The Harbinger Issue 1

SHAWNEE MISSION EAST 7500 MISSION ROAD PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS

ISSUE

HARBINGER

THE

1

9/9/15

STRUCTURING for

SECURITY

SHAWNEE MISSION SCHOOL DISTRICT UPDATES SCHOOLS’ SECURITY SYSTEMS AND INFRASTRUCTURE

PAGE 4

INSIDE:

PORN AFFECTS RELATIONSHIPS PAGE 5

SHARE PROGRAM REVAMPED PAGE 16/17

BREAKOUT KC REVIEW PAGE 20

An inCorrect Definition

2 editorial

Our definition of political correctness keeps us holding our tongues instead of discussing the real issues at hand

VOTES FOR: 11 It’s never been easier to offend somebody.

As an American people, we’ve never had to be so cognisant of what we say, so careful of what we do, so correct in who we are. In today’s heavily-recorded and highly-sensitive world, it’s easy to step out of line and hurt somebody’s feelings. As a result, we have learned to watch what we say in public and be careful when speaking about political taboos like racial rights or radical Muslim threats.

For many, the political scene has become unbearable: government issued jargon that does nothing better than dance around a sensitive subject. When speaking about immigration, it’s hard to even tell who government officials are referring to. Nobody wants to call out anyone else for being in a different social class, and politicians are the last to admit that there are differences between black and white populations. Their words are perfectly calculated and wholeheartedly correct. This idea of “political correctness” has become standard in American politics and has now worked its way into everyday life. People have gotten a habit of protecting others’ feelings.

AGAINST: 0

ABSENT: 0

When we are scared to say what needs to be said, we leave a blank page. We create an issue that can’t be fixed because nobody is willing to call out a name. When it becomes a curse to talk about disadvantaged minorities or point out foreign threats, we become unproductive and ineffective. How can we solve problems with illegal citizens if we won’t admit that people regularly cross the Mexican border?

Immigrants certainly won’t begin deporting themselves in our lack of speech.

But what we need to say is the truth. It needs to be unbiased, realistic and honest. It shouldn’t slander anybody, but it shouldn’t protect their feelings either. Instead, what we stay should state the facts in plain view.

Maybe it upsets or maybe it offends, but it’s the truth.

Political correctness shouldn’t hide this truth. It should promote it. And in order to do this, we have to change our definition of political correctness. Being politically correct shouldn’t mean that we have to sweep anything under the rug. We shouldn’t be afraid to talk about anything. If we can’t talk about it, we can’t fix it. It is our duty as

American citizens to be honest with ourselves in confronting these situations. Instead, we should promote justice and truth. We should be well informed and aware of what we say.

This new definition is not an excuse to insult groups who are socially disadvantaged, but rather is a way to give ourselves the advantage by facing our problems head on.

We shouldn’t condone any kind of hate crime or public defamation. To do this we have to look at politics objectively. Stereotypes must be thrown out the window and replaced with facts. Generalization becomes careless and useless. This new definition dictates that we forget grudges and abandon the fear that kept us from speaking our minds.

Political correctness should mean that when we speak, we represent the American people. When speaking for those around us, we should be respectful and thorough.

We should be honest, straightforward and objective. We should be correct.

HARBINGER STAFF: FALL 2015 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Tommy Sherk

CO-ASSISTANT EDITORS Claire Pottenger Will Clough

HEAD COPY EDITOR Ellie Booton

ART & DESIGN CO-EDITORS Aidan Epstein Yashi Wang

NEWS SECTION EDITOR Caroline Heitmann

EDITORIAL SECTION EDITOR Chase Tetrick

A&E SECTION EDITOR Anna Dierks

CIRCULATION MANAGER Elizabeth Anderson

OPINION SECTION EDITOR Courtney McClelland

FEATURES SECTION EDITOR Chloe Stanford

SPORTS SECTION EDITOR Caleb Krakow

SPREAD SECTION EDITOR Ellie Cook

ASSISTANT SPREAD EDITORS Daisy Bolin Annie Jones

CO-PHOTO EDITORS Callie McPhail Hailey Hughes

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Elizabeth Anderson Ellie Thoma Diana Percy Tess Iler Maddie Smiley Hannah McPhail Ava Simonsen Abby Hans Abby Blake Kaitlyn Stratman Alison Stockwell

STAFF ARTISTS Lennah Cardozo

PAGE DESIGNERS

Ali Lee Abby Walker Katie Hise Teagan Noblit Annie Jones Daisy Bolin Robbie Veghlan Catherine Brown Marti Fromm Grace Apodaca Harrison Gooley Morgan Biles Kaylin McCan Seamus Carrol Isabel Epstein Ellie Mitchell Anna McClelland Jessica Parker Sophia Stechschulte Porter Carroll

COPY EDITORS Chloe Stanford Courtney McClelland Caroline Heitmann Daisy Bolin Kylie Schultz Elaine Chamberlain Tommy Sherk Ellie Booton Claire Pottenger Will Clough

ADS MANAGERS Grace Chisholm

CO-ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITORS Joseph Cline Hayley Bell

EDITORIAL BOARD Tommy Sherk Claire Pottenger Michael Kraske Will Clough Ellie Cook Ellie Booton Chase Tetrick Caroline Heitmann Courtney McClelland Celia Hack Daisy Bolin

CO-ONLINE EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Ellie Cook Michael Kraske

ONLINE ASSISTANT EDITORS Celia Hack Tyler Keys

ONLINE LIVE BROADCAST EDITORS John John Roney Will Hembree

ONLINE CONVERGENCE EDITOR Sean Overton

WEBMASTER ONLINE NEWS SECTION Leah O’Connor EDITOR Anna Kanaley ASSISTANT Grace Apodaca WEBMASTER ONLINE HOMEGROWN SECTION EDITOR Lennah Cardozo

ONLINE SPORTS SECTION EDITORS Reser Hall Davis Finke

Nick Mantel Alex Masson

MULTIMEDIA STAFF Gabe Snyder Nick Mantel Lennah Cardozo John John Roney Will Hembree Joe McLiney

ONLINE A&E SECTION EDITOR Jemima Swindells

SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR

ONLINE OPINION SECTION EDITOR

ONLINE PHOTO EDITOR

Olivia Favreau

Matthew Kaplan

Katie Lamar

CO-ASSISTANT ONLINE PHOTO EDITORS

ONLINE HEAD COPY EDITOR

ONLINE EASTIPEDIA SECTION EDITOR

Kylie Schultz

Morgan Biles

Abby Hans Morgan Browning

ONLINE ASSISTANT COPY EDITOR

PODCAST & RADIO EDITOR

ADVISER

Caroline Heitmann

Leah O’Connor

ONLINE VIDEO EDITOR Matthew Bruyere

Dow Tate

Dear SME Student Body,

solo 3

Principal John McKinney welcomes incomng and returning Lancers to the new school year

W

hat a privilege it is to write to you on behalf of the administration and staff of Shawnee Mission East. We are all very excited for the 2015-2016 school year. As you already know or will quickly learn, Shawnee Mission East is a very special and unique place.

For years we have been recognized as one of the highest academic achieving high schools in the country; not surprisingly, we are now becoming equally well known for our prowess in athletics, debate, theater, video-production, forensics, robotics, music, cheer, dance, art, print and online journalism… the list goes on and on!

In fact, there is not one area where East does not excel, and that is, of course, thanks to you — our students. Your commitment to success, to setting ambitious, seemingly unattainable goals for yourselves and then not just meeting, but exceeding those goals, is unmatched.

On behalf of the SME administration and staff,

I want to thank you for representing our school, both in and out of the classroom. Everyone in this building is committed to assisting you in your efforts to succeed at SME. In fact, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the wonderful teachers and counselors we are so fortunate to have.

You have a staff of knowledgeable, professional educators ready and willing to help you achieve your goals and set you on the path toward your future. Trust them — they know what they are doing!

a doubt in my mind that you will not just meet, but exceed your dreams.

Finally, you are going to hear me say it several times throughout the year, but please take care of each other, watch out for each other and make good choices. If there is a question, a problem, a situation, a concern — anything that you don’t think you can work out on your own—reach out to someone. Your friends, teachers, counselors, principals, SRO, social worker and campus officers are all here to help. Never be afraid to ask for help when you need it.

Remember, once you attend SME, you are Remember, once you attend SME, never on your own — Once a Lancer, Always a you are never on your own—Once Lancer! a Lancer, Always a Lancer!

Thank you for your hard work and -McKinney said commitment to our school. I look forward to seeing just how far you will go in the days, If you set positive expectations for yourself months and years to come. both in and outside of the classroom, there is not

photos by Kaitlyn Stratman

Look forward to: Sep. 28-Oct. 2-- Spirit week Oct. 3-- Homecoming Oct. 6-- Orchestra Concert Oct. 7-- Choir Concert Oct. 9-- End of First Quarter

Upcoming: Sep. Sep. Sep. Sep. Sep.

11-- Frequent Friday 12-- Chior car wash 15-- Musical Revue 16-- Renovation Sensation 30-- Jazz Band Concert

Things to do: Sep. 17-- Yearbook picture retakes Oct. 2--Get ready for homecoming Oct. 3-- SAT Test Day Oct. 8-- Culver’s Night Oct. 14-- College Clinic

4 news

THE

NEW

written by Tommy Sherk photos by Hailey Hughes

A bond from Shawnee Mission School District allowed the school to reconstruct and improve their secturity measures

NORMAL

After receiving $223 million from a bond, the Shawnee Mission School District has set in motion improvements for all of the district’s schools. According to election results, 83% of the Shawnee Mission residents who voted, voted for the passage of the Local Option Budget bond (LOB), which is intended to fund infrastructure, maintenance and security.

To a student, the pertinence of the construction means a repaired air conditioning system and a lunchroom under construction, but to SRO Officer Chad Boling, the importance lies in the updated security.

“It’s just time,” Boling said. “We had so many schools in the district that you could just literally walk into. With all the national media and all of the school shootings, you have to make it a lot harder for people to get in.”

According to Boling, security enhancements have been made to all other SMSD schools as well. At East, the enhancements range from the construction of the new front entrance, the installation of video cameras and

But the front entrance isn’t just an extension of the office- it’s a whole different branch. Equipped with a fulltime police officer, the Raptor security system and auto-lock doors, the new entrance is the moat and drawbridge to the fortress. Any visitor that wants Raptor security system, to the to gain access to the school has to issuing of student security ID cards. be checked by the Raptor, a system Although Principal John McKinney and McKinney says is used in hospitals and Boling don’t expect some elements of the government buildings. security to be fully implemented until “If a visitor comes into the school, October, some aspects are already in full they have to have a photo ID,” Police play.

Lieutenant for SMSD Mark Schmidt said.

The removal of the front circle drive “It’s run through the Raptor system, and the and it checks addition of any public the new front records that entrance work “It’s just time. We had so many schools in would indicate towards the the district that you could just literally walk if they’re a same goal— to into. With all the national media and all of sexual or violent create a pinch the school shootings, you have to make it a offender. “It’s lot harder for people to get in,” -Boling said updated every point. During the school week.” day, the front The front entrance will entrance was be the only unlocked entrance to the also designed to handle a threat coming school, forcing any visitor, or student, to through the door. According to Boling, pass through. the pinch point allows a potential “The purpose of the secured entrance offender to be completely locked in the is to monitor who is in the building, for front entrance until officers can respond. what purpose they’re in the building Along with the front entrance, all and how long they’re in the building,” other entrances have been resecured.

McKinney said. “ We do that at the front Each one is now monitored by new, end versus stopping them in the hallway.” HD video cameras, all of which can be

accessed by the front officer. Photo ID cameras, dubbed ‘scanners,’ will be operating by October, McKinney and Bolin predict.

“You’re going to have to show your ID to a chest-level camera if you’re at a different door, and that front officer can buzz you in. That’s only going to happen after the start of school to 2:40,” Boling said.

Both the police officers and the administration stress the importance of students carrying their student IDs. Not only will these help SROs and admin identify who is a student, but will give the students easier access through the doors, Schmidt explains.

