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NORTH ST R Issue 1, Volume 27 Blue Valley North Overland Park, KS August 17, 2012
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orget Leawood. This summer, several students took on the world through international travel including Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Central America. Continue reading about their adventures on pages 4-5.
PLUS: p. 2
Meet the new principal
photo by Erika Brown, taken on an African safari.
p. 3 Freshman year: the right way
p. 8
A day at band camp
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or students, the new school year means a chaotic rush of schedules, last-minute summer homework and learning how to wake up early again. For David Stubblefield, it means something even more hectic: a new job. As a young man growing up in Dodge City, Kan., Stubblefield always enjoyed teaching. He could often be found tutoring his peers. “I always enjoyed helping my friends with school, and I was pretty good at it too,” Stubblefield said. After attending college at Southwest Missouri State and Mid-America Nazarene University, Stubblefield jumped right into teaching. His first job was teaching at a school in Missouri. Stubblefield moved to the Blue Valley school district, where he taught science classes at North and later became an administrator at West and Northwest. Each of these positions taught him valuable lessons that have molded him into the principal he is today. “I love the relationships you build with the students and the school’s community. It’s something I really treasure, and I feel like it’s a strength of mine,” Stubblefield said. Stubblefield has two main goals for this school year: to create relationships and maintain the wonderful aspects of the school.
Stubblefield wants to cultivate an atmosphere where relationships among students, staff and the community are strengthened. He feels that the school does not need much improving but more maintaining of an outstanding academic reputation. He plans to keep this reputation going by encouraging rigorous, relevant and engaging courses and by developing the “whole individual” in each student, whether that be through community service, extracurricular activities or athletics. “I want to create an atmosphere where we feel like we are a family,” he said. Stubblefield’s own family shares his commitment to education. He is the father of three boys, one of whom currently attends KU. His wife, Anna, works at the Lawrence district office. Though they’re both passionate about education administration, Stubblefield said that Blue Valley – and North in particular – is where his heart lies. “Everybody [at North] has been very welcoming. It helps that there are familiar faces from when I was last here,” Stubblefield said. He is excited to start a new school year and to build relationships that will last. “This is a fantastic building with great teachers, great staff and great students,” Stubblefield said.
Kristen Haug Staff Writer
Principal David Stubblefield was once an Honors Biology teacher at North and is excited to return as a Mustang. Photo by Lindsay Rucker.
NEWS BRIEFS Batter Up!
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fter a tense finals game against rival Blue Valley West on May 26, the baseball team became 6A state champions. The final score was 1-0, keeping BVW from scoring through an airtight defense.
Business Brilliance
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eniors Jenny Phillips and Sarah Evans placed top 25 nationally in policy debate at the National Forensic League speech and debate tournament in Indianapolis. Graduates Max Agadoni and Anne Elise Dimas placed top 30 in the nation in Duo Interpretation.
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tudents who earned recognition at the National Leadership Conference of Future Business leaders of America in San Antonio were senior Virbin Sapkota, juniors Emma Worgul and Yarden Tamir, sophomore Emily Levinson and 2012 graduate Heidi Friedrich.
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FRESHMAN SCHOOL SURVIVAL GUIDE
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ontrary to what most incoming ninth graders think, freshman year is the most bearable of the four years. It is a bit of a leap to move into a larger school, with double the people in your grade and double the opportunities, so instead of we did), you can use this short guide to make the transition smooth and simple. Faryal Jafri Staff Writer
Sakshi Mahajan Staff Writer
Ram Sivakumar
MAKE PLANS AUG.
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Events of note in the weeks ahead
Parent/athlete drug & alcohol meeting 7 p.m. @ PAC
Staff Writer
Myth #1: You can’t walk through the senior locker area. You will eventually have to. The seniors don’t care as long as you stay out of their way. They won’t bite.
Myth #2: You’ll get lost and be late for class.
You might get lost. But it happens to everyone. Teachers are usually lax about it early in the year, and they’re happy to give directions, too.
Myth #3: You have to drink and party to fit in. Everyone finds his or her own group. There will be people who will go out all the time and drink and party, but you don’t need to be one of those people. High school is about finding people you’re comfortable around.
Myth #4: You won’t have any friends at lunch or in your classes. Most of the time you’ll find a friend or two, but even if that’s not the case, you can easily make new friends as long as you’re open. Find mutual friends or people you’ve never talked to and start a conversation. You’ll be surprised by how much you have to talk about.
