The Harbinger Issue 13 2025-26

TRACK PLACEMENT TEST

THE HARBINGER

online preview

staff list

PRINT EDITORS

Sophia Brockmeier

Libby Marsh

ONLINE EDITORS

Luciana Mendy

Lucy Stephens

ASST. PRINT EDITORS

Avni Bansal

Michael Yi

ASST. ONLINE EDITOR

Christopher Long

Caroline Beal

HEAD COPY EDITORS

Libby Marsh

Luciana Mendy

ASST. HEAD COPY

EDITOR

Grace Pei

PRINT PHOTO EDITOR

Paige Bean

ASST. PHOTO EDITORS

Addie Clark

Ava Towner

Tyler Russell PHOTO MENTORS

Molly Scott

Sophia Cicero

Sylvie DeGalan

Zac Russell

Anastasia Flower

Vivien Glenski

Francesca Lorusso

Molly McDermed

VIDEO EDITORS

Preston Hooker

Emma Weidman

political cartoon

DESIGN EDITORS

Bella Broce

Sydney Eck

Evelyn Bagley

Lucy Swope

DESIGN MENTORS

Lyla Weeks

Miranda Liberda

Tillie Paisner

Ashtyn Ingram

Hannah Rosemann

Julia Campbell

Francesca Lorusso PAGE DESIGNERS

Madeline Glasier

Devon McFadden

Ella Slicker

Kennedy Moore

Eisley Foster

Elena Hull

Katie Cook

Lainey Hunter

Claire Troutwine

Abigail Baltzell

Lucy Cattano

Emily Enger

Jack Fitzpatrick

SECTION EDITORS EDITORIAL

Eisley Foster NEWS

Kennedy Moore OPINION

Glasier EDITORS

ASST. ART EDITOR

Julia Campbell

Hooker Adyson Cooper

Terreros

Eisley Foster Libby Fitzpatrick

Evelyn Geheb

Emma Weidman

Lexi Madden

Maggie Rogers

Layla Love

Avra Welling

Liv Ruecker

Bella Thompson

Charlotte Walton

RJ Kordalski

Allie Beaulieu

Sadie Jolicoeur

Graham Geheb

Welling Aynslee Douglass

Schaefer

Geheb

Aynslee Douglass

Eliot Higgins

Elena Hull

Evie Lewis

Meredith Wacha

Rowan McGill

Addy Newman Mya Smith

Sloane Henderson

Alex Harden Reese Dunham

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITORS

Bella Broce

Lucy Stephens

SOCIAL MEDIA STAFF

Abigail Baltzell

Allie Beaulieu

Emily Enger

Libby Fitzpatrick

Evie Lewis

Rowan McGill

Adyson Cooper

Madeline Glasier

Devon McFadden

Sydney Eck

Lyla Weeks

Lucy Swope

Bridget Dean ADS MANAGERS

A&E

Henderson

Rosemann

STAFF WRITERS

Vanessa Blades

Sienna Williams

Bridget Dean

Hannah Rosemann

Effie Roper

Preston Hooker

McDermed

CIRCULATION

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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 The Harbinger will not share any unpublished content, but quotes material may be confirmed with the sources.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 though letters may be edited for clarity, length or mechanics. Letters should be sent to room 400 or emailed to smeharbinger@gmail.com.

stories by MEREDITH WACHA

FEATHERS IN THE FOOD COURT

Construction aims to stop birds from flying into the cafeteria during lunch

ADMINISTRATION CLOSED THE school courtyard for construction as a crew worked to fix a hole in the wall that had been allowing birds to enter the building on March 15.

Birds have been flying into the cafeteria during lunch periods for several weeks. Students often noticed the birds flying around the ceiling, perching on lights and beams or circling above the tables during lunch. Many students began recording videos of the birds and clips quickly spread.

The birds had been entering through an opening in the wall near the courtyard. Because the courtyard connects closely to the cafeteria area, the damaged section may have made it easy for birds to fly inside without being noticed, according to custodian Chris Garrett.

“The ‘damage’ was caused by the building settling and the eaves began having gaps large enough for birds to enter the school,”Garrett said. “The roofing contractors solved this by adding a metal guard over the eaves preventing the birds’ access into the school,”

Some students also attempted to help the birds find their way back outside. In a few cases, students carefully trapped the birds in empty lunch boxes and carried them outside before releasing them. Others tried to guide the birds toward doors or open spaces where they could escape.

LOCAL STORIES HIT THE PAGE

A New Prairie Village history book set to release in late October

A NEW HISTORY book highlighting Prairie Village’s history, inspired by the 75th-Anniversary of Prairie Village, will be released in late October or early November. Local historian Heather Paxton is writing the book with research support from Steve Noll, retired Executive Director of the Jackson County Historical Society. The 250-page book documents the transformation of Prairie Village from farmland to a suburban community following World War II.

Students from local high schools can submit information for the book on the Prairie Village website. The book details the development plans initiated by developer J.C. Nichols in the 1930s and examines the rapid growth that occurred after an influx of veterans returned from combat. It addresses notable changes and growth in city buildings.

UNITY THROUGH CULTURES

The Multicultural Fair is scheduled for seminar on March 31, with new ‘passports’ this year

In addition to development history, the book includes information on local high schools, the fire department, churches and neighborhood shops, surveying community life. Paxton and Noll have utilized materials from the State Historical Society of Missouri, Johnson County collections and various photo archives to support their research.

The book will also include details about upcoming 75th-Anniversary events, which can be found on the Prairie Village website. This publication aims to offer residents and history enthusiasts an informative look at Prairie Village’s history and the milestones that have shaped the community over the years.

“For about the first 10 years, City Hall was in the basement under a grocery store,” Paxton said.

THE MULTICULTURAL Fair combines interactive booths with live performances and is happening during seminar on March 31. This is the third annual student-run fair, showcasing up to 40 booths that represent diverse cultures. Each booth will showcase clothing, music, games and food from each country.

This year, students will receive a “passport” at the beginning of the fair and will get a stamp from each booth. There will also be an Indian dance performed by freshman Pavithra Raja, and a Colombian drum performance by Felipe Pulgarin.

Each grade level will rotate in 20-minute intervals during seminar.

Students hosting a booth design their own tri-fold boards. Club sponsor and English teacher Samantha Feinberg provided $50 gift cards to buy food for the fair. Each country represented gets its own

booth, ranging from Panama to Russia, each with its own interactive elements, such as traditional games, food or trivia.

Feinberg, who coordinates logistics, emphasizes the fair’s triple impact: it educates students while offering students recognition and a stronger sense of belonging.

SM East alumni John Mendy and Katie Murphy started this student initiative in 2023 in response to racial tensions.

“They were trying to do something constructive, productive and educational for SM East students that led to hopefully increased understanding and acceptance,” Feinberg said.

Looking ahead, Multicultural student union members want the fair to encourage diversity and address stereotypes, fostering lasting cultural understanding.

REACH OUT OF OUT OF STOCK

Causes of the Adderall shortage

- Increase of demand

- Manufacturing problems due to labor issues

- Strict government limits on production - Supply chain problems *according to pbs.org

*names changed to protect the identity of students

story by PRESTON HOOKER

SOPHOMORE EVAN KELTING, a prescribed Adderall user with ADHD, has experienced the benefits of the stimulant firsthand after consulting with his doctor over the summer.

Adderall is an anti-hyperactivity drug commonly used to treat Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder; it uses a chemical called amphetamine to cause alertness for the user, usually helping users focus in an educational environment, according to Healthline.

ADD ER ALL

A combination drug containing amphetamine and dextroamphetamine used to treat ADHD and narcolepsy

“Last year I had a lot of B’s and C’s and a couple of A’s,” Kelting said. “But this year, since I got on Adderall, I’ve felt so much more focused in class. I got straight As last semester.”

While Kelting went through the process of professionally diagnosing his ADHD to become prescribed — a process that took him less than a month — he has seen students using Adderall without a prescription.

“Right before tests, I’ve seen people give each other quick-release Adderall,” Kelting said. “In class, I’ll just see people take it before they have something important [who are] very clearly not prescribed on the medication. I think people have easier ways to get [Adderall] — I feel like I’ve seen more and more people using un-prescribed [now] than I’ve seen ever before.”

Out of 222 SM East students, a fifth have used Adderall without a prescription, according to a March Instagram poll of SM East students.

Twenty-three-percent of responding SM East students on a 234-student Instagram poll said they take Adderall. That leaves only 3-4% of students answering the poll who are actually medically prescribed

*Instagram poll of 234 votes DO YOU

Adderall when compared to the previous poll of non-prescription users.

Junior Sally Sue* has a daily prescription for 15 mg of Adderall — a relatively low dosage. But when she took her March ACT, she took 30 mg in hopes of achieving a higher test score.

“I took more than usual, and then I started getting really compulsive, and I would aggressively itch my nose or my lips, and they got really raw,” Sue said.

The spontaneous side effects experienced by Sue are unmonitored by professionals and have a potential health risk for her because the dosage consumed was unprescribed. Adderall usage can have side effects such as damage to nerve cells, seizures, psychosis, stroke, extreme lack of appetite and abnormal heart rhythms, according to American Addiction Centers.

