The Harbinger Issue 10 2021

the harbinger.

C ON TR O VE R SY CO R N E R

S H AW N E E M I S S I O N E A S T 7500 MISSION ROAD PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS 66208 FEBRUARY 07, 2022 VOLUME LXIV ISSUE 10

P ERI LO US FOREST

D ELI NQU EN T D AM

CO WAR DLY CAB IN S

E XTREME FOREST

A RETREAT

FOR REFORM Wilderness therapy, which is intended to rehabilitate troubled teens, is an industry that draws concern over physical and emotional abuse

02 INSIDE COVER

THE HARBINGER

design by cesca stamati cover design by celia condon and sydney newton

click for pics online preview BOYS VARSITY BASKETBALL S c a n t o v i e w t h e g a l l e r y f ro m t h e Va rs i t y b oy s b a s ket b a l l game vs. Rock on January 28

BOYS VARSITY DIVING S c a n t o v i e w t h e g a l l e r y f ro m t h e w i nt e r p e p a s s e m b ly o n J a n u a r y 29

WINTER PEP ASSEMBLY S c a n t o v i e w t h e g a l l e r y f ro m t h e g i r l s va rs i t y b a s ket b a l l g a m e v s .

G a rd e n e r o n J a n u a r y 2 5

FOLLOW THEHARBINGER SMEHARBINGER SMEHARBINGER

photo by charlotte emley

art by sophie lindberg

staff list PRINT EDITORS Celia Condon Sydney Newton ONLINE EDITORS Sophie Henschel Campbell Wood ASST. PRINT EDITORS Peyton Moore Cesca Stamati ASST. ONLINE EDITORS Lyda Cosgrove Kate Heitmann HEAD COPY EDITOR Campbell Wood ASST. ONLINE EDITORS Caroline Wood Caroline Gould DESIGN EDITORS Nora Lynn Anna Mitchell PHOTO EDITORS Elise Madden Maggie Merckens ASST. PHOTO EDITORS Rachel Bingham Macy Crosser Hadley Chapman VIDEO EDITOR Maggie Klumpp PHOTO MENTORS Emily Pollock Grace Allen Lily Mantel Julia Fillmore Riley Eck

Charlotte Emley STAFF WRITERS Madeline Funkey Christian Gooley Mia Vogel Gibbs Morris Ben Bradley Katie Murphy Luke Beil Maggie Kissick Emma Krause Maggie Condon Hassan Sufi Addie Moore Tristan Chabanis Emmerson Winfrey Lucy Wolf Blakely Faulkner David Allegri Avery Anderson Aanya Bansal Grace Allen COPY EDITORS Caroline Wood Caroline Gould Greyson Imm Katie Murphy Anna Mitchell Sophie Lindberg Paige Zadoo EDITORIAL BOARD Sydney Newton Celia Condon Campbell Wood Sophie Henschel

Peyton Moore Cesca Stamati Kate Heitmann Lyda Cosgrove Caroline Wood Madeline Funkey Nora Lynn Sophie Lindberg Greyson Imm Caroline Gould SECTION EDITORS EDITORIAL PRINT Madeline Funkey NEWS PRINT Caroline Gould ONLINE Luke Beil OPINION PRINT Sophie Lindberg ONLINE Maggie Kissick FEATURE PRINT Katie Murphy ONLINE Paige Zadoo A&E PRINT Caroline Wood ONLINE Mia Vogel SPORTS PRINT

Anna Mitchell ONLINE Ben Bradley PAGE DESIGNERS Katie Murphy Madeline Funkey Christian Gooley Bridget Connelly Luke Beil Emma Krause Marissa Liberda Greyson Imm Sophie Lindberg Maggie Condon Addie Moore Grace Demetriou Lucy Wolf Blakely Faulkner Ava Cooper Sofia Blades Elle Gedman David Allegri Maggie Kissick Gibbs Morris Paige Zadoo ART EDITOR Natalie Scholz ASST. ART EDITOR Nora Lynn STAFF ARTISTS Sophie Lindberg Bridget Connelly Marissa Liberda Mason Sajna Grace Demetriou

Sofia Blades Ava Cooper STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Audrey Condon Elle Siegel Jill Rice Kate Beaulieu Maggie Klumpp Sabrina Dean Tristen Porter Lilli Vottero Molly Miller Mason Sajna Rachel Condon Riley Scott Lydia Coe Claire Goettsch Caroline Martucci Seri Steinbrecher Liv Madden Clara Peters MJ Wolf VIDEO STAFF Abby Lee Jill Rice Lily Mantel PODCAST MENTORS Ben Bradley Emma Krause SOCIAL MEDIA EDITORS Celia Condon Sophie Henschel ASST. SOCIAL MEDIA

EDITORS Mia Vogel Paige Zadoo SOCIAL MEDIA STAFF Madeline Funkey Campbell Wood Sydney Newton Grace Allen Sophie Lindberg Ben Bradley Peyton Moore Lyda Cosgrove Marissa Liberda Bridget Connelly Maggie Condon Lilli Vottero Molly Miller Addie Moore Grace Demetriou Lucy Wolf Ava Cooper Elle Gedman David Allegri Avery Anderson Maggie Kissick ADS MANAGER Greyson Imm CONTEST COORDINATOR Peyton Moore CIRCULATION MANAGERS Maggie Klumpp Julia Fillmore

EDITORIAL 03

FEBRUARY 7, 2022

design by madeline funkey illustration by sophie lindberg

&

OUTDATED

OVERRATED

The idea of WPA, the Women Pay All dance, is outdated because it doesn’t account for gender roles and isn’t inclusive for all relationship types and people

I

T’S SECOND SEMESTER. WPA — the women pay all dance — is coming up.

Every girl you know is deciding who to ask, debating whether they should ask their crush and fighting over who gets to ask their best guy friend.

That’s the mentality behind the tradition of WPA — girls ask the guys. After all, it’s even in the name.

This type of dance is better known as Sadie Hawkins, a tradition where the girls ask guys to the dance and pay for dinner and tickets to shake up traditional school-dance-etiquette norms and be progressive, but the premise of the dance is outdated and restrictive of who does the asking.

Sure, it was progressive to suggest that a woman could ask out a guy and pay for the meal when the dance emerged in the 1930s when women were silenced and confined to being housewives. But dances like these are no longer revolutionary changes — it isn’t uncommon in our current generation for girls to do the asking no matter the dance, so the 85-year-old concept of a dance like WPA is no longer essential. Regardless of gender, anyone should be able to do the asking for any dance and shouldn’t feel pressured into

the designated roles of dated rules.

The idea of a Sadie Hawkins dance first came in a fictitious comic strip from 1937 that was initially intended as a feminist act, but in actuality is sad and sexist. The comic illustrates an ugly spinster named Sadie Hawkins who can’t find a husband, so her father rounds up all the eligible bachelors in the town and has them compete in a race where Sadie gets to marry whichever one she can tackle down — a frankly offensive caricature of women and girls who don’t meet traditional beauty standards.

While guys did all of the asking in the 1930s and girls waited to be asked, in today’s world, if a girl wants to go with someone then she’ll just ask them out herself if they haven’t been asked already. She shouldn’t need to wait for a dance specifically named to allow her to ask.

With other dances, it’s open, so if you want a date then you can hope to get asked or ask someone yourself. With dances like Homecoming and Prom, while it’s customary for guys to ask the girls, they’re not specifically designed and named for guys to.

But WPA puts unnecessary pressure on girls that if they want a date, it’s on them to find

F O R : 9 AGA I N ST : 1 The members of the editorial board who agree with the viewpoint of the editorial are represented by for, and those who disagree with the viewpoint are represented by against.

one. And it confines the guys as well. If they want a date, they have to hope someone rings their doorbell with a handmade sign.

So why do we need a designated “girls’ dance” when there aren’t any specific asker requirements for the other dances?

Even the Student Council acknowledges the guidelines behind the dance have become outdated as they’ve switched from advertising the dance as WPA to the Sweetheart Dance this year — but simply due to tradition, the original rules are still followed among students.

W H I L E G U Y S D I D a l l of t h e asking in the 1930s and girls w a i t e d t o b e a s ke d , i n t o d a y ’s w o r l d , i f a g i r l w a nt s t o g o w i t h s o m e o n e t h e n s h e ’ l l j u st a s k t h e m o u t h e rs e lf i f t h ey h a ve n ’ t b e e n a s ke d a l re a d y .

But traditions can be outgrown. Yes, it was a statement at the time to have girls do the asking, but now it’d be an even bigger statement in our current society if we do away

with traditions like WPA to be more inclusive of everyone.

Not only is the concept behind the dance outdated in terms of girls doing the asking, but the regulations aren’t inclusive of the diverse population at East for students having different sexual orientation and gender indentities.

What if two girls want to go together?

Who does the asking then? Or two guys?

Plus, the dance’s “tradition” doesn’t account for students who don’t even identify as one of those two genders or have another relationship dynamic. “Women Pay All” assumes that all couples attending are straight and cisgender, which is not always the case.

While the intention of a girls-askingguys dance might’ve been revolutionary in the feminist world in the 1930s, the concept no longer holds up to modern day standards.

While changing the name of the dance moves toward rewriting the narrative, students need to look past the precedents of the tradition and realize that they don’t need to conform to it. Instead, they should do whatever they feel comfortable with, whether they’re being asked or asking someone themselves.

EDITORI AL POLIC Y The Harbinger is a student run publication. Published editorials express the views of the Harbinger staff. Signed columns published in the Harbinger express the writer’s personal opinion. The content and opinions of the Harbinger do not represent the student body, faculty, administration or Shawnee Mission School District. The Harbinger will not share any unpublished content, but quotes material may be confirmed with the sources. The Harbinger encourages letters to the editors, but reserves the right to reject them for reasons including but not limited to lack of space, multiple letters of the same topic and personal attacks contained in the letter. The Harbinger will not edit content thought letters may be edited for clarity, length or mechanics. Letters should be sent to room 413B or emailed to smeharbinger@gmail.com.

04 NEWS

NEWS IN BRIEF Catch up on school, local and national news

M A R K YO U R C A L E N DA R

THE HARBINGER

design by caroline gould

by blakely faul kner

L

CAL

RANCH MART NORTH shopping center is undergoing drastic remodeling beginning before quarantine.

One of the new builds will be a second Summersalt Ice-cream Co. location, which is expected to be done by the end of 2022.

“I’m excited about the new location because we’ll have newer stuff there,” sophomore and Corinth location employee Bella Hakes said.

According to Hakes, the new location will be a window-only drive through.

“I love working here because my

EAST SWEETHEART DANCE

FEB. 26

SHARE BLOOD DRIVE

FEB. 16

STUCO TRIVIA NIGHT

BELOW The valent i n e s d a y s e ct i o n i n Ta rg et , which can be used fo r S H A R E ’s va le nt i n e s d a y g i f t exc h a nge. PHOTO BY TRISTEN PORTER

coworkers are so much fun and I like having my own money,” Hakes shares.

I ’ M E XC I T E D A B O U T the new location because w e ’ l l h a ve n e w e r s t u f f t h e re .

BELLA HAKES SOPHOMORE In addition, Meat Mitch is coming to Ranch Mart North. This new restaurant is by the owners of Char

NATI NAL PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN is changing

FEB. 26

Ranch Mart North shopping center is adding new shops, such as Summersalt Ice Cream and Meat Mitch

the current immigration regulations implicated by former president Donald Trump.

The Biden Administration is taking action in federal court to strip the current border restrictions that have been preventing immigrants from entering the country since 2014. Additionally, Biden signed a proclamation stating that taxes will not fund the border wall construction any further, according to USA Today.

French immigrant and freshman Lili Vottero feels these changes will be beneficial.

“It’s definitely good that

E ST

Biden is making changes to the former president’s immigration policy

immigration is becoming more accessible for people because it’s expensive and not every family can pay for it,” Vottero said.

I T ’ S D E F I N E T E LY G O O D t h a t i m m i g ra t i o n i s b e c o m i n g m o re a c c e s s i b l e fo r p e o p l e b e c a u s e i t ’s ex p e n s i ve a n d n ot eve r y fa m i ly c a n p a y fo r i t .

LILI VOLTTERO FRESHAN Immigration

Bar KC. It will have an outdoor patio space for customers to dine, according to The Shawnee Mission Post. It’s expected to be finished by this summer next to the Price Chopper.

Other new features include new pathways to walk on, one of which will lead to an outdoor space with lights and additional parking lots.

There will also be a lawn space next to Consentino’s which will include a custom mural, a ping pong table and outdoor seating.

costs

$4,000 and $11,300, according to placementinternational.org.

Part of Biden’s immigration plan is to make the immigration system more affordable.

Vottero believes this will help make the stressful process of immigration to the U.S. that she experienced first-hand smoother “Moving was super difficult and stressful because when we had gotten all of our documents, my parents had to go to the U.S. and buy a house, then we would start the moving process,” Vottero said.

between

East is celebrating Valentine’s Day with a SHARE gift exchange

FOLLOWING THE RESCHEDULING of the East Sweetheart dance to February 26, PTSA has organized a Valentine giftgiving exchange in order to raise money and provide a fun Valentine’s Day Activity for students.

All students and faculty who receive a valentine will have their gift in the front office ready to pick up in the next few weeks until February 14.

In order to participate in the

gift giving exchange, students must fill out a Google Form with their name and phone number, what they want to give to their sweetheart and who you’re sending it to. More information can be found at smeast. smsd.org under weekly updates.

“It was originally called the Love Fund,” Head of the “Send a Valentine” fundraiser Amanda Lowry said. “It’s a fund we used for students who were struggling financially.”

IT’S A FUND we used fo r st u d e nt s w h o w e re st r u g g l i n g f i n a n c i a l ly .

AMANDA LOWRY FUNDRAISER HEAD Lowry also says this year’s goal is to reach at least 200 people. All of the funds will be going to PTSA.

NEWS 05

FEBRUARY 07, 2022 design by kate heitmann

IT’S ABOUT DR VE IT’S ABOUT POWER by emmerson winfrey

S

HARE IS HOSTING a blood drive

February 26 from 10 a.m to 2 p.m. in the East cafeteria, following the American Red Cross’s declaration of the first-ever national blood crisis on January 11.

According to the American Red Cross, 68% of blood centers in the nation have under a three-day supply of blood — the minimum needed to meet demand.

Partnering with the Community Blood Center, SHARE is hosting the blood drive in hopes to aid the shortage.

SHARE Program Coordinator Erin Billingsley believes that bringing East together to donate blood is an easy way to make a difference and is hopeful for high participation.

“There really is a need for it, and [donating blood] is not that hard,” Billingsley said. “It’s something where you can make a difference, and it’s really not as scary as it sounds.”

To sign up to donate at SHARE’s blood drive go to savealifenow.org/group and enter group code ED8R. The country has seen a 10% decrease of people donating blood since the onset of COVID-19, according to the American Red Cross. Outreach and Communications Coordinator at Community Blood Center Chelsey Smith agrees, believing that the blood shortage has occurred due to people being hesitant to get out and donate due to COVID-19.