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20 AUG.
22 AUG.
24 AUG.
29 AUG.
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Mustang Stampede 6 - 9 p.m. @ DAC
Last day to make schedule changes
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Boys varsity soccer vs BVNW 7 p.m. @ DAC Mixer 8 - 11 p.m. @ Commons - bring student ID
Varsity girls tennis vs. BVNW 3:30 @ BVN Varsity volleyball vs. Olathe East 6:30 @ BVN main gym
Fall sports pep rally during Advisory
Myth #5: High school is all fun and games. Some people go into high school with the mindset that this is their time to let loose. While this may be true in some ways, acadamics are a huge part of the high school experience. The mixers and dances are more than balanced by the late night study sessions. You’ll have fun, but you’ll have to work hard too.
Our best advice: Things probably won’’t go exactly as planned. Try to
roll with the punches. No single bad test grade, fight with a friend, breakup or embarrassing moment is life altering. We all know it, just keep it in mind.
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31 SEPT.
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Varsity football vs. Bishop Miege 7 p.m. @ DAC
No School - Labor Day
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Around the World ...in 83 days
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dventure” took on many forms this summer as students set out to find jobs, relax with friends, and get the perfect tan. Some, however, sought their summer adventure on a global level. Passports filed and vaccines up to date, they set out internationally for purposes ranging from family visits to mission trips. From the cathedrals of Italy to the coasts of Israel, follow five Blue Valley North students as they set out on a worldwide adventure to gain a global perspective.
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Co-Editor-In-Chief
Mallory Bodker Staff Writer
Sydney House Staff Writer
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s a member of Latin Club, senior Amy Sevcik made her journey to Italy on a club trip sponsored by Latin teacher Jonah Baldwin. Noting cultural differences from diverse food to a daily twohour afternoon “siesta” – a period of relaxation and napping – Sevcik said her favorite part of the trip was the Italian architecture she saw and toured. “The most memorable moment was when we were in the cathedral in Florence,” she said. “We found a bell tower that was attached to the cathedral and climbed to the top. It was so cool because we were the only people there and the views of Florence are amazing.” Though Sevcik thoroughly enjoyed her time in Italy, she cherishes the valuable lessons she learned from her trip. “I learned to be more appreciative of other cultures and their way of living,” she said. “We’re always busy, busy, busy, and [in Italy] they take time to stop and enjoy things.”
n a search for her roots, senior Isabel Keleti traveled to Belgium to reunite with relatives. The trip included several Belgian towns including Hasselt, Antwerp and Brussels. “My mom was born in Brussels,” Keleti said. “All her side of the family lives in Belgium. It was cool to see how they all still lived within walking distance of each other.” According to Keleti, Belgian food was a major perk of her trip. “Food is a lot better quality there,” she said. “Everything is really fresh. There was lots of good Belgian chocolate and Belgian waffles.” Keleti found deep connections in the European nation and was educated about her heritage. “It’s important to know where you come from and be close to your family,” she said. “It felt like we belonged there, and it was so cool to meet all those people after so many years and reconnect.”
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enior Erika Brown found her adventure in the grasslands and villages of Kenya, Africa. A family trip, her journey showed her a new side of nature. “In Africa, nature is everywhere,” Brown said. “We saw lots and lots of animals – elephants, lions, giraffes, gazelles, zebras, monkeys... the list goes on.” While a safari provided excitement on the trip, the main focus of Brown’s journey was mission work in Kenya’s struggling schools. “These kids had nothing,” she said. “We visited a school where three kids would be crammed into one desk, their clothes had obviously been donated, they didn’t have paper, but they were so gracious and grateful for everything that they had.” To combat the sub-standard conditions in Africa’s schools, Brown’s family donated clothes and school supplies and built relationships with local families from Kenyan villages. “I saw people who had nothing,” she said. “I learned to be thankful for everything I had.”
