Sthe standard

blue valley southwestvolume 5 | issue 5

CONTENTS

05

06

08

12

15

18

22

24

how to stay healthy this winter

hindering health

finding the line

the procrastination problem

bridging the gap

shooting for a scholarship

challenge accepted

theres no place like Kansas

vol. 5 | issue 5overland park, ks

feb 2015

life through a lens27

energy to spare30

33 setting the stage

35 baking clubs cookies

phone wars36

37 deterring the damage

40

15

27

30

not just for guys40

programmed for success42

44 changing the pace

dance dilemma46

48 a look inside Cupids arrow

33

24

I have lived in the same house my entire life, gone to school with the same people and eaten at the same restaurant, Jose Peppers, every weekend. My friends even tell me that I look exactly the same as I did my freshman year, which is usually un-

heard of. To be honest, I have been perfectly content with familiarity and routine.

However, change is inevitable.

We find reason to celebrate the very fact that change is happening with the com-

ing of the new year. Change deserves to be welcomed with anticipation regard-

less of what form it comes in. With the new year came new faces to The Standard

as we welcomed two members to our very talented family. New year, new stories.

With only three issues of the newspaper left, we hope to bring you more content

with diversity and new angles.

Our school is in constant motion, challenging students to go further in all that

they do. Students explore the evolving industry of computer programing, make their

dream of playing collegiate sports a reality and learn how to perform the hardest

musical our school has seen. The people of our school have many successes, which

deserve to be recognized, but that is not the full story. Your stories are not solely a

tale of accomplishment but bring forth the grit and tenacious attitude with which

you embrace the change. | onlineeditor

editors note

Front cover: Driving to the hoop, sophomore

Jamicheal Morgan looks to score in the paint.

Morgans contributions were not enough as the Timberwolves fell to the

St. Thomas Aquinas Saints 60-54.

Cover photo by Delaney Oliver

Graphic by Abby Yi

ChangesNEXT EXIT

4 | feb. 2015 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | ads

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editor-in-chiefananda bhatia

managing editormargo johnson

web editornicole becker

writing coachesmichael magyarnicole becker

design coacheslauren stone lexi tarter

copy editorellie augustine

adviserheather lawrenz

photographersdonna armstrongkate bowling

jelle buijsriley martindelaney oliverabby yi

staff writerssneha bhavanasilillie hoffartblake gustafsonmadison leightykatie lucasbroc putnam

| thesouthweststandard The Southwest Standard is published seven

times a year for students, faculty and surrounding community of Blue Valley Southwest. It is an open forum for student expression. Therefore, the opin-ions expressed within this paper do not necessarily reflect the views of the administration of Blue Valley Unified School District #229.

Letters to the editor and reader responses are encouraged for publication. The Southwest Stan-dard reserves the right to edit all submissions for both language and content and encourages letters to be no more than 350 words. All letters must be signed and names will be published.

Letters should be submit-ted to room 118 emailed to bvswnews@gmail.com or

mailed:

The Southwest Standard c/oBlue Valley Southwest High

School17600 Quivira

Overland Park, KS 66085

The Southwest Standard also encourages guest photography.

MODIFY YOUR MEALS

HOW TO STAY

HEALTHYTHIS WINTER

CATCH MORE ZZZS

tips and tricks on how to look and feel your best in the cold

STAY SOCIALHealth doesn't start and end with food and working out. Your mind and emotional state matter, too. Making time to be social helps with depression, anxiety and stress.

Sleep is overlooked and underrated when it comes to being healthy. Your

body needs rest like it needs food and water.

SHAPE UP

When you dont feel much like exercis-ing, try a mini-workout. Exercises that work more than one muscle group at a time squats, lunges, push-ups, planks and dips let you wrap up your strength workout sooner.

1. Opt for fruits, grains and veggies. Steer clear of pre-packaged, non-nutritious foods.

2. Theres no reason not to incorporate more plants into your diet. Salads, vegetables and fruits are healthy options that come in a large variety.

3. Look for healthier alter-natives as far as beverag-es. For example, switch out a latte or frappuccino for an herbal tea.

4. Find recipes online that include healthy winter foods.

PLANK

SQ

UAT

During the winter, exercising outdoors is not always an option. In this case, a home workout may work best. These simple exercises make it easy to fit in a short session during the day.

| katebowling

HYDRATEDrinking water not only

keeps you hydrated, but it also keeps your skin

looking healthier, aids in digestion and gives you

more energy.

STOCK UPHaving your own supply of things,

like pens, can keep you from picking

up a virus because viruses can be

transmitted through objects.

Information taken from mindbodygreen.com and webmd.com. graphic | www.bvswnews.com | southwest | feb 2015 | 5

hindering healthschool pressures cause students to struggle with caring for their health

Junior Cooper Courtney could barely lift her head off her pillow or get out of bed. With the strike of mononucleosis (mono), she suffered a fever for nine days, pounding head-aches and stomach and liver issues. After seven different blood tests, she was able to somewhat re-turn to her routine, but in the meantime, a month of missing school work and basketball had piled up with finals quickly ap-proaching.

My symptoms had died down, but when I came back, getting up was definitely a struggle, Courtney said. I started with half days at school, and it was hard because it was right when basket-ball was starting, so I was trying to go to practice and get in shape for that. Then I fell asleep during almost every class, and, yeah, it was hard.

With the migration of the arctic winds of winter, it is almost certain that the flu bug will find its way to Kansas as well. According

to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 78 percent of flu activi-ty reached its highest in December through Feb-ruary from 1983 to 2014. Young adults, on average, have two to three colds a year, which brings almost every student to be lying in bed at some point with a Kleenex pile next to him or her, trying to determine whether coming to school is really worth it.

With constant tests, homework assignments and projects, missing one day of school is not always the simplest decision. It can be just as easy to come to school with a bag of cough drops and suck up the symptoms for a couple of days.

Usually Ill have a lab or tests or something, and its kind of hard to make them up, junior Rathi Narayan said. Id rath-er not come in later and do them because all of the teachers will usually tell you in advance that were having this test or this lab. So, I usually just come in even if Im sick so I dont

have to make up the work later.

Menacing make-up work causes students to question the importance of their health, but they need to take a step back from all the stress and re-alize that one or two days will not be the end of the world. School policy does not limit how many ex-cused absences a student can take; it is possible and necessary for students to allow time off for their bodies and minds to re-store themselves.

For one, your body doesnt have a chance to rest and heal if youre at school, and thats really what your immune system needs is time to lay down, to sleep, to push fluids and to allow your immune sys-tem to fight off whatever infection is invading your body, school nurse Mit-zi Edwards said. When youre up and around at school, it puts that whole healing process on hold.

However, not all symp-toms are worth phoning in sick and watching Netflix all day.

on average 23,600 people die from the flu

in the U.S.annually

tiredness, chills, fever and aches

suggest the flu developing

a cold devel-ops gradually, while the flu is

abrupt6 | feb. 2015 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | opinion

flu facts

A mild sore throat, cough, runny nose and/or congestion are nonrestrictive symptoms that allow students to continue with their daily routines. When a student is deciding if symptoms are harsh enough to stay home, Edwards recommends looking for a fever as a sure sign of sickness. Edwards says that a fever is a recognizable symptom that states that the immune system is fighting some-thing, in which she advises the student to stay home and rest.

If you have to go to the doctor for what youre sick for, and they tell you that you have to rest, then I think you should stay home for sure, Narayan said. When you have a fever, you shouldnt come to school. I usually dont come to school when I have a fever or am taking antibiotics, but I come to school when I have a cold or something simple.

Sleep contributes enormously to the general well-being of a person it is es-sentially the food for the brain. The amount of sleep a person gets affects his or her growth, mood and ability to think. Teen-agers should average eight to nine hours of sleep a night, but over 50 percent of high school students sleep seven hours or less, according to Student Pulse.

As workload increases, so does the ab-

sence of sleep. According to the Center for Advancing Health, nearly 20 percent more seniors have sleep deficits than freshmen. Senior Jacob Hegna considers himself to fit into that category, averaging five to six hours of sleep a night.

My activities definitely attribute to my being tired because I usually dont stop thinking about things and relaxing until a lot later in the night because of things Im working on, Hegna said. So I dont feel like its time to go to bed until much later. Im pretty used to not getting enough sleep, but during my first hour I usually dont learn as much as compared to my fourth hour because Im still tired and waking up.

