The North Star, Volume 35, Issue 3

thank you,

STAFF

Students chose four teachers they wanted to see highlighted in this issue. Read more on page 14.

BLUE VALLEY NORTH HIGH SCHOOL | OVERLAND PARK, KANSAS | VOLUME 35 | ISSUE 3

table of contents

Features 04 Better Together 08 (B)ending the Rules 14 Spotlight on Staff 28 The lift Entertainment 07 22 31

Fantasy Fortune

Health 10 28

THe vaccine routine Expect the worst, hope for the best

Student Life 06 20

The copyright crisis

Time for a break Military bound

Opinion

Staff Top Picks

24

Failing a class? You’re not alone

30

Moving Onwards

News 12 18

2 | The North Star | february 2021

Out with the old, In with the New Democratic transition

Football players adjust to covid-19

by Alex Doege Diversity in the district by arshiya pant

STAFF

online

Inauguration day 2021 by angelica henson

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF ellianna cierpiot yasmeen saadi

web editors angelica henson charitha lakkireddy

social media alex doege

copy editors maddie austin Caroline CLarke KARA DESKIN

staff writers

socials

reece bachta adelaide edwards caroline haines gaby kill arshiya pant ella shafer ella thomas jack toal

Twitter - @bvnnews snapchat - @bvnnews Instagram - @bvnnews website - bvnnews.com

The North Star is the official high school news publication of Blue Valley North High School, an open forum distributed to all the students five times a year. This is the February issue of volume 35. This issue of The North Star is published digitally through ISSUU. This is a student publication and may contain controversial matter. Blue Valley School District No. 229 and its board members, officers and employees disclaim any responsibility for the content of this student publication; it is not an expression of School District Policy. Students and editors are solely responsible for the content of this student publication.

february 2021 | The North Star | 3

Feature

Better Together With Valentine's Day nearing, some couples describe the triumphs and difficulties of dating during a pandemic.

T

hroughout this divided year some things have remained connected — like some students at North, where the feeling of love keeps hearts beating and smiles gleaming. Many students have had more free time on their hands to devote to their relationships, including Senior Cate Wietharn.

Wietharn has been dating her boyfriend, North alumnus Avery Ain, since March, right at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantining in the US. The halt in school and switch to virtual classes opened up Wietharn’s schedule to spend more time with her boyfriend.

“A lot of people during COVID times haven’t had much to do since sports and extracurriculars were canceled,” Wietharn said. “So we have all had more time to spend with friends and significant others, which has made relationships a lot stronger.”

Some couples have had a different experience. Senior Frank Barton and his girlfriend, alumna Tatiana Rogers, not only have dealt with the repercussions of the pandemic, but also a long distance relationship. Barton and Rogers met in their French and debate classes at North, and began dating June 1, 2019. Rogers is currently attending Kansas State University, so the couple gets to see each other about once a month.

“It’s definitely difficult with COVID since my whole family has asthma, and we have been pretty strict with following the COVID guidelines,” Barton said. “It’s

difficult because I am not allowed to see Tatiana or other people unless they have a negative test.”

Despite this challenge, Barton and Rogers have developed ways to stay in touch and cultivate their relationship.

They exchanged blankets that have Bitmojis imprinted on them to remember each other, and they call and text frequently. Both are optimistic that they

“

We have all had more time to spend with significant others, which has made relationships a lot stronger.

- Cate wietharn

“

will see each other soon.

“I mean in high school I was able to see him every day,” Rogers said. “Now, I still talk with him, but I really wish I could see him.”

For couples that do have the privilege to spend more time together, figuring out what to do on a date night has been a

4 | The North Star | February 2021

small feat to overcome. Considering that restaurants, movie theaters and various other public locations have been either closed or pose a possible risk to catching the coronavirus, couples have had to get a little creative.

“We have had to improvise and go to the store to get our own food to make,” Wietharn said. “Or we will get candy and instead of going to the theaters, we will watch a movie at home on Netflix.”

Another student, senior Ethan Herman also has experienced the difficulty of coming up with date ideas.

“We go to the mall sometimes or drive to Sonic to get food,” Herman said. “But we haven’t been able to go to like big gatherings. At one point we wanted to go to Worlds of Fun but we couldn’t.”

Herman met his girlfriend, Jenna Mahoney on Instagram, and decided to reach out. Now, the couple is nearing their one year anniversary, June 13. Mahoney attends Gardner Edgerton High School, but the two are still able to spend up to five days together some weeks.

“I feel like 2020 would’ve been a lot different without her,” Herman said. “I would probably be inside a lot and playing video games, and I would have been lonelier, and it would be harder to get through the year.”

Herman and Mahoney’s relationship shows that during times of isolation, connections can combat loneliness. The transition from the constant buzz of people in the hallways at high school to being at home in one’s own space was somewhat stressful for some teens.

Psychology Today puts it, “Social isolation is hard for humans of all ages. But because teenagers and young adults are more attuned to social status than the rest of us, it is even more profoundly distressing for them.”

“

I can't imagine if she was not in my life.

- Ethan Herman

Ethan Herman and Jenna Mahoney

“

Through the pandemic, long distance and other various circumstances, one aspect still has not changed for these couples: that being the way they feel about one another.

“I just feel really happy and lucky I found her,” Herman said. “And I can’t imagine if she was not in my life.”

By Kara Deskin

COVID-Safe Date Options • A picnic in the park • game night Cate Wietharn and Avery Ain

• Movie at home • A Romantic takeout dinner • bake a dessert

Frank Barton and Tatiana Rogers February 2021 | The North Star | 5

Break Time for a Break Student Life Type of story

By Ella Shafer

The BVSD Board of Education voted to revise the school year calendar for a full week of Spring Break. Here’s how BVN students are spending theirs.

S

pring Break is a time where students can have a break from school and relax. However, because of the coronavirus pandemic, it might look a little different in 2021.

With the future unclear regarding the pandemic, questions arise such as whether or not people should be traveling over their break, how far is too far, and to what extent are people going to push for life to go back to normal? The answer to these questions lies within the students of BVN and can divide or bring together this community.

Sophomore Aarjo Roy talked about how he plans on staying home over the break to keep himself and others safe.

When asked about his opinion on other people traveling, his view on the situation was very clear.

“I don’t think anyone within the US should travel,” Roy said. “The government has not sustained a statistic that is decent enough for people to go on vacations throughout the country, let alone vacations that are outside the country.”

According to an Instagram poll of 88 BVN students, 22 said that people could travel as long as they take precautions, and 60 of them said there should be no traveling at all. Junior Breanna Bartels said that she thinks traveling should be kept to a minimum in order to keep everyone safe.

“In my opinion, I think traveling can be done safely if you stay with just your

family, however, I’m staying safe by not going anywhere too crowded and most likely spending time with close friends and family,” Bartels said.

With such contrasting opinions on traveling during the break, many students have also had to change their original plans due to COVID

“

... even though we aren’t buying novelty items at a gift shop we’ll still have fun.

- Aarjo Roy

“

“I have absolutely no clue what my plans are for spring break,” Piper said.

“Normally I go to Colorado, but I don’t think that will happen due to COVID because I feel that traveling should be kept to a bare minimum and people shouldn’t fly unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

Some students don’t have any idea what they’re doing, but others have everything planned out already. Roy had some plans for the break that fell through due to the pandemic, but he plans to spend a lot of his free time writing novels

and plays, hoping to make it big in the film industry, “This spring break I am going to study first the PSAT/NMSQT for next year and I want to finish the first draft of my next novel,” Roy said. “ I was going to go to a wedding but that never happened, and I had a few plans for the Student Council which I wanted to implement but that won’t happen either.”

Other students such as sophomore Yuito Asai, who plays baseball for both BVN and his club team, are also staying home for break. He plans to improve his skills over the break and pursue his goals of playing in college.

“I haven’t really thought about it yet but I’ll probably try getting better at baseball more because that’s what I want my future to revolve around,” said Asai.

Five out of eight students interviewed believe that the cases will begin to rise more due to traveling over Spring Break.

With many stores and vacation hotspots being shut down, it can seem like there won’t be much to look forward to during Spring Break. However, the students of BVN still plan to stay safe and have fun during their time off.

“I do wish I could go on vacation, particularly one inside the country like we do every year, but being home is a nice change,” said Roy. “I like spending time with my family no matter where we are even though we aren’t buying novelty items at a gift shop, we’ll still have fun.”

73 %

Plan to stay at home

# 2020 6 || The North NorthStar Star| |month February 2021

How do you plan on spending your Spring Break?

27 %

Plan to travel out of state

Entertainment

Fantasy Fortune How does betting play into Fantasy Football and how can bonds be created between students?

By Jack Toal

S

unday starts to feel like a competition with you and your teammates. Except your teammates are professional athletes on the television. In the sports community, Fantasy Football has become one of the most popular forms of leisure and betting among young teens and adults — as of 2017 according to the FSGA (Fantasy Sports and Gaming Association) there has been at least 59.3 million users participating in fantasy football.

Whether there is a tradition in a family, playing with friends every year, or joining a league with a bet, there is always the assumption that there is going to be some fun and challenges. One larger difference from Fantasy Football to other betting forms is that typically there are additional punishments for losing besides a loss of money.

Junior Luke Zmijewski participated in a fantasy football league this year that involved a punishment and a reward.

“Each person submits $10 for the league, the winner gets all, and this year we

28%

play Fantasy Football

32%

bet on Fantasy Football

According to a poll of 101 people on the BVN Instagram, 72 percent do not play Fantasy Football while 28 percent do. Of that 28 percent, 32 percent participate in betting.

have a punishment for the loser,” Zmijewski said. “The punishment is drawn out of a hat after each person inserts their idea [for a punishment on] a piece of paper into the hat. For example, getting a mullet could be one for our loser.”

Junior Dillon Price believes Fantasy Football and betting contributes to a large amount of sports interest and viewership.

“I think Fantasy brings more competitiveness to sports and makes games I wouldn’t really care about regularly far more interesting,” Price said.

According to Price, the idea of a prize at the end of the road is a strong motivator — one that he cashed out on this year.

“I joined a league with a $15 entry fee with the person in first winning $150 and the person in second winning $50. I came in second, and since it was the only league I bet on, I made a pretty good profit from betting on my team,” Price said.

