The Harbinger Issue 9 2026

OUTLINES OUTLINES

where the only way the majority of students come close to knowing the reality of immigration is through a stream of headlines on the screen, it’s easy to be indifferent rather than empathetic.

But to understand the immigrants walking the halls of SM East, here’s a collection of immigrant stories that aren’t always visible.

They’re the students who brought daal, a lentil soup to lunch, and their peers asked, “What’s that smell?”

They’re that students whose classmates asked if their home country was “dirty.”

And they’re the students in our community from Iraq, Kenya and India who went through cultural adjustments and worries of having to leave — but also have hope for their future in the US. continued on pages 16-17

THE HARBINGER

JANUARY 26, 2026

online preview

political cartoon

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.

Addie Clark

Ava Towner

Tyler Russell

Molly Scott

Sophia Cicero

Sylvie DeGalan

Zac Russell

Anastasia Flower

Vivien Glenski

Francesca Lorusso

Molly McDermed VIDEO EDITORS

Preston Hooker

Emma Weidman

Bella Broce

Sydney Eck

Aynslee Douglass

Eliot Higgins

Elena Hull

Evie Lewis

Rowan McGill ASST. ART EDITOR Julia Campbell

Meredith Wacha

Cooper

Terreros Eisley Foster

Fitzpatrick

Paisner

Ashtyn Ingram

Hannah Rosemann

Julia Campbell

Francesca Lorusso

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

Eisley Foster NEWS

Kennedy Moore OPINION

Bridget Dean

Henderson

Glasier

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

Effie Roper SECTION EDITORS EDITORIAL

Schaefer

Vanessa Blades

Sienna Williams

Bridget Dean

Hannah Rosemann

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

Scan here to visit the Harbinger Instagram account to view galleries, stories, videos and more.

follow our social media:

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.

NEWS

stories by ELIOT HIGGINS

WPA NOMINATIONS

The Student Council is considering changing the process for dance court nominations

THE STUDENT COUNCIL has discussed changing the process of school dance king and queen nominations for the 2026-27 school year. This proposed method would help increase representation for every activity and make it similar to other high schools.

Every coach or activity sponsor would nominate one senior. That list of nominations would then be sent to seniors to vote for the final ballot, which would consist of the five boys and five girls who receive the most votes. Then, the entire student body votes from the final ballot to determine the king and queen.

confused because it’s new, but I think if you think about it, they would favor it because it will add more variety of people to get selected,” Kessler said.

OUR SENIOR

class does a great job of nominating people who are involved in different things, but this way it just ensures that because every activity and athletic group would be represented.

“The other high schools do it that way, so it’s nice for us all to kind of be similar in that respect,” student council sponsor and math teacher Chanelle Dieckmann said.

Students might favor this way of doing nominations instead of the current method, according to Student Body Vice President and senior Fina Kessler.

“I think at first they might be a little

Currently, seniors get a list of the entire senior class, and then they can vote for people they would like to see on the final ballot. That list would then be distilled to the five boys and five girls who had the most votes. After this, the entire student body can vote on the king and queen.

“Our senior class does a great job of nominating people who are involved in different things, but this way it just ensures that because every activity and athletic group would be represented,” Dieckmann said.

AP ART

THE AP ART class is hosting a gallery in the art wing that features the AP students’ quarter-long projects. The gallery was first opened last week on Thursday, and is open to students and staff during seminar.

The gallery features large multi-media pieces, mostly drawing-centered but also including sculptural elements and found objects, according to art teacher Adam Finkelston. This is Finkelston’s first year directing this project, and each piece featured in the gallery follows a prompt given by him.

Their job was to take a “familiar space” and then transform it into a large-scale drawing. That drawing would then be turned into a mixed-media installation, which is an artwork using various materials or techniques.

Senior Catherine Beltrame’s group chose the SM East courtyard as their “familiar space,” put up paper on the art gallery wall and then used oil pastels to color the papers into trees, grass and a brick wall — all things you would see in the SM East courtyard. Along with that, they used the art gallery TV and played real class footage to represent a window looking into a class.

CHANELLE DIECKMANN TEACHER Reading Explorations, a new elective, will be offered next year

The decision to change nominations to this proposed method or keep them the same will be up to the class of 2027.

“They’re the ones that make up the court, so I feel like it should be their decision,” Dieckmann said.

READING EXPLORATIONS

READING EXPLORATIONS IS a new class taught by English and philosophy teacher Meredith Sternberg, starting in the 2026-27 school year. The class is offered to all students, and targets those who have a passion for reading. The class will allow students to read a book of their choosing, rather than one book chosen for the class.

“[This is] a class that’s designed for somebody who loves reading and doesn’t want the strictures of reading on a certain curriculum,” Sternberg said.

Since students would be reading different books, the grades will not be based on tests or quizzes.

“I envision grades being check-ins,” Sternberg said. “Doing presentations every now and then about books that they feel need more exposure.”

The class was originally at SM Northwest,

and after seeing the success of the class, Associate Principal Kristoffer Barikmo introduced it to SM East. Barikmo says he wants to give students an opportunity to explore electives that they’re passionate about.

Reading Explorations helps give students a sense of autonomy, purpose and engagement, according to Barikmo.

Sternberg has taken it upon herself to promote the class. She has put posters up around the school and requested her department coworkers to advertise the class.

“[Reading Explorations] is you going out and doing what you love to do, which is to read,” Sternberg said. “[It’s] being with a community of readers, talking about the act of reading, what reading does, how reading feels [and] recommending books to each other.”

The project originally came from University of Central Missouri art professor Melanie Johnson. Johnson visited the class as part of the AP Art class program, where artists will come and work with the students, and then the class completed their assignment based on Johnson’s own original idea.

According to Finkelston, groups consisted of about two to three students.

The art gallery gives other students a chance to see artwork made by the AP Art class, according to Beltrame. It also gives students a chance to see the creative side of their classmates, rather than just viewing them in an academic setting.

“It’s another side of me that wouldn’t be exposed otherwise,” Beltrame said.

GALLERY SHOTS

Different pieces of art showcased in the AP Art gallery

JANUARY 26, 2026

IN JANUARY, AFTER a six-year pause, the Shawnee Mission School District renewed its partnership with the non-profit Giving the Basics. The goal is to provide personal hygiene items, including shampoo, conditioner and soap, to students in need.

SM East Nurse Stephanie Ptacek sent an email to all students on Jan.13 notifying them about this service. The nurse’s office had some donated personal hygiene products available for students when the Giving the Basics service was not provided. However, the hygiene products weren’t publicized because there was no way to refill the cabinet, according to Ptacek.

Giving Basics

After a six-year pause, SMSD has renewed its partnership with the Giving the Basics organization, providing personal hygiene items to students in need

allows the district to get the exact products students need.

Giving the Basics is a local organization that distributes hygiene products across the Kansas City area that are not available through government assistance programs. Kansas school districts can register for a service where the organization provides them with hygiene products to distribute to schools. In 2025, Giving the Basics assisted over 250 school districts across Kansas.

THERE’S JUST a variety of reasons that people might need this little extra help, so we’re happy to be that bridge and help secure access to those needed items.

STEPHANIE PTACEK NURSE

Now, with SMSD’s Giving the Basics partnership, SMSD high schools will receive more products that can be ordered from the Giving the Basics website, according to Giving the Basics programs director Joanie Shelley. This

“Students are able to actually feel good about themselves almost like they get to shop for themselves when they can’t afford it,” Sheeley said.

Giving the Basics doesn’t want to waste product, according to Sheeley, so they don’t do one-sizefits-all kits for students. Instead of making a package with basic hygiene necessities, students can pick out exactly what they need. Products are stored in a cabinet in Ptacek’s office for students to access when needed after emailing her or a social worker.

“It’s a great resource because you

never know what families are going through,” Ptacek said. “So any way that they can get a little bit of extra support and to take that load off of a family.”

When running low on supplies, Ptacek can send in an order form to the North Job Skills class, where students organize and distribute products that are delivered by the next month.

After the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Giving the Basics services temporarily shut down until 2024. The non-profit has been slowly making progress in restoring the program back to where it was previously, according to Sheeley.

“Prior to COVID, we were approximately giving [SMSD] four pallets that were about four feet high, full of product, and it was going out to all of the schools,” Sheeley said.

As of now, Ptacek said, this service is only rolling out to SMSD high schools. They don’t provide the same amount of product now, but the district hopes to provide services to all 44 schools in the future.

“There’s just a variety of reasons that people might need this little extra help, so we’re happy to be that bridge and help secure access to those needed items,” Ptacek said.

VACCINE

Despite the CDC removing recommendations for six vaccines, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment will continue to recommend the established childhood vaccine schedule

UNCERTAINTY

story by MICHAEL YI

THE KANSAS DEPARTMENT of Health and Environment

announced in a statement on Jan. 16 that the state will continue to follow the established childhood vaccine schedule instead of adapting the new reduced schedule released by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention on Jan. 5.

