February 2017

The Shield Saint Thomas Aquinas High School | February 2017

What’s inside:

FULL STEAM AHEAD The Saints charge ahead to face political battles, fight for justice, and build for the future.

Photo by Katrina Nguyen | The Medallion Sophomore Alayna Townsell shoots during the girls’ game against St. James on Dec. 20. The girls defeated the Thunder 60-29.

The Shield Saint Thomas Aquinas High School

Editor-In-Chief Ezri Killeen Managing Editors Becca Haeusser Kat Schartz Social Media Editor Mia Power Copy Editor Maria Scanlan Adviser Matt Hallauer

Reporters Seth Walker Jake Burkhart Annie Patton Grace Platt Delaney Smith Grace Mayer Briley McGreevy Andrew Schoonover Emily Raunig Freelance Reporters Rachel Raney

Mission Statement The Shield is a newspaper sponsored by Saint Thomas Aquinas High School and produced by its students to provide information, entertainment, and open forum, as well as a learning experience for its staff members. The goal of The Shield’s staff is to meet professional journalism standards. Staff members are responsible for the content of the newspaper and strive to report news accurately, objectively, and completely. The Shield is an open forum for student expression and aims to communicate the concerns of the student body as well as the faculty, staff, and Aquinas community.

Advertising 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) 319-2460, send an email to mhallauer@ stasaints.net, or visit www.stasaints.net/shield Subscriptions 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 newspaper@stasaints.net Letters Policy 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.

Saint Thomas Aquinas High School 11411 Pflumm Road Overland Park, KS 66215 913-319-2460

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Fight for What Matters

This issue of The Shield is a call to action to the Aquinas community. a letter from the editor

We’re halfway there, Saints.

It was a crazy end to the first semester, but we’re back and already kicking. We had a great start to the semester, a successful Saints Classic and are starting to gear up for other exciting events like WPA. It’s the home stretch for the seniors, who are no doubt starting to feel a little antsy--but don’t tap out just yet.

Aquinas has still got a whole lot up its sleeve.

We took a couple months off here at The Shield due to Aquinas’s crazy schedule, but we took that extra time to prepare the fantastic stories you can read in this issue.

This edition of The Shield is what we are considering the “fight for what matters” issue. The Shield staff has pulled some of the most pressing matters of the time in the hopes that we can bring change to the Aquinas community.

The featured story for the issue is “KMS: ‘Kill Myself.’” The article is an incredibly well researched look at the “silent epidemic” of suicide. Aquinas has implemented a new training program that all staff members must attend due to the recently passed Jason Flatt Act. Read the extensive article starting on page eight.

Our Students’ Voice for this February edition is Managing Editor Kat Schartz’s editorial about Aquinas’s lack of Advanced Placement classes (read it on

page four). It includes a survey of Aquinas students, determining how many feel disadvantaged taking non-AP classes. Also covered is how College Now credits will transfer to colleges.

There are numerous other issues to fight for: on page 14, reporter Rachel Raney explains the controversy of KSHAA’s proposed new rule to classify private schools.

On page 26, there is a look at the life of Aquinas’s exchange students.

Page 18 is home to a spread of pictures chronicling the annual trip to D.C. And there are still countless more to read; I can’t possibly pick a favorite.

Here at The Shield, we are counting the issues we have left with you all. There’s just a couple more before we are done for the year. We intend to make those couple issues the best yet.

So keep on keepin’ on, Saints.

I’ll see you on the flip side.

Ezri Killeen Editor-in-Chief, The Shield

TABLE OF CONTENTS The Reports

The Spreads

The Back Pages

page 4// THE STUDENTS’ VOICE: Address the Absence of Advanced Placement

page 16// Social Spread This month’s best social media posts from the Saints.

page 23// What’s Up With the Wi-Fi? The BYOD Wi-Fi network is

Aquinas does not currently offer Advanced Placement classes, causing some students to feel disadvantaged in the competitive academic scene.

page 8// FEATURE STORY: KMS: “Kill Myself” The recently passed Jason Flatt Act prompted new depression and suicide training for the Aquinas staff.

page 18// The Annual Trip to D.C. A look at the Walk for Life in Washington D.C.

page 20// AquinasView/ WorldView Articles on news happening inside Aquinas as well as the world around it.

often slow during STA period, but a solution may be on the way.

page 26// Grace Nielsen: a girl

who embraces all obstacles

Senior Grace Nielsen’s Cerebral Palsy has not deterred her; instead, it has inspired her. page 28// Welcome to America The life of an exchange student is not all that it seems.

page 12// “No Politics” Policy During the 2016 elections, Aquinas teachers were not allowed to talk politics within the classroom.

page 29// “It’s Horrible” Science teacher Chris Berger implores students to write letters to keep his brother’s murderer in prison.

page 12// KSHAA Controversy The Kansas High School Athletic Association has opened a discussion about the divisions of area private schools.

page 30// WHAT’S NEXT? Featuring Aquinas 2020 An updated look at the plans for Aquinas 2020.

COUNTDOWNS WPA: 9 days PROM: 59 days EASTER: 74 days GRADUATION: 98 days

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The Students’ Voice

Address the Absence of Advanced Placement

Aquinas’s lack of Advanced Placement classes has left some students feeling disadvantaged.

BY KAT SCHARTZ

At the end of the spring semester, juniors enrolled in Honors Composition II and Honors American Literature will take the Advanced Placement English Language test. For the average Aquinas student, this is the first and last AP test they’ll be encouraged to take, while their peers throughout the school districts of Shawnee Mission, Blue Valley, and Olathe can fill their schedules with AP courses that culminate with the AP exam.

Advanced Placement, or AP, is a program that offers high schoolers the opportunity to earn college credit.

AP courses within high schools are audited by the CollegeBoard to ensure the courses covers AP curriculum that is on the end of semester exams. The curriculum covered on these exams is created by a panel of experts and professors within the field of study for each course.

Although Saint Thomas Aquinas has never offered AP classes, students can earn college credit through Johnson County Community College’s College Now courses taught within Aquinas. In addition, some students have prepared for AP exams through Aquinas’ courses and extensive studying outside of the

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classroom.

Students may like to think of Aquinas as a home, a community in which they develop as a person and in their faith and a place they belong, but at the end of the day, Aquinas is essentially a business. The well-loved community and Blue Ribbon academics may keep admissions rates up now, but if public schools and other private schools are offering a superior product-- AP classes, which are largely considered superior to honors classes, and an opportunity to cheaply earn an impressive amount of college credit-- Aquinas’ future could be in jeopardy. AP courses are not a perk some schools offer, they’ve become the standard.

The advantages of AP courses are vast. Scores transfer as credits to many universities in the United States as well as Canada.

AP courses taught by AP-certified teachers with AP-approved curriculum help prepare students for the pacing and rigor of collegiate level courses.

When college admissions counselors see AP classes on a student’s transcript, they know exactly how challenging the course was because the curriculum was

The Students’ Voice

set by the College Board.

AP tests are significantly cheaper than college-level courses; the exam costs $92, and, depending on a student’s score and where the student wants to transfer the credit, that $92 could count for 3 to 6 hours of credit.

There is also a wide variety of AP courses that are not offered through College Now at Aquinas currently.

Coming into college with AP credits also helps students skip introductory classes; this can lead to graduating earlier, taking lighter-hour semesters, or double majoring easier.

