Senior Issue by The Shield (Saint Thomas Aquinas High School)

The Shield Senior Issue

We WILL FIND A WAY

Anna Stoll, Ellie Temple, and Courtney Hicks cheer at the Homecoming pep assembly. With all the change that has occurred during the seniors’ time here, there are sure to be unforgettable memories. Photograph by Maddy Gaddy (Medallion yearbook staff).

Volume 33 2020 Staff Members

Adviser I Matt Hallauer

Volume 33 l Senior Issue

The Shield Saint Thomas Aquinas High School

MISSION STATEMENT

Editor-in-Chief I Moorea Gailloux

The Shield is a voice for students of St. Thomas Aquinas High School.

Social Media Manager I Hailey Krumm

It is published by students in our Shield class for the whole Aquinas community to serve as a source of information and a spark for productive change.

Senior Reporter I Anabelle Goone Senior Reporter I Maria Palazuelos Senior Reporter I Noah Faddis Junior Reporter I Cameron Elias

The Shield staff is responsible for the content published, striving to share information accurately, objectively, and completely for all members of the Saint Thomas Aquinas High School community.

Junior Reporter l Ethan Young

ADV ERT ISING

The Shield sells advertisements to help with publication costs. All ads will be subject to the same scrutiny as stories. The Shield will not print any obscenities or any ads promoting products illegal to those under the age of 18. For advertising, please call (913) 319-2418, send an email to mhallauer@stasaints.net, or visit www.stasaints.net/shield.

The Shield Social Media

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S UB SC R IP T IO NS

Subscriptions to The Shield are $3 per issue. Subscriptions can be sent to Saint Thomas Aquinas High School c/o Matt Hallauer. Digital subscriptions are free and sent via email monthly. Orders can be sent to mhallauer@stasaints.net.

L ETTER S P O LIC Y

Letters may be accepted by The Shield, provided that they are signed and do not contain libelous statements. The Shield reserves the right to edit the letters for grammar, obscenity, or space consideration, and also reserves the right to not print a letter.

Contents Favorite memories

the class numbers

Trends

Senior advice to freshman

students who'have transferred

SOCIAL SPREAD

the playlist for the class of 2021

prom: disco edition

We will Find A Way :

ow! It is unbelievable that the time the Class of 2021 has spent here is coming to an end. “We will find way” was our battle cry this year through all of the challenges we faced. In times we laughed and moments we needed a helping hand, the seniors and school were there to go through it together. Hailey Krumm walks us through some of the shining moments from 2017 to 2021, while Cameron Elias recalls the trends which occurred during the life spand of the seniors. I think I can speak for everyone and say the pandemic was a very unexpected event to occur in our high school years. With such an interesting time in our lives, some students have transferred and they are included in this article too! Erika Moll put together senior submissions and created a bucket list that should be checked off by the time freshman graduate. Interested to see where the class of 2021 stands? Logistically, Ethan Young includes the statistics on the senior class. To make memories here last forever, Maria Palazuelos gives

BUcket list

last look

Letter from the Editor

outstanding advice to freshman and covers prom which seniors were able to attend for the first time. Noah Faddis correlates the music connected to memories which the senior class submitted. Thank you to the Shield staff for working so hard this year and learning how to do everything in such a short amount of time. With over half the staff being brand new, you all took extra initiative to adapt quickly. To Mr. Hallauer and the school, I am grateful for the sacrifices each person made to keep school going this year. It could not have been the same as before, but at least we were in person and trying our hardest! Keep striving for the best, because the greatest we can be has yet to occur. Face adversity and continue to show others what Saint Thomas Aquinas is all about! Amor Vincit Omnia, always.

Signing off,

Moorea gailloux Editor-In-Chief

Senior Rewind

Take a look into the past 4 years of the class of 2021.

Red Carpet Finally, as seniors we were able to welcome the freshman class of 2024. We showed up bright and early with our hawaiian gear to celebrate a new class. Though we didn’t get to physically walk them down the red carpet like normal, we got to cheer them on from the sides and give them a proper STA welcome.

The Shield

Senior Prom Not having a junior prom made senior prom a night we would never forget. The night was full of dancing, laughs, and spending some of our last moments with our classmates.