“We 100% know that the blood shortage we’ve been in is a direct result of the pandemic,” Smith said. “Donations drop significantly when COVID cases rise, resulting in a pretty crippling blood shortage.”

In past years, Community Blood

Center usually kept a seven-day supply of blood on the shelf at all times. But since the start of the pandemic, they haven’t exceeded a five-day supply. With their current three-to-four-day supply being well below what is necessary, they aren’t able to provide as much blood to hospitals as needed.

The amount of blood given to hospitals had to be limited based on the size, the type of patients they treat and how much blood they normally need. Typically, hospitals will have standing orders with Community Blood Center to keep their shelves stocked and then they’ll get stat orders which are emergent for things like traumas.

“Right now, we are not able to fill our standing orders in full,” Smith said. “We are giving hospitals what they need as they need it, so there is a delay in getting blood to our hospitals.”

As the blood shortage continues, local hospitals are struggling to keep up their necessary blood inventory. Children’s Mercy’s blood bank has met with every unit of their hospital that uses blood to create a contingency plan if they’re ever unable to supply the blood that unit needs according to Gabriel Metzler, the Clinical Lab Supervisor at the blood bank.

For instance, in Children’s Mercy’s NICU they have certain parameters at which they need to transfuse. When one of their patients hemoglobin drops to a certain level that’s how they know they need to give them a transfusion. So, one of the things they’re doing if the hospital is low on blood is decreasing that parameter.

Hospitals have to depend on community members to donate in order to meet their demand for blood. Unfortunately, as COVID-19 spreads, the number of healthy citizens who are willing to donate continues to drop as well as the number of blood drives being held, according to Metzler.

SHARE is hosting a blood drive amid a national blood crisis

“Every hospital in the city uses blood for their patients,” Metzler said. “And it’s just important for everyone to know that that blood has to come from somebody somewhere, so we rely on our healthy community members to donate that blood.”

In order to bring in new donors, some blood banks are offering incentives to donors. In the month of January, the American Red Cross gave everyone who donated blood the chance to enter to win a trip to Superbowl LVI. They were also able to win a $500 e-gift card as well as a home theater.

Some businesses are also giving away things to those who come in after donating blood. From January 24 to Jan. 3, Krispy Kreme gave away a free dozen glazed donuts to those that came by a participating store and showed proof of donation.

“In the month of January, we offered Chiefs T-shirts for all donors that [came] in and donated,” Smith said. “Then, we do offer certain incentives as the year goes on. T-shirts, gift cards, things like that to try and get you in the door.”

SHARE is also giving away free T-shirts to those who come to the blood drive.

Besides free T-shirts, they’re making plans to spread the word — their main strategy to get people to come donate.

“We’re gonna send emails, posters, yard signs, we’re gonna try to loop in the Shawnee Mission Post and get it on their calendar,” Billingsley said. “It’s really just about awareness, so people show up.”

To be eligible to donate blood, you must be 16 years or older. If you are 16, you must have a parent’s consent. Additionally, you must weigh a minimum of 110 pounds, provide a photo I.D. or some form of identification with first name, last name and signature and be eight weeks out from your last blood donation. Donors must also be in good health at time of the donation and should wait 10 days to donate after testing positive for COVID-19.

A BLOOD-LINE The timeline from the donation to transfution

TRANSFUSION: patients receive the blood donations

DONATION:

blood is drawn from donator

STORAGE: Red cells, platelets and plasma are stored

DISTRIBUTION:

TESTING: blood is tested for blood type & diseases

SEPARATION:

donations are sent out to hosptials

Plasma, red blood cells & platelets separated

QUICK FACTS ONE PINT OF BLOOD CAN SAVE UP TO THREE LIVES

ONE IN SEVEN ENTERING A HOSPITAL WILL NEED A BLOOD TRANSFUSION

37% OF THE U.S. POPULATION IS ELIGIBLE TO DONATE BLOOD. HOWEVER,ONLY 10% DO.

*according to community blood center

06 NEWS

THE HARBINGER

A CALL FOR HELP 988

design by david allegri & peyton moore

A NEW NUMBER

Changing the number of the suicide hotline from 1-800-273-8255 to 988 and the psychology behind the switch

P

RESIDENT JOE BIDEN and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are transitioning the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline phone number from 1-800-273-8255 to 988 this July to make mental health services more accessible.

Currently, those who dial the 11-digit number will be directed to a local suicide prevention hotline to receive on-the-spot assistance.

The purpose of this 24/7 lifeline, is to provide free support to those who are struggling with emotional distress or suicidal thoughts. In 2020 alone, the hotline received nearly 2.4 million calls, according to KVC Health Systems.

“Having the current hotline is always a great go to, but definitely switching it to a three-digit code makes it a lot more accessible to people and less intimidating,’’ senior and Sources of Strength leader Grace Kloster said.

The idea for a three-digit dialing code was proposed to the U.S. House of Representatives as part of the National Suicide Hotline Improvement Act in 2017. However, the process for changing the hotline number has taken years because the Federal Communications Commission wants the transition to the new 988 number to be smooth, ensuring the network of crisis centers are ready to handle the

YO U WA N T TO re d u c e a s m a ny b a r r i e r s t o s o m e b o d y g ett i n g h e l p a s yo u p o s s i b ly c a n . O n e of t h e t h i n g s t h a t d e p re s s i o n d o e s i s re a l ly s o r t of s a p s yo u of e n e rg y a n d m o t i va t i o n .

MATTHEW KNAUER PSYCHOLOGIST increase in calls that they expect with change. The HHS is donating nearly

$280 million dollars to help with this process.

In 2019, the FCC recommended the switch to 988 and the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act became an official national law in 2020. Then, the FCC voted to implement this number in 2022.

The change to a three-digit number will grant quicker access to life saving services. Although people will reach the same service no matter which line they call, the idea is that 988 will be an easier access point, according to the HHS. Individual and family therapist at Kansas City Psychiatric Group Dr. Mike Hanson believes the hotline is a great resource for those who are experencing suicidal thoughts, but the accesibilty and ease needs to be improved. He explains that a change to 988 would promote a more easily recognized and memorable source of help. Even people established in the mental health field don’t know the suicide hotline number, according to Hanson “I don’t know [the number] off the top of my head,” Hanson said. “I don’t know the regular suicide national hotline. I couldn’t tell you what it is right now.”

According to Washington D.C. clinical psychologist Matthew Knauer, those who are struggling with suicidal thoughts often don’t want to take the steps needed to get help and believes the new hotline will encourage people to reach out.

“You want to reduce as many barriers to somebody getting help as you possibly can,” Knauer said. “One of the things that depression does is really sort of saps you of energy and motivation.”

Sophomore Nora Hill agrees that in moments of intense emotion, details can easily slip the mind. She thinks that during the rush of emotions that

people feel when experiencing suicidal thoughts, people can hardly complete simple tasks, much less reach out for help.

“Having to write out words and look stuff up and even unlock your phone is kind of difficult in those times,” Hill said.

“Turning it to something more like 911 that you can just dial real fast, will make it so much easier for people in those [situations].”

Another barrier to getting help is drug use and alcoholism that results from depression, according to Hanson.

He believes that those who are feeling suicidal and are under the influence will often not remember to call the hotline. He thinks a three-digit hotline number would be a positive way to help the matter.

2.4

MILLION

CALLS MADE TO THE PREVIOUS SUICIDE HOTLINE, 1-800-2738255, IN 2021 *according to kvc health systems

“If someone is desperate or impulsive, [remembering it] makes it easier for that person to reach out for help,” said Hanson.

According to KVC Health Systems, the transition will also ensure more mental health calls go to the lifeline, instead of 911. The lifeline centers have advanced their training, making them much more qualified to handle mental health situations than 911 dispatchers, according to Hanson.

“It’s okay to ask for help,” Kloster said. “Just like 911 was made to ask for help, 988 has the same purpose.

Not that the [11-digit] number didn’t, but it is saying, ‘Hey, we’re here and we’re supposed to be a resource,’ and it encourages people to actually take advantage of it.”

Information about the new crisis hotline number *according to suicide preventionline.org

AVAILIBLE ACROSS THE US STARTING ON

JULY 16 2022

*until then 1-800-273-8255 is still operationial

WHEN CALLING OR TEXTING 988 YOU WILL BE CONNECTED TO TRAINED COUNSELORS

HELPFUL HOTLINES 1-800-931-2237 National Eating Disorder Hotline

1-866-331-9474 Domestic Violence and abuse

1-800-950-6264 Mental Health Hotline

1-800-662-4357 Alcoholism and substance abuse

STUDENT TAKES

H AV I N G TO W R I T E o u t w o rd s a n d l o o k st u f f u p a n d eve n u n l o c k yo u r p h o n e i s k i n d of d i f f i c u lt i n t h o s e t i m e s NORA HILL

SOPHMORE

NEWS 07

FEBRUARY 07, 2022 design by marissa liberda photo by seri steinbrecher

BEYOND THE BUBBLE Life360 CEO Chris Hulls recieves complaints on social media over the app being an invasion of privacy, causing him to create a new feature to reduce cyberstalking by grace allen N RECENT WEEKS , Life 360’s CEO Chris Hulls’ TikTok

I

account has been flooded with seething comments from angry teenagers — “Thanks for ruining our life,” and “Your app is an invasion of our privacy.” This backlash sparked a new feature that the tracking app released on November 16, 2021, enabling users to pause their location within a certain area.

The new “bubble” feature was created as a result of complaints from teens about parents misusing the app to track their children constantly, rather than using it simply for surveillance, according to CEO Chris Hulls in an interview with TechCrunch, who found the complaints via social media.

The feature stops the parents from seeing their child’s exact location. However, the private “bubble” pops when it detects an emergency, such as a car crash. Additionally, parents can also burst the bubble at any time to reveal the location of the person they’re trying to see.

I P E R S O N A L LY D O N ’ T l i ke t h e g o l d m e m b e r s h i p o r L i fe 3 6 0 i n g e n e ra l b e c a u s e I fe e l l i ke i t i s a n i nva s i o n of p r i va c y fo r t h e m t o c o n st a nt ly b e t ra c k i n g m e a n d k n o w i n g my eve r y m ove JESS BORCHERS

SENIOR

The goal of this feature is for parents and children to gain better communication skills instead of relying on cyberstalking, while still using safety features according to a statement made by Hulls.

Senior Jess Borchers’ parents have gone beyond the baseline version of Life 360 by paying for the gold membership. This allows them to track how many times she’s checked her phone, how long she’s been somewhere and if she brakes too quickly while driving — giving them the opportunity to watch her every move at all times.

“I personally don’t like the gold membership or Life 360

SILVER MEMBERSHIP - $4.99/month - 7 days of Location History - 5 Place Alerts - Crash Detection - Data Breach Alerts - $100 in Stolen Phone Protection

in general because I feel like it is an invasion of privacy for them to constantly be tracking me and knowing my every move,” Borchers said.

Borchers feels like the bubble feature will help young adults gain some freedom, but that it could also start arguments within families and might spark the question of why they are pausing their location.

“It sounds like a good idea but if the whole reason for the app is safety, then pausing your location just defeats the purpose,” said Borchers.

Life360 “Bubble” A n e w w a y t o c u st o m i ze L o c a t i o n S h a r i n g fo r yo u r c i rc l e . B u b b l e s i s a n o pt i o n a l fe a t u re a n d n ot a d efa u lt s ett i n g . Af t e r a t e m p o ra r y B u b b l e i s c re a t e d , i t s h a re s o n ly yo u r a p p rox i m a t e l o c a t i o n w h i l e a l l s a fet y a n d m e s s a g i n g fe a t u re s re m a i n on

Marketing teacher and parent Mercedes Rassmusen uses the app to keep her two sons safe and thinks the new feature isn’t necessary if you have good communication with your parents, but supports the app contrasting Borchers.

She feels she has valid reasons for tracking her sons.

When her oldest son started college, he was held at gunpoint on the streets outside his apartment one day, which led to a long evening with police officers and weeks of anxiety for Rasmussen. Life 360 gave her a way to track him and to see where he was to be able to make sure he was safe. They were able to get to him after that and take him home after the event occurred.

“When we got home the one thing he said to me was, ‘I am so glad that you have Life 360 on me because I don’t know how that would’ve turned out,’” Rassmussen said.

That experience convinced Rassmussen and her kids that Life360 is worth it, despite privacy concerns.

Despite the contrasting opinions on the app, Life360 continues to try to improve the experience for their users to please both children and parents.

GOLD MEMBERSHIP - $9.99/month - 30 days of Location History - Unlimited Place Alerts - 5 miles Free Towing - $25K Stolen Funds Reimbursement - $250 in Stolen Phone Protection

24/7 precise location driving speed phone battery

PLATINUM MEMBERSHIP - $19.99/month - 30 days of Location History - Unlimited Place Alerts - 50 miles Free Towing - $1M Stolen Funds Reimbursement - $500 in Stolen Phone Protection

08 OPINION

THE HARBINGER

OPINION

HIGHLIGHTS

A look into student opinions and the opinion section

THIS W EEK Opinionated tweets from this week IN TW E E T S W H E N TO M B R A DY WO N H I S F I R S T S U P E R B OW L I N H I S S E C O N D N F L S E A S O N , H E WA S T H E YO U N G E S T S TA RT I N G Q B TO E V E R W I N A S U P E R B OW L .

W H E N TO M B R A DY WO N H I S L A S T S U P E R B OW L I N H I S S E C O N D - TO - L A S T S E A S O N , H E WA S T H E O L D E S T S TA RT I N G Q B TO E V E R W I N A S U P E R B OW L . G R E AT E S T S TA RT TO F I N I S H .

FIELD YATES

ST U D E NT TAKES

Students’ thoughts relating to this issue’s opinion section

N Y O E S

design by sophie lindberg

SHOULD SCHOOLS TEACH CRITICAL RACE THEORY? * I n st a g ra m p o l l of 2 3 3 vot e s

2/1/22

B R I A N F LO R E S E F F E CT I V E LY H A D TO E N D H I S C H A N C E S AT C OAC H I N G I N T H E N F L TO P O I N T O U T W H AT W E A L R E A DY K N OW A B O U T D I S C R I M I N AT I O N I N T H E H I R I N G P RO C E S S F O R H E A D C OAC H E S I N THE NFL.

ROBERT GRIFFIN III

66%

34% N Y O E S

DO YOU ACTIVELY MAKE YOURSELF SIT UP STRAIGHT IN SCHOOL? * I n st a g ra m p o l l of 2 9 2 vot e s

2/1/22

T H I S E P I S O D E R E M I N D S YO U H OW I M P O RTA N T I T I S TO R E L E A R N YO U R PA R E N T S A S A D U LT S . J U S T A S I M P O RTA N T A S YO U R PA R E N T S N E E D TO R E L E A R N YO U. # T H I S I S U S

35% 65%

SHAMALA HAMALA DO YOU SPEND YOUR TIME WITH YOURSELF, FAMILY, FRIENDS OR A PARTNER ON VALENTINES DAY? * I n st a g ra m p o l l of 24 2 vot e s

1/25/22

IB HE A D -TO-H EA D IS A TH UMB A F I NG E R ?

