th

eS hieldS a i n t T ho m as A q ui n as Hig h S c ho ol

February 24, 2015 Volume 27, Issue 6

CONTENTS

THECountdown44Days to

Prom 86 Days toGraduation

17Days toSpring Break

CAMPUS NEWS

EXTRAS

SPORTS

OPINIONS

FEATURES

Addressing the Uniform Debate: 4-6

How Mass Gets Set Up: 7-9

Journalism Honor Society Named After Sue Waters: 11-12

Magazine Sale Should be Done Away With: 29

Changes Should be Made to STA Period: 30-32

19 Seniors Sign Letters of Intent: 34-35

Tommy Talks: 10

The Best of Social Media: 16-17

Centerspread: Faculty Marriages: 20-21

Clean Joke of February: 28

Survey Says: 33

Cap That: 36-37

Last Look: 38-39

The Farnans: Longest Marriage of Aquinas Teachers: 13-15

Teachers who are Engaged: 18-19

A Closer Look at the Johnson County “Bubble”: 22-24

Students with Long Commutes to School: 25-27

Cover Photo courtesy of Michele GressSeniors James Pyle and Madison Holmes dance together at WPA. The couple dressed up as Clark Kent and Lois Lane for the “Dynamic Duo” themed dance.

Saint Thomas Aquinas High School

11411 Pflumm RoadOverland Park, KS 66215

913-319-2460www.stasaints.net/shield

Co-Editors-in-ChiefJanie Bachkora

Jordan Eberhardy

Centerspread EditorAnthony George

Social Media EditorAlex Kinnan

Campus News EditorKatie Bernard

ReportersJordan Bartz

Ellie HeitAlex Kinnan

Jackson McElroyDaniel Petracek

MISSION STATEMENTThe 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 mem-bers are responsible for the content of the newspa-per 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.

hieldSthe

ADVERTISINGThe Shield sells advertisements to help with publica-tion 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 mhal-lauer@stasaints.net, or visit www.stasaints.net/shield

SUBSCRIPTIONSSubscriptions to The Shield are $2 per issue. Subscriptions can be sent to Saint Thomas Aquinas High School c/o Matt Hallauer.

LETTER POLICYLetters may be accepted by The Shield, provid-ed 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.

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Adviser Matt Hallauer

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Campus News

Why do we wear a uniform?

Sarah Burgess, Atheltic Director

“The purpose of a uniform is to provide a uniform appearance in order to promote school identity and a sense of community, promote pride and responsibility in personal appearance, reduce the cost of buying clothes, and reduce competition among students based on physical appearance.”

Julieana Hendricks, Science Teacher

“To show uniformity and to show that we are united as a group it is important to enforce it because its a rule and its part of what is expected of you when you sign up to come here it is important to enforce it because if not everyone does it everyone gets a different message on what is appropriate and not”

Alie Carr,Class of 2016

“I like school uniforms i had them for 8 years in grade school and then I went to public school freshman year and it was annoying choosing an outfit every morning. The purpose is to make us look like we got our stuff together and we are a community of saints.”

Caroline Backs,Class of 2015

“The overall purpose of the uniform is to look the same and like one body. But sometimes

the uniform does limit the individual right to express yourself it seems like. I personally really do like wearing a uniform because it’s super easy to get ready in the morning and comfortable. But I do want the ability to be able to accessorize the way I want to.”

Meredith Bush,Class of 2017

“The purpose of a uniform is to keep students looking classy and well dressed.”

ADDRESSING THE ISSUE

A look at the reason for our uniform, how it is enforced and the opinions of students and faculty regarding it

By Katie BernardPhoto by Katie Bernard | The Shield

Senior Holly Hanson (left) and Junior Abbey Hopfinger (right)pose for the Shield to demonstrate that a skirt four inches off the knees will look

drastically different depending upon the girl.

All explanations for uniform rules were provided by Sarah

Burgess.

Skirts Skirts should be worn comfortably around the waist and should not measure more than 4” off the floor all the way around when kneeling on the floor. Girls wearing excessively short skirts will receive detention and asked to wear pants, asked to lower hem to proper length or asked to purchase a new skirt.

Why? We want our girls to look nice, and most of them do. ... I do know that 8-10 inches is too short ... so the closer to 4 you can get, the better it looks. I don’t expect every senior girl to go out and buy new skirts. But, if your skirt doesn’t fit you anymore, then you are expected to get one that does, or wear pants. Those girls who have a skirt 8 or 10 inches above the knee are the ones who will continue receiving detentions.