Solar Eclipse

a year of firsts

Freshman year, the student body got to experience a once in a lifetime event. On August 21st, 2017, the school gathered on the field to witness the solar eclipse which we were in line with. Protective glasses were given to all the students to guard their eyes from the bright scene.

Freshman year was full of new experiences for us. We had many firsts including the red carpet, our first football game, our first mixer, our first dance and our first pep assembly. Even going into sophomore year we had our first homecoming dance.

Sophomores to Juniors Sophomore year we were getting more comfortable with life at Aquinas. The sophomore mission trip was a highlight of that year for many of us. We also had our first homecoming. Junior year we were finally upperclassmen and we ready to repeat the fun activities like winning state, the CYO showdown, and the canned food drive.

Hailey Krumm Reporter

Senior Issue

CATCH THE cRAZE

Feel the nostalgia from these groovy trends!

rends lack originality over time, but people will forever be classic. A trend is a transitory movement or a form of fashion that can define an era or the memories of a generation. It can unlock a certain memory of a distant past riddled with childhood mischief and folly, and it can allow ourselves to experience a part of who we once were. The light breeze of a spinning fidget spinner, the sudden clank of a Hydro Flask hitting the floor, and the fear that your hoverboard will catch on fire will become reminders of the good old days. Past trends have the capability of bringing back the goodness of the past, and they have given people the opportunity to discover something new about themselves. The Seniors are preparing to go out into the world and discover themselves, so let us reflect on past trends that helped them become who they are now.

HYDRO FLASKS

The Hydro Flask became widely popular in late 2019 and early 2020, which influenced the “VSCO girl”movement pictured below. Photo on the right taken by the Hydro Flask Co, and the photo below is courtesy of Chelsea Stahl.

Hydroflasks

fidget spinner

The fidget spinner became a popular toy in the late 2010s that could spin effortlessly. Photo by UNKNOWN.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: -MISS ME JEANS -NIKE NMD SHOES -NIKE ELITE SOCKS -BEYBLADES -MOMO BANDS

The Shield

“Don’t follow trends, start trends.” Frank Capra

LULULEMON headband

The Lululemon headband was a widely popular fashion trend in the 2010s, and it has been primarily worn for athletic training and fitness. Photo courtesy of Lululemon.

ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE

A group of people dump frigid ice water onto themselves in the Ice Bucket Challenge. The Ice Bucket Challenge helped raise awareness of the disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and donations for medical research. Photo by Elise Amendola.

HOVERBOARDS

The hoverboard was a popular trend that was invented in 2013 and gained widespread popularity until there were cases of hoverboards catching on fire. Photo by UNKNOWN.

CAMERON ELIas Reporter

Senior Issue

The ONes that got awaY:

Over the past four years, 37 students transferred for different reasons. We took the time to catch up with a few special seniors!

SAM STUKEL WHERE? He moved to Sioux Falls, South Dakota before sophomore year. WHAT? He’s continued playing football and baseball, while running track! FAVORITE MEMORY: “Homecoming week or maybe the red carpet...Friday nights in general were always a really good time too.” You’ll be able to catch him at University of South Dakota for Medical Biology.

MAUREEN BORBERG WHERE? She chose to do online school to dedicate more time to pursue a career in ballet. WHAT? She has been “dancing full time, modeling a bit (which she intends to continue), and cross-training as a rower to potentially walk on a college crew team.” FAVORITE MEMORY: The Homecoming football game You’ll be able to catch her in New York pursuing a summer program and Trainee position at Joffrey Ballet.

The Shield

AJ RODRIGUEZ

WHERE? “I transferred to Olathe West mid-sophomore year, which will be one regret forever.” WHAT? He ended up playing football and started to get into fashion and designing clothes, which will be releasing soon!

FAVORITE MEMORY: “Being around the football team and getting better everday or the time everyone knew me as Pablo.” You’ll be able to catch him either at University of Arizona or Kansas State University.

JULIA ELSENER

WHERE? She moved to Lincoln, Nebraska!

Moorea GailLoux Reporter

WHAT? “I’ve played basketball, ran cross country, and played soccer. FAVORITE MEMORY: She enjoyed the STA football games and the amazing community!” You’ll be able to catch her at University of Kansas and participating in the ROTC program.

MiCHAEL SANCHEz

WHERE? He graduated early and chose to attend Benedictine College to study electrical engineering. WHAT? He is the Director of Communications on SGA and plays tennis there!

