The Epic - Issue 5

the epic

Photo illustration by Nina Williams

Caffeine dependence is a serious issue; read more on pg. 15

8800 W. 85th St. Overland Park, KS January 28, 2016 Vol. 54- Issue 5

the epic.

Vol. 54, Jan. 28, 2016

Table of Contents

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Amanda Upson shares her story in 300 words.

the staff.

Editors-in-chief Brock Burnett Max Meyer

assistant editor Kristin Wells

photo editors Nina Williams Rian Stallbaumer

managing editor Drake Mattis

news editor Sylvia Bryan

feature editor Kathleen Gartner

sports editor Drake Mattis

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Moon Marbles is keeping the tradition of homeade toys alive in Kansas City.

a&e editor

Logan Peterson

adviser Amy Morgan

cartoonists Alex Ralston Jack Warner

photographers Grace Armenta Annissa Clark Kelsea Lilla Maddy Shackelford Kenna Swihart Jenna Wilson Kamryn Marshall

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Some students are taking their skills to the next level.

writers Colette Balas Isabelle Frankel Caroline Fullerton Lexi Hart Christian Hooper Sami Jansen

Spence Lassalle Adam Rellihan Eric Sedlacek Brevin Turner Nick Vance Caleb Walker

Photos by Nina Williams, Jenna Wilson and Rachel Harvey.

“The Epic” is the newsmagazine of Shawnee Mission West, 8000 W. 85th St., Overland Park, KS 66215. It is produced by a staff of high school journalists dedicated to the principles of journalism: to present facts and occurences truthfully and without bias. Articles of opinion or analysis are labeled and do necessarily reflect the views of the staff and/or the publication. In accordance with Kansas law, “The Epic” staff is entitiled to freedom of the press. Neither the West administration nor the SMSD are responsible for any article, advertisement, photograph, illustration or opinion piece in “The Epic.” “The Epic” encourages letters to the editor, but they must be signed and submitted to room 11.

“The Epic” is published monthly. It is printed by the Sedalia Democrat and is distributed free of charge to students. For advertising information call (913) 993-7911.

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News

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issue 5

Photo by Rachel Harvey

visit

THe final word An opinion of the Staff

Final exams are one of the biggest sources of stress for high school students, which isn’t surprising since they can have such a drastic impact on our grades. In the past, Shawnee Mission rewarded hardworking students by allowing seniors to opt out of certain finals.

But after this year, the policy will change.

Historically there have been two ways to be exempted from taking a second semester final. Seniors are permitted to opt out of up to three final exams, as long as they have an “A” in any class whose final they are opting out of and meet certain attendance requirements. The other policy applies to any student taking an AP course. If a student has an “A” in the class and takes the AP test, they may opt out of the class’s final. The latter policy will remain in place, but starting next year the former will be abolished.

Current seniors will be the last graduating class allowed to opt out of non AP finals.

Starting with the class of 2017, students will no longer have the choice.

In some ways, the change makes sense.

Many seniors are in classes that are mixed grade levels, meaning they get out of finals that the rest of the class still has to take.This is especially true for electives, which usually aren’t grade specific they way core classes are. It could be argued that it’s unfair to allow some students not to take a final when their classmates are still required to. But under the current policy, those same students would be allowed to skip some of their own finals in a few short years.

The exemption isn’t exclusive to Shawnee Mission. Searching “senior final exam exemption” brings up over 9 million results,

indicating that this isn’t an unusual policy. The policy is rather popular with students for obvious reasons, so why is it changing now?

Having all of the “A” students in a given class opt out of the final could skew the average score and possibly mess up the curve, if a teacher uses one. But since seniors can only pick three classes to opt out of, every class should have at least a few “A” students taking the final. Also, in the aforementioned mixed grade classrooms, there will be plenty of underclassmen taking the final, and many of them will have high grades going into it.

The point is, there will always be some high achieving students taking the final.

It could also be said that the exemption makes no sense in the first place. But at this point it’s become a tradition, and it doesn’t seem to have caused any huge issues, just some mild stress relief for our seniors.

While nothing is ever set in stone, this year’s juniors and younger should not take the exemption for granted and should count on taking all of their non AP finals next year.

We at “The Epic” believe the current policy should remain in place. It’s rewards students after years of hardwork and effort. Also, since students are required to have an “A” in any class whose final they are opting out of, they have already demonstrated mastery in the subject. By second semester finals, most seniors already know if and where they’re going to college, and at that point a few test grades are just a pointless source of stress. The average student will take 49 finals or AP tests by second semester of their senior year, do we really need to take seven more?

smwest. com Stay up-to-date with West’s online publication, The Voyager.

and follow us

@SMW

journalism

on twitter January 28

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opinion

03

syrian refugee crisis: taking a closer look background Since 2011, Syria has been plagued by civil war. It started when the government opened fire on peaceful protesters who wanted governmental reform and democracy.

The civil war is essentially between the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and the government led by Bashar Al-Assad. The government has committed several war crimes such as blocking access to food and using chemical weapons.

Once the war had already started, the Islamic State, also known as IS, took advantage of the weakness of Syria and began taking over land. Once the US found out

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opinion

that IS was taking over land in Syria, we led air strikes to try to end IS and return Syria to the people.

Recently, other countries have decided that the only way to reach an ending to the war is by political negotiation. The UN and the Arab League have done many attempts to create peace talks within Syria but they have refused. Russia has also become a huge player in the war when they began launching airstrikes in Syria in an effort to keep Bashar Al-Assad in power.

With all the turmoil in the area, the people of the country have faced huge tolls.

