Issuu 12 by The Harbinger

SHAWNEE MISSION EAST 7500 MISSION ROAD PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS

HARBINGER

ISSUE

THE

3/7/16

MORE than justMONEY Changes to the school budget formula creates uncertainty about the future of public education funding in Kansas

PAGE 16/17

INSIDE

COMPUTER GAMES TAKE OVER CLASSROOMS PAGE 6

CHRONIC DISEASE IS FOUGHT FOR OTHERS PAGE 14

FEATURE SECTION PULL-OUT

Editor-in-Chief Tommy Sherk

We believe that the Kansas Supreme Court was right to rule the current school funding system as unconstitutional as it restricts opportunities for public school students in Kansas

FOR: 12

o school next year. For many, this situation appears funny and potentially exciting. But this isn’t a joke. If Governor Sam Brownback doesn’t change the current school funding system by June 30, then the Supreme Court with close all public schools for next year. In the state of Kansas there are 489,043 students enrolled in public schools – nearly half a million students who wouldn’t have an education next year. This is the consequence of the block funding system that Brownback put in place across all of Kansas last year as a way to make up for the money Kansas lost when they cut the income tax in 2011. He ended up cutting $50 million from education in Kansas to help fund the state. This cut has caused underfunding in schools in lower income areas, and allows for inequities in the amount of state aid given to public schools. Because of this, the Supreme Court ruled the block funding unconstitutional. Block funding is a lump sum funding system that,

AGAINST: 0 while cheaper, doesn’t take into consideration that some schools might require more money than others Since we are in a wealthier area, SMSD gets more money now than they did last year, due to the current block funding. We are one of the only districts to benefit from the new system which might explain why our superintendent was one of only three educators in Kansas to support it. But we have to think beyond our own 27,695 students. We have to consider the entire state. Block funding does not provide additional money to lower income districts to compensate for the inequities, causing some schools to cut additional programs like art clubs, as they couldn’t afford them. Before last year, there a was a more complex formula in place that regulated education funding. This formula meant that schools could get the money to provide their school with additional needs, such as Spanish-speaking teachers. Through this system, SMSD didn’t get as much money

Co-Assistant Editors Will Clough Claire Pottenger

Head Copy Editor Ellie Booton

Art & Design Editors Aidan Epstein Yashi Wang

as it does now because it took into account that schools in different areas have different needs. School districts were provided with money based on their uses for it. As we are in a more affluent district, the government gave us less money as our needs aren’t as great as many other districts in Kansas. However, this is no longer the way state funding works. Our governor has been compromising our public education, whether it’s through increasing class sizes or trying to cut the art programs and now cutting $50 million from Kansas public education. Because of this, students across the state are losing opportunities for additional oneon-one education and chances to explore different subjects. Block funding is unfair on public schools, especially those that are in low income districts.The education, and the future, of half a million students should not have to suffer from the poor politics of detached legislators.

Co-Online Editors Michael Kraske Ellie Cook

Assistant Online Editors Tyler Keys Celia Hack

Online Head Copy Editor Caroline Heitmann

Online Assistant Head Copy Editor Anna Kanaley

Editorial Board

Celia Hack Michael Kraske Ellie Booton Tommy Sherk Claire Pottenger Will Clough Ellie Cook Robbie Veglahn 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

Grace Chisholm

Circulation Manager Grace Kost

Subscriptions Manager Ellie Booton

Contest Coordinator Courtney McClelland

Staff Artist

Will Tulp Lizzie Kahle Sarah Wilcox

Staff Writers

Ryan Hess Lizzie Kahle Kaleigh Koc 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

Courtney McClelland

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

Callie McPhail Hailey Hughes

Leah O’Connor

Assistant Photo Editors

Leah O’Connor

Kaitlyn Stratman Haley Bell

Co-Online Photo Editors

Podcast Editor Co-Online News Editors Marti Fromm Madeleine Hlobick

Katie Lamar Joseph Cline

Online Opinion Editor

Assistant Online Photo Editor

Online A&E Editor

Morgan Biles

Morgan Browning

Jemima Swindells

Staff Photographers

Online Homegrown 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

art by WILL TULP

Opinion Section 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

INGER THE HARB

NEWS BRIEFS

A BREAKDOWN OF SCHOOL, LOCAL AND WORLDWIDE NEWS written by BROOKLYN TERRILL

Presidential Candidate Might Drop Out

hio Governor and Republican presidential candidate John Kasich said in a interview with CNN if he doesn’t win the Republican caucus in Ohio on March 15, it is time to end his campaign. Kasich has yet to win a state, but placed second in New Hampshire. He is confident that he will finally pull out a win in the upcoming Ohio caucuses even after Trump took seven of the 12 Super Tuesday states on March 1. He believes a win in his home state will give his campaign some momentum. “To have a shot at becoming the nominee you have to win your home state,” member of Young Republican Club, Baker

Stradinger said. “And of course he will support his party’s nominee.” Over the past several weeks, Kasich has been under pressure to drop out of the race by major GOP donors. They are looking to clear the field for Marco Rubio after some early wins for Donald Trump. Kasich says that if he does drop out, he will throw his support to whoever the Republican candidate is. “If I don’t win Ohio, then it’s time to call it over,” Kasich said. “But I am going to win that state, and then, we’re off to the races.”

PHOTOS PH OF THE WEEK

Breathalyzer Law Ruled Unconstitutional

n a 6-1 ruling on Feb. 26, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled that a driver can no longer be prosecuted for refusing a breathalyzer test. The court found that the law was unconstitutional and was punishing people for exercising their constitutional right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures. Refusing the sobriety test was previously a misdemeanor and the offender could face a fine of no less than $1,000 and possible jail time. This controversial ruling opens the possibility for drunk drivers to possibly hurt someone if they remain on the road after being pulled over. “I think that cops pull

people over for a reason,” senior Anna Witwer said. “It makes the roads unsafe if people refuse the test and are drunk and get back on the road.” Previously, any Kansan who operated a motor vehicle had implied consent to submit to the test if pulled over. “I think that all the courts in the whole state should work together to be uniform and decide what they are going to do on that,” Terri West of Twin Cities Drivers Education said. “If someone refuses and they are showing other signs they are under the influence there should be a way to get the test to prove that they are drunk.”

Student Council Elections Cancelled

tudent Council elections have been cancelled this year due to lack of opposition. Planning for her campaign since her freshman year, 2016-2017 Student Body President Mazie Brooke expected to have to campaign. One other candidate had signed up to run, but has since dropped out of the race leaving positions were left completely unopposed. Junior Peter Haynes will take on the task of Vice President and junior Morgan Biles as Secretary. Biles will also be taking on the duties of Treasurer because no one signed up to run. “I just really want the spirit to get back up because when

I was a freshman, the seniors did a great job of making everyone want to go to everything, but this year was kind of lame,” Brooke said. Student council sponsor Hannah Pence has been in charge of Student Council for the past 19 years and has seen the numbers go down from three to four kids in every position, to becoming completely unopposed over the past several years. “I was surprised when only three people ended up signing up,” Pence said. “We had about seven or eight eligible to run. It was disappointing.”

TOP | Junior Natalie Kidwell plays the flute during the symphonic band perfomance of “Star Wars” on Feb 23. photo by TESS ILER BOTTOM | Senior and varsity Lancer Dancer Emily Meiring shares an emotional hug after her halftime performance. photo by ELLIE THOMA

MORE THAN JUST: KEYS BUMPER STICKERS Taking regular day objects and discovering the story behind them

ON SOPHOMORE JACOB ROBERTS’ CAR

MARCO RUBIO 2016

I have a Marco Rubio sticker on my bumper because I think he’s the best presidential candidate in the following year. I like to voice my political views. I go to Foreign Policy Talk Club, which is run by [senior] Will Bledsoe. It’s pretty fun because we just talk about foreign policy and politics as a whole and different views you can base off of it. I really base my political views off of who I side with overall on many views, not just one view. So when it comes to taxes I side with Marco Rubio, when it comes to healthcare I side with Marco Rubio, when it comes to education I may side with Bernie Sanders. I put a lot of facts into it.”

“Another one is Shawnee Mission East Debate and Forensics. I’m a big part of that; I really like it. I was on debate this year, and varsity forensics [last year and] went to Nationals over the summer for forensics, which was pretty fun. Ended up getting like 77nd. I really like having the sticker on the back of my car. It’s a little scary though going to tournaments at like West and stuff and South. I’m a little freaked out parking in the parking lot with that Shawnee Mission East on the back of my car, but you know it’s worth it. Nothing bad’s happened yet. I do know Carolyn Hassett’s car got keyed at South because she had a SME cheer sticker on the back.”

“Then my favorite sticker out of all them is a Salt Life sticker, but it’s like Salt Life inside a big marlin, which is pretty cool. I have that because I go to Jacksonville, Florida a lot. My stepdad owns a company, [which means] like two weeks out of a month he’s down there. So I’m down there a lot and that’s the big thing – Salt Life Jacksonville, Florida. It’s kind of like a Florida brand and a restaurant.

ennifer Holder’s Spanish 4 and together they wander around category. classes spent the past three the school looking for answers as Holder was first introduced weeks creating short films to to why these strange events are to this competition by a Spanish compete in a foreign film festival happening to them. teacher at Shawnee Mission at the University of Central The settings of the films range South, who won the “Best Spanish Missouri. The Spanish films were from the halls of East to the school Film” category two years ago. This turned in on March 1 and will be pool. One group even used a will be Holder’s first time having judged by April 8. house that is scheduled to be torn her students participate, but she For the past nine years, the down and splattered fake blood on plans to do it again. University of Central Missouri has the walls for their murder mystery South is the only other school put on a film festival for students flick. in the district entering in the in grades six through twelve to The videos are 5-10 minutes Spanish category, and the students showcase their foreign language long and have to be entirely have made it their goal to bring skills. There are six available produced by students. the South-East rivalry beyond genres to enter under: animation, Senior Sarah Allegri was put in the football fields and basketball comedy, drama, mystery/thriller, charge of producing and editing courts and into the classrooms. science fiction/fantasy and social her group’s video, and her prior “Shawnee Mission South has justice. knowledge of Adobe Premiere, a submitted movies so it would be The languages that can great to beat them,” Workman be used in the films range said. “Also, who wouldn’t from German and Spanish to I’m hoping that students will get to see want to beat South?” French and Chinese. Holder’s To Señora Holder, the Spanish used in an everyday setting, more students made their films in competition is more than than just on pencil or paper.” Spanish. — Spanish teacher Jennifer Holder just learning and improving The festival is open to all Spanish. It is a chance to win. students within a two hour “I’m all about the winning. radius of Georgetown, Missouri, video editing program, helped her I don’t just want to play, I want where the university is located. edit the backgrounds on the green to win,” Holder said. “If [we] win, East is approximately an hour screen that her group used. Allegri we are going to have a piñata and northwest of there. gained her comprehension of the we’ll have a party.” The videos themselves are editing program because she is in While the promises of all diverse. Some are modeled the video announcements class. bragging rights for a year and a after different story lines, like The entries are submitted into personalized plaque are a plus, Titanic or Goldilocks, others are three different levels: elementary, the experience of using Spanish completely original. Senior Bea intermediate and advanced. The outside of the typical classroom Workman’s group’s movie is a elementary level is for the first environment is the whole purpose horror film about a boy, Damien, two years of the language study, of the competition. who dreams he is at East where he intermediate is the third year and “I’m hoping that students will experiences unusual things, such advanced is the fourth year. From get to see Spanish used in an as a mysterious presence known Holder’s three Spanish 4 classes, everyday setting, more than just as “The Darkness.” Damien then there are 10-12 entries that will on pencil or paper,” Holder said. meets a girl named Esperanza, all be evaluated in the advanced

ABOVE RIGHT | Senior Nick Mantel and Sophomore Daniel Hanson collaborate at school late at night to film their movie “Asesino en Serie” or “Serial Killer”. BELOW RIGHT | Mantel’s crew is one of the most competitive in Holder’s classes. Their set is complete with tripod, microphones and high quality cameras. BELOW LEFT | Sophomore Sidney Embry swims through the East pool late at night in order to film a scene in their movie “El Barco que se lamma El Titanic”.

EDITING IN ESPAÑOL Spanish teacher Jennifer Holder challenges her students’ Spanish through foreign film contest photos by AVA SIMONSEN

written by GRACE PADON

THE EAST FUND THANKS YOU On behalf of the Shawnee Mission East community, the East Fund thanks the merchants, parents, students and teachers who made the 2015 auction a success! Please patronize these businesses and let them know you appreciate their ongoing support. Advanced Aesthetics of Kansas City AesthetiCare of Leawood Arthur Murray Dance Associated Plastic Surgeons Avenues Bistro AYC Fitness & Health Baldwin Barbara Cosgrove Lamps Beer Kitchen Beth Berkshire Bijin Salon and Spa Blue Bird Bistro Blue Grotto Boulevard Brewing Co. Bread and Butter Concepts Brio Tuscan Grille Bristol Seafood Grill Brookside Optical Calico Corners Central States Beverage Ceramic Café Chick-fill-A Catering Citibank N.A. Clique Boutique Clover Cliff Ranch Bed and Breakfast Coco Bolos Company Kitchen CorePower Yoga Consentino’s Price Chopper Costco Cupcake A La Mode Disney World Sea World Dr. Linda Seabaugh, DDS Erin Hill Metcalf Design Eye Style Optics Fairway Animal Hospital

Fairway Eye Center Family Tree Nursery Fat Brain Toys Fine Arts Group Fiorella’s Jack Stack Barbecue Fit Formula Fusion Fitness Get Smarter Prep Glazer’s Grand Street Café Granfalloon Hair By Shelley Half Price Books Harry S. Truman Library Hattie’s Fine Coffee Hen House Market Hillcrest Golf Club Hoopla Salon Hotel Phillips Houlihan’s In Clover InterContinental Hotel JCCC Performing Arts Johnny’s Tavern Joslin’s Jewelry Kamba Fit KC Actors Theater KC Repertory Theatre KC T-Bones Lindan Auto Lovely Nails LuLu’s Boutique in Mission Major Brands Maloney’s Mann Made Design Inc. Mely’s Yogurt Michael Smith Restaurant Mike Savage

