The Express - December 2015

VOLUME 23 | ISSUE 3 | DECEMBER | BLUE VALLEY NORTHWEST HIGH SCHOOL

From the classroom to the campus With growing attention toward the topic of sexual assault on college campuses, students, educators and graduates evaluate how it is taught in Blue Valley.

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Feature

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BVNW students are employed by their restaurant-owning parents.

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Through a different lens

Sophomore Chris James recently purchased corrective glasses that assist his color deficiency. Through online fundraising, he raised the money to purchase the glasses.

Family festivities Students participate in holidaythemed traditions with their families and neighborhoods.

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Raising the bar Freshman Will Saunders practices gymnastics for 15 hours a week, making the sport a large commitment for both him and his family.

From the classroom to the campus Students, graduates and educators in the Blue Valley community examine the education around sexual assault in high school.

Cover: Wit h t he nationwide attention toward sexual assault on college campuses, BVNW community members question sexual education at t he high school level. The current healt h text book, Lifetime Healt h, pictured on t he desk, is used in t he healt h classes at BVNW (photo by Emily Staples).

Below: The lead singer for The Mowglis, Colin Dieden, starts t he concert at t he Midland Nov. 29 wit h “Say it, Just Say it.� Dieden graduated in 2007 from BVNW (photo by Justin Lehtinen).

CONTENTS

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Runs in the family

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THE EXPRESS | ISSUE 3 | DECEMBER 2015

Entertainment

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Homegrown

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Perspectives

BVNW graduate Colin Dieden immersed himself in music during his time in high school before forming his band, The Mowgli’s.

Student life is showcased in a gallery of photos.

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Opinion

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Opposing viewpoints

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Seniors Nick Mauer and Patrick Buzzard present different opinions on Gov. Sam Brownback’s policies.

Contact Information

Mailing address: 13260 Switzer Rd, Overland Park KS 66213 Phone: 913-239-3544 Website: BVNWnews.com

Responding to the Publication

Letters to the editor can be submitted electronically on our website at BVNWnews.com under the “Contact Us” tab. Letters may be published either on BVNWnews.com or in our print edition.

Letters must not contain personal attacks against an individual and may be edited.

Advertising

The Express and BVNWnews.com accept advertisements.

Pricing and information can be obtained by contacting us at BVNWnewspaper@bluevalleyk12.org.

Purpose

The Express is the official high school news publication of the Blue Valley Northwest High School, an open forum distributed to all students seven times a year. This is the December issue of Volume 23. Subscription rates are $10. The Express is printed by Sedalia Democrat, 700 S Massachusetts Ave Sedalia, MO 65301. 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.

THE EXPRESS | ISSUE 3 | DECEMBER 2015

Basically basic Senior Emily Staples shares her views about not letting stereotypes define someone and asserts that being “basic” is OK.

Looking back, letting go Senior Zac Johnson elaborates on remembering and letting go of relationships during the last year of high school

Education comes first Blue Valley needs to address sexual education more effectively.

THE EXPRESS STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Natasha Vyhovsky

PRINT EDITOR

Laney Breidenthal

SENIOR ENT. WRITER Zac Johnson

BUSINESS MANAGER Madison Graves

REPORTERS

Emma Bruce

Lauren Fischer Eden Kurr Gabe Swartz Xiqing Wang Kaitlyn Noon Brandon Fagen

PHOTO EDITOR

PHOTOGRAPHERS

ONLINE EDITOR Olivia Baird

FEATURE EDITOR Emily Staples

OPINION EDITOR

Ayesha Vishnani

Justin Lehtinen Jack Oxley TJ Vore Nicky Lentsch

PUZZLE EDITOR

ARTIST

Avery Mojica

Abdul Qaddour

SPORTS COORDINATOR

ASSISTANT ADVISER

Morgan Lewis

Kimberly Hillstock

CHIEF WRITER

ADVISER

Claudia Chen

Jim McCrossen

03

Runs in the family

by Morgan Lewis

BVNW students are employed by their parents at various selfowned restaurants. They share their experiences and how their job is different from a regular job.

T

he interviewing process is a strong factor in determining who will be hired. When there is no interview required, a lot of the stress is alleviated. Freshman Pandi Lau, sophomore Divya Jain and junior Edmond Wang are employed under their parents, making their application process significantly less complicated.

Wang said his parents own Chinese Palace, located at 10136 W. 119th St. They have owned it for about five years, and he has worked there for almost the same amount of time. Wang said he spends most of his time helping in the restaurant.

When working for his parents, Wang said he quickly learned what to do and how to behave while in the restaurant.

“When you mess up, it isn’t that big of a deal but at the same time, it’s kind of a big deal,” Wang said.

“I guess you learn quick since you’re always around them.”

Wang’s mother, Michelle, said she thinks working at the restaurant is a positive experience for Wang because he gets real-life experience while working around his school schedule.

“Personally, I always encourage [Wang] to help me if he can,” Michelle said. “I feel the kids can do both so well, like work for me and also study."

Jain said her parents own a Taco Bell/Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), located at 806 Slumber Ln. in Richmond, MO., and a regular KFC, located at 901

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Manhattan, Kan. Jain has worked there for the seven years that her parents have owned it, since she was 8 years old. “[When I was 8, I] cleaned tables, swept, mopped, I [also] packed some stuff like nachos,” Jain said. “Now I cashier a lot; I can also make some of the foods."

Lau said her parents own Fortune Wok, located at 11236 W. 135th St. They have owned it since about 2000. Lau said her parents are flexible around her work hours. “[They schedule] my work schedule around my school and my dance schedule,” Lau said. “If I have a big test coming up they won’t make me work because I tell them I have to study.”

Lau said working for her parents is no different than anyone else, except her boss is her dad. She holds the position of a host in the restaurant.

Lau’s mother, Shu Lin, said that having Lau work for her is beneficial in many aspects of Lau's life. The connection between the family members helps to create a more productive atmosphere.

“The good things [about] having her working are we already know her strengths and weaknesses because we are family so it’s easier to talk,” Lin said. “Working for the family, she doesn’t feel like it’s a real job, but I feel like this is a good job to teach her everything.”