The doors will also be equipped with auto-locks and sensors, which will work hand-in-hand with the security cameras.

“If it appears that the door was propped open because you’re bringing a bunch of boxes in for something, that’s fine, but if we can’t determine why it’s open we’re going to look at video,” Schmidt said. “It makes the building much more secure than it was a year ago.”

Not only are the district’s schools more secure than they were in previous years, they are, according to Schmidt, “on the cutting edge of what’s being done, security wise, across the nation.”

SWITCHING 1

PROCEDURE 2

Over summer the new entrance was built. Once students have arrived after 7:40 a.m., the doors will remained locked until the end of the school day.

Students and visitors arriving while the doors are locked will be required to hold up a photo id to the camera.

Students will hold up their ids then be allowed to enter the school. Visitors will be required to go window and sign in.

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At the window visitor’s drivers license will be scanned and they will recieve a visitor’s pass.

Ronald Tate

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5

news 5

written by Michael Kraske photo by Katie Lamar

Watching porn proves to have various negative health affects on today’s teens

**Name changed to protect identity

S

enior Blake Murphy** was confused.

He thought that when he had his first girlfriend, he’d be having sex right

away.

After all, that’s the sense he got from the porn he had been watching since seventh grade.

But that wasn’t the case. It took a sit-down conversation, where his girlfriend explained to him that having sex with someone, and losing one’s virginity, was a serious thing. It made him realize that it should happen with someone you really care about, and that it can’t be rushed.

“From watching porn I thought that having sex was an easy thing that can just happen right away,” Murphy said.

In fact, based on the porn he had spent so many hours sneakily watching while his parents thought he was doing homework, or other things in his room, Murphy thought he would have lost his virginity much sooner than senior year of high school.

And that’s the problem with pornography today, compared to before the internet existed said Robert Weiss,. who’s an international sexual addiction expert, author and educator in Los Angeles, California. Now instantly available on laptops and cell phones everywhere, porn is as easy to access as checking the score of the Royals game.

Pornography, Weiss said, presents, “a distorted view of human sexuality.” In other words, it desensitizes you from the real-life, human sexual experience.

“It doesn’t tell you how to be in a relationship, or how to form one,” Weiss said.

One of the main things that makes porn such a big problem among teens is it’s accessibility, according to Weiss.

Porn: it’s right at your fingertips It wasn’t long ago that accessing porn took more than typing a few words into the internet search bar.

It required getting dressed, hopping in the car and being at the risk of seeing somebody you know while buying the porn DVD or magazine. And that’s if you were 18 or older.

For kids younger than 18, they had to worry about getting carded, and finding someone who would sell it to them: it was almost like buying tobacco or alcohol for teens today.

“There was a period from the late ‘90s to early 2000s when I think we went from human speed to 10 times that,” Weiss said. “Then when we got smart phones and social media, [accessing porn] was like 100 times that.”

Weiss says that what some don’t realize is how common pornography use is among teens today. According to Weiss, all teenage boys today are looking at porn to some extent.

Every. Single. One. In his article published in the Huffington Post, Weiss says that when Canadian scholar Sion Lajeunesse attempted to perform research on the effects of porn on young males, he had to quit his experiment because he couldn’t find any potential test subjects who weren’t already porn users.

Phil Fields, whose two sons are Shawnee Mission East graduates, says that if you’re a kid who watches porn, your parents likely already know about it.

“Here’s a tip,” Fields said. “Most parents I know are never as clueless as teens think they are. Unfortunately for most teens, they don’t realize that until they get older.”

Not every single teenage boy watching porn will be negatively affected, Weiss said.

Most kids who watch porn are going to be just fine. It’s those with problematic upbringings, and other emotional issues that are going to lead to problems with porn addiction.

“Healthy people tend to not get caught up in addictions, period,” Weiss said. “They don’t have a need for addiction, or a need to escape, and their emotional needs are met in day to day life. But it’s the people with

trouble at home, and with really problematic upbringings where the addiction mostly occur.”

How does porn affect real sexual relationships?

Porn can present a distorted view of human sexuality, according to Weiss.

“Seeing two people having sex doesn’t tell you much about relationships or even sexuality and that people care about each other,” Weiss said. “So if your main exposure to sex is these people having these incredibly intense experiences with these perfect bodies, that’s not what real life is like.”

According to psychologist Wes Crenshaw, who holds health certificates in sex therapy and sex education from the University of Michigan, porn can take away a boy’s focus on his partner.

“If a boy is getting all his gratification from porn, he may become very self-focused and not attentive to partners,” Crenshaw said.

Weiss compares watching too much pornography to a person who eats cookies and ice cream every day. He says that if your stimulation level for food is ice cream and cookies, you probably won’t be interested in eating chicken and broccoli.

“So in the same way, when you have highly stimulating images of sexuality, that will even affect holding somebody’s hand, it’s just not that interesting,” Weiss said. “You’re used to these incredibly mind-blowing sexual things you’re looking at.”

What should parents do?

Another concern of Weiss’ is how kids are learning about sex. He says that most young people aren’t learning about sexuality through a window or filter of intimacy and caring, like they should be.

“Porn is kind of their sex education these days other than the crap they teach you at school, which is pretty useless,” Weiss said.

Weiss said that because porn is major

outlet of how kids are learning about sex, that it obligates parents to talk to their kids about what intimacy is. He says that parents need to explain that porn is adult entertainment.

“It’s like when you go to the movies and see Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible,” Weiss said. “You know the tricks he’s doing aren’t real. My concern is that kids end up thinking that porn is what sex is, and porn is one kind of sex, that’s been exaggerated.

You’re being given this very adult information about sexuality. Parents should tell their kids that this isn’t how most people act in the real world, this is entertainment just like watching Mission Impossible.”

Crenshaw says that parents today should be thinking about the influence of porn on a whole generation of kids.

“Don’t think of it simply as a terrible problem, but think of it as America’s number one sex educator today,” Crenshaw said. “[Parents] don’t have to like that, but they’d better get into the conversation or be left behind.”

Porn’s Three Problems aren’t learning about sex 1. Kids through a filter of caring and intimacy, rather through porn

2. It’s too accessible. The fact that you can access it so easily has caused more kids to watch it, sometimes leading to addiction

can desensitize you from real 3. Itsexual experiences. Watching porn leads teens to unrealistic expectations of what sex should be like

6 news

Connecting Kansas City The new Downtown Kansas City streetcar will be complete by 2016 written by Grace Apodaca photos by Elizabeth Anderson

Cities with streetcars 5

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1 2 3

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Los Angeles, CA

50 years ago there used to be a streetcar in downtown LA and now the citizens of LA have voted to have railcars make a return.

Atlanta, GA

Later this year a streetcar will be put in downtown Atlanta due to some of the worst traffic in the country.

New Orleans, LA

This year a streetcar line was put into New Orleans and later this year, the city will expand the streetcar line due to popularity.

Tuscan, AZ

Next year, citizens of Tuscan will be able to ride a streetcar to shop, work and classes at the University of Arizona.

Cincinnati, OH

Later this year, Cincinnati hopes to install a 3.6 mile streetcar loop around downtown.

Information curtosey of

http://www.forbes.com/pictures/emeh45iedd/cincinnati-sets-up-a-streetcar-system/

A

streetcar, set to run two miles down Main Street connecting River Market and the Power and Light District, will open in early 2016. The free-to-ride line hopes to bring more life to the downtown area as well as an interest from regions farther away, like Johnson County.

“I think [the streetcar] is a really cool thing that adds to our city,” senior Becca Pfeifauf said. “I think other people will use it, and it will increase tourism and make people more likely to check out downtown.”

Four bidirectional streetcars will connect the River Market area, Crown Center, Union Station, the Crossroads and the Power and Light District. There are 16 stops on the starter line, each one spaced two blocks apart.

“One of the biggest disappointments of our city is how disconnected we’ve always been,” said Evan Ashby, manager of Mildred’s, a coffee house planning to open a new location along the streetcar rail. “I grew up out south, I went to the Shawnee Mission School District, and so I know Johnson County feels very disconnected from downtown.”

Mildred’s is one of many shops that thinks that the streetcar will not only draw attention to downtown, but make the area more accessible for those who work and live in the area.

“In the lunch hour, if you’re in the lunch business, you’re only really dealing with people who are willing to drive to you,” Ashby said. “Or already work in that small area in walking distance of your business.”

Because parking is so limited downtown in the lunch hour, streetcar transportation appeals to office workers who struggle daily with finding a place to park. The streetcar will allow workers easy access to different restaurants along the line.

“Anybody who works in River Market or Crown Center or downtown or Crossroads can go to lunch or dinner or coffee,” Ashby said. “For our lunch business, we very much believe it’s going to make a big difference for us.”

Since the streetcar project was announced, Kansas City has put 1.3 billion dollars in investment downtown. The location of the route reflects where that money is.

“I think the choosing of Mainstreet had a lot to do with public input, the businesses that are along Main Street, and the support that they had on Main Street for this,” Kansas City Streetcar Authority communications manager Donna Mandelbaum said.

Mandelbaum explains that the biggest question the city has is “Will people ride it?” She feels confident that the free fare will dispel any reason not to ride the trolley. Since the streetcar will not be generating any income, funding for the construction and upkeep of the car must come from outside sources.

The City of Kansas City applied for a $20 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant, and received all of the funding. A TIGER grant is one given by the government to stimulate the growth of public transportation. Other money for the car comes from the city and the state as well as taxpayer and property assessment money.

In 2013, City of Kansas City partnered with the KC Streetcar Authority, a non-profit who manages the operations and maintenance of the street.

“There is a whole network of money that is funding this project,” Mandelbaum said. “But the streetcar authority is a separate entity from the City of Kansas City and the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority.”

On Aug. 27, the City of Kansas City also partnered with the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, the company who currently runs the bus system.

KCATA will provide services such as transportation for the physically disabled and customer support.

“The streetcar is not replacing any bus routes, but it is giving residents and visitors another transit vehicle,” Mandelbaum said.

The car simply gives people another incentive for people to come downtown, and easier way to do it.

“I think it’s an interesting parallel to what I think is the greater issue of the Kansas City metropolitan area,” Ashby said. “And hopefully what the streetcar will do is get people under the same mindset that we should all be connected.”

NEWS in BRIEF

written by Davis Finke

PTSA Introduced to East This is the first year that Shawnee Mission East will have a Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA). The inclusion of students makes it unlike previous years when it was only Parent Teacher Association.

This year students will have a chance to voice their opinions and try to change issues in our school.

“We really want students to be able to have a voice in the school,” PTSA president Kelly Cannova said. “They are the ones who know the problems, and we want to hear about what they think needs to change.”

To get involved, students can purchase a membership for 15 dollars, or their family can purchase a membership, which will cover the student. Participating in the association counts for

volunteering or service hours.

“Students not only get service hours, but they can also win a $1000 scholarship,” Cannova said.

To be eligible for the scholarship students must be a member of the PTSA and actively contribute in the association. The scholarship is only for seniors, starting this year with the class of 2016.

There are over 250 students in the association this year, and multiple students have applied for leadership positions.

According to Cannova, these kids have to go through an election process before they can be allowed into leadership positions.

Drones Legalized in North Dakota North Dakota has become the first state in the United States to approve the use of drones by police officers. The drones will be armed, but only with non-lethal weapons. These drones could be an answer to controlling riots without putting police officers in danger.

A bill was passed last week authorizing the use of these drones. The drones will be armed with weapons such as tear gas, sound bombs, tasers, rubber bullets or pepper spray. The hope is that these drones will keep police officers out of harm’s way in dangerous situations.

“Our main goal is to keep people safe, whether that be police officers or civilians, we are all about safety,” Burtt Bekker, one of the lobbyists in charge of the change, said in an

news 7

A BREAKDOWN OF SCHOOL, LOCAL AND WORLDWIDE NEWS

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK

photo by Katie Lamar

interview with CNN. According to Bekker, the high price of these drones may keep them grounded for another year or so, which pleases most of the people who are against the drones. However, he’s happy there’s some type of drone legislation in the books.