Millions of Syrian families seek refuge

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wherever they can find it. Many have fled to Turkey. Americans are very worried that allowing Syrian refugees into our country will allow ISIS members to infiltrate our borders undercover. ISIS members infiltrated Paris, France earlier this year when they attacked innocent civilians. The question of whether or not we should welcome these refugees and risk our national security is a huge concern to many Americans.

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isabelle Frankel

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free The wretched refuse of your teeming shore Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

We’ve all heard this famous quote from the poem The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus. These welcoming words are engraved on the the Statue of Liberty and have projected the American Dream to whomever needed a safe haven. The words have not been altered, but many recently believe

logan peterson

Let’s wind back the clocks to November 13, 2015. On this date, tragedy struck Paris as three teams of Islamic radicals led a coordinated assault, which led to 129 deaths.

It is clear that it only takes a few people to initiate chaos. The point I’m getting at is, by letting in all of these undocumented Syrian refugees, we are risking our safety and putting the lives of millions of Americans in danger.

The ‘American Dream’ is not dead, I assure you. But the country of Syria is basically the worst place on Earth right now.

It is a territory ruled by a group of radical terrorists hell bent on destroying democracy and the government is corrupt and practi-

January 28

view: accept refugees

that only certain huddled masses deserve to enter that golden door.

It is un-American of us to refuse to help Syrian refugees who have been looking for safety since the outbreak of war in their home country. There are five million Syrians looking for a place to rebuild their lives and America needs to aid them where we can.

I’m disgusted when I hear people who hope to rule our country say that we need to prioritize Christian refugees over those of other religion.

The threat of ISIS is undeniably a huge problem but it is not grounds to refuse 5 million refugees who are just trying to escape ISIS. The State Department promises that the refugees from Syria will be very heavily vetted which would prevent ISIS members from entering America like they did Paris.

Comparing the ease at which refuge could enter European countries and America is just illogical. The application process involved in coming to America from Syria

can last up to 24 months.

According to the official website of The White House, security checks are done on each individual by The National Counterterrorism Center, the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the State Department. Each group looks for possibilities that the refugee is a risk, relationships that they have to “known bad actors,” and criminal records.

For Syrian refugees, the DHS also does special checks for fraudulent passports and records. This ensures that no members of ISIS would be able to enter our country under a fake identity. After the background checks, refugees are also subject to face to face interviews. The US process of recurrent vetting checks each applicant time after time too see if they are a potential threat.

With the impressive process that President Obama and his administration have developed to ensure the safety of our citizens, it is outstanding to me that people still think that refugees should not be admitted.

view: Limit admission to U.S. cally non-existent. I know I’m not the only person that thinks this when I say, “This seems fishy to me.”

While I’m not a fan of President Obama’s tactics, I respect what a difficult job it must be when dealing with the wrath of republican governors, his own advisors, and the average everyday citizen. But, he mustn’t let political correctness and sympathy get in the way of his decision making.

So, why get involved? Why does the government feel the need to put the problems of every other country ahead of our own? Is it because of guilt? Is it reference to Teddy Roosevelt’s “big-stick diplomacy?”

Or is it just the fact that the United States government has watched too much “Star Trek?” You know, “the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.”

I’m not saying that we should totally disregard the refugees altogether, but we must only do so if we can vet them. If they have no documents proving who they are, then they are not welcome. We do not know who these people are, and the the risk is too high with regards to terrorism. It has already been proven that Ahmad al-Mohammed, one of the men involved in Paris, was from Syria, and entered Paris through Greece.

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Also, M al-Mahmod and Bilal Hadfi, two more conspirators, were known associates of ISIS in Syria, and may have been known to enter Europe with groups of Syrian refugees.

Another key solution is to let in only the women and children for now. It is important that we get the children safe housing as soon as possible. If we let them in, we can provide them with housing, and it would be in the government’s best interest to keep tabs on them for years to come. Using both the NSA and private enterprises could ensure that any illicit activity indicating radical behavior could be stopped.

This would be the most reasonable solution since 50.9 percent of the refugees are women according to factcheck.org; 23.9 percent of those women are between the ages of 18-59.

This would solve the problem of having too many refugees sent to one area of the world. It’s best to have them split up among several different countries so as to ensure safety. The decision to split up families is a difficult one to make, but the old adage, “better safe than sorry” comes into play.

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issue 5

state of the union summary

An Opinion By Drake Mattis On January 12th, 2016, President Obama held his eighth and final State of the Union Address, and it was just about what we had all expected. His main points that he spoke about included how to change the U.S. economy and our politics as a whole, health care, how to find a cure for cancer, climate change, and threats against the U.S. Health care, something that Republicans and Democrats will likely never agree on, was a big component of Obama’s speech and led to an intriguing and somewhat surprising topic that he brought up - finding a cure for cancer. He briefly mentioned a national initiative where Vice President Biden would be at the helm.

I think it will be interesting to see how much progress is actually made with this initiative, as it sounded that Obama was actually announcing a real, legitimate

executive action with the topic of curing cancer.

Climate change is a thing, whether you want to believe it or not, And Obama was not reluctant to speak about how he felt, though this topic was one of the more brief subjects. Recently, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said that 2015 was the warmest year on record, surpassing 2014 as the previous record holder. Global warming is clearly an issue, and the United Nations has put climate change near the top of their list for things that need to be accomplished for the greater good of the world.

Threats against the U.S. was the most anticipated topic of the night, and it came in the latter half of his speech. Obama spoke about how the U.S. is “no doubt” the most powerful country in the world, something that I was glad to hear come from his mouth. He also, finally, said that he thinks Congress needs to vote on using force against ISIL, as they are currently the greatest threat to the United States.

