The Harbinger: Volume 54, Issue 4

O C T 1 7, 2 0 1 6 VO L. LI X ISSUE 4 S EPT 5 , 2 0 1 6 VO L. LI X ISSUE 3

This isn't a sotry about a blind girl.

VIEW THE WORLD THROUGH MEG’S EYES Turn to page 16/17 to see her story.

PEEK INSIDE: PTSA DISCUSSES EASTONIAN PAGE 6 ADDERALL ADDICTIONS PAGE 13 FALL PLAYLIST PAGE 22

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EDITORIAL

FRESH STARTS 9 2 I FOR

t’s easy to see that a place is still amazing from the inside. But people on the outside only see the headlines. And recently, our school’s headlines have been nothing but negative.

Our school is an incredible place – but because of the actions a few idiotic students, many of whom were freshmen, the reputation of East is starting to change. The Harbinger believes that the future of East and its reputation lies in the hands of the class of 2020. They have the power to hold themselves to the standard of excellence of this school.

The whole school understands that the freshman class has been unfairly represented by a few. However, we want to see the true spirit of the freshman class, which we know is not what has been portrayed by the media throughout the past month. But before that is

ER

LANC

possible, the Harbinger feels that they need to realize what this school is really about.

Their first quarter of high school has been more tumultuous than most student’s entire four years. They’ve seen fights, vaping and smoking in bathrooms and — bizarre as it seems — even empty threats of clown attacks on the school. They have witnessed a disgusting alleged sexual assault and the speculation and media attention that ensued.

They have seen their classmates have their stomachs pumped, less than a month into their high school careers. And they’ve even seen an anti-semitic Homecoming proposal in our own halls.

Since they have experienced less than one quarter of their first year high school, it’s understandable that they may think that news trucks in the parking lot every other

E C I O V

Freshmen speak up about what they want the rest of the school to know about the freshman class

It’s really frustrating that everyone in the freshman class is being blamed for the actions of a small group of kids.

Most of the freshmen are hard working students, but the actions of those few kids are ruining it for our class.

FRESHMAN PETER KOHRING We’re overall a great class, just some of us have made some bad decisions and we’re going to get our act together.

AGAINST

week is the norm. But take it from every upperclassmen and faculty member – it’s far from normal.

For the sake of the entire school, the freshmen must understand what high school is actually like.

Shawnee Mission East is an amazing place.

Whether it’s walking down Mission Road on Lancer Day or walking down a biology hallway, there is a constant spirit of support and love within the student body. Academic excellence is the norm, and state titles seem to come more often than not. Students have the opportunity to find their niche and excel in state/nationally ranked programs like debate, theater, journalism or even Knee Hockey Club.

The administration allows students to voice their opinions openly, without being chastised – how many other principal’s doors are always

open?

None of these things have changed this year. And yet, something feels different.

Unlike years past, it seems every time you turn on the TV or check your Twitter feed there is a negative news story about Shawnee Mission East.

So, to the freshmen class, take advantage of your last 15 quarters of high school. Overcome the actions of a small number of your peers, and show the community how great this school is. Have hope that this first quarter is not representative of your what your time here will be like, and make sure that the news surrounding East goes back to the way the way it used to be.

THE HARBINGER 2016-2017 STAFF LIST PRINT EDITORS-INCHIEF Ellie Booton Will Clough Claire Pottenger ASSISTANT PRINT EDITORS Daisy Bolin Grace Chisholm DESIGN EDITORS Anna McClelland Yashi Wang HEAD COPY EDITORS Caroline Heitmann Robbie Veglahn

FRESHMAN CAROLINE CHISHOLM

The freshmen class holds the future in their hands, especially so in light of the bad press East has gotten following recent incidents

PHOTO EDITORS Haley Bell Morgan Browning Kaitlyn Stratman ONLINE EDITORS-INCHEIF Ellie Cook Celia Hack ASSISTANT ONLINE EDITORS Morgan Biles Anna Kanaley MOBILE MEDIA & MARKETING EDITORS Marti Fromm Courtney McClelland SOCIAL MEDIA EDITORS Annabelle Cook Grace Padon SECTION EDITORS

NEWS- Emily Fey and Kaleigh Koc SPORTS- Seamus Carroll, Reser Hall & Jet Semrick FEATURES- Ellie Mitchell & Brooklyn Terrill A&E- Annahelle Cook & Sean Overton EDITORIAL- Abby Walker OPINION- Annie Jones & Gracie Kost SPREAD- Katie Hise EASTIPEDIA- Monty Lyddon EDITORIAL BOARD Abby Walker Morgan Biles Daisy Bolin Ellie Booton Will Clough Ellie Cook Celia Hack Caroline Heitmann Claire Pottenger Robbie Veglahn Courtney McClelland COPY EDITORS Morgan Biles Daisy Bolin Ellie Booton Will Clough Ellie Cook Emily Fey Marti Fromm Celia Hack Caroline Heitmann Madeline Hlobik Anna Kanaley Courtney McClelland Mac Newman Sean Overton Claire Pottenger Robbie Veglahn Abby Walker

WRITERS Porter Carroll Seamus Carroll Harrison Gooley Ava Johnson Lizzie Kahle Gracie Kost Caleb Krakow Ali Lee Elias Lowland Courtney McClelland Mac Newman Grace Padon Lucy Patterson Scout Rice Jet Semrick Pauline Shaver Liddy Stallard Maya Stratman Meg Thoma Brooklyn Terrill Will Tulp Emma Vaughters Robbie Veglahn Sarah Wilcox

PAGE DESIGNERS Porter Carroll Ava Johnson Lizzie Kahle Caleb Krakow Elias Lowland Courtney McClelland Mac Newman Grace Padon Lucy Patterson Scout Rice Jet Semrick Meg Thoma Brooklyn Terrill Will Tulp Emma Vaughters Robbie Veglahn Sarah Wilcox STAFF ARTISTS Will Tulp Maya Stratman

ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITORS Diana Percy Ellie Thoma SME PHOTOS EDITOR Carson Holtgraves PHOTOGRAPHERS Elizabeth Anderson Grace Goldman Audrey Kesler Annie Lomshek Caroline Mills Katherine O’Dell Morgan Plunkett Maddie Smiley Kayla Starns Ellen Swanson Libby Wilson Izzy Zanone Sophie Storbeck ASSISTANT SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Parker Gordon

CIRCULATION MANAGER Elizabeth Anderson SUBSCRIPTIONS MANAGER Sarah Wilcox CONTEST COORDINATOR Courtney McClelland VIDEO EDITOR Diego Galicia ASSISTANT VIDEO EDITOR Nic Bruyere VIDEO TRAINING EDITOR Will Hembree INTERACTIVES EDITOR Will Tulp PODCAST EDITOR Reser Hall

SOCIAL MEDIA STAFF Sam Brown Lucy Hoffman Monty Lyddon Liddy Stallard Emma Vaughters

BROADCAST EDITORS Seamus Carroll Will Hembree

ADS & BUSINESS MANAGER Grace Chisholm

MULTIMEDIA STAFF Nic Bruyere Anna Dierks Will Hembree Thomas Murgia Peyton Watts Avery Walker

ASSISTANT ADS MANAGER Lucy Kendall

ANCHOR Peyton Watts

WS IN E N ea

BY ElLIAS LOWLAND

east

WEEK

Photos

explaining the past week at East with just a few photos

of the

al st lo n o i cal nat

East Fund “Round Table” Meeting

THE EAST FUND is sponsoring a “Round Table” meeting on Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. at Indian Hills Country Club for $30 a person. The meeting is intended for parents to develop ideas on how to improve East.

The Fund focuses on three areas: student and classroom programs, technology enhancements and professional development. It has provided grants since it’s start in 2003 for school improvements including enhancing the auditorium lobby, new instruments and tutoring and

local

transportation for students Kristin Schottemother of senior Matt and sophomore Tom Schotte- is one of the parents organizing the meeting.

“The great thing about the East fund is every student is touched by this organization,” Schotte said. “It is the only program at East where anyone can receive a grant. The East fund is not specific like some funding at East and the “Round Table” is our only fundraiser for the year,”

State Law Restricts Yard Signs

A NEW KANSAS state law, put in place last summer, forces cities to allow citizens to place yard signs on the street. Before the new law was in place, cities controlled signage independently. The new law is receiving mixed reactions throughout the city. Prairie Village and Roeland Park are ignoring the new standard that went into effect this summer and continuing to restrict the placement of signs, instead following their previous ordinances of political signs.

“I don’t necessarily agree with the city restricting the amount of days political signs are allowed to be put up,” junior Christopher Patrick said. “People should be allowed to express their political support and opinions

national

and do freely when they desire to.”

Roeland Park City Administrator Keith Moody gave his statement to the Prairie Village Post on the matter: “The City Council provided clear direction to staff to enforce the regulations the city has adopted that prohibit signs in the rightof-way,” Moody said in his statement. “We view the law as unconstitutional.”

The discontent has not been contained to northeast Johnson County – Wichita and several communities across the state have also resisted the state’s law. The cities will continue to follow their own ordinances until the state interferes.

Hurricane Matthew Reaches the U.S.

HURRICANE MATTHEW, after striking Haiti on Oct. 6, has been named as the cause of death for over 1,000 people, according to a Reuters report. The storm was named a Category 4 hurricane on Oct. 6. Later that night, the coast of Florida experienced winds of up to 107 miles per hour.

Over 1 million people in the states affected went without power and more than 22,000 people were forced to check into public shelters as a result of the hurricane’s storms. Flooding has forced people to evacuate their homes and onto their roofs.

President Barack Obama has declared a state of emergency in Florida, Georgia and South

Carolina.

Freshmen Brigid Wentz’s brother Joey Wentz, who is training in Florida for the Atlanta Braves organization, was stuck there as a result of the lockdown from the hurricane.

“My family and I were really nervous for Joey’s safety because of everything we were hearing on the news,” Wentz said. “All of the airports were closed too, so that made everything worse. Luckily he’s safe and everything is OK now.”

After surpassing 24 people on Oct. 11, the U.S. death toll continues to rise.

( A B OV E ) Senior Carl Young smiles as he walks across the track with his mother to join the other Homecoming king nominees.

“It was a really special moment and I was so happy to share it with my mother,” Young said | MORGAN BROWNING

expanding on the story...

( T O P ) Freshman Peter Kohring sands down his project in woodshop class | MORGAN PLUNKETT ( M I D D L E ) Senior Jack Griswold yells out in excitement as the Homecoming candidates are announced | SOPHIE STORBECK

Staff Opinion onYard

Sign Law

I would be willing to bet that yard signs have never changed drivers’ minds about who they are voting for, so I don’t think controlling how long they can be up is tainting the democratic process.

SENIOR MORGAN BILES I don’t agree with the law because why should we be required to take them down between the primary election and the general election.

Why take it down after the primaries when you are just going to put it right back up for the general.

JUNIOR RESER HALL

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NEWS

BELOW THE BAR SMSD considers cutting girl’s gymnastics program, sets meeting for December

PHOTO ANNIE LOMSHECK

QUICK STATS

T

BY ANNABELLE COOK

he district announced at a meeting on Sept.

36 that the girls’ gymnastics program will likely be cut from Shawnee Mission and surrounding districts next FROM 2000 TO 2015, THE year.

The meeting, held in the NUMBER OF GYMNASTS IN SMSD South auditorium, was an open FELL... forum for SMSD gymnasts and parents to voice their opinions and ask questions regarding the discontinuation of the sport.

Now, only 13 The decision to cut out the schools in program will be voted on by the Kansas offer board of education in late December. gymnastics.

According to Shawnee Mission Athletic Director Richard Kram, the sport isn’t a financial burden on the district, but SMSD, along will schools statewide, have seen a dwindling OF THE 13 SCHOOLS THAT number of participants. Statistics OFFER THE PROGRAM... from KSHAA stated that the total number of high school gymnasts in the state dropped from 249 in 2000 to 120 in 2015.

Cited However, gymnasts argue that the financial sport only requires a relatively small difficulties team, so it’s not necessary to have an keeping the abundance of student participation. Five program. people are allowed per event on a varsity team. “[The district] is like ‘oh you don’t have a lot of people’ but you don’t need a lot of people [for gymnastics],” freshman Cited gymnast Brooklyn Beck said. “They don’t problems really understand the sport and how even in with the Olympics you only need five people on a number of team.” athletes.

Beck and fellow East gymnast junior Jessie Stindt said talk of cutting the sport has been in discussion for years but hasn’t become a serious possibility until now. On Sept. 22, an

52%

75%

92%

email was sent by SMSD administrators out inviting parents and gymnasts to the open forum meeting.

At the meeting, Kramer stated that SMSD administrators would be recommending to the board of education that the program be cut.

Olathe School District held the same meeting at Olathe South, as they are following in SMSD’s footsteps and will likely not keep the program around for next fall.

“KSHSAA (Kansas State High School Activities Association) also conducted an open forum this summer regarding the state of the girl’s gymnastics program,” Kramer said in his email to parents and athletes. “The group realized that gymnastics was on thin ice but requested that KSHSAA at least keep the sport for this upcoming year. Shawnee Mission and Olathe support this train of thought.”

