community

OCT

Frequent Friday @3 pm

OCT

Choir Festival @7 pm

design by natasha thomas

STAFF WRITER

NATIONAL

Mental health taught in NY public school curriculum

NEW YORK HAS become the first state to require mental health to be covered in the health curriculum, due to the passing of bill A3887B by the New York State Assembly. The bill officially went into effect when the 20182019 public school year started in early September. The new curriculum aims to teach students skills they can use to identify mental health issues in themselves and those around them, according to the New Times. Anya Dua is a New York high school student who has been learning about mental health for the past month because of the new bill. “I haven’t really seen it benefit anyone so far,” Dua said. “I think that what is most helpful is just talks about mental health and awareness so people can talk about it with their friends and family.” Dua claims that so far the lessons have been repetitive which has left students walking away more annoyed than knowledgeable on the new they’re subject. The National Alliance on Mental illness estimates that 21.4 percent of youth from ages 13-18 experience a severe mental disorder. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America reports that one in 12 teens have asthma. Problems with mental health today can be just as or more common as some physical ailments. New York’s new approach to dealing with mental health hopes to evolve the public school system’s curriculum to accommodate for a problem that K-12 students are dealing with across the nation.

ABOVE | Mental Health America worker hands out information to students on Mental Health. photo courtesy of mct campus

IN 280 CHARACTERS

House GOP cancels ad buys for Rep. Kevin Yoder

OCT

Mole Day @6:02 am

NRCC CANCELING $1.2M IN AD BUYS MEANT TO DEFEND REP. KEVIN YODER, IN A DISTRICT CLINTON WON NARROWLY -

Reid Wilson @PoliticsReid 9/30/18

KC NEWS

design by will tulp photos by julia percy by brooklyn terrill

MOBILE MEDIA EDITOR

nleashed Pet Rescue, a no-kill and non-profit animal shelter, is currently searching for permanent homes for the 78 dogs rescued from areas affected by Hurricane Florence and brought to Kansas City. The effort was “last minute” according to Unleashed Business Manager Becka Norris and not much planning was done before they left. At first, the group only intended on bringing a few dogs back to their Kansas City shelter, but after meeting up with more vehicles along the way they were able to expand their effort from just a fews dogs to the 78, covering a wide variety of breeds and ages. “We packed up and left,” Norris said. “We drove for about 17 hours. On the way to the shelters we drove through the end of the storm, we drove through lots of closed roads and flooded roads, so it was pretty dangerous. We really didn’t have a plan — just kind of winged it.” Their goal was to rescue dogs

PET-SCUE

ABOVE | Outside of taking care of animals, Unleashed Pet Rescue sells a variety of animal accessories and toys. They sell tank tops and tees for animals and their owners.

shelter location, they have around 400 total under their foster care system. Fostering, when a dog goes to a temporary home before adoption, is used to get to know the dogs before placing them in a home, according to adoption counselor Caroline Thomas. As an owner of two adopted dogs from Unleashed, senior Lilly Taylor has seen the care that Unleashed puts into their adoption process. The most recent being Beatrice, a beagledachshund mix, who they rescued in April and Pete, who they adopted six years ABOVE | Adoption Counselor Caroline Thomas ago. “They were really carries out a dog to the lobby where they can understanding and interact with people. patient with us,” Taylor said. “They from rural shelters that were looking are really understanding of your to make room for displaced animals circumstances because their main from Hurricane Florence. Some of goal is to get their dogs adopted to the dogs had been at shelters in great families.” the Carolinas prior to the hurricane, A few of the dogs rescued from while others had recently been saved the hurricane have since been from Hurricane Florence. adopted, but most are still in foster “The best thing for us to do was to care, according to Norris. help the other shelters in the area, so Some of the dogs brought back that they would be able to take more from Hurricane Florence came animals in,” Norris said. back with skin conditions, scratches Unleashed has a standing list of and heartworms from mosquitoes. families ready to foster pets which According to Thomas, some of them prepared them for the number of were hesitant to be near people. dogs they were bringing back from “Some of these dogs were cut from the hurricane. Though Unleashed trying to dig out of their houses,” typically only has 100 dogs at the Thomas said. “They have scratches

all over their legs and indentations on the back of their neck from the collars that were on them. It’s pretty sad, but they are very grateful and happy. You can tell based on working them.” Thomas has worked with Chuckles, a red pitbull rescued from the hurricane, since he arrived at the shelter. She has worked to get him more acclimated to his surroundings by bringing him to the front of Unleashed where more people gather. According to Thomas, Chuckles was at first very jumpy and sensitive to noise, but is now more social and less anxious. “Your dog reacts when you have a thunderstorm,” Thomas said. “Imagine that thunderstorm was a giant hurricane. “Then you cram them in with a bunch of dogs they don’t know and then they are brought to an entirely new place. It can be very nerve-wracking for some.” Though some of the dogs brought back went through a traumatic experience, Unleashed is not prioritizing or trying to rush adoptions of the dogs rescued from Hurricane Florence over the dogs that are already living at the shelter. They are still trying to get to know their personalities in the foster program to find them the best home possible, according to Thomas. “We are trying to get them adopted just as fast as any other dog,” Norris said. “The main focus when adopting our dogs is to find a good match and we want it to be a home forever.”

Unleashed Pet Rescue is working to find permanent homes for dogs affected by the hurricane

MEET CHUCKLES One of the “Hurricane dogs” recovering at Unleashed

Age: about two years | Breed: red pitbull

THEN When Chuckles was first brought into Unleashed, he was very nervous — sitting on the opposite side of the room and always sniffing and looking.

NOW He is still very stressed and nervous, but Chuckles has made a lot of progress in recovering and has become very close with Adoption Counselor Caroline Thomas.

He has gotten a lot better, but he is definitely still decompressing from traumatic issues from the hurricane. It’s really nerve-racking for especially this one.

caroline thomas adoption counselor

06 NEWS

design by riley atkinson

PROBLEMS WITH THE PAYCHECK District mistake causes teacher paychecks to be sent out without supplemental pay

ABOVE | SME faculty stand holding wallets and envelopes, confused about the paycheck mishap. photo by austin housley by lily billingsley

PAGE DESIGNER

decision made by the district on Sept. 20 to delay the input of supplemental contracts—contracts held by any teacher who works with students outside the normal school day—left more than 240 district teachers with portions up to $1000 missing from their monthly paycheck that weren’t repaid until Oct. 5. The mistake occurred after the district decided to delay the input of supplemental contracts and instead add a small raise

supplemental contracts noun contracts held by any teacher who works with students outside of the normal contract day, including all coaches, club sponsors and directors to teachers contracts. However, once the district began to enter the supplemental paychecks, there was a technical error due to the district’s new software system, Business Plus. “We have new systems and one of the challenges that we’ve faced has been trying to figure out how to work through problems in the new systems,” District Chief of Communication David Smith said. “I don’t say that as an excuse, it’s still our responsibility to get employees paid.” Because of the delay in entering the contracts, the district didn’t get the

SEPTEMBER

paychecks were made to teachers who are also club sponsers, coaches or directors without supplemental contracts

paperwork for the contracts in on time. Payroll must be submitted by the fifteenth of each month in order for it to be entered on the paychecks, and due to the problem with software this deadline was not met in time by the district. Some teachers were made aware of this mistake at a meeting on Sept. 18, two days before the paychecks were scheduled to be sent out. However, some were only aware of the loss after receiving their monthly paycheck. The loss of salary varied for each teacher depending on how much time they work outside of school. Some teachers lost up to $1000 of their monthly salary due to the absence of the supplementary contract money on their paycheck. Band director and teacher Alex Toepfer was one of the East staff members affected by the mistake. Toepfer didn’t receive 20 percent of his monthly salary due to the district’s error. Not only did this issue affect his paychecks, but it also affected him in the classroom. “It’s distracting,” Toepfer said. “I have a budget that I set up every month, so I had to make arrangements to shift things around or take money out of savings. I was having to make phone calls, I was having to talk to my landlord about rent. I had to do that during my free time when I am trying to plan and make myself a better teacher. When that happens it’s frustrating and it’s distracting and it’s really hard to

SEPTEMBER

teachers found out their extra pay was not included in their paycheck

keep that separate from when I’m teaching.” At the regular school board meeting on Sept. 24, Superintendent Michael Fulton apologized to teachers involved in the mistake. All teachers that were affected then received a mass email from the district on Sept. 28, more than a week after the paychecks were sent out, explaining what had caused the issue and how they planned on fixing the problem. The district’s original plan for administering the supplementary payments was to spread the lost salary out over the next eleven months’ paychecks, but the Shawnee Mission National Education Association (NEA) managed to fight the district for a single paycheck to be sent out to each teacher affected by the problem. The district sent out checks to those influenced by the error on Oct. 5. Teachers

paychecks until the district develops a plan for sending out the paychecks. Linda Sieck, president of the Shawnee Mission NEA , contacted the district to make them aware of the issue. As head of the district’s NEA, Sieck has been communicating between the teachers and the district. “Supplemental contracts are kind of like second jobs for teachers,” Sieck said. “If you were expecting to get paid a certain amount and then you get your paycheck and you realize it’s up to $1000 less than what you were expecting, that can really hit your budget. The district acknowledged that the mistake is affecting the lives of teachers both in and out of the classroom. “From our perspectives we acknowledge that was a mistake and we understand

Supplemental contracts are kind of like second jobs for teachers. If you were expecting to get paid a certain amount and then you get your paycheck and you realize it’s up to $1000 less than what you were expecting, that can really hit your budget.

linda sieck president of nea who were affected by the mistake were required to send the district their information in order to get their paychecks to them, and those who didn’t meet the deadline are still without their supplementary contract

TIMELINE O F E V E N TS A look at when mistakes were made and made up for

SEPTEMBER

that it would have been hard for people,” David Smith said. “For some people it was money they expected and they needed and they didn’t get it.”

the district apologized for the mistake

OCTOBER

paychecks were resent out with the correct payments inside

NEWS

design by lilah powlas

CLARENCE THOMAS

JOE KAVANAUGH

TIMELINE

ANITA HILL

SEPT. 6, 1991

21 days after Judge Brett Kavanaugh is nominated for Supreme Court Justice, the top democrat of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, receives a letter from professor Christine Blasey Ford outlining allegations against Kavanaugh of physical and sexual assault. The letter claims that the assault occurred while the two were in high school. This letter is kept private between Feinstein and Ford per the request of Ford.

HEARINGS

SEPT. 14, 2018

Thomas’ hearings for the Senate Judiciary Committee last for ten days and focus on his legal views and work based on the 18 months he had served as a federal appeals court judge.

SEPT. 23-26, 1991

An anonymous and redacted version of Ford’s letter is published in the New Yorker. In response, Kavanaugh says that he “categorically and unequivocally [denies] this allegation.” Kavanaugh claims the he “did not do this back in high school or at any time.” Ford comes forward publicly with her name during an interview with The Washington Post two days later.

FBI

On Sept. 23 the FBI interviews Hill at her home in Oklahoma and on Sept. 25 the FBI interviews Thomas at his home in Virginia.

SEPT. 27, 1991

SEPT. 26 2018

COMMITTEE

TESTIMONY

Hearings are opened to determine whether or not Thomas is fit to hold the position of Supreme Court Justice. For the next four days, Hill, her corroborating witnesses and Thomas testify before the Senate.

CONFIRMED

Justice Clarence is confirmed 52-48 in one of the narrowest margins in the court’s history at that time.

Kavanaugh’s and Thomas’s path to confirmation were not only similar in timing, but also in process. Both allegations were brought forward very close to each Supreme Court Justices’s confirmation votes, and accusations were met with strong denial from the nominees. After the allegations the nominees attempted to repair their image by reinforcing their commitment to women in their practice, while supporters of the nominees found logical fallacies in alleged claims. Finally, the Senate narrowly confirmed both Justices.

#MeToo is a movement to expose and hold accountable those guilty of sexual assault and harassment. The phrase “me too” was coined by Tarana Burke in 2006 and popularized by Alyssa Milano in 2017, both of whom have experienced sexual assault or harassment. Through this movement women have been encouraged to share their experiences and come forward against their assaulters. #MeToo has the endorsement of mutliple celebrities, including Uma Therman, Amy Schumer, Jennifer Lawrence and Gwyneth Paltrow. #MeToo spurred multiple submovements including #TimesUp and #AskMoreOfHim with similar goals of holding assaulters accountable.

Washington Senate member Patty Murray voiced this question after the decision to swear Thomas into the Supreme Court: “Who’s saying what I would say if I was [on the committee]?” With the Senate Judiciary Committee consisting of a majority of white males, many women felt they didn’t have equal representation on the committee. Women rushed to the polls and in 1992, four women were elected to the Senate for the first time in a single election. To commemorate the event, the year was dubbed “The Year of the Woman” in headlines across the country.

OCT. 6, 1991

PAT T E R N

METO O

W MAN

NPR airs Hill’s claims given to them by a reporter that sat in on the Senate Judiciary Committee. During the airing, Hill discusses her charges against Thomas.

OCT. 15, 1991

THE ERA OF

THE YEAR OF THE

The Senate Judiciary Committe motions for a full Senate vote on Thomas’s confirmation. At this point Hill’s charges are not public, however committee chairman Joe Biden has disclosed Hills’ charges with the other senators. Biden makes a statement, based on his knowledge of Hills’s claims, that he “believe[s] there are certain things that are not an issue at all [about Thomas]... and that is his character.” He continues, adding that he “knows [his] colleagues , and [he urges] everyone else to refrain from personalizing this battle.”

OCT. 8, 1991

THE LETTER

JULY 30, 2018

After Clarence Thomas’s nomination for Supreme Court Justice on July 1, 1991, law professor Anita Hill accuses Thomas of misconduct in the workplace, claiming that “he spoke about acts he had seen in pornagraphic films… on several occasions, Thomas told [her] of his own sexual prowess.” Hill had previously worked with Thomas at the Department of Education and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

SEPT. 10-20, 1991

EVE ALLEGATION

GOOD GUY

“One of my closest friends to this day is a woman who was sexually abused and who, in the 1990s when we were in our 30s, confided in me about the abuse and sought my advice. I was one of the only people she consulted.” -BRETT KAVANAUGH

“He spoke about acts he had seen in pornagraphic films… on several occasions, Thomas told me of his own sexual prowess”

-ANITA HILL

“Kavanaugh physically pushed me into a bedroom as I was headed for a bathroom up a short stair well from the living room. [Kavanaugh and anonymous] locked the door and played loud music precluding any successful attempt to yell for help”

“He’s very warm and friendly, sort of like a friend or a father.”