If Wang wanted to try and get a new job, he said he would not be able to because working at his family’s restaurant is like a chore.

“I’d say [I get paid] probably less [than a regular employee],” Wang said. “Since [my parents] do pay for everything else in my life, it’s like an allowance.”

At the Taco Bell and KFC, Jain said she is not an actual employee, does not get paid and only works when she is needed. She said she cannot compare it to another job because she has never had a different one.

“Over the summer, [I work] a few times a week,” Jain said. “[In the] school year, it’s on long breaks, long weekends and winter breaks and stuff. Once in a while on the weekends, every two or three weeks."

Jain said she enjoys seeing both sides of the business, but does not like how her parents are holding her back sometimes.

“Advantages are I get to see both sides of it, the employee side and the manager side,” Jain said.

“Downsides are they don’t tell me what more I can do because they don’t want me too worried or too stressed.”

Working for his parents, Wang said he feels more in charge because he is family. He said he also is able to get off work for school, which other employees cannot always do. “[Sometimes I can get away with more] because most of the time you can do things,” Wang said. “Sometimes I say there is a test but I don’t really need to study for it, I just help around but if I say I do need a couple days off they just let me off [of work].”

Wang said he feels like working at the restaurant is like another job; sometimes he likes it and other times he does not.

“There are ups and downs,” Wang said. “Sometimes it’s just another day in the office and other times you don’t want to deal with the things you have to deal with.”

Left: Junior Edmond Wang helps his mother with customers at his parent’s restaurant, Chinese Palace. Wang has worked for his parents since the opening of the restaurant five years ago. “There are ups and downs [with work], sometimes it’s just another day... and other times you don’t want to deal with the things you have to deal with,” (photo by Justin Lehtinen).

Right: Freshman Pandi Lau works the cash register at her parents’ business, Fortune Wok. The Lau family opened Fortune Wok almost 16 years ago.

“My favorite part...is probably interacting with different people,” Lau said (photo by Jack Oxley).

THE EXPRESS | ISSUE 3 | DECEMBER 2015

05

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Through a different lens

by Madison Graves Sophomore Chris James has been color deficient nearly all his life. Just this year, he started a fundraiser and purchased a pair of specialized glasses that assist his color deficiency.

Sophomore Chris James bought his color blind correcting glasses from money he raised independently. The glasses help James see colors that he is deficient in; he has difficulty identifying the colors red and green. “I bought the glasses just to see what it would be like and see how I would react,�

James said (photo by Jack Oxley).

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D

uring the fall months, the trees are flourishing with vibrant colors of red and yellow. For sophomore Chris James, fall is experienced differently.

Due to James’ color deficiency, he sees mainly brown and dull where others see vibrant colors. In September, James purchased a pair of specialized glasses by the company EnChroma that assist his color deficiency.

James said he has mild deutan color deficiency, causing him to have a hard time seeing mainly green, red and brown, but he mixes up blue and purple as well.

“When you walk outside in the morning, especially in the fall, basically the world around you is very brown and muted,” James said. “Class Color day was extremely painful in the freshman locker section, because they put all the lights so it would be green. It gave me massive headaches because it was changing from green to red to brown over and over again.”

Timothy Lindquist, MD, a refractive surgeon at Durrie Vision, defined color deficiency as the lack of the ability to discriminate certain types of colors.

He said it is often confused with color blindness, the inability to see any colors due to lack of cones in the eyes.

“The most common [form of color deficiency] is where you lack cones in either the red/green or green sensitive cones,” Lindquist said. “So often times they have trouble distinguishing shades of the primary colors from one and another.”

James found out he was color deficient in

kindergarten, when his teachers noticed he was not passing color tests and suggested that he get tested for color deficiency.

“At Christmastime, they would have you draw a Christmas tree,” James said. “I would always draw the trunk of the tree green and the leaves brown, so then one of my teachers said to my mom, ‘You should have him checked for color blindness,’ and then I tested positive.”

Color deficiency tests consist of a circle with a variety of colored dots containing a number in the center.

Based on whether the participant is color blind or not, they could see the number, not see the number or see a different number entirely.

James’ mother, Yvonne Turner, said she first heard about correctional glasses for color deficient patients on the radio approximately a year ago, but she became serious about purchasing them before the school year began. “[The radio broadcasters] were talking about how there was a video online about someone putting the glasses on for the first time and their reaction,” Turner said. “When I showed Chris...he was like, ‘I want those glasses.’”

Turner said James was uninterested in getting the glasses until after seeing the reaction video. “[Being color deficient] is what his norm is, so he just figured it’s not that big of a deal,” Turner said. “But when he saw someone else’s reaction with putting them on, and when he saw the difference, he was like, ‘I want to have that same experience.’”

Optometrist Nicci Noyce said the correctional glasses

The painting in the background on page seven closely represents how sophomore Chris James sees colors without his glasses. James has a difficult time differentiating between red and green, so the red and green on page seven appear the same. The painting in the background on this page contains the colors someone without color deficiency would see.

An example color blind test provided by Timothy Lindquist from Durrie Vision. If a patient is color blind, they are unable to see the number 29 within, or they see a completely different number.

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Sophomore Chris James struggles to identify red and green due to his color deficiency. James is able to differentiate and identify red and green with EnChroma glasses he bought through internet fundraising. “Green and red all get confused as each other,” James said. “I had no reaction initially; you to wear them for roughly 10 hours for your eyes to adjust.” (photo by Jack Oxley).

are a great resource for people whose color deficiency affects daily life.

“You’re not going to be cured of [color deficiency],” Noyce said. “But it will give you a greater ability to distinguish the differences between the colors.”

Noyce said there are different ways people can utilize the correctional glasses, and the type of glasses can vary based on the degree of the color deficiency.

“There are different extents of being color [deficient]; it’s like being mild, medium or severe,” Noyce said. “The more severe you are, the more they are going to help you.”

Lindquist said there are different types of wavelengths of filtering lenses that allow people to see better in certain conditions.

“Ultimately, light is all about wavelength of an energy rate,” Lindquist said. “If you can help maximize perceptions of certain wavelengths of light, then you’ll wear sometimes red tinted or yellow tinted glasses that will help with picking up color.”

