The Express - March Issue

the express

GENERATION OF GROWTH Drastic changes brought by the pandemic forced students into a period of personal growth.

PAGE 14

VOLUME 28 • ISSUE 4 • BLUE VALLEY NORTHWEST

CONTENTS | 04.01.21

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THE EXPRESS STAFF Editor-in-Chief .......................................Emma Johnson Executive Editor...............................................Bella Rinne

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FORGOTTEN WOMEN THROUGHOUT HISTORY

THREE SPORTS, ONE ATHLETE

Fel Del Mundo was the first woman to attend Harvard medical school, and dedicated her life to medicine.

Freshman athlete Lanie Douglas plays year-round as part of the BVNW volleyball, basketball and softball teams.

Assistant Executive Editor....................Tessa Regan Print Editor..........................................................Izze Lentfer Online Editor.......................................Maggie McCready Design Editor.......................................................Erin Reece Graphics Editor.......................................Courtney Krebs Social Media Editor..................................Lola Shipman Managing Photo Editor............................Rachel Sarff Quality Photo Editor.................................Mitri Krishna Co-Sports Editors.......Jonny Isaacson & Jack Nitz News Editor.....................................................Megan Yates National Editor.............................................Jack Bensing Chief Writer..................................................Maddie Oliver

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COMING OUT

Writers Anna Bailey • Elizabeth Caine • Kathryn Case • Katelyn Gau • Rachel Hostetler • Reagan Kauth Reagan King • Abbie Kratofil • Liz LaHood • Matthew Lemke • Lizzie Lively • Emily Moser • Julia Moser Mauri Peterson • Raabia Qureshi Photographers Savannah Bridges • Amanda Carvalho • Grace Davis • Lauren Kline • Jenna Soltwedel • Bailey Thompson Designers Sophie Dellett • Emma Gau • Alyssa Peterson • Sabrina San Agustin Adviser Jim McCrossen

Assistant Adviser Amanda Ford

Junior Sam Stubenhofer poses with the pride flag. The LGBTQ+ community is a minority in Johnson County. "I feel like sometimes we're seen as something that people don't like for a certain reason, because we're different," Stubenhofer said.

CONTENTS

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EDITORIAL Looking back, l

04.01.21 | CONTENTS

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14 COVER: PERSONAL GROWTH Sophomore Kendal Nobrega said she was able to grow into a better version of herself despite the challenges 2020 brought. "I was able to grow stronger and more confident in my skin. I used to ignore my emotions by always being busy, so during quarantine, I was able to take a second and really process through my emotions, Nobrega said.

(Cover photo by Mitri Krishna)

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BUJO BASICS

STRESSFUL SEMESTER

MENTAL HEALTH AND POLICING

WRITTEN IN THE STARS

Senior Cydney Willenbring shows off her bullet journal.

Her designs are inspired from Youtuber AmandaRachLee.

Sophomore Ainsley Novak said phone distractions have affected her sleep schedule and school performance.

BVNW alumnus Jameson Hocter holds a drawing of John Albers, who was shot and killed by the police in 2018.

Learn more about astrology in our personality guide for each birthday-determined zodiac sign.

looking forward

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OPINION Boys will be held accountable

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OPINION A price to pay

EDITORIAL | 04.01.21

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EDITORIAL

LOOKING BACK, LOOKING FORWARD

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y now we know that the pandemic equipped for the future.

We know this is not easy, and we don’t expect has been devastating for millions across the globe. And it affected us to ever truly be the same again. But that’s OK— not only physically, but mentally as a result, many have developed adaptability and emotionally; mental health, and resilience. Here are just a few positive things that might have come out of the last 12 especially in teenagers, has deteriorated at the hands of Zoom and months spent in isolation. months: Stronger connections with our loved ones.

But now, after a full year of mask-wearing, social distancing and travel restrictions, Spending so much time with family and close it’s time to reflect not on how the world has friends means potentially developing deeprooted relationships and better, more effective changed around us, but how we have changed ourselves. communication.

Developing empathy. When we There is a phenomenon called Post-Traumatic Growth, reflect on these harrowing moments We want to where individuals describe and how they make us stronger, we encourage you to can create the ability to empathize improved relationships, a greater reflect on your own with anyone who has gone through appreciation of life, discovering personal growth something similar. and embracing new possibilities, throughout the and positive spiritual change in Of course, not everyone has had pandemic, and to or will have the same experiences retrospect of experiencing high shift the focus not of the pandemic. The hundreds of levels of distress. Despite how on who we once drastically our world has changed, thousands who have died and even were, but how more in mourning are a paramount perhaps something good has come today, we could be part of the lasting effects of the out of it. better equipped for pandemic, and we commiserate This issue’s cover story follows and mourn with them. four different students and their the future. respective journeys to personal With the vaccines rolling out and more students and staff receiving growth and enlightenment over the course of the pandemic, whether it’s finding an them, there seems to be a light at the end of the outlet in politics, rekindling lost relationships tunnel; the day the world becomes “normal” again seems closer than it has ever been before. or connecting with religion. However, they’re probably not the only ones who have changed But even then, we will still have hardships ahead of us. Remember: this season of uncertainty for the better. We want to encourage you to reflect on your own personal growth throughout and tragedy is temporary, and we hope we can the pandemic, and to shift the focus not on who be stronger, kinder, and better because of it. we once were, but how today, we could be better

04.01.21 | OPINION

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OPINON

BOYS WILL BE BOYS HELD ACCOUNTABLE Written by Emily Moser

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s he following me?

These words ran through my head as I sat at the light at 75th street and Metcalf Ave, after noticing a man staring at me through my car window. My heart began to race and my palms started to sweat. After looking over again, he continued to stare at me, an innocent, 18-year-old girl, alone in her Honda Civic.

When the light turned green, he switched lanes to get directly behind me. A white Toyota truck with Missouri license plates. I made a mental note just in case I had to tell the police.

As my hands gripped the steering wheel, sweating with fear, I continued to drive, trying to ignore the old man who continued to follow me. He trailed behind, light after light, for miles.

I called my friends just in case this creepy situation turned into a dangerous one.

“Just keep driving in circles and don’t go home,” they warned.

“Take a left at the next light, and if he follows you, go straight to the police

Illustration by Bella Rinne

station,” they added.