Of course there is always the option to play without anything on the line except bragging rights. It’s quite common to have leagues without a bet placed upon it because someone may not want to risk losing money or would prefer just the leisure of competition without risk.

“I participated in four different leagues, I had two with friends for fun with bragging rights, and one with my cross country team that was also for bragging rights,” Price said.

Many argue fantasy barely takes skill because of injuries, hot streaks or projections often being misleading.

However, others argue there is skill involved since research is needed on who has been playing well, which teams have to rely on certain players, and knowing who to play depending on the week/matchup.

“As leagues get bigger there is more skill required in my opinion,” Zimjewski said.

“You have to find players that aren’t typically well-known [i.e: DJ Moore, Robert Tonyan, Justin Herbert] or have a good reputation [i.e: Russel Wilson, Travis Kelce, DaVante Adams] like you can in small leagues when important players are on waivers.”

Price had a bit of the opposite stance.

There is undeniably luck involved, but but the debate is over how much luck there really is.

“I would say Fantasy after the draft is 99

percent luck,” Price said “You don’t know which players will end up injured or who is going to play well. The draft is where the most skill comes in. Trying to get draft steals and trying to assume who is going to have a breakout year definitely requires skill.”

Fantasy Football has been a way to connect before and during the pandemic since it groups four- to- 16 people into a league, creating something each player has in common.

“I think Fantasy can create tighter bonds and friendships just because it’s something you all have in common. You can probably talk for hours just about fantasy and predictions involved,” Price said.

Fantasy 101 The Draft Begin by drafting offensive skill positions (QB,RB,WR,TE,K) and a Defense/Special Teams unit.

Score The better your rostered players play, the more points you get.

Injuries If players get injured during a game, you won’t get any more points.

Roster Changes If players get injured or have bad match-ups, you have to make pickups on the waiver wire, use your bench, or make trades.

Winning Score more points than your weekly match-up.

Possible Punishments: • Dye your hair • Shave your • Perform head something on a • Get a mullet street corner • Forced tryout • Get a spray tan for sport

FebRuary 2021 | The North Star | 7

FEATURE

(B)Ending the rules

Up next in fashion? Gender Nonconformity. But these BVN students are ahead of the curve.

By Caroline Clarke

F

aye Sanden’s closet is orderly chaos. Sensible suits hang beside overly dramatic, Gothic era dresses, each garment organized meticulously by its color. Fur coats adorn hangers, with rows of Converse and Mary janes sitting beneath. It is an overwhelming scourge of black, grey and red, greatly contrasted by a sea of bright pink.

Halloween accessories litter the shelves alongside chokers, handcrafted from carefully collected soda tabs. Knee-high boots rest against the wall, filled with sweaters and skirts waiting to be layered.

Faye came out as nonbinary in August 2020, meaning they don’t associate with the traditional genders of male or female.

They enjoy mixing masculine, feminine and androgynous elements in their style, although they feel most confident in feminine clothing. They are often inspired by musical artists, including Asknikko, Poppy, and Grimes, and they consider their style to be “punk” or “goth.” For them, this includes darker colors and bold accessories.

However, they also look to male influences, including Kurtis Conner, a stand-up comedian and YouTuber, for inspiration.

“I would definitely say [I dress] more feminine, which is honestly something that I struggle with, especially with androgyny and being nonbinary. Because it’s very difficult to look at yourself when you’re wearing feminine clothes and [not] see yourself as a woman,” Sanden said. “And as much as I hate to admit it, I do think that for now, at least, gender and clothing definitely intertwine. And it’s something that I hope will change in the future ... I really hope that I can dress more masculine, and just be more comfortable wearing what I want.”

When Sanden began embracing their personal fashion, they faced criticism from close friends and peers at school. Sanden

8 | The North Star | February 2021

said that the BVN community can be judgmental of their expression of gender in their style.

“I’ve experienced a lot of hostility for the way I dress. Sometimes, people have made comments asking for wrist reveals at school, and insinuating that I self harm,” Sanden said. “I’ve gotten a lot of just hateful comments, but it doesn’t bother me much, because I think I dress cool. And that’s enough for me.”

Sanden said that they see fashion as a way to express themselves and show other people their personality. They also said that they enjoy contrast within fashion, but, although they appreciate this juxtaposition, they mentioned that the role of gender in fashion is still being debated among the LGBTQ community.

“It’s kind of controversial, especially in the trans community. Because some people find gender very comforting for them,” Sanden said. “It’s a safe space, and figuring out that they were more trans masc has helped them become more comfortable in their own identities. But other people want to abolish gender completely ... Fashion is a big part of it.”

And other students at BVN have joined this discourse.

Junior Max Wolf has trouble naming his personal style, but prefers baggier clothing influenced by skate style. Some of his favorite items include sweatshirts, Dickie’s pants and skate

shoes, such as Vans and Converse. He often shops at thrift stores in search of sustainability and a good deal. Although he dresses more traditionally masculine, he believes that the concept of gendered clothing is restrictive.

“I think that gender in and of itself is a whole societal thing ... and it has a really tight grasp on people,” Wolf said. “Like the way men don’t feel comfortable wearing nail polish and rings is really arbitrary.

When, in reality it’s just something that you wear on your hands.”

Wolf also said that most students

at BVN choose more comfortable clothing that fits within accepted gender norms.

However, he notices that people are more likely to break out of these stereotypes online.

“Over quarantine, since so many people are inside their houses, they find themselves viewing what they want to see,” Wolf said.

“And what they want to see is this androgynous sort of fashion. But when people in our area are going to go outside, they’re gonna realize that [it’s] not what other people are doing, and they will be judged very quickly.”

Wolf said that adrogynous fashion choices are even less common in Johnson County. He said that many people may be influenced by traditional views that emphasize conventional masculine and feminine gender performance.

“I think that’s rooted in suburbia,” Wolf said. “People in our area are typically more right leaning or conservative viewing, and I’ve noticed that a lot of conservatives care a lot more about gender norms and upholding those standards.”

Angelica Clink, who graduated from BVN in January 2021, doesn’t generally label their gender identity, but they said that gender nonconforming would best fit their expression. They typically dress androgynous, choosing oversized silhouettes over tighter options. Their gender expression changes every day, when they wake up and choose an outfit that reflects their femininity, masculinity, both, or neither.

When they feel self-conscious about their gender presentation, they stick to baggy clothing, but they also embrace tighter clothing when they feel hyper-feminine.

They describe their style as an eclectic mix of edgy and bohemian aesthetics, and much of their closet consists of pieces that once belonged to their parents, grandmother and great-grandmother. When

they were younger, their mom used to pick out most of their outfits, but over time they’ve developed their own style as an essential form of self-expression, and even humor.

“Over quarantine I got this Hooters black T-shirt. I don’t know, it made me laugh,” Clink said. “And I wore it to some of my Zooms, and one of my favorite teachers [asked], are you wearing a Hooters shirt? That was really fun and made me feel really happy.”

Clink said that, for many people, gender is very personal and constantly changing, whether daily or annually. They added that anonymity on social media also allows people to focus on fashion and

“

anyone can wear anything. and if they feel amazing in it, if they look amazing, that’s all that really matters.”

- Jessie Peck

“

makeup as an artform, rather than a way to communicate binary gender. In public settings, Clink emphasized the powerful confidence that they associate with gender nonconformity.

“I have a guy who comes into my store, and he wears this really long dress and it’s a mandala [print], and it’s blue and purple and green, and he wears tights and gloves,” Clink said. “His fashion is just fantastic, and he’s so nonchalant about it. Like, it’s nothing to him. That’s just what he wears every day. And it’s so cool.”

Junior Jessie Peck, however, doesn’t focus on norms or standards. She describes her style as mismatched, musing that she often dresses like a grandpa, an angsty teenage boy, or a 9 year old who shops at Justice. Some of her favorite clothing items are thrifted, and she often personalizes her purchases. On one of her favorite pieces, she embroidered a frog. Peck prefers bold statement pieces, which she says toe the line between hideous and spectacular. However, Peck struggled with her gender identity for a

while, and she didn’t always embrace this over-the-top element of her style.

“I hated my femininity ... it was just like, I don’t like myself, I don’t like who I am, I’m going to become something else,” Peck said. “And because I just had so much dysphoria of who I was, and like, how I felt inside because I didn’t like myself. I hated myself.

In middle school, Peck made an effort to buy popular clothes that other people were wearing. She said she wanted to use clothing to make other people like her. Although she emphasized that she supports trendy clothing, it didn’t feel right for her.

“I just decided, you know what, Jessie?

Even though what you wear is really weird, I think it makes you happier in general, so you just wear your frog denim jackets and your fish shirts ... it makes me a lot happier, really, because I feel like I’m not dressing for anyone really,” Peck said.

“I’m dressing for me and what I want to wear.”

Peck’s philosophy is that clothing is just fabric, and provides an avenue for people to present themselves to the world and dictate how they are perceived. She said that people should focus on wearing things for themselves that make them happy, which is how she approaches her own sense of style.

“Anyone can wear anything. And if they feel amazing in it, if they look amazing, that’s all that really matters,” Peck said. “Can’t you just tell when someone’s feeling themselves? That energy radiates everywhere. And that makes you feel better, too, and I think that’s really important.”

February 2021 | The North Star | 9

the vaccine Health

ROUTINE

two vaccines have been issued an eua, while public opinions differ

by Adelaide Edwards

E

arly in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic took over the Moderna vaccine, however, is 18 years. By getting vaccinated world. Since then, it has taken more than 400,000 lives Jacobson hopes to return to a safe and healthy society. in the United States alone. In some counties, COVID-19 “I want to be able to contribute to a safer society, hug patients occupy 95 percent of hospital beds, as patients my grandparents again, and start to return to ‘normal life,’” are lined up in the halls. Through all of this, scientists and Jacobson said. medical professionals rushed to develop a vaccine for the deadly Jacobson said she trusts a variety of sources, all based on virus. So far, the FDA issued Emergency Use Authorization science, and she prefers to look at what she calls non-politicized (EUA) for both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. and unbiased facts. Based on the information she has learned After three phases of clinical trials, the Pfizer vaccine was from different sources, Jacobson feels like she has the knowledge issued an EUA on Dec. 11, 2020. The first group of people to be to make the decision for herself. issued the vaccine consisted of healthcare workers and nursing “I trust science, I trust Dr. Fauci, and I trust that this is a home residents. necessary step towards public health and safety. I trust the CDC Dr. Brad Koffman is the Medical Director of Radiation and the World Health Organization,” Jacobson said.