Lack of sleep in teenagers cannot solely be blamed on workload, unfortunately. Stu-dents tend to not want to do their work and procrastinate, which leads to harm to their health and wellness from sleep deficiency. Although its necessary to relax after a day of work, planning out the day could allow for more time to do responsibilities while maintaining healthy habits.

After you have a bunch of hard class-es and work, you need time to unwind be-cause its not good for you if you have work all day and then come home and just do the

same thing, Narayan said. Its important to have time to yourself.

Every person needs to recognize the importance of health and balance it with school and other activities. High schoolers are too caught up in everything that theyre involved with that they fail to give their bodies the time that it needs. Something as simple as keeping a planner to manage time can allow students more sleep and benefit their health. Every habit that a per-son establishes now continues with him or her in the future, so it is vital to take care of the body and limit stress.

Just realizing that taking care of your body is very important and getting over your illness and in the long run, Edwards said. Young people and I was like this too tend to feel invincible, like, Oh, we can just pop a pill and go back to school and do OK, but really, your body says oth-erwise. You do need to take the time to rest and give your body a chance to heal be-cause the teachers here are awesome, the administrators are great [and] we all are going to get sick as well and work with stu-dents to help them get caught up.

| nicolebecker

on average, five to 20 percent of the U.S. popula-tion gets the flu

annually

as a virus, the flu can only

grow inside of another living

cell

there are three dif ferent types of flu

viruses

facts taken from www.flufacts.com

Graphics by Abby Yi.

| 7

8 | feb. 2015 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | news feature

how the school allows religious freedom without promoting religious beliefs

| 9

Last year, sophomore Alexa Kathol chose a book about creationism to read for biology class. Although the class learned only about evolution, Kathol said telling kids that theyre nothing more than an educated fish seems a little dehumanizing.

While she was allowed to do so, she said that her peers thought [she] was crazy and they probably thought [she] was just trying to stir up conflict, and her teachers seemed very shocked with her choice. When the class was presenting in small groups, Kathol said her teachers went around to every group and listened in except for hers.

Nothing was necessarily uncomfortable, she said. It was more of just an overwhelming feeling of sadness, because I had this realization that kids actually believe the things that teachers are telling them about evolution, and its sad to know that I know the truth about the detail and love and passion that went into creating humans.

Creationism is commonly brought up in the conflict of finding the line between religious freedom and religious promotion in a public school. The first amendment of the U.S. Constitution states, Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.

10 |

Myth: School meetings cant be held at religious buildings and religious groups cant meet at schools.

Fact: All outside groups have to have an equal opportunity to access school facilities, so the PAC or fixed forum can be rented out to religious groups. School meetings can be held at church facilities to accommodate for the size of the group.

MYTH

VS

FACT

The problem lies in the follow-ing clauses: while the Establishment Clause requires neutrality from gov-ernment and prohibits public school advancement of religion, the Free Ex-ercise Clause prohibits schools from interfering with religious expression.

I think people should be able to express who they are, sophomore Mi-chael Taylor said. I dont think we should say absolutely no religion, be-cause I know thats a big part of peo-ples lives, and its really not fair just to cut it out completely.

In September of 2013, a nonprofit group called Citizens for Objective Pub-lic Education filed a lawsuit to block the Department of Education from adopting the Next Generation Science Standards that would teach evolution and climate change in science classes. According to the Huffington Post, the lawsuit claimed that the standards would promote athe-ism and therefore violate the separation of the church and state.

But the lawsuit was dismissed, and the Next Generation Science Stan-dards stayed in place. According to the National Academy of Sciences, cre-ationism, intelligent design, and other claims of supernatural intervention in the origin of life or of species are not science because they are not testable by the methods of science. Creationism is still not allowed to be taught in the classroom.

Kathol, however, did have the right to write about creationism. Students have the legal right to choose religious themes for self-directed assignments. In the past, students have also written about evolution versus creationism for argumentative papers. But while writing about these topics is allowed, English Language Arts teacher Shauna Ri-nearson said it is difficult for students to remain objective in these papers.

From a rhetorical standpoint, the greatest challenge that a student faces in writing about any controversial top-

ic is the strong possibility of relying on emotion rather than logic and turning what should be a reasoned argument, supported through effective evidence, into a persuasive paper supported by emotional appeal and personal opin-ion, Rinearson said. When we choose to write about issues such as evolution versus creationism, it may be very per-sonally dear to our hearts, and perhaps we have exceptionally strong convic-tions about those issues.

In the case of writing about religion for school assignments, the problem is not necessarily related to the fact that the subject matter was religious. Sim-ilarly, sometimes seemingly religious items are used for secular educational purposes.Assistant Principal Todd Dain said religion is a valid part of school cur-riculum because it is a part of culture it is talked about in social studies, English and world language classes.

Information from interviews with Assistant Principal Todd Dain on Jan. 8 and 15.

| 11

Myth: Teachers are never al-lowed to talk about personal religious beliefs with students.

Fact: While faculty members cannot pray with students or lead religious discussions, they are allowed to share their religious perspectives with students, as long as it is done outside the classroom.

Fact: According to the Ameri-can Civil Liberties Union, chil-dren are free to pray in public schools either as individuals or in groups. However, coaches can still designate certain times before a game as time for the team, and therefore ask stu-dents not to pray or do anything else on their own.

Myth: Students are not allowed to pray at school or school-re-lated activities and events.

Myth: Only certain religious clubs are allowed to hang post-ers in the school.

Fact: All school clubs and groups, including FCA and JSU, have equal access to bulletin boards, hanging posters and announcements, as long as the messages are open to all and re-flect that everyone is welcome.

FCAWed7:10

JSUThu8:15

For example, quotes from the Bible or oth-er religious texts are allowed on the walls of classrooms if they are treated as literature and promote positive, universally applicable ideas.

The schools policy is that religious symbols can be on display in classrooms where they are relevant, such as a world history class, as long as all religions are equally represented. Soph-omore Jacob Ginsberg believes that while teachers should not devote their entire class-rooms to a religious belief, it should be OK to just have a cross or something in a corner or on a wall or for students to have some sort of satanism thing on their desk.

People should definitely have freedom of religion because thats what keeps people dif-ferent, and thats what makes things interest-ing, Ginsberg said. I just think people should be more accepting and less threatening toward people who are different.

The school, however, is not allowed to pro-mote any one particular belief. For this reason, students arent allowed to pass out religious items because of the chance that some students

who want them might not get them or students who do not want them might receive them. And if teachers want to share their own religious be-liefs with students, they can only do so outside the classroom. They are required to make it clear that it is their own perspective as individ-uals and not as teachers.

Weve never asked a teacher to lie, and I think that honesty and that transparency are very important, Dain said. But the teacher has to separate their role as the teacher and as a role model and separate their duty as some-one with influence over students.

But freedom of religion also allows students to express themselves. Kathol said players on the girls basketball team write Bible verses on their arms before games.

Its covered under our First Amendment rights freedom of speech and freedom of religion so I feel like [it] is important that schools and people in the school recognize that America is different; America was founded on the principle that people are allowed to do this, Kathol said. For me, Christianity isnt

just a religion; its a relationship and a life-style.

Lastly, religious freedom provides students with more chances to learn about different cul-tures and ways of thinking outside of the class-room. Even though Taylor is no longer affiliat-ed with a religion, he said faith plays a huge role in some people and he believes students should be able to talk about religion at school openly.

I think you should be able to be who you want to be in school, Taylor said. I think we all are really diverse, and when youre not tol-erant and you force somebody to conceal part of who they are, not only do you not get to really experience who that person is, you miss out on the opportunity to learn.

| anandabhatia

Editors note: In the next issue, The Standard will be covering minority religions.

12 | feb. 2015 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | feature

Th e Procrastination

Problem

(Editors note: There was procrastination

involved in the writing of this article.)T-Minus 24 hours until a project is due,

and not a sentence has been written nor a pic-

ture glued down to a poster board. I never, ever do things when I should,

junior Riley Trent said. I always put things

off until the last minute.Students frequently come to the same prob-

lem. The distractions are endless, and in turn,

they scramble to finish things at the last pos-

sible second. New York University at Buffalo psycholo-

gist William Knaus estimated that 90 per-

cent of college students procrastinate. Of these

students, 25 percent are chronic procrastina-

tors and they are usually the ones who end

up dropping out of college, though this isnt

always the case: many students thrive on the

brink of delay. Some people will wait until the dead-

lines close so then they get this energy and

adrenaline rush, school psychologist Cathy

Kerr said. Then they cancel everything out

and they really concentrate and knock it out

thats somebody who can work well to a

deadline.Trent is one of those people. Last semester

she worked into the wee hours of the morning

to finalize what she said was the best paper

Ive ever written.