Sue’s sister is also on Adderall and distributes it to her friends before drinking to enhance the effects of alcohol — a common usage of the drug, according to AAC.

Sue has seen Adderall used as a stimulant with alcohol by SM East students as well, and believes students don’t treat Adderall as a serious drug because of its prevalence.

“[So many kids] have ADHD, and [are] probably on [Adderall] or a form of it,” Sue said. “So I think no one really sees it as an actual drug.”

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder associated with a lack of focus or difficulty controlling behavior or hyperactivity ADHD

Prescribed students with access to Adderall who distribute it to non-prescribed students will require more refills for their personal prescription, driving rates and demand as there is less supply.

The drug has become increasingly unavailable, caused by high prescription and refill rates, especially in Kansas City. Doctors established an official shortage

Non-prescribed Adderall usage among SM East students has begun to increase

*Instagram poll of 222 votes DO YOU TAKE UNPRESCRIBED ADDERALL?

in 2023, which has only worsened since January 2026, according to KMBC and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

Junior Piper Kiehne is currently medically prescribed 50 mg of Adderall, and went from failing classes her freshman year and first semester as a sophomore, to straight A’s in her second semester sophomore year after taking the drug.

Kiehne has been approached by other students asking if she’d sell them her Adderall, and although she declined, she’s seen others give out their Adderall before parties and big tests as well.

“I definitely think that people just giving [Adderall] out contributes to [the shortage], but I also think it’s really easy to get prescribed with it,” Kiehne said. “I don’t think they do that much indepth ADHD testing to get prescribed.”

Students such as Kiehne, Sue and Kelting plan on taking Adderall for the rest of their academic career, although Kiehne worries it may become more difficult to obtain the drug as demand increases among her peers.

SWEEPING

RESTRICTIONS

Kansas passed HB 2299, a bell-to-bell phone ban for next year

STACKING POLICIES

Comparing the district and state phone bans

story

by CAROLINE BEAL

GOVERNOR LAURA KELLY

signed into effect a bell-to-bell cellphone ban in schools across Kansas on March 19.

House Bill 2299 prohibits the use of phones, smartwatches, wireless headphones, earbuds and various other non-district-issued devices in public and accredited non-public schools for the entire school day starting next school year.

Since its introduction on Jan. 6, the bill has received majority support from both Republicans and Democrats, but has received varying feedback from school districts, according to Superintendent Michael Schumacher.

The current Shawnee Mission School District policy requires students to store non-school-issued devices only during direct instructional time, but allows for devices during passing period and lunch.

“I think all the Johnson County school districts have been pretty united in our disagreement with these bills around bell-to-bell bans,” Schumacher said. “We adopted a [phone] policy that works for us, and people are living with it. So why mess with something that is working with our school district?”

SM East adopted an updated phone policy on March 23, requiring each classroom to have a designated place for students to place their phones at the beginning of each class.

Principal Jason Peres says this updated

phone policy was not due to the thenpotential passing of HB 2299, but instead to create a consistent phone plan for each classroom.

Over 90% of Kansas students attend districts with phone policies in place, according to Sen. Cindy Holscher, who voted against HB 2299, and as of the bill’s signing date, it remains an unfunded mandate.

“There is something to be said about local control, and we have school boards in place for our districts to make decisions on these types of policies,” Holscher said. “I feel that there are parts of this bill that are unconstitutional, so there’s a good chance there will be litigation. We have to respect local authority, and we can’t keep putting unfunded mandates out there — that’s not the answer.”

With no funding from the state, Schumacher says this bill could cost the district millions.

SMSD STATE

Allows personal devices in the classroom for educational purposes and between classes

thinks will make communication and scheduling difficult.

“With having a younger sister who is involved in different after-school activities, I can’t think of one day last semester when I didn’t text her trying to figure out rides,” Boren said. “With the phone ban next year, it’s going to make it 10 times harder to plan out rides with my sister and make sure she gets home okay.”

CHANGE IS hard, [and] next year, when the policy goes into place, all students will have been born after the iPhone. Likely, the first few weeks will be difficult.

KIMBERLY WHITMAN DFSP LEADER

Holscher has received feedback from parents across Johnson County concerned about students’ ability to reach them during emergencies such as school shootings, work schedules and various after-school activities.

The bill indicates that all phones must be turned off, securely stored and kept in an accessible location. But, it doesn’t specify where students are meant to store their phones, which junior Anna Boren

Although there are varying opinions, some SMSD parents believe the bill will lead to further benefits down the road.

Kimberly Whitman, a co-leader of the National Distraction-Free Schools Policy Project — the organization that provided the template legislation for the phone ban — believes students will gain a better education when “separated from their phone.”

“Change is hard, [and] next year, when the policy goes into place, all students will have been born after the iPhone,” Whitman said. “Likely, the first few weeks will be difficult, but I have confidence that our students are resilient and will experience the benefits that are evident in many other districts that have implemented bell-to-bell policies across the nation.”

Students with 504 plans or an Individualized Education Program are exempt from the ban, and all students are still permitted to contact parents;

Personal devices may not be used between the first and last bells of school

however, it must be done on schoolprovided devices, according to the legislation.

The bill also states that school employees and teachers cannot require students to use social media for assignments, message students privately on social media or use only approved platforms for official announcements. For student publications like the Hauberk and Harbinger, social media is a vital part of marketing, according to Hauberk Portraits Editor and junior Catherine Sullivan.

“We communicate through social media, and it helps sell the [yearbook] more,” Sullivan said. “I think it’s going to be pretty difficult. Social media is one thing that is pretty crucial for us; we get polls about people’s information, and if we can’t get that, we lose a lot of vital information about the school and people’s opinions.”

With amendments still being made to HB 2299, districts are figuring out ways to comply with the upcoming changes, and according to Holscher, there is no “onesize-fits-all policy.”

“We’ve established clarity on what we’re going to do with cell phones, so that our teachers no longer spend time dealing with [them] in the classroom, and now they’re just teaching and learning,” Peres said. “We have all summer to figure out how we’re going to [enforce HB 2299], and it’s going to take an effort to figure that out.”

OPINION

we asked you...

Viewers responded recent Instagram polls reflecting this issue’s opinion stories

*Instagram poll of 234 votes HAVE YOU WATCHED ANY

comic strip

*Instagram poll of 201 votes DO YOU LIKE TOM HOLLAND AS

hot take

story by HANNAH ROSEMANN

INSPIRING BACKGROUND MUSIC begins to play as pictures of comic book heroes flash across my screen in the iconic Marvel universe intro.

This particular intro is followed by about two hours’ worth of incredible storytelling and world-building where the character Peter Parker is bitten by a radioactive spider and effectively transitions into the well-known Spider-Man in a truly cinematic masterpiece. At the heart of this reality-altering film is the actor Tom Holland.

Holland not only portrays Parker, he completely embodies the character both in front of and beyond the camera. He is the perfect happy-go-lucky, tragically optimistic and constantly humorous young genius of a person, even before his role in Spider-Man.

Not only was the part seemingly made for him, but, compared to “SpiderMan” films of the past, the movies

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featuring Holland as Spider-Man have a better plot, graphics and are actually connected to the MCU, or Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Some marvel spinoffs like “Moon Knight” had absolutely no correlation to any other Marvel movies. I sat on my couch every Wednesday night for two months, watching “Moon Knight” because I thought the characters would appear in the next Marvel movie. I was wrong.

But, “Spider-Man,” an amazing trilogy was expanded on even more when Tony Stark, the character who transforms into Iron Man, takes a special interest in Parker, setting off a cascade of MCU movies featuring Holland and his character.

Eventually Stark asks Parker to join the Avengers, leading to a heartwarming duo that caused many tears during both “Avengers: Infinity Wars” and “Avengers: End Games.”

Not to mention, his awkward teenage interactions, situationships and friendships are relatable to everyone who went to high school, connecting to a younger, broader audience than past Spider Mans.

Throughout the three movies, Holland progresses as both a superhero and teenager, learning who he is in a world of chaos.

*Instagram poll of 307 votes DO YOU PREFER DIGITAL TESTING OR PAPER TESTING?

A Harbinger staffer shares which form of testing she prefers

I PREFER PAPER testing because I’m able to circle and highlight important information that I need to answer the question. Math is extremely difficult when online, causing me to make mistakes that take up testing time. ANA SCHAEFER SOPHOMORE

WALKOUT

FOR: 10 AGAINST: 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.

CENSOR

QUESTIONING RIGHTS

Comparison of how SB 315 violates the First Amendment

FIRST AMENDMENT PROTECTS:

Freedom of speech

Freedom of assembly

Right to petition the government

IN HISTORY and civics classes across the state, we are taught that an indispensable shield against unjust systems is our voices. We study cases like Brown v. Board — where segregation in Topeka was declared unconstitutional — and learn that student dissent originating from our very own state capital can push the nation’s morals forward.

In five walkouts in the district and eleven in the county over the past three months, students have exercised this power by protesting ramped-up federal immigration enforcement, which has caused eight deaths since January. On Feb. 17 at SM East, the air was filled by hundreds of student-made signs advocating for broader change — one read, “Everyone deserves to be a part of the American Dream!”