Luckily, I lost him at that next left turn. It seemed he wasn't interested in kidnapping a teenage girl on that Friday afternoon.

Looking back, I do not think he ever intended to follow me and it was simply coincidence that we were headed the same way. The fact of the matter is a strange interaction like this sent me into a frenzy, fearing for my safety.

This is the terrifyingly normal thought process for some women.

Why did an old man staring at me for thirty seconds at a traffic light send me into a full fledged panic? Because for girls, this is the reality of the society we live in. Girls are conditioned to look out for signs of a predator wherever we go, while boys receive little education on how to properly treat us.

As women, we are taught to always look in the backseat of our cars. We are taught to check under the car too, because someone might be waiting to slash our achilles tendon, making it impossible for us to escape. We carry pepper spray on our keys to defend ourselves and never go anywhere alone.

Parents warn their daughters of the dangers of our society, but how many parents are sitting down with their sons to explain how to not be dangerous?

Teaching girls to protect themselves is a classic case of treating the symptoms and not the disease.

So, what exactly is the disease?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study completed in 2015, 43.6 percent of women experience some form of contact sexual violence in their lifetime.

This percentage equates to nearly 52.2 million women.

The question then becomes, how do we fix this?

First, our society needs to better educate young people about effective communication skills. This means teaching children how to handle and communicate their emotions in a healthy way. If more open communication skills are established, children will feel more comfortable sharing their feelings and experiences with adults. In turn, this will propagate a more open conversation regarding sexaul violence, diminishing the stigma around it.

After effective communication skills are established, it is important to teach children what healthy relationships look like, both in dating and friend relationships.

Most importantly, placing an emphasis on healthy sexuality can help mitigate this issue. Creating a more honest discussion regarding sexual communication and behavior, as well as respect and consent is vital to preventing sexual violence.

Both schools and parents can help to implement these changes into our everyday lives. By creating safe spaces at schools and promoting more widespread conversation about sexual violence, the discomfort around this topic will lessen.

Our school systems, parents of boys and boys themselves, need to do better.

Our society needs to be a place where everyone feels safe, regardless of their gender.

One day, I hope when my daughter is innocently driving home and she makes eye contact with a man, she does not automatically assume she is in danger.

I hope I will only have to teach her how to build healthy, safe relationships with other people, and not have to warn her about the dangers she may face, just because she is a woman.

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04.01.21 | OPINION

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THE PRICE

TO PAY

Written by Raabia Qureshi

A

few months ago, my cousin and I visited our local Sonic on a late Saturday night in hopes of ordering a small strawberry cherry limeade and a medium order of mozzarella sticks. As we pulled into the parking lot, six to seven cars—mostly trucks— crowded the lot alongside large groups of teenage boys. As we slowly drove around, many saw the hijabs on our heads and began to point and laugh at us, and applaud us in a mocking way. I even ducked my head to avoid watching them allude to their “political” flags adorning their trucks. As if we weren’t terrified enough, their cars followed us out of the parking lot as we left emptyhanded.

Although we arrived home safely that night, the insurmountable fear and panic I felt that day will forever be etched in my brain. For weeks, the sight of trucks either behind me in a drive through or parked next to me in a parking lot made me wary.

I’m fully aware every white person in a truck isn’t hateful like the people we encountered that night. But experiences like these are the culprit behind the discomfort and fear in many cases.

In the past year, the numerous events—from the Black Lives Matter movement to the raid on the Capitol building—have not only served as defining moments for those who face discrimination, but also widened the gap between Americans as a whole and heightened the fear inside me. All I can think about is racism, hatred and who’s left and who’s right. My mind goes into overdrive as I wonder whether the person in front of me in the school

lunch line believes I don’t belong in this non-POC put into shedding light to our country, respects me like everyone else problems, but we need to hold the mic or simply doesn’t give a damn. ourselves for once, too.

But even before this year, my past Even now, the feeling as though I’m four years of high school subtly reflect complaining about my thoughts and the hostility I’ve always felt in public feelings associated with my identity spaces around strangers. I’ve tried to keeps nagging at me. Constantly, I go unnoticed by maintaining the same allow white fragility—the discomfort group of friends or saving my worries a white person feels when confronted and concerns only for those who by information of racial inequality “understand” and feel the same as me. an discrimination—to ensue at my I convinced myself mingling outside own expense. In a culture where the of my comfort zone wasn’t worth media only sheds light on a Black or the trouble in the case of something Asian person when it involves crime uncomfortable or happening to me and death or the conversations in in a discriminatory most classrooms still tiptoe way. Compromising around social justice as if my confidence racism and hate crimes My mind goes are political subjects, in my identity to into overdrive make others feel students of color often feel comfortable has unimportant. However, it’s as I wonder become second also safe to say that culture is whether the nature to me. gradually changing. Through person in front Instagram, Twitter, and Joining The Express has allowed protests, people are louder of me in the me to express some than ever before. Not only school lunch line is it inspiring, it makes me of my thoughts on believes I don’t comfortable speaking of my paper. It allows me to call out the experiences. belong in this discrepancies in I accepted the Sonic country. the Northwest incident as a price to pay for community and voice living in America—as if I’m how they affect me not American too. While it personally. However, not everyone is unfair to generalize an entire race has that opportunity. Constantly based on the actions of a few people, discouraged through comments such it’s the repetitive pattern, the daily as “snowflake” or “overly sensitive,” silence, and the systemic faults white the gaslighting many people of color people are complacent with which feel shoves them in a corner and forces validate my feelings of fear. No matter them to push their issues under a where I go, the hijab I wear on my head rug. Only until a white, liberal activist or the color of my skin will always finally brings attention to the issue make me a second class citizen in my a few months later does the topic own country. actually gain a fraction of the attention it deserves. I appreciate the effort

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FORGOTTE THROUGHOU FEATURE | 04.01.21

Following Women’s History Month, four women who made a differe

Research by Anna Bailey

PATSY MINK

• Dec. 6, 1927- Sept. 28, 2002 • Went to University of Nebraska, experienced racism while there • American Politician from the state of Hawaii • First Woman of color to be elected into the House of Representatives • In office from 1964-1977 and 1990-2002 • Co-author of “Title IX”, an Amendment that prohibits sex based discrimination in schools • Author of “the Early Childhood Education Act”, and “the Women’s Educational Equity Act” • First Asian-American to run for president