Michael Newbold and Ellie Meredith debate whether a thumb is a finger

SCAN ME • PREDICTIONS Scan this QR code t o s e e L u ke B e i l ’s online story about t h e p re d i c t i o n s of t h e C h i ef s g a m e o n t h e 31st

SCAN ME • OPINION Scan this QR code to s e e M a d e l i n e F u n key ’s online opinion about m a k i n g t h e b e st of b a d situations

Y O U R S E L F

F A M I L Y

F R I E N D S

“A THUMB ISN’T A FINGER. ANATOMICALLY, A THUMB ISN’T A FINGER. SCIENTISTS AGREE THAT A THUMB ISN’T A FINGER. IT’S NOT AN OPINION, ITS A FACT.”

18% 35%

MI C H A EL N EWB O L D THU M B I S A F I N GER

20% 27%

TA K E O U R P O L L S @smeharbinger

E LLI E M ERED I T H T H U M B I S NOT A FI NG E R

S. O.

Follow us on social media to participate in the polls

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“A FINGER IS A BIOLOGICAL EXTENSION OF THE HAND THAT OPERATES INDIVIDUALLY TO PERFORM TASKS. IN FOREIGN LANGUAGES, [YOUR THUMB] IS JUST CALLED YOUR BIG FINGER. LET’S SAY SOMEONE LOST THE TIP OF THEIR FINGER IN AN ACCIDENT. HOW MANY FINGERS WOULD I HAVE LEFT? WOULD [THE AMPUTATED FINGER] BE A FINGER BUT [YOUR THUMB] WOULDN’T BE?”

OPINION

FEBRUARY 07, 2022 design by luke beil

MA P I T

CENSORSHIP

IN THE

09

States shouldn’t ban teaching critical race theory, and East should do more to implement it

STATES

STATES THAT HAVEN’T TAKEN ACT ION ON CRT

STATES RESTRICTED CRT

STATES BANNED CRT

by carolin e gou ld

“

TODAY’S AGENDA: THE Civil Rights

Movement.”

The second I saw that title in history class, I instantly knew we would be learning about Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. — important figures, nonetheless, but the same stories I’ve learned about since third grade.

Because I’ve never learned critical race theory (CRT) — the academic framework centered around the idea that racism is systemic — I believed everything that I was taught. I believed that after Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream Speech,” racism ceased. I believed that racism was individual prejudice, not something rooted in the depths of our government.

As a white person mostly surrounded by other white people, I never truly noticed my privilege — it never phased me. Though I’ve always had friends from different backgrounds, my lack of education caused me to be oblivious to the hardships that they and their relatives faced due to systemic oppression.

That is, until George Floyd was intentionally murdered by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in the summer of 2020 — an event with consequences so widespread that I won’t go far into detail.

Only when this sparked an array of protests across the world did I finally notice how the oppression I had been oblivious to is rooted in the way that our government is structured. Only then did I begin to notice.

But upon reading articles and watching YouTube videos about what had happened to Floyd, another question remained unclear.

Why do Black people have to be harmed for me to learn about systemic oppression?

I wasn’t learning this in school. I wasn’t

getting the full story on the news channels that were sympathetic toward the police officers violently dealing with people rallying for their lives. Even though I was able to research oppression on my own, had I learned CRT in school, I would’ve been able to get a more unbiased understanding about the subject.

Living in a city that’s so defined by redlining, CRT would inform students in the Prairie Village area as to why 95% of its residents are white, according to Mayor Erik Mikkelson. The curriculum can give an unbiased education to students about what redlining is and how it has deeply impacted our community. Let’s stop making Troost Ave. an area of caution and instead learn why it’s this way.

red lin•ing

g ove r n m e nt of f i c i a l s d re w l i n e s a ro u n d a re a s d e e m e d p o o r f i n a n c i a l r i s k s , of t e n ex p l i c i t ly d u e t o t h e ra c i a l c o m p o s i t i o n of i n h a b i t a nt s

These are the things we could be learning with CRT — implementing diversity and inclusion through clearing misconceptions of Black history and learning exactly why racism is a thing. Sounds like something that everyone should want to be educated about, right? Well, some disagree.

Opponents of the framework suggest that it’s an anti-government education rooted in Marxism and that it supports the idea that, “White people should feel guilty for their skin color,” according to the Washington Post. This is a truly vile accusation, which ignorantly claims that white people can experience racism.

Republican Congress Members continue to argue that critical race theory provokes division and discrimination. But

discrimination against who?

Six states have successfully banned and restricted CRT — Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, New Hamphsire, Oklahoma and Tennessee. Kansas has yet to take action either way on the issue, whether that be implementing or banning CRT. The concept of CRT has been distorted into the negative perception that it’s basically attacking the way that the government was constructed by the Founding Fathers.

And it is, but to some that means a jab at patriotism. To others who want to make a change, CRT is taking steps toward a society where people of color are treated equally.

East specifically is 85% white, according to Mikkelson. At a school notorious for “The Confederate Flag Debate,” race theory is absolutely necessary. It’s almost a normal occurrence at our school for a white person to say the N-word with consequences as severe as a slap on the wrist from the administration. This must change before these racially-charged highschoolers are flung into the real world where their actions have real effect.

Teachers around the country have received anti-biased training that requires history classes to learn about the experiences of marginalized groups, according to the Washington Post. Even at East, teachers have gone through Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) training to take baby steps toward making the school more inclusive.

East has been addressing their curriculums in a new light to make classrooms more inclusive and to address systemic racism with DEI, by adding books by authors of different backgrounds to their reading list and placing an importance

on each student’s identity. Though, after a lifelong education of reading novels written by old, white men, this recent change isn’t enough — a reconstruction of what students were once taught needs to occur.

As a district that’s spending hundreds of thousands on new furniture, it’s well within SMSD’s budget to increase the resources for diversity training to add CRT to the curriculum.

With textbooks that talk about slavery through the capitalist viewpoint — such as with limiting the discussion of slavery to that in Triangular Trade — rather than the experience of slaves themselves, better education is necessary.

Take the Black Panthers, an AfricanAmerican revolutionary party founded to patrol and protect Black neighborhoods from police brutality during the Civil Rights Movement. If students learn about them at all, the focus is shoved onto their violence and controversy, rather than the reason the party was formed — to counter police brutality.

The fact that most students’ minds would go to the Marvel movie upon hearing “Black Panthers” is a vast issue.

Though CRT isn’t banned by Kansas or the district, it’s certainly not implemented.

These inaccuracies in our textbooks and our curriculum could be greatly cleared up with this form of unbiased education.

The fact that people of color are discriminated against in work, school, the criminal justice system and just about all parts of life is a fact. Critical race theory is simply educating us, so this isn’t the future.

This isn’t the 60’s anymore. SMSD needs to take action.

10 OPINION

THE HARBINGER

STOP YOUR

design by cesca stamati photos by caroline martucci

SLOUCH Body language affects how teens view each other and themselves

by lyda cosgrove

F

What different forms of

ATTITUDE AWARENESS body language represent

EBRUARY — THE PEAK

of third quarter slump.

The thought of three more months until warm weather makes you slouch in your hard plastic, school-issued seat.

It’s too early to start buying swimsuits and getting excited for spring break, but winter break feels like forever ago. That motivated, refreshed start to the new semester is long gone. The days blend together. The three-minute trudge from your car to the building sucks out your energy before the bell even rings at 7:40 a.m. Sometimes all you can manage to do is the bare minimum of slugging on your backpack and stumbling through the day.

But be cautious. This melancholy attitude toward school may be harming you even worse than your AP Calculus homework. Body language — the nonverbal way we communicate like stand, walk and carry ourselves — is more important than we often realize. Craned necks and slumped shoulders not only impact the impressions you make on others, but also how you view yourself.

Especially in school, where most of the time is spent sitting and listening to lectures, nonverbal communication is key to how classmates and teachers perceive you. Sagging into your desk with your arms folded closes you off from the world and can make you appear unapproachable. I know I’m guilty of it, which is why I wanted to look into how to put a stop to it.

The common phrase “actions speak louder than words” is a testament to this.

In communication 55% of body language is what is perceived by others, with spoken words accounting for only 7% and voice and tone for 38%, according to a study by Prof.

Body language that expresses confidence

Visual signs of low confidence

EYE CONTACT

SHRUGGED SHOULDERS

HANDS ON HIPS

ARMS CROSSED

FEET APART

FEET CLOSE TOGETHER

Albert Mehrabrian. Body language registers in the human brain almost immediately, even when we aren’t consciously aware of it.

It’s what sets the tone for each interaction and impression throughout your day.

Every movement, whether an eye roll, a shoulder shrug or a bright-eyed smile, has the power to put people at ease, build trust and attract others — but also to offend, confuse and undermine your true intent.

Eye contact, for example, is vital to the beginning of an interaction because we look at others’ eyes and face before anything else, according to cognitive neuroscientist and writer Dr. Christian Jarret. Humans evolved to develop a system in the brain — the fusiform face area — that’s ready to process the information coming from the eyes and face at any moment, according to Psychology Compass. Shifty eyes or avoiding eye contact alarm the other person’s brain that you could be hiding something, lying or that you can’t be trusted — a phenomenon that may not be registered consciously, but can still affect one’s attitude toward you.

Posture is another tell-tale sign of your thoughts and feelings at any given moment.

And while bad days may make you desperate to lean back in your chair and put your feet up, it’s recommended by many pediatricians to focus on the “90-90-90 Rule” whenever seated. According to this, there should be a 90 degree angle at the hips, knees and ankles with feet flat on the floor — no arms or legs crossed and no spine slouched.

Though I already had no doubt in my mind about how impactful body language is, I decided to put these new tactics to the test. On Monday and Tuesday, I allowed myself to really sink into that slump to see how it affected my overall mood. My focus was out the window, I could barely keep my eyes open as my teachers droned on, and by the end of the day, I was too cranky to even

unzip my backpack and start my homework until 8 p.m.

But by Wednesday and Thursday, I promised myself to make conscious body language decisions throughout the entire day. I waved and smiled with my eyes to everyone I knew, straightened my back any time I felt myself inching down into my seat, nodded and engaged in my teachers’ seemingly never-ending lectures and uncrossed my arms everytime I had the urge to curl into myself.

I was intentional in every movement I made, and while it required “Sit up straight!” reminders on my phone for the first few days and constant awareness of my posture, it was easily a game-changer. My mind felt clearer, I maintained my focus through pages of history notes and felt I had more engaging, real conversations with both my classmates and teachers.

We’ve all heard the advice to look in the mirror while doing a power stance as a way to build confidence. A similar phenomenon applies with body language and posture.

Think about it, if you’re constantly hunched down to be smaller and closing yourself off from the world, your confidence will shrink right along with you. But meet each day with a 90-degree posture and bright eyes? The world will meet you with that same energy.

So, the next time you drop your head and slip in your AirPods, giving nothing more than a glance to your classmates in the halls as the weight of your backpack hunches you over, remember how much a quick straighten of your back and uncrossing of your arms can turn your day around. Maybe it takes a little more effort and time to break old habits, but at the end of the day, you’ll be happier with yourself and people will likely have a more positive perception of you.

FEBRUARY 07, 2022 design by anna mitchell

NO VALENTINE,

OPINION 11

No Problem

Valentine’s Day should be about appreciating anything you love and doesn’t have to be shared with a significant other to be celebrated

by gibbs morris

R

OSES ARE RED, violets are blue, if you

don’t have a Valentine, don’t worry dude.

The one day where eating five bags of cupid-themed Fun Dip is socially acceptable and couples blast their love for one another on social media is almost upon us. For some, it couldn’t come soon enough. But for others, it’s a day of feeling left out as they don’t have a significant other to celebrate with.

You may be familiar with that sense of loneliness felt with the heart-shaped boxes taking up the shelves every time you’re at the grocery store. Media and social norms always talk-up romance, especially on Valentine’s Day. Feeling happy when a relationship isn’t on your agenda during this time is an annual challenge for some.

But, despite all public displays of affection

F I N D T H E T I M E t o l ove yo u r s e lf m o re t o re m e m b e r t h a t t h e re a re t h i n g s a n d p e o p l e t h a t yo u l ove o u t s i d e of a ro m a n t i c re l a t i o n ship. Plus, who wouldn’t wanna s p e n d t h e 1 4 t h g e tt i n g a p u m p i n , c o o k i n g b ra t s a n d w a t c h i n g “ P i n e a p p l e E x p re s s ” w i t h t h e b oy s . and celebration of the holiday, people need to remember that Feb. 14 is just a day, and they can set an intention to make the day good.

If you find yourself in the “me, myself and I” circumstance, don’t lose hope of having a good time. Instead, when life gives you lemons, you throw ‘em away and do something productive.

Sure, Valentine’s Day is a day all about love, but people fall into the trap of thinking love only implies when loving a significant other.

Love is universal and it doesn’t mean you have to share your heart with someone else. Instead of getting in your head about not sharing romantic love with another, focus on finding your own self-love and new things you love to do with yourself.

Spend your day getting some exercise to

pass the time. Whether that’s pumping iron in the gym or jogging in the park listening to your favorite music, endorphins are a great way to both boost your mood and fill the day.

If you aren’t into the business of getting ripped, you’re well within your right to do the exact opposite. Fire up the oven and bake some cookies for you and your friends or get the guys together to slap some steak on the grill.

Instead of sharing love with someone in particular, cooking on Valentine’s Day is a fulfilling way to share something you love with anyone who will appreciate it.

If raging out to Denzel Curry in the gym or cooking a steak larger than your head doesn’t do it for you, a movie marathon at home by yourself or with friends could be the right choice for you. There are thousands of choices aside from a classic romance for you to pick from on your sedentary journey.

Wanna watch three teens steal a garden gnome full of ecstasy in “Project X” or rather watch the hairy man-child Zach Galifianakis get socked in the face by Mike Tyson in “The Hangover”? Well, if you wanted, you could watch both and more! A day to yourself means all the entertainment you want at the tip of your fingers.

In my eyes, limiting Valentine’s Day to only those who have a romantic interest to share the day with has never been the point of Valentine’s Day no matter how strong the stigma around that idea is. Valentine’s Day is about love, but love isn’t just encompassed by the idea of having a partner.

On this Valentine’s Day, instead of feeling low about a potential lack of romance, you should take the time to explore all types of love. Find the time to love yourself more, to remember that there are things and people that you love outside of a romantic relationship.

Plus, who wouldn’t wanna spend the 14th getting a pump in, cooking brats and watching “Pineapple Express” with the boys?