Teacher Opinion “A student’s short skirt length can lead to other people’s being uncomfort-able around that student ( going up stairs behind

her? sitting in class with her?) as well as leading to, perhaps, erroneous ideas about that student, based on what is “on display”. For a skirt length, my opinion is that skirts should come to the top of the kneecap. This way, there would be no subjectivity involved in deciding whether the skirt is “long enough”, or not. Nor would anyone have to bust out a ruler to see whether the length is ap-propriate or not. Yes, this would look a little “Amish”, but we could all go up the stairs without fear of see-ing someone’s “business”. We wouldn’t feel uncom-fortable sitting in front of or in a class with seated girls. No one would be able to make assumptions about a student based on her skirt length.” Spanish teacher, Lisa Stoecklein said

Student Opinon “I think that the faculty should rethink the manda-tory length and base it off of other factors like hight.” Carr Said “The administration/teachers should be more considerate when they give a detention on a Monday and want it fixed the next day. I can’t turn it around that fast in one night. I really only have one skirt and my mom isn’t going to want to pay 50 bucks for another skirt or pay 20 bucks to a tailor to fix it when I’m grad-uating in less than 100 days ... Around mid thigh or a little more would be

an appropriate length. I also really think it heavily depends on each individ-ual girl because for some girls they have longer legs than others so while one skirt length on one girl looks short on another it could look perfectly fine.” Backs said “The purpose is to keep our school looking classy and not trashy” Bush said

Shoes Shoes and sandals worn must have an en-closed heel. NO EXCEP-TIONS. Slip on footwear like flip flops, rubber sport sandals, mules, and slip on tennis shoes, slippers, fur lined or regular moc-

casins, whether they have soles or not, are all examples of improp-er footwear for school. No boots shall be worn with skirts.

Why? “Shoes need a back strap because flip flops are dangerous in crowded hallways and stairways...(lots

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1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  

First  Semester  

February  

Uniform Violations First Semster and February

Knee  or  Lower  

4"  up  

6"  up  

8"  up  

10"  up  

12"  up  

Pants  

What is an appropriate skirt length?

Campus News

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of tripping and stepping on shoes). No straps and all we will see is flip flops. Boots look bad with the skirts in my opinion. What kind of boots do we allow? Uggs, army boots? We limit footwear to tennis shoes and dress shoes and sandals with a strap. Again, too many choices and it becomes a contest of who can express their individuality the best?”

Teacher Opinion “I don’t [write students up for boots] unless its crazy obnoxious ... I think [boots] look tacky, I don’t think it reflects who we are,” Hendricks said.

Student Opinion “More than likely [boots are] a uniformity thing. I understand that rule it does look drastical-ly different and separate

one uniform look from another,” Carr said. “I understand the pur-pose of not having open back shoes because they could slip off easily when walking to classes. But moccasins I don’t really understand why we aren’t allowed to wear them. If they have a back and some kind of sole on the bottom, they are just like any other shoe. Certain tall boots I can under-stand,” Carr said. “It is just a preference of style. The current era and generation we are in thinks it looks completely fine to wear socks over tights or leggings, while our teachers think it doesn’t look acceptable. It is just a difference of opin-ion really,” Backs said.

Sweatshirts There is only ONE designated uniform sweatshirt students may wear with uniform skirts or pants. This crew neck sweatshirt comes in navy or gray and is available for purchase exclusively through the Saint Thom-as Aquinas Spirit Shop. Jackets, coats, and sweaters or sweatshirts (other than those de-scribed earlier) may NOT be worn in school.

Why? “Regarding the sweatshirts, I am not opposed to having more Saint Thomas Aquinas sweatshirts as uniform options. But once again, you provide more options then all of a sudden you see every club, sports, special event sweatshirt trying to be passed off as

a uniform.”Teacher Opinion

“Because so many kids do wear outside jackets it might be nice to have another option,” Hendricks said.

Student “The sweatshirts we have available are not attractive. If the faculty wants students to stop wearing illegal sweat-shirts then they should make sweatshirts that the student will be willing to wear,” Bush said. “I understand the pur-pose of not having outside sweatshirts like college teams but not not being able to wear an Aquinas one. I think if the adminis-tration was to change this to just Aquinas sweat-shirts the students would be a lot happier,” Backs said.

Prior to February, how many of your teachers allowed illegal tops?

If Aquinas required ladies to wear pants, would you have chosen a different school?

25%

20%

15%

10%

5%

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Creating Mass Aquinas Style

A collection of student-volunteers that number to about 150, overseen by teachers, set up the details of Mass so students and faculty can

celebrate the Eucharist together as a school.By Jordan Bartz

Six to eight hours is what most Aquinas students would describe their average sleep a night, while this is the time that Fr. Daniel Schmitz spends on creating his homily for each all school Mass.

Fr. Schmitz said, “My homily takes the most time by a lot. It takes 6-8 hours of preparations because I have to think of a common issue that students can relate to. Have to get that ‘hook’ to catch their

attention.”The preparation

of Mass goes way beyond just Fr. Schmitz. The Masses are mostly student led with the guidance of theology teachers Phyllis Distler and Mary Ann Hilgers, who help the students when they have a problem.

Distler said, “It takes a lot to produce an all-school Mass. Obviously you have to have the priest, but it also takes Mrs. Hilgers’ and my own theology classes, along with

STAPLES, to set up the gym and to clean up afterwards.”

The students who help lead this production of the all-school Mass are seniors Gretchen Cummings and Rachel Spenner, who are in charge of STAPLES, and Abby Pope, who is in charge of scheduling the senior eucharistic ministers.