FE DEL MUNDO • Nov. 27, 1911 - Aug. 6, 2011 • Her older sibling’s death inspired her to dedicate her life to medicine • Fe del Mundo was the first woman to be accepted into Harvard Medical school • Specialized in children’s medicine • Founded the first pediatric hospital in the Philippines • Very dedicated to her work and continued to work until she was 99 years old

EN WOMEN UT HISTORY 04.01.21 | FEATURE

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ence in their field are highlighted for their accomplishments.

y, Design by Emma Gau

FRANCES MARION

GLADYS BENTLEY • Aug. 12, 1907- Jan. 18, 1960 • At 16 she moved from Philadelphia to New York after being harassed for dressing like a boy and having feelings for her female teacher • Dressed as a man and was hired as a pianist at Harry Hansberry’s Clam House in Manhattan • One of America’s most successful Black entertainers of the 1920’s • Known for her blues style singing

• Nov. 18, 1888 - May 12, 1973 • Wrote up to 300 scripts and 150 of them were produced • Wrote movies such as “The Champ,” “Maytime” and “The Clown” • One of the most successful screenwriters in Hollywood • Wrote books such as “How to Write and Sell Film Stories,” “Valley People,” “Paul Jones” and “a Tale of the Sea” • When she began to write scripts, she attracted the attention of Mary Pickford, they became partners and eventually Marion became Pickford’s official screenwriter • Marion won Oscars on both films “The Champ” and “The Big House”

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FEATURE | 04.01.21

THREE SPORTS SPORTS THREE

Showcasing her love for sports, a fres

F

reshman Lainie Douglas’s life revolves around sports.

Starting for volleyball, basketball and softball, Douglas keeps busy all year round. With the Huskies softball team having their first game under their belt, Douglas starts her third varsity season as a freshman.

“I’ve played basketball since about five years old, softball since about six or seven, I played rec volleyball since I was younger, and then I started playing club volleyball like two and a half years ago,” Douglas said.

After playing for many years, Douglas said that her favorite part of playing sports is that it is a way to get away, be competitive and meet new people in the process.

Freshman Lainie Douglas rises to hit the ball during the game against Blue Valley, Oct. 1. (Photo by Mitri Krishna)

Written by Matthew Lemk Playing sports since she was young, Douglas has continuously been active no matter the season. With all three sports in separate seasons, Douglas can compete in all three without conflicts.

Starting off the year, Douglas played on the varsity volleyball team. Head volleyball coach Molly Haggerty said she enjoyed the opportunity to coach Douglas.

“Lainie was super fun to coach this year and get to know as a person and a player. Lainie is really coachable; she loves to compete, she loves to learn new things, try new things. Lainie’s just a really sweet and fun teammate for the girls to have around,” Haggerty said.

During the season, Douglas was a tremendous asset for the team, Haggerty said. Coming from middle school, Douglas had to adapt to the speed that high school volleyball is played, she said. Because of her size, how physical she is, and her quickness, Douglas helped in all fields of the game, Haggerty said.

Rotating from volleyball to basketball, Haggerty tried to find ways to tie the two sports together, she said.

“We do something in volleyball called a sliding approach. We put her on the right side so she could really run that slide approach, and it’s kind of a fun way we tied it into basketball.

It’s kind of the same footwork as a layup, so it just came very natural to her, and it just brought this whole level of explosiveness, and she can just play the game at a really high level on this type of court,” Haggerty said.

Haggerty said that it is important in all aspects of every game. Rotating from volleyball to basketball, Douglas works for the end goal of a scholarship to play a sport in college, she said.

Being part of a younger girls varsity basketball team, Douglas was one of seven freshmen on junior varsity or varsity. Head basketball coach

Matthew Shulman said she serves as a leader of the group.

“She encourages her teammates, we have seven other freshmen that are a part of junior varsity and varsity, and she has a really close relationship with all of them. She does a good job to get along with them, encourage them, and be kind of a role model sometimes on the varsity squad,” Shulman said.

As a freshman starting on the varsity basketball team, Douglas has worked up the ranks on and off the court, being a leader on the team, Shulman said. As well as being a leader, he said that Douglas brings a vital source of motivation and competitiveness to the team.

“To be able to get varsity experience as a 14, 15 year old, and quite a bit of it, you know it is really going to pay off, not only next year, but junior and senior year,” Shulman said.

Shulman said he is

04.01.21 | FEATURE

ONE ATHLETE ATHLETE S, ONE

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shman starts on three varsity teams.

ke, Design by Julia Moser more excited for the development he gets to have with Douglas because she is only a freshman.

There is lots of potential for her in the next few years and she is only going to get better from here, Shulman said.

“She’s the first to everything. If she stays after, other kids are encouraged to say after and get shots up, and so she’s just helped our team and overall the whole program,” Shulman said.

Douglas’s personality brings energy, Freshman Lainie Douglas hits a ball off the tee at softball practice. “My emotions when I hit the ball are focus and concentration. I need to hit the ball in the right place to make it a good hit,” Douglas said. (Photo by Jenna Soltwedel)

Douglas prepares for a free throw at the basketball game against Blue Valley West, Jan. 8. (Photo by Grace Davis)

competitiveness, and motivation to I’m looking forward to hopefully teams, both Haggerty and Shulman winning a state title, and the same said. Although volleyball and goes with every sport, honestly,” basketball are very different sports, Douglas said.

Douglas’s energy is carried on no matter the sport.

After playing her first season for volleyball and basketball at Lainie is really coachable; BVNW, Douglas said that the most significant thing she has she loves to compete, she learned is the importance of loves to learn new things, teamwork and trust in the try new things. Lainie’s team. She said that everyone knows they have each other’s just a really sweet and fun backs during the season, teammate for the girls to which has made it easier to have around. play.

As a freshman with three years -MOLLY HAGGERTY of seasons yet to come, Douglas hopes to win a state title.

“For basketball, I’m really excited because we have a great squad.

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FEATURE | 04.01.21

Students within the LGBTQ+ community share their experiences coming out and the relief that came with embracing their identity.

Written by Kathryn Case, Photos by Rachel Sarff, Design by Courtney Krebs

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eeling anxious, but at the same time a sense of relief, junior Sam Stubenhofer said he officially came out as gay to his peers in a post on Instagram.

