Skip to Main Content
News and Publications of Notre Dame de Sion

Sion Student Media

News and Publications of Notre Dame de Sion

Sion Student Media

News and Publications of Notre Dame de Sion

Sion Student Media

Anna Tomka

Anna Tomka, Print Managing Editor

  • Walkout Song: “Mambo No. 5” by Lou Bega
  • Guilty Pleasure: Cheese Because I’m Allergic
  • Favorite Food: Pasta
  • Favorite TV Show: “Game of Thrones”
  • Spirit Animal: My Dachshund Sophie
  • Pet Peeve: When I find someone else’s hair in my food
All content by Anna Tomka
While the senior dads serenade their daughters, seniors Kathleen Tushaus and Allie Weinrich laugh and record the performance of “Sweet Caroline.” The lyrics were changed to fit the perspective of the fathers’ nostalgia of their girls graduating soon.

Class of 2018 Highlight Photo Gallery

May 4, 2018

While the senior dads serenade their daughters, seniors Kathleen Tushaus and Allie Weinrich laugh and record the performance of “Sweet Caroline.” The lyrics were changed to fit the perspective of the...

Seniors Anna Tomka and Ella Anstoetter take pictures to celebrate their last day in uniform.

Tuesday Talks With Tomka: Signing Off

Anna Tomka, Print Managing Editor May 1, 2018

A blog is an outlet for creativity and freedom. Blogging has become increasingly popular and have been started for a variety of reasons such as marketing products or connecting with others. Mine was started...

Lunch ladies Amber Davis and Anna Paradise pose together after serving lunch in the school cafeteria.

Faces Behind the Food

Anna Tomka, Print Managing Editor Apr 29, 2018

As students saunter into school early each morning, the cafeteria is brought to life by a speaker in the kitchen playing boisterous music from a plethora of diverse genres. Mouthwatering scents flood the...

Senior Anna Tomka struggles to finish the school year strong knowing she is headed to Creighton University in the fall.

Tuesday Talks With Tomka: A Serious Case of Senioritis

Anna Tomka, Print Managing Editor Apr 17, 2018

Are you sleeping in every morning and showing up late to class? Are you watching Netflix instead of completing assignments? Have you stopped studying for tests? Have you stopped writing your essays? Do...

Seniors Courtney Hiatt, Lanie Jones, Anna Tomka, Kelly Nugent and journalism teacher Alison Long explore the pier in Seattle for the 2017 National High School Journalism Convention, the same weekend as Prom.

Tuesday Talks With Tomka: Too Much Hype for One Night

Anna Tomka, Print Managing Editor Apr 3, 2018

I swear I try not be too negative of a person, but how can I be expected to write positively about Prom of all things? I personally believe that that Prom is extremely overrated. Last year, I was conveniently...

Senior Anna Tomka reads “Beloved” by Toni Morrison while on a dorm room bed in Columbia, Missouri, as the farthest she went this Spring Break was The University of Missouri.

Tuesday Talks With Tomka: Johnson County’s Spring Break

Anna Tomka, Print Managing Editor Mar 20, 2018

I have always been self-aware of the tight bubble I live in. Kids in these wealthy suburbs of Kansas City have become so accustomed to their privileged lifestyles that many of them are completely blind...

Senior Anna Tomka and other Kairos 55 retreatants pose for a picture with their leader on the morning of the last day before leaving Atchison, Kansas.

Tuesday Talks With Tomka: Living The Fourth

Anna Tomka, Print Managing Editor Feb 27, 2018

I am the last person I ever thought would attend Kairos. What was I going to gain from spending three days at a convent in Atchison, Kansas A.K.A the middle of nowhere? Kairos is a retreat centered around...

Senior Anna Tomka cringes when she sees Valentine’s Day advertisements and is angry when given things such as chocolates, roses and heart-related items for the holiday.

Tuesday Talks With Tomka: Valentine’s Day is an Overrated Holiday

Anna Tomka, Print Managing Editor Feb 13, 2018

The thought of Feb. 14 makes me nauseous. I hate how chocolate at every grocery store suddenly becomes overpriced and everyone feels the need to have affection from others. You do not need an elaborate...

