The Express - Summer Issue

Decreasing the use of electronic devices can improve well-being and mindfulness.

OFF THE GRID

DEAR BLUE VALLEY NORTHWEST HIGH SCHOOL,

Banners wave majestically at the entrance of Blue Valley Northwest high school with 3 key words: passion, purpose and pride. It is heavily encouraged for these values to be withheld by the students and staff of BVNW. Whether you are new to the white halls and purple accented building, or returning for another year at BVNW, the staff of the Express urges you to start the school year off strong.

How do you find your passion? Even on the groggy Monday mornings, find something to motivate you throughout the day; maybe it is feeling excited to see your friends, or to learn about a subject you have an interest in, or feeling super passionate about getting that grilled cheese from the cafeteria- go be first in line! Passion is motivation, with a sprinkle of enthusiasm.

It is a misconception that you need to have a purpose immediately as you step into high school. These 4 years of your life are dedicated to helping teenagers and young adults find their calling and goals to strive towards. Your purpose could be to quite literally, find a purpose. However, if you enter BVNW with a specific purpose in mind, resources are here to help you. Teachers, counselors and upperclassmen serve as mentors and are more than willing to answer questions, give advice or even possibly provide snacks to get you through the day.

There are many forms of pride at BVNW. You will hear cheerleaders chanting, “Whose house? Dawg

house!” in a stadium packed with students from every grade level at football games. The school store will be open during lunch, giving you the chance to purchase husky merchandise. You may even have BVNW and your graduation year in your instagram bio. Regardless of how you partake in school pride, it will somehow seep its way into your brain, possibly in the form of absentmindedly humming the fight song you heard the band play at an assembly. Carry on traditions and create new ones. Go all out for spirit week and celebrate with friends, be the loudest grade during assemblies and compete to prove you have the most enthusiasm for BVNW.

Freshman, we wish you the best of luck as you begin the first year of your high school career.

Sophomores, set goals for what you wish to accomplish- you can all do anything you put your minds to.

Juniors, enjoy being an upperclassmen and learn what it means to be a leader and continue to carry school spirit throughout the building.

Seniors, soak in every minute of your final year in BVNW and make the most of everything.

High school is a time for growth, relationships, experiences and memories. Take advantage of the 2023-2024 school year and represent BVNW well. Treat the three p’s as a guide for success. And remember: once a husky, always a husky.

THE EXPRESS STAFF SINCERELY,

The 2023-2024 school year is now upon us, allowing people to reconnect with friends who they have not seen all summer. However, instead of gravitating toward the people you already know, I suggest this school year we all try to step out of our comfort zone and welcome new faces into our lives.

Imagine you are walking to your lunch table with your friends, eager to sit down and catch up in the middle of the school day. As you make your way over to the table, you pass someone sitting alone. What do you do?

As unfortunate as it may be, that person will most likely be ignored. Many teenagers are so focused on their own group and conversation to the point where they do not even notice the person sitting alone.

Between students and staff, our school has roughly 1650 people. This can be very intimidating, causing people to hide their natural tendency to be generous, outgoing and kind. They may do this as a safety mechanism to

KILL ‘EM WITH KINDNESS

Written by Sydney Barnett, Designed by Lindsay Maresh

combat their fear of not fitting in or being perceived as pushy or out of place. In a way, people feel safer keeping to themselves. While isolation may seem like an easy solution, it is not the best one. Keeping to yourself may feel like a shelter from the storm, but facing that storm with those around you can help you move past it. One way to find people to battle with is through acts of kindness, allowing you to make new friends.

Everyone can be benefited by acts of kindness. According to the Mental Health Foundation, acts of kindness boost feelings of confidence, being in control, happiness and optimism. In addition to this, people who are recipients of kindness are more likely to return the favor to someone else, creating a more positive and happy community.

Almost everybody knows the golden rule: treat others the way you want to be treated. It was one of the most important rules in kindergarten, along with staying in single-file lines in the hallways. This rule is focused completely on kindness and respect. If this is

what we are taught at such a young age, where does it go when we are older? What changes?

One thing almost everybody has in high school that they did not have in kindergarten is a phone. Technology gives us access to everything and everyone whenever we want it, removing the need for face-to-face connection in our lives. In doing so, it has created a society that doesn’t appear to need as much kindness.

If someone is having a bad day, you may send them a funny video to cheer them up. You might also send a short text with a heart emoji at the end of it to show them you care. In reality, this means nothing compared to simply sitting down and listening to them. Sometimes all somebody needs is for you to be there—that and maybe a hug.