FAVORITE MEMORY: His favorite memory is being on STUCO, running cross country, and “just making good friends.” You can catch him at Benedictine College!

Other students: Abbey Cartwright

Malachi Vann

Lizzy Lions

Kyndall Rydings

John Cutney

NIck Cowles

Keeshawn Mason

Jadon X Roberts

Owen Sovereign

Zach Deery

Ellen McDaniel

Alex Rodriguez

Theo Grabbil

Ella Gordan

Adrienne McNally

Max Rokusek

Dmauri Franklin

Maddie Hummell

Elizabeth Murphy

Connor Ryan

Ammanuel Bekele

Sara Kuckelman

Tyler Pearson

Drew Schomas

Jillene Black

James Lahey

Ngoc Pham

Jillian Schnieders

Alex Sullivan

Koy Thompson

Trinity Watson

Marquan Wetstone

Senior Issue

Social

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Spread Follow us on social media for more!

@stashield

@stashield Senior Issue

Underclassmen, this one’s for you: Rip these pages out and try to check each item off before you graduate!

The Shield

Erika Moll Reporter

21 THINGS TO DO BEFORE GRADUATION (FROM THE CLASS OF 2021) • Walk the red carpet on your first day of school

• Go to the March for Life/Walk for Life

• Attend a football game

• Study in the Learning Commons

• Join a club

• Participate in Spring Olympics

• Eat a lunchroom cookie

• Attend morning Mass

• Take a picture with Santa

• Bring cans to the annual canned

during lunch • Party it up at WPA • Storm the court after a basketball game

food drive • Get breakfast with friends on a late start day • Go on Kairos

• Help out with HOCO week contests

• Go to the fall musical

• Dance the night away at

• Live it up at Prom

Homecoming

• GRADUATE!

• Sing the Alma Mater at an assembly • Survive finals week Senior Issue

Class of 2021: By the Numbers Leading up to graduation, the Saint Thomas Aquinas community will continue to celebrate the senior class of 2021. During their time here, it’s been safe to say that they have exceeded their expectations and have achieved so much more than anyone would have expected. To pay tribute to our seniors, let’s take a look at what they’ve done through these statistics:

Finding a Way

Seniors stand outside of the circle drive entrance to welcome freshman at the red carpet. Photo by Michele Gress

Welcome to Seniorworld Seniors stand in the bleachers during their last Homecoming assembly. Scott Strout waves a flag with “SENIORS” printed on it. Photo by Michele Gress

THE LAST DANCE

Seniors dance at Prom 2021, their first and last dance held at Aquinas since the start of the pandemic. Photo by Michele Gress

The Shield

State Championships Sports are a major part of the high school experience. I mean, what’s a better feeling than winning a state championship? And it’s become no secret that the senior class has had some dominant athletes over the past four years. During their time here, our seniors have participated in and won 17 KSHSAA state championships. The talent of these senior athletes has contributed to creating some of the most iconic moments and records in school history. If you need an example, consider any of these moments: Aquinas’ first-ever football state championship back in 2018, its 5th title in a row for girls basketball (following its 25th straight tournament appearance), back-to-back wins for the girls volleyball team, a 17th championship win for boys soccer, and an undisputed seven in a row for boys cross country. Since the beginning of freshman year, the Class of 2021 has helped bring the Aquinas community some of its most memorable moments to this day. While we’re sad to see them go, the leadership of these seniors has provided an example for underclassmen, leaving them with everything they need to carry on the legacy and tradition built within the past four years. Fortunately, we will be able to see some of these Saints play at the collegiate level next year as they continue to pursue their academic and athletic careers at their committed schools.

back to back

Seniors of the girls volleyball team hold the trophy after finishing a dominant 2020 season. Standing together are Maria Palazuelos, Ellie Smith, Tyler Cullor, Caroline Bien, Adrienne Pascuzzi, and Henry Valdivia. Photo by Michele Gress

THe Boys of Fall

Seniors on the boys varsity soccer team stand together holding the 2020 5A State Championship Trophy after an amazing ending to an uncertain season. Photo by Michele Gress.