-J.C. ALVAREZ

-CHRISTINE BLASEY FORD

4 2

ABSOLUTE DENIAL “I categorically and unequivocally deny this allegation. I did not do this back in high school or at any time.” -BRETT KAVANAUGH “I deny each and every single allegation against me today” -CLARENCE THOMAS

LOGICAL FALLACIES “That accusation of 36-year-old misconduct, dating back to highschool has been brought forward at the last moment in an irregular manner.” -SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL Do you think it is conceivable that Professor Hill might really think this happened, when it didn’t? -SEN. ARLEN SPECTER

ALLEGATIONS

Deborah Ramirez comes forward alleging that Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at a Yale University Party 35 years ago. A third allegation is also made by Julie Swetnick who claims that she witnessed an intoxicated Kavanaugh and another high school friend engaging in “abusive behavior” with teenage girls at parties on multiple occasions.

SEPT. 24, 2018

NO VOTE

A scheduled Senate Judiciary committee vote to determine if a Kavanaugh vote will reach the full Senate is postponed in favor of an FBI investigation, meant to be limited in scope and material in order to fit into a one week timeline. This FBI report was meant for review only by members of the Senate. While the document was not made public, senators voiced their opinions on its findings. Most Democrats sided with Feinstein and her statement that “the most notable thing about this report is what’s not in it... it looks to be a product of an incomplete investigation that was limited.” Most Republicans sided with Mitch McConnell’s statement that “the fact is that none of these allegations have been corroborated by the seven FBI investigations.”

OCT. 6, 2018

CONFIRMED

Voting commences and Kavanaugh is confirmed 50-48. Kavanaugh is sworn in as a Supreme Court Justice on Oct. 8.

SWORN IN “So help me god.” -BRETT KAVANAUGH & CLARENCE THOMAS

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HIGHLIGHTS

design by caroline chisholm

HARBINGER HIGHLIGHTS A&E

FOGGI ICE CREAM by allison wilcox

Review of new ice cream on Johnson Dr.

CO-ONLINE EDITOR

ruising down Johnson Dr., you can’t miss Foggi Ice Cream’s rainbow sign. But this isn’t your ordinary Baskin Robbins — Foggi creates their frozen desserts using nitrogen. Immediately upon entering the neon green shop, I was greeted with a friendly smile from co-owners and step brothers, Frank Nguyen and Von Mounivong. After reading through the 15 different flavor options, I decided on two fan favorites – strawberry cheesecake ice cream and caramel con leche cheesecake ice cream. The two small cups I ordered totaled out to only $8, an affordable price compared to my usual small $5 cookie dough concrete from Foo’s. Each flavor was made with milk and their “special ingredient” to which different toppings were added depending on the flavor. For people whose stomachs rumble at the sight of milk, they offer dairy-free ice cream. The mixture is moved to a stainless steel bowl where nitrogen is added and chilled to 320 degrees for 30 seconds. Once frozen, the fresh ice cream is scooped and garnished with toppings corresponding to the flavor. At the pickup counter you can drizzle different sauces including caramel, white chocolate and chocolate on your ice cream. The consistency of the ice cream was creamier and thicker than your ordinary Blue Bunny

strawberry cheesecake dessert. It’s butterysoft texture seemed to instantly melt into a rich cream on my tongue. Both cups held the same consistency so my preferred combination came down to my favorite flavor – caramel. After devouring my ice cream, I tried “dragon breath”– a common California trend that has been flooding my Instagram feed. It’s basically just frozen cereal that creates a cloud of smoke after biting down. A cup of about eight cereal balls cost $5. According to Mounivong, when the frozen cereal meets your warm mouth, smoke forms and comes out of your nose and mouth. Even though it was basically glorified balls of cereal, the “dragon breath” feature was certainly not something you’d find at TCBY or Betty Rae’s. After finishing my ice cream and impersonating a dragon, I made my way to a photo booth with the Foggi Coffee and Ice Cream logo. After posing for four photos, I got to pin my pictures along a wall filled with photos of previous customers, another feature unique to Foggi. Frank and Von explained that they plan to open two to three more locations around Kansas City near either Town Center or Olathe. If you’re looking for a treat creamier than your average cup of ice cream, then Foggi ice cream will deliver a unique experience without making a dent in your bank account.

SPORTS UP AND COMING Date

Team

Time

Opponent

Location

Boys Soccer

Tuesday

7 p.m.

Olathe West

ODAC

Football

Thursday

7 p.m.

Olathe West

CBAC

Gymnastics

Saturday

TBD

SM South

Cross Country Saturday Oct. 20

9 a.m.

SM Northwest

JCCC

Oct. 16 Oct. 18 Oct. 20

OPINION IS CHIPOTLE OVERRATED?

When it first came to the Village I liked it, but then it just gets old. Their vegetables are not fresh and their rice is undercooked.

adam jolles junior Do you think Chipotle is overrated? Results to our Twitter poll are below

YES NO

17%

*240 people were surveyed

83%

FEATURES

ABOVE | Sophomores Kelly Murphy and Ty Neidlein record a phone conversation for their Spanish three class. photo by megan stopperan RIGHT | Junior Eden Sokoloff laughs as Kansas House candiate Messila Rooker presents to feminist club. photo by luke hoffman

ABOVE | Senior Henry Leopold works on his marketing research project in the marketing room. photo by ty browning

10 OPINION

design by lucy hoffman

IN WITH THE OLD Modern music has fallen into a trend of conformity, which has consequently lowered the overall quality of it

by lucy morantz

HEAD PHOTO EDITOR

y bedroom is set up for the sole purpose of listening to music. I have two wooden speakers on opposing sides of the room that are connected to a receiver and record player, all from my dad’s high school days. These speakers fill my room with the organic sound of my 64 vinyl records. Easily accessible at the top of the two-and-a-halffoot stack of records sits The Beatles’ “Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band.” And always at the bottom I can find Justin Bieber’s “Purpose” album I was given three years ago as a gift. The difference between the two — besides their placement on the stack — is in their sound. Sgt. Pepper’s is filled with 41 live-recorded and raw instruments to build a beautiful, naturalsounding masterpiece of an album, and “Purpose” is stripped of any uniqueness through autotuning and pitch-perfection. This comparison epitomizes a trend in modern popular music: since the 1960s, music has become a mass-produced product rather than an art form. Consequently, the quality, depth and creativity of music has suffered. A 2012 study conducted by the Spanish National Research Council compared more than 450,000 songs from all genres of music over the past 50 years. The study found that music has increasingly become more homogenized — lyrics are less creative and instruments are sounding more electronic and similar across most genres. Additionally, timbral diversity — a measure in the distinctness of different instruments and sounds in songs — has been on the downfall since the era of Sgt. Peppers. Music used to have a unique rawness that came from the variety of instruments used in the production. Nowadays, most music is built on only four instruments: a drum machine, keyboard, sampler and electronic music software — all of which could be found in almost any Soundcloud rapper’s basement, and don’t get me started on them. Now, if you’re wondering why the homogenization of music is bad, I have one simple answer: comfort halts progression. Experience shows that anything with an extremely limited amount of diversity fails — environment, companies or communities. Modern music is on track to do the same. It’s not unusual to hear somebody older than 30 criticizing the lyrics of modern pop and rap songs for being as complex as a game of rock, paper, scissors. I hate to burst your Gucci Gang bubble, but they’re mostly right. Since 2005 the most popular artists in pop and hiphop have dropped an entire grade level (in terms of reading comprehension) in lyrical complexity according to Consequence of Sound. While hip-hop artists like Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole and Kanye West are continuing to innovate and experiment with deep and meaningful lyrics and

fresh compositions, they’re being drowned out by cookie-cutter mumble rap and pop artists like Katy Perry, Taylor Swift and The Chainsmokers — all who conform to the redundant modern style. Que up Selena Gomez’s “Same Old Love” and Camila Cabello’s “Havana” to see for yourself. The second biggest change regarding music since the 1960s is the way in which we listen to it. Each advancement — from record players to CDs to streaming services — has made it easier to play that one song that has been stuck in your head all week forcing listeners to enjoy songs rather than liking it based on the quality. A new study from Ohio State University found that the attention span of music listeners has been steadily decreasing. In the mid-80s the average top 10 hit had an intro that lasted 20 seconds — today the average intro is just five seconds. This development has led to catchy hooks occurring earlier on and producers using the same formula for the same copy and paste soundbite of hit singles. Labels treat the public like fish caught on their hook. Once labels find a hook that catches the public, they don’t let go of that style. To diminish risk that comes with straying from

HIT PLAY LUCY’S TUNES Scan this to listen to a playlist full of Lucy’s favorite old music.

ABOVE | Lucy Morantz puts Justin Bieber’s “Purpose” album into the trash in favor of older music in a photo illustration. photo by luke hoffman popular music has BEAT BREAKDOWN:how changed over the years

styles, labels have created a formula for a successful pop star: a pretty and young face with just enough talent for autotune to make up for the lack thereof. Stars in the 60’s through 70’s, such as the guitar legend Jimi Hendrix and king of swagger Mick Jagger, had irrefutable musical talent. Consistency in production ensures consistency in the public’s feedback. This means any musician whose style may be too “different” is automatically labeled as too risky for labels to pour money into. But, this cuts off opportunity for artists to experiment, therefore killing musical advancement. With the absence of creativity comes the absence of progression. I urge modern artists to stop being so complacent in the homogenization of one of the few industries that historically not only allowed creativity, but encouraged it. This freedom allowed for bands like The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones to experiment with styles, further inspiring other artists to follow in their footsteps. So maybe you can call me old-fashioned. And maybe I am a music snob. But I would rather be both of those than complacently listen to songs that, for worse, all sound the same.

have gotten increasingly more negative meaning: songs and self-centered has increased in order to try to volume level: volume “grab” listeners timbral variety has decreased, therefore similarity: overall making modern music sound the same the pace of songs have been sped up melody: generally, and uses less acoustic listen to 75% more music daily consumption: millenials compared to baby boomers.

method: How people ages 16-24 now listen to music STREAMING

87%

CAR RADIO

11%

CD/RECORD/OTHER CAR RADIO

2% *statistics from ifpi.org

OPINION

design by lizzie kahle art by lilah powlas photo by aislinn menke

PROCRASTINATE IS THE NEW CREATE

When done right, procrastination can be an extremely productive tactic that can lead to more creative ideas by lucia barraza

ONLINE SECTION EDITOR

t’s 5 p.m. the night before Harbinger, the school newspaper’s deadline, and my story has a total word count of zero. I sit alone in the corner of the room, my earbuds blasting ‘Primavera’ by Ludovico Einaudi from my “study focus” playlist and cookie crumbs from dinner dotting my sweatshirt and sweatpants — there’s no time to spare for personal hygiene, I have a deadline to make. The anxious thought of my looming deadline forces my hands onto the laptop keyboard and my fingers start punching keys frantically. Finally it hits me out of nowhere: the Godsent moment when all of my ideas click into place and I know exactly what to write. I’m in a haze of adrenaline, with each passing minute pushing my fingers to type faster and faster. A little less than an hour late, I check my word count again: 936. “Hell yeah,” I think. “The pro-procrastinationor has succeeded once again.” For those who haven’t met me yet: I’m Lucia Barraza, and I’m the queen of procrastination. It’s my natural tendency and greatest talent, and I’ve prided myself on this skill for years now, much to the frustration of my editors (sorry Will Tulp). Too often procrastination is defined as “laziness” and labeled a “nasty habit”. But I would say that —if done right— procrastination is actually an extremely useful productivity tactic. Procrastinating, instead of immediately diving right into a project, gives you time to think over the task and come up with more creative and unique ideas to apply to said task or project. When you start too early, or procrastinate, you cut off your creative flow and limit yourself to one set idea or focus. But when you procrastinate you can use your time to play off of new ideas and develop them further before putting them on paper. I can’t tell you how many times I have purposely held off on finishing a project or school assignment, or studying for a test and then ending up producing my best work out of it. My best Calculus test grade this year: I didn’t do any of the homework until two days before the test. My favorite and most appraised Harbinger story: I didn’t start writing the draft until the day before deadline. I’m not the only person that buys into the theory of productive procrastination. In his TED talk on the habits of original thinkers, American psychologist Adam Grant states that he found, through a series of experiments and observational studies, that original thinkers tend to start thinking about their assignment early, but only begin working on it much closer to the deadline. They spend most of their time mulling over

new ideas and different pathways to approach the project, then usually only begin completing work when it’s crunch time. Look at Leonardo Da Vinci; he put off finishing the Mona Lisa for fifteen years, and we all know how that worked out for him. I’m not saying people should never do their work or purposefully avoid finishing things. If that happened laws wouldn’t be passed, roads would never be fixed and this newspaper would never get printed. And I’m sure no teacher will ever take the late work excuse of “I didn’t do my homework because I was productively procrastinating. I read it in a Harbinger article.” Deadlines have to be met to make the world go around, I get it. Procrastination is useful, not shameful. But you have to do it right. There is a fine line between starting too early on something and losing creativity as a result, and starting too late on something and ultimately running out of time to effectively use your creativity. Grant explains that balance between these two sides is the sweet spot that original thinkers use to execute their best work. You can’t start too early, but you can’t start too late either. My point is this—it’s OK to slow down and take time to think before you act. Instead of jumping right into a project or assignment, take time to contemplate different ideas or approaches to the task. Drink a cup of tea. Finally finish watching that season of “Grey’s Anatomy”. Then start working when you’re good and ready, and use the nearing deadline to motivate you. I give you the ‘procrastination-queen-guarantee’ that you will find success, or at least a more creative game plan to tackle whatever task lies in front of you. Please don’t decide to start writing an essay at 2 a.m. the morning of the deadline and snort 3 cups of coffee powder to make it through. That’s not productive procrastination — that’s a health hazard. However, I personally know it takes me a minimum of four hours to write a basic English essay, so I know that I have to put aside at least four to five hours the night before it’s due to write it. From lots of trial and error and many stressful late nights, I now know how to find my sweet spot. We live in a “go-go-go” society. Everything has a deadline, and if you don’t start working on something immediately it’s viewed as laziness, or weakness. But taking time to come up with the best game plan possible is not a weakness. So as I sit here writing this article the night before deadline, I urge you to sit back, relax, and be a pro-procrastinator.