Miriam Garvey Missouri Mavericks Moosejaw Museum at Prairiefire My Team Pens New Belgium Brewing North O’Dowd’s Little Dublin O’Home Interiors Odelay Olive Oil Overland Park Awards Panera Bread Paul Henson YMCA Pei Wei Pinot’s Palette Pinstripes Plaza III Plaza Merchants Plaza Tennis Center Prairie Village Pool Prairiefire Primp & Blow QuikTrip Rainy Day Books Ranchmart Ace Hardware Ranchview Floral Rimann Liquors Rose Nails Roth Jewelry RSVP in the Village Salty Iguana Scheels Sheridan’s Frozen Custard Shop Beautiful Silver Dollar City Social Suppers Sole Patch Somerset Family Dentistry Sopra Salon & Spa

Sound Products, Inc. Spectrum Paints Spin! Pizza Spruce Home Steve Nuss Interior Design Strauss Peyton Portraits Studio 7 Pilates & Barre T. Loft Taco Republic Tannin Wine Bar & Kitchen TCBY of Prairie Village The Capital Grille The Coterie Theatre The Monogram Shop The Oread Hotel The Village Dentist The Well The World’s Window in Brookside Theater League Three Dog Bakery Threshing Bee Tom’s Town Distilling Co. Tower Tavern Tulip Union Station United Studios of Self Defense Village Flower Co. Vineyard Vines W by Worth Waldo Pizza Waterway Carwash Wilson Lighting Woodside Health & Tennis Xiphium

CALL OF DUTY Senior boys play Call of Duty: Modern Warfare during school at the expense of teachers

written by DAVIS FINKE

enior Baker Stradinger pulled out his M4 assault rifle and unloaded a clip on the kid sitting next to him. Bullets strayed across the map, missiles hissed and cars exploded. He was playing Call of Duty 4 in the middle of English, along with many other boys in the room. Since second semester began, over thirty seniors have downloaded Call of Duty on their school laptops, and faculty members have started to notice. Multiple teachers, including marketing teacher Mercedes Rasmussen, have had to restrict laptop use in their classrooms due to students playing instead of doing their work. “It honestly disgusts me that kids play this game so much,” Rasmussen said. “I give these students free time to do their work, and they take advantage of it and just play all class.” Rasmussen is not the only teacher who has noticed this computer gaming outbreak. Government teacher Ronald Stallard has also given his students a talk over how gaming has negative consequences in the classroom. According to senior Connor Weiford, Stallard told his students that their test scores show how little they pay attention in class, and if they don’t break the habit, they could suffer in college. “He basically told us that if we keep playing the game it won’t end

well for us,” Weiford said. “But while I agree with what he’s saying, I think if you can manage yourself during class, then you should be able to play if you want.” On the Apple Store, the game costs $30, which is fairly pricy according to Stradinger. So instead of paying full price, kids began downloading it off of each other, which was free. “I probably gave it to around 15 kids,” senior Liam Griffin said. “I would log into my Apple account and then download it from their computers, that way they would have it for free.” Griffin and Stradinger are some of the only kids who paid $30 for the game, and when they began giving it to kids, they charged $5 in order to make back the money they had to spend. Griffin said after kids started seeing their friends play, they got the game, and it spread like wildfire. According to Griffin, Stradinger was the first boy in the senior class to download the game, and everyone followed his lead. “I honestly just downloaded the game because I figured it would be a fun way to pass time during class,” Stradinger said. “I never thought so many kids would download it to their laptops.” These thirty guys then created a group message where they could talk about the game or when they wanted

CALL OF DUTY BREAKDOWN

to get one started. According to Griffin, what makes the game so fun is how they can all play against each other. One person will get online and create a server where all the other players join. Then, every student online can play against each other from any classroom. On the school provided laptops, inappropriate websites that contain video playback, or gaming sites, have been blocked to prevent students from misbehaving. Call of Duty however, has remained unblocked by the administration. “Unfortunately we can not block anything on the Apple Store,” Eric Haake said, who is the network analyst. “You pay for those apps with your own Apple ID and money, so there’s nothing we can really do about it.” According to Weiford, gameplay isn’t expected to slow down at all in the near future, and hopes that the administration doesn’t find a way to limit students’ use. He added that the students will always find a way around limitations, especially regarding Call of Duty. “I have a feeling they will try to take this away,” Weiford said. “But it’s so much fun and I really hope they stay away from it.”

LANCER VOICE

What is your go-to weapons class? I like to use the m14 with suppressor, and then the golden desert eagle. Then I add the RPG perk with stopping power and steady aim.

Senior Liam Griffin I use the R700 with red tiger paint, and a gold desert eagle. Then I have a frag and flash grenade with claymores, iron lungs and stopping power.

Senior Kyle O’Neill I use the silenced p90 as my primary gun, and then a shotgun as a sidearm. I use the perk that gives you three grenades, then overkill and extreme conditioning.

Senior Mark Manalo

C. OPS VS RUSSIANS SPE

TOTAL TIME PLAYED: 25 BILLION HOURS

FIRST PERSON SHOOTER

sabotage 1600 0

Call of Duty is a first person video game, which simulates being in a war and seeing what a real soldier would see

Unlike past CoD games which are set during World War II, Call of Duty Modern Warfare focuses on a fictional modern conflict between Russian forces and special operatives

OR 2..85 MILLION YEARS

As of 2013, more online playing time had been spent on Call of Duty than the entirety of the human existence

Information courtesy of The Washington Post

A LOVE FOR

7 The decision to attend college at KU is swayed by family tradition

LAWRENCE

opinion by CALLIE MCPHAIL

s my mom’s Suburban, packed full of ruffled Lays and hotdogs, approaches Lot 94 behind Memorial Stadium, I glance up at the clock: 11:17 a.m. Still three hours to go, but I’m not worried about keeping myself busy until game time. Some of my earliest memories are walking to The Union to escape the heat, or rolling down The Hill so fast that I can hardly walk afterwards. Whatever it was, I’ve always found something to keep myself occupied until kickoff. This is how I spent my Saturdays during college football season for as long as I can remember. This is Lawrence, the place that I’ll one day call my college town. When senior year of high school approaches, most students start to dread the inevitable question that will be asked all year: “Where are you going to college?” Luckily for me, I have known the answer to this question my whole life. I have always been prepared to tell anyone who asks that I am going to attend the University of Kansas, but I was never prepared for the negative comments and unenthusiastic reactions I would get once I officially enrolled at KU last July. I disregard meaningless chatter most of the time, but it always upsets me when I hear KU talked about in a cynical way. Over the course of the school year, I’ve heard things like, “I guess I’ll have to go to KU if I don’t get a good ACT score,” “It will be like East all over again” and “Don’t settle for KU.” To each their own, but I can’t help but feel dejected and embarrassed when I hear comments like this, even if they’re not said directly to me. I want to scream at these people, and list a million reasons to love the home of the Jayhawks, a million reasons why I am not simply “settling.”

I am going to KU because of the utter excitement and chills that encompass my whole body while watching the introduction video at a basketball game. I am going to KU because it amazes me that I can feel so hungry, and then instantly full again after eating a slice of Wheel Pizza. I am going to KU because of all the memories I cherish from being a young KU fan. Moments like wearing the same KU cheerleading uniform for a week straight when it was given to me on Christmas 2004, watching each of my cousins graduate from this school and hanging around Memorial Stadium until 10 p.m. to get the autographs of every single player on the 2008 Orange Bowl team on my shoes (I still have them if you want proof). But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that Lawrence is not only a great second home and sports town, but a place that offers the academic and career opportunities I need. Opportunities like their incredible journalism school, which I’ve learned to love through my high school journalism program. These opportunities are accessible with the non-competitive 21 ACT score and a 3.25 GPA. They are not far fetched, but why should that matter? College isn’t about how hard the entry requirements are – it’s about what you get out of being at the school. In the book “Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell, he points out that high-ranking schools like Harvard aren’t better than other schools, the students there simply have higher test scores. As long as you learn in school and land the career you strive for, where you go doesn’t matter. I believe in going to a school where you can envision yourself living for four years. I looked into other schools for a while, but I kept finding reasons why those were not for me. I couldn’t envision myself living anywhere else but Corbin Residence Hall my freshman year. I couldn’t envision myself studying anywhere other than the William Allen White School of Journalism, and I definitely couldn’t envision wearing any other colors besides Crimson and Blue.

BY THE NUMBERS

2012

2013 2014 2015 photo by HAILEY HUGHES information courtesy of PREVIOUS SME GRADUATES

2.8 out of every 10 East students went to KU

2.4 out of every 10 East students went to KU

22% 34%

of all Lancers who graduated within the past four years chose to go to another in-state school

44%

of all Lancers who graduated within the past four years chose to go to an out-of-state school

2.1 out of every 10 East students went to KU

1.7 people out of 10 East students went to KU

of all Lancers who graduated within the past four years chose to go to KU

DID YOU KNOW? JCCC offers a variety of classes to meet your needs. Explore your options. Affordable • Flexible • Engaging Visit jccc.edu/college-bound to learn more.

produced by locals for locals 5” x 5.75” olives grown, pressed and bottled in California, sent directly to Kansas Odelay, LLC Lori Sherk 913-269-5178 www.odelayoliveoil.com

produced by locals for locals

Odelay, LLC Lori Sherk 913-269-5178 www.odelayoliveoil.com

BUY ONE GET ONE 1/2 OFF olives grown, pressed and bottled in California, sent directly to Kansas

one drink of equal or lesser value

PSYCHIC OR SCAMMER

photo illustration by HALEY BELL

Opposing views about the legitimacy of psychic’s powers, lead to the decision to experience a psychic first hand in Westport opinion by ANNA KANALEY

even years from now, after I finally get my doctorate at the age of 22, it will be time to settle down and spend time with my new husband. After meeting at a local Starbucks and instantly falling in love with his emerald green eyes, my tall, olive-skinned husband and I will be standing at the altar in some tropical place. At least, that’s what the psychic in Westport told me. Before seeing a psychic for the first time, I believed anything was possible, whether it was magic or love at first sight. When I was given the opportunity to experience this “magic,” I was excited to hear about how my life might turn out. Squished right in between a gas station and a liquor store across the street from a strip

mall, the establishment wasn’t super inviting. We lingered outside until we saw the psychic waiting in the doorway for us to come in. The minute I stepped inside, an overwhelming waft of incense hit me, and a small, yappy chihuahua jumped at my feet. All I could think was, what have I gotten myself into? The psychic herself seemed bizarre. There isn’t another word to describe her peculiar nature – she was oddly quiet, and at some points, rather creepy. I would sooner call her psycho than psychic. I noticed a Louis Vuitton bag and a white Jeep Grand Cherokee parked out front, and for a $25 reading, I began to think maybe this psychic was legitimate. She later told us that this had been her profession for over 40 years, so she obviously had experience in this field.

To start, the psychic asked Reser and I to state our full names and dates of birth. I found this hypocritical, considering she never even gave us her name. Then, she went on to tell me about my future. At one point she told me I gave her a “lavender vibe” and should always buy lavender-scented candles, but that may have something to do with me wearing a purple shirt. She said in my future I would have lower-back problems due to something with calcium, and then glanced over at Reser and told him his health would be, and I quote, “fine.” As I later researched, women are much more susceptible to bone-related diseases like osteoporosis than men. This seemed more of a generalization than a prediction, making

me lose faith in the chance that she was truly psychic. The psychic had a strong feeling that I must stay true to God and have faith in him. Considering I’m agnostic and a strong believer in science, I find this pretty ironic and it made me doubt her even more. She didn’t give me any insight into if that cutie in my French class has been thinking about me too, and she made me question the magic I once believed in, but it was still fun to see what a “professional” had to say about my future. However, she still told me almost the opposite of what I expect my life to turn out like, so I won’t be putting my faith in her predictions.

Psychics don’t speak the truth and are a scam. Twenty five dollars for a reading about what will happen twenty years down the road. By the time those 20 years pass, I will have long forgotten my trip to the psychic and that $25 will have been wasted. My beliefs that psychic readings were a bunch of nonsense were confirmed after my recent visit into the world of paranormalcy. Some of the things that the psychic said sounded pleasant and were things that I would look forward to in the future. However, they all were so blatantly generic. The psychic, who I never learned the name of, started speaking in rapid dialogue just blurting out predictions. One after another in rapid succession, she told me that I would be very successful

by the time I turned 40. She also said that I would be married once and have three kids. After hearing the first two, I was waiting for the bomb to be dropped on me: I was waiting for the “when will you die,” “how will I die” and “what is going to be bad about my life in the future.” Those moments never came. It was all positives and no negatives, which is simply false. Not one person gets through life with no flaws. During all of the readings, I had no idea how to respond to anything she said. I was caught between just saying “OK” over and over again and staring at her with a sly smile on my face. After hearing all of the good things that lie in ahead of me in life, how could I not smile? Another thing she said was that I would have two houses in two different places. While all of the readings sound good, you think of general goals of aspiring teenagers. Having two houses would definitely be on the bucket list for most. This so called “science” is not much more than making preposterous statements that are attainable, but also very far-fetched. One of the funnier things I vividly remember is that you get one question

to ask the psychic. First, Anna asked where she will meet her husband. The psychic responds quickly with “in a coffee shop” or “a bookstore.” It takes me awhile to think, because this is an important question. Because I couldn’t think of anything else to ask in the moment I ended up asking what field will I would I work in straight out of college. Instead of giving me an answer, she counters with a question. “What field do you want to work in?” I was shocked by this and respond with business. She comes back with, and I quote, “then you will do that.” My one question that I got to ask her was basically answered by myself. Going to a psychic verified my beliefs that it is a bunch of mullarky, especially when my question was answered by myself. Don’t get me wrong, it was very interesting to go and experience, but is definitely not somewhere to go if you are looking to learn about your future. It should only be experienced by a few friends looking for something to do.

opinion by RESER HALL

oing to a psychic for the first time is a rattling experience. You walk in and see all the tools of the trade: a bunch of creepy little knick-knacks, a crystal ball and a weird little dog. The psychic was really kooky from the moment we walked into the shop until the moment that we left. I typically stay away from voodoo-esque places because they freak me out. In general, psychics tell you what you want to hear. It’s that simple. The psychic welcomed Anna and I into the odd place graciously and began to give us our readings while we sat on a wornout couch. I was way out of my element. I mean how would she be able to know how many children I would have in the future or if I would have good health later in life?