The week before finals, I was supposed to be working on a paper for English, and everytime I tried, I simply couldnt make myself do it, Trent said. I ended up working until 4 a.m. the night before it was due to finish it.The rise in technology is a con-

tributing factor. With just the press of a button, a person has access to a multitude of distractions, including apps, messaging and social media.

With social media, you can talk to other people who are procrastinating too, Trent said. If you find someone

else procrastinating, suddenly it doesnt seem like a bad idea. And then you find

a few more, and then its all over for you

because then you get the mentality, Well,

at least I wont be screwed alone. I tell

myself over and over that there is literally

nothing I could possibly find on witter that

is even half as important as my school work,

but as much as I try to avoid it, technology is

a vice and I simply cannot escape it.Many things contribute to procrastination,

yet the one that seems most prevalent in teen-

agers lives is exhaustion.

For those under the age of 20, a study of self-reported sleep-in-duced issues found that 23 per-cent of those asked were unable to concentrate properly after a bad nights sleep, which, in turn, makes it harder to concentrate the next day, and therefore a person is more likely to procrastinate.

As far as high school students go, I would say we mostly procras-tinate because were tired tired and unmotivated, Trent said. It can be pretty hard to drag yourself out of bed to do that math assign-ment when you average four hours of sleep a night.

With so much homework, not to mention after school activities, sports and jobs, students are find-ing it harder to get their zs.

Im usually either working or playing volleyball when Im procrastinating, then after either work or volleyball, I am too tired to want to do my assignments, junior Lexie Penichet said. If I have to work from 3:45 to 9:30, then I know I have no time after school. I dont have a study hall during school, so I will most likely need to wake up early and get [my homework] done then.

getting to the root of why students procrastinate

13 | jan. 2015 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | feature

In addition to sleep loss, some of the more detrimental effects can occur when people are especially stressed; procrastination can cause symptoms of physical illness, as well as emotion-al distress.

I think when you move into that anxiety, it can be crippling and it can cause physical symptoms, Kerr said. Anxiety is very physical, so you know, heart racing, and shortness of breath and feeling tired or ill or even nauseous. Over a long period of time, I think that probably can wear down your immune system if youre that anxious for things, so it can bleed into really making you not function very well.

Despite the obvious downsides to long-term procrastination, there are ways to get on with life, for good.

I do think people can overcome procrastination, Trent said. I hav-ent mastered that yet, but I think a lot of people myself included, be-lieve it or not can recognize when its really time to get to work and stop messing around. It can be hard but no one wants their grade to drop because they were too lazy to do a simple as-signment.

Among the ways to stop procras-tination, Kerr said students can set small goals for themselves, and then start with the due date, work back-wards and then try and accomplish those [goals].

[It is helpful to take] short breaks, like working for 10 minutes, taking two minutes off, working for 20 min-utes, taking five minutes off taking short breaks can help calm that anxi-ety and keep you going on something, Kerr said. Sometimes it is a learning process, where next time I have this assignment, I dont want to feel this way, so the next time you start work-ing at those time management skills.

However, despite all the conse-quences due to procrastination, it is something that students dont think will be going away anytime soon.

When faced with choosing be-tween Instagram and algebra home-work, its almost always an obvious choice for me, Trent said. Then I end up dooming myself to spend an-other late night scrambling to get work done.

| ellieaugustine

When faced with choosing between Instagram and algebra homework, its almost always an obvious choice for me. | juniorrileytrent

| 13

14 | feb. 2015 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | ads

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The gapBridging

The bridge is a hot spot for a handful of students. Bridge-sitters can enjoy the architecture of the school while socializing with friends and eating lunch. Away from the chaos of the cafeteria, some students share their thoughts on their unique seat-ing choice.

| abbyyi | abbyyi

photo essay | www.bvswnews.com | southwest | feb. 2015 | 15

Why do you

| seniorsammymoulton

| seniorromarickeuwo

Id rather sit with a small group and actually know everyone than a big table and not be able to talk the

whole time.

I just really love the bridge. I think this is the best thing in Blue Valley because friends come over here sometimes and are like, Oh my gosh, you guys have a bridge we dont have that, and Im

like haha, sucks to be you.16 |

sit on the bridge?

| juniorseanmckinzie

| freshmankitanarichards

I sit on the bridge so after I eat, I can read. Im trying to read a book every two months because Im not from this

country, so reading helped me with how I talk. I moved here

from Florida, but before I lived in Florida, I lived in Jamaica.

Well, its just me and one other friend, so theres no point in taking a whole table.

| 17

ww

18 | feb. 2015 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | feature

(1) Junior Miles Lester drives to the hoop, looking to score a basket for the Timberwolves. Lesters 13-point contribution was not enough, however, as the Timberwolves fell at the hands of the St. Thomas Aquinas Saints with a final score of 64-54. (2) Junior Rilynne Like drib-bles to the basket for a layup to decrease the Saints advantage. The Lady Timberwolves lost 46-27. (3) Like slides in between senior Lauren York and the op-posing player to assist in guard-ing the Aquinas player. (4) At the boys varsity basketball games, the Timberwolf student section is dressed for a white-out, while the Saints wear 80s apparel. (5) Junior Matt Wilkinson handles the ball while being defended by a member of the opposing team. Wilkinson was able to score 10 points against the Saints.

1

2

5 6

3

4

(6) Senior Sam Randall dives for the ball as the crowd watches intensely to see the outcome of the small battle for possession.(7) Junior Cooper Courtney fights through the double team. Her two-point contri-bution was not enough to bring the Timberwolves a victory. (8) Wilkinson goes in for a layup, outrunning the opposing team. (9) Senior Tyler Farrell and sophomore Jamicheal Morgan smash a player of the opposing team between the two of the them while jumping for the ball, sending the ball out of bounds.

| 19

Junior Rilynne Like steps on the court for basketball practice, exhausted from completing seven strenuous hours of school. As she begins to focus, she realiz-es she needs to put the thoughts of school behind her and mentally prepare to better herself and her team. After practice, she retreats to her home to complete the long list of homework awaiting her arrival. For Like and other athletes preparing to tran-sition from high school to college athletics, this is merely a normal day.

Like estimates the total amount of work put in for basketball alone is around 15 hours per week. She has an average of six practices every week, each lasting two hours. On the weekends, Like frequently completes four hours of extra workouts. In addition, she squeezes in an athletic train-ing session whenever her schedule allows it. With such a busy schedule, Like has had to learn to manage her day-to-day life.

It makes me really tired having to bal-ance all of it, Like said. I have to make sure I have a certain amount of sleep, or I just shut down and it gets really tiring.

Effective time management allows Like to stay on top of things and not fall behind. She has learned to utilize her extra time efficiently and work ahead, preparing to shorten homework and studying time due to games or practice. Her passion gives her the motivation she needs to continue with her busy schedule. Like started playing basketball in first grade and loved it ever since.

When youre young, its kind of hard to decide if you really love it, but I loved it, Like said. It was awesome.

As a kid, her basketball career wasnt nearly as serious as it is now; today, as she has grown along with her skills, her in-practice ideals have changed. Her pur-pose has developed to wanting to progres-sively get better and improve her skills. Like hopes her hard work in and out of practice will prepare her for college-level

athletics. She has had instances in which colleges will show interest and then back off right away, which has brought her down mentally. While preparing for this higher level of competition, Like has found her height challenging. According to slate.com, the average height of a WNBA player is just under six feet, yet Like stands at a below-average height of 55.

Its hard being as short as I am and playing against girls who are quicker, fast-er and taller than me, Like said. [Ive learned] that I have really had to overcome [that] and make sure I have an advantage of quickness and explosive moves.

Like is prepared to dedicate her time to the sport she loves. Overcoming the ob-stacles set in her path has pushed Like to succeed. The hard work she has put in over the years has paid off in the form of a full-ride scholarship to University of Missou-ri-Kansas City.

I really like the competitiveness be-cause I get really into the games, but I re-ally like that it is a team-oriented sport and you have to work together for an end goal, Like said. The different pieces that every player offers to it and they all work togeth-er to get you that end goal.