According to KSHSAA, high schools with a gymnastics program dropped from 25 in 2000 to 13 last year. The state requires that there must be eight high schools with gymnastics programs in order to keep the sport going and for an official state tournament to be held at the end of the season. The 13 schools with the sport include the Shawnee Mission, Olathe, Lawrence, Newton and Emporia school districts.

“Slowly but surely, the surrounding area schools have dropped gymnastics,” Debbie Katzfey, East Athletic Director said. “Blue Valley has dropped gymnastics, Wichita has dropped gymnastics, Topeka has dropped gymnastics.”

Olathe and Shawnee Mission school districts make up nine of the 13 schools in Kansas that still have girls’ gymnastics. This means if the sport was eliminated in both districts, the remaining four schools wouldn’t meet the eight-school requirement, forcing girls gymnastics in Kansas to come to an end.

Another factor prompting the district to vote on the elimination of gymnastics is the

district’s inability to secure coaches. KSHSAA statistics cited by SMSD showed that out of the 13 schools with a gymnastics program in Kansas, 11 indicated having trouble finding and securing qualified coaches. According to Katzfey, this has been difficult for East especially.

“Gymnastics is one of those sports that’s very technical in nature,” Katzfey said. “In order to coach it you have to know it, and not everybody grows up on the gymnastics mat.

Whereas there’s a lot more people that grow up playing youth soccer or basketball or volleyball.

But, gymnastics is so unique and it’s hard to find people that are that knowledgeable enough to coach it.”

The meeting on Sep. 26 addressed all of these topics, and brought the crowd of athletes to tears. Parents made emotional speeches begging the district not to cut the sport that meant so much to their daughters.

“It would be really sad because I’ve been doing gymnastics my whole life,” Stindt said. “I did club gymnastics, but this year I quit. So this year, high school gymnastics is my only way to do gymnastics.”

At the state tournament this Saturday, Oct. 22, the gymnastics branch of KSHSAA is planning on inviting former Kansas gymnastics alumni and coaches to make speeches about what gymnastics has done for them. This is in attempt to lighten the mood after hearing the news of the possible decision to cut the sport and it’s state tournament, which began in 1974.

Whether or not the decision becomes final, gymnasts in Shawnee Mission will be encouraged to get involved in another club or sport that they wouldn’t otherwise partake in.

According to Katzfey, if it does get cut as a school sport, there is a good chance the school would look into making it into a club sport, meaning athletes could continue doing gymnastics.

NEWS

BY MARTI FROMM

A Passing

With Flying Colors East teacher Curtis White recently volunteered his time to work with veterans

PHOTO MORGAN BROWNING

( A B OV E ) Curtis White and Jess Barbosa pose for a photo in front of one of the memorials in Washington D.C. | COURTESY OF CURTIS WHITE ( R I G H T ) Curtis White poses for a photo displaying the message on the back of the Honor Flight T-Shirt | MORGAN BROWNING

HAP teacher Curtis White runs his finger through the third red stripe, connecting each corner with caution.

“It can’t touch the ground,” White said. “Each crease has to be sharp and clean, and the stars must go on the top.”

White finishes by folding the flag into triangles, tucking in each side as tightly as possible.

“There we go,” he said.

White participated in the Heartland Honor Flight to escort World War II and Korean War veterans around the World War II and Korean War memorials in Washington D.C. The flight took off from 6 a.m. to Washington D.C. on Thursday, Sept. 29 and landed at 10 p.m. in Kansas City that same night. The escorts and veterans visit historic monuments that commemorate the soldiers that fought.

White escorted Korean War navy seal veteran Jess Barbosa. As White led Barbosa through the terminal and onto the plane, White and Barbosa were overwhelmed with emotion. Before White knew it, a tear fell onto his army green shirt as he was among 93 fellow veterans.

“I was among heroes,” White said. “It’s an honor to sit next to someone that risked their life so I could teach, and I didn’t even know them at the time.”

Prior to the trip, White met with Barbosa at his home in Kansas City. When White stepped through the front door, every room was meticulous. Not one speck of dust touched the ground, and every chair and dish were set in its proper place. Barbosa says he picked up these traits from the navy, but the war impacted him in so many more ways than how he organizes the dishes. But for White, he went into the house hoping Barbosa would rub off some of his personality on him.

“I want to implement [Barbossa] into my own life because this man has gone through more than I could ever imagine,” White said. “The soldiers that were on the plane, including Jess, are the greatest our country has to offer.”

Gary Swanson, the man that brought the honor flight to Kansas City, heard of the flight through World War II veterans when he was an interviewer

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for the Library of Congress. Swanson was the man who chose White to participate in the honor flight.

“I picked [White] because he is a prime example of patriotism in our country,” Swanson said. “He is so pationate about history and our country that I thought he would be a perfect fit.”

As they stepped on their gate at the D.C. airport, firetrucks showered the plane with hoses in celebration of their arrival. Along with the shower, two lines of soldiers, shoulder to shoulder, straddled the edges of the walkway in the airport. As White wheeled Barbosa through the crowd, a two-star general saluted him for a full minute, staring into his eyes.

When White and Barbosa left the D.C. airport, Barbosa immediately asked White to see the Korean War memorial. As Barbosa was wheeled to the grey stone memorial, tears began to run down his face.

“It was just sad,” Barbosa said. “Two of my other brothers were in the navy during [the Korean War], but one of them was a foot soldier. He would tell me stories of how the conditions were 30 degrees below zero and having frost bite. But he couldn’t worry about that because all he was worried about was being shot. That’s who I thought of when I was there.”

After spending so much time interacting with Barbosa, White was determined to implement the characteristics of Barbossa in his own life–the most important being pride. According to White, getting to know Barbosa and being on the flight was the experience of a lifetime. “[The soldiers] are so proud of the country we live in that they are willing to sacrifice everything,” White said. “I want to be as proud of this nation as [Barbosa] because he and the other soldiers fought for our constitution, and really, that’s all we have as Americans.”

The first thing White did when he returned home from D.C. that night was walk to his bedroom and take off his shoes in the corner of his closet. He lined them symmetrically next to all of his other pairs – right where they should be.

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NEWS

OLD HABITS DIE HARD Administraction works with PTSA to counter the annual underground Eastonian paper

BY LUCY PATTERSON

T

he Parent Teacher Student Association is known for sponsoring the College Clinic, end of semester finals celebrations and other school events; but recently the members have faced other topics: ending the Eastonian.

Principal John McKinney held a PTSA meeting in the auditorium on Oct. 4. Members of the PTSA board were in attendance, as well as Rachel England, a lawyer representing the district. The meeting informed parents about the Eastonian and the issues surrounding it.

The meeting also gave parents an opportunity to ask questions about the paper. Because of how quickly the issue had grown, McKinney decided that it was time to get parents involved through the PTSA to help end the Eastonian.

“This is a high school. And you put 1600, 1700 teenagers together. Things will happen.

And you have to treat them like kids, because that is what they are,” said McKinney. “You have to create a building that is conducive to learning and where students feel safe and welcome.”

The Eastonian is an underground newspaper which has been published for decades, atleast since the 1980’s according to older additions of the Hauberk. The paper originally made fun of school faculty members. As years went on, the paper starting publishing more controversial content, allegedly written by senior boys, according to students.

Now, the paper contains vulgar and graphic language and calls out certain students as well as parents of students, according to McKinney.

PHOTO BY CAROLINE MILLS

Much of the content refers to binge drinking, sex, drug use and illegal parties. The past two years, the paper has come out on Lancer Day. While some copies of the paper were printed and put in the bathrooms, most of the distribution was done digitally this year.

To begin the meeting, McKinney played a KMBC news video about 1,600 East students taking an anti-bullying pledge from the winter pep assembly during the 2015-2016 school year.

As united voices reciting the anti-bullying pledge written by Just Like You films echoed over the auditorium speaker, one question stood out to McKinney: “How did East go from taking an anti-bullying pledge to writing the Eastonian?”

After the video ended, McKinney introduced England.

According to England, the Eastonian violates the First Amendment because it defames people and states facts that can’t be proven true. The Eastonian also violates several of SMSD’s regulations, including the JDEC – policy regarding sexual harassment and the JDDC – policy regarding bullying.

The Eastonian also violates a decision made by the Supreme Court after the Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District in 1969, according to England.

The ruling states; “When off-campus speech causes a material and substantial disruption of the school environment, the school can impose discipline.” This is known as the “substantial disruption” standard.

This gives the district the right to investigate and take action for the situation,

even if the names of the authors or distributors are never revealed, according to England.

In past years, McKinney and the administration have tried to handle the situation on their own. They received anonymous tips from the bully referral website as to who wrote the paper. The administration felt that the situation had been handled until the paper showed up again this year. Lawyers have been working since last year to help solve the problem of people writing an illegal paper, but this year was the breaking point because of the disruption it was creating for East and the community, according to McKinney.

“The IB seniors and I discussed [The Eastonian] in our TOK class and I think most of us agreed that action should be taken,” IB senior Lana Reaves said.

Every Lancer Day for the past few years, McKinney has had girls crying in his office and parents sending him emails. According to McKinney, what was supposed to be one of the best days on the Lancer calendar was ruined by the Eastonian.

“It was then that I said ‘Enough, we are done,” McKinney said. “This has got to end.”

McKinney decided to send an email to all students and parents. The email clearly laid out consequences for all involved in the paper: a ban from all school events, expulsion and the students will not be allowed to walk at graduation.

McKinney and the administration have been searching school laptops to find the authors and distributors. This has proved to be difficult because so much of the distribution was done through group text messages.

However, Reaves and the IB seniors don’t agreed with all of the administration’s ideas. “[The IB seniors] didn’t like the idea of not allowing people to walk at graduation,” Reaves said. “We also thought that it would be ineffective to have people submit the names to the administration.”

In addition to informing parents about the situation, McKinney also turned to his best resources: the students.

“Students are the ones who go to school here. They are the ones who know what is really going on,” McKinney said. “I am hoping that the students will stand up for each other, much like they have done for past situations.”

According to the PTSA student representative Elsa Jane Posten, students are now more aware of the situation and the serious consequences.

“The student body is aware,” Posten said.

“We are working [to repair our reputation and] show people that recent behaviors are not okay and won’t be tolerated here [at East] now or ever.”

At the conclusion of the meeting, McKinney shared a message for students and their familes: “We are not trying to embarrass the school, the families, the community.” McKinney said. “This school means the world to me.

I think back to what East has overcome. We are better than the Eastonian. Our students deserve better. Our parents deserve better.

Our community deserves better. And we have holes to dig out of. But we can do it. And I need your help.”

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CAREERS

THAT DIDN’T MAKE THE

Unconventional career choices that don’t require four-year degrees should hold just as much weight as traditional “dream jobs”

BY MYA STRATMAN

I

fill out all the allotted questions on the Career Cruising Survey and click submit. As I wait in anticipation for my results to load, I wonder what unexpected jobs it will suggest for me.

This isn’t just another BuzzFeed quiz I can blow off if I don’t like the answers. This is an authorized career evaluation test.

All my options appeared on screen and the first one I saw was “acting instructor.” My face fell. An acting instructor? I was most-fit to be an acting instructor as my big career move?

At first I was disappointed in myself. I was disappointed that I had selected such boring answers that resulted in my best career choice being an acting coach. Then I realized that the interesting, creative jobs I wanted to pop up on my list probably weren’t even possible answers.

I was hoping for some that I had never heard of before. Ones like video game testers, owl pellet cleaners or fire lookout. These aren’t mainstream careers that tend to make the list.

When I was younger the answer to the common question “What do you want to be when you’re older?” was never “a tattoo artist” or “obstetrician.”. When I was younger, I didn’t even know these were options. I went through

the typical stages of wanting to be a firefighter to an actor and even a F.B.I. agent. I was never told no by teachers or adult figures in my life when I expressed my interests in these. Few people want to crush a little kid’s dream job but I was also never introduced to any different career options. No one ever said anything like “maybe you could be a music thanatologist instead.”

Now that I am older my sights have broadened. Now I know that firefighters, actors and F.B.I. agents aren’t my only job opportunities. In fact, they only scrape the bottom of the endless job barrel. Finding a job is a task for the real world, and I don’t want viable career options sheltered from me due to their adult or unique nature.

After reading the information Career Cruising provided on acting instructors, I found that they make $35K to $100K annually, whereas a tattoo artist makes anywhere from $30K to $100K annually as well. Both encompass the qualities I like and look for in a work environment such as nontraditional work spaces, interacting with people and creativity.

Even though they pay the same amount and cover what I’d like in a job, adults treat them differently. A major difference between the two is the amount of education and schooling required.

Career Cruising suggested a four year college education. You can become a tattoo artist by taking as little as an art class. Two jobs with close to the same salary and personal requirements, but one won’t cause thousands of dollars in debt to weigh me down? I could use the money I would be spending on college to open my own tattoo parlor. But because of its unconventionality it didn’t make the list.