“Lots of local health organizations are looking at [the CDC schedule] right now,” Children’s Mercy pediatrician Dr. Angela Myers said. “This is a big departure from previous recommendations.”

A vaccine schedule shows physicians which vaccines children should receive at certain ages. According to Immunization Program Manager of the KDHE RaNae Allen, the Kansas and CDC schedules were aligned for years, and the changes on Jan. 5 were shocking for the department.

“We are concerned,” Allen said. “We are watching for guidance from the state.”

The new CDC schedule cuts recommendations for six vaccines protecting against serious and potentially fatal infections, such as rotavirus and hepatitis A and B. According to the CDC, the changes aim to align the US schedule in line with those of developed European countries like Denmark.

The vaccinations for hepatitis A and B, influenza, meningitis, respiratory syncytial virus and rotavirus have been recategorized as only for high-risk groups or under “shared clinical decision making.”

“Shared clinical decision making” involves a parent consulting with the physician or nurse to decide on whether the child should receive the vaccine.

The changes to the schedule are the latest in a series of department reforms spearheaded by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over the past year. The CDC’s Acting Director Jim O’Neill wrote that the revised guidelines aim to “decrease coercion” and will be used to research the effects of vaccination.

Children’s Mercy, continue to follow the AAP guidelines, Myer worries that vaccine exemptions could increase statewide due to a conflicting perspective from the CDC.

“When the exemptions increase, the baseline rate of vaccination goes down,” Myers said. “When that happens, we run the risk of having huge resurgences of disease. We’ve seen it this past year [since] we’ve had an entire year now with measles circulating in the United States.”

WE ARE TAKING away things that we know work, and keep children healthy, and in some instances, prevent death.

ANGELA MYERS

As the Kansas Department of Health and Environment reviews the new schedule, they recommend that healthcare providers follow organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, which continues to recommend the old schedule. The department wrote in their statement that “vaccines remain one of the most effective tools for preventing serious infectious diseases, and decades of rigorous studies have shown they are safe and effective.”

CHILDREN’S MERCY PEDIATRICIAN

Kansas currently allows vaccine exemptions for children for religious reasons, with a nonmedical exemption rate of 3.3%, according to KFF, a health policy outlet. Last year, the state passed a bill expanding the definition of “religious reasons.”

At the Village Church Child and Family Development Center where junior Margo Billingsley works, Billingsley noticed how serious RSV — one of the infections no longer recommended for vaccination — can be. A wave this past winter caused widespread infection and severe symptoms among the young children.

to send them home every single day because they would always have fevers.”

Meningitis is another vaccine that has been recategorized as only for high-risk groups in the new schedule. Although uncommon, it can infect and kill a child in less than a day, according to Myers.

Myers stresses that the targeted vaccinations have been vetted over decades and thousands of clinical trials, and that they are both safe and effective. She emphasizes that the risk of forgoing the vaccine includes both the possibility of infection and of passing the disease to other children. Similarly, increased infections and hospitalizations could increase the burden on hospitals, according to Myers.

Although local hospitals, like

OFF THE LIST

“There was an entire class of one and two-year-olds that got ‘wiped out,’ like there were only three of them left, because the rest of them had RSV,” Billingsley said. “We [had]

Six leading healthcare organizations are trying to block the schedule changes in court, including the AAP. They argue that the changes are unscientific and may harm the public.

“It’s mind-blowing that we are taking away things that we know work, and keep children healthy, prevent hospitalizations and in some instances, prevent death,” Myers said.

The CDC no longer recommends vaccination against hepatitis A, hepatitis B, influenza, meningitis, respiratory syntactical virus and rota-virus *according to mayoclinic.org, childrenshospital.org and who.int

Common Symptoms:

Fever, cough, headache, muscle aches, sweating, chills and congestion

Deaths per year: 290,000-650,000 (worldwide)

Common Symptoms:

Abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue and weakness

Deaths per year: 7,000 (worldwide, 2015)

INFLUENZA HEPATITIS A ROTA-VIRUS

Common Symptoms:

Frequent vomiting, fever, diarrhea, abdominal pain and dehydration

Deaths per year: 600,000 (worldwide)

OPINION

hot take

Savory foods can’t hope to compete against the experience of eating something sweet

story by HANNAH ROSEMANN

SAVE THE BEST for last!”

There’s a reason dessert is always enjoyed last and is always paired with this common saying. Sweet foods are simply more enjoyable to eat and are far better than any savory option.

The only thing that fills my nose when I bite into sweet foods is the decadent scent of sugar and vanilla paired with a sweet flavor — it rolls richly around each and every taste bud on my tongue. My ears are filled with a satisfied hum when I take a large bite of a perfectly prepared treat, and my fork gravitates towards my plate for more.

nightmare fuel.

Some people may argue that sweet things are bad because they make you gain weight.

This is a wholly illogical claim.

THE ONLY thing that fills my nose when I bite into sweet foods is the decadent scent of sugar and vanilla paired with a sweet flavor.

Consuming savory foods is a lame and muddled experience that lacks depth and leaves the mouth unsatisfied. Most savory meals are nothing more than salt-filled

comic strip

To these people I ask, have you ever heard of exercising? Or fruit? Or Diet Coke?

When you are on death row, and the executioner asks what you would like for your last meal, a few pounds will be the last thing on your mind. You will be thinking about what would taste the best, and what would provide you a little bit of comfort. That won’t be a ham sandwich.

Everyone wants to save a sweet treat for last.

Students respond to this issue’s opinion stories we asked you...

*Instagram poll of 196 votes IF YOU ARE A FEMALE, HAVE YOU EVER FELT INSECURE ABOUT YOUR BODY?

TAKE OUR POLLS

Follow our Instagram to take our polls @smeharbinger

*Instagram poll of 223 votes DO YOU PREFER SWEET OR SAVORY FOODS?

SLOANE CLARK FRESHMAN

I LIKE SAVORY food more because it’s a lot healthier for you, and I eat more of it on a daily basis.

IZZY DINKINS SOPHOMORE

SWEET FOOD ALWAYS hits the spot because my mom and I both have major sweet tooths so we always have a bunch of sweets in the house.

staffers rank

SWEET SAVORY OR OR ANSWER THE POLLS NOW! EVERY DAY’S A HOLIDAY

Celebrate these little known holidays

Jan. 27

Chocolate Cake Day

Jan. 30

Croissant Day Feb. 4

Feb. 7

Jan. 29 Puzzle Day

Send a Card to a Friend Day

Thank a Mail Carrier Day

Harbinger staffer ranks their favorite pop culture trends of 2025

The most popular trend of 2025 was the iconic, collectible, limited edition, Pop Mart monster, called the Labubu. These devilish stuffed key chains were on all the celebrities’ designer bags last year.

The second most popular trend was the long awaited engagement of Kansas City’s favorite couple Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift. They announced their engagement via Instagram on Aug. 26, 2025.

The third most popular trend involves an article of men’s clothing that was popular long before it found it’s drink partner: matcha. Quarter zips took over Nike Techs in early November.

2 1 3 YES NO

DISCONNECT

FOR: 10 AGAINST: 2

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.

to RECONNECT

*Names are fictitious

FOR MATH TEACHER *Sally Sue, her block periods are a war zone.

While she should be teaching about the Pythagorean Theorem or the latest problem set she assigned, she’s instead lecturing her freshmen about staying off their phones. She knows it’s district policy to keep students off their devices, but her threats don’t seem to make a difference.

The students aren’t scared of a “school” phone ban. Even worse, their friends at the nearby *Sunflower Hill District don’t even have a phone ban.

What Sue needs is the backing of a statewide law rather than “some” district policy that no students seem to follow anyway. Then, the policies would be equal across the state, even at the Sunflower Hill District. And, there’d be a sense of obligation to follow a policy that’s much larger than one district — it’s all the students in Kansas.

classrooms.

Currently, the Shawnee Mission School District’s phone policy states that the usage of cell phones and similar personal devices is restricted during instructional time in the school day.

The term “school day” in this scenario is the time between arrival, 7:40 a.m., and dismissal, 2:40 p.m. Even more, the district uses the term “instructional time” to refer to time during the day other than passing periods and lunch. Yes, this means the entirety of block periods.

PHONE-FREE

schools give students space to think, build authentic human relationships and protect student mental health from constant digital pressure.

CHASE BLASI SENATOR

Now, with the proposition of Senate Bill 302, Sue’s desire for a largescale phone ban can become reality.

The proposed bill, prohibiting the use of devices such as cell phones during instructional time — otherwise known as bell-to-bell — was introduced on Jan. 6 and would mandate a statewide ban.

Kansas lawmakers need to adopt the statewide, bell-to-bell cell phone ban to support students through a commitment to improve education, and to support teachers by backing their efforts to effectively manage devices in their

Although the two state and district policies sound similar in what’s considered instructional time, the proposed law would ban students across the whole state rather than just one district or school. Then, teachers would have support and backing on a state level.