“Overall I felt general fear, but I was also thinking, it’s fine, I’m being myself and there should be no problems,” Stubenhofer said. “But then on the other hand I was also thinking how many followers will I lose?”

He said that before posting on Instagram he told his close group of friends and his mother, Robin Stubenhofer, first and then progressed to a wider group.

“Sam and I have a pretty open relationship,” Robin Stubenhofer said.

“I wasn’t necessarily surprised [when he came out to me] and my reaction was concern about how he would be perceived by others.”

Junior Joseph Monaco, one of Stubenhofer’s close friends, said that he was very supportive when he saw Stubenhofer’s Instagram post and that he will continue their close friendship no matter the circumstances.

“I thought ‘good for him for embracing himself and putting it out there,’” Monaco said. “I thought it was very nice and I was very proud of him as a friend.”

Now that he is open, Stubenhofer said there have been some positive and negative aspects.

“I am able to be myself, and I don’t have to put on a barrier and think ‘Oh, no. What if I accidentally say something,’” Stubenhofer said. “A con is [having to worry about] being safe a lot of the time, because there’s a high Junior Sam Stubenhofer came out as gay on Instagram while attending BVNW. He rate of hate crimes that go on in our said he has faced different reactions from his peers, and has been living his life with less community.” reservation without having to hide his sexuality.

A reason for these hate crimes

04.01.21 | FEATURE

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Stubenhofer said is due to the LGBTQ+ mother, Kathy Kramer, Kathy said she their kids. community being a minority in wasn’t surprised and was happy her “The goal of our group is to educate Johnson County. daughter felt comfortable enough to be parents and to help them learn “I feel like sometimes we’re just honest. terminology and skills for themselves seen as something that people don’t “I really don’t have any qualms about as parents to encourage their like for a certain reason, because we’re her or her sexuality. children to express different,” Stubenhofer said. “[People It’s her life, not my themselves freely and You can’t pick in the LGBTQ+ community] live a life life and I’m totally an understanding and choose what that people could only dream about. We fine with it,” Kathy of potentially what are our true, authentic selves and don’t said. “I’ve always their child might you support and let anything get in the way of that.” encouraged open and be experiencing,” who you are nice Along with Stubenhofer, Robin honest conversations Boux said. “We to. You either said she also believes Johnson County between myself and have found a lot of can be unsupportive at times of the my children.” success with support support the LGBTQ+ community.

Although she groups and this one whole community “Johnson County is either very didn’t have an official especially. Hopefully inclusive of supportive, or not, of different things coming out like we can continue to that occur over time,” Robin said. “I Stubenhofer, Kramer support kids and everyone, or you think this is one that is going to be a said the way she teenagers in the don’t. challenging event for the county and chose to tell people community that need encompass many people to modify was more subtle. additional support -DINAH KRAMER their thoughts and behaviors.”

“I have a [pride] from their parents Similar to Stubenhofer, sophomore flag in my room, so my parents kind of relating to gender identity and sexual Teayom Karimpouriam said she first knew,” Kramer said. “I told my closest orientation.” came out as bisexual to the people friends and I guess now it’s just open.

Along with the support of Kramer’s she trusted most, which included her It’s been a year or so since I did, so I family, she said Blue Valley also mom, Sahar Shahandeh, and close think everybody knows now. I also have provides some support to the friends. a pride flag in my [Instagram] bio, just community, but there are also a lot of “We are very happy and very proud so people can know and feel like most negative aspects as well. of her. We love her no matter what,” people know now.”

Kramer said that at Northwest there Shahandeh said.

Kramer said she feels very blessed tends to be a bias between gay males Karimpouriam said for the most part to have supportive parents and their and the rest of the LGBTQ+ community she feels accepted in Blue Valley and is initial reaction to her coming out was and that gay males are more likley to be glad no one treats her any differently. endorsement. accepted compared to the rest of the However, she said she is more cautious “I have the privilege of having people community. of how she acts around people out of who support me and parents and “It’s really sad to see that it seems fear of being perceived a certain way. family that supports me that maybe like there’s a one-sided opinion of the “If I told someone that’s my friend, others don’t,” Kramer said. “I really correct way to be gay. I’m not saying that’s a girl, they feel for the people that that every person who supports gay might think that don’t have support like males only suports them out of the [People in I have a thing for I do.” community, but I do see that with some the LGBTQ+ them when I really In order to provide people there’s some sort of bias that don’t, and I’m kind additional support, goes along with that,” Kramer said. community] live of scared of someone a parent and teen “You can’t pick and choose what you a life that people being uncomfortable LGBTQ+ support support and who you are nice to. You could only dream around me now,” group was created either support the whole community Karimpouriam said. through the Johnson inclusive of everyone, or you don’t.” about. We are our Having an older County Mental true, authentic brother who is also Health organization.

For more support with solving selves and don’t in the LGBTQ+ Facilitators of the family conflict in households community, junior group, Rachael with LGBTQ+ members, contact let anything get in Dinah Kramer said McDonald and Jordan Rachael McDonald from the way of that. her brother’s support Boux, said a goal of the Johnson Country Mental made her feel more theirs is to spread Health Organization at -SAM STUBENHOFER comfortable coming awareness and Rachael.McDonald@jocogov.org out to her friends and family as lesbian. support for the community. or 913-715-7718 “Talking with him was very helpful The support group has a panel that as I had someone to look up to who was consists of a gay woman, a gay man, going through the same thing as I was,” and a transgender man that share their Kramer said. stories in hopes to provide relatabality When Kramer came out to her and answer questions for parents and

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FEATURE | 04.01.21

04.01.21 | FEATURE

GENERATION OF GROWTH

15

Challenges of the past year provide opportunities to experience personal growth.

Written by Raabia Qureshi and Reagan King, Design by Alyssa Peterson, Photos by Savannah Bridges and Mitri Krishna

SPROUTING IN SOLITARY

S

ophomore Kendal Nobrega said this year has challenged her in a lot of different ways; mentally, spiritually, and physically. Throughout quarantine, Nobrega was able to inwardly reflect on her life, and past habits and tendencies without the distractions of school, work, or drama.

However, this time alone also made it easier to isolate herself and stop reaching out to people.

“It was challenging going from constantly being surrounded by friends to just not having any of that, and I think that really made me feel alone and isolated,” Nobrega said.

As people found new ways to stay connected like meeting up at parks, she said it helped ease the transition to social distancing and not being around others as much. However, by reflecting on things she needed to work through, she said being alone became easier.