Yet, currently halfway through the legislature is an amendment to a budget bill that aims to divorce the student population from the principles of protest they learn in class. Modifications to Senate Bill 315 — proposed two weeks after SM East’s walkout — inhibit school walkouts statewide by mandating parental permission and creating fines for districts that allow them.

The amendment passed through the Senate and is sitting in a House committee, where the poorly worded provision should be rejected. With vague, illogical and unconstitutional language, the legislation beats down on

SB 315 IMPLEMENTS:

District penalties tied to student expression

Limiting school walkout participation

Parent approval required

developing student beliefs and forces districts to swing the stick.

Districts would be fined if attendance policies weren’t enforced, if staff members enabled a walkout or if students — including adult seniors — failed to obtain parental permission.

The Kansas Board of Education would review and enforce complaints of teacher complicity.

Each incident would result in sanctions equal to the superintendent’s yearly base salary. In SMSD, this exceeds $250,000.

The very premise of deterring student protest is clearly unconstitutional. In the 1969 Supreme Court ruling Tinker v. Des Moines , the court ruled that students don’t “shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.” This landmark case is taught in every senior government class.

The proposed statewide ban on school walkouts violates the constitutional right to free speech and must be abandoned

political protest. Considering the political timing and that the 21-19 vote was entirely pushed across by one party, it’s clear the amendment was not created to protect class time. It’s retaliation. The punishments of the amendment are as unreasonable as its justification. The Kansas Board of Education would need to review and rule on hundreds of potential cases, expanding their workload to witch hunts. In the process, they’d need to be able to prove whether a staff member’s actions qualified as “enablement.”

CONSIDERING

the political timing and that the 21-19 vote was entirely pushed across by one party, it’s clear the amendment was not created to protect class time. It’s retaliation.

Senators justified the amendment by arguing that protests interrupt class time. There is indeed a Supreme Court precedent that allows schools to punish learning disruptions, like in Morse vs. Frederick , when a student wearing a T-shirt promoting drug use was punished.

But there’s a difference between obscene shirts and

Even if violations could be sorted through, the punishments are poorly designed. A single staff member accused of allowing protests could provoke sanctions on an entire district. For large districts like SMSD with $200 million budgets, the deterrent is tiny. For smaller districts like USD487 in Harrington, the $100k penalty set at the superintendent’s salary would comprise two percent of its entire budget — and that’s per incident.

This one-size-fits-all deterrent is insubstantial for large districts, cruel for small ones and invisible to private schools that the amendment neglects.

But even if we ignore the

amendment’s illegality, partisan motivation, poor language, infeasibility and blind severity — why should state legislators want to infringe upon the freedom of expression of students at all?

As educators seek to inform students of their agency and power, the state cannot tell them when and where they should demonstrate. School walkouts not only bolster current activism but also develop the activists, and a politically active generation benefits the community and state.

Schools are places where students learn of their potential to change the world. Emerging voices gain just as much practicing activism as they do studying it in the classroom, and the breadth of their expression should never be infringed upon by our government. If the state House of Representatives truly wishes to protect the liberty of student speech, it must fail this measure.

design by SLOANE HENDERSON

by EISLEY FOSTER

photos by LIV RUECKER & SOPHIA CICERO

story by AVNI BANSAL

Tcountdown clock fixed at the top. That’s what standardized testing looks like now. But after three months of preparing for the onlineonly SAT, I’ve realized something: I think better on paper.

Before taking the September SAT, I learned through an online tutoring program, which included attending WebEx meetings and completing pages and pages of digital worksheets. All of the practice was online.

After the September SAT, my parents didn’t want to pay another $3,000 for online tutoring before the March SAT. So I self-studied and printed practice tests out — annotating passages, circling mistakes and working through problems by hand — to prepare for my next SAT.

As my score got better and better on each practice test, it became clear: paperbased testing is more effective than digital formats at fostering active thinking and conceptual understanding.

And “testing” includes the entire testing process — practice included.

When working through questions on paper, whether in English, math or science, deeper processing occurs. Handwriting requires more complex motor and sensory processing than typing, which can strengthen memory and the ability to tackle conceptual problems, according to a 2025 neuroscience study in Life, a peerreviewed scientific journal.

A multiple-choice online test requires little to no writing. This means students’ conceptual understanding decreases. While online testing is quicker, allowing testers to navigate questions rapidly, the benefit isn’t worth the trade-off of weaker memory and recall.

In a 2021 report in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, those who handwrote notes performed better on conceptual questions than those who took online notes on the same topic. Researchers attributed this to the fact that online, students often transcribe almost word-for-word, which leads to shallow processing, while

over

NK PIXELS

Paper-based testing promotes more active thinking and deeper understanding than digital formats

Student Voices

SCREEN VS. SHEET

How brains react differently to reading on paper versus digitally

DIGITALLY:

Quicker reading Visual fatigue

Shallow processing

PAPER:

Better reading comprehension

Physical annotations help retain knowledge

Look at what SM East students think about testing on paper versus digitally

SARAH KATE MACFEE SOPHOMORE

IT’S EASIER TO have something physical to do my work on, even if there’s scratch paper. I get tired after staring at a screen, and it’s easier to annotate the question and figure out what information I need to get from the question.

handwriting forces summarizing and rephrasing. This means your brain is actively thinking about the question as a whole, not just individual words and phrases.

Even on paper quizzes in class, I spend more time thinking about each question. Annotating on paper helps me break down complex questions and talk myself through math problems and passages, reducing my tendency to overthink.

When I’m taking digital quizzes, I speed through questions without giving them much thought. Online, once a question is answered, it’s gone; the screen has changed. On paper, it sticks in my head and connects to other questions on the quiz because I’m able to see what I answered on previous questions.

Then there’s the blatant reason why paper-based testing is superior to digital: digital testing asks students to stare at a screen for around three hours — a format that strains attention and focus.

High screen exposure is associated with lower attention, working memory and processing speed in young adults, according to a 2024 study published in the Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare. Given how much my eyes hurt after the digital ACT in February, this isn’t surprising.

Plus, being on a screen is distracting. No matter what. Even when my screen is locked in testing mode, I still get distracted by the interactive tools and moving parts on both the SAT and ACT. During a test, I should be focused solely on the questions. Not on colorful highlighters and digital annotation features that take forever to

click and drag.

Multitasking is ingrained in online testing. The test can’t be completed without constantly switching between on-screen questions and digital tools, which forces my brain into task-switching instead of sustained focus on just the question in front of me.

*Instagram poll of 307 votes DO YOU PREFER DIGITAL OR PAPER TESTING?

All of this said, I have to be practical. Of course, the SAT won’t switch back to paper — that would be going back in time. But for now, the ACT is offered both online and on paper. Choose paper.

And although paper testing allows for better cognitive engagement and focus than digital testing, all standardized testing will likely become digital in the future. But just because the tests are online doesn’t mean your studying has to be.

Prepare for online tests using paper materials: mark up questions, have mental conversations to tackle problems and build skills that transfer to a digital format.

In the end, online testing is more beneficial to testing centers than to students. Scoring is easier, there’s heightened security and less paper is used — which

ADALYN SNYDER FRESHMAN

I LIKE DIGITAL testing because I think it’s so much easier. When you’re writing things for ELA, you can condense your text if it gets really big. I type a lot faster, and for multiple choice questions you can do it so much faster.

is great for trees and testing companies’ costs — but it’s optimized for efficiency and control on their end, not for deep learning on ours. It doesn’t change the fact that my brain learns better with paper than on a screen.

I took the SAT on March 14. I’ll get my score back in the next few days. And to the 10 practice tests I completed on paper — don’t fail me.

The Perks of The Perks of

Silence

Society unnecessarily normalizes and glamorizes social interactions

Introvert Skills

Introverts have many skills, some of the most prominent are motor control, planning and problem solving

They have higher concentration levels bettering their motor control skills.

They are very detail oriented which makes planning easier for them.

Introvert or Extrovert?

Take this short quiz to determine if you’re an introvert or an extrovert

1. Do you prefer to stay in or go out?

A. stay in B. go out

2. Would you rather write to someone or talk to them?

A. write B. talk

3. Would you rather work independently or in a group?

A. independently B. group

4. Do you have a few close friends or a big group of acquaintances?

A. few close friends

B. big group

Flip the paper upside down to see which one you are!

B’s: extrovert

introvert

They process information deeply and are able to strongly focus on one task.

In fact, most social interactions are miserable.

HOMECOMING. Halloween. The Link Dance. My friends always talk about these events like they’re the highlight of the year. The outfits, the pictures, the memories. And every time, I question their sanity. Why would they ever want to spend their time like that?

IN TRO VERT

A person who is reserved and quiet, tends to be introspective and enjoys spending time alone.

My answers aren’t “no one invited me” or “I’m busy.” I just genuinely would rather be doing anything else. I don’t want to go.

And no, I’m not antisocial, or an outcast.

We’ve normalized that everyone should want to be included. If you’re invited, you have to go.

If you’re not invited, you’re a loser with no friends.