And the new law wouldn’t only mean supporting teachers, it would also be a commitment to protecting student learning, according to Senator Chase Blasi.

“Phone-free schools give students space to think, build authentic human relationships and protect student mental health from constant digital pressure,” Blasi told the Kansas Reflector.

Even more, the disciplinary consequences would be decided upon by individual school districts in the potential ban.

Currently, the SMSD Student Handbook defines a violation of the

WHAT’S the POINT

Kansas lawmakers should adopt the proposed statewide, bell-to-bell cell phone ban

personal electronic device policy as a Level 1 offense. The minimum first-time punishment is listed as an “informal talk” with a staff member, and a maximum repeated-offense punishment is listed as an in-school suspension for the duration of one to five days.

BELL TO BELL

The time between when the bell that starts the period rings and the bell that ends the period rings

It’s unknown if these SMSD policies will change with the possibility of a new statewide ban, however it’s important that the proposed law gives districts the choice to define how they’ll discipline their students. Districts will have the opportunity to choose disciplinary measures that align with their own values,

A breakdown of how the proposed phone ban will affect the current ban in place at SM East

The ban currently in use is only mandated by the district while the new ban will affect the whole state, making the phone policy stricter.

Phones will be allowed during passing period, before and after school and travel time to alternative education locations such as the CAA.

rather than the state’s.

Additionally, schools that don’t currently have any policies about phone prevention would benefit from the clear, already-written policies. If throughout the state all districts have the same rules, it doesn’t create any wiggle room when students transfer schools or teachers take a new teaching position.

While the current SMSD phone ban does reap the benefits of building studentto-student relationships, if Kansas lawmakers were to pass Bill 302, they’d be demonstrating their attention to students and an education-first approach.

So, Kansas lawmakers, in order to support students and teachers and create a sense of consistency across the state, adopt Senate Bill 302 and enforce the cell phone ban.

The ban currently in place only has phones restricted during instructional time where the new ban will be from bell-to-bell.

ORGANS,

ORNAMENT

story by BELLA BROCE

AT THE AGE of 8, I remember looking in the mirror and thinking, I know what’s wrong with me. My thighs are too big . With my “1989” CD clutched in my hand, I desired to have Taylor Swift’s long, slender legs.

That’s all I wanted. I hated my thunder thighs and prayed to have legs that resembled toothpicks. My brain was trained to only see beauty in myself if I was skinny. The women I idolized were starving models in magazines, surgically-altered actresses and airbrushed female characters in media. And if I didn’t look like them, then I was ugly by society’s standards.

But that’s not true.

As a new generation, young women need to change this stigma by understanding their bodies through biology and rejecting the idealistic female form that society forces on women.

In the renowned painting “The Birth of Venus,” the Roman goddess of love and sexuality is depicted with hips twice the size of any Victoria’s Secret model, a stomach not “fit” for the beach and thighs thicker than my beloved Taylor Swift. Thousands of years ago, Venus was the epitome of beauty — yet today she wouldn’t be a front-page model.

Women have been expected to twist, turn and squeeze themselves into an unattainable body fitted for society’s ideals. But that’s not how our bodies are built.

We’re supposed to have rolls in our stomachs, cellulite in our thighs and love handles on our hips. Scientifically , women have more fat spread out throughout their bodies to prepare for pregnancy. Compared to men, women have more fat than muscle mass, making it harder for them to lose weight. From the moment puberty begins in girls, their body is developing into a “reproductive machine,” according to Dr. Joan Schieber, gynecologist and obstetrician at St. Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City.

Having a flat abdomen isn’t a necessity from a medical standpoint in any way, according to Dr. Schieber.

And yet, in an Instagram poll of 135 people, 61% said they were most insecure about their midsection.

not an REAL BODIES

Before judging their bodies, women should understand the biology behind their features

But as women, we need to have more fat. Not just because our bodies need it as stored energy, but also for protection. Our abdominal wall is surrounded by bones, so both women and men rely on subcutaneous fat — fat under the skin to protect our vital organs from any impact we may encounter.

While everyone has subcutaneous fat, women have been taught to only show their midsection if they have little fat and no bloating.

During tennis practice my sophomore year, I overheard a senior talk about how she would barely eat at dinner before a dance so she wouldn’t appear bloated in after-party photos.

Not only does this comment continue to spread the stigma that girls need to have flat stomachs, but it dismisses bloating as a normal reaction to food intolerance, gas, digestive problems, being on your period and carbonation.

According to my.clevelandclinic.org, roughly 75% of women experience bloating before and during their period due to a spike in the hormone progesterone. And bloating is a common side effect from drinking carbonated drinks due to the buildup of gas — like carbon dioxide — in a person’s GI tract, which can cause a distended or full abdomen.

So, if you’re deleting pictures from the beach because you thought your stomach looked like a beach ball after downing a Cherry Coke, who cares? Your body was just having a normal reaction to carbonation, and you know that drink was worth every sip.

I know how difficult it is to try to accept your body while also being dragged down by worrying about how others see you. But we’ve already covered that social media and society will keep feeding unrealistic physical attributes to girls at a young age if we don’t step in. Be the role model that you never had and wear the crop top.

We’ve been trained by society to look in the mirror and have hateful comments lined up like a loaded gun.

I look 5 months pregnant in this bikini. Why do my legs have to have so much cellulite? I used to be so skinny. What happened? Why endure this pain? You owe society nothing . So unburden yourself.

Is it worth sucking in your stomach on the beach so a guy likes your Instagram post? Is it worth nearly passing out after a workout because you refused to eat anything? Stop trying to fit into a different body and embrace the one you were given. Treat your body like the temple it is, and not a prison that you’re trapped in.

Three facts about natural occurrences in women’s bodies

22% of adult women are affected by acne, compared to less than 5% of adult men.

75% of women experience bloating before and during their period due to a spike in the hormone progesterone

Cellulite, a variation of human skin and fat distribution, is common in adult women and isn’t a sign of poor hygiene, fitness or health

*according to westdermatology.com & mayoclinic.org

JANUARY 26, 2026

POLITICAL POLITICAL

A DIVIDE

The radical and separated politics of the present endanger students and young voters’ perspective on national leadership

story by PRESTON HOOKER

WHEN I SEE videos of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents tackling a teenage Target employee or 1,500 active-duty soldiers ready to deploy to Minnesota, I ask myself what things should look like for our country.

I have no reference point for what civil politics look like: no such thing has been taught in public schools, and I’ve had to search for examples of positive leadership and discourse between the political parties on my own. Thank you, Google and YouTube.

There’s no “Politics 101” class that details why it’s bad when President Donald Trump says he hates all Democrats or when California Governor Gavin Newsom posts an AI video degrading Republicans. The closest thing we have is

critiquing the straight-up wrongdoings and immature actions of current politicians. That would be “biased.”

While on paper it makes sense for a public school like SM East to stay unbiased, not being able to set standards and expectations for our government and our leaders is exactly how political environments become radicalized (extreme in policy and rhetoric) in the first place — uncontested and normalized.

Yes, in AP US Government, students may analyze the effects of current events, but that doesn’t set a national expectation for leaders in the eyes of the youth.

Setting standards isn’t about saying “Republicans are crazy right now!” It’s about saying, “Trump shouldn’t be saying ‘Quiet piggy!’ to reporters, or claiming ‘Sometimes you need a dictator,’ that’s not how a leader should act.”

By ignoring blatant, unprofessional and unconstitutional actions from our government, like slandering other politicians on social media or allowing ICE agents to enter homes without warrants, we are enabling the normalization of these outlandish and potentially dangerous policies.

Sixty-percent of party-affiliated voters say the opposing party is a “threat to the nation,” according to a Green Law Corp survey. That sort of mindset will continue unless new voters — coming out of high school — are taught to identify wrongdoings by politicians and administrations.

Radical politics don’t have to be bad, and both sides do it. The issue arises

when young, impressionable minds aren’t taught how radical politics can quickly turn into unlawful action or be flat-out dangerous if left unchecked, as seen by the incidents involving ICE.

Teachers don’t have to condone or reject a giant wall at our border or deportations in order to tell students how important it is to follow the constitution and treat others with respect, and show them when citizens’ rights are violated and when our leaders act out of line.

THE GOLDEN RULE

Treat political opponents with the same respect and fairness you expect for yourself, even when you disagree.

In the 2008 election, Democrat Barack Obama was running against Republican John McCain. McCain never resorted to insulting his opponent and emphasized how Americans wouldn’t have to worry if Obama became president. Obama expressed similarly positive-sentiments about McCain.

Though both disagreed on fundamental policies like healthcare and taxation, but they acknowledged that the other had the best interests of the country at heart. This is a stark contrast from the childish name-calling charades of the last three presidential debates.

Researching these old events was very eye-opening for me. But I had to do all that searching myself — something I’m sure most students my age aren’t doing.

