Freshman Makaila Traylor explores her passion for music through drums and dance

BASKETBALLERS

O Y C Students join a recreational basketball league to compete against friends and students from other schools. BY PAULA SWEENY COPY EDITOR With games on the weekends and practice once or twice during the week, the Catholic Youth Organization recreational basketball league is not a huge time commitment, and students are able to make their own teams. Many students said they joined because even if they are not good at basketball, they can still have fun and enjoy spending time with friends.

“I joined so I had a winter sport I could do,” senior Avery Kuhls of the Storm Seniors said. “My favorite part is that we don’t take it that seriously, and we have fun while playing.”

The Storm Seniors are ranked sixth out of 11 teams with a 2-3 record. From the juniors, Cougars 21 is ranked fourth out of 12, with a 3-1 record followed by Sion HS in seventh place with 2-2 and Curry on my Wayward Son is 12th place with a 0-3 record. Sophomore Grace Power plays with friends from St. Teresa’s Academy. Their team, CYO Stars, is currently in fourth place out of 11 teams with a 2-1 record.

“I like [CYO] because it isn’t completely serious,” Power said. “It’s still competitive, and it also allows you to be with your friends from other schools.”

The CYO basketball league has around 5,000 participants annually in Wyandotte and Johnson counties. Any grade is allowed to sign up and many students have made a team with their friends. Teams practice at a grade school or gym of their choice and games are mainly played at Hocker Grove Middle School.The league has games from December to March that end in a playoff tournament and a championship game.

Teams pay a $900 fee to sign up for the league which is split between the players and then a $30 player registration fee. Uniforms are purchased separately and sell for $24 for the jersey and $11.95 for the shorts.

“It’s just simply for fun, and you’re doing it with your friends,” junior Anna McQueeny of Curry on my Wayward Son said. “Not a lot of us are incredible, and some people have never touched a basketball before now, but it’s still super fun.”

Meet the teams:

(Photos submitted by Holly Frey, Ruby Wright, Paula Sweeny and Averi Myrick)

Storm Seniors Cougars 21 Curry on my Wayward Son Sion HS Dana Kalt, Meg Wilkerson, Nina Trouvé, Caroline Boessen, Caroline Knopke, Avery Kuhls, Maeve Hogg, Olivia Townsend, Logan Dixon, Kyleigh Smith, Emily Rine, Holly Frey, Gresha Burton, Reilly Jackoboice, Paula Sweeny Kennedy Maher, Abby Vossen,Lindsey Dougherty, Ruby Wright, Katie Schudy Mady Jenkins, Ellen McDaniel, Violet Tumlin, Hannah McGraw, Grace A. Riley, Megan Propeck, Mia Legato, Zoe Zorn, Kennedy Ruark, Lauren McDougald, Anna McQueeny Clara Banes, Matia Ianni, Olivia Pope, Katherine Lillis, Lia Concannon, Delaney Minor, Paxton Misemer, Mikayla Gunther, Katelyn Brinkman, Addie Vance, Abbie Wagner, Mason Lewis, Bella Aquino, Averi Myrick

SWIM AND DIVE STATE QUALIFIERS

BY KATE VANKEIRSBILCK REPORTER

50 FREE (25.49) DIVE AND CONSIDERATIONCONSIDERATION 200 FREE (2:01.09) Senior Olivia Townsend -25.15 COMO Senior Bridget Schumm -2:12.65 COMO Senior Caroline Knopke -407 points Gladstone Junior Lindsey Dougherty -336 points

CONSIDERATION 50 FREE (27.29) Sophomore Grace Townsend -26.75 COMO Junior Kate Conway -26.99 COMO

CONSIDERATION 100 BACK (1:08.29)

Sophomore Ava Albracht -1:08.41 COMO Wiewel -1:03.38 COMO

200 MEDLEY RELAY (1:58.29) Wiewel (back), O. Townsend (breast), Albract (fly), G.Townsend (free) -1:55.26 Red Bridge

100 BREAST (1:10.99)

O. Townsend -1:09.51 COMO

200 FREE RELAY (1:45.99)

O. Townsend, Schumm, G. Townsend, Conway- 1:39.55 Red Bridge

CONSIDERATION 100 FREE (1:00.49) Senior Peyton Wiewel -59.65 COMO Conway -59.54 COMO O. Townsend -58.70 Belton (Photo submitted by Sabrina Wiewel)

The Mug FEATURES

Senior Elyse Makar begins the process of sculpting the once formless clay into one of her eccentric mugs. (Photo by Jenna Barackman)