TO DO:

Valentines Day

A to-do list for Valentine’s day to do with yourself or friends B E K I N D TO YO U R S E L F MAKE PLANS WITH FRIENDS G O TO A M OV I E E AT AT YO U R FAVO R I T E R E S TA U R A N T D O S O M E T H I N G N I C E F O R OT H E R S G E T A CT I V E , G O O N A WA L K B A K E O R C O O K A T R E AT

STUDENTS’Stats

Students’ feedback on Valentine’s day and their plans for this year

40%

THINK BEING SINGLE AFFECTS YOUR VALENTINE’S DAY

*from an Instagram poll of 315 students

32%

HAVE PLANS FOR VALENTINE’S DAY

*from an Instagram poll of 339 students

26%

HAVE PLANS WITH A SIGNIFICANT OTHER FOR VALENTINE’S DAY

*from an Instagram poll of 320 students

12 PHOTOSTORY

THE HARBINGER

design by maggie merckens

S m A LL E R S PL A S H

The SME Boys swim team hosted a swim clinic for future East swimmers on January 29 RIGHT__ Senior James Schipfer helps a kid get situated on th e wall so h e cou ld practice kicking in the water for backstroke. ”I also enjoyed bein g able to help teach the kids and spot o ut future East swimmers,” Schipfer said.

PHOTO BY JILL RICE

SCAN ME • PHOTO

Scan this QR code to p u rc h a s e photos on Harbie Photo

A B O V E The kids sit on the side of the pool as the SME Boys swim team demonstrates how to do the stroke freestyle.

PHOTO BY MAGGIE MERCKENS

A B O V E L a n c e r k i c k b o a rd s s i t o n t h e e d g e of t h e pool as t h e k i d s c le n c h t h e wa l l , p ra ct i c i n g t h e i r kicks. “Ou r p r i m a r y re a s o n fo r t h e c l i n i c i s to ra i s e mon ey for the te a m , i t’s our m a i n f u n drai s e r we have beside s d i n n e rs a t S a lt y I g u a n a a n d J o h n ny ’s , ” S c h i pfe r s a i d .

PHOTO BY HADLEY CHAPMAN

L E F T Holding him afloat, senior Will Roberts protects a child’s head from hitting the wall as he learns how to kick in backstroke.

“Honestly was [fun] just getting in the pool with the kids and seeing them smile and just working with them because I know it’s a long road when it comes to swimming.

Having older people teaching younger people is nice,” Roberts said.

PHOTO BY MACY CROSSER

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14 FEATURE

THE HARBINGER

design by katie murphy

FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS THIS WEEK IN PHOTOS A look into different activities around East

TOP LEFT S o p h o m o re A s h ley Za st row st u d i e s a S p a n i s h Q u i z let i n t h e c of fe e s h o p d ur i n g seminar while her friend, junior Emily Winter, works on Physics homework PHOTO BY CHARLOTTE EMLEY B O T T O M L E F T Junior Russell D u n n t r i e s to f i n d t h e p e d a ls o n a tr i cyc le du r i n g t h e re lay race at a pe p a s s e mb ly PHOTO BY RILEY ECK RIGHT Junior Brynn F i t zg e ra ld c re a te s a p ot i n sixth hour c e ra m i c s clas s during their f i rst we e k t h row i n g p ot s u s i n g the wheel PHOTO BY RACHEL BINGHAM

F E ATURE D UNI Q U E TA L E N T HUDSON O’NEILL C A N S O LV E U P T O A N 8X8 RUBIX CUBE HOW DID YOU LEARN HOW TO SOLVE AN 8X8?

“If you can solve a 7x7, then you can also solve an 8x8. I just learned off a website online in elementary school and memorized the algorithms, starting with a 3x3. I don’t know anyone else at school who can solve an 8x8, when I think about it. It takes me awhile though, sometimes over the course of a day.

WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR RUBIX CUBES? “I order them on Amazon. The 8x8 actually cost like $60. Sometimes I use it to prop open my door, to be honest. It’s a fun puzzle to pass time with when I’m bored. It’s different every time, which makes it more interesting to do.

A CT S O F K I N D N E S S

*in partnership with Homegrown Kitchen

Be chosen for doing an act of kindness to be awarded a gift card from Homegrown Kitchen — nominations via Instagram poll.

THIS WEEKS WIN N ER: TAY LO R BORCHERS

BROUGHT CAPRISUNS A N D P A R T Y H AT S F O R E V E RYO N E I N H E R SEMINAR CLASS TO C E L E B R AT E K I N D N E S S WEEK

RUN N ER-UPS: RE E C E B A K E R CHEERED ON T E A M M AT E S D U R I N G SWIM PRACTICE AND SPREAD POSITIVITY

CAROLINE SA NDST ROM PA S S E D B A C K PA P E R S T O H E R M AT H C L A S S W I T H O U T A N YO N E ASKING

B RE C K M C G UI RE

WROTE KIND PHRASES ON STICKY NOTES AND POSTED THEM IN THE B AT H R O O M S

FEATURE 15

FEBRUARY 07, 2021 design by katie murphy

Even though time and East itself has evolved, love has always stayed the same

TIME LESSLOVE by p ey to n m o o re

S

URROUNDED BY 30 brace-faced teens in denim skirts and sequin tops, then-seventh-graders Ally Fields and Dale Smith didn’t notice each other at first, amid the awkward gender divide and blaring Usher songs at the Asbury Methodist Church dance. As the mixer progressed, they found their way into a conversation about the song “Hey Ya!”

by Outcast.

It was a hot Friday night in the Asbury basement, and love was in the air.

So, like any 14 year old middle school romantics, that single conversation they had in that church and a couple “hello’s” in the halls lit a spark that resulted in mutual feelings for each other — they began officially “dating.”

The love birds would run home after school to text each other on the hippest messaging app of the early 2000s, AIM on their brick-like Macbooks.

This romance was just another example of two middle schoolers that instantly thought their first interaction with the opposite gender was something more. They only lasted 21 days. They realized dating was stupid. *** Three years later, Ally and Dale sat next to each other in Mr. Fast’s 10th grade English class at Shawnee Mission East and had become friends again. It was 5th hour — lunch period — so Ally and Dale would race to the cafeteria and buy the three-pack of chocolate chip cookies to split before class started.

Their friendship slowly grew as they had more and more classes and friends in common. After going together to their junior year homecoming and sweetheart dances as friends, they decided it was time to try again — maybe this time would last more than 21 days. Their first real date was to see the movie “The Haunting in Connecticut” on April 10th.

The 10th — Dale and A l l y ’s

special day. Every month, they’d celebrate their relationship on that day with a fancy dinner, movie or ice cream.

They both attended KU, with Dale going to Med School and Ally going to Art School. But no matter how many days they spent at school, or how many days they spent apart, that one day was theirs.

“It forced us to make time for ourselves,” Ally saWid. Soon came May 10th, June, then July and 1,825 days later Dale found himself at the top of the Liberty Memorial on one knee with a ring in his hand as Ally blurted out “I do” on April 10, 2015 — marking exactly five years of dating. *** The Smith’s are now 30 years old and living in Brookside — Ally working as a Hallmark designer and Dale a Pulmonary Critical Care Fellow doctor at KU Med and still find themselves at East for theater performances to see Ally’s little sister, junior Grace Fields.

Each time they walk through the Columbia Blue walls, Ally remembers Dale’s corny promposal involving a T-shirt on a mannequin at JCrew, his lack of communication when he ‘ghosted her’ after asking him to WPA because he was sick and herself dancing on the football fields alongside Dale marching in the band. She remembers East as the place where she reconnected with and fell in love with her best friend.

“We got really lucky that we got to grow into people that are so compatible,” Dale said. “Our core personalities are the same but we are so different and we have been through so many things that meeting so early in life allowed us to grow compatible with each other.”

Dale and Ally in high school vs. today PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE SMITHS

I

T WAS 1959, and Mary Kay had just returned to her dorm from classes at Vassar, an all women’s college in Poughkeepsie, New York. Lodged in her mail slot was a letter addressed from Princeton University. It was from Charlie, a boy who also went to Shawnee Mission High, the original Shawnee Mission school located where Shawnee Mission North is today.

“Dear Mary Kay, I understand you have come East for school. Could I bring a couple of roommates up and we could have a date?”

That was it. Charlie and Mary Kay had gone to one dance together in high school, and he simply wanted to know her better since her college wasn’t far from his.

Mary Kay was the salutatorian, or the second ranked student out of her high school graduating class of 870 in 1958. Charlie remembered Mary Kay being “bright”.

Charlie wasn’t much different. As the president of NHS and student congress the two were both well-known for being academically strong at Shawnee Mission. In that time, knowing someone from back home was a pleasure, not many midwestern kids made it to college on the east coast as it was far and expensive.

“We were a case of two midwesterners gravitating towards each other,” Mary Kay said. “Being on the East coast, they all thought us midwesterners were nothing, just flyovers. They thought we were from an Indian Reservation.”

The first date went well. And so did the second. Soon, Mary Kay Hall was buying a $4.00 ticket headed to Princeton University’s Junction and Back train station every three weeks.

Charlie and Mary Kay dated throughout college, which meant plenty of train rides, letters and the occasional phone call. The Horners got married on August 18, 1952 — just three months after Mary Kay graduated from Vassar.

The newlyweds finished their schooling at the University of Michigan to get their graduate degrees, Charlie in the three-year law school and Mary Kay in the two-year music program. The Horners were settled in a rented duplex with rented furniture cradling a newborn baby as they finished up school. Both

Mary Kay and Dale in high school vs. where they are today.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE HORNERS

graduated cum laude. *** Charlie and Mary Kay knew nothing more than each others’ names at Prairie Gradeschool, Charlie an eighth grader, and Mary Kay a seventh-grader. They both continued on to Shawnee Mission high school where they got to know each other better.

On top of her impressive academic achievements, Mary Kay has always been musically inclined. She asked Charlie to be her date to the Botar Ball, where she would perform as a Royalette dancer.

“I asked him out because I knew his mother would let him wear a tuxedo,” Mary Kay said. “I knew he could dance. I really wanted someone who could dance.”

And dance he could. Charlie and Mary Kay have always been Rock and Roll fans; “Shaboom” by The Chords is their all-time favorite. *** Now, Charlie, 81 years old, and Mary Kay, 80, have sent both their kids and grandkids to Shawnee Mission East, giving them the same chance at love that they had. From Prairie Gradeschool to SMHS to the East Coast to Michigan, the Horners have been married for over 50 years and now live in the East district, about a mile away from their childhood homes.

16 FEATURE

HEALING OR H

by greys on imm Members *names changed to protect identity

H

of the East and Prarie Village community who have seen or encountered wilderness therapy, a rehabili

EAVING HER NEW 60-pound backpack, then-15-year-old and East alum Hazel Anderson’s* knees instantly collapsed under its weight.

That red nylon backpack would be her closest companion for the next two-and-a-half months, accompanying her on every daily hiking expedition, backpacking trip and campout. It contained the essentials she’d need to survive the Utah winter — an inch-thick foam sleeping mat, a tarp to shield her from the wind and snow of the sub-zero nights, a mini propane tank to heat pre-made food bags and a journal for therapy assignments and diary entries.

It was just a day or two before when her parents told her that she’d be attending Aspiro Wilderness Adventure Therapy in Sandy, Utah for the coming months. After years of defiance and substance abuse, her parents realized the traditional “talk therapy” wasn’t changing their daughter’s habits, so they resorted to trying something else.

“Wilderness gave us hope for a reset and we knew she was safe for a few months,” Anderson’s mother said.

BREAKING Sending their daughter 1,089 miles away and seeing her only once during her two-and-a-halfmonth journey wasn’t easy. But Anderson’s mother notes that she — along with parents in similar situations — was desperate to save her child from drug and alcohol abuse, and A breakdown of the wilderness therapy seemed like her last Accountability for option to make a dramatic change — despite Congregate Care the far location from home and $40,000 Act tuition cost.

“My parents realized that if I kept using THE BILL’S [drugs and alcohol], I would’ve died,” ACRONYM Anderson said.

Anderson’s story is just one of an WHAT WHAT IS IS THE THE GOAL GOAL estimated 10,000 adolescents annually OF OF THE THE BILL? BILL? who are placed in wilderness therapy, THE BILL ADDS FEDERAL according to a 2000 report by the FUNDS TO FEDERALLY USDA Forest Service. For an industry REGULATE REHIBILTATION with such a high participation rate FACILITIES and widespread impact, many are oblivious to the practice of wilderness therapy and the inner workings of the system behind it.

Wilderness therapy is a form of experiential therapy designed to manufacture KNEW SOMEONE WHO HAD reformative experiences ATTENDED in WILDERNESS a non-traditional way, THERAPY integrating outdoor * I n s t a g ra m p o l l of 1 87 vo t e s activities such as team games, hiking

DOWN

THE BILL

ACCA

THOUGHTS FROM

STUDENTS

19%

75%

THINK WILDERNESS THERAPY IS UNHELPFUL FOR TEENS

* I n s t a g ra m p o l l of 1 7 2 vo t e s

excursions and other outdoor expeditions, as defined by American Addiction Centers.

In an Instagram poll of 204 East community members, only 51% have even heard of wilderness therapy before. And out of those that had heard of it, 75% say that they don’t believe that it’s a helpful practice for teens. In fact, Anderson herself hadn’t heard of wilderness therapy until she was admitted.

Although wilderness therapy isn’t widely known, Anderson, along with other members of the Prairie Village community who have experienced wilderness therapy, believe that it can either be rehabilitative or dangerous to young adults, but agree that there isn’t enough transparency in the industry.

“The big picture is helping these kids and young adults build grit, self-efficacy and just really wanting that internal change,” an Aspiro employee asking to be identified by her first name, Ally, said. “That means starting to make decisions and use coping skills not because we’re telling them to, not because their family is telling them to, but because they [want to].”

Dr. Mike Hanson, an East parent and private-practice therapist who works with adolescents and young adults, has discussed the option of wilderness therapy with about 60 families over 30 years. He notes that wilderness therapy can be helpful to some teens, especially because it puts their struggles in the context of life skills and makes recovery strategies more “real” than other hospital-like facilities. “[Wilderness therapy] brings the lessons home in a way that a kid gives a sh-- instead of just sitting around a room in some hospital where the kid’s more preoccupied with getting the cute girl’s phone number,” Hanson said. “You learn by doing. Some of the kids can remember a life lesson that they learned on the trail, or crossing a perilous river, or holding on to a rope trusting other 16-year-olds better than just a story that some adult told him in the hospital setting.”

Anderson learned persistence when it was pouring sleet and the group was still several miles from that night’s campsite. She learned tenacity on the below-freezing nights of late winter where she’d rely on hour-long cardio workouts to keep her body temperature up before retreating to her tarp-covered sleeping bag. She learned toughness from completing some of the most physically-demanding hikes in the area, even gaining 10 pounds of muscle just from hiking.