There’s no established reference point for “civil” politics in my generation. No

PARTIES REPLACE IDENTITY

Statistics about the Republican and Democratic party voters

YOUNGER ENGAGEMENT

*According to AP News & Tufts Civic learning

OF YOUNG ADULTS SAY THEY FOLLOW POLITICS VERY CLOSELY 20 % OF PEOPLE AGES 18-29 VOTED IN THE 2024 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 47 %

OF 18 YEAR OLDS WERE REGISTERED TO VOTE IN THE 2022 MIDTERM ELECTIONS 31%

PICK & CHOOSE SIDES

*According to Green Law Corp Survey

60% SAY THE OPPOSING PARTY IS A “THREAT TO THE NATION”

MIXED PARTY MARRIAGES

*According to the Institute of Family Studies

21% OF CITIZENS IN 2020 30% OF CITIZENS IN 2016

Kennedys or Eisenhowers with approval ratings above 65%. And I don’t want to face the possibility that 2016 could be the most civil year in politics my generation can reference.

It’s not about red or blue, and it’s not complicated. It’s a concept we’ve been taught since before third grade: treat others how you want to be treated. We should expect that from our national leaders.

All teachers need to do is say, “Our leaders should be expected to follow the golden rule and respect the Constitution.” That’s it.

Additionally, students should reach out to district administrators and government teachers about this. If we, as a national body, can establish this basic principle as a foundation in our public education system, we’ll prevent future problems of radicalization from the educated generations to come.

Politics is in our faces all the time,

STARTING THE

FEATURE

this week in PHOTOS

A look inside student life during the past two weeks

ABOVE Juniors Kaylee Williams and Owen Wantland switch off from holding the female tarantula, Curly, in their Environmental Education class.

Learn

ENVIRONMENTAL BEHIND

EDUCATION

Learn about how Environmental Education students prepare for elementary school tours

PAIGE FERRY JUNIOR

LILLIAN HAULMARK JUNIOR

WHAT IS DONE TO PREPARE FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TOURS?

WE BASICALLY TAKE out our animals in our different stations. I’m in the snake station, so me and my group will take them outside and they’ll hold the snakes and kind of get used to being with the animals.

WHAT DO ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION STUDENTS DO DURING TOURS?

EVERY [STUDENT] GETS their own animal that they have to be the expert about, so you’ll go over one page where you talk about stuff as a group and then you have your own specific animal that you need to know about.

ABOVE Junior Griffin Gruber holds up and examines one of the Crested Geckos in his Environmental Education.

MARGOT FAIR SOPHOMORE

I MADE A couple [goals] to go to the old age home more, keep my strings attached, make new friends, try to make, at least one new friend a month [and ] save at least half of my paycheck.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TOURS?

SHOWING THEM A lot of [different types of animals.] Kids haven’t ever seen a Savannah Monitor or they never seen a Crested Gecko or something like that. So just kind of opening their horizons. I think it also aligns with what they’re learning in school.

GRETCHEN ANAST JUNIOR

[MY GOAL IS] to drink more water and to keep my peace this year. The goal is two [bottles of water] a day, but I’m currently at one per day, which I’m still very happy with.

26, 2026

PRESERVING THE PAST PAST

Beth Fowler has been working to preserve SM East history and funds for almost 20 years

WALKING INTO EAST Fund board meeting, SM East parent Beth Fowler was carrying more than just boxes — she held decades of SM East history with her.

From yellowed uniforms and old SM East sports awards to hall passes from the 1960s, board members’ eyes widened with excitement and curiosity over these artifacts.

As longtime parent volunteer and self-described “East Historian,” Fowler has spent nearly 20 years preserving the school’s past while helping students, staff and alumni stay connected.

While her four children attended SM East, Fowler worked largely behind the scenes, organizing historical materials, supporting school programs and maintaining alumni tours that continue decades after graduation.

Fowler is one of the most notable contributors to SM East, according to president of the East Fund, Allison Taylor. Over more than two decades, Fowler has preserved hundreds of historical items — yearbooks, photographs, trophies, band uniforms, letter jackets, pep club jackets and more.

Many of these materials are used at reunions and alumni events, helping former students reconnect with both the school and each other. Others are carefully cataloged and stored either in her mudroom or in a basement to ensure they aren’t lost or damaged.

Fowler’s involvement began in the mid-1990s, when her children attended

SM East. Then, what started as typical parent volunteering gradually turned into a long-term commitment.

“It’s a good school, and my kids got a good education out of it,” Fowler said — adding that she felt it was important to keep track of the school’s history.

After her children graduated — particularly after her youngest’s graduation in 2008 — Fowler became even more involved. While she had previously helped at sporting events and banquets, especially for SM East swimming, because two of her sons, Michael and Robert swam for SM East, her role expanded through her work as PTSA president and starting the fiftieth celebration for SM East.

“Being the point person as the historian is important because it gives people one place to go when they have a story or piece of history,” SM East alum and Beth’s eldest son, Michael Fowler, said.

At a recent East Fund board meeting, Fowler arrived with boxes of artifacts, printed programs from early football games, old yearbooks and photographs labeled in her handwriting. As she spread them across the table, she explained how each piece fit into the school’s broader story.

“It was inspiring for our board to see her passion come through,” Taylor said.

That passion has translated into meaningful support for the school through the East Fund, a nonprofit organization founded in 2003 by 50 parents to provide additional financial resources for SM East. Grants from the East Fund have supported projects

such as digital scoreboards, biology lab equipment, band room improvements, late buses and Columbia Brew, the school’s student-run coffee shop.

In addition to fundraising and archival work, Fowler has played a role in major school milestones, including planning SM East’s fiftieth anniversary celebration. She has also emphasized the importance of preparing for future milestones such as the school’s seventieth anniversary in 2028 by maintaining organized and accessible historical records.

Fowler continues to attend the principal’s council meetings, where teachers and administrators meet quarterly to share updates on upcoming plans. According to Fowler, she’s present to represent alumni perspectives and provide historical context as she begins transitioning some responsibilities to a new volunteer.

socially and academically, Fowler remains a central resource for photos, stories and historical materials related to the school.

by her immense knowledge about the school and the Prairie Village community as a whole, and her love for all things Shawnee Mission East,” Taylor said.

Fowler is stepping down from

some formal roles, she plans to remain involved. The East Fund is currently working to identify and train someone who can eventually take over her alumni tour and archive management responsibilities.

“I’m going on 20 years, and I have 11 grandchildren. I travel, and I’m old, so I have to pass it on,” Fowler said. “I can’t do it forever, but I’m glad I did it as long as I can.”

Fowler’s contributions will be formally recognized at the East Fund Shindig on Jan. 31, where she will be honored for her years of service to the school.

“She is truly a cheerleader for SM East,” Taylor said. “If you could name a

THIS 1969 CLASS ring was found in a branch when a lady was trimming down some bushes in her Prairie Village house in 2018. My 1969 alum contact tracked down the ring’s owner in Oklahoma. He had lost his class ring, thought someone had taken from his gym locker, and was very excited to get it back — almost 50 years since he had graduated. He kept it on the stick and put it in a display case, thinking it was unique.”

>>THE PRODIGY<<

>>THE PRODIGY<<

Freshman Miles Muehlbach expands his knowledge of coding and computers through cybersecurity competitions

SMUEHLBACH’S LANGUAGES

Miles’s top programming languages for projects and STEM competitions

PYTHON PYTHON

It’s one of Miles’s first languages. He enjoys Python’s simplicity and versatility when he uses it for projects like websites.

JAVA

When learning Java in the past year for his club robotics team, Miles programs robots using this classic programming language.

A widely used language in the software industry, Miles enjoys using C++ for terminal applications on Mac.

ITTING OUTSIDE THE Starbucks in Prairie Village at 1 a.m. after nine hours of working inside the coffee shop, freshman Miles Muehlbach and sophomore Yabo Wang are exhausted. They’ve been completing hacking challenges, ever since they got out of school.

They were perfecting their hacking techniques and researching new ways to unlock a database. This practice wasn’t to break into a company’s database or cheat on a test, but to win the “Roo CTF” competition.

story by AYNSLEE

national semi-finals, which takes place on Jan. 22-24, through the Kansas state meet, where they placed first, beating out Blue Valley School District.

Though the Cyber Patriot League has been integral in Muehlbach’s life since August of seventh grade, his passion for computers has always been a part of him.

COMPUTERS

are such a [big] part of our lives. I was really interested in how all of that works under the hood. And I think being able to code is the best way to understand that.

This is one of several cybersecurity competitions in which Muehlbach has participated. The competition’s layout is unique compared to other competitions, with the goal of being the first to hack into a database.

MILES MUEHLBACH FRESHMAN

“It’s called Red Teaming, and it’s essentially trying to use what would be considered malicious tools and tactics to figure out how to break something before the bad people can, so they can then go and fix it,” Muehlbach said.

On Oct. 25, the freshmansophomore duo entered against several college students, an increased level of competition.

The prize for the college students Muehlbach and Wang were competing against was $1000 per team, and though the duo did beat them, but, they only came home with $400 each due to being in high school.

