The Harbinger Issue 10 by The Harbinger

HARBINGER

ISSUE

THE

SHAWNEE MISSION EAST 7500 MISSION ROAD PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS

2/8/16

H I S N U G L A Y W A the

FIESTA

After the game day tradition Club Ba単o was disbanded for a broken urinal, past and present students mourn the loss of an era

INSIDE

EAST REPLACED VENDING MACHINES PAGE 4

CHEMISTRY TEACHERS BOND PAGE 13 WHAT YOUR VALENTINE REALLY WANTS PAGE 31

We believe that the administration’s recent refusal to compromise and their harsh bans have been overreactions that are counterproductive to the well being of the student body

Rather than banning boys’ pep dances entirely, the administration must work with the students to ensure they are suitable for the student body to see. Collaboration may include a screening process of dances prior to each assembly. This way boys will still be able to perform dances for their peers and the administration is guaranteed they are appropriate and will shine a positive light on the East community. Another sacred tradition at East that was taken from the student body was Club Baño. Every game day, male students crammed into a bathroom and recently a urinal was broken during the chaos. The students showed maturity towards the matter by both apologizing and taking full responsibility for their actions, including paying for the damages to the school. This maturity towards the matter has gone unnoticed by administration as we are still not allowed to carry on the tradition. Baño is more than just jumping around in a bathroom. It is a way for male students to show their school pride in a way that is unique to East. Letting one incident derail years of tradition is unfair to the current students and all those who participated before them. The administration sees their solution as putting out another fire, but they are taking away the school spirit of East along with it. They must use this opportunity to work with the students to revise the guidelines and rules of

Co-Assistant Editors Will Clough Claire Pottenger Ellie Booton

Baño to prevent a similar accident from occurring again, rather than taking away a tradition altogether. A privilege that comes with seniority is being able to decide the themes for upcoming games. The seniors decided on Braveheart for the theme of the Rockhurst game when the administration interfered without their consultation. The administration received a complaint towards the theme and seniors were upset they were not given a chance to fix the issue on their own. High school is supposed to prepare us for what is to come and we cannot do so if we are not given the opportunity to mitigate the adversity that lies before us. The administration must be willing to work with the student body on complaints and worries towards themes to encourage creativity and school spirit. The administration’s goal is to make East the best it can be. As is the students’. In order to reach our full potential as a community we must work together on the issues and debates that lie before us. Rash decisions and banishment of traditions do nothing more than upset the student body and oppress the school spirit of its members. Collaboration is needed between administration and students in order to promote the individualism and creativity that East encourages.

B BAÑO CLU

Tommy Sherk

Head Copy Editor Art & Design Editors Aidan Epstein Yashi Wang

Co-Online Editors Michael Kraske Ellie Cook

Assistant Online Editors Tyler Keys Celia Hack

Online Head Copy Editor Caroline Heitmann

EHEART TH V A

Lucy Kendall Sarah Wilcox Kaylin McCan Seamus Carroll Ellis Nepstad Harrison Gooley Teagan Noblit Porter Carroll Catherine Brown Emily Fey Meg Thoma Isabel Epstein Mac Newman Grace Kost Jet Semrick Brooklyn Terrill

Co-Photo Editors Callie McPhail Hailey Hughes

Assistant Photo Editors

Kaitlyn Stratman Haley Bell

Co-Online Photo Editors

Online Assistant Head Katie Lamar Copy Editor Joseph Cline Anna Kanaley

Editorial Board

Celia Hack Michael Kraske Ellie Booton Tommy Sherk Claire Pottenger Will Clough Ellie Cook Robbie Veghlan Tyler Keys Caroline Heittman Daisy Bolin Courtney McClelland

Copy Editors

Robbie Veglahn Chloe Stanford Morgan Biles Daisy Bolin Elaine Chamberlain Courtney McClelland Celia Hack Caroline Heitmann Tommy Sherk Michael Kraske Ellie Cook Claire Pottenger Will Clough Ellie Booton

Ads Manager

E EM

’ PEP DANC S Y

e’re being oppressed. Shawnee Mission East was once a place of hallowed traditions and overwhelming camaraderie from the student body. But now, after years with the administration’s full support, we’re slowly being silenced. Administration aims to stop the expansion of bad ideas as soon as they can and are doing so at all costs. They see their actions as putting out the fires we started, but to us they are so much more than that. Boys dancing during pep assemblies, screaming in bathrooms and getting dressed up for a crazy theme is what makes East so special, and losing those traditions takes away the school spirit that goes along with them. For years, boys’ sports teams have made a mockery of themselves for the entertainment of the East community. Each assembly meant a new twist on what seemed to be the same dance, each one funnier than the last. Over time, the administration noticed the dances drift from “harmless” to “inappropriate”, and the costumes from “respectable” to “risky”. To solve the growing concern of suggestive dances they were banned all together. The dances weren’t just a time for boys to dance with their shirts off, it was a time to do something unique to East that got the whole student body hyped for the upcoming season. Taking away these dances defeats the purpose of a pep rally and furthermore takes from the rarity of East.

AGAINST: 0

FOR: 12

Editor-in-Chief

Grace Chisholm

Circulation Manager Grace Kost

Subscriptions Manager Ellie Booton

Contest Coordinator Courtney McClelland

Staff Artist

Will Tulp Lizzie Kahle Sarah Wilcox

Staff Writer Ryan Hess Lizzie Kahle Kaleigh Koc

Feature Section Editor

Chloe Stanford

Sports Section Editor Davis Finke

Co-A&E Section Editors Anna Dierks Sean Overton

Co-Spread Section Editors Ellie Cook Anna McClelland

News Section Editor Caroline Heitmann

Webmaster

Leah O’Connor

Podcast Editor Leah O’Connor

Co-Online News Editors

Marti Fromm Madeleine Hlobick

Assistant Online Photo Editor

Online Opinion Editor

Morgan Browning

Morgan Biles

Staff Photographers

Online A&E Editor

Abby Blake Grace Padon Tess Iler Ellie Thoma Audrey Kesler Carson Holtgraves Anna Theide Ava Johnson Elizabeth Anderson Maddie Smiley Allison Stockwell Ava Simonsen Diana Percy Leah O’Connor

Page Designer

Jessica Parker Teagan Noblit Porter Carroll Katie Hise Annie Jones Isabel Epstein Ellie Mitchell Grace Padon Will Tulp Robbie Veglahn Diego Galicia Abby Walker Caleb Krakow Annabelle Cook Daisy Bolin Kaylin McCan Seamus Carroll Marti Fromm Joe McLiney Grace Chisholm Ali Lee Chase Tetrick

Section Editors: Editorial Section Editor Robbie Veglahn

Opinion Section Editor

Courtney McClell

Jemima Swindells

Online Homegrown Editor Ali Lee

Co-Online Sports Section Editors Reser Hall Stephan Abramo

Eastipedia Editor Annabelle Cook

Video Editor

Matthew Bruyere

Assistant Video Editor Nick Mantel Gabe Snyder

Live Broadcast Editor Will Hembree

Assistant Live Broadcast Editors

Seamus Carroll Ellis Nepstad

Interactive Design Editor Robbie Veglahn

Multimedia Staff Joe McLiney Meg Thoma Will Hembree Ryan Hess Diego Galicia

Social Media Directors Grace Kost Ava Johnson

GER HARBIN THE

NEWS BRIEFS

A BREAKDOWN OF SCHOOL, LOCAL AND WORLDWIDE NEWS written by ANNA DIERKS

Haircuts Provided to Homeless

ree haircuts, lunch and fellowship were provided to homeless men at City Union Mission on Jan. 31. The project began when local photographer Jenny Wheat posted her idea to cut hair for those in need on Facebook. Wheat had seen similar projects done in other cities and wanted to see if she could bring the mission to Kansas City. Within hours, over 50 people volunteered to help out with the project. Wheat reached out to City Union Mission soon after her project was underway and they gladly took charge of organizing volunteers and supplies. Webster House restaurant and The Roasterie Coffee Company also agreed to provide food and drink for the men and volunteers.

The goal of the project was to raise the self confidence of the men involved and prepare them for potential job interviews. “On the day of the event, everyone had an amazing experience working with the men at City Union Mission,” Wheat said. “We are already talking about doing the event again!” Senior SHARE board member and active volunteer, Charlie Jensen said, “Obviously, a haircut isn’t something that is essential to surviving as a homeless person, but it can do a lot for someone’s self confidence and in terms of getting a job or moving forward in their lives, you never know what a little bit of self confidence could do.”

New Barbie Dolls Being Released

fter decades of long legs and tiny waists, Mattel, the company who produces iconic Barbie dolls, announced on Jan. 28 that they will now be producing Barbies in various body sizes. The 2016 “Fashionistas” line will display Barbies that fall under the categories of “Tall,” “Petite,” “Curvy” and “Original.” Along with three new body types, the line will also include seven skin tones, 22 eye colors and 24 hairstyles. Many changes to Barbie have been made over the years including multiple career options and movable feet so that Barbie can wear more than just heels. Though according to Feminist Club board member and sophomore Ellie

Van Gorden, altering Barbie’s body is the most significant change yet. “It is giving kids a realistic view of women,” Van Gorden said. “A ‘perfect body’ or ‘beach body’ does not exist. Every body type is perfect in its own way.” Similarly, senior director of Barbie Product Design, Robert Best, is motivated by the fact that this new change will broaden children’s early understanding of beauty. “This is radical because we’re saying there isn’t this narrow standard of what a beautiful body looks like,” Best said in an interview for Barbie online.

PHOTOS PH OF THE WEEK

Students Nominated as U.S. Presidential Scholars Candidates

eniors Bhavish Dinakar and Lily Wulfemeyer have been nominated as candidates for the United States Presidential Scholars Program by the U.S. Department of Education. The program is designed to honor graduating students who have shown academic excellence in their testing scores and throughout their high school careers. In recent years, the scholarship was altered to honor those who show significant ability in technical education and careers. This year, there are 121 candidates nationwide. If they are selected out of the 121 candidates, Dinakar and Wulfemeyer will travel to Washington D.C. in April where they will accept an honorary medal. Though the

award does not come with a monetary prize, colleges tend to offer extensive scholarships for the finalists. Throughout her high school career, Wulfemeyer has tutored elementary school students, volunteers at a Vacation Bible School and translates children’s books into French in order to teach Haitian children English. Despite her portfolio, Wulfemeyer never intended to be a candidate for the program. “To be perfectly honest, I didn’t really have it on the radar and didn’t realize what the criteria for the selection was,” Wulfemeyer said. “Getting the nomination was a nice surprise and a huge honor!”

KELSEY COX JUNIOR

HUMANS OF SM EAST

photo by ALLISON STOCKWELL

What is your most unique quality? “I don’t know if this is unique, but I’m really determined. No matter what, at the end of the day, I always think about the positive things in my life. How grateful I am. I think the determination part is that I never let myself get down, and I always know what I want in life. I want to succeed and do what I can, so I think that, no matter what, I’ll make it. Life is going to be OK.”

TOP | Sophomore Will Knutson wrestles his opponent during a JV Tournament at Blue Valley Northwest on Jan. 30. photo by ALLISON STOCKWELL MIDDLE | Fulfilling his promise, boys’ basketball coach Shawn Hair gets his head shaved by senior Alex Glazer on Jan. 28 in celebration of raising over $21,000 for the Pinky Swear Foundation. photo by JOSEPH CLINE BOTTOM | FACS teacher Janel Cates participates in Spirit Week by dressing up for the Harry Potter theme on Feb. 1. photo by AVA SIMONSEN

MODERN MACHINES E

ast parents Molly Morrison and Reggie Britt sold their vending machine franchise at East and other schools on Jan. 15 to Allied Refreshments vending company. Britt and Morrison decided to sell their franchise of HUMAN vending machines because they felt too much physical stress and an overbearing time commitment. Morrison feels that East is in good hands with Allied Refreshments, a local, family-owned business. “We met with several potential buyers, but we chose them because of their history with school vending,” Morrison said. When Joe Strada, the General Manager of Allied Refreshments, heard that East was in need of a new vending machine company, he was interested in supplying to a Kansas school – especially since Allied Refreshments primarily serviced Missouri schools. Strada is confident in Allied Refreshments’ ability to provide even better service to East.