For Like, basketball is everything. Her willingness to put in as much work as possible is now paying off and giving her the chance to play basketball after high school, at a college that is right for her. After recently talking to a student at her soon-to-be college, Like said that stu-dents shouldnt pick a college based on the coaches because that can change; they should choose a college that can help them academically. Like believes she found that college, and is lucky to have the opportu-nity to be a part of the athletic program additionally. She said that getting to a col-lege sport takes more than playing well it takes good grades, a sufficient GPA and an average (or better than average) ACT score.

how students transition from high school to collegiate sports

Scoring For a Scholarship7

8

20 |

Planning to do something with nursing in college along with her basketball career, Like perseveres through school work and studying. Like said she wishes she could start college right now, but she knows that she has one year left to improve before continuing to a college sport.

I dont know what my life would be like without basketball, to be completely honest, Like said. Ive spent most of my life focusing on this, and I have sacrificed doing things with friends, so I cant imagine life without it.

With their commitment to their sports, stu-dent athletes find themselves making many sacrifices to ensure their success. Preparing for college athletics requires work in and out of the normal practice schedule. According to usatoday.com, NCAA rules say coaches can

take only 20 hours per week of their players time, regardless of the sport. However, most students choose to work outside of required practice hours to better themselves and their skills. Junior Matt Wilkinson chooses to par-ticipate in a weight-lifting and strength-build-ing program called PSP. He also works out with his off-season team, MO-KAN, to ensure he is improving his skills.

Outside of the practice and outside the season and in the off-season, some kids will work harder, Wilkinson said. Some kids will do what they want to do to be able to play at the next level. But a lot of this is God-given I mean Im tall enough and I have height, so colleges will start looking at me. Its about what you do with what you are given from God.

Even with his natural talent, Wilkinson gets nervous before playing his games. He threw up before his first time starting varsity his sophomore year. As he has progressed, he has learned to calm his nerves. Now, a year later, pre-game jitters still occur, but nothing quite like sophomore year. This is all worth it to Wilkinson because of the people who moti-vate him and his love for the sport.

I play for my teammates, Wilkinson said. I have a good group of guys that I play with at Southwest weve all gotten a lot closer. And I play for my mom because its awesome to say, Hey mom, look, the work I have put in has saved you money and hours and work and stress. The biggest motivation I have is being able to give back to my mom.

9

10 11

| 21

Wilkinsons current plan is to play basket-ball in college while engaging himself in polit-ical science or history studies as well. Wilkin-son has recently received his first scholarship offer, giving him an opportunity to continue his basketball career for a Division II NCAA team.

Everybody has a little-kid dream of playing D1, but the reality is [that] any college sports, at any level, is no joke, Wilkinson said. Its still going to be your life youre still going to wake up at 6 a.m. every morning for practice, and its going to be tough.

Wilkinson believes that with a year and a half left to prepare, he will be ready for the challenges college sports will bring. Despite

the amount of time and effort that is going to be required of him when entering a collegiate sport, he is willing to put in the extra hours for the game he loves.

College basketball, at any level, is going to be different, Wilkinson said. Its going to be hard, and youre going to have to work to be able to succeed.

Alumnus and sophomore at the University of Oklahoma Wesleyan, present-day college basketball player Colton Miller reaffirms this notion.

In high school, it is a little more laid back, Miller said. It wasnt all year-round. When you come to college, its a lot different.

You have to be ready to treat it as a job. Miller said that college basketball is more

of a one-on-one game, with time to work on in-dividual skills. His favorite part about college sports is always having something to do and to keep you busy and in shape. Miller believes that everybody wants to play the game he or she loves, and that is the good part, even with the tough work.

My favorite thing is that when I play, noth-ing else really matters, Miller said. You are just so zoned out in the game, just playing the sport you love you lose yourself in it.

| delaneyoliver

(10) Senior Lauren York widens her defensive stance, guarding her opponent. York contributed six points to the total score. (11) Going in for a block, senior Laura Eldridge defends her position as forward. (12) Waiting to throw the ball in, se-nior E.R. Steffey looks for an open player. Steffey added 13 points to the final score of 64 as the leading scorer of the game. (13) Senior Steven Andersen positions himself under the basket for a shot. Andersen ended the game with a total of four points.

12

13

22 | feb. 2015 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | feature

CHALLENGE AC

CEPTED

With their grades and potential college credit on the line, every day, second hour, 17 students pile into Room 209, ready for another day of doing something no one else in this school has done. Perhaps unsatisfied with their first semester grade card, or perhaps sim-ply aiming to do better second semester, the students sit at their tables to review the notes they took the night before. This is social sci-ences teacher Tyler Alexanders one and only Advanced Placement (AP) Human Geog-raphy class.

I thought it would be interesting, fresh-man Crystal Rathburn said. My eighth grade social studies teacher recommended me for it. When he explained it, he made it really interesting, so he influenced some people to take that class.

This year, Blue Valley decided to add the first AP class open to freshmen. AP classes, equivalent to college-level courses, allow AP students to take an exam in May. Those who receive a score of a three or higher can get col-lege credit for the course.

Principal Scott Roberts said that all five

high schools in

the district had to agree to offer the course before

the consensus was presented to the Cur-riculum Instruction Committee and finally the Blue Valley Board of Education for approval.

After discovering that other school districts in the area were already offering the class, Roberts decided that AP Human Geography

would be a good choice for the Blue Valley School District to implement.

You look at AP classes within the full cat-alog they have [and] AP Human Geography is about the only one thats really appropriate [for

f r e s h -men], Rob-

erts said. It just made sense for us. In fact, weve been

looking at this course for three years; its a really great first AP course.

Alexander said that the class is about ev-erything from agricultural practices to political geography to culture and religion to the way people behave in society and why. As in oth-er AP classes, students complete AP multiple choice questions and free-response questions. The units are broken into key issues that the reading and guided notes elaborate on. In class, students usually participate in activi-ties or case studies to expand on what they read the night before.

Carrying out the class has presented its own difficulties. Both the teacher and the stu-dents have struggled with adjusting to the new class, since its everyones first try.

Sometimes the background knowledge is hard because [the freshmen] havent had all of the other history classes, Alexander said. Suppose if we talked about the Renaissance they dont have any reference points. The lack of background knowledge is maybe the most difficult part. I think part of it is get-ting used to, especially for freshmen, what AP means because they dont know what that looks like.

Senior Jacob Emery explained that the class is easier for him as a senior than it is for a freshman because of all the background

knowledge and AP skills he has acquired from taking other AP classes.

It is my belief that anyone who wants to go

straight from high school to a four year school

should take at least one AP class. [The classes] were tough but the [AP students] were ready.

| principalscottroberts

students st

ep up to th

e rigor of a

college-le

vel class th

eir first yea

r of high sc

hool

| 23

Even though the class may be more man-ageable for students with experience in AP classes, Rathburn said that for freshmen, the class is a big transition amidst a new school and setting.

There were a lot of terms that nobody un-derstood or knew, Rathburn said. For tests, there was a lot of writing and multiple choice, and that was difficult for a first time because it was on a different grading scale. You had all the information to study, but there was a lot of it, so you didnt know what to study.

Rathburn said that students were intimi-dated to be the guinea pigs of a new AP class. Unable to get advice from anyone who had

previously taken the class, Rathburn said the freshmen didnt know what to

expect.

[The other freshmen] probably were scared to try it out, Rathburn said. It was a big step going into [the class and going into] high school. I thought it was going to be a lot harder than it was, but now that I have gotten used to it, its gotten a lot easier.

Despite the debate that an AP class for a freshman is too difficult, Alexander and Rob-erts thought it was a good addition. AP Human Geography serves not only as another rigorous class, but also a stepping stone for students looking to go into other AP classes.

[AP Human Geography has] just what it takes for work and the study component and what it means to be prepared for class and be engaged and discuss and participate, Alexan-der said. I think thats a good challenge for students to get in right when they come into high school to have that become the norm. Its a really good opportunity for them to devel-

op AP skills. If youre prepared to be challenged, then Id say its

a good fit.

Though many students choose to take an AP class simply to challenge themselves and look good on college applications, others simply fol-low their passion.

I like history, and it was another AP course, Emery said. If I wouldve taken this class as a freshman, it wouldve prepared me better for AP Euro and APUSH.

Whether its passion or prestige that guides someone to take an AP class, Roberts said alumni claim that the AP experience made them more prepared for college.