Being alone is somehow treated like a problem when it’s actually necessary, especially if you’re an introvert living in a world obsessed with crowds. Social events are wildly overglorified, big friend groups are unnecessary and no, you don’t need constant, unsolicited interactions to be “normal.”

We act like jumping up and down in a sweaty sardine can with loud music and meaningless small talk is the key to happiness.

The pressure to consistently be social doesn’t occur in major events. It’s a steady part of all my everyday interactions.

People rely too much on other people for happiness. Being alone doesn’t automatically mean that something is wrong or you’re sad. There’s nothing you’re missing out on when there aren’t people talking at you from every direction.

PEOPLE rely too much on other people for happiness.

Being alone doesn’t automatically mean that something is wrong or you’re sad. There’s nothing you’re missing out on when there aren’t people talking at you from every direction.

Whether it’s my math partner leaning over, breathing down my neck and trying to fill the “awkward silence” by asking me how my weekend was, or when I’m sitting alone in my therapist’s waiting room and someone comments on the weather. There’s a constant expectation that you should always be ready to talk and excited to share with others. But really, there is no such thing as awkward silence. It’s normal.

Most of the time, I don’t want to talk, and that shouldn’t be a problem.

It doesn’t stop outside of school. When a friend group hangs out, it has to be known. Archives, stories, posts— all proof they’re having fun. Suddenly it feels like being social isn’t just something people do. It’s something they have to prove.

But why?

I love being alone. The thing that gets me through my school days of dealing with annoying people is extremely simple: my alone time. My AirPods in, I’ve got my crochet project in my lap and best of all, no one is within 50 feet of me. You are the only person you are guaranteed to be with your entire life. That’s it. So if you can’t be comfortable embracing yourself and being alone, how can you expect to live a fulfilled life?

Spend some time alone. Say no if you don’t want to go. Don’t feel the need to share your every move and moment. Not everyone needs to go to every event. Not everyone wants to talk all the time. And honestly, no one should feel like they have to.

FINAL

The senior class is participating in the annual game of assassins, starting on March 23

TARGET

ABOVE Seniors Anna Cicero and Jackson Fowler fill up their water guns in their kitchen before attempting to get their assassin targets out. When talking about strategy, Fowler said, “we had this plan to get [Cicero’s] target out which involved multiple different steps, this is what makes assassins so fun is that you can stalk other people and create plans to get them out.”

Personal Yoga Therapeutics Sessions for: Stress Reduction Posture and Spine Health Mental Wellness Pain Management

FEATURE

this week in PHOTOS

A look inside student life during the past two weeks

THROWING AROUND FUN

Learn about Clay Club, a new club started by ceramics teacher Abby Loats

ABOVE Sophomore Sicily Pruneda refines a robot for an in-class robotics competition during fourth hour. photo by ANASTASIA

CRUMBS KINDNESS of

A table group in teacher Jordan Dombrowski’s sophomore honors English class rotates who brings cookies for each other every Thursday their treats

Chocolate Chip Cookies

M & M Cookies

Cadbury Egg Cookies

Doughnuts

Snickerdoodles

SARAH KATE MACFEE SOPHOMORE

I THINK IT’S given everyone something to look forward to. It might be annoying to have to make the treats that we bring every week, but, it’s worth it.

I REALLY THOUGHT we needed another space for students who were interested in ceramics to be able to come in and get a feel for it and see if they like it or not, especially since a lot of students now don’t have a lot of room in their schedule for it.

ABBY LOATS TEACHER

her future goals

Organize Clay Club projects that aren’t feasible in large classes

Take club members on field trips to the Clay Guild

Create large installations around the classroom or school

MARCH 30, 2026

exploring

thrifting

The benefits of thrifting for students and their favorite places to shop

GRACE O’DONNELL SENIOR

ALL MY FAVORITE clothes are usually thrifted clothes, just because I think that a lot of the newer stuff can sometimes come off cheap or not made as well. And also reusing what’s already out there. Because a lot of the stuff that people throw away or donate is, like, perfectly fine and new.

GABRIELLE HIGGINS SENIOR

I ALWAYS LOOK through the dresses when I go to [the thrift], and if I find something cute, and I’m like, ‘oh, this would be perfect for prom or homecoming.’” So I’ve gotten probably five of my dresses just by thrifting.

SCAN THE QR code to visit First Baptist Church Grandview, where you’re able to exchange and donate dresses as well as pickup prom dresses, jewelry and shoes for free.

have gone thrifting before... 85% OF STUDENTS BUT WHERE?

*Instagram poll of 227 votes WHERE DO YOU THRIFT THE MOST? GOODWILL

The top three reasons students thrift 9750 WEST 87TH ST, OP KS 11310 WEST 80TH ST. OP KS 5304 MARTWAY MISSION, KS

vintage and retro styles that stand out chance to build a more personal, creative wardrobe getting more for less major sales and deals on bundles

DISCOUNTED ITEMS SPECIFIC CLOTHES UNIQUE FINDS

easy to hunt for certain brands or styles last-minute outfits or accesories

WHY SHOULD YOU THRIFT?

photo courtesy of KIM MORALES

EARNED

story by LUCY STEPHENS

THERE WERE FOUR hours on the clock, and five complex desserts to assemble from scratch.

Powdered sugar dusted the counter tops as the sound of mixers took over the kitchen at the Center for Academic Achievement.

Senior Kim Morales was competing for her third time in the statewide SkillsUSA Commercial Baking competition on Feb. 21.

TASTEFULLY KIM’S MENU

Morales ate up her minutes, whisking and kneading. She raced around the confined kitchen space, as three judges took notes of her every move.

“Even though the judges were always watching behind [me], I tried to keep my composure, telling myself, ‘I know what I’m doing and I’ve done this before,’” Morales said.

Students across Kansas who compete in this annual competition focus on technical baking skills, assembly and kitchen sanitization. This year, Morales was competing against six other students who shared the kitchen with her.

Senior Kim Morales won the SkillsUSA state baking competition, which allows her to compete at a regional level for baking scholarships

off when Morales won. This competition gives her a ticket to Atlanta, Georgia to compete in the national commercial baking competition.

Her placement at nationals can also potentially lead to several connections and even potential scholarships — the first-place winner receives a full-ride scholarship to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. Morales attended her first SkillsUSA nationals in Atlanta last year, where she placed in the top 15 out of 35 competitors.

If she wins this year, a full ride to the institute would allow Morales to pursue baking as more than just a hobby and help her achieve her end goal: opening her own pastry shop with her best friend.

[MORALES]

would stay, and she would spend four or six hours [at the CAA] during her school days and practice. We probably did a full four-hour run through five times before she actually competed.

KIRSTEN MONTGOMERY CAA INSTRUCTOR

CAA Culinary Arts Instructor Kirsten Montgomery helped Morales prepare in the weeks beforehand.

About a month before the competition, SkillsUSA released instruction packets. These detailed the recipes Morales would be making for the competition, including sandwich bread, rolls, jalapeño cheddar muffins, apple galettes and chocolate chip cookies.

During her free periods and CAA classes, Morales went to the kitchen to perfect the recipes even though she won last year. She and Montgomery perfected all the recipes, which allowed Morales to barely need a recipe for the competition.

When practicing, Morales would be in the kitchen creating several desserts at once, ensuring she kept on time. She did multiple four-hour run-throughs of the competition to make sure she would be ready.

“[Morales] would stay, and she would spend four or six hours [at the CAA] during her school days and practice,” Montgomery said, “We probably did a full four-hour run through five times before she actually competed.”

Her draining hours of pacing around the CAA kitchen during practice eventually paid

“Getting into the top culinary schools with a full scholarship is really awesome because you won’t have to worry about the money or the debt you go into to learn all that creative stuff that they do,” Morales said.

The national competition is twice as long as the state competition. Morales made 14 desserts in eight hours. She’ll stay in the competition kitchen from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. when the ovens shut off — with one required lunch break.

The national competition “takes a lot of guts,” according to Montgomery. Not only will her food be examined thoroughly, but so will her actions in the kitchen. Five judges were in the kitchen with Morales, watching every cut, measure and pour she performs and grading her on a rubric.

Both Morales and Montgomery are hoping she improves this year from the top 15.

The two have been perfecting some of last year’s recipes to prepare for her competition, assuming the recipes will be similar to the cranberry-orange cookies, bread and quiche she made last year. Not only does this mean mastering the orange supreme technique and crème patisserie recipe, but also having the whole CAA IT department sample the leftover desserts.

“I don’t think people fully understand that doing a competition like this takes so much dedication and bravery, honestly, putting yourself on a pedestal,” Montgomery said. “I’m really proud of her for doing this, especially her second year.”