This is one of many examples of uncredited career choices. Garbage collectors make a median salary of $33,660, according to US News Best Jobs and has very agreeable hours, as well as minimal education requirements. The website “Salary Genius” says that obstetrician’s make around $65K to $98K yearly. While this job is controversial it could be a good fit for someone who wants to give women the opportunity for safe and healthy way to not have a child.

I was never made aware of legitimate careers like competitive drag until I found out one of my dance teachers participates in it. Even they make a substantial amount of money depending on their popularity, although it’s more of a lifestyle. Since there is no need for a higher education it’s not introduced as a viable job for adolescents.

Just because I don’t need a typical fouryear college education to get these jobs doesn’t

mean they’re not the right fit for me or not valuable to society. I wish that in my younger years these feasible options were made apparent, so by age 15 I would have a better understanding of what my options are. I know I can be a firefighter. I know I could be an acting instructor. These things won’t challenge my creativity. I didn’t know I could be a pet detective or a crossword puzzle writer: careers that certainly embody the creative aspect I am looking for.

How can someone know what they want to be when they are older if they don’t even know all that they can do? Four-year education jobs aren’t the only ones out there to choose from. I’d like to see kids introduced to these job options earlier on. I’d like to see kids being taught to shoot for these divergent careers. In the end it won’t be anybody else's choice but their own on what will make the most excited.

It’s about what makes me happy regardless of how out-there it might seem to others. It’s my job. My choice. Even though it’s an online quiz that can only tell so much about myself, it got me thinking of what career opportunities I’m not made aware of. I want to know all my options before I settle for an acting instructor.

PHOTO CARSON HOLTGRAVES

DONALD TRUMP

BY RESER HALL

D

onald Trump saunters out onto the stage, with thousands of supporters chanting his name. He takes the mic, welcomes everybody and starts with his spiel. ‘We will build the wall, folks!’ he proclaims as the rowdy audience chants, ‘Lock her up.’ Trump brings something to politics that it never had before: show-business.

Trump’s campaign is the story of the ultimate outsider: He took down Republican powerhouses like Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio in the primaries with a series of vicious attacks on their voting records and personalities. He won the support of the public by running a campaign based on the fact that the government and the politicians in the system are broken.

The government and the way it’s run is broken. Our Founding Fathers would be disappointed at the fact that our government is so intrusive in citizens’ lives. Those men believed in a small government, not a system full of unelected bureaucrats that operate

in the shadows of D.C. I believe Trump is going to do a top-to-bottom makeover of the government that will revert it back to where it should be: a small government that allows its citizens to flourish under freedoms, not restrictions.

Right now our government is strangling small businesses with regulations set by people who have no business experience. This is not logical, and we as Americans could use a comprehensive revamp of our government regulations. We need Trump’s business mind to reinvigorate our nation’s economy and work to do things efficiently. Trump has had great success under-promising and over-delivering while under budget. He finished the ice skating rink in Central Park two months ahead of schedule while staying $750,000 under budget. Those are the productivity standards we need as a nation and could only get from Trump.

Even though Trump doesn’t go into specifics on just about anything, I believe he will do the things he promises to do. None of the ideas that he proposes to do are that outlandish. In fact, I think that many of the things he says that others don’t have the guts

OPINION

to talk about have brought about discussions that would not have happened without his campaign. Immigration did not become a major topic in this year’s election until Trump brought it up. He wants to get rid of the broken system that is in place and make the government efficient and cost-effective once again. After all, his whole career is based on getting things done on time, coming through on promises and budgeting. Who says that he can’t bring those same skills into the White House?

Sixty three percent of Americans agree that the government is headed in the wrong direction, according to the RealClearPolitics average. Hillary Clinton has openly supported President Obama and wants to continue adding on to his failing policies. Since the Obama administration took power, 12 million more Americans are on food stamps and 8 million more Americans are under the poverty line. The country is also seeing its lowest labor force participation rate since the 1970’s, according to the Bureau of Labor. That’s just the beginning. We are in the slowest economic recovery since the Great Depression, according to Congressional Research Service and we have

9

the lowest homeownership rate in 51 years, according to the Census Bureau and there are a total of 95 million Americans out of the labor force, according to the Bureau of Labor. Those are not the statistics of a prospering nation, but of a stagnant one. We need Trump’s business mind to get into the White House and reconstruct how our government works, not four more years trying to continue the failing policies of the Obama administration.

Obviously Trump has had numerous gaffes on the campaign trail that weren’t in his best interest. However, none of the things that he said would directly make him a bad president.

What we have to remember as a nation is that we are not voting on who is the better person, but who can improve the country and its people’s quality of life. Plus, it’s not like Trump has been excluding women from his company.

In fact, Trump employs more women in leadership positions than men and, in many cases, is paying women more.

We need a president that is hell-bent on making America great again, and I am confident that Donald Trump can do a better job at that than Hillary Clinton.

SPLITTINGBALLOT THE

HILLARY CLINTON

L

BY CLAIRE POTTENGER

et me start off by saying that Hillary Clinton is not, by any means, my ideal presidential candidate. As much as I wish she was my knight-in-shining-pantsuit riding in on her democratic agenda to inspire women – she’s just not. I fully acknowledge that she’s a cutthroat politician that will do or say just about anything to be our Commander-in-Chief, and that her smug smile and voice are often times as annoying as Trump’s orange complexion.

That being said, on Nov. 8 I will mark her name as my chosen presidential candidate without a doubt that I made the right decision. And it isn’t just because “she’s not Trump,” even though that is pretty legitimate rationale in and of itself.

She’s incredibly qualified for the job

considering her previous positions: First Lady for eight years, served as a U.S. Senator and as Secretary of State. And that’s not even half of her accomplishments in law and politics.

It’s nearly impossible to compete with her resume – especially when comparing it to Trump’s political record, which is essentially nonexistent. Being president encompasses so much more than improving the economy, and just because Trump is a successful entrepreneur doesn’t mean he has the skills and tactics to improve the economy as a whole.

Still, despite her extensive resume, I know Hillary isn’t perfect. She has had her fair share of pitfalls, which have understandably made plenty of democrats frustrated with her. But disenchanted democrats need to remember that Hillary has a strong liberal voting record.

She is pro-equal rights for LGBT, supports gun-control and wants to improve life for the middle class.

Two staffers debate over which candidate to vote for

She also has well-reasoned strategies to confront many issues in society. For one, she recognizes the existence of climate change and has a plan to improve it. She believes in investing to rebuild and expand our country’s infrastructure. She also feels that raising middle-class wages is critical and she knows how she is going to do it. As a young adult, I want a president that is striving to improve the country my generation is soon going to be running.

She has also always pushed to improve women’s rights. Issues like women’s health, domestic violence and equal pay are all items she has brought to the forefront. The leader of our country should be moving towards a society that promotes equality for everyone.

In the most recent debate, Trump defended his misogynistic comments saying that “words are just words” and it was “just locker room talk.” It’s hard to believe in a person’s

plan of trickle down economics when I can’t even believe they’re a decent human being.

The president is supposed to represent our country, and those actions are not what I want representing me. Excusing sexist behaviors isn’t a precedent we want to set for younger generations.

You don’t have to want Hillary to be your best friend, or pretend you like her, or even need to like her for that matter, but you need to vote for her. Yes, she has stains on herself just like Trump. But the difference is she has strong policies and abilities that make her the supreme choice in this election by a landslide.

The next four years should be about making strives to improve our country for everyone.

We don’t need to make America great again.

We need to evolve and improve, and Hillary is the only candidate with even a remote chance of making that a reality.

10

OPINION

ICE O V ER C N A L Students voice their opinion on their plans for the future and the pressure they feel from others.

PUMPING UP

THEPRESSURE

Staffer voices concern about feeling pressure for the future and her current plan for enjoying high school

BY BROOKLYN TERRILL

“O

h, so you are in high school now?

Do you know where you want to go to college?”

The last time I got this question was last week at my uncle’s wedding reception. So many people I haven’t seen in months asked me. For some reason all of their first thoughts surrounded, “You’re through middle school and are on to high school; what next?”

Over the last year or so the go-to response their question, which usually is followed by an awkward pause before I answer, “I haven’t really put that much thought into it.” For now, college is this thing that looms in the distance that I am trying to stay as far away from as possible.

There is still so much of high school I have left to experience. I still have so many more last minute touchdowns to cheer for and sets to dread during the swim season. I don’t want to miss all of these moments trying to figure out the future years in advance.

I don’t understand why there seems to be all of this pressure to know what I am going to do with my life. I don’t have a step by step guide on how to get through the next few years. No one needs that especially not a high school student.

I am 15 years old. In two and a half years, I will graduate high school and move into a dorm room where there is more than just a staircase separating me from my parents, but

for the moment I am here at East. My biggest concerns are getting a B in Algebra 2 and preparing my audition song for the musical.

I have some friends who have made up their mind on where they want to go to college already. Many of them have decided they just want to get out of Kansas. Well, whether they are going in-state or far away.

I have no idea if I want to move 500 miles away or stay 15 minutes from my house.

I don’t understand why I would need to know right now. Two and half years is a long time to figure out where I am going to have my college experience. I still don’t really know There is still so much of high school I have left to experience.

I still have so many more last minute touchdowns to cheer for and sets to dread during the swim season.

BROOKLYN TERRILL

everything about myself, so I think for now I can cut myself some slack on being a little behind with my life plan. I don’t even have a driver’s license; How am I supposed make the decision of becoming a Wildcat or a Jayhawk when I still have to carpool to school?

Lately my inbox has been piling up with generic emails about how the people at the admissions offices would love for me to become a part of the community at their

school. I leave most of them unopened.

As of now I have only visited KU for Sophomore Legacy Day. I walked around the campus thinking that in a few years this could possibly be my home. As a sophomore, it was uncomfortable trying to picture myself as a college student when I still felt like a little freshman.

Throughout the day I was once again bombarded with the same looming question.

When the Vice Chancellor of the University asked the group how many of us definitely wanted to become a Jayhawk I was surprised at the number of hands that shot up right away.

More people than I expected knew the answer to the question I am stumped by. The closest thing I have to a college plan is a board on Pinterest of potential dorm room decorations.

I know that college is important and it isn’t something I am completely ignoring, but it isn’t at the forefront of my thoughts either. I don’t want to grow up too fast. I want to be able to enjoy my time in highschool without always worrying about what is ahead of me.

Someday I will walk around Lawrence, Manhattan, Columbia or some other college town as a student, not a high school kid. Someday I will sit in the student section yelling and supporting my college mascot, but for now I’m content in Prairie VIllage as a Shawnee Mission East Lancer.

JUNIOR KIRBY MOTSINGER It’s definitely overwhelming when you start thinking about what you want to do...especially when some of your friends have a whole plan figured out.

FRESHMAN CAROLINE CHISHOLM A few girls [on my soccer team] have already started receiving college offers, so I’m constantly thinking about who’s watching me while I play.

SENIOR EMILY KOHRING I really haven’t felt pressure this year about my future college plans. I decided I wanted to go to the University of Arkansas the minute I visited.

PHOTO ESSAY

Keeping

11

up with the

QUEENS

The Homecoming Queen and Court were announced at the football game on Oct. 6. Senior Anna Dierks was named Queen, and seniors Katie Kuhlman and Allie Libeer were named first and second attendant.

( R I G H T ) Seniors Isa Tamburini and Gretchen Crum cheer as they hear Anna Dierks’ name announced for Queen. “I was so excited, I started yelling and I teared up a little,” Tamburini said.

“Anna is one of my best friends, so I was really overwhelmed with pride and joy when they announced her as queen.” | SOPHIE STORBECK

( A B OV E ) After the game, all of the girls and their parents ate dinner at Christian Kennedy’s house. “After they announced the court, every girl came up to me asking, ‘When are we going to get barbecue?’

It was definitely a relief after not eating because we had to fit into those dresses,” Kennedy said. “We had to suck in in front of the entire school. It was well deserved, well deserved food.” | MORGAN BROWNING

( A B OV E ) Senior Anna Dierks is crowned Homecoming Queen. “Obviously, it’s a huge honor just to be nominated, and standing out there with all of those incredibly smart, nice and pretty girls was a really cool experience. It made the work I’ve done throughout high school and all of the friendships I’ve made worthwhile, and I was just so grateful.” | MORGAN BROWNING ( L E F T ) Before the football game, the girls got ready together at Christian Kennedy’s house. “It was really hectic,” Libeer said. “Everyone was excited and a little bit nervous. It was kind of senti. We were like, ‘Oh my god, we’re so old, why are we getting ready for this?’” | ANNIE LOMSHEK

( A B OV E ) The candidates stand under umbrellas as they wait for their names to be announced.