Oncology at Menorah Medical Center, meaning he cares for Like Dr. Koffman, Jacobson believes everyone should learn cancer patients and prescribes radiation all they can about the vaccine and therapy. The first dose in the United urges everyone to get vaccinated if the States was administered on Dec. 15. Dr. opportunity arises.

Our whole community Koffman received the vaccine the next “I really encourage everyone to do needs to continue to do day, Dec. 16. some research, look at science and try and Like most vaccines, both the Pfizer get the vaccine, when it’s made available,” what they can to follow and Moderna vaccines have potential Jacobson said. this guidance and stop side effects and risks. Most commonly, Others like sophomore Dominic the spread of COVID-19 those who receive the shot experience Thompson are concerned about the until enough people get headaches, moderate pain at the injection side effects of the vaccine. According to vaccinated, site, and fatigue. There have been a Thompson, he will not be one of the first few reported allergic reactions to the people to get the vaccine (when made - Megan Foreman program manager, jocodhe Pfizer vaccine specifically, according available to him), because he’s waiting to the Center for Disease Control to see how it will affect people. He feels and Prevention (CDC), but they are that there were not enough clinical trials statistically rare — only 21 out of more than a million vaccine to make him feel secure in receiving the vaccine. There were recipients experienced any form of anaphylaxis (allergic reaction) 43,000 people enrolled in Phase 3 of the Pfizer clinical trial, with from this vaccine. The less common effects include muscle and no serious concerns noted. In Phase 3, the Pfizer vaccine was joint pain, chills and fever, according to the CDC. Dr. Koffman found to be 95 percent effective against COVID-19. himself didn’t experience any severe symptoms, and he noted “What makes me most hesitant about taking the vaccine are that there was mild soreness at the site of injection. the possible side effects. This worries me the most because it Dr. Koffman believes that the benefits of the vaccine outweigh seems like there weren’t that many trials of the vaccine before it the risks. He said he trusts the clinical trials have proven to be was approved,” Thompson said. successful, safe and effective. The Director-General of the World Like Jacobson, Thompson trusts various news sources and Health Organization has declared COVID-19 as a public health doctors. However, based on the sources he trusts, Thompson is crisis. Dr. Koffman agreed and noted that there are more than not yet convinced to get the vaccine.

400,000 deaths in the US alone due to the coronavirus. To “What would have to happen to convince me to get the Koffman, the vaccine is a path to a return to normalcy. vaccine is that it is effective and there are no major side effects to “We all want to reach a point when we can live our lives the vaccine,” Thompson said. without masks and social distancing. The best way to return to With both vaccines, the side effects vary between the two normalcy is to receive the vaccine when available, and I urge all doses. The Pfizer vaccine requires two doses, separated by 21 to do so,” Koffman said. “Being vaccinated is the right thing to days. The Moderna vaccine also requires two doses, a month do, both for yourself and for the public around you.” apart. Each vaccine went through three phases of clinical trials, Junior Emma Jacobson said she will get the vaccine when where they were proven over 90 percent effective. The FDA has available to do so. Since she is older than 16, Jacobson is eligible not approved either of the vaccines yet — instead they have to receive the Pfizer vaccine — the minimum age for the authorized the emergency use of them.

“

”

10 | The North Star | FEBRUARY 2021

when will

YOU

get the vaccine?

Both of the available vaccines are classified as mRNA vaccines, meaning they help the body build antibodies against COVID-19. The mRNA in the vaccine gives instructions to cells in the body to make what’s called a spike protein. This spike protein is harmless, according to the CDC. The protein is found on the surface of the virus that causes COVID-19, so the body breaks down the protein. Next, synthesizing a natural response to COVID-19, the body builds antibodies and an immune response.

Companies producing the Pfizer vaccine expected to produce 50 million doses in 2020, enough for 25 million people. However, only around 4.2 million people received their first vaccination by the end of 2020, according to CNN. Doctors worry that the failure to meet goals will result in unnecessary deaths and chaos in already overflowing hospitals. Megan Foreman, who works for the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment (JCDHE), says that the pace of the vaccine rollout plan worries her.

“At the moment, the biggest challenge is getting enough vaccines to meet the need,” Foreman said. “It is important to remember that every community in the nation wants vaccines.

We expect the supply chain to catch up to the demand soon, but people will need to be patient in the meantime.”

As of Jan. 15, the JCDHE was ready to begin vaccinating individuals in Phase 2, which includes people over 65 and highcontact critical workers. Since teachers are considered to be highcontact critical workers, it is likely that teachers will be able to get the vaccine soon. It is estimated that completing Phase 2 will take up to March. However, this is an estimate and subject to change.

“Johnson County has a lot of people who fall into the Phase 2 category, including people age 65 and older, school personnel, childcare workers and other high-contact critical workers. People in this group are very interested in receiving the vaccine ASAP, but there is just not enough to go around yet,” Foreman said.

Anyone age 16-64 with critical and severe medical risks will be vaccinated in Phase 3. This means that some highschoolers could be eligible for the vaccine. This phase is estimated to begin in March. The next phase will include those with less severe medical risks, again, ages 16-64. Phase 5 is estimated to begin in June, where all other parties will be able to get the vaccine.

As of Jan. 15, the JCDHE has received over 16 thousand doses of the vaccine, from various sources, 31% percent of which were for second doses. As of the same date, over 100 thousand vaccines have been administered in Kansas, including both first and second doses. In the meantime, health officials encourage communities to continue to take precautions and stay safe from the virus.

“We know that mitigation measures like masking, social distancing, and increased hand washing work to decrease the spread of the virus,” Foreman said. “Our whole community needs to continue to do what they can to follow this guidance and stop the spread of COVID-19 until enough people get vaccinated.”

Teens in Johnson County are eligible for the vaccine as early as March.

PHASE 3 Aged 16-64 with severe medical risks Other critical Care workers All unvaccinated persons prioritized in previous phases estimated to begin in march

PHASE 4 Aged 16-64 with other medical risks All unvaccinated persons prioritized in previous phases estimated to begin in lateapril to mid-may

PHASE 5 Rest of population aged 16 and up All unvaccinated people *Children may be vaccinated depending on later test results

estimated to begin in june

february 2021 | The North Star | 11

NEWS

Out with the Old & In with the New A look at the Blue Valley District’s decision to replace AP European History with AP World Arshiya Pant

create a wider and more well-rounded idea of the world.”

Over the years, AP Euro has gained academic respect for being one of the most thorough, difficult classes offered at BVN, according to several students. With the removal of the class from the curriculum, questions about future students possibly missing out on the extensive course arose.

However, some students who have taken or are taking the AP Euro course, such as sophomore Caleigh House do not believe future students will be at any disadvantage.

“I don’t think that future students will miss out on not being able to take the class because with the AP World History class they’ll be able to learn about so much more rather than just learning about Europe and the Western world,” House said.

“

they’ll be able to learn about so much more rather than just learning about europe and the Western world.

- Caleigh House

”

Jeffrey Breedlove, long-time AP Euro teacher and Social Studies department chair, is pictured working in his classroom. photo by Arshiya Pant.

H ...

aving gained a reputation for being one of the most rigorous, detailed classes offered in the Blue Valley School District, AP European History has left its mark on BVN, according to students who have taken the course.

At a district board meeting on Dec. 14, 2020, the Blue Valley Board of Education voted to replace the current AP European History course in the Blue Valley Schools with a new AP World History course.

According to Katie Bonnema, BV Director of Career-Ready Programs, the change in courses will be instituted in the system by the 2021-2022 school year. The vote was unanimous and showed, “wide support for this shift throughout the district,” according to Bonnema.

“AP World History allows for a more comprehensive and global perspective to the teaching of world history and also aligns with Blue Valley’s strategic plan to allow students an equitable learning experience that meets the individual needs of each student,” Bonnema said. “AP World History is also more widely taught throughout the country than AP European History

12 | The North Star | February 2021

and is accepted for college credit at more institutions.”

The enthusiasm regarding the new course is mirrored in many students who share the same sentiment as the district and felt this was a good decision. Nash Rosado, a sophomore and current AP European History student, is one of these people.

“I think the change is necessary because it’s important that people become more culturally aware and see other perspectives from around the world,” Rosado said.

“There are other regions with their own histories and cultures that are just as important as European history, so it’s important to teach them and help students

“

AP World History allows for a more comprehensive and global perspective.

- Katie Bonnema

”

313,317

AP World tests taken in 2019, as opposed to 100,655 AP Euro tests taken.

Jeffrey Breedlove, a long-time AP European History teacher, affirms that the new course will not be disadvantageous compared to AP Euro.

“The new class will still teach the higher- level thinking skills associated with AP Euro,” Breedlove said. “The focus will still be on making connections, thinking critically and writing persuasively. Just the content will change.”

The content is going from just one continent to the world’s history as a whole.

Because the AP World History class covers a much broader and larger amount of information, how will teachers prepare?

STUDENT OPINION “I think the change is necessary because it’s important that people become more culturally aware and see other perspectives from around the world.”

AP

EURO HIGHlights

“My kids and the other Euro class’s kids... would have friendly competition about the class here and there and that was always fun.”

- Elizabeth Cornell, previous AP Euro teacher

Nash Rosado

In terms of preparation for the new course, teachers for AP World History must also be chosen. This decision will be made by Breedlove, the administration and collaboration from the Social Studies Department.

“We will look at the course enrollment and then have talks with current social studies department members to gauge interest in teaching the new course,” Breedlove said.

The course may likely be taught by a BVN social studies staff member.

Breedlove said, “I’m sure there are teachers who would like to teach the class and there are lots who would be good.

The administration and myself will work to choose the right teachers.”

While AP Euro is a class many express they’ve enjoyed taking and have fond memories of, what’s to come is exciting, and should be looked forward to, according to Breedlove.

“There are definitely some activities that I’ve loved doing with students over the years, but I’m not too attached and I tend to not be that sentimental. It is time to let AP Euro go. I’m excited for the new class.”