Sarah Evans
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or junior Ethan Hughes, summer was about much more than relaxation and personal gain. In fact, Hughes volunteered a week of his summer for a mission trip to Nicaragua through Lord of Life Lutheran Church. “We spent our time there painting schools and churches that couldn’t afford paint themselves,” Hughes said. While volunteerism and service were large components of the trip, manual work wasn’t the only part of the trip that emotionally affected Hughes. “I saw a kid that was pretty beat up,” he said. “He had a bloody nose and was crying for water. It really hit me. When I gave him my water, he just took two sips and shared it with others even though he didn’t have any.” Spending time in a largely impoverished country also affected Hughes’s attitude toward greed and American lifestyles. “In Nicaragua people live off of nothing,” he said. “Fifty percent of people make less than $2 a day, and they don’t feel like they’re in need. They make do with what they have.” Through helping a community in crisis and meeting the people who lived in it, Hughes says he learned valuable life lessons. “I learned we have way more than we need,” he said. “Since we are given so much, we have to help others that don’t have as much.”
tanding at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, knowing that my ancestors stood in this same spot centuries ago, was an emotional experience that left me feeling truly connected to my Jewish identity,” junior Allison Ullman said. This summer, Ullman had the opportunity to travel throughout Israel with 46 other teens from the Midwest through a program called The Jerusalem Journey. “We hiked Masada, tubed in the Red Sea, floated in the Dead Sea, visited the Hall of Independence, shopped in several markets and tried Israeli foods such as falafel and shwarma,” Ullman said. Despite her busy itinerary, Ullman found the relationshipbuilding aspect of her trip to be the most impactful. “I went with a lot of my close friends. However, I met so many other people and created friendships that will last a lifetime. There’s something special about traveling in Israel and being able to share that with your friends,” she said.
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R E V I E W S
A “Guaranteed” crowd-pleaser “W
anted: Somebody to go back in time with me. This is not a joke. You’ll get paid after we get back. Must bring your own weapons. I have only done this once before. Safety not guaranteed.” The premise of the “Safety Not Guaranteed” is simple: three employees of a Seattle-based magazine venture to Oceanfront, Wash., to meet the man who placed this classified ad in a local newspaper. If he’s serious, well, that makes for a good story. If he’s not, then they got a nice diversion from work. Each character has a unique backstory. Intern Darius (Aubrey Plaza) wants a break from her troubled life. Writer Jeff (Jake Johnson) wants to reconnect with a high school girlfriend. Arnau (Karan Soni) is a socially awkward college student just along for the ride. These actors are terrific in their respective roles. Plaza is subtly hilarious as a cynical reporter and Soni’s awkward timing is perfect. In search of their story, the trio sets out to meet the man who placed the ad, an offbeat guy named Kenneth. Played by Mark Duplass, Kenneth is the most genuinely kind-hearted
“Safety Not Guaranteed”’s quirky characters head off for their trip back in time. Photo from http://www. safetynotguaranteedmovie.com/photos.html
character to appear onscreen in a long time. His child-like innocence is contagious; his naïveté makes you root for him. As Jeff rekindles a romance with his ex-girlfriend, he realizes that he wasn’t yearning for her all of these years – he was yearning for what his life was like at the time when they were together. It’s as if visiting her was his own attempt at time travel. This is pretty deep material for what comes off as a simple subplot. Romance also buds between Darius and Kenneth. The pace of the movie quickens, and we learn that government officials are after Kenneth. Could this mean he’s actually on to something?
Part of the fun of the movie is that it’s a grab-bag of genres. It’s sciencefiction, it’s romance, it’s comedy. It never delves into the science of time travel or the logistics of it. “Safety Not Guaranteed” poses the question of whether or not time travel is possible, but it doesn’t rush to find the answer. The audience is forced to speculate until the last minute of the movie, but the ending is more than satisfying. “Safety Not Guaranteed” proves that not all comedies released in the summer have to be big name blockbusters to leave you with a smile on your face.
’m not generally a fan of with bullying by a teacher. And just anthologies. The stories always like in the real world, there are no seem to have either easy answers. too much or too little Like any anthology, information. Despite this book has its ups this, when I was given and downs. Some of a copy of “Cornered: the stories are realistic 14 Stories of Bullying fiction; others lean and Defiance”, edited toward fantasy. After by Rhoda Belleza, I a while, the realistic decided to give it a stories start to feel try. repetitive, with many of “Cornered” contains the bullying tactics and 14 stories about characters’ reactions kids facing some of remaining almost the the worst situations same from story to imaginable. Some are story. being tormented by Having said that, former friends, some As you embark on the search for that there were several elusive free reading book for CA, check things the authors do by parents; there is out “Cornered”, which looks honestly at even one story dealing issues as diverse as homoesexuality and well. They don’t try to
preach in their stories, and they don’t shy away from the topic of suicide as it relates to bullying. They refrain from turning the bullying victims into martyrs or making them seem helpless. Many of the victims in this book can – and do – fight back. All of these decisions make the book considerably more believable and more powerful than your typical teen sob story. “Cornered” is not a happy book. Its very premise prevents this. But with teen suicide attempts on the rise and bullying becoming a bigger issue than ever before, this is an important book for high school students to read, to see the real consequences of kids being “cornered.”