“When everything was stripped away and it was cold and I had to make food and we didn’t really have shelter, it humbled me,” Anderson said. “It definitely made me appreciate the things that I had. But that feeling doesn’t last. I have to continuously remind myself of that.”

Even though Anderson feels her experience at Aspiro was overall beneficial as it took her attention away from substance abuse, the change didn’t last for her. The reason was primarily due to the short-term nature of the program, which didn’t suit Anderson’s needs.

But after two and a half

months of the hardest physical a Aspiro — and $40,000 of her pare back into the consuming cycle of d to only two months after she grad was disheartening to have worked to relapse.

“I think it takes a lot more tha everything that you learned in p took years to get where I was. It completely get out of that.”

Since graduating from wild Anderson has gone on to attend nine-and-a-half months, joined graduated from high school early sobriety and pursuing a degree in Anderson and her mother bo therapy isn’t for everyone due to needs of every family. They enco to seek alternatives if wildernes sobriety groups like Full Circle, and Narcotics/Alcoholics Anonym ***** Though the short-term aspect o solution for Anderson, it wasn’t She didn’t face any abuse whats conversation around wilderness t However in recent years, a gro for and end alleged institutiona therapy programs has gained trac rights advocacy organizations lik Profit and National Youth Rights A of this movement.

Amid the push for change, man have shared their experiences in is model and television persona experience in her “tell-all” docum The documentary, detailing H teen industry, resonated with m youth rights advocate Meg App into advocacy. Watching Hilton r in the middle of the night by tra privacy taken from her and in treatment open larger, unethical Applegate the middle of by transport and placed facility

HARMFUL?

FEBRUARY 07, 2O21

design by sydney newton art by natalie scholz

itation program for troubled teens, share their opinions on it to raise higher awareness

and mental challenges of her life at ents’ money out-of-pocket — she fell drug and alcohol abuse she was used duated from the program. She said it d so hard to improve her habits, only

an a couple months to really change previous years,” Anderson said. “It ’s not going to take two months to

derness therapy, now-18-year-old a faith-based boarding school for Full Circle teen sobriety group, and is now celebrating 16 months of counseling. th make the point that wilderness cost, accessibility and the varying ourage families in need of support ss therapy isn’t for them, such as Crossroads rehabilitation program mous.

of wilderness therapy wasn’t the best a completely negative experience. oever, which is often a concern in herapy. owing movement to raise awareness al abuse committed by wilderness ction on social media. Several youth ke Breaking Code Silence, Teens for Association have formed in the wake

ny notable survivors of the industry n wilderness therapy. Among them ality Paris Hilton, who shared her entary “This is Paris.”

Hilton’s experience in the troubled any viewers and inspired national legate — a TTI survivor — to go recount her experience being taken nsport services, having all sense of being chemically restrained while ned Applegate’s eyes to a much system. was taken in the night services in a for the

majority of her teenage years. While there, she faced forced isolation, lack of medical care and unneeded mandatory medication.

“If I went through the [TTI], and she went through it, there’s got to be so many people that have been through this too,” Applegate said.

“That was the moment I realized ‘this isn’t a rare thing, this is a big industry.’”

After joining as Directors of Development at Breaking Code Silence, Applegate met Director of Government Relations and fellow TTI survivor Caroline Cole. A little under two years later, they formed their own organization that launched on January 17 — UnSilenced.

UnSilenced is an organization focused on creating legislative change, investigating individual facilities and giving survivors access to resources. Now, their latest endeavor is proposing the Accountability for Congregate Care Act, which would drastically reshape the way that these programs — primarily wilderness therapy facilities — operate and make money.

This bill would create an enforceable bill of rights, including guaranteeing the right to physical safety, communication with an attorney and parents, the right to education transferable to public institutions and freedom from mistreatment, solitary confinement or chemical confinement.

“I hope that [with this bill], we can create a world where young people here in the United States know that they have rights, and that we have communities and systems and culture that supports young people exercising those rights and being treated as autonomous human beings,” Cole said.

However, the problem with creating an enforceable bill of rights lies in funding — public funds mean more government control, private funds mean less regulation.

Wilderness therapy programs make substantial profits from hopeful parents to whom they promise solutions. Since the money required to operate is generated through private monetary exchanges not involving state funding, the federal government can’t intervene under normal circumstances.

Adding grant funding structures in the bill would allow the federal government to regulate these facilities and formally investigate complaints of institutional abuse. It will also look into additional statistics such as number of annual admissions to these facilities, overall living conditions, success rates of students after leaving the program, suicide rates and profit margins.

“The federal government is really hesitant to have anything to do with [wilderness therapy],” Cole said. “They don’t want to touch it, they don’t want to regulate it. They see it as private industry.”

Despite an estimated 75% success rate and a lack of extensive research about wilderness therapy, it’s a highly profitable industry according to Hanson — one primarily accessible to and marketed towards higher income areas, such as East families facing issues with drug abuse and mental health difficulties.

Aside from the two-months’ worth of tuition for wilderness treatment that Anderson’s family paid, they also paid for nine-anda-half months of a faith-based boarding school afterward that cost around $60,000.

Ally shared that about 70% of wilderness therapy patients attend some sort of other residential center or boarding school after Aspiro. The cost of this ends up being more than what parents initially think, according to Hanson. Regarding the high cost, he warns parents looking into these programs to consider exactly what they entail.

“It’s always wise to keep an eye on the flow of money and ask, ‘Is there another agenda besides helping kids?’” Hanson said. “The truth is, it’s both. There are dedicated therapists and dedicated direct service workers, but there’s also somebody that owns the place, there’s somebody or a group running a business.

The mental health business is [largely] private for-profit, and it’s silly to not remember that.”

Conversations regarding allegations of institutional abuse, under-the-table money exchanges in a very profitable industry and questions of whether or not wilderness retreats actually work are slowly circulating into the mainstream, Applegate and Cole both remark.

Though activists like Applegate and Cole often represent the issue of wilderness therapy and the A few alternate options reform movement, Cole says that the future of wilderness instead of wilderness programs comes down to therapy programs the families and teens themselves.

THE CROSSROADS “I hope that we can let parents know PROGRAM that there are other located at 13860 options when they’re Wyandotte St, told that their kid is Kansas City MO 64145 not going to succeed unless you send FULL CIRCLE ADDICTION them away [to wilderness & RECOVERY call for questions therapy],” Cole said. about the center at

THERE’S OTHER

OPTIONS

1

2

415-202-6255

3

KS SUBSTANCE ABUSE HOTLINE call the substance abuse hotline at 866-645-8216

18 FEATURE

THE HARBINGER

DEFYING HER DIAGNOSIS

design by maggie condon

Ceramics and Jewelry teacher Jennifer Hensley woke up with a hearing impairment eight years ago, causing her to change her teaching and communicating methods

HENSLEY’S STRATGIES A B O V E C e ra m i c s te a c h e r , J e n n i fe r H e n s ley lo o k i n g ove r s o p h m ore N ata le e S a n d st ro m s ketc he s in jewe l r y .

PHOTO BY Lily Mantel

The strategies Mrs. Hensley uses for communication

TALKING LOUDER LIP READING

RAISING HANDS MAKING EYE CONTACT

by sydney newton

E

EEEEEEEEEEEK. Ceramics and Jewelry Sculpture teacher Jennifer Hensley woke up startled by a high-pitched ringing in her right ear.

What’s going on? She couldn’t hear any other noise. She’d lost any sense of balance, stumbling from her bedroom to the living room — walking straight into the wall.

Something was wrong.

She drove to her primary doctor, thinking her ears were just clogged — expecting an over-the-counter prescription of antibiotics and 10 days of recovery to get her back to normal. But this was far from her soon-tobe reality.

Hensley was sent to an ENT doctor, where she underwent several doses of medication, examinations by countless doctors and an MRI scan. It was clear it was more than an ear infection.

“I was scared, not knowing,” Hensley said. “It was like a waiting game.”

Three weeks later, she was diagnosed with Sudden Single Sided Deafness at age 35 — an irreversible condition. For the rest of her life, teaching art would look much different, and she’d have to spend months adjusting to her new reality and unlearning her perfected routine in the classroom after nine years of teaching. **** Teaching is Henley’s passion. She’s loved 3-D art and photography since middle school, and found joy in sharing those interests with other students. When the diagnosis happened eight years ago, she was on maternity leave. But with a two month-recovery process of being injected with high doses of steroids, it was clear that her teaching career would need to be put on hold longer.

Those two months of rehab were dark for Hensley — the drugs drained all her energy and left her bedridden and sleepless for

days at a time, all while taking care of her two kids. Hensley knows that if she hadn’t looked at the positive side, she may not have gotten through it.

“They had put me on such a high dose of steroids initially that I was so sick,” Hensley said. “To the point where it was hard to care for my children. I kept saying to myself, ‘You’re about done with steroids.

At least you’re not going through chemo. At least I can still live to be there for my kids.’

Somehow, I found the strength to look at what I hadn’t lost and look at what battle I wasn’t fighting.”

Following her rehab, Hensley could make out very little noise on her right side, only able to hear loud noises such as car horns and gunshots. Simple things like phone calls with her mom required work. And as a mother, she frequently wasn’t able to hear her children at grocery stores, parks or even in the car. In restaurants, it seemed like she wasn’t a part of her kids’ conversation — being a mother often felt impossible.

It was clear to Hensley that hearing students’ voices from her right ear was out of the question — she could barely hear her own family’s voices. However, she wasn’t willing to give up teaching. When a job opened at Shawnee Mission East for a Jewelry & Ceramics teacher — both involving 3-D art — Hensley took it.

Teaching with a hearing impairment was a new barrier for Hensley. The loss of hearing in her right ear also meant the loss of her sense of direction for sound. She couldn’t tell where a student’s voice was coming from. She couldn’t hear any student talking into her right ear. She couldn’t read the lips of students making eye contact with her. It felt unbearable.

“It was exhausting,” Hensley said. “It’s almost like someone took the volume on all the background noise and turned it up and

took the volume on the actual speech and turned it down. Your brain is having to work so hard to fill in the gaps. You’re always tired.”

But Hensley wasn’t discouraged — she adapted. At the beginning of each semester, she explained her hearing impairment to her students, urging them to make eye contact with her when speaking so she could read lips, raise their hand so she could tell where the sound was coming from and talk into her left ear rather than her right. It took them a few weeks to get the hang of, but Hensley feels lucky her students were able to pick it up quickly.

“It’s rare, seeing someone go through that,” Senior Lily Lomshek, who’s had Hensley every year of high school, said. “But the fact that she is still able to teach and help students with her hearing impairment is awesome to see. It shows students that even if they are going through something, they can still get through it.”

Slowly but surely, she got used to reading the lips of her students, to filling in the blanks between words she could read or hear.

She could hold a conversation with anyone.

Teaching with her hearing impairment felt normal.

Then the mask requirement was put in place.

Lip reading? Gone. Loud voices?

Muffled. All the communication strategies Hensley had grown used to weren’t possible anymore. She could no longer understand what students, family members or friends were trying to say to her — it seemed like she was back at square one. Hensley still remembers going to Subway and having to ask her children to interpret the maskwearing employee for her. She felt helpless.

“It made life pretty much impossible,” Hensley said. ****

Two months into the pandemic, Hensley decided she couldn’t take it anymore.

She scheduled a surgery for a Cochlear implant — an electronic device that stimulates the auditory nerve to regain hearing. She’d considered it for the past few years, but due to issues with FDA approval and no insurance coverage, she held off. The Prairie Village mask mandate was her final straw — she decided to take the leap. While there were risks of paralysis or fluid leakage in the surgery, it was worth it to lessen the frustration of communication that comes with everyday life.

Following the implant, Hensley went through six months of hearing therapy where she focused on word recognition solely in her right ear. At first, everything sounded distorted, but eventually she could hear voices in her right ear, although word recognition can still sometimes be a struggle.

“It’s like running versus running into a crazy strong headwind,” Hensley said.

“You’re still doing your best, you’re still working hard. But there isn’t something always pushing down on you. I can simply function at the same level.”

Now, she feels like she can finally focus on teaching rather than figuring out what students are saying. Hensley no longer has to constantly ask students to speak louder or tell them to raise their hand when asking a question — she can just answer it. She can hear students even with their masks on. She can hear her children talking in the car. It’s like she can breathe again.

She feels like she can once again teach and interact in the way she used to before her hearing impairment.

“I feel free,” Hensley said.

FEATURE 19

FEBRUARY 07, 2022

design and art by natalie scholz

Senior Louisa Mills has built a name for herself in the costume department through creativity and hard work by ca mpbell wood

R

IP.

The zipper on Ariel’s pink dress tore as she changed out of her mermaid outfit, and she needed to be back on stage in less than a minute. Then-freshman Louisa Mills hand flew to her pocket — stuffed with safety pins, mic tape, bobby pins and hair ties — and tried not to tremble as she pinned the back of the dress just in time for Ariel to shuffle on stage for her cue.

“It is a pure adrenaline rush, especially for me because I have this little amount of time to de-dress them, redress them, send them back on stage and make sure they look like a normal human,” Louisa said.

Now a senior and a Costumes Crew Chief of three years, Louisa built her reputation in theater not only for her masterful quick changes — 30 seconds being her personal best — but also for her commitment, creativity and management of the costumes crew. Her work has placed her as a finalist for the Johnson County Shooting Stars Production and Design award.

Yet, she’s never taken a theater class at East.

Louisa has been helping with costumes

at Stage Right Performing Arts since 2017, and was encouraged by her older sister to join East’s costume crew her freshman year.

For her first musical, “The Little Mermaid,” she spent hours after school and over winter break cutting out and hot gluing over 2,000 feathers for the seagull costumes. Her hands ached for days.

The costumes department was nominated for a Blue Star award that year, mostly for its seagulls and Ursula costumes — an honor that motivated Louisa to keep pushing herself in expanding her skill sets to different areas like makeup, even if she didn’t know what she was doing.

“In the words of my mother and myself, fake it ‘til you make it,” Louisa said. “[That was] my mantra with [The Wedding Singer].”

Seven mainstage shows and four years later, she was named East’s January Thespian of the Month — the hardest working student in theater selected by the Theater Exec Board. “ I just really like how she puts a lot of effort into every show she does and she makes it a priority to be there,” co-Costumes Crew Chief and junior Audrey Morehead said.

Louisa feels like she puts just as many hours into the productions outside of school

as her friends enrolled in theater classes.

Between taking measurements of cast members and braiding over 75 ribbons into a wig, Louisa clocked in 135 total hours of work on this year’s musical, “The Wedding Singer.”

“She’s not in a theater class and never has been but she’s a huge part of what makes theater happen,” Audrey said. “I love that she’s still involved in all of this even though she’s not in a physical theater class.”