“Luckily, [the rain] stopped just enough for us to walk out,” Bell said. “I was freezing. It was really chilly and all of the girls were upset because we spend like an hour doing each other’s hair and it was gone in two minutes.” | MORGAN BROWNING

( A B OV E ) Candidates Christian Kennedy, Anna Dierks, Katie Kuhlman, Ellie Booton, Will Clough, and Allie Libeer pose for a selfie as they wait to walk onto the track. “I was super excited when Allie won. I was surprised when I got first attendant but definitely happy nonetheless,” Kuhlman said. “And then I was excited when Anna won queen; not surprised about that at all, she was so deserving.” | AUDREY KESLER

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What is Adderall?

a stimulant that affects g 30 m L hyperactivity RAL E D AD XR and impulse control that’s commonly used to treat ADHD and narcolepsy, according to drugabuse.com

Adderall at EAST*

69

students said they had taken at least one of the following amphetamines: Methamphetamine

ADDICTED

ADDERALL

to

24 percent

Students have turned to non-prescription drugs to cope with the stress of high school activities

BY LIZZIE KAHLE

O

PHOTO DIANA PERCY

**Names changed to protect identity

nly 20 milligrams of Adderall wasn’t enough. I need more so I can do better, senior Emma Ruby** thought.

Sitting in first hour, she popped the stronger 50 milligram pill of Vyvanse that her had friend given her. Immediately, she could feel it through her veins. She felt like she could accomplish anything.

First the anxiety kicked in, her heart racing.

Her thoughts overwhelmed her mind. Five hours later the depression hit, leaving her curled up in a ball on the floor of her room, crying.

“I started thinking things like ‘why am I in this world’,” Ruby said. *** Adderall, the brand name for dextroamphetamine-amphetamine, and Vyvanse, the brand name for lisdexamfetamine are viewed as quick fixes to some high school students. They are most commonly used as time-crunching pills to survive finals week, motivation to attend a class or a way to obliterate one’s appetite.

Adderall and Vyvanse are designed to be helpful for people with ADHD. Yet, for nonprescribed users, it creates the illusion of cosmetic psychopharmacology: You may be normal – heck, you may be great – but you think you will be more successful with the medication.

This is where addictions begins.

According to Ruby, junior Ashley Riley** and sophomore Jack Lang**, the stresses of

achieving certain GPAs and the pressures of appearance in high school were their motives for abusing prescription medicines. They are not alone. Nationally, ADHD prevalence has not risen, yet the use of ADHD medication has sharply increased, according to drugabuse. com.

Ruby started taking Adderall in eighth grade. During finals week last year, she would take three to four 25 milligram pills of Adderall with her friends to ensure she would be able to stay up all night cramming. Yet, the side effects overwhelmed her body.

“It wouldn’t even help me study because I was so focused on how much I was shaking,” Ruby said. “Finally I went to bed at 3:30 a.m. and then had to go to school the next morning and ended up doing terribly on my finals.”

Lang has also become dependent on the use of ADHD medication to try to increase success in school.

According to drugabuse.com, people who abuse Adderall and other ADHD medications like Vyvanse are given a romantic high, much like cocaine or methamphetamines. Their minds trick them into thinking they are invincible. They are addictive because the mind believes they are better with it than without it.

Every week, he sneaks into his brother’s bedroom, stealing his prescription Vyvanse.

He empties the capsule into a water bottle then replaces the unfilled pill so his brother won’t notice it’s gone. Without the drugs, school is unbearable and good grades are unachievable,

Ritalin

Adderall Levoamphetamine Focal Dextroamphetamine ProCentra Dexedrine Adderall XR Dextrostat Strattera Concerta Vyvanse

Lang said.

Most nights he’ll stay up, anxious and sleep deprived.

“Once when I was staying up all night, I became so bored that I wrote a whole mixtape,” Lang said. “12 rap songs. All original.”

Unable to fall asleep, he’ll just pop another pill the next morning to keep himself agile.

While on the medications, both Lang and Ruby find themselves going days without eating. Periodically, they force something down their throats because they both know they need to eat. According to drugabuse.com, amphetamines cause the brain to forget that the user is hungry, leaving them disgusted by the sight of food.

This year, Ruby got a prescription for Vyvanse to counteract her depression from the withdrawal of non-prescription Adderall. The cycle of medication and depression continues.

Since she has been prescribed to Vyvanse, her appetite has been completely wiped out, causing her to lose 25 pounds.

“I have not eaten a full meal on Vyvanse,” Ruby said. “All I ate yesterday was a cookie.

And like, I genuinely like to eat, it’s not like I’m trying to starve myself. I just can’t bring myself to eat.”

While Ruby and Lang are now forcing themselves to eat, Riley started taking Adderall so she wouldn’t. Through a mutual friend who had a prescription, Riley discovered Adderall would make her lose weight. All she wanted was to be skinnier, so she started stealing pills

of students said they had taken Adderall before

*a survey out of 226 East students

from her mom.

Riley had only been abusing adderall for a month when it became habitual. Her current 3.8 GPA and 112 pound body wasn’t good enough. She needed to be better.

One night at 3 a.m., her heart was beating uncontrollably. Tossing and turning in bed, she began to hyperventilate and panic. Why am I freaking out? She thought to herself. Her limbs quivered. She had taken three pills of 20 mg extended-release Adderall pills to suppress her hunger from the previous day. She just wanted to look like everyone else.

She could feel her heart beat through her chest.

She Googled the side effects of Adderall, her phone illuminating her face in the dark room.

The website read, Adderall can cause severe chest pains, heart attack and stroke.

Alone in the middle of the night, she prayed.

Dear God, please just let me live. I will never take Adderall again. I promise.

Riley woke up that morning, alive and thankful. Her weak body climbed the stairs to her bathroom, and dumped the pills down the toilet. Since that 3 a.m. prayer, she hasn’t taken Adderall once. The promise she made to God motivated her every day to say “no.”

For Lang, the high that prescription medication gives him would be unbearable to let go of.

“I can never see myself quiting,” Lang said. “I don’t think I would be able to function without it.”

14

FEATURES

STUDENTS ASTEACHERS

Students at East reach out to others to offer tutoring help

BY GRACE CHISHOLM

T

hird-grader Jaden Lin and his second-grade cousin Evan Chen sit at a tiny rectangular table in one of Belinder Elementary’s classrooms. Jaden swivels in a zebra print seat, and Evan fidgets in a plain blue chair.

Senior Sarah Milgrim and junior Matthew Trecek sit down next to the two kids, children’s books in hand. The boys play with yellow number blocks – not counting numbers, but constructing forts, which are quickly knocked down in explosions of plastic pieces and high-pitched laughter.

Jaden and Evan love Pokémon, can’t wait to get outside for recess and flash peace signs for cameras. They also speak almost no English. The two native Mandarin Chinese speakers moved from the Fujian Province of China to the United States to reunite with family.

Chinese teacher Hau-in-Lau received an email from Belinder principal Steve Yeoman, asking for help with the two boys. The boys’ teachers needed assistance due to the limited means of communication, Lau said.

National Chinese Honor Society members Milgrim, Trecek and seniors Joey Gasperi and Ross Fosher travel to Belinder Elementary during seminar each week to spend 30-40 minutes tutoring the boys in English. This program is a learning exchange: while the boys study English, the tutors work to better their Chinese skills and gain valuable experience with non-native English speakers.

“Mrs. Lau is great and she’s a great teacher,” Trecek said.

“But she knows what our Chinese skill is and knows what we’re trying to say. Having someone who doesn’t know English and trying to practice Chinese is definitely helping [my] Chinese.”

Lau asked students in Chinese 3, 4 and 5 for their help; Milgrim, Trecek, Gasperi and Fosher agreed. The four

students created a schedule for when each would work with Jaden and Evan, making sure that even with their high school responsibilities, they’d be able to visit every week during seminar.

Last year, student tutors from East worked with two girls from Corinth and Belinder who faced the same language barriers. The tutors were successful in teaching the girls English and helping them assimilate to the new culture – the girls didn’t need any help this year. Lau thought her students could help again, but this time with the boys.

The tutors work with the Jaden and Evan on basic math and reading skills, from adding 12 + 8 to reading about Cass the cat. Flashcards help to build their vocabulary: one side has Chinese symbols underneath English letters, while the other shows pictures of everything from a door to a dolphin to help the two to build their vocabulary. The tutors also help them to fill out assignments directly from the boys’ classroom teachers such as their current project: a get-toknow-you packet.

While Jaden and Evan are working on their own language skills, the tutors get valuable time conversing with native speakers, which can be much more beneficial to language learning than the conventional classroom, according to Trecek and Milgrim. Some of the only ways to speak Chinese in Kansas City are presenting Powerpoints in class, going to the Chinese market and finding the occasional opportunity to talk at a Chinese restaurant, Milgrim said.

“A major part of Chinese is the tone of the word, and one word can have five different tones,” Milgrim said. “If you say the wrong tone you can say something completely wrong, so hearing [the boys] speak the different tones has helped a lot.”

Sometimes Jaden and Evan are reluctant to speak in English; during the first tutoring session neither spoke a single word of either Chinese or English. Now, the two boys talk around the tutors in Chinese, though Milgrim and Trecek can often pick up enough bits and pieces to understand the main ideas of their conversations. Chinese character keyboards and translating apps also help the tutors.

“I understand about a quarter of what they say,” Trecek said. “I try my best to use what I know but they make fun of my tones and how I pronounce, and I can clearly recognize that they’re making fun of me, but I can’t tell them to stop!

I don’t know the words for sarcasm or joke.”

This first-hand experience with English as a secondlanguage learners has solidified both Milgrim and Trecek’s desire to work with language in the future, whether that be diving further into Chinese or teaching in another country.

“They’re learning the passion for language and the kindness of being culturally sensitive and helping others,” Lau said.

While vast improvements have not occurred in the two boys after just four sessions with the tutors, small things have given the tutors hope that this process can be successful for the two: now they can spell and write their own names in English.

“Coming to a classroom where no one speaks your language is terrifying,” Milgrim said. “We get to help them with these little moments of understanding people. That’s really rewarding.”

FEATURES

S

ophomore Isaiah Wright, junior Carter Trippel and senior Carl Young finish their exercises in weights — Monday is squats, Tuesday is cleans — and head to the boys’ locker room before the end of second hour.

While the rest of their class keeps lifting, they change their clothes and take a seat. Sitting on the wooden benches near Young’s locker, the boys pour over Geometry.

Young tutors Wright and Trippel when the two football players are struggling with a new concept, and they usually meet up to review before big tests. They spend 30 minutes or more walking through problems step-by-step, whether that’s calculating a midpoint or measuring interior angles.

Knowing the boys’ personalities has allowed Young to tailor his teaching style to them: Trippel understands concepts better when Young asks him to teach the concept himself, Wright works better when he’s told exactly how to solve a problem.

The sessions have been successful so far – both Wright and Trippel have moved up a letter grade in the class

15

Head coach Dustin Delaney advocates that his players do things “the right way on and off the field.” He believes his players know that getting good grades leads to future opportunities.

“I think the players finding their own tutors is fantastic,” Delaney said. “Players helping players is awesome to see as a head coach.”

Delaney’s emphasis on school work prompted both Wright and Trippel to ask Young to tutor them both in their math class. After about a month of school, the two noticed dips in their grades and realized that they were going to need help.

Before their grades became a bigger issue — one of eligibility to play — the two sought out Young. Young had always been a resource for guys on the team by offering assistance with schoolwork Trippel said, so it made sense to reach out to him.

“He’s just easy to interact with, and he’s a good guy,” Trippel said. “[Wright] and I are friends with him, so we

thought that’d be a good way to learn. He’s one of those guys that will make time to help you out.”

After working in the same bench group with Young during conditioning, Wright knew Young would be one to keep him accountable with school – he applies that same work ethic to practice every day, Wright said.

Young was more than happy to help. He sees it as his job to be there for his team no matter what circumstance that may involve. While he enjoys utilizing his leadership, the one-on-one attention allows the boys to understand concepts better than in the classroom.

The friendship the boys had built through time on the field made Wright and Trippel comfortable in going to Young for help. Now that bond is being strengthened in a different setting.

“It’s just like hanging out with your friends except now you’re doing [math] instead of just talking or playing video games,” Young said.

Vuillemin said. “With younger kids we tend to help them read or write, but with older grades we’ll help them on projects and papers.”

their class.

Keys has been involved in the Buddies program since freshman year. This is her third year as a Chair and she’s working with Tomahawk students. While most buddies work with entire classes, Keys has developed a special bond with first grader Malcolm. Each week she works with him to help him advance in his reading skills.

With Malcolm, Keys tries to help him keep focused on his reading cards because he’s slightly behind the other kids. They go through the alphabet, sound out words and memorize sight words that he hasn’t quite gotten the hang of.

“It’s so cool to see how far he has come just since the beginning of the year,” Keys said. “I really feel like [the volunteers] are positively affecting these kids’ lives.

Especially since some of the kids at Tomahawk don’t always end up at East, they tend to have harder situations going on at home and really need somebody to be their role model, and I feel like that”s exactly what we’re doing.”