A little girl walks on brick while holding her holder brother's hand at the Women's March in Lawrence, Kansas Jan. 20.

Tuesday Talks With Tomka: Former Activist of Laziness

Anna Tomka, Print Managing Editor Jan 30, 2018

Scrolling through my Instagram last week, my entire timeline was flooded with pictures from two different marches: one with pro-life ideals and the other promoting women’s rights. Women, men, girls and...

Senior Anna Tomka stands on the cliff side of the Blairgowrie lookout while admiring the view.

Tuesday Talks With Tomka: Christmas Across The World

Anna Tomka, Print Managing Editor Jan 16, 2018

I hugged my parents goodbye, tightly squeezing them as I wished them a Merry Christmas. I gripped my United States passport in one hand, and my bag in the other as I passed through security alone,...

Senior Anna Tomka and Australia exchange student Alisha Centrone pose for a picture while waiting for the ball to drop on New Year’s Eve.

Tuesday Talks with Tomka: Company is What Counts

Anna Tomka, Print Managing Editor Dec 12, 2017

New Year’s used to be one of my least favorite holidays. I dreaded it wholeheartedly every year. My friends pointlessly lose sleep over whether they will acquire a “New Year’s Eve Kiss” or have...

Main Street of Hayward, Wisconsin lit for the annual "'Lure' of Lights," a holiday celebration put on by the town.

Tuesday Talks With Tomka: Small Town Spirit

Anna Tomka, Print Managing Editor Nov 28, 2017

Tucked away among the vast forests of pine trees in Wisconsin is a quaint town known as Hayward, over 600 miles north of Kansas City. At least once a year I find myself in this town of a little over 2,000...

Before a talk begins, the TED letters are set up as a backdrop for the upcoming speaker.

Tuesday Talks With Tomka: TED Talks

Anna Tomka, Print Managing Editor Nov 14, 2017

For me, videos that triumph the funniest vines and YouTube vlogs are Technology, Entertainment and Design talks. Each one is intended to spark ideas and help others have a better understanding of the world....

At 3 years old, senior Anna Tomka poses for a picture dressed as Dorothy Gale from “Wizards of Oz.”

Tuesday Talks With Tomka: Horrified By Halloween

Anna Tomka, Print Managing Editor Oct 31, 2017

I’ve had mixed feelings about Halloween for as long as I can remember. Three years in a row, my costume as a toddler was Dorothy from “The Wizard of Oz” thanks to my mom. In second grade, I came...

The view from the top of Memorial Stadium overlooking the Nebraska home game versus Ohio State Oct. 14.

Tuesday Talks with Tomka: My Football Fever

Anna Tomka, Print Managing Editor Oct 17, 2017

The mouthwatering smell of hamburgers and hotdogs grilling greeted me as I maneuvered through the crowded lots outside Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska. Music blared from speakers, the backs of trucks...

In a 7v7 game against Blue Valley North, senior Anna Tomka stands ready to defend the goal.

Tuesday Talks With Tomka: Fall Ball Fanatic

Anna Tomka, Print Managing Editor Oct 3, 2017

My body filled with an overwhelming feeling of dread as my last high school tennis match came to an end. Though the season was short lived, I had finally gotten accustomed to the daily routine of attending...

Seniors Ella Anstoetter, Allie Weinrich and Lauren Ismert present their senior service project “Bags of Fun KC” before the volleyball game Sept. 20.

Bags of Fun Game Results in More Than One Victory

Annie Schorgl, Reporter Sep 21, 2017

The volleyball team huddles and listens to head coach Robert Lampen before beginning their first set Sept. 20.

With a Walking Dead comic thrown in among Harry Potter books, senior Anna Tomka is conflicted as she watches Netlfix.

Tuesday Talks With Tomka: My Television Addiction

Anna Tomka, Print Managing Editor Sep 19, 2017

As a little kid, I spent more hours reading books than sitting on a couch in front of a TV. I watched the occasional Disney show, but rarely found myself fascinated by the screen. Easily sucked into fictional...