It is my belief that anyone who wants to go straight from high school to a four year school should take at least one AP class, Roberts said. [The classes] were tough but the [AP students] were ready. And thats that push we have. We dont want you to be just college-eli-gible we want you to be college-ready. That really validates why we have these AP classes. Taking the class is great, but preparing and taking the test is the most college-like thing we can offer you in high school.

| snehabhavanasi

24 | feb. 2015 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | special sections

KANSAS CITY

BONNER SPRINGS OVERLAND PARK

OTTAWA

EMPORIA

TOPEKAJUNCTION CITY

WICHITADODGE CITY

HAYS

COFFEYVILLE

70

70

335

135

35

35

35

LUCASMERRIAM

KANSAS

Kansas is celebrated in commemoration of Jan. 29, 1861, the day it became a state

S. P. Dinsmoor built his Garden of Eden be-tween 1907 and 1928. He was a military nurse, a Freethinker, and an artist. After purchasing a house in Lucas, Kan., he decided to surround it with towering concrete sculptures that depicted scenes that are diverse: from biblical figures to animals to his social views. He constructed a sign above the entrance that reads Garden of Eden. He had wanted visitors to be able to tour his creation. Dinsmoor is buried on the edge of the property.

THERES NO PLACE LIKE KANSAS

| 25

KANSAS CITY

OVERLAND PARKMERRIAM

| lilliehoffart

HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW KANSAS?

The state soil, Harney Loam Silt, is best for:

1.A) limiting erosionB) raising cattle on

C) agricultureD) tornadoes

The town of Lebanon is the ______ of the contiguous 48 states:

2.A) smallest townB)

C) silo capitolD)

The first known photo of ______ was taken in Kansas:

3.A) a prairie dogB) tumbleweed

C) a cowboyD) a tornado

Who elected the ornate box turtle as the state reptile?

4.A) Jimmy CarterB) the town of Stilwell

C) Bob DoleD) a sixth-grade class

The major source of water in Kansas is from the:

5.A) Missouri RiverB) Ogalalla Aquifer

C) rainfallD) Kansas River

Which two creatures are the official state fossils?

6.A) the TylosaurusB) the Pteranodon

C) trilobitesD) the Stegosaurus

Moon Marble, located in Bonner Springs, is a shop that sells old-fashioned toys, but specializes in marbles. This shop also features artists who make marbles and other glass objects, and owner Bruce Breslow gives live demonstrations about the art of marble making. The shops wall of marbles allows visitors to fill a tube with mar-bles of their choosing.

Soda fountains were a very popu-lar stop for drinks during the early twentieth century. Along with tra-ditional soda, they served lunches, ice cream, and specialty drinks such as Green River, a lemon-lime drink that was second in popularity only to Coca-Cola. The Georgetown Phar-macy and Soda Fountain, located in Merriam, is one of the few working soda fountains left in Kansas and is still open for lunch, snacks and a classic dining experience.

Answ

ers: 1C, 2B, 3D, 4D

, 5B, 6A/B

gateway to the West

geographic center

Facts from kshs.org and w

ww.garden-of-eden-lucas-kansas.com

.Creative C

omm

ons licensed Garden of Eden photo by Joe Shm

acher. Other photos by Lillie H

offart.

26 | feb. 2015 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | ads

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27 | feb. 2015 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | feature

through a lenssenior Madi Dombrowski turns her passion for photography into a reality

She puts the lens to her eye and life transitions from being out of focus; it suddenly becomes clearer. Senior Madi Dombrowski chooses to view life through her lens. To her, photography is more than a hobby its her passion. When she presses her shutter release, theres so much beauty when she looks at others, and when shes able to use her camera to capture beauty, it seems unreal that the world holds this much perfection. Looking at someone through her lens and seeing the smiles, the sparkle in peoples eyes and other qualities that make them unique makes the world she sees through her lens the best possible place to be.

life

Photography is what has kept me going, Madi said. Through life-changing difficulties and unhappy times, photography has never failed to show and remind me of the beauty in everyday life. Being able to find this beauty and show others through photographs would be the most fulfilling way to spend my life.

Madi started her business, Madison Nicole Portraits, two years ago. The company served as a gateway from a hobby to a full-time job. Using her website and Instagram to promote her work, she offers a two hour session with two to three outfit changes then a disk with the clients enhanced portraits. She also offers 45 minute mini sessions which are treated like full sessions but with one outfit, and the clients receive fewer images. Madi discovered her true passion in the seventh grade when she tagged along for her brothers senior picture session.

After [attending my brothers photo ses-sion], taking pictures was just something I en-joyed playing around with and experimenting with, Madi said. It has been through about the past year and a half that I truly discovered my love for photography. When I understood that just one photograph had the power to expose the beauty not only on the outside of people but their beauty on the inside, I could never get enough of photography. From the learning, practice and many failed moments I was amazed by it all.

In order to further herself in her photog-raphy career, Madi plans to spend time on working on branding her company and polish-ing her technique to provide the best quality of portraits for people. However, during her high school career, it hasnt always been easy for her to establish herself as a photographer. But with the support of the people close to her, shes been able to prosper.

Reactions from my peers have always been extremely supportive and think its great, Madi said. Adults tend to have more of a mixed reaction. Often they are skeptical that a teenager can produce quality portraits.

Others think its amazing that I have started to make my dreams reality. My parents have been amazing supporters; they understand my crazy schedule during busy season, always provide feedback and never doubt my ability.

With the emotional support of her mother, Lisa Dombrowski, Madi has somebody to listen to her thoughts and ideas about her pho-tography. According to Lisa, she has always been honest about Madis work. If her moth-er feels something is not quite right she tells Madi, so she can see that the opinion of others may not always mesh with hers. Her mother has also made sure that Madi has everything she needs to be successful, such as top notch cameras, accessories, props, a computer and computer programs.

I have always known Madi is a very artis-tic person, Lisa said. From drawing to pick-ing out what she was going to wear to school in elementary, she has had that keen eye. All of that eventually turned into her passion for photography. Madi will have my help for her passion of photography for as long as she needs this is her life to live. My hopes for Madis future is that she is happy. I feel as if Madi is happy she can achieve any dreams she may have. Her ability to find the beauty in everyone shows in her words and work, and for that I love her to the moon and back.

Madi has been able to rely on friends for testing out new photography methods. When-ever she wants to try out a new lens or some-thing she learned at CAPS, senior Elise Pe-terson lets Madi test it out on her. And when she takes other peoples pictures, Peterson usually tags along.

Its been neat to see how her photography and herself personally have grown since she first started taking pictures, Peterson said. I can tell that she truly loves it, and the fact that she decided to start up her own business while still in high school is super inspiring to me. She is one of the most hardworking, kind in-dividuals that I know, and I am so thankful to have become friends with her. Madi continu-

ously inspires me everyday. She loves photog-raphy and wants to show everyone how theyre beautiful in their own way.

The dedication needed to turn a passion into a reality is something that isnt necessar-ily easy, but according to Madi, its worth the hardships to see the finished product at the end.

The most important thing I have learned by starting my own business is that there is never a challenge too big to overcome for something you love, Madi said. Dont wait for tomorrow to do it. Do it now. It may be a small start, but you always have to start some-where. Once you make your passion a reality, youll know that your life has truly begun.

Pursuing a passion can have positive out-comes and provide stories that inspire a per-son to never give up it gives life a purpose. Madi said there was a session with a teenage girl where when she showed the girl a few im-ages on the back of the camera, and the girl began to cry. What the girl said to Madi stuck: I thought people could only look like this with Photoshop. That was one of the moments that Madi realized showing people what they truly look like brings an indescribable joy. Photography has allowed overwhelming hap-piness to be present in Madis life every day.