BY GRACIE KOST

J

unior Alyssa Vuillemin began her day greeted by a class full of cheerful hellos and squeaky Velcro tennis shoes from the gym class of Mrs. Carver-Jones at Belinder Elementary School. Fifteen minutes away, Tyler Keys was met by an eager-to-learn first grade student, Malcolm, at Tomahawk Elementary School.

Vuillemin and Keys are two of many students who volunteer during their seminars to help out elementary students across the SMSD area. They are both chairs of the SME Student Buddies SHARE program.

Several groups, of up to ten volunteers split up during seminar and head to Tomahawk, Belinder, Briarwood or Rose Hill to spend about an hour of their time helping the kids. From there, the volunteers help classes all throughout the school. Depending on what the teacher needs, some volunteers may work with the students one-on-one, while others help small groups or even teach the class as a whole.

“I’ve done everything from being partners with the kids in tennis to helping them grade their morning work,”

( FA R R I G H T ) Junior Matthew Trecek and Senior Joey Gasperi help a student from Belinder Elementary learn English | ELLIE THOMA

( R I G H T ) Trecek and Gasperi meet in a conference room at Belinder Elementary to tutor Chinese-fluent students in English | AVA SIMONSEN

I’ve done everything from being partners with the kids in tennis to helping them grade their morning work.

ALYSSA VUILLEMIN JUNIOR Each week before seminar, the chairs send out a message in GroupMe asking the students who signed up to like their message if they want to help out at their choice of elementary school. The chairs’ responsibility is to contact their school’s counselors. Next, the counselors email the teachers so they can dibs a certain amount of ‘buddies’ for

16

SPREAD

PL YLIST of her

LIFE

For an English assignment, Meg chose four songs that represent her life story

1

SONG: Hard-knock Life FROM: Annie the Musical BECAUSE: “That would have been when I was in the orphanage, pretty much just kinda describes my life in China in general.”

2

SONG: Reflection FROM: Mulan BECAUSE: “I picked that because Mulan is Chinese and that is like my favorite movie. That is whenever I had challenges in my life and I had to reflect upon them to become who I am now.”

3 4

SONG: Rise ARTIST: Katy Perry BECAUSE: “[In seventh grade] I opened up and tried new things and got involved. All of the outside activities that I did kind of made me stronger. I did things I like.”

SONG: Count on Me ARTIST: Bruno Mars BECAUSE: “Since I promised my mom I would tell her everything I was feeling, I can count on her for advice or just to be there. That song is just for anybody that I can open up to or talk to.”

Despite her disability, freshman Meg Shermer is just another 15-yearold girl

BY ELLIE BOOTON

W

ith her mom following behind her, freshman Meg Shermer walks into her bedroom but doesn’t turn on the lights. An orange sunset creeps through the blinds.

“Turn on the light, babe,” her mom said.

Meg sighed. “See, that’s my problem.”

For Meg, her problem isn’t that she can’t see whether the lights are on or off, it’s that she forgets that everybody else can.

It’s her world. In some ways, her world is different from yours. People ask her if what she sees is black, but she doesn’t know what black looks like. She’s gone from a sixyear-old orphan in China who could see little light to a cat-feeding daughter in a family of six who can see past being blind.

Now she can touch her no-fear motto refrigerator magnet with the plan of living it out: “Do one thing that scares you every day.”

In other ways, her world is just the same. She wears Star Wars Vans and graphic tees, watches Rhett and Link YouTube videos and solemnly swears she’s up to no good – at least, that’s what her Harry Potter necklace says. She’s not a visually impaired girl; she’s a 15-year-old girl that happens to be visually impaired.

Ask her mom how she handles her disability?

“Meg, do you have a disability?”

Aundrayah asked.

“Wait, do I?” Meg laughed.

To her family, she doesn’t.

Meg folds laundry, keeps her side of the bathroom clean and dries the dishes. She wakes herself up at 5:40 a.m. and takes a shower. Then she enters the kitchen for breakfast, which to Meg, is where things can get tricky.

She shakes a bag of Tostitos to determine what type of chips she’s holding, then smells it.

“All chip bags are the same,” Meg said with a laugh.

The bottom shelf of the refrigerator, Meg’s shelf, is filled with 2-liters because Meg loves soda; not because of the suds and caffeine, but because she can tell which bottles are which from their shape.

“This one I know is Coke,” Meg said feeling the bottle. “And I know which is Sprite and Dr. Pepper.”

Sensory recognition is something the district’s orientation and mobility teacher, Mark Craig, has introduced to Meg. Since seventh grade, she’s worked with Craig in order to travel independently and use

landmarks to gauge her locations.

Landmarks – recognizable smells, sounds or feelings – help Meg to know where she is. On campus, the smell of espresso tells her she’s nearing the coffee shop, the sound of vending machines tells her she’s by the nurse’s office and sweat means the gym. She listens for echoes in hallways to determine where she is.

“Call me Bat Girl, but in a way, I use echolocation,” Meg said.

In a 6A school, she has to weave her way through 1750 students in the halls, but the size never worried Aundrayah or Meg; Craig taught Meg to slide her cane across the width of her body to navigate all five floors. She’s just another student in the halls.

“I wasn’t worried about [the size of East] at all,” Aundrayah said. “The bigger [the school is], the more real life it is. You get to meet a lot more people [and have] a lot more experiences.”

When she walks, Meg prods the air in front of her, inching her black cane forward.

And when she’s lost, she feels the braille room numbers outside of classrooms, or she has a little help.

“English class is right here, Meg,” a classmate said as Meg searched for her room.

Meg uses the stairs instead of elevator and changes direction when she runs into something or someone. She’s one of the best students Craig’s ever had.

“You make it look so easy, Meg,” Craig said.

Like cane travel, academics come easy to Meg. Because braille type is so much larger than standard Times New Roman, Meg’s assignments are pre-made into large, white papers by East’s braillist Christine Keller.

Because of this, Meg often sits at the front of the room in a table rather than a desk.

She reads a front and back page of braille, her classmates read one paragraph on their laptops.

But to Meg, that might be the only thing that sets her apart from her classes. When the teacher calls roll, her face follows the sound and exclaims “Here!” as loud as any other student.

Although she says her workload takes twice the amount of time of other students, she’s never scored anything lower than a B in Algebra. Keller and Aundrayah helps her understand geometry, but aside from that, Meg finishes her homework by herself.

“Sometimes I help [Meg], but really she helps me with everything. I don’t think I

help you too much, do I?” Aundrayah “No, not much,” Meg said.

Aundrayah hammered this m into Meg, that she is just like eve else, because she knows the life of impairment well. Her brother and b her parents were blind — prompti and her husband, Rob, to adopt a v impaired child.

Because of this, she knows to trea like her other children. For Chri Aundrayah recorded her voice rea Star Wars book and gave her a Darth action figure. Meg’s sister got a Po camera and her brothers got socks. room is lined with figurines of Yoda a comforter is covered with stormtr and Obi Wan Kenobi. If she could s a day, she would watch every Star movie.

h asked.

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at Meg istmas, ading a h Vader olaroid . Meg’s and her roopers see for r Wars

SPREAD

t h e h a r b i n g eThis r

isn’t a story This isn’t about a story aabout blind a blind girl. girl.

S H AW N E E M I S S I O N E A S T H I G H S C H O O L

O C T. 1 7, 2 0 1 6

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THIS IS THIS IS A STORY STORY A ABOUT ABOUT

MEG. MEG. PHOTO MORGAN BROWNING

It’s these things Meg wishes she could see, and her early childhood was the closest she’s ever been to that.

Distant memories from China are filled with slight color and light perception, but by age six she was fully blind. Aundrayah and her husband spent two and a half weeks in Kunming, China to adopt Meg when she was six.

“We saw her picture – there were hundreds of [pictures of orphans] – and we were like ‘That’s her,” Aundrayah said.

The Shermers brought Meg back to Ozark, Mo. There, she connected with two girls who were also visually impaired and adopted from China. But before middle school, they moved to the SMSD for more extensive vision services. Meg doesn’t have those connections here.

“I’m not ashamed to say that I don’t

have many friends,” Meg admits.

Even though she’s lacking teenage friendships, Meg has her family to make sure she leads a normal and happy life – she doesn’t need a lot of friends. She swims year-round in their apartment complex’s indoor pool, sleeps in on Saturday mornings and goes out to eat with her family at Sawa’s Old Warsaw.

“She’s just like anyone else,” Aundrayah said.

And she will be for the rest of her life.

She plans to attend college after high school and maybe pursue occupational therapy. Maybe she’ll fall in love and raise a family, but then again, maybe she won’t.

“Whatever happens, happens,” Meg said. “Of course [being blind] affects me, but I feel like I have a normal life. I’m not scared of my future in any way.”

17

MEG’S through CHORES going

( A B OV E ) Meg feeds her cats every day using her hands as a scoop. This minimizes the mess but she knows it will be okay if she spills a little bit. | DIANA PERCY

( A B OV E ) Meg feels for the raised stickers on the 4, 5 and 6 buttons on the microwave keypad to tell her which buttons are where. | DIANA PERCY

( A B OV E ) Every day, Meg goes a flight of stairs in her apartment complex to check the mail. She always knows her mailbox is the second one from the right. | DIANA PERCY

COMMON Meg is QUESTIONS asked

1. What do you see when you are blind?

2. Do you know what you look like?

3. Are all of your other senses stronger because you are blind?

4. Do you know what colors look like?

5. How do you use a touch screen?

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FEATURES

19

ISABELLA’S FAVORITE FOODS TO MAKE

FOOD

FOR

OTHERS

Making food for others proves to be more importand than cooking for ones self

C U P C A K E S Key Ingredients: Flour, Sugar, Butter and Eggs

B U T T E R M I L K PA N C A K E S Key Ingredients: Flour, Sugar, Buttermilk, eggs, A bit of melted butter and cinnamon

BY SARAH WILCOX

J

unior Isabella Kloster seals the fresh, homemade waffles in a Ziploc container with plastic utensils and napkins. She places the container next to her backpack so she won’t forget to bring it with her to school the next morning. Her classmates are eager for her to brighten their day with the waffles she has made for them.

Kloster has been cooking since preschool, but in high school she found a way to translate her passion of cooking into helping other students. Kloster herself loves cooking, so it brings her happiness when she can share it with others.

“I have noticed a lot of kids don’t eat breakfast,” Kloster said. “It is important and cooking for other people is a passion of mine.”

Two years ago, Kloster had the idea when she made breakfast for dinner one night. Instead of throwing away the leftovers, she decided to pack up the extra French toast and give it to her friends at school the next day. Kloster noticed the excitement it brought her peers, so she began to offer cooking for them frequently.

At the beginning, she cooked for only a few friends; now, Kloster usually brings breakfast at least once a week to about five people, depending on who asks.

“She started bringing me food freshman year,” junior Gabrielle Perdomo, a regular recipient, said. “I am always in a rush before school, and Isabella is a great cook, so it is really helpful.”

Kloster takes requests from students for breakfast and occasionally lunch. She tries to mix up styles of cooking and types of foods she works with — like making vegan pancakes. Kloster also brings some students lunches consisting of spring rolls and juice.

Her classmates give suggestions, such as breakfast sandwiches with ham and eggs, and Kloster will cook it. The next day, she distributes or drops off the meal in a classroom to be picked up. Even though she cooks all types of food, she tends to lean towards making the most important meal of the day.

Whenever cooking something new, Kloster makes sure to write down the recipe. The self-taught cook uses homemade recipes collected in her personal cookbook she calls Things I Made and Liked. Kloster

has collaborated with Maranatha Christian Academy junior, Mattie Schoenfeld to add illustrations to the recipes. Scribbling ingredients in a Moleskine journal and perfecting the recipe with Schoenfeld has become one of Kloster’s favorite aspects of cooking.

“Seeing the finished product is the most satisfying,” Kloster said.

“You have something to show for the hard work you put in.”

Making grocery stops at Hen House after school has become a part of Kloster’s weekly routine. On some weekends, Kloster takes a trip downtown to the Farmer’s Market and whatever looks good, she will take home and cook with. Whipping up dinner and tomorrow’s meals for her family isn’t a chore for Kloster either.

With homework and activities, Kloster still makes time in her schedule for her passion. Even though Kloster does not plan to pursue a culinary school or major, she will bring cooking with her wherever she goes.

“She is really talented and it makes my day to see how much she cares about others through her cooking,” Perdomo said.

C H O C O L AT E PA S T E R I E S Key Ingredients: A large amount of butter, Sugar and Chocolate

I TA L I A N F O O D / PA S TA Important Tips: Fresh Ingredients, Making the food from scratch/by hand and Using Ingredients from the farmers market ART SEAN OVERTON ( A B OV E ) The cupcakes are topped off with sprinkles, to make sure every last detail is perfect | MADDIE SMILEY ( L E F T ) Kloster gets the batter that she has made from scratch, together, for the Feminist club meeting | MADDIE SMILEY

20

FEATURES

MAVERICK

MONDAYS

A

Saddle is typically larger and heavier Sophomore Hazel Eastlack uses Monday evening horseback riding lessons to pursue her equestrian passion

BY LUCY KENDALL

5-foot-4 inch girl stands next to a 1,000 pound horse and begins her lesson by taking her horse of the day out of his stall and brushing him down. With a yellow-bristled brush, she brushes the horse down to dust off any dirt, bugs or grass that they rolled in previously. Eastlack then picks out his feet so that there aren’t any rocks or dirt in them. Lastly, she puts the saddle pad, saddle, girth and bridle on the horse’s back and escorts him out to the ring.