“They didn’t give us the university prize,” Wang said. “I feel that just proved our worth to ourselves, which was enough reward for us.”

Muehlbach also participates in the Cyber Patriot League, a national cybersecurity program for youth that focuses on creating defense mechanisms from hacking. The SMSD team is run by an engineering instructor at the Center of Academic Achievement. Muehlbach and the SMSD team have qualified for the

“Computers are such a [big] part of our lives. I was really interested in how all of that works under the hood,” Muehlbach said. “And I think being able to code is the best way to understand that.”

Muehlbech practices with the cybersecurity team at the CAA once a month with 20 other students from across the Shawnee Mission School District.

While many rising sophomores will be deciding between AP European History and AP Microeconomics for their first AP course, Muehlbach will be choosing between AP Computer Science and AP Cybersecurity at the CAA.

These advanced tech classes usually require an introductory class, however his current coding knowledge already meets the requirements. He can take other classes, such as engineering, without being limited to introductory levels.

“The classes that I could take this year were more like basic levels,” Muehlbach said.

information about how [coding] works, and read [documentation] of what I wanted to process,” Muehlbach said.

This comprehension is necessary in order for him to hack into software for competitions, according to Muehlbach.

This also translates into robotics, which he pursues through a nonaffiliated robotics team. He practices three times a week, working on functions for multiple hours with a team of 15 high schoolers from across the KC metro area.

Their State qualifying competition was the weekend of Jan. 17, when both SM East and Muehlbach’s team earned automatic bids. To do this, they had to complete a series of challenges.

“This year, we have these balls that we have to pick up and then shoot this goal,” Muehlbach said.

He’s in charge of the programming, while others work on design. The team competitions are challenging due to the long hours, but very enjoyable and rewarding, according to Muehlbach.

MY GOAL by the end of high school is to find a project that’s like my passion project, and release it and try to gain support for it. I think it’d be a good thing.

MILES MUEHLBACH FRESHMAN

“I wouldn’t really get a lot out of them. I can skip some other classes sophomore year.”

According to Muehlbach, the ability to self-teach coding techniques is essential for growth. To complete his first project, he used online resources and continues to do this as he grows his portfolio.

“I just read documentation, which is online websites that have basic

In between competitions and practices, Muehlbach can be found experimenting in his “home lab.” In the basement of his house, there’s a room, filled to the brim with wires, computers and the glow of his PC. In his “home lab,” Muehlbach spends the majority of his time programming, dissecting code and managing his servers. Although Muehlbach loves his weekend competitions and working in his home lab, he’s anticipating a larger project.

“My goal by the end of high school is to find a project that’s like my passion project, and release it and try to gain support for it,” Muehlbach said.” I think it’d be a good thing for me to do personally, to expand my portfolio.”

THOMAS VANICE

Sophomore Thomas Vanice enhances his lacrosse knowledge through his business of stringing lacrosse sticks

HOW DID YOU FIRST GET INTO STRINGING LACROSSE STICKS?

to find a way to make money, and no one around here really does it. It took me five months to learn patterns, what different pockets do and what people like. My parents thought it was a good idea, and my friends thought it was kind of funny and didn’t think it would work at first.”

WHEN A PLAYER BRINGS YOU A STICK, HOW DO YOU DECIDE HOW TO STRING IT FOR THEM?

MOST PEOPLE DON’T tell me what they want, but some do. There are different types of pockets for offensive players, defensive players, someone who shoots and someone who passes. There are different feelings and accuracies for each pocket. If someone doesn’t tell me what they want, then I’ll give them the stick that most people could use.”

WHAT’S ONE STICK YOU’VE STRUNG THAT HAS A MEMORABLE STORY BEHIND IT?

THE STICK I use now, I strung. I like it a ton, and it’s perfect for me. I’ve been using that for four months and don’t want to get a new head for a while, and I’m trying not to break it. That one’s pretty special. I have two shooting strings on mine, which helps shooting, consistency and accuracy, and also a black mesh.”

WHAT HAS RUNNING THIS BUSINESS TAUGHT YOU ABOUT YOURSELF?

CRUNCHING NUMBERS

bored or don’t want to do it, I remind myself it’s worth it. I make sure to keep people informed about [my business], and take advantage of it instead of just throwing it away. I try to keep posting on Instagram and tell my friends or anyone that needs their stick strung that I can do it for them.”

sketching her path

story by AVNI BANSAL

THEN-SEVENTH-GRADER

Gwynnie Hockey’s fingers were stained black. Using charcoal, she had drawn a small, sketchbook-sized portrait of her black, fluffy dog, Nate, in her grandmother’s home art studio in London.

The drawing of Nate still hangs on Gwynnie’s grandmother, Fiona Evans’ wall — a favorite of Fiona’s for how clearly it captures Nate’s slightly quizzical expression.

Four years and 25 dog drawings after that first portrait, now-junior Gwynnie still spends around three hours a week creating art with colored pencils and watercolors. She doesn’t have a surgical-room-turned-art-studio like her retired dentist grandmother, but instead works from her bed — covered in eraser shavings — sketching in her green 5.5-by-8.5-inch notebook.

Not only does Gwynnie continue creating art for her family, but she also sells custom $50 colored pencil dog portraits and $15 watercolor pieces. Most customers come through family friends — or friends of friends of friends.

“I gave my aunt a drawing of her dog as a gift after I made the one for my grandmother,” Gwynnie said. “My aunt was like, ‘People could pay you for this. Not me, though.’ Then she told all her friends in her small town in Wales,

a look into her sketchbook

Gwynnie’s drawings and reference photos displayed on her website

Junior Gwynnie Hockey turned dog sketches into a side business, planning to keep art as a lifelong hobby

[United Kingdom], and then they started being like, ‘Oh, I’ll pay you to draw my dog.’”

That summer, Gwynnie sold three dog portraits in London, earning 30 pounds, around $40, for each drawing, even completing one in the U.S. and shipping it to England.

Each dog portrait takes around four hours to complete. Shows like “Dexter” and “Gilmore Girls” — series she has already seen — run in the background so she can focus on the artwork rather than the screen.

“I get up a lot, and I’ll come back to [a drawing] over a week,” Gwynnie said. “I could speed up how long it takes, but I’m in this focus zone when I’m working, so there’s no reason to.”

outward and finishing with the body.

“The body is always the hardest part because [drawing] a lot of fur concentrated in one place is really hard with pencils,” Gwynnie said. “Usually, I cut it off at the end of the body, so it looks cleaner. People want the full picture, but it always looks better when I don’t do the full photo.”

I FEEL LIKE

[for] a lot of people who have that talent for art, that’s the main thing that they do. So having it as something I can do, but I don’t focus on, gives me confidence.

GWYNNIE HOCKEY

Gwynnie doesn’t think she has a formal “process,” but there is a method to creating her dog portraits. First comes the photo. Or, more accurately, photos.

“If you give me a bad photo, it’s gonna be a bad drawing,” Gwynnie said. “I have to ask for like 50 different photos so I can get the perfect shot with the right angle.”

Then comes a blocky pencil outline, no details. From there, she starts at the nose, drawing “radically” with her Prismacolor colored pencils, working

Although Gwynnie specializes in dog portraits, she can draw practically anything. Her mother, Anna, has Gwynnie’s handdrawn portraits of actors Michael C. Hall — the main protagonist in “Dexter” — and Leonardo DiCaprio in her office. Gwynnie’s older sister has watercolor jellyfish decorating the walls of her college dorm.

Gwynnie’s father scans and saves each drawing, posting some on his Instagram. He also helps her upload art to her website, gwyneth.hockey, a domain he grabbed when she was born.

While Gwynnie’s hobby has sometimes interfered with school — she once went two weeks in eighth grade without turning in a math assignment — Anna sees art helping Gwynnie’s academics more than hurting.

“In English or history, there’s an element of art that goes with it,” Anna said. “When you’re good at art, it

enhances your answers and thinking.”

Fiona sees Gwynnie’s personality reflected in her artwork.

“She’s very kind and shares her drawings, and I share mine,” Fiona said. “I’m not talented like Gwynnie, but she isn’t rude about them, which is very kind. I think that’s Gwynnie’s character — she’s interested in things, she notices things. I suppose it’s all about seeing, isn’t it? With art, you’ve got to see it to draw it.”

Fiona hopes Gwynnie can focus on the enjoyment she gets from drawing — “doing it when she feels like doing it” — rather than feeling the pressure that comes with commissions.

Gwynnie agrees.

If her future job included art in some way, it would be “the perfect scenario.” But she’d enjoy keeping art as a hobby, not a profession.

“I feel like [for] a lot of people who have that talent for art, that’s the main thing that they do,” Gwynnie said. “So having it as something I can do, but I don’t focus on, gives me confidence.”

One day, Gwynnie would like to have her own art studio — a place to spend her free time, just like her grandmother’s. But she’d stick to colored pencils and skip the charcoal-stained fingers.