SIGNS OF A PSYCHIC

The development of psychic abilities and extrasensory perception is linked to these for factors:

BRAIN INJURY OR HEAD TRAUMA

GENETICS

SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES

HISTORY OF ANXIETY

Information of courtesy of: eonline.com

Creating Peace of Mind Serving Your Investment Needs

Satu Stechschulte, CFA Kristin Patterson Bryant Barnes Stuart Berkley, CFA Andrew Muther Peter Greig, CFA Adam McCullough, CFA

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Athletes face the difficult decision of choosing to quit after feeling burnt out opinion by LIZZIE KAHLE photo by MORGAN BROWNING weight. Or when my coach would yell at my team after getting second place, saying we didn’t even deserve a trophy. My competitive cheer coach stared at us, all 30 of us, with poofs in our hair and the sparkling red and black name across our chests and made us feel worthless. The hateful look in his eyes was enough to make goosebumps appear on my arms and make my knees shake with distress. He made us feel so useless that, eventually, we believed we were. I contemplated quitting all the time. I contemplated it with my friends, with my family, with anyone who would listen to me. I thought more about what others would think about me for quitting than I did about why I wanted to quit. I felt weak. I couldn’t get the thought out of my mind that maybe this was a sign I would never be able to commit to anything. I slowly realized I wasn’t the problem, but the sport itself and my coaches were the reasons behind my contemplations. Being in a sport should be something I enjoyed doing, something I looked forward to. It should be something I felt was worth my time, because as I grew up, I started realizing that everything I was doing was counting toward my future; so why was I doing something that I absolutely hated? Say what you want about quitters. Tell me I will never amount to anything. Tell me I will never be in the Olympics or be on a Wheaties box. Think whatever you believe, but at least I can look back and realize I made the best decision for myself. I decided to invest my time in things I enjoyed doing, such as swimming, journalism and running. These are the things that make me feel important rather than worthless. And if you ever contemplate quitting, always remember one thing: it’s not a black and white issue. It’s not always bad to quit, nor always good to suck it up and hang in there. The decision to leave a sport is a complicated one – one that took me awhile to decide. Make sure if you ever do quit something you love, it’s for something you love even more. Yourself.

BY THE NUMBERS

66%

47%

of athletes surveyed believe they have experienced overtraining

of athletes surveyed reported feeling burned out at some point

THE BURNOUT CURVE EXCESSIVE EXPECTATIONS WORK OUTPUT AND SATISFACTION

uitting: The ultimate shame for an athlete. The so-called ‘dirty word’ in sports. To some, being called a quitter is the worst title they could be given. No one wants to be labeled as “the weakling” or questioned on their ability to commit. No one ever wants to give up. Succeeding in a sport is complicated. The ability to wake up and drag yourself out of bed at 5 a.m., believing in yourself when no one else seems to, and being able to persevere through countless hours of practice are the things that seemingly become harder as you get older. They say, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” Well what does that say about quitters? That quitters aren’t tough? That quitters give up easily and don’t care? Sometimes, quitting a sport can be the healthiest thing an athlete can do. There wasn’t a specific moment when I knew I was burnt out from competitive cheerleading. There wasn’t a certain day when I just gave up. It was cumulative. Blow after blow, my body was gradually deteriorating. It was the physical pain, the mental abuse from my coaches and the pressure to look and perform like everyone else. It was eating me away and the only way I felt I could stop it was to quit. I found myself on my knees, my face pressed against the blue cheer mat. After not landing my standing tuck correctly, my cheer coach pushed me down on the floor, saying “that will teach you to pull up with your abs.” There would be times when he would tie a rubber band around my ankles to keep my feet together, or tape a pencil to the back of my knees so I wouldn’t bend them. He never said sorry. As my mom drove out of the parking lot, I alternated between crying and screaming the words, “I never want to do this again.” After that day, I never competitively cheered again. That wasn’t the first time I had wanted to quit competitive cheerleading. There were times when I came home at 10 p.m. from practice, and my legs were so exhausted that they quivered when I walked up the stairs. Or when I couldn’t write at school because my wrists felt like jelly from holding someone else’s body

INCREASED EFFORT, NO REWORD NO END IN SIGHT RAGE TOWARDS OTHERS EXHAUSTION LOSS OF BELIEF IN A BETTER FUTURE COLLAPSE

SENSE OF EMPTINESS

Measure of athletes’ desire to quit as feeling of fatigue grows Information courtesy of ncaa.org

INTERNATIONAL ITINERARY

Choir students travel to Germany for Spring Break, performing in many different cities

Austria

After their short time in Munich, they will continue to Salzburg, Austria the following day. Here, the choir will perform their second concert and then perform Austrian songs, some of which are from the Sound of Music soundtrack. To wrap up their time in Salzburg the choir is planning on taking a Sound of Music tour, visiting all the significant scenes in the film.

LIBBY LEGARD

On their way to Munich, the East choir will be making a quick pit stop in Dachau, a historic city in Germany. There, they will visit the Dachau Concentration Camp with a tour guide. Before they arrive in Munich, they are stopping to tour the Neuschwanstein Castle, the castle that inspired Walt Disney’s design of the Cinderella Castle.

LIBBY WILSON

Q&A

2 3 4

LEIPZIG

While in Munich, the choir will perform their first concert of the trip up in the peaks of the Alps Mountains. They have prepared German songs that reflect the culture of the places they are visiting. “I can’t wait for my students to be overtaken by the music,” East choir director, Ken Foley, said. “And I get to watch them.” They will then continue to tour around the city with one of their many guides.

SALZBURG DACHAU

In Leipzig, the choir has the opportunity to perform a concert with the Leipzig Youth Symphony. They have prepared pieces to perform together for an audience. “It will be such a unique experience for these kids,” Foley said. “Something they will most likely never do again.” After the concert, dinner is planned with the choir and youth symphony.

MUNICH

written by ANNIE JONES

Q. Do you have any close friends going with you? Rooming situation? A. Yes, there’s two per room and we all got to request our top three people to room with. Yeah, I mean I got who I wanted to room with so it will be fun. Q. Flights/trip there? How long? A. It’s a pretty long plane ride but it will be fun. I have a layover in Dallas but we all have different ones because there’s a few different groups. Q. What are you doing food-wise? Are you worried about eating the foreign food? A. I’m excited to try it, but I have heard it is pretty gross.

Q. How are you feeling about the trip? A. I am excited because I’ve never been to Europe before. I’m excited to go to Germany and I heard it’s like one of the cleanest European countries but I’m also nervous because the songs we’re singing at mass are super long and hard to remember but we’ve been preparing and doing a lot of work with them. Q. Where are you staying? A. I think we stay in multiple hotels and when we move around the country we will stay in random hotels. I don’t know if they’re that nice but they are better than hostels. Q. Do you have any worries or concerns? If so.. What are they? A. I’m a really picky eater so the food is going to be hard. I am also nervous about not having wifi and not being able to communicate with people during the day like if I get lost.

The Harbinger took a poll in which 420 people responded. The poll results showed the following:

70 % of people are going out of town vs. staying home

Out of this 70%, about 3 in every 5 are going somewhere tropical vs. the mountains

KC MEXICO

48% of people are flying to their destination vs. driving

GERMANY FLORIDA

These are a few main spots that East students are hitting as spring break destinations

opinion by STEVEN ABRAMO

NBAReady

Kansas City is a sports town, now more than ever, and deserves an NBA basketball team

t might seem like a generation ago, but there was once a professional basketball team that called Kansas City home. Nearly three decades ago, the Kansas City Kings were one of three professional sports franchises that represented the heart of America. At the time, the Kings were the first and only NBA expansion team that Kansas City ever had. The Kings spent 13 seasons as a franchise in Kansas City before disbanding due to not having enough money to fund the team. But now, Kansas City has the financial stability and fan support for a professional basketball team to thrive here. As an avid fan of basketball myself, it only seems right to have a basketball team in my own backyard that I can actually call

Seats 19,500

my own. This is 2016 after all, and there are newage and advanced concepts to grab fans’ and visitors’ attention that Kansas City can provide. The downtown ambiance that Kansas City presents will draw attention from our community through the countless bars and restaurants that are everywhere for fans’ accommodations to be met. Also, make sure you don’t forget about the attractions this city has. The Sprint Center, which has held thousands of live events in the past, is the centerpiece of what Kansas City’s downtown district offers. Ever since it opened in 2008, the Sprint Center has appeased basketball fans’ interest. In addition to hosting NBA exhibition games every October, the Sprint Center has hosted the Big 12 Tournament in March eight times since 2008. Over the years, the event has drawn massive fan support. And after being held last year, the Big 12 Tournament was second nationally in conference tournament attendance, averaging 18,993 fans per game. Not bad, if you ask me. So, in other words, the following of basketball is strong enough for

a bigger, broader audience here in Kansas City. Through it all, it’s apparent to recognize Kansas City’s rich fan base and alluring culture. After the recent success of the past seasons from the Royals and Chiefs, this city is ready to support another major sports franchise right around the corner. All of us know about the Royals, who took Kansas City fans on an unimaginable ride the past two Octobers, a run that galvanized fans new and old to improbable heights. All of us know about the Chiefs, who have an established professional football franchise and are coming off their first playoff win in 22 years. Kansas City is a growing city and over the past several seasons, has received the support by fans to ensure that a professional basketball team can come here. This isn’t hard to find when looking at the attendance of Royals Games last season. During the regular season, more than 2.5 million fans made the trip out to Kauffman Stadium. Even after losing the Kings 30 years ago, there’s always been ripe discussion of bringing an NBA team back to Kansas

Predicted 1972 to 2016 1985 K I NGS K I NGS

City. In 2010, the Kings considered leaving Sacramento to come back to Kansas City. At the time, Kansas City was one of four cities in the running, so in an attempt to lure an NBA franchise back to Kansas City, the Kings’ front office asked the five richest people in Kansas City if they were able to purchase it. To no avail, the Kings’ value was too much to be accepted. Nevertheless, the biggest and most underlying question isn’t the location, but how much it will cost. Out of all the 30 NBA teams, the average price for one is $2.2 billion. I have faith that the right price can be attained several years down the road. Kansas City is a smaller market city and with that can gauge their price point similar to the likes of the Milwaukee Bucks, who are on the lower end of the price spectrum. Milwaukee is the 30th valued franchise in the NBA, worth $1.4 billion. Because Kansas City is a growing sports town just like Milwaukee and Oklahoma City, I believe that Kansas City can hold the financial responsibility of a professional basketball team.

Steven’s Starting

Seats 19,252

POINT GUARD

Stephen Curry

SHOOTING GUARD

Net Worth

million

Demar ReRozan

people per game

Tickets Net Worth SMALL FORWARD Kevin Durant sold POWER FORWARD per game Anthony Davis

million

CENTER

Tim Duncan

FIGHTING THE FIXATION Struggles with self image lead to recovery of a dangerous habit opinion by MARTI FROMM

hover over the toilet bowl. My knees are bright red from kneeling on the tile floor. Blood is rushing to my head so fast that my brain starts pounding. Meanwhile, the tiny devil knocks on the inside of my skull screaming, “You aren’t good enough. You don’t deserve to eat. You aren’t pretty enough, smart enough or kind enough.” Even though I can hear my esophagus sob for mercy, I continue to shove my right index and middle finger down my throat and wipe the acid from the corners of my mouth. All of this for that two and half seconds after I’ve thrown up when I actually feel skinny. It became a way of life for me. I call the problem an obsessive desire to impress others. I was never formally diagnosed with bulimia, but I memorized this definition from dictionary.com in seventh grade: “an emotional disorder that involves the distortion of body image with the obsessive desire to lose weight – bulimia.” My condition was a cycle of depression, overeating and self-induced vomiting. I didn’t know

DEAR DIARY, A look inside Marti’s past diary entries

July 12 2013

“I don’t understand why I’m so much bigger than everyone else.”

what other disease would make me want to kneel over the toilet until my knees started throbbing. If not bulimia, then surely something similar. For two and half years, the only thought constantly streaming through my brain was ‘why can’t I be skinny?’ My brain was wired this way. For some people, good and bad feelings about themselves shuffle back and forth. The only thought in my mind that consistently stuck was that doing this to myself was the only way I could lose weight. Every time I looked in the mirror, I would stare at every inch of my body that I hated, and I just wanted to take scissors and cut off all of those places. This issue started when I would dissect my body in the mirror, but later evolved into a dissection of my personality. Whenever I felt like I wasn’t doing something well, whether it was a school project or even eating, I wanted to make myself throw up. Everything I did wasn’t good enough, even my high A on my test or my advice to my sister was all sub par. Whenever my brain would flood with vicious thoughts, I would burst into any nearby bathroom with tears rolling down my cheeks, lock the door and continuously cram my fingers in my mouth. I wouldn’t stop until there wasn’t anything left to fall into the toilet. When I told my parents about how I was

inflicting this pain upon myself, they were silent. They were so grief-stricken by the fact I was doing this to myself they couldn’t believe it. However, they started to realize that what I was going through was real, and quickly became my biggest advocates in making myself healthy. The first thing my dad told me was, “I don’t have to completely understand, but I’m going to help you in anyway I can, and we are going to get through this together.” After that, he made me call him every time I thought I was going to throw up. But I never called him because I thought if he heard me throwing up over the phone, it would make him feel worse. He is my inspiration and everything I aspire to be, so I didn’t want him to suffer just because I was. After weeks of not being able to go to the bathroom alone, whenever I was over the toilet I would imagine my friends and family outside of the bathroom door, and I would stop. Moving forward I wasn’t going to make them suffer, and this was only a fraction of my motivation stop doing this to myself. Inspiration doesn’t have to come from yourself, it can come from an outside source. I learned this from one of my best friends. She is the most confident, amazing person I know. When she wears cheetah print booties and Barbie and Ken earrings to school,

she teaches me to be confident in myself. My other friend told me I was pretty every day, and he never forgot. I thought the reason he was telling me was because my situation depressed him and made him say those things. I never believed him when he told me he meant it, but it still meant the world to me. I would tell my friends every emotion I was feeling about myself, and each response was, “we are going to help and get through this with you.” I never went to a therapist because my parents wanted me to conquer this by finding my own inner strength, seeking motivation and learning how to cope with all stresses in my life. I’ve found that when I write, the high I get is my own personal therapy because I feel like I’m accomplishing something incredible. It’s a different high than throwing up is. It’s better. The only time I felt good about myself was when I was writing something that I could be proud of. I’m not perfect. I still have those moments where I want to cry over the toilet, but I work through that every day. What keeps me from crying after I leave the bathroom every day is thinking about coming home to my parents and being able to truthfully tell them that I didn’t force my fingers down my throat. This disease is chronic; you can never kill it, but you can stifle it. When I walk away from the stall, it’s like I put duct tape over the little devil’s mouth and I’m reminding myself that this is my life, and I call the shots.