At the age of 10, Hazel Eastlack’s future was set. The smell of barns and the feeling of thin, rough hair was not just going to be an annual event that she had to attend because of a family friend’s party.

It was going to be a lifestyle, one that would make an impact on the rest of her life. Now a sophomore, Eastlack is hoping to attend a college with an equestrian program, preferably K-State.

“To me there is really nothing like riding a horse, I have always loved the feeling of the horse moving beneath me and the way horses smell,” Eastlack said.

After pulling on her black knee-high boots, Eastlack slips her hair into a low pony tail and secures her helmet to her head. She is now ready for her weekly lesson with 21 yearold trainer Ashlynn Kenny at Woodson Hill Equestrian Center.

Maverick, a dark brown horse with long black hair draping down his neck and tail with hooves the size of small frisbees. Maverick is a thoroughbred, a horse developed in England

for racing and jumping. Eastlack has never ridden Maverick before, or any horse as big or as easily-disturbed as Maverick for that matter.

“I only let a few people ride Maverick because he’s hard to control sometimes, but I wanted to give Hazel a challenge today and she

To me there is really nothing like riding a horse, I have always loved the feeling of the horse moving beneath me HAZEL EASTLACK FRESHMAN

proved that she can ride any horse and make them do what they need to do,” Kenny said.

Currently, Eastlack is practicing English riding, a form of riding that includes Hunter Hack, where the horse walks, trots or canters before jumping over two poles that range from two to four feet. She is also working on her “two point” which is the position in which she sits with her shoulders even with the horse’s ears and her back parallel with the horse’s neck while jumping over the poles.

“It’s really your choice whether you want to do Western riding or English riding, I just chose English because it looked more fun and cool with the jumping,” Eastlack said.

First walking him around the ring to

ensure the horse is loosened up, Eastlack then steps up onto a three-tier stepping stool and mounts the enormous horse. For the first 15 to 20 minutes of warm up, the trainer calls out several directions to get the horse’s legs warmed up such as walking, trotting, reverse trotting, cantering and reverse cantering. For the last 30 minutes of the private, Eastlack works on her jumping with the horse.

Eastlack wraps up her Monday night lesson by walking the horse around the ring a couple times, to prevent the horse from overheating.

After walking the horse around, Eastlack attaches the horse to ropes while she brushes him out again with the same yellowbristled brush and gives him several treats such as carrots, apples or peppermint for his performance.

“I have always loved and will always love horseback riding, my life would definitely not be the same without it,” Eastlack said.

Riders take one rein in each hand Reins and mouth movements used to control horse Jumping is possible, but more dangerous

western

2 STYLES of riding that riders practice

english Saddle is typically smaller and lighter Riders hold both reins in one hand Leg and neck movements used over reins Jumping is more common in Hunter Hack style information courtesy equisearch.com ( A B OV E ) Freshman Hazel Eastlack slowly gains speed as a warmup during Monday night practice | LIBBY WILSON ( R I G H T ) Eastlack grooms her horse Maverick before riding, taking care as he is easily scared | LIBBY WILSON ( B E LOW ) Eastlack’s trainer Ashlynn Kenny keeps Maverick steady as Eastlack puts on the bridle | LIBBY WILSON

PARIS TO PRAIRIE VILLAGE:

Get haute couture looks for less

FASH IO N W EEK W

BY ANNA MCCLELLAND

ith Paris Fashion Week coming to a close, I’m left feeling hollow and empty inside because I can’t get my hands on all of the latest and greatest haute couture trends. So, I went on a hunt for all of the best looks from PFW, without the designer label – and the price tag.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF VOGUE MAGAZINE, REVOLVECLOTHING.COM

VALENTINO: EMBELLISHED NO ONE does embellished dresses better than Valentino. But unfortunately, I don’t have access to the sequined spectacles that stars like Rosie Huntington-Whiteley wear. But one of my favorite plebeianfriendly labels has gorgeous embellished dresses. Needle & Thread may be on the pricier side, but that’s nothing compared to Valentino’s dresses which run $10,000 and up. The quality of their hand sewn masterpieces rivals Valentino’s one-ofa-kind couture creations. Ten out of ten would recommend.

1

2

BALMAIN: BLUSH TONES

6

5 CHANEL Boy Bag, $4700 (chanel.com) 6 REBECCA MINKOFF Love Crossbody, $295 (rebeccaminkoff. com)

I AM LITERALLY blushing for blush tones this season. All the Kardashians are rocking it, so why don’t the rest of us just hop on the bandwagon already? This blush lace-up dress from Balmain looks like it came right out of Kylie Jenner’s closet. Keep it Kylie without breaking your budget with this Donna Mizani midi dress.

3 BALMAIN Dress, est. $4000 (balmain.com) 4 DONNA MIZANI Straight Neck Midi Dress, $202 (revolveclothing.com)

CHANEL: HANDBAGS THE CHANEL BOY BAG is currently taking the handbag world by storm. Every fashion blogger and supermodel has one.

The modern twist on Chanel’s Classic Flap bag features the updated lego-style logo and an embroidered border. Too bad they cost $4700 or more. But on the bright side, you can get the same high-end look for a way better price. Rebecca Minkoff’s Love bag has some of the exact same accents for $295.

4

1 VALENTINO Haute Couture 2 NEEDLE & THREAD Enchanted Lace Dress $599 (revolveclothing.com)

7

5

3

8 PRADA: FUZZY SHOES CHANEL OBERLIN, my fictional idol from Fox’s Scream Queens, would absolutely love this look – fuzzy shoes. If you’re a little princess like me and Chanel Oberlin, fuzzy shoes fit right into your wardrobe along with anything pink, fuzzy or sparkly. But unfortunately, not

all of us can have Karl Lagerfeld as our uncle like Chanel Oberlin, so the brand new Prada sandals aren’t exactly in our league. But these Steve Madden sandals are just as cute, and they come in blush, and we all know how much I love blush.

7 PRADA Haute Couture 8 STEVE MADDEN Scarlita Sandals $60 (stevemadden.com)

A&E

Recent releases and old favorites to inspire your playlist and transition from summer to fall

BY YASHI WANG

TODAY TROI IRONS

ALL I WANT STONEFOX

“Today” is Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Troi Irons’ first single. Her hoarse vocals and appealing falsetto that delivers angst with ease had me hooked from the first bar. Here’s a genuine up and coming artist to look out for. rock

This song isn’t exactly recent, but the acoustic piece had been a favorite of mine over the summer. Now that the weather is cooling, I’m pulling it back out along with the flannel as an autumn staple. The ambient, minimalist and slightly folksy tune from the Australian indie trio’s debut EP pairs perfectly with lazy fall skies and knit sweaters. mellow-pop

COME AS YOU ARE NIRVANA Going back a couple of decades, Nirvana’s album “Nevermind” just hit its 25th anniversary last month.

It’s a great excuse to dig out those old alt-rock tracks, including “Come As You Are,” the lesser-known sibling to “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” The song was already dusted off earlier this year for the trailer to Marvel/Netflix series “The Defenders.” alt-rock CLOSER

covered by

WALK OFF THE EARTH

The massive hit “Closer” by The Chainsmokers and Halsey is given an acoustic, low-budget (but wellexecuted) remake by Canadian group Walk Off the Earth.

This cover is as worthy as the original, with strong vocals and a discreet but creative music video. I also just can’t get over their abundant use of kazoos, or how much member Ryan Marshall looks like Chris Hemsworth in the video.

TOLD YOU I’D BE WITH THE GUYS CHERRY GLAZERR Trio Cherry Glazerr returns with a fresh single after signing with a new label. Their distinctive sound, especially frontman Clementine Creevy’s eccentric and edgy vocals, has a grungy attraction to it, as does the unnerving music video. As an added bonus, Creevy self-proclaims themes of establishing solidarity with fellow women and combatting sexism in her song.

THE GREATEST SIA ,

KENDRICK LAMAR

This song first caught my attention when I came across the music video, which pays homage to the Orlando nightclub shooting this summer. The video features striking choreography headed again by Ziegler, Sia’s longtime collaborator. Set against an upbeat, slightly tropical backdrop, the song’s vocals and lyrics evoke urgency and life. However, the video is what completes the story, as the song fades away to a hollow ringing and dancers collapse to reveal a bullet-riddled backdrop.

CANCER TWENTY ONE PILOTS British magazine Rock Sound organized a cover album of My Chemical Romance’s “The Black Parade,” which turns ten this month. Alternative record-breakers Twenty One Pilots were invited to cover “Cancer,” originally a pianobased track reinforced by percussion and raspy vocals.

Twenty One Pilots creates a more subdued version of the original with a sparse electronica background and vocals that brings a more resigned tone to the song about death and final goodbyes.

ENTERTAINMENT

R A D A R Upcoming films and events to anticipate

today to

10.20 HARRY POTTER WEEK In anticipation of the Nov. 17 release of “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”, AMC Theatres are showing all 8 previous Harry Potter films for an entire week. It’s still not too late to catch a few showings.

715 - CRΣΣKS BON IVER Layers and layers of intentional autotune. This is not the Bon Iver we’re familiar with, but for the same reasons, this track is the standout from his new album. Heavy processing aside, the song loses none of its poetic voice and raw emotion, even without raw vocals. folktronica BELIEVER MAJOR LAZER,

today to

10.23 BODY WORLDS EXHIBIT This world-renowned Union Station exhibit is full of preserved human cadavers and is meant to be an educational experience.

Visitors are invited to learn about the body through varying age and health. Catch it before it closes on Oct. 23.

SHOWTEK

Major Lazer’s newest collaboration following “Cold Water” with Justin Bieber does not disappoint: this song was made for the festival stages. It’s a high energy, workoutworthy track that still retains a trademark loose Jamaican sound for optimal good vibes. tropical house

10.29

Australian artist Troye Sivan’s Suburbia Tour will be making a stop in KC at the Uptown Theater. Part of the proceeds will be donated to the Ally Coalition, a group supporting LGBTQ equality.

UNDEFEATABLE YOUNG RISING SONS Here’s a true indie anthem that came only a couple months too late to claim its rightful place on my summer replay. The chorus, “we are the stars and the suns, the unforgettable ones,” is simple but catchy in its triumph.

For best effect, crank the volume up and the windows down from your best friend’s shotgun. pop rock

11.04

Cultural value.

trap

11.21

TBD

SCAN the QR code on the right to access this playlist on S potify

LANCER ‘THIRD FRIDAY’ Student Council intended to host an East cultural event imitating the Crossroads’ First Fridays on Oct. 21. Due to a rescheduled football game, the event has been postponed. Now with more time put to planning, good things can definitely be expected.

LIFTED CL Korean singer/rapper’s American debut is a somewhat anticlimactic (read: too cautious) piece that differs from the aggressive tracks she’s comfortable with in her native language. However, it did broaden her audience and her comfort zone. I look forward to what the upcoming full EP could offer. hip-hop

YOUNG THUG CONCERT After his recent release of newest mixtape “Jeffrey”, rapper Young Thug will be holding a KC concert at Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland.

DRUM MØ “Drum” is a persistently upbeat track, and a trace of co-writer Charli XCX’s occasional bubblegum pop is detectable in the highly repetitive but relaxed chorus.

The song manages to be pretty catchy: a satisfactory but more understated, independent follow-up to last year’s global phenomenon “Lean On” and recent collaborative hit “Cold Water.” electropop

“HACKSAW RIDGE” Critical reception has been very positive so far to the WWII film centered on a real story of a conscientious soldier who saved men on front lines without ever firing a weapon.

HONORABLE MENTIONS HARAMBE YOUNG THUG

TROYE SIVAN CONCERT

2.04

“GET OUT” Nevermind the annual Halloween inspired horror marathons — the first trailer for Jordan Peele’s “Get Out” was just released. It looks like this is the film to watch out for in upcoming months. Racially-concerned, fresh, and generally intriguing, it’s been attracting attention both horror fans and non-fans

A&E

BARRE B

23

BY EMMA VAUGHTERS

arre is a high-energy workout that mixes pilates, ballet and sometimes cardio. This combination builds strength and creates long, toned muscles. The name comes from the core principle of this workout: the use of a bar, or “barre” as it’s called in ballet, to bal-

STUDIO 7 “EMMA, TUCK THAT tailbone in,” my instructor Callie tells me as my legs vibrate.

I’m gripping the bar while standing on my toes, with my knees bending as I pulse up and down. I can feel a burning sensation in my legs – it hurts, but that’s a good thing.