Pope said, “The preparation of Mass is student led. We find the people to bring up the gifts, distribute

Communion, servers and find readers. We go to Mrs. Distler and Mrs. Hilgers if we are having a hard time finding someone and they can kind of help us get the word out. This can happen a lot if we can’t find enough volunteers.”

The morning before the Mass, the students bring in all the chairs from the commons and put out all the signs for where people are supposed to sit and where the eucharistic Ministers will stand.

Campus News

Photo Jordan Bartz | The ShieldThe Aquinas choir leads the student body in the school’s alma mater at the all school mass celebrated with Archbishop Naumann. The singing of the alma mater has become an Aquinas tradition to start each mass.

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They also make sure that everything is set up the right way on thealtar and sacristans.

Cummings said, “It takes a lot more time than you would think to do all this. We usually start preparing for it about a week and a half before the mass with a meeting of some kind. It’s sort of difficult because we have to kind of guesstimate the amount of hosts we need because we can’t bless more if we run out, but we also don’t want to have a bunch left over.”

Distler said, “Between the STAPLES meeting and planning the STAPLES meeting, along with trying to help out finding people to do all the necessary jobs, I would say I spend about 7-8 hours per Mass on it.”

For the morning Masses, the students usually don’t help out too much. That is usually the job of Fr. Schmitz and one of the theology teachers depending on the morning. On occasion, Father will ask a student or two for help if there is a ton of kids at morning Mass that day, but usually it’s pretty straight forward.

Fr. Schmitz said, “For the morning Mass, usually I get there about 15 minutes early and only spend about 20ish minutes on the homily. I just say something about the saint of the day or the bible passage. The only setup I have to do in the morning is little details to the altar, like making sure that all the candles have oil in them.”

Distler said, “I usually

don’t help all that much in the mornings except for a couple times a week when I am up here. I do have to give a shoutout, though, to Dr. Sullivan because many people don’t realize it but he’s always there to celebrate morning Mass with the students.”

If any student wants to get involved with helping with the process of Mass, the easiest way would be to contact either Distler, Hilgers or one of the student volunteers.

Distler said, “Any student from any grade can join STAPLES at any time of the year. If they just come to a meeting we have once a month on a Wednesday, then they can get signed up for whatever they would like to help out with.”

Photos by Jordan Bartz | The ShieldLeft: Staples members Alex Wagner and Anna Radetic place signs so Senior Eucaristic Ministers know where to stand. Right: Senior Rachel Spenner puts the finishing touches on the alter before mass by lighting the candles. The mass was held January 28th, the feast day of Saints Thomas Aquinas and was led by Archbishop Naumann.

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Campus News

Campus News

Favorite Part about Setting up Mass?Fr. Schmitz: “I love saying the Our Father as a school. It’s when the most students are participating and praying to our Savior and for some reason it is just the moment that I cherish the most.”

Gretchen Cummings: “Sometimes if we get done fast enough in the morning then we can have a little extra time and that’s always fun.”

Mrs. Distler: “Seeing all my STAPLES kids would be by far the best part because they are all just nice kids that are fun to be around.”

If you would like more information on how to join STAPLES, contact moderators Phyllis Distler and Mary Ann Hilgers, or student leaders Abby Pope, Rachel Spenner and Gretchen Cummings.

Connect with us today.

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TommyTalks

SendiMessage

SAINTS! Whatever you do in life give it 100%... unless you are donating blood. We might not have donated 100% of our blood but we had such a great turnout this year at our annual NHS Blood Drive. Even if you passed out, I’m sure it was worth it! But really, the Saints are the best at giving 100%. You can see that we give 100% each day by the hardworking winter athletes, the 19 senior-athletes that committed at the National Signing Ceremony, students handling their homework loads, the great second turn-in-day push with the magazine sale, and of course... giving it 100% on the dance floor at WPA! Maybe even 110%? It was an exhausting week and dance for sure so thank Jesus for Abraham Lincoln and George Washington giving us President’s Day #Merica. You should also probably thank your teachers too because they had conferences when you had your day off! Good stuff Saints, good stuff. Now how about what’s coming up? Spring Break is right around the corner people! Hope you are hyped up! But before then, winter sports championships are to be played, spring sports begin, and we HAVE TO HAVE A SNOW DAY! Right? Let’s finish off the grind before break with a positive attitude and smile. Remember to go make someone’s day, remember to take off your illegal sweatshirt ;) and remember to never pass the ball on the one-yard line @seattle seahawks. Stay swaggy Saints, Tommy

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Campus News

Journalism Honor Society Named for Sue

Waters

Saint Thomas Aquinas journalism students created their own chapter of the Quill and Scroll International Honor Society for High School Journalists and named it

after Sue Waters who forged Aquinas’ journalism program 27 years ago.

By Janie Bachkora

Photo by Jordan Eberhardy | The ShieldSue Waters reacts to journalism students marching into her room to announce naming their honor society for her. She served as the Aquinas journalism adviser from 1988-1995.