A first time for everything

Senior Tank Young stands with Class of 2020 graduate Terrence Collins after winning football’s first state championship in November 2018. Photo by Michele Gress

Senior Issue

Cans Donated in the Canned Food Drive The Canned Food Drive is one of the best Aquinas traditions that is celebrated and ranks highly among the favorites of students. Once a year, students among the four classes are asked to bring in cans for a week in exchange for class competition points. Since freshman year, seniors have participated in the Canned Food Drive and have even organized the event itself. 2020 was a great year for cans. This year was all about the “Candemic” and the Aquinas community did not disappoint. Thanks to StuCo organization and leadership from its senior executives, students, faculty, and outside donators alike were able to fulfill a total of 136,057 cans for Catholic Charities. In four years, seniors racked up an average of 111,012 cans in their participation at Aquinas. That’s about 9% of all cans donated in school history so far. In each year participated, the Class of 2021 was able to raise an average of 27,753 cans per year. That’s no small number, especially when considering how many will continue to be fed with these donations.

In A Candemic

Members of Senior STUCO helping out in the Canned Food Drive pose together holding donated cans outside of the theater. Photo by Michele Gress

Student Offenses We’ve all been there. Whether it’s showing up late to 1st hour or trying to sneak a phone out in class, unfortunately, a detention or fine is subject to follow more often than not. While very few have been able to dodge these offenses, sometimes it’s just not your day. Here’s how the senior class was able to get by this year: Dress code: 267 Electronics: 294 Late to school: 379 This brings it to an overall total of 940 for the 20202021 school year, just missing the 1000 mark.

Class Size For students, a lot can change in four years. Sometimes, a student may transfer in or transfer out of a school for different reasons. The size of the Class of 2021 in its first year was just 240 students. Now, however, that number has dropped to just 219 overall. With students transferring in and out, class size has only decreased by 21 students since freshman year

The Shield

Built on tradition

A flag of the school logo is pictured sitting on top of all cans donated by students. Photo by Michele Gress

While we’re sad to see our seniors go, we thank them for the impact they’ve had on the Aquinas community in the past four years. Without them, so many memories in which we reminisce over would be gone, never to exist. And as the rising seniors of next year begin to take over, underclassmen, faculty, and community alike will look to them to carry on the legacy built by the Class of 2021.

Ethan Young Reporter

Test Your Knowledge One last Time...

Circle the COrrect Answer:

What percentage of cans in school history were donated by this year’s seniors?

Since freshman year, seniors have contributed to ___ state championships. A. 17 B. 20 C. 11 D. 0

How much did class size decrease over the past four years?

A. 32 B. 5 C. 45 D. 21

In their four years, the Class of 2021 raised an average of 111,012 cans. What was the average per school year?

A. 15,086 B. 27,753 C. 10,000 D. 40,000

Students were fined or given detentions the most for what reason?

A. Late to school B. Dress code C. Electronics D. Other

Score:

Answers: Question 1: 9%, Question 2: 17, Questions 3: 21, Questions 4: 27,753, Question 5: Late to school

A. 34% B. 13% C. 25% D. 9%

5 Senior Issue

Seniorly Advice As the seniors prepare to close out their high school careers, they took a minute to look back on the last four years of their lives so they could come up with the best advice to give to the freshmen class. Here are a few things that they wanted to tell them:

"Don’t take the time you have here for granted. It really does fly.” - Grace O’Keefe “Don’t think you’re ‘too cool’ for anything.” - Caden Eames “No joke, it goes so fast, and after high school real life begins. So make every moment count, go to every game, and enjoy it because you will regret it if you look back and think you could've done more but didn't.” - Ben Ferguson “Go to daily Mass in the chapel.” - Ryan Pope “Don't be afraid to be yourself! You might get weird looks now, but ultimately you will regret not standing out from the crowd and being uniquely yourself!” - Anna Applen

The Shield

“It may sound cheesy, but never change for anyone or do anything you don’t want to do to fit in. Your real friends will love you no matter what.” - Kate Weisner

“Get to know the people in your STA Period and throw parties in them as often as possible.” - Amber Burns

“Try to relax a little in your school life.” - Sam Stahl

“Remember to get your work done.” - Patrick Bell

“Just really get involved, especially with sports! You become close with your classmates and other grades too.” - Abby Owens

“Don’t waste time on people who make you feel bad about yourself, it drains your energy.” - Tyler Cullor