As we kick off this school year, we must recognize the importance of kindness in our lives. We also must acknowledge the need for balance between evolving the relationships we already have and branching out to form new ones.

Go introduce yourself to the person sitting alone. Walk someone to class. Form connections that will follow you through this phase of your life and possibly more. High school can be pretty tough, but having people you can count on makes it easier .

Many teenagers are so focused on their own group and conversation to the point where they do not even notice the person sitting alone.

-SYDNEY BARNETT

GREETINGS

FROM...

A gallery of student’s vacation experiences from summer

Written by Addie Aadland and Blen Belachew, Designed by Alex Cowdrey

OLIVIA MASTENBROOK TRAVELED TO COSTA RICA

Most people take a road trip or visit a family nearby over the summer, but some fly 5 hours across the world to help people in need. Senior Olivia Mastenbrook traveled to Costa Rica this summer with her local youth ministry to volunteer and provide assistance to those in need. Mastenbrook traveled for a week with her team, Resurrection, to construct a new worship space for a Costa Rican Methodist group.

“We were there to be a church. We were there to serve, pray and have experiences with others,” Mastenbrook said. The group previously worshiped in a shed without electricity and a single bathroom.

Mastenbrook said the most challenging part of her trip was the language barrier between English and Spanish, however, she said it was exciting to see the cultural difference and be a part of a team. Despite the challenges, Mastenbrook said her ministry team plans to go back to Costa Rica next year to worship in the new space they had built.

ISHIKA KATUKAM TRAVELED TO INDIA

Due to distance, many people have to travel out of the country to see their family. Junior Ishika Katukam traveled to India this summer to visit her family whom she had not seen in over a year. During her stay, she said the most exciting part was celebrating a big cultural wedding with her family. Katukam said that Indian weddings are culturally different from American weddings because of the number of people there and other cultural events aside from the wedding. Katukam said she participated in Haldi and Mehndi, two traditional Indian wedding ceremonies, and wore bright-colored traditional clothing.

Katukam said the wedding was special to her because it brought together family and friends that she doesn’t see often. “Communicating on the phone isn’t the same as spending time with my family in person every day. This trip emotionally impacted me because it made me realize we don’t get to see our family often,” Katukam said. Additionally, Katukam said she visited her family in different parts of the country, ate various types of cultural meals and visited temples too. She said she plans to go see her family in three years and visit tourist attractions the next time she goes.

MAYAH NEWMAN TRAVELED TO EUROPE

Most families plan out vacations months in advance but for the Newman family they like planning vacations in the spur of the moment. Junior Mayah Newman and her family traveled around Europe for ten days. Their destinations consisted of Paris, London and Greece.

“There’s nothing like the feeling of stepping off the airplane after a long flight, being in a new country and realizing you are about to embark on the best trip of your life,” Newman said.

While in Europe Newman said her favorite part of the trip was experiencing and trying all the different types of foods, however, the hardest part was getting used to the time zone and how different the culture there is.

“Everybody acts differently and it is a lot harder to socialize because everyone has different standards of what is weird,” Newman said.

In Europe part of the culture is appearance and how you are portrayed. In Europe you tend to dress nicer than you would in the United States. When visiting Europe the way you dress is very important because it can lead to better service and serve as protection against being earmarked as an “out-of-towner” by pick-pocketers. “If you wear sweatpants or leggings in Europe you are going to be seen as lazy or something so you have to dress up and look cute,” Newman said.

Lastly, Newman said it is definitely going to be a lot harder to travel anywhere else cause it just won’t live up to how this trip was and that she plans to visit Europe again, just different parts.

IS THE “OFFSEASON” REALLY OFF?

Student athletes often spend their summers working to prepare themselves for their school season

Written by Danielle Croom and Inaya Zaman, Photographed by Remi Nuss, Designed by Prajwal Adhikari

When junior Brock Heath’s foot started hurting, he said that he tried to work through the pain. In reality, he said this overuse led to stress fractures that began to greatly affect his training for sports over the summer.

Heath is a three sport athlete involved in football, basketball and track. His injury has limited his ability to prepare for the upcoming football season.

“Football is something I hold really dear to my heart,” Heath said. “Not being able to do something you

love like that is really hard.” Normally, Heath would be working on training with his team, doing agility sessions along with other workouts, but due to his fractured foot he cannot use his lower body and is limited to doing upper body exercises.

“I’ve gotten so weak and [it’s] almost like [my legs are] just asleep,” Heath said, “You have to do [physical therapy] after your [walking] boot is off just to get reactivated and awakened.”