12 OPINON

design by jackie cameron

IT’S A SEE YOU LATER Staffer adjusts to best friend living in Austria for a year

ABOVE | Snapshots of Lydia and Hadley’s favorite times together photos courtesy of lydia underwood by lydia underwood CO-SPORTS EDITOR t was 2 p.m. on Aug. 28, and 9 p.m. in Austria — our agreed time. It had been 17 days since I’d talked to my best friend since fifth grade, Hadley Hyatt, who is in Austria through a foreign exchange program. Her face flashed on the screen for a moment, and then the screen cut to Hadley’s contact photo and the words “call failed.” 17 days since our last hammocking session, the third night of our sleepover marathon and the last time we ate Ebelskivers that Hadley forced her mom to make. All I got was half a second. All I wanted to do was tell her about not getting my last paycheck for work and hear about Austria. Instead, I was sitting on my hallway floor, desperately rebooting my WiFi. I realized our conversations could be like this until the end of July 2019 — failed FaceTime calls that left me in tears. But her text messages after made me remember that we only had 11 more months. **** Let’s go back to before a failed FaceTime call left me crying on the floor of my hallway. Hadley had been accepted into a rotary exchange program to go to Austria for a year. I knew this was coming — she had forced me to watch rotary exchange vlogs on YouTube and Rick Steve’s “European Christmas: Switzerland” with her. I was happy for her, but what would I do without her? Who would I talk to every day about the cutest thing my dog did that day? Who would I go to the grocery store with? But when I got the call saying she had been accepted, I choked down my tears

and drove the three minutes to her house to bring her homemade puppy chow, our favorite treat, and give her a big hug. She worked on packing up for 11 months in just two suitcases, while I worked on packing up an entire friendship for an 11 months apart. When it came time for her to zip up her suitcases, it finally felt real and I wondered how we would stay in touch when she was on the other side of the world. I kept my feelings packed up inside myself more tightly than Hadley’s bulging suitcases because I didn’t want to feel the pain of her absence. We would FaceTime every week and she would only be gone for a year, right? We don’t FaceTime every week. While we still text, it’s somehow not enough. I feel abandoned and alone without our runs to McDonald’s to get her a Coke (regular, not diet) and our fondue nights with chocolate and cheese fondue, Foster the People and conversations about the Mandela Effect. We usually end up driving around the neighborhood with Cokes from McDonalds having deep conversations about anything from conspiracy theories to religion. Instead of having these conversations, I hear about her first dream in German and have to watch her English get worse over time as she is making the switch towards only speaking German. I realized I had to stop avoiding her absence after our first FaceTime attempt. She was halfway across the world and on a completely different time zone, seven hours ahead of me — I knew I had to find a way to continue like we have for the past eight years. Because I knew, even though it was just for a year, we would stay best friends.

To substitute for all of the time we used to have together, we both send each other Snapchat memories and reminisce on that time when she thought there was an apple called “pink delicious.” I would always be at her house for eight hours on a Saturday either watching Netflix, checking Instagram or going to shopping with her mom. My Snapchat memories are exclusively of her and the McDonald’s and Taco Bell we live by. We know it’ll be another year before we can create new memories, so we send each other the old ones.

me. But the empty seat staring back at me makes my heart drop to my stomach. I knew right then we had to find a way to not only keep in touch but to continue to be just as close. We settled on texting and reminiscing on the past. I still hear about her chemistry labs where she had to observe color changes of burning grass, her new friends at school, how she had to dance with her host dad at a party or the time her entire school went on a mandatory 10-mile hike, but it’s still not enough. I wish I could be there

She was halfway across the world and on a completely different time zone, seven hours ahead of me — I knew I had to find a way to continue like we have for the past eight years.

lydia underwood junior I get texts from her once a week her saying, “What’s your most prominent memory of us?” I always respond with the same thing — when we were sitting on the swing coming up with different ways to say “you’re the peanut butter to my jelly” for two hours while it was snowing in the middle of winter. By talking about little moments together like snow days filled with Monopoly and hot chocolate, we make up for the lack of face-to-face contact. We can’t talk about how my parents won’t let me drive on the highway, how much work AHAP is or how much I miss her. There are still moments when “Good Girls Go Bad” will come on the aux and I look over at the seat next to me and expect to see her there belting out “I was hangin’ in the corner with my best friend” with

to experience parasailing and the town of Andelsbuch with her, but I know that I can’t. Instead, I’m in Kansas sporting columbia blue, black and white, running broadcasts and trying to survive my junior year. So Hadleleah, I miss you like crazy, thank you for being my best friend for this long. Please don’t forget to text me every day and keep me updated — I know I won’t forget to rant to you about AP Chem and my sister not liking the dress I picked out for homecoming. I can’t believe that you are going to be gone for a year, but I know that we will make it through. We always have. Love, Lyds

EPIDEMIC I N FA L L 2 01 8 , J U U L I S A N

SPECIAL SECTION PAGES 13-17

But now, as the FDA has announced the usage of Juuls among minors as being an “epidemic,” 31 percent of students at East own a Juul of their own, going through an average of 2-3 pods a week

14 SPECIAL SECTION

design by lila tulp

THE PROBLEM

Juuling has developed into an epidemic and the long-term effects of the product are proving to be unsafe

by elizabeth ballew

APRIL

CO-HEAD COPY EDITOR

2017, HANEY

confiscated the first Juul at East ever. Now, Haney confiscates one a day — with each catch coming with a two or three-day suspension, depending on how the student was caught. In a press release issued Sept. 12, the FDA labelled Juuling as an epidemic, which is no mistake according to attorney Esfand Y. Nafisi, who is leading a class action lawsuit against Juul. In the recent Harbinger poll of 345 students, 83.7 percent of them consider Juuling to be an epidemic. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, cigarette smoking declined among teens and middle schoolers from 2011 to 2017. Then Juul happened. According to a Jan. 9, 2018 report from the Campaign for Tobacco free kids, there were over 2.1 million youth e-cigarette users. Now, the teenage generation has been labelled Juul’s Guinea Pig Generation by the Public Health Law Center — and the long-term health effects are unknown. According to Nick Clemons,* Juul is everywhere. Bathrooms, basement parties, parking lots. A normal hallway occurrence is to be asked, “Can I rip your Juul? Let’s meet in the bathroom in five.” The FDA stated in a press release on Sept. 18 that about 80 percent of youth do not see great risk of harm from regular use of e-cigarettes. The FDA finds this to be “particularly alarming considering that harm perceptions can influence tobacco use behaviors.” The long term effects of vaping are unknown — but the long term effects of nicotine aren’t. And one Juul pod, a replaceable cartridge filled with nicotine and flavorings, contains the same amount as an entire pack of cigarettes. According to Dr. Nikki Nollen from the Department of Preventive Medicine at KU Medical Center, nicotine Would you consider “Juuling” to be an epidemic? *345 people were surveyed

YES NO

79.5% 20.5%

rewires the brain. Exposure to nicotine can damage brain development by disrupting and altering the growth and structure of the circuitry part of the brain that controls attention, learning and susceptibility to addiction, according to the Public Health Law Center. “Adolescents who would never use regular cigarettes are smoking Juul which is exposing these adolescents to pretty large amounts of nicotine,”

Nollen said. “Nicotine by itself is a harmful drug, so we’re getting adolescents who would have not had any exposure to nicotine now getting exposed to nicotine.” Nicotine also affects the heart rate and blood pressure. According to Pulmonary & Critical Care medicine doctor Scott Rawson, who works at Overland Park Regional Medical Center, there is no clear end point when Juuling — people will just Juul through a two hour movie and go through pods without considering nicotine intake. Opposed to the clear end point in cigarettes — there is an understanding of how many cigarettes have been smoked. Besides the effects of nicotine, he has also discovered “popcorn lung,” a type of pneumonia that causes intense inflammation that destroys lung tissue. He has been more frequently treating popcorn lung in teens, which is believed to be caused by the flavoring in Juuls and electronic cigarettes. Rawson thinks we won’t be able to see the long term consequences of Juuling for another 15 to 20 years. The vast majority of his patients have stopped tobacco smoking, but he now fears for how much his patients are vaping in place of the cigarettes. “We spent a generation trying to get people to stop smoking,” Rawson said. “And now I worry that we’re starting a new generation of new smokers. And so the smoking rate will actually go up.” Juuling is unregulated by the FDA, meaning anything could be in the pod. And while the Juul website claims to not add any carcinogens, cancer causing chemicals, to their products, IB Chemistry 2 decided to test it for themselves after a groupchat debate. The class used a Juul pod to perform a 2,4 DNP — a test required for their curriculum — that detects the carcinogens Ketones and Aldehydes. Their results for the pods were positive, meaning both contained carcinogens. While Juuls do contain carcinogens, cigarettes still contain more. This is what makes e-cigarettes beneficial for adult smokers looking to quit according to Nollen. While it can be beneficial for adult smokers, Jodi Radke, Regional Advocacy Director for the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, said there are plenty of unknowns about the product. They aren’t regulated. There is no requirement for ingredient disclosure. Long term studies don’t exist. Health effects are one of the reasons senior Thomas Graves* is quitting. For the past two-and-a-half years, he has, on average, used one pod per day. Aside from health concerns, his Juul was a strain on his wallet as he spent $20 to $40 per week on pods. But when he was addicted and didn’t have his Juul, he became irritable and craved it. When he couldn’t get his fix on vacation, he had a homeless man buy pods for him when he couldn’t get his own.

Graves fell into the easily addictive Juul cycle. Hit it once — get the buzz. Go back to it — try to recreate the feeling. The feeling fades — do it more and more, over and over again, but it was too late. The nicotine controlled him. But after his decision to quit, Juuling is still a constant itch for him — without it he feels lightheaded, and the worst part is knowing that hitting a Juul would resolve all of these problems. But he knows it’s not worth the risk of potential health effects. According to Nollen, nicotine rewires the brain. Exposure to nicotine can damage brain development by disrupting and altering the growth and structure of the part of the brain that controls attention, learning and susceptibility to addiction according to the Public

ep•i•dem•ic noun a widespread occurrence of something in a community at a particular time. Health Law Center. While the effects of nicotine in e-cigarettes are not exclusive to Juul, 75 percent of the market that uses e-cigarettes opt for a Juul according to Radke. Two years ago, Haney would confiscate vapes of all sizes, shapes and colors and he “couldn’t keep up with what was a vaping device.” Now, Haney mainly confiscates solely Juuls because he believes the other devices are too hard to hide. Nafisi said that the e-cigarette industry was not experiencing explosive growth and it was thought of as “nerdy” by teens and adults before Juul hit the market. Then, Juul had their breakout year in 2017 with a 700 percent increase in commercial growth. While the use of vapes has increased exponentially over the past two years, Radke has seen the use of cigarettes go down. “There’s no reason to be ingesting more nicotine than a cigarette would give you if these products are meant as an alternative the cigarettes,” Nafisi said. Senior Lily Welch* is worried about the health effects of this as well, so she doesn’t Juul. She doesn’t see the point, as she doesn’t know what’s in it or what it does to her body. Besides the health effects, her mom being a smoker has also made Welch be against smoking. A smoker since age 18, Welch’s mom needed to get her fix of nicotine at a family gathering and resorted to taking a single hit of sister’s Juul. It was too strong. She couldn’t handle the nicotine content. Welch wonders, if one Juul hit had this much impact on a new user, what could it do to someone who is addicted?

design by grace padon

SPECIAL SECTION

T H E FAC TS AN EPIDEMIC

83.8% of students consider “Juuling” an epidemic, 16.2% do not

epidemic noun A widespread occurrence of something in a community at a particular time.

Information courtesy of EverydayHealth

SIGNS OF ADDICTION

You feel like you need to use a Juul all the time

You experience withdrawal symptoms

Anxiety, irritability, restlessness, difficulty concentrating

You find it difficult to not Juul in places you shouldn’t At a church, library, school, movie theater or hospital

ADDICTION AT EAST

16%

THE RISK

84% Are addicted

Are not addicted

JUUL IN SCHOOL

Information courtesy of our survey results

18 percent of students had seen Juuls used in school in a survey given to more than 1,000 youth between ages 12 and 17 in April 2018.

Until age 25, the brain is still growing Because addiction is a form of learning, teenagers can get addicted more easily than adults.

STUDENTS WHO HAVE USED A JUUL AT SCHOOL

Have Juuled at school 36.2% Haven’t Juuled at school 63.8%

OCT. 2018

21.8% 25.5% 38.0% 43.9%

20.3% 29.9% 41.0% 71.4%

34.8% of students who have Juuled at school find their Juul easy to conceal, while 3.8% do not Easy to conceal 38.4% Not easy to conceal 3.8% Haven’t Juuled at school 61.4%

STUDENTS WHO OWN A JUUL MARCH 2017

OCT. 2018

6.5% 4.6% 20.2% 24.8%

20.3% 29.9% 25.6% 43.4%

The nicotine in e-cigarettes can prime the adolescent brain for addiction to other drugs such as cocaine.

POD TALK

EU US

Information courtesy of the CDC, Esfand Y. Nafisi and our survey results

NICOTINE CONTENT CAPS 20 mg per mL of nicotine fluid 60 mg per mL of nicotine fluid

The US’s nicotine content cap is three times the EU’s actual size nicotine content cap.

Each Juul Pod contains 59 mg per mL of nicotine fluid.

WHAT’S IN A JUUL POD?

90% 2-5% POD FLAVORING <4% BENZOIC ACID <5% NICOTINE

PROPYLENE GLYCOL AND GLYCERINE

Upperclassmen Males

Underclassmen Males

Upperclassmen Females Underclassmen Females Information courtesy of our survey results

TIMELINE OF EVENTS J U N E 1, 2 015 Juul, the electronic cigarette, was introduced by PAX Labs.