On Tuesday, January 20, at the start of first hour, a trumpet could be heard blasting throughout SMC. Head of the English Department and former newspaper and yearbook adviser Sue Waters sat behind her desk in utter surprise as a parade of yearbook and newspaper staff members marched into her room carrying a Quill and Scroll banner. They announced to her that their chapter of the journalism international honor society would be named the Sue Waters Chapter of the Quill and Scroll International Honor Society for High School Journalists. “That’s like the nicest thing

ever! I was so surprised! It was such a great, surprising honor,” Waters said. This newspaper you are holding was created using dozens of computers. These pages that you flip through contain an abundance

of colored ink. These photos that you view were taken using state-of-the-art cameras. When Waters walked into the journalism room 27 years ago, none of these things were available.

“We had two computers (they were the only computers in the entire school), but nobody had a clue how to use them,” said Waters. “Everyday I would just pray that I’d be able to figure it out.”

Her success during her seven years as the journalism adviser would lead most to believe that she definitely figured it out. During the beginning of first semester, senior Medallion staff member Brianna Woicke asked journalism adviser Matt Hallauer why students involved in yearbook, newspaper, and literary magazine didn’t get to wear cords at graduation. “I just feel like journalism kids don’t get enough credit for what they do for the school,” Woicke said. “Gabby (Ciccarelli, senior Medallion staff member) and I researched journalism national honor societies. We found Quill and Scroll and gave Mr. Hallauer the application,” Woicke said. Woicke also talked to Academic Principal Brian Schenck about

“ It was such a great, surprising

honor!

SUE WATERSFormer Journalism

Adviser”

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Campus News

the society and asked his permission to wear cords. Woicke said he was more than fine with the idea. “Mr. Hallauer and I then figured out what criteria students needed to meet in order to join.” They decided that students must have completed a journalism class, participate in a service project, and have a 96 in a journalism class or be in the top third of their graduating class. “We were trying to decide on a name for our chapter, and we thought back to the beginnings of Aquinas student publications, and it became pretty obvious who deserved to be honored.

Mrs. Waters founded Aquinas journalism,” said another senior Medallion staff member Liz Conard. Counselor Laura Cline, who was the journalism adviser from 1995-2005, said, “Sue Waters had high expectations for her journalism students and set the tone for what student publications should be. She gave us a firm foundation. She is a sharp lady with sharp skills and an excellent teacher.” Waters ended her career with

a total of 24 years advising newspaper and journalism, 17 at a high school in

Omaha and Bishop Miege High School and seven at Aquinas. She said after

that many years it was time, but she still misses it sometimes. “The coolness of the technology has changed and the speed of getting things done has changed, but the camaraderie and spending time together and laughing, that hasn’t changed,” Waters said.

[Waters] set the tone for what

student publications should be.

Laura ClineFormer Journalism

Adviser

”“

Photo by Jordan Eberhardy | The ShieldSenior Drake Stobie makes the surprise announcement to Mrs. Waters during her first hour class that Aquinas’ journalism honor society will be named for her.

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Till Death D

Till Death

Do us PartBy Jordan Eberhardy

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Features

“We meant forever when we said it and are both stubborn enough to hold on during the tough times.” This is what Mrs. Farnan said when asked what has allowed her marriage to be successful since June 7th, 1969 when she and Mr. Farnan got married. Phil Farnan met Betty Cockrill in high school when they were sophomores, and Betty was the new girl at the school. Mr. Farnan recalls being grounded after their first date on August 9th, 1964 because he got home late and had taken the car without permission. After that, they dated throughout high school and became good friends, even best friends said Mr. Farnan. The story of how Mr. Farnan proposed is an interesting one. The date, September 7th, was chosen with purpose. “That day is her dad’s birthday. She and her dad had a really awesome relationship and I had a lot of respect for him so I had planned to ask her to marry me on that day,” said Mr. Farnan. They had already picked out the ring together, but Mr. Farnan needed to go pick up the ring and couldn’t slip away to go get it since Mrs. Farnan was skeptical of him leaving. When he finally returned with the ring, Mrs. Farnan wouldn’t talk to him

because she was so irritated that he had left. “Finally I took the ring out of my pocket and tossed it to her and said ‘here maybe this will make you feel better’.” She said yes. “Our wedding was a formality. We knew we wanted to spend our lives together; the wedding enabled us to do that legally,” said Mrs. Farnan.

The day of the wedding was terribly hot. The air conditioning wasn’t helping much with the record-setting temperatures since the parish priest kept turning it off. Mr. Farnan’s dad had come to the church several times to turn it on but it kept geting turned off since the parish priest was somewhat bitter about the Farnans requesting another priest, Father Peccararo to preside over their wedding. The oppressive heat caused one of the bridesmaids and a couple of others to pass out during the service, but the mood was lightened by quiet jokes made by Father Peccararo at a volume that only Mr. and Mrs. Farnan kneeling before him on

the altar could hear. Classmates of the Farnans came to the wedding because they had bets on which one of them would not show up. “We had everybody fooled. They had no idea what we were all about, which may explain why we weren’t all that close with many of them,” said Mr. Farnan. Since that day, the Farnans have been making the marriage work with patience, commitment, and faith. “I think we both took the ‘Till death do us part’ line pretty seriously,” said Mr. Farnan. “There was never any questioning that we could make it work no matter what happened.” Mr. Farnan says that he got his religion from his mother but his faith from his wife. He says that she has taught him what real faith is and what faith in action looks like. He says that he as a person and their relationship together have both benefitted from the foundation of faith that they have both relied on over the years. “Marrying your best friend is just a cool thing. Think about the very best friend you had during high school and think about if you could spend the rest of your life with that person, wouldn’t that be something special? Well that’s what I get to do every day,” said Mr. Farnan.