Some of Kim’s pastries that she made for the SkillsUSA Baking and Pastry Arts competition for state

S’mores Milk

Bar Cake

A chocolate chip milk bar cake with toasted meringue, graham cracker crumbs and toasted marshmallows

A brioche cake soaked in rhum plum sauce, with brown sugar whip and three plum slices Baba Au Rhum Cake

Banoffee

Cranquelin Bun

A pate-a-choux with a sugar cookie top, filled with banana cremeaux, banana caramel ice cream, torched bananas and caramel poured on top

Campfire

A chocolate cremeaux with toasted marshmallow ice cream, fresh toasted meringue and graham cracker crumbs

MARCH 30, 2026

LANGUAGE TESTING

Senior Ishaan Home was inspired by his French teacher Gina Baker to take the AAPPL test to receive the Seal of Biliteracy in his first language, Bengali

story by MYA SMITH

CLICKING THROUGH NUMEROUS online assignments in his seventh-hour French 5 class, then-junior Ishaan Home looked up from his computer when he heard his teacher mention the AAPPL test— a two-hour language proficiency test.

“I remember telling the students, ‘Hey, if you speak another language, let me know, you might want to do the Kansas Seal,’ and I remember his face lighting up and asking me right away, ‘Can they do it in Bengali?’” French teacher Gina Baker said.

Now a senior, Home took

the AAPPL test on March 24 in Bengali, his first language.

The format of the AAPPL — Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages — test is similar to an AP or IB language test, but what’s different about the test is that it can be taken in over 165 languages, not just languages taught in school.

Home is one of the first students at SM East that’s taken the AAPPL test to earn the Seal in Bengali, according to Baker.

I FEEL LIKE [getting the biliteracy seal] it really does help you. It’s another thing to put on your resume. When you get hired by someone and you say ‘I’m bilingual’

LANGUAGES

The APPL test offers over 165 language options, allowing students to gain their seal of biliteracy in a language, according to Purdue and PNU Departments of Humanities

POPULAR OPTIONS

Spanish- widely spoken and commonly studied

French- taught in many schools and widely spoken

German- great for academics and buisness

MORE CHALLENGING

GINA BAKER TEACHER

Initially, the AAPPL test was only available to students who were in an AP or IB language class at SM East, but it’s now available for anyone who speaks a second language, according to Baker. This is primarily due to taking the test being more normalized throughout the district.

The test consists of four parts: listening, reading, writing and speaking. This all comes naturally to Home since Bengali is his first language. The only slightly challenging task was writing prompts, where he had to write emails in Bengali, something he had never had to do prior.

“The writing part was a little more difficult because I’ve never written an email in Bengali, but I knew what to write still,” Home said.

It’s a great opportunity for students to show their skills in a certain language that may not be taught at SM East, according to Home.

Baker also encourages anyone who has a different first language to take the test to see if they can pass.

“There’s a lot of Hispanic people in our community that speak Spanish at home,” Baker said. “If they feel like they understand it well enough to read it, write it, all that stuff, then they would be doing themselves a service to take a test on it.”

For Home, his primary reason for wanting the seal is to use it as a resumé booster in the job market, since it would officially recognize that he’s biliterate. He’s confident that he passed the test and will receive the Seal, but either way, he’s glad that he had the opportunity to take it.

“I think it’s a no-harm, nofoul test,” Home said. “If I don’t do well on it, then it doesn’t matter. And if I do well on it, then I get a cool seal.”

Mandarin - one of the most spoken languages world wide

Japanese- unique alphabet and interesting culture

Latin- useful for reading and historical texts

UNIQUE CHOICES

Arabic- used commonly in the Middle East and uses a unique alphabet

Russian- important for science and politics in Eastern Europe

CHARLIE CROKER

CROKER

An insight to senior Charlie Croker’s journey in high school long jumping

DESCRIBE YOUR INJURY.

I was playing basketball, and then [an opponent] ran into me, and I fell over. Then, [he] took a cheap shot at me when I was down, and I dislocated my kneecap, broke my kneecap and tore my MPFL, so they had to do reconstruction surgery. The first three months of when I was hurt, they got the diagnosis wrong, and they told me I didn’t need surgery. Fast forward three months, we went back to the doctors. Then we ended up, going to a different doctor, and then told me I needed surgery. It was about total time, 13 month recovery.

WHAT

KEPT YOU MOTIVATED?

Motivation was hard to keep, and especially just being down and out of your sports. So having your teammates and your friends and family and coaches all really rallying around you and helping you out and supporting you. It definitely helped out a lot.

Jumping to the goal...

Jumping to the goal...

Charlie’s current long jump statistics

CURRENT Personal Record

23 feet

WHY DID YOU START LONG JUMP?

I played basketball my freshman year, and my coach, coaches long jump for East, so then he came up to me, and said, ‘I think you’ll be good at long jump and you should come out and do it.’ I was pretty hesitant at first, but then he eventually, wrote me saying ‘You don’t have to do it, just come to a few practices.’ And when I signed up for track and I started doing some practices, and then he wrote me again, to do some meets and the first meet was OK for a freshmen, it was a pretty good jump. And then from there I just steadily started progressing pretty well and then eventually by the end of my freshman year, I was on varsity and I competed at regionals for long jump.

WHAT IS THE ENVIRONMENT LIKE?

It’s great. I really like KT. He’s really taking me under his wing and he saw the potential in me and he’s really just believed in me, which is really helpful and the whole track community is just really good. Everyone’s very supportive of each other, super kind. It’s just a really good environment to be in, and if you really want to get better you can with the coaches and your teammates.

the goal the goal

Charlie’s record goals for this season

DRUMMING DRUMMING

story by AYNSLEE DOUGLASS

HUNDREDS OF SENIORS race to the parking lot — it was finally spring break. As the traffic floods onto Mission Road, a white sedan turns into the carpool lane. Inside the white Camry, senior Felipe Pulgarin is preparing for his own “Mission Impossible.”

“Time for mission impossible, ”Pulgarin said. “The car’s pulled around, we just need to get it in there!”

The mission? Haul the 125-pound, three-foot-tall and four-foot-wide vibraphone — a percussion instrument made of metal bars — into his compact sedan, so that he could practice over spring break. Pulgarin needed to practice “Luminescence,” the competition piece he had chosen for his small-group percussion ensemble.

“The main goal [in] my head [for the small ensemble] was, how can I get everyone to improve, collaborate together and how can we all get better together?” Pulgarin said.

Pulgarin started attending SM East at the beginning of the second

semester of his senior year after moving from Chicago, IL. In the first week after Pulgarin arrived, he initiated the small competition percussion ensemble.

This is a percussion only ensemble, it was open to all percussion members in symphonic band class, that showed initiative, and were willing to learn a new piece. They practice with the assistant percussionist teacher in class and other practice times Pulgarin leads. The ensemble will compete in the regional and state band competitions coming up this spring.

Pulgarin could’ve done just the required work and learned the normal pieces, but he instead chose to make an impact and enhance the band. With the help of Band Director Alex Toepfer, he started the ensemble.

“One of the beautiful things about music is that you have a student come in, and contribute almost instantly,” Toepfer said. “What I appreciated is that [the percussionists] seem to be doing more bonding in the spring semester, and [they’re] seeing that there’s more to percussion than just marching band.”

In the past, the percussion section primarily focused on marching band competitions and therefore collaborated more in the fall. In the

UP CONNECTIONS

Senior Felipe Pulgarin mentors young percussionists by starting an ensemble after transferring to SM East for second semester

spring,students start working more on individual skill with less of an emphasis on the percussion group. Since Pulgarin started the ensemble, in just a few months the group has gotten even more excited for what the spring season can bring.

The small percussion ensemble practices almost every symphonic band class, and in seminars, where Pulgarin helps lead. With the increase of time playing together, the percussion has improved and gotten to know one another better.

“At my old school, we had pretty solid percussion and the reason why we had a solid percussion section is because we played together a lot,” Pulgarin said. “I wanted to at least make an impact somehow and establish something cool that we can do as a group.”

Along with establishing the small percussion ensemble he also has been mentoring underclassmen percussionists in Jazz Band.

Sophomore Emerson Suever is one of his mentees, and has been able to improve in many instruments. Pulgarin sends them videos of slowed down and easy to follow explanations for techniques and rhythms for playing other instruments.

“In the Jazz Band, he taught us a couple of beats and

he took videos of him slowing down so we can get the rhythm of it,” Suever said. “It’s just been really helpful because my ear training is not that good.”

Pulgarin’s relationship with Jesus Christ, and connection to the church is at the root of his motivation to start the ensemble and to mentor.

“When I want to make an impact, I always just think about how I can give them a good image of who not only I am, but who I look up to, which is Jesus,” Pulgarin said. “So how can I do that, if they’re not religious, or they don’t want to ask about [religion]or talk about it, how can I still make an impact by being Christ [helpful to them.”

Senior percussionist Claire Langford has been helping lead the ensemble and percussion group with Pulgarin. His commitment to showing people Christ has been noticed throughout the band.

“I’ve seen [his religion] through the way he treats everybody with kindness,” Langford said. “I think he really sees everyone’s ability to grow as a person. He looks at everybody in the percussion section [and sees] a lot of potential.”