An “offseason” is the time of year when a specific sport is not engaged, but many athletes participate in

summer training to prepare for sports throughout the school year. Though it is their offseason, some athletes are encouraged to get stronger and stay in shape. This is often done through camps, summer practices and conditioning.

Senior Josie Grosdidier said it is important to get back to the fundamentals during the summer in order to get stronger. She said she wants to maintain her strength and skills by frequently doing conditioning and attending open gyms.

“I know it’s important to get in shape now [because] it’ll help me in

(Left) Junior Brock Heath performs a sitting shoulder barbell press at his gym on July 12. “The gym for me has become huge during this whole injury process. I was just frustrated that I had to sit out and would take it out at the gym, lifting,” Heath said.

the future,” Grosdidier said.

Recently, Grosdidier committed to Colorado Christian University to pursue an athletic career in basketball. She said summer time is essential for her to keep her skills intact for college.

“It’s definitely important to get those extra shots up and keep working so I am ready,” Grosdidier said.

Though some students feel their summer workouts are tiring, senior Amarah Qureshi said the summer workouts she does for BVNW cheer helps her prepare for state and to prevent injuries for state.

“[The exercises] makes sure that we’re ready for the season because state is hard if you’re not in shape for it,” Quereshi said.

She also said she enjoys summer workouts because it allows them to see their friends and get their day started early.

According to head athletic trainer Christy Grimes, conditioning can be good but also hurtful in some cases. She said she thinks many athletes now are doing too much training and not enough resting which allows your body to heal to prevent injuries.

Grimes said she thinks it is important to incorporate stretching into an athlete’s routine because frequent bulking can lead to tight muscles.

“[Stretching] is something that usually makes you better again in the long run because your muscles and tendons are more flexible,” Grimes said.

Volleyball coach Molly Haggerty said that the summer workouts

During an open gym with the girls’ basketball program, senior Josie Grosdidier prepares to high-five a teammate on June 26. “I think off-season workouts are always just a grind, a lot of work with little reward. The pain and tough workouts we have to go through make us lean on each other more as teammates,” Grosdidier said.

with her team are intense, but they are more about preparing them for the fall season and bringing them together.

“I struggle with [summer scheduling] a little bit with my [fellow] coaches in that we feel like we want to offer [the] intense schedule and workouts, the opportunity for our athletes to come together to emerge as leaders, [and] get to know each other over the summer to really show their commitment,” Haggerty said. “We want to see work ethic and all that good stuff.”

She went on and said that the summer sessions give students room for flexibility and allow the newer team members to become aware of what is expected of them.

“We encourage [recovery time] and we understand that kids need a break,” Haggerty said. Some students find that taking breaks and getting support from others is

important for their mental health.

For example, Heath said he often has to work for long periods of time and it is sometimes difficult for them to stay motivated. He looks to his parents and teammates for support.

“What’s getting me through it is my parents and dad. . . even today he texted me like a whole long thing that the goal is not to play during the summer, like right now because obviously I’m gonna be backward from these. I can tell you that from the guys who go up to play in the summer that go to play on Sept. 1 or first game, so I can be there to help actually support the team win games, and so he just really likes to keep that in check,” Heath said.

Grosdidier and Quereshi agree that without these summer workouts they would become unmotivated and lose the strength they gain during the school year.

“ I think over the summer, our biggest goal is to get stronger and we do team workouts with basketball,” Grosdider said. “[Training] starts off my day [in a] good, positive way.

We encourage [recovery time] and we understand that kids need a break

- MOLLY HAGGERTY

OFF THE GRID

Limiting cell phone usage can lead to higher productivity and the ability to be more present in the moment

Written

by Linday Maresh and Reagan Wald, Photographed by Lila Vancrum, Designed by Avery Sigg

The world relies on smartphones, senior Kevin Moore said. In order to detach himself from this dependency, Moore said he will only use a Nokia 2760 flip phone whenever he leaves his house this summer. Moore said he will still have access to his iPhone when at home, however he wants to limit his smartphone use in order to thoroughly enjoy his summer.

summer if I wasn’t ever really on my phone, I can learn how to navigate [life],” Moore said. “People did it for hundreds of years before there were cell phones, so I figured, why can’t I?”

he chose not to bring his phone to school for the last couple of months as well as altered the settings on his smartphone in order to limit usage.

on my phone that isn’t necessary,” Moore said. “For a while I was testing out changing the color scheme on my phone to all grays,

because a lot of what addicts people to their phones are the colorful icons and notifications.”