“It’s the simple fact that we’ve done it for so long and we’ve worked for so many schools that we know what their needs are,” Strada said. Allied Refreshments, compared to HUMAN, provides newer equipment that ensures products won’t get stuck in the machine, and the technology is the most “up-todate” vending technology available, taking credit cards and Apple Pay. The larger machines also allow for more products and a larger variety of products per machine. “[The products] are just better,” sophomore Niles Heinlein said. “The machines don’t accidentally give you free food either.” As for the food and drinks, Allied Refreshments purchases directly from wholesalers. This means that they can pick and choose what they sell from a vast selection of products. They are able to buy and sell items like Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and cereal. East’s new machines will be serviced every single day

New vending machine company promises wider variety, better service written by TOMMY SHERK as opposed to once or twice a week. “Is it necessary? Maybe, maybe not,” Strada said. “But it’s showing that we’re there to make sure you guys don’t have any issues and make sure your guys’ machines are always filled.” Another reason Morrison agreed to sell to Allied Refreshments is because she believes they follow in strict accordance with federal food laws. Since U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service imposed nutrition standards in 2012, schools have had specific criteria for all food sold in the school. Strada believes that all products currently in East’s vending machines are compliant with federal law. “I feel that we know what we’re doing with the schools and now, with the new equipment and every day service, we’re going to be giving you better service than you were given before,” Strada said.

To Vend or Not to Vend

Four products are run through the Smart Snacks Product Calculator to see if they meet federal food requirements

Reduced Fat Nacho Cheese Doritos

Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups

MY PRODUCT IS A...

SNACK

THE FIRST INGREDIENT IS... THE FIRST INGREDIENT IS... WHOLE GRAIN

DAIRY

NUTRITION FACT TEST

PASSED ACCEPTED

FAILED

photos by LEAH O’CONNOR

Powerade Zero

MY PRODUCT IS A... BEVERAGE THIS BEVERAGE IS BEING SOLD IN... HIGH SCHOOL MY BEVERAGE IS... FLAVORED BEVERAGE NUTRITION FACT TEST

PASSED ACCEPTED

Coca-Cola

MY PRODUCT IS A... BEVERAGE THIS BEVERAGE IS BEING SOLD IN... HIGH SCHOOL MY BEVERAGE IS... FLAVORED BEVERAGE NUTRITION FACT TEST

FAILED

A Change

the Chapeto l Village C hurch is com recent renovatio pleting ns are pos that sib donation le th rough the s of East donors

written by MIA VAUGHT

fter finishing renovations and moving into their new sanctuary on Dec. 13., Village Church plans to finish another leg of their eight year renovation campaign by finishing construction on their new welcome center in the next six weeks. The remodel included four components. The first component was an addition of a welcome center. The second component was an expansion of the off site Child Care facility. The third was a modification to the sanctuary to fit a new custom made organ. Lastly, the fourth is a component for future mission opportunities both locally and in the church. “The renovations that we’ve done in here make our worship experience a lot better,” Reverend Tom Are Jr said. “I like the addition because it’s going to provide space for people to hang around and drink a cup of coffee.” To raise money for the renovations, the church started a campaign called Now and Tomorrow. The goal of it was to raise $23.2 million. They have almost met their goal, currently having $21 million out of the $23.2 million. Many members of the congregation donated money to the campaign. “Being one of the Co Chairs and leader of the cabinet I feel as though you have to lead by example,” Co-Chair of the campaign and father of east student Max Maday, Greg Maday said. “We have a very generous congregation.”

Members of the staff were astounded by the amount that they raised. They didn’t think it was possible. “I can safely say it’s the only time that I’ve held a million dollar check in my hands as the pastor of a church,” Are Jr said. All the funds that have been donated have come from private sources, as the church didn’t receive or solicit any public funds from outside the church. ”I think the renovations needed to be done because Village is an expanding church,” sophomore and church member Sam Fay said. “They needed more room and a better home for the people who belong to Village Church.” Though the renovations have taken awhile to complete, members of the church seem to like them. “We didn’t have the welcome center [before the renovations], you’d kinda just walk straight into the church and then you were in the sanctuary,” senior and church member Sara Nestler said. “So it’ll be nice to have that welcome center where you can just congregate with friends and family and talk before the service begins.” The campaign meant a time of renewal and commitment to really invest in the future. It’s a source of hope and care for the community in time to come.

The newly refurbished Sanctuary, complete with balcony and projectors, has been open to host service since December 2015.

Workers put finishing touches on the roof of the Sanctuary. At this point in the project, most of the room’s work has been completed.

The Welcome Hall, located on the north end of the building, was a completely new addition and features two levels with a connecting staircase.

Construction is still underway in the Welcome Center and is the biggest push to complete. The ceiling remains unvaulted and walls still unfinished.

photos by ELIZABETH ANDERSON

FOR A

Apparel Construction classes make quilts to donate to the homeless

CAUSE

written by WILL TULP

pparel Construction teacher Janel Cates, with the help of her students, is bringing hope to those in need by sewing quilts for them. Every year, her classes have sewn quilts for the homeless in the area. Next week, her first semester classes will be donating five more. The twin-bed sized quilts were sewn by her students for extra credit. Cates originally came up with this idea as a way for her students to better manage their class time. However, she also wanted the quilts to be worth more than just a grade for her students, so she decided to donate them to Feed the People Ministries, a non-profit out of Blue Springs, MO, at the end of each semester. “I think it’s probably one of the best things that I’ve had as far as classroom management,” Cates said. “Everybody has something to work on, and it has a purpose and a meaning.” Throughout the semester, students cut up old fabric scraps into identical squares. They collected the squares throughout the year and at the end of the semester, Cates held an old-fashioned quilting bee with her students. Quilting bees were nineteenth-century social events where friends came together to sew quilts. They took all of the collected squares and sewed them into five quilts, each of which were comprised of around 24 squares. “It was cool because [we] didn’t have to do this, but all of us wanted to,” freshman Elle Angelo said. “It was nice to know that we were doing something that helped other people because sewing just for ourselves was not a big deal.” Cates made sure not to add “Made by Shawnee

Mission East” or any kind of mark – she feels that the quilts are her students’ gifts to the people in need and a signature is unnecessary. Cates then brought them home to hold until winter. This week, she will deliver them to her friend and founder of Feed the People Ministries, Jerry Whisler. Through Feed the People, Whisler and his volunteers prepare and deliver meals, provide basic necessities and help offer recovery programs to struggling people. Every winter, Cates has donated her quilts to Feed the People, and Whisler has cautiously selected people who he believes are deserving to receive the quilts. “They’re such beautiful quilts,” Whisler said. “When we are handing [them] out, we’re being selective so we give it to somebody who will really appreciate them knowing that they are being made by people just for them.” The people who receive the quilts are either living in cold shelters, crammed cars or on the streets. According to Whisler, they feel depressed, humiliated and hopeless, unable to overcome their hardships. Whisler believes that these quilts will “help encourage them and give them that bit of hope to pick themselves up out of whatever is happening” and lead them on a path of recovery. “It touches their lives,” Whisler said, “when they get something like that, just knowing that somebody cares for them that much and thinks about them personally helps them.” This semester, Cates’s new classes have already began working on more quilts. She expects to sew five more by the end of this semester, and they will be donated to Feed the People next winter.

BELOW | One homeless man displays his homemade quilt from Feed the People Ministries made by East students.

Sophomore Selena Gonzales cuts out the scraps of fabric out of the “fabric box” and begins to sew them together individually.

After all the random scraps sewn together, freshmen Meghan Mock and Tatum Meyer help each other attach all the pieces together with a sewing machine creating the full quilt.

ABOVE | Another homeless man holds a quilt after receiving it from Jerry Whisler and volunteers from Feed The People Ministries.

photos courtesy of JANEL CATES AND JERRY WHISLER

Cates’ fifth hour made eight quilts to donate. When the twin sized quilts are completed they are delievered to Feed The People.

A TIMELESS FRIENDSHIP Grandfather and grandson prove to be best friends through shared memories

opinion by HARRISON GOOLEY

ishing pole in one hand, a cold can of Pepsi with a blue and orange koozie in the other, we’re sitting in a 17-foot Blazer flat-bottom boat on Lake Pomme de Terre. For my grandpa and I, the day couldn’t get any better. But to our surprise, it got better. Pomme had endured weeks on end of relentless rains and flooding, so the water was 22 feet higher than normal. We thought of the absurd idea to drive his boat from one cove, over the land, to another cove. We fired up the 40 horsepower engine and drove straight through the foot and a half-deep water, emerging out of the brush in front of our family in the

LEFT | Harrison’s grandpa Larry helps Harrison learn how to ride a horse

MIDDLE| Harrison’s grandpa Larry, holds Harrison for the first time

RIGHT | Harrison and his grandpa relax in his Blazer flat boat just before they drive up onto the island

other boats. Both my grandpa and I were me everything a person could know about doubled over in laughter because no one hunting, fishing, cooking and being an allcould understand where we came from. around good person. It’s the long drives, the sitting in the When my grandpa and I are together, tree stand, and the fishing on the boat we couldn’t care less for what’s going on days that become unending memories around us. We drove in his truck to the with Grandpa and me. bunkhouse in Osceola, the sound of him How is it possible for a 70-year- bursting out into the chorus of classic old man and a 16-year-old boy to be best Willie Nelson. The smallest of things will friends? 54 years of age difference means spark endless laughter, which eventually different life exturn into some periences. He was kind of ridiculous only given a roof The biggest thing that brings us so close joke, that no one over his head and but us can undertogether is we see ourselves in each other. food on the table; stand. Despite growing up in opposite environments, there’s a sense that we both live my parents proThe night I within each other. vide everything I shot my first deer, —Harrison Gooley which happened need and more. He was in the Vietnam to be a small doe, War when he was 22; I’ll be at some col- Grandpa snagged an old pair of antlers. lege party at that age. We lead different Before we skinned it, he had me hold the lifestyles, different experiences, different antlers up behind the deer’s head to make everything. Yet still, something brings us it look like it was a huge buck. We sent the closer to each other than anyone else we picture out to our family members and know. told them I had shot the big buck we’d It all started when I was learning to been seeing. To this day, we look back at walk. I was his shadow, learning how to the picture and laugh, thinking we’re the survey Kraft cheese, shoot a .22 rifle and funniest guys in the world. bait a hook without getting worm juice all The biggest thing that brings us so over my fingers. I watched his every move, close together is we see ourselves in each wanting to be exactly like him other. Despite growing up in opposite enwhen I grew up. He’s vironments, there’s a sense that we both t a u g h t live within each other. We share the same love for hunting, fishing and family. Every time we get the chance to sit in the deer

stand for a few free hours, we jump at it and make the most of it. Whether it’s sitting around the small wooden table, eating homemade chicken chili, or sitting in the tree stand, darting back and forth, asking “Did you hear that?” Grandpa tells me every time we hunt that he cherishes and loves that I am able to share his passion with him. On one of my first hunting trips, we were sitting 15 feet in the air in a tree stand built for one person. We sat there with the red Coleman propane heater blowing on our toes, smashed together trying to stay warm. I looked up at him and said, “Grandpa, I think we need to get a bigger stand.” Ever since, he reminds me every hunting season of that freezing morning. Everyone knows my grandpa as “Frog” or “the guy who does the big cookouts”, but I consider him my best friend. He’s not just a grandpa to me. Our relationship isn’t just a love forced by blood, it’s a friendship.