“I see why some people are against it, but I think it’s a solid idea,” senior Jack Tyler said. “It keeps police officers out of harm, and keeps civilians safe.

I’m surprised they didn’t think of this earlier.”

Drones being authorized for use have been a hot topic among plenty of states, including Texas and California.

According to Bekker, drone technology is here to stay.

photo by Maddie Smiley

photo by Morgan Browning

Stock Market Experiences Steep Drop when I saw that China devalued their currency, I knew things were going to go downhill fast,” financial analyst Marc Beelman said.

According to Beelman, China was not the only cause of the drop. Oil stock prices fell below $40 for the first time since 2009.

“When investors see oil drop too low, it means that these companies aren’t making a lot of money, which freaks people out considering that energy is a huge part of the economy,”

HUMANS OF SM

EAST

An exhaustive catalogue of the brilliant, quirky and multifaceted students of Shawnee Mission East

Junior Sarah Blumenthal

This past week, the stock market made history, dropping a record 1000 points in just one day. Something that hasn’t been seen since October 2008.

The causes of this drop range from issues in China to low oil prices.

Earlier last week, China devalued their currency, making investors to question the growth rate of China.

Investors pulled their money out of stock, causing one of the biggest drops in the last seven years.

“It’s my job to look at stock, and

Beelman said.

After the market dropped, it began to slowly work its way back up, which gave investors hope and turned the thoughts of another crisis away. The market has continued to rise every day since the drop. According to Beelman, the worst is behind us.

Top: From left, seniors Collin Schmidt, Jack Fenton and Isaac Berlau sit together after eating pancakes at the Lancer Dancer Pancake Breakfast Aug. 22.

Middle: Sophomore Isabella Daris smiles while cheering at the Sept. 2 pep assembly.

Bottom: Students at the freshmen Link Crew dance Aug. 14 around a galaxy blanket

If you could create a class, what would it be?

Honestly, probably a fashion design class because we have apparel but it would be really cool to do like fashion design and focus more on that.

photo by Allison Stockwell

What is your favorite memory?

Oh gosh. My favorite memory is probably when I was 10 years old; I went to Sydney, Australia, and we climbed to the top of the Sydney Harbor Bridge. That was so cool.

Follow @humansofsmeast on Instagram or check out smeharbinger.net for more

columns 9

Peace Out KC Sophomore Daisy Bolin reflects on her summer roadtrip, driving from San Francisco to San Diego photos by Daisy Bolin

written by Daisy Bolin

MostPopular U.S.Roadtrip

Destinations

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San Francisco

3

Seattle

4

New York to Chicago

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Chicago to Las Vegas

left

Los Angeles

Vendors and shops along the coast of Venice Beach

All of the windows in the white Jeep Compass were rolled down, and an 80 degree fresh ocean breeze was blowing throughout the car. “Smallpools” was blasting from the aux cord, and red velvet birthday bundt cakes laid between me and my brother. Outside, to the right of the car, was the Pacific Ocean and to the left were dark overlapping mountains: the ideal road trip.

One day I’m going to live here. The second I graduate from SME, I’ll be flying to California.

It’s not that I don’t love barbecue and baseball, it just isn’t quite like surfing and fresh pineapple to me.

We were going from San Francisco to San Diego: 501 miles.

We stayed at each hotel for one night. When I woke up in our second hotel in Sausalito, California, I was snuggled into a plush white comforter on a king sized bed. I spent my morning in the fuzzy hotel robe, the Keurig all to myself.

However, our last sleep-stop on the way to San Diego had a different vibe. En route, I was commander of the GPS. Blindly speeding down the highway, a British robot suddenly announced our arrival.

Right off the highway, neon letters read: “Cliff House Inn Restaurant”.

I lugged my bags into the hotel where a lively 17-yearold boy directed us to our room.

It wasn’t until I passed through the narrow lobby to the hotel’s exterior that I realized it was, literally, on a cliff. The outside patio had tables full of older people surrounding a large lap-pool that sat next to a bunch of rocks. I walked over to the rocks and looked down. Welp — there’s the ocean!

This was the legitimate Cliff House Inn. I trudged into our room that split into two by a small doorway.

The rug looked like one from an arcade, dark with neon splatters. One of the first things I noticed when I looked up was that the bar holding up the curtains was ripping out of the wall, only held up by five safety pins. That lead me to notice that there were cracks in the ceiling about an inch wide all over.

All of the furniture from the lobby to our room looked like it had been a grandmother’s old belongings that were donated, or maybe just garage sale bought. Lots of furniture left with stains and tears.

The air in the room felt stale and musty, so we opened

the windows. The ones in my room opened right to the highway, while in my parents’ side of the room opened to the ocean.

My brother decided that opening the room to the outside might not cool us off, so he decided to turn the knob on a giant “air system” before we headed back out.

We piled back into the Jeep Compass and stopped at the closest town — Carpeteria. First we went to a drug store to grab towels for all of us and packs of gummy worms for my 13-year-old brother.

Driving around the small town we considered our dinner options and finally decided to plop down at the patio of a Mexican restaurant. We spent my 16th birthday dinner talking and laughing over our Cliff House Inn, as we stuffed our faces with chips and salsa.

When we got back, the room smelled like fire. There wasn’t any to be found, but the “air system” turned out to be overheating. The overly hot and smelly room forced us spend the night laying down on the rocks so late we almost slept outside.

But even then I just keep thinking, I’m gonna live here some day. And I really cannot wait.

Sixteen years of visiting Cali and it never gets old. My goal is to go to college there, somewhere like Berkley, UCLA, maybe even Stanford — but if that doesn’t work out, as it doesn’t for many, I will make it to California as soon as I graduate.

From San Fran to Monterey to Big Sur to Santa Barbara to Venice Beach to San Diego, the variety of lifestyles are crazy different.

I am fascinated with the cultures that I don’t get to see as often in Kansas City, like the creativity within the homeless community that springs beneath each bus stop and spills out of their towering grocery carts. Some people living out of Volkswagen vans, others living in apartments in the hills of San Fran, a few bumming it on beaches and others that live in elaborate mansions in the city.

Most of all I’m fascinated by the fact that at every corner, or really every way you turn your head, there is a fresh face. New people everywhere, inspiration hidden in every corner, from the Golden Gate Bridge all the way to the beaches of Malibu.

California is anything but boring.

I really can’t wait to live there.

10 opinion

STUCK IN THE

MIDDLE A

ug. 3, 2014 - I sat at the kitchen table at 11 a.m. on my birthday, waiting for my 17 and 10-yearold sisters and my mom to get home from the airport. They had been in Cape Cod for about a week.

Without me.

We had scheduled the trip before I made the cheer squad and it ended up overlapping with cheer camp on July 30 and 31. Of course, I pretended that I was okay with them going without me and laughed my way through it by cropping myself into all the photos they sent me. But there I sat, alone and bitter.

Happy birthday to me.

Getting left out isn’t anything new for me. I’ve been a middle child since I was 3-years-old. Not just a middle child, but a middle child with two obnoxious, trophywinning sisters. I’m used to taking pictures of whatever they’re doing, letting them pick where we go to dinner and fading into the background. I had to become independent early on.

I used to be the family baby, but then a newborn with a curly head of hair and a permanently running nose took my place. Bridget was a baby who took over any room she walked into. Her crazy brown hair and pointy teeth commanded attention.

She was a born entertainer, putting underwear on her head for laughs and doing cartwheels wherever she went.

It didn’t matter where we were, she always acted like she owned the place. With her around, it was easy for my family to overlook a shy kid like me.

Besides that, I had to live up to Aidan. She was the definition of a social butterfly. I could barely have a conversation with someone. She had friends wherever we went and it felt like everyone knew who she was. I was surprised if someone recognized me. The worst part was

Being the middle child isn’t ideal, but it instills valuable life lessons opinion by Isabel Epstein photo illustration by Ellie Thoma

that people expected me to be more like Aidan, but really, we were more like opposites.

There was also the issue of sports. With athletic parents, we were signed up for soccer, tennis and swimming early on. It turned out Aidan was a great tennis player. Since both of our parents were played tennis, Aidan had an extra

connection with them that I didn’t. She started going to more and more practices, matches and tournaments. Pretty soon she was leaving for practice right after school. She came home late, and went out of town on the weekends.

Bridget and I barely got to see her.

When Bridget started sports, we found out that she

I’ve been a middle child since I was three years old. Not just a middle child, but a middle child with two, trophy winning sisters -Epstein said

could do pretty much anything that she tried. She did soccer, gymnastics, basketball, diving and swimming — and that’s only naming a few. Bridget grew up fast. So fast that it seemed like I was in her shadow sometimes. I was living between a tennis prodigy and a human firecracker.

I was terrible at every sport I tried, partly because I was uncoordinated and partly because I was afraid of soccer balls, tennis racquets and sharks hiding in the deep end of the swimming pool. I took up dance, but I still felt like the odd one out. My dad was the one who coached all the elementary school sports, but I never wanted to go to practice. My mom loved tennis, but I could never play without embarrassing myself. Sometimes it felt like the sports that my parents played with Bridget and Aidan brought them closer together, while I sat on the sidelines.

And, as an obligation to middle children, I get left out every once in a while. Like when I wake up the morning of my 15th birthday and my parents are gone with Aidan getting her tonsils out. Or when they all play tennis together. Or even when they go to Cape Cod without me.

But all in all, there are advantages to being the middle child. I’m not my parent’s guinea pig like Aidan, testing the waters for me in high school and practically everything else. I also won’t be left all alone after my siblings leave for college like Bridget. She’s going to have to go through all four years of high school without any siblings at home.

And through all the struggling for attention, I’ve become the person I am today. Sure, I get overlooked occasionally, but I’ve grown up to be independent and determined. I make my own plans and do my own work. I don’t feel the need for validation from other people.

Being a middle child isn’t ideal, but if I wasn’t a middle child, I’d be a completely different person.

opinion 11

America’s Bachelor Presidential candidates all compete for one heart— America’s

P

op Quiz: On which television show will you find more tears, catfights, heartbreak and scandal?

A) “The Bachelor” or B) The presidential debate?

If you’re stumped, you’re not alone. After all, both are filled with contestants who have been called out for being there “for the wrong reasons.” Both are filled with people doing strange things to stand out and impress a stranger. And both are watched mostly by people hoping for a train wreck.

So for the sake of ridiculousness, let’s grab the popcorn and teleport to a world where people with hair like Donald Trump’s, or the pantsuit collection of Hillary Clinton’s, would actually appear on “The Bachelor.” A world where the contestants actually have last names, and none of them are dental hygienists.

Waiting in the limos are the 22 competitors vying for one heart: America.

First out of the limo is Rick Perry: “There are three things you should know about me. One: I’m the former governor of Texas. Two: I’m a fan of designer glasses. And three — oops, I guess there isn’t a third thing.”

Oh Rick. I suspect he will soon be nothing more than a forgotten background competitor.

Next out of the limo is Hillary Clinton. She seems…eager. It’s almost like she’s been planning this for a long time. Weird.

Right behind Clinton is Lindsey Graham. He is bound to be this season’s resident Southern dumb blonde.

Out of the next limo is John Kasich. “It’s good to — ” I interrupt the introduction of this nobody to bring you breaking news from inside the Bachelor Mansion. Donald Trump has just built a wall between himself and the other competitors, while shouting “I am the best bachelor that God ever created!”

When he first arrived, I assumed he was a good person, but now I think he might just be crazy. Like Ashley S. crazy.

Ahh look! It’s Bernie Sanders, what a cutie! While Trump may not be able to make his hairstyle work, Sanders is really pulling off that T. Michael

written by Morgan Biles

Chaffee look he has going on.

Speaking of white haired men whose last names begin with “Chaf,” coming out of the next limo is Lincoln Chafee. There is nothing trashy or dramatic about this man. I’m bored.