James said these specialized glasses cost around $400.

Because of the expensive costs of the glasses, James set up fundraising and spread the word around to raise money for them, as well as making a couple YouTube videos showing the effects of color deficiency.

James started by making a webpage through GoFundMe.com, where people could donate money.

“In the first two days, I think we raised $200 to $300 and then it kind of died out,” James said. “I was really sad because I was so close, but I did some more

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advertising, and then that got me to $450, which ended up being able to get me the glasses.”

Despite having raised the money for his own pair of glasses, James’s fundraiser continues to raise money to buy another pair for his younger brother, Kaiden Turner, who is also color deficient.

Turner said James started his fundraiser after viewing the video that inspired his decision to buy the glasses. “[James] got the news [of the EnChroma glasses] right at the beginning of the school year....and we said, ‘Well, maybe at Christmas,’” Turner said. “And [James] said, ‘Well, I don’t want to wait.’ He went right up and set [the fundraiser] up himself.”

Turner said she believed James was happy there was something he could do to help his color deficiency.

“You want to do whatever you can to make [disabilities] better for [children],” Turner said. “There was just no answer to, ‘What do you do if you’re color blind?’ I think part of it was just the feeling that he can wear those and see color...similarly, not exactly the same. He was pleased there was something he could do to change it where there wasn’t something before.”

James said that the first time he experienced the change because of the glasses, it was a revelation for him.

“I went to band in the morning, and we were sitting on the field and the sun started rising and you could see just the bright orange and red colors,” James said. “It was crazy.”

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Homegrown

by Natasha Vyhovsky with reporting by Eden Kurr

Colin Dieden, lead singer for The Mowgli’s, immersed himself in a passion for music and songwriting during his time at BVNW. Now, his band has a major record deal and tours the country.

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t 16, his math homework sat in his backpack across the room as he watched musicians and bands play on all the late night shows - Kimmel, Letterman, Conan, “The Tonight Show” - unable to imagine what it would be like to be on the other side of the screen, singing his own songs for the world.

Until one day, a few years later, it happened.

As a junior at BVNW, Colin Dieden spent afternoons after school writing songs and playing music at his friends’ houses.

After graduating high school in 2007 and moving to Los Angeles, he soon found himself in a new band, The Mowgli’s, making appearances on the very talk shows he used to watch. “ That was really wild because it wasn’t like the world or the kids in my high school or anyone doubted me, it was just that I so severely doubted myself,” Dieden said. “ I had so much insecurity about, ‘Does this happen for anybody? How do you even make it in music?’ and then when that transpired and it all actualized, it was very surreal.”

As a kid, Dieden said he always enjoyed writing, and at the age of 13, he found a way to foster his interest without trying to muster the attention span to write a novel.

During his time at BVNW, Dieden invested himself entirely in his craft. “ I wasn’t super involved in school stuff - especially doing school work,” Dieden said. “ I was learning how to write songs...at Northwest; that was the stage in my life when I was really starting to get in the momentum of being a songwriter and what I wanted

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to do, and that was kind of all-consuming.”

As a student in high school, Dieden’s parents were divorced, with one family in Los Angeles and one in Kansas. At BVNW, he said he found himself distracted and hanging out with the wrong people. “ [I was] a mess for no reason,” Dieden said. “ I was a kid that had two really awesome families...and I did everything that I could to get in my own way, until one day I stopped.”

That day, Dieden said, was right around the time The Mowgli’s started, when he said he had a massive shift in his psychology that allowed him to focus fully on achieving what he wanted for his future. “ My whole life changed in that moment,” Dieden said.

Dieden said he wishes he could have relaxed more in high school and appreciated the experience more while he was in it. “ I wish I could have...focused on enjoying being alive and enjoying this weird part of life where you have to be stuck in a huge building with a bunch of other kids that are freaking out,” Dieden said. “ I wish I could have chilled out and realized that it was all very, very funny and silly and fun and great.”

After graduating high school, Dieden moved back to his birthplace, California, and briefly studied music theory at the California Institute of the Arts, an art school founded by Walt Disney. After failing his first music theory class, Dieden said he was kicked out of art school. It was after leaving school that he met the people who would soon form The Mowgli’s.

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Left: Colin Dieden performs a concert at t he Midland, Nov. 29. Along wit h The Mowgli’s, t he bands Lights and K.Flay also played (photo by Justin Lehtinen).

Previous page: Dieden sings while strumming his guitar.

“My band loves staying in Kansas City,” Dieden said (photo by Justin Lehtinen).

“ We were young,” Dieden said. “ We were 18, 19 and just kind of these kids running around L.A. together drinking way too much wine, exploring our minds in a lot of ways, exploring each other, and it was kind of a renaissance period for me, and us as friends, because we all just had the wildest years of our lives when The Mowgli’s were first starting.”

Dieden and the six other members of The Mowgli’s decided to take the band more seriously after creating and releasing their first single, “ San Francisco.” After that, the band acquired their first major record deal with Photo Finish records.

“And then boom,” Dieden said. “ We’re on every late night show in America and touring the country for sold-out crowds.

It went from 0 to 60 really fast - honestly, that’s the only way to describe it. I went to sleep one night, and then I woke up and everything was entirely different.”

Dieden said once he realized where his passion lied, he never had an alternative plan for his future. He explained the two options he saw available: to pursue music and be successful, or to pursue music and not be successful. “ My back-up plan was to still do it anyway,” Dieden said. “ I don’t know what else to do. I don’t mean this to be selfdeprecating, but I’m just not really that great at anything else...I’ve never found anything as amazing and beautiful and sexy and incredible as music is, so there was no other option.”

For teenagers now who want to pursue music like Dieden did in high school, he suggested they give their all to what they are

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doing - to not consider an alternative plan. “ It’s got to be all or nothing,” Dieden said. “ You’ve got to want it with every ounce of your body and you have to know that, because if you have any doubt in your mind, you’re not going to be creating from this place of desperation that exists in great art, or this place of, ‘I’ve got to do this, or else.’ It’s all very mental.”