STUPID CUPID The ‘I’ in Valentine’s Day: a day of ice cream, Netflix and alone time

opinion by ELAINE CHAMBERLAIN

n an ideal relationship, Valentine’s Day is the most important day of the year. A perfect couple goes out for a fancy breakfast or dinner, or possibly both. They express their love for each other through the purchase of $50 chocolates and impeccably arranged roses. Chocolate and flowers have their merits, I won’t deny it. But by far the best part of the day for my significant other and me is just getting to spend it in each other’s company. We’ve been together as long as I can remember, and it’s a pretty safe bet that we’ll be together forever. Even though we spend every waking – and sleeping – moment together, we experience a different kind of togetherness on Valentine’s Day: one where we don’t interact as much with friends and family. It’s a “just us” kind of day. We know ideal couples eat freshly baked croissants and medium-rare filet mignons, but we don’t mind not conforming to the “ideal” notion. We eat toast and Nutella

photo by DIANA PERCY and cereal for breakfast, and treat ourselves Although I wish I still got an entire to Annie’s mac & cheese for dinner. We shoebox of free candy every Feb. 14, pass up crême brulée in favor of plain old weekday Valentine’s Days are often just like ice cream – hey, there’s nothing wrong with any other day considering we don’t pass out simplicity. candy to all our classmates anymore. When And don’t worry – you won’t be reading it’s on a weekend, though, I do enjoy selfabout intimacy of graphic proportions indulging a little bit. as we move into the bedroom stage of I eat copious amounts of sugar for the evening, because if you think my breakfast. I watch Star Wars and Titanic “relationship” sounds lazy and pathetic, just by myself. My solitary lunch is whatever I wait. The reality is, find in the fridge. the only “significant Sometimes I even Maybe to some people spending a day like go on an actual walk other” in my life is this sounds like the antithesis of the whole – I guess looking none other than me. How’s that for point of Valentine’s Day. I know it’s a little at gray skies and pitiful? skeletal trees in pathetic. As a teenager 30-degree weather who has never been appeals to me more in a relationship or even been asked to than most people. Once my parents go out a dance, it’s safe to say that I don’t really for dinner, I can proceed to eat an entire box count down the seconds until Valentine’s of mac & cheese and three servings of Ben Day every year. So don’t be surprised that, & Jerry’s. Books, movies and food are my in fact, I enjoy spending it alone, essentially only Valentine’s Day companions besides doing whatever I want. It’s not like I really myself. have any other options. Maybe to some people spending a day

like this sounds like the antithesis of the whole point of Valentine’s Day. I know it’s a little pathetic. But most of my friends are in the same romantic situation as I am, so I’m not the odd one out. And anyway, who doesn’t secretly enjoy stuffing themselves with cheap candy and blubbering over Jack Dawson’s frozen body hanging in the icy water? Don’t worry, in general I’m not such a loner. I really do enjoy all the time I can get with people I care about. But sometimes it’s nice to spend some time by myself, and I take Valentine’s Day as my yearly opportunity. Maybe if I had an actual significant other it would be different, but for now I’m happy being single. After all, I can choose whether or not to be around my family and friends, but the only person I’m guaranteed to be spending the rest of my life with is me. And while I have yet to buy myself chocolates, there’s always a first time for everything.

SINGLES AWARENESS DAY February 15: A recognized holiday for those who not only want to enjoy being single, but also want to celebrate their status. Here are some ideas!

Go to the Movies

Take a Trip

Have a Girls’/Guys’ Night Out

Shop Post-Valentine Chocolate Sales

Host a Singles Gift Exchange

BURNING THE Five years after her house burned down, the construction of a new house means the final step to moving on

written by ABBY WALKER

’m driving down Mission Road with my windows down when a smell that I’ve known since fifth grade hits me. I’m immediately taken back to when I first smelled the mixture of soot, ashes and burnt wood. Oct. 24, 2010. My brother, sister, mom and I woke up in St. Louis that morning to dozens of phone calls from family and friends. We weren’t planning on leaving for a couple hours, but after my mom called her sister back, we packed up immediately, in shock of the news we just received. My childhood home on Wenonga Lane had burned to the ground around 4 a.m. On the drive home I came to realize that anything and everything that we didn’t have with us was in ashes, including my dog, my cat and my tortoise. For weeks I was numb. Going through the motions of daily life, sometimes in shock, sometimes seeming like my subconscious was trying to block what happened out of my mind and make me forget. The first two weeks after, we lived at a neighbor’s house trying to cope with losing our home and the memories and pictures that burned away with it. Neighbors brought over things we hadn’t even begun to think about replacing, like lunch boxes, board games and coats. The East community stepped up and some of my sister’s friends hosted a walk on the school track to help raise money to replace things. We were perpetually working to replace the things we used to take for granted: clothes, Chinese take-out menus and movies. After those two weeks, we moved into a rental home just down the street from the only home I had ever known. The neighborhood helped us move in and we lived there for a couple months, but because of troubles with the landlord, we moved to another rental home just a mile or two away in the spring. Months after the fire I was struggling with finding a home to call my own and replace things I once loved like children’s’ books and artwork while not having a permanent place to put anything. We went on with daily life, trying not to think about what could’ve been. Would I have died in my

sleep like my pets if we hadn’t been in St. Louis? What caused the fire? Could we have prevented it? I had only known one home in my life and now it felt like I had nothing. Finishing fifth grade, I still had to see the debris daily since we had lived right next to it. On Fire Safety Day, just weeks after moving into our first rental house, we all went outside to look at the fire truck. It was conveniently parked right in front of the lot. For half an hour I stood there not paying attention to the firemen’s presentation, just waiting for it to be over and I did the same thing for my next year and a half of elementary school. After seven months of enduring situations like that we moved to a permanent home in Prairie Village. Once we were able to really claim a home and not just a house, we started to move on. We painted and decorated the rooms how we wanted, got two dogs and slowly started a new normal. But the empty lot we were forced to pass by still followed us around as we thought of our past. Even though we knew that it was out of our control, we apologized to a neighbor about the empty yard because we, too, wanted it occupied by a new family. Their only response was “Yeah, it’s been really tough on us. Now we have to tell people we’re the ninth house in instead of the tenth.” Now I’m a sophomore, and it’s been five years since the fire that turned my entire world upside down. I’ve been putting it behind me more and more everyday, thinking of it less and less as I make new memories in a new home. A couple weeks ago I was driving from a friends’ house to my dad’s. Forced to drive on 103rd Street, I decided I would pass by the old cleared-out lot that we sold a couple months after the fire. We all avoid it for the most part, only going by when we’re visiting old neighbors. Normally it was just a dormant brown patch of dirt sitting beside Brookwood Elementary. But something was different this time. An immense hole had appeared in the ground: the start of construction for a house. Now that a new house is starting over on the lot, with a new house and a new family, I think that all of us will finally be able to move forward. I’m happy to be leaving the fire chapter in the smoke behind us, knowing that a new family will be making use of my childhood neighborhood.

MEMORIES FROM WENONGA LANE Computer Room: My dog used to sleep on the couch in here and immediately after getting down after I told her to, she would just jump right back up, thinking that she had followed all of the instructions.

Kids’ Room: Here I hung out with my siblings, watching Disney Channel, playing games and avoiding house parties with my parents’ friends.

Living Room: This where our tortoise, Henry’s cage was. I got him from Santa in second grade. We named him after one of my brothers favorite books, Henry and Mudge.

Kitchen: The dining room started my appreciation of a nice, summer thunderstorm. The windows in the kitchen had screens so you could open those and the glass doors made it easy to watch the lightening.

Mud Room: When I was young my mom wrote a note to the Easter bunny that we didn’t need presents and here is where I kept the only gift I ever received from the Easter Bunny, a pink, sparkly jump rope.

photo by ANNA THIEDE

AN UNBREAKABLE BOND

Uranium 238.02

Boron 10.81

written by KATIE HISE

Jerrod Bardwell and Steven Appier don’t have the typical co-worker friendship

hemistry teacher Jerrod Bardwell struts in through the side door of other chemistry teacher Steven Appier’s class, thermos in hand, smirk on his face. As Appier is lecturing his students on how to convert mass to moles, Bardwell realizes he is ahead of Appier for their notes today. With nothing but a chuckle, Bardwell walks out. It is a successful class period for him. The next day, Appier decides to step up his game. He skips a few example problems. He flies through the slideshow. He disappears for half a minute, and returns with a sneer. He has won today. *** Chemistry teachers Appier and Bardwell will deny any sort of relationship. “[Bardwell] is not the smartest person,” Appier said. “I kind of feel a responsibility for him to help make up for his deficiency. But in some ways, that is endearing, so I kind of like him.” The basis of the teachers’ is built upon the constant bickering and taunting of each other. The co-workers were, at first, just that. But now with a common hobby of kayaking and grading quizzes together, a stronger friendship has formed, with more teasing than ever. “[Being around Appier] is kind of like having a terminal disease,” Bardwell said. “You can’t really get rid of it, you just kind of have to learn to live with it.” To a random stranger, one would think these two hate each other – that they wouldn’t have any other common interests besides chemistry. But all teachers have secret lives and hobbies, according to Bardwell. And Bardwell and Appier just happen to share more than one common hobby: kayaking. When they aren’t grading SR₂QRs, the two

men spend days making fun of each other and racing. Not racing by foot or in cars, but racing down streams, rivers and even lakes in kayaks. Appier and Bardwell bond while paddling down bodies of water, chatting and working to get to a finish line sometimes over 300 miles away. They will race against each other sometimes, borrow each other’s boats and also ground crew for each other. Originally, the out-of-school bond of kayaking started with ground crew, which is when someone in a truck follows the racer beside the river. Appier was originally the only kayaker of the two. Then he asked Bardwell to ground crew for him, eventually getting Bardwell hooked on the sport. “You wouldn’t think so with his limited abilities,” Appier said. “But he was actually pretty helpful. I could not have done as well as I did without his support.” During the one specific race, the Missouri 340, Appier pulled over whenever necessary on the side of the river. Bardwell waited for him with water, Advil, sunscreen and anything else Appier might have needed. At one stop, he even whipped out an old hose connected to a pump, creating a riverside shower for Appier in the middle of the long race. Even though they now share this aspect of their lives, Appier would never admit that Bardwell isn’t half bad at kayaking, and Bardwell wouldn’t admit that he is grateful Appier got him hooked. But they are happy to admit that they now have something outside of test scores to compete over. Junior Chemistry 2 student Ross Fosher has had both Appier and Bardwell as a teacher through his years in chemistry. He has experienced both of their taunting every day. “In a grueling job like a chemistry teacher

their casual and fun friendship keeps them going,” Fosher said. Beyond teasing, competition is another huge part of their friendship. They will compete about anything, even if it is as partners, rather than against each other. Competing with each other is something the two have decided to do within the last few months. One week in Appier’s seminar, his Link Leader, Madeline Long, brought up the idea of auditioning for the TV show The Amazing Race. And Appier and Bardwell took it seriously. Their almost finished application video is hoping to get submitted before the link is taken off of the show’s website. They don’t exactly have high hopes of being accepted, but are ready to be challenged. “You know,” Appier said, “It is probably easier than climbing Mt. Everest, or some stupid idea we would think of otherwise. So we thought hey, if they take us, let’s give it a shot.” Neither teacher is sure if the other man will bring much to the table. Bardwell is worried that Appier won’t problem solve well. Appier isn’t sure if Bardwell will do anything well. But it would be a challenge they are still excited to take on. That is, as long as they don’t get sick of each other in the process.

YO-YO

king

Freshman Richard Selders brings his passion for Yo-Yoing to the halls of East during lunches and passing periods.

Selders uses the halls of East to showcase his hobby, which allows him to entertain people and bring them happiness. His advanced tricks make for an interesting show for by passers.

photo by HAILEY HUGHES photo by HAILEY HUGHES

LEFT | Selders performs one of his off string yo-yo tricks. These forms of tricks include a yo-yo specifically designed so that the yo-yo hops along the string as opposed to sliding up and down the string.

ABOVE | Using an on-string yo-yo, Selders perfects a trick he often competes with. He competes in competitions across the country and considers yo-yoing part of his character.