The final subject brought up by Obama was changing our politics and bridging the gap between Republicans and Democrats, specifically in Congress. He admitted that he has probably not done enough to help that situation, but for this final year he has in office he plans to make that one of

his top priorities. Hey, at least he’s being honest. Since 2008 (the year Obama was elected), Congress has been extremely unproductive, largely in part of the rift between the parties. Without some agreement in Congress, and right now there is little, nothing can get done. This is one change that I think is necessary to make Obama’s final year in office something that will be looked at as positive in the future, and would make his legacy one that is not looked at as negative.

This State of the Union was also the first of Paul Ryan’s as Speaker of the House. He was elected to the position in October after taking over for John Boehner. Ryan’s poker face was clearly rehearsed, but he did a good job of looking bored and unenthused, which probably made the Republican attendees proud.

Unfortunately, this is basically the Speaker’s job at the State of the Union, to look disinterested.

Overall, I think this was one of Obama’s better State of the Union Addresses, he sounded upbeat and he successfully made it sound like the state of the union is in very good shape and the United States of America is doing great.

God Bless America.

Photo courtesy of (CC) Cliff

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opinion

7

step it up

An Opinion By Kathleen Gartner The turnout for young voters in elections is shameful.

According to the US Census Bureau, in 2012 only 38% of Americans ages 18-24 voted in the presidential election.

For a nation founded on the principles of representation and freedom, it’s embarrassing. Granted, the national voter turnout percentage increases as age does, but this is not an excuse. The direction of our nation should be just as impactful and important to a college freshman as it is to a retiree.

As horrible as the statistics are, it’s easy to say to yourself, “Well, I’m not like most people. Of course I’ll vote when I’m old enough.” But would you?

In August, all West students were given the opportunity to vote for their peers in the annual Student Council elections. This small scale democracy proved that voting

trends start early. Fifty five percent of freshmen voted, 21% of sophomores, 20% of juniors, and 11% of seniors voted.

Those numbers are pretty poor to begin with, but it gets worse. Take a closer look at the senior class. Eleven percent translates to 40 seniors. For the fall elections, 11 seniors ran for 10 senior class representative positions. Assuming that each candidate voted for themselves, only 29 other seniors voted (8%). So really, each candidate only needed 2-3 people to vote for them to get elected.

This highlights two key issues: a lack of candidates and a lack of obligation to vote. Generally, the same group of kids run for positions every year, perhaps excluding freshman year. I would know, I’ve been a representative for the past four years.

If you’ve ever shied away from running for office, just know the winning margin might be smaller than you think. Perhaps when a larger, more representative group of students decide to run, more students will participate in voting.

Another issue with voters is that they feel their vote doesn’t count, or that their one vote won’t make a difference. Sound familiar? I hope I’ve shown you that our apathy towards voting in high school is really no different than national indiffer-

ence towards elections. In fact, the overall percentage of voters in the student body: 39.5%. This is a mere point and a half off of the national average.

Yeah, I know. StuCo is a little different from voting in the presidential election. But still. Student Council elections are a chance for the students to choose who represents them, and the turnout numbers are extremely reflective of the national apathy towards voting.

If students won’t bother to vote for their peers- many of whom know the candidates personally- why would they take time to vote for some seemingly distant Washington political candidate?the movie is not exactly accurate. The thing that sticks out to me about Hercules is its message of go and chase what it is you want. If you have a dream, don’t let any naysayers get in your way. Even Hercules’ trainer, Phil, is reluctant to help him. But Hercules never loses his fire to get what he wants. He is resolute in his dreams, even when faced with death.

Even as my age increases, I will always be a child at heart, a dreamer. Like Mary Poppins says, “If you reach for the stars, all you get are the stars. If you reach for the heavens, you get the stars thrown in.” So here’s to the dreamers.

keep your head up

An Opinion By Max Meyer George Washington and John F. Kennedy are figures that we look to as great

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leaders in the history of our nation.

In many people’s minds, they are people who did nothing but good throughout their lives. This is, in fact, a common theme in American history. Leaders are oftentimes sensationalized in. Because of this, many of the faults that these leaders did have gone overlooked.

For instance, George Washington was the owner of a large plantation, Mount Vernon, during his life. This plantation was home to hundreds of slaves. Though Washington spoke out against slavery, he was still a slave holder for 56 years.

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Also, John F. Kennedy cheated on his wife so frequently that Jackie Kennedy and their children would leave the White House on the weekend. Those around Kennedy did their best to keep his adultery quiet during his presidency.

These are just some of the indiscretions and terrible acts that American leaders have committed, but still so few people know these things. Leaders, just like everyone else, have faults. There is no denying that, as you can tell from these examples. However, there is a very important lesson to be learned from this.

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As high school students, we often feel like we need to be perfect. We want everyone else to have no bad thoughts about us, but the truth of the matter is that that is impossible. Our own leaders have their fair share of faults, so there is no need to feel bad about ours. By no means am I saying go ahead and willingly make mistakes, but if it does happen it’s not the end of the world. Because in the long run if you treat

others well and carry yourself well, that is what you will be remembered for. That is what our leaders are remembered for, not the mistakes they made.

It is also necessary for us to learn from our mistakes. Once again, we can look at our past leaders. George Washington freed his slaves in his will and John F. Kennedy stopped cheating on his wife later in his life. They realized they made errors

and fixed them. We must be constantly bettering ourselves and that is best done by learning from our missteps.