That’s not to say that College Now doesn’t have any advantages. Credit is based on class work and tests throughout the semester, not just a single test after the fact. Students that take this route also know how many credits they’re earning and will be able to transfer, as opposed to basing the number of hours on a test score. Being in a College Now class also means that students can take advantage of resources for JCCC students, such as the Math Lab or the Writing Lab. Math Lab helps students who are struggling with their homework one on one, and Writing Lab

is a series of editorials that will be in every issue of The Shield. The staff will write on one topic an issue.

urthermore, some classes that would be a semester course at JCCC are a full year as College Now, which doesn’t match the rigor in pacing of the AP courses; however, it allows a deeper dive into the curriculum.

Another downside is College Now courses don’t transfer well to every university. Courses taken at any public university, community college, or technical college in Kansas will be able to transfer to any Kansas public postsecondary institution that has an equivalent course. However, students going to state schools further away from home may have a harder time getting their credits to transfer. Even more difficult is transferring credits to prestigious private universities, though it should be noted not all AP scores transfer well to these esteemed schools either.

College Now is also more expensive than AP exams. Each credit hour costs $91 for residents of Johnson County, meaning that a 3 hour class would cost $273. Credit to match an AP score of 5, which transfers in many cases as 6 credit hours, would cost $564. The price rises to $106 for each credit hour, $318 for 3 credit hours, and $636 for 6 credit hours for Kansas residents who live outside of JoCo. Additionally, out of state residents are charged $214 per credit hour, $642 for 3 credit hours, and $1,284 for 6 credit hours. This presents a problem to the increasingly geographically diverse student body of Aquinas. Students from Wyandotte or Miami County along with students from Missouri might opt out of taking a class for college credit because the price, for them, isn’t competitive enough to justify taking the class for credit. Students like these could go into

college with no credit, which is a distinct disadvantage to students across the nation who could be starting as freshman with upwards of 20 credit hours under their belt.

College Now classes also require that the course’s instructor have a

“Across the nation, other schools’ students are getting the opportunity to take AP courses. They have a distinct advantage, and in most cases, I’d suspect they would be accepted into better schools before I would,” Mary Claire Bien Junior master’s degree, which is a contributing factor to why certain teachers teach College Now and why more classes at Aquinas aren’t offered for credit.

Alternately, Teachers can become AP certified by attending a week long AP Summer Institute, or a three day AP workshop offered by the CollegeBoard.

This certification takes significantly less time than earning a master’s degree and it could mean that many more Aquinas teachers could be teaching classes for college credit.

However, as it stands, the lack of AP courses could spell a problem for Aquinas.

In a survey of Aquinas students to which 261 students responded, 80 percent of students said they would take AP courses if they were offered.

In addition, 45 percent of students who responded to the survey feel disadvantaged by not having AP courses as an option.

In the same survey, The Shield asked students if they had any other comments on AP classes. Other than the issues already discussed, students expressed a confusion as to why Aquinas doesn’t currently have AP classes. Others discussed how they viewed AP as a great opportunity to earn credit.

“I think that AP work is much more challenging for students and it presents a great opportunity for students who are willing to work hard to make good grades while being challenged in their studies,” said senior Grayson Dunst.

Other students expressed their frustration with the class situation.

“Across the nation, other schools’ students are getting the opportunity to take AP courses. They have a distinct advantage, and in most cases, I’d suspect they would be accepted into better schools before I would,” said junior Mary Claire.

Aquinas is renovating and remodeling it’s building and facilities, it’s time to revamp the curriculum as well. Aquinas 2020 should include the addition of AP courses in every department, to compete and meet the standard of schools in our area and nationwide.

Senior Kat Schartz, @KatSchartz on Twitter, is a Managing Editor for The Shield. This story was edited by Copy Editor Maria Scanlan.

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KMS: “Kill Myself” The pass of the Jason Flatt Act in Kansas brings an increased awareness in teen depression and suicide.

BY GRACE MAYER Many students across the world are suffering from mental illnesses within their own high schools. They are suffering from depression and falling prey to the “silent epidemic”– suicide.

Fortunately, the awareness of suicide at Aquinas is becoming more apparent. With the recent pass of the Jason Flatt Act in Kansas, staff are not only required to attend teacher in-service suicide trainings every year, they are also advised to observe student behavior in case warning signs of depression and/or suicidal behaviors start to emerge.

According to school counselor Laura Cline, the staff had occasional lectures on this topic before this act was passed, but in 1995 their training was put to the test. In 1995, Aquinas junior Brent Ricci committed suicide. Director of Spiritual Development Sarah Cretors, a junior at the time in Brent’s class, remembers the events that followed.

“I remember counselors being around that day we came back to school, and the president of the school was in our classroom.

He was going through touch and base with the junior classes. Brent’s close friends in the courtyard, I remember them sitting out there and playing music, but the school let people [who] needed time together, to have it.”

Not only is this increase in suicide awareness meant to prevent future suicides within the community, it is also to ensure the past does not repeat itself.

Even with assemblies, clubs, trainings, and Suicide Awareness Week, Cline and Cretors both agree that more depression and suicide awareness at Aquinas is key in order to keep each student’s best interests and safety as the number one priority.

“I’d love to see more students involved in wanting to work on things like suicide prevention and awareness. I’d want students to take it seriously and understand that sometimes other people are in a hard bad place,” said Cline.

What is Depression?

Major depressive disorder, or depression, does not fall under the simple definition of sadness. Instead, depression is defined as “a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest,” according to the Mayo Clinic. Those who suffer with depression also experience major depressive episodes (MDE), which last up to two weeks or longer of a consistent low mood.

3 million 19.5% *According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

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teens had at least one MDE in 2015.

of females (ages 12-17) suffered from an MDE in 2015.

5.3%

of males (ages 12-17) suffered from an MDE in 2015.

Spikes in Depression Among Adolescents Depression rates have dramatically increased among adolescents between the ages of 12 and 20. A study conducted by the journal Pediatrics, released in November last year, collected data on patterns of depression in adolescents (ages 12 to 17) and young adults (ages 18 to 25).

This study revealed that the number of teens who reported MDE’s in 2014, showed a 37 percent increase in reported cases from 2005’s statistics. However these numbers could potentially be higher due to the fact that not all depression cases are reported. Even though there has been a significant increase in depression awareness, the majority of these cases are still going untreated.

It is also unclear as to what is the main cause behind the spike in depression rates.

Although certain conditions such as a single-parent home, community violence, sexual violence, economic struggles and cyberbullying all increase chances for depression, this dramatic rise is not solely from these situations.

Drug and alcohol use among adolescents is also called into question. However, lead author of the Pediatrics study Ramin Mojtabai concluded that substance abuse among teens administered little change in the depression rates.

However, a new idea suggests that this generation appears to be overwhelmed with more than past generations. Now high schoolers are not only affected by school, work, and extracurriculars, but they have to maintain a social media identity. This is the generation that was born into a technology-filled, now crazed world with virtually no option of shutting off. Even at Aquinas, BYOD is authorized along with the use of cellphones in the hallways, furthermore emphasizing that this generation is very much plugged in. With stress mounting within the walls of high school, middle school and even grade school, depression rates have only gone up.

With daily, even hourly, social media use, risks of cyberbullying put users in a more vulnerable state.

Cyberbullying is also occurring even younger, as newer generations are actively engaging on social media platforms.

The exact answer for why depression rates are so high is almost unanswerable. However, an article published in the November issue of Time magazine called “Anxiety, Depression and the American Adolescence” tried to answer this same question. It focused on how being a teenager today also means they are “the first generation that cannot escape [their] problems.”