RIGHT | Selders preps for tricks above. The trick is easy for him to do, but getting it to balance long enough to spin for a long time is the hard part. After years of practice Selders has become a natural at all yo-yo tricks.

photo by CALLIE MCPHAIL

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Several members of the varsity debate team qualify for nationals while having fun participating in something they love written by CHLOE STANFORD

oom 413B isn’t one many students have stepped foot in. When they do wander in, they witness a room buzzing with professionalism, but not without laughter. Dozens of state trophies and plaques litter the room, dating back to the year 1950, the two most recent being from this year. At the very end of the fourth floor hallway, past two sets of wooden double doors, past the teacher’s lounge, hides the debate room: home to the best debate team in the state of Kansas. This season, Varsity Debate placed first and second at the 6A State championship for the second consecutive year. Seniors Bhavish Dinakar and Spencer Mitchell brought home first place, while Will Bledsoe and Nathan Paris placed second – both teams ending up as nationals qualifiers. The teams’ trophies now sit amidst the chaos of 413B. The room is symbolic of the personality that the team embodies: competitive, successful and fun. It’s hectic to say the least-- students rush from their seats to head debate coach Trey Witt’s desk and back. Tables are often piled with evidence files and research materials for the current policy debate discussing domestic surveillance. Two decorative plastic penguins, the team’s mascots, sit on one of the shelves, observing the madness with a plastered smile. Their success, Witt emphasizes, is not all the program has to offer the students. He believes that a genuine love for the activity, while gaining skills beneficial in the adult world, is just as important as earning another first place trophy to add to the collection. A part of the enjoyment of debate results from befriending new people from places all over the country through out-of-state tournaments. Senior and nationals qualifier, Bhavish Dinakar, has one friend from “basically every school” in the state of Kansas, as well as several other states, that he’s

met over the years through debating. “[It’s good to know other debaters because] you never know when you might need some evidence, or some file that someone else could help you out with,” Dinakar said. According to debate president Isabel Holloway, the reason the debate team has been so successful year after year is thanks to their coach, Witt. He practices a “hands-off” teaching style, one that is very popular among students. Instead of being hyper-involved and constantly critiquing, Witt encourages upperclassmen to help and mentor the novice-leveled freshmen. “It can be a lot more encouraging to hear something as a freshman from a sophomore or junior because you are almost to their level,” Holloway said. “Witt is so under appreciated. He’s such a good coach and mentor for debate and forensics. I wish more people knew.” Witt believes this year’s national qualifying group shares one quality: their work ethic. Outside of enjoying their time in the debate room, their ambition will drive them to compete in several out-of-state tournaments throughout the spring in preparation for this upcoming summer. “They are very intrinsically motivated, spending a ton of time working over the summer and throughout the season,” Witt said. “They have to have a love for debate, because you wouldn’t do that if you didn’t have a love for it.” That motivation leads the team to hold one practice debate each week, where they work with one of their coaches after school to improve their speaking skills and factual evidence. For the researching aspect, students find evidence for their arguments using Google Scholar and other databases. “I think people know about our success but they don’t understand how much work we put into it, particularly the ones who do so well,”

Holloway said. “The state champions are really underappreciated.” Senior Will Bledsoe hasn’t always been one of the top debaters in his division. He didn’t stand out his freshman, or novice, year, and started at the same level as most of the other freshmen. He rose to the top through his commitment to the activity. “Anybody can be good at debate,” Bledsoe said. “It’s a willingness to put in effort and enjoy it. I wasn’t super good my novice year, but I liked it a lot, so I learned how to get better.” To Witt and the experienced debaters, the benefits of sticking with it are endless. Confidence. Speed-reading. Speaking. Intelligence. These are all skills that benefit students in the real world, whether that be at a job interview, or speaking in front of co-workers. “Debate is one of the more relevant classes to the real world here at East,” Witt said. When the seniors graduate and leave high school debate behind, they hope the success they leave at East continues for years to follow. “In past years, people were discouraged and thought that because [past teams were] so successful, they had to live up to those expectations,” Holloway said. “This year, I saw so many people who were just happy to be there, whether they won or lost.” Though many students never have the opportunity to witness the debate room’s overwhelming, loud environment during their four years, the team doesn’t mind. They are more focused on preparing for nationals and working towards more state trophies while participating in something they love.

MASCOT

TROPHIE 152 S

DEBATER 132 S

reshman Megan Walstrom stepped out onto the Starlight stage and stared out at the audience. 7,958 intrigued faces focused on her. Performing in front of thousands of strangers in her sparkling white and blue sailor suit, she had never felt more at home. “All I could think to myself was ‘Oh my gosh, this is amazing,” Walstrom said. Walstrom played the role of Louisa, the third eldest child in the Vonn Trapp family, in Starlight’s production of The Sound of Music two summers ago. At her final callback, she was put on the spot in front of 30 people and was asked to tell them a funny story. This was more nerve-racking than the previous six callbacks of singing and reading lines. They were judging her ability to make them laugh; but her outgoing personality shined, proving to the directors that she deserved the part. Her director, who also directed Spider-Man on Broadway, ended up forwarding her contact information to one of his connections on Broadway. Thus earning her an audition for their production of Sound of Music. “I kept trying out for things and it kept getting bigger and bigger,” said Walstrom. “Once I hit the professional level at Starlight, the next step was Broadway.” Walstrom woke up at 7 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 23 in New York City. In the midst of blizzard Jonas, she managed to make it to her audition early after trudging in the deep snow

MAKING ITBIG

for blocks. She wore the same red dress she wore to her Starlight audition two years ago; bright and red to catch the judges’ eyes. She sat for two hours in the silent waiting room, unable to practice. Her body fluttered with nerves. First being measured at 5’1”, then belting out “Do Re Mi” in front of the directors, she was thanked and left. After nailing her audition, she found out she was half an inch too tall for the role of Louisa. After the audition was over, Walstrom was happy with her performance and accepting of not getting the part. When she stepped on that Broadway stage, she knew she would be back again. It was important for Walstrom to gain Broadway experience, for she plans on meeting with an agent in New York in March who specializes in helping young actors and actresses reach their goals. “Broadway is my ultimate dream,” said Walstrom. “I know it’s a long shot, but it would be worth it.”

en. That’s the number of contenders lined up against each of the four walls in the dark grey room sitting in front of a producer. Each contestant had high hopes to getting the red card, the card that would indicate an advancement to the next audition. Junior Haley Lynch decided to try out for “The Voice” after her mom’s suggestion. Lynch prepared for two months before arriving to Houston, TX on Jan. 9 to compete against 6,000 other people. In addition to “The Voice”, Haley has sung in competitions such as KC Superstar, a local competition similar to American Idol. In last year’s contest, Haley placed eleventh out of 20, only one spot away from moving onto the final round. Haley said this was her inspiration for auditioning for the Voice. Haley and Tiffany, Haley’s mom, stood in lines lasting for up to four hours to be randomly sectioned off into groups with other contenders. Each upcoming group stood waiting in the hallway for the previous auditioners, anticipating to see someone walking out with a red card. “‘The Voice’ is a well-oiled machine and everything moved smoothly,” Tiffany said. “We were mostly excited, but as the lines became smaller we got more nervous.” Each contestant in the group had a number on

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written by MARTI FROMM

NSE

MMO

written by LIZZIE KAHLE

Junior learns about ‘show biz’ through trying out for The Voice

A SI y AV tos b

Freshman dreams of being on Broadway

their card indicating who they were, which was then given to the producer. Whichever card the producer picked first indicated the first auditioner. Haley’s number was the first drawn in her group. “It was kind of scary to be the first one picked because you don’t get to base it off of anyone else’s. It’s just you,” Haley said. After about 30 seconds of Adele’s “Don’t You Remember”, the producer cut Haley off due to 30 second time limits. According to Haley, the most important part of picking your own song is to pick one with your strengths, and she was unable to get to the bridge of the song to show her strongest asset: her ability to belt very high notes. Although Haley did not walk away with a red card, she walked away with an incredible experience that taught her about more competitive auditions other than local competitions. “It really gave me some insight on what ‘show biz’ is like,” Haley said. “I just wanted to audition to give myself an idea of what it’s like auditioning for such a big competition.” Even though she was unable to reach the next round with the blazing lights and the celebrity judges, according to Haley it was the experience of a lifetime. She has never wanted to take up singing as a profession more than she does now. Haley’s sister and sophomore Annie Lynch still perceives her sister as an incredibly positive influence even though she didn’t move on to the next round. “I hear her singing in her room before bed every night,” Annie said. “It’s really cool she knows what she wants to do so early in her life.”

MEGAN

HALEY

After a shattered urinal led to a Club Baño suspension, old and new members reminisce on their time with Club Baño and the tradition they developed

written by CLAIRE POTTENGER

nitially, he thought it was a joke. “Hey Thomas! I’m a news producer at KCTV5. We’d love to chat with you today about your GoFundMe on the urinal at East.” There was no way this woman could be a news producer, much less want to talk to him about how he broke a urinal. But upon further inspection of her profile, he realized it was legit. Two hours later the news crew arrived at his apartment. The segment aired the next day on Jan. 25. Senior Thomas Allegri broke the urinal in the south fourth floor boys bathroom during a Club Baño, ten days before KCTV5 interviewed him.

Baño occurs during passing periods on game days, cramming as many boys as possible into every last square inch of the school bathroom. Music blasting, the boys jump while pumping their fists aggressively into the air. All while shouting a variety of chants, but mainly including the most important of all, “Baño! Baño! Baño!”, to get pumped up for the upcoming games. Allegri had decided to claim his place for Baño; that day it was the urinal. Using toilets, urinals and sinks wasn’t a new concept to allow more boys to cram into the small space. But the moment his entire weight shifted onto the urinal – it came down fast,

shattering. The broken pieces were by second hour, and shortly after, thirteen boys were called to the office. They were informed that the destruction would cost an estimation of $500. All boy winter athletes would be suspended, unless the perpetrator came forward. It didn’t take long for Allegri to take the blame. His punishment would be a one day suspension, and he had to pay for the damages and labor to install a new urinal. But that wasn’t the extent of the repercussions from the incident. Baño was declared by Principal John McKinney as being too destructive and

disruptive, and the five-year-tradition came to an end. To help pay off the damages for the urinal, Allegri created a GoFundMe page after a teacher suggested the idea. As what happened to Allegri spread through Facebook, the amount of money quickly began to rise. “I heard from random Facebook posts [about Baño being over], and I honestly was pretty bummed about it,” alumni Will Cray said. “It seems to me like a fairly harmless, and original event that was certainly one of the salient memories when I reflect on high school.” Hours went by and the page filled

Previous Baño members discuss the times they shared and their outlook on the future

THOMAS ALLEGRI // 2016 Thomas Allegri

Noah Miller

“I obviously understand why the administration has banned it due to the possibility of someone being hurt by the broken urinal, and technically it was vandalism on my part, but I feel like the administration should bring it back and put a few responsible seniors in charge to enforce new rules that make the whole experience safer.”

