The Shield January Issue
Con cuss ions The silent endemic
Volume 31
Staff Members
Adviser I Matt Hallauer Editor-In-Chief I Madison McMilllen
Vo l u m e 3 1
Managing Editor I Deepthi Kailash
The Shield
Copy Editor I Rachael Lawler Senior Reporter I Clare Hernandez Freelancer I Maggie Slaven
The Shield
Social Media stashield aquinasameday Saint Thomas Aquinas Shield stashield stashield
Saint Thomas Aquinas high School
M IS S IO N S TA TEMEN T The Shield is the student’s’ voice of Saint Thomas Aquinas High School. Published by students for the good of the whole Aquinas community, The Shield serves as a source of information and as a spark for productive change. Student reporters learn about the world of journalism while practicing ethical, holistic reporting practices. 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. ADVER TIS IN G 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 SUB S CR IPTIO N S 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 PO LICY 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.
Volume 31 I September Issue
CONTENTS
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10
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Concussions: The Silent Endemic
Al Miner
Real Life Rom-Com
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16
18
Survey Spread
March for Life
Weathering the Walk
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22
23
Who’s New in the Halls?
Social Spread
Last Look
e h T
t n e l i S
d n E
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Every year millions of concussions go undiagnosed, unreported, and ignored.
Our silence may be costing us.
c i m e d T
he lights of the stadium are blinding, the cheers from the crowd are deafening—cheers that leave a ringing in the ear. As the player takes off with the ball, the cheers—and jeers—grow louder. When suddenly, almost out of nowhere, the player is hit from the side. Their head collides with their opponent before smacking to the ground loudly. Consciousness fades for a moment... before the black begins to edge away. Attempting to get to their feet, the player stumbles and has to be helped up. Bits of conversation are understood through the dull ache of their head: “probable concussion,” “tests need to be done,” “concerning.” So this, the player thinks, this is a concussion. In recent years, concussions have become a much more prevalent topic among the medical community, sports,
schools, and parents. For good reason, considering as many as 1 in 4 adults in the US have reportedly suffered from a concussion, according to the Truven Analytics Health Poll. Despite the vast source of research and studies regarding concussions, misconceptions and overwhelming ignorance still abound. In essence, a concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury that results from either a direct hit to the head or a “whiplash” type motion. This causes the brain to twist or bounce around, which can affect brain cells and the chemical balance in the brain. Do not let the “mild” in this diagnose fool you, concussions are still serious injuries that require medical attention. Often after a collision or whiplash motion, certain symptoms and/or signs will become apparent,
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including a headache, nausea, loss of consciousness, and confusion, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Once any of these symptoms have been observed, the injured party should be removed from the situation. After seeing a medical professional and having a diagnosis of a concussion confirmed, there are four stages of recovery: 1. Rest 2. Light Activity 3. Moderate Activity 4. Back to Regular Activity During the rest stage, the concussed patient should limit all activities and sleep as much as needed. Once the rest phase is over, the patient should slowly incorporate both school and activities back into their daily life. After the concussion symptoms have almost entirely disappeared, the patient can then return to school and most of their regular activities, although they should do so cautiously. Lastly, the patient can return to all normal activities, and so long as no symptoms occur, the patient will be considered recovered. However, occasionally patients still experience symptoms even after recovery, which is known as Post-Concussive Syndrome. According to the CDC, PostConcussive Syndrome, although fairly rare in first-time instances, occurs when someone with a previous concussion or concussions experiences symptoms long after their initial injury or still suffers from symptoms after returning to regular activities. Conservative estimates alleging that 1 in 5 teens have suffered from a concussion, so it is no surprise that high schools are high-incidence sites (University of Michigan Research Survey Center). Due to the nature of Saint Thomas Aquinas’ robust sports programs, the school is no stranger to sports injuries—especially concussions. In
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What is CTE? Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a degenerative brain disease that results in a decline of thinking and memory skills and can also lead to changes in behavior and mental health, including aggression and depression. CTE is the result of repeated head trauma, and although it typically affects adults, there have been cases of young adults having suffered from it. Doctors recommend a preventative program and addressing the most pressing symptoms of current concussions. They advise that the best way to prevent the disease is by abstaining from receiving repetitive head injuries best you can.