Warning Signs of Depression A persistent sad, anxious, or empty mood.

Feelings of hopelessness , or pessimism Loss of interest in hobbies or activities Decreased energy or feelings of fatigue Difficulty concentrating or remembering things Appetite and weight changes

Thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide attempts

KMS is Not a Joke The stress that students go through with school, work, grades, extracurricular activities, and keeping up with social media, can warrant a lot of stress. This leads to complaining. With all this stress, it might be understandable if someone jokingly slips by saying, “KMS,” or “kill myself”. However, if causally saying this just became the new norm, real suicidal cases would start to be overlooked. Saying “kill myself,” even if the intention is not its real meaning, can affect those who have actually considered following through on this message. In order to restrain oneself from saying this, it’s beneficial to send a reminder to “think before you speak.”

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The Jason Flatt Act and Staff Trainings The Jason Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit organization focused on preventing youth suicide through education and awareness. It was formed by foundation President, Clark Flatt when his 16 year-old son Jason Flatt committed suicide in 1997.

In 2001, the Jason Flatt Act was born as a national legislation now accepted by 19 states, including Kansas. According to the Jason Foundation, Inc., states that have adopted the Jason Flatt Act must have “all educators in the state complete two hours of youth suicide awareness and prevention training each year in order to be able to be licensed to teach.”

Kansas just recently passed this act on May 13, 2016, which led to Aquinas’ very first staff training on suicide this year. On October 10, what seemed just another Monday off to students, served as a day of suicide awareness and prevention training for staff.

“It was a mandatory meeting. So all cafeteria workers, staff, everybody had to be in it. You’re never going to know who’s going to pick up on signs or different relationships,” said Cretors.

The Jason Flatt Act has two major components included in its legislation. The first requirement being that all school district staff members must engage in the suicide prevention training. Along with this, parents are notified and encouraged to use the training material presented to the school’s staff.

“We just wanted to make sure everyone understood why we were giving the training, what are possible signs to look for, what are possible risk factors, and what are things that [the staff] could say to a student if they were concerned about that student,” said Cline.

As for next year, the trainings will change. “Every year we don’t want to repeat the same one. I think we can add things onto the training, such as more information about anxiety, depression, or even the autism spectrum, to continue educating our faculty on mental health, and to continue reiterating everything to look for from anyone who might be suicidal, not just students,” said Cline.

This graph shows the 19 states that have adopted the Jason Flatt Act. Kansas just adopted the act in 2016.

How to Help: Talk • • •

Talking about depression will reduce the stigma that surrounds it.

Talk with friends or peers that might be suffering with depression.

Ask questions and learn the facts about depression and suicide.

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Look and Listen • • •

Look for warning signs if you think someone might be suffering with depression.

Listen to others who need someone to talk to.

Listen to verbal signs from friends or peers who might be suffering with depression or suicidal thoughts.

Act •

•

•

If a friend or peer shows signs or expresses thoughts of suicide, tell a trusted adult (teacher, counselor, parent).

Continue to be there for family, friends and peers who are suffering with depression. Patience is required in order to support and help someone through this.

Encourage others to share their depression stories.

Voices of Aquinas In the Shield Survey, students were asked if they ever had a friend confide in them about depression, and what they did.

These were some of their responses.

“You talk with them. The least you can do is start reaching out to be with that person more, and be a friend who is there for them.”

“My best friend and my sister struggle with depression, so I have learned to be there for them in the best way possible.”

“I let them tell me how they are feeling, and not judging them. I go off of my family’s experiences with depression, as it runs in my family.”

*Students have asked for their quotes to remain anonymous.

Love Will Conquer All

It can be hard to come forward and admit that another person might be suffering with depression. Fortunately, students at Aquinas are encouraged to support and look out for each other.

“I do feel like students at Aquinas are good about getting their friends help, or getting somebody else help. I’ve had a couple people come to me and say, ‘I think this student needs somebody to talk to’. So I feel like peers for the most part look after each other,” said Cretors.

Overall, each student’s safety is the top priority for teachers at Aquinas. “Our first and foremost job is to keep the students safe,” said Cline.

Even if someone has depression, that does not automatically make them suicidal. But it is important to realize that if students are expressing these suicidal thoughts, an adult needs to be notified. Even in the case of depression, seeking out help is essential for the betterment of an individual’s mental health.

“I think a lot of people maybe feel like they aren’t equipped to help a student, where we all are because it’s just loving somebody wherever they’re at,” said Cretors.

More Information Websites:

Jason Foundation, Inc. (http://jasonfoundation.com/about-us/jason-flatt-act/) National Institute of Health (https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression/index.shtml#part_145397) The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (https://afsp.org/about-suicide/suicide-statistics/)

Articles:

“National Trends in the Prevalence and Treatment of Depression in Adolescents and Young Adults” By Ramin Mojtabai, Mark Olfson, Beth Han

The Atlantic “The Silicon Valley Suicides” By Hanna Rosin

Time Magazine “Anxiety, Depression and the American Adolescent” By Susanna Schrobsdorff

Time Magazine “There’s a Startling Increase in Major Depression Among Teens in the U.S.” By Susanna Schrobsdorff

Hotlines:

Crisis Call Center: 800-273-8255 or text ANSWER to 839863 Junior Grace Mayer, is a reporter for Depression and Bipolar Support: 800-273-TALK (8255) National Hopeline Network: 800-SUICIDE (784-2433); 800-442-HOPE (4673) The Shield. This story was edited by Editor- In-Chief Ezri Killeen.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

“No Politics” Policy

During the fall semester, students and teachers were not allowed to discuss the presidential election.

Hillary Clinton, or Donald Trump?

That was the question on everyone’s mind throughout the entirety of 2016.

The presidential election captivated the lives of the American people from January to November. It was seen everywhere, from TV to newspapers to social media.

But there was one place it didn’t reach: school. Not due to a lack of effort, but because of the election year “no politics” policy implemented

by President Bill Ford.

Teachers and students were not allowed to discuss politics in any way, shape, or form. In the classroom, or out in the hallways, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump were not allowed to exist.

Ford said, “we have done this for every election since 2000.

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BY ANNIE PATTON

“We have done this for every election since 2000.”

Bill Ford President

With only 12 to 15 students able to vote, I see little sense in wasting class time on it.”

Overall, for students, the policy was not a popular one. Over 80% of the students who responded to The Shield survey said, “yes,” teachers should have been able to discuss politics in the classroom.

Some students disagreed.

They said politics are irrelevant to classroom activities and shouldn’t be discussed, while others said politics should have been included in classroom conversations because it was history in the making.

Many teachers, however, found the policy to be positive for classroom environments.

Although, implementing the policy was a little more problematic for government and economics classes.

“[We weren’t] able to talk about current events that directly related to the election” Mark Blaise Social Studies Teacher

make on who they support.”

Even with the “no politics” policy in place, students said there was still discussions during some of their classes. Only 16% of students said all of their teachers refrained from talking about the election. The majority said one to three of their teachers talked about politics in class.

Overall, though, teachers seemed to remain unbiased. Over 60% of teachers, students said, did not voice their political opinions.

With the closure of the presidential election came the end of the “no politics” policy. Ford said people now “can discuss whatever Mr. Trump wants to do because it is over.”

Junior Annie Patton is a reporter for The Shield. This story was edited by Managing Editor Becca Haeusser.