Peter Griffith

NOAH MILLER // 2015 “It’s just disappointing the administration is being put in a position where they need to disallow such a unique and lasting tradition.” Ryan Carter

with donations ranging anywhere between $5 to $40, some people even left comments including messages from alumni, demanding the boys “don’t let the baño die.” But according to McKinney, who made the formal decision to end the club, it is a permanent change. He felt that the club’s disruptiveness had grown – boys were beginning to leave class five, up to even 15 minutes early, even pulling each other out of class ‘get a good spot for the Baño. Not to mention, the blasting music and commotion causing distractions for classes near the bathroom. Then, after the destruction of property occurred, the cons greatly outweighed the pros. And while breaking the urinal was an

by allowing Baño to continue, administrators were creating an environment where those type of accidents were more likely to occur says McKinney “I would be the last person who would try to do away with a tradition that benefits students and benefits the school,” McKinney said. “But when school property gets destroyed because of a tradition we need to look more closely.” The tradition began in the fall of 2011 by then seniors, Zach Colby and Mark Mergner. The idea struck Mergner after both boys walked by a classroom having a class party. They began spreading the word through

accident,

CB Mitch Kaskie

Zach Colby

Facebook, Twitter and word-ofmouth. The club immediately gained popularity; ten members became 20, and 20 quickly became 40. “It was the golden age of Baño,” Colby said. “We had speakers, strobe lights, 50 plus Bañogoers and the people loved it.” Allegri says, although it may sounds odd, Baño was much more than just a group of boys fist bumping to the song “Sandstorm.” “It’s the spirit of Baño that makes it,” Allegri said. “It sounds like a really stupid idea until you become apart of it and it’s just a fun way to become a part of the school.” Senior Hayes Hendricks agrees, and feels like that aspect is what really made it special and a long-lasting tradition. “I know that sounds cliche, but there are some random people in there that you have never seen before in high school just having a lot of fun,” Hendricks said. “It really is a camaraderie thing, especially on game day.” And it was that same feeling of camaraderie that prompted past and current Bañogoers to donate to help Allegri raise the $500 for the damages done to the urinal. As one of the boys that was called into the office after the urinal shattered, Hendricks understands the reasoning

PETER GRIFFITH // 2015

behind the discontinuation, but still thinks that the tradition shouldn’t end. He feels that suspension for participating is unfair, especially for future grades, who will never get to take part in the tradition and experience the energy and spirit that made Baño what it was. Freshmen Abe Laughlin only got to experience one Baño – the last one. He wishes he had gotten to take part in more, but is not deterred by the banning. He says he and his friends have already discussed ways to try and bring back Baño in the future when they are upperclassmen. And according to Allegri, beginning new traditions has also been discussed. But he also knows living up to Club Baño will be difficult. And with the urinal only costing $390, the boys have discussed using the leftover $110 to create a plaque to commemorate the legacy of Baño. They want it to hang over the new urinal that replaced the shattered one. But even though Baño’s during school passing period are over, Colby remains faithful in the strong tradition he helped found. “I don’t think the tradition is coming to an end,” Colby said. “Sure maybe it won’t be ‘allowed’ but Baño will live on forever in the hearts and minds of the thousands of kids who have participated.”

“If there was one thing I could say to the administration is to be a little understanding, yes property was damaged but if everything was paid for, what is the point in banning the tradition? it’s something all guys looked forward to on gamedays in order to hype everything up. One accident shouldn’t cause a tradition that has been going on since 2011 to be brought to an end. It’s a damn disgrace. #ForeverBaño”

RYAN CARTER // 2014 “You’re not gonna believe this but Burns one time started drinking the urinal water. So that’s my favorite [Baño memory]. To Higgins I must say he shouldn’t shut [Baño] down unless he leads one final but glorious Club Baño.”

MITCH KASKIE // 2012 “My favorite Baño moment was my senior year. One of my former teachers happened to be using the facilities while we were about to start clubbing. He specifically told Alex Goldman not to start the music until he was done, which was immediately disobeyed. The teacher in question was not at all amused and exchanged a word or two with Goldman.”

ZACH COLBY // 2011 The Friday before a big game we had massive baños during every passing period. After lunch seniors came back in various costumes and the day concluded with an epic baño on the basketball court after the pep assembly. It’s obviously sad to see baño go. But it’s spirit will live on forever. Baño was a very spur of the moment thing that snowballed into something much larger and eventually into an awesome and fun tradition.

Art teacher Jodie Schnackenberg leads a Pound exercise class and motivates others through her passion for art and music photo by MADDIE SMILEY

SCHNACKENBERG’S PLAYLIST A sneak peak into some of Schnackenberg’s favorite songs

PLAY Wishing Well

FOLLOW Terence Trent D’Arby

First Day of My Life

Bright Eyes

Woman (Mstekrft Remix)

Wolfmother

Burning House Death Drive (feat. KLP) Lola Mantez Chloroform Heart is Full Hey Sconestors! I can’t take it Pancho and Lefty Mercy

Cam What So Not Volbeat Phoenix Miike Snow The Cribs Dillion Francis Emmylou Harris TV on the Radiow

written by DAISY BOLIN

rt teacher Jodie Schnackenberg leans back, her jam out to during the day, I get to be myself 100 percent abs squeezing to keep her upper body raised and really just go at it,” Schnackenberg said. from the floor. Her chest and arms gleam with The reverb draws her mind and body into the sweat as she twists her torso left to right while banging workout, firing her up to finish strong. Her gravelly two neon green drum sticks to the floor on either side voice calling words of encouragement inspire the of her. Twenty women follow Schnackenberg’s lead, middle aged women in the room to do the same. Even working to keep up with her pace. through drilling her muscles for the last 30 seconds, “One, two, three, pound! One, two, three, pound!” she’s able to muster a scream for the ladies to go hard Schnackenberg encourages. and “work the booty.” Every day Schnackenberg *** suits up to teach a different Back in room 205, Schnacks is not afraid to say how she feels workout class. One day cycling, about something, but she doesn’t limit Schnackenberg chants along anyone’s creativity in this room. To me, she’s a to “We Came To Party,” filling the next it’s boot camp, then real artist, not just a teacher.” step and strength training. But the room with a vibe similar — said sophomore Sidney Embry to that in pound. Students in there’s nothing she loves more than teaching pound, a workout her painting class glance up at class using drumsticks to add rhythm to the exercise. Schnackenberg as she swirls the pink and white acrylic The intense workout is located at Fusion Fitness and paint around in a small plastic dish. Woodside Tennis and Racket Club. Carefully she studies her painting and proceeds Sweat drips from Schnackenberg’s chin as she to apply the powdery pink blob to the canvas covered shakes her head side to side, her dark bangs swinging in dolls and flowers. Periodically, she parts from her to the beat of the music. She bats her eyes shut and own work of art and weaves her way between tables to belts out a line from “Killing In The Name” just before observe her students progress. the bass drops and thunderous drumming ensues. “Schnacks is not afraid to say how she feels about Her drenched tank-top reveals the tattoo art etched something but she doesn’t limit anyone’s creativity in on her shoulder, squashing together and stretching back this room,” sophomore Sidney Embry said. “To me, out with every motion. The mirrors lining the workout she’s a real artist not just a teacher.” room reflect every angle of Schnackenberg’s pulsing Schnackenberg leaves her seventh hour painting body. She bops to the rhythm, pounding the drumsticks class still bumping to the beat. The vibe from pound to the floor as hard as she can. The unweighted sticks buzzes through her every ligament. Between teaching serve both a physical and mental purpose. The hitting art and pound, Schnackenberg is able to incorporate and clanking together of the sticks causes a vibration music into all forms of art. She leaves them feeling the that, combined with music, literally creates “good same passionate vibes that she’ll return with the next vibes” according to Schnackenberg. day. “The music in pound is similar to the type I like to

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THE PEOPLE ARE THIRSTY

written by MICHAEL KRASKE

East alumni open Tom’s Town, their successful 1920’s themed liquor distillery

THEY ARE DRINKING

Tom’s Town manufactures three types of their own liquor

Not only does their friendship go back to their earliest memories in life, but so does their collaboration in business. Recently, Epstein discovered a business card that the two made back in fourth grade. “It was for a company called Easy Roller,” Epstein said. “Neither of us remember what it was exactly. But we were always creating. And that’s the thing about entrepreneurship. If you’re creative, if you have that creative mindset, it lends itself to that because everyday is so different.” Back in their high school days at East, David was the Student Council President; Steve was his VP.

We were always creating. And that’s the thing about entrepreneurship. If you’re creative... it lends itself to that because everyday is so different — said owner David Epstein “I believe collaboration works,” Epstein said. “I know that there’s a million entrepreneurs that’ll tell you it’s your way or the highway, but that has never been for me, the way that I can operate. I have a high level of ADD, and I love change. Steve is an eagle scout, family of five, church-going. That’s just not who I am, so really our differences tends to smooth the edges, and it’s really worked.” Tom’s Town opened nearly a month ago and has seen instant success. Although they won’t be able to start

U RB O

WHAT

ast graduates David Epstein and Steve Revare have been best friends since their second-grade-days at Briarwood elementary. After learning of their family connections to Tom Pendergast, the man who ran the Pendergast political machine in Kansas City during the 1920s and 30s, the two were inspired to open Tom’s Town Distillery. The brand new liquor distillery off 18th and Main St. in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri celebrates the Pendergast/Prohibition era and what Kansas City was all about during that time. Epstein’s grandfather was a bootlegger during this era, whom Pendergast ran out of business. Revare’s great uncle, Mo Mulligan, was President Franklin Roosevelt’s hand-picked attorney, who locked Pendergast away in prison, ending the Pendergast political machine in Kansas City. Their family connections to Pendergast sparked an interest for both Epstein and Revare; one that would result in the creation Tom’s Town just a couple of years later. This isn’t the first business venture for the duo; they ran an ad agency together in New York City from 19952000 that was bought out after five years. For the next six years, the duo parted ways, working apart for one of the first times in their lives. “At that point, I kept talking to Steve about this renaissance that was happening in KC,” Epstein said. “And we talked about how it’s not really the first time KC has had a renaissance, it’s the second time- the Pendergast era was the first.”

corn & wheat

90 proof

“Pendergast’s Royal Gold Bourbon is a smooth and rich 10-year-old bourbon, with notes of vanilla and cherry.”

G IN

juniper berries

photos by KAITLYN STRATMAN

distributing their liquor for another 6 months due to the aging process not being complete, Tom’s Town is open Wednesday through Saturday evenings, essentially as a high-end bar -- one similar to those found in Kansas City during the Pendergast era. “We’ve even had to hire security on weekend nights,” Epstein said. “We’re going to have to get a velvet rope and stuff at the front, which I suppose is a sign of our initial success, which is much better than we could have ever anticipated.” The design of Tom’s Town was inspired by the Pendergast period. Everything from the furniture to the goat taxidermy on the walls (a symbol for Pendergast’s “goat” gang) allow customers to live in the 20s, when, according to Epstein, “Kansas City was the Vegas of its time.” “We wanted you to step into here and think of Gatsby,” Revare said. “Our art decorator came out here and toured all the artsy buildings in KC, we wanted that KC spirit. So everything was based on design, from the product to the brand.” Tom’s Town offers three main beverages -- vodka, gin and bourbon, all drinks that were prevalent in Kansas City during the Pendergast era. “With the booze and spirits, it’s just as much about the story as it is about the drink itself,” Epstein said.

information courtesy www.tomstown.com

90 proof

“McElroy’s Corruption Gin is a complex, spicy and botanical New Western style gin.”

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D UGHNUT Trendy bar and restaurant in Westport serves unique and affordable doughnut-based brunch written by SARAH WILCOX

alking into the new Doughnut Lounge in the heart of Westport, I was pleasantly greeted by the sweet aroma of baked doughnuts and the sound of Childish Gambino playing through the speakers. Separated by two levels, the lower tier of the restaurant is filled with metal chairs and grey wooden tables. The upper tier consists of a doughnut display case, and a bar. Light bulbs attached to long black cords hang from the ceiling above the tables. Outfitted with a black ceiling, a brick wall and neon yellow couches, the lounge is contemporary, yet cozy. It has achieved the perfect atmosphere for a doughnut lounge. The menu hanging on the wall in front of me was overwhelmingly filled with all sorts of coffee, drinks, doughnuts and the lounge’s signature “noduts” – part entree, part doughnut. Noduts are a sweet and savory combination: a doughnut paired with an unexpected savory food, like fried chicken or braised beef. From behind the counter, an employee wearing a maroon flannel and a beanie told me a few of their flavors: Red Velvet, Maple Bacon, Tres Leches, the Dolly (which has a goat cheese filling) and the classics like Glazed and Iced Chocolate. The nodut of the day was called Glazed n’ Gravy. All of the doughnuts were homemade and had their own toppings. I knew Doughnut Lounge’s pastries would give my regular Krispy Kreme favorites a run for their money. I examined each doughnut through the glass before deciding which ones I wanted most. I couldn’t help but order more than one and eventually decided on the Red Velvet, Double Chocolate and the nodut. The two signature doughnuts I bought were each $3 and the nodut was $6. The prices were reasonable considering how darling they looked. Between my friends and I, we had six different doughnuts and one nodut to try – I was ready to dig in. The first one I tried was called Strawberry Mascarpone. Decorated with a sliced strawberry and powdered sugar on top, this one looked the most appealing. I bit into the soft doughnut and tasted the berry-flavored filling immediately. The pink filling oozing from the sides almost made the doughnut hard to eat, but it didn’t matter because it tasted so delicious. Satisfied, I moved onto