These lessons are the reason we study history. It is much more than just dates and facts, but a countless number of life lessons. Remember these lessons and I encourage you all to learn even more from history.

online chivalry

An Opinion By Nick Vance Online dating apps are destroying chivalry.

With the turn of the century, online dating has become a huge industry and many people have decided to go on the web to find their lover. But I believe it does more harm than good. So many users spend so much time on profiles and taking the perfect selfie. In the real world you go to a bar or gathering place, sit down and talk to the person. What’s the problem with that?

Men and women do not acquire

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the correct social skills with the presence of these sites. With the introduction of texting and every middle schooler getting a flip phone in the late 2000s, young kids forgot how to talk to girls. Late nights consisted of staring blankly at the keyboard, wondering what question to ask next in the never ending game of 20 questions. Now, with Tinder (one of the most common dating apps youngsters use) any person who has a Facebook can make a profile.

One of the most annoying faults of Tinder is using pictures with you and your friends.

Your future counterpart may have only a 25% chance of “liking” the right person in the picture. Choose wisely or you could be messaging the wrong person and show up to the first date very disappointed. The biographies on Tinder profiles can also be very vulgar as well. Tinder requires the right strategy. It’s a dog eat dog world out there on the interwebs and you better be prepared. But Tinder is just the beginning Match.com, eHarmony, FarmersOnly,

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BlackPeopleMeet, JDate, Zoosk, Badoo, and CougarLife are just a few sites out of the myriad in the online dating spectrum.

These sites are a lot like Tinder, but target specific niches in the online community.

If you’re looking for an older woman, check out CougarLife.com. If you’re a farmer and you want to have a farmer baby someday, you might want to look at FarmersOnly.com. But what’s the reason for all these different sites? The dating site giants such as Match.com and eHarmony claim a high marriage percentage, but are these statistics skewed?

I am a firm believer in calling a fine lady up on the phone, or talking to her in person. Many young people have suffered crucial social skills ever since the Internet came to be. No more hiding behind a computer or phone screen, go out there and get that lady you’ve been dreaming of.

opinion

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by the

west numbers

Almost 200 students participated in a schoolwide survey asking questions covering a wide range of topics; here are some of the responses.

Survey created by Sylvia Bryan and Caleb Walker

politics

Favorite candidates:

other

None

Trump multiple bernie Clinton

percent of students support the June 2015 Supreme Court decision legalizing same sex marriage across the US. Twelve percent do not support, and 21% of students do not know or have mixed feelings.

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abortion are are 27 percent 36 percent pro choice pro life have percent 26 percent mixed feelings 12 don’t know

Of the students eligible to vote by 2016, 82% plan to vote.

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Thirty-three percent of stu-

second amendment rights

67

how do you feel about

dents support harsher gun control, 28% are unsure of where they stand, 26% support current measures and 13% support more lenient gun control.

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favorites

number one rival

seventy-six

percent of students said SM East is our #1 rival, 10% said SM Northwest, 7% said SM South and 6% said SM North.

netflix & 44% said chill 23% said eat ice cream alone 21% said snuggle with my pet 12% said other personal

how do you

Eighty-eight percent of students classify themselves as straight, 9% as bisexual, 1% as gay, 1% as asexual and 1% as other.

percent of students prefer the Royals, 15% prefer the Chiefs, 13% don’t follow sports, 11% prefer Sporting KC, and 5% are not fans of any KC teams.

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percent said Starbucks, 20% said Blackdog, 19% said Dunkin’ Donuts and 4% said Homer’s.

coffee shops Sixty-seven

percent of students prefer giving a gift than receiving one.

47

dog none cat fish reptile/amphibian other rodent bird

percent of students say they have a significant other, 32% are single and 21% say it’s complicated.

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household pets

identify

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300 Words Photos by: Grace Armenta and Maddy Shackelford

By Kristin Wells

Freshman

Amanda Upson Photo by Nina Williams Freshman Amanda Upson’s interest in foreign language and words stems from an unusual background.

“I didn’t start talking until I was four. So my parents took me somewhere and they had me tested and I was diagnosed as autistic,” Upson said. Upson’s autism isn’t severe and rarely affects her now.

Upson thrives in her choir class and considers World Regional Studies one of her favorite classes. She is also involved with Starving Artists, another way to express the words that now come easier to her. The study of foreign languages and cultures, and even singing in foreign languages, has interested her enough to learn a language on her own.

“Because I’m singing in foreign languages, I’ve been thinking about taking maybe French or Spanish at school. I have been learning some Japanese, I’m just going on to this online website to learn it,” Upson said.

While choir and world regional studies classes may have sparked her interest, she wants to take her knowledge beyond the

classroom.

“I really want to go to a lot of European countries and I also want to visit Japan and South Korea. Really the main thing is the fact that it’s so different from over here and I just think they have very interesting and unique cultures. I’d really like to go over there and experience something completely different,” Upson said.

Upson would love to sing Japanese music in choir, and already has a taste of what it’s like.

“There’s actually a lot of Japanese music I listen to, pretty much everything from classic to metal. At first, I did think it was weird, but it grew on me and I’m like this is really good music, I really like this,” Upson said.

Although Upson’s autism affected her as a child, she has enabled it to ignite an interest in words, even beyond her first language.

Do you have a story and want to be featured in a future issue’s section of 300 Words?

Message us on Twitter @SMWjournalism january 28

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issue 5

we’re

wide awake

West runs on caffeine, but how is it affecting us?

By Sylvia Bryan, Sami Jansen and Colette Balas

Whether it’s a cup of coffee in the morning, a can of soda with lunch or even just a piece of chocolate, most teenagers are regularly consuming some form of caffeine.