Students Answers

Social studies teacher Mark Blaise said a downside to the policy was “not being able to talk about current events that directly related to the election that would have been beneficial to students.”

However, Blaise said the policy allowed students in his classes to only discuss the issues themselves, rather than “Donald Trump says this, and Hillary Clinton says this.

We were able to remove politics from the problems in our country.”

The main issue both students and teachers seemed to agree on when discussing the election was political bias.

Many students voiced their concerns that teachers were in a position to sway students’ thoughts on one candidate, or the other.

Blaise said, “it’s almost impossible to talk about the election without some kind of biased view. As a position of authority, I can really change what people think and that is abusing my power of the individual’s decision to

February February2017 2017||Page Page1313g

KSHSAA Controversy Recently, there has been controversy over the way Kansas high school’s sports teams are broken into classes based on enrollment size. The upset over classification can be felt in every class, including 5A, which contains Saint Thomas Aquinas High School. While most Kansas high schools want a new method, the current system has been in place for almost 40 years. Also, the decision falls under the jurisdiction of Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA), not the school.

In 1979, the KSHSAA started breaking schools into classes based on enrollment.

As more and more high schools were created, they kept splitting the schools.

It was decided that the 32 largest schools would go in the 6A class, the next 32 in 5A, the next 64 in 3A, the next 64 in 2A, and then whatever remains would go in 1A. Each year, in September, all Kansas high schools send their enrollment numbers to KSHSAA. While multiples of 32 make perfect brackets, this system can cause problems.

Many schools and their coaches believe the system has too many classes, making it easy to win state championships. Head cross country and track and field coach Justin Wrigley believes this to be the case.

“There are many examples of states much larger than Kansas that have fewer classifications and as a result they have higher quality high school athletics,” Wrigley said.

Wrigley also believes that the number of classifications for each sport should vary, and that the number should be decided by experts from each sport.

“I think football coaches know what is best for football,” Wrigley said, “and cross country coaches know what is best for cross country.”

Another problem is that schools are occasionally accused of manipulating their enrollment numbers because it is better to be the largest 1A school than the smallest

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Coaches all over Kansas are pushing for change in the classification system.

BY RACHEL RANEY

2A school. Assistant cross country coach Matt Hallauer said his high school was guilty of this, and that they expelled a student when they found out they could be moved up to 3A. Public schools are also accusing private schools of having an advantage by recruiting good athletes or denying enrollment to non-athletes. Most Aquinas coaches concede private schools have some advantage over public schools, but that this advantage is not something that can be changed.

“We have an advantage in that most of the kids that come to our school have solid families,” said Activities Director Sarah Burgess. “They’ve been in clubs from the time they were kindergartners and [their parents] …provide for them from the time they’re born.”

While students that go to public schools can also have well founded families, many public schools contain a large amount of students that have to give up sports and other extracurricular activities in order to work and provide for their family. This gives private schools the advantage in that most of their students can afford to play sports. Plus, public schools tend to only recruit students from their district, while private schools accept students from all over.

The classification system worked for awhile, but then schools became upset that some teams were winning more than others.

One example is Bishop Miege High School, whose football team has been a huge success over the past few years. Miege is in class 4A1 because of their small enrollment numbers, but their football team plays at a 5A or 6A level. This has upset many 4A schools, who believe the classification system does not take issues like this into account.

Since every class has an amazing school like Miege, 4A1 schools, like Paola high school are deciding to take action.

Paola athletic director Jeff Hines and Girard

Middle School principal Randy Heatherly took the issue all the way to KSHSAA’s executive board, seeking to change the Kansas State Bill 464, which establishes “a system for the classification of member high schools according to student attendance.” Hines and Heatherly wish to remove the last four words, changing the way schools are classified.

The two options KSHSAA are considering are the multiplier and modifier.

Missouri uses a multiplier, where the enrollment numbers of private schools are multiplied by 1.35 in order for those schools to move up a class. This is based on the belief that private schools have an advantage, which does not sit well with the smaller private schools.

Head volleyball coach Sarah Cretors believes this system could do more damage than good.

“The multiplier would hurt many private schools that are really small and don’t compete very competitively,” Cretors said.

The modifier, on the other hand, would be based on a private school’s individual success. If a private school is doing well in a sport, then they will be moved up a class. While this sounds like the fairest way of fixing the problem, it has its flaws.

If a school gains a freshman class full of great basketball players and they begin to win state championships, they would be moved up a class. While this works for a while, once this class graduates, the team loses their best players. For this proposal to work, there would have to be a way for a school to move back down to a lower class.

While many schools are in favor of changing the system somehow, nothing can be done unless the Kansas Legislature changes KSB 464. The legislators may not even broach the topic.

Rachel Raney is a reporter for The Shield. This story was edited by Managing Editor Becca Haeusser.

The Spreads

Monumental Moments

Photo by Emily Conard | The Medallion Conard captures a stunning view of the Washington Monument.

See more pictures of the March for Life trip on page 18.

The Social Spread

Instagram Maddie Charles @madilynncharles Doing what I love with the people I love Twitter Maria Scanlan @MariaScanlan what is wrong with people who spell “yeah” as “yea” like what did the world do to you

Instagram Will Frederick @will_frederick1 DC is a lot of fun when you get to stay for more than a day

Twitter Emma Wamsher @ewamsh31 Everyone check out my bracelets all profits are being donated to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital (see her shop, Tide4love, on Etsy for more information) Twitter Lily Clune @lily_clune I’ll be bald by the end of this year

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Twitter Will Swanson @wswanson25 When you get your first snow day in high school

Twitter Riley Ebert @rileyebert 95% @ other schools is a good grade 95% @ aquinas is the biggest L someone can take Twitter Emily Conard @conard818 Me to me: you need to go to the gym also me to me: wow good job! here’s another chocolate bar

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Instagram Grayson Dunst @gcdunst theyre cousins!!! ps: new eyebrow #look comment down below what you think of them(:

Twitter Maria Scanlan @MariaScanlan what is wrong with people who spell “yeah” as “yea” like what did the world do to you Twitter Joseph Pierce @officialjpierce Me: I hate the cold *School gets canceled for ice” Also me:

Instagram Katie Hill @katielishes Rain drop Drop top Katie in a robe drinkin out a coffee cup

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February 2017 | Page 17 g

Saints March on Washington

Saints brave the cold weather to March for Life in the capital.

BY SETH WALKER

Photo by Emily Conard | The Medallion Saints who attended the March for Life in Washington D.C. pose for a photo after eating lunch in Crystal City near their hotel.

Eighty Saints and thirteen adult leaders crammed into a crowded Southwest Airlines flight bound for Washington D.C. on Wednesday, January 25th, 2017. They all had one goal: save the babies.

The trip was planned as a four day excursion to the nation’s capital, where students would get to see various museums and monuments and eventually march with hundreds of thousands of other protesters from around the country.

For many of the students attending, the march was a chance to make up for last year’s disappointing turn of events.

In 2016, Saints who attended the trip were forced home early by an impending snowstorm. Some Saints were in D.C. for less than 26 hours. Senior Oscar Garcia, who was one of the first people sent home last year, returned for the trip this

g Page 18 | The Shield

year. When asked about the difference between the two trips, Garcia said, “I had been looking forward to the March all year last year and when we were sent home early I was so disappointed I wasn’t able to participate in the march.

“It’s a really special opportunity and going back this year was well worth the wait.”

Oscar Garcia Senior It’s a really special opportunity and going back this year was well worth the wait.”