Mr. and Mrs. Farnan have been married for 45 years, making their marriage the longest of all Aquinas teachers. They shared some of the story of how it all started.

“ I think we both took the ‘Till death do

us part’ line pretty seriously.

Mr. FarnanTeacher

”

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Photos courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. Farnan Mr. and Mrs. Farnan pose seaside in Guatemala during a mission trip that they went on.

Relationship Advice from the Farnans to Teens:• Enjoy your relationships but don’t take them too seriously

because it’s not the only one you will have in your life• You aren’t making a lifetime commitment to someone until

the day you get married, so don’t get too bent out of shape, angry, or sad when some relationships don’t last

• Don’t take yourself too seriously• Know that the person you marry at 20 years old is not

going to be the same person at 25, at 30, 40, etc.• Really get to know exactly who the other person is

• Base your relationship on faith• Marry your best friend

social mediathe best ofAquinas

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Features

Two teachers tying the Knot

Say goodbye to Ms. Calovich and Ms. Peterson in May. The two are planning weddings and will come back in August with new names. After five years, Peterson will be exchanging vows in July, where she will take on the new name of Faries. She and her fiancé Richard met while line dancing in Texas, where they attended school. Her favorite song came

on, and she saw him heading toward her. “It was a moment of fate,” Peterson said. Faries proposed while horseback riding. “After riding around on a private little trail ride, our guide stopped

us at a scenic overlook of the lake and the valley,” Peterson said. He brought a picnic of wine, cheese and crackers, and then got down on one knee and proposed. Family will be a

priority for Peterson, who will also become a stepmother on her wedding day. Her family is very supportive as well, especially her sister. “She just always tells me to do what is going to make me happy,” Peterson said. Their main goal as they continue in their relationship is to be loving people towards each other.

Teachers Kadie Calovich and Megan Peterson are preparing for summer weddings.

“It was a moment of fate.

MEGAN PETERSONTheology Teacher ”

Photo courtesy of Megan Peterson Theology teacher Megan Peterson and fiance Richard Faries smile for

their photographer as they take their engagement photos.

By Ellie Heit

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Kadie Calovich will be celebrating her wedding in June to Michael Clifford. Theyfirstmetthroughhisolderbrother,whomCalovichwasfriendswith. After knowing each otherforsixyearsanddating for two, Clifford finallypoppedthequestionthroughanelaboratescheme. Her grandfather had askedfortheirhelpfortheweekendathislakehouse.Clifford,asacraftsman,insistedon

bringingagianttoolbox. Afraid that her grandfather would try tousethepowertools,Calovich did not want Cliffordtobringthem.Heinsisted,notletting her know what theboxcontained.Aftersettingeverythingup,they went down to the dock together. Then

sheopenedthetoolbox. “There were beautifulwhiteroses,someofmyfavoritegoodies,andthenhehadtheringboxontop,”Calovichsaid. Therearemanyaspectstoagoodrelationship. “Thebestthing

iscommunication,”Calovichsaid. Herparents’marriageinspiresherasshecontinuesgrowinherrelationship. “They are there wheneverweaskforhelpandwheneverweneedthem,”saidCalovich. “They are averygoodsupportsystem.” Oneoftheirmaingoalsastheycontinuetogetherasamarriedcoupleistoraiseaverystrongfamilyliketheirfamiliesdid.

“ The best thing is communication.

Kadie CalovichEnglish Teacher

”

PhotocourtesyofKadieCalovichKadie Calovich and her soon-to-be husband, Michael Clifford, smile outside of Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana.

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Features

The JohnsonLocally, the

term “JoCo” is synonymous with things such as wealth, extravagance and excess.

Which makes you wonder just how true that definition is. Just how synonymous is our county’s

abbreviation with all things money?

“Its very pristine and manicured,” Sophomore Maggie Sieben, who lives in neighboring Miami County, said. Many cities in Johnson County are very particular about how they want their cities to look.

The county even stipulates in its “subdivision standards” codes, rules like “shade trees” which requires land along and between streets to have trees planted. This code is something that no other county in the state of Kansas has.

Johnson County, ranked the 81st richest county in the nation based on median income in 2014, has an average income of $74,000 compared to that of neighboring Wyandotte County which has an average of $39,000. The county also has

Over the course of 30 years, our county has turned itselfBy Alex Kinnan

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an impressively low unemployment rate which is 4.0 percent compared to that of the national average of 5.7 percent. In 2014, Money magazine ranked Overland Park the 39th best place to live, touting its schools and recreational amenities

such as Deanna Rose Farmstead.