BVNW senior Maddie Zak said she first discovered The Mowgli’s her freshman year when her sister showed her their music. After that, she said she exchanged a few Snapchats with Dieden via his public Snapchat account.

Zak said some of her senior friends last year had talked about forming a band, and after discovering alternative music starting with The Mowgli’s, she considered experimenting in making music, too. “ The Mowgli’s, they were the first alternative band I liked,” Zak said. “ Before that I didn’t really know good music. I was like, ‘Whoa, this band is so cool,’ and I got into that whole type of thing, and I wanted to start a band and stuff ...The first song I ever learned on guitar was ‘San Francisco.’”

While most of his high school memories involved making music with friends and exploring his passion for the art of songwriting, Dieden does remember a few BVNW teachers from his junior year, including Dieden’s American History teacher Matt Christensen.

Christensen said Dieden was a kind, fun-loving student who excelled in the arts. “ [Dieden] was clearly musical - he clearly had a passion for what he did,” Christensen said. “ He always pushed the boundaries for what he thought was cool. I was always proud of him for being driven by what he was passionate for.”

The Mowgli’s kicked off their U.S. tour this fall Nov. 4, and they played at the Midland in Kansas City, Mo. Nov. 29.

Dieden currently lives in Los Angeles with his band, but his family still has their home in Leawood, Kan., so he comes back to visit whenever he has downtime. His band will spend some time with Dieden’s family for an extended stop in KC during the tour. “ My band loves staying in Kansas City because my mom and my siblings, we’re all like family with my band, so we all stay at my mom’s house in Leawood,” Dieden said. “ We all have dinner together and drink wine. It’s just a really nice break for everybody.”

In addition to spending time with family, Dieden said he plans to check out the pop-up Charlie Hustle store at the Plaza. “ I wear Kansas City shirts like every day of my life,” Dieden said. “ I love to represent my city.”

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Family festivities

by Brandon Fagen Students take part in various family and neighborhood traditions centered around the winter holidays.

Mark Hoffmeister, junior Karlie Hoffmeister’s father, runs a string of lights up his house. Mark has decorated his house for 20 years. “I just like how it seems to make people feel the Christmas spirit with families coming by to see [my house] together year after year,” Mark said (photo by Justin Lehtinen).

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ights glisten on all the trees and houses in the Terrace Place neighborhood; across the street, music plays from a radio station synchronized to Christmas lights and families prepare to celebrate the holidays, some more than one.

Junior Meg Murphy, who lives in Terrace Place, said that decorating her entire neighborhood with lights is a way to remember a neighbor, Cindy Corley, who passed away due to cancer. The neighborhood remembers Corley in this way because she enjoyed the Christmas holiday.

“Every year, our neighborhood puts up Christmas lights, like everybody does it,” Murphy said. “It’s just kind of a way, a fun way, that makes our neighborhood different than others, and everybody gets to come see the lights.”

Senior Rohan Ghosh, who also lives in Terrace Place, said not only do they put lights up to remember Corley, they also do it to give back to the community, and for the neighbors to get to know each other better.

“It is a way for us to kind of give something back and it’s also something fun that neighbors do to help them bond,” Ghosh said. “We put up a Salvation Army bucket so when cars drive by they can donate, so there is a charitable cause as well.”

Terrace Place is not the only neighborhood around BVNW to get a glimpse of holiday traditions. Junior Karlie Hoffmeister’s father puts together a Christmas radio station that plays near the vicinity of their house as part of his Christmas display.

“When [my dad] first started off, we just had the lights on the house and it was that basic,” Hoffmeister said. “Then he heard that people, not just big corporations, could have Christmas lights that go along to music. He got in contact with this guy who told my dad he could set up a radio station to go along with our lights that was just based on our location.”

Hoffmeister said over a period of several weeks, her father puts up

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Above: Senior Rohan Ghosh stands outside his house in Terrace Place. Ghosh helps his family with the annual decorations. “[Decorating] is a way for us to kind of give something back, and it’s also something fun that neighbors do to help them bond,” (photo by Justin Lehtinen).

Right: Junior Meg Murphy moves a yard decoration in front of her house in Christmas Place. Murphy and her family light up their house every year for the public to enjoy (photo by Justin Lehtinen).

Below: Junior Carly Robinett lights her menorah, a common Jewish tradition, on her dining room table. “The best part [of Hanukkah] is probably feeling closer to my family and being able to examine my heritage,” Robinett said. This year, Hanukkah begins the evening of Dec. 6 and comes to a close Dec. 14 (photo by Justin Lehtinen).

yard decorations, places lights on the house and lights up many of the trees as well. “ [The lights have] progressively gotten more extensive,” Hoffmeister said. “He used to just have the basic lights and none of it moved or anything and now it is a bunch of components moving at different times, so that part he has really spent time on making more intricate.”

Around the time other students may be celebrating a single holiday, junior Carly Robinett will be celebrating Hanukkah and Christmas.

“I have a bit of a unique situation in that my mom is Jewish and my dad is Christian,” Robinett said. “We kind of celebrate both holidays, but we celebrate Christmas in a bit of a different way. Generally what we like to do, and most families don’t do this, is, we like to go to some church and make meals and deliver them to people in need, which is a very rewarding thing to do.”

Robinett said that her family usually celebrates Hanukkah by visiting friends and having a party. The party usually consists of traditional food such as latkes and donuts.

“For me, the most rewarding part of the holiday time is not only the gifts and stuff...the best part is probably feeling closer to my family and being able to examine my heritage and think about why things are the way they are,” Robinett said. “It’s a cool feeling just being able to connect to people that share something with you that you can interpret your own way.”

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Perspectives Photos of Husky life

1.

1.

2.

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1. Sophomore Eric VanVleck reads “All Quiet on the Western Front” in English Language Arts teacher Bill Smithyman’s fifth hour class. “I don’t like this book, but at least we don’t have to annotate,” VanVleck said (photo by Justin Lehtinen).

2. Sophomore Griffin Leander sings with the Chamber singers at the surprise assembly for English teacher Bill Smithyman Oct. 29. Smithyman was awarded with the Milken Educator Award of $25,000 and was one of forty to be awarded this year by the Milken Family Foundation (photo by Emily Staples).