Seniors Anna Tomka and Lauren Jones walk a bonded pair of Border Collie Mix dogs "Romeo and Juliet" at Wayside Waifs.

Tuesday Talks With Tomka: Opt to Adopt

Anna Tomka, Print Managing Editor Sep 5, 2017

My three dogs (two Great Pyrenees and a miniature Dachshund) are evidence to support that I am a member of a family strictly composed of dog people. When I think of cats, I imagine long razor-sharp claws,...

The sun sinks behind the cliffs of Sorrento beach.

Tuesday Talks with Tomka: Living in the Land Down Under

Anna Tomka, Print Managing Editor Aug 22, 2017

The stretchy black fabric stuck to my skin as I zipped up the front of the wet suit. My elated smile turned into a frown moments later when I stepped out of the bathroom and was informed I’d put it on...

Junior Emma Cosner adds the final touches to her Earth Day themed chalk drawing piece.

Fine Arts Day Observes Earth Day

Paige Ritter, Reporter Apr 25, 2017

Junior Emma Cosner adds the final touches to her Earth Day themed chalk drawing piece.

The view from the rooftop of the convent where students stayed.

Gone to Guatemala

Anna Tomka, Feature Editor Mar 27, 2017

For many, spring break entails traveling to exotic beaches, achieving bronze skin from basking under the sun and residing at a lavish resort with an ocean view. It certainly doesn't include encountering...

Junior Livvy Wood looks to the student section during dance team’s halftime performance.

Finished Business Against Rival in Basketball Showdown

Clare Kimmis, Photo Editor Feb 26, 2017

Junior Livvy Wood looks to the student section during dance team’s halftime performance.

Multiple Faiths Represented at Women in Ministry Lunch

Anna Tomka, Feature Editor Feb 6, 2017

During this year’s Catholic Schools Week, the annual celebration of Catholic education, women of ministry came to Sion to have lunch with students Tuesday Jan. 31. It was the first time multiple religions...

Ryan Gosling as Sebastian and Emma Stone as Mia in a scene from the movie "La La Land."

“La La Land” Leaves Lasting Impression

Anna Tomka, Feature Editor Jan 26, 2017

The Golden Globe Awards and numerous reviews inspired me to finally surrender to the hype surrounding the film, "La La Land," starring the heartthrob Ryan Gosling as well as the captivating Emma Stone....

Sophomores Grace Watkins and Molly Wagner shout the words to “Best Song Ever.”

Winter Formal Photo Gallery

Dec 5, 2016

Sophomores Grace Watkins and Molly Wagner shout the words to “Best Song Ever.”

Freshman Lacy Whitcomb runs down court against senior Madeline Dercher.

Basketball is Back

Anna Tomka, Feature Editor Nov 21, 2016

The basketball season kicked off Nov. 18 with the annual purple and white game in the gym. Each team was composed of both varsity and JV players, hand-selected by interim Head Coach Kate Pilgreen....

Morgan Makes Her Mark

Megan Ostrander, Print Co-Editor-In-Chief Oct 31, 2016

Alumna Brittany Morgan spoke to students during their study hall and lunch Oct. 24 on the importance of being authentic and loving oneself as who they are. At the beginning of her presentation, she spoke...

Girls’ Life Magazine Causes Uproar

Anna Tomka, Feature Editor Oct 11, 2016

[View the story "Girls' Life Magazine Cover Causes Uproar" on Storify]

The initial dedication date of Sept. 14 was moved back to May because of the delay in delivery of the statue of Mary.

The Gift of the Grotto

Anna Tomka, Feature Editor Sep 29, 2016

The walkways and stone foundation of the grotto have been completed after months of commitment, but it is still lacking one piece: Mary. The dedication ceremony for the new grotto was initially supposed...

Your Necks Are Next

Your Necks Are Next

Anna Tomka, Feature Editor Aug 31, 2016

Mom jeans, scrunchies, turtlenecks, Birkenstocks, crop tops and denim skirts have resurrected from the ancient, abandoned boxes of our parents’ attic. Fashion has blasted back to the past. Chokers, particularly,...

Load More Stories