doughnut number two. The next doughnut I had was the one I was most excited to taste: Maple Bacon. It seemed like an odd combination, bacon with doughnuts, but I was definitely willing to give it a try. Before taking a bite, I smelled the crispy strip bacon laid on top of the long doughnut. I was expecting a bacon flavor to be in the doughnut itself, but only tasted a little saltiness among the sweet glazed flavor. I decided to move onto the next doughnut hoping it would be better than the last; little did I know I would try my favorite doughnut of the day. I took a bite of the Double Chocolate pastry and was not disappointed. The chocolate icing and colorful sprinkles enhanced the rich chocolatey flavor. I kept eating until I realized I needed to save room for my other doughnuts. I moved onto what I saw as an overlooked doughnut – the Old Fashioned. It looked like a glazed funnel cake, twisting in different directions, but came together in a perfect ring. This doughnut had a crispier edge, but the inside was soft and fluffy. It had a different texture and taste than a regular doughnut, but I liked it. Excited, I moved onto the next doughnut, convinced I would love it. I realized I may have spoke too soon after tasting the Red Velvet. I was looking forward to this doughnut since it’s my favorite kind of cupcake, but this didn’t live up to my expectations. It was appealing on the outside, decorated with icing and crushed pecans, but the doughnut itself didn’t have any flavor. It tasted just like bread. Still I had one doughnut left to try – Tres Leches. Not knowing what to expect, I bit into the golden brown doughnut with white icing. The sweet icing had a cinnamon flavor that tasted delicious with the doughnut. It had the perfect combination of cinnamon and sugar in every bite. But I still had one last thing to try– the nodut. An entree with a doughnut. I had never heard of anything like it, yet I found myself practically drooling over the Glazed n’ Gravy nodut. A few minutes after I sat down, a worker came out calling my name and handed me my plate full of food with silverware. My plate included a glazed doughnut with a fried egg on top and crispy sausage bits on the side. I dug in. All three

expectations, and I would recommend it for anyone looking for a sweet (or savory) breakfast. The charming ambience and delightful doughnuts had me planning another trip back to the Doughnut Lounge.

BELOW | With a selection of beer, wine and signature cocktails, the Lounge serves drinks any time of day

photos by ELLIE THOMA ABOVE | From bottom left, clockwise: Maple Bacon, Strawberry Mascarpone, Doucble Chocolate, Red Velvet, Old Fashioned RIGHT | Maple Donut

VERD CT: DOUGHNUT LOUNGE HARBINGER

LOUNGE

components together tasted amazing. The sweetness of the doughnut with the savory egg and sausage paired perfectly. The nodut is a delicious way to bring the aspect of a meal to the lounge, giving it individuality. I felt like I had a balanced breakfast, not just a sugary doughnut. I enjoyed most of the doughnuts I tried, especially the nodut. I really enjoyed the Old Fashioned, but the Double Chocolate was what won me over. My favorite doughnuts were all classics, and I was somewhat disappointed with the signature doughnuts, especially the Red Velvet. To my own surprise, I enjoyed the nodut. It has features of a regular breakfast while incorporating what the Doughnut Lounge is known for, doughnuts. The unique flavor combinations of the doughnuts drew me to this lounge – and they didn’t disappoint. Overall, the lounge lived up to my

ABOVE LEFT | Cashier takes order in front of the bar where the different flavors are displayed ABOVE RIGHT | Doused in sausage gravy, a glazed doughnut is sprinkled with sausage gravy and sage

PRICE RANGE ATMOSPHERE ADDRESS WEBSITE

$ $$ $$$ CASUAL MEDIUM FORMAL 4117 Pennsylvania Ave, Kansas City, MO 64111 doughnutlounge.com

RECOMMENDED FOR: Anyone with a taste for chocolate – the double chocolate doughnut.

4/5 STARS

P L A NAT I N G MURDERER The thrill of a Netflix documented mystery draws in viewers

written by ANNIE JONES

“H

ere they come,” a voice says behind a shaking home video camera, “after eighteen years.” Fuzzy footage of 41-year-old Steven Avery’s homecoming flashes onto the screen. Avery mutters in a thick Wisconsin accent, “Oh, hello”, as he steps out of a car to a welcoming crowd of newscasters. They swarm him while he embraces his family and flashes his wide smile to everyone. It was the opening clip of “Making a Murderer” and I was already flushed with questions. After being convicted of sexual assault in 1985, Steven Avery was released when DNA evidence exonerated him and proved

photos by GRACE PADON he wasn’t the man who raped fellow Manitowoc citizen, Penny Beerntsen. Eighteen years spent in prison missing the birth of his child, countless birthdays and the raising of his children, all for some horrific crime he didn’t even commit. “Making a Murderer” was already making me tear up on behalf of a convicted rapist. The 10-part Netflix original docuseries was more shocking than the infamous season 6, episode 23 of Grey’s Anatomy (non-Grey’s fans, you won’t get it). I was torn while watching Meredith get shot at, but even more while I watched our justice system turn one man into the most unlucky person in the U.S. The title “Making a Murderer” reflects

the general question brought on by the series about an uneducated man battling with law enforcement for three decades. Was he made into a murderer by evidence planted on him? The war started when Avery was let out of prison in 2003 following the Beertsen incident in 1985. Avery filed a lawsuit but settled for petty cash Two years after the lawsuit, Avery was again caught up with law enforcement when he was charged with murder. It was all too familiar to Avery – certain evidence (clearly planted by the sheriffs) was found in the Avery Auto Salvage Yard and after a two-year trial, he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Avery really couldn’t get a break and at this point, being wrongfully convicted twice in 22 years. The series presented two major questions that were incredibly hard to answer: did Avery murder Teresa after being conformed into a criminal while in prison? Or was he literally made into a murderer, suggesting that Manitowoc law enforcement framed Avery because of the embarrassment caused by their first screwup and costing them $36 million. The drama of the show is clear while listening to spiels of the lawyers claiming

4/5 STARS

le found o h d e iz -s a needle le tube by his s a w e r e p Th lood sam od was taken b ’s y r e v blo in A ggesting u s , s r e y law . a syringe out with in Teresa d n u o f s lood wa was also Avery’s b ar. Halbach’s car alvage c S Halbach’s in the Avery Auto . g it ed discover ee limbs coverin tr yard with

Teresa Halbach’s car key was found in plain sight on day 8 of the search, not the first, at Avery’s tr ailer. The eighth day was the first day Manitowoc official started partic ipating in the search.

ed re found charr e w s e n o b ’s h Halbac very’s trailer. A d in h e b it p in a burn es were found n o b s h c a lb a H Not all of e. at the burn sit

their view on the case, making this show a total thriller. Piles of evidence for and against Avery was shoved at me in every episode. I went back and forth every 20 minutes, thinking he was guilty then thinking he was innocent. I struggled to make up my mind. The engrossing show kept me up late every night, watching episode after episode, messing with my sleep schedule even more. I developed a craving for the show, forcing my fingers to quickly click on the next one. At the end of the week it took me to watch it, I was left with countless questions about Avery. I debated with myself for a while, going through the facts in my head. At the end of my self-discussion I found myself believing 100 percent that Avery was an innocent man tangled up in a poor justice system for 30 years of his life. I grabbed my phone as soon as the screen on my laptop went black and Googled “Steven Avery”. Avery is still in jail, still fighting and still claiming he is innocent eight years into his sentence. I found a petition online and signed it immediately to release the poor man that I felt I knew personally.

, und multiple fo s m a te h le Searc es with fema it s rn u b te m separa iles away fro m m e th in bones ith erty along w p ro p ’s s in ry e v A ls with bone e rr a b n o ti a es transport that the bon g n ti in h , ll e them as w pread at the s d n a d e rr . were transfe by someone y rt e p ro p Avery

Teresa Halba ch’s car keys found in Avery’s bed room on the eighth day o the search c f ontained so me of Avery DNA (blood ’s ).

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THE

CAST CINDERELLA SAVANNA WORTHINGTON

FAIRY GODMOTHER CHLOE KERWIN

PRINCE CHARMING CHARLIE JENSEN

STEPMOTHER NATALIE KAUFMANN

STEPSISTERS HALEY LYNCH GRACE CHISHOLM

KING TYLER ARMER

QUEEN HANNAH ELDRED

4.5/5 STARS

FIT

East winter musical, Cinderella, exceeds expectations in casting, sets and performance written by GRACIE KOST

very light in the auditorium was off except for the spotlight on center stage, ready for showtime. Behind the curtain, the whole cast was fully mic’d and prepared for rehearsal. And there I sat, alone in the auditorium ready to watch the tech musical rehearsal in full swing with everything except costumes. This year’s musical is Cinderella. The show will be performed at 7 p.m. on Feb. 11-13, with a 2 p.m. matinee on Feb. 13. The production follows the same plot as the familiar story: Cinderella has to tend to her step-family’s every need until her fairy godmother transforms her into a beautiful princess ready for the ball. The only extension to the plot is the Prince’s point of view towards the ball and Cinderella. Despite the occasional rerun of dance numbers, the show was fabulous. Scenery, music and acting was seemingly immaculate. The directors cast all of the main roles faultlessly, from senior Charlie Jensen as the respectable Prince Charming to sophomore Grace Chisholm as a bubbly, obnoxious stepsister. Chisholm was bouncing around stage speaking every word in her nasally voice, while Jensen was being polite to his mom and making courtious conversation with all the maidens in the town at the Ball. Cinderella is played by sophomore Savanna Worthington. Worthington is perfect for the part because she starts out shy at the beginning of the story but slowly starts to become more outgoing and personable which causes the prince to fall for her. From the getgo, Cinderella is thrown under the bus by her step-family, forced to do chores and otherwise disregarded. As the story unravels, Cinderella begins to realize her potential, and that’s clearly evident. Throughout her songs her personality enhances as the audience becomes aware of the self-discovery.

The moment the prince lays his eyes on Cinderella, the actors make sure the spark between the two of them is inevitable. As the characters spend more time together, the connection grows until the end of the story at the wedding scene. Whether they are dancing arm-inarm at the ball or even just talking to their family about their newly found significant other, their feelings for each other are practically oozing out their ears. From cupboard to courtyard, the backgrounds are miraculously made. The scenes were mainly set in the ballroom or in Cinderella’s house, both of which looked exactly as I pictured while I was growing up. Cinderella’s house is a small wooden cottage with only a stone fireplace and wooden table with chairs. The simplicity of the set was perfect because it allowed for more of a focus on the music and acting. The castle’s high ceilings and tiled ballroom floor met with walls lined by huge windows looking out into the painted “courtyard.” One thing that stood out to me was the stagecoach that Cinderella rides to the ball in. It looked like one of the horse-drawn carriages on the Plaza, equipped with lights and all. Transitions were still a little bit rough and lengthy but understandably so, because it was just a run through. There were strategically placed dancers onstage during the changeups, so these transitions went practically unnoticed. And as far as the music and dancing goes, two thumbs up. The pit orchestra did a phenomenal job with the music incorporated in each scene,

sparkling in and fading out. It sounded like a CD or recording was playing because of how smooth and practiced the music was. Of the multiple songs and dance numbers, one that stood out was “In My Own Little Corner”, Cinderella’s solo about always being home and having huge daydreams before she gets transformed into a breathtaking princess. Overall, I would give East’s production of Cinderella 4.5 out of 5 stars.The only reason I would knock stars off is because I didn’t get to see the show full out, without pauses and with costumes. Even without these features, everything from actors to lighting was phenomenal. I can’t wait to see the completed production with hair, makeup and all. The musical will definitely be something to look forward to, and I would highly recommend seeing it to support East theatre.

A WEEKEND

written by CAROLINE HEITMANN photos by HAILEY HUGHES I see their videos constantly in my news feed. These minute long videos have everything from mini caramel apple tarts to a seven-layer steak sandwich. The Facebook page Tasty has over 35 million likes, and its popularity continues to grow. Whatever food it is, the recipe always look quick, easy and delicious. Which is why I was excited to try four recipes and see if it’s all it advertises.