Photography and my business have im-pacted me in ways I never imagined, Madi said. It has allowed me to show others how I see the world when words fail. It has brought me a kind of joy that when you go to sleep at night youre smiling. It also allowed me an es-cape from the lowest point in my life. Running a business has also showed me a new side of responsibilities, and made me grow up quick-ly to be able to handle the situation. Overall, photography is the reason I am the person I am today, and Ill always be grateful for that.

| lexitarterPhotos by Delaney Oliver.

| 28

4 | aug. 2014 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | feature29 |

30 | feb. 2015 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | photo essay

1

2

Energy to Sparethe bowling team practices in preparation for KC Bowl on Jan. 26

| katielucas

(5) Senior Madeline Fines steadies her ball before going for a release. Fines has been playing since freshman year after being inspired by her cousins, who participate in their schools bowling teams. I hope to [continue bowling], Fines said. Depending on where I end up for college, I might join a league, but I am definitely taking my ball with me wherever I end up.

| 31

3 4

5Its always really fun

after you get a strike or a really high score to walk

away from the bowling alley, like in those mov-

ies where things explode behind you. You just kind

of feel a little bad to the bone.

| seniormegantolar

(1) Sophomore Emily Tolar concentrates on her balls destination as she prepares to throw. One of Tolars favorite things about new coach Tom Hult is his Hult high-five, which she says make her feel inspired, and his energy, which keeps them all feeling enthusiastic. In our last practice we didnt even bowl; we had a Fun Day Friday, and we ended up doing softball slides into the bowling lane to bowl, and it actually worked pretty well, Tolar said. A lot of people got strikes. (2) Senior Katie Craven laughs as she hugs senior Megan Tolar after falling down during her bowl. Craven joined bowl-ing this year to be with her friends and have fun. [My favorite bowling memory] was Friday when Megan caught my ball when I was going for the swing and I fell down, Craven said. So that was pret-ty amusing. I felt kind of victimized, but

it was pretty funny. (3) Senior Brooke Tilley lines up her ball with the lane be-fore starting her swing. Tilley has played many other sports, but to her, bowling has been the most fun. It feels good [when I score well] because I try really hard to work on my form and everything, and if its just not going well, I try more, and when I actually accomplish some-thing it feels really good, said Tilley. (4) Senior Megan Tolar steals the ball from sophomore Emily Tolar as she swings the ball the back before throwing it. Em-ily has been bowling since her freshman year with her sister Megan. Someone just told me it would be really funny to grab their ball when they throw it back, and the first time I did it to her, she hit me in the gut with a ball, and it knocked the wind out of me, Megan said. But this time it was just really funny.

32 | feb. 2015 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | ads

ANY SIZE SMOOTHIE

As director Dan Schmidt instructs junior Austin Ragusin, junior Paige Boomer makes a note in her script. Boomer plays the musicals central character, Elle Woods. Ive wanted to do [this show] since I first saw it, which was [around] fourth grade, Boomer said. To be able to say, Oh, yeah, I did Legally Blonde in my high school years, is so crazy. Its so surreal that I cant believe that it actually happened.

Singing the number Blood in the Water, Professor Callahan, played by senior Caleb Jenkins, in-structs his students on how to be ruthless lawyers. This scene takes place during Elles first day at Harvard Law. [Callahan] basically drills the students with a barrage of hypothetical scenarios to try to teach them to be more cunning, Jenkins said. The only problem is the way he goes about teaching the students is very abrasive and rude, so theyre all pretty scared of him.

12 Jan.

16 Jan.

Setting the Stagethespians rehearse for the spring musical, Legally Blonde

photo essay | www.bvswnews.com | southwest | feb. 2015 | 33

After gifting a dress to Elle, a store manager, played by junior Sydney Swyers, sings a solo in the song Omigod You Guys. This is Swyerss first time as an onstage ensemble member in a school musical.. I have to belt at one part, and Im not a belter, Swyers said. But I love [singing] that part because it helps me with that part of my voice.

Elles sorority sisters cheer her up in the song Positive. At the end of the number, Elle decides to undergo a transformation from blonde to brunette. [The sorority girls] are her best friends, and they kind of represent her home life back in L.A., senior Hannah Tymosko said. They comfort her through all the struggles shes going through at Harvard.

19 Jan.

21 Jan.

34 |

Scan the QR code to view more photos and purchase prints. | madisonleighty

Graphics by Abby Yi

Legally Blonde will be shown on Feb. 19, 20 and 21. Tickets can be purchased online for eight dollars.

special sections | www.bvswnews.com | southwest | feb. 2015 | 35

B A K I N GC L U B S

TIP: Layer the ingredients (except the butter, egg, milk and vanilla) in a 1 quart jar in the order given above. Make sure to press each layer firmly in place before add-ing the next layer, otherwise it may not all fit. Give it to-gether with the recipe as a present to your friend. Bak-ing Club meets every Wednesday after school and during hubs in Room 213. Interested in joining the club? Contact them on their Twitter account: @BVSWbakingclub.

1 1/3 cup flour1 1/3 cup rolled oats

3/4 cup M&Ms, chopped nuts or raisins 3/4

cup chocolate chips 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup white sugar 1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup melted butter 1 egg

1 teaspoon of milk 1 teaspoon of vanilla

From decorating cakes to making fruit pizza, the Baking Club explores different recipes each week. It meets every Wednesday during hubs and after school in social studies teacher Kathryn Pintos room. There youll find the about 30 members of the club. Because they dont have ovens, they work with no-bake recipes or they bring their dough home and put it in the oven themselves. Each holiday, they organize their own cookie exchange. Everybody picks out ingredients, brings in the recipe card and then tries out other peoples recipes. A majority of the club consists of girls. However, the club is trying to get more boys to come. Senior Molly Menefee said that what makes Baking Club so great is that its really laid back, very casual and a good way to relieve stress.

| jellebuijs

Preheat the oven to 175. Grease in cookie sheets. Shape the dough into walnut

Place two inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes in the preheated oven.

Transfer from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks. Bonne apptit!

cookies

1 2 3

[Baking] is a good way to

relieve stress. | seniormollymenefee

60%

80%

Phone WarsPhone Warsa side-by-side comparison of the iPhone 6 and the Samsung Galaxy S5

The iPhone 6 was released on Sept. 14, 2014.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 was

released on April 11, 2014.

The iPhone measures 5.44 by 2.64 in.

The Galaxys dimensions are 5.59 by 2.85 in.

Free Ap

ps Per

Store :

iTunes

Google Play

Are you Team Apple or Team Android?

Phon

e Sp

ecs:

The iPhone 6 has an 8-megapixel camera and a

battery life of up to 250 hours on standby.

The Galaxy has a 16-megapixel camera and a

battery life of up to 390 hours on standby.

Ive always had an iPod or iPhone, so switching over would be too much work. Im sure

Android is just as awesome, but I dont want to bother learning a new

system.| juniormaddiebarger

36 | feb. 2015 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | infographic

| laurenstone

Information from gsmarena.com and techrepublic.com

I dont really see whats so great about Apple. Sorry, I dont want

a phone that bends.| seniorwyatt

risovi-hendrickson

news | www.bvswnews.com | southwest | feb. 2015 | 37

D

D E T E R R I N GTHE

AM GAadministrators implement new lunchroom policy after incidents of vandalism

E

Every afternoon, juniors Madison Moore and Madison Ruffalo go to four hours of swim practice. By the time they get home, shower and eat dinner, their days worth of homework is often started close to 9 p.m.. In an effort to balance homework and sleep, Moore and Ruffalo utilized their lunch period to alleviate their homework load for that night. However, after incidents of vandalism and messes repeatedly occurred and became a more frequent problem throughout first se-mester, administrators implemented a new lunchroom policy that tightened restrictions on where students are able to eat during the lunch period.

Its really frustrating because sometimes when Im going through my list [of homework] before I go to bed Ill be like, Oh, I can do that during lunch its no big deal, but now thats not an option anymore, Ruffalo said. Im not

the only one who used the library during lunch time, so me and all the other people were trying to be good, but were feeling the heat more from [the policy].

The new policy took effect the first day of second semester, Monday, Jan. 5. Students had previously been able to eat lunch in oth-er parts of the building, including the library, classrooms and flex spaces, but under the new lunchroom policy, all students are required to stay in the commons during the lunch period.

When we saw trash down [in the hallway] and we saw food on the walls, we thought, OK, were going to correct it because somebody is taking advantage of us, Assistant Principal and Athletic Director Gary Howard said. For somebody thats been here for five years and appreciates what we have and wants to keep everything nice for the next kids that come through, that hurts me. If I can do some-

thing to correct it, then Im going to do it.The custodial staff would commonly find

lunch trays not returned to the cafeteria left in other parts of the building, trash on the floor, spilled food, lunch trays in the trash cans and other messes, including food thrown against the wall. Custodians also encountered messes left in the bathroom.

Video footage revealed that the majority of the incidents occurred during the lunch period when kids were not eating in the commons. This led Howard, the custodians, school resource officers (SROs), counselors and other admin-istrators to the proposition of a new lunchroom policy that would include locking doors to hall-ways exiting the lunchroom and tightening su-pervision to ensure all students stayed in the commons during their allotted lunch time.