Back inside the mansion, the booze and insults are flowing. Jeb Bush and Rand Paul are fighting over whose daddy is better, and Trump has already called everyone a loser at least once. Meanwhile, Scott Walker just interrupted Clinton. Her face said “I don’t mind,” but her eyes screamed words that require a censor.

In the other room, Marco Rubio is being denied a strawberry daiquiri because the bartender doesn’t believe he is over 21.

Ohh snap! Ted Cruz just went all “Real Housewives” on Kasich. Kasich is now drenched in vodka and tears.

Speaking of crying, after being told by Chris Christie that he looks like a bunny, Jeb Bush’s cry count is now at three. Christie may be a bully, but it is now clear from the whining confessionals of the other competitors that Trump is going to be this season’s real villain.

“Villains gotta vill,” shrugged Trump.

Oh sweet Jesus, never let this episode end.

Is that suspenseful music I hear? That can only mean one thing. It’s rose ceremony time.

Dear Bachelor gods, please let someone trip and fall on their way up to collect their rose, and if that person happens to be Donald Trump, I will be eternally grateful.

The music is getting more suspenseful. Bush is crying again. My heart is racing. Who is America going to pick???

——————————————————————————————————————— Curse you Bachelor gods! I ask you for a tripping Donald and you give me a black “To Be Continued” screen. The injustice!

I guess I will just have to wait until next week if I want to see the continuation of what will ultimately be the most dramatic election season. Ever.

FEATURED FACES

Sanders

Trump

Age: 73

Age: 69

Favorite Social Media: Twitter

Favorite Board Game: Trump:The Game

Occupation: Vermont Senator

Occupation: Real Estate Developer

12 photostory

sliding into sliding into SENIOR YEAR

SENIOR YEAR photo by Allison Stockwell

above

Seniors Alex Glazer, Davis Finke and Jack Tyler tumble into the mud after diving down the hill. “I think the slip ‘n’ slide went pretty well, but Davis, Jack and I all got cut up by the sticks or something,” Glazer said. “Nobody went as hard as us guys, which made it fun also.”

Senior STUCO executives organized a slip ‘n’ slide event for their senior peers which took place on Saturday, August 29 photo above by Haley Bell

below

Senior Laurell Stegelman clears the water out of her eyes after being sprayed by the hose. Stegelman, Student Body Treasurer, proposed the slip ‘n’ slide idea after being inspired from previous seniors. “I thought it would be a good idea for seniors as a bonding thing,” she said.

photo by Allison Stockwell photo by Morgan Browning

right

Seniors Addie Griffith and Emma Olander laugh as they reach the bottom of the slip ‘n’ slide, completely covered in mud. “Mud was getting all in my hair and my teeth, but it was definitely worth it!” Griffith said.

HIS (s)TORY

feature 13 written by Ellie Mitchell

New teacher Curt White finds his perfect job teaching American history

T

ime. The only dimension that sets humans apart from historic events. Time. Something Curt White spent on hunting deer with his friends.

Time. What American History teacher Curt White needed to figure out the perfect career: teaching what he loves.

As he grew up in Illinois, White’s parents always took him to see President Abraham Lincoln’s house and historical sites, which sparked his appreciation for history and a love for the past. To this day, he takes trips to the Presidential Libraries with his brothers and visits museums, taking in all of the information each exhibit has to offer.

“On our trip to Washington D.C., we told him to go to the Holocaust museum for the day. We saw five other museums, and met up with him later that night,” his wife, Elise White, said. “He likes to stand and take his time and take in every single little detail.”

Before teaching, White had a variety of careers. He started working in business for four years for Sallie Mae in Lawrence, Kansas and then Administaff, Inc. in Houston, Texas. He then went to Colorado State University to obtain a degree in landscape horticulture. He spent his days working on both the Loch Lloyd and Shadow Glen golf courses, coming home covered head to toe with grass and mud.

“When I woke up at 4 a.m. to go to work and came home at 8 p.m. with only kissing my sons, Charley and Russell, on the forehead, I knew I needed to change jobs,” White said.

After talking it over his wife, he decided he would go back to school at UMKC to become a history teacher.

Elise’s parents were the ones to convince him teaching was the job for him.

White came to East this year after teaching at Indian Woods Middle School for 15 years. Mrs. Vicki Arndt Helgesen, Yoda, contacted White knowing that he would value East and knew he would would teach history well.White wants to fulfill his duties and live up to the standards. He has a passion that stems from being interested in human stories and human biographies and what makes people tick and what motivates people in life.

photos by Callie McPhail

“I’m very interested in how she thinks like a historian,” White said. “I follow that, but I think I know I’m not her. I’m not replacing Yoda.”

Yoda has helped White make the transition from a middle school teacher into a high school teacher, along with becoming a Lancer instead of a Raider. According to White she has been a consistent cheerleader during his transition.

“I know he is very excited and eager to learn,” Arndt Helgesen said. “I try to tell him to do it in a way that fits his own personality.”

Now, he is teaching about the Pilgrims who migrated across on the Mayflower for freedom and how courageously men and women have fought for our lives today.

White knows he must be his own teacher, and he continues to discover to find what that teacher might be. He lets students share their own views on articles and asks difficult questions that require students to question their moral beliefs, historical knowledge and views of the world. He wants to be a teacher who prepares his students well for the AP test, college, or whatever the next step in their future might be.

“In this school, we all have responsibilities, to one another, to ourselves and our families,” White said. “Everybody that is in this school is important and that is what our government promotes and I don’t think there is anything more noble. I want to push kids and manage that properly.”

White recognizes that students may not share the same passion for history as he does, but he is hoping as the year progresses students will appreciate past historic events by engaging themselves in the class. He is eager to educate students about what he loves.

“We want to enjoy ourselves here because we are here for 186 days and we can laugh and get a heck of a lot done in reading, writing, and class discussions,” White said.

Time. It is critical to the past, present, and future.

Time. What White needs to teach students how to love history. Time. Something White will utilize for every second of the 186 days.

White’s College Path KU: BA personal administration

Colorado State: Landscape Horticulture

UMKC: BS Secondary Education, Master of Arts History

Georgetown: Summer institute of the U.S. Constitution

14 feature

A written by Anna Kanaley photo illustration by Morgan Browning

S

Nora’s Schedule 1. US History 2. English 3. Math 4. Biology Home for Lunch Broadmoor Culinary Classes (12:15-2:20) 5. SME Cross Country

SCHEDULE

he’s been by her mother’s side in the kitchen since she could walk. She’s had one night each week to make dinner for her family. She started out cooking frozen chicken nuggets and Spongebob Kraft Mac & Cheese. Now, junior Nora Engelken has graduated to lemon parmesan angel hair pasta with shrimp as she attends Broadmoor Culinary School for half her school day.

With a forte of baking, Nora took on the task of her father’s birthday cake. She bakes her “Too Much Chocolate” cake for her chocolate-loving dad every September. Drizzled over the chocolate bundt cake with chocolate chips is a chocolate frosting with Hershey’s kisses, Reese’s and Snickers melted into it.

Her grandfather is a wheat farmer, so every year Nora’s family goes to help with the harvest. She and her mother cook cauliflower, rice, spaghetti and squash for the 10-12 workers there, which they have done this for years.

Not only has Nora enjoyed her family traditions, she has taken such an interest in food that she plans to make it her career.

Nora has different ideas for what she could do with her talent in the future. She has thought about becoming a food scientist that tests companies’ foods. Another consideration is to open a restaurant after making her way up in the food industry. A dream she and her mother have is to open a bakery together.

Attending Broadmoor every afternoon helps her pursue her ambitions.

“Later in life, [my mom] wants to open a bakery and she wants me to help her with that,” Nora said. “She’s always wanted to own a small business so this seemed like a good opportunity.

I would like to open my own restaurant if I ever get there, but it takes a lot of skill and practice.”

Spencer Knipper, Nora’s sister’s boyfriend,

introduced the Engelkens to Broadmoor. He was in the program, and was a top chef. Broadmoor was always an option for her, but it wasn’t until freshman year Nora really started thinking about it.

“I was the one that brought [Broadmoor] to the table,” Nora said. “[My mom] wants me to do something in the culinary business, but she wasn’t really sure if I should do Broadmoor or do something else or stay at East and take advanced foods, but I was like ‘I wanna go to Broadmoor, I wanna do this.”

Going to Broadmoor is time consuming for Nora. She takes her four core classes in the morning at East: U.S. History, AP English 11, Honors Pre-Calc, and AP Bio 2. Then she goes home for a 30 minute lunch, drives to Broadmoor for culinary school and then back to East for cross country.

Nora says she was intrigued by Broadmoor immediately, but she had to think about it a lot because it takes up a lot of the day.

Her counselor questioned her choice also because it takes up so much time.

“The issue that students may run into is finding a way to work the travel time to Broadmoor into their schedule,” Elizabeth Molgren, Nora’s counselor, said. “It helps if the student communicates their interest in a program as early as possible with their academic counselor. This way there is time to plan how to accommodate Broadmoor courses while still meeting graduation requirements at SME.” “What she is going to miss out on is electives,” Nora’s mother, Lisa Engelken said. “I’m a big supporter of the orchestra program, and she was a bass player in the orchestra program and I’m sad that that’s not a part of her curriculum anymore.”

Nora knows cooking and baking are what she wants to do with her life. Even knowing she had to give up six years of orchestra as well as time with her friends, she decided that anything that will help her pursue her dreams of cooking and make her a better cook is worth it.

feature 15

RUNNING THE SHOW This year’s drum majors step up to be the best band leaders they can be

Y

written by Anna Dierks

ou see them standing in front of the band at every Friday night football game, waving their arms to the rhythm of the music. You hear the 100 plus instruments they’re leading on the field while you rush into school at 7:38 a.m. You sing at the top of your lungs to the school song that they conduct at nearly every east-related event.

Senior Matt Lindboe, senior Xinyi He and junior Jessie Peterson are the SME band’s drum majors.

The duty of the drum majors is to lead the band.

They teach marching techniques, conduct the band during performances and are generally “mini band directors”, according to band director Alex Toepfer.

“It’s like having three other teachers on the field,” Toepfer said. “The kids kind of buy-in when they see their peers, kids they respect, doing the teaching on the field.”

Matt tried out to be drum major for the first time at the end of his freshman year. Although he knew his chances at making it were very slim, he figured that the audition would be a good way to show his interest in the position for the future. After a second audition at the end of his sophomore year, Matt made the cut.

“My very first football game I ever conducted, I got up on that really tall podium and realized that I have these 100 people looking to me for direction and I am in complete control of this ensemble,” said Matt.

“You get more used to leading the band, but that little adrenaline rush never goes away.”

Though this is Matt’s second year as a drum major, he believes that there is always something he can improve on.

“One of the most useful things is practicing conducting in front of a mirror and recording myself to make sure I don’t look like an idiot,” Matt said.

“I also have to practice yelling, which my parents laughed at first, and then quickly got tired of it.”

Xinyi was an assistant drum major her junior year but is looking forward to being a head drum major for her senior year.

“Since I’ve been a section leader and assistant drum major in the past, people often wonder what my leadership role this year is,” Xinyi said.

“Also because I’m really short, I’m often mistaken as a freshman. But I cannot wait to lead out on the field this year.”

This is Jessie’s first year as a drum major. So far, she has been involved in a lot of behind the scenes work. For a week over the summer, Jessie spent five hours each day cleaning out the band lockers and sorting jazz music, prepping the room for the band to utilize.

“I think I’m most excited to look out at the band during a festival and see the whole show so neat and polished,” Jessie said.

The three majors attended a drum-major-specific camp in Fayetteville, Arkansas last June. Over five days, the drum majors learned the importance of being supportive leaders and cheering for their opponents.

“We were surrounded by drum majors who were

Lancer Voice

leading bands of 400 back home,” said Xinyi, “and others who were leading just 50 kids.”

“Yeah, but in the end, especially in music,” Matt says, “we’re all promoting the same things.”