Life outside of the bubble is different. “We have more freedom than JoCo...fireworks, target shooting, skiing.” Sieben added.

Junior Rhyann Fisher, a resident of Osawatomie County,

said, “People in Johnson County have to be doing something all the time.” Fisher added, “We don’t have things like movie theaters, bowling alleys and a wide selection of restaurants.”

This would explain why Johnson County

also leads the state in consumer spending, nearly $5,000 more per person than the state average. A September 2014 article in the Kansas City Star even noted that Johnson County is known to have “decidedly deep pockets.”

into a utopia of public services and high quality of life, and its residents have no idea.

County Bubble

Johnson County average income

compared to Wyandotte

County’s average income

Features

81st

4%highest average

income in the nation.

Unemployment rate of

Above statistics courtesy of the United States Census Bureau

$74,000vs$39,000

national average is 5.7%

“I have been asked before if I live on a farm, have horses and drive tractors by people from Johnson County,” Sieben said. “People who live in Johnson County are not typical Kansans,” Sieben added. In Miami County, you can tell someone who is from JoCo because “they will drive very aggressively,” Sieben said.

“Johnson County residents are also very outgoing, sociable and hospitable.”

They also make a point to show their knowledge of current trends and popular culture. “In Johnson County things become popular and trendy fast, and then slowly it becomes trendy everywhere else,” Fisher said.

According to the same September article in the Kansas City Star, people attracted to Johnson County’s suburban prosperity regularly approve higher taxes to pay for bells and whistles that make life nicer.

75 percent of the time, voters approved increased tax money for schools, police, streets, parks and bioscience research.

The county’s formula for success has been thanks to its affluent population, moderate government and a sales tax revenue that has allowed general property taxes to stay low. Johnson County has been booming since the 1980s and what has developed since then has been an almost

utopia of good schools, good amenities and healthy government. This leads many to wonder how much longer before the steady

growth stops and the famous term “JoCo” becomes a thing of the past.

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The Commute Outside the Bubble

By Jackson McElroy

The love students have for Aquinas is present each day whether it be in the hallways, at sporting events, or by singing the alma mater before Mass. For some students, the love is shown by the time and commitment it takes just simply driving to and from school each day.

How far are you willing to go for Aquinas? Despite living

an hour away, some students make the commute each day to

attend the school they love.

115 TH ST

P F LU M M RD

By Jackson McElroy

Features

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“It takes usually between 45 minutes to an hour [to get to school],” said senior Savannah Miller.

Miller and her younger brother Cannon live in northern Kansas City, Missouri, within 10 min-utes of the airport. Since Savannah is a mem-ber of the varsity dance team, which practices at 6 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, the Millers have to wake up before 4:15.

Waking up early to go to school sounds like a drag to most, but to Savannah it is different.

“It is not as bad as most people think it is. I have gotten used to it over the past four years.”

To help stay awake so early, Savannah turns on the music, rolls down the window no matter the temperature, and sings loudly to keep busy in the morning.

Luckily for the Millers, they drive a diesel Volkswagon Passat that gets 52 miles per gal-lon; gas hasn’t been much of a problem for the Millers.

Junior Ryhann Fisher has to get gas about

three times a week. Fisher lives in Osawatomie, about an hour south of Aquinas.

“It’s hard living so far away. I need a couple hours in advance if others would like to hang out. If my curfew is 11:30, I have to leave at 10:45 at the latest.”

And if she were to forget something at school, she would just have to get up earlier the next morning and complete it before school. Despite the drawbacks, Fisher maintains a good attitude.

“It’s a nice self-party. I get through a CD sometimes, but I also have to listen to the radio DJs for voices.”

RHYANN FISHERCANNON AND SAVANNAH MILLER

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The Raney sisters, on the other hand, have each other for company. Senior Rebecca and freshman Rachel live in the countryside of Miami County, way out on 239th Street. Before Rebec-ca was able to make the 35 minute drive on her own, her dad would have to take her to and from school.

“I would be able to finish a lot of homework in the car, or I’d bring my breakfast with me, or even take a long nap,” Rebecca said.

Since Rebecca is now driving, she has to stay awake, while younger sister Rachel can take the nap.

“I get to take 30-minute naps to and from school, so that is an advantage,” said Rachel. And sometimes they “get stuck behind farmers in their huge and slow farm machines out where [they] live.”

Freshman Madi Johnson transferred from McLouth High School in mid-January. McLouth is a town of 880 people in Jefferson County, which is considered to be part of the Topeka Metropoli-tan Area. Her former high school had around 150 students. It takes Madi an hour to get to and from school each day.

“It is not too hard, getting sleep can be tough though but so is forgetting something. Living so far makes it hard to attend activities,” Johnson said.

Johnson, too young to drive, has her dad take her to school in the morning and has her mom or older brother pick her up in the afternoon.

“In the car,” Johnson explains, “I usually listen to music and play games, or just talk to my dad when I’m feeling up for conversation that early in the morning.”