“Be mature. Don’t be that guy.” - Michael Winslow “Sophomore year sucks, make sure you are around the right people, don't stress over school work too much.” - Nick Hare “Say hi to everyone you pass in the hallways, a little thing like that can make someone's day better!” - Grace Godard

“Do all the things. Try everything you can. It’s over before you know it.” - Hattie Bishop “Don’t forget to do homework.” - Aidan Hochanadel “Don't care what other people think about you if you know you're being genuine and yourself.” - Gabi Cox

“Don’t take hard classes unless you want to be a doctor.” - Jack Swearingen “Study if you don't know the info, it's common knowledge but very crucial. Also, take hard classes freshman and sophomore year, get all the ones you need done so that senior year you can relax and only have a few panic attacks, a little senioritis, a couple mental breakdowns, and random spurts of joy and happiness. FINALLY, GO ON KAIROS AS A SENIOR IT CHANGED MY LIFE FOR THE BETTER.” - Gretta Hauk “Don’t prioritize school too much - make sure to let yourself have fun and connect with friends.” - Savannah Bittner “Don't be afraid to find new friends.” - Seth Filipsen “Don’t be afraid of what others will think of you. Just get involved and don’t be afraid to meet new people and try new things.” - Michaela Befort “Live it up.” - Jackson Wright

Maria Palazuelos Reporter

MY ADVICE TO YOU: Dear Freshmen, As you read through these wonderful words of wisdom provided by the Class of 2021, you might be thinking about how much time you have until you graduate. I am here to tell you what everyone says: it is going to absolutely fly by so please soak it all in. These four years will be challenging. High school isn’t easy and you will often find yourself up late at night finishing homework and trying to study for tests so you keep your grades up. Yes, grades are important but so are you. Don’t be too hard on yourself and remember to give yourself a break sometimes. Everyone gets a bad grade on test here and there. If so, shake it off, get back up, and bounce back next time. As you focus on grades and sports and managing everything on your plate, make sure you are focusing on taking care of yourself as well. Your mental and physical health is more important than any assignment. These four years will be four years of growth. Things will change and that’s okay. Friend groups, sports, grades... all of these things will change. You will, too! Change is normal and growth is wonderful as long as you are staying true to yourself and doing what makes you happy. Also, please get out of your comfort zone. These four years are so incredible if you allow yourself to branch out and try new things. They will often be your most cherished memories. These four years are beautiful. Celebrate each litte victory because it’ll make your days a lot better. There will be tears but there will be so many laughs and smiles. You’ll fall but you’ll get back up. You’ll get to know yourself and others better. You might feel scared and overwhelmed sometimes but trust me, it gets better so just hang in there. Lastly, never stop smiling. Even duringxx the xxx rough patches, keep smiling. It will be a roller coaster ride of emotions and experiences but I hope that when your four years are up youReporter can look back and confidently say you got the most out of them. Soak up every single moment and live in the present. The past is gone and the future can wait so live in the now. P.S. - Always find a way! With all the love in my heart, Maria Palazuelos

Senior Issue

Senior Memories We asked seniors to tell us what their favorite songs were linked to memories they have had within their past four years of high school. Many responses involved drives with friends, drives to and from school, and songs that were connected to football games.

I played “Last Friday Night” by Katy Perry every Friday on my way to Aquinas. -Hattie Bishop

Blasting “Anaconda” in my car with Hannah and Maria -Kate Weisner

Living Your Dreams by Raini Rodriguez- literally anything Stuco related and Rake it UpFreshman Canned Food Drive

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-Ben Ferguson

Thneedville: Twas a rainy evening and Sarah Phillips and I were driving around extremely lost, trying to find a theater where our friend Maddy Terril was performing. - Sarah Chastain

grand finale

Sarah Phillips playing Olive Ostrovsky in the musical “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” Photo by Michele Gress.

Noah Faddis Reporter

Senior Issue

One Dis

The Shield

Last sco

Easter Issue

Last look Photo by Emma Brooks (Medallion yearbook staff)

Photo by Emma Brooks (Medallion Yearbook Staff)

Photo by Sarah Anliker (Medallion yearbook staff)

Photo by Michele Gress

Photo by Alexa Gomez (Medallion Yearbook Staff)

Photo by Cailin Lavery (Medallion Yearbook Staff)

Photo by Hannah Koepp (Medallion Yearbook Staff)