She said this led her to value being with herself more. It was not necessarily spending more time with friends, she said, but becoming comfortable being by herself that helped her feel less isolated.

“It’s easier now for me to spend a day alone and not wonder what my friends are doing,” Nobrega said.

“It’s easier for me to recognize if I do need a night to myself, and I’m more comfortable doing so.”

Working to improve her mental

health, she said she started journaling own and dive deeper into the Bible and over quarantine through a method have a deeper understanding of that,” called shadow work. The goal of shadow Nobrega said. work is to realize some of the past Nobrega also said that she gained a events in your life and break them down new perspective on her health this year. into how it affects you today and how Previously, she focused on her health to become a better person from that. for the purpose of looking a certain From this, Nobrega said she became way. But as she reflected on herself over more aware of her tendencies, biases, quarantine, her focus shifted and she and how she would approach certain said she realized that was not a healthy situations. way to live. She said she realized that it “I realized that they weren’t always the is important to value and take care of most healthy, and I ended up hurting your health because it’s good for you some people in the not to meet a standard past. Even if I didn’t of appearance.

Life is way too think it was my “I think that mindset fault, it ended up shift was really short, and I’m only happening and it was beneficial because 17. And I think too my fault. I just had without that I would much about, like, to address that,” she probably have said. developed some really my future, and I As the pandemic bad habits,” she said. really don’t enjoy forced her to stop After her mom life right now. And regularly attending questioned whether church, she said some of her habits so, I don’t know, I that it was difficult were healthy, Nobrega guess something for her to feel said it made her just hit me and I connected to her rethink the root of religion because she why she was working just realized that strongly associated out or eating a certain I don’t really care her religion with way. She said taking how other people attending church. a step back allowed The time away from her to evaluate her perceive me. her usual life allowed priorities, and once -ALINA MALHI her to reflect on this, she felt personally and develop stronger ready, return to spiritual ties to her faith. Through working out in a healthier way. talking with her youth pastors and her

“It definitely made working out mom, one of her youth group leaders, a lot more fulfilling because it became she was able to understand how religion something that would relieve stress, is more than going to church. instead of something that caused a lot of “I was able to make my religion my stress,” Nobrega said. “It became more

Left: Sophomore Kendal Nobrega said that in order to grow she had to give herself time. “You can’t expect to become the best version of yourself if you are not willing to make any changes,” Nobrega said. “I was able to grow stronger and more confident in my skin.”

FEATURE | 04.01.21

16 of a fun thing to do instead of a chore.”

Along with working out, she said she was able to transform her view on eating healthy. Through influencers she follows, she gained insight on body neutrality, the view that bodies are just vessels to be able to do anything in life.

“It shifted my mindset from good and bad foods, to food is just a fuel to power your body,” Nobrega said.

If she does not eat “perfect”, or eats something that is not considered healthy, she said she no longer feels guilty about it.

This year provided Nobrega with the time to examine herself, free from distractions, she said.

“It gave me a new perspective and it made me appreciate every day a little bit more,” she said. “I appreciate the small things more, and I am not just waiting for the next big thing to happen.”

Although this year has been challenging for everyone, she said that it ultimately had a lasting positive influence.

“It’s been a year of growth for everybody, learning to do things in new ways,” Nobrega said.

FLOURISHING CONFIDENCE Junior Ollie Watson said he has also grown in advocating for himself and denying those who do not support him and have the ability to have a negative impact on him. Up until midquarantine, Watson said he struggled with dealing with friends who were not good for him. He said this negatively impacted his already present mental health problems.

While it was hard to let those friends go, he said it was made easier by being in quarantine because he didn’t have to see them much in person. Cutting those people out of his life, allowed him to realize he did not need them in his life to be happy, Watson said.

“I can do my own thing and have people who actually support me be able to lift me up and not bring me down or make me feel bad. I can just be me and if people don’t like that then they’re not friends,” he said.

While learning his friends were not beneficial to his well-being, Watson said

he was additionally challenged with trying to adapt to the constantly shifting schedule that school presented. He said his ADHD makes it very hard to focus and stick to a schedule, and his mental health deteriorated as new, uncertain and unfamiliar school systems were put in place.

“I’ve already had problems with getting things in on time, so it added this layer of stress from the pandemic and having to be at home for school sometimes,” Watson said. “It just made it worse all in all.”

To overcome this added stress, he said he simplifies everything he has to do into steps so that they do not look as challenging.

Watson said that establishing

a general routine allows him to have things that he can rely on to happen, decreasing the amount of stress stemming from an unstable schedule.

Because of this, he said he believes he has grown in his ability to manage tasks and has overall become a more orderly person.

“I very much have my own mental health issues like depression and self struggles. So being able to be like I’ll do this, do it at this time, have it all planned out helped make sure I wasn’t going super negative,” Watson said.

Watson said being in a bad mood on top of having a lot of assignments to do causes a lot of additional stress, but having a sense of security from a schedule has made it easier to work through and overall made him happier.

Regardless of the challenges this year presented, Watson said he has been able to further his personal growth aside from managing school and friends. This year, even despite the pandemic, he said he has been able to get on testosterone.

Getting on testosterone, a form of hormone replacement therapy, is something that many transgender people go through. Many transgenger people take testosterone or estrogen to make their appearance less like how they were assigned at birth, and more

like the gender they identify with.

Watson said he knew that he wanted to be on testosterone since he came out four years ago. Unhappy with the way he looked, he said he was unsure if he would be able to get on testosterone before he turned 18-years-old until one of his doctors recommended that he pursue the therapy.

“I’m actually six months on T, so that’s really cool. I’ve been able to deal with challenges of emotional things like going through mood swings and acne reappearing, and being like yeah it sucks but also this is what I’ve been wanting for a while. It’s very much making me happier in the long run,” Watson said.

Getting on testosterone and starting to see results was very relieving, he said.

Every time he sees differences in his appearance, he said, it makes him happy and giddy. Achieving something that he never thought he would get to has made him more optimistic about his future, he said. Goals he said he looks forward to like moving out and getting a job now seem more reachable.

“It shows me that I’ve grown a lot because I’ve thought for so long that I’d never get to that point of getting on testosterone, but here I am,” Watson said. “I’ve been doing it every two weeks for the past six months.”