Aug. 11 2015

Sept. 5 2014

Nov. 22 2013

“I was over the toilet for 45 minutes today.”

“My life revolves around my self-image.”

Dec. 4 2013

“I never thought a person could feel so terrible.”

“I hate the person I am when I’m over the toilet.”

Feb. 5 2015

“It’s not like I hate a specific thing about myself. I hate everything.”

ART INQUIRY

Unique art galleries around Kansas City prove to be worth trying something new

H&R BLOCK ART SPACE

p until second grade, I attended St. Paul’s Episcopal Day School located just north of the Plaza. On the way to school, I would sit in my hot pink Barbie car seat in the back of my dad’s car, keeping myself entertained by looking out the window. I vividly remember looking forward to one particular part of the drive – passing the H&R Block Artspace building. I loved seeing what new art they displayed each month on the massive billboard outside of the small, inconspicuous grey building at the corner of 49th and Main. Even though I had grown up looking at the building, it wasn’t until I went inside for the first time that I fully realized the uniqueness of the Artspace and its pieces. The primary artist being shown was Simone Leigh, an artist influenced by a variety of subjects including African Art, architecture, science fiction, popular culture and contemporary art. Leigh had a vast range of pieces, from pottery based art work to projections of videos on loop. Leigh’s most unusual work was a large projection on three walls. Each wall had a projection of Leigh in a red pot, with just her head sticking around. In one image her eyes were closed, in another she was looking around questioningly and on the main wall she was spinning quickly in the pot.

In addition, there was tribal music blasting throughout the space. I can’t say I found some sort of profound deeper meaning to this piece, but the mesmerizing visual made me feel like I was in a trance when watching. I also really appreciated the different mediums of pottery and clay that she used. I wasn’t expecting such an elaborate exhibit. The building was also showing a Kansas City Art Institute professors’ work, who had recently passed away. He mostly used calligraphy based art. The black lines that wove together abstractly on a white canvas were simple and had an elegant beauty about them. The helpfulness of the staff enhanced my experience. The woman working gave me detailed information about the artists and showed me to a book that had even more information about the artist’s visions and other pieces. She was very welcoming, and obviously wanted to share as much information as she could about the space and the art. Overall, my experience at the H&R Block Space was not only entertaining and enjoyable, but incredibly informative. The space itself was gorgeous, flooded with natural light and inviting, not to mention the unique pieces of art on display.

STAND- OUT PIECES RIGHT | The monkey being depicted as a warrior, combined with vibrant colors, is one of the best pieces from the Chinese New Years collection. MIDDLE | Video projection and ceramics are used to display Simone Leigh’s vision of progressing feminism.

LEFT | Traditional African ceramics are one of the key components of Simone Leigh’s exhibit.

WINDHORSE

s I walked up the skinny, carpeted stairway to Windhorse, the faint smell of incense filled the air. After the stairwell, there was a short hallway that opened up to a small, rectangular room with walls lined with artwork. As I looked around, I was taken aback that there was no one at the desk to greet, no one giving me any sort of informational pamphlet. I had a moment of panic, worrying it was closed and I had inadvertently broken in. But once I heard the soft, buzzing hum behind the glass partitions at the end of the room, I quickly realized my mistake. The people working were in fact there, they were just busy giving someone a tattoo. Windhorse is not only home to an art gallery, but a tattoo parlor. The owner explained that combining a tattoo parlor with an art gallery was his idea to bridge the gap between commission and private work. His goal was also to transform tattooing into more of a highbrow form of art. The space that contained the art was small but cozy. The low lighting, neutral colors and clean, clutter-less space all created a comfortable ambiance. The paintings on display were all relatively small, no more than 12 inches by 12 inches. All the art in the gallery was based off the Chinese New Year -- 2016’s animal is the monkey. Each piece was a painting or a drawing of a monkey in a different setting. Some were cartoonish, others more realistic, but they all had aspects that made each of them completely different from the last. It made me appreciate how art can revolve around the same theme, but end up with such variety. I really enjoyed seeing that, especially because my art skills, or lack thereof, would leave me struggling to create a painting of one monkey. I only got a glimpse of the inside of the tattoo parlor because it was occupied, but it carried on the

SS R O

written by CLAIRE POTTENGER photos by ELLIE THOMA OWN IDT

simple, Chinese style of the rest of the gallery. The owner was working when I visited, and explained a lot of the idea and the history of the gallery, but didn’t give me much information about the artists. After that, he left me to explore the art by myself. The service at Windhorse contrasted greatly from the woman working at the H&R block space, who was very involved in explaining and showing me the art. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it definitely created a different experience at each gallery. Especially for someone like me, who enjoys art, but isn’t necessarily an art aficionado. Even though Windhorse was a smaller gallery, I loved the originality of fusing the different forms of art, tattooing and more conventional styles. It set the gallery apart from others and gave it a special aspect. Not only was the art fun and unique, but the entire gallery felt special because the idea came from combining two forms of art the owner was passionate about. The experience of being able to go explore and potentially buy the art, while also being able to see, or receive, the intricate tattoo art set it apart from other conventional art galleries.

G CUTTINTH MORE AN SPENDING written by CHLOE STAN FORD AND DAISY photo by HAILEY HUGH BOLIN ES

uilding administrators discussed staffing for the 2016-2017 school year in late February. They planned, considered and debated funding for programs and teachers. However, there was one piece of information they had to work without: how much money East would receive from the state next fall. The uncertainty was due to the Kansas Supreme Court decision on Feb. 11 that stated the way public schools were being funded was unconstitutional. The court ruled that the budget’s current funding formula, known as the block grant system, infringed on Article 6 of the state constitution because of the unequal distribution of funds. The block grant is a set amount of money provided by the government for local systems to use over a range of school services, from buying supplies to running buses. The ruling said that the legislature had to have a new formula finalized and approved by June 30, or public schools will not open for the 2016-2017 school year. Sophomore Denny Rice believes that if states can’t pay to keep schools open and pay teachers adequately, the quality of our education will be greatly affected. The block grant was set to run for two years while the legislature created a new funding plan, which they have yet to accomplish. Until a new formula is approved, each one of the 286 public school districts in Kansas is trying to estimate what funds they will have, and when they will know this number. In an education board meeting on Feb. 22, SMSD superintendent Dr. Jim Hinson described the best and worst case scenarios to expect for next year’s budget. That includes losses ranging from $4-8 million, as well as the possibility of teacher layoffs and rising class sizes in the 2016-2017 school year. “So $4 million we’re already in the hole to start with, that we have to reallocate,” Hinson told the Board of Education. “I do not see any scenario where we will see an increase in revenue…The likelihood that we will lose millions of dollars we are currently receiving is pretty high.” The district is currently looking at where they can reallocate funds from the equipment and supplies portion of the budget to the staffing section in order to avoid cutting staff members, according to Dr. Rick Atha, the Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Support for SMSD. Though after they go through the equipment section, there is a good chance they will have to dip into the staffing budget as well, Atha explained. East Associate Principal Jeremy Higgins also believes the budget could affect how many teachers will be hired. “Around 85 percent of the operating budget revolves around staff members,” Higgins said. “If you’re losing $8 million in funding, there’s a good chance that will cut into staffing.” With the millions that SMSD could lose, comes the reconsideration of Signature Programs like the IB program next year, explained IB director Monique Goodeyon. Other programs like the Broadmoor program, the Biotechnology program, Project Lead the Way and the Legal Studies program will also all be reconsidered. The district wants to make sure it can afford the programs, as well as make sure the programs are reaching as many students as possible, explained Goodeyon. This year, most teachers gained an extra class where they once had a planning period, which meant a 15 percent increased workload, according to Linda Sieck, the Shawnee

Changes to the school budget formula creates uncertainty about the future of public education funding in Kansas Mission President of the Educational Association. Sieck explains that this, on top of increased class sizes, results in additional papers to grade and less one-on-one time with students – with no salary increase. Goodeyon also recognizes the additional time she has to put into grading tests and homework assignments. “Because of the funding cuts, there are things happening in the building that kids don’t necessarily realize,” Goodeyon said. “All teachers have put in hours of more time every week.” Increasing student body sizes along with the inability to keep up with the inflation of the economy is in part to why the block grant was ruled as inequitable. “If we had kept up with the cost of inflation, today we could be spending $6,400 per pupil instead of $3,800,” Republican Senator Melissa Rooker said. “We are several thousand dollars off the base level, not even accounting for weightings.” The block grant system also didn’t account for the additional weightings that less fortunate districts needed, according to Mary Sinclair, the Legislative Chair for East PTSA. These weightings accounted for differences in the cost of educating kids based on a variety of factors, like special education, learning the English language or living in poverty. Students that live greater than 2.5 miles away from school also have an additional weighting for the busing cost. Prior to the block grant system, a more complex formula was in place from 1992 up until 2015. According to Atha, the previous formula was said to be “too complicated” for the state to keep up with. Rooker believes that people think the old formula is complicated because it involves a lot of calculation, when in actuality the weightings are just calculated through a computer. “I will be fighting very hard to put a formula back in place that responds to changing demographics and operates like our old one did,” Rooker said. Supporters of the block grant system explain that the total amount of money being provided to districts is the highest it has been in the history of Kansas at $13,300 statewide, according to an email from Republican Senator Jeff Melcher. While the total amount of money has grown, the number of expenditures this total includes has grown as well. “[Legislators] are looking at the total of all funds that flow to schools and the budget line item education,” Rooker said. “Within that line item, there’s money going to sources that schools cannot access to operate the building and populate classrooms with teachers, materials and programs.” The block grant changed the way the state accounts for some of the dollars schools receive, according to Rooker. Money from The State of Kansas Retirement System for Public Employees (KPERS) and bond measures passed by school districts are qualified as state aid for education. Not only is next year’s budget uncertain, but districts could potentially face another round of cuts when April revenues come in. “The fact that districts don’t know what to expect is a real problem,” Rooker said. “There are budget cuts to come before this year is over. I think there’s real concern and uncertainty for schools right now wondering if there will be another round of cuts before the school year is complete.”

& COMPLICATED

the cost of living

STATS

IMPORTANT

DEPTH

A TEACHER’S

yet the salary of a teacher hasn’t increased with it

ignoring inflation

TOTAL DISTRICT BUDGET 15% INCREASED WORKLOAD

85% STAFFING

6 5

It will be interesting to see how the legislature tries to determine if this policy will change after the ruling of the block grants being unconstitutional. I certainly hope it goes back to per pupil funding. Older families are moving out, and new families are moving in. It will be very hard for the district to adequately fund education if we aren’t getting per pupil funding.

PUBLIC EDUCATION 15% ACCOUNTS FOR 50% OF THE EQUIPMENT STATE BUDGET

TEACHER

TEACHING HOURS instead of

YET MORE STUDENTS PER CLASS

SALARY REMAINS THE SAME

REPUBLICANS DEMOCRATS

HOW POLITICS GENERALLY AFFECT SCHOOL FUNDING MORE

TEACHING

JOBS

SHRINKING

PUBLIC EDUCATION DRASTICALLY REDUCES PUBLIC SECTOR

REDOING

STANDARDIZED TESTING TO TEST MORE COMPLEX SKILLS

WANTS IT TO BECOME

EASIER

TO BE A TEACHER

OPINION

Improve the quality of instruction that kids are receiving

Hillary Clinton’s Thoughts

-Believes in educational reform -Believes parents are children’s first teachers -Wants to weed out teachers that aren’t doing their job

Donald Trump’s Thoughts

“...I may cut public education. The common core is a very bad thing”

Believe states have the right to decide the curriculum of the school

— said IB director, Monique Goodeyon

From 2009 to 2011, state aid for school district operations declined dramatically following the economic recession. This essentially eliminated the school funding increases put in place by the Kansas legislature in 2006, according to Sinclair. When the state economy started recovering in 2012, however, the legislature didn’t restore the levels to where they were in 2009. Therefore the block grant was what many legislatures thought was the best option for the time that could turn things around according to Dr. Rick Atha, the assistant super intendant of instructional support for SMSD.

WHY THE BLOCK GRANT WENT INTO EFFECT

Empty Heart

Fuller House The new Netflix series “Fuller House” does not live up to the original written by HARRISON GOOLEY

hatever happened to the Tanner Family? Nearly 21 years ago, the famous “Full House” family disappeared from nearly 16 million television watchers’ screens. Now, they’re back on TV. The moment I heard that the “Full House” cast was getting back together to make a new show, I was psyched because I love “Full House.” But the reboot, “Fuller House,” was flat out horrible. All of the built up excitement had been for nothing. Growing up, I watched the reruns all the time. When I was channel surfing, I would immediately stop if I saw the ‘62 Oldsmobile convertible full of the Tanner family. Now I don’t have to channel surf, I can just flip on Netflix. Less than thirty seconds into the first episode of “Fuller House,” cheesy laugh tracks began to run in the background after the aged-face of Danny Tanner, played

by Bob Saget, appeared from behind the kitchen counter. Already, I was beginning to pull my hair out listening to the corny jokes. The 13-episode first season follows the same plot as the original “Full House” series. Two friends help one widowed parent raise her three kids. The family lives in the same house, with the same problems and the same catch phrases, but the catch phrases are only funny for cute seven year olds, not 30 year olds. Take “Full House”, switch out the male and female roles...and you have “Fuller House.” The problems start when the TannerKatsopolis-Gladstone family moves from the iconic red-doored house, leaving behind the oldest daughter, D.J. Tanner, played by Candace Cameron-Bure. She soon realizes without the help of her family, she won’t be able to take on the job of a single mother.