Though the drum majors are often responsible for setting formations on the field and teaching different marching techniques, it is equally important that they’re also there to be some of the biggest supporters of the band. Whether it’s giving an old-fashioned pat on the back after a tough rehearsal, or keeping a positive attitude while parading the turf field on a ninety-degree day, Matt, Xinyi and Jessie are willing to do it all.

3 Pieces for the Half-Time Show Medley of two songs from ‘Westside Story’ 1

Maria/Cool

one hand one heart/ America 3 Somewhere/ Tonight with a little Maria sprinkled at the end 2

Henry Redmond, Senior above

“The drum majors help the drumline out because we usually march at the back of the field so the sound is delayed from the rest of the band. Watching them conduct with their hands is what helps us keep in time with the rest of the band.”

Davis Vaughn, Freshman above

“Personally, I have made friends with all three of the band majors, and they have all made me feel right at home in the East Band. Overall, they always want to help out and be good role models, which are key attributes needed for a drum major.”

Alec Schlote, Freshman

above

“The band majors keep the band together as one because everyone looks up to them and listens to their commands on the field.”

photos by Haley Bell

16 spread

Sign Up Here:

Helping Hands

Volunteer club SHARE is making changes this year to appeal to a wider audience and recruit new members

W

hen East parent Krissie Wiggins dove head first into becoming the new SHARE coordinator last year, she found that her late start made it difficult to get an organized rhythm with volunteer projects and logged hours. However, this year Wiggins is eager to reamplify the entire SHARE program. From brainstorming new projects and ideas, to logging every students’ volunteer hours, Wiggins hopes to embark in a new era of volunteer work at East.

With the help of the executive board of seniors, freshmen connections and every dedicated East volunteer, Wiggins is hoping 2016, the 30th year of the SHARE program, will be one to remember.

To improve attendance, one thing Wiggins and the executive board decided to do this year is cut back the number of projects offered.

This year, SHARE is focusing on the most popular projects.

Senior SHARE executive Allison Sernett’s main goal for students this year is to stick with their projects instead of signing up and skipping the dates, which was a problem last year.

“Our common goal is to get as much participation from East students as we can,” Sernett said.

“It’s so easy to just sign up for a project then kind of forget about it, but with enough encouragement we

are really hoping people won’t just ignore it.”

By cutting back the amount of projects, there are more opportunities for students to bring organizations they’ve found through the door.

One of the five new projects, the Pinky Swear Foundation, was brought to SHARE by sophomore Katie Uresti. The Pinky Swear Foundation eases the financial and emotional impacts experienced by families with a sick child during a very challenging time. This organization is important to Uresti because her sister suffered from cancer just a few years ago.

“When people made meals for my family, or helped out in little ways, it really helped lift stress off of my family’s shoulders,” said Uresti.

“I just want to be able to do that for other people because I know how hard it is.”

Another new volunteer opportunity brought to SHARE this year is called the Junior Board program. Sophomore Iman Jaroudi was so passionate about the program in 8th grade at Indian Hills middle school, she knew she had to bring it to the high school level. She brought the idea to Wiggins, who immediately knew it would be a hit.

To compete in this project, groups of four to six people select a non-profit organization to

written by Chloe Stanford photos by Joseph Cline and

Morgan Browning

research, study and learn inside out. The groups create elaborate presentations which go on to be judged by a panel of nonprofit executives, financial managers and other high-up members of the nonprofit world in KC. “The programs that kids bring to SHARE are usually the most successful because kids actually want to do them,” Wiggins said. “The Junior Board program is sort of like the TV show Shark Tank because it adds a competitive, academic twist to volunteering.”

The winner of the competition earns a large grant for their organization. The Junior Board program is an opportunity for students who want to make a positive change that isn’t hands-on volunteer work.

Another primary goal of SHARE is to track every students’ service hours.

“It doesn’t even have to be service hours through East,” Wiggins said. “I want to help the students individually track their service hours because many students volunteer out of the goodness of their heart and aren’t looking to take

credit for it or anything.”

While new projects and ideas are being brought to the table, seniors Tommy Sherk and Baker Stradinger are keeping one of the most beloved volunteer programs at East by bringing it to SHARE: Pack of Pals.

Pack of Pals is a social club where regular education students do activities outside of school once a month with a special pal, like going bowling or having a Halloween party.

They also hang out

spread 17 with their special pal on their own between events.

After the previous coordinator of Pack of Pals retired, Stradinger and Sherk went t0 Wiggins, and offered to help keep the program around.

This year, however, Pack of Pals is different. Anyone is an eligible applicant, and Stradinger and Sherk are holding interviews for all of those who apply.

Similar to Pack of Pals, SHARE is also bringing a sports program through Special Olympics, which is a program that pairs special and regular education kids together on teams to compete against other Unified High School Sports teams.

Wiggins’ largest goal for the East community this year is to provide a place for every single kid at East to somehow give back during the year, whether that be through SHARE, Coalition or Student Council. These three volunteer programs are hoping to unite this year by helping each other with projects, attending events and possibly doing a combined project.

Senior Charlie Jensen is on the executive boards of both SHARE and Coalition. Jensen is hoping they both can work together to put on a dance marathon benefit event.

Student body president Kyle Baker is also excited for East to unite its three biggest volunteer programs.

“I think volunteering is important because it’s vital to our help our community and keep it growing,” said Baker. “It is a great way to give back and I think you gain a lot from it personally because it gives you insight on how other people live, and both sides benefit from it.”

Wiggins believes that community has a long standing history here at East, and it’s not just the SHARE program.

“I think this year we have a variety of projects and hopefully there is a project that literally speaks to everyone,” Wiggins said.

“We just want everyone to feel welcome.”

The New Projects Pack of Pals: volunteers pair up with special education stu-

dents to do activities outside of school, like bowling

Pinky Swear Foundation: students help make life easier for

families with children who have cancer by doing little things like making meals for them

Junior Board: volunteers compete in teams to create a pre-

sentation to try to earn a grant that would go to the non-profit organization of their choice

Special Olympics: teams of volunteers and special education

students compete in various sports against other schools

18 feature

A New Kind of

Farmer written by Robbie Veglahn

photo by Maddie Smiley

Not-for profit farmer’s market prepares adults with developmental disabilities for the real world by building relationships and job skills

D

avid and Peaches Cunningham scan through Facebook. Bid Day. Roomates. Dorm move-ins.

It’s September, and by now most parents with high school grads have sent their kids away to college and can’t wait to tell the world about it. But Peaches and David look across the table. And John David, their 19-year-old East special education grad, is still there.

At East, John David was a household name. His laugh rang through the school hallways, and was often rewarded with smiles.

But high school is over. And the question that parents like David and Peaches have dreaded since the day John was born has to be answered. The question that every parent of a child with a developmental or intellectual disability is forced to deal with eventually.

‘What’s going to happen to him now?’

There are some things that parents and their kids can do, like the 18-21 program that SMSD and many other districts offer, or “sheltered workshops” where the workers make little widgets and screw in bolts.

“We knew we didn’t want [that] for John David,” David said. “That’s where the idea for another option came from.”

And that’s where the Farmer’s House comes in.

Opened by David and Peaches Cunningham along with Suzanne Zimmerman in 2012, the official motto of the house is to provide a “place for special farmers to live, work, play and grow.” But for those impacted by the Farmer’s House, their experiences far exceed that mission statement.

The Farmer’s House is a non-profit the door with a smile and her usual spiel. farmer’s market, apple orchard and farm She’s seen farmer Taylor Wolfe running the destination that focuses on providing register, ringing up honey butter and cider. a place for adults with developmental “It’s pretty obvious to me that all you disabilities to work and learn valuable job need is a little bit of patience and the right and life skills, but also to enjoy themselves. environment for these kids to thrive,” Cogan And the world seems to slow down a bit said. “They’ve all got so much redeeming at the Farmer’s House in Weston, Missouri. value. And it just takes one person who’s Live music, freshly smoked ribs, hot apple willing to let them find it”. fritters with The Farmer’s House ice cold isn’t just for the farmers. cider and Take the city of Weston “It’s like when you’re at the beach, and you l a u g h t e r see all the waves out there on the water, for example. always seem and sooner or later those waves start “[The people of to fill the coming to shore. You can’t stop ‘em, you Weston] just put their can’t slow down time. You just have to be arms around the House country air. tough, and remember what’s important.”

At the as if it’s their own,” David -David said.

Fa r m e r ’s said, “and I think it’s H o u s e , got a lot to do with the these men relationships they build and women learn everything that it takes to with our farmers. Once they see what run a store: pricing goods, preparing food, amazing people they are, all they want to do running a cash register, cleaning, taking is help.” out the trash, stocking shelves and greeting Like Jerry, the neighbor who waters customers. the garden every single day, even when One of the most crucial things the the store is closed. Like the Weston Farmer’s House does is prepare the farmers Fire Department, who donated a pricey for the jobs they will have in the real world. defibrillator to the House, just because the And sometimes, those jobs can be hard to department thought they needed it. come by.

“I mean who does something like that!?”

“A lot of times, businesses are afraid to Peaches said. “It’s moments like that when hire people like our farmers,” Director of you just realize how much the Farmers Programming at the Farmer’s House Kelly mean to people.”

Cogan said. “They are afraid that it’ll take *** too much time, too many resources, cause For the Cunninghams, caring for John too much of a distraction.”

David is a joy. But that joy comes with its But she’s seen first-hand what the challenges. farmers can do. She’s seen John David “It’s like when you’re at the beach, and labelling pies. She’s seen Paige Braden, you see all the waves out there on the another East grad, greeting customers at water,” David said, “and sooner or later

those waves start coming to shore. You can’t stop ‘em, you can’t slow down time.

You just have to be tough, and remember what’s important.”

You have to remember.

To remember that the Farmers House can teach Paige and John David social skills, and can provide a sanctuary for those without one. But it can’t stop the waves.

David had grown up playing baseball.

He loved it, he loved everything about it.

He had always dreamed of coaching his son some day, and helping him find that love too. But as t-ball teams and baseball teams were formed, that day came and went.

Those waves keep rolling in. Next, it was overhearing the talk of sleepovers and birthday parties and playdates. But John wasn’t there.

“I know it sounds petty… but it’s just those small things that hurt,” David said.

Then comes the parties and dances in middle school, then dating, then football players and cheerleaders.

The sitting on the sidelines, with all the other proud parents, and knowing that they weren’t a part of it.

Life keeps going, and larger waves start to crash down on them.

Going to college.

Getting married.

Having kids.

But to Peaches and David, they just call those reality checks.

“It makes you appreciate what’s important, what you really need,” said Peaches. Her voice catches, as she looks at John David’s spot in the dining room. “And what you really need sits right across this table.”

Strategy. Experience. Compassion.

Fighting for the injured and their families.

• Motor Vehicle & Truck Accidents • Construction Accidents • Workers’ Compensation

Visit PottengerLaw.com or call 816-531-6006 today for a free consultation.

PHOTO OF

THE WEEK photo by Hailey Hughes

20 a&e

g n i f k o a Bre out written by Courtney McClelland photos by Katie Lamar

Breakout KC is a new entertainment game where guests try to break out of a room by solving clues in under 60 minutes

I

never thought I’d be paying $28 to be locked in a room for an hour. But there I stood in the waiting room of Breakout KC, excited — and a little bit nervous — for my turn to breakout.

Breakout KC lies inside the walls of an old brick building in the River Market, and is open from 8 a.m. to midnight daily.

Soaring with success, they have received only positive reviews. Reservations fill up a week in advance and it offers a team building experience unlike any other in the city. Breakout KC has also been voted as KC’s number one tourist destination by Trip Advisor, Yelp and Facebook.

It was 5:30 in the afternoon on a Sunday, one of the few available slots I could make a reservation for. A friend and I had been paired with a family of five to attempt our breakout in the River Quay Casio Room, one of four available room choices. With its 30 percent success rate, our chances of success were not looking good. We would have 60 minutes to solve clues in an attempt to break out of our locked room.