Similar to Moore, junior Lizzy Hostetler adjusted her phone settings to decrease utilization. She spends no more than 40 minutes a day on social media, and said she

to social media has also given her more time to pursue meaningful interests, such as exploring different types of books, and has allowed her creativity to improve.

“My creativity has gotten better because I’m not copying exactly what I see,” Hostetler said. “ I

Senior Kevin Moore uses a Nokia 2760 flip phone to communicate when he leaves his house. “I still own an iPhone 10 but it’s exclusively at my house,” Moore said.

thinking about about screens when you’re off them and enjoying things you’re doing right now.”

Similarly to Hostetler, Moore said his screen time being only one or two hours a day will hopefully allow him to be more present.

“I’ll remember the summer a lot more and live more in the moment,” Moore said. “It will probably change the way I am on my phone at school.”

In addition to being more present, junior Katie LaHood said she was fueled to make a change to her cell phone usage when she noticed her productivity slipping during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I noticed a lot of the time in my days, I would just spend [time] being on my phone instead of doing things I actually want to do,” LaHood said. “I just noticed I wasn’t getting anything out of being on my phone for so long. So I was like, ‘why would I continue to live like this?’”

LaHood said she goes through periods of time where she will limit the time spent on her phone, delete all social media, or just put it away in her dresser drawer.

“I usually get a lot of stuff done

and it puts me in a good headspace,” said LaHood. “I feel like my phone weighs me down. Like there’s just a lot of negative things that come with it.”

Licensed psychologist Dan Somberg, Ph.D elaborated on the negative impacts of phones, specifically social media. He said it can contort one’s view of themself and their life.

“We have a tendency to get a little distorted and to view ourselves in more of a negative way, to highlight our negatives more than our positives, to not see ourselves in a very holistic, balanced, fair way,” Somberg said. “Social media can really throw gasoline on that fire.”

Although Hostetler said she believes screen time restrictions are extremely important, she also said she recognizes the dependency society has on the technology today.

“Life right now, you need [technology], which is why it has

such a grip on me,” Hostetler said. “I think I am addicted to social media because it’s impossible not to be. Anyone that has it is a little bit addicted.”

In addition, Somberg said phone usage can become an addiction and checking one’s phone can reach a point where it is no longer intentional.

“It can almost become a nervous checking, or a compulsiveness, that doesn’t have a sense of freedom or mindful choice to it,” Somberg said. Moore said restricting use of his smartphone has made him realize the importance of technology in today’s world.

“The world is kind of built around [technology],” Moore said. “The more I went around with a flip [phone] the more I realized there is a lot of stuff you need a smartphone for.”

Conversely, LaHood said although

Not seeing what everyone else is doing 24/7 has allowed me to be myself and do the things I want to do

-LIZZY HOSTETLER

she recognizes the conveniences of phones, they are not necessary for someone to function in the modern world.

“It is definitely a sort of generation[al] thing [where] you kind of need to have a phone,” LaHood said. “But, I don’t feel like it’s a need. It’s definitely very convenient.”

In order to determine whether someone depends heavily on cell phone usage, Somberg said it is a good idea to test oneself.

“Give yourself a little task and just take 24 hours, put the phone away and see what that’s like,” Somberg said. “If it’s impossible, that’s probably a problem. If it’s hard, there’s probably some degree of a problem there.”

Overall, LaHood said separating oneself from technology is worth trying.

“Just kind of separate yourself from your phone,” LaHood said. “Maybe that won’t work for everybody, but whenever I do stuff offline, it tends to be very, very rewarding.”

BVNW’S CELL PHONE POLICY:

START OF CLASS/END OF CLASS:

- The bell ringing to begin class is the indication that phones and ear buds must be off and stowed away. Students are expected to be ready to learn.

- When the bell rings to end class, this is the indication that phones and earbuds can be freely used until the next class

DURING CLASS TIME/INSTRUCTION:

- Unless otherwise instructed by a teacher, students are not to be on their phones during classroom instruction (lecture, notes, examples, student presentations, guest speakers, video clips, etc.)