3. Junior John Tran eats an ice cream bar in the commons after the Nov. 9 assembly. The assembly was in celebration of the boys varsity soccer team’s victory in the Kansas 6A state soccer championship game. “It was awesome that the school took time out of the day to let us support them,” Tran said (photo

by Jack Oxley).

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4.

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4. Senior Susie Song accepts a plaque for being designated as a National Merit Semifinalist Nov. 12 in the auxiliary gym. To be a National Merit Semifinalist this year in Kansas, students had to score at least 213 on the PSAT administered last October.

“It was really nice to be honored with my peers,” Song said (photo by Justin Lehtinen).

5. Junior Katie Dean finishes her Husky-themed pumpkin in math teacher Jamie Finical’s Honors Pre-Calculus class Oct. 28.

In this activity, students designed and carved their pumpkins as a part of celebrating Halloween. “We chose the Husky because we wanted a universal design [so] that when people see it, they immediately know when it’s from Northwest,” Dean said (photo

by Jack Oxley).

6. Sophomore Brianna Tromba rolls pumpkin snickerdoodle cookie dough in cinnamon with senior Alexa Webber in her fifth hour class. “Her favorite part was probably eating them,” Webber said. “That would be my favorite part” (photo by Justin Lehtinen).

7. Sophomore Sammy Kutey reviews missed problems from a recent test in math teacher Sara Doerhoefer’s fifth hour Algebra I class. Algebra I teaches freshmen and sophomores basic algebra skills. “We were reviewing over a test we just took,” Kutey said.

“I feel that I did really well on it” (photo by Jack Oxley).

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8.

9.

7.

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8. Senior Blake Shadwick hugs senior Connor Mathes after winning the 6A State Championship soccer game against Washburn Rural. The game went into four periods of overtime and ended after two rounds of penalty kicks. “We [seniors] had been working for four years to win the state championship,” Shadwick said. “I couldn’t have thought of a better way to go out” (photo by Justin Lehtinen).

9. Sophomore Ethan Sanders tests his Rube Goldberg project in science teacher James Hale’s fifth hour Physical Science class. Sanders’ machine ran successfully, and he received an A on the project. “It was a great lab,” Sanders said. “I thought it was fun to bring my toy car to school” (photo by Justin Lehtinen).

10. Sophomores Andrea Finical and Katie Anderson sit at the REbeL table during REbeL’s Be Thankful Week, which took place Nov. 16-20. Finical and Anderson helped students write compliment notes to their friends. “I love being in REbeL because it’s taught me to look for the beautiful parts in other people,” Finical said. “It’s also taught me that beauty isn’t defined by a number or by what other people think or say about you” (photo by Nicky Lentsch).

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Opposing

Governor Sam Brownback’s favorability has been called in to question due to financial decisions made during his term in office.

Two BVNW seniors hold different stances on whether Brownback is to blame.

Senior Nick Mauer

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deficit occurred as a result of the huge tax reductions for small take pride in knowing BVNW does not tolerate bullying. businesses that took effect on Jan. 1, 2013. The logic for the tax Teens here stand against petty name calling and emotional cuts is that if a business does not lose as much profit to taxes, insults. Unfortunately, as I walk through the halls of our it can reinvest in expansion which spurs economic growth. school, I observe one case of abuse no one does anything to Governor Brownback is conservative; however, he did not stop. Kansas Governor Sam Brownback is openly mocked, originally push a radical economic agenda. Brownback initially disrespected and trashed by many students. I hear people call asked the Kansas Legislature for modest tax cuts, and he our governor “a jerk,” “crazy” and “the worst governor ever.” It suggested the reductions needed to be offset by increasing sales is great to express strong political opinions, but many teenage tax and doing away with critics of Brownback unduly blame various tax exemptions. him for Kansas’ problems.

“Many students accuse him of Unfortunately, instead Like all executives, Brownback ‘screwing over education’ by of a small tax reduction, often receives the blame for things the incredibly right-wing that are not his fault. At BVNW, cutting K–12 funding. In truth, congressmen passed the primary issue for which it is the legislature that passes sweeping tax reform that Governor Brownback takes flak reduced the tax rate for is funding for education. Many a budget; Brownback is not to small businesses to zero. The students accuse him of “screwing blame for the budget cuts.” policy forced by the radical over education” by cutting –senior Nick Mauer congress, not Governor K-12 funding. In truth, it is the Brownback, caused the legislature that passes a budget; deficit. In addition, when Brownback is not to blame for the the legislature finally balanced the state budget earlier this budget cuts. It is also necessary to understand that Brownback year, it did so by raising sales tax and closing tax loopholes. successfully prompted the state to do away with its old system In other words, our budget problems were fixed by following of distributing funds to school districts. The old system used Governor Brownback’s original plan. an overly complicated, faulty appropriations method based on I am not saying Sam Brownback is a great governor. He has property values surrounding individual districts. This actually pushed extreme and controversial agendas, and he failed to hurt school districts like Blue Valley. Currently, the state is in properly cultivate bi-partisanship. However, Sam Brownback the process of crafting a new education finance system that will has been a civil servant of Kansas for longer than any of us be more equitable. students have been alive. That alone deserves respect.

Besides education funding, the other notable issue for which Brownback is unfairly blamed is Kansas’s deficit. The

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THE EXPRESS | ISSUE 3 | DECEMBER 2015

Views Senior Patrick Buzzard

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was done in Ohio and it took the state from a $6 billion deficit am a conservative. I do not like Sam Brownback. Some to a $2 billion surplus, all while cutting taxes by $5 billion. of you may be tilting your head while reading this thinking, To try and mend these budgetary woes, Brownback has “Don’t those two things go hand in hand?” Well, guess what?