04.01.21 | FEATURE

BLOSSOMING RELATIONSHIPS For months, Senior Alina Malhi saw only two of her close friends and a few family members during the pandemic. On some days, she said, she couldn’t find the motivation to get out of bed. On other days, she would force herself to create artwork, even when her depressive state made sparking creativity difficult, Malhi said.

In the midst of adjusting to online school, not only was it difficult to maintain motivation, but also dedicate time in her friendships. While trying to stay on top of her school work, Malhi said she could only see close friends, and that her other relationships were hanging on by threads.

However, as the pandemic surges on, Malhi said she’s found ways to not only improve her mental health and invest more time in herself, but also maintain strong relationships with her friends.

“A lot of my friendships felt like they were in danger because it was just hard to text back and call them and just make sure everybody was OK and check up on each other,” she said.

Malhi also said the attention brought the Black Lives Matter Movement over the summer allowed her to reevaluate her relationships. Many of her friends at school showed their true colors, she said, and she has since disconnected with those friends.

“So I guess that during the summer I was so bold and I would argue with everybody about things like political stuff. And so I realized that it doesn’t matter what people say to me-- I don’t really take it to heart,” she said.

Recently, after realizing one of her friendships of five years was on the rocks, Malhi said she and her friend arranged an hour-long conversation between themselves, dedicated to not only catching up with one another, but discussing the harm the pandemic had on their communication skills.

After months of adjusting to the changes being made around her, she said she feels content after finally reconciling with many people.

17 It was also difficult to feel genuinely happy, Malhi said. To make up for this, she said she engaged herself in new and existing hobbies including drawing, finger crocheting, and cooking new foods. As an artist, Malhi also struggled with finding sparks of creativity and motivation in her art, she said. However, Malhi said she’s grown since then. Interested in selling her art online, she’s found happiness in others enjoying her artwork.

“Life is way too short, and I’m only 17. And I think too much about, like, my future, and I really don’t enjoy life right now. And so, I don’t know, I guess

something just hit me and I just realized that I don’t really care how other people perceive me,” Malhi said.

Malhi isn’t the only one who’s had friendship issues. Senior Mary Rueschhoff said she’s struggled with maintaining strong relationships throughout her four years in high school. After finding a strong group of friends over the past year, Rueschhoff said her patience was also put to the test quite often.

“I never have had a huge like long tolerance for any type of patience whatsoever,” Rueschhoff said. “But I feel like over this past year especially with COVID, that it kind of helped me realize that not everything comes right when you want it, and not everything happens the way you want it to.”

While Rueschhoff said she moved to BVNW her sophomore year, her shy personality is what makes it difficult for her to connect with others.

Nonetheless, ever since the pandemic laid its roots in March, she’s become a more talkative, outgoing person.

“I’ve definitely grown in confidence, and not feeling scared of, like, what I wear or what I do, or, you know, how I present myself-whether I’m going to school or just going out of the house. I feel like that’s a really big part of my personality now,” Rueschhoff said.

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FEATURE | 04.01.21

Bujo B

A fresh twist on a hobby that produces c

Written by Abbie Kratofil, Photos by Amand

Bujo Backstory Bullet journaling, or “Bujo,” is a popular method of journaling. Its inventor, Ryder Carroll, was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder as a child.

Carroll struggled to stay organized during school. He invented Bujo to keep track of notes, ideas and to-dos. Bullet journaling is popular because of its accessibility. The hobby only requires a journal and a writing utensil.

A bullet journal lays open to a March calendar decorated with plants. Senior Cydney Willenbring spends up to two hours creating these monthly spreads.

“The quality of the spreads depends on the amount of time I have to commit,” Willenbring said.

How to start a Bullet Journal Get inspired. If you become stuck on ideas, there are lots of examples on social media and online that you can look at. Senior Cydney Willingbring finds lots of inspiration on the YouTube page AmandaRachLee. Select your tools. Start bullet journaling with a blank journal and any writing utensils you have.

Science teacher Brooke Belcher said that even an old school notebook can be used for bullet journaling.

Start creating your bullet journal. An index that includes the page numbers of different topics is a popular starting point. After that, make “spreads.”

A spread is two pages, side-by-side, that are used together to journal about a topic. Popular spreads include habit trackers, mood logs, and to-do lists.

Willenbring said her favorite spreads are her quote page and brain dump.

Do it Daily. Incorporate bullet journaling into your routine. Using a bullet journal for school is a great way to use it daily. Sophomore Caroline White says she uses her bullet journal to track school assignments and tasks. “I have a planner setup,” White said. White said she has had this setup the whole time she has had the journal.

04.01.21 | FEATURE

Basics

19

creativity, organization and stress relief.

da Carvalho, Design by Sabrina San Agustin

Tips Try different supplies. There are different journals and writing utensils out there, so experiment to find ones that fit your style. White said she has found calligraphy pens work great for her. “Calligraphy pens are fun to write... with and fun to doodle.” White said she started with calligraphy pens and hasn’t looked back since. Belcher recommends the Tombow Fudenosuke pens for lettering inside of a bullet journal.

Find a community or do it on your own. According to Belcher, having a bullet journaling community can be beneficial for some people but discouraging for others. “In a pandemic, it’s good to remind yourself there are other people. However, sometimes being in a community can [be] overwhelming.” Belcher herself is in an online lettering club, but bullet journaling is not the sole purpose of the club.

Remember why you are choosing to bullet journal, and keep these positives in mind when it feels tough.

Willenbring said bullet journaling reaps several benefits. “I like planning things… I like writing stuff down and crossing stuff out. Bullet journaling is stress-relieving.” Willenbring said these benefits have been present since she first started bullet journaling three years ago.

Senior Cydney Willenbring adds details to her bullet journal spread. “I use my bullet journal mostly for school and personal tasks. Mostly school tasks but it’s nice that it’s all organized,” Willenbring said.

Honors Biology teacher, Brooke Belcher’s colorful weekly planner is shown along with the markers she uses to create these spreads. Belcher is apart of a lettering club and she dedicates one night per month to lettering and bullet journaling. “I love going to classes of all sorts. I love to learn new things. I love taking the role of a student,” Belcher said.

FEATURE | 04.01.21

20

STRESSFUL SEMESTER Grades look different this year due to the increased levels of anxiety and stress caused by changes in schooling.