This class was definitely the least challenging of all the classes I took, but it could be the most rewarding long term. There was a stronger focus on slow, small-range movements that build strength over time, rather than on moves to boost your heart rate for only an hour. This gives me confidence that I’ll see results in the future if I go once a week; whether I have time for this could be an issue, but I will probably make time for it in my schedule because of the potential of getting stronger. The class was a moderate pace and was easy to follow, which is great for

beginners. The actual moves, mostly ballet type, were decent and I enjoyed the full-body range. I felt sore after, but not absolutely exhausted.

One of my favorite parts about this studio is the personalization. When you walk in to the modest, homely building, your instructor immediately learns your name. Throughout the class, she personally addresses you and encourages you to improve form. Also, each Barre 7 class is capped at ten people – less people to judge how hard your legs are shaking!

I will definitely attend this studio again, but not if I’m looking for a blood-pumping, high-calorie-burning experience. What I will come back for is the small class size, and the personal touch that made me feel like I was in my own home rather than a formal studio.

POWER LIFE YOGA BEADS OF SWEAT drip down my forehead, stinging my eyes as Power Life Yoga’s miniscule barre studio suddenly feels like a cramped sauna. Both hands are lightly perched on the bar as I’m standing on one leg, my other leg bent and slowly kicking back and forth, with a five pound weight in the crook of my knee.

My glutes are on fire, a good indication that I’m working hard. I expect the intensity to slow down a bit, but it never does. By the end, I might as well have just jumped into a pool – minus the cool, refreshing feeling.

I felt like this class was too much work for only 45 minutes. I don’t think I was idle for a second of the entire class. The fast pace and quick transitions kept my body in constant motion, but gave me no chance to rest.

I was very pleased with the variety and full-body range of moves. I felt powerful. We PHOTOS ELLEN SWANSON

mainly focused on the arms and thighs, but my entire body had been utilized by the end of the class. Power Life’s equipment – dumbbells, weighted balls and resistance bands – were used effectively. These all enhanced the work done and were a good way to fit a solid workout into short amount of time.

Overall, I was pleased with the high intensity of this class and the variety because it kept my excitement up. As for my energy however, I felt worn out early on, which probably affected my form and overall effort.

I’m not typically a quitter, but when I’m drenched in sweat and about to collapse, I’m not afraid to give myself a break. I also wasn’t pleased with the cramped studio; I felt like everyone was falling on top of eachother. And let me tell you – having another sweaty barregoer fall on top of you is not pleasant.

ance the body while various fitness moves are performed. Barre classes range in intensity levels depending on studio, instructor or equipment.

In one barre class, your heart rate may be normal, while in another, it may be through the roof. I prefer the former – it would be an under-

statement to say I’m currently out of shape. I typically take class at The Bar Method, a studio in Leawood, but haven’t in awhile because of my busy schedule and lack of drive to be fit. By hopping studios, I hope to find some new classes to spike my motivation.

FUSION FITNESS NEON LIGHT SIGNS illuminate Fusion Fitness’s main studio, reminding each and every client that they’re there to dedicate an hour of their day to fitness: “beautiful,” “powerful,” “strong” they read. Fusion offers a wide variety of classes to help their clients feel this way. Two of them, Barre and Barre Hop, are specific to the barre discipline. I compared the class descriptions, and decided to go for what sounded the most challenging and lively: Barre Hop. We started with low-intensity moves that target the arms and legs, warming up for the rest of the workout. Holding a weighted ball at the chest while doing small hops back and forth, I smiled, excited for more moves like these. I thought to myself ‘Why did I ever feel like this was hard? I could do this for the rest of my life! Easy peasy,’ At this point, I clearly didn’t feel like I had made a terrible mistake by coming to the class, and convinced myself it would be smooth sailing. I soon realized that I was wrong. We started the higher-intensity moves, such as weighted squat jumps and mountain climbers, and I was about ready to grab my things and make a run for it, vowing to never show my face at Fusion again.

I stuck through it though, and by the end of the hour, almost

PRICE PER

C L AS S

every muscle in my body had worked hard in some way. At Fusion, each move is performed repeatedly for one to two minutes. This method is great in theory because the body is constantly surprised with new moves, but in reality it can be hard to keep up with the instructor. It can make you feel like you’re just flailing your body in all different directions, praying that your form is okay, when it most definitely is not okay. Needless to say, if you’re looking for a slow-paced beginner class that is easy to follow, Fusion isn’t for you.

My main disappointment with this class was that we only used the bar for five moves of the entire class. I wasn’t pleased – the bar should be the main focus. This was more of a high-intensity cardio class that coincidentally used the bar a couple of times. If you’re looking for a classic barre class with more of a ballet and pilates feel, try a different studio.

I willl definitely attend this class again, but not if I’m in the mood for the standard barre experience. If I’m feeling sluggish and need a high-intensity cardio class however, count me in – when I’m in better shape. For now, I’ll be hopping into my bed for a nap instead.

$20

STUDIO 7

$20

POWER LIFE YOGA

$15

FUSION FITNESS

24

A&E

WONDERS -OFWALES

“Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” proves to be an entertaining novel and book for all ages

T

BY ABBY WALKER

o me, the old adage has always rung true– to truly enjoy a movie that was once a book, you should read the book first. So before I began to pester my brother about going with me to see “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children,”I read the novel by Ransom Riggs.

Both the movie and book engrossed as I watched the story of Jacob Portman unfold.

The story follows Jacob Portman, played by Asa Butterfield, a sixteenyear-old boy from Florida. Jacob travels to a small island off of Wales, where his grandfather once lived. It’s here that he finds himself looking for the any truth behind the bedtime stories after his grandfather’s tragic death. My favorite part of the book that couldn’t be transferred to the movie was that Riggs used real photographs planted throughout the book to promote Jacob’s grandfather’s story. The pictures were discovered from places such as flea markets and antique malls by a variety of collectors.

While on the island, Jacob discovers that his grandfather was telling the truth in his bedtime stories all along. The plot follows his journey with these peculiar children who live with Miss Peregrine on the island, which leads to the classic good against evil fight in the end, which reminded me a lot of “X-Men” in its plot.

The imagination and creativity of the anomalies that Riggs dreamed up and the scenes from the story was awe-inspiring.

They made me feel like I was back in elementary school reading

Harry Potter because of the fantastic and creative places it made me imagine while reading it. But, like any book that was made into a movie, there were some disconnections and dissimilarities in “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” movie.

The movie lacked in character development since it only spent about 15 minutes on the characters, and I only could get a feel for the characters because I had read the book, which spent chapters and chapters on the characters. But luckily, a lot of those short-comings were made up for in the special effects.

Directed by Tim Burton, the visual aspects of “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” were nothing short of his past works. He perfectly portrayed the strange talents of the characters in the book such as Miss Peregrine’s, played by Eva Green, power of time and Emma’s, played by Ella Purnell, power of air. Burton encaptured just what I had imagined while reading the book.

Only about 15 minutes of the movie was spent wondering who Miss Peregrine was and what her home was. The rest of the two hour movie was dedicated to the plot from the book, and it felt like the climax lasted for an entire hour on its own. Because the director tried so hard to condense background information, when things in the plot became more complex, things got confusing.

Even though keeping everyone and their peculiarities straight was a difficulty, I felt like after reading so much about them I understood just about every character’s personality.

Without having read it before though, I think I would’ve been lost with all there was to take in.

One redeeming quality of the movie was that even though it wasn’t meant to be scary, I still found myself jumping a couple of times throughout the film. It was the ideal mixture of creepy and interesting, which I thought was perfect for this time of year.

“Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” was one of those movies that is technically meant for younger kids, but in reality, adults will enjoy it the most due to its multi-level plot line and intricate themes.

The book helped me understand things that the book lacked on, but even if you don’t have the time to read it, you won’t be disappointed.

PECULIAR I TIE S

Every child in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children possess a special power

Pyrokinesis (Fire Manipulation)

Super Strength

Agrokinesis Bee Infestation (Plant Manipulation)

Cryokinesis

(Water Manipulation)

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STREAM LIVE BROADCASTS ON SMEHARBINGER.NET

SECURING SUCCESS

BY KATIE HISE

JAMIE

KELLY coach

6

years

coaching

Do you have any specific team strategies this year?

We are very very good offensively so we don’t work a n on offense.

It is a good balance at practice right now of offense and defense. I don’t want my offensive to settle, I want them to

try to score 2,3,4 goals a game. But we have to make sure we keep that balance of making sure we pick each other up no matter which team is doing well and which isn’t.

What has made this year different from last year and other years in the past?

We are extremely balanced offensively. We don’t have one certain guy - like last year Luke Ehly was our main goal scorer. This year Clayton Phillips leads us in goals right now with 11, but our goals can come from anywhere. Tommy Nelson has 6, Grayson Rapp has 4 or 5. All of

them have two or three assists.

Stanley has some goals and assists. I think all of our offensive players has multiple goals and multiple assists and I think that is what makes us so hard to stop. If you try to stop one person, that is fine because we have got five other guys that can score goals.

BUHINIAK

3

MIDFIELD

1

assist

senior

three years on varsity

4

goals

MIDFIELD

years on

6

varsity

goals

8

Why do you think you guys are undefeated so far?

I think what our coach did differently this year is put less players on the squad and he had a lot of people playing more minutes so everyone kind of gets more of a flow in the game and aren’t coming in and out

as much. I think that has helped us be more connected and play more with everyone on the team and play more as a unit and I think we have gotten a lot better than we were last year.

How has the team gotten along inside and outside of soccer this year?

assists

Really well, we all hang out outside of practices.

We have team dinners.

We also have our “slumbies” which are always really fun, we have everyone on the team come. Everyone is really close to each

other, I mean you can ask anyone. Everyone loves going to practice every day and loves hanging out with the guys. It is a smaller team than last year so I think everyone is closer.

PHOTOS KAITLYN STRATMAN

PHOTOS HALEY BELL

MORANTZ

senior

three

PHOTOS SOPHIE STORBECK

STANLEY

All statistics current as of Oct. 12

OLIVER

10

After a successful start to the season, boys soccer players and their coach share what has made them so successful

PHOTOS HALEY BELL

How has this year been different than last year and other years in the past?

One thing is that Oliver is still on the team. He almost went to play for Sporting which, if that had happened, I don’t know if we would be nearly as good. But he is a really good player

and he is a senior which is even better.

We also returned a lot of seniors from last year who have played a lot so that has helped a lot too.

CLAYTON

PHILLIPS three years on varsity

senior

9

FORWARD

4

assists

How do you feel about being a senior this year, soccer-wise?

Really well, we all hang out outside of practices.

We have team dinners.

We also have our “slumbies” which are always really fun, we have everyone on the team come. Everyone is really close to each

other, I mean you can ask anyone. Everyone loves going to practice every day and loves hanging out with the guys. It is a smaller team than last year so I think everyone is closer.

11

goals

How are the juniors and sophomore doing this year?

I think they have stepped up very well, it is definitely hard, especially in Charley [Colby]’s position to be the only sophomore on varsity. It is a lot of pressure. I was one of three sophomores on varsity my sophomore year and it was kind of

nerve-wracking at times.

But I definitely think the sophomores and juniors, especially the juniors that were on JV last year have really stepped up and they don’t panic when they play. They play calm and they know their abilities and they are confident.

Do you have any predictions or hopes for the playoffs?

Obviously win state. I would hope that we can win out for the rest of the season. But last year we got to the quarterfinals and had a disappointing loss so I definitely think if we can just play our game and play focused

for all those playoff games we can definitely win state. We definitely have the ability it just depends on if we can make that happen or not.

It would be so incredible to become the first team ever at East to win state.

27

BY MADELINE HLOBIK

I

SERVING S UPERIORITY The girls varsity tennis team works hard throughout their season to keep up their tradition of success at state

( A B OV E ) Senior Joie Freirich and junior Larkin McLiney high five during their final doubles match at regionals | IZZY ZANONE ( R I G H T ) Senior Joie Freirich serves the ball at tennis regionals on Oct. 8 | IZZY ZANONE

t’s 2 p.m. on a Wednesday, and instead of dozing off in seventh hour, junior Caro Bush is running laps around the tennis court. Dripping in sweat, she whips her right arm across her body and returns a serve with a backhand swing. This is just the beginning– Bush has three more hours of practice ahead of her. But making it to state with the rest of her team made sprinting back and forth across a tennis court in the blazing heat worth it. That sense of victory that runs in the East tennis team is what keeps Bush and the rest of the team motivated.

Most of the top six girls on varsity don’t have a seventh hour, so that they can practice tennis for two to four hours, after school, along with the two hours they play for East practice.

For the 18th time since 1998, the girls’ tennis team will be going to state.

For the tight-knit group of girls working to keep this legacy of success alive, they have had to dedicate a significant amount of time and energy in order to get to state again. At their regional meet, the team beat their biggest competitor, Blue Valley North, and all of the varsity girls qualified for state again.

“After [junior] Sarah Wilcox beat a girl [at regionals], who had previously beaten her, Sarah is now the number one seed [for singles] going into state,” Coach Andrew Gibbs said. “Those are some of my favorite moments, when you get to watch the girls succeed at something they’ve been practicing for.”