Photo via David Baillot/ UC San Diego Information via the Concussion Legacy Foundation
WHAT CONCUSSIONS LOOK LIKE NORMAL BRAIN
INJURED
WIDESPREAD CEREBRAL SWELLING
Image via Ashenden & Associates, P.C. fact, Aquinas has a very stringent set of rules regarding student concussions. This includes the “return to play” policy, which as Craig Moss notes “comes from KSHSAA (Kansas State High School Activities Association), which oversees high school activities, both athletic and not, in the state of Kansas. The Aquinas trainer is the one in charge of implementing that [policy].” Moss said Aquinas has “a trainer on site, [who follows a specific] protocol to determine whether or not a child needs to be referred called the SCAT 2. The SCAT 2, or Sports Concussion Assessment Tool, is a tool that evaluates an injured player for a possible concussion through the use of a questionnaire. The onsite medical professional will ask the player a
series of questions to help determine whether they need immediate medical treatment. After a student has been diagnosed with a concussion and the school receives verification from their doctor, Aquinas will work to accommodate the injury. According to Moss, this includes allowing students to “wear sunglasses if it is too bright, reduce computer screen time, reduce the amount of work that a kid is required to do (usually about 50-70%), but it looks different for each kid.” In addition, students can also visit the nurse and eat lunch in a quiet space as needed. In the end, Moss said, “a lot of the recovery is just about communication. We care about your long term health, and it’s not worth messing with long
term repercussions for receiving multiple concussions in a row.” Many Aquinas students have suffered from concussions both during their time at Aquinas and beforehand. The process behind their diagnoses and recovery closely follows the one outlined by KSHSAA.
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unior Marika Davis participates in lacrosse and dance team. While playing the former, Davis has received two diagnosed and one “undiagnosed [concussion,” all from playing lacrosse. Once diagnosed with the concussions, she could not play sports for 2-3 weeks afterward. Davis now is now facing the chance of a third concussion, one that would take her out of sports forever.
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Concussion Statistics About 6% of teens have had more than one concussion.
1 in 5 teens have been diagnosed with a concussion.
There may be as many as 3.8 million concussions per year in sports.
50% of the 3.8 million concussions may go unreported
Only about 4-5% of teens go to the emergency room for head injuries--most go to their regular doctor.
Information gathered from the University of Michigan Research Survey Center and the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine. Infographic created by Rachael Lawler.
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When Davis discussed the effect concussions have on her school work, she said that “immediately, [there’s] an extreme lack of focus. You sit in class and look at the board and you won’t know what’s going on.” Davis said that her concussions have impacted her memory, “but I don’t think it is anything too major.” She said that after her first concussion, “the second and third time [it happened], a couple seconds later, I felt it and knew I had a [concussion].” After Davis’s own concussions and a few other girls’, the lacrosse team conducted a few fundraisers and ended up buying a set of helmets for the entire team as they have been proven to lessen the impact of a concussion on the field. “Ever since I’ve worn a helmet, and I have not had a concussion,” Davis said. Following KSHSAA rules, girls’ lacrosse always has a trainer on the field. Along with this, there are penalties if you hit someone in the head with a stick, but these penalties, like in all high school sports, can be sporadically called by the referees. Likewise, there is no requirement for protective headgear. “Besides that, the girls’ lacrosse rulebook does not really have anything to prevent someone from hitting another person in the head,” Davis said. She said that people do not always treat concussions as seriously as they should. “I think they are a lot more serious than people are taking them. They are not thinking of what will happen in the future or how that is affecting you at school right now.” Junior Ben Bourdow is a rugby player and is another student who has received multiple concussions. “The first one was [when I was] snowboarding in Colorado. I was in the terrain park and went off the railing and landed badly on my head. The second time, I was playing soccer, and I went up for a header and [another player] hit me in the back of the head,” Bourdow said.