CREAM CHE

ESE STUFFE

BAGEL BITE S

The video for the bagel bites showed dough soft enough to sleep on, but that wasn’t the case for me – mine was tough and hard to work with. This could be because I couldn’t find malt syrup at the grocery store and had to use malt vinegar instead, but that was out of my control. I didn’t love these bagels. The portability of the bite was a good idea, but the flavor was not there. It was a bland and lumpy ball of dough with too much cream cheese in the middle. In fact, after only one, I felt a little sick and had to wash it down with orange juice.

PULL-APAR T

GARLIC ROL

A simple recipe, all I had to do was cut up Pillsbury biscuits and mix them with garlic, parsley and mozzarella. When I saw the cheese browning and becoming crispy, I took them out, even though it was early. As a result, my soft, buttery roll was now bland and hard. The rolls get kudos for being photogenic though, with parsley flakes and a golden top.

TA S A P T U N PEA

D A L A S E NOODL

I’ll admit, I was a little nervous making this dish. I have a low spice tolerance, and the spicy red color of the sauce from the sriracha was intimidating. And indeed, the first bites made my mouth scream for milk. Since the pasta was somewhat healthy — it had chopped veggies after all — I justified some chocolate milk. One bite ginger, the next peanut butter, I found the flavors delicious and complementary. Plus, I was impressed to find a spicy dish I enjoyed.

W O L L A M H S MAR

S T A E R T S SMORE’ Melted marshmallows are a sticky mess. Making the treats, I had to race to mix the rapidly hardening white goop with crushed graham crackers before it turned rock solid. The stress was worth it though. The video had boasted of perfection: soft marshmallow and gooey chocolate, and the treats didn’t disappoint. Every bite made me feel the fire on my toes as I roasted marshmallows for s’mores in the summer.

For the most part, I was pleased with the Tasty recipes. They definitely checked off the box for delicious – most of the time at least. However, I had to buy a bunch of ingredients for the “effortless” recipes, which wasn’t fun. Plus, the quick videos set unrealistic expectations, as I cooked for about two and a half hours straight to make four recipes. I forgive them though, because their no-bake Nutella cheesecake is next on my list, even if it will take me a while.

WONDER LAND

Keep the long winter months busy with these activities found around Kansas City

written by GRACE PADON

here is a time between winter break and spring break where nothing is really going on. A three month span where Mother Nature can’t decide if it will snow five inches or if it will be 60 degrees out. These are the months where you would much rather be tanning on a beach in Mexico or at a ski resort in Vail, instead of waking up at 6 a.m. every morning to the distant memory of winter break. This is third quarter. Luckily, third quarter is filled with three-day weekends thanks to holidays, conferences and school improvement days. While an extra day sounds great, it still isn’t enough time to get a full vacation in. This is when a staycation is useful. For most teenagers, an extra day off of school is ample time for watching a season of their favorite show on Netflix. Of the 221 students who were surveyed, 62 percent said that a Netflix day was their favorite indoor activity. If you wanted to make a day of it, you and friends could pop some popcorn, order Minsky’s and watch movies. Being wrapped up in blankets, sipping hot cocoa from your favorite mug and binge watching New Girl on Netflix seems like a perfect day, but if you’re willing to go out in the cold, there is plenty to do around KC. 38 percent of voters said their favorite outdoor activity was to go ice skating. Two of the more popular ice skating venues, “The Ice” at Park Place and the Crown Center Ice Terrace, are

open until at least the middle of February, leaving plenty of time to pick up some new ice skating tricks before the season ends. Kansas City isn’t exactly known for its mountain ranges and ski slopes, but Snow Creek has twelve ski runs with varying levels of difficulty, perfect for the occasional skier or snowboarder. If you’re not as coordinated, you might want to stick to tubing. Snow Creek is home to “Tornado Alley,” a tubing hill with five, 700foot slopes that have varying bumps and steepness. Tubing is perfect for groups because you all share the challenge of holding onto each other’s tubes for dear life. When the red cheeks from the cold air and the grumbling tummies begin, voters’ favorite type of food to eat in the winter is comfort food. Anna’s Oven is a restaurant that serves the perfect winter meals: homemade lasagna, meatloaf, and chicken pot pie. Anna’s Oven will fill your heart as well as your stomach. Of all profits made at Anna’s Oven, 50 percent go towards supporting education in places where it might not otherwise thrive, such as an underdeveloped, all girls school in Kapkemich, Kenya. So, when the winter mornings of the third quarter start to kick in, take a staycation on one of the many three day weekends and go skiing, get some comfort food, or have a chill day at home with some friends catching up on your favorite show.

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Sophomore Karson Kendall was given the opportunity to come to the US from the Virgin Islands to play for the Sporting KC junior team written by SEAMUS CARROLL

ophomore Karson Kendall waits for his soccer coach in the sweltering heat of St. Thomas, Virgin Island. He does his pre-practice routine by himself on a soccer field littered with rocks and ankle-twisting holes. Kendall moved to St. Thomas from Phoenix, Arizona when he was six years old and enrolled in a kids’ soccer clinic, which sparked his passion for soccer. “He works very hard. Sometimes you need to stop him and say enough is enough,” Ahmed Muhammad, his private coach from St. Thomas, said. “If you told him to practice five days he would come five days and give 200 percent.” Kendall caught Muhammad’s eye because of his size, speed and athleticism. The pair have been training together since last May. “He was a real talent who needed a challenge,” Muhammad said. When the opportunity came for Kendall to leave St. Thomas and move to Kansas to play for the Sporting Academy U-16 club, he sprung at the chance. Muhammad, who had previously worked with a Sporting Academy coach, arranged for Kendall to fly to Kansas City. However, moving meant he would leave his family and friends and live with a host family. “Since moving it has been really hard not seeing my parents every day,” Kendall said. “I have to wake up and find my rides to places, I have to make my breakfast, lunch and sometimes dinner because that isn’t my host family’s responsibility. They are kind of like my roommates more than

written by BROOKLYN TERRILL

lthough he always pushes his swimmers to be their best, assistant swim coach Colby Dischinger doesn’t define his success as a coach by the number of wins he holds under his belt. Building up personal relationships with the members of his team is something he considers vital to being a successful coach, and without this relationship he doesn’t believe he is doing his job correctly. For junior Joe McGuire, that means helping him learn to relax. After stepping down from the podium at state last year, in a state of mental and physical frustration, McGuire threw his sixth place medal into the pool. Having gone through a similar experience himself, Coach Colby pulled him to the side and calmed him down. “He’s said in the past that I am a lot like him when he was a swimmer in high school,” said McGuire. “We both get extremely frustrated when we don’t perform the way we want to. He’s helped me realize those bad swims have a meaning to them and they show you what you need to work on.” After receiving his masters degree in education from Indiana University, Colby returned to swimming as a coach for his alma mater, Blue Valley North, about ten years ago

OUR OPINION photo by CALLIE MCPHAIL

my parents.” After being pulled aside at the end of tryouts to hear he had made the team, he realized the sacrifice was worthwhile. Kendall’s tryout took place at the end of the summer. “I was pretty nervous on the plane, I threw up in the airport bathroom,” Kendall said. Once arriving in Kansas City, Kendall’s tryout was simple. He watched them play two games, walked through a couple practices and played in a game. “It was really high intensity and a lot of work. But I really liked it, it was very professional,” Kendall said. After the last day of practicing, the head coach approached Kendall to tell him that he made the team and they would love to have him come back and play. “I was kind of surprised when I made the team, all the players are crazy good,” Kendall said. Kendall went back to St. Thomas to complete his fall semester of school. He arrived in Kansas in early January, joining the team and enrolling at Shawnee Mission East. He now lives with a host family, newlyweds, Adam and Katie Walls. Welcomed by his Sporting Academy teammates, they spend a lot of time off the field, riding with each other to practice, getting food and going to the movies. “We all were like family before he came and are still like family with him. Just like adding an additional piece to the puzzle,” Blue Valley Northwest Freshman, Sheldon China said.

Passion POOL for the

Assistant swim coach, Colby Dischinger, was inspired to coach swim by his former swim coach and psychology teacher

Who is your favorite Sporting player? Dom Dwyer because he has really good foot work and scores some crazy awesome goals.

Kaylin McCan My favorite player is Matt Besler because he plays for USA national team.

Reser Hall I am a big fan of Matt Besler because he is a great defender and a local role model.

Chase Tetrick

photo courtesy of SMEHARBINGER.NET

finding inspiration in his high school coach and psychology teacher. Five years ago, he came to East to coach alongside Coach Wiley Wright. “He motivated me to push myself when I wanted to stop and that mentality has just carried over in life and it is something I am very appreciative and very thankful for,” Coach Colby said. “You could tell he would do anything for me and that made me want to swim through a wall for him. I want these kids to want to swim through a wall for me too.” Using this mentality for the past five years, Dischinger has gotten to experience the same thing with his own swimmers. He finds the joy in coaching when he sees the ABOVE | Colby gives instruction to a group of boys improvement of his swimmers over the course of the season swimmers at practice and for some, over the course of the past several years. Looking down into the pool, several members of the team laugh as freshman PJ Spencer attempts to throw his goggles over the flags – and Coach Colby joins in with them. It seems in moments like these that Coach Colby has followed in the footsteps of his former coach, building not only strong swimmers but strong friendships as well. “We look up to both Wiley and Colby, ” McGuire Said. “They’re the perfect duo. We’d swim on land for these two if we had to.”

ADVENTURES IN ATHLETICS Cheer and wrestling practice turn out to be difficult and exciting experiences written by JEMIMA SWINDLES & ANNA KANALEY

EST: 25 MINUTES

- Stretches

Splits, toe touches and lunges

- Jumps

Squats into jumps

- Planks

Holding push-up position

- Wall Sits

Squatting against a wall

BELOW | Swindles and Kanaley watch in disbelief as sophomore Alyssa Vuillemin demonstrates a move.

neck as far as it will go before it snaps, then rotate your body around your head. They call it ‘nexorcism.’ It looked brutal and felt brutal and supposedly strengthened your neck – but we were skeptical about this. Later, Coach Baker instructed freshman Billy Ruttan and senior Mike Bamford to work on some basic moves with us. We tried to do everything they told us; however half our mind was focusing on not crushing Ruttan. It was also hard to keep a straight face when our heads were on his butt, and we knew we were being photographed. When the boys started wrestling each other, we continued working on the basic moves we had tried earlier. Once we were at the point where we could complete a move, we tried live wrestling – though I, Anna, thought I won, technically neither of us succeeded in taking the other down. To finish the practice with a bang, we were all lined up along the wall and put into teams. Friday was game day – the best part of the wrestling week, according to the team. The teams were shirts vs. skins (we were shirts), and the game was basically rugby on your knees. We found ourselves being goalies, but honestly we were so terrified by the 30 shirtless wrestlers charging at us that we didn’t do a great job. However, the final score ended up being a not-so-shameful 4-3 loss, which we were both very surprised by. After practice, some of the team mentioned that they were in need of a varsity 120 lb wrestler and wanted to know if we were interested. Yeah, it was probably a joke, but we were secretly flattered they would’ve even joked about one of us as a varsity wrestler. We can safely say that both trainings were harder than we had expected. Neither of us found that cheer was our calling but who knows – maybe next year the wrestling team will have a new member.

photos by MORGAN BROWNING

WRESTLING WARMUP EST: 45 MINUTES - Suicide Sprints

Series of sprints back and forth

- Tumbling

Cartwheels, somersaults, etc.