38 |

The simplest thing to do is to eat in the lunch area, and that way, if you make a mess in the lunchroom, it falls on the concrete and it takes probably five or 10 minutes [to clean up], and its no big deal, Howard said. If you come down here [in the flex spaces] and nobody is super-vising you, and you find apple-sauce on the side of the wall, how would that make you feel? It hurts. I would imagine that most kids, if they saw what was going on, would correct it themselves, but unfortunately, some of the kids are doing it when nobody else is around.

Messes composed of food werent the only issues that led Howard and other administra-tors to implement the new pol-icy. Thermostats were found torn off walls, paper towel dispensers were found on the floor, locker doors were bent, bathroom mirrors were broken and students were discovered smoking e-cigarettes in the bathrooms all on numerous occasions. Video surveillance again revealed that a common factor was found among the in-cidents they were occurring during the lunch period.

We used to be pretty lib-eral about leaving doors un-locked, and it just got to the point where too many bad things were happening during the lunch period because ev-erybodys main focus is in [the commons], so then a lot of the kids were wandering the halls unsupervised, SRO Lance

Balderston said. [Vandal-ism] is progressively getting worse. Its not epic, but its gotten worse over the years.

According to the Pock-et Guide to Kansas Criminal Law, which Balderston and fellow SRO Matt Buelt fol-low, vandalism is defined as knowingly damaging, de-stroying, defacing or substan-tially impairing the use of any property in which another has an intent without consent of such other person. Once de-struction of property is discov-ered, Balderston and Buelt file a criminal damage to property report and send it to the John-son County District Attorneys office, along with information surrounding the suspect of the vandalism.

Vandalism is divided into two categories misdemean-or, which includes crimes un-der $1,000, and felony, which covers crimes over $1,000. The cost of the property com-bined with the cost of repair comprises the total charge that would either fall under a misdemeanor or felony. School administrators and the district court can be involved in decid-ing upon a punishment for the perpetrator, which can range from suspension to court-or-dered community service.

It seems that the kids just dont respect each other or their property or their school, Balderston said. I dont know if thats a wave of what were getting from the new kids or the freshmen that are mov-

ing in from other schools, but it just seems like its kind of gone the respect for each other and each others prop-erties.

While food messes in the hallways arent filed in crimi-nal reports, they dont go un-punished. Incidents classified under disorderly conduct can also result in in-school and out-of-school suspensions. Disorderly conduct is often handled at the administrator level, and its cleaning can be just as burdensome for the custodians as incidents filed under criminal reports.

When custodians encoun-ter messes in their designated areas of the school, they are expected to clean up the mess during their eight-hour shifts. However, if the shift ends be-fore the mess can be properly cleaned up, a custodian work-ing the next rotation will take over cleaning the area. If the custodians do not have the appropriate cleaning supplies readily available at their home high school, they contact Ex-ecutive Director of Facilities and Operations Dave Hill and Director of Operations and Maintenance Dave Pe-terson at District Office. Dis-trict Office can provide exter-nal cleaning supplies, such as heavy duty washers, and also handles reports surrounding broken property and provides new equipment to replace what was damaged.

| 39

Damaged locker repair/replacement

$250depending on

repair/replace-ment needs

Restroom mirror replacement

installation

hvac thermostat replacement

average installation,

depending ON TYPE

clean-up costs, messes

Average hourly pay per person,

depending on severity

THE COST OF VANDALISMWe strive for a very quick response, Hill said. The goal is to not give any-one that might have done the vandalism the satisfaction of the message or the shock val-ue that they were intending to create by doing it in the first place. Its unfortunate when custodians need to take time out of their normal routines to address [vandalism], but we recognize thats part of pro-viding custodial services for a high school.

Messes in the flex spaces and classrooms have created challenges for the custodial staff and Howard, as the car-pet poses a difficult cleaning duty. While the trashcans in the lunchroom are emptied immediately after lunch and the floors are washed with a wet squeegee daily, trash cans in other parts of the building are sometimes not emptied for 24 to 48 hours. Therefore, even properly disposed food can attract insects, mice and other rodents.

[Lunch] is a time not to go out in different parts of the building, Howard said. Weve been a little bit lax in doing that, and the majority of the kids can handle it, but what [other kids] do is they see some kids taking food to a classroom to eat, and theyre saying, Why do they get to do that? And then all of a sudden, instead of all the kids eating in the lunchroom, you have kids eating in the halls and down in the flex classrooms. If you

let 10 kids, then you better let 260 kids go anywhere they want. There has to be some su-pervision in what we do.

The new lunchroom policy may decrease vandalism and mess issues, but its also un-intentionally affected students who used the lunch period to work on homework in the li-brary or socialize with their friends in a supervised class-room. WolfByte crew members had taken pride in their tradi-tion of listening to music and spending time as a crew in the WolfByte classroom during lunch. Even after being re-stricted to eating in the Wolf-Byte classroom only twice a week first semester, adjusting to eating solely in the lunch-room was a big transition for WolfByte Executive Producer senior Mads Carrigan, who had eaten in the WolfByte room every day since she joined the crew last spring.

The first couple of days [that the policy was enforced], we had no idea where to go or who to sit with, Carrigan said. There are no full tables where we can all sit down to-gether because by the time we get there and everybody gets their food, theyre all taken, so we cant even continue our tradition in the lunchroom be-cause there are 19 of us. Our tradition has been completely cut off.

While Howard said the new policy has unfairly pe-nalized those not responsible for the issues leading to its

implementation, he said that students should spend their lunch period taking a break from the stresses of school and do so in the lunchroom.

The classrooms arent a place for kids to eat, Howard said. For that 25 minutes that you have during [lunch], thats your time. You should be able to sit up in the commons across from one of your friends and visit. Thats 25 minutes of your time when you need a break during the day.

While the effectiveness of the new lunchroom policy is currently in the wait and see period, Howard doesnt expect the lunchroom policy will ever go back to being as liberal as it once was. The typical lunch period serves around 260 to 270 students, but with numbers expecting to grow to as much as 400 students per lunch period, Howard said re-strictions on allowing students to leave the commons are needed to protect the condi-tions of the school.

Im passionate for the kids, and Im passionate about this building, Howard said. Ill want the next genera-tion to be able to experience the same [conditions of the school]. We are very fortu-nate to have this building, and I want it to be as nice in 10 years when kids come in [as it is now].

| margojohnson

Graphics by Kate Bowling and Riley Martin.Costs according to Executive Director of

Facilities and Operations Dave Hill.

$150

$300

$13

40 | feb. 2015 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | q & a

Not Just For Guys

What got you interested in wrestling?

All my brothers did it plus, it was freshman year, and everybody tells you to try out for something, do something you normally wouldnt do. And so I decided on wrestling because thats stepping out of my comfort zone a little bit, I figured why not.

w hen sophomore Jennifer Jones began her wrestling career freshman year, her friends and peers were definitely shocked because they didnt see [her] as the wres-tler type. However, Jones said her friends were still very supportive, and her teammates included and accepted her. Jones is the first female wrestler in the history of the school. She joined the team with no prior experience, except for wrestling with her brothers as a child. Since starting wrestling, Jones has gone on to win one match and hopes to continue to win more throughout her high school wrestling career.

| donnaarmstrong

q:a:

What are some of the challenges you face in the sport of wrestling?

The one major challenge is the physical challenge. So, I mean, just being a girl, obviously our bodies are different than guys, and so it takes a bit more strength training if you want to get up to a guys level.

"Definitely freshman year, after wrestling, I just had a major confidence boost because freshman year you have a lot of stuff on your mind, and I was kind of transitioning, and I didnt think too highly of myself, didnt have a lot of confidence. But after wrestling, it changes the way you look at yourself. And things like, 'If I did wrestling, then I could make it through this day; I can make it through that.' It strengthened me as a person, not only physically but mentally. And so I think if people are on the fence about wrestling, just go out and try it. The worst thing that can happen is that you get pinned or you lose a match, but its all benefits."

Has wrestling changed the way you view yourself?q:a:

1

2

3

sophomore Jennifer Jones shares her story as the school's first female wrestler

q:a: My response to them is, If you have the mentality and if you have the mo-

tivation, then regardless of your gen-der, just go out for it.

What would your response be to people who say wrestling is for guys?

q:a:

2

q:a:

q:

a:

Have you faced any mental challenges being the only fe-male wrestler on the team?

At my first match-es I was terrified because Id go out there and Id see this big muscular dude. Im like,No way in heck can I go out and do this. But, I think the big-gest mental chal-lenge is just getting out there and being comfortable on the mat, with every-body watching me. Putting myself out there like that I think thats been the biggest chal-lenge but I think Ive overcome it.