Both instances happened before he came to Aquinas—he was 13 and 14-yearsold, respectivly. Bourdow’s first concussion “was moderate—when I first hit my head, I blacked out for a couple of seconds and didn’t remember anything until the hospital. Then after that, I just didn’t sleep for the whole night and was throwing up. The soccer one wasn’t as bad--I didn’t black out or anything, but I felt really dizzy and queasy,” Bourdow said. When he was injured the first time, he was unprepared for what came next. “I had never had one before so I was just really confused and was really out of it, too. I wasn’t thinking clearly, but I was pretty sure I had {a concussion]. And then when I got the soccer one, I knew instantly,” Bourdow said. After the first, he had persistent headaches for weeks after and was allowed to forego tests at school because of it. His second time around only called for him to sit out a month of the soccer season, as protocol requires. Since his recovery, Bourdow does not believe he has suffered any long-term effects. Junior Kate Goza has shared a simlar experience as she recieved two concussions from playing soccer. “The first time, I tackled during soccer and my head hit the ground so hard I got [a concussion]. The other one...I hit heads with [another player],” Goza said. Like both Bourdow and Davis, Goza realized she had received a concussion the moment it happened a second time, but she kept playing even though she felt that “something wasn’t right.” Since her last injury, Goza is confident that she is back in good health. She does not believe her concussions have affected her long term because “they were both minor [concussions],” and she has since recovered.
Rachael Lawler Copy Editor
January Issue
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Al Miner
Mr. Miner brings more than just his technology classes to Saint Thomas Aquinas he brings creativity.
E
veryone knows Al Miner as the computer teacher at Saint Thomas Aquinas. If you have been in his room, maybe you have seen a few of his vintage Mac computers, or coding on the projector, but there is a lot more to Mr. Miner than just that. HALO, which is becoming bigger and bigger as technological advancements are being made, is run with the help of Mr. Miner. Getting a live stream out to every classroom is no easy task, but he has been and will continue to put in time and work into making HALO a regular part of our school life. “I think now that we have most of the issues ironed out we’ll be able to go into regular daily production of morning announcements and/or weekly news magazine style shows.” Miner’s vintage computer collection provides a spectacle that most students have never even seen before. Technology has evolved so much over the years that it is hard to remember that they used to be these big, bulky, gray boxes with a screen.
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Clare Hernandez Senior Reporter
“They weren’t all vintage when I got them,” Miner said, “Some of little Macintosh computers came with my first job at St. Thomas More elementary in Omaha. In 1993, Apple had only recently stopped making the oldest ones and the newest were acquired as soon as they arrived in the used computer stores. I outfitted the school with used Macs over the course of about 6 years.” As the school got newer models, he would take some of the old computers that they no longer needed home, and brought them to Kansas when he moved. He even spent a bit of his time tinkering to get them back into working condition, “but now they mostly sit. Some should still work though. Lately I’ve been into collecting and restoring mid-20th century microphones. They look cool and are functional. I’m a sucker for well designed functional stuff.” He did not collect these computers just to have sitting around. With them, he has made some amazing original creations. “I have two Mac helmets. One was a 1986(ish) Mac Plus, and the other was a 1991/2 Mac Classic. I also have a Macquarium. Which is a Mac Plus (or maybe a 512k) with a fish tank instead of a screen.”
Miner in a Monitor
Miner takes a casual photo with his head replaced with a computer monitor. He made not one, but two helmets with these retro Apple monitors. Photo courtesy of Mr. Miner.
“
[Coding] is the field of
the future.
Everybody should do
a little programming
just to get an
idea of the
logic behind it.