FELIPE’S RECENT PATH

A timeline of Felipe’s experience with music and his move from Chicago this year

Mainly plays the vibraphone and the congo, but will play anything

Trained on a drum set throughout childhood

Moved to Kansas over winter break

Emailed head band director Alex Toepfer about auditioning for the SM East band in November 2025

A member of symphonic band

Moved to Kansas City because his dad got a job at the Hartford Community Church

His dad is the creative director at the church and plays the keys

His siblings and mom still live in Chicago

Felipe wanted to move to Kansas City early because he loves to connect and meet new people

Felipe hopes to intern under his dad at the church

AT MY OLD

school, we had pretty solid percussion and the reason why we had a solid percussion section is because we played together a lot. I wanted to at least make an impact somehow and establish something cool that we can do as a group.

FELIPE PULGARIN

SENIOR

design by ELENA HULL

by SADIE JOLICOEUR

A SHARED CANVAS

story by ELIOT HIGGINS

INSEPARABLE” IS HOW art

teacher Adam Finkelston has referred to Margo and Charlotte Harding, a title that both of them shrug at, but never quite deny.

“We’re not just sisters,” junior Margo Harding said. “We’re also friends.”

Growing up as friends in a household filled with art meant making art together.

Margo and Charlotte’s mom works in graphic design, and their dad is an animator.

“We always had art supplies available,” Margo said. “Growing up in that environment made me like art a lot more.”

Senior Charlotte Harding echoes the same memory.

think that’s fun.”

The sisters’ admiration goes both ways.

“She’s really good at painting,” Charlotte said. “Last year in painting class, I was always like, ‘Wow, she’s so much better than me.’ She’s so creative, she can make the weirdest creatures.”

Their styles don’t match, but they still influence each other in quiet ways.

MARGO AND CHALOTTE’S

mom works in graphic design and their dad is an animator.

Creativity wasn’t just encouraged. It was the

“Pretty much my whole life, I’ve been drawing,” Charlotte said. “As long as I can remember, I’ve been doing art.”

Charlotte even recalled a family tradition of creating art as a family after dinner.

Since the Hardings dad worked at Hallmark as a cartoonist, there was always an abundance of printer paper and markers around.

Even the eldest sister, Elise Harding, is studying animation at the Kansas City Animation Institute.

Margo gravitates toward fantasy art. Her favorite movie is a musical fantasy from 1986 called Labyrinth, and her face brightens when she talks about Brian Froud — the conceptual designer.

On the other hand, Charlotte’s AP portfolio is full of biology‑inspired pieces, molecules and diaphonized — a way of staining a specimen — fish.

“Her art kind of looks biological recently,” Margo said. “She draws a lot of animals and weird little molecules. I

Sometimes, when the sisters were younger, Margo often looked at Charlotte’s drawings and borrowed ideas. Now, they still draw together –sometimes literally on the same page.

Last semester, they collaborated on a landscape piece for Finkleston’s

The sisters’ futures are lining up in different ways. Margo hopes to pursue art professionally, maybe illustration. For her, art isn’t just a hobby.

Charlotte’s artwork resembles her future career. Right now, she’s headed to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln to study animal science on the pre‑vet track and plans to keep art as a hobby.

“I’ll definitely keep painting,” Charlotte said. “Even if it’s not my job, it’s still something I love.”

People mix up the sisters constantly. Names, attendance and even teachers confusing one for the other. Margo does more arts‑and‑crafts‑type projects, while Charlotte sticks to drawing characters and pencil work.

“People say we’re very similar,” Charlotte said. “Our humor, our personalities. But our art? Not really.”

Raised in a creative household, the Harding sisters share a close bond while pursuing two distinct approaches to art

CLASS JOURNEY

*Information courtesy of SM East

Art courses at SM East that Charlotte and Margo have taken CERAMICS

A class for all things pottery — learn to throw on the wheel, hand build and create both creative and functional pieces of art.

PAINTING

The class to take for all skill levels and types of painting. Learn how to mix colors, paint anything from landscapes to still life and the technical side of paint media.

DRAWING 1

Drawing 1 is a class that primarily focuses on using charcoal to illustrate still-life. Learn how to breakdown images into simple shapes.

DRAWING 2

Expanding on Drawing 1, Drawing 2 focuses on colored pencil work to draw a large range of subjects, including a self-portrait at the start and end of the semester.

A&E

local spotlight

JUST ACROSS METCALF Avenue on the south side of Highway 435 stands a boring, black office building. Unknown to most is that by the main office entry is a Kansas City-renowned Mexican bakery and cafe.

Upon entering the cafe through the main lobby, I was drawn to the massive pastry case by the counter. Colorful mini pastries were stacked on top of one another, covering the whole case.

These are the conchas that have put this cafe on the map. The friendly woman behind the counter explained that the sugar-topped, Mexican sweet breads are what Aurora Bakery is known for.

I knew I had to get one. I chose the strawberries and cream one, as well as a ham and egg breakfast sandwich and marranito — a mini concha-like cookie — for a total of $21.

I then walked towards the seating area and sat at a table against a beautiful, bright pink, floral wall.

When I took a bite, the strawberry-crusted topping melted in my mouth alongside the sweet cream that ran out of the middle of the bread. Delicious.

When I looked up from my concha, a smiley worker

shaping up

Turn this shape into a drawing using your imagination and send it to smeharbinger@ gmail.com for a chance to have your drawing published in the next issue!

escape game

Hidden away in an office building is Mexican delicacy Aurora Bakery and Cafe

was heading my way with a steaming croissant sandwich, fresh from the kitchen.

I tried the marranito while I let the croissant cool. I was struck by a familiar flavor — a mix of pumpkin and gingerbread flavor — but in a cookie. It had the same hard, sugar topping as the concha that covered the table in little crumbs.

Finally, my sandwich had cooled and I was ready to try it. I enjoyed the cheesy, ham and eggfilled inside, but I didn’t like the aioli smeared on both ends of the inner croissant. The aioli made the croissant slightly soggy and the eggs appear runny.

After finishing, I talked with the nice woman who helped me earlier and learned that the Cafe is named after one of the owners, Javier Nunez’s, late grandmother. He started the business with his wife, Kerianne Nunez, just after Covid to honor his grandmother and heritage — which made me respect the cafe even more.

CHOCOLATE CONCHA

Now, I’ll be recommending Aurora Bakery and Cafe to all my friends and family who have a sweet tooth.

GETCREATIVE

The drawings will be judged based on creativety and originality. The winner will be featured in the next issue. Good luck!

ABOVE A seating area is set up for customers with a view out of the window.

Use the clues to fill in each blank, then use the circled letters to put together a code to unlock the gate

The emotion that comes with being scared

A building for worship

A word to describe someone who’s stuck with no escape

What the person who’s ‘it’ does in a game of tag

Cultural Coffee

ON

P INT

Mocha Point Coffee Shop offers strong flavors and delectable pastries An inside into the authentic coffee

story by SOPHIA BROCKMEIER

N- 100% Arabic beans from Yemeni mountains

- 12 oz bag for $24.00

ADENI CHAI MIX

- Strong mix of black tea and spices like cardamom and ginger

- 5 oz for $16.00

- 10 oz for $25.00

ESTLED IN A beige, suburban Overland Park strip mall, the vibrant Mocha Point brings strong Yemeni flavors to tea, coffee and small desserts. And after reading about its recent expansion from Saint Charles, Missouri, online, I couldn’t resist trying the

With varying bags of coffee beans perched on a wooden shelf and comfy seating options available around the store, I knew when I walked into the store that Mocha Point was going to fulfill my hopes of a classic, cozy coffee shop.

I was impressed by the vast range of drinks and pastries from stereotypically American staples like lattes to niche options like honeycomb bread — a creamstuffed bread. In keeping with his Yemeni coffee heritage, founder Ahmad Othman is “driven to share the rich flavors of Yemeni coffee and its cultural essence with the world,” according to his website. So, I ordered my all-time favorite drink (a chai) and two small desserts.

HERITAGE SERIES TURKISH COFFEE

- Turkish coffee blend from Yemeni beans and green cardamom

- 8.8 oz for $12.00

Address:

8641 W 135th St.

Overland Park, KS 66223

The chai was more orange in color compared to the hazelnut brown I’m used to — likely due to the more concentrated ratio of black tea with spices to water. Even more, the drink was served piping hot in a durable tan to-go cup. While I waited for the drink to cool off, I tried my small desserts. Although I set out to get the sabaya — a Yemeni pastry made from dough and typically garnished with honey and spices — and a shashukah feta wrap as appetizers to eat along with the chai, they were sold out when I arrived. Because of my evening arrival, I can only assume they were snatched up quickly in the afternoon rush.

Instead, I chose the almond croissant

and strawberry tres leches cake. I’m usually not a croissant person, but after seeing the shaved almonds and powdered sugar sprinkled atop the buttery croissant through the display case, I couldn’t resist.

Generally, I’ve found croissants to be either overly moist or shockingly dry. Mocha Point’s croissant, however, combined the two to make a balanced texture. The croissant dough was dry and flaky, and my ceramic plate came in handy for collecting all the crumbs, but the almond filling made up for this dryness.

and cloves, the menu at Mocha Point highlighted the cardamom as a key ingredient in the chai. And they were so right to call it out.

I WAS IMPRESSED

by the vast range of drinks and pastries from stereotypically American staples like lattes to niche options like honeycomb bread — a cream-stuffed bread.