“Typically, teachers attend a summer AP Training Institute where they learn the curriculum, practice the skill targets and work with other teachers to create activities and lessons,” Breedlove said.

However, this year, preparation may look different, and how exactly that process will be executed is uncertain as of now.

I don’t think that will happen this year due to the COVID restrictions,” Breedlove added. “There was talk of a BV district group of teachers working together to create the course. But, I haven’t heard anything yet.”

“

The new class will still teach the higher level thinking skills associated with AP Euro, The focus will still be on making connections, thinking critically, and writing persuasively. Just the content will change”.

- Jeffrey Breedlove

”

Teacher OPINION “My favorite part of the class is art day... you get to learn about cool artwork and you can tell Mr. Breedlove loves talking about it and his energy makes everything ten times more interesting.”

- Nash Rosado

Honestly, it is time to change the course. The new course, AP Modern World, is much more inclusive and covers so much more global history.

“My favorite memories have been of the students. ... I am fortunate enough to still keep in contact with a few of them. The students have been fantastic!

- Jeffrey Breedlove, AP Euro teacher

Jeffrey Breedlove February 2021 | The North Star | 13

Feature

mUSTANG

Staff sPOtLIGHT

A look into the unique lives of four BVN staff members....

By Maddie Austin

Jodi Johnson

L

anguage, learning, travel, the outdoors and country music are just a few of French and Spanish teacher Jodi Johnson’s passions and interests. At a young age, Johnson participated in a wide range of dance classes including jazz, tap, and tumbling.

She continued dancing into high school and was involved in a range of other extracurriculars in which she became a leader.

“I did dance at a private dance school when I was really little and then I continued in high school,” Johnson said.

“And of course French club. I was, go figure, president of the French club.”

Growing up, Johnson and her cousin took dance lessons together and were nearly inseparable due to being only three days apart in age.

“When I was a kid, my cousin and I played school 24/7,” Johnson said. “I mean, I had a chalkboard, we’d make seating charts and we called on our kids and put them into timeout, etc.. Through this, I latched onto language, and I figured out I loved to teach. I also really liked this teacher who kind of inspired me.

Education was just something I kind of always thought of pursuing and so it just became easy.”

After high school, Johnson attended

Emporia State University, where she completed a French and secondary language double major, and a minor in Spanish education. She continued to Illinois State to obtain a graduate degree in French literature and language.

Eventually, after teaching at Shawnee Mission schools and BVNW, Johnson got a job at BVN teaching the higher-level French classes: French 3 to AP French.

At North, Johnson also helps lead a trip within the BV district to France every two to three years that includes a family stay and traveling through Paris and other various cities. Having the perspective of studying abroad at the University of Quebec for a semester in a village called Chicoutimi in northern Quebec, Johnson stresses the invaluable experience of a family stay when learning a language.

Later, staying with another host family in France, she had a similar experience to Quebec.

“I was very lucky,” Johnson said. “My family was amazing. He was a doctor and she was a dentist, and they had this huge estate. They took me around and I got to do some traveling. I think what draws me to the trips that I lead is because you get the best of both worlds. You get to travel and see different parts of France, you’re not just in one spot, and you see what

everyday life looks like by living with a family.”

Johnson’s love for travel has been lifelong, as well as her passion for the outdoors and music. Outside of BVN, she spends the majority of her time outside with her dogs, taking in the sunshine and exercising. Making exercise part of her daily routine, she enjoys workout classes like kickboxing and Zumba. Johnson also loves listening to music, her favorite genre being country.

“If there’s music on, I can’t sit still,” Johnson said. “I like to dance and I love concerts and live music, especially with Mrs. Wills. She’s my partner in crime when it comes to going to a country music concert.”

Johnson hopes to continue crossing things off her bucket list, especially more travel experience when she retires from teaching. Johnson believes there is truly no better way to improve language skills than speaking with native people and being immersed in the culture.

“What you get out of that experience — even if you never use that language again, even if you don’t get a job using it, even if you don’t ever go to that country again,” Johnson said. “The life lessons that you gain out of that are so much more important.”

Madame’s Words of Wisdom:

“

“Don’t be intimidated by your dreams.

Don’t let fear of failure keep you back.”

14 | The North Star | FEBRUARY 2021

“

Johnson and Madame Dickerson stand with two BVN alumni in front of the Eiffel Tower.

Shelley moran

F

rom the bustling streets of Manchester, England, to the serene, blue waters of Cyprus, Greece, English teacher Shelley Moran eventually landed in the halls of BVN in 2008.

Before receiving a job at North, Moran had always been on the move since she graduated from Virginia Wesleyan College, one of three colleges she attended. One of her first jobs post-college was for a British tour operator, an agent who creates vacation packages that include airfare, hotel rooms, and main attraction recommendations.

Moran’s position as a customer service representative at the operation allowed her the opportunity to fulfill her dreams of travel to various places in Europe, including England and Greece. She also spent time at one of the company’s bases in Orlando because many of the British tourists would travel to visit the theme park attractions in Orlando.

“I would often greet customers at the airport and then sell them tickets,”Moran said. “The job often was intense and time consuming, but enjoyable for a wanderlust young adult in their 20’s like myself.”

In addition to selling tickets to customers, Moran encountered different people every day through maintaining guest relations, booking hotels and giving tours. She still aspires to travel when she retires after teaching, her dream to travel to Spain and explore the entire country including the historic capital of Madrid, vibrant colors of Cordoba’s natural landscape, and the unique Spanish architecture of Barcelona.

Eventually, Moran quit her tour operator job and traveled to start her first English teaching position back in Virginia that lasted six years.

When she met her husband, the two moved back to Kansas, as well as Moran’s family roots. Growing up in Lenexa, Moran attended school in the Shawnee Mission area and participated actively in her school community. She studied AP Spanish, participated in the International Club,

played the cymbals in the band, and was on the yearbook staff.

However, she quickly discovered that her true passions lie within reading and writing, which led to her decision to pursue a teaching degree in English in college.

“That just always came naturally to me, and it was something that I adored,” Moran said. “I had an awesome English teacher in high school, who really inspired me, and really pushed me. She was probably one of the main reasons I became an English teacher.”

Taking an English teaching position in the minuscule, 660-person town of Udall, Kansas, was Moran’s first step along her path to BVN. She fell in love even more with the aspects of an English class, especially the collaborative components.

“When you are afforded the opportunity to discuss the books, you get different perspectives and different insights from your classmates and teachers,” Moran said. “Having that atmosphere of being able to have those different perspectives is so beneficial. I think that’s probably the biggest takeaway from the class.”

Still working in Udall, Moran picked up the phone one day to receive an offer to work at Blue Valley North, which she accepted right away. Now, she teaches sophomore regular and honors English, as well as Contemporary Communications. Moran said she loves BVN’s atmosphere and is so happy to have ended up here.

“There are so many different things [that I love about North], but one of the top reasons is that I work with the best people in the whole world,” Moran said. “I could not have stayed with this job, especially this year, without my colleagues. On top of that, it’s just the students and the families.

Everyone is so supportive and so talented and so smart, and it just makes it an incredible place to work.”

caption

Moran poses for a photo on a fountain at London’s Piccadilly Circus after her first trip to Harrod’s, a department store in London.

Top Three Reads 1. American Dirt: “glued

to the book...

Couldn’t put it down.”

2. the overstory:

“the writing is gorgeous.”

3. The poet X:

“resonated with me.”

FEBRUARY 2021 | The North Star | 15

Jason Smajda

D

uring his final semester of college at Kansas State University in 1995, BVN’s history teacher Jason Smajda walked into a career fair with the hopes of finding an opportunity for student teaching. Scanning the room, his eyes stopped on Blue Valley North and his decision was made. Meeting with one of his prior English teachers that happened to be BVN’s principal at the time, Smajda received an interview, got the job and has never left.

Before attending college, Smajda’s childhood was set in St. Louis, Missouri, until he was 15 and his family made new tracks in Shawnee Mission. A sophomore in high school, Smajda wasn’t keen on the idea of restarting his life in an unfamiliar area in the middle of his high school career.

“I was not a really outgoing kid. It took me all of my sophomore year just to get comfortable and find friends,” Smajda said. “My baseball season really helped, and I stuck with baseball playing shortstop for the rest of high school. That was my thing.”

After graduating from high school, Smajda eventually landed at Kansas State University after spending a couple of semesters at Johnson Community College and University of

Kansas. He said his transfer to K-State was due to the higher-rated education program at the time, as well as the easy transfer process in general. Smajda had always been interested in teaching and history, and K-State opened his eyes to pursuing both.

“When I read things, I enjoyed the history,” Smajda said. “From the time I was a little kid, I loved looking at family photo albums and listening to music that my parents or relatives listened to. There was always that connection for me with history. So when I was in college, I started really enjoying those classes. By the time I decided to be a teacher, I already knew that’s what I would teach.”

When he first began working at BVN, Smajda taught regular US History for five years before adding AP US History. He also teaches America Decides, a class focused on the presidential election and voting held every four years. In 2000, Smajda even had a role in creating the curriculum for the class itself with four other teachers from the BV district.

With opportunities like this, Smajda loves his occupation at BVN and couldn’t be more grateful for his time spent here. leave.

“I truly don’t see any other schools

Smajda’s Favorites

Q: Favorite Food?

A: Sushi Q: FAVORITE Music Genre? a: roCK q: FAVORITE Artist? a: Boston q: fAVORITE Color? a: Purple Q: FAVORITE Ice cream ? a: Vanilla Q: FAVORITE Sports TEAM? a: anything K-State

16 | The North Star | FEBRUARY 2021

in this area that would be able to do what we do here, or to give me the opportunity to do what I do here, so it’s perfect,” Smajda said.

Outside of BVN, Smadja is a music fanatic, spending hours in his basement playing his guitar. Living only 1.6 miles away from Lake Lenexa, Smajda and his family feel lucky to be close enough to walk along the path down to the lake often.

“I spend a lot of time just walking down there, riding my bike, or running,” Smajda said. “My son and I always talk about buying a kayak for the lake, too.”

One goal of Smajda’s is to travel to Europe, his dream being to see the pristine beaches and bays of the French and Spanish Rivieras, as well as the breathtaking architecture in Hungary and his family roots. He hopes to travel around the continent, but he truly loves his life in Kansas.