Most of the costumes from this show were thrifted from places like Savers, donations or reused from prior years. After one of the performances this year, Louisa was complimented for the authenticity of the ’80s costumes as they weren’t the cheesy cliché ones, but oversized blazers and shoulderpads that people actually wore then.

“I got to really show that I can put clothes together to make an [outfit] that looks real, which is really fun,” Louisa said.

Louisa's creativity comes to life on "Bertha" — the mannequin in East’s dressing room that she uses to style her outfits. However, Louisa can’t sew, so she leaves the alterations to Costumes Coordinator Summer Finkelston and Audrey. She refuses to let what she can’t do limit her vision for a costume.

Beyond creativity, Louisa has a knack for organization. This year, she made a master spreadsheet of when and where all the costumes need to be for quick changes and shouts orders to guide people through the chaos backstage during shows.

“After the dress rehearsal, I feel good about myself, and then it’s immediately, ‘Okay, what can we do better?’” Louisa said.

With each show, Louisa adds to the running list in her Notes app of improvements she can make for the next performance. Next year, Louisa plans to attend Savannah College for Art and Design to major in graphic design.

But they also have a costume design program there, so she wouldn’t be surprised if she found herself with safety pins pouring out of her pockets again.

“When you look back at it, it's crazy to think that girl sitting there, cutting out 2,000 feathers, would someday become the girl [earning] scholarships for costumes and doing all these quick changes and getting [praised] for costumes,” Louisa said. “I would have never thought that would have happened. But it did and I'm really appreciative of everything that SME theater has given to me.”

foreign

20 FEATURE

A

THE HARBINGER

by ben bradley

FEILD DAY

design by peyton moore photos courtesy of hannah goettsch, monty lyddon and hallie higgason

Three stories of East alumni who’ve studied abroad and the differences in their experiences

2017 E A S T ALUMNI M o n t y Lyndon had never considered studying abroad until his sister approached him with the idea.

However, at the time, the University of Kansas didn’t have a study abroad program, so they had to look outside the school.

Just like Higganson, he chose to go on a semester at sea.

But Lyndon didn’t receive the full study abroad experience.

Halfway into his study abroad trip, the COVID-19 pandemic struck, and his trip was cut short.

“We made it to Japan before slowly our trips started being

canceled, and we knew that tragedy struck,” Lyndon said.

Lyndon embarked on the trip that was supposed to take him from South Africa to the west coast of Europe to a final stop in Amsterdam. Due to the reduced trip, they missed out on China, Malaysia, India, Morocco and Guana.

“We were 100% left to fend for ourselves,” Lyndon said. “The programmers didn’t want to risk getting their workers sick, so we ended up being stranded in Cape Town, South Africa.”

Lyndon and his sister had to stay in Capetown for six days

until they eventually ended up getting a flight home to Istanbul and then the U.S. “We figured this would be the last time that we would get to stay somewhere like South Africa, so we tried to do as much as it had to offer as quickly as we could,” Lyndon said. “Eventually the threats of COVID started getting worse, and we had to come home.”

Lyndon felt that he was “left to his own devices.” And according to Lyndon, who has friends in other study abroad programs, many other students were left in the same position due to canceled

flights and not wanting to risk flying across borders.

“I had a few friends on different trips abroad at the same time who were reaching out to me saying that they were already back in the states,” Lyndon said.

“Our mom was more worried than any of us. She offered to pay for any flight home that she possibly could.”

Even though Lyndon’s trip was cut short, he was still able to experience Japan — somewhere he’d always wanted to go — where he was able to fulfill a few of his dreams like visiting local temples and eating authentic noodles.

BARCELONA BARCELONA BARCELONA BARCELONA BARCELONA BARCELONA BARCELONA BARCELONA hannah

WALKING THE STREETS of Barcelona and looking in store windows trying to see what’s inside the local grocery stores and boutiques, 2019 East alum Hannah Goettsch felt ready to explore her new home for the next four months and all of the shops they had to offer.

But the shops were closed.

Goettsch didn’t know that from 3-5 p.m. in Barcelona — the usual time of a happy hour in America — most places are closed for their daily siesta.

“Growing up in a small Kansas suburb, you know everyone and everything,” Goettsch said.

“When I went to an out of state

school, I thought that was a huge change for me. But, coming [to Barcelona], I’ve realized that my world has been so small.”

Goettsch never realized that studying abroad was something she wanted to venture into before attending the University of Wisconsin, where it’s typical for students to go abroad their senior year. Stories from older students who have studied abroad inspired her to travel.

“As much as I love Madison, I thought it would be the only time in my life where I could travel somewhere other than the United States and forget about all things work and school related,”

Goettsch said.

Despite the fun parts of Barcelona that attracted her to the city, the program wasn’t all about seeing tourist attractions like the San Lorenze or trying an authentic burrito — it still required her to take classes for her psychology major and business minor.

Hannah has weekly classes Monday through Thursday for an hour and 40 minutes each, with down time in-between to complete any homework or tour the streets of Barcelona. But for Hannah, studying in Spain is less stressful than college.

“There is a more relaxed sense of living here,” Goettsch said.

“Instead of worrying about going to the library, you have time to do the few assignments that are given to you.”

The three-day weekends are free time for Goettsch to venture to other places in Europe. There are still several COVID-19 restrictions in Barcelona, so Goettsch and her new friends from the program have taken the opportunity to see other parts of Europe. Over a recent weekend, they flew to Venice and Florence, Italy. Next weekend they plan to go to Budapest and eventually Dublin for St. Patrick’s Day.

SEA-MESTER SEA-MESTER SEA-MESTER SEA-MESTER SEA-MESTER SEA-MESTER SEA-MESTER SEA-MESTER hallie

2019 EAST ALUM Hallie Higganson always imagined herself traveling all over the world, anywhere from Greece to Spain, so she started filling out an application as soon as she entered her third year at the University of Oklahoma.

While OU has semester abroad programs, she chose one outside of the school — a semester at sea where she takes college courses on a ship while traveling to several different continents.

“I wanted to have the largest cultural experience I could get my hands on,” Higganson said.

“So when I found a semester at

sea, I knew it was what I wanted to pursue.”

Higganson boarded the ship in Italy, setting sail to spend the next four months on the ship.

Since then, she’s already ventured to Greece and Cyprus, with future plans of going to Croatia, Malta, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Sweden and Denmark as well.

Days of the week don’t apply to Higganson on the ship. She has classes every single day, including Saturday and Sunday.

Her learning style has gone from computers to books and lectures to readings.

“I have definitely learned the

importance of being flexible while being here,” Higganson said. “I never realized how much school work relies on computers until now.”

Once they arrive at each destination, Higganson and the other students typically spend an entire day doing a field study relating to the location. In Cyprus, she joined her classmates in climbing up a mountain and discussing the country with an ecologist at the top of it.

“Cyprus wasn’t actually supposed to be a part of our trip, but when we were on our way to Israel, COVID started to get

bad and we took a detour there,” Higganson said. “I did things from snorkeling one day to skiing the next.”

Higganson was set on immersing herself in as much culture as she could. She was successful, meeting a close-knit group of friends from places like Tibet and Costa Rica that helped her diversify her knowledge.

“I don’t feel weird sitting down to lunch alone on the ship, because as soon as I sit down, I know that there is going to be someone who will sit with me,” Higganson said. “I have made some of my friends for life here.”

SEA-MESTER SEA-MESTER SEA-MESTER SEA-MESTER SEA-MESTER SEA-MESTER SEA-MESTER SEA-MESTER SEA-MESTER monty

lyddon

goettsch

higgason

A&E 21

FEBRUARY 7, 2022

design by caroline wood images from Spotify, Amazon and IMDb

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Put Your Records On

H O ST | J O N R O N S O N

G E N R E | C O N T E M P O R A RY R O M A N C E / D O M E ST I C F I CT I O N

Corrine Bailey Rae

RUN TIME | 35 MIN

PA G E C O U N T | 3 3 6

PODC A ST | THINGS F EL L APART

A n sw e rs q u e st i o n s a n d t e l l s st o r i e s of m o n u m e nt a l eve nt s t h a t ef fe c t e d a n d s h a p e d o u r c u lt u re .

F o r m e r p r i s o n e r s re t u r n s t o hometown to try and be a part of h e r d a u g h t e r ’s l i fe a g a i n .

King Lauren Aquilina

AU T H OR | L A N S A M A N T H A

Feeling Good

H O ST | J a s o n S t a ve rs

G E N R E | M Y ST E RY / T H R I L L E R

Nina Simone

RUN TIME | 30-50 MIN

PA G E C O U N T | 3 2 0

PO DC A ST | Bonaparte

C ove rs t h e st i l l - o p e n m u rd e r c a s e f ro m 2 5 ye a rs a g o of a b i g N YC a tt o u r n ey w h e re n o o n e w a s c h a rg e d with her death.

A m u rd e r t a ke s p l a c e w i t h i n a fa m i ly w h o o w n s a n A m e r i c a n i ze d C h i n e s e re s t u ra n t a n d t h e t h re e s o n s a re a l l s u s p e c t s .

One Love Bob Marley

22 A&E

THE HARBINGER

design by lucy wolf design by jill rice

HIDING TO

SURVIVE

“The Fallout” is a tragic coming-of-age movie that doubles as a cry for better gun control in the U.S.

by cesc a stamati

G

UN CONTROL. We’ve seen it across every billboard, news outlet and website. It’s become one of the most highly discussed and debated topics in the country. So, it’s only fitting that “The Fallout,” a modern coming of age movie on HBO Max, tackles the topic as well.

The first 12 minutes of the movie are a bold decision by the director — it contains its most action-packed, high intensity scene that depicts every teenager’s worst nightmare: a school shooting. Instead of relying on built up suspense, the movie draws out the gutwrenching consequences of being a 21st century teen.

“The Fallout” accomplishes all the dry acting and stunning cinematography of a modern coming-of-age-film, but leaves you with something more — a sense of determination to improve gun control in the U.S. Released January 27, the movie follows formerly “chill” Vada, played by Jenna Ortega, as she redefines herself and her view of the world after several of her classmates are killed. While sorting through her emotions, she experiments with new activities and people — including her polar-opposite, girly new best friend Mia, played by Maddie Ziegler, who shares her trauma from the shooting.

The movie’s hip-hop-ish, modern indie vibe and blunt depiction of teenage emotions made watching them experiment with love, drugs and new friendship like watching a blend of “Euphoria” and “The Edge of Seventeen” — shows with leading female actors that cover the emotional growing pains of living in the modern world.

The movie is a generational culture shock, highlighting the effects of a school shooting on young students. The viewer sees Vada’s frustration with her mom’s lack of emotional understanding, the high schoolers’ direct pleas for better gun control laws and in

each of Vada’s body shakes and thrashing nightmares, the mental and physical effects of this tragedy.

Where movies like “The Kissing Booth” and “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” failed to express valid reasoning behind teenage moodiness, “The Fallout” validates Gen Z’s frustration that’s sometimes released in the wrong ways, such as in anger toward loved ones or in rash decisions like taking ecstasy at school.

In the end, Jada traces her impulsiveness back to her anger at the world for allowing these tragic events to happen, communicating the movie’s main purpose of promoting stronger gun control laws.

The movie also acts as a voice to represent our generation. With TikTok commercials, Juice Wrld songs blasting in the movie and two actresses that we’ve grown up with, it’s abundantly clear that “The Fallout” was intended for a Gen Z audience. Still, the movie sends a clear message to adult audiences like parents, teachers and voters that our generations’ problems should be taken seriously.

Aside from showing the effects of gun violence, “The Fallout” is a direct cry for better gun control laws in the U.S. The most punch-to-the-gut scene was when Amelia crawled into Jada’s bed in the middle of the night, saying she couldn’t sleep because she was scared. When Amelia asked Vada how she knew a shooter wouldn’t come to her school next, Vada’s silence said it all — she didn’t know. And the painful ending left a sore in my heart and a sense of unfinished business.

It was clear that the producers wanted us to know that school shootings will continue if no one steps up to stop them.

Each character represents a different type of Gen Z-er — Vada, the “low-key” grunge girl sporting Billie Eilish-esque shorts and baggy T-shirts, contrasts perfectly with Mia, the makeup-ed, crop-top-wearing Instagram

influencer with 82K followers (and few real friends).

Despite their different appearances, the girls have a lot in common and are brought together under the shared grief they both feel — similar to the way that our generation has found solace through social media, from sharing mental health struggles to laughing about the same Instagram meme.

Then there’s Vada’s little sister, Amelia, whose world revolves around Tiktok and her older sister. She goes to a different school and didn’t experience the shooting, and her insensitivity for her sister’s sadness make her an embodiment of the media reacting to these horrific events in real life.

Through scenes where Amelia ignores Vada’s grieving to film TikToks and chat about Starbucks, the viewer gets the important message that, while these school shootings happen all too often in our country, there will always be another social media trend or distraction that people use to wash away the attention from the children that just watched their friend get shot during English class.

A factor that sets “The Fallout” apart from other movies is the emphasis it places on mental health awareness. It shows each character’s method of coping with the trauma of the shooting — whether experimenting with drugs like Vada, trying to make everything return to normal like her mom or advocating for national change like her friend Nick — proving that coping is a process that looks different for everyone and people deal with mental health differently.

And though Vada was too “numb” to take action herself, the film left me with the impression that the responsibility should be on adults rather than the youth. Parents need to watch “The Fallout” to understand the severity of these events and their effect on teens, and voters need to watch it to understand what the second amendment truly means.

THE STATS

*according to statista.com

The increasing numbers of school shootings in the United States per year 2021 2019 2017

249 119 57

REVIEWS A REMARKABLE ACCOMPLISHMENT VARIETY MAGAZINE

THE FIRST DEFYING MOVIE OF GEN Z SILVER SCREEN RIOT

EAST’S STRATEGY

East’s procedure for a school shooting

FIGHT RUN HIDE

A&E 23

FEBRUARY 07, 2021 design by sophie henschel photos by emily pollock

DINE WITH

A PURPOSE In honor of Black History Month, here are three local black-owned restaurants to support in Kansas City

KC MAC N’ CO DAIQUIRIS — WHEN YOU think of them, your mind might instantly go to New Orleans or the beach. Owner Calvin Vick brought them straight to downtown KCMO in the form of KC Daiquiri shop.

The walls of the shop are painted purple, green and yellow — the signature colors of New Orleans. Decorated by Mardi Gras masks and beads, what caught my eye first was the wall of slushie machines labeled with all sorts of daiquiri flavors. They have everything from strawberry daiquiris to piña coladas to even fun flavors like “Hulk” and “Hurricane.”

I overlooked the bar options and went straight for the food menu where I spotted traditional New Orleans cuisines like gumbo and shrimp étouffee, I opted for the spicy chicken wrap to see the shop’s take on classic health food. I walked past tables of customers enjoying their gallon-sized jugs filled with daiquiris and sat at a table in the back right next to the DJ booth blasting throwback hits like “Wild Ones” by Flo Rida and “Chasing Pavements” by Adele to keep the customers entertained.