They don’t. Sam Brownback, while well intentioned, has turned made massive cuts to education. This caused many school districts to close early because they didn’t have the money to into the poster boy for Republican hypocrisy. Brownback end the school year. Education is necessary to build up basic was initially elected governor with 63 percent of the vote. skills to work and to be an active member of society. It is also Long a state controlled by moderate Republicans, Kansas the only way to form a well informed electorate. Brownback’s suddenly had a conservative governor. His first term resulted cuts will lead to a decreasing quality of education in Kansas and in budgetary woes and in 2014, Brownback barely won over turn Kansas into a place families won’t want to come to. lackluster opposition. Now Brownback is more unpopular than There are a few positive ever, with an 18 percent approval things that have come out rating. While I identify--for the “While I identify–for the most of Brownback’s tenure—for most part--as a Republican, I can part–as a Republican, I can example, how he abolished recognize when my party has done wrong and Brownback sure has. recognize when my party has tenure for teachers in Kansas.

This goes a long way to helping Irresponsible tax cuts followed by done wrong and Brownback students in Kansas. No longer frantic spending cuts to education are bad teachers able to hide sure has.” in order to try, and fail, to balance behind a wall of previous the budget have demonstrated that –senior Patrick Buzzard service allowing them to do Brownback is not a conservative whatever they want in the and not the governor Kansas needs. classroom without penalty.

At the start of Brownback’s Nonetheless, the governor’s term, Kansas had a $450 million surplus. However, tax cuts economic mishaps outweigh his few successes. The governor passed in Brownback’s first term were too large and have led could have easily made modest spending cuts that cut into areas to Kansas currently having a $400 million budget gap and other than education such as welfare or found ways to make on its way to a $900 million hole in 2019. Basically, Kansas is spending money it does not have. Not only is that irresponsible, prison spending more efficient. Additionally, modest cuts to the tax code could have allowed Kansas to maintain surpluses, but it also increases our debt, can decrease our credit rating, keep taxes low, and still have enough money to fund its schools and makes a fool out of our state. What Brownback could have and roads properly. Kansas deserves better than what it has done was decrease the size of government, figure out what was been given under Brownback. Sam Brownback, you have failed needed to fund remaining programs, and then cut taxes. This this state.

THE EXPRESS | ISSUE 3 | DECEMBER 2015

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raising the bar

by Lauren Fischer Freshman Will Saunders participates in level eight gymnastics and has developed a passion for the sport over his nine-year career.

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look of determination is set on the gymnast’s face as he begins his routine. As he completes different moves, all he is focused on is getting through the routine. His feet slam down hard on the padded floor, and a look of finality and accomplishment flashes across his face. This sensation is familiar to freshman Will Saunders. Saunders is avidly involved in level eight gymnastics and competes regularly.

Saunders said he began gymnastics when he was six years old. Saunders’s sister was involved in gymnastics at the time, which he said is the main reason he started participating in the sport.

“I was so young I didn’t really expect much, I just thought it would be fun,” Saunders said.

Saunders’s sister, junior Lauren Saunders, said her brother has developed over the years as a gymnast.

“At first, [gymnastics] was kind of slow for [Saunders]; he didn’t start off winning a lot of things.” Lauren said.

“He was just doing it for fun, but I think in the last year and a half—maybe two years—suddenly he was really good, and he was winning and got much better.”

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Saunders is a part of the Emerald City Gymnastics team, and he has traveled to many cities for meets.

Saunders said he has become acquainted with many new people through gymnastics, even if they started as competitors.

“I’ve made plenty of friends,” Saunders said. “I get to see them in different meets because they go to a different gym. We still keep in touch and it’s a pretty good group.”

Saunders said he attends gymnastics practice five days a week for three hours each day during both weekdays and weekends. Saunders said getting homework done is not a problem due to time before and after practices, but his involvement in gymnastics does restrict him from joining school clubs.

“It’s very hard to participate in after school activities, [but] he has a very good group of friends who have coordinated activities based on his gymnastics schedule,” Saunders’s mother, Jennifer Saunders, said.

Lauren said she has also had to sacrifice time due to her brother’s involvement in gymnastics.

“I have to drive him every day to practice to and

THE EXPRESS | ISSUE 3 | DECEMBER 2015

Freshman Will Saunders holds himself up on still rings on Nov. 18 during one of his practices at Emerald City Gym. Emerald City Gym is located in north Overland Park, at 91st and Bond St. “Gymnastics is a lot of fun. I like spending time with friends doing something I love to do,” Saunders said (photo by TJ Vore).

school,” Lauren said.

Saunders said even though people see gymnastics as a female-dominated sport, there are more male participants than female participants at his gym.

“I think the reason [gymnastics] is associated with girls is because you hear about it more with girls, but it’s more or less both,” Saunders said.

During practices, Saunders described the overall atmosphere to be relaxed but very productive.

“We don’t really have any set goals for the day other than learn [routines] and work on skills,” Saunders said. “When you’re learning new skills, some of them can be extremely scary, so you think, ‘Do I really want to do this yet or am I comfortable doing it?’”

Steve Glickley, who coaches Saunders on pommel horse and parallel bars, said Saunders has shown steady improvement over the years he has worked with him.

“He especially has been more receptive to coaching as he’s gotten older and gotten stronger,” Glickley said.

Mike Thomas, Saunders’s floor routine, still rings, high bar and vault coach, said Saunders is a very intelligent gymnast, and he always asks good questions. “[Saunders] is more independent,” Thomas said. “He likes to analyze things himself, and when he gets a chance to work by himself, he’s productive that way.”

There are 10 levels of gymnastics, level 10 being the top level. Saunders is currently at level eight and is now required to create his own routines with skills he has learned.

“It’s kind of hard [creating my own routines] because you have six element groups for each event, and each skill has a different difficulty,” Saunders said.

THE EXPRESS | ISSUE 3 | DECEMBER 2015

Glickley coaches level six through 10 gymnastics and said that a challenging aspect of coaching gymnasts at higher levels is skill development.

“A lot of boys, when they’re younger, they’re not strong and it’s harder for them, it’s harder to be motivated, and once you get stronger it gets easier,” Glickley said.

Saunders said by participating in gymnastics, he has learned life lessons like patience.

“I’ve learned that you’ve got to be a real team player, you can’t just get mad if you lose,” Saunders said.

Jennifer said she has been fascinated with her son’s involvement and success in gymnastics over the years.