“I’m a history teacher that’s never been to Europe,” Smajda said. “I don’t have much on a bucket list to be honest with you. I’m not necessarily one of those people that has 50 million things I need to do. I’d be happy walking around Lake Lenexa and playing my guitar all day for the rest of my life.”

Smajda takes a selfie with his family while spending time outdoors, he and his son both representing Kansas State.

JON PITTENGER

B

efore his career in teaching mathematics at BVN, Jon Pittenger was making plays at third base, scoring three pointers, and wearing football pads and helmets at Shawnee Mission North. His family has lived in the Shawnee Mission area for his entire life. Playing baseball since he was a little kid, Pittenger’s dedication to baseball increased as he continued playing in high school. During his senior year, Pittenger earned a baseball scholarship to play at the University of Missouri, a reward he was ecstatic about, which led to even greater opportunities.

“After four years of playing baseball at Missouri, I was drafted by the Minnesota Twins, and I played a year of minor league baseball in the Minnesota Twins organization,” Pittenger said.

“It was fun. I thought I was going to be a major league baseball player, but then that dream ended. I always wanted to be a teacher, so that worked out well, too.”

After playing with the Twins, Pittenger returned to the University of Missouri to complete his teaching degree.

Later, he received an offer from BVN and has been teaching math courses here ever since.

One of the reasons Pittenger chose North was to continue his baseball career through coaching.

“I was the head baseball coach here for 25 years, and we had a good run,” Pittenger said. “We won a couple of state championships, which was a highlight. Also, Mike Koehler, who was the calculus teacher here for almost 30 years, was my mentor for teaching calculus and had an influence

on me to choose North.”

His 29th year at BVN, Pittenger has experienced teaching almost all of the math courses. The complexity and challenge of rigorous classes like Calculus excites Pittenger, in addition to making him feel accomplished when students succeed in mastering difficult aspects of the class.

“It sounds funny, but once you get through the difficulty of it and you start to understand it, it’s kind of a beautiful sort of language all of itself and it’s always been intriguing for me,” Pittenger said. “You’re learning how Pittenger holds up his catch of the day while fishing on Lake Lotawana. to think at a high level, solve get together and play a little “If your job involves tough problems, and train bit … it’s just something that something you love to do, your brain how to process is a distraction in life and you’ll never have to work a information, which is going to makes me forget everything day in your life’ is how the carry over to every part of your else that’s going on.” saying goes,” Pittenger said. life.”

In general, Pittenger drives “If you can create a job Other than math, Pittenger his life by what he loves to do. around those passions, you finds interest in casting fishing He couldn’t imagine a better will be so much happier in line on Lake Lotawana, place than BVN to teach or life, it’s not even funny.” strumming the guitar, and better life outside of school. swinging the golf club. As His best advice to anyone is someone who loves the to find a job that is genuinely outdoors, Pittenger dreams enjoyable because of the of retiring to an area like lifelong feeling of fulfillment.

Colorado, close to nature.

“My wife and I would love to retire in Colorado, that’s on our bucket list,” Pittenger said. “We are fond of the Summit area, especially. We’ve always loved it and used to ski Algebra hat a lot every year when we were USED IN the past for when younger.” a student answered a In addition to spending question incorrectly time outdoors, Pittenger taught himself the basics of acoustic cabinet doors guitar in college and still enjoys previous HAPCBC CLASSES playing and singing folk music, SIGN PAPERs WITH NAMES, sometimes even playing with INSIDE JOKES, AND PHOTOS Mr. Smajda. He listens to the Lumineers and John Denver Time Capsule on repeat, but is always on the Hidden under the carpet lookout for new artists. in his room to be opened “[Smajda] Coach and I one day in the future play together every once in a while,” Pittenger said. “We’ll

In the classroom...

February 2021 | The North Star | 17

News

Democratic A preview of life during the Biden presidency and what BVN students are anticipating.

By Gabrielle Kill After a tumultuous campaign trail and close election, President Joseph R. Biden and Vice President Kamala D. Harris have just been sworn into office. Here’s what that means for American political issues in the next 100 days, and what North students are anticipating.

Climate

Biden nominated the first ever Native American Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland. Before the election Biden and Harris campaigned on clean energy and net-zero emissions, as well as reining in corporations that disproportionately environmentally harm people of color and those with low income, according to the Biden-Harris official campaign website. The website also states that after entering office, Biden will introduce a more than five trillion dollar environmental proposal that includes creating climate-related jobs for Americans and reversing tax cuts on corporations to cover costs. This proposal includes goals of lowering emissions in urban areas, building sustainable housing, and promoting “climate-smart agriculture” — agriculture designed to pull greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.

Domestic

According to a readout of a meeting on Jan. 5 between Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Marcia Fudge and the National Housing Conference, Fudge has primarily fought to provide for underprivileged Americans throughout her career, and plans to continue combatting the affordable housing crisis. The Biden-Harris administration’s website details plans to invest $640 billion in the next decade in an effort to shrink the wealth gap primarily between white and African American households, as well as establish national guidelines to eliminate shifts in property values based on the race of residents. These changes will create more diverse suburbs and housing complexes, aligning with the Biden-Harris campaign campaign website’s vision “to address challenges and to advance racial equity across the American economy.” Sophomore Senara Kularatne feels hopeful about changes in domestic policy. “I feel like [Biden-Harris] could reverse damage and make some lasting changes that will positively impact our generation,” Kularatne said.

Economy

Joe Biden’s nominee for Secretary of the Treasury, Janet Yellen, is the first ever woman to lead the Treasury Department. Yellen has advocated for a large-scale Covid-19 relief package that was unveiled by Biden in a speech on Jan. 14,

18 | The North Star | February 2021

Transition including $1400 stimulus checks and a $15/hr minimum wage. The Biden-Harris administration plans to repurpose more than $200 billion to keep small businesses, especially those that are minority-owned, alive and well. The administration’s website describes its intentions to level the playing field, giving small and large companies an equal shot at growth. AP Government teacher Krista Chugg said she is excited for Janet Yellen’s significance. “I appreciate that many of [Biden’s] appointments to jobs in the Executive branch will be firsts. The first black female VP, the first female Secretary of Treasury and Defense, the first Native American Secretary of the Interior, the first openly gay cabinet secretary. That’s exciting to me, too,” Chugg said.

COVID-19

For American schools like BVN, the Biden-Harris campaign website states the administration holds comprehensive plans to better equip students and staff with PPE, as well as release clear CDC-approved guidelines on when and where to reopen in-person classes. The administration’s website details a plan to invest $25 billion in a vaccination plan for the United States, starting by administering 100 million vaccines in its first 100 days. For the position of Surgeon General, Biden has chosen Dr. Vivek Murthy, who also served as Surgeon General under the ObamaBiden administration. The ultimate goal of these choices, as stated on the BidenHarris campaign website, is to “get our country back on track.”

Justice

The Biden-Harris campaign website presents a $20 billion grant program to shift states’ practices from incarceration to crime prevention, as well as eliminating capital punishment. The website states the administration “can and will reduce the number of people incarcerated in this country while also reducing crime.” In addition to incarceration, the Biden-Harris administration plans to reform the criminality of drugs in America by legalizing cannabis, ending incarceration for drug use alone, and granting clemency to those incarcerated long-term for drug crimes. Biden’s Attorney General, Merrick Garland, is a former supreme court nominee and has a more than 23-year history of pursuing justice under United States law. Garland plans to continue this pursuit in the next four years, according to the official transition website.

Executive Orders Keystone Pipeline - The permit for the Keystone XL Oil Pipeline was canceled.

South Border Wall - The fund in place for constructing the border wall with Mexico was terminated.

Travel Bans - Biden rescinded the travel ban on people from Muslim-majority states Yemen, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Iran, Somalia and Libya.

DACA - A memorandum was created to preserve and fortify Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a program that aids immigrant children.

WHO - The United States’ withdrawal from the World Health Organization has been canceled.

Paris Climate Agreement - The Paris Climate Agreement was officially read and accepted by President Biden.

February 2021 | The North Star | 19

Student Life

MILITARY BOUND

by Charitha Lakkireddy

With graduation day only a few short months away, many seniors are landing on their final decisions in regards to their plans after they toss their grad caps in the air and shed the navy blue gowns. While some are choosing to work, or attend college to further pursue an education, others are hoping to join the military after leaving BVN. There’s three different routes students can take to reach the final destination of serving in any branch of the military. BVN students, both current and alumni, have found their way to the military using each of the three.

ROTC

F

or students who want to eventually join the military, not have to give up as much,” Hines said. and still pursue their undergraduate degree with the “ROTC always just seemed like the best option to me, stereotypical college experience, there’s the option of because you get to go to college, have your academics paid for, joining the ROTC in college, according to BVN alumna and then on top of that, after you graduate, you get to skip all Alexandria Hines. Hines is a junior at Delaware State University the enlisted ranks and become a Second Lieutenant United who did just that. She’s pursuing a major in aviation and is a States military,” Hines said. “That’s the guaranteed job after you member of her school’s ROTC program. graduate, so it just puts a lot of the pressure off of you ... I have a She found her passion for ROTC when she was a part of solid plan like after I graduate.” the Junior ROTC at her previous high Hines said that she understands the lifestyle school, which she attended for three years I didn’t want to lose she has to maintain as a member of the ROTC before transferring to BVN as a senior. She is different from what other people her age are my entire college credits the relationships she formed there doing. She described a 5:30 a.m. wakeup, which experience when as being what helped her realize that she sometimes becomes a 2 a.m. wakeup, and going there was another wanted to join the ROTC in college. to physical therapy with her group. Although “I was in Wichita, Kansas, at Southeast track where I could she said she doesn’t love the early call time, her High School and there we had an ROTC ROTC obligations for each day are done by 7 still reap the same program,” Hines said. “I had been in that a.m., which leaves her with plenty of time to benefits from freshman year through junior year attend classes, hang out with friends, and do so...it laid the groundwork then, so I knew everything else someone on campus that isn’t a - Alexandria hines what I needed to have on my application part of ROTC would be doing. as a freshman and, even though I didn’t The only obvious downsides, Hines said, are have ROTC at BVN, I was still able to put having to go to bed early and waking up early. In myself ahead of other applicants because I kind of already knew the long run though, she thinks they’re small sacrifices to make from doing JROTC that ROTC in college was what I wanted.” for the big payoff.