THE FOUR GAME ROOMS

River Quay Casino

28%

success rate

The seven of us stood in the small red room loaded with poker chips and casino slots. The large TV hanging on the wall played a video explaining that a gambler had just stolen poker chips, and we needed to begin collecting green chips in order to breakout and solve the crime.

Collect green chips? I looked around the room and saw green chips with different numbers written on them scattered everywhere, but I had no idea what those numbers could mean. Nevertheless, we began grabbing chips, pulling on locks and rummaging through drawers to find any clue as to what we were supposed to do next.

A supervisor was constantly watching us through the four video cameras located at every corner of the room, sending us hints via the TV at any time. We had three free hints, and every hint after would cost us three of our 60 minutes. It was only 10 minutes in when we asked for our first hint.

After receiving our first hint, we finally got rolling. Although I cannot reveal details of the room, we were unlocking one

The Truman Room

18%

success rate

combination after the next, sorting through poker chips and solving riddles to unlock the next clue. But then disaster struck.

With just 10 minutes left on the clock, a 10-year-old girl from our group entered an incorrect combination into the safe we were trying to unlock, and the safe locked us out for five minutes. We were stuck twiddling our thumbs wondering what to do next as we sat there waiting.

Once the seemingly endless five minutes were up and we had unlocked the safe, it was a mad dash to crack the code and breakout.

The TV was counting down the seconds we had left and the keypad next to the door was begging to be opened. We were so close, but fell short. We did not breakout.

Despite our failure to breakout, my friend and I still left Breakout KC laughing and reminiscing over the fun hour we had just had. It was nice to put our phones away and spend 60 minutes plotting and scheming — even if it wasn’t successful.

Most teams who succeed in breaking out do so with only minutes to spare. The record

time in all of the rooms, so far, is 47 minutes.

The concept of “breaking out” of a room originated in Southeast Asia five years ago, after much popularity in live action escape online games and apps.

Co-owners of Breakout KC and KU alums, Lucas Thompson, Matt Baysinger and Ryan Henrich knew they wanted to invest in Kansas City and make it a place where, “people have a better story to tell” according to Henrich. So they brought the concept to KC. Since it opened in May, it has been skyrocketing with popularity.

I would strongly encourage anyone to go try and breakout — and see if you can do it in less than 47 minutes (or even 60).

It is definitely a must-visit destination, whether it’s a family outing, a team bonding experience or a couple of friends looking for a good time. I promise you’ll leave with your adrenaline running and your mind racing, still thinking about that last clue.

Room 13

Szechuan Secret

34%

24%

success rate

success rate

FRESH

a&e 21

frog

Junior Tyler Keys reviews the new diner in the Village, Chocolate Frog

photos by Abby Hans

written by Tyler Keys

F

rom Einstein’s Bagels to Standee’s Restaurant, the building across from The Better Cheddar has been many restaurants over the past few years. Now, The Chocolate Frog hopes to stand out in that same space. From the outside, it seems exciting, but inside, The Chocolate Frog comes up short.

At first glance, I noticed the name is an allusion to Harry Potter and my heart immediately jumped with childish joy. The outside was vibrant with murals all along the walls: the modern paintings feature bright red squares filled with welcoming words and depictions of hamburgers. Yet walking inside, the brown and green color scheme bored me, along with a bland menu complete with standard dishes like a pancake breakfast or a chicken salad sandwich. I was sad to see the Harry Potter reference was not carried through the design of the restaurant.

Their all-day breakfast seemed to dominate the items, taking up one whole side of the menu. The other side combined their lunch, dinner and side choices. Their “Dinner Favorites” section seemed exciting at first, but they turned out to be plain options that can be found on any other dinner menu in the area.

After being seated right away, I realized I was the only one in the restaurant. It was around dinner time, so I was surprised when there were no families seated around me or any couples sitting at the bar. I began to question the meal I was in for.

The waitress came over to take my order of water to drink and told me some of her favorite dishes, like their chicken and waffle platter. She focused mostly on their signature condiment: Frog Sauce, a mixture including mayonnaise and cajun seasoning.Scanning the menu, I decided on the Classic Burger with a side of fries and a milkshake.

Despite the menu being incredibly bland, the one

thing that set it apart from being mediocre was their milkshake menu. The highlight of my visit was picking from the abundant variety of shakes. The endless options on the menu are sure to please everyone’s taste buds. The most interesting had Fruity Pebbles in it and another made with Twinkies. Torn between the KittyKat (complete with Kit-Kats and marshmallow creme) and the Almond Joy milkshakes, I stuck with my favorite candy, and ordered the Almond Joy Shake.

My milkshake was a combination of vanilla and chocolate ice cream, coconut shavings and thinly sliced almonds. The only flaw with my otherwise delicious shake, was that the coconut shavings all fell to the bottom and kept getting stuck in my straw.

I received my burger in an unhurried time considering there was almost no one else eating there. I was disappointed to see that they had left off the so-called “famous” Frog Sauce, and asked for a side of it instead.

Dripping with Heinz ketchup and overflowing with lettuce, The Classic Burger was just that: classic. The meat was cooked medium well, just the way I like it, and the bun was warm and soft. The fries were thin and well-seasoned with a crunch on the outside but soft on the inside.

The check came to a total of around $14 for my meal, and I was perfectly happy with tipping the waitress with well-deserved money for being so accomodating.

Overall, the atmosphere of The Chocolate Frog was underwhelming, and the food was only slightly better. I left only enjoying the interesting milkshake menu and the Harry Potter reference in the name.

Above

Keys takes a bite into a burger while trying out different foods at the restaraunt.

With Assistant Manager Tim Ferreman “Why did you decide on the name Chocolate Frog?”

“The name comes from Harry Potter. We wanted to keep a reference to movies so there was a tie with Standees.”

“Why did you decide to make the restaraunt way you did?”

“We wanted to fill a niche in the market. After Waids closed there was a need for a breakfast place, so that’s why we went for that.”

“What are your hopes for the future of the restaraunt?”

Above

Keys tries out an assortment of different foods, including fries and a shake.

Above

The bar design and restaraunt layout is what makes this place unique.

“Well I can’t speak for the owner, but I know they want to expand.

We expect to see a lot more Chocolate Frogs start popping up.”

22 a&e

AGuide

to Freshman Year From the small, sheltered clutches of middle school, freshman are hurled into the usual high school hardships of SM East. They go from the top dog 8th graders to fresh meat. But alas, for all you frosh, this guide is for getting through the first year of homework, sports and the rest of high school. written by Mac Newman

Best hangout Spots Library: If you walk into the library from the main entrance and keep going straight there are some amazing comfy black chairs. It’s a great place to talk with friends, quietly, or do homework.

Outdoors: The space across the hall and through the door from the cafeteria is a great place to eat lunch or chill. You can prop yourself up against a tree and get

some work done or just play on your laptop.

The Plaza: With the outdoor section of the cafeteria under construction, there is a new place to eat outdoors.

Outside of the main gym, there are several picnic tables and, more importantly, fresh air. Enjoy while it lasts, when the cafeteria construction is done this area will most likely be gone.

Clubs/Activities to Join

photo by Abby Blake

Sports Games to Attend East vs. Rockhurst (basketball). This long-time rivalry is always a thriller of a match, with both schools having strong teams. You might not get in due to the gym always being packed and upperclassmen having the right to go before you. But if you do get in, be ready for loud cheers and packed stands.

The last time these two teams met the game ended with a buzzer beater that was featured on SportsCenter. And that was only the JV game.

East vs. South (any sport). It doesn’t matter which sport it is, the strong rivalry between these two schools is enough. The games are usually overflowing with foul play and roughhousing.

East Football. The State champions will be

coming out this year, ready to defend their title. The highly-hyped and well-funded East football program is sure to make the stands shake.

Boys’ Lacrosse vs. Rockhurst: This private school is a very tough opponent that always gives East a run for its money, but never succeeds.

With both schools fighting for bragging rights, the game is sure to be an event to remember.

Boys’ Soccer (Senior Night): About 100 students tried out for the mighty Lancer soccer team and around 40 got cut. So the JV and Varsity teams are stacked with only the best players.

And senior night is both emotional, with the seniors playing in their last season, and exciting because they will leave everything

East Rules Video Announcements: If you like film and cinema then this is an obvious first choice.

The somewhat small group creates great content that goes up every Friday, and is sure to be lively.

Knee-Hockey Club: Yep, there is a knee-hockey club, the only one in the country in fact.

Anyone can join, but make sure your kneehockey skills are up-to-par. They play in room 511 on Wednesdays after school.

Club Hammock: Laying in the sun. Relaxing after a hard day at school. Sound good?

Great, but, don’t forget to BYOH (Bring Your Own Hammock).

Harbinger/ Hauberk: The East newspaper or yearbook is a great way to meet new friends and prepare you for what career you want

later in life, even if it’s not in journalism. The soonest sign-ups are next semester.

Happy Club: If the hardships of high school are getting you down, head on down to the the aux gym at 7:15 a.m. on Thursdays to lift your spirits.

SHARE: This club’s focus is on charity and volunteering. They do events to raise money, like a garage sale, and also involved in volunteer work. This is great for your resume, plus a good way to do nice things for your community.

Lunch Club: If you are one of the many new students to East, Lunch Club is a great way to meet new friends and avoid sitting alone at lunch. They gather at the North ramp during lunch on Tuesdays.

for Freshman

1. You don’t like South. The long time

rivalry dates back to the 1700s and there is something deeper than hatred between these two schools.

2. Don’t step on the East crest in the gym hallway. This is sacred ground reserved for students with a varsity letter, seniors or alumni.

3. Be loud at sports games. No one likes the quiet freshmen taking selfies the whole game. Stand up and actually watch the game; you can update your Twitter later.

4. Seniors sit in front at football games.

Freshmen sit in the back of the bleachers.

5. Don’t stop in the middle of the hall to talk to friends, text or show PDA. Every school day many students walk into East with their spirits high and are ready for the day. But when it takes an extra ten minutes to get to class because of mobs of freshmen in the middle of the hall talking about how Kevin and Suzie are dating now, doesn’t make them happy.

6. Don’t park in the senior lot. Selfexplanatory.

7. Represent East - Wear the columbia blue, black and white T-shirts and sing the school song with all of your soul.

live

Broadcasts

theater VOLLEYBALL lacrosse

football soccer swimming

Choir GRADUATIONbasketball

smeharbinger.net

24 a&e

Star-studded prequel to “Wet Hot American Summer” makes a splash 14 years after the original written by Ali Lee

E

ven before the TV show premiere on July 31st, the movie “Wet Hot American Summer” was part of the American pop culture tapestry.

Not. The original satirical movie bombed in every way when it was released in 2002. Its 32 percent on Rotten Tomatoes epitomizes the “success” of the movie.

The movie frequently used sarcasm to poke fun at trending events, which is a popular topic used in movies. It didn’t get WHAS very far in this case, though.

So it was surprising after this that the creators decided to make a spin-off series. They didn’t lose enough money, so they decided to jump in the deep end and leave it up to chance.

This same humor is used in the new prequel series, ‘Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp’, except this time the humor was received exceedingly better by viewers. It wasn’t because the humor was different or improved. It’s because comedy has moved more in this direction in the years since the movie’s original release.

It doesn’t hurt the series’ credentials that the returning actors are comprised of academy award winners, hit TV show stars and multi-millionaires such as Amy Poehler, Paul Rudd and Bradley Cooper. This is what made the series become a hit in just the first month after its release.

The entire cast from the movie returned for the series. This time some things were a little different because the actors weren’t new to the business anymore.

The plot of the show is a teen angst, coming of age movie, except it’s all a continuous joke. They over-dramatize, add crass unexpected lines and do whatever they want. Nothing is off limits in this show.

Among the constant jokes there is one underlying one: the series is a prequel to the movie made 13 years ago. Meaning they are supposed to be younger in the series yet they are actually old and some are pretty fat.

This isn’t exactly a written joke, but more of the cherry on top for the series.

The show has very juvenile, sappy,

cheesy scenes that 40+ year-olds are acting out. Let’s just say these scenes are really interesting and awkward to watch. The series is truly a different take on the redundant teen angst shows we typically see, most recently in John Green movies/books. It’s a nice breath of fresh air to see something a little less mainstream.