A P R I L 3 , 2 01 7

creates a vapor

The Harbinger published an article about Juuls at East.

provides the taste profile

A P R I L 2 01 8 Juul Labs committed $30 million over the next three years dedicated to independent research, youth prevention and community engagement efforts, including parent education.

provides a cigarette-like satisfaction

a stimulant from the tobacco plant

THE AMOUNT OF JUUL PODS STUDENTS WHO JUUL GO THROUGH IN A WEEK

the truth initiative

36.2% of students have Juuled at school

MARCH 2017

Information courtesy of Know the Risk

know the risk

ADDICTION You can't stop

STUDENTS WHO HAVE USED A JUUL

A breakdown of all things Juul

Information courtesy of our survey results

IS JUULING AN EPIDEMIC?

On Sept. 12, FDA Commissioner, Scott Gottlieb, deemed teenage vape culture an “epidemic.”

10+

12 4

7-10 5-6 3-4

S E P T E M B E R 2 018

The FDA sent letters to Juul Labs giving them 60 days to lay out their plans to address widespread youth use of their products.

O C TO B E R 2 , 2 018

1-2

J U N E 14 , 2 018 Juul will no longer use models on social media platforms and will focus on testimonials from adult smokers who switched to Juul.

The FDA made an unannounced inspection of Juul headquarters, ceasing more than a thousand documents said to be related to the company’s sales and marketing practices.

16 SPECIAL SECTION design by lila tulp

THE CAUSE The popular e-cigarette brand Juul has attracted a youth audience through their marketing

*names changed to protect identity

MARKETING STRATEGIES FLAVORED PODS:

Mango Virginia Tobacco

Mint

Fruit

Creme Classic Menthol Tobacco

TAKE A LOOK:TEEN DIRECTED ADVERTISING Scan these QR codes to see Juul’s controversial ads that the FDA believes markets to teens

CELEBRITY INFLUENCE WHO WANTS ME TO DROP A JUUL SKIN? @FFRECORDS

bella thorne

OTHER CELEBRITIES THAT JUUL: BELLA HADID JENNIFER LAWRENCE CODY KO

THE NUMBERS Do you think that Juul intentionally markets to people who are underage with their “kid-friendly” flavors?

41.8% 17% yes

40.2% maybe

*345 people were surveyed

by carolyn popper

CO-ASST. PRINT EDITOR

THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION

conducted a surprise investigation at Juul Labs Sept. 28, seizing over 1,000 pages of documents regarding the corporation’s marketing strategies. Juul CEO Kevin Burns responded in a press release. “We are committed to preventing underage use, and we want to engage with FDA, lawmakers, public health advocates and others to keep Juul out of the hands of young people.” Regional Advocacy Director of Tobacco Free Kids Jodi Radke believes Juul’s initial intent was never to prevent smoking. The corporation never applied to be sold as a cessation product, which are products such as nicotine patches or nicotine chewing gum. Cessation products are approved under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act that assist smokers who want to quit. “If cessation was their goal, they would have marketed the product differently in the beginning,” Radke said. “I think there was intent behind creating a demographic audience to create users that would become long term. Esfand Y. Nafisi, an attorney currently in the midst of two class action lawsuits against Juul for causing serious addiction, believes that despite Juul’s recent efforts, “the cat is completely out of the bag,” and it is too late to prevent underage users from continuing to use the product due to their marketing that has attracted teens, whether they have targeted the group or not. “The youth epidemic that the FDA declared is not an accident,” Nafisi said. “Everything you could do to create a youth epidemic, Juul did.” In a poll of 345 students, 26 percent of students believe Juul was not intentionally marketing to people who are underage with their “kid-friendly” flavors. Last April, the almost $16 billion company dedicated $30 million towards youth and parent education and community efforts for the next three years to prevent underage usage of Juuling. These efforts include raising the minimum age to purchase tobacco products from 18 to 21 and ending the use of young models in advertisements, and instead featuring an older demographic of smokers who switched from cigarettes to Juul. In an effort to prevent and combat underage use, Juul implemented a nicotine warning label on packaging, and has worked to simplify names of pod flavors — the pre-filled and disposable cartridges storing nicotine and flavor. Juul’s Senior Communications Manager Ted Kwong stated in an email that the company has been aggressively working with social media platforms to remove the portrayal of the product in unauthorized and youth-driven manners. Juul debuted their product in 2015 through an ad campaign called “Vaporized.” The advertisement featured 20 to 30-yearolds using the flash drive-shaped e-cigarette, set against an array of bright yellows, pinks and blues of geometric shapes. Despite the young models and bright colors, Juul said they never sought out teenagers. “It looks like a kids’ play place,” marketing teacher Amanda Doane said. “The bright yellow is definitely a color you use to attract children. The models they use look very young and they are trying to target teens.” Due to the backlash and accusations they received over their marketing appealing to teens, Juul redesigned their website to a sleeker layout and only include real smokers in advertisements as opposed to 20-year-old women wearing red lipstick. Under Juul’s marketing and social media code on their website, they write, “We ensure responsible placement of our product designed to limit exposure to an underage demographic.” The corporation has instilled an age verification before entering the website and Instagram account. But, according to Juul and the Guinea Pig Generation, an article

posted by Public Health Law Center, 7 in 10 teens are exposed to e-cigarette ads. QuickTrip on State Line Road posts a Juul advertisement on the front door with the $19.99 starter pack price in bold. One of the restrictions suggested by the Public Health Law Center is to sell solely in adult-only licensed retailers — off-limits to those under 21. QuickTrip not only sells the product in their stores, but also advertises the products to an all-age audience. E-cigarette advertisements, including those from Juul, have a strong presence on the internet. E-cigarette use among youth is rising as e-cigarette advertising grows, according to Public Health Law Center. Celebrities such as Bella Hadid, Jennifer Lawrence and youtuber Cody Ko have all been photographed Juuling recently. They are not advertising for Juul or being sponsored, but rather doing Juul’s handiwork by presenting a concept that is ‘cool,’ according to Nafisi. But Juul remains steadfast in their commitment to preventing underage use of vapor products, according to a press release by CEO Kevin Burns. Juul responded to FDA’s surprise inspection in a statement released by saying it was a “constructive and transparent dialogue” and they look forward to complying with the FDA’s requests. The FDA sent Juul a request for marketing documents in April, with which Juul complied. “It’s a little bit surprising that the FDA performed a surprise visit on the same topic,” Nafisi said. “They obviously felt the need to do that, and you’re wondering why.” Junior Brett Preston* doesn’t think an adult smoker who is accustomed to the taste of cigarettes will mind whether their pod tastes of mango or mint. Instead, he thinks Juul is “100 percent marketing to teens.” However, Juul stated in a press release, “We believe restricting access to flavors will negatively impact current adult smokers in their journey to switch from combustible cigarettes...Appropriate flavors help adult smokers who do not want to be reminded of the tobacco-taste of a cigarette.” Mango is sophomore Clarence Rode’s* favorite pod flavor. His least favorite is tobacco. Mango pods are harder to come by — they are the sweetest and most desired according to Rode. Tobacco leaves a bad taste in his mouth, and if they were the only option, Rode would search for a different e-cigarette and abandon Juul. FDA research showed that 80 percent of youth ages 12-17 and nearly 75 percent of young adults ages 18-25 who were current tobacco users in 2014 reported that the first tobacco product they ever used was flavored. “Bubble gum, or fruit, I’m not immediately thinking health hazard, right?” Indian Hills Middle School Principal Blake Revelle said. “I think sometimes that is interpreted as to be less hazardous than if it were you know [labeled as] toxic waste.” In 2009, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act granted the FDA the authority to ban cigarettes with characterizing flavors, except menthol and tobacco. At this time, e-cigarettes weren’t popular — Juul had not been invented. According to Public Health Law Center, while it has full authority to do so, the FDA has not yet extended the prohibition of flavors to Juuls. According to Nafisi, Juul is able to continue without the same regulation because of their mission to prevent smoking addictions. While the FDA has not chosen to prohibit Juul’s use of flavored pods, they have regulated pod names such as ‘creme brulee’ to just ‘creme’ and ‘cool cucumber’ to ‘cucumber’ to make the flavors sound less appealing, according to The New York Times. “There’s no less risk of teens getting hooked on a Juul than on a cigarette, if not higher, if it were offered in sweet flavors that are easy to consume,” Nafisi said.

design by lila tulp

THE REACTION

SPECIAL SECTION

Administration, along with local and national organizations, are working to educate students about the dangers of Juuling *names changed to protect identity CO- PRINT-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF about the long-term effects of the by emily fey product. AS SOON AS SHE The FDA’s latest attempt to address opened the door to the fifth floor the growing epidemic of underage girls’ bathroom, freshman Maliyah e-cigarette is their “The Real Cost” Darrington saw a long line of Youth E-Cigarette Prevention students and a cloud of smoke coming Campaign. The campaign plans to from a stall. She immediately felt target nearly 10.7 million youth, ages uncomfortable when she realized she 12 to 17, who have used electronic was inhaling a mix of chemicals with cigarettes or are open to trying them, every breath she took. according to the FDA. Educational “It makes me uncomfortable because I posters meant to pose questions to know I am being exposed to second- students about the dangers of vaping hand vape,” Darrington said. “I don’t are being sent to high schools around want to be ingesting or coming into the nation. contact [with vape smoke]. They don’t Associate Principal Britton Haney and really know what it is doing to your other administrators will begin taping body yet. It could be really bad and no the anti-vaping signs they were sent one knows it.” by the FDA in the bathrooms — the Darrington dislikes how students are most common place for students to get using school bathrooms to fulfill their their nicotine fix. craving for nicotine, and she hates When sophomore Clarence Rode* how a Juul — a product she has never walks into the boy’s bathroom for his touched — could have an effect on second Juul break of the day, the blue her health in the future in addition to walls will be plastered with the FDA making her late to English class. posters displaying the slogan “Some of In 2017, a poll of 497 East students the grossest things in this bathroom are in that vape.” He doesn’t believe this specific poster will have any effect on his yearning to take a hit. He’ll just go straight into the stall and inhale the of students have used a Juul before “sweet” mango pod vapor. “[The impact the poster has on me] depends on what it says on it,” Rode said. “If it mentioned some pretty good showed that 31 percent had used a health points on what it does to your Juul before. Now, according to a poll of health, I would probably think it was 345 students, that number has almost a bad idea [to Juul]. But if [the sign] doubled with 63 percent of students just said ‘stop vaping,’ it would just be responding they have used the discrete a joke.” device that’s taking over the e-cigarette Haney knows the posters won’t reverse market. every Juul user’s addiction. But he Juul “buzzes” — the feeling a student hopes at least one student will look at feels after inhaling copious amounts of the posters and consider the possible nicotine — have transformed from just long-term effects of using the product. another way to have fun at parties to But now, Student Resource Officer a feeling students have become reliant Lacey Daly is working with Jamie Katz, on, with 16 percent of students claiming Prevention Coordinator for Johnson they are addicted to the product. Due County Mental Health, on not only to this increase, East administration, preventing Juul use, but also helping Johnson County Mental Health and students who are already addicted. national organizations such as the FDA They are working on bringing ASPIRE and Tobacco Free Kids are working to — an online program through MD keep Juuls and other e-cigarettes out Anderson Cancer Center that explains of the hands of minors by educating the dangers of tobacco and nicotine use a new generation of nicotine addicts to kids — to East students. The program

63%

is also designed as a cessation program, meaning it also gives information and tips to students already addicted on how to quit according to Katz. While bringing ASPIRE to East is a work in progress, there is an increase in the punishment for students who are caught with Juuls and other e-cigarette devices. The first time a student is caught with a Juul, the punishment will be a three day out-ofschool suspension. But if the student commits a second offense, they will receive a citation from a SRO, which will require a mandatory court date with up to a $100. “I think this could help people stop Juuling [in school] because it attaches a legal threat to students who are caught, rather than just a school suspension,” senior Thomas Graves* said. The popularity of the Juul seemed to be a high school issue, but has now transferred over to Indian Hills Middle School. Principal Blake Revelle said that over the past two years electronic cigarette use — including Juuls — at the middle school level has “increased significantly” due to the popular flavorings they offer and how easy the product is to obtain. When Revelle sits down to talk with a student who was caught with a Juul or other electronic cigarette, half of the time he finds that the student doesn’t actually know what substances they are inhaling, or that the device is illegal to use under the age of 18. To inform the Indian Hills’ community about the epidemic of Juuling, Indian Hills counselors are presenting a “Clear the Air About Vaping” talk for parents to attend Oct. 29. The presentation will educate parents about the health concerns with vaping and how to spot potential underage use. The fight to keep Juuls out of the hands of minors isn’t just happening within schools, it is happening at the state level as well. Regional advocacy director for Tobacco Free Kids Jodi Radke works with legislators at the local, state and federal level to advocate for laws that will hinder one of the Juul’s most attractive characteristics to students: its easy accessibility.

Tobacco Free Kids has helped create legislation that raises the tobacco and nicotine purchasing age from 18 to 21 in 19 cities in Kansas, including Prairie Village, Leawood and Overland Park. With widespread support of this legislation, Radke hopes in the future no student will be able to purchase a Juul without being 21 in the entire state of Kansas. “We strongly support [raising the legal purchasing age to 21] because it removes a very critical point of accessibility for high schoolers that are able to obtain these products and

INCREASING EDUCATION The Drug Abuse Resistance Eductaion program, or DARE, now intergrates e-cigarette education within their lessons about drug and alcohol use.

I very quickly saw that [vaping] is going to be something that kids in middle school will be faced with so that’s why I wanted to get in front fo that stuff early

brian wolf dare officer purchase them legally and then resell them to their younger peers to help offset the cost of their purchase of a Juul and pods,” Radke said. Radke is also campaigning to remove flavored e-cigarette products from the shelves of gas stations and vape shops. She believes if cigarettes are not allowed to be flavored under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009, Juul shouldn’t be able to have flavored pods that attract underage users such as Rode — he would never use a Juul if the only flavor they sold was tobacco. “All of these policies work synergistically together, they all compliment one and other,” Radke said. “As we begin to pass these policies that we know have evidence behind them that show us they reduce use rates amongst kids, hopefully when we are successful in that it won’t only decrease combustible cigarette use but e-cigarettes as well.”