These students give up a lot of their time, sleep, and gas money to come to Aquinas. Is it worth it? Absolutely.

“I chose Aquinas because it has a very good arts program, and I am really into art. It also

has some really good academic classes that fit what I want to do when I get older, and way more sports opportunities. I am really happy I chose Aquinas,” John-son explains.

And Fisher echoes, “I love

it here! I do it to get the great education and to make the best memories I can. I know Aquinas is the best and when you want to be the best, you got to go with the best!”

REBECCA AND RACHEL RANEY MADI JOHNSON

CLEAN JOKE OF FEBRUARY

Submit your school-appropriate joke to newspaper@stasaints.net for a chance

for your joke to be featured in the next issue of The Shield

What did the baby corn ask the mama corn?

Where’s popcorn?!

Submitted by Freshman Mallory English

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Opinions

Saint Thomas Aquinas students are some of the most ambitious, hard-working and confident people I have ever met.

Our annual canned food drive can confirm all of this and more. Which is why the amount of enthusiasm that was shown for this year’s magazine sale should convince administrators that we need to change.

A far better alternative that will allow more Saints to reach more people, and appeal to consumers even a month after

Christmas, is the Scrip Program. It is used at many parishes and schools to meet fundraising goals. According to the program’s website, “Scrip works equally well for one-time fundraising goals or year-round programs.” The program allows supporters to buy gift cards at face value to the companies offered such as Nike or Whole Foods, then a percentage (5-20 percent) of what is purchased on the card goes back to the organization that is trying to raise money.

The annual magazine sale which has been around for many years, has been on a downhill spiral for atleast a few years. This year’s campaign was the most pathetic I have ever seen it. On behalf of my fellow students, we can do better, we are capable of much more.

This year’s sale proved that we cannot and should not have the sale again next year. Print magazines aren’t a popular product anymore, especially a month after Christmas. Saints

also only can really sell to their families, limiting the amount of success each student will have. The Scrip program will allow busy Saints and busy parents to support the activity fund year round by simply doing regular errands. This program will prove superior to the magazine sale because it will reach more people and allow supporting Saint Thomas Aquinas to be as easy as it is to love.

End The Magazine

Sale

Saint Thomas Aquinas students are being set up for failure year after year and something must change.

By Alex Kinnan

The bell rings. It’s 9:50 and a student leaves his or her own STA Period to go make up the math quiz he or she missed last week. After completing the quiz, the student heads for the door before being stopped by the teacher.

The clock reads 10:20. The traveling period has just ended and STA 2 has begun, meaning the student is forced to stay in the room for 20 more minutes with no homework to do. The block of the day purposed for productivity has just been wasted.

Situations like the one above occur quite frequently. Countless times have I heard students ask teachers to get something from their locker, to get a drink or use the restroom, or to ask a

teacher a question. And countless times have I heard in response, “You’re going to have to wait ___ minutes.”

Our STA Period system, is divided into the sections shown to below.

Students may only leave a room during the designated travel times (about 9:50, 10:15 and 10:40). This can often

be an inconvenience for students who are trying to efficiently use their time.

Two years ago, the hour-long seminar was transformed into a 90-minute STA Period. The purpose of this was to increase the length of the school day to more easily meet archdiocesan requirements.

Our current STA Period is definitely better than the seminar that juniors and seniors will remember. It was only one hour and had just two sections. I still believe, however, that the system can be improved.

I feel that, in this time meant to be productive, there are restrictions that prohibit

Announcements

STA 1

STA 2

STA 3

Return to Homeroom

9:40 - 9:50

9:50 - 10:15

10:15 - 10:40

10:40 - 11:05

11:05 - 11:10

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Opinions

More Freedom for STA Period By Daniel Petracek

A saving grace for those bogged down on homework, STA Period gives students an hour and a half of free time. Students could get even more out of the time if

they were allowed to travel freely.

STA Period Schedule (3rd Hour)

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students from fully taking advantage of their time.

Consider a student who has to talk to a teacher for five minutes or has to print off a paper in the library. Instead of being able to leave when it’s convenient, he or she is required to remain there until the next traveling session.

The rule is punishing the kid stuck in a room for an extended period of time when he or she was hoping to get something else accomplished during his or her free time.

STA Period is a time to work on homework, attend club meetings, seek help from a teacher, work on projects with classmates, and much more. Some tasks do not require a 25-minute block.

Academic Principal Brian Schenck

explained that the reason for a divided STA Period benefits students and teachers. Schenck said, “My concern would be for kids getting help on work. Teachers don’t have to worry about kids coming in and out [of their room]. They can focus on helping their students.”

While the divided STA Period does prevent students from coming in and out of classrooms at any time, I do not believe traveling students would be a distraction. Students can still learn and teachers can still give students their attention, especially with sign-out sheets in each room to keep track of students.

Schenck also said that he did not think an open-travel STA Period would decrease students’ productivity. So if teachers are capable of handling

students with an open-travel STA Period, which I fully believe they can, then there can only be good

that comes out of it.Schenck said,

“Students need to balance their time. [Along with STA Period] they also have before and after school.”