In a school survey, 65.9 percent of students reported daily consumption of caffeinated drinks. But consumption doesn’t represent the entire issue. The problem lies in the combination of consumption and ignorance. Only 32.6 percent of students claimed to know the safe amount of caffeine to consume in a day. According to the Mayo Clinic, up to 400 milligrams of caffeine is a safe amount for a healthy adult. However, the safe intake for adolescents is only 100 milligrams which is equivalent to one cup of coffee or two and a half cans of cola. This means that even two cups of coffee would be over the healthy limit for a teenager.

The same survey revealed that only 17.2 percent of students thought two cups of coffee in a day was too much.

“None of us think about the effect it has on the vascular system and the bloodstream and how that affects your heart and overall health,” psychology teacher Geneva Grogan said.

Caffeine is a stimulant, which means temporarily increases alertness, wakefulness and energy. However, this means that it also increases heart rate, respiration and blood pressure, which is why it could have adverse long term effects on the vascular system. Stimulants have been used to treat conditions such as asthma, but many recreational drugs also fall into this category.

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Nicotine, cocaine and meth are all classified as stimulants, or “uppers.”

As for caffeine itself, according to the National Council on Strength and Fitness, consumption in adolescents has increased by 70 percent since the 1980s.

“Coffee’s a lot more readily available; there are a lot more coffee shops now than

consumption of caffeine in adolescents has increased by 70 percent since the 1980s. there were than when I was in high school, and I drank more than my parents ever did. Long term consequences, you’re the generation that we’re going to see it in. So we don’t know what that will look like in the long run,” Grogan said.

While long term effects are yet to be determined, the short term effects of caffeine dependency can be seen any time a person who normally drinks caffeine takes a break from it.

“One of the big things about addiction is if you can function normally without it and if you’re suffering from withdrawal when you stop taking it,” Grogan said.

More than half of students who use caffeine reported that they experience sleepiness, headaches, irritability and trouble

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concentrating in the absence of caffeine.

This indicates that many students could be at least mildly dependent on caffeine.

Sophomore Jane Doe could be one of these students. Doe has coffee every day.

“It depends how much I sleep that night, but I always have at least one cup of coffee,” Doe said.

Sometimes Doe extends her consumption into the school day.

“If I have hard classes towards the end of the day and I need to stay awake, I’ll have coffee at lunch,” Doe said.

However, Doe does not think of caffeine as a drug.

“I could stop drinking if I wanted to, I’d just be really tired. I just like to stay awake,” Doe said.

Doe’s view isn’t all that uncommon.

While students are split pretty evenly on whether they consider caffeine a drug-57 percent do and 43 percent do not--the FDA classifies caffeine as a drug and food additive.

Junior Ellen Hancock has been drinking coffee since middle school, and thinks it has overall been a positive addition to her life.

“It keeps me awake, but it also keeps me focused,” Hancock said.

Hancock does try to keep her consumption at a reasonable amount.

“I like to stick to one or two cups a day, because that’s a pretty easy amount to have access to and it’s not a huge deal if I can’t have it,” Hancock said.

However, she has noticed some drawbacks.

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“I get the jitteriness that people stereotypically associate with caffeine, so I have had some negative effects,” Hancock said.

This is also true when she avoids caffeine.

“I technically have a caffeine dependency, because when I don’t drink it I get a headache,” Hancock said.

Still, Hancock doesn’t think caffeine itself is a large scale issue for high schoolers.

“I don’t think caffeine specifically is the issue, but a lot of high schoolers drink sugary drinks like energy drinks. I think that’s a lot different than just drinking tea or black coffee,” Hancock said.

Sugar often does come hand in hand with caffeine. A can of Monster has 27 grams of sugar, but that pales in comparison to a 16 ounce caramel Frappucino, which has 64 grams.

Unlike other additives, caffeine is not directly represented on labels. Drinks such as Redbull or Coke clearly state caloric content but not caffeine concentration. Problems our society experiences with caffeine can no longer be attributed to the sources of caffeine, such as coffee and sugary beverages, but rather how misinformed people are about caffeine and its effects.

“The information is out there, but since for most people it’s not an immediate health risk and it doesn’t cause problems like meth and cocaine or other hardcore illegal drugs do, people don’t think it’s an issue,” Grogan said.

january 28

Photo Illustration by Nina Williamsll

How does

Caffeine affect you?

66% of students reported daily consumption of caffeinated drinks.

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57%

of students believe that caffeine is a drug.

1

cup of coffee is the healthy daily limit for adolescents.

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Lifeguards (must be 15 years of age by May 1st): starting pay at $9.00/hours Assistant Swim and Dive Coaches: starting pay at $10.00/hour

Mathnasium of Overland Park 9339 W. 87th St Overland Park, Ks 66212 overlandpark@mathnasium.com 2nd grade - 12th grade

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aDS

mathnasium.com/overlandpark

ACT & SAT Test Prep

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(913) 642-MATH

issue 5

Games Across 2. The youngest candidate running for President 3. Governor of Ohio who has has the most dramatic ups and downs of any of the candidates in the polls in recent months 6. Son of former Libertarian presidential candidate 8. Former CEO of tech corporation Hewlett-Packard 10. Made a deep run in the 2012 Presidential race for the Republican nomination 11. The “Bridgegate” scandal involved this New Jersey Governor 13. Brother and son of former presidents

Sudoku

Down 1. American business magnate and real estate mogul who previously hosted the reality TV show “The Apprentice” 4. Former First Lady of the United States 5. Governor of Arkansas who attempted a run for the White House in 2008 as well 7. A retired neurosurgeon who worked as Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery for 29 years at Johns Hopkins Hospital 9. Former Mayor of Baltimore and Governor of Maryland 11. Candidate whose eligibility to run for President is controversial because he was born in Canada 12. Self claimed socialist and oldest candidate running for President

Tic-Tac-Toe

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games

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It’s Marbelous A local toy company carries on tradition in a modern world.