Garcia’s message resounded with many Saints, however the weather conditions were not going to hold anyone back this year. After standing in the cold for hours and listening to keynote speakers such as the Vice President of the United States and other congressional figures, the Saints were fired up and ready to march with hundreds of thousands of other protesters from the base of the Washington Monument to the United States Supreme Court building, about a two and a half mile walk in total.

“The march was an incredible experience. Marching with thousands of people that believe in the same thing that I do was seriously one of the most amazing things I think anyone can experience.

Photo by Emily Conard | The Medallion Junior Chloe Kallsen takes a photo of the eternal flame at John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy’s grave sight. (left) Saints take pictures of downtown D.C. from the view at Arlington National Cemetery, one of the many historical sights Saints visited on their trip. (right)

I felt like I had a connection with everyone there, simply because we were all sticking up for the women and babies that have lost their lives to abortion,” junior Madison Janky said. “I went last year to DC as well, but we didn’t get the opportunity to march. I enjoyed last year’s trip, however, the march really does complete the whole D.C. experience. Everyone knew we were there for the same reason, which makes for an instant connection. I plan on going back to D.C. next year to continue to stand up to abortion, and I encourage others to join for this life changing experience.”

After a long day on their

“I felt like I had a connection with everyone there, simply because we were all sticking up for the woman and babies that have lost their lives to abortion.”

Madison Janky Junior feet, the Saints and their leaders returned back to their hotel to watch The Giver for a movie night. After the movie was

finished, adult leaders surprised students by throwing a mixer in the hotel’s dining room.

“We felt bad that you guys missed the Snowman mixer so we decided to have our own here,” math teacher Kat Kennedy said to students when announcing the surprise.

“My favorite part of the trip was meeting all of the new people I wouldn’t have met without going to D.C.. The thing that spoke to me the most was seeing the amount of people and government officials that are pro life and fighting to stop abortion,” sophomore Peter Merrill said.

After four days of mastering the metro, walking the city, and touring museums the Saints made one final stop at Ford’s theater before boarding their flight at Reagan International and heading home, bringing an end to this year’s successful march.

Senior Seth Walker, @SethWalker3 on Twitter, is a writer for The Shield. This Story was edited by Editor in Chief Ezri Killeen.

Photo courtesy of STA Teens for Life Twitter Account Saints pose in front of the Kansas portion of the WWII memorial at the national mall in Washington D.C.

February 2017 | Page 19 g

AquinasView A series of articles ranging from Basketball Keeps On Bouncing

news around Aquinas to news around the world.

The boys and girls basketball teams have had a strong year so far, with only one and two losses, respectively.

Both the boys and girls basketball teams are off to very strong starts this season. As of January 29, the boys are 10-1 and the girls are 9-2. The girls team is looking to defend their 2016 5A State Title, and the boys are looking to come together and win state also.

“We also have some smaller goals like getting Nick Bulleigh into the 1,000 points club and having Will Downey set the single season charge record,” senior co-captain Ben Hagenkord said, “It’s the little things that add up.”

The girls also have goals in mind aside from state. “Another goal of ours is to grow closer as a team and to make each other better players and people,” junior co-captain Sereena Weledji said.

She cites the team’s “common want and understanding of excellence” as one of their greatest strengths. “We all care so much about the program and so it really allows us to hold ourselves to a high standard,” Weledji said.

Hagenkord believes one of the boys’ biggest strengths is their bench. “We all feed off each other’s enthusiasm,” he said.

He considers too much focus to be one of the team’s weaknesses at times. “We often times work too hard and it ends up backfiring on us,” he said.

While tough losses have been a drawback for the girls, Weledji believes that they have helped the team in a way. “We always work harder to fix the things we need to fix and get better at,” she said, “Even though perfection is not actually reachable, we always strive for it.”

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The Returning Talent Show After an off-year in 2016, the Talent Show will be back on February 22.

This year, Saint Thomas Aquinas students will, once again, have the chance to showcase their talents for the whole school. The semi-annual talent show will take place on Wednesday, February 22. After many years of having the show annually, it was decided that it would be better off once every two years.

While the show usually features mostly singing acts, this year will be different. With hopes that a wider variety of talents will be represented, Student Council is holding auditions on January 31 and February 2. “I’m most excited to see what new things will be brought to the table,” Junior Class President Devin Diggs said.

WorldView

BY EZRI KILLEEN AND MIA POWER

The One-Hundred-and-Forty-Six Trump’s Historic Year Run The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus will close this May. Inauguration After 146 year run, the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus is closing the show for good.

The show will hold its last performances in May due to declining ticket sales.

Although an estimated 10 million people see one of the Ringling’s circuses each year, the company will not be able to keep the ticket prices affordable with their current business model.

The circus came under fire earlier this year by animal activists, who were the reason that elephants were phased out of the show. At the announcement of the show’s closing, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals tweeted, calling the circus “the end of the saddest show on earth.” The elephants and other animals that were taken out of the show were sent to live on a conservation in Florida.

The closing will affect 400 cast and crew members. The last performance will be held on May 21 in New York.

An Insider’s Look on “Fake News” Journalist Chris Harris gave the New York Times an interview about his fraudulent news story.

“Fake news! Fake news!” Both during and after the 2016 election, screams of false media could be heard coming from both sides.

It seemed that no news story could be trusted for a while. Shared mostly through social media, journalists in need of fast cash constructed false stories about election polls, protests, and, in this instance, rigged ballots.

Recent college graduate Cameron Harris sat down mid-September and just started writing. He started with his headline, “BREAKING: ‘Tens of thousands’ of fraudulent Clinton votes found in Ohio warehouse,” and catapulted into the fake news story from there.

His story would later appear on ChrstianTimesNewspaper.com, his authorship originally secret. He was paid approximately a thousand dollars an hour for the fake news story; the revenue came from the web advertisements.

Harris backed up his fake news story with a Google Image of a man standing next to ballot boxes. His article was aimed to fill voters’ minds with doubt and potentially influence a swing state.

The story was estimated to be read by upwards of six million people. It was so widely shared that the Ohio board of elections launched an investigation, and, a few days later, Ohio’s secretary of state issued a statement refuting the claims.

Harris was not the only journalist to create fake news; even now, after the election, consumers are weary of false articles.

Donald Trump was sworn into office on Jan. 20, 2017.

January 20, 2017 was a historic day for America.

President Donald Trump was sworn into office that Friday, making it the first time a non-politician or military general has held court in the white house.

Additionally, at 70 years old, he is the oldest president to take office.

On the inauguration day, Washington was chalk-full of supporters and protesters alike; however, the attendance fell short of Barack Obama’s inauguration attendance. Approximately 31 million viewers tuned in from home to see the president take office.

President Trump’s speech built on his campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again,” by calling all Americans together, saying “We, the citizens of America, are now joined in a great national effort to rebuild our country and restore its promise for all of our people.”

He also assured that “the forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer.”

President Trump’s administration started merely hours after he was sworn in. Both the Department of Labor’s report on lesbians, bisexuals, gays and transgender people in the workplace and the White House’s exposition on the threat of climate change and efforts to combat it were removed from the web almost immediately after the transfer of power.

February 2017 | Page 21 g

Dual Dancing

Photo by Emily Conard | The Medallion Seniors Danica McGreevey and St. James senior Mary Ascher dance together at halftime during the St. James game. This was the first time the two teams have ever performed together.