I relished the bites that included the inner filling and delighted in the crunchy almond flakes on top. However, the almond flavor wasn’t overpowering in the pastry; instead, it was present enough to fulfill my almond craving but didn’t dominate the classic butter paradise of the croissant.

The strawberry tres leches cake was an obvious choice as I saw the bright rose coloring and moist bread from underneath the counter.

Contrary to many desserts, where only mere strawberry flavoring is used, Mocha Point’s tres leches cake included chunks of strawberries. I was pleasantly surprised when I received the cake, and cherished the real fruit.

Even the inside of the cake was bursting with real flavor. I could taste the cream in between layers of foamy cake and the frosting on top, and although the frosting was an unnatural shade of pink, it didn’t make me retch at every bite as many frostings normally do.

Because my chai had finally cooled off, I decided to take a sip of my go-to drink.

Chai can set the tone for a coffee shop’s drink options. If it’s too sweet? Don’t even try a latte — it would be pure sugar. If it’s watered down? Avoid an Americano; it would seem like a drop of coffee in an ocean of water.

Mocha Point’s chai, however, promised a flavorful selection of other drinks, because of the chai’s rich spice, concentrated blend and boiling-hot temperature.

While every chai is a black tea mixed with strong spices, including cardamom

I could taste more spices than I usually do in my normal chai, and I definitely noticed the piney cardamom flavor that was bitey at each sip. I liked this difference from previous chais that were overly sweetened, and the change gives me a reason to come back to Mocha Point. And what’s the icing on the tres leches cake? The customer service. As I was enjoying my food, I noticed the family atmosphere that Mocha Point inspired. A barista checked in and asked me if I needed water during my snack — a service that many coffee shops, such as national chains like Starbucks, could never rival. Another barista helped a man carry two, threeliter containers of coffee to his car. So — with delectable food and friendly smiles — let’s just say that Mocha Point was on point.

The History

Information about Mocha Point and coffee in Yemen

Owner: Ahmad Othman

Founded: 2023

History in Yemen:

Sufi monks developed coffee from bean plants starting in 1450

Transport shifted from camel to the port of Al Mokha in the 15th through 17th centuries

Markets in Europe helped ship coffee to the world

AFTER SCROLLING through March movie releases and finding

“The Gates” and this short teaser, I immediately did a Google search and saw almost no information on the movie.

“The Gates” was produced by a much smaller-scale production company, Indy Entertainment, and was released on March 13, only being shown in “select AMC theaters” due to its quieter release. I then hopped in the car and drove 30 minutes to an AMC in Independence, Missouri, after seeing the trailer.

Walking into the theater, I was slightly discouraged, seeing as my dad and I were two of five people in the entire theater, but I quickly realized I shouldn’t have judged the film by the audience.

“The Gates” is an outlandish, nontraditional thriller movie that follows three college guys, Derek, Tyon and Kevin, who are on their way to a party. However, they hit traffic on a main highway and have to detour through a gated community, where they are captured.

three guys watching through his door, and the next 45 minutes of the movie are the boys trying to escape while he chases them. This was excessive, and I wish that the chase had lasted about half the amount of time it did.

One aspect of this plot I

THRILL ERS

A work of fiction or drama designed to hold the interest by the use of a high degree of intrigue, adventure or suspense

enjoyed was that it was set up differently — not a classic murder mystery where the audience tries to figure out who committed the crime. Instead, we know who the murderer is from the beginning and are wondering if the three will escape.

FOR A MOVIE

After the first few crazy plot twists, though, I started to pick up where the writers were going and even turned to my dad at the last and major one with a guess, and surprise, surprise, I was correct.

with a funky plot, I 100% would recommend it, but it isn’t one I would watch again, simply because I don’t enjoy going on 30-minute hunts searching for a theater.

The three guys attempt to visit a house inside the neighborhood and ask them to open the gates. This is when they witness a man, who they later find out is the local pastor Jacob, throw a woman into the fireplace, where she smashes her head and is unconscious.

Jacob then looks up to see the

To some, the predictability would probably be a turnoff, but I genuinely enjoyed the movie.

While the plot is sometimes a tad “thin,” I still had no trouble staying engaged during the movie.

Throughout the film, the guys meet people who live in the gated community, and try to explain the murder they saw to them. But because it’s such a small neighborhood, no one will believe them, since Jacob (the murderer) is the pastor of a nearby

THE GATES, GREAT?

“The Gates” is a predictable, yet worthwhile, smallscale production thriller

megachurch and would never do something like this.

To the audience, Jacob was an insufferable and racist character. It was agonizing to see him manipulate the entire community into thinking that these boys aren’t telling the truth because they’re black and that this implies they don’t have the proper education to “see the light and follow Jesus.”

The community is overwhelmingly white, and the three boys are the only black characters in the entire movie. Jacob and others they encounter are willing to disregard all of the evidence to blame these guys just based on their race.

Oh, and if this doesn’t make sense yet, it might click when I mention that the movie is set in Texas and everyone in this gated community has possession of guns. All the community members threaten the boys over and over with shooting them if they aren’t honest, but they legitimately are.

All this racism and manipulation pained me to watch, seeing as no one believed them. I kept just thinking “again?” every time someone threatened to call the police.

It was a ridiculous and twisted scenario, but I actually enjoyed the movie and explained the 111 minutes to my mom as soon as I got home because I was so excited. The resolution to the movie was also satisfying because we got to see the story wrap up perfectly with no loose ends.

For a movie with a funky plot, I 100% would recommend it, but it isn’t one I would watch again, simply because I don’t enjoy going on 30-minute hunts searching for a theater.

Behind The Gate

A list of each place the main characters go in the movie

Jacob’s House

-One of the first houses in the community and this is where the characters first witness the murder

Christopher’s House

-An old man traps them in his house and calls Jacob to come find them

Golf Course

-When turned away by security, Derek asks to use someone’s phone at the country club

Kendra’s House

-Derek sees Kendra coming from yoga at the club and follows her to her house to ask to use her phone

Police Car

-Kendra calls the police and Derek gets arrested

House Party

-Tyron and Kevin accidentally wander into this house party and Kevin has to sing in a recording studio inside the house to receive the code

Back T o Their Car

-They got the code and decided to leave the community

CAMPAIGN TOOLS

How juniors Burt Sheets and Vada Walsh raised awareness for their campaigns

STICKER SUNGLASSES

Promotes campaign visibility by building recognition of the candidates among students

Enhances campaign engagement through social media posts and a recognizable look

LEFT Junior Burt Sheets explains to junior Finn Temple how to vote on the Google Form sent out by the STUCO sponsors to 9-11th grade students. “My main goal was just to get as many people to vote as possible because I think publicity and voting is super important,” Sheets said.

Junior Vada Walsh cries as she is surrounded by her friends after she was declared student body president. “I was just overcome with joy and excitement… I had just found out before walking into the pool to swim and my entire team rushed up to me and hugged me, it was the best day ever,” Walsh said.

Juniors Burt Sheets and Vada Walsh plan and execute detailed campaigns to compete for the role of Student Body President

IN THE RUNNING

the video on his Instagram with a montage of photos framing students in the

over two

and

SPORTS

UPCOMING EVENTS

Approaching spring sports events to look forward too

4/7

GIRLS VARSITY SOFTBALL

4/1 vs LAWRENCE HIGH SCHOOL

7 p.m.

@SM softball complex

BOYS VARSITY TENNIS

3 p.m. @Harmon park

4/2 vs GARDNER EDGERTON

BOYS VARSITY BASEBALL

7 p.m. @SM East vs SM NORTH

GIRLS LACROSSE

The Shawnee Mission varsity girls lacrosse team fell to St. James 13-14 in overtime in their first game on March 24, and JV also lost 2-7

ABOVE Junior Charlotte

runs up the field with the ball before passing it to teammate, freshman Jorja Schnurr.

*Instagram poll of 153 votes DID YOU PARTICIPATE IN A

GIRLS VARSITY SOCCER 4/11 vs MILL VALLEY

6 p.m.

@SM North

FRESH FACES

A look at freshman entering varsity spring sports

Varsity

Swim

TENI OYETUNJI FRESHMAN

THE TYPE OF training that [the swim team] does is different from mine. It’s not like in a club, but everyone’s always supportive and nice during intervals and training so it’s been really fun.

Varsity

Soccer

STELLA HARRIS FRESHMAN

I’M EXCITED ABOUT meeting new people while also doing what I love and competing for my high school. Some of the harder competitors like Mill Valley and St. James might be challenges, but if we work together and try our best I think we can defeat them.

Boys Golf

JOHN BOULWARE FRESHMAN

I’VE BEEN PLAYING golf since I was four years old, and I’ve always had a passion for it. My dad got me into it and has helped me the whole way. We do a Prairie Dunes trip every year, and if I got to go, that’d be a lot of fun.

LAST OF THE LINE

Senior Henry Zwillenberg and his two older brothers have established a legacy in hockey through winning 17 combined championships, coached by their dad

RINK RECORDS

The championships won by Zwillenberg

-Varsity Championship 2025 -Junior Varsity Championship 2025 -House Championship 2017 -Select Championship 2016

Championships won between the brothers

story by GRACE PEI

THEN-SENIOR JACKSON

Zwillenberg picked up his “tiny” 12-year-old brother Henry in celebration after winning the 2020 Kansas State Hockey Championship.