By Sami Jansen

T

he Moon Marble Company is a toy company that has been making and selling classic toys since 1997.

Common Sense Media ran a two part study about technology use in children ages zero to eight and results showed that usage greatly increased since the first study done in 2011. Tablet ownership is five times higher, daily use has tripled and the top use remains gaming. In a time such as this how is it that a place like Moon Marble remains a beloved destination to families?

The Moon Marble Company was started

by Bruce Breslow. He and a group of friends created the company when they realized the lack of variety in marbles for the wooden marble board games they created.

“When I went to the local toy store the only thing they had were the green cats eye, but I wanted lots of colors like I had as a kid, like bumblebees, and mustard and ketchup, all those different colors,” Breslow said.

Although some marbles are ordered from marble manufacturing companies, others made by glass artists including Breslow, can be found in display cases and are open for purchase. But The Moon Marble Company has more than marbles to offer; they also offer an array of classic toys and board game, some which are made at Moon Marble. The main room holds everything from Rubik’s cubes to science sets. Visiting Moon Marble has become a tradition in many families who appreciate the classic toys.

“A lot of people thank me and say we love

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what you’re doing and keep up the good work,” Breslow said.

Breslow performs eight to ten demonstrations a day in which he discusses the history of marbles, his personal experiences and allows people to ask questions. Breslow’s passion for glassmaking began 17 years ago when he expressed his interest in learning how to make marbles for his wooden board games.

“For my holiday gift my wife bought me this torch and she bought me some glass from Hobby Lobby . . . so I read everything I could about glass work from the library. I came in after the holidays and I set up this torch,” Breslow said, “It’s trial and error, I kept at it. I just started making marbles and like a lot of artists you start making things you can call your own.”

Moon Marble also offers guided tours.

During the tours, the group is shown a demonstration, then guided around the store and told the history of various toys and the company itself.

“One time I was making a marble I had a group of daisy girl scouts watching…

Right at the end I dropped the marble and it rolled across the bench and I stopped it with my pant leg. As soon as it hit me I burst into flames . . .I was on fire so I grabbed my marble mold and put the fire out then I looked over and [the Girl Scouts] were stop, dropping, rolling and laughing,” said Breslow.

People might also recognize Moon Marble’s toys from the Renaissance Festival.

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The toy company has been supplying the Festival with hand-made shields and sword for the last 34 years.

“That actually brings a tear to my eye. . . people will come in and go ‘Ok boys, pick out a sword and shield; this is where papa brought me’, ” Breslow said.

Moon Marble’s uniqueness builds off of the staff’s nostalgia for their childhood.

“I think people like to touch back to their childhood and pass it on, people like myself. I loved these toys when I was a kid the simple toys like on a saturday we liked nothing more than to get a balsa wood airplane and see how long you could keep it flying,” Breslow said.

Although donations are accepted, Moon Marble focuses on passing their passions onto everyone who decides to visit and making their visit a unique and memorable one.

“Quite often when we would vacation, we would go to places where there were demonstrators and they were very nasty like they didn’t want to talk to you unless they thought you were going to buy what they were making. I don’t really think about that, the money is not my priority. I feel like at The Moon Marble Company we have employees that will answer questions about things. We talk about the past quite a bit, the way things were, throw in some history.

I think people appreciate what we do and support us.” Breslow said.

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that’s just how they

roll

The Striking Vikings bowling team kicked off their tenth season this winter.

By Caroline Fullerton, Eric Sedlacek and Brevin Turner

Bowling is one of the most, if not the most overlooked sports at West.

However, the number of bowling participants and the number of schools with varsity teams has doubled in the previous five years, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations.

West kicked off its tenth season as a varsity sport this season, and hopes to have its strongest season yet.

“We show up and put on our shoes, then we warm up (shoot shots on different lanes), play practice games, and sometimes do competitions,” junior Brian Tines said, “Bowling is a really great thing to do if you’re interested in trying something new.

It’s as serious as you make it, and a great way to make new friends.”

Tryouts were held from November 30 to Tuesday December 3 at AMF College Lanes.

“You basically show up and play three games and then the top 12 or 13 highest scorers are the ones that make the team,” Tines said.

The bowling team practices at AMF College Lanes on College Blvd. Practices are every day Monday-Friday with meets once or twice a week. Players say that bowling is a really good way for them to test their skills while still allowing plenty of time for socializing.

“Bowling is really laid back, you do whatever the heck you want, it’s really fun,” junior Max Cross said, “One of my personal

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feature

goals for this bowling season are to score over a 220 in a game.”

Most winter sports begin in November or early December. Those sports will last up to the end of February or into the beginning

“It starts out chill and by the end you’re really trying to make the last frames count to add to your team score,” - Reilly McMillan of the Spring sports season.

“The bowling season is actually really short, it’s only from the beginning of January until the end of February,” Tines said.

“There is a boys Junior Varsity and Varsity and the girls have a separate Junior Varsity and Varsity. Teams are never set, you can be moved anytime between Junior Varsity and varsity,” junior Max Cross said.

In other sports, some players who play JV will suit up for varsity, or they will play

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a little of both. In bowling if you had a streak of a few good games or had a really game you could bowl in the next Varsity meet whenever that is.