T

Written by Rachel Hostetler, Photos by Mitri Krishna, Design by Sophie Dellett

hree and a half years ago, current senior Mary Breau watched the now-graduated seniors sit in the senior section, and thought about her own senior year-- her prom, senior skits and assemblies. However, instead of a fun and memorable final year of high school, Breau was met with lower grades, frustration, and what she

described as a grade-wide depression.

Curriculum and instruction administrator and associate principal Tyler Alexander said there were instances of lower grades being earned last semester, with a higher prevalence of D’s and F’s than previous semesters.

Correspondingly, 62% of students, or 255 students, reported having lower grades this year, according to an Instagram poll

Sophomore Ainsley Novak said she does not try to regulate distractions caused by her phone because she feels that school is not official.

of 413 students.

AP literature teacher Valerie Golden said she has been made aware of the increased number of D’s and F’s across grade levels, and has heard from other schools that this is not a change unique to BVNW. Despite not noticing a lower class average in her own classes, she said that the grades that students earned this year might be different than what the same students would earn in a more traditional year.

Working both at school and at home has caused many students to feel scattered and overwhelmed due to the constant changes and interruptions of not being in a structured classroom full time, sophomore Ainsley Novak said.

Breau said she feels less of a connection with her teachers this year, especially because she said that she herself is a student who actively tries to create relationships with her teachers.

“It’s almost like an awkward relationship with my teachers, it’s like “I don’t really know how to communicate with you because I don’t really communicate with you on Zoom, so I don’t know how to do it in person.”

It’s been really hard to try and balance that I’d say,” Breau said.

AP stats and geometry teacher Laura Deffer said that for her, stress ebbs and flows. She said that it is challenging to keep all of her students engaged and at the same level. However, she said that she has remained positive and been able to challenge herself for her

04.01.21 | FEATURE

21

students Keeping mental health in mind, Deffer said that she has used different types of assessments this year, trying to think of unique ways for students to show what they know, as opposed to the more traditional paper and pencil test.

Novak said she thinks school this year has increased her feelings of stress and anxiety- a change she has seen in her friends as well. This increase in stress and anxiety has also led Novak to feel a substantial decrease in motivation, something Breau also reported feeling “I’ve really noticed that things that used to come very simple and easy to me have become harder to do, like easy assignments and easy projects, I find myself procrastinating, whereas I usually would not have been doing that in years past,” Breau said.

Alexander credits lower academic performance to the stress and changes in the way of life that COVID-19 brought on, and not just for students.

Parents, teachers and administrators are also feeling stressed.

“Teachers have struggled with this process- it’s been really difficult to essentially change how they’ve taughtsome for thirty years- now have to flip everything upside down from what it used to be,” Alexander said.

However, Alexander said it is important to know that the changes have been hard on everyone, and teachers genuinely want to help support their students.

BVNW Algebra II and Math Strategies Senior Mary Breau said that it became extremely hard to manage work between classteacher Karen Triebel says she has es due to the stress and unique pressure of this school year. seen a lot of positive changes made this year that are Zoom in with take more ownership for their learning working to try me, or come see this year than ever before, and for and combat me in person those that have really embraced that, I stress. if they’re at think there has been a lot of personal “I feel like school that day growth,” Alexander said.

I’ve really noticed that the school if they need Despite grades being lower this year, has tried very things that used to extra help,” said Alexander believes there have been hard to put Triebel. some lessons students are learning come very simple and in supports Despite all that will go on to help them in the long easy to me have become with the new the changes term. academic harder to do. present this “I think there will be a lot of proud support time year, Alexander moments when students look back in a and academic thinks this couple of years and think about all that -MARY BREAU check-in times school year has they have been doing to get through for students been one that and still learn and take care of what to get help, I taught students valuable lessons. they have been needing to,” Alexander know that I offer times when we are “I think a lot of students have had to said. hybrid, anytime after school kids can

T

FEATURE | 04.01.21

22

hree years after BVNW student John Albers was shot by the police on a mental health call, the fight for police training and transparency in mental health situations continues to grow and gain attention. Groups such as the Mental Health Task Force and JoCo United have been formed to advocate for change in the police department and government.

In Overland Park, all members of the police department undergo at least eight hours of mental health first-aid training coupled with four hours of de-escalation training. As of 2020, all officers require Crisis Intervention Team Training (CIT), which is a 40-hour intense training on how to deescalate highly emotionally charged situations.

This came about with the help of JoCo United, a group formed after the death of Albers, which aims to increase mental health training for first responders and obtain government transparency. Sheila Albers, John’s mother and co-founder of JoCo United, said that this improvement is a major step in the right direction for fixing

Jameson Hocter, BVNW alumnus, holds a drawing of John Albers. Hocter said the drawing sits on his desk as motivation. “I hope that I make John proud because all he wanted was the best for me,” he said.

this issue.

“By 2022, we should have 100 percent of the police department in Overland Park CIT trained, which will actually improve safety for officers because they will have more training,” Albers said. “And the other hope is that it will also save lives. That was a huge goal for us and we achieved that in that the city has agreed to fund it.”

Gabriel Bright, a friend of John Albers, said that the circumstances of John’s death opened his eyes to the importance of training police officers in mental health situations.

“It made me more aware of an issue that I didn’t know existed,” Bright said. “I knew that police mistreatment existed, but in the case of those who were in a mental health crisis, I always assumed that the police would know exactly what to do.”

Officer Justin Shepherd, a member of the Behavioral Health Unit for the Overland Park Police Department, said that this additional training has made officers better equipped to handle these situations.

“The idea there is largely if a police officer believes that an individual is acting in a certain way that could be a danger to themselves or somebody else, and it’s directly related to mental illness, a mental health component or a behavioral health situation, we can go down the process of making sure that person is connected with the right treatment services to try to get them help,” Shepherd said.

In addition to these changes, Paul Lyons, the chairman of the Public Safety Committee, said that the Mental Health Task Force has made

a recommendation for the city to create a mental health unit made up of seven co-responders that are specially trained to deal with these situations and are available at all times.

“They’re not police officers, but they are social workers,” Lyons said. “They’ll be embedded within a department of Crisis Intervention trained officers, and their focus will be dealing with mental health calls.”

This unit was proposed during a 2021 budget meeting, and Lyons said that while this unit will be a valuable addition to the OPPD, it had to be postponed due to economic issues brought about by the pandemic.