The Back Pages

What’s Up with the Wi-Fi? Students are struggling to get work done during STA period without connection to the Wi-Fi. Most students have realized that during STA period, the Wi-Fi tends to slow down, and frequently, connection is lost. The slow internet speed makes getting work done a hassle.

During lunch times and passing periods are other times the Wi-Fi slows down. Technology Department Chairman David Shriver said, “for the most part it is not a problem, it just maxes out every STA period.”

At any one time during the day, there are about 600 to 700 students connected to the Wi-Fi. During STA period, there are an added 250 students connected to the Wi-Fi. Not all of the students are using their devices for what they should be used for, like projects or homework. Some students play games, watch YouTube videos, or download apps.

“It is not that we have poor equipment,” technology teacher Al

“For the most part it is not a problem, it just maxes out every STA period.”

David Shriver Tech. Dept. Chairman

Miner said, “it’s just that we have most to all of the students on their devices during STA period all on the same network.”

STA period is when students are supposed to be working on homework, studying, or getting help from a teacher.

All of which can include using a device, which means they are using the Wi-Fi. There would be a faster internet speed for those who are using their devices productively if those who aren’t would use their time for school work. That being said, the slow connection would not be corrected entirely “you could self monitor yourself and work on school related work only,” Shiver said, giving a solution.

An increase of bandwidth would also help but, would cost hundreds of dollars. Also, restrictions to certain websites that don’t pertain to school could be set in place.

Right now, the usage of the Wi-Fi is being analyzed. This analysis should be done toward the end of January.

“The Wi-Fi will be increased to the most that we need it, but that won’t be done until the summer. Unless there is an unanticipated problem, it will be all we need,” Shriver said.

Teaches also experience slow internet and lack of Wi-Fi connection.

For them, it is during the beginning of classes when taking roll and also during

BY JAKE BURKHART

STA period. Some teachers have to plan ahead and work on things that do not need a device so they can also be productive during STA period. Although the teachers have there own network separate from the students, it is the backbone structure the students have.

With students being productive and the improvements that will be ready next school year, connection to the Wi-Fi and internet shouldn’t be a problem in the years to come. Improvements are made each year, it will only be getting better with current provider. Google Fiber will be an option when it reaches our area.

Junior Jake Burkhart is a reporter for The Shield. This story was edited

by Managing Editor Becca Haeusser and Editor-and-Chief Ezri Killeen.

February 2017 | Page 23 g

GRACE NIELSEN:

the girl who embraces all obstacles

BY EZRI KILLEEN

g Page 24 | The Shield

I

mmediately after senior Grace Nielsen was born, she had a stroke that hit the basal ganglia, or the base center, of her brain. A frightening experience for any family, Nielsen was rushed to the neonatal intensive care unit and then to Children’s Mercy Hospital. The incident, while serious, turned into a very manageable condition called Cerebral Palsy -- something Nielsen will live with for the rest of her life.

Cerebral Palsy is a blanket term for loss of brain or motor function caused by brain damage while a child is still developing. It is commonly known to occur due to a child having a stroke under the age of two, although many other causes exist: accidents, abuse, medical malpractice, and birthing complications are just a few. Muscle tension, tremors, and paralysis are a few results of the condition.

Cerebral Palsy is unique to the individual, affecting everyone differently.

Nielsen has a very mild case and is hemiplegic, meaning it only affects one side of her body: the right side, in her case. However, she personally knows other kids who have much more severe cases of Cerebral Palsy, and won’t be able to live alone all their lives.

Cerebral Palsy is chronic, meaning the child will live with it for the rest of his or her life, but it will not get worse.

In fact, the condition is relatively easy to manage with therapy, surgery, and muscle relaxers.

For Nielsen, this means going to physical therapy once a week. Her physical therapy is a simple gym workout at a lower intensity. She and her therapist use her cross country workout to keep in shape, as she has been a runner all four

years of her high school career.

“When I was in 7th grade, my doctor said ‘I have a patient that did cross country and I want you to do cross country.’ And he’s stubborn, so I ended up doing it -- but I liked it,” Nielsen said. As many Aquinas students will testify, the people really enhanced her experience, and she grew to love the sport.

Additionally, she gets Botulinum toxin, or Botox, injections once every three months to relax her muscles, and about once a year, she gets surgery to further lengthen her muscles. You’d never notice, though--Nielsen goes in on a Friday and is back at school the next week, as if it never happened. Her team

“I wouldn’t be Grace without it.”

Grace Nielsen Senior of doctors expects this resilience by now. “I don’t really get sympathy from them,” Nielsen said. “I’ve been there for 18 years, so they don’t really care. They know my personality.”

Lastly, she sees an occupational therapist once a week, which has possibly proven to be the most influential piece of her treatment; it is through this therapist that Nielsen has had the chance to set up a girls’ group called Buttons and Bows for little girls with the same condition.

Little girls, aged six to ten, meet through the mutual therapist, and Nielsen leads them in arts and crafts

once a month. It is because of them that she is inspired to work with special needs children in the future; she’d like to do something as close to her existing girls’ group possible for her career.

When Nielsen leaves for the University of Kansas next year, things will change. She will no longer be going to her therapy sessions once a week, and will have to make special appointments for her Botox and surgeries. This may aggravate her muscles and cause more pain, but she doesn’t plan on letting that stop her.

She’ll be home once a month for Buttons and Bows, and she’ll see her therapists then too, although, “It’ll be more of a social event,” Nielsen said.

“I’m a talker.”

But Nielsen wouldn’t change any of this for the world. “I love it. I wouldn’t be interested in the things I am without it, I wouldn’t have met the people without it,” Nielsen said, undoubtedly thinking about her beloved girls’ group.

“When I was in kindergarten, I told somebody I was going to physical therapy and they looked at me like I was weird, because I thought everyone went to physical therapy,” she added.

Nielsen has the power to inspire people with her positive attitude and determination; when told she had that impact on others, she responded with, “I love that.” Her condition is no roadblock or obstacle -- it is simply something integral to her.

“I wouldn’t be Grace without it,” Nielsen said.

Senior Ezri Killeen, @e_claire17 on Twitter, is the Editor-In-Chief for The Shield. This story was edited by Managing Editor Becca Haeusser.

February 2017 | Page 25 g

Welcome to America There is more to exchange student life than meets the eye.

BY DELANEY SMITH Junior Candace Zhang, from Fujian, China, and Pearl Su, from Taipei, Taiwan, traveled halfway across the world to study at Saint Thomas Aquinas.

Diane Pyle is the Director of Admissions at Aquinas and an International Exchange Coordinator with EF Exchange Year, the largest high school exchange program in the world. As the head of Aquinas’ exchange program, Pyle is in charge of locating families to host exchange students, assess possible students, and check in with them periodically to ensure that they are thriving in school and with their host families.

Before a student can study in America, they must first attain a student visa. The exchange students who study at Aquinas have one of two kinds of visas, the J-1 visa or the F-1 visa.

The J-1 visa allows students to study in the United States for a total of ten months. Like Pearl, most of these students come to Aquinas through the EF exchange

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program. This visa essentially allows students to complete one school year in America.

“They have this idea of what the United States is like, maybe from Glee, and they want to experience that.”

Diane Pyle Director of Admissions

The 2016-2017 school year is the first year that Aquinas is certified by the U.S. Department of State to take in F-1 visa students. Candace is one of Aquinas’ F-1 visa students.