January Issue
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Real Life Rom-Com T
ucked away in a small corner of Latin America lies the little nation of Belize. Known by the rest of the world for the beautiful blue Caribbean Sea that flanks its eastern border, here at Saint Thomas Aquinas, the lush jungle of the Belizian countryside is also known as a sort of second home for math teacher Katherine Kennedy, one that has set her on the adventure of a lifetime. After graduating from Benedictine College in the spring of 2014, Katherine Kennedy (Kat) did what many young twenty-somethings dream of doing -- she hopped on a plane to a foreign country and started work in a field she was wildly passionate about. Through the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (SOLT), Kennedy was able to volunteer a year
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of her life teaching to children in Belize. It was wild, it was unexpected, and it also led to some connections that would change her life in even more unimaginable ways. “It all started because his niece was one of my students,” Kennedy said. Her presence in the classroom allowed for her to get to know the families of the kids she taught. The Lopez family was one. “And I knew his nephew, Christian, as a soccer player, though he was kind of a pain. I thought I really want this kid to see Christ and to know Christ, so his nephew kind of became my project child. From then on I grew really close to his family.” Kennedy had heard of this mysterious “Tio Gabby” every once in a while. He worked in the
jungle for a non-profit and rarely came home, so for the entire year Kennedy lived in Belize, this man remained a mystery. Little did she entire year Kennedy lived in Belize, this man remained a mystery. Little did she know, their paths would cross soon enough. But for now, her time was up. After a year of volunteering her teaching talents, she was called back to the States to start as an Algebra 1 teacher at Aquinas for the 2015-2016 school year. Once again, Kennedy packed her bags, hopped on a plane, and set off for the next chapter in her life. The next summer, strong willed Christian was finally graduating high school. Kennedy considered this unmissable, so she traveled back for the first time since she left nearly a year prior. Then Christian was injured in a terrible motorcycle accident. Devoted to her second family in Belize, Kennedy extended her stay for another month in order to help take care of Christian during his recovery. “He was in really bad shape and they needed someone constantly at home to make sure he now woke up from his naps, took his medicine, ate, etc. It was during that time that Gabriel and I met.” He was not exactly Kennedy’s idea of a knight in shining armour. The first time they met, he was wearing his 10-year-old niece’s flip-flops with socks on, baggy cargo shorts that went past his knees, and a raggedy t-shirt to boot. What he lacked in dress-sense, his personality made up for Kennedy thought. “We became really good friends. I was always around his family, taking care of Christian, and he would always give me a ride back home to where I was staying in a nearby town and so we just started chatting. It was actually when I was chaperoning Kairos after I returned to the States that I made the first move and told him I liked him.” He read the message and replied, “Oh.” Kennedy thought she had ruined everything. Staring at her Facebook Messenger, their only means of communication, she accepted that her move had put an end not only to the chance of a relationship with him, but also the extraordinary friendship they build along the way. Not a day later though, Gabriel explained that he reciprocated the feelings, but spotty jungle WiFi had prevented his extended message from getting to her until now. “He invited me for Christmas we started dating right then. Three Christmases since I stepped foot in Belize, I’ve taught, I’ve traveled, and now, I’m engaged.” That last little bit happened on her most recent trip south for Christmas. Kennedy had a suspicion that he would propose sometime soon, but after each perfect opportunity
passed by without a ring to show for it, she started losing hope. “First came Christmas Eve, a really family-oriented event in Belize that ends in a glorious celebration, so I’m thinking perfect! -- there’s fireworks, there’s family, we’re dressed up… nothing. Then came our our 2-year anniversary -- we got dressed up, ate dinner, went stargazing... nothing. I mean I had gotten my nails done before I went down, but now I wasn’t so sure.” That is, until the next Sunday. After mass, the couple and his family decided to picnic at a nearby Mayan ruin called Xunantunich. They started playing hide and seek, and it was Kennedy’s turn to be it. The first person she spotted after counting to 100 was Gabriel standing in broad daylight. “I thought, ‘Wow I stink at hiding, you really stink at hiding. Let’s remember to not be partners at this game. So he joins me to find everyone else and as I turn the corner to face this giant ruin, I see this bright neon yellow sign that says ‘Will you marry me?’ and I’m like, ‘Aw, that’s really cute! Someone’s getting proposed to.’ It took me a few seconds until I turned around and realized that it was for me. He got down on one knee, and I said yes. Now I’m going to marry my best friend.” This modern day romance may never had happened if all the little intricacies that allowed them to grow together had not fallen into place so perfectly. Both of them credit the Holy Spirit for all that they have now. “I was supposed to leave. I probably never would have met him, but then Christian’s accident happened. We were all angry at the time but looking back, it was the accident that brought us together. [Gabriel] has also been able to get different jobs that have opened up communication for us, he tried for a visa but was denied, something that allowed him to be there for his family during the unexpected passing of his brotherin-law, and I also think the Holy Spirit is what encouraged me to make the first move.” So here they are, three years later, thousands of air-miles traveled, and one engagement already underway, Katherine and Gabriel are very much in love. Cliches aside, their unlikely romance reads like something out of rom-com -- small town girl travels to foreign country for the adventure of a lifetime, and finds true love along the way. “Now,” Kennedy said, ”all I have to do is find my dress.”