The atmosphere was unlike anything I’m used to. A DJ blasting music at full volume, drunk college-aged kids stumbling up to the bar to order their third drink — all at 3 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon. It all seemed odd to me until I realized that this little restaurant was designed to replicate all of the fun chaos of New Orleans.

While the wait for my food was on the longer side of 30 minutes, the party-like atmosphere distracted me from my grumbling stomach. The first bite of my chicken wrap made it worth it — the lettuce crunched in my teeth and the cajun spices in the chicken were delicious.

The super fun atmosphere is what totally sets this restaurant apart from others in the Kansas City area. It’s also the perfect time of year to go out and support this Black-owned business.

by addi e m o o re

HELD IN THE month of February, Black History Month is a time to embrace impactful people, remember events in African-American history and celebrate Black culture. To support these achievements, I tried out three black-owned businesses — after all, Kansas

KC DAQUARI SHOP

City is full of plenty of unique restaurants that cultivate t h e taste and experiences of the AfricanAmerican culture.

RU

B Y J E AN ’S

JU

IC E

RY

AÇAÍ BOWLS ARE now part of my weekly routine. While Nekter — just a five-minute drive from my house — is the easiest option, Ruby Jean’s Juicery, an upscale spot located at 3000 Troost Ave. is my new favorite. It’s fun environment makes it well worth the 30-minute drive.

Ruby Jean’s Juicery was created by Chris Goode, who founded the juicery to honor his late grandmother Ruby Jean. She grew up eating primarily unhealthy creole and soul food which eventually led to her diabetes diagnosis, then an early death. Goode loved his grandma and when she passed, he dedicated his life to eating healthy and was eventually inspired to open a restaurant to promote healthy eating in his community.

He opened up the store in 2015 to bring a fresh, hip and retro environment to the area.

The restaurant is filled with bright colors of orange and green and the smell of fresh fruit makes your stomach growl as you walk in. A mural filled with colorful fruits, veggies and a bold cursive with “Health is Freedom” covers the entire back wall. Continuing the color scheme with orange and green couches and booths, and a drawing of Grandma Ruby Jean herself welcomes you into the store with a Moore digs into her smile.

“J ust Mac” bowl from Kc Mac N ’ Co. Ruby Jean’s Juicery’s class i c a ç a í b ow l .

I ordered a peanut butter protein ball and the açaí bowl. Although nothing will ever compare to the peanut butter balls I used to get every week at Crow’s Coffee, these came pretty close. The creamy peanut butter and the sweet honey all melted together in my mouth — they were heavenly.

As for the açaí bowl, it’s freshness made it the best I’ve ever had. I’m a huge fan of the fresh strawberries, bananas and blueberries, but the coconut shavings on the top were my favorite part. If you’re looking for a healthy juice shop, Ruby Jean’s is a welcoming vibrant option, as well as a great way to support the Kc Daquari Shop’s chicken wrap.

Black community.

I MAY BE a self-diagnosed lactose intolerant, but mac n’ cheese will always hold a special place in my heart, no matter the stomach pains. I tend to gravitate toward ordering bland Kraft mac n’ cheese instead of trying something new, so when I found KC Mac N’ Co. — a gourmet mac n’ cheese restaurant owned by Steven Austin and chef Dwight Tiller — I took some lactaid and headed on my way.

Tucked in the back corner of the first floor of the Parlor KC, a collective restaurant space, boasting a menu full of more mac n’ cheese variations than I knew existed, this restaurant is a must hit. With menu options like mac

n’ cheese with chicken or brisket, fried mac n’ cheese fritters and even mac n’ cheese pressed into a waffle iron, I was in heaven.

Although I was tempted by the sixcheese waffled macaroni, I stuck to my non-adventurous roots and ordered the classic “Just Mac”. Featuring a unique, delicious recipe that Tiller took four years perfecting, this mac n’ cheese makes Kraft seem like child’s play.

I’m used to eating mac n’ cheese with the “cheese” coming from a bag in artificial powdered form, so when I tried the six-cheese sauce, I was blown away. The gooey and stringy cheese was worth the 35-minute drive downtown.

A&E 24

FEBRUARY 07, 2022 design by sofia blades photos courtesy of spotify

I MA G I N E D R E WAT C H

A review of podcasts where celeberities rewatch pilot episodes of their classic shows

by mia vogel YOU KNOW WHEN your parents reminisce about their college days or look through your grandparents’ photo albums and you get waves of nostalgia that aren’t even your own?

This is the same feeling that comes when actors from your favorite old

Y

shows reunite for a rewatch podcast.

Actors from iconic early 2000s shows are coming back together to evoke that feeling of nostalgia for original fans as well as first-timewatchers by giving a peek behind the scenes.

T

HE PODCAST, WELCOME to the OC, Bitches!,” a reference to the line that got people hooked on the cultural phenomenon that was “The O.C.,” is hosted by Rachel Bilson and Melinda Clarke, who played Summer Roberta and Julie Cooper in the 2000s teen drama.

The host pairing of Bilson and Clarke had me skeptical at first, since the two didn’t have many scenes together in the show. However, within the first 15 minutes of the podcast, it was obvious that the different perspectives were a key part of the podcast, since the show covers the teens just as much as they cover their parents.

The pilot episode of the podcast is guest hosted by Josh Schwartz, the show’s creator, which was perfect for the first episode because listeners are immediately gifted with an even higher level of behind-the-scenes knowledge than the actors.

The podcast is so well-organized and onpoint, you’d think Bilcon and Clarke had been hosting together for years. They dig into the episode relatively early and don’t go off on too many tangents. They address fan questions and utilize all of Schwartz’s unique knowledge.

They break down the most iconic scenes like Ryan and Marissa smoking — what turned out to be the last lit cigarette aired on network

TV — at the end of the driveway or him looking back at her standing in the sunset as he drives off — a spontaneous choice by director Doug Liman jumping into the back of the car, filming the clip himself.

Schwartz discusses how music influenced his writing of the show and the three hosts analyze how the series went from reflecting pop-culture to defining it. Mischa Barton, who played Marissa Cooper, was considered a fashion icon almost immediately after the premiere. The Beastie Boys debuted their single, “Ch-Check It Out” on the show. The podcast is enlightening a new generation of fans on how “The O.C.” defined the decade.

T

HIS PODCAST, STEAMING with hot pink, bedazzled energy, is nothing less than what I’d expect from the fabulous Sophia Bush, Hilarie Burton and Bethany Joy Lenz — the star actresses from “One Tree Hill.”

The on and off-screen friendship between Bush, Burton and Lenz — otherwise known as Brooke Davis, Peyton Sawyer and Haley James Scott — is evident through the speakers, adding a friendly touch that many other podcasts are missing.

They begin by discussing the casting process and filming in Wilmington, North Carolina. Listening to the actresses discuss Burton’s literal hole-in-the-wall apartment, the ongoing debate over Lenz’s hair and laughs over episodes that the cast were too hungover

to remember has fans feeling like they’re in Tree Hill High School’s inner circle.

Hair was a recurring topic throughout the episode. The actresses discussed how the showrunners were subject to the patriarchal belief that a woman’s core identifier is their hair color and by extension, their appearance.

They discuss how ridiculous it was that it was such a concern throughout the series and how they’d argue with their bosses over it because it was one of the only aspects of their character that they could control.

My only qualm with the podcast is that they don’t announce when ad breaks are coming, but I’m willing to forgive since they transition with claps from their pop-rock theme tune, and they read the ads themselves which shows that

they trust their brands enough to attach their voice to the product.

Listening to Bush, Burton and Lenz discuss how much their personal lives differed from their characters and how inappropriate certain scenes were — like Peyton walking around in a towel in front of her boyfriend’s dad — shed light on the serious flaws of the industry.

Bush and Burton both acknowledge that the increase in their partially nude scenes was due to competition with other popular teen dramas like “The O.C.” and “Dawson’s Creek.”

The hour-long discussions of these three wonderful and accomplished women about their joys and battles while filming the show gave me a new level of respect and appreciation for the actors and the show overall.

A

the show would be filmed.

They also reminisce on scenes that ended up on the cutting room floor, like when Simone had to sit in an afro wig with a live vulture on her shoulder, or when Morris had to wear a pair of jorts for a running gag about jeggings.

Simone discusses her experience auditioning for the role of Cece — unlike other actresses up for the role, she opted not to play the character dumb, which set her apart from the other actresses and secured her the role. It’s impossible to imagine Cece bringing anything other than her raw, deadpan humor to the show which made me value how Simone played her and how unlikeable the character could’ve been in the wrong hands.

Once Deschanel, Simone and Morris dig into the episode, they discuss their favorite

guest stars, gags and improvisations from the pilot. They laugh over how often Deschanel had to sing, how frequently bears were mentioned and “New Girl”’s original title, “Chicks and Dicks.”

As each episode comes to a close, the actors go around the table playing a modified version of “True American,” attempting to name as many rom-coms as they can since Jess is obsessed with “Dirty Dancing.” Hearing Morris immediately repeat a title after he’d established the rule that no title could be repeated and Deschenel clarifying that she’d “actually been naming ‘screwball comedies’ which was the preamble to the rom-com,” I could’ve sworn I was listening to an episode of the show since their real life and TV personalities mirror each other beautifully.

SIDE FROM ITS iannoying theme song, this podcast is everything “New Girl” fans need — plus $5 in the Douchebag Jar. The iconic trio Zooey Deschanel, Hannah Simone and Lamorne Morris, who play Jessica Day, Cece Parekh and Winston Bishop are just as electric present day as they were throughout all seven seasons of their show.

Before I even hit play, I was grinning over the title, “Welcome to Our Show,” a reference to Jess’s token greeting in the show, “Welcome to our home,” she uses whenever a new character or guest star enters the loft.

The actors spend the beginning of the podcast discussing their audition process and casting of the show, as well as the unknowns of the show’s beginning, like the character identities of the Coach and Winston, and where

FEBRUARY 07, 2022 design by celia condon photo by maggie merckens

LOCAL LANCER 25

Senior Gus Bergkamp shares the ins and outs of being the varsity boys basketball team manager WHAT IS YOUR NAME AND WHY IS IT YOUR NAME? Andrew Konstantine Bergkamp. It’s Greek. [My parents] named me Andrew. And then Konstantine is my middle name. And the I guess the American word for Konstantine is Gus. And Konstantine was my great grandfather’s name.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART ABOUT MANAGING THE VARSITY BOYS BASKETBALL TEAM? The handshakes for sure, when they announce all the guys as they come in, their heights and names and stuff. Will Alexander and I saw a TikTok where the manager and the player took a selfie as their “handshake.” So Will and I did that, it went kinda viral... I mean 200 likes or something like that. I used “#foryoupage” and it did better than a lot of my other posts. Also, whenever we win a game and Coach Hair comes into the locker rooms after, that is always such an exciting moment.

WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE PART ABOUT BASKETBALL MANAGING? Mopping the floor. 100%.

WHO DO YOU HAVE THE CLOSEST RELATIONSHIP WITH ON THE BASKETBALL TEAM? Emmett Hill. We’ve been playing together since elementary school and have known each other for that long. We have a special handshake too: we give each other a high five, act like we’re straightening a tie, and then pretend to pick up a brief case. We’ve also done one a few times where we pretend like we’re putting a golf ball away from each other. We always have a good one at the games.

WHAT IS YOUR “HYPE” SONG? [My hype song is] probably “Grove St. Party” by Waka Flocka Flame or “Both” by Gucci Mane.

S T E P H A N I E WA R D E N , D . D . S

(SME Class of 1989)

(913) 825-2500

wardendds.com

2200 West 75th Street, Suite 101 Prairie Village, Kansas 66208

SPORTS 27

FEBRUARY 07, 2022 design by anna mitchell

SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS A look at winter sports, students’ MVP predictions and the impact of the Chiefs v. Bills game on the Patricia Allen fund

S P O R TS IN ACTIO N

WHO’S THE MVP

LEFT Senior Emmett Hill tries to maintain control of the ball after a rebound in the first quarter.

PHOTO BY HADLEY CHAPMAN B E L O W U n d e r wa te r , f re s h m a n Za n e L a i n g d e m o n st ra te s a b a ckst ro ke st re am li n e fo r t h e ki ds at t h e cli n i c to fo llow .

PHOTO BY MACY CROSSER

GONNA BE?

S T U D E N T ’ S P R E D I CT I O N S O N T H E NFL MVP FOR THIS SEASON

J O E B U R R OW S B E C AU S E h e h a s ve r y g o o d l e a d e rs h i p a n d h a s re a l ly g o o d c h e m i st r y with the team.

OWEN TERNUS

SENIOR

AARON RODGERS. He L E F T Seniors M ax Patterson , A a ro n Ralston and E van B roa d d u s le a d t h e warm u p an d stretch their arms for the second session of the Making Waves Swim Clinic.

PHOTO BY MACY CROSSER

13 SECONDS FOR $13

After the Chiefs played the Buffalo Bills on Jan. 23, Chiefs fans started donating to The Patricia Allen Fund at the Children’s Hospital of Buffalo in honor of the best NFL game in history

l e a d t h e P a c ke rs to the number one seed in the NFC and was playing on an injury.

ETHAN BOREN

JUNIOR

I T H I N K T H AT i f the Bengals win the Super Bowl, then Joe B u r ro w s .

JACK KESSLER

SOPHOMORE

I T H I N K TO M I THINK [MY MOM] donated $13.00 p ro b a b ly . S h e i s a p re tt y b i g C h i ef s fa n and wanted to support our team while also supporting a good cause.

SYDNEY BECK SENIOR

B ra d y . H e l e d t h e N F L i n a l m o st a l l st a t s a t t h e quarterback position.

GEORGE HARTMAN FRESHMAN

28 SPORTS-FEATURE

GOALIE

GIRL

by christian gooley HE FANS WATCH as the puck leaves the stick of the

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number one ranked Rockhurst player at the Carriage Club ice rink. As their heads turn to catch the goalie’s reaction, they cheer as they watch her catch the puck in mid-air — saving the CC Penguins from losing the game.

The braid peeking out from her helmet is the last thing they notice.

Freshman Izzy Wong is the Penguins’ first-ever female goalie, and the third girl to ever play on the historically allboys team.

Izzy quit figure skating after one year in third grade, but wanted to keep skating in a less “girly” way as dance was not her thing. Her older brother, East senior Travers Wong, had been playing ice hockey for two years already. She decided if he could do it, so could she.

Finding a groove for the game immediately after practicing a few times with her brother, she loved the physical contact that came with the sport that she couldn’t find with figure skating.

“I don’t care about the contact,” Wong said. “I’m not scared.”

S h e began playing hockey as the out position, responsible for handling the puck and skating up and down the ice. After two years, she made the choice to move to goalie.

“My stick skills weren’t good enough to play the out position so I said, ‘Why not try goalie?” Wong said.