“Our first tournament we played Shawnee Mission schools, Blue Valley schools, and schools from Lawrence,” Senior Reilly McMillan said. “The people I get to meet is probably my favorite thing so far. Everyone helps each other. The competitiveness is also fun. It starts out chill and by the end you’re really trying to make the last frames count to add to your team score.”

Their first bowling meet was in Lawrence. The bowling team plays mostly Sunflower League schools and some of the Eastern Kansas League schools.

“We as a team placed in two meets last year, but we’re really hoping to have a strong showing this year. I’m going to try my hardest to achieve my personal goals and attempt to make it to state. I’d like to see a lot of West bowlers make it to state this year, and whether I’m there or not I’ll still be supporting my team.” Tines said State is in early March, and is played in Wichita.

issue 5

bagger A string of strikes. Ex: four bagger is four in a row.

dutch 200 A game with a score of exactly 200 made by alternating strikes and spares.

bowling lingo

head pin The first pin.

spare To knock down the remaining pins standing left after the first roll with the second roll.

split The combinations of remaining pins standing after the first roll. This creates a space between the standing pins and thus a harder spare.

strike Knocking down all 10 pins with the first roll.

turkey Three consecutive strikes.

300 game A perfect game.

Sophomore Micheala Tarwater gets ready to roll.

Photo by Kamryn Marshall

january 28

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rookie

RECRUITS Students tell their stories of the recruitment process.

H

By Caleb Walker and Lexi Hart

igh school sports not only act as a way for students to participate in friendly competition with peers, but also as a bridge to collegiate athletics. Players at the high school level who show signs of talent and potential are thrusted into the wild world of recruitment.

During the final two years of high school, student athletes may correspond with college coaches and recruiters. Correspondence may take place in a variety of ways. Many websites exist such as Captain U, where athletes may post film of them playing their specific sport. This film is accessible by collegiate staffs around the country.

Another way for high schoolers to get their name out is by directly contacting the coaches of colleges of which they are interested in.

“I emailed them and I told them that I’m considering swimming in college and for them to look at my profile, and after I see that they have looked at my profile, I hit them hard with the emails,” senior Hannah Heaton said.

Collegiate athletic programs also host camps in which student athletes are given the opportunity to showcase their abilities directly in front of the college’s staff.

“Nebraska started recruiting me before my freshman year because I went to their camp, and the coach said that he liked my playing style and that we would be in contact in the future,” Senior Sinclaire Miramontez said.

Miramontez committed her sophomore year, and is looking forward to finally attending Nebraska University and continuing the sport she loves.

When there is a mutual interest between an athlete and college, the match is lit in the

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SPORTS

recruiting process.

Currently, there are a variety of athletes who have either completed, or are participating in the recruiting process. Seniors Hannah Heaton, Josh Compton and Hannah Miller are all students who hope to compete at the next level. Heaton wishes to competitively swim, Compton aspires to play baseball, and Miller desires to continue her soccer career.

Heaton has been competitively swimming since she was a kid. With high school coming to an end, she has no intention to tie a bow on her swimming career.

“I never really considered being a college athlete until I got into high school and realized that I was good at swimming,” Heaton said.

Heaton is very excited about pursuing collegiate swim. She appreciates that the two Colorado schools she’s considering, look at more than just her times.

The collegiate baseball recruiting process proves to be one in its own. Rather than sending game footage of the athlete to the college coaches, baseball requires in-person evaluation.

“I am still attending camps and everything so I can get in front of coaches and get my name out there,” Compton said. “It is a little difficult because baseball season is in the spring which creates a bit of a time crunch.”

Connections are key when trying to be considered at the next level.

“My coaches know a lot of college coaches because they played with them before, and many of them played at the next level. They help a ton with getting your name to the college scouts and the recruiting staff.”

Compton is “nearing the commitment stage” as his senior season approaches.

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While all of the other athletes are in the midst of the recruiting process, Miller’s recruitment is nearing its end. Kicking around a soccer ball since birth, she will be attending Creighton University are will be apart of the soccer team.

Because talented soccer players are so valuable, the recruiting process must begin relatively early.

“Freshman year was the first time I was truly put in front of the eyes of college coaches. They showed interest in me so I had to show interest back,” Miller explained.

Miller seems to have always been aspiring to be Blue Jay. “I’ve been going to their camps since I was very young. Every time I visited, I fell in love with the campus and the atmosphere and the community. I will be signing there on Feb. 3,” Miller said.

Despite the fact that the question of commitment has been answered, Miller and the Creighton staff maintain regular correspondence.

“We text about every other week and I just tell about anything new in my life and how everything is going. It is a nice personal connection with the coaching staff,” Miller explained.

Although all of the athletes have had different experiences with the recruitment process, the eyes of colleges add a boost of confidence.

“It’s a great feeling to have someone tell you they want you to play for them and that you are good enough to succeed at the next level. Even if at times I hated the process, it was still nice knowing that I had the capabilities to make it to the next level,” Miramontez said.

issue 5

SINCLAIRE MIRAMONTEZ Soccer School: Nebraska

JOSH COMPTON Baseball School: Nebraska

HANNAH HEATON Swim School: Undecided

HANNAH MILLER Soccer School: Creighton

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SPORTS

25

Super Bowl Showdown

By Drake Mattis, Adam Rellihan, Max Meyer and Spencer Lassalle

Super Bowl 50 will be played on February 7th and will air on CBS. The game will be played at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, home of the San Francisco 49ers. The last time the Super Bowl was played in the San Francisco area was Super Bowl XIX in the year 1985. The Super Bowl this year will not use roman numerals but will instead use the number 50. This year’s Super Bowl also has the name the Golden Super Bowl because it is being played in the Golden state, California.