“I can’t wait to do the same thing,” Henry told Jackson.

Henry wanted to be like his older brothers, Jackson and SM East alum Charlie. But better.

“I did crazy things to try to motivate kids, but Henry never needed that,” Henry’s dad and coach Joe said. “He was self-motivated. He wanted to win because his brothers won, and he wanted to taste victory.”

During the next few years, Henry was the first in line to do the drills at practice for Carriage Club’s hockey team, the country club their family belongs to. He would practice and play on teams two grades above him. Joe expected Henry to show up 15 minutes early for practices and be the last one to leave.

In Henry’s sophomore year, many of his teammates left the team. He didn’t have a full team to fill the roster — so he built one. He recruited his friends from school, who at first didn’t know how to skate. But Henry and his dad held extra practices to get them used to the ice and taught them the basic rules. Their team made it to the varsity semifinals that year.

Then the next year, Henry’s team didn’t have a goalie. But Henry didn’t quit on hockey then either. Instead, he merged with the varsity KC Knights team, with his dad as a coach once again.

Five years after Jackson’s championship win, then-junior Henry fulfilled what his 12-year-old self set out to do. That year, his team won the regional varsity championship.

“When [Henry] won and started winning, you could just tell it was like eating the best hot fudge sundae in the world,” Joe said. “He just loved that taste of winning.”

As the last in his family to retire his jersey number 99 on Feb. 25 in a legacy of two older brothers, now-senior Henry has continued his family’s hockey legacy by winning four championships from house to regional, bringing the Zwillenberg brothers’ total championships won to 17.

JERSEY RETIREMENT

A jersey retirement means the player made a lasting impact at the club and no other player can use their number

Only six players in the last 40 years have had their jerseys retired at

if they mess up.

“I would always look up to my older brothers,” Henry said. “Whenever I’d watch them play, I’d be super impressed by watching them, and then I’d try to implement what they do into my game.”

While Henry doesn’t know if he’ll play hockey in college, he’ll still carry on that family legacy with his last win of the season, the regional semifinals in February.

Right before that game, Joe told Henry to “play today for your teammates, your family and most of all for your love of the game,” then looked at his wife in

pointe-ing to

perfection

Greta Pilgreen maintains strong discipline and consistency for ballet summer incentives as she recovers from her toe injury

intensive

choices

Several

summer intensives

by EFFIE ROPER

FRESHMAN

GRETA PILGREEN tightens the ribbons on her shoes and rolls her shoulders back. When the classical ballet music begins, she transforms, moving across the floor in a blur of turns and jumps.

As she lands her jump, she feels her toe snap.

She has just sprained it.

After visiting the emergency room, she was told she “would never dance again.” But that didn’t halt Greta’s determination.

Ballet has been part of Greta’s life since she was 3 years old.

Now a freshman, Greta trains at the Kansas City Ballet School, where she dances in the secondhighest level of the program, a placement reflecting years of training five days a week, for multiple hours a day, with extra private training to refine technique.

During the school year, she attends ballet classes, rehearsals and conditioning.

School of Philadelphia Ballet

Joffrey Ballet School The Sarasota Ballet School

morning with technique class and continue into the evening with pointe work, variations and choreography.

“You’re basically dancing all day,” Greta said. “It’s exhausting, but it’s also really exciting because everyone there loves ballet as much as you do.”

Getting into those programs requires an extensive audition process, according to Greta. Many dancers attend a combined audition, where representatives from multiple ballet schools watch a single audition and decide which dancers they want to invite to their summer programs.

YOU’RE BASICALLY DANCING

all day. It’s exhausting, but really exciting because everyone there loves ballet as much as you.

GRETA PILGREEN FRESHMAN

“On the days I end earlier, I go straight to homework and try to finish as much as I can,” Greta said. “On days that I end later, I have to drive home and try to work for as long as I can before I need to go to bed.”

But the work doesn’t stop when the school year ends.

For the past three years, Greta has attended summer ballet intensives, a competitive program where dancers train for one to four weeks with professional instructors. A typical day at an intensive can begin in the

This year, Greta is going to the School of Philadelphia Ballet for three weeks, while also receiving invitations to Nashville, Sarasota, Cincinnati and Sacramento.

This year, however, will be different for Greta after loss of practices for the auditions due to her toe sprain.

“I’m injured, so it was kind of stressful to think about, like, what if I don’t get into some of the intensives that I would like to go?” Greta said.

Instead of focusing on the pressure of her injury, Greta said she tries to concentrate on the dance classes themselves, distracting her from school and social problems.

Sophomore Caroline Kruse, who trains alongside Greta, said: “Greta’s work ethic stands out through her love of dance.”

“Greta works really hard,” Kruse said. “I was really bummed when I saw she was injured, but I know she’ll work

hard to regain her health.”

Behind the scenes of dance

THE SM EAST boys basketball team was special in many ways this year —but especially because of how close they were with each other on and off the court. This year there were only two returning varsity players, and everyone else was completely new to the atmosphere.

“[Having new players] made it super fun, because obviously, we weren’t super close at the beginning,” Senior Stephen Hlobik said. “But throughout the season we all grew into it and it was just a fun environment and fun people to be with every day.”

For the first time ever, the boys basketball team had the opportunity to play at an actual arena, the Municipal Arena, with 10,000 seats. The game was broadcasted on the news, with attendees from all over town for the first time ever this season.

The Rockhurst game has always been the biggest rivalry game of the season, according to junior Brooks Dillon.

“At the Municipal, there were so many open seats unlike Rockhurst or East,” Dillon said. “That day I remember going to Chick-fil-a with the guys and people would come up to us and say they were coming to watch us, like random people we had never seen before. It almost felt like the whole world was watching us.”

Many players found it fascinating to be

somewhere other than a high school basketball court, let alone an arena with 10,000 seats. The Lancers lost 66-54, but they played the best they had due to the stadium adrenaline, according to Hlobik.

LEFT A collection of photos from various basketball games throughout the season.

ended up with a record of winning 11 games and losing 12 games. Although they didn’t achieve their goal, according to Trucksess, the team was still proud of how much they had grown from the season and are more motivated than ever for next season, according to Trucksess.

Throughout the season, the team would grow closer through losses and gains and being together everyday for five months.

To get closer, they would get food frequently before or after games at Jalapenos, along with watching movies at each other’s houses like “Rocky.” They would also have sleepovers after the games where they would rewatch the highlights and funny moments of the game. Being close with the team impacted their time on the court heavily, as they weren’t afraid of each other, according to Dillon.

“Being friends on and off the court was very helpful,” Hlobik said. “If someone was doing something that was negatively impacting the team, no one was afraid to speak up and hold them accountable so they do better next time. We brought each other up and made sure everyone was in line because we were close.”

The team started the season with a set goal of winning at least 15 games. They

This season contained many memorable moments for the team, especially in the locker room, when head coach Shawn Hair would come in hyping the team up and spraying them with water after a big win.

Hlobik felt a lot of pressure on him to play his best this season, with it being his last season, especially in the couple of final games. Throughout the season, Hlobik reminded himself to enjoy and appreciate being on the team.

“I would tell younger players to (of course) always be competitive,” Hlobik said. “But really try to enjoy it because it does go by fast. In season it may feel long, but once it’s done you’ll realize it flew by.”

The season ended on March 4 with the SM

said. “But in the locker room we all realized what we had to do in the second half to win the game and talked about key things to stay locked in and focused, then won, and that was a really big game for us.”

This year, the team struggled with shooting consistently and everyone playing their best at the same games. For example, at the 22nd game of the season Olathe West game, senior Pearson Konold shot four three-pointers and Dillon hit zero. In the next game SM West Dillon hit four three pointers and Konold hit two. Along with not letting outside forces like student sections or refs get into their heads they kept resilience.

“Although we had downs we took it as a positive thing knowing they would just need to be that much better in the next game,” Hlobik said.

GAME’S OVER GAME’S OVER

Students explain the conspiracy theories they believe

THEORY:

Helen Keller isn’t real or wasn’t blind and deaf.

REASONING:

She couldn’t have flown a plane or attended regular university.

WITHOUT SEEING OR hearing, how did she even learn to speak or there’s no way she could’ve learned sign language.

IT’S FASCINATING that if a woman doesn’t adhere to societal standards at a particular time, they can be accused of being a man.

ADDI HALL SENIOR

THEORY:

WE DON’T KNOW people much about Area 51, so I think it could totally be true.

DESCRIPTION:

Queen Elizabeth the First was actually a man

REASONING:

- She had no kids which disrupted the lineage for the English throne

- She had a long slender figure

During the Cold War, a scientist at Area 51 conducted experiments on his daughter, Abigail, in in hopes of creating a super

solider for the war. It ended up failing, leaving Abigail in an alien-like shape. She is said to lurk in the area.

*Instagram poll of 250 votes DO YOU BELIEVE IN CONSPIRACY THEORIES?