By fifth g rade,

THE HARBINGER

design by sophie lindberg photo courtesy of izzy wong

Izzy Wong is the first and only girl goalie on her Carriage Club high school hockey team

Wong was a dominant force in the goal for the “squirt” team, the youth team at Carriage Club.

In August, 2021 she was faced with one of the hardest decisions she’s made during her hockey career — choosing whether to play on the all-girls team or make the unexpected decision to play with the boys.

Not many girls join the high school team because of the lenient checking rules — the biggest difference between boys and girls hockey. Most girls drop out of hockey because of this rule but Izzy wasn’t phased.

“I think in this day and age when anyone wants to work hard and try something that’s difficult, you have to support them,” head coach Joe Zwillenberg said.

I F E E L L I K E w h e n t h ey s e e my p o ny t a i l o r b ra i d t h ey i m m e d i a t e ly a s s u m e I c a n ’ t b e a s g o o d a s t h e b oy s .

IZZY WONG

FRESHMAN

Izzy’s parents also support their daughter’s decision to play with the boys.

“I had no concern about her playing on the boys’ team because I knew she was safe in the goal, but even if she did want to play out I would’ve let her,” Izzy’s mother Heather Wong said.

The biggest concern for Izzy was that she would be treated differently by the team due to her gender. It ended up being the opposite, according to Izzy.

“In hockey, protecting your goalie is always a big deal, but if anyone gets close to Izzy, those boys protect her like it’s their sister,”

Zwillenberg said.

According to Izzy, the boys don’t make her feel any different for being the only girl on their team. The refs, on the other hand, she feels are quicker to whistle to avoid getting her hit.

“I feel like when they see my ponytail or braid they immediately assume I can’t be as good as the boys,” Wong said.

What she loves most about being on the all-boys team is being able to inspire the younger girls that go to Carriage Club. She feels that she’s showing those girls that it really is okay to continue to play hockey, even with the boys.

“The younger girls come to my games and cheer for me, and it was just really cool to see girls younger than me watching me play,” Wong said.

Izzy doesn’t want to be treated differently, so she does everything in her power to be just like the boys all of the time. Even when she was given the choice of her own locker room, she denied the offer so that she wouldn’t miss out on any of the team bonding, like pre-game speeches and postgame celebrations.

Wong hopes to continue her career as the Penguins goalkeeper and go with them to the championship.

IZZY’S SKATING HISTORY Izzy Wong’s skating journey JOINED TEAM STORM + CANADA TOURNAMENT

SWITCHED TO HOCKEY

2018

2015

2014 STARTED FIGURE SKATING

2017 STARTED PLAYING GOALIE

2021

STARTED HIGH SCHOOL HOCKEY

SPORTS 29

FEBRUARY 07, 2022 design by maggie kissick

BEYOND BOWLING Senior boys bowling captains Brady Aebersold and Wally Workman have created a fun and focused enviornment that has given the team a chance to win East’s first boys bowling state championship

by aanya bansal ENIOR AND BOWLING co-captain Wally Workman had just bowled another strike at Mission Bowl Olathe. Since the start of the meet, the teams from other schools had sat silent and blank-faced. Their stone-cold expressions didn’t falter as the East bowling team erupted into cheers. After all, teams barely talk to each other, let alone cheer during meets — there’s only the sound of pins ricocheting off each other. But not this team.

Workman walked back from the lane, earning a fist bump from his fellow senior captain, Brady Aebersold.

Both Workman and Aebersold joined the bowling team as an afterthought — they just wanted to have an activity after school and figured bowling with their friends was their best option. They never thought they would find themselves organizing bowling practices after school or teaching their junior friends about how different amounts of oil on a bowling lane can affect the speed, direction and spin of a bowling ball. But here they are — leading a team that they look forward to being around.

“I wouldn’t say every other team aren’t friends, but we have the closest bond and a lot of chemistry,” Aebersold said. “We just like hanging out with each other.”

Fist-bumps and hang-outs led to intense practices when the boys realized they had a chance to secure East’s first boys bowling state championship as a team. The group is well on their way, recently beating Olathe West — a team that took 7th at state last year — by 98 pins.

Workman, along with junior varsity bowler Zach Sederquist and a few others on the team, first decided to try bowling two years ago, when they were sitting in junior Matt Martucci’s basement. They had spent that summer playing rocket league on Xbox and Martucci’s mom needed a change, so she suggested they go bowling. The boys piled into a car and headed to Ward Parkway Lanes, where they were informed about the “kids bowl two free games everyday” promo offered during the summer.

The 16 and 17 year-old “kids” went back every day that summer.

When talk about winter sports began, the boys decided to go for it and try out for the East bowling team. After Workman, Sederquist, and Aebersold made the team that year, they recruited more of their friends who spent time at the lanes that summer as well. As seniors, Workman and Aebersold stepped up and led the team, inspiring a lighthearted but urgent attitude.

“This year, it’s all serious,” Aebersold said. “We all want to do our best and we all want to go to Wichita [in] February.”

This season, Workman and Aebersold hope to accomplish something that has never been done at East before — winning state, not just individually, but as a team.

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“It’s definitely changed a lot over the years in terms of how serious we’re taking the sport,” Aebersold said.

Over the summer, the co-captains attended a bowling camp in Wichita State, one of the best bowling colleges in the U.S. There, the boys followed an intense practice schedule — bowling for an hour and a half, then discussing the specifics of the game like oil patterns and types of bowling balls in a classroom on campus, and finishing by bowling individually for another hour and a half each day.

In their free time, Workman and Aebersold visited North Rock Lanes, the location of this year’s state tournament.

They practiced on the lanes they hope to revisit later this year. Workman also brought back a souvenir — his famous book.

“Wally has this book that tells you different things about bowling to help make you better at the sport,” Sederquist said.

The book, “an encyclopedia of bowling,” according to Aebersold, explains the scientific side of the game, like how lane oil patterns affect the curve of a throw, practice techniques like positioning, and the mental game — not letting one bad throw affect a series of bowls. Workman uses the book to teach the younger boys on the team how to perfect their technique.

At practice, Aebersold and Workman monitor the rest of the team as they bowl, giving them tips on aiming and positioning after every few throws. According to Workman, the two are “player coaches,” mentoring the team while perfecting their own scores. Workman and Aebersold got jobs at Ward Parkway Lanes so that they could bowl for free in their spare time and stay sharp for state.

Despite taking practices seriously and planning for a state run, the boys still hold team dinners, hangout outside of practice and poke fun at each other. To them, the work wouldn’t be worth it without the friendly atmosphere.

“If we sat there in silence and bowled every practice then I know I wouldn’t want to go,” Sederquist said.

At meets, the team can be seen watching their teammates attentively and discussing ways to improve each other’s form. They are the loudest team on the lanes, with smiles and laughs galore. And the team’s comradery has not gone unnoticed by Coach Fred Elliott.

“Everybody gets along,” Elliot said. “There’s no feuding among each other. It’s like they’re brothers.”

Though the team is practicing hard, they retain the fun aspects of bowling that everyday people go to the bowling alley for.

“Our greatest attribute as a team is that we’re all friends and that we can all give each other advice without saying, ‘who are you to say that to me,’” Aebersold said.

“We respect each other.”

S e n i o r Wa l ly Work ma n f ist b u mp s sen ior Bra d y A e b ersold, celebrating a successful round of bowling PHOTO BY MASON SAJNA

LEADING WITH EXPERIENCE

Qualities that Brady and Wally have that have made their relationship with their teammates stronger

sharing their knowledge

bowling experience

working together

30 SPORTS

SWINGING INTO ACTION

by paige zadoo

A

FTER TWO HOURS of lacrosse practice five days a week filled with cardio drills and game plays, multiple games a week and two to three tournaments, worn out felt like an understatement for junior Georgia McKee. After all, being a “swing” player on her team meant double the expectations and double the games — with half the recognition.

A swing player — someone on a sports team that plays for both junior varsity and varsity — is typically required to attend both practices and games for both teams. Whatever the sport, for some swing players their experiences have differed, negatively and positively.

For McKee, it results in the same practice schedule but with varsity-level intensity, attendance at every game and no security in her position as an attack — as she goes back and forth between JV and varsity teams, never feeling a part of one specific team.

Since McKee was a sophomore, she’s played “swing.” According to McKee, the reasoning for her back-and-forth position came down to seniority and numbers. The varsity team that season was at capacity with all the seniors on the team.

I T H I N K T H AT i t ’s n i c e t h ey w a n t t o h e l p u s p l a y o n Va r s i t y , b u t i t ’s f r u st ra t i n g s o m e t i m e s b e c a u s e yo u ’ re ex p e c t e d t o d o w a y m o re t h a n j u st b e i n g o n o n e a s s i g n e d team

GEORGIA MCKEE

JUNIOR

The JV lacrosse team didn’t have enough players, so six girls who were supposed to play varsity were assigned “swing” to solve this problem. This allowed them to fill the JV spots, while still experiencing varsity-level practice and play environments.

“I think that it’s nice they want to help us play on varsity, but it’s frustrating sometimes because you’re expected to do way more than just being on one assigned team,” McKee said.

McKee constantly works and practices at the varsity level, but never gets the validation of saying “I’m a varsity lacrosse player.” She instead has to explain that in reality, she plays for both JV and varsity — she feels unrecognized.

“It gives you a lot more playing time and more

time to get better,” McKee said. “But most of the time you’re expected to do a lot and don’t get any recognition.”

As for football player and sophomore Ryan Dehan, being a swing player feels like a benefit to him. According to Dehan, he thinks it pushes him to get better, and he is optimistic about the opportunity.

This past football season was Dehan’s first year playing for both varsity and JV. Dehan played swing for the same reasons as McKee — team numbers and seniority.

“It was definitely harder work, I felt behind sometimes at varsity practice because I missed one practice due to playing in JV games,” Dehan said.

“But it was a great experience and I loved playing for both.”

Dehan, a safety, plays every JV game on Monday nights — missing varsity practice. While he attends practices the next few days, he still feels a day behind when practicing with varsity since he doesn’t know the drills or plays they learned the day before.

Dehan ends up playing two games a week — leaving only three days for practices. He loved playing swing but hopes to play varsity full-time next season.

Basketball swing player and junior George Kopp feels the same way as Dehan, getting the exposure to varsity practice and games enhances his skills.

“It totally helps me improve,” Kopp said. “It’s a lot more work playing for both, but I get more practice and more reps practicing with varsity.”

At the beginning of this year’s season, Kopp had much more playing time with varsity games while the majority of senior varsity players were out due to COVID protocols. Once they came back, his playing time for varsity went down — something he wishes was different.

Kopp supports the seniority that goes with high school basketball but wishes his dedication in practices and JV games could be recognized with playing time on varsity.

Though being a swing player comes with extra hours at practice and less recognition than a varsity player, McKee, Dehan and Kopp agree that it gave them the opportunity to improve and prepare for a more solid spot on varsity in the future.

THE HARBINGER

design by emma krause photos by charlotte emley

Swing players on East sports teams share their experiences being on both JV and varsity

SWINGIN’ STATS

Number of JV players that also play for their sport’s varsity team

GIRLS LACROSSE

4

SWING PLAYERS

BOYS BASKETBALL

5

SWING PLAYERS

PROS AND CONS Positive and negative aspects of being a swing player

PROS EXTRA PRACTICE

MORE EXPOSURE

MORE EXPERIENCE

MORE OPPORTUNITIES

CONS DOUBLE THE WORK

LESS RECOGNITION

MORE GAMES

LESS FREE TIME

FEBRUARY 07, 2022 design by elise madden

MARRIED TO THE MUSIC

PHOTOSTORY 31 The theater department performed their winter musical, “The Wedding Singer,” a musical romantic comedy, from January 26-29 L E F T Senior Louisa Mills pins colorful dreadlocks into senior Toby Rodriguez’s hair.

“The people who I worked with most directly where some of my good friends that I’ve known for a while,” Rodriguez said. “Being able to work with the cast was my favorite part.”

PHOTO BY RACHEL BINGHAM A B O V E During th e d ress reh ea rsa l , seniors Kale Swanson, Essie Siegel, and Brooke-Ashley Taylor perform the final scen e.

PHOTO BY TRISTEN PORTER

R I G H T B a c ksta g e , freshman Gwen G r u m m e r t watches se n i o r sta g e manager Ahme d Wa d o o d and senior set c rew c h i ef Octavio Galacia p la y st i c ks du r in g act one of s how .

“One of my favo r i te t h i n g s is to try and re e n a ct t h e ch oreography a nd d o the dances, because we ’ re n ot really doing much , ” G a la c i a said. “We’ll also p la y st i c ks , or like a ga m e o n o u r p hone . ” PHOTO BY MACY CROSSER

R I G H T Reading the s core book, junior Kate Whitefield follows along with the song “Not That Kind of Thing” backstage.

She sings the background vocals while in the wings to e nh an ce th e overall sound of the song.

PHOTO BY MACY CROSSER

SCAN ME

A B O V E Juniors Audrey Morehead PHOTO a n d L i v i a Barbre organize the costumes i n t h e o rd er needed before the first Use this d re s s re h earsal on Monday, January QR code to p u rc h a s e photos 24 . f ro m t h i s eve n t o n H a r b i e P h ot o PHOTO BY RACHEL BINGHAM

32 ALT COPY

THE HARBINGER

KCONCERTS

design and copy by nora lynn

FEB. 14 the backseat lovers

With several concerts coming up in Kansas City in the next few months, here UPTOWN THEATER are some suggested bands to see and their COVID-19 safety guidelines COVID-19 safety guidelines

FEB. 22 beach house TIME: 7 p.m.

LOCATION: the midland TICKET PRICES: $52 - $220 GENRE: dream pop

THE MIDLAND

TIME: 8 p.m.

LOCATION: the truman TICKET PRICES: $24.50 - $50 GENRE: indie rock

proof of vaccination/ negative COVID-19 test artist can request more requirements standing room capacity: 1700

MAR. 3 lil tecca TIME: 8 p.m.

LOCATION: uptown theater TICKET PRICES: $35 - $40 GENRE: hip hop

COVID-19 safety guidelines proof of vaccination/ negative COVID-19 test standing room capacity: 3000

MAR. 28 girl in red TIME: 8 p.m.

LOCATION: the truman TICKET PRICES: $24.50 - $50 GENRE: indie pop

THE TRUMAN

COVID-19 safety guidelines proof of vaccination at least 14 days before show negative COVID-19 test from official testing site masks are strongly encouraged standing room capacity: 1200

MAR. 28 hippo campus

APR. 2 barns courtney TIME: 8 p.m.

RECORDBAR COVID-19 safety guidelines LOCATION: proof of vaccination recordBar only required if requested by the artist TICKET PRICES: standing room $46 - $244 capacity: 1200 GENRE: pop/blues TIME: 8 p.m.

LOCATION: the midland TICKET PRICES: $26 - $28 GENRE: indie rock