According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration services, the F-1 visa “allows you to enter the United States as a

This map illustrates where Candace Zhang and Pearl Su are from. Su is from Taiwan, in blue.

full-time student at an accredited college, university, seminary, conservatory, academic high school, elementary school, or other academic institution or in a language training program. You must be enrolled in a program or course of study that culminates in a degree, diploma, or certificate and your school must be authorized by the U.S. government to accept international students.” This means that students studying on the F-1 visa can stay in America as long as they are enrolled in a program and working towards some sort of degree.

Although they allow a student to stay in America, these visas come with their own complications. Without the close support of an exchange program like EF, international students looking to study in America on an F-1 visa must find their own host family willing to sponsor them for an extended period of time. Aquinas does work with a program called Twinn Palms, an international housing service, to help locate these students. F-1 visas also only allow students to study at a public school for one year, so it is likely that Aquinas will begin to see many more F-1 visa students in the coming years.

Zhang, who has already been is the U.S. for two years, plans to graduate from Saint Thomas Aquinas and hopes to attend college here as well. If Candace is admitted to a college, her visa will allow her to study here until she graduates.

Before the girls even applied for visas, they faced the struggle of getting their parents to grant permission for them to study on the other side of the world.

“At first my parents didn’t want me to go to the US because I am the only child in my family,” said Candace. With the help of her aunt in California, Candace was able to find an exchange program that her parents were comfortable with.

Su’s parents were also worried, but ultimately supported their daughter.

“My mom thought that I can make my own decisions and she would support me, but my dad was kind of worried because I’m so young,” said Su. For Candace, one of the largest struggles was learning to speak an almost entirely new language. In China, Candace was taught how to read English, but was never expected to know how to pronounce English words.

“I have been learning English in China since I was in elementary, but that English doesn’t work here. It’s Chinese-English,” said Zhang. “When I first came to here, I didn’t know how to speak English at all. At my old school (Maranatha) there were a bunch of Chinese students and they helped me try to learn. When I started to speak English it was like 3 months after I got here.”

Making sure that exchange students are capable of understanding and speaking in English is a major concern for Pyle.

“We don’t want it to be a burden on the teachers. We don’t have an English as a second language teacher, we don’t have that opportunity, so the kids need to speak good English when they come to the school,” said Pyle.

Although she is now proficient in English, understanding an easy subject in a language you are not comfortable with is not an easy task, explained Zhang.

“I have a hard class, biology, and I already had in junior high two years of biology. Right now the class is exactly the same as what I took in China, just in a language I haven’t memorized,” said Su. Pearl felt the same way. “Last semester I took World Literature, and because it’s a lot of reading from Europe translated to English, it’s hard to understand. I just need to keep translating,” said Su. There are definitely challenges that come along with trying to learn in a new language, but both Candace and Pearl agreed that school in America is much easier than it was in China and Taiwan. One of the biggest differences the girls found is the amount of free

time they have in America. “(In Taiwan) I would wake up at 5 a.m. and start school at 7:30 and go until 5. After school, I needed to study at the library or go to other lesson until 9. When I got back home, I still kept studying until 12. Usually we had like 5 hours of sleep a day,” said Su. “We had to study for the whole weekend, we started Friday night and studied until Sunday night. It never stopped,” said Zhang. With so much work comes extreme amounts of stress. “I think in China some students have suicides, but some don’t have suicides and just die.

There was one of the students in my school, I think it was April 1st, she died. I was a freshman at the time so I was here, but when I heard I was so sad.”

On top of heavy amounts of schoolwork, both girls carried the burden of studying for a massive high school entrance exam throughout junior high.

The results of this test determine where a student goes to high school.

“My school was the best school in my city. The high school only took the top 300 students (out of about 700), so if I’m like 400 I can’t even get into high school,” said Zhang.

“I would have to pay for private school, but in China the public school is always better. The private schools are a lot worse.

Those kids do a lot of bad things like smoking and drinking in the school. If I had to go to a worse school, I would rather quit school.”

Candace’s parents were worried that she would not be accepted into the best school in her city, so that became a large factor as to why she chose to study in the United States.

The school that Candace attended in China was also much more strict than American schools. At her junior high school, girls were required to have

Shaxian, Fujian, China

PEARL SU

Age

16

Trip duration

Taipei, Taiwan

2016-2017 Class of 2019

Passport illustrations by Delaney Smith.

February 2017 | Page 27g

haircuts above their ears and eyebrows and could wear no form of makeup or jewelry.

The rules extended to no dating allowed among the students.

“You can’t even talk to a guy just as a friend. If the teacher (thought you might be dating) you got in really huge, big trouble with your parents,” said Zhang. “Your parents would come to the school and you would get in trouble with the school and your parents. I didn’t talk to guys very much so I didn’t get in trouble.”

In China, Candace played the Chinese dulcimer and was learning latin dance and Chinese calligraphy, but studying in America has allowed her to try something new: high school sports. Candace and Pearl are both on Aquinas’ Junior Varsity girls bowling team.

“I just thought that it was interesting so I tried out and I got on the team,” said Su. “(In their home countries) the students don’t play sports in their school, so they really want to come here and have the opportunity to play sports for a high

school. They want to feel that love,” said Pyle.

Playing high school sports is just another part of the cultural experience for exchange students. For Candace and Pearl this meant going to Homecoming. Pearl enjoyed the dance, but Candace said she found it boring.

“They have this idea of what the United States is like, maybe from Glee, and they want to experience that,” said Pyle.

“They really just want to experience what America is like. It’s a different culture. I think it’s great for our community to have this cultural experience, too.”

The most important part of Aquinas’ exchange student program is making sure that everyone involved, the students and the host families, have a good experience.

“We just want the kids to be safe and to have a good experience. We want them to go home and have them say America is great, the people were very friendly, I loved the school,” said Pyle.

To ensure everyone’s safety, Pyle has one rule for exchange students: “don’t

YOU BELONG AT PITTSBURG STATE UNIVERSITY 200+ ACADEMIC PROGRAMS FLAT RATE TUITION

#BeAGorilla

drink and don’t do drugs and be nice, be an active member of your family.” Failure to follow this rule has resulted in exchange students being sent home prematurely in the past.

When it comes to hosting an exchange student, the experience goes both ways.

“You become lifelong friends with these people.”

In the next few years, it is very likely that many more exchange students will be seen in Aquinas’ halls, as the exchange program grows to include more long-term exchange students. This means that more host families than ever before are going to be needed. If students are interested in hosting an exchange student in the 20172018 school year, they should contact Pyle at dpyle@stasaints.net.

Junior Delaney Smith is a reporter for The Shield. This story was edited by Editor-in-Chief Ezri Killeen.

“It’s Horrible”

Chris Berger advocates to keep his brother’s killer in jail as the parole hearing for the convicted felon nears.

BY BECCA HAEUSSER

On New Year’s Eve, 1974, two families’ worlds were rocked by the murders of their children. Two year old Jeffrey Berger, brother of science teacher Chris Berger, and his fourteen year old babysitter were brutally murdered by James A. Love.

Love shared a duplex with the Berger’s. After committing the murders with a kitchen knife and physical blows to their heads, Love set the duplex on fire. During the following trials, Love was sentenced to 150 years in prison for each murder without parole for the first 100 years.

Since the trial, however, Missouri laws have changed. After fifteen years in prison, Love was brought up for parole.

It is unclear which law changed to enable his hearing. The Shield contacted the parole board and was still unable to identify the change. This has been a source of frustration for the Bergers.

Berger said, “Parole hearings aren’t required. It’s only if he requests them.”