Now I amgoing to marry my best friend.
Bumpy Ride
Kennedy riding on the back of a motorbike driven by her now fiance, Gabriel. The couple got engaged this past December. Photo courtesy of Katherine Kennedy.
Madison McMillen Editor-in-Chief
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Survey Spread Did you play Bandersnatch? Of course! 25.8%
What’s a Bandersnatch? 44.6%
No, I haven’t. 29.6%
Numbers come from the 395 students who submitted a response to The Shield survey sent out on January 15.
Sugar Puffs or Frosties? Are we still talking about cereal? 42.2%
Sugar Puffs 14%
Frosties 43.8%
Did you make any New Year’s Resolutions?
47.1%
No, I did not
31.6%
Yes, I did
21.3%
Already Failed
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What is your favorite season?
Summer
Winter
47.7%
14.5%
Do you like all the snow we’ve had this month? No! I’m ambivalent. 8.1% 16.2%
Yes, let it snow! 75.7%
Autumn
Spring
24.6% 13.2%
How many days do you work per week?
I don’t work. 52.9%
1-2 days 26.6%
3-4 days 15.1%
5+ days 5.4%% January Issue
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March for Life
Members of the Saint Thomas Aquinas community are using their voices to defend the right to life for all, from conception until natural death. Jan. 22, 1973: the infamous Roe v. Wade case legalized abortion. The court ruled that under the 14th Amendment, a woman has the right to terminate her pregnancy. It has been 46 years since the landmark decision and abortion is still legal in the United States, but thousands of people across the nation have held their voice. Teens for Life is one of Aquinas’ most popular clubs. Throughout the year, they plan and participate in various events, including the Rosemary Maher Walk for Life as well as the 40 Days for Life campaign. This January brought perhaps its biggest event: the annual March for Life. On Wednesday, Jan. 16, approximately 90 students and adults traveled to Washington D.C. to attend the national march. That next day, Friday, Jan. 18, they fulfilled their main goal. Though organizers of the march expected 100,000 attendees, according to journalist Ford Fischer, the streets held between 200,000 to 300,000 people from all over the country, all congregated for a single purpose: to give a voice to the unborn. Many students who did not have the opportunity to travel to D.C. chose to use their voice locally. On Tuesday, Jan. 22,
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Washington D.C. March for Life
Over 200,000 people march from the National Mall to the Capitol and Supreme Court. The theme for this year was “Unique from day One: Pro-life is pro-science.” Photo courtesy of Katie Kinnan.
approximately 120 students rode the bus to Topeka, Kansas to participate in a local March for Life. As they joined others from different areas of Kansas, they too became part of the pro-life movement across the nation. Senior Mallory Long has gone on the Aquinas trip to D.C. for three consecutive years.
“It is amazing being with so many people that I know and do not know, all fighting for the same thing,” Long said.
Deepthi Kailash Managing Editor
Alma Mater Saved by Spirit Club Once lost in obscurity, a seemingly small act led to one of Aquinas’ most beloved traditions.