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suicide. Photo from Amazon.
Danny Rosenberg Entertainment Editor
Emily Levinson Staff Writer
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Bridging the class gap A senior’s thoughts on upperclassman privilege
Rachel Strohkorb Staff Writer
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’ve never exactly understood the concept of senior privileges. What, other than age, gives a senior the right to have first choice? What are we rewarding them for? The school may as well be saying, “Congratulations, you didn’t drop out of high school. We are so freaking proud of you.” I’ve also never really understood why freshmen are considered to be lesser beings. What did they do to us? Three seconds of eye contact isn’t exactly enough to pass judgment on
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the first day. the juniors and seniors at the end As a new kid, I had a hard time of band camp. In this system it was figuring out BVN’s class system. perfectly acceptable for seniors to I’d gone to a place befriend sophomores, “If we could step off where class T-shirts for juniors to hang the upperclassman out with freshmen. didn’t exist and pedestal, we might My lunch table where no one sat in segregated areas at had representatives assemblies. Courses view as inferior to be from the freshmen, were an assortment sophomores and surprisingly human.” of different grades, juniors. and the most heated class battle But at BVN I found it awkward was a water balloon fight between and a bit challenging to even speak
with people outside of my class. I was disappointed at segregated assemblies full of seniors screaming out their superiority to their classmates. There were so many people that I was unable to befriend. Unfortunately, at North this division has been institutionalized. It isn’t easy to alter how things work here. But if we could change our attitude, step off the upperclassman pedestal, we might find those that we view as inferior to be surprisingly human.
The North Star staff
Editors Sarah Evans Jessi Glueck Ellie Holcomb
Photographers Erika Brown Austin Fultz Daniel Traub
Second year writers Hayley Berger Mallory Bodker Danny Rosenberg Ashley Ruben Chris Shanklin
Staff writers Sakshi Mahajan Faryal Jafri Kristen Haug Ram Sivakumar Rachel Strohkorb Sydney House
Photo editor Lindsay Rucker Business manager Ashley Ruben
Adviser Melinda Gilman
The North Star is the official publication of Blue Valley North High School, an open forum distributed to all students nine times a year. This publication may contain controversial material. Kansas law prohibits the suppression of a student publication solely because it may contain controversial matter. Blue Valley Unified School District No. 229 and its board members, officers and employees may disclaim any responsibility for the content of this publication; it is not an expression of school policy. Student authors and editors are solely responsible for the content of this publication. Letters to the editors are encouraged from students and non-students alike and should be less than 500 words. All letters must be signed and turned into room 411 at least one week prior to publication. All letters require a signature. Names will be published. The North Star reserves the right to edit with regard to libel, without changing the substance of the letter. The North Star will not publish obscene or libelous material. The North Star Blue Valley North High School 12200 Lamar Ave. Overland Park, KS 66209 (913) 239-3116
one time at
BAND CAMP E
nduring blistering summer heat for the excitement of making music and building community, 207students gathered on the football field for two weeks in August for an intensive band camp. Here’s a peek at their efforts.
1. Commanding the field. Senior Harrison Campbell oversees
band members as they learn the halftime shows. Campbell is one of three drum majors. 2. At ease. Junior Zach Wilson rests his tuba on the field while waiting for instruction. This is Wilson’s third year in marching band. 3. Wave your flag. Juniors Caroline Adams and Emily Moore practice the flag routine as the band rehearses. The 30 dance team members provide additional visual display to the halftime shows. 4. Drink Up! Band members line up their water bottles before taking the practice field. With temperatures reaching triple digits, staying hydrated was integral to their success and health. 5. Setting the beat. The drum line balances their instruments while learning the sets to the opening of Maya, one of the two shows they will perform. The first performance is Monday, Aug. 20 at Mustang Stampede. Photos by Austin Fultz. Page design by Daniel Traub.
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