To get to the point where they are now, varsity player Gretchen Cooper explained that practice is a key part of the tennis players’ lives. The girls have been playing tennis since a young age, and they continue to practice for two hours a day, even in the off season. Junior Larkin McLiney thinks that playing for the same academy team in the off season also helps in leading the girls to success, since they get to play with each other so often and get used to each other’s quirks. Practices typically consist of practicing hits, footwork drills and then playing matches against each other, since they are each other’s hardest competition.

“We pinpoint each of the girl’s strengths, and then [during practice] work to develop off of those skills and enhance other aspects of their game,” Coach Gibbs said.

Bush believes that the tradition of success within the East tennis team stems from the players investing so much time

and effort into practices, and from all the girls on the team motivating each other.

As a tennis ball comes flying in McLiney’s direction, she winds her arm back, swings and misses. Take two– same thing happens, but there is still encouraging shouts and claps from her teammates.

“I love having a great team that helps pick me up when I am not playing my best and inspire me to be just as good as they are,” McLiney said.

According to Coach Gibbs, when other tennis players see the girls’ tennis team achieving success and being so close with each other, they want to share in that.

So, more girls practice and get involved, and it creates a cycle that goes on to bring success. Likewise, Sue Chipman, who was the head coach from 1998 to 2015, believes the tennis program gets a large turnout in the number of girls who play because the team is like an extended family.

After the long hours of practice, the girls will pile into the seniors cars, blare music and celebrate with QuickTrip icees.

Since a tennis team’s success is based on how the girls performs both individually and in pairs, they have to have a special bond because they rely on each other in all situations. For many of the girls, the team aspect is what keeps them going.

Senior Allie Libeer explained that within the tennis team, they support each other at matches and have “families,” which consists of girls in all grades who do activities together outside of practice.

To be able to sustain such a legacy of success, the tennis team has to have some guidance along the way. McLiney explained that the teams’ great coaches and positive environment that they establish sets them up for success. After her 17th year Chipman retired last year, so this year they welcomed Coach Gibbs to the team.

“I felt more interior pressure to continue the success of the team,” Coach Gibbs said. “Normally, when a new coach comes in, they’re trying to rebuild a program, but that isn’t the case here.

Here, we are trying to help these girls get to their next step and develop their skills.”

Through the girls’ hard work, dedication and support of each other, they are bound to get to that next step, and keep the tradition of success within the tennis team alive.

28

SPORTS

FRESHMAN

CROSS COUNTRY

VOLLEYBALL

TENNIS

PHENOMS Freshman stars from different sports make a name for themselves on varsity rosters

JACK FISHER

BRIGID WENTZ

ANNA STECSHCULTE

BY SEAMUS CARROL

JACK FISHER began running competitively in seventh grade to follow in the footsteps of his dad, who ran cross country in high school.

Leading up to his first high school season of cross country, Fisher did not have high hopes. He wasn’t sure how his 5k times would compare against the other runners and figured he would end up on C team, maybe JV. After the first few meets, Fisher’s times landed him a spot on varsity.

As the only freshman on varsity in the eighth spot for the team, Fisher is the future of the program. The team will be losing four seniors

after this year, such as seniors Jack Young and John Arnspiger, who occupy the number one and number two spots for the team.

“In cross country it’s really important for our underclassmen to learn how to push themselves and run fast times early on,” Young said. “Jack is a great example of this and we’re happy to have him.”

Fisher’s personal record time has been dropping all season.

He ran his best at the Chile Pepper Festival in Arkansas on Oct. 1 finishing with 18:02.

Fisher’s goal for the season is to break 18 minutes.

JACK FISHER STAT BREAKDOWN

1:55

BEST TIME: 18:02

which is

off the best

time on the team*

*(16:07, John Arnspiger) PHOTOS ALLISON STOCKWELL

36

SPORTS

A look at how East teams have fared in the past few weeks FINAL SM East wins Regional Championship

SME BVN

326 397

GIRLS GOLF 10.10.16

FRESHMAN Brigid Wentz’s volleyball career began by accident. She was tall for her age, so a fifth grade family friend convinced her to join a club team.

Today, volleyball is her main focus and she has earned a spot on the 6th ranked 6A volleyball team in Kansas: East.

“I prepared myself over the summer,” Wentz said. “I worked really hard and went to all the camps. I did everything in my power [to make the team].”

The work payed off

for Wentz this season.

She has played 65 sets so far this season and already has 65 spikes, 17 solo blocks, and 44 total blocks at middle hitter. Wentz’s playing middle hitter also creates an added bonus for the team: senior Emma Henderson gets to move to the outside, her usual position.

“I knew Brigid before she came to East,” junior Ally Huffman said. “She’s done very well and we now have another tall, strong middle.”

BRIDGET WENTZ STAT BREAKDOWN

solo blocks

doubles record

15-2

total blocks

FINAL SM East vs. Lawrence Free State

SME LFS

4 0

BOYS SOCCER 10.11.16

SME SMS

avg. playing time a day over summer

4

hours

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ANNA STECSCHULTE

PHOTOS ALLISON STOCKWELL

FINAL SM East vs. SM South

school year she plays two hours everyday.

All her time dedicated to tennis landed her a spot on varsity, being one of the two freshman to do so. Her doubles partner Emme Tucker, is the other. The two have had a record of 15-2.

“I am very impressed with her this year,” junior Larkin McLliney said. “She has been a great teammate throughout the season and is a great addition to our team. She has also helped us win some key matches”

ANNA STECSCHULTE STAT BREAKDOWN

65 17 44 spikes

FOR ANNA Stechschulte, playing tennis didn’t blossom from a love for the game but rather than it was an obligation through her parents eyes. However, after competing at the Overland Park Racquet Club and Marchetti Academy, the sport grew on her.

After playing many sports her whole life, she decided to quit all of them to focus on tennis.

Over the summer she played four hours a day in humid weather with all day long tournaments on the weekend. During the

3 0

VOLLEYBALL 10.11.16

FINAL SM East v. Olathe East

SME OE

49 7

BOYS FOOTBALL 10.7.16 FINAL SM East wins Regional Championship

SME BVN

20 19

GIRLS TENNIS 10.9.16

SPORTS

29

FORMING A FAMILY ( A B OV E ) Senior Lilly Horton wraps her arm around sophomore Megan Packel |KAITLYN STRATMAN

The cheerleaders have grown closer together due to additions made to the cheer program

W

BY MORGAN BILES

hen senior Lilly Horton and sophomore Megan Packel came to East their respective freshman years, they were both making the transition from small Catholic schools to a large public high school. They both joined cheer to make friends and get involved in their new school, but they also found that while making friends with other cheerleaders in their grade came relatively easy, connecting with the upperclassmen on cheer was difficult.

“My freshman year, I was terrified to be near any of the seniors,” Horton said.

This year, however, the girls on the team feel like they are much more connected. Changing dynamics within cheer families and the cheer class have both contributed to this. According to Packel, this year’s seniors have been a driving force behind the new bonding on the team. “[The seniors] said they wanted it to be more friendly and more inviting,” Packel said. “I think that was one of their main goals this year was to get everyone talking [to each other].”

Each senior heads one of the eight cheer families. Although there have been cheer families in the past, head coach Mallory Gaunce believes that they have been especially effective at bonding the girls this year.

The senior “moms” are responsible for answering the questions of underclassmen, making sure that their “daughters” have rides to activities or carrying around an extra bow in case someone forgets. Some families go out for Winstead’s after football games and all of the families will participate in the upcoming cheer scavenger hunt.

Each family dresses up in different themed costumes and Horton says it’s always been a good opportunity for cheer bonding.

Gaunce sees the positive effects of the friendships during practice and finds that the cohesiveness of the team allows them to work on some more advanced stunts and tumbling passes such as flips, backovers and front walk-overs.

Last year the cheer program had a class period for the competition team, but this year they added underclassmen to the class,

increasing the diversity of skill and talent in the class.

Gaunce believes that having the class holds the girls to a higher standard when it comes to participation.

“If one girl is missing from class, you can’t do that stunt and you can’t do that part of the routine,” Gaunce said. ”They know that it is really a team thing and you can’t substitute someone else in.”

This year, class time is no longer spent practicing game-day cheering.

Instead they focus on preparing for competitions and the bi-weekly after school practices are then devoted to working on sideline cheering.

This means that the girls get the opportunity to bond with the girls in both their grade, stunt groups, squad and competition team.

“Bonding helps [the team dynamic] because you have to be able to trust each other, especially when you are throwing people around in the air,” Gaunce said. “If you are responsible for catching someone by just their feet in the middle of the air, she has to be able to trust that you will catch her.”

( L E F T ) Junior Anna McClelland poses for the news channel at the Rockhurst Football game on Sept. 16th |KAITLYN STRATMAN

CHEER FAMILY TREE

Each cheerleader is assigned to be a part of a “family” to create a support system SENIOR HOPE HESS “MOM” JUNIOR ANNA McCLLEALAND SOPHOMORE SOPHIE STIRCK BECCA HEINZ GRACIE KOST FRESHMAN MOLLY HOGAN SOPHIA DURONE What they do together: carpool to all the games and ride home from practices

Hope made all the girls “survival kits” for cheer camp

Have a group message that Hope sends reminders in

All drink 5 Hour Energies before games

the east community AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

THE HARBINGER APP

ALT-COPY

FALLING FOR AUTUMN

BY PAULINE SHAVER

31

Use the Harbinger app to view instructions and recipes for the activities listed below

PHOTOS ELIZABETH ANDERSON

Find out which fall activity is perfect for you

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FALL HOLIDAY?

Halloween

Thanksgiving

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FALL DRINK?

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FALL SCENT?

Apple cider

Pumpkin spice latte

Cinnamon

All of them

LOUISBURG CIDER MILL

FOX COFFEE SLEEVE

CINNAMON & CARAMEL COOKIES

5B & CO. CANDLE MAKERS

THOUGH THE PUMPKINS at Hen House are satisfactory for decoration and carving alike, it’s always more fun to pick them yourself. Add apple cider donuts, hayrides and a corn maze, and Louisburg Cider Mill becomes an essential fall destination. Access to the maze and the pumpkin patch is only $9 a ticket, so it won’t completely empty your wallet, either. Their country store sells a variety of fresh and homemade products, like their famous apple cider, so you most likely won’t leave with only pumpkins in hand.

WHETHER YOU’RE BUYING a simple black coffee from the East Coffee Shop or a Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks, these adorable Fox Coffee Sleeves are the perfect way to personalize your mug for the fall.

They’re simple to make for even novice craft makers. You’ll only need glue and felt – so you won’t have to pull out your sewing machine for this one. For a quick and unique way of “spicing” up your coffee, these Fox Sleeves won’t disappoint.

ANYTHING WITH CINNAMON is automatically perfect for the fall, and these cookies are full of it. Their snickerdoodle base is accompanied by a luscious caramel creme center, making every bite full of sweetness and autumnal flavors. Though their taste says otherwise, these thumbprint cookies are also extremely easy to make. Gather all your friends to impress them with these delectable treats – or just keep them for yourself.

WHEN YOU FIND yourself wanting more unique fall candles than the generic scents Bath and Bodyworks provides, go to 5B & Co. Candlemakers in Brookside, Missouri.

They hand make their candles using allnatural ingredients and have creative scents that smell as good as they sound. Candles like “Pumpkin Roll” and “Caramel Apple” have a warm, spiced scent that are perfect for autumn. But be warned, once you visit 5B, you can’t go back to your basic Yankee Candle ways.

32

PHOTO ESSAY

( R I G H T ) Visual Arts department coordinator Adam Finkelston helps involve students in Creative Co/Lab. Finkelston describes collaboration as “listening as well as speaking, giving as well as taking, sharing responsibility and stress and elation at success.” | DIANA PERCY ( FA R R I G H T ) Junior Lennah Cardozo looks at art with friends on the river bank. “My favorite part was when I went on the boat and there were Asian Carp surrounding us, jumping out of the water.

One landed on the boat and slapped a girl in the face, it was so funny,” Cardozo said.| DIANA PERCY ( B E LOW ) Seniors Hannah Breckenridge and Lauren Cole sit together at lunch discussing the day. “Lauren and I are always bouncing ideas off each other,” Breckenridge said.

“We’ve been discussing a collaborative project inspired by the river.” | SEAN OVERTON

ARTFORAWARENESS The creative Co/Lab students took a field trip to the Missouri river to find inspiration for their end of the year nature conservation project |ANNIE LOMSHEK

( L E F T ) Junior Chloe Calderon-Housch, an active creative Co/Lab member, climbs back on the boat that took students down the Missouri River. “The support system and sense of family is the best part.

You never feel alone, and there’s always someone to talk to when you’ve got artists block or you’re a bit sad,” Chloe said. |DIANA PERCY

( A B OV E ) Molly McGlynnn uses a device that “. . . makes an image incredibly clear and shows all of the details . . . you could see every speck and color in my eye,” junior Annabelle Rixson said. |DIANA PERCY