The same as Danny’s wife in “Full House,” D.J.’s husband dies just before the “Fuller House’s” first episode. The show became hard to watch after the first episode. Every joke seemed forced. For example, the three women visit a club, where Kimmy Gibbler claims she lives – one where she kept a toothbrush and a clean bra behind the cash register. It’s just not funny. The plot line was the same as the original, but they portrayed everything in a much more halfwitted way. Even though I was excited for the reboot, throughout the entire show I found myself wondering why anyone thought it would be a dandy idea to create a reboot of the legendary “Full House.” The only decently positive comments I have for “Fuller House” are D.J.’s baby son, Tommy and the dirty jokes hidden

“Fuller House” reminds me of the new Disney shows. The show aimed for the hearts of ‘80s and ‘90s kids, but it fits in more with today’s young generation. The creators missed the target audience. Many people had high expectations for the show, but they didn’t reach that bar. Overall, I despised “Fuller House.” Nothing about the show lived up to expectations. Immediately after finishing the almost eternal 13 episodes, I wanted to gouge my eyes out. I couldn’t handle the stupidity. The show was a waste of seven hours of my life. The show was like finding your favorite childhood toy and being overwhelmed to have it back, just to realize it doesn’t work. It’s just not the same. 1/5 STARS

SME STudent Store SPRING BREAK TEE

Pick up your own brand new lancer tee in the SME Student Store, open during ﬁrst lunch. Bring $20 to get the limited edition shirt. www.smestudentstore.com instagram: @smestudentsection

20 written by WILL TULP

FOLLOW YOUR ART F

ueled by “How to Draw Cartoon” books, animated films and a love for being revered as the “class artist,” senior Chloe Neighbor has developed a passion for all things art. Her obsession was sparked at just 10 years old and has since been with her through middle and high school. At ten, Neighbor became infatuated with films like “Spirited Away” and “Howl’s Moving Castle” from Japanese animation studio Studio Ghibli. The films, which Neighbor loved for their smoothness and vivid colors, led her to buy art books and teach herself how to draw. “I kept going because I always thought it was neat to be the art kid,” Neighbor said. “In class people would be like, ‘We need someone to draw somethi— Oh, Chloe’s a great artist!’ I liked being that artist.”

CHLOE NEIGHBOR SCULPTOR/PAINTER

photo courtesy of SUNFLOWER MEDICAL GROUP

unior Lauren Cole describes her photography with just one word: Raw. With her black-and-white film camera, Cole conveys meaningful messages and creates magnificent portraits of her stark, natural human subjects. For her photography, Cole uses the Promaster 2500PK Super SLR, an oldschool film camera. Everything she shoots and prints is taken directly from the camera. There is no digital editing involved and that is how Cole likes it. She develops her photos in a darkroom, exposes them in light to brighten the photo and scans them all on her own. “There’s something in my art that I like to keep very natural,” Cole said. “When you take a photo in film and you develop that photo, you have that forever. With digital, I could upload it to

a computer and completely change it.” This semester, Cole is taking an independent study for her photography. Her focus is about body positivity and being the healthiest person you can be. Though she feels restricted by what is deemed “school appropriate” in regards to the human body, Cole conveys her message by creating definition with muscles, over-romanticizing features and removing color. “When people look at my photography, I like them to see there’s more of a story going on, and it’s not one I’m going to tell you or you’re going to figure out,” Cole said. “You can make up what is going on. It’s like writing a book without words.” Cole also has a love for chemistry. It is her favorite class, and while the technical side of producing her prints and pictures is chemistry-based, Cole

GOGOL photo courtesy of KARIN MEIRING

Midway through middle school at Pembroke Hill, Neighbor realized that her hobby was beginning to become an addiction. She felt drawn to art, and any free time she had was instantly spent working on it. “It’s what I do when I can’t think of anything else,” Neighbor said. “I’ll just be doing something [like] swimming and I’ll be like, ‘Oh my gosh, I need to draw people with water!’ I have so many sketchbooks and canvases, and I don’t really know what I’d be able to do without it.” Neighbor’s seventh hour consists of a mix of IB Visual Arts 1, Higher Level Visual Arts 1 and 2 and AP Studio Art all in one class period. She has crafted countless paintings, sketches and sculptures with tools ranging from clay and metal to ink and spray paint. “I mainly switch around because

sees her passion for photography as a contrast to her scientific thinking. “I thought it was my time to express the way I feel,” Cole said. “I felt that my life could use a little bit more passion in something that I actually really enjoy doing, and it’s film photography.” Through her work, Cole hopes to show that every body is beautiful, and she works to accentuate the beauty in her subjects. “There’s something about the human body that is so beautiful to me that I think people tend to over sexualize and that’s not at all what I’m trying to do with any of my work,” Cole said. “It’s always art, never something beyond that. It’s one of my favorite passions.”

enior Juliana Gogol’s favorite memory of last summer consists of sitting in a living room with 7,000 safety pins, a playlist full of rap songs and and a couple bloody fingers. It may seem unconventional, but for Gorgol, that’s just the life of a fashion designer. Since she was three years old, Gogol has been designing clothes. She started by crafting articles of clothing for her Barbie dolls and then switched to making Halloween costumes for herself. While she was fabricating fashion from home, Gogol always thought of fashion design as just a hobby. Once she took sewing class as a freshman, however, she realized that it was not only a passion, but also her dream job. “I think I always wanted to be an artist of some sort, and [fashion design] has just always been in the back of my mind,”

Students diversify their art with unique mediums

it helps me focus in on what I want to portray and best convey the emotions I try to do in a certain work,” Neighbor said. “Even when doing things with spray paint or with watercolor, it’s a really different style. You could do the same painting but it [would] come off really different.” Neighbor’s work is currently on display at Sunflower Medical Group’s Mission office. Her displayed works include abstract depictions of human features and ethereal spacescapes. Though she plans on attending the University of Minnesota for aerospace engineering and astrophysics, Neighbor believes that art will always be a part of her life, and she hopes to continue working and creating in college.

LAUREN COLE FILM PHOTOGRAPHER

photo courtesy of LAUREN COLE Gogol said. “I’ve always liked clothes, putting together outfits and sewing, so it just kind of made sense.” Last summer, Gogol attended a precollege program at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. She lived in a dorm for a month, worked on her fashion and experienced New York City. For her final project, Gogol decided to create a dress consisting of no sewing, only fabric and nearly 7,000 safety pins. The dress is based off the culture of rap music and starts with a bodice, or the area of the dress from the waist up, held together by safety pins. The pins flow down from the bodice and along the crinoline, or hoop skirt, and layers of thin fabric called tulle are used to make the dress look puffier. Gogol hopes to express herself through this dress in the same way that rappers do with their fashion choices.

“I feel like when [rappers] wear chains and stuff, it’s their way of turning something normal and utilitarian into something beautiful,” Gogol said. “So I tried to do that with safety pins because, as a seamstress, I’m always using [them].” From the type of fabric to the design of the dress, every decision Gogol makes while designing is influenced by whatever she is inspired by for the piece. In addition to the safety pin dress, Gogol has also created another dress inspired by the negative effects of words as well as an outfit based off the brain chemistry behind breakups. “I feel like [having a purpose] just enhances everything and makes it better,” Gogol said. “You can make something cool, but if you don’t have a real purpose behind it, what does it mean? Why is it there?”

FRIED &TRUE

When you’re in the mood for fried chicken, never settle for KFC or Popeye’s. Grab your friends and head to one of these for a sampling of the best chicken Kansas City has to offer written by ELLIE COOK

STROUD’S

troud’s is where most Kansas Citians go to get their fried chicken fix. The restaurant’s perfection comes from its simplicity. This treasure of Fairway is special because there’s nothing fancy about it. Stroud’s classic, family-style food and motherly staff is enough to remind anyone of a homecooked meal at Grandma’s. Although the crowd is usually made up of old couples’ date nights and family birthday parties, Stroud’s has a unique kind of lively atmosphere because it’s always busy. Sure, it isn’t ideal for a night out with friends, but the greasy, red-checkered tablecloths and lingering perfume of the fryer give the place a homey charm. Stroud’s food is exactly what you picture when you imagine fried chicken. The highlight is the chicken’s juiciness; there’s absolutely no competition on this

Address Website

front. The breading peels easily off the meat and will leave you sucking grease off your fingers long after you leave. You can’t miss the legs, but the breast is my least favorite: the “fried” to “chicken” ratio doesn’t allow for enough flavor with all the meat, so I always find myself reaching for the salt and pepper. You’ll never find yourself at Stroud’s if you’re not in the mood for fried chicken, but the menu’s other features are worth looking forward to, as well. The homemade chicken noodle soup and ham green beans are the stuff of vegetarians’ nightmares, but my favorite side is the greasy cottage fries. Oh, and the fluffy cinnamon rolls are almost as famous as the chicken. They come with your meal in a basket and put a great end to your dinner.

GUS’S

us’s World Famous Fried Chicken, which opened last month near Oklahoma Joe’s, is the first Kansas City installation of the Memphis chain. After hearing about the wild popularity of Gus’s in the South, I was excited but doubted it could exceed any expectations set by Stroud’s. Gus’s doesn’t impress upon first inspection. Maybe this is just due to the buzz of a new restaurant, but the wait time is a nightmare -- expect anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour before you’re seated. The decor is less than memorable, but the porch outside will be fun when the weather warms up. Gus’s informal atmosphere is casual

Address Website

2816 W 47th St, Kansas City, KS 66103 gusfriedchicken.com

4.5/5 STARS

4200 S.M. Pkwy, Fairway, KS 66205

RYE

stroudsrestaurant.com

4.5/5 STARS

ABOVE | The three-piece fried chicken meal with homemade pickles at Rye.

photo by KATIE LAMAR

enough for a weekend lunch with friends. The pricing is reasonable, and chicken can be ordered a la carte – great for carrying out if you’re in a chicken-on-the-go mood. Man, does this food impress: the fried chicken is God’s word on a paper plate. The chicken tastes almost fast food-y, but in good way. The flavor is surreal: that perfect degree of spice is Gus’s signature trademark. While I’d recommend ordering everything on the menu, grab the chicken fingers if you’re feeling modest. You won’t be hungry after chicken, but go ahead and indulge in a slice — or two —of chocolate chess pie to finish your visit.

hile the menu at Rye, a handsome eatery in Leawood’s Mission Farms, isn’t strictly chicken, the fried chicken is its headliner dish and has been featured in national magazines like “Elle” and “Eater.” Rye’s semi-formal atmosphere is warm and welcoming. From the strings of exposed lightbulbs hanging outside to the wall of shelving decked with fresh fall foliage, the entire place has an urban farmhouse vibe even Ralph Lauren would be jealous of. This restaurant would be great for dinner, but let your date pay – it’s pretty pricey. The high-class rustic feel of the decor seems to be a theme, because it’s trans-

Address Website

lated in Rye’s food: contemporary twist on classic Soul food dishes. This is no false advertising; that’s exactly how the food can be described. Rye’s ingredients come from proudly displayed local farmers and their own on-site garden. Though I don’t want to imagine how many calories my fried chicken meal was, it felt healthy because of the fresh flavors. The chicken was a little dry compared to Gus’s and Stroud’s, but I happily scarfed down the entire three-piece meal. While the meat easily stripped off the bone, it’s the crunch of the flaky crust that still dominates my dreams a week later.

10551 Mission Rd, Leawood, KS 66206 ryekc.com

4/5 STARS

TAKING FLIGHT

IFlY creates a safe, once in a life time experience that is worth the cost

written by CHASE TETRICK

kydiving has always attracted my attention because of how daring and exciting it appears. Jumping out of planes with parachutes on my back, however, made it much less appealing and not worth the risk. Now, through IFLY, skydiving is attainable for the not so brave people. New to Kansas City, IFLY provides a place for people to skydive without any of the risks, all indoors. Although jumping into a wind tunnel doesn’t totally compare to diving out of a plane, IFLY comes awfully close to what I imagine flying feels like. If you are looking for something unique to do in the city, I highly recommend it. I walked into the building and saw the massive wind tunnel for myself. Looking up at the 50 foot tall glass tunnel in awe, I started waving to the flyers inside. While I was waving to the lady flying around, I was introduced to my instructor, Jonathan. He escorted our party into the “Flight School,”

photos by HAILEY HUGHES where we were essentially taught to fly. Jonathan introduced himself, told a little back story of his life and then started the tutorial video. The video was very detailed, and calmed my nerves by showing little kids and elderly people flying with ease. He took us back to the main room where we got our flight suits and helmets. The suit was like putting on a onesie made of heavy fabric. I slid in, zipped up the front of it and waited until we were escorted into the staging zone, which led to the wind tunnel. I could barely hear myself think in there, let alone talk to the people right next to me, because of the wind and music. As soon as Jonathan told me to stand up, my stomach tightened and I got a little worried about falling on my face. He assured me the wind would catch me, and told me to just “relax.” I spread my arms and legs out, and before I knew it, I was airborne. It felt exactly as I’d envisioned flying would feel: like a bunch of powerful fans blowing on me. It made me feel like I was freefalling, without being in danger. Each flight lasts only a minute, which seems LEFT | Junior Mick Wiggins and his instructor, Jonathan, go up off of the ground to a higher level. “It was really fun and a different experience, except for when my arm got caught behind my body and popped out of place.”

like not nearly enough time, but it is more than you think while flying. After your minute is up, you are guided out of the tunnel and get back in line to do it one more time. The only real negative aspects of IFLY lies in its prices and availability. Ranging from $69.95 for one person to fly twice, to $302.58 where a party of 5 can all fly twice, the high prices are bound to keep some potential flyers away. Availability is the other component that will force customers to go elsewhere for a fun adventure. I started looking for a time slot nearly a week before my reservation, and barely snuck in on a Sunday night. The only times available were very inconvenient, even though IFLY is open everyday. Any hope of going on a weeknight or weekend is all but lost. IFLY, aside from its few faults, is an amazing experience. Skydiving is something most people won’t do in their life because of the risk that comes along with it, but now they are given the chance to experience it. I highly recommend it for anyone looking for something new to do in the city.

BELOW | Junior Will Clough is guided by his instructor, Jonathan, while he was learning to do turns in the wind tunnel. “I’ve actually done it before in Salt Lake City, this time was better because I knew what to expect and could try new things.”