- Three-Man Rolls

Rolling in jumping in braids

- Fireman’s Carry

Walking while holdng partner

Swindles and Kanaley’s difficulty ratings from one to ten

CHEER WARMUP

We learned several arm positions, including the ‘high V’, in which we somehow had to have our thumbs facing out, our arms tilted forward at a 45 degree angle, our shoulders clenched back and our arms straight – all while maintaining a smile that hid the pain. We struggled a lot with this supposedly ‘basic’ move. Ms. Gaunce, the head cheer coach, took us aside to learn chants along with motions. One of the chants we learned was Blue Black. It may have taken us around 14 tries, but we eventually got it. At the end of practice, the freshmen ran over their stunts, and they trusted us (for some unknown reason) to join in. We lifted up a freshman flyer and were surprisingly good at getting her in the air, but the struggle came with the dismount. Turns out it’s harder than it looks to throw a person in the air and catch them. It is safe to say that cheer was not our forté. We had a lot of fun but with the serious lack of flexibility and basic coordination, neither of us came out feeling like we had found a new talent. We decided that maybe wrestling was more our style. At 6:45 a.m. on a weekend, when we should have been sleeping in, we were instead walking into school, anxious and unprepared for what lay ahead of us at wrestling practice. Varsity wrestling coach Lucas Baker told us that because the team is at the end of an intense season, we could sit out when anything felt too difficult. We then made a pact with ourselves to at least try whatever they threw at us, no matter how terrible it was. And some of it was pretty terrible. We thought it was ironic that the wrestling team does more tumbling than the cheerleaders – cartwheels, forward rolls, round-offs and various handsprings. The stretches were the most terrifying, though. One in particular was a bridge where you put your head on the ground and bend your

INTENSE-O-METER

hallenged by The Harbinger staff to try two unfamiliar sports, we, Anna and Jemima, attempted cheering and wrestling for the first time. We are self-proclaimed newbies when it comes to these sports, but instead of shying away we plucked up the courage and decided to give in to the peppiness and glorified playground scrapping. Though we both play sports, neither of us were quite ready for the bruises, sweat and risk of mat herpes. Our first sport to try was cheer. We walked into the cafeteria for the JV/Freshmen practice naively thinking, “Cheerleading can’t be too hard. All they do is jump and yell, right?” Wrong. During the warm up, the leader of the stretches casually told the team to do the right, left and middle splits as if we were the super-stretchy Elastigirl from “The Incredibles.” We were left glancing at each other, suddenly realizing what we’d gotten ourselves into. But it’s not just the intense stretches that were hard; their simple stances are near impossible.

BELOW | Swindles and Kanaley laugh as they prepare to wrestle each other.

8 5 CHEER

WRESTLING

Senior wrestler’s impressive acheivment of 100 career wins has been a feat thirteen years in the making

ABOVE | Aldrich has his opponent locked during a match during the Paolo meet on Jan. 23 where he won his 100th match.

written by STEVEN ABRAMO

enior Michael Aldrich slams his entire body down on the mat. In mere seconds he will have to launch himself back up over a rolling partner. After several rounds, the repetitive process becomes exhausting. Once upright, Aldrich faintly utters “so tired” under his breath. But even through pain and fatigue, he powers through to finish the drill. Aldrich’s three hour practices might be seen as “grunt work” to most, but for a four-year varsity star, it’s a process that has perfected his craft over the years. A craft that’s led him to his 100th career win. Lucas Baker, first-year head wrestling coach, says that Aldrich’s 100-win milestone didn’t come as a surprise. “The hard work and dedication to his craft, by coming to practice every day and staying late, made him a better wrestler,” Baker said. Aldrich has been preparing for this moment since he first touched a mat 13 years ago. His dad, Brian Aldrich, and his coach remembered being stunned at his son’s first performance, seeing moves and holds that were beyond his training. “I’m proud of Michael and all that he’s accomplished. He has worked

hard for a long time to get to where his today,” Aldrich’s mother Nancy said. “By Michael starting wrestling at five-years-old helped him develop into a strong technical wrestler.” To feed his interest, Aldrich’s parents enrolled him in club teams. As Aldrich grew up, these small tournaments turned into packed 90 wrestler competitions, where Aldrich competed against some of the best throughout his middle school area. At the start of his freshman season in 2012, Aldrich was one of just two freshmen that made varsity. Once the first practice of his high school wrestling career was completed, he became overwhelmed immediately by the advanced pace of the practices. Aldrich felt intimidated by the 12 varsity upperclassmen wrestlers on the team. “It definitely was a difficult adjustment [from middle school to high school] to make,” Aldrich said. “You’ll take your lumps as a freshman and sophomore because you’re practicing with the upperclassmen daily, you’ll get better that way.” Aldrich struggled early on, earning his lowest win total for

a season, winning 19 out of 30. Despite the turbulent start, Aldrich ended up placing third at regionals and went on to qualify for state. In an attempt to improve on his past performances, Aldrich decided to attend off-season training in the summer, held in the morning at East. “I thought it’d be a good move to make. It would help me get better,” Aldrich said. The sessions that Aldrich attended improved his overall game, as he spent the time developing new moves, at times perfecting old ones. The results were immediate for Aldrich, who doubled his win total as a sophomore from 19 to 38 as a junior. This accumulation of wins boosted Aldrich’s confidence, and last year he placed at state for the first time. Currently, Aldrich, now a senior, is ranked fifth in all of 6A wrestling. Yet, after passing his 100 win milestone, Aldrich’s main goal is to place higher than 6th in state this March. Aldrich has four large-scale tournaments left on the schedule: district, league, regional and state. This means plenty of opportunities to bolster his career win total, which now stands at 102.

RIGHT ABOVE | Aldrich poses with his sister Katie Aldrich after being awarded a plaque for his 100th career win at a invitational in Paola, KS on Jan. 23.

photos courtesy of NANCY ALDRICH

RIGHT BELOW | Aldrich (far right) stands on the podium at the 2015 Kansas State High School Athletic Association wrestling championships after winning 6th place.

Shawnee Mission Girls Lacrosse

All female athletes from ANY SMSD high school or surrounding area private school welcome!

WANTS YOU!

will have 2 preseason indoor demonstration/practice sessions from 7-9 PM on 2/18 and 2/25 at the The 2016 season willANY startSMSD high We All female athletes from school orLakeland surrounding area private Community Church locatedschool at 913 NEwelcome! Colbern Rd inVARSITY Lee’s Summit.CHAMPIONS 2015 METRO this spring!

The 2015 season is about to start

New to the game? No problem!

Learn and compete in high school level girls lacross this spring with teammates from other schoools. From Learn high school levelwill girls lacrosse this spring Mar. 1-and Maycompete 15 our JV in and Varsity teams practice with teammates fromgames otheronschools. From Mar.and 1- May 15 our JV on weekdays and play both week nights and Varsity teams will practice on weekdays and play games on weekends.

We will be holding two “Get a taste of Lacrosse” sessions for new players to learn to throw and catch. These will be held on 1/26 and 2/2 from 5:00-6:00 at the Kansas City Sports Club located at 3610 W. 95th Street, Leawood (behind the Price Chopper).

both week nights Newand to weekends. the game?

No problem!

Online Registration is now open on our website: Twitter: @smgirlslacrosse Website: www.smgirlslacrosse.com Email: shawneemissiongirlslacrosse@gmail.com www.smgirlslacrosse.com Paperwork turn-in, uniform pick up, spirit wear ordering, ad volunteer sign up will take place at the Leawood Presbyterian Church meeting room at 2715 west 83rd Street, Leawood on the evenings of 1/28 and Email us if you have questions 2/2 between 6:30 and 8:00 pm. Twitter: @smgirlslacrosse Email: shawneemissiongirlslacrosse@gmail.com Website: www.smgirlslacrosse.com

FORGETCAMERA? your

WE DIDN’T www.smephotos.com

CUTE DATES

his Valentine’s Day, ditch the last minute Chipotle run and replace it with a romantic, thoughtout date. Ladies, whether you’d like to admit it or not, you’ve always fantasized of a private candlelit dinner on the beach. Although living in a land-locked state prevents this, you can still plan an adorable excursion that resembles something from “The Bachelor”. Cheesy dates can be gagworthy, but putting effort into plans shows how you

are willing to commit time to the relationship. This could be anything from sledding at Suicide Hill to a carriage ride on the Plaza. Extra points if you give her a rose at the end of the night.

MIXTAPE

NETFLIX SUBSCRIPTION

y purchasing a Netflix subscription, you are basically buying yourself the key to her heart. Netflix has everything from Chuck Bass to Derek Shepherd; what more could a girl want? Once you’re the one paying $7.99 a month, she

won’t be able to let you go – commitment-phobes beware. This gift can benefit you too, because it gives you an excuse to binge watch a season of “The Office” together while chuckling over Dwight’s antics.

r as we would call it in 2016, a Spotify playlist. Whatever you choose to include in the collection, try to put meaning behind them. Maybe you listened to Justin Bieber on your first date or “Hey There Delilah” during your first kiss. Making a playlist proves that you remember all of these special moments spent together. It may seem lovey-dovey, but she will

31 always find an excuse to press play and indulge in the lyrics, whether she’s dancing alone in her bedroom or blasting the chorus in her car down Mission road.

written by ANNABELLE COOK

he s

e h s , aid

Y A D W S E’

: d i sa

ith Valentine’s Day creeping up, one thing must be talked about: gifts. Before you go out and buy all of the standard Valentine’s Day goodies, you know the classics — a giant teddy bear, the heart-shaped box of chocolates or an over-the-top bouquet of roses — consider what your significant other really wants. Hear it from us first, before you disappoint your companion on Valentine’s Day.

N I T EN

L A V

Staffers discuss what they really want for Valentine’s Day. No more teddy bears or Women Crush Wednesdays. Boys and girls alike are looking for thought out gifts.

FUDGE

ook people, I don’t need the latest innovation of Christopher Elbow’s chocolate factory; a piece of milk chocolate fudge will get the job done. I do not want, nor need, a strawberry balsamic chocolate that’s smaller than an Oreo. Not only does fudge give guys more to eat, it also gives them a consistent flavor. Everybody knows that there’s at least one, if not three or four, chocolates

in the big heart-shaped box from Russell Stovers that you absolutely hate and will never eat. This will never be a problem if you get me some good ol’ fashioned fudge.

written by RESER HALL

FUNNY CARD

SPORTS GEAR

here is something to be said about getting that special someone his favorite team’s gear. This could be a shirt or a sweatshirt, it doesn’t matter. This will prove to him that you’re actually paying attention when he rants to you about

his favorite team. He’ll be able to wear it all the time when his team’s in season. As long as the gear isn’t too flashy and is the right size, you can count on him wearing it a lot. Most of the time, a simple, thought out gift is better than an improvised

here is no reason that Valentine’s Day shouldn’t involve a little bit of humor. Everybody knows that those Hallmark cards are usually pretty dumb, but if you add your own personal twist, they have the potential to be very meaningful for your significant other. Your better half will not only

appreciate the effort you put in, but will find it funny if you include something that will make him laugh. Don’t settle for store bought; a little extra effort goes a long way.

ROWDY RIVALRY

After a tough loss to the Hawklets in December, the Lancers redeemed themselves on their home court 60-49 LEFT | The seniors in the student section throw their ripped-up newspaper into the air, inspired by a ritual the KU student section does when players are introduced. photo by ELLIE THOMA BELOW | Senior Audrey Dickens jumps up and down in excitement after the Lancers score a basket. “There’s always a huge crowd at the Rockhurst games, so it makes it a lot easier to feed off of the energy in the gym,” Dickens said. photo by TESS ILER

LEFT | Senior Matthew Erdner embraces his friend, varsity point-guard Alex Glazer, at the end of the game. The basketball team ran over to join the student section for a post-victory celebration, which was followed by the school song. photo by ELLIE THOMA

LEFT | Senior Luke Ehly looks around the court for an open teammate. “My favorite part of the game is the fact that there are so many fans and so much noise,” Ehly said. “While on the court, it’s like there is an invisible wall around the court because nobody can touch or talk to you, so you don’t notice too much going on off the floor.” photo by TESS ILER FAR LEFT | Seniors Andrew Stottle and Davis Finke are two of the five senior boys who were selected to run the EAST flags at varsity basketball games. “[The flags] contribute to the atmosphere and help get the crowd pumped up,” Stottle said.

photo by ELLIE THOMA