18 FEATURES

design by rose kanaley

THE LAST 10 STANDING ABOVE | Senior Kevin Grinstead stands up in front of class to make a point in the middle of a class argument. photo by trevor paulus by megan funkey

STAFF WRITER

owards the end of sixth hour, text after text pops up from the groupchat “Valencia’s Hype Club” as the boys get hyped for their next hour. With one minute until the seventh hour bell rings, 10 senior boys file into their class, cheering, high-fiving and yelling, “LET’S GO,” at the top of their lungs. These boys aren’t in weights class or team games — they’re just getting ready for another day in AP Environmental Sciences (APES). When the bell rings, only a quarter of the seats are filled, but no one is absent. The class is comprised of only these 10 boys, most of whom are friends outside of the classroom. “We’re louder than a class of 30,” senior J.R. Allen said. Nonetheless, the groupchat of all 10 boys in Miss Valencia’s seventh hour APES class is not used for any academic purposes. This AP Environmental Sciences class is the only AP Environmental class in the district, exclusive to East. The boys being good friends inside and outside of school makes the dull moments in the class much more exciting and the class worth taking according to senior Kevin Grinstead. They’ve established numerous rituals, long-running inside jokes and bonds through each class period. They constantly text in their group chat and jokingly accuse senior Chase Conderman of cheating every chance they get. In the back left corner you can find seniors Tim Code, Jack Mikkelson and Grinstead keeping the curriculum light with all sorts of inside jokes. Outside of the classroom, they often hangout — whether it’s playing

EXPLORING LABS

10 students in AP Environmental Sciences have formed a close bond through being the only kids taking the class in the district

Xbox, frisbee or going to each other’s houses. The small number and the great amount of energy the boys give off when they walk into the room every day gives them the opportunity to become closer. Messing around and treating every day like a Friday builds a special dynamic, according to senior Matt Ruether. At the end of last year, a few of the guys found out there was only one hour of APES. The boys wanted to take an AP science, so they gathered a few other friends to enroll in the class. The original roster started with 14, but four people dropped at the beginning of the year. “I had just taken AP Physics last year and I didn’t want to take Chem 2 after being a year off of chemistry, so I was like, ‘Well here’s another AP class and there’s only one hour of it, so what if I got a bunch of my friends to take it as well and then we’d all be in the same class?’” Ruether said. Not only do the boys hype each other up every day for fun but they also do it for their teacher, Stephanie Valencia, whose first five hours are all freshmen biology classes. “They’re just crazy,” Valencia said. “I mean, they’re the good group of friends so they get really excited about it. They come in here every day and scream at each other and getting each other excited so they have a good time.” So far they’ve worked on a tectonic plate lab and a termite lab — where you see how well a real termite follows a line from a pen due to the thickness, shape and color. “We had this crippled termite trying to do it and he was trying so hard to keep going and it was really funny,” Grinstead said. “It was like if I did that without a friend I would just be like, ‘oh this is taking forever,’

but I was doing it with friends [and] we were just laughing about it.” Instead of dreading the day of a test like most other classes do, they look forward to test day — yelling and clapping to pump themselves up before filling out the multiple choice questions and free responses. They even travel to other classes, but not without their signature test day shirts. The shirts have a photo of senior Cabin Manley on the front saying “It’s Test Day!” in a speech bubble and

29%

of the original students in AP Environmental Science dropped the class, leaving just 10 students the letters A-P-E-S on the back. “We all start yelling ‘Test day!’ and a lot of times Mr. Kramer has tests on the same day we do, so we like to pay them a little visit,” Ruether said. “We gather the whole bunch and we go into Mr. Kramer’s room and we all yell, ‘Test day!’ and we get them hyped up for their test as well.” Not only do the boys get everyone hyped for their unit exams, but with each test day comes the usual passing around of their “test juice” — a giant jug of water that they use for labs. They’re convinced that chugging the juice before each test will make them do especially well on their exam. Although there are only ten boys when the bell rings, that doesn’t stop the small class from making AP Environmental Sciences more than just a science class.

The labs in AP Environmental Science differ from the stereotypical science labs

AP ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE LABS

AP BIOLOGY LABS

Tectonic Plate Lab:This lab uses graham

Gene Transposition:By transposing a gene

crackers and icing to simulate tectonic plate boundaries.

that makes organisms glow into ecoli bacteria to make that bacteria glow.

Eco Column Lab:Students created eco

Rollie Pollie Migration:Different shaped, sized

columns that filters water for fish using gravel and soil.

and colored lines were drawn to see if they had an effect on the patterns rollie pollies would walk in.

AP CHEM LABS Hand Warmer Lab: Mixing different salt

compounds with water, Chem students found the reaction that created the most heat using a calorimeter and in turn what salt would make the best hand warmer.

Titration Lab:Used the process of titration to

find the mass percent of iron in an unknown salt.

FEATURES

design by ava johnson

LEFT AND ABOVE | Photo of

cinnamon rolls at Dolce Bakery and churros from Extra Virgin. photo courtesy annapetrow.com

LEFT | Petrow has a shoot at Dolce Bakery for their fall desserts. photo by grace goldman

East Alumni uses the skills she learned in high school to build a successful photography career

FROM LANCER TO FREELANCER by caroline chisholm

ne Saturday in 2010, Alumni Anna Petrow and Whitaker Sherk broke into the school. They didn’t vandalize property and they didn’t pull their senior prank. Instead, they were there to work on all things yearbook. Sherk shimmied up the brown brick building to find a window the two could slip through in order to finalize spreads, edit pictures and keep the theme cohesive throughout each page. This same drive for journalism still exists inside Petrow today. Her photography classes with East art teacher Adam Finkelston, as well as her time as head photo editor for The Hauberk under journalism advisor Dow Tate, gave Petrow the unparalleled skill set that allowed her to pursue a photography career. After college, she began working as a freelancer for the “food heroes of Kansas City” and the editor-in-chief of Made-In-KC Explore (MIKC)–– a curated guide to Kansas City’s best including restaurants, activities and people. From Hauberk to the New York times, Petrow transformed into a student journalist to a featured photographer in established publications all over the nation. After receiving an old film Nikon camera from her dad in eighth grade, she would pull out the camera to snap pictures of friends or to capture memories on vacations. But it wasn’t until she took her first photography class at East that she really began to learn the basic functions of a camera. And to her, Finkelston’s photo class was the best way to begin her experimentation with photography. “Mr. Finkelston[‘s class] was the best way to learn, because if you learn with a digital camera you lean on a lot of the automatic functionings, and you don’t have a full

understanding [of the camera],” Petrow said. “So really, the foundation of everything I do was Mr. Finkelston to begin with.” Developing film and adjusting aperture were just the beginning. She decided to take it one step further and join the yearbook staff as a photographer. By her senior year, she had worked her way up to The Hauberk’s photo editor. Through this, she learned the true dedication and work it took to be a journalist. Along with Finkelston, Tate became her second mentor. By trusting his students to maintain the reputation of the program, Tate pushed them to be independent and autonomous, two skills that only lifted Petrow up in her later career. Tate helped Petrow realize she could never stop carrying her camera around to capture the little moments –– even after she graduated. Until Tate, she hadn’t considered her passion for photography as a future career.

check out anna’s work here: @annapetrow

“A lot of people have a creative streak, but they don’t realize that it could be a lucrative thing,” Petrow said. “Learning that so early on from him was pretty powerful in terms of enabling me to make the decision to pursue it as a career rather than a hobby. [Tate] made it seem like for all of us [journalism] was a very viable life path.” Making the decision to attend University of Missouri and study strategic communications in their school of journalism stemmed from her passion of photography – a passion aided by both Tate and Finkelston.

In college, Petrow learned that traditional photojournalism, the type she did in high school, wasn’t the only form of photojournalism she could pursue. College allowed her to utilize her natural creativity in her pictures. Through advertising and commercial photography, she had the option to actually move and set up the perfect shot, rather than just capturing a specific moment. Her creativity in advertising photography has allowed for her passion to thrive in the KC area. The chance to create angles, texture and arrange things like a plaid tablecloth under a cake plate or a gold fork cutting into a pie into her camera lens excited her more than just taking portraits. She could finally make the pictures exactly how she wanted with no guidelines or restrictions. She quickly shifted from taking family photos to taking menu shoots for award winning KC restaurants like Room 39 and Extra Virgin, as well as running social media for Dolce Bakery and Tribe KC. Her creation of MIKC Explore with East alumni Tyler Enders also allowed for her to develop and exhibit her innovation in advertising photography through photoshoots at local restaurants and new concepts for them to cover. “It is really fun to be able to shine a light on the creatives of the city that people may know their products, but they may not know the person behind the products,” Petrow said, “It brought me back to a lot of what I thought were my goals in high school and it provided an outlet for sharing people’s stories. “ The portfolio she has built through MIKC Explore and her freelancing has given her opportunities to work for even bigger platforms – both in the KC area and other parts of the country. She has received recognition

from the New York Times, being featured in print five times. She also works for an established local magazine, Feast Magazine. “Anna is extremely easy to work with,” Art Director for Feast Magazine Alex Povis said. “She definitetly knows what she is doing. I feel like as soon as I saw her portfolio, I put her on my roster and I have been using her every [magazine] since. What I like about Anna is she really has her own style.” A style based off natural light and color that she has developed from the beginning of high school and has continued to grow since. According to Petrow, everything that she does can be traced back to yearbook and photo classes. Learning valuable skills like functioning ISO and adjusting aperture allowed her to be ahead in her career, but also gave her the basis of her everyday routine including the edit flow she has used since high school. Journalism taught Petrow the importance of getting her work done and done well and what it means to be independent. Working to please Tate and produce a product worthy enough to carry on the name of something that he had built for so long elevated her in her later career. “With Tate, it was never an option to leave something unfinished, which is valuable especially if you are a freelancer because you don’t have someone hovering over you like your boss telling you to get something done” Petrow said, “I think the autonomy at a young age and having someone place their trust in you was a pretty meaningful thing.”

20 FEATURES by lauren west

photos by katherine mcginness design by carolyn popper

STAFF WRITER

ophomore Rachel Basden was called out into the orange and black halls of Middletown High School North before newspaper class. Jitters crawled up her legs as she awaited her teacher’s reasoning for pulling her out of class. At 15-years-old, Basden was already shooting photos, writing stories and cutting and pasting layout at an advanced level. Noticing her talent, she was asked to be the layout and design editor for her high school’s newspaper—The Lion’s Roar. To this day, she still holds the record for youngest student to have an editor position. Basden has taught in various school districts in the English department for 22 years, with her most recent six at Indian Hills. Basden’s newest addition to Indian Hills is their journalism program. This has opened a whole new realm for students at the middle school level and has given them the ability to take classes on a new subject. When Basden began teaching at Indian Hills, she taught English, reading and Communications. Working in the English department allowed her to weave in journalistic writing, interviewing, transcribing and photography into lessons. After her second year of teaching at Indian Hills, Basden turned the existing yearbook from an “English teacher’s hobby” into a student-run club at Indian Hills. But the only problem was that more and more students kept wanting to join, and after-school clubs at Indian Hills are only 30 to 35 minutes long which Basden felt was limiting her students. If granted more time they could learn more. At the beginning of the last school year, journalism was made available as an elective course. Students applying had to fill out an application to get accepted into class. They were asked various questions aimed at displaying their creativity and openness to the program. Basden’s favorite trick question for students is to “List all of the departments you don’t want to try” because it shows her who is willing to try everything.

HIT PLAY: BASDEN & THE J-KIDS Scan this QR code to watch Dalton Reck’s video on Mrs. Basden.

“[For staff] I’m looking for the kid who looks like the jock and the kid who looks like you wouldn’t talk to because [they usually] mesh well together,” Basden said. Basden’s journalism student’s named her Wonder Woman in honor of their staff nickname theme this year — superheros. All 79 staffers have something different they bring when they walk into room two according to Basden. Their ability to work last year’s theme—Reaching New Heights — throughout the entire yearbook was key in helping them win the Jostens Middle School

BASDEN AND THE JUNIOR J-KIDS

yearbook of Excellence and a KSPA award their first year as a program. This year’s yearbook theme has yet to be released for the school year. From choosing to go to school an hour and 30 minutes early for extra work time, FaceTiming into staff meetings, to jumping from volleyball practice, Middle school communications teacher begins orchestra concerts and back to the journalism room, journalism program at Indian Hills Indian Hills students give maximum effort and still crave more according to Basden. Wanting to further their opportunities, Basden spent two weeks this summer teaching journalism workshops that focused on photojournalism, writing and layout. “I didn’t press them to come at all,” said Basden. “I had most of them coming all the time all summer long”. Basden wants her students to learn the framework of how to functionally run a newspaper, but still be true to the fact that they are still middle schoolers, before they can publish it. “I like her leadership skills,” eighth grade head copy editor Hassan Sufi said. “In a smaller setting she can take charge and she just knows when to help and when to let you figure things out on your own.” Every eighth grader that returns from their seventh grade year is made a leadership student, and within those leadership students there are assigned staff positions. This year, 17 students make up the editorial board with positions of head editors, copy editors, photo editors, layout/design editors and sunshine editors — editors in charge of planning class events. The incoming seventh graders are pushed to try everything from photography to layout with the help of Basden and the leaders. Even before journalism came to Indian Hills, Basden had already left an impact on her former students, according to senior Dalton Reck. Reck was in Basden’s communications class, which he calls a “supplement to English,” only everything falls in the non-fiction category. This gave Basden the passage she needed to ignite a journalistic side FAR ABOVE | Mrs. Basden gives the class directions on what in her students. they will be doing for the day. photo by katherine mcginness “For not taking J-1 at East, the only reason I would know how to write a story would be because of the ABOVE | Mrs. Basden helps a student perfect her writing to put feature final we did in communications,” said Reck. into the newspaper. photo by katherine mcginness “It was the best class I could have took aside from J-1 to prepare me for East journalism”. Students’ take on Mrs. As a senior on Harbinger, the basic photography Basden’s teaching style skills he learned from Basden created his passion for photojournalism that led to his position on staff as head video editor. I like her leadership skills. In a smaller setting she can take charge, knows when to help and It doesn’t surprise Basden to hear that her former let’s you figure things out on your own. students, like Reck, have found success in high school POSITION: HEAD COPY EDITOR journalism. She can’t imagine how many more will STAFF GOAL:HARBINGER enter the program at East, or find themselves successful GRADE:8 in other activities. HASSAN SUFI “It’s like waiting for a movie that hasn’t happened yet, but you now it’s going to be amazing and you can’t wait to see it,” said Basden. “I’m waiting for that She’s not like any teacher, she’s positive and moment with my students”. happy all the time and encourages you to According to the Indian Hills superheroes, Wonder keep pursuing your journalism dreams. Woman is a leader. She is helpful. She is determined. POSITION:SUNSHINE EDITOR She is wise. She is Mrs. Basden. STAFF GOAL:HAUBERK