OWstory by VANESSA BLADES

JUNIOR ELLEN Lund attended the village day care when she was younger and knew she wanted to work there when she was older. She has always had a soft spot for kids, with this job she gets to hold babies, cuddle with them and play with them for three hours.

Lund previously worked at The Little Gym and wanted to try working with even younger kids.

“It’s actually my favorite

extra money. Between holding babies, chasing preschoolers around and changing diapers, it can quickly become a challenge as they are dealing with tons of young kids for hours a day.

When Lund arrives at the day care at 3 p.m., the room is silent. The babies are sound asleep when she will then have to wake up all five babies to change their diapers. Now it’s 3:30 and time for their bottles, setting them on a boppy pillow where they can

R TOGETHER I N G

Students at SM East all come together and learn life skills working at the Village daycare

inside the day care. Another way he passes time with the kids is by reading them books like “Sofia the First, The Floating Palace”. He will also take them to stations that have small toys, colored magnet tiles and books. Depending on the day, the kids can play outside until it is time for pickup around 5:30 p.m.

“It was definitely exhausting the first day, but I’m getting used to it,” Bacon said. “It’s always a fun ride being with all those [young] people because you literally never know what they’re going to say, one time one of the kids was giving me a check up and I asked how long he’s been a doctor and he goes ‘um like 1000 time”

LATER IN

Wright doesn’t have any plans to work with kids in the future, but still enjoys the job as it’s preparing him for the future by teaching him how to work with kids.

“Right now it’s good so I can learn how to take care of a child,” Wright said. “Later in life, when I have my own [child] it won’t be such a

Wright also teaches a preschool class cooking lessons in the bistro that’s located at the daycare due to his passion for cooking They have cooked “mummy dogs,” which are little sausages wrapped in dough that are

Bacon started working at Village Day Care at the end of December and has loved it so far as she gets to play with kids all day long. Her family grew up attending Village Day Care, so they have been able to make connections with some of the employees and the director, Sarah McKee. McKee had always offered the idea of Bacon working there, and she eventually applied.

Bacon normally works with the 4-year-olds at the day care, but has also worked with a variety of ages a few times

She started out working Monday through Thursday, but is now switching to every other day instead, as it became overwhelming.

Bacon arrives at the same time as her coworkers where she then goes up to the front desk to get assigned an age group. Usually, when she arrives they will be at snack time and if it’s nice outside they will go play games outside.

Some of the kids have different birth defects that when they first joined they had to learn how to take care of including two kids with seizures disorders.

When they all first joined they were clueless about how to take care of, but as they continued to work there they learned the best ways to take care of these specific kids by being patient and learning how to give them their medicine properly.

Additionally, Village Day Care will have specialists come in to help the employees train to take care of one kid who has trouble seeing and walking, according to Lund.

“Another really fun part of the job that helped realize what I want to do for my job is they have some specialists come in and work,” Lund said. “We have learned how to administer medication if it came down to it but it’s just super fascinating to learn about and watch.”

INSIDE THE DAYCARE

A look inside the day-to-day activities of workers at the Village daycare

Create stations for the kids with items like magnets or small toys

Read stories to the kids

Take the kids to the indoor play area

Keep the kids safe

Changing babies’ diapers

Come up with crafts to entertain the children Play games outside

Clean up after the kids’ play time and crafts

Listening to the kids’ random stories

Read the Harbinger.

FIRST LOOK RS LOOK

On Jan. 13, the 8th graders at Indian Hills Middle School came to visit SM East for a field trip and an informational night

Link leaders and juniors Vada Walsh and Oscar Ordonez direct eighth graders and their families to different classrooms. “I loved helping out the eighth graders, because I was once in their shoes,” Walsh said, “It feels amazing to help the eighth graders feel even a little less stressed.”

A&E

A review of downtown Kansas City’s Spokes Coffee and Cafe

One of Spokes’ decorative bikes LEFT

A signature breakfast burrito made in-house LEFT

GRAMMY AWARDS Feb. 1

CASTAWAYS

BAFTA FILM AWARDS Feb. 22 THE ACTOR AWARDS March 1

ACADEMY AWARDS March 15

Rearrange the letters to form song titles from A$AP Rocky’s new album

START

A ROCKY ALBUM

A$AP Rocky’s new album “Don’t Be Dumb” is unique compared to his typical albums, but not as catchy as his older music

story by MYA SMITH

DON’T BE DUMB” was released Jan. 16.

A few months after I saw A$AP Rocky in concert, conveniently, he decided to release a new album for the first time in eight long years.

The promotion for this album was a collaboration with Tim Burton, with the album cover populated with different characters drawn in Burton’s typical gothic, sketchbook-like style. What initially caught me was the icon Winona Ryder in the “PUNK ROCKY” music video. The punk-esque and rap style promotion album flooded my Instagram.

“Don’t Be Dumb” is a refreshing but interesting twist on A$AP Rocky’s traditional cloud rap style — a style of hip-hop focused on dreamy atmospheric beats and laid-back flows. I found some songs jumbled and average compared to his previous music — which may have been the style Rocky was going for — while others were catchy and refreshing.

For example, “ROBBERY,” featuring Doechii, was different from anything I’ve heard before, in a good way. The song opens with a piano melody and eventually a saxophone, which I wouldn’t have expected on his album given his standard hazy style.

A$AP’s verses mixed with Doechii’s angelic and feminine lines created a

RUGAHAND

sensation that I had never heard before in a song. Although this song isn’t necessarily addictive, I admire A$AP for mixing jazz with his traditional, dreamlike style of rap.

Another song that I’ve been seeing get a lot of attention on TikTok is “DON’T BE DUMB/TRIP BABY.” — rightfully so. The beginning of the song is slow and reverbed, similar to my favorite album from A$AP, “LIVE.LOVE.A$AP.” due to the aforementioned “cloud rap” style.

In “DONT BE DUMB/ TRIP BABY,” A$AP mixes singing and rap with dreamy background vocals that drew me into the song more than the other ones on the album. This track is definitely something I would listen to while driving around with my friends or getting ready for the day.

While songs like “STOLE YA FLOW” and “PLAYA” surprised me due to the fresh style and creativity, other songs like “NO TRESSPASSING” just sounded like a garbled sentence without actual rhythm. My brain couldn’t even process the song because the beats were so unorganized.

Although I love music that goes outof-the-box, having no real flow in the song is an instant no for me because it makes the track unmemorable.

For example, “STFU” starts off with a really chaotic techno beat, and A$AP just repeats “Shut the f*** up” over and over. I found the repetition annoying, and there’s a right and wrong way to create

a song that repeats profanity over and over.

Similarly, “AIR FORCE” was just one more song that didn’t impress me due to its lack of unity. It started off with an electronic beat that sounded nothing like the traditional, bass-heavy music with trippy beats that he makes. While the first part was a turn-off for me, the second half of the song had a swift switch to a slower melody, which I totally loved. It charmed me and sounded much better, but the first energetic part didn’t synthesize with the slower second half.

Even though a few of the songs were mediocre and disappointing, the others made up for their shortcomings. Especially songs featuring other artists like Tyler, The Creator, Brent Faiyaz and Doechii — other artists that I love.

Overall, I have mixed feelings about the album. A$AP Rocky’s older albums will always be a treasured classic for me, so almost anything after would be a disappointment.

After all, A$AP said in an interview, “I make music that’s like an acquired taste.”

NEW MERCH

A$AP Rocky recently launched new merch to go along with his album “Don’t Be Dumb”

art by KENNEDY MOORE

story by CAROLINE BEAL

MY #1 NEW Year’s resolution?

To actually use the Kindle that has sat at the bottom of my closet shelf for the past four months and find books to replace my pastime of doom-scrolling on TikTok.

With a hardly touched TikTok app and five completed books in 2026, I decided to stray from my recent obsession with Stephen King novels and download Lucy Clarke’s newly released psychological thriller, “The Castaways.” The book’s over 7,000 five-star reviews on Goodreads helped solidify my choice.

However, a week and 416 pages later, there’s only one word I can use to describe the book: mediocre.

The book opens with two English sisters, Lori and Erin, who were set to board a flight to Limaji, a luxury island in the archipelago, from an airport in Fiji. A promising beginning — after all, who doesn’t love a tropical setting?

Switching between Lori’s “then” and Erin’s “now” chapters, I was quickly transported back-and-forth in time from two years ago when Lori took off from the Fiji airport, and in real-time, with Erin struggling to grasp the disappearance of flight FJ209, the same flight her sister boarded alone.

Erin’s chapters, which were filled with her grief-ridden drinking problems and clear hatred for her journalist job in

Cast-Okay

Lucy Clarke’s “The Castaways” was a letdown for what could’ve been a promising thriller novel

London, dragged on without any clue as to what happened to her sister and why Erin didn’t board the plane with her to begin with.

Every time I saw the name “Erin” at the beginning of a chapter, I had to mentally prepare myself to reread the next 15 pages over again because I could hardly concentrate on anything except how bored I was with her dialogue.

Despite my annoyance with Erin’s character, I found Lori’s chapters encapsulated the book’s genre — thriller — which was the reason I started it in the first place.