Hines said, because serving in the military had always been “I’ll run past the freshman dorms and all the lights will be her end goal, she knew about the options to directly enlist or out, and everybody’s asleep,” Hines said. “There’s a moment attend one of the service academies. Ultimately, she chose not where you’re just like, man, that could be me right now, I could to and joined the ROTC on a regular college campus, she said, be in bed asleep. At the same time, who cares 10 years from because it offered the same benefits. now ... when you’re talking about dental for life, health care for “I didn’t want to lose my entire college experience when there life, money I can use to go to grad school ... reduced tax rates, was another track where I could still reap the same benefits and because you’re in the military talking about a guaranteed job.”

“

“

Left to Right Hines lays down during ROTC training in the woods. Photo courtesy of Alexandria Hines.

Hines walks during ROTC training at Deleware State University. Photo courtesy of Alexandria Hines.

20 | The North Star | February 2021

T

enlistment

he halls of BVN were once decorated with military learn about those benefits, that sounds really enticing for a lot of recruitment tables that drew in interested students during students.”

North Time. Now, recruitment looks different due to Petersen described BVN as a college-focused school, where COVID-19, but there’s still resources available for students the next step after graduating from high school was thought to be interested in enlisting in the military, according to counselor Vicki figuring out how to graduate from a four-year college. Because Petersen. of that mentality, she said that the perception “I have students talk to their counselor surrounding direct enlistment and the students who individually, about their interest and the choose to take that path is often incorrect.

Once they learn varying ways that you can get into the “The public perception is that they couldn’t about those ben- get into college, so this is like a backup option military,” Petersen said. “[The counselors] work with them by giving them info that efits, that sounds or something like that,” Petersen said. “Just the we have, and referring them to the places really enticing for general thought people might have is that their they would need to go to get the most upoptions were limited.” a lot of students. to-date information, like a recruiter.”

According to Petersen, the benefits that direct Petersen believes students choose to enlistment provides are particularly what appeal to enlist directly after graduation for a variety students and change the preconceived notions she - Vicki Petersen of reasons. Although some might have previously mentioned. been inspired by relatives or friends who “People just don’t know what the options are, served, she noted that most were motivated by directly enlisting ... look at how they will pay by the perks of enlisting. for your college and the options that you have to “There are students who maybe never even thought about learn in the military. Say you go in at 18, you can retire with a full [enlisting], but they learn about the opportunities provided by retirement at 38 years [old]. You’d have the rest of your life, great going that route, and that piques their interest,” Petersen said. retirement every month, benefits like salary, retirement pay, plus “A lot of the interest that they might have could be the fact that you have medical insurance, the rest of your life and your whole they, in some cases, can put you through college. ... Once they family does, too.”

“

S

“

service academies

enior Chase Uhlig had always known he wanted to serve Aside from the physical rigor of applying, Uhlig said the process in the military, which he credits to his family’s history, but of receiving nominations was also difficult at times. He received his he honed in on serving in the Air Force when he met a nominations from Rep. Sharice Davids and Sen. Pat Roberts. current United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) student.

“There were like 300 people that were applying for a “My grandpa served in the Air Force, he’s a big role model nomination from [Davids and Roberts],” Uhlig said. “Only 10 in my life, and I’d be the only kid in the family who would have ended up getting one ... that was like a huge step for me because pursued a military career,” Uhlig said. “What you have to get a nomination to get into the really got me interested in the Air Force academy.”

Academy specifically was ... a family friend. He Uhlig said he always knew attending one if you go to the just recently got accepted into the Air Force of the academies was the right path for him academy, you have Academy and the more I talked to him about because of the job security that they offer. that chance to be it, the more interested I became. And, you After graduating, cadets are given officer know, the academics ... it’d be a huge honor for positions in the military, a position higher than actively serving, me to go there.” what directly enlisting would offer. you’re an officer With an acceptance rate of 11 percent, “When you get into the military, what you straight out according to the USAFA website, he concedes want to do is rank up,” Uhlig said. “You want of college. that getting in is no easy feat. The USAFA to become higher and higher in the overall application process has a total of seven steps that scheme of things, and so right out of college, - Chase Uhlig are split between two parts of the application, if you go to an academy, you’re going to be called Application Part I and Application Part an officer. You don’t have to go through the II. Uhlig has just recently completed his application, and is waiting process to get there. You’re just an officer right out of college. to hear his admission decision in March.

And so, I saw no point in just joining the military, if I could Out of the seven steps, Uhlig found the fitness assessment to become an officer within four years through the academy.” be the most grueling. It consisted of a mile-long run following two The guarantee that comes with graduating from the USAFA minute increments in which he had to do sit ups, push ups, pull is what appealed to Uhlig and made it his first choice over other ups and a basketball throw. He said the basketball throw was the routes to serve in the military, like ROTC. most memorable part of his assessment.

“I feel like your options are kind of limited if you just do “You’re on your knees, and you throw a basketball with one ROTC,” Uhlig said. “Whereas if you go to the academy, you arm as far as you can,” Uhlig said. “You can’t fall forward and have that chance to be actively serving, you’re an officer straight touch the ground before the basketball does.” out of college.”

“

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February 2021 | The North Star | 21

entertainment

THE COPYRIGHT CRISIS

How do DMCA rules affect modern-day online content creators?

By Ella Thomas

S

ocial media offers many popular platforms to high school students, such as Instagram, YouTube and recently, Twitch, a live-streaming site.

On these platforms, creators can make their content without having to be part of a traditional production process that you would see for television or movies.

However, this freedom has recently been affected by copyright.

There are many types of copyright law, but the one that online content creators are the most directly affected by is the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). The DMCA is a United States copyright law passed in 1998 to keep content like pictures, videos and music off of sites that don’t have the legal rights to distribute them. Recently this has affected sites like YouTube and Twitch where creators post videos.

As an American law, the DMCA is intended to protect American websites.

However, American or not, any user can be hit with a DMCA strike if their content is posted on an American site — like Twitch and YouTube, which are both U.S. based.

Most videos are given DMCA strikes because of copyrighted music playing in the background that the creator does not have the rights to. This means that streamers and YouTube creators can get their videos taken down for a song choice that they were unaware of.

“I think it’s one thing if you illegally stream [music] or are getting it from an illegal source and selling it as your own. I

think that should be punished … but for streamers, I don’t think that they should be punished [because] of that because they are listening to music as background but that’s not their main method of getting money,” junior Kevin Fan said, a student who uses Twitch and is up to

“

but for streamers, I don’t think that they should be punished off of that because they are listening to music as background but that’s not their main method of getting money.

-Kevin Fan

“

date on what happens on the site. “It’s just background music, it’s not their main source of income, or that’s not the intent of playing the music.”

Junior Jordin MacKenzie writes, produces and uploads her own songs onto Spotify, giving her a different perspective

22 | The North Star | February 2021

on DMCA copyright. Although she has never had anyone use her music without her permission, she does have opinions on how smaller, more independent artists get promotion. According to MacKenzie, artists will sometimes be “paid” with promotion as a way of getting their name out in the world.

“Even before things like YouTube and Twitch, there is this idea of before you have any leverage as a songwriter, or an artist or a musician you just want promotion,” MacKenzie said. “You don’t care if you get cited or get money, you just want your name out there. I remember when I was first starting out, I was playing a show, and my employer told me ‘Jordin, never accept promotion, always ask to be paid,’ and I agree with that because our time is worth a lot… we deserve compensation.”

MacKenzie said that once she has more leverage she would ask for more recognition or payment for her work.

Without that leverage, according to MacKenzie, the creator could just choose another artist that would accept unpaid usage simply for the promotion. One topic that MacKenzie said she had never thought about until learning about the DMCA was how her music, if used with permission, could be attached to something that she would not support or believe in.

“Imagine, if your music was used in a political video that is not what you believe, then your name and your music and your art gets associated with that ideology

72%

23% Know

Don’t Know

that could be really problematic for your brand because you as an artist, you’re a brand,” MacKenzie said. “You want to be associated with certain things… even at small levels, it would be important, for me personally, not to be associated with certain things.”

In the US code of copyrights under section 512(f) it states “any person who knowingly materially misrepresents that material or activity is infringing, or that material or activity was removed or disabled by mistake or misidentification, may be subject to liability.”

This means that, for example, if someone is streaming on Twitch and puts their playlist on in the background for music and plays it for a whole stream, some of that music could be copyrighted, and the video could be reasonably taken down. If instead the streamer accidentally plays a copyrighted song but realizes it and changes it, they could not be charged because it was not on purpose.

When a video is in violation of DMCA laws the video can be muted, prevent the creator from gaining its monetization and, depending on the terms of service of the site, be taken down. On Twitch, it is common to see a video that has sections muted or the recording can be taken down

What percent of BVN students know what that Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) is?

if it is in violation. With enough repeated DMCA strikes, a creator may lose their account on the platform.

In their “Digital Millennium

“

Imagine, if your music was used in a political video that is not what you believe then your name and your music and your art gets associated with that ideology.

-Jo MacKenzie

“

Copyright Act Notification Guidelines,” Twitch explains that they “will promptly terminate any user’s access to the Twitch Service if that user is determined by Twitch to be a ‘repeat infringer’ of

What is Twitch?

Twitch is a live streaming platform that is known for its gaming live streams but also is home to art, music and more. The creators on the site, known as streamers, can go live for hours at a time.

Viewers can choose to donate with messages to their favorite streamers or subscribe for about five dollars a month.

copyrighted works.”

Recently, Twitch streamers have received more DMCA violations on old videos. Streamers reported that videos that were archived and streamed over a year ago had been taken down and received DMCA strikes. When large takedown waves like this occur, creators are affected because their fans can no longer watch the videos. This causes the creator to have less traffic on their videos, which will most likely stop them from gaining popularity or income.

A large DMCA wave like this is not uncommon as companies will issue mass takedowns to protect their reputations.

In December of 2020, Nintendo issued a takedown of games made by fans that were in violation of the DMCA rules. A takedown like this uses the DMCA laws to keep their material off other sites.

For some, a DMCA claim may just result in filling out a form or taking down a video but with recent escalations, creators can get their platform taken away or need to appear in court. As rules get stricter and the number of takedowns increases, creators have to stay on their toes to keep in line with the DMCA.

