Author Spotlight
Libby Marsh
Band Trip:
The SME band program traveled to London to march in the New Year’s Day Parade and perform at Cadogan Hall. They left at the end of December 2022 and returning at the beginning of January 2023. This experience gave them the opportunity to tour the city and connect with each other.
“We all had the same anxiety going into it but we all had the same success,” then marching band member, bassoon player and sophomore Chloe Swan said.
Commons Open:
After nearly a year of construction, the commons area opened at the beginning of the second semester. The new $3 million addition holds two classrooms, part of the new art gallery and a space for presentations and meetings. However, questions have been raised about how useful the space actually is and if the resources used to build it could have been put towards something else.
Spongebob Musical:
The theatre department put on their own production of The SpongeBob Musical. Then-seniors Kate Whitefield, Fritz Sullivan, Wyatt Oligmueller and Grace Fields and then-juniors Layla Ledford and Sam Williamson all held lead roles as Spongebob, Patrick, Mr. Krabs, Squidward, Sandy and Plankton. Performances were held on Feb. 2, 3 and 4.
Look at costumes from the musical
Sweetheart Dance:
The Sweetheart dance theme this year was “Queen of Hearts.” Tickets were sold beginning on Feb. 6 and the week leading up to the dance was also a school spirit week. The day before the dance, the Sweetheart court was announced to be then-seniors Hassan Sufi, CJ Leonard, Louis Prosser-Gedhardt, Grace Fields, Ava Cooper and Anna Wurst. On Feb. 11 the event was kicked off with an in-school pep assembly and then later that night from 8 to 10, the dance was held in the cafeteria — decorated with red balloons, streamers and giant playing cards.
Chiefs Win Super Bowl:
The Kansas City Chiefs claimed their third Super Bowl title on Feb. 12 defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35. It was their fifth time competing in the game and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce faced his brother and Eagles center Jason — the first time brother was pitted against brother in the Super Bowl.
Fentanyl Awareness Presentation:
A rise in deaths caused by fentanyl poisoning led to the need for a school assembly on March 7. Speakers Libby Davis and Jamie Katz shared about the dangers of the drug and Davis shared her experience with her son who died after unknowingly taking a counterfeit Percocet with fentanyl in it.
Taylor Swift Eras Tour Starts:
Taylor Swift began her Eras Tour on March 17. The tour came to Kansas City in early July and featured a collection of songs from all of her albums including: “Cruel Summer”, “Delicate”, “Anti-Hero”, “Lover”, “Enchanted” and more. Swift is arguably the most famous and influential musician, winning 12 Grammys according to Forbes. Her tour helped bring the United States out of a near recession, according to Markets Insider.
Taylor Swift’s impact on the economy
Reverie Musical:
Then-senior Grace Fields wrote and directed her own musical based on old letters and diaries from her grandmother. Her junior year independent study turned into a full-on production performed and produced by students at East.
Walk Out Against Gun Violence:
Nearly 250 East students walked out in protest of gun violence in schools on April 5. East Against Gun Violence organized the event as part of a national walkout. There was also a rally on the football field and then-juniors and co-presidents of EAGV Emma Kuhlman and Emma Krause gave a speech about the issue to gathered students.
King Charles III Crowned:
King Charles III was crowned on May 6 following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth in September 2022 after over 70 years of ruling. She was the longest-reigning monarch in the history of England.
End of COVID as a Global Health Emergency:
The World Health Organization officially announced the end of COVID — the pandemic that claimed over 765 million lives — as a global health emergency on May 5. The three year long pandemic shut down the world but had been on a downward trend allowing life to return to “normal,” according to UN News.
Journalism Workshop in Dallas:
East’s journalism program, including Harbinger and Hauberk, traveled to Dallas over the summer for the annual Gloria Shields National Student Press Association Media Workshop. Staffers attended classes throughout the week and ended the trip with the “J-rave” — a mixer attended by all schools at the workshop — and an award ceremony. The East program won an award for Hardest Working School and many students won individual awards.
French and Spanish Classes Travel to Europe:
The Spanish and French classes went on a trip to Europe starting in London, then Paris and finally Madrid. The goal of the trip was for students to learn more about the culture of the language they are learning and also to help each other, according to Spanish teacher Krista Calvano.
“So much of our world is in Johnson County but when you hear people that speak the language, when you see people that look just like you but speak French or speak Spanish it’s just pretty cool to be like, ‘Oh, I have this ability,’” Calvano said.
Barbie Movie:
The “Barbie” movie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling was released on July 21. The movies made a total of $1.44 billion in worldwide sales, according to Statista. In addition to the overwhelming success of the movie financially it affected many people in other ways causing over half of viewers to change their opinion of women in the workplace, according to The Blue Banner.
Freshman Link Dance:
The class of 2027 received a warm welcome from East’s Link Crew on their first day of school — August 15. Then three days later the annual Link Dance was hosted in the cafeteria and all students attended in bright pink outfits and sparkles to fit the theme of the year: Barbie.
Lancer Day:
On a day known to every East student and alumni, Mission Road was filled with students dressed according to the theme — “Lancer Gameday,” for the annual Lancer Day. A rally was then held at the bell tower with speeches from Student Body President and senior Jack Kessler, Principal Jason Peres and Mayor of Prairie Village Eric Mikkelson. Later that night the Varsity Football Team fell to Gardener Edgerton 42-7 in their first game of the season.
Art Gallery Opens:
Art teacher Adam Finkelston’s long-time vision of an art gallery at East came true. After the addition of rooms due to the commons, there was additional space to create an art gallery for students, staff and local artists to share their work.
Fashion Show:
Sophomore Paige Bean organized a fashion show put on by students to raise funds for electric car charging ports in the senior lot. The event was held in the auditorium and tickets were available to purchase online or in-person.
Hamas Terrorist Attack:
Hamas terrorists launched an attack on Israel starting early in the morning on Oct. 7, according to ABC News. Around 1,200 Israelis were killed, according to CSIS.
SHARE Dodgeball Tournament:
SHARE hosted their annual dodgeball tournament to collect cereal box donations for the Johnson County Christmas Bureau. There were 23 teams of eight players and seniors Jack Jones, Teddy Saylor, Peter Stechulte, Joey Hoffman, Wes Lyerly, Patrick Flint, Nick Lindmark and Conor Neusel took home the title of champions.
Walk Out Against Racism:
Following a racist attack on black student and sophomore Brey Brown, many students walked out of their fourth-hour class on Nov. 27 to protest racism at East. A video of the fight occurring on Nov. 15 went viral sparking protests across the nation.
MORP Dance:
The annual MORP dance was held on Dec. 15 after being postponed due to recent events. This is the second year since COVID that the dance has happened and was a district wide event meaning students from all Shawnee mission schools could come to the East cafeteria. The theme for the year was villains vs. superheroes.
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