From her palpable anxiety as she realizes her sister will leave her to travel alone on a small plane with only seven other passengers, to Lori’s horrific realization that the plane is going to crash, the tension among the passengers kept me reading page after page.

WITH

yAlthough the constant changes in point of view and time period between Erin and Lori made it hard to follow the plot, I appreciated being able to read how both sisters were dealing with their respective crises.

After only a few chapters, Erin ends up back in Fiji to continue her obsession with figuring out what happened to her sister, all while promising her boss to

Clarke’s Other Works

A look into Lucy Clarke’s other popular books, according to Goodreads

“You Let Me In”

Elle becomes the target of a stalker when she moves to a new house to pursue her writing.

write a story about recent developments in the flight disappearance.

Not only does Erin become insufferable as the book progresses, but she also very slowly begins to relive memories of the night before the flight disappeared. Rather than adding to the suspense, this only makes her seem like a liar withholding information that could be critical to the investigation of flight FJ209.

I spent most of my time reading, waiting for Erin to reveal something meaningful or profound to the plot, but she rarely added anything except fluff and depressing millennial clichés:

ERIN’S constant whining and borderline torturous, complaining behavior — with little to no consequences — as well as Lori’s day-byday life on the island, the book started to just morph together into one large, predictable ending.

“I forgot about the microwave lasagna sweating on the kitchen side and eat cereal straight from the box, dry granola showering my chest as I push handfuls into my mouth, eyes on the screen, washed down with gulps of wine.”

As for Lori’s chapters, I became more intrigued as her storyline went on.

Lori single-handedly carried the entire book — a crash landing on a remote island in the Pacific and the tensions that came with being stranded.

Even though there were times when unnecessary love triangles and overly complex plot twists made the island

“One Of The Girls” Lexi and her bridesmaids encounter a killer on their bachelorette trip to the Greek islands.

plot feel like a dramatic episode of Love Island, I was impressed by how well Clarke depicted the emotions and the impending doom of the crash survivors.

I truly felt a sense of anxiety for Lori that kept me exhilarated while reading her chapters. From finding food and shelter to living on an island with complete strangers, I was hooked.

However, when I reached page 350, I began to feel as though I was reading the same thing over and over again.

With Erin’s constant whining and borderline torturous, complaining behavior — with little to no consequences — as well as Lori’s day-by-day life on the island, the book started to just morph together into one large, predictable ending.

What started as a somewhat promising mystery novel turned into a series of ridiculous plotlines that couldn’t end fast enough. Though I was intrigued enough by various parts of the book not to call it quits, this book will only be saved for mindless late-night reads, perfect for falling asleep.

“The Hike” Maggie and her friends, on a Norwegian backpacking trip, find a dead body in a ravine.

- Digital Design Project Management

- Marketing Management

- Advanced Programming Concepts

- Applied Business Development

- Teacher Internship

- IB Psychology

C APSTONECLASSES AT EAST

- Clinical Investigations

- Application in Law

- Law Enforcement 3

W H AT’SACAPSTONECLASS?

“The final class in a pathway of classes that students took, and then finished.”

MERCEDES RASMUSSEN Business Teacher

- Environment Sustainability

- Welding 2

- Culinary Arts 2

- Video Production Leadership

- And many more

THE STUDENT STORE

CAPSTONE CLASSES

“My favorite part is all of the friendships and the connection we have. We all have a certain bond over the same thing, and it’s just so fun to become closer friends with all these people you’ve gone to high school with, but not necessarily hung out with. It’s like we’re a little family, and we’re just hanging out”

CAMPBELL ALLDREDGE Menu Development

S H O ?P

A look into two Capstone classes — classes with the goal of showing off skills from prior classes to prepare for the workforce

WHYTAKEACAPSTONE?

- Ensure you earn a MVA (market value asset)

- Ability to explore possible career paths

- Experience in real-life situations

- Possibility for college credits

- The chance to develop soft skills

THE COFFEE SHOP

SPORTS

GAME RECAP

SM EAST VS. SM NORTH

by AVA TOWNER

THE LANCERS FELL to the SM North Bison, on Friday, Jan. 9, for the first time since Jan. 9, 2017. By the end of the first quarter, the Lancers trailed behind the Bison 20-13 with four of those points coming from senior Paxton Ochs. Throughout the second quarter, the Lancers scored another 11 points, but ended the half 32-24. During halftime the Lancer Dancers had their senior

ABOVE Seniors Paxton and Quentin Ochs attempt to block a shot from an open SM North player. photo by WILL GRIFFITH

STUDENT PREDICTIONS

Students share their opinions and predictions about the upcoming Rockhurst game

FINAL

night, which included seniors Tatum Anderson, Harper Beck, Macy Fore, Avie Koeneman, Jane Rasmussen and Lyla Weeks. The Lancer Dancers also debuted their new jazz routine that they will compete later in their season. The Bison continued to lead throughout the third quarter with it ending in 50-34. The Lancers finished the game 68-57 with senior Stephen Hlobik scoring 12 points. The Marching Lancers also had their alumni night.

On Jan. 30 @ Municipal Arena

BELOW Freshman Jack Durbin swims his first lap of the 200-yard freestyle. This was his first event of the meet; he also participated in the 100-yard breaststroke.

photo by CHARLOTTE WALTON

GEORGIA BOYD SENIOR

I THINK THERE’S gonna be a lot of high energy and a totally different atmosphere with the new stadium, since more people can go and more fans can participate. I think our basketball team has a good chance at hanging with Rock this year.

ANNA SULLINGER SOPHOMORE

I THINK THAT there will be even more pressure to win and be more intense than usual since there’s gonna be more people at the new stadium. I think the game will be pretty close but we’ll end up winning.

JACK ENGELMAN FRESHMAN

I THINK THEY’RE gonna play great defense and hold them under 50 points, and we’re gonna score over like 50 and win.

BOYS SWIM GIRLS BASKETBALL

ABOVE Junior Lauren Mercer attempts to keep possession of the ball when two SM North defenders swat and grab the ball. photo by ADDIE CLARK

BOTTOM RIGHT Sophomore Landon Solenberger celebrates with sophomore Quinn Laing after he completed his second event of the meet: the 100-yard freestyle. He completed the event with a time of 1:05:28.

28 SPORTS

JANUARY 26, 2026

The SM East versus Rockhurst basketball game has been moved to Municipal Stadium instead of being held at SM East

ARENA EXPANDED

story by REESE DUNHAM

SENIOR Quentin Ochs, along with the rest of the seniors on the varsity boys basketball team, was pulled out of class around noon by his head coach, Shawn Hair. No one on the team knew what the meeting was about. After the entire team had gathered in the main office, Hair revealed the news.

The SM East versus Rockhurst rivalry basketball game was set to be played at Municipal Stadium, located in Downtown Kansas City, instead of the SM East main gym.

There were mixed feelings among the basketball team, but it was mostly excitement, according to Ochs.

“Everyone feels a little differently [about the game being moved],” Ochs said.

“Municipal is a very cool place. It can fit way more people than [SM East], and for how many people can go now, that’s really cool.

looking at was people want to go to this game, and we want to let them go to this game,” Athletic Director Ryan Johnson said. “Municipal gives us the seats to get this game the attention that it really warrants.”

In past years, the SM East administration has developed ticket placeholder systems for students, in which students need to fill out a Google Form with their information to secure a place in line to purchase a ticket. Even then, the administration only had around 250-300 tickets to sell to students, and they were given to upperclassmen first.

[WE] HOPE that it’s going to be more people, better atmosphere, great for both schools, but it’s a little bit of an unknown, because we’ve never done it

SHAWN HAIR HEAD COACH

[However], some of the seniors kind of wish we had it here for senior year.”

This game against Rockhurst will be played on Friday, Jan. 30, at 5:30 p.m. The new location of the game at Municipal has been a work in progress for around the last year, and SM East and Rockhurst administration worked together to switch locations.

In past years, the game’s location has alternated between the SM East and Rockhurst gyms, and both gyms have capacities under 1,800. This means that each year, hundreds of students from either school are unable to attend due to the limited space available.

“The biggest thing that we were

Also, with the game being held at Municipal, the basketball team has adjusted by practicing a few times at the new location, but it won’t have a big impact on the actual game, according to Hair.

Every year, the Lancer Dancers and cheer team have performed at the Rockhurst game. This year, cheer hasn’t had to make any major changes in its routines to accommodate the larger space at Municipal. Pep Club and the Lancer Dancers, though, have had to lay out the student section and floor space differently.

“This year we’re going to have lots more room for students, and since there are more students, Pep Club is going to have to spread out more,” senior Pep Executive and cheer captain LJ Morrissey said. “Usually, we like to stay together just because it’s more fun. It’s easier to coordinate chants.”

The Pep Club Executives are mostly excited for the game because it allows many more students to be included and watch

it together, according to Morrissey.