MID-FLIGHT COMMANDS Legs Straight

Bend Legs

Chin Up

Relax

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MEDIOCRE

New Meatball District doesn’t live up to the hype surrounding it written by ELLIE BOOTON

alking back up 39th Street to my car, I contemplated calling in an order for a Meatball Grinder from Planet Sub. I’d just finished four sliders from the Meatball District, and for $13.30, my meatball craving had not been sufficed. My party, the only one in the restaurant at noon, took our seats. An awkward waitress, whose eyes craved our approval, informed us that their kitchen cooked four types of meatballs: beef, chicken, pork and vegetarian. Under the $3 slider special, I ordered one of each to see what the Meatball District had to offer. I asked for tomato, barbecue, parmesan and lemon pesto sauce on the side. After highly anticipating meaty-bliss during the 15 minute wait, my expectations plummeted at the first bite into the beef meatball slider. Even coupled with tomato sauce, I tasted only one thing: bread. Externally, the bronze buns looked enticing, but when paired with the meatball and tomato sauce, the starchy bun overpowered both the sauce and the pearl of flavorful beef on the inside. That dry slider should have come with a warning sign: Beware of bread; drench in sauce. Accordingly, I doused the bun with parmesan sauce and successfully avoided culinary cotton mouth. Without the cream, the bite-size meatball was bland, but with it, my high hopes for the restaurant were resurfaced. By the time I got to the pork meatball with barbecue sauce, I felt conflicted. The aesthetic of the restaurant said Italia, my taste buds said hometown barbeque, yet soft

alternative music reverberated through the arched ceilings. I truly wanted to like this place, but the Italian vibe I initially felt was fading. The vegetarian slider baffled me; I came here for a meatball, not this salmon-pink ball of bread crumb and herb. What meatball doesn’t have meat? A food joint shouldn’t cheat their staple dish for the sake of health junkies. Thank God for the tart lemon pesto sauce, the only salvation for this poor excuse of a meatball. At this point, I was wondering how an entire restaurant could revolve around a meatball. The answer to that is – it can’t. That’s why the outliers on the menu – onion rings, ice cream sandwiches and liquor– seemed like a shot in the dark. If the chain’s CEO were to explain the diversification of this painfully simple food selection, it would probably go something like this: “Here are our four meatballs. Sometimes we put them in a salad, sometimes we stick them in bread - don’t like it? Drag yourself to the bar and drink away your tastebuds!” I must say, the service made up for the ensuing stomach ache. Our charmingly timid waitress greeted us, checked in on us once and sent us on our way with a genuine smile. She was patient in our party’s indecisiveness (the decision to pair pesto with with the vegetarian meatball was a lengthy one), and she brought perhaps the only authenticity to my experience at the Meatball District.

VERDICT

The Meatball District $$

PRICE RANGE

ATMOSPHERE ADDRESS

CASUAL MEDIUM FORMAL 1806 1/2 W. 39th St. Kansas City, Mo 64111

WEBSITE

meatballdistrict.com

$$$

If you are ever wandering around Westport and are in need of a quick meal, “The Meatball District,” will provide you with more than just meatballs, such as pasta, seasoned fries, or ice cream.

3/5 STARS

SAVORY SIDES other meatball-inspired dishes from Meatball District

ABOVE| Greek salad with chicken meatballs on top.

ABOVE| Fried macaroni and cheese bites as an appetizer.

LEFT | Ivory arches lining the entry way into the second tier of “The Meatball District.”

photos by HALEY BELL

ABOVE | The mix and match platter that includes chicken, beef, pork, and vegetarian meatballs with lime pesto, classic tomato, sweet barbecue and Parmesan sauce.

ABOVE| Chicken and beef meatballs smothered with classic tomato and lime pesto sauce between two slider buns.

CUTTING OUTTHE T

CLUTTER

here are clean, organized people in this world. People who keep every charger cord in the same location, throw away their excess car trash daily and even those who match their socks. I am not one of these people. If you can relate, here are some tips for tackling messy hot-spots that I’ve found helpful on my attempted journey to cleanliness. Oh boy, the things I do for this publication.

CAR TRUNK T-SHIRTS

photos by DIANA PERCY written by ANNA DIERKS

ver find yourself chucking your stray trash into the trunk of your car before the innocent eyes of your passengers see? This happens to me all too often. My trunk is the bane of my auto-existence and the most common chore on my weekly list. Every Sunday I attempt to tackle the chaos, but by the time the next Sunday comes, last Tuesday’s clothes and a week’s worth of lunch boxes still linger. This will be a tricky one.

Step One: Investing in a Yet Another Organizer

I purchased my trunk containers from, get this, The Container Store. Located at 119th and Roe, The Container Store has hundreds of options for how to organize your trunk -- plus anything else you could imagine. I decided on a foldable trunk organizer that consists of two different compartments and netted pockets. The organizer is big enough to fit all of my items and small enough that I still have room floor space. Plus, my total only came out to $14.

Step Two: Pitch and Sort

Bet you can guess my last tip by now: throw away the unnecessaries and organize the rest. I decided to trash all of last semester’s English homework but kept my dance bag and hammock stored away. Big thanks to The Container Store for helping me get my life together in two easy steps and sparking a newfound interest in the amount of containers one freaking’ store can contain.

t seems that my bottomless-pit of T-shirts only increases every year. Whether they’re thrown at me during a pep assembly, purchased at a recent concert or left at my house after a sleepover, my supply of T-shirts is endless. In the past I’ve always thrown them into one of my metal baskets with no particular method of organization, but things are about to change. Step One: GET RID OF THE DUMB ONES Huh... this seems to be a reoccurring step. I once read that if you look at an object and it doesn’t bring you immediate happiness, it doesn’t belong in your life. So you tell me if your “Float Trip 2013” or “Freshman WPA” T-shirts really bring you immense joy. Mine were definitely pitched.

Step Two: Find Appropriate Storage

I’ve always had vintage wire baskets that I didn’t know what to do with, so this was the perfect opportunity to put them to use. My T-shirts fit in two of these containers and are small enough that they take up minimal space on my vanity.

Step Three: Fold and Roll

Finally, I folded each shirt to standard T-shirt style and rolled them into little hot-dog-esque shapes so that they all stacked up and fit together. I also placed my favorite tees near the front of the basket, so I won’t have to think twice about which I’m grabbing. Peace out clutter.

The average person owns 27 T-Shirts Information Courtesy of graphictide.com

JUNK DRAWER

e all have those random drawers in your house where you shove candy wrappers, paper clips, last week’s math homework. At least I hope we all do, or I’ll really feel awful about my cleaning habits.

Step One: Invest

After some research on the best junk drawer organization system, I decided I needed to purchase bins to separate my items. My bins of choice came from Ace Hardware for $17. And consisted of multiple small sections of different shapes so that they could all fit together.

Step Two: Pick and Choose

Not every Number 2 pencil or chapstick can – or should – stick with you forever. If you’re unsure about what should be considered “unnecessary,” ask yourself if you’ve used it in the past three months. If the answer is no, it’s time to say a final goodbye.

Step Three: Organize!

Finally, I arranged all of my items into their correlating box. Mechanical pencils with gel pens, nail polishes with nail clippers and so on. Now, when searching for chapstick in the middle of the night, I actually know where to look and am not hopelessly rummaging through items. Cleanliness feels good.

81%

of students have a junk drawer in their room

53%

of students clean their junk drawer fewer than twice a year

THE

TACKLING FIELD

Taking a closer look into some of the differences between rugby and football

FOOTBALL VS RUGBY

SENIOR WILL JAGGERS WITH

written by ABBY WALKER

No helmet

Helmet

HOW DOES RUGBY DIFFER FROM OTHER TEAM SPORTS?

Mouthguard Shoulder padding

Shoulder/Chest pads

E Leg padding

Ball is shorter and rounder for kicking

Oval shaped ball

Q: A: WHAT ARE SOME OF THE WEIRDEST RULES IN Q: RUGBY? A:

It’s a lot crazier I’d say, the adrenaline is a lot more intense because it’s just you and them with full speed hitting and no pads, so you just kinda throw yourself out there.

When the ball goes out of bounds you have to throw the ball in to a player that is held up in the air by 2 other players. I’ve played for a full season and I’m still not sure of all the rules. It’s definitely a very “European” sport.

HOW IS RUGBY DIFFERENT FROM FOOTBALL IN TERMS OF SAFETY?

Q: A: Q: WHAT ARE YOUR HOPES FOR THIS SEASON? A:

Well in football, you’re supposed to use your helmet to gain leverage on another player, but in rugby, without helmets we have to be taught how to tackle safely without our heads getting hit.

We always shoot to try to beat Rockhurst and St. Thomas Aquinas. They are both really good nationally ranked teams that we play every year. Also we always want to win the state tournament.

THE SCORING

5 1

THE BULK

Points in football for getting Points in rugby for scoring the ball into the end zone a try, or touching the ball into the other team’s end Sources: charlotterugby.com zone

2 3 3

EXTRA POINTS

Extra point in football for kicking the ball into the field goal after a touchdown

Points in rugby for conversions, or kicking a field goal from the place the try was scored

ALTERNATIVES

Points in football for a field goal, usually tried instead of a touchdown

Points in rugby for a drop goal, where a player drops the ball and kicks it into the field goal off the bounce

This years girls’ track team srtuggles regaining momentum after facing many problems

written by ELAINE CHAMBERLAIN

irst day of track practice. The team of 70 plus girls, made up of mostly sophomores and freshmen, look around for upperclassmen whose example they can follow during their warmup. Although there are a few of them scattered around, there aren’t nearly enough to compensate for the number of new runners on the team this year. After about a fifth of the team graduated last year, only six girls on this year’s team are returning seniors. A number of new upperclassmen along with freshmen have joined the team for the first time, and the team has already worked on developing cohesiveness through preseason conditioning. “[The team] has been running together and training together,” said senior Maddie Willson, who ran track her freshman and junior years. “I think [the new team members] will be successful, and even though it’s something new that they’re trying, they have that bond going already, which always helps.” As with any team, an experienced and respected senior class is a major asset to their success and relationship as a team, especially to underclassmen. Sophomores Libby Petrie, Julia Kapros and Peyton Hassenflu looked up to many of last year’s seniors, and tried to push themselves to keep up with the standards that the seniors set. “I think they created an atmosphere where you felt comfortable asking questions,” Hassenflu said. “Like during

warmups when you don’t know what you’re doing and you’re confused, you can look at someone [for help] and I think that’s always very important aspect to have as part of a team.” Coach Ron Stallard agrees that it is important to make people comfortable on the team and know that they have people they can look up to. “My experience has been that age or years on a team doesn’t always equate to effective leadership,” Stallard said. “Leadership comes about because teammates build relationships and learn to trust each other. We did lose a little to graduation last year, but I’m certain that people will step up and fill those roles.” The majority of last year’s seniors, as well as many of the classes before them, were state contenders on a consistent basis. One event suffering major losses is the 4x400 relay, which lost three of their four runners. According to sophomore Katie MacAdam, even though the team lost several leaders with last year’s graduating class, having a good number of people joining is a beneficial thing regardless of experience because most of the other teams they compete against are much larger. “At the end of the day I just think that track is a sport that you want to have the numbers in, so if we’re going to have inexperienced people coming in, we’re just going to have to work with them,” MacAdam said.

SPEED

Freshman Lucy Hoffman, while nervous for the season, is hopeful for success and already knows some upperclassmen, including several who are doing track for the first time. As a freshman, she hopes to find other people to look up to, and anticipates that there will be people willing to step into those roles. One upperclassman new to the team is junior Libby Wilson, who has run cross country throughout high school, but has never gone out for track. Having been a leader in cross country, she hopes that will carry over into track and that she will be able to step up despite it being new to her. “It’ll be a little weird because there aren’t really that many experienced upperclassmen,” Wilson said. “And I’ll have that responsibility, I guess, without ever having done it in the past, but I’m excited.” Stallard has high hopes for this season in spite of the somewhat unique circumstances. “From what I’ve seen so far this preseason, we have some great athletes joining us,” he said. “This includes not only freshmen, but girls from other sports that see the advantages of running track and field. I’ve had the pleasure of working with some great athletes and teams in the past and I have the feeling that this year will be one that stands out.”

photos by KATIE LAMAR ABOVE | From left to right, freshman Lucy Hoffman, senior Cathy McAlister, junior Jillian Gaunt, sophmore Peyton Hassenflu, senior Maddie Willson, junior Libby Wilson and sophmore Katie Macadam, pose for a phot before practice. RIGHT | Freshman Lucy Hoffman makes a sprint during her second day of track tryouts. BELOW | Junior Libby Wilson does her daily warm ups for her second day of try-outs. These are called lunge twists.

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REWRITING THE RULES For girls soccer tryouts this year, new standards have been incorporated to correctly evaluate the girls written by SEAMUS CARROLL

ith hearts pounding and sweaty palms, the girls’ soccer team kicks around, warming up for tryouts. This year, besides the usual tryout nerves, they also have a feeling of uncertainness. The girls gather in clusters looking around in anticipation knowing they are scored by the coaches on their every move. Whether they are running a timed sprint or doing a drill for one-on-one defending, the coaches will grade everything on a one to five scale. “I overheard girls, freshmen all the way to seniors, with the constant discussion of scores,” junior Kendall Dunbar said. “When a girl would hear another’s that was better than her it would almost feel like she was knocked down a peg.” Coach Jamie Kelly created a new tryout system for this spring to make evaluating large groups easier. It also allows for players who are upset about not making a team reflect on what they need to work on. On the final day of tryouts, all of the total points each player has scored will be added up. However many points they score will determine if the player makes a team and what team they will play on. Sophomore Larkin McLiney, who played JV last spring, is skeptical about the new system. “I think it puts a little more pressure on everyone and it will make it harder,” McLiney said. “Sometimes a number won’t represent exactly how good you are.”

But Kelly disagrees and believes that the new system will have little effect on the results of tryouts. “We still will see the same players and talent, that stuff will not change,” Kelly said. “We will just put a number to what we see instead of saying ‘OK they are a good passer.’ Now it will be they are a four for passing or a five for passing.” The reason for the change started with boys soccer this fall when 120 boys tried out. According to Kelly it was the most they have

We as coaches felt that we needed more objective criteria as supposed to subjective criteria. —Varsity Coach Jamie Kelly ever had. Due to a large number of boys trying out, there had to be a lot of cuts. Then tryouts were mostly done by subjective criteria such as watching players scrimmage and go through drills. “We had a whole bunch of players who came in and were wondering why they didn’t make a team. If it was me I would have done the same thing,” Kelly said. “I would want to know why I didn’t make a team so I could work on stuff.” In order to better explain to kids what they needed to work on and also to make it easier to evaluate a large number of players, the soccer coaches needed to add different aspects to the

tryout. “We as coaches felt that we needed more objective criteria as supposed to subjective criteria,” Kelly said. “It helps so we can get a better judge of so many boys in a small amount of time because we only have four days of tryouts”. Some of the new objective drills will include a juggling test, an eight lap time test, and a ladder agility test. For running activities, the time will be recorded and the amount of juggles will be recorded for the juggling test. “The way that people can score points from those drills is we will take the top 20 percent highest scores and those kids get five points,” Kelly said. “The next highest 20 percent get four points, then next highest 20 percent get three, and so on.” Another way players can score points is how coaches evaluate them on a subjective drill. These drills are ones that a cannot be timed or counted, such as movement off the ball and one-on-one defending. The new system also helps coaches evaluate players who are on the bubble of making a certain team or getting cut. According to Kelly, if two kids are competing for one spot, then whoever has scored the most points over the tryouts gets the spot. On Friday night, soccer girls will constantly be checking their phones, waiting to see if they scored high enough to make the team.