KNIGHT VOICE

GRADE:8

ABBY WHITEHEAD

FEATURES

design by alex freeman

EP WITH THE DEPOT C

by miranda hack

Alumna works with non-profit music academy to release an EP

ABOVE | Then-junior Caroline Blubaugh performs at the Couchella Concert in May 2017. photo by lucy morantz

INTERVIEW WITH MU Teacher David Muhammad is one of the founders of the Depot Academy, an non-profit that provides funding and assistance to student musicians. Here’s why he started it:

Our goal is to give high school age kids an ability to record music . . . without the financial burden, so we provide scholarships for kids who apply and are accepted to record small projects.

david muhammad teacher

EASTIPEDIA EDITOR

aroline Blubaugh, a 2018 East graduate, grew up falling asleep to the sound of her dad’s fingers strumming James Taylor on his guitar. As a two-year-old, her favorite pastime was banging on pots and pans to create her own quasidrum set. When she got older, she spent days at her grandma’s house plunking out melodies on the piano. Her parents have always said that she had an ear for it, but her relationship with music has since turned into something much bigger than playing by ear — now, she’s released a single and is in the process of releasing an extended play record (EP). In elementary school, Caroline cycled through instruments: harmonica, violin, clarinet, saxophone, piano — one after another. But when she picked up an acoustic guitar in fifth grade, she found one that stuck. And although she came home to her guitar every night, her days were occupied by AP classes and hours of basketball practice. She performed at events like Couchella and Love146 with Sam Fay and the band Behold: Avocado, but her music mostly served as a release from the stress of her everyday life. “Growing up, music was never truly at the forefront of my life,” Caroline said. “But it was always there, just as a constant. And that was important to me.” Then, in the fall of 2017, East teacher David Muhammad told her about a scholarship program through the Depot Academy, a non-profit music academy with the goal of funding students to produce music. If accepted, Blubaugh would be able to produce her own music entirely for free. “I had worked with her for Coalition [and] seen her play at the Love146 concert,” Muhammad said. “I knew she was talented, and thought this might be a good fit for her.” Caroline had never been technically trained — she really only knew the basics of guitar from her dad. After that, it was hours of YouTube tutorials that built up her chord repertoire. Her experience with music mostly came from performing for herself and her community. The Depot Academy was a whole different game — sometimes-grueling hours sitting in the dark studio with producers Denzel “Conductor” Williams and Jerad Tomasino — taught her that much. Sessions with Jared were always guided by questions like “How did that feel?” after she played a song. They would make a small tweak, then play the entire song over from the beginning. They felt like marathons — but to her, the content was worth the fatigue. With Conductor, it was more regimented: blocks of recording and re-recording, punching in parts and playing it back. They worked like this for nearly 6 months, with Caroline sometimes driving to the downtown studio three times a week for two hour sessions. It was mid-May when she almost lost it all.

Conductor’s normally booming voice was shaky on the phone when he told her — everything, aside from the basic band tracks, was gone. All lost in a hard drive crash. Weeks spent in and out of the studio, erased in half a second. Late nights sitting in her room, strumming her guitar and studying chord sheets, swept away like they never happened. Months of work poured into the form of 6 songs: her single, “San Francisco” and her album, Green, deleted. Their release date was set for the end of the month — and with those tracks gone forever, Caroline was terrified that they would never recreate the work they had lost. “I was panicking,” she said. “But he told me that I could do this, that I knew exactly what I had to do.” That’s how the current version of Green, which will be available for streaming on Oct. 19, was born. While the songs erased from the hard drive in May were technical, produced — almost electronic sounding — the new version of Green is straight-shot acoustic. To Caroline, the loss of those songs was

HIT PLAY: SAN FRANCISCO Scan this QR code to listen to Blubaugh’s first single.

almost a second chance, an opportunity to create something that, to her, felt more genuine. The obvious choice? The first instrument she fell in love with. “[Acoustic] is what I grew up listening to, it’s what I grew up playing. It just felt more like me,” Blubaugh said. “That’s what Green really is to me. It’s growth. It’s personal development.” San Francisco, released on Sept. 25, started as a song she wrote in high school, but it underwent a complete transformation with Conductor and Jared. Senior Sam Sokoloff, who was in Behold: Avocado with Caroline, worked in the studio during some of the preliminary takes and immediately noticed the differences. “From the beginning, when I was in there, to the produced version, it got a lot... bolder,” Sokoloff said. “I think it’s more impactful.” After the single’s release, Caroline was met with a barrage of compliments: sorority sisters she barely knew approached her on the street and strangers started following her music Instagram account, @ carolineblu_music. “I didn’t expect the love and support that I got from everyone,” she said. “But it was really cool knowing that all that work I had put in was reaching an audience that enjoyed it.” Blubaugh hopes — after almost a year spent working on the nearly-lost five-track EP— that Green will find that audience, too.

22 PHOTOSTORY

FAR RIGHT| Senior Paige Prothe volunteers at Wayside Waifs on senior service day. “I think I’ve always just loved animals so I volunteered here to see what a normal day for the [animals] is like,” Prothe said photo by lucy morantz

RIGHT| A group of seniors, led by Ella Stotts, volunteer at Avenue of Life, an organization providing necessities to those in need. photo by luke hoffman

CULTIVATING KINDNESS Seniors take a day to volunteer and give back to the community through a variety of service projects organized by SHARE

RIGHT | Senior Reagan

Smith takes off the tags from a previous donation to Adelante Thrift Store. “The whole process made it much easier for the people there... it helped them so much,” Smith said. “They were the sweetest group of people... they made sure that we enjoyed what we were doing which was so sweet of them.” photo by grace goldman

ABOVE RIGHT | Senior Harrison Gloe sorts shampoo at the Giving the Basics warehouse. “Seeing the bathroom...” Gloe said, “...which was just kind of four pieces of drywall just put together with a drop ceiling, you could tell that their only intention was to help.” photo by lucy morantz RIGHT | Senior Claire Griffith volunteers her time at Uplift KC. “They help give homeless people food and clothes they need,” Griffith said. “I was holding a really heavy box of jeans… and I was asking Griffin [Keeter] to help me put it back on the shelf.” photo by ally griffith

PHOTOSTORY LEFT | Seniors George Kircher and Jack Melvin embrace at the senior picnic after finishing their service projects. “We were at Harmon having lunch and somebody said ‘Where’s Melvin?’ and before we knew it he was coming over the hill. He came over and we were just all smiles, everyone was excited to see him and I gave him a huge hug,” Kircher said. photo by luke hoffman

FAR LEFT | Senior Kevin Grinstead volunteers at Adelante Thrift Store on senior service day. “It was a good time... hanging out with friends makes it a lot better because you can mess around all day but still stay on track,” Grinstead said. photo by grace goldman

ABOVE | Working with students of Prairie Elementary, senior Gia Hense helps them with their writing assignments. The group, organized by senior Meredith Norden, assisted the kids with work, and kept them on task. “It was really fun getting to work with the kids. They were telling us they loved to see older kids and have older influences so it’s really rewarding to be able to go and see those kids,” said Norden. photo by grace goldman

24 A&E

design by caroline chisholm

SPICE IT UP by natasha thomas

COPY EDITOR

FROM EARLY SEPTEMBER TO TO LATE November, I can’t walk into a Target without seeing products — that have no business being “pumpkin spiced” — being reduced to the fall trend that Starbucks started four years ago. Pumpkin spice protein powder, for the guy who likes to workout and taste a pumpkin patch at the same time (if there is such a person). Pumpkin spice flavored dog treats, because it’s vital that your dog tastes the combination of pumpkin, clove, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pumpkin Spice

salsa, to give the one person that buys it the ultimate fall chip-and-dip experience. And let’s be honest, they all taste like sugar and chemicals. But there was a time, before Starbucks launched the Pumpkin Spice Latte in 2014, when every fall product wasn’t a shade of bronze-orange with a pumpkin label slapped on it. Autumn used to come with maple, cider, pear — a plethora of smells and tastes not yet corrupted by our friends at the giant coffee corporation. For those of you who are brave enough to stroll right past the pumpkin spice aisle and ~god forbid~ try some other fall flavors, this is your ultimate guide.

With fall in full swing, here are some alternative flavors to pumpkin spice to try this season

R O S E M A R Y VA N I L L A L AT T E POSSIBLY THE MOST important alternative that I set out to find was coffee. The time has come for a new latte queen of the caffeine-addicted — and the next in line for the throne is most definitely not pumpkin flavored. Starbucks’ iconic coffee has nothing on the Vanilla Rosemary latte I found at Heirloom Bakery and Hearth. Everything on Heirloom’s menu is made from scratch and often with local ingredients, and the care they put into their cooking was evident in this fall latte. The warm vanilla gives the coffee

APPLE CIDER DONUT

FA L L C A N D L E S

AFTER STARBUCKS CAME OUT WITH the pumpkin spice latte and forever changed this otherwise meaningless world, it didn’t take long for pumpkin spice pastries to emerge and ride the PSL’s coattails — muffin, scone and doughnut recipes were tweaked to fit the pumpkin-y trend. This year, Starbucks (ahead of the game, as usual) realized that the new pumpkin spice is no pumpkin spice — thus the Apple Cider Doughnut was born. The Apple Cider Doughnut is oldfashioned — per usual at Starbucks — making the cake richer and thicker than the common raised doughnut. The cake has a light apple and cinnamon flavor that

SOMETHING ABOUT LIGHTING A TINY fire on a pile of wax tends to excite the fall-enthusiasts of the world — candles seem to compliment the changing leaves and dropping temperature. Despite the first image that comes up when you google “fall candles,” pumpkin spice doesn’t have to be the only scent in your house this autumn. Brookside’s 5B and Co has 21 different seasonal fall scents — “Mulling Spices” and “Witchy Woman” are two of my favorites. My first waft of 5B and Co’s scent of the month “Witchy Woman” didn’t exactly overwhelm me with its fall fragrance — the little I got was a something slightly clean and woodsy. But light that Witchy Woman up and you’ll get a smooth, peppery campfire smell with a lingering hint of sweetness

gives the doughnut a sweet and crisp finish. Sweet vanilla icing is drizzled generously over the creation, not enough to overpower the fall flavors but enough to keep you reaching for another bite. Additionally, granules of turbinado sanding sugar are sprinkled on top and melted into the icing to give the soft apple cider doughnut a satisfying crunch. If you love the fall vibe of Starbucks’ dimly lit cafe but need an escape from the pumpkin spice latte madness, give the Apple Cider Doughnut a try.

FALL RATING 4/5

S T U D E N T S TA K E : P U M P K I N S P I C E I feel like there are better ways to celebrate and get in the mood for fall like going to a pumpkin patch or making s’mores. I feel like pumpkin spice is a boring way to [celebrate falltime].

katie drake junior

a smooth, creamy finish. The unique rosemary flavors the latte into a autumnesqe dream — the rich coffee has an herbal spice component that created a taste you can’t find at big chains like Starbucks. Heirloom’s twist on a common fall beverage is a great way to step outside the season’s usual flavors. Before you hop on the pumpkin spice latte train with everyone else this fall, try Heirloom Bakery and Hearth’s Vanilla Rosemary.

FALL RATING 5/5 .

— perfect for a night when you are too lazy to build a fire but still want that comforting autumn ambience. You can smell the apples and cinnamon halfway across 5B and Co’s little shop coming from my other recommended candle, “Mulling Spices”. When you light the candle, you’re transported to grandma’s kitchen, with a pot of steaming apple cider on the stove and the sweetness of warm honey wafting through your nose. At $3.25 apiece for these mini candles, both of these scents will add that special fall feeling to your house. And the best part? Neither of them are pumpkin.

FALL RATING 4/5

Do you think pumpkin spice is overdone too? Results to our Twitter poll are below

YES NO

*252 people were surveyed

56% 44%

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A website that shares human experiences through storytelling by maya stratman

THE MOTH DOT ORG

COPY EDITOR

’m a person who always likes to be doing something ... while I’m doing something. Painting my nails can never go unaccompanied for me — I have to have the same episode of “The Office” I’ve seen 20 times before or the constant loop of videos on Instagram’s explore page playing in the background. But after discovering “The Moth” website, I’ve found a more refreshing way to have something going on in the background as I go about my daily tasks. The Moth features stand-up storytelling, much like stand-up comedy or Ted Talks, but instead of watching Jim Gaffigan rallying off jokes, the featured storyteller stands in front of an audience and tells a story about a personal experience or life lesson. The Moth takes the human experience and molds them into life lessons. Through touring and performing in major U.S. cities, storytellers share insight from experiences like Deedee Lundberg talking about the pain of loving someone you don’t feel will love you back and life lessons centered around the importance of family in times of need. But unlike Ted Talks, all of these stories come from a prompt and hold a bigger message. There’s a specific theme in each show that all performers stories are based around, like “disguises” or “leaps.” The themes are broad to allow for more versatile, unique, and interesting stories. Each speaker spins the theme a different way — creating empowering stories that feel a little less shallow than watching “Pretty Little Liars.” While someone might use the theme “Take Me Out” as a way to tell about a first, Stephanie Peirolo told the story of losing her son to a coma after an accident.

I’m learning big-picture life lessons while I curl my hair, as opposed to watching “Goodbye, Toby” for the 22nd time. I’ve listened to an older man tell a tear-jerking story of forgiving his daughter’s killer to lessen the amount of hate in his heart. He’d met a woman via his support group who, after 39 years, still carried the burden of fury for her son’s killer as if it was only yesterday. Through his story, I am able to see a real world example of the importance of carving out more room for compassion. Though I prefer the more personal connection of seeing emotion through the videos – whether it be from the speaker stopping to laugh at themselves mid-story or deep breaths they have to pause and take before they continue — there’s also endless podcasts to listen to. I tried to scroll down and find the bottom and gave up counting at around 400, so chances are if you don’t like the podcast you chose, you have at least 399 other options. They range from 5-15 minutes, not too long that you have to give up an hour of your time but long enough to finish sorting through that pile of clothesthat’s been on your chair for a week. On their website, you can find live tour dates and ways to get involved. Since their closest show to KC is in Tulsa, Oklahoma, clips on their website or on YouTube will be your best bet. These stories are also played on NPR, and can be found under the “Radio Hour” section of the website or on spotify. The next time I instinctively pull up Netflix to watch the same ole’ thing, I’ve got a better option — listening to The Moth stories. These have become more than background noise, they mean something.