T
he alma mater at St. Thomas Aquinas has been assumed by many current students to have always been a storied tradition at Aquinas, even though it was written by Denis Hord, a former music teacher at Aquinas, in 1989 and was barely used until 2013. Hord, hired from Bishop Ward at the opening of Aquinas, ended up truly affecting the music program at Aquinas. He would later go on to win the Marian Award in 2005 with his wife Geri. Long-time Aquinas English teacher Phil Farnan said, “He always was a good person and truly made the music program what it is today.” The alma mater was rarely sung Aquinas. All that changed in 2013. That was the year when Pete Andrews of the STA Spirit Club and photographer Michele Gress came up with the idea to sing it after a basketball game. When they sang it, “it was an instant hit,” said Serena Price, Spirit
Shop manager and former head of the now-extinct Spirit Club. After that game, the alma mater would be sung after or before all of the St. Thomas Aquinas Masses, football games, and basketball games. Junior Nick Broomfield said it is his favorite tradition at Aquinas. Broomfield said, “I like the fact that when we link arms it feels as if we are unified together as a family embracing each other.” Broomfield, a former sophomore team basketball player added, “Although I never got to sing the alma mater on the court as a player, I can only imagine what it is what it was like singing, especially after a win against St. James.” Science teacher Jake Kupersmith, class of ‘06 is now the head varsity basketball coach. “I love the togetherness it brings to us as a school,” Kupersmith said when asked about the alma mater.
”You know, we almost never sang the alma mater at all [while I was a student], so it really has made a revival since I went here. Now, I see kids after the alma mater truly embrace their classmates and show their pride to be a Saint.” LaBella’s look into the usage of the alma mater is his first story featured in The Shield. He was part of the first Mass Communications class, fall 2018.
Joey LaBella Contributer
January Issue
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Weathering It Out
Sophomore Kate Weisner smiles for the camera as she trudges through the rainy streets for the Topeka March for Life. The students braved less than ideal conditions in order to “give a voice to the voiceless.� Photo by Clare Hernandez, The Shield.
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January Issue
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Seven new students have just joined the Aquinas community. Here is a quick peek into their lives and what they hope to do as a Saint. Madison McMillen Editor-in-Chief
Last School: Shawnee Mission West Why Aquinas? I liked the students and loved my friends, [but at my old school] there were was just too many kids to a class, and the teachers didn’t have enough time to see to each student. Extracurriculars: Key Club, possibly student council and softball
Madison Gaddy ‘21 Last School: Blue Valley Northwest Why Aquinas? I was looking for a different enviroment. The people are really nice here, and the teachers seem more invested. Extracuriculars: I plan on playing football next fall, maybe a spring sport. I’m not sure yet.
Thomas Manske ‘21
The New Kids 20
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What’s different at Aquinas? The last time I was around this many boys was in middle school and well … I realized just how short I actually am.
Could Not Be Reached for Questions:
Any hobbies? I basically [grew] up in my mom’s art room. Art and writing is where I go when I need a break from reality.
Noah Sharon ‘22
Last School: Notre Dame de Sion
Lilian Hutteger ‘20 Last School: Shawnee Mission Northwest What’s different at Aquinas? Aquinas is different because it is much smaller and, obviously, more religious. Looking forward to... spring sports. I plan on doing track this year.
Last School: Blue Valley Southwest
Anna Espenmiller ‘20 Last School: Blue Valley Southwest
Peter Arvanitakis ‘20 Last School: Shawnee Mission Northwest
Martha Arvantakis ‘22
on the Block January Issue
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SOCIAL
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SPREAD
The Shield
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ast ook
1
3 2
1. Swinging Saints performs at Show Choir Preview Night on Jan. 14. Photo courtesy of Sydney Taylor, the Medallion. 2 . Sophomore Keeshawn Mason takes a shot at the boys’ basketball game against Miege. The team lost 57 to 50. Photo courtesy of Katie Muckerman, the Medallion. 3. Sophomore Madison Skelton evades her opponent at the girls’ basketball game against Miege. The girls lost 56 to 46. Photo courtesy of Ellie Loe, the Medallion. 4. Students participate in the March for Life at Topeka. The 120 students were a part of the annual school trip to the state capital. Photo courtesy of Clare Hernandez, the Shield.
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The Shield Volume 31
The Students’ Voice of Saint Thomas Aquinas High School 11411 Pflumm Road Overland Park, Kansas 66210 (913) 345-1411 stashield stashield stashield aquinasgameday Saint Thomas Aquinas Shield
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