WHAT Graded On Subjective

Graded Activites Such as: movement of the ball one vs. one defending

Objective

Measured Activites Such as: running drills amount of juggles

HOW Graded

The girls are graded 1-5 photo by CARSON HOLTGRAVES

Poor, needs a lot of work Not terrible, but not good Adequate, but more average Good, but needs tweaking Excellent skill

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As Selection Sunday and first games quickly approach, take a moment to preview the top picks to win this year written by ELLIS NEPSTAD

ankings don’t always mean everything. As of March 6, the top five college basketball teams are the Universities of Kansas, Michigan State, Villanova, Virginia and Xavier.

The University of Kansas is a popular pick to win the championship. The Jayhawks are in control of their own destiny, if they win out they will clinch the number one seed come Selection Sunday. Kansas has a mature team, led by senior Perry Ellis. Ellis, who stands at 6-foot 8, poses a inside threat, but can also stretch the floor from beyond the arc. Currently his 3-point percentage

Every year, the Michigan State Spartans seem to come together right before the madness begins and make a run in the tournament. Two years ago, the Spartans were a four seed and made it all the way to the Elite Eight, knocking off the one seed of their region, the University of Virginia. Last year, they entered as a seven seed, and they made it all the way to the Final Four, and they again beat a higher-seeded Virginia. The Spartans have been a kryptonite to Virginia, but Michigan

Three of the top five are not capable of winning the big March Madness tournament – Virginia, Villanova and Xavier. Virginia’s stellar defense stalls

is 48 percent. The Jayhawks as a team shoot the three ball at 43 percent, the highest behind Michigan State. Kansas also has one of the best backcourts in the nation, consisting of junior guards Frank Mason III and Wayne Selden Jr., as well as sophomore Devonte’ Graham. With talented ball handlers, a senior leader and legendary coach Bill Self, the Kansas Jayhawks are my overall favorite to win March Madness. Their combination of experience and talent is unmatched throughout the league.

State and Virginia will likely both end up as one seeds and therefore won’t face each other until at least the Final Four. However, Michigan State also has a weakness: the University of Iowa. Iowa has defeated the Spartans twice this year, and could win a third if they play again in the tournament. Spartan’s head coach Tom Izzo always comes to play in March. Last year, then-junior Denzel Valentine played great, this year, the high flying Valentine will again showcase his talent and will try to bring Izzo his second National Championship.

opponents but would struggle to stop a Kansas or Michigan State offense. Xavier just got handed a loss by an unranked Seton Hall, and out of Villanova’s players that have played

in every game, only one of them is a senior. Those teams don’t have what it takes, but I do feel strongly about four teams, and believe that one of the four will win the tournament.

At the start of this season, the University of North Carolina was ranked number one. They were expected to do great things with coach Roy Williams and senior Brice Johnson. Like the Sooners, the Tar Heels also lost six games this season, and three of them came against unranked opponents such as a four-point loss to Northern Iowa, and another to Notre Dame.

Not many six-loss teams are ever in contention for a number one or two seed, but the University of Oklahoma will probably be awarded a two seed because the top teams also have a handful of losses. Of all the players in the NCAA, OU has one of the best – senior Buddy Hield. Hield won the Big 12 Player of the Year last season

North Carolina will likely enter the tournament as a three seed. Not having to carry the weight of expectations that one seeds have will benefit the Tar Heels. Coach Williams has experience, and so does Brice Johnson, who averages a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds per game. The only problem with North Carolina is their lack of blockbuster wins; they have only two wins over top 15 teams in the nation. However, the program has a lot of experience in March Madness that could come into play during the tournament.

as a junior, and this season, Hield has carried the Sooners. In late game situations he has been their go-to guy. Out of the 40 minutes in a game, Hield plays an average of 35 of them, and in that time he also averages over 25 points a game, the league’s second highest. Hield is the key for the Sooners’ success. The last time they had as dominant a player as Hield was in 2009 with Blake Griffin. That year, they had a two seed for the tournament and made it to the Elite Eight.

3 1

Sophomore Tessa Worner dramatically poses in front of the muslin cloth. The students use colored gels on lights to project the desired colors onto the cloth.

Freshman Sophia Egan creates shadows with her hands. The groups chose what their plays were about and worked together to create a visually appealing performance.

Freshmen Aaron Berlau and Billy Routan act out a dramatic scene for their shadow play. The students have the freedom to choose what their play contains and what they are about.

in the Students in drama classes were instructed to direct, create, and perform shadow plays which were then performed for fellow classmates photos by LEAH Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;CONNOR

After years of working together on a tomato farm, the Kurlbaum family has found themselves both successful and closer than ever PAGES 4&5

Five new Pep Club execs talk about their favorite memories so far and what they hope to accomplish written by TEAGAN NOBLIT

QUINCY B A I R FAVORITE THEME? “I really enjoyed the theme for the South game by incorporating two different things: the ‘80s and a ski trip. I thought it was a fun throwback and a mix of things instead of just like one theme.” FAVORITE PEP ASSEMBLY ACTIVITY? “The class competitions are always my favorite. They’re are always rigged for the seniors and it’s always kinda fun to see the classes go at it together. There are some people in it that you have never seen before. The Hungry Hippos at the last assembly was probably my favorite.” FUNNIEST PEP CLUB MOMENT? “The dances the boys used to do were always funny. It is funny to see boys doing a dance instead of girls and they always wear funny costumes.” PLAN TO GET STUDENTS MORE INVOLVED? “By having the players talk about what it’s like when they can see there is a big crowd and by making the audience feel appreciated when they go and support our teams.”

CHACE PROTHE FAVORITE THEME? “My favorite theme so far has definitely been ESPN Gameday. I like watching people dress up in all different jerseys. I like that people can wear all different jerseys so everything is not just wearing the same exact thing. I think it’d be sweet if we got the Braveheart theme to work for next year.”

FAVORITE THEME? “My favorite theme [from this year] was ‘80s ski trip, because it was new and different and looked really cool to have everyone dressed up like that. My least favorite idea for a theme was probably bros, because I don’t think everyone understood what that one was or knew how to dress up for it.”

FAVORITE THEME? “I loved the class competition with the balloons tied to our ankles. Anything where you can involve multiple people per class is best.”

THEME IDEAS? “I can’t really think of one theme specifically that I like the most, I just like themes that have to do with what’s going on or what school were playing and stuff like that.”

GOALS IN PEP CLUB? “Find a good common ground between all the students so nobody argues about the themes and they are always set. We could put a weekly poll on Twitter every week so all the students would have a say in the themes.” FAVORITE PEP ASSEMBLY ACTIVITY? “I loved throwing the T-shirts at the pep assemblies my freshmen year. People always go crazy for them.”

FUNNIEST PEP CLUB MOMENT? “I want to get the whole school more involved and excited about stuff, so having more Twitter polls to vote on themes and possibly having class competitions or something like that at games.” WHAT DO YOU MOST LOOK FORWARD TO? “I’m most looking forward to getting to run the pep assemblies, and also getting to help the new freshmen become excited about East and be a part of that.”

EMORY FOSTER

BENNETT H E N S E

FAVORITE THEME? “My favorite theme so far has definitely been the ‘80s ski trip just because it’s been different than every other theme we’ve done recently, and it was so fun to look through old clothes of your parents and choose something to wear. My favorite idea for a theme would probably be underwater just because you could dress as so many things. You could be a mermaid or a fish or a shark, there’s just so many options to choose from.”

NEW ASSEMBLY IDEAS? “I really like when sports teams and clubs compete in an event. I have been watching Jimmy Fallon and SNL [for ideas], and want to start doing some comedy segments like lip sync battles, trivia with students versus teachers and food competitions.”

FAVORITE PEP CLUB MOMENTS? “I’ve loved being a part of making the spirit for a school that has the best spirit. I enjoyed Jodi Schnakenberg’s Pound class with the swim team, the random dancing with GOALS FOR PEP CLUB? “I just really want to get everyone Catherine Sabates and the school involved and be super into the song at the end of every assembly.” spirit of East, especially the fresh- NEW IDEAS FOR PEP CLUB? men. I think something we really “I’m going to focus on the team asneed to work on next year is just pect by including everyone’s ideas reaching out to the underclassmen. so nothing is offensive, like the We all know how it feels when an boys’ dances. Also I want to push older person talks to you and tells for full seminar assemblies, trying you to do this or that, you feel spe- to get everyone involved and implecial and it’s more of a personal invi- menting social media so everyone tation. Instead of thinking like ‘Oh, knows about what we will do.” I don’t know if I should go to this WHAT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED or dress up’.” ABOUT? HOW DO YOU FEELING ABOUT “I’m just excited to work with a BECOMING AN EXEC? good group of friends and to make “I’m just excited to be a part of our senior year one of the best.” boosting the morale of the school even more that it has been in the past.”

gofundthem photos by ELLIE THOMA

written by SARAH WILCOX

Members of the East community take advantage of crowdfunding website “GoFundMe” to raise money and work for their goals

DAVID MUHAMMAD

F S

AMARA IVANCIC

ophomore Amara Ivancic heard sirens in the distance as a nurse helped her climb through the window of her 2000 Honda Civic. People swarmed around her, asking her if she was OK and telling her she had to move her car. She took a deep breath, trying to understand what all just happened. Ivancic remembered the reckless black Mustang speeding ahead to cut her off. She remembered jerking the steering wheel to avoid a crash. Next, airbags deployed and her car was stopped. She faced the damage: her Honda wedged between the south wall of Pickleman’s and a light post. Ivancic’s Civic was her way of getting to school, going to friends houses and her new job. She had accepted a job at Tropical Sno earlier that day, thinking she could drive herself to work – now that had changed. Ivancic sat with her father, discussing the price if she wanted to repair the car or look for a different one. She knew that either way she would have to be the one to pay for it. “My dad suggested [GoFundMe] jokingly, but I actually thought it was a good idea,” Ivancic said. Ivancic decided on a goal of $750 that would go towards an inexpensive used car. She began spreading the word through Facebook, Twitter and emails to relatives. To her surprise, she immediately began getting support. Ivancic received donations up to $150 from family friends. After a few days she had surpassed her goal with 11 donors and $840. Ivancic is responsible for finding a car she can afford and meeting with the seller. She has met with one seller, but is continuing to search for a car on Craigslist.

or over two years, social studies teacher David Muhammad has been a part of the U.S. Senior National Karate Team. As a member, he participates in events around the world that give him experience in a more competitive environment. Since he does not receive funding, Muhammad is responsible for the expenses of the competitions he attends. The cost of out-of-town competitions can add up to be over $1,000 with airline tickets, rental cars, food and hotel prices. Muhammad decided GoFundMe would be a good way to try to gain support after hearing of its popularity. Muhammad’s first GoFundMe was created in 2014. He posted about his fund on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Quickly after, he received support from friends and faculty at East. The $3,720 Muhammad raised in 2014 went towards two competitions in Lima, Peru and Vancouver, Canada. After his previous success, Muhammad decided to make another GoFundMe in hopes of raising money for future events. “I have found GoFundMe is pretty accessible since it has all social networks,” Muhammad said. His current campaign will go towards his trip to compete at the U.S. Open in Las Vegas. He has raised $1,290 in less than a month. Since Muhammad does not want his supporters to feel obligated to donate continually, he has not advertised this fund as much. As a thanks to everyone who donated, Muhammad offered a Practical Self-Defense Seminar to donors on Feb. 28.

photo courtesy DAVID MUHAMMAD

ASTRID CIFUENTES

ophomore Astrid Cifuentes has always dreamed of becoming a lawyer. When she opened a letter from Stanford University inviting her to attend a summer law program, she knew she had to take the opportunity. The Envision Intensive Law Program and Trial, which is in collaboration with Stanford Law School, allows kids to stay on campus for week-long summer camps. It is designed to give high school students the chance to learn about the legal profession. Students analyze case studies, participate in faculty discussions and listen to guest speakers. The only problem for Cifuentes was the $5,000 price tag. Taking the program’s recommendation, Cifuentes decided to start a GoFundMe to raise money so she could attend. Her campaign officially began on Feb.11. Cifuentes entered a description of her cause, her name and photo to set up her campaign. Once she shared her link on Facebook, Cifuentes began to receive donations of $30 to $130 from relatives and her father’s co-workers. The encouraging messages people wrote along with the donation assured Cifuentes that her cause was worthwhile. “Everything makes a difference and I am thankful for everyone who donated,” Cifuentes said. Ten days into the campaign, she had raised $500. In addition to using her GoFundMe, she has talked to law firms that are interested in funding. Cifuentes aims to reach her goal by March 25. With the help of GoFundMe she hopefully can attend and begin learning more about her dream career.

photos by MORGAN BROWNING

After years of working together on a tomato farm, the Kurlbaum family has found themselves both successful and closer than ever

top the supposedly highest point in Kansas City, Kansas, junior Eli Kurlbaum crouches down on the hay and reaches through a thin wire cage to grab an heirloom tomato. He throws it in his crate and scoots down to the next plant to snag another. He glances over at the row next to him and sees two of his brothers, Noah and Max, and his mom, Liz also hard at work. They’ve been here all morning, and in the midst of the sticky July heat, nothing sounds better than an ice water. But then a huge rotten tomato slams into his back – squishy, heavy and disgusting. Eli whips around to find the culprit and discovers freshman Noah smirking. But not for long, as Eli retaliates with an even juicier rotten tomato. Moments like these are the ones that Eli looks forward to every other day in the summer, the days he spends his mornings picking and afternoons delivering. The ones that, through all their hard work and commitment, make the Kurlbaum family both successful and complete. The family has been growing heirloom tomatoes since 1987 — the first ones to grow this type in KC — starting with only 50 tomato plants. Now, they’ve worked their way up to 3,000 plants and other crops such as corn, cabbage, beets and plenty of flowers. Since both Eli’s parents, Sky and Liz, grew up surrounded by farming, they are aware of the hard work it encompasses. But when the whole family is involved, it’s no longer a painful chore. “I know we could never do this [without each other],” Liz said. “My skill alone wouldn’t be enough to run the business, [Sky’s] skill alone [or] my sister’s, so together we make a really powerful team.” In addition to his regular job as a lawyer, Sky handles the marketing side and designs and manages their website. Liz is in charge of sales and contacts chefs to see if they’d be interested in purchasing tomatoes. A task she starts soon after Christmas, Liz’s sister Sally researches which tomato varieties to grow by eagerly looking through seed catalogs from Seed Savers Exchange and Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co. Every year, the Kurlbaums grow about 3540 varieties: approximately 8-10 are crowd fa-

written by CAROLINE HEITMANN

vorites and 15-20 are tested by the family to see if they’ll be the next new craving. The team mentality carries out through the tomato growing process. First, Sky starts germinating the seeds in a few trays under an artificial light in the basement, keeping an eye on them until they grow to about two inches tall, large enough to transplant to the farm greenhouse. Then Liz, Sally and the children take over getting them in the ground. Working to get orders out that same day, harvesting the plants is the main part of the operation. They get there at 8 AM, pick until 2 or 3 PM, then deliver before the dinner rush. Typically the Kurlbaums themselves pick the tomatoes, but sometimes an occasional friend comes along for the day. The Kurlbaums dry farm, meaning they don’t water the plants, to order to make their