WAYS TO STORY LIBRARY out their library of broadcast LISTEN Check stories. From the most recently released stories to the first ones ever aired.

THE MOTH STORY LIBRARY STORIES ABOUT TEENS THE DRY RUN

BY EMILY MATUZEK Matuzek talks about her trip to college and the sudden emotional effect it had on her.

IDENTITY CRISIS

BY JENNIFER FITZGERALD A nerdy teen changes herself to find a boyfriend. After experiencing unforseen difficulties with her new lifestyle, Fitzgerald revisits her options. life drastically.

I DON’T HAVE TO

BY VIVIENNE ANDERSEN Andersen is approached by her mother about her identity as a transgender teen.

MAYA’S FAVORITE STORIES FORGIVENESS

BY HECTOR BLACK Black searches for forgiveness following the murder of a loved one.

I CAN’T FIGHT THIS FEELING ANYMORE

BY DEEDEE LUNDBERG Lundberg tells a story about a sudden decision that alters her life drastically.

GOOD NEWS VERSUS BAD

BY ERIN BARKER Barker’s dad takes her out for ice cream and delivers unsettling news.

info courtesy of themoth.org

THE MOTH RADIO HOUR The Moth Radio Hour features stories from live shows around the world and behindthe-scenes commentary for their team.

THE MOTH PODCAST The podcast features stories from their Mainstage, StorySLAM and programs. Episodes are released every Tuesday via ITunes or RSS.

26 A&E

design by gracie kost photos by megan biles

PARLO A review of Parlor, a two story food hall in the Crossroads

IF THE OAK Park Mall Food Court doesn’t satisfy you, head to Parlor in the Crossroads for the most trendy, photo-worthy, urban food experience east of State Line. Parlor, which opened Sept. 21, is a three story complex designed in a way that allows local chefs to test culinary boundaries and expand KC’s flavor palette. The upscale food court scene has two bars and seven mini restaurants packed inside. Seating options are scattered throughout, and there’s even an outdoor patio with a killer view of the skyline.

Each eatery has a different storefront aesthetic and serves different cuisines ranging from Scandinavian to Korean. Parlor’s eclectic atmosphere, brick walls, downtown location and contemporary food concept make this the place of food bloggers dreams. But its modern vibe doesn’t stop at its industrial chic appearance. With an automated system that texts you when your order is ready, you can get a slice of pizza from Providence and sandwich from Farm to Market without worrying about standing next

to both counters. Parlor offers something for everyone, so it’s perfect for a casual outing with friends who can never seem to agree on a dinner spot (even picky eaters can find their niche here). The scene lends itself to a social Friday night, as the bleachers, graffiti murals, shuffleboard and bustling crowd of indie millennials made me feel like I was inside of a Arctic Monkeys album. Read on to discover what each of Parlor’s eateries has to offer.

PROVIDENCE PIZZA 4/5

ABOVE | The front of the Providence Pizza and a slice of cheese pizza. photo by megan biles

KARBON MIDDLE-EASTERN 3/5

by allison wilcox

by annabelle cook

WALDO, IL LAZZARONE, Papa Keno’s, and now... Providence Pizza. This subway tile-clad restaurant, located on Parlor’s lower floor, serves up a slice good enough to compete with some of Kansas City’s best. Owned by brothers Luke and Aaron Salvatore, Providence brings pies from their hometown of Providence, Rhode Island straight to your plate in KC. Whether you’re a deep pan or thin crust type of person, Providence has a variety of options to satisfy your pizza tooth. They even offer Italian appetizers, sides and desserts (hellooooo cannoli!). First up on my radar was a thin, $4 New York style cheese slice. Sitting in Parlor’s upscale urban environment chowing down on this pizza made me feel like I was in the concrete jungle itself. While a little more sauce would have been more up to my standards, the toasty cheese more than

ITALIAN

ONLINE EDITOR IN CHIEF

made up for it. After finishing the cheesy mass, I devoured the crust. The restaurant’s slogan, “No crust left behind,” certainly holds true. I am a firm believer that any respectable pizza establishment should serve up a crust that makes you excited to be taking the last bites of your pizza — the crust’s soft on the inside/crispy on the outside consistency was certainly met this criteria. Another recommended staple on Providence’s menu is their pan pizza, reminiscent of a Chicago deep dish. Fresh out of the oven, they “frost” it with extra marinara and ricotta using a piping bag to give you another dose of Sicilian goodness. If you’re downtown (or happen to be in Grandview, Missouri, where they have a second location), don’t miss Providence Pizza inside of Parlor for an more hip alternative to your regular order at Minsky’s.

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GLANCING UP AT the black sign above the restaurant Karbon, I noticed a chili pepper and fire symbol. Considering I can barely handle the mild salsa at Chipotle, I was concerned I wouldn’t appreciate the spiciness of the food. According to pamphlets spread around the restaurant, Karbon is a Yucatan and middleeastern inspired kitchen with an exotic variety of food ranging from Yucatan pork in banana leaves to lamb pizza. I was hesitant about the spice when deciding what to order, so the employees suggested the $13 chicken empanadas – mild enough for my taste but

still had a kick. The empanadas had a Cuban inspired picadillo inside, made from green olives, tomatoes, onions and chili peppers. Along with the empanadas was curtido – a side made with cabbage, onions, carrots and oregano. In addition, I got to choose two of their six dips to go alongside entree. I decided to test out the empanada with the classic chimichurri dipping sauce. Surprisingly, the sauce tasted like my usual go-to pasta with pesto. The empanada itself was flaky and the tender chicken filling had mild seasoning, but luckily not enough to have me running for ice water. The roasted tomato guajillo sauce tasted like a mild

salsa and complemented the savory pastry well. Hidden underneath the empanada I saw the light green curtido created from cabbage, a vegetable that I usually try to avoid as much as possible. After sampling it my face immediately crinkled at the taste – it reminded me of one of my least favorite foods – sauerkraut. I appreciated the use of different spices in the Karbon kitchen but am not sure I see myself ordering Turkish corn on the cob or fried chicken wings with Mexican mole rub in the near future. However, if you are ready to get a taste of middleeastern culture and veer out of your comfort zone I recommend you try Karbon.

A&E

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TWO FLOORS SEVEN RESTAURANTS ONE FOOD HALL MOTHER CLUCKER FRIED CHICKEN

4/5 by ava johnson SECTION EDITOR Imagine the taste of a buttered bun straight AS I REACHED the second floor of Parlor, I immediately spotted the vibrant red and yellow out of the oven. Now imagine that with a fried sign reading “Mother Clucker.” Perfect, just the chicken breast bigger than your face sticking place I was looking for. And not a person in out of both ends of the bun topped with crunchy fresh pickles and Mother Clucker’s line, even better. I can’t even stomach one Flamin’ Hot Cheeto unique mayo-like sauce. Then there’s the $3 crinkle cut fries. The without downing a glass of milk, so the “HOW MOTHER CLUCK’N HOT?!” sign on the menu golden fries are covered in red salty spices that made my palms sweat. I decided to go with the taste even better than those in the infamous “plain no heat” for my Comeback Sandwich. Oklahoma Joe’s seasoning. Drench these The sandwich consisted of a boneless breast, golden nuggets into a cold side of ranch and slaw, pickles, “cluck sauce” and a buttered bun. you’re set. I’ll stop there — I can tell you’re hungry. So And mother clucker, this sandwich may have cost me $10, $3 more than my go to at stop using your imagination and go try Mother Chick-Fil-A with fries and a drink, but it was Clucker out for yourself and get a taste of this worth the extra cash for a fried chicken breast Nashville hot chicken heaven. double the size.

FARM TO MARKET SANDWICH CO. SANDWICHES 4.5/5

by allison wilcox

MAKING MY WAY through the sea of people scattered at the different restaurants on the main floor of Parlor, I approached the Farm to Market Sandwich Co. Knowing that you can’t go wrong with a simple sandwich, I ordered the turkey club, one of the seven sandwich options offered. The total for my sandwich was $10, a bit more expensive than my go-to at Goodcents. The sandwiches are made with Farm to Market bread, a KC staple since 1993. Every morning the bread is delivered from the downtown headquarters, warm out of the oven. My grilled club was layered with four slices of thin turkey, bacon, avocado spread, lettuce and tomatoes on sourdough bread. Usually I am satisfied with a simple BLT, but the smooth avocado

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spread and fresh crushed tomatoes transcended that. The sourdough was toasted to perfection (soft interior and firm exterior). Being a bacon lover, the crispy bacon alone could’ve been my whole dinner. Within 10 minutes I had cleaned my plate and was too full to even think about the idea of seconds. If the sandwich doesn’t fill you up like it did for me, make sure to try their two dessert options: brioche waffles and doughnuts. The waffles are made from brioche dough, baked in a waffle iron and topped with seasonal ice cream from Cirque du Sucre, a local dessert shop. Their signature doughnuts are made daily with sourdough and dusted with powdered sugar on top. If you’re looking for a $2-3 upgrade from your Potbelly’s club along with dessert, the Farm to Market Sandwich Co. is a great alternative.

SCAN HERE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT PARLOR FOOD HALL

VILDHAST 3.5/5

by lila tulp

ABOVE | The front of Mother Clucker and a chicken sandwich meal. photo by megan biles CO-DESIGN EDITOR

I GUESS YOU could say I have a wide palette when it comes to food — I love a good chimichanga from Chelly’s and would pay $17 for orange chicken at Bo Ling’s any day. But never would I have thought that Swedish food would make the list. Vildhast, a small Scandinavian booth located on the second floor of Parlor’s downtown vibrant three story building, was decorated with minimalistic logos and an overall clean look. The menu offered six kinds of sausages, three salad options, seven specialty drinks (cocktails and mocktails) and a brunch menu with signature Fika — or as I like to call it, coffee. Looking at the menu at Vildhast, I had to cue up Google translate just to decipher what I was really ordering. I finally settled on the first item on the menu, the Copenhagen Street Dog: an all beef, pickled, nine-inch pølse (swedish for sausage) topped with onion, cucumber, fried onion, senap, curry ketchup and mayonnaise. My first instinct: yuck. Never would I have paired these things together

in one bun. So, naturally, I ordered everything on the side. After waiting 15 minutes for their system to notify me when my food was ready — which I never ended up getting — I finally went up to the counter and asked if the fully dressed dog covered in toppings sitting there was mine. It was. I stared at my plate for a minute, contemplating what I got myself into, but as I took my first bite I couldn’t explain what it was that made this dish so delicious. The odd mix of cucumbers and fried onions added a sweetness and a crunch to the $12 glorified hotdog. The mix of the sweet toppings and the spicy ketchup made it better than your regular backyardbarbecue hotdog, and as a notorious mayo/mustard combo-hater, I was shocked to learn that it actually tasted kind of good. Vildhast wouldn’t have been my first choice, nor did it seem like it was anyone else’s due to the nonexistent line. But the odd, and shockingly tasty array of Scandinavian street food made for an interesting dinner experience.

28 SPORTS

design by catherine erickson

HAT

TRICKS

Soccer and other East teams raise money for charities by asking parents to donate each time points are scored TOP Parent Katie Cox collects one dollar bills from parents after senior Eren Eksinar scores a goal in the varsity soccer game against Shawnee Mission South. photos by ally griffith

DONATIONS FROM THIS FALL SEASON

SOCCER $

RAISED $533 DONATE TO Global FC GLOBAL FC provides an opportunity for refugees to play soccer in Kansas City.

FOOTBALL $

RAISED 9 parent pledges varying from $1 to $10 with 27 touchdowns

GOAL $1,500 to $2,000 DONATE TO Toys for Tots TOYS FOR TOTS purchases Christmas presents to give to less fortunate children.

GOLF $

RAISED $6,000 DONATE TO JDRF JDRF also known as the Juvenille Diabetes Research Foundation funds type one diabetes research.

by libby hise

“G

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oal!” East parents jump to their feet, cheering on senior Eren Eksinar on his seventh goal this season, one dollar bills flying out of wallets from purses and pockets once again. Katie Cox, varsity parent, walks through the soccer stadium aisles with her USA hat, collecting money from each parent for the Global Futbol Club. This year, Eksinars seven goals have raised close to $150 alone. For the past 15 years, East Soccer has made a tradition of passing the same USA hat around after each goal to collect money for a specific cause which varies each year. For the first four years the hat was passed, the money raised after each goal benefitted cancer research. This year, the The Global Futbol Club organization will receive the raised $200, along with additional money raised from parents during the remainder of this fall season. According to head boys and girls coach Jamie Kelly, the boys’ team usually raises between $500-$1000 depending on how generous the parents are. After four years of giving money to cancer research, the parents decided to choose which specific charities they wanted to donate to that year. Last year during girls’ soccer season, parents left the decision to the girls’ varsity soccer team to determine where the proceeds would go. Unanimously, the girls decided to donate the money to Alex Carney’s family in support of the death of their son. More specific charities that have been chosen from parents

in the past years are Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis research, ovarian cancer awareness and breast cancer awareness. At the beginning of every season, the returning varsity parents come together in a meeting to determine what organization the money will benefit. This year, varsity parent Lisa Tulp suggested Global FC, a soccer club that works with refugees from Kansas City who can’t afford to practice and play the sport. The parents and players decided to take it a step further this year by not only raising money for every goal, but also having an equipment drive.

