News in Briefs: Catch up on school and local news

The Shindig, a western-themed fundraiser, will be held at Milburn Country Club on Feb. 1 at 6:30 p.m. and will include a small dinner and entertainment. Sponsored by the East Fund, the event has raised grant money for East teachers since 2013.

President of the East Fund Board and East mom, Leslie Eakes has been integral in the planning process.

“The East Fund supports the school by awarding grants to teachers and educators to touch as many students as possible in the building,” Eakes said. “We want to further students’ education and enhance their experience at East. [The Shindig] is a wonderful event, a great cause and we would just love as many people to come as possible.”

The Shindig will feature the Lancer Mascot, SME cheerleaders and singer Travis Gibson. There will also be a small dinner and a silent auction — selling items like local artist Michael Savage’s prints, front-row graduation seats and a graduation party starter kit from the East Fund.

East Fund Ambassador and junior Anna Cicero will be at the fundraiser to give out silent auction tokens — allowing parents to bid on items — and welcome guests.

“It’s a really important job for [East Fund Ambassadors] to be there so that we can talk to parents about how their money is actually going somewhere and how it impacts kids,” Cicero said.

Overall, the Shindig raises $30,000 to $50,000 each year, making up around half of the money that the East Fund gives in grants to teachers.

“I think it’s important to support our community and to support the East Fund,” Eakes said. “The Shindig is also fun to get out and maybe meet some new people and have a night out on the town.”

The Kansas City Public Library held its “New Year, New Discoveries” event from 1-3 p.m. on Jan. 25 at the Plaza Branch to showcase Kansas City organizations and programs.

“New Year, New Discoveries” has been held at the library since 2023 and involves over 35 organizations sharing information about their programs. Spanning from the Kemper Teen Group to The Kansas City Star, each organization had a table set up to share information about their services with community members. 

Teen Services Coordinating Librarian Kelsey Bates was enthusiastic about “New Year, New Discoveries” as a way to spread information to the Kansas City community.

“One of my main goals is for people to see the library as a community resource,” Bates said. “Being able to bring all of these additional community resources together to create a one-stop shop for people is something that I really value as a librarian.”

This goal of “New Year, New Discoveries” is evident in the East community as students use the library for resources outside of books. Junior Ava Carroll uses the library frequently for study sessions and appreciates the welcoming and quiet atmosphere.

“[The library] is a study place that’s quiet where I can work,” Carroll said. “I would say it’s cool that there’s all ages there too, and people outside of our circle that we get to see.”

Although “New Year, New Discoveries” had many opportunities for teenagers, including assistance with resumé writing and printing to prepare for interviews, the program was ultimately open to all ages including events such as library Tech support.

“We try to make sure that we have something that would interest a 14-year-old or a 34-year-old because the library is there for everyone,” Bates said.