I cut into them, and I took the first bite. And as a chef, it’s pretty hard to overwhelm me, and I took one bite and I said ‘Oh my god, this is going to be one of the best tomatoes I’ve ever eaten.’” About eight years ago, Mirabile started hosting five-course dinners, some with all five courses including tomatoes, which he christened “Experiences.” Last year, Mirabile and the Kurlbaums worked together to extend the events beyond the restaurant and hosted three at the farm. Now people can enjoy gourmet meals with local produce while overlooking scenic pastures and forests. However, there is a downside to raving reviews and high demand – sometimes orders can’t be filled. As a result, the family is considering expanding and growing more plants, requiring the family to put even more hours in, or hire extra help. Another option for expansion is having their tomatoes delivered to doorsteps by ShatAt times there’s disagreements, but since to Milk’s new grocery delivery plan. But a rewe are a family, we steam about it, get cent partnership made with nearby Riverview over it, get back together and respect Nursery ensures stability for now. each other’s differences Riverview Nursery has only about 1,000 to— Liz Kurlbaum mato plants, but farming is all the owners Mike and Krissy Murray do. In years past, the couple tomatoes extra flavorful and not taste too wa- wasn’t able to sell all their crops, so the Kurltery. Instead, rainwater is the tomatoes’ only baums agreed to help them out, bringing that loving family feel to another farm. Now the source of water. But the real key to their success is one char- Kurlbaums buy the Murray’s excess tomatoes, acteristic: heirloom. Heirloom tomatoes aren’t then sell them with their own. But it’s not the free food at restaurants or hybridized or genetically modified. “Hybridized tomatoes are the ones you profits or even fresh produce that makes it all see in Price Chopper or Hen House,” Eli said. worth it after those long, tiring days. It’s the “They’re all red. They’re all the same shape. fact that the Kurlbaums do this together, step The difference is that they don’t bruise very by step, with each other, with their family. “At times there’s disagreements, but since easily, and they stay ripe for a long time. Heirloom tomatoes are more fragile, but they also we are a family, we steam about it, get over it, get back together and respect each other’s diftaste better.” It’s that taste that keeps chefs and custom- ferences,” Liz said. ers coming back for more; local restaurants, including Capital Grille, Extra Virgin and Brio feature Kurlbaum tomatoes in their dishes. Scan using One of the first chefs who tried the heirlooms was Jasper Mirabile, owner of Jasper’s Restauthe Harbinger rant, and he’s been a devoted follower ever app to visit since. the Kurlbaum “[The first time I saw one] I couldn’t believe website how beautiful they were,” Mirabile said. “Then

ABOVE | Eli Kurlbaum clears out a tall wire contraption, called a cage, after the harvest.

ABOVE | Kurlbaum feeds one of their two horses an heirloom tomato. BELOW | A painting reading “Kurlbaums’ Dry Farmed Heirloom Tomatoes, simply delicious” sits on the Kurlbaums’ mantle.

Over 40 varieties of heirloom tomatoes are harvested each year at the Kurlbaum farm

Deep pink when ripe, usually around 6-8 ounces

Can grow to over one pound, with bright green skin

Very sweet in flavor, can grow up to two pounds

With purple skin, dates back to the Cherokee Native Americans.

Three National Merit Finalists put time into stanardized testing along with extra curriculars

written by ANNABELLE COOK

A LOOK INTO: NATIONAL MERIT FINALISTS

JULIANA

BHAVISH DINAKAR

PSAT SCORE: 221 AP OR IB: AP ACTIVITIES: Orchestra, Creative Co-Lab, Sewing BEST TEST TAKING STRATEGY: “There’s no such thing as overstudying.”

PSAT SCORE: 230 AP OR IB: AP ACTIVITIES: Tennis, Debate Knee-Hockey, Violin, Piano BEST TEST TAKING STRATEGY: Practice Tests

GOGOL

T E S A R of

practice tests and grammar drills to f u r t h e r prepare for the SAT. As with anything, choosing to take on all these activities at once meant sacrifice. Many nights, Kauffman would give up sleep, free time and meals. “A lot of times I end up missing dinner because I will be at rehearsal so long that I miss it or I am too busy with homework that I don’t even think to make it,” Kaufmann said. “So a lot of times I forget to eat.” From intensive all-nighters to rigorous study sessions, becoming a National Merit finalist meant having a strong motivation to do so. For these finalists, most of this drive to work hard throughout high school didn’t come from peers, teachers or parents, but instead came from themselves. “A lot of the motivation was me wanting to be the best person and the best student that I could be,” Kaufmann said. “I felt like if I wasn’t doing that then I wasn’t living up to my potential. So a lot of it was just internal desire to strive to be the best.”

most students would be dying to get home immediately after school, Dinakar will often be in the chemistry room, fine-tuning experiments or teaching his class, Organic Chem 101, to fellow students. Once he gets home, he takes online computer science courses through Harvard. “I think that life is fleeting,” Dinakar said. “I don’t gain anything by just wasting time in school without learning. I only gain stuff by acquiring new knowledge.” This insight was helpful in becoming a National Merit finalist because he was able to apply the knowledge he gathered to standardized tests. While Dinakar is more immersed in academics, Gogol has fallen in love with the artistic side of school, primarily through sewing. Gogol has created garments like a skirt with pleats inspired by the sine curve of a graph and a dress that reflects the “inner monstrosity” of Frankenstein for a creative project in English. In doing this, she finds ways to fuse common core subjects like trigonometry and literature together with fashion design. “With almost everything that I make, I try to put a meaning behind it,” Gogol said. “It helps me to analyze what I’m doing and think about it more deeply.” Although the design colleges that Gogol is looking into don’t factor National Merit into the application decision, she believes that it is still an outstanding accolade to have on a resume. As for Kaufmann, her passion lies in the performing arts. A big struggle for her was learning to balance IB, theater and chamber choir, all while trying to maintain A’s. After long, grueling rehearsals, she would come home to four more hours of homework, including

he intercom chimed in senior Juliana Gogol’s AP Studio Art class, calling her to the main office. As she made her way there, she knew what awaited her. Once she arrived in the office conference room, she was joined by fellow seniors Bhavish Dinakar and Natalie Kaufmann. Soon, Principal John McKinney would walk in and tell them the news: they were National Merit finalists. The National Merit Program is an organization that provides scholarships to students who excel at academics and complete a variety of accomplishments throughout high school. Of the 50,000 PSAT top scorers, approximately 16,000 are chosen to become semifinalists. To advance to the final round, semifinalists must submit a resume, essay and teacher recommendations. To become a part of this prestigious group, the finalists put in countless hours of preparation, from SAT prep classes to lessons with private tutors. “I definitely studied really hard before the SAT and PSAT,” Gogol said. “I took a prep class and I swear I did like 20 practice tests the week before. I would do one a day and graph my progress.” All of this work boiled down to the day of the test. A day that Dinakar, Kaufmann and Gogol had been preparing for since the beginning of junior year. “I was pretty nervous [the day of the SAT],” Gogol said. “It’s sort of like practicing for a big game if you’re an athlete or practicing for a musical performance. You can practice as hard as you possibly can, but then you never know how it’s actually going to go on the day of whatever you’re practicing for.” Dinakar found that preparing for these exams was fairly easy, due to the time and passion he puts into academics. While

photos by DIANA PERCY

NATALIE

KAUFFMAN PSAT SCORE: 225 AP OR IB: IB ACTIVITIES: Chamber Choir Theater, Forensics BEST TEST TAKING STRATEGY: “Review the nit picky grammar.”

aFinal ICEcapade

Students showcase their figure skating skills in the Carriage Club Ice Show

ABOVE | The skaters glide into position to form the pinwheel, the highlight of the Theatre number each year. “The older kids, we all know how to do [the pinwheel],” junior Lilly Lyddon said. “It’s just about teaching the new kids, and making sure they do it right so we are not all dying trying to hold [the pinwheel] together.”

photo by HALEY BELL LEFT | Junior Lilly Horton dances to the song “Conga” in the Theatre performance. This number features 33 skaters ranging in skill level from intermediate to advanced. The High Freestyle skaters stand at the front of the rink, to lead the younger skaters throughout the dance.

photo by KAITLYN STRATMAN

ABOVE | Two nights before the show, the skaters practiced for the first time in full costume. After running the closing number a first time, Coach Kelsey Parker helped the High Freestyle skaters fine tune a dance step to be ready for show night.

photo by MORGAN BROWNING RIGHT | “Thirty seconds before my solo I started bawling. I was like ‘aw man, this is my last year,’” senior Maggie Brophy said. Maggie skated to the song “Home” by Phillip Phillips for her senior skate after 10 years of participation in the show. “It was so cool to see how far I had come, I was really happy and proud of myself. It was really sad because it is such a big part of my life. It’s so weird to realize this has come to an end, but all good things have to come to an end .”

photo by MORGAN BROWNING

BELOW | Junior Lilly Horton dances to “DJ got Us Falling in Love” by Usher. Lilly and her younger sister worked with a former Lancer Dancer to choreograph part of the dance over the summer. “I think it’s really fun to bring in your own moves and have them incorporated in a whole routine in front of a bunch of people,” junior Lilly Horton said.

photo by MORGAN BROWNING

MANAGINGTHE RESPONSIBILITY Senior Claire Gibbs is recognized after four years of dedication to the basketball program written by KATIE HISE

enim jackets, pants and shirts clutter the bleachers in the main gym. The stands are a multi-shaded sea of blue. Senior Claire Gibbs glided across the main gym floor once the last girls’ home basketball game came to a close. Her parents Natalie and Tim walked along each side. She met varsity girls’ basketball coach Lauren Lawrence at the Lancer emblem in the middle of court and gave her a hug. They were underneath two Lancer blue and black balloon towers in honor of senior night for all of the basketball players and the one manager. Gibbs proudly wore her jeans in the middle of the court, with flowers and a framed picture in her lap from her team. As Gibbs and her parents made their way off the court, the realization that it was their last home game left them startled but excited. The denim theme for the game was inspired by Gibbs to promote rare diseases with the slogan “Jeans for Genes.” Gibbs and her parents hoped to start up some talk about rare diseases, such as Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), the condition Gibbs has. That night, the students and coaches would honor Gibbs for her four years of dedicated work, as well as her struggles with SMA. “I think it was a great honor to Claire for [the coaches and students] to wear jeans,” Natalie said. “I was very humbled because of it. With Claire being a part of the team, it gave her an opportunity to explain to people what is going on [with SMA].” Gibbs’ managing career began freshman

year, with tallying points, stating and cheering on the girls. She was inspired by her older sister, Lauren, who is also diagnosed with SMA. Lauren was the freshman manager the previous year and decided quit, so Gibbs took over. She was nervous to overtake her sister’s duties but has kept it up ever since. “[Managing] can be kind of stressful sometimes,” Gibbs said. “Things are generally happening all at the same time – oh hey, there’s a basket, there’s a foul and someone’s checking in all at once.” Besides the stress of keeping up with the fast pace of basketball games, Gibbs feels like a player. She deals with the yelling coaches, angry teammates, hothead parents and rival scoretable keepers. These people are a source of conflict for Gibbs. Being freshman manager, she sat alongside the bench with her team at Shawnee Mission North. It was a normal game – tallying fouls, points and timeouts. Towards the end of the game, she glanced up at the scoreboard, on which North was given more points than Gibbs had recorded they should have. She tried to politely mention to the table keeper that the score was wrong. “I understand I shouldn’t have approached her while the game was going on,” Gibbs said. “She kept saying ‘OK, OK we’ll get to it.’ It was almost, not a fight, but kind of like it. If it wasn’t such a close game I wouldn’t have been like that.” Gibbs wanted to win that game just as much

as the players on the court. She wouldn’t stop bothering the score keepers until they fixed the score. She felt like she was playing with the girls. This competitiveness can also track to her school life. Outside of basketball, Gibbs invests her time into school and extracurriculars. Her work throughout high school has gotten her into Duke University, where she will be attending next year. Even with a tough schedule, she has always made time to drive with her mom to almost every girls’ game, even when she can’t ride on the bus. Senior basketball player Sara Nestler has been a teammate of Gibbs all four years and has always enjoyed her presence. “I could count on two hands how many games Claire has missed,” Nestler said. “She’s so dedicated, and I can’t even imagine what it would be like without her there.” Nestler and Gibbs have bonded over basketball throughout high school. Gibbs has managed while Nestler has played all four years. For any far away games that Gibbs couldn’t make, Nestler would text her right after with an update. Their four years of basketball together came to a close when they were recognized together on senior night. As Gibbs glided off the gym floor, jeans on, players surrounding her, she beamed. A little because the students were wearing jeans for her cause, a little because her teammates were all cheering her on. But mostly because she knew this was her last game managing at East, and she enjoyed being honored as a part of this team.

A Glimpse At

Her Stats Take a look through some of Claire’s interests and accomplishments

accepted into Duke University

36 on the science section of the ACT

featured blogger on the Harbinger and Fight SMA

LEFT | Gibbs accepts her flowers with a smile from jumior teammate Quincy Bair. Middle | Gibbs poses with her father, Tim, with bouquet in hand. RIGHT | Gibbs receives a hug from head coach Lauren Lawrence.

photos by KAITLYN STRATMAN

current Charity Committee co-chair

D interested in a political science degree