“I have tried some of the basic things that he does in my workouts, and I can not come close to it,” Jennifer said. “He has really done a lot of work to get to where he’s at.”

Thomas said Saunders has an influence on the team, especially the younger team members.

“Will is a lot of fun to be around and to work with,” Thomas said. “The other coaches and other boys on the team like him.”

Saunders said he hopes to continue participating in gymnastics through high school and into college. He is also considering gymnastics for a potential future career.

Jennifer said gymnastics has been very valuable to her son and the sport has helped their whole family grow closer over the years. “[Gymnastics] is a phenomenal sport,” Jennifer said. “I think that [Saunders has] learned a lot. He’s found his own motivation for competing and the commitment to the conditioning that it takes.”

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From the classroom to the campus Sexual assault on college campuses is drawing attention nationwide. Some educators and 11 students see a need for more effective education on this topic at the high school level.

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“It was scary,” Inglis said. “I talked to the fraternity’s president. Now, [the perpetrator] is no longer a member.”

Although Inglis said she did not report her incident to the school or law enforcement, there are many who do report sexual assault to their universities.

However, more than 100 universities in the U.S. are currently under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights for mishandling sexual assault cases. Kansas State University is one of the schools on this list, as well as The University of Kansas. KU was added to this list July of last year and has since then made sexual assault and harassment training mandatory for all students.

Students who do not complete the training are unable to enroll in classes.

Sophomore Madi Martin is a member of Outrage, a program that performs skits about dating violence and healthy relationships for students. She said if a school modifies its policies and makes changes that protect its students, it would increase her desire to attend that school.

t was supposed to be an exciting and fun Saturday night for 2015 graduate Madison Inglis. She had just gotten into Kansas State University and was in Manhattan to celebrate. Inglis said at a fraternity party there, she asked a guy she had just met where the restroom was.

“He led me to a room and closed the door behind him and locked it, and I was like, ‘This isn’t OK, there’s something wrong here,’” Inglis said. “He wouldn’t let me leave, [and] he pushed me down onto his bed.... and was trying to hold me down and kiss me.”

Inglis said she bit his shoulder to escape his grasp.

“He yelled some obscenities at me, and then I just kept trying to bite any part [of his body] like his shoulder, and that’s how he got off of me,” Inglis said. “I ran out of the room, and I called my friends to pick me up.”

After this incident, Inglis said she did not report it to police or law enforcement, but she did speak to the president of the fraternity where it happened.

“If [the school] is changing its policy, then the safety must be getting better,” Martin said. “Because you don’t want to go to a party at school and feel that it’s not safe, because being safe is what makes people feel at home, and you don’t want to go around being scared all the time.”

Senior Nate Kochuyt, also a member of Outrage, said when he looks at colleges, a school’s reputation for campus safety and sexual assault history influences his opinion about the school.

“Certain colleges that might have a higher rate of sexual assault...would lower my opinion of them, and it would make me not really want to go there,” Kochuyt said.

While how a college responds to sexual assault affects Kochuyt’s and Martin’s consideration of a school, BVNW graduate and KU sophomore Sarah Ingham said she never considered these topics prior to enrolling.

“I didn’t really take into consideration the policy concerning sexual assault or anything like that,” Ingham said. “I just kind of hoped for the best in coming here,

Sexual assault by the numbers

Fewer than onethird of sexual assault cases on campuses lead to the perpetrator’s expulsion.

More than 90% of sexual assault victims on college campuses do not report the assault.

One in five women and one in 16 men are sexually assaulted while in college.

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There is a rape on a college campus every 21 hours in the U.S.

Information taken from the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center, The Huffington Post and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.

THE EXPRESS | ISSUE 3 | DECEMBER 2015

Terms to know Sexual assault

Attacks or attempted attacks generally involving unwanted sexual contact that may or may not involve force. Sexual assault includes verbal threats.

Sexual abuse

When a perpetrator uses sexual acts to establish and maintain power over a victim.

Rape

Forced sexual intercourse, including both psychological coercion as well as physical force. Attempted rape includes verbal threats of rape.

Consent

To actively, willfully and freely choose to participate in sex of any kind with someone.

Definitions from the DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN).

which I think a lot of people do.”

As for education on sexual assault at the high school level, Ingham said Blue Valley did not teach her adequately. “[Health class] could have been a really great place for teachers to talk about sexual assault and rape and domestic violence, but it was avoided,” Ingham said. “Health class could [have been] a great opportunity to educate, but [it] didn’t.”

The Blue Valley health curriculum contains eight separate standards ranging from consumer health to nutrition.

Assistant Superintendent of Academic Services, Tonya Merrigan, said sexual assault itself is not considered a separate standard to address in the classroom; instead, it falls under the umbrella of personal health and wellness.

“Sexual assault would be a part of [personal health and wellness], but it’s not a stand alone topic where we come in today and we say, ‘Hey, today we’re going to teach about sexual assault,’” Merrigan said.

BVNW Health teacher Molly Haggerty said with all of the other topics she must teach, she does not have enough time as she would like to cover the topic of sexual assault.

THE EXPRESS | ISSUE 3 | DECEMBER 2015

“I would love to implement more in health class, but... with Health only being a semester long class, there are a ton of things we just barely get to...” Haggerty said. “We don’t get to dive too deeply into it whatsoever, unfortunately, so I think that would be a great place where we [could] spend a little bit more time.”

YOU KNOW ABOUT THE SUBJECT, BUT YOU DON’T KNOW HOW SERIOUS IT IS. -2015 graduate Madison Inglis Haggerty said oftentimes, students have misconceptions about sexual assault.

“I think a lot of kids think it only happens to people who are dressed a certain way or look a certain way, which is completely false,” Haggerty said.

She also said parents may have a hard time talking to their children about it because it is an uncomfortable topic.

“You never in a million years want to think that it is your son or your daughter that is either the victim or the perpetrator of that type of act,” Haggerty said. “[But,] I think it is absolutely important that parents do address those things.”

Haggerty said she thinks it would be helpful if students were educated on the topic of sexual assault more than just once.