With streamers being able to host hundreds of thousands of viewers at a time, sponsorships, brand deals and merchandise, many can use streaming as their main source of income.

After they finish their stream, the entire recording of their live stream is automatically posted under their channel.

This allows viewers who could

not watch live to go back and watch videos on their own time. Twitch is home to emotes, similar to emojis, and interactive tools, such as polls, that the viewers can participate in that streamers can use to interact with their chat.

February 2021 | The North Star | 23

OPINION

Failing A Class?

You’re Not Alone.

More students than ever before are struggling academically— and the Blue Valley District’s response to school during a global crisis is inadequate.

By Ellianna Cierpiot

T

his year more than any before, students are falling behind.

They’re missing classes, failing tests, getting record-breaking low grades. According to The Washington Post, the rate of students failing at least one class has increased by as much as six times in some states. In Texas, nearly half of high school students are failing at least one class. At BVN, more than two thirds of students polled say they have struggled academically this school year more than last year, and over half said that online school is causing a negative impact.

These numbers are appalling, a stark signifier of grand-scale failures in a country that prides itself on education as the gateway to success. Students are burning out, in bedrooms surrounded by piles of laundry and a single, glowing computer screen, in living rooms filled with noise from family members as they try to focus on a Zoom call for class.

They’re reaching their limit while wearing masks in classrooms, deprived of their usual social, athletic or artistic coping

mechanisms — why are they expected to perform at the same quality and calibre as students in years before? Why are they being given letter grades, especially when the letter “F” is becoming a facet of more report cards than ever before? Something is deeply wrong with our education system if this is the treatment given to struggling students.

When the extra week of spring break shifted to half a semester out of the classroom, and COVID-19 cases were in the triple digits in Johnson County, the response of the Blue Valley District was to hold third quarter grades — essentially, there was no way to lower one’s grade in a class, but it was possible to raise it. Other schools moved to a pass/fail system instead of a letter grading scale.

This response was both necessary and adequate, as it allowed students who were affected by the pandemic some leeway to get back onto their feet and adjust, while still allowing those who wanted to boost their grades the opportunity to do so. It was, however, not a sustainable solution

24 | The North Star | February 2021

— there’s no way to continue this system into a new school year, because it relies on having grades from a previous quarter.

Now that there have been close to 50,000 cases of COVID-19 in Johnson County (according to the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment), we’ve regressed. We’re learning the same way we were last March when the pandemic took off in the United States, and the only real difference is that the number of cases has worsened. And yet, this semester students took finals, took tests for letter grades. Does this seemingly “normal” grading scale reflect the abnormal year students have had? Obviously, no.

It’s unfair of our school district to want students to act as if nothing is happening — not only are they cut off from their peers, but America’s high schoolers are experiencing an unprecedented mental health crisis. According to health officials and students themselves, anxiety, depression and other mental health issues that can have a severe effect on academic performance are exploding among high

schoolers. Students who had previously either not experienced or not noticed symptoms of anxiety or depression are struggling with the full extent of these conditions, and it’s much harder for them to access mental health resources. Taking into account that isolation and the requisite cancellations of the COVID-19 pandemic can worsen symptoms of ADHD, for students with preexisting learning conditions, a remote learning structure can be devastating for many students who had excelled in more ‘normal’ years.

If this wasn’t already enough to be a cause for concern from teachers and administrators, it’s impossible to know exactly what every student’s home life is like, and if it’s an environment conducive to academic diligence. Teenagers are at their homes acting as a caregiver for younger siblings or worried about the lives of family members. Some of them are in unsafe home environments. Some of them are cycling between homes, couch-surfing or staying with friends because their parents have lost their income. That’s not the kind of situation that yields a 4.0.

America’s students have moved forward, persevering through this not through strength or grit or aptitude, but because we’ve quite literally been left no choice. School has become sink or swim, and the life preserver is being held smugly by administrators and district personnel telling us that we’re “all in this together.”

“We understand how you feel.”

“We’re here for you.”

Platitudes plastered into bulk emails and North Notes aren’t the solution to our problem. We need empathy, we need to start thinking realistically about the current crisis and what administrators and teachers can do to alleviate some of the stress off of their students, not add to it.

It’s true that the Blue Valley district has made attempts to alleviate this academic burden. The main change this year was that BVN teachers were told not to give cumulative finals. After this first step, a few things have been reinstated that are aimed at this issue.

For one, North Time is back.

There are two portions of our school day allocated to allow for academic support and to get on top of assignments.

This is an excellent first step, because it takes into account that a lot of students are feeling overburdened, and that it’s been extremely difficult to get extra help from teachers this year. However, it doesn’t address the core of this problem — that a normal grading scale isn’t appropriate for this abnormal school year. The next change from the district should be to address this.

There are several possible solutions that have already been demonstrated by schools nationwide. According to The Washington Post, some school districts opted to not give zeros for missing assign-

Grades at BVN

Responses taken from an Instagram poll of 176 students.

Have you struggled academically this year more than last year?

68% YeS

Why do you think your grades changed?

ments — the minimum grade teachers can give their students is a 50%. This method, although it has been criticized for letting failing students ‘off the hook’ too easily, is a great way to allow for academic motivation while still giving leniency to students who are, understandably, struggling.

Another system that has been adopted by many colleges, is the ability to opt-into a pass/fail grading system. Students motivated by GPA and who have the means and privilege to succeed academically this year are still granted the ability to do so, while the option to take a class for a pass, or a fail, remains for everyone else.

At the core of both of these courses of action is the understanding that, even within one zip code within one school district, there are people in wildly different situations. There’s no one person that exemplifies the Blue Valley school district.

No one family or learning situation or even Wi-Fi connection strength. Therefore, in times of turmoil, where the school day looks distinctly different than it did this time last year, it’s unfair to assume we all have the same ability to push through.

We owe it to every Blue Valley student to give a bit more empathy, not just in words, but in actions — action that starts with the district and its grading policy.

32%

Has online school had a positive or negative impact on your grades?

47%

No

Positive

“Tests and assignments

“It’s harder to get extra help.”

-Jaxon Townsend

were easier so my grades improved, but I learned less.”

-Mihir Sunkara

53% Negative

“I struggled with the fact that the workload was so high”

-Rosemary Lufkin

February 2021 | The North Star | 25

Feature

Expect the worst, hope for the best COVID-19 results in more than numbers — it changes lives.

BVN students share their personal experiences.

By Yasmeen Saadi

24.9

million cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. Four hundred and fourteen thousand deaths — the news updates display the increasing numbers each day, as more are tested and the virus spreads.

BVN students and families are not exempt from these numbers.

Within the Blue Valley School District, there have been 76 positive COVID-19 cases between Jan. 20 and Jan. 27, according to the Blue Valley COVID Dashboard. Additionally, according to an Instagram poll of 86 BVN students, 71 percent have been directly affected by COVID-19 either themselves or through a loved one.

Freshman Clara Resende was part of this 71 percent. Both her father and her sister tested positive in September 2020.

“We came home from doing errands and my dad wasn’t feeling that great,” Resende said. “I was going to have friends over the next day, and then we had to cancel because we didn’t know if it was COVID or if it was just a headache. And a few days later, we got the results because we went to test, and my dad was positive, my sister was positive, and my mom and I were negative.”

After receiving their results, Resende and her family stayed home

for a few weeks, and Resende isolated herself in her room to avoid contact with her family. She took extra precautions by maintaining her own spoon and knife for meals. Although her father and sister experienced some symptoms, Resende was relieved they were not severe.

“It was definitely a shock because, ‘Whoa, there’s someone in my family that actually has it,’ but I

for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), symptoms may include headaches and exhaustion, which Resende’s father experienced, as well as the lost ability to smell or taste which was experienced by Resende’s sister.

Other, more severe, symptoms include fevers and chills, vomiting, trouble breathing and confusion.

Senior Annabelle Muller has had multiple experiences of COVID-19 in her family, each member experiencing severe symptoms. Her 19-year-old cousin, who lives in Iowa, is believed to have contracted COVID-19 from I honestly his school’s football team. After his thought I was teammate tested positive, Muller’s going to lose cousin got tested at his campus clinic and tested negative. However, a few him. I thought days later he suffered cardiac arrest he would die. and was rushed to the hospital.

“He was watching TV in his dorm room and he had a heart attack, so - Annabelle Muller the RA had to perform CPR until the think I would have been a lot more ambulance got there and they took stressed if the symptoms were worse, him to the nearest hospital,” Muller because there’s people in hospitals,” said. “...I honestly thought I was going Resende said. “And I feel like if they to lose him. I thought he would die.” were, I would not have been able to Although he had no pre-existing do anything. Just knowing that they’re conditions, Muller’s cousin suffered in the room next to me. Yes, they’re a suffered fatigue, brain fog and shortlittle tired; yes they’re not feeling the term memory loss after his heart greatest, but they’re not in a hospital attack. Even now, according to Muller, bed, so that helped a lot.” he runs out of breath easily and is Symptoms for COVID-19 vary tired more than usual. He was only in intensity. According to the Center able to survive after being moved to

“

26 | The North Star | february 2021

“

another hospital in a bigger city with more resources.

“I think there are a lot of people that like to say that COVID has a 99 percent survival rate or whatever that means, but there’s still that one percent where there’s millions of people that could get severely sick and die,” Muller said. “And it’s not just old people or people with pre-existing conditions, it’s everyone. Everyone can get really sick and those symptoms.”

Muller’s great-great aunt also contracted COVID after an outbreak in her nursing home, and passed away Jan. 7, 2021.

“Because she was so old, there wasn’t really a lot her body could do to fight it,” Muller said. “The day I found out she had it, she was already really sick, kind of unresponsive, just sleeping a lot and couldn’t really talk.

And then from that day, it was three or four days later when she passed.”

With the risk caused by the coronavirus, the planning of funeral arrangements has been difficult for many across the country. The CDC warns against large in-person gatherings for funerals. However, the grief of losing a loved one is difficult to cope with far away. For Muller’s greatgreat aunt, a funeral was planned in a church in Wakefield, Nebraska, but Muller’s family was not sure about attending.

“I don’t think it’s necessarily safe for a funeral to happen, but when you lose a loved one, it’s hard to just not do anything,” Muller said. “And Zoom is really helpful, but a funeral on Zoom is just not something that

my family wanted.”