Spencer is testing a process similar to Hardings’, but in his own way called “Touchdown for Tots.” Touchdown for Tots offers parents the option to donate $1 for every touchdown, with the proceeds going to kids in need. Volleyball parents signed up to donate a dollar for every block the team makes to the Hope House, which is a homeless shelter. Spencer will contact the parents who signed up to donate at the end of each season and let them know their total amount added up they owe to the volleyball and football team’s charities. Kelly, Harding and Spencer agree

GLOBAL FC philanthropy Global FC is a Kansas City based organization which provides soccer opportunities for refugee youth in the KC area which hopes to build relationships within the refugee community. The players compiled old pinnies, cones and any other equipment the players and families had. The passing of the hat inspired junior Will Harding, a varsity golfer, to form his own fundraiser this past year – Birdies for Beads. At the beginning of the season, parents of the players wrote down the amount of money they wanted to donate. Every time someone hit a birdie, the amount of money tripled. Harding tested out his fundraiser with the boys’ golf team and raised $3000 by the end of the 17-18 season. This year, senior PJ Spencer wanted to take Harding’s idea even further with volleyball and football for this fall season, and hopefully more this winter and spring.

that these ways to raise money are exciting, because parents can celebrate achievements while also raising money for charities. They say the achievements like soccer goals, touchdowns, sacks and blocks deserve an award, and Cox believes $1 is not asking much from parents. Eksinar couldn’t be more thrilled about the soccer teams’ success and inspiration towards others this year and the past year. “The passing of the hat is an easy and fun way to raise money,” Eksinar said. “All I have to do is play the sport I love the most in order to give back to people in need. I’m happy we’ve inspired other organizations to do the same.”

SPORTS

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MEEKS ON A MISSION

Senior Zane Meeks transfers to Brewster Acadamy to prepare for his college basketball career

by elizabeth ballew CO-HEAD COPY EDITOR enior Zane Meeks swishes a three-pointer. “Meeeeeeks.” Meeks dunks on his opponents. “Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeks.” Meeks walks the halls. “Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeks.” Everywhere senior Zane Meeks is, there is bound to be a Meeks chant — a low toned, elongated pronunciation of Meeks. What started as a simple reaction to Meeks blocking an opposing team’s shot has turned into a chant echoed throughout the halls of East. But this upcoming basketball season, those echoes will be noticeably absent from the East stands and hallways. Meeks transferred to the topranked basketball prep-school Brewster Academy in New Hampshire on Oct. 1 to advance his goal of playing in the NCAA. While he will “always be a Lancer,” he’s glad he made the tough decision to

ABOVE | Senior Zane Meeks takes the ball to the basket for a lay up during his junior year. photo by reilly moreland

NOW AND THEN...

zane meeks senior

Differences between SM East and Brewster team

venue BREWSTER

will play at Madison Square Garden, Barclay Center and various NBA arenas

crowd

academics

BREWSTER

EAST

filled with college basketball recruiters

classes are smaller and occasionally on Saturdays

BREWSTER

venue plays in the SM East main gym or opponents gyms

crowd

filled with friends, family and SM East basketball fans EAST

BREWSTER

first game

first game on Nov. 2 in the Bahamas

academics

EAST

classes range from approx. 15-30 students

first game

it will be SM East main gym on Dec. 4

You’re not [at Brewster] to hang out or party, you’re up there to put yourself in the best possible position to play basketball [in college].

EAST

go to Brewster for the remainder of senior year. Due to a stress fracture in his foot, Meeks didn’t play in the July open recruitment period causing him to not get as many recruitment looks. Transferring to Brewster will make up for the lost exposure to D1 coaches, according to Meeks. During a visit to Dartmouth Sept. 20, Meeks stopped by Brewster to look for next year because schools that have expressed interest in him wanted to see him outside of the high school level. According to Meeks, many student athletes do a year of prep school before college to get their bodies ready for college because it is such high level basketball. However, the Brewster team was looking for a player like Meeks for this year and offered him a spot on the team. Suddenly, he only had six days left in Kansas City. “The focus up there is academics and basketball,” Meeks said. “Those are the two things you’re up there to do. You’re not up there to hang out or party, you’re up there to put yourself in the best possible position to play basketball.” The East gym will be replaced by venues like Madison Square Garden, the Barclay Center and NBA arenas where he will play in the navy and cardinal Brewster uniform — not to mention the opening game on Nov. 2 being in the Bahamas. Meeks says he has received overwhelming support from the East community about his decision to leave. After announcing the transfer

in the “Upperclassmen fans” group chat, Meeks took a nap and woke up to about 85 snapchats,110 texts and 85 likes on his GroupMe announcement. Since third grade, the goal for Meeks has been to play his senior season at East and try to win a title, but he’ll miss repping an East jersey, hitting big shots and being able to look into the stands and know everyone that’s cheering. Coach Shawn Hair describes Meeks as a gym rat, loving to play big in big games and loving the limelight — which he says isn’t a bad thing. With an average of 16.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, Meeks will be a loss to the team, but according to Hair they are focusing on the players they have now. Teammate Isaac McDonald says Meeks was going to be “the glue” of the team, bringing a fleet of threes and controlling the boards. “Everyone knew he was going to be the man this year,” McDonald said. Meeks’ father, Rowdy Meeks, was looking forward to watching his son play his senior year at East, but fully supports his son’s decision to go to Brewster — it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. Instead of three to four scouts at games and practices at East, Meeks will be exposed to the average 30 to 40 college coaches per practice. According to Meeks, there were over 15 D1 coaches from colleges like NC state, Pitt and Providence at a pick-up game on his first day at school. At his first Brewster workout, there were nine coaches from big conferences like the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big 10 according to Rowdy. From one of the top 25 point guards in the

HIT PLAY: FAREWELL MEEKS Scan this QR code to watch Rachel Currie’s video on Zane Meeks.

nation to a 6-foot-6-inch shooting guard from the Republic of Georgia, the Brewster roster of 13 is packed with talent. Meeks now works on guarding and shooting against the future stars of North Carolina St., UC Berkeley and Ohio St. While only being up at Brewster for short time, as of Oct. 9, Meeks has already received an offer from Columbia University. Ten Brewster players have been drafted into the NBA in the last eight years. A few big names include former KU stars Devonte Graham, who now plays for the Charlotte Hornets, and Thomas Robinson, who now plays for the Atlanta Hawks. And maybe one day, Zane Meeks will be included on that list.

30 SPORTS

design by kelly murphy

TEAM GROWTH A total of 22 players, including 15 seniors, were chosen for the boys varsity soccer team because of their chemisty, dedication and talent

by liddy stallard

TOP AND BOTTOM | Seniors Eren Eksinar, Davin Cox, junior Hunter Cooper and sophomore Will Lowry wait on the bench while others are on the field. photos by rachel currie MIDDLE | Coach Kelly gathers the team to discuss their next play. photo by rachel currie

SHIFTING SIZE

2018 22

2014 22

players per team

2017 21 2015 21 2013 21 2012 24 *infomation courtesy of Coach Kelly

lleven boys in columbia blue Boathouse jackets stood on their toes with their arms linked together, cheering on their 11 other teammates with red sweaty faces as they began their second overtime against Lawrence Free State. “We were nervous for them because we want to win,” senior Carson Jones said. “We wanted them to do well because we are all a team.” In years past, the boys varsity soccer team has averaged around 18 players, but this year 22 players sport the uniform — 15 of them being seniors. The last team in Lancer history to have 22 players, which is enough boys to field two teams, was in 2012. The 2012 team was successful because of the abundance of senior leaders and overall group of boys who were very dedicated to the sport according to varsity coach Jamie Kelly. He sees similar characteristics in this year’s team. “The reason [having a big team] worked was because they were a great group of boys that all worked together,” Kelly said. Going into the season, Kelly wasn’t planning on a 22 player roster. When deciding teams, he looks at how everybody can work together, if they have the ability to play at the varsity level, what they can contribute to the team and whether or not the team chemistry would be strong. Coach Kelly met with assistant coach Brent Williams to discuss the possibilities of the team the week of tryouts. He also met with junior varsity coach Aaron Weissenfluh about the attitudes and

It’s been successful. I think the boys are really accepting their roles, they have been working hard every day.

jamie kelly head soccer coach

Amount of players throughout the years

2016 19

STAFF WRITER

skill of some of his former players. After that, he made the decision that they would be able to make 22 players work. “When I looked at the makeup of the players and all the seniors, I felt that they had the right attitude,” Kelly said “They had the right ability to be able to play.” One of the main reasons the current team of 22 works well together is because there are several players who Kelly described as ‘division one quality soccer players’ playing alongside boys who don’t have aspirations to play in college, but still play a key role on the team. With 15 of the 22 players being seniors, they have each taken on different roles leading the team. They all know it’s their last season and are working towards the same goal: be the first East boys varsity

soccer team to bring home a state trophy. “We have to be both leaders and followers since there are just so many of us,” Jones said. According to Jones, senior captains Zach Bass, Charley Colby and Conor O’Toole are all outspoken leaders who keep the team on track. Bass likes to remind the boys of the upcoming game they need to win when he sees the team getting side tracked

We have to be both leaders and followers since there are just so many of us.

carson jones senior at practice. According to Jones, there are also seniors like Peyton Riley who don’t outwardly direct the team, but are always doing what they should be during practice and setting a good example for the younger boys. “Everyone has a part to play, all the seniors, whether they start or are on the bench they are helping us on the field,” sophomore Caden Nicholson said. Before the season, Kelly met with the team to discuss how playing time would work. He explained that if a player was not okay with a guaranteed amount of playing time, then this team isn’t the right fit for them. But if players can take on the role of practicing hard everyday without the promise of a certain amount of time then he would love for them to be apart of the program. “We always say things can change,” Kelly said. “You keep working hard and you can get out there and show you deserve more playing time, then we’ll give it to you.” Every player on the sideline, no matter their age, has an understanding that at any minute they could be needed in the game. “Senior Conor O’toole was sick [playing] against Shawnee Mission North and he is one of our starting center mids,” Kelly said. “Noah Manalo stepped in for Conor because that was his role and he did a fantastic job.” According to Kelly, all 22 players made the team because they are willing to give 100 percent at all times. Unlike many other teams, where only a few of their subs are quality players, Kelly believes any of the 11 boys on the sideline are just as capable to play as the starters. “We have guys who may not be starters but they are quality players and they are right there ready to go,” Kelly said. “We don’t lose a step when we put those guys in, that’s one thing that is in common with that 2012 team.”

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32 ALT-COPY

design by grace padon

HOW TO COLLEGE A guide to college planning for all grades

by grace padon

CO-DESIGN EDITOR

WHAT’S NEXT

ALTHOUGH POST-ACCEPTANCE timelines are different for every school, the college preparation process doesn’t stop once you’re accepted. Next on the list: housing agreements and financial aid applications. When you accept an admissions offer, the college will likely communicate things you need to do to get ready to attend through mail or email. From filling out housing preference forms to signing up for orientation and classes, it’s important to stay on top of these tasks from now until you move to campus. Staying on track will often ensure you have more options than you would waiting until the last minute.

THE FAFSA

THE FREE APPLICATION FOR STUDENT AID is an online application used to determine eligibility for federal, state and private financial aid. The federal government alone provides more than $150 billion in student aid each year, according to finra.org. Federal student aid can cover expenses such as tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies and transportation.The FAFSA became available to fill out Oct. 1 and can be accepted through June 30, 2019, but a majority of the aid offered is first come first served. To receive aid annually, the FAFSA must be filled out every year.

SCHOLARSHIPS

NO MATTER WHAT you or your parents financial status, there’s a scholarship out there to fit your needs. Oftentimes, scholarships require an essay or an application, but there are more abstract ones too. Private foundations offer scholarships for photo contests and 200 word essays about which flavor of ice cream describes you best. According to Big Future, the top websites for scholarship searching are salliemae.com, niche.com and scholarships.com.

APPLYING RESEARCH

BIGFUTURE, a website created by CollegeBoard, allows students to easily research and compare colleges with ten filters including location, sports, activities and diversity. BigFuture also includes features to explore majors, careers and costs.

COMMON APP

THE COMMON APPLICATION is accepted by over 800 schools, and helps to simplify the admissions process for students. Through the Common App, students can apply to multiple colleges at one time with one application. The application consists of six parts — profile, family, education, testing, activities and writing — but can take weeks to thoroughly complete. While

EARLY BIRD

IF YOU ALREADY have your heart set on a particular college, look into the option of early decision or early action to receive their response quicker than a normal application would. At some colleges, applying early action or decision increases your probability of being accepted. Early decision plans are binding and students must agree to attend that college if accepted.

For a more hands on approach, both high school and college counselors can provide insight and answer questions one-on-one. To see a counselor about questions concerning college, email them to set up an appointment. different schools have different required items, the basics to starting your application encompass a copy of your transcript, a list of extracurricular activities, standardized test scores and parent or legal guardian information. Other requirements you may need, depending on the college, include recommendation letters and a 650-word essay.

However, early action plans are non-binding, so students receive an early response to their application but do not have to commit to the college until May 1. Approximately 450 colleges have early decision or early action plans, and some have both, according to collegeboard.com.

COLLEGE TIMELINE

Things to do to for freshmen, sophomores and juniors to stay on track for applying to college

FRESHMEN

SOPHOMORES

GET INVOLVED AND EXPLORE YOUR INTERESTS

JUNIORS

TAKE THE PSAT

BEGIN TAKING THE ACT OR SAT

Although this may sound like a no-brainer, freshman year is the perfect time to try out clubs and sports and to get involved with your high school, according to petersons.com.

The PSAT is the first college-related standardized test most students are exposed to. It gives them a chance to see the standardized test process without their future on the line or the stress of studying for their ideal score.

A majority of colleges require either an ACT or SAT score to be admitted. There are eight ACT and seven SAT testing days per year and it can be taken any amount of times until your desired score is achieved.

CONNECT WITH YOUR HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELOR

EXPLORE COLLEGE CREDIT WITH AP CLASSES

COLLEGE SEARCH

Reaching out to your counselor as a freshman can help you feel more comfortable. Reach out to them with any questions — big or small — you may have concerning your next four years of high school.

Sophomore year is the first year where students can take classes with dual credits offered at local colleges or an Advanced Placement course. These classes can result in college credit, which could transfer to major savings, according to petersons.com.

Whether that be signing up in the Counseling Center to hear from college reps or going on a crosscountry journey with your family, junior year is the time to become exposed to what you may or may not like at a college campus, according to petersons.com.

USEFUL WEBSITES Scan the QR codes to access the websites mentioned on this page

HOUSING

DEPENDING ON THE COLLEGE, new students will have to sign housing contracts shortly after they apply. It’s usually an electronic form with a small deposit, but the sooner you sign the housing contract on your future school’s website, the earlier you get to pick a room. Most colleges require freshmen to live on campus in a dorm, but other colleges allow freshman to live off-campus.

SallieMae

FAFSA

BigFuture by CollegeBoard

College Scholarships

Niche