Time management is definitely a valuable skill that students should strive to develop during high school. But if a typically reliable student accidentally grabs the wrong book, he or she should not be punished by wasting 20 minutes, especially when the student is actually trying to be productive. I don’t see a problem with a teacher allowing the student to make a quick trip to his or her locker.

While a few teachers are more lenient, many teachers very strictly enforce the rule of no travel, and rightfully so. I have no problem with the enforcer, just the rule.

I agree with the fact that students need to learn to manage their time. So why not

challenge the students? Give us more freedom and have us take on the responsibility of an open-travel STA Period.

With the busy schedules students have, nothing is worse than wasted time. While

a free-traveling STA Period may not make a huge impact, it will surely benefit students who occasionally find themselves in situations with nothing to work on.

My proposition offers a very simple solution: students should be allowed to travel freely during STA Period. It would be beneficial to students who wish to make good use of their time, and for those who don’t, it will have no effect on them.

I ask the administration to

“

”

Students need to balance their

time. [Along with STA Period] they also have before and after school.

Brian SchenckAcademic Principal

“

”

Teachers don’t have to worry

about kids coming in and out [of their

room].

Brian SchenckAcademic Principal

consider this idea.Obviously, it could not be changed until

next year at the earliest, and even if it did, I would only experience it for one year. That is not my concern, though. I just hope that future Aquinas students can have the best high school experience.

As a busy high school student, time is definitely my most valuable resource. I know that an unintended waste of 20 minutes can add enough stress to ruin a student’s day.

A divided STA Period is simply unnecessary, and allowing students to travel freely would have no harm.

Until there is a change, students should plan their STA Period ahead of time and be prepared for any scenario.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM

The Shield wants to hear your opinions about

school issues, world issues, or anything else on your mind. If you are interested in writing an

opinion article to be featured in our next issue, contact Co-Editors-in-

Chief Jordan Eberhardy and Janie Bachkora for details. We would love

to hear from you!JEberhardy15@stasaints.netJBachkora15@stasaints.net

YOU

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Opinions

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Sur ey SaysLayout by Anthony George

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Which Grammy Record of the Year Nominee do you think should have won?

Which Grammy Albumn of the Year Nominee do you think should have won?

What do you want bae to give you this Valentine’s Day?

What is your favorite Valentine’s Day movie?

Morning Phase2%

“Fancy”6%

Beyoncé35%

“All About that Bass”5%

In the Lonely Hour14%

The Fault in our Stars8%

The Last Song10%

The Notebook 55%

The Proposal 7%

Safe Haven 12%

Titanic8%

“Shake it Off ”12%

None 16%

Chocolate

Dinner

A Smile and/or a Hug

$$$$$

Stuffed Animals

FlowersJewelry

None 22%

x33%

“Stay with Me”44%

G I R L0%

“Chandelier”11%

None

None

11%

17%23%

11%

16%5%

17%

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CapThatWinning Caption:

“Moses channels his inner McFly.”

-Miss Dillingham

Academy Awards party 1/17/15

Photo by Tiffany Nguyen | The Medallion

Last Issue:

This Issue:

WPA Dance2/14/15Photo by the Medallion Staff

YOUR NAME HEREDiscount Card for Students and Teachers

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• 10¢ Off Every Gallon of Gas• Discounts on all washes

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CapThat is The Shield’s monthly caption writing contest. Submit your best

and funniest captions for the photo to newspaper@stasaints.net.

The winning caption will appear in the next issue of The Shield!

JCCC Honors: Dig deeper. Aim higher.

“I was first pulled in by the scholarships, but the Honors Program allowed me to further understand

my studies and connect with professors. I also was drawn in by the potential to study abroad.”

Lizzy, JCCC Honors student and De Soto High School graduate

Johnson County Community College’s Honors Program stimulates and challenges academically talented students. An Honors application is required for admission. For more information, call Pat Decker at 913-469-8500, ext. 2512, or visit www.jccc.edu/honors.

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Last Look1

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Photo by Tiffany Nguyen | The Medallion1) Freshman Sereena Weledji goes up for a lay-up in the game against Bishop Miege.2) Dance team captains Megan Bartolac and Sarah Mayerle show that they have just as much muscle as the basketball players on the court.3) Senior Chris Bollig excitedly jumps up from his seat as he is announced as a starter in the game against Bishop Miege.4) Junior Rhyann Fisher salutes the crowd and senior Holly Hanson during introductions of the Bishop Miege game.

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Photos by the Medallion Staff5) Senior Jessica Pasley dressed as a deer for the dynamic duo theme; her date Nathan Stukel (not pictured) was a hunter.6) A group of junior girls pose together in their various costumes.7) Seniors Pam Shalo, Annie Bartolac, and Jordan Rezac dance together to the “Cupid Shuffle”8) Juniors Meg Loughman and Caroline Shaw tear up the dance floor at WPA.9) Senior Sam Doyle points to the camera in the middle of the crowded dance floor.

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Saint Thomas Aquinas High School

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