At the time of the interview, Muller’s grandfather was in the hospital for COVID-19, having been admitted on Jan.4, and her grandmother was being monitored at home.

On Jan. 24, her grandfather lost his battle to the disease.

Being at home and unable to help in any way has been hard for Muller and has affected her mental health and performance in school.

“All of this change and uncertainty has kind of put me in a bad place, and my performance at school has not

pandemic. She said that often it takes experiencing something personally for people to start taking the virus seriously, which she does not wish upon anyone.

“I’m just as bummed as everyone else that we lost our senior year and life isn’t exactly how we want it to be, but I think the disappointment of not having life how I want it to be is better than the sadness that could come from the effects of COVID or losing someone to COVID,” Muller said.

Like Muller, Resende also expressed fears concerning the treatment of COVID-19 by others in the community.

“I feel as months go on, [people] even though stop taking [COVID] as seriously it’s been as they did in March. Now people are traveling… and some have gone months, it’s to other states during Christmas or still going on, restaurants, and I just want people to and it’s getting remember that even though it’s been months, it’s still going on and it’s getworse. ting worse,” Resende said. “Because - clara resende it doesn’t matter if it’s like the fifth month or it’s the seventh month… you shouldn’t change the way you act on it.”

Both Muller and Resende said they were grateful for their immedibeen great either,” Muller said. “I was ate families’ situations, despite their going to graduate early and I had to experiences, because they said it could enroll in at least one class next semes- be worse. However, with the distributer, so if I did fail any of my classes tion of vaccines still months away for this semester, I would have the chance many high schoolers, the future of the to retake them.” pandemic remains uncertain.

On top of her personal expe“It’s just kind of scary to not know riences with COVID, Muller said what’s going to happen and have to seeing her peers acting irresponsibly anticipate the worst, but also hope for adds to her fears for the future of the the best,” Muller said.

“

“

January Numbers Jan. 6-13

Information taken from BV COVID Dashboard

Jan. 13-20

Jan. 20-27

107 district

102 district

within BV 76 cases district

79 students 28 staff

86 students 16 staff

64 students 12 staff

19 cases within BVN cases within BV

20 cases within BVN cases within BV

21 cases within BVN

february 2021 | The North Star | 27

Feature

the lift

Through the sore muscles, stereotypes and hard days, Senior Olivia Hailey pushes past it in hopes to reach her workout journey goals.

By Reece Bachta

G

oing to the gym is, for many, intimidating. Surrounded by metallic workout equipment, the sounds of weights moving against each other and hitting the floor in rhythmic thuds, and the rumble of human activity, many would be scared, Senior Olivia Hailey, however, feels right at home amidst the steel jungle.

Hailey has been working out since she was in 5th grade, but recently started her weightlifting journey. According to Hailey, the COVID-19 lockdown motivated her to start a new workout journey, an idea sparked by videos she saw on social media.

“Recently during quarantine, I got bored and was doing at home workouts, so I reached out to my mom’s friend who’s a bodybuilder and she is my coach now,” Hailey said. “I saw [bodybuilding] on TikTok and YouTube videos and [it] intrigued me and I wanted to try it out.”

Since gyms are typically male-dominated spaces, according to Hailey, being a female lifter, and a teenager at that, can be difficult.

“I was really scared to go and lift… I go to a big gym, and definitely for girls I feel like they’re more scared to [workout], because they feel like they are going to do it wrong and they’re not going to be lifting as heavy,” Hailey said.

However, she said, her impression

changed over time as she started to go to the gym more frequently. Hailey said she found that most gym patrons only focus on themselves, anyways, and the people she was scared of being judged by actually wanted to help her.

“Most people I’ve met, all the guys there are really welcoming and supportive and they just want to help me do better,” Hailey said, “Definitely going in it’s nerve wracking but most people, when you get there, they don’t care. They’re supportive and they think it’s cool that you’re doing it.”

Hailey trains in the gym to compete in weightlifting competitions, and stated that she enjoys having goals to strive toward when training to compete.

“I had my first competition in September, but I was training in May for it,” Hailey said.

“Goals would be like a number that I wanted to hit at my competition. Like, I think I wanted it to 225 for dead lift.”

According to Hailey, the motivation to get up and go to the gym is an obstacle she faced often. She finds it hard to keep pushing on and moving forward, but she focused on her goals and pushed past it.

“My biggest challenge is motivation... I don’t want to be there and then pushing past it, sometimes I will just leave, but mainly it’s pushing past being tired or not wanting to be there.”

When those bad days happen, Hailey’s coach Emily Nelson motivates her to get back on her feet. Nelson is a good friend of Hailey’s mother, and has been lifting for about ten years. After discovering how much she loved to lift, Hailey decided to reach out to Nelson to have her as a coach to begin her lifting journey.

“My coach helps a lot. She just talks me through it, just tells me to keep going,” Hailey said. “or just thinking about being at a competition and lifting”.

Besides the physical aspects, Hailey credits weightlifting to helping her mental health as well.

“It is a good emotional release,” Hailey said. “So if you’re having a bad day it’s nice to go and just get into the workout and then you’re fine after. You’re in a good mood.”

Hailey stated that women and girls of all ages should feel comfortable and confident in working out.

“Don’t be scared to fail or to be doing it wrong, and don’t be scared to go in and work out; don’t let the guys in there push you away from working out,” Hailey said. “Nobody’s judging you; they’re most likely not looking at you in the gym. And everybody starts at a low weight, so if you feel like you’re not lifting a lot, nobody’s going to judge you for what you’re lifting or what you’re doing. Just keep your head up and do it”.

Top Left: With her mind in the zone, Hailey pushes herself while squatting in the gym.

Top Right: Working out in her basement, Hailey works on her push-up form.

Bottom Left: Working on her gluts, Hailey performs dumbbell squats.

Bottom Right: After competing in a competition, Hailey stands proudly with her coach, Emily Nelson.

Photos by Reece Bachta and courtesy of Olivia Hailey.

28 | The North Star | February 2021

Liv’s Gym Must-haves: airpods

Gym Bag

pre-workout

February 2021| The North Star | 29

Letter from the editors - Opinion

Moving Onward 2020 is over — but how do we continue forwards amidst a climate of chaos?

T

he year 2020 has been, undeniably, a year of turmoil. On a global scale, the impacts of the still ongoing pandemic are obvious. But on a smaller scale, on a personal and interpersonal scale, the chaos surrounding us has worked its way into our faith, our resolution, our hope for the future.

It’s not a partisan issue — to construe it as such is unjust to those who have been affected on both “sides.”

Whether you choose to forgive is up to you, but it’s not an issue we should forget about any time soon. It lives in history among the countless other transformative events of the past year. The best we can do is move forward.

These hopes were shaken even further on Jan. 6, 2021, with the insurrection at the Capitol building. It was jarring to see such a staunch symbol of our democracy be desecrated in such a way. No matter one’s political identity or ideology, it is normal to feel rattled by this — some of the most intense intranational conflict a lot of us have seen in our lifetimes.

Yes, there has been deep, wrenching tragedy. It’s common to feel lost, confused in the face of what sometimes feels like the walls around us collapsing. But there has also been resiliency.

Some of us have lost friends to this conflict, either over conspiracy theory and political differences, or simply through moral lines that we draw. We’ve lost family and loved ones to COVID-19. This past year has been one irrevocably marked by grief, and loss — both a literal loss of life, and that of connection.

We mustn’t be afraid to breach conversation about sensitive topics to our friends and family. Open and honest dialogue is the key to preserving and healing from the strife we’ve faced as a nation. There’s a significant amount of that strife, especially now as we move through a tumultuous presidential transition. A lot of people may feel as though they can’t connect with people that were once very close to them, because of what feels like insurmountable ideological canyons rupturing a once solid ground of friendship. But, at the same time, calls for unity are being levied, sometimes at those with the most right to be upset. It’s hard to tell what the right course of action is — do we let our pain be swept away in lieu of a fragile peace? Do we push the issue and possibly damage that which unites these states?

30 | The North Star | February 2021

That resiliency lives in each and every one of us. It lives in teachers who try their best to remember when to turn off the “mute” button and it lives in students who make an effort to raise their (Zoom) hand and ask a question.

It lives in the cafeteria workers and custodians who work tirelessly to keep us learning and as safe as we can be in the school building.

It lives in talks with friends about what is and isn’t true, in a world where misinformation mixes inseparably with fact. It lives in adapting to the current challenges, for the good of everyone, and for the hopes of a better future — hopefully a nearer one than we can possibly imagine.

- Ellianna Cierpiot and Yasmeen Saadi, Editors-In-Chief

Entertainment

2020 Staff top picks

Album Taylor Swift

Folklore

by yasmeen saadi and ellianna cierpiot

Favorite movies, podcasts, albums and video games chosen by us!

podcast “I like listening to [revisionist history] because it’s interesting to hear about different events that occurred in the past to see what we can improve on for the future.”

Revisionist History

Through The Wire

Nominated By Adelaide Edwards

Glass Animals

Dreamland

-kara deskin

Nominated By Jack Toal

Nominated By Ellianna Cierpiot

Video Game

Animal Crossing: New Horizons Nominated By Arshiya Pant, Angelica Henson

Movie

Pixar’s Soul “I really liked its message... it’s okay to not have a passion. It really relates to me because... people are always asking, ‘what are you gonna be when you grow up?’”

-Ella Shafer

Runners-up: Mulan Nominated By alex doege

THe Invisible Man Nominated By ellianna cierpiot

Athlete A

Nominated By ella thomas

february 2021 | The North Star | 31

Time with teachers

Top Left: Jeremy Chugg teaches a class. Photo by Ella Shafer Top Right: Travis Hale uses an iPad to help teach concert orchestra. Photo by Arshiya Pant Bottom Left: BVN’s Spoken Word Poetry club poses with Jeremy Chugg and Kat Buchanan. Photo provided by El O’Brien Bottom Right: Student teacher Maggie Hendricks conducts a choir class. Photo by Arshiya Pant.

Wrapping up Winter

Left: Senior Luke Twyman swims at practice. Photo by Yasmeen Saadi Middle: Seniors Grace Plunkett and Ashley Curtis. Photo provided by Grace Plunkett.

Right: Two wrestlers practice after school. Photo by Jack Toal.