He said that it is likely to come up again during budget discussions

A drawing of John Albers was gifted to former was drawn by Colin Grosvenor and was origina shot by the police. Grosvenor made prints for s

POLICIN MENTAL

JoCo United works to increase mental he legislation following the police shootin

Written by Liz LaHood, Design by E

04.01.21 | FEATURE for 2022, but that funding it long-term will cause an increase in property taxes, which is something that the public will need to be cognizant of.

“We’re going to need to educate the public to make them aware of what we’re trying to accomplish to get them onboard to support it,” Lyons said. “Generally, the residents of Overland Park have been very supportive of any kinds of programs like this in the past, so I don’t think that we’re going to necessarily have that problem.”

Despite the benefits that Albers said an increased number of coresponders will provide in terms of preventing these incidents, she

BVNW student Jameson Hocter. The photo ally gifted to Albers’ family, after their son was some of John Albers’ friends.

23 said there is still a lot that needs to be done with government transparency in terms of how these events are investigated, which she said is something JoCo United has been focusing on.

“How do we hold the government accountable when they won’t release facts that the public should have access to?” Albers said.

Jameson Hocter, another of John Albers’ friends, said that increased transparency is an important part in being able to trust authorities.

“I think it just takes everyone getting on board,” Hocter said. “You know, just because they’re training people more in mental health doesn’t mean there’s going to be more transparency on what’s going on.”

Although there are many opinions on what needs to be done to fix these problems, Lyons said that Overland Park has made a lot of developments in improving this issue.

“I think we’re a leader in the community, I think we have been doing more over the last few years than other of our local jurisdictions have done,” Lyons said. “We’re all trying to figure out the best way to handle situations that are not necessarily criminal situations.”

On the topic of government transparency, Albers mentioned the Officer Involved Shooting Investigation Team Document, or the OISIT Document, which applies to all of the municipalities in Johnson County and is a procedural manual for how this team is supposed to investigate shootings in an independent and unbiased manner.

NG AND HEALTH

ealth reform in policing through passing ng death of BVNW student John Albers.

Erin Reece, Photos by Grace Davis

“The manual automatically assumes that the person is in the wrong and the police are in the right,” Albers said. “This is supposed to be an independent, unbiased entity to investigate something, and it’s not. It is clearly meant to clear the officer of any wrongdoing.”

This goes along with Bill 2424, which Albers said is a part of JoCo United’s second goal. She said that this bill, which was filed last year, would make it so that all investigations of officer-involved shootings that have been ruled as justified become public record.

“What it does is it lets the public see that yes, the police are making good decisions, we can trust our government,” Albers said.

She said that this would be a major improvement from how things currently work in the state of Kansas.

“Right now, the D.A. can rule the shooting justified and the public sees nothing, no reconstruction report, no witness statements,” Albers said.

“You get a very short summary from the D.A. with no supporting evidence.

And so we’re saying that is not the way government should work.”

Overall, Albers said that there needs to be trust in that the police are trained and making good decisions, and that lethal force is only used as a last resort for safety reasons.

“The goal is still the same in the sense that the public deserves access to information so that there is trust and accountability,” Albers said.

How do we hold the government accountable when they won’t release facts that the public should have access to?

-SHEILA ALBERS

A&E | 04.01.21

24

written in

Learn about each zodiac sign amids

Research by Mauri Peterson

AQUARIUS

PISCES

ARIES

JAN 20-FEB 18

FEB 19-MARCH 20

MARCH 21-APRIL 19

Strengths: deep, imaginative, original, humanitarian Weaknesses: uncompromising, aloof, uncaring, rebellious Planet: Uranus

Strengths: affectionate, wise, empathetic, creative, gentle Weaknesses: unrealistic, lazy, submissive, dependent Planet: Neptune

Strengths: eager, dynamic, optimistic, independent, honest Weaknesses: short-tempered, impulsive, agressive Planet: Mars

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

JULY 23-AUG 22

AUG 23-SEPT 22

SEPT 23-OCT 22

Strengths: outgoing, ambitious, confident, encouraging Weaknesses: dramatic, arrogant, vain, inflexible, domineering Planet: Sun

Strengths: helpful, observant, hardworking, realistic, kind Weaknesses: perfectionist, shy, overly critical, obsessive Planet: Mercury

Strengths: balanced, fair, gracious, cooperative, social Weaknesses: gullible, indecisive, avoids confrontation, superficial Planet: Venus

“

I never really got into zodiac signs; there’s not really a reason wh looked at them or read them. A lot of people I know do look at the or yearly and I think it would be interesting to read about, but at don’t want the zodiac sign to say one thing and then the opposite senior

PAIGE RIGDON

04.01.21 | A&E

25

n the stars

st the rising popularity of astrology.

n, Design by Courtney Krebs

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

APRIL 20-MAY 20

MAY 21-JUNE 20

JUNE 21-JULY 22

Strengths: strong, dependable, sensual, dedicated, friendly Weaknesses: passive-aggressive, stubborn, unaccepting Planet: Venus

Strengths: versatile, expressive, curious, outgoing, witty Weaknesses: indecisive, superficial, nosy, unreliable Planet: Mercury

Strengths: intuitive, emotional, compassionate, imaginative Weaknesses: overly sensitive, suspicious, pessimistic, clingy Planet: Moon

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

Strengths: passionate, brave, clever, resourceful, loyal Weaknesses: secretive, jealous, obsessive, distrusting, posessive Planet: Pluto

Strengths: extroverted, moral, optimistic, funny, adventurous Weaknesses: restless, unrealistic, insensitive, irresponsible Planet: Jupiter

Strengths: independent, liable, disciplined, ambitious Weaknesses: unforgiving, bossy, cynical, condescending Planet: Saturn

“

hy, I just have never eirs for the month t the same time I e could happen.

“

NOV 22-DEC 21

“

OCT 23-NOV 21

I think it is easier to understand people and why they are the way they are [with astrology]. Everybody I know the traits make sense and line up. freshman

KATE ROONEY

DEC 22-JAN 19

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ABOUT US The Express is the official high school news publication of Blue Valley Northwest High School, an open forum distributed to all students seven times a year. This is the April Issue of Volume 27. Subscription rates are $10. The Express is printed by The Sedalia Democrat, 700 South Massachusetts, Sedalia Mo. 65301.

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