CAROLINA PANTHERS

Denver Broncos

Probably the NFL’s strongest and healthiest team remaining, the Panthers seemed almost unstoppable as they cruised to a 14-0 start before falling to the Falcons in Atlanta in Week 16. Cam Newton is probably this year’s MVP, and if he continues to play at a high level it could lead to a deep playoff run. They jumped out to an early lead against the Seattle Seahawks and were able to fend off the defending NFC Champions. No team has been more consistent than the Panthers.

The Broncos have perhaps the best defense in football and that will carry them throughout the playoffs. However, the success of the Broncos depends on how well quarterback Peyton Manning can play after returning from an injury. If Manning plays like he did before his injury, it could be a short stint in the playoffs for the Broncos.

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SPORTS

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issue 5

West in Photos

Photos by Nina Williams, Jenna Wilson, Rian Stallbaumer and Kamryn Marshall.

January 28

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A&E

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A&E “Jumpman, Jumpman, Jumpman.”

“... I started off in Brooklyn.

My father gave me a small loan of a million dollars.”

2015

The Year in Entertainment “Epic” staff members have compiled some of the best moments of entertainment from 2015.

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issue 5

Music Rapper Kendrick Lamar scored big this year with the release and subsequent accolades of his third studio album, “To Pimp A Butterfly.” Lamar, the recipient of almost universal praise within the musical community, managed to rack up an astonishing 11 Grammy nominations. He also won over the President’s heart, as Obama declared his favorite song of 2015 to be “How Much A Dollar Cost,” the eleventh track off Lamar’s latest album.

The Year of

Kendrick Lamar

A socially-conscious magnum opus from an album entirely composed of magnum opuses.

#1 Alright

Kendrick Lamar

Beach House stares into the shoegaze void and finds an even sweeter and more tempting sound than before.

#2

Sparks

Beach House

Comedy Late Show #4 Dark Open Mike Eagle

Driving, danceable lo-fi alt pop from Scottish outfit Young Fathers.

Rain or

#5 Shine

Young Fathers

Bare yet heavy, “Figure 8” experiments with squelching bass, dreamy synths, and even a rap verse from Twigs.

Dusty, lyrical, heady, and mysterious rap lines made complete with a Captain Beefheart sample.

#3 Figure 8

Big #6 The Nothing

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FKA Twigs

Ralston’s Top

January 28

Open Mike masterfully and cleverly takes on several big political issues while musing on the oddities of modern life.

Billy Woods

Songs of 2015 the epic.

Former Mac Demarco guitarist Peter Sagar transitions to hypnotic and seductive synth music.

#7 Give It to Me Homeshake

Death Grips tries punk rock on for size, making one of their most melodic and depressing songs to date.

#8 On GP

Death Grips

Hot Chip updates their sound and produces a dancepop-tronica-everything-in-one hit.

Lights #9 Huarache Hot Chip

Rookie Shamir makes a gummy, catchy, synth-filled electro-pop dance track.

#10 Call It Off Shamir

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Movies

Actor, comedian and film producer Adam Sandler has had a rather turbulent year. Out of three notable projects Sandler starred in, only one had commercial success. “Hotel Transylvania 2” featured Adam Sandler lending his voice to Count Dracula. “Hotel Transylvania 2” was directed by animator/director Genndy Tartakovsky, who is well known for his roles in “Dexter’s Laboratory” and “Samurai Jack”. “Hotel Transylvania 2” was met with decent praise, but Sandler’s starring roles in “Pixels” and “The Ridiculous 6” were awful. “The Ridiculous 6” was universally panned by critics and actually has a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. “Pixels” didn’t fair much better. It was received slightly better than “The Ridiculous 6”, but it didn’t reach more than 20% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Not The Year of

Adam Sandler This is one of the best films I’ve seen in the last five years.

The film is a perfect metamorphosis, beginning with an unsettling story of isolation, and eventually blossoming into a heartwarming film that is endearing to the human spirit. “Room” is an emotionally crippling film that hurts, but also has a sense of hope.

#1 Room

This is a biopic for the ages.

He gives the undisputed best performance by any actor this year, as he portrays the flawed figure during three different product launches. By his side is his assistant and friend, Joanna Hoffman, played by a focused Kate Winslet. A wholly original biopic from the incredible mind of Aaron Sorkin.

#2 Steve Jobs Logan’s Top

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5

Movies of 2015 the epic.

This intricately made thriller transports us into the brutal war between the American armed forces and Mexican drug cartels. This is an incredibly timely film that asks important questions of the audience, and tests the moral compass of its characters.

“Sicario” is so accurate, it can be terrifying at times.

#3 Sicario

An ode to classic investigative journalism, “Spotlight” tells the true story of a team of reporters for The Boston Globe uncovering the horrifying truths of Boston’s Catholic priests guilty of molesting children. It’s intense, well paced, and very unsettling; it’s hard to believe some of these atrocities happened.

#4 Spotlight

This film really had a hold on me emotionally. It’s about an older couple in England whose marriage begins to crumble on the cusp of their 45th wedding anniversary. “45 Years” is a chilling and thought provoking film on companionship and what it means to truly love another person.

#5 45 Years

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West in Photos

Photos by Grace Armenta, Graysun Cole, Mikaela Kelly-Price, Maddy Shackleford and Kamryn Marshall.

January 28

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A&E

31

BackPAge

By Alex Ralston

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