“You can’t tell a student something one time and expect that it is going to stick with them forever,” Haggerty said. “Unless [a student] has been personally affected by it, it is likely going to go in one ear and out the other.”

True to Haggerty’s word, Inglis said she does not remember what she learned in Health class. She said it would be beneficial if students were continually educated on these topics throughout high school.

“You know enough about the subject, but you don’t know how serious it is,” Inglis said. “I don’t think high schools highlight it as a huge thing, as much as colleges do, but it’s still an issue, and it can still happen to high schoolers.”

Martin said she thinks Blue Valley does a lot to educate students about sexual assault, but many still do not understand what it is to a full extent.

“When real cases are around you and very close to you, that’s when you start to open up your mind to the realization that it is a big problem,” Martin said. “But, [students] just don’t know enough about it.”

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ENTERTAINMENT

CROSSWORD

by Avery Mojica

Title: (S)ymbolism

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THE EXPRESS | ISSUE 3 | DECEMBER 2015

CROSSWORD CLUES DOWN

ACROSS 1. Small buzzers 5. Selena of pop music 10. Sand, to a golfer 14. Somewhere else 15. Sensing, as with one’s surroundings 16. Sprinkler attachment 17. Spore of a sort 18. Sitting around 19. “So what ___ is new?”

20. Sandwich often served with mayo 22. Sound ___ (not awake) 24. Sour purple fruit 26. Sobriquet indicator letters: Abbr.

29. Stressors for students 30. Scripture verb 31. Slacker’s excuse 33. Surf and ___ (some menu items) 34. Spud for Napoleon Dynamite (2 words) 37. Soft drink nickname in old ads (for 7-Up) 39. Surmised 41. Squeezed into, as with a crowd 45. Sports venue

46. Song type from Beethoven, usually 47. Station ___ (vehicle type) 48. Student travel option (2 words) 51. Spray often used in cooking 52. Some distance away 53. Stirred up, as with emotions 55. Super-big newspaper initials 56. Starting from a given date (2 words) 57. Shake an Etch A Sketch 61. Snow Queen of “Frozen” 65. Shortened preposition 66. Setting for many Greek gettogethers 67. Sincere 68. Stadium division 69. Speed for music 70. Sally ___ of space travel

1. Shopper’s tote 2. She sounds like you?

3. Sound processor 4. S (3 words) 5. Steed’s pace 6. Sportscaster’s term that usually means “dominate” 7. She said “I believe in censorship. I made a fortune out of it.” (her last name is West) 8. Slip up 9. Sixth Greek letter 10. S (4 words) 11. Screen parts 12. Something valuable 13. Student group at BVNW that helps freshmen in Advisory 21. Shows no restraint (2 words) 23. Set aside for later (2 words) 24. Switch around 25. Springtime tree whose wood is known for its waterproof qualities 26. Some classes prep for it 27. Snake in “The Jungle Book” 28. Six-legged pest 30. Sequence of consecutive letters, the first of which is the first letter to all of this puzzle’s clues

32. Simpson neighbor ____ Flanders 35. Symbol for electrical resistance 36. Singing voice 38. She’s a raggedy doll 40. Steely ___ (1970s band) 42. Space between things 43. Seventh Greek letter 44. Stopper of water 48. Star of “Despicable Me 2” who voiced El Macho 49. Small green dinosaur of Nintendo games 50. Skin-care brand 54. Skillful in movement 55. Sought-after Pixar fish 58. Street in Overland Park near Nall 59. Sleeve filler 60. Slangy greeting 62. Souvenir from Hawaii 63. Somber 64. Sailor’s drink, perhaps

SUDOKU

by Avery Mojica

THE EXPRESS | ISSUE 3 | DECEMBER 2015

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Opinion

Looking back, letting go

Some friends are not forever. Most aren’t. But more importantly, some friends are really only meant to be in your life for a short and purposeful period. I think high school is one of those periods; it is a time when people change permanently, for good, for bad, forever.

I’ve heard you’re the average of the five friends you spend the most time with,

and sometimes you really just need someone to help balance you out, especially in transitional periods like high school. Those people have the potential to become some of your greatest friends, not forever, but for the time they are there and the time they’re needed.

We’re not very good at saying goodbye, and that’s not surprising because that doesn’t really happen a lot in high school. When you see someone every day, it’s hard to imagine both of your lives moving in different directions with almost no chance they’ll converge in the near future. Our goals and struggles are what bring us together, but the sobering fact is that these change, and when they do, so do the people

Basically basic A basic white girl loves Starbucks more than she loves herself. She owns at least ten pairs of leggings, and “can’t even” deal with life sometimes.

According to a Buzzfeed quiz called, “How Basic Are You?” I am basically basic.

I will admit my local Starbucks barista knows me by name. I will own up to the fact that Drake is one of the few rappers I listen to. And I will even say I literally use the word “literally” all the time.

People have called me basic before, and I used to feel embarrassed. I found myself avoiding “basic” activities such taking trips to the Cider Mill in my favorite new sweater. I did this to ensure I would avoid the basic label because a basic white girl doesn’t talk about current events, or have intelligent thoughts on foreign policy. I have high basic tendencies, but it doesn’t mean being basic is all there is to me.

I am an award-winning photographer - and not just on Instagram. I am an art teacher to residents at a retirement home - not just another girl posting her

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community service on Twitter. I am a nanny, and I have learned to love others more than my image and myself. I am dyslexic, and I have had to overcome many challenges to attain my educational achievements. Not everything was handed to me, and my life doesn’t completely revolve around materialistic objects or myself.

Today I am proud of my basic label. I am able to still enjoy stereotypical white girl things while also enjoying politics, economics and my studies. I will continue to dance around in my room to the new Justin Bieber album because let’s face it, his songs are straight fire.

Additionally, I will not stop taking baths with my Lush bath bombs because it is one of the most relaxing experiences during my stressful day. These are things everyone can enjoy no matter what race or gender you are. I will never let the stereotypical label of a basic white girl limit my enjoyment of these highly entertaining activities, just as anyone else shouldn’t avoid them because they don’t fit the typical mold.

by Zac Johnson around you.

Hindsight is 20/20, and