Though some groups like the basketball team and Pep Club are looking forward to the change, many students are frustrated that SM East doesn’t get home-court advantage and that they now have to pay more for tickets to get into the game.

Previously, students could use their student IDs to get into the game for around $10-15, but now, because of the new venue, everyone has to pay a higher price.

There are 30 floor seats available for $100 each, and the rest of the regular seats are $20 each.

Students and other attendees can purchase tickets through Ticketmaster, which adds an $8 fee. To avoid these extra charges, however, fans can take the extra step of buying tickets in person at the box office.

“When working with Municipal and setting the ticket prices,” Johnson said. “Rockhurst and SM East both set the ticket price on what we thought would break even, just to cover facility rental and things like that. Then, the Ticketmaster fees and the municipal fees are out of our control, but that comes with being able to host at this historic arena.”

The agreement to host the Rockhurst versus SM East game at Municipal spans two years; then, depending on the success of the new location, both schools may decide to continue hosting the game at Municipal or return to the original hosting arrangement.

“[We] hope that it’s going to be more people, better atmosphere, great for both schools, but it’s a little bit of an unknown, because we’ve never done it,” Hair said. “It’s a risk-reward. We’re hoping that it’s a good risk that will end up in positive results for our school and for progress as well.”

PANEL’S OPINION THE

A Q&A with the the head coach, a starting varsity player and a sport enthusiast regarding the location change of the SM East versus Rockhurst basketball game.

IS THE TEAM PREPARING DIFFERENTLY?

It’ll be a little different shooting the basketball. I think it’s always tough to shoot in an open arena. So we will go down [to Municipal Stadium] and practice one time for sure.

WHAT ARE YOU

GOING TO MISS?

Seeing people fully packed to the brim is just a surreal experience and I just wish I could experience that. Playing East as a full gym knowing that all the students will be 3 feet away from the court and seeing the students line up outside of East at 3:30 right after school.

FIRST MEMORY OF SM EAST VS. ROCK GAME?

The first time I really remember [going] was 8th grade. It was my older sister’s junior year, we had a good basketball team, it was at East and we were behind one of the baskets court side. The whole game was just so loud you couldn’t even hear yourself talk.

art by FRANCESCA LORUSSO & KENNEDY MOORE

STRIKE OUT____

OUT____ OUT

The girls varsity bowling team is focused on rebuilding this season after losing multiple seniors

BOWLING BREAKDOWN

Explanations of common bowling vocabulary

Strike: when all 10 pins are knocked down with one bowl

story by MEREDITH WACHA

VARSITY BOWLING COACH

Frederick Elliot knew what had just happened.

After looking at the final score of 756 for their regional Baker format game, he knew the SM East girls varsity bowling team was no longer under the radar, but now a record-breaking program.

“Pack your bags,” he told them. “We’re going to state.”

The team had just broken the Kansas

varsity team alone, which means even more chances of having a better top score.

Recruiting has been difficult this season. Current players made posters to hang up around the school and tried to convince their friends to join, yet no one seemed interested.

“Nobody knows about it’s like there’s so many opportunities in it, and it is way more competitive than people realize,” varsity bowler and senior Mason Meyer said.

Despite having few players, the team opened its season on Jan. 12, placing second overall in its first meet. Coach Elliot puts the team in their hardest meets first to prepare them for pressure later in the season.

team has no subs.

Outside of the lanes, the team spends time together during lunches and 7 Brew visits. They have their own inside jokes— everything from priceless coach quotes to player nicknames, including ‘scarecrow’ and ‘tres.’

It’s those connections between players that help keep the team together during their Baker games. Being able to pick each other up and reset after mistakes is crucial to maintaining a good score, Meyer said.

“I have met some of my best friends I would have never met outside of bowling,” McKee said.

With 11 meets scheduled, the team is focused on steady improvement. Some players add their own practices at different alleys to get extra practice, including Meyer.

With such a small team, throw matters, according to Elliot. In a typical meet, the top four scores per team are taken into account.

I’VE MET

SOME of my best friends I would’ve never met outside of bowling.

CAMPBELL MCKEE

SOPHOMORE

There’s immense pressure in Baker format, where each athlete bowls one frame before handing it off to the next teammate, who then bowls a second frame, Elliot said.

“When one player gets a strike, the next person has more pressure to follow suit,”

The closeness between teammates matters in a sport where mental endurance is key, according to Elliot. Bowling conditions are forever changing because meets are held in a wide variety of alleys.

This forces athletes to adjust their footwork, release timing and mark selection. When preparing to bowl, each player selects a spot to start, depending on how they bowled last, or which pins they’re trying to hit. This is known as their mark.

“It’s more mental than people realize,” said Meyer.

Momentum can change everything, and one mistake can affect the whole team’s outcome, according to Meyer. Especially since strikes add up, and bowling two strikes in a row adds 20 points to the score.

In a Baker game, other teams have three to four alternates that can be subbed in, but the SM East team only has one. This means the team has less opportunity to change the lineup for a better score. For instance, if the one alternate is gone, the

Even after last season’s success, recognition for the team from the school remains limited. Bowling is often dismissed as an “old man’s sport” or “not a real sport,” which can lead to missed announcements or little coverage, Meyer said.

The coaches constantly have to advocate for meet results to be shown on the TV system at East. This means that rebuilding the girls bowling program is even more difficult due to the lack of recognition, Elliot said.

The roster is smaller, but the foundation is still the same. This team is learning what it takes to rebuild, one frame at a time.

story by LIBBY MARSH

SOPHOMORE ARRI JANZEN’S 9-year-old student was begging to swing on the belay ropes. Although it was against Impact Gymnastics’ rules to swing before being strapped into the harness, she would ask every class.

A safety technique while climbing that attaches a rope to the climber and partner in case of a fall.

So, Arri gave her a challenge. If she pushed herself to complete a challenging path up the rock wall, when she came back down, she could swing back-and-forth parallel to the wall while still strapped in.

Yet, just a year before, Arri, along with his brother Eli, was in the same class as that 9-year-old girl, being taught by the Level 1 instructor, Patrick McNamara.

After their first trial lesson at the beginning of Arri’s freshman year, Patrick knew that the brothers wouldn’t stay at Level 1 for long.

Arri has years of informal climbing experience behind him, scaling the outside of playground equipment, climbing trees and monthly family trips to the climbing gym.

“They never missed a class,” Arri’s mom Emma said. “They always wanted to be there. The classes weren’t long enough for them.”

Arri already had the upper body strength and height, and after working on his climbing technique and strategy, he worked his way up to the Level 3 class, the most advanced class, in less than a year. He’s now Patrick’s co-worker as well as a

Sophomore Arri Janzen has rapidly improved his rock climbing skills over the past year and now coaches lower-level classes

student in the Level 3 class.

“[Arri] has a very strong drive to improve himself, which I quite admire,” Level 3 student and junior Ella Siengsukon

more interesting ones and different types of holds.”

Beyond coaching at Impact, Arri and Patrick also taught a six-week

IT’S FUN FOR me as a coach to see, and just to see potential like that and a love and passion for the sport being utilized.

PATRICK

MCNAMARA COACH

TWO WAYS TO CLIMB

TWO WAYS TO CLIMB

The major differences between two popular types of climbing

LEAVING

Discover the best strategies for having a stress-free semester

MUSIC

DRIVING AROUND BLASTING your favorite songs will make your troubles fade away. Music isn’t just good for car rides but also helps you reduce stress. A study in Nature Neuroscience demonstrated how dopamine increased in the brain when participants were listening to uplifting music. Whether you’re listening to music or playing an instrument, it will help calm your mood.

of 209

STUDENTS PICK

APPLAUSE by Lady Gaga

END OF BEGINNING by Djo

SUNRISE by Nora Jones

SUNDAY MORNING by Maroon 5

NOVEMBER RAIN by Guns N’ Roses

RHYTHM OF LOVE by Plain White T’s

JOURNAL

*Information according to University of Rochester Medical Center

“DEAR DIARY” CAN seem a little childish, although it’s the key to connecting to your feelings. Expressing your problems through writing is a helpful tool for handling anxiety. Writing in a journal allows for pent up emotions to be let out. Whether you use it daily or every other month journaling is helpful for your mental health.

NATURE

ACTIVITIES

Best ways to get outside even in the winter

Sledding

Building

snowmen

Hiking

Making

s’mores

*Information according to a article from American Heart Associations

EVEN WITH THE cold weather spending time outdoors will help your mind and body. The calming effects of nature is sure to brighten your mood. It’s shown that spending 120 minutes a week outside benefits your well-being. Nature makes your mind relax until your troubles don’t seem too bad anymore.

FIDGET

*Information according to a article from Medical News Today

FEELING OVERWHELMED IN class then the perfect way to feel relaxed is fidgets. Restlessness can be a symptom of stress and fidgeting help you calm down. Fidgets have become the new craze specifically NeeDohs. The colorful cubes can be seen everywhere at SM East.

POPULAR FIDGETS

1 2

DUMPLING

BLIND BOX

3

OCTO BUDDY