(1) Fighting her way out of a headlock, sophomore Jennifer Jones contin-ues to force the wrestler from Blue Valley Northwest to remove his hands from around her neck. Jones wrestled her opponent for almost two full minutes before she was ultimately pinned at the end of the match. Jones was the only girl at the match on Jan. 21. (2) Struggling to remove herself from the grasp of the BV Northwest wrestler, Jennifer Jones perseveres through to escape. But at the end of the match, Jones was pinned anyway by the male wrestler from BV Northwest. (3) Charging at her brother se-nior Dahrah Jones, beads of sweat drip down Jennifers forehead. During the aggressive drill at wrestling practice, the wrestlers must continue to attack at their partners for three minutes. (4) In the grasp of her brother, Dahrah, Jennifer pushes back during a JV wrestling practice. (5) Wrestling the previous BV Northwest opponent, Jennifer fights to escape her way out of a headlock to gain a point. At the end of the match, Jennifer ended up falling to the other wrestler and was pinned. (6) Escaping from a headlock, Jennifer Jones fights her way to get another point on the scoreboard. The referee at the match watches carefully to see if Jennifer has her shoulders on the ground for two seconds, indicating she has been pinned.

5

| 41

4

6

My parents definitely encouraged me. They supported me when I was on the fence about making the decision they were the ones that supported me and en-couraged me and motivated me to go out for it."

Was there a person in your life that got you interested in wrestling?

Programmed for Success

Different linguistics and languages are some of the primary causes for separation and boundaries among the human race. However, with the emergence of new technologies and the breakthrough of the Information Age, new types of mechanized phonetics have emerged, uniting purveyors of the trade across the globe. Now more than ever, fluency in these new-age languag-es is at an extremely high demand, and throughout the United States, a push for the education of young people in the ba-sics of computer sciences is being made.

Computer programming languag-

es themselves are nothing new. Pro-gramming languages with functional implementations have been around since the 1950s. What is new, how-ever, is the rampant demand for hir-ing people with programming skills. This can be traced to the ever rap-idly evolving world of technology.

Were using computers to do more and more, all the time, Kansas State University Professor of Computer Sci-ence Nathan Bean said. If you look at when computers were first created, they were primarily used to perform very difficult or tedious calculations to

support scientific research happening in universities. Then they spread to homes, and now you can find them in phones, in your car, in your TV, etc. With each new use that was found for computers, more programmers were needed to support the develop-ment of software to meet that need.

America, however, has a problem. Tech companies in the United States are struggling mightily to find sufficient talent in the fields of computer science.

Students explore the growing computer science industry

Graphic by Kate Bowling.

42 | feb. 2015 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | feature

This may come as a mystery, as the field is growing, as well as an average salary of over $75,000 per year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The answer to why there is such a shortage of computer programmers in the U.S. is rooted within the lack of implementation of this kind of education within the public school sys-tem. That, although is quickly changing.

We need to train more American pro-grammers. STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education success has been given strategic priori-ty by recent administrations and for good reason innovation and economic growth are closely tied to these social indica-tors, University of Chicago Professor of Computer Science Adam Gerber said. As an instructor of Computer Science at UChicago, I'm in a position to recommend my best students to companies wanting to hire top talent.

The youth movement of computer sci-ence is extremely crucial to increasing the amount of technology related jobs able to be taken by home grown talent. At this point in time, Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science is offered in only 10 percent of U.S. high schools. In 2010, the AP test for that class was taken by only 14,517 students, compared to 194,784 students that took the AP Calculus test that same year. Although, some students are finding ways to enhance their knowl-edge in programming without a surplus of computer science courses offered.

Junior Reed Bowling is a proponent of the initiative to teach more computer sci-ence in schools and to increase the number of class options for that field of learning.

I definitely think that schools should teach more computer science because not only is it teaching us to code with comput-ers, but its also teaches us great problem solving skills, Bowling said. Last semes-ter I took an independent study in comput-

er science from Harvard, and right now Im taking an Honors Java II class; Im the only one in that hour.

Southwest currently offers several classes in the computer science field, such as basic game design courses and Java classes. This does not hold true with other American high schools, however.

Other ways of promoting computer sci-ence to youth have popped up all across the country. Launching in 2013, Code.org is an organization pushing for the mandate of adding computer science courses to core curriculum. Its goal is to allow for every student, regardless of any kind of demo-graphic to have access to at least a basic knowledge of computer science. Code.org also started the Hour of Code initiative, a program that encourages students to try at least the simplest of programming.

Basically what it is, is trying to bring awareness to computer science to young-er kids, Bowling said. Its exposing the youth to computer science

With promoters of Code.com ranging from Barack Obama, to Bill Gates, to Usher, the initiative has made a heavy impact on schools across the nation. Over ten million students have tried the Hour of Code, and over 60 school districts have implemented computer science curricu-lum around the Code.com agenda. Another goal of the program is to bring more di-versity to computer science. Sixty percent of students taking online courses through Code.com are Hispanic or African-Amer-ican, and 34 percent are girls. All three of those demographics have very limited number in the computer science job force.

According to the Computing Research Association, 4.5 percent of bachelors de-grees in computer science from prestigious universities were awarded to black stu-dents, while 6.5 percent were awarded to Hispanic students.

As the situation currently stands,

knowledge of programming and coding is largely concentrated in a technologi-cal elite computer scientists and pro-grammers, who are predominantly white, middle class males, Bean said. With a single group controlling computer soft-ware with sharing a common viewpoint, the software that is developed will embrace that perspective, and everyone else must either accept it enough to work with that software, or reject it and the benefits the software bestows.

Senior Jacob Hegna is a computer sci-ence enthusiast and thinks automation is the future of many industries.

I think a lot of jobs in the future will be automated, so like account jobs and gener-al business jobs and manufacturing jobs, Hegna said. I think being on the side of the people who are automating the process and not being on the side of people who have the jobs that are being automated is good for sustainability

The future of the computer science job force is still up in the air; although major strides are being made. With a field full of benefits and job opportunities galore, American tech companies may eventually end their desperation for talented person-nel.

Want to help cure cancer? An import-ant tool in that effort is computer models of cells, proteins and DNA. Want to end world hunger? The United States alone discards a staggering amount of spoiled food; computerization of the food distribu-tion network promises to reduce that waste, allowing excess resources to be diverted to hungry mouths, Bean said. Computers are used in so many different ways; the role you can have as a computer scientist is equally as broad.

| michaelmagyar

Computer Science at a Glance:

Computing-related jobs constitute 5 out of the 10 highest paid jobs from among the 30 fastest

growing jobs

Average Starting Salary: $64,000

Only 12 percent of com-puter science degrees are

awarded to women

| 43

44 | feb. 2015 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | feature

Study Skills teachers help students reach academic success

Before moving to the Blue Valley School District, sophomore Noah Rich was told he would never make it past a third grade reading level after being diagnosed with autism. He would prove this theo-ry wrong as he continued to succeed in his academic career.

I have trouble reading, so [if] a teacher says, You need to read a textbook page, it may take me double or triple time to read it, Rich said. And then say taking notes, Ill just listen and take notes later cause if I try to do both, Ill pay more attention to taking the notes than what is going on and miss half of it. Other than that I get by just fine.

Most teachers help him by breaking down the lessons and progressing slowly over difficult topics; however, some teachers are not as under-standing or do not even realize he has a disability. But the real key to his success has been getting the extra help he needs in a class called Study Skills.

In rooms 206, 307 and 509, not only are les-son plans being taught each day, but students with learning disabilities find themselves in a safe environment where they are taught testing skills, problem solving and social skills that they will carry with them into the next stages of their lives.

Kathyann Christenson, Lynda LaPlant and Leann Voor Vart all teach Study Skills, a class where students with learning disabilities such as dyslexia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism, receive help on anything, ranging from daily homework assignments and projects to long term goals.

Students in these classes have an Individual Education Plan (IEP), a legal document recog-nized by the government that indicates that the students need assistance in order to be success-ful in the classroom.

Many of the students [with learning dis-abilities] in this school that have an IEP are en-rolled in special education of some sort, but you would not be able to pick them out of the crowd or in your classroom because they have suc-cessfully been able to come up with things that help them in the classroom, Voor Vart said. I do feel that for a lot of those students that you may not notice it, but they generally have to work harder to be as successful as someone who does not have a disability.

On an ordinary day in Study Skills, students usually have time to get help with lessons or homework that they may need to