You may wonder why the concept failed so badly in the first place. The reason that the first movie was so unsuccessful is because the type of humor isn’t for everyone. Many people don’t understand humor that isn’t Jim Gaffigan funny and is, instead, more of a Daniel Tosh kind of funny. It’s the type of comedy used frequently in The Californians on SNL and new shows such as “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”.

If you don’t like that type of humor, then you’ll probably hate the show. If you hate that type of comedy and you still watch the show, stop lying to yourself, you bandwagon hopper.

“Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp” is definitely a funny show. It is subject matter that a lot of

people can sit down and laugh to until tears are in their eyes. Still, for some the show will leave them glazed over in boredom and/or disinterest. In short, it’s a show for an acquired taste. This isn’t a groundbreaking discovery either. The show’s creators know this, and that is why they didn’t bother changing a thing.

It doesn’t make sense to jeopardize their creative integrity to humor those who don’t understand their writing. It makes more sense to cater to the people that do, and that is just what they did with the new series. Although this time around they have received more interest than before, using their now household name actors to gain recognition. Now we all can say, most of us at least, that we know what “Wet Hot American Summer” is.

WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER

ALL AMERICAN CAST: FILMOGRAPHIES*

Since the original WHAS, released in 2002, members of the cast have made a name for themselves.

AMY POEHLER [SUSIE]

PAUL RUDD [ANDY]

BRADLEY COOPER [BEN]

2002 — “WHAS”

2002 — “WHAS”

2002 — “WHAS”

2004 — “Mean Girls”

2004 — “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” 2006 — “Night at the Museum”

2006 — “Failure to Launch”

2009 — “Parks and Recreation” 2001-10 — “Saturday Night Live”

2008 — “Role Models” 2009 — “I Love You, Man”

2015 — “Inside Out” 2015 — “Sisters” (Post Production)

2015 — “Ant-Man” 2015 — “Captain America: Civil War” (Post Production)

2012 — “Silver Linings Playbook” 2013 — “American Hustle” 2014 — “American Sniper” 2014 — “Guardians of the Galaxy” *prominent works only

sports 25

UP AND COMING TEAM CAPTAINS

Soccer

Cross Country

The boys varsity captains this year are seniors Michael Mardikes and Thomas Allegri. After losing 2-1 to Shawnee Mission West, Mardikes has an idea to get his team back on track.

“We need more communication, both goals that were scored on us were because of a lack of communication [on the field],” Mardikes said.

Michael believes communication on and off the field is huge part of being a good captain. Last year the team captains didn’t speak up a lot and didn’t communicate well, according to Mardikes. Mardikes is close with the other captains so he believes that helps the communication and chemistry aspect of soccer.

“We’re always together, sometimes for almost for 24 hours, just doing things together,” Mardikes said Mardikes is very confident they can come back from their first loss and possibly later in the year, win state.

Girls’ Volleyball Senior Mary Booton takes on her second year as a girls’ volleyball captain on varsity, but this year, she’s on her own, because she is the only senior.

“It’s really weird but at the same time I love it, last year I wasn’t prepared to be a leader but this year I’m the only only senior so I’m ready and prepared to lead the team” Said Booton Booton wants the team to have a fun time but also keep the seriousness because they need to work hard this season. The team’s first game was on Thursday Sept. 4. Booton explained that that game was going to be learning experience and that they will just have to go from there. Booton wants to prepare her team mentally and physically for the season and with two new sophomores on varsity that are inexperienced, she needs to work harder than ever.

“I’m prepared in the way that I’m going to have a good time in what ever is the outcome is [of the season]” Booton said Booton is planning on taking her team all the way to state and winning it.

“We have a lot of potential but we don’t really know what we can do with ourselves yet” Booton said.

Football

Mike Bamford, Will Kost Calen Gilmore Jack Tyler

Girls’ Tennis Senior Aidan Epstein is the only team captain on the girls’ tennis team. This year the team has four returning girls that went to state last year. In previous years the girls’ tennis team hasn’t had a problem defeating their competition, but the team this year is going to have a harder time because Blue Valley has a really talented team, explained Epstein. Blue Valley has two very talented twin freshman girls. So in order to up East’s level of team chemistry, as a leader, Epstein wants to get a lot closer with all of the players. She says because there are a lot of underclassmen on the team, there will be a focus on team oriented things, like team dinners and just hanging out outside of practice.

“We have a lot of underclassmen so they will really need to step up,” Epstein said.

written by Caleb Krakow

photos by Joe Cline & Annie Lomsheck

Te am C apt ai n s Vollyball Mary Booton

Girls Tennis Aidan Epstein

Senior Lance Meng and Junior John Arnspiger are captains for this year’s cross country team. The varsity team this year is very large with three seniors, four juniors and one sophomore. What the captains feel is essential to their success is getting close with the team. They do this by being together outside of practice.

“We hangout and get food together and have team dinners,” Meng said.

The varsity runners already feel a close bond, so a goal of Meng and Arnspiger is to become close with the rest of the team.

“Lance and I hope to help push JV and C team runners so they can potentially have a chance to be on the V team once we go away,” Arnspiger said.

However after a team initiation incident, everyone but the freshmen and one varsity were suspended for two weeks.

“The horse run has been tradition for 20 years and the kids who were suspended were following the tradition. The run includes some acts of comradery that were a little too inappropriate, but the purpose was not to make anyone feel uncomfortable but to build brotherhood among the team,” Arnspiger said.

The first meet is the Greg Wilson meet on Saturday Sept. 5. After the suspension is up, the entire team will return for the Joe Schrag Invitational Topeka meet on Saturday Sept. 12.

Football Seniors Mike Bamford and Jack Tyler are two of the four team captains for this year’s varsity football team. Last year, the team captains led their team to state and won. This year, the expectations from the team are no less.

“The season is a fail if the team doesn’t win state,” said Tyler.

The team has practice almost everyday of the week and had weights and conditioning this summer.

Bamford says the team has to work hard everyday if they want to achieve their goal of winning state.

“We came together [this summer] and will achieve greatness and the hard work will pay off,” said Bamford.

Soccer Michael Mardikes

Cross Country John Arnspiger&Lance Meng

Jamaican Journey

written by Chase Tetrick

S

After playing lacrosse for multiple years, seniors Andy Swanson and Baker Stradinger travel to Jamaica to teach the game

enior Andy Swanson never would have thought that lacrosse, Jamaica and a mission trip could all fit together in one sentence. But a volunteer organization showed both Andy and fellow senior, Baker Stradinger, that it is both possible and rewarding.

Shawnee Mission East students Andy Swanson and Baker Stradinger spent a week of their summer volunteering in Jamaica, where they taught children about the game of lacrosse through a program called Fields of Growth. This corporation specializes in developing the game of lacrosse throughout the world.

Fields of Growth was founded in 2009 by lacrosse coach Kevin Dugan. The program currently travels to Uganda and Jamaica, and is working on increasing the number of destinations. This organization also has an astounding web-base and social media presence that they are receiving attention for.

“I was scrolling through Facebook when this program caught my attention,” Swanson said. “I had never seen a mission trip based around lacrosse or any sport at all so I was really interested.”

According to Swanson, funding was a huge aspect of preparing for this trip. Raising money for flights, food and necessities can make or ruin this trip. Fields of Growth mainly focused on looking for old and/or used lacrosse equipment for their fundraising as well as asking for donations towards their trip.

“We tried to collect as much equipment as we could from around the community,” Stradinger said. “We told the entire lacrosse team at East, we put an ad in the PV Post and we sent out emails trying to collect as much equipment as we could before we went down there.”

The day to day schedule in Jamaica was very different as

Traveling Maps of the destinations where Swanson and Stradinger traveled

well. While most mission trips range from building schools to tornado relief, Fields of Growth’s claim to fame is that they plan and run lacrosse camps for kids in the area.

The day starts early for the volunteers with a dreaded wake up call around 6:30.

“We woke up at 6:30 in the morning and weren’t allowed to shower,” Stradinger said. “We didn’t have air conditioning either so we were all pretty sweaty and gross from the night..

Once they were all awake they grabbed bowls of cereal and got to the lacrosse fields by 7:30. Between the time the volunteers arrived and the camps began at 10, a lot of preparation was needed.

“To prepare for the camps, we strung sticks, put out the goals, got out the benches, and got water,” said Stradinger.

“We just kind of did everything that needed to be done before the kids got there, but usually they got their early because they didn’t have anything else to do.”

The camp consisted of kids with all sorts of family backgrounds. These ranged from middle to lower class, nuclear families to single parents, happy and upbeat to down and lonesome. Fields of Growth provided an opportunity for all of these kids to spend their day doing something fun that they wouldn’t have gotten to do otherwise. It provided a getaway from their family, hunger and cultural issues to have fun with other children in their communities.

Since all of this was new to the participants, they were excited to see what was in store. All of the kids rushed into a herd of laughter and excitement as they attempted to line up and get their equipment. They yelled and grabbed trying to get one of the three red helmets out of the bunch. By the time the first camp started at 10 a.m., the kids had already been running around with their sticks for 20-30 minutes.

The camp started off with basic drills. All the volunteers

sports 27

art by Catherine Brown photos by Callie McPhail

smiled and watch one kid after another sprint out of line to chase a loose ball lost during the passing drills. They laughed as the oversized helmets bobbled and twisted on the smaller kids’ heads while they worked on footwork. And loved to see all of the kids developing a love for the game that is such a big part of their own lives.

After all of the drills were done, it was time to scrimmage.

All of the kids wanted to be with their best friends, which made it very difficult to divide up into teams. Eventually the teams were set, and it was game on.

“It started out as, for the most part, only the kids playing,” Swanson says, “But [the kids] were having so much fun that by the end of it, most of [the staff] were playing with them.”

Swanson said that by the end of the camps at 1:30 p.m., they were just as worn out as the kids and were eager to relax and see the other side of Jamaica. Each day Fields of Growth picks a destination of interest for their volunteers to go visit.

One of the tourist sites they visited was 9 Mile Village, home to Bob Marley. Along with 9 Mile they visited Trenchtown, one of the most impoverished and dangerous neighborhoods in Jamaica.

“We played a soccer game on a field in Trenchtown,” Stradinger said, “and after the game we went and got food from this man who was eight years younger than Marley and grew up with him.”

Stradinger and Swanson are grateful they chose to go on this trip because of how gratifying it was. They could have stayed home, wasting their summers away at the pool. Instead they made a decision that bettered themselves and the lives of many children in Jamaica.

“Getting to know all of the people and cultures in Jamaica was really cool,” said Swanson. “It was an amazing experience to be able to see all these kids enjoy lacrosse like we do.”

Tourists KC

Above

Stradinger and Swanson pose with two locals who they met through the program.

Top Left

9 Mile Trenchtown Bull Bay

The staff referees the scrimmage where the kids get the chance to practice their newly learned lacrosse skills.

Bottom Left Carrying their equipment, the kids are excited to spend the day doing drills and improve their techniques.

the tournament for the High School Select Home Run Derby, the official high school home run derby held as a major league All Star feature. Following the cuts for the 40-man team, Cole pulled aside eight high schoolers, including Wentz and offered them a chance to compete in the Derby. That evening Wentz talked with his parents about the opportunity, and the next day he confirmed that he was going to compete.

After being asked to compete in the Derby, Wentz headed to Atlanta for a three-day tournament with his club summer team. He returned home for three days and then traveled to another tournament in Oklahoma.

On the morning of July 9, Wentz and his mother, Jenny, flew to Cincinnati for the big Derby. After filing out of the plane and gathering their luggage, drivers were waiting for Wentz and his mother in the parking lot. The driver took the two to the Millennium Hotel in downtown Cincinnati. Wentz and his mother arrived at noon, had time to get checked in and eat lunch and then they were on the move again. Around 2 p.m. the drivers picked the hitters up and took them to the Great American Ballpark, home of the Cincinnati Reds.