- Phones are to be out of sight/put away

- Earbuds/headphones may not be in students’ ears

DURING CLASS WORK TIME:

- At teacher’s discretion, students may briefly access their phone/earbuds to listen to music during work time but should not be actively using their phone when class is in session

RESTROOM/BREAK TIME:

- Phone must remain put away in basket, phone caddy or student bag and not taken out of the classroom

S NGS F THE SUMMER

Find the song titles from the word bank from BVNWnews’ spotify playlist where students and The Express staff chose their songs of the summer

Designed by Lila Vancrum and Alex Cowdrey

MONA LISA (Dominic Fike)

MONA LISA (DOMINIC FIKE)

KILBY GIRL (The Backseat Lovers)

KILBY GIRL (THE BACKSEAT LOVERS)

TANGERINE (Glass Animals)

PASSIONFRUIT (DRAKE)

MR. RAGER (Kid Cudi)

TANGERINE (GLASS ANIMALS)

PESO (A$AP Rocky)

MR. RAGER (KID CUDI)

PESO (A$AP ROCKY)

CRUEL SUMMER (TAYLOR SWIFT)

CRUEL SUMMER (Taylor Swift)

CONSIDERATION (Rihanna Ft. SZA)

CONSIDERATION (RIHANNA FT SZA)

VALERIE (Mark Ronson Ft. Amy Winehouse)

BRAZIL(Declan McKenna)

VALERIE (MARK RONSON FT

FEARLESS (Taylor Swift)

AMY WINEHOUSE)

BRAZIL (DECLAN MCKENNA)

Check out our spotify or go to BVNWnews.com to listen to the full playlist

DREAMS (FLEETWOOD MAC)

FEARLESS (TAYLOR SWIFT)

HUSKY HIGHLIGHTS

Freshmen Jacqueline Broussard washes a car during the cheer squad’s fundraising carwash on July 15. “I enjoy spending time with my teammates and working towards our goals at our cheer car washes,” Broussard said.

During the summer youth basketball camp, senior Lainie Douglas helps a young player dunk on a short rim, June 19. “Helping with the kids camp just makes the girls basketball program feel very connected. It’s such a fun and welcoming environment,” Douglas said.

Junior Joshua Kim plays the clarinet during the Howlin’ Husky Marching Band summer camp on August 3. “I enjoyed learning and reminding myself of various marching techniques that I got rusty on during off-season,” Kim said. (Photo by Lila Vancrum)

(Photo by Lila Vancrum)

(Photo by Remi Nuss)

ABOUT THE EXPRESS

CONTACT INFORMATION

Mailing address: 13260 Switzer Rd, Overland Park, KS 66213

Phone: 913-239-3544

Email: BVNWnewspaper@bluevalleyk12.org

RESPONDING TO THE PUBLICATION

Letters to the editor may be submitted electronically on our website at BVNWnews.com. Letters may be published either on BVNWnews.com or in our print edition. Letters may be edited.

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 August Issue of Volume 31. The Express is printed by Valley Print Logistics, 160 S Sheridan Ave, Valley Center, KS 67147.

DISCLAIMER

This is a student publication and may contain controversial matter. Blue Valley Unified 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.

EQUITY POLICY STATEMENT

BVNW Publications is committed to amplifying the voices of our student body and community, no matter the color of skin, religious belief, financial status, gender or sexuality. We are an independent platform that by practice, and by law, is not a mouthpiece of the school district. We promise to cover all stories with fact and integrity. We stand in solidarity with all people who are fighting for equality. We promise to educate ourselves and represent our entire community to our audience to the best of our ability. For our students, teachers, readers, viewers and families who are struggling for equality, we deplore the injustices you face. We strive to be a unifying platform that celebrates diversity and shares your stories, and we will continue to work toward increasing minority voices internally, as well as externally. We may not always get it right, but we will try, and we will listen and be open to suggestions on how to better tell your stories.

THE EXPRESS STAFF

Editors in Chief

Lexington Jones

Lila Vancrum

Managing Editor

Alex Cowdrey

Online Editor

Jenya Jithesh

Copy Editor

Hannah Rakolta

Design Editor

Avery Sigg

Social Media Editor

Bridget Hamlin

Sports Graphics Editor

Prajwal Adhikari

Blue Valley School District #229

Blue Valley Northwest H.S.

15020 Metcalf Avenue

Overland Park, KS 66223

Chief Writer

Sydney Barnett

Chief Photographer

Remi Nuss

Podcast Host

Saraphina Wambi

Writers

Lindsay Maresh

Addie Aadland

Harper Latta

Saraphina Wambi

Nafsiya Hafiz

Blen Belachew

Danielle Croom

Maggie Dahl

Noora Fatima

Alyssa Gagnon

Adria Heinauer

Madison Kraft

Sara Scheibel

Miles Thomas

Sri Trikona

Reagan Wald

Inaya Zaman

Sanaee Joshi

Rishitha Bonthu

Photographers

Libby Addison

Rachel King

Assistant Adviser

Amanda Ford

Adviser

Jim McCrossen

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