So, Love has been requesting parole every five years, causing the families to continuously relive that horrible night.

“It’s horrible,” Berger said.

“Basically, from the time you get that letter until the hearing, you are just constantly thinking about [the murders]

and it’s miserable. It just kind of weighs on you.”

Aside from the two murders in 1974, Love is a suspect in two other murders. He was also charged with murdering his landlady but got off on a

Photo courtesy of the Missouri Department of Corrections James A. Love has been convicted of two murders and is a suspect in two more.

His parole hearing is scheduled for February 17, 2017.

technicality.

Berger said,“There are obviously the two murders, and he is linked to at least two more that they know of. I don’t want to say he’s a serial killer, but there

is definitely a history there.”

Berger requests that any students who feel moved by this story write letters to the parole board.

“The parole board says that the more support that we have the easier their decision is,” Berger said. “Every time we come in they bring a file that is six inches tall, full of letters.”

Letters to the parole board should start with a description of your life and how this crime affects you. Next, state the ways that this crime has affected the community and/or the victim’s family.

Finally, describe the impact Love’s parole will have on you, the community, the family of the victims, etcetera.

Berger asks that you send your letters to Missouri Board of Probation and Parole, Attn: Chairman Ellis McSwain, 3400 Knipp Dr., Jefferson City, MO 65109.

Berger has shielded his children from the harsh reality of their uncle’s death. He would like to keep them unaware and appreciates delicacy in talking about this subject.

Senior Becca Haeusser, @becca_ haeusser on Instagram, is a Managing Editor for The Shield. This story was edited by Editor-In-Chief Ezri Killeen.

February 2017 | Page 29 g

What’s Next?

Advancing Catholic Education for Tomorrow

An update on the largest expansion project in Aquinas history.

Students begin to start yet another day at school as a drill begins pounding, and the sounds of Aquinas 2020 ring throughout the building.

After months of anticipation, Aquinas 2020 has taken shape: plans have been turning into action and dirt has begun to move. Although construction processes commonly have bumps and hiccups along the way, but Aquinas 2020 has stayed mostly on schedule with what is Saint Thomas Aquinas High School’s largest construction project to date.

Theology teacher Barb Loughman has heard perhaps the greatest sounds of Aquinas 2020, for Loughman’s classroom is near one of 2020’s first projects: the connection of Saint Mary’s College to the main building.

“As the equipment goes by, or as they are pounding on the ground, I

BY EMILY RAUNIG AND ANDREW SCHOONOVER

would say my kids spend more time looking out the window. I have had to shut my shades on occasion” said Loughman.

Loughman has never faced a distraction so momentous for her students before. However, construction crews have been thoughtful of the classes going on around them.

During last semester finals, “[the construction workers] did not work.

They ceased pounding,” said Loughman.

The Aquinas 2020 leadership, including the project’s steering committee, has been the driving force behind keeping this project on schedule-and, consequently, the pounding heard in Loughman’s classroom. Long time member of the Aquinas community and Visual Arts Department Chairwoman teacher Judy Frankovic has been a member on the steering committee

alongside her husband.

The Frankovic family has a long history with Aquinas that dates back to before the school even opened. With her children’s graduations spanning 1993-2004, the Frankovic were asked to join the team because of their extensive expertise. With many different layers and components, the steering committee is where the rubber meets the road in regards to Aquinas 2020.

“Our role is that we solicit donations from other people,” said Frankovic. “They have a list of past donations that [we] go back to”.

At the last steering committee meeting in November, it appeared that all of the work had began to pay off.

Under the “good, responsible” fiscal leadership of President Bill Ford, “he has paid off all of the school’s debts,” said Frankovic. Moreover, the steering

THIS SUMMER

TENTATIVE PROJECT OUTLINE

Moving Offices

2020 CURRENT PROJECTS

g Page 30 | The Shield

Fitness Center, Innovation Lab

Photo by Emily Raunig | The Shield The construction of the new fitness center with the Aquinas baseball field behind it.

committee has helped the project move along according to schedule.

“We are one of the few schools in the archdiocese that is debt free,” said Frankovic. Because of this strong financial standpoint, the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas has promised to take out a loan for the project and allow the school to pay it off.

The strong financial start to the project has allowed for construction on Aquinas 2020 to begin-- along with all of the banging students hear in their classes. Construction projects have always had hiccups and bumps along the way, no matter how much fundraising or planning is done.

“They have run into some construction problems. They have had a water line that they had to move, as far as I am understanding,” said Frankovic regarding the SMC connection project.

Despite these roadblocks, Frankovic expressed a very strong confidence in Huber construction-- supported by all of the Huber children attending Aquinas.

Another component of Aquinas 2020 is the new multi-use fitness center, something that all athletic Saints have been looking towards with excitement.

Aquinas has always had a reputation for its outstanding athletic program and the athletes within it.

Despite this great reputation, the current weight room is not ideal in helping train these athletes. The weight room has always been small-- so small that the entire football team has not been able to fit all at once. Aquinas 2020 is aimed to

“...the new facilities will just make a better attitude on winning a state championship.”

Anthony Gaona Junior solve this problem.

With the new changes being made to the weight room, it will be a much safer environment as well. Head Football Coach and physical education teacher Randy Dreiling said. “It will be much safer for our lifters who are now standing almost on top of each other in our current weight room” The new fitness center has not only

FUTURE PROJECTS Library Renovation, Locker Rooms, Athletic Wing

been planned to be larger as well as well as better. Junior Anthony Gaona said, “We can lift better because of the space, we will have more racks to lift on so more athletes can train, and the new facilities will just make a better attitude on winning a state championship.”

This new fitness center also will also be available for the whole Aquinas community, including the teachers.

“The cardio equipment will also allow teachers and students to have a place to workout.” Dreiling said.

Aquinas 2020 has been steam rolling ahead to the ultimate goal of a safer, more efficient, and overall more modern Aquinas. Through the construction roadblocks, constant pounding, and the great challenges of the project, the Aquinas 2020 project has been working to a better learning environment for all of the Saints community.

Juniors Emily Raunig and Andrew Schoonover, are reporters for The Shield. This story was edited by Managing Editor Becca Haeusser and Editor-in-Chief Ezri Killeen,.

Outline courtesy of Constituent Relations Director Michon Quick. Aquinas 2020 is underway as construction crews get to work. For more information on Aquinas’s largest expansion visit the school’s website and social media.

ADDITIONAL PROJECTS Parking Lot Lighting, New Signage

February 2017 | Page 31 g

February 2017 Event Calendar 2/14 - Varsity Boys and Girls Basketball at Gardner Edgerton

2/3 - NHS Blood Drive 2/3 - Varsity Boys and Girls Basketball at Blue Valley

2/17 - Noon Dismissal

2/4 - Regional Piano Festival

2/17 - Dinner Theater

2/4 - Joplin “In the Spotlight� Show Choir Competition

2/17 - Varsity Boys and Girls Basketball at Blue Valley West

2/7 - Varsity/JV Bowling Quad

2/18 - State Piano Contest

2/9 - Community Service Mass

2/19 - Dinner Theater

2/9 - Varsity/JV Boys swimming at Free State

2/20 - No School

2/10 - Varsity Boys and Girls Basketball vs. Mill Valley 2/11 - WPA Dance

2/21 - Varsity Boys and Girls Basketball vs. Blue Vally West 2/22 - Talent Show 2/25 - Dance Team Winter Finale

The Shield