When Wentz and his mother arrived at the Ballpark, a locker in the clubhouse was waiting for him. Prior to Wentz’s arrival in Cincinnati, he had been asked what his favorite Major League team was. His answer, of course, was the Royals. A custom All Star name plate had been put above the locker, along with Under Armour cleats, a black American League jersey with red sleeves and Wentz #17 on the back, red side-piped white pants, warm-ups and KC Royals All Star hat, all the same as the Royals All Stars would be wearing on Sunday night in the All Star Game.

“Once you saw the nameplate above the locker, it really set in like, wow, this could be a once in a lifetime deal,” Jenny Wentz said.

Due to KSHSAA eligibility rules, Wentz was not able to take home any

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ighty-five degrees and humid.

Sweat rolling down the chubby cheeks of little leaguers. It was another hot day out at Missouri 3&2.

Senior Joey Wentz was eight years old and playing for EM Baseball, a Missouri based tournament team. There was no pressure, it was just the second game of the season. Wentz was up to bat and took the pitcher deep to center field.

This was where it all started. Wentz’s first career home run.

Even before Wentz hit his first home run, he was a hitting balls off a tee in first grade.

“Baseball always just came, not easy, but naturally,” said Wentz.

Wentz has played varsity baseball every year he has gone to SME. “Joey is unbelievable talent that doesn’t come along very often,” Varsity baseball head coach Jerrod Ryherd said.

Showing exceeding talent in pitching, first base and hitting, Wentz was a major prospect for many big name colleges. In his sophomore year, Wentz committed to playing baseball for the University of Virginia Cavaliers, the 2015 College World Series champions.

This summer Wentz was playing in the Tournament of Stars in Cary, North Carolina, trying out for the 18-U 40-man USA Baseball team, an international baseball tournament competitor. He didn’t make the cut for the team, but something even more special was in the works. Little did he know, he was being judged on every swing of his batting practice.

Shaun Cole, the head of the tournament, was judging Wentz, along with every other player competing in

Home Run Derby’s Top 3 Sluggers

Senior Joey Wentz competes in the Junior All Star Home Run

of the gear he received from the MLB, although it will be shipped to him after he graduates this spring.

The morning of July 10 Wentz was met by a 6 a.m. wake up call. It was the morning of the Derby, but Mother Nature wasn’t cooperating. There was a storm in the forecast and many officials of the Derby were worried they wouldn’t be able to hit. A clear pocket in the storm came through at 7a.m. for the batters to be able to hit. An eerie mood was set in the stadium at such an early time. Instead of the nearly 43,000 people that usually fill the seats of the nearly red sea of a stadium, only the cleaning crew and sluggers were in the stadium.

After an hour of waiting, it was finally Wentz’s turn to hit some dingers.

Wentz jumped on the first pitch thrown by Xavier University hitting coach, and bombed it deep to the right.

“It’s intimidating hitting in a Major League ballpark, but after you get the first one out, it just feels like you’re hitting batting practice,” Wentz said.

In the first round of the Derby every hitter got 10 outs before they move on to the next batter. In the derby, an out is any hit or swing that doesn’t qualify as a home run. Every hitter advanced to the second round, that lasted only five outs per batter, and whoever hit the most home runs took the win.

Concluding the first round, Wentz hit seven long balls and moved on to the second round. Wentz ended with eight home runs and was just three home runs short of clinching the win.

According to Wentz, being able to compete in the High School Select Home Run Derby is a memory he will never let go of. Someday, he hopes to see his name up in that locker room again.

“I thought how a lot better it would be in five or 6 years to see my name up there permanently,” Wentz said.

Juat a month later, he competed in the Under Armour All American Home Run Derby and placed second with eight home runs.

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ut of all the ways to spend your summer, these students chose to set weeks aside for summer camp.

Whether it’s a Christian camp or just something for fun, each student left the camp impacted in different ways.

KANNAKUK CLAIRE LONG

Sombreros, face paint and extra costumes being thrown around Cabin 9. Anticipation for the “Circ de Olé” party was at an all-time high. Sophomore Claire Long awaited what would soon be her favorite part of Kanakuk Summer Camp.

Parties at camp were special-- less than one fourth of the nights were spent at parties. Most evenings were routine: cheers, prayers and mouth-watering apple turnover. The aspect of camp that conflicted Long the most however, was the religious part.

Kanakuk is a Christian camp. There are a handful of camps with specific target crowds. Long went to K2, the camp for high schoolers. There is also K Kuai for families, K Kountry for kids, K7 for all ages, just to name a few.

The Christian aspect of Kanakuk Kamps was what drew Long to the Kamp. After her mission trip to Trin-

idad this summer, she felt especially connected to her faith and wanted to devote more of her summer to it.

It also happened to be a significant drawback. She thought some of the Kanakuk views were somewhat extreme.

“All Kanakuk and K-Life people kept preaching ‘the Bible is the only way’,’” said Long.

She didn’t necessarily agree with that and some of the things they believed in, but still felt more in touch with her faith than ever after Kanakuk.

“I still really want to be a counselor,” said Long. “But I want to stick with my beliefs and not always follow what they think.”

Long can’t wait to be the one organizing the “Circ de Olé” parties, painting her little camper’s faces and being a part of their favorite memory from camp.

CAMP LINCOLN MATT McGANNON The pressure was on. Sophomore Matt McGannon was captain of the blue team. The group of 117 Camp Lincoln boys watched in anticipation as he worked to spark his designated fire pit. After a few minutes of messing with the matches, the logs caught and he tossed his team’s rope in. They stormed towards him in celebration; McGannon had won the full-day color war for the blue team.

Most days at Camp Lincoln were somewhat ordinary-waking up, cleaning the cabin, morning and afternoon activities, like ultimate frisbee, archery, sailing and then

free time. It was special days like the Color Wars that McGannon especially loved at camp.

“Being color wars captain is the highest honor at camp,” said McGannon. “You lead a team of 117 people, giving speeches and leading cheers. It’s a lot of pressure.”

McGannon spent a month this summer at Camp Lincoln. Having the chance to be blue team captain was the main experience he took out of camp which made his trip even better.

YOUNGLIFE EMMA GOODE Going on hour 13, Junior Emma Goode has grown sick of sitting in the back of the bus. The boys surrounding her played Fetty Wap on repeat and very obviously forgot to put on deodorant that morning. However, she wouldn’t have given up that bus ride and the chance to bond with them for anything.

Goode has been to Young Life camp for the past two summers. Young Life is a Christian camp based off the more widely known camp Youthfront. The camp preaches that everyone there wants to get to know the real you. From ziplining to go-karting, there were chances every day to build relationships as a group.

Young Life wants all their campers to know that there is a community for you at camp.

Goode went with a group of high schoolers from all different Shawnee Mission Schools. She won’t be attending any more, however, because of the Young Life’s unique rules. Campers are only allowed to attend twice so that other kids wanting to go to camp have an opportunity for the same.

“I actually really like [that rule],” said Goode. “Having gone twice I’ve learned what Young Life is all about. I want all kids to be able to experience camp and they can’t do that if I’m taking their spot.”

Goode grew close to those boys during that dreadful 15 hour car ride, even if it seemed terrible at the time. She made lifelong friends through Young Life and wouldn’t trade all that she has experienced at camp for anything.

Fashion

All-inclusive preview to fall trends of 2015

forward written by Sean Overton photos by Morgan Browning

statement pieces I

f you get distracted by big and shiny things, then it’s time for you to bling it on with the oversized jewelry trend. I’m ecstatic that this trend has made a comeback, because it works perfectly for the girls of East. I would go for more of the old-money classy girl, ‘50s Chanel look.

The dazzling, large, detailed, metallic or jeweled necklaces. The flowers just get boring because it has been done over and over again these past few years. The big collared, intricate design necklaces make an outfit work.

F

ashion, Style, Blah, Blah Blah. I get it, it becomes monotonous, and no one wants to listen, but trust me style is critical to glow-up to your final form. For me, style is a simple way of taking complicated fashion trends and making them my own. Fall is the biggest season for fashion, because of the layering opportunities, outfits can be more complex, making fall the most active fashion season.

That’s why you have to find your

niche. For those who struggle with that I, the fashion trend stalker, am here to help you make trends your own.

This fall, you can expect clothes heavily influenced by the ‘70s like the mini-skirt, or pantsuit. An iconic fashion era incorporating oversized jewelry, furs and velvet. The fashion matched the ‘70s free-for-all way of life with endless opportunities for self expression in fashion, and now it’s back.

When you do a big oversized, statement piece of jewelry, it is important not to wear a buys, puke-patterned shirt like paisley, or people might feel dizzy when they look at you.

Go simple with the shirt, and try a simple white button down. You can pair that with a beautiful fifth avenue-ish necklace, not trashy jeweled necklaces. Stay away from the super flimsy, plastic Claire’s-esque items.

You can find your boss-B necklace at Anthropologie, Zara or Francesca’s f o r a preppier look.

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hen you think of velvet and fur, what comes to mind? For me, I think of ‘90s witch movies (Hocus Pocus, anyone?) with velvet cloaks, and the ‘70s disco boys decked in the big fur coats, grimy from their partying. Try and erase those fun, yet haunting, looks from your mind. They worked in the past, but it is time to take them and make them modern and stylish. Velvet is a soft, eye-catching, movable material and can go very wrong, very fast. Velvet is either played up to look classy or put together horribly and looking cheap. Stay away from the dark colored velvet slit skirts, instead go for the cute shift dresses.

It works perfectly when paired with other textures such as knits and chiffons. The two-toned tops and patches on blazers. To find your velvet moment hit up American Apparel, thrifts or Bloomingdale’s for some-

thing classier.

As for fur this runway season, it was everywhere: coats, trims, dresses, accessories, even shoes. Whether you go the faux or real route, it gives you a luxe, glamorous look. The big, fur-coat trend, although still badass, is out of style. Instead go for the small details of fur.

Whether it be a smaller fur jacket or wrap, or lining of a dress, try to incorporate it this fall.

For cheap fur, I would check out Boomerang on 39th for real and fake. Whether you go with fur or velvet, adding them will be the perfect staple to a look.

he ‘70s were a turning point for America and a turning point for designers.

Tom Ford wisely describes the ‘70s as soft, touchable beauty.

That effortless girl, who has flowing yet flattering outfits is why “The ‘70s Girl Look” was the biggest showstopper on the runways this year. Fair warning, though, tie-dye and cut-off shorts are both overdone.

If you want to do the decade justice, go for a simple, yet chic, slip dress; you will become an eye-catching goddess. It was created in the ‘20s, starting off as an undergarment for women’s clothing, then designers like Yves Saint Laurent made them big again in the ‘70s.

It is one of the most versatile dresses, because you can get a classier silk slip and pair it with kitten heels to dress it up, or wear a simple cloth one with birkenstocks that could be worn to school. You can find one at Free Spirit, Urban Outfitters or Nordstroms. Other ways to incorporate the look is a patterned button-down and a cute mini skirt, with chunky heels or wedges.

Ankle-boots

Oversized sunglasses

Two block heels

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2 photo by Hailey Hughes

photo by Callie Mcphail

finding FLEXIBILITY Sophomore Miyo Shalton develops flexibility and strength through a unique excerise that challenges her body to reach new limits through contortion practice.

2 Miyo started ballet when she was five at KC Ballet, “I did it for 11 years but I decided to quit Miyo stetch at the begining due to a lot of stress involved with it,” Shalton of her class. “Coach Sammie helps so much, she’s amazing,” said. “During that time my friend came to Shalton said. She shows you the Quixotics and got me interested. This was

moves and makes you want to about a year ago. Without having a dance background I

come back to do them and make would never be them perfect.” able to do half the things I do here.”

1 A coach at Quixotics helps

3 3 “Dance is very different but it has helped with the flexibility part of contortion,” Shalton said. “Anyone can get there though, each practice starts out with a 15-30 minute warmup with just stretching then followed by some cardio to get you completely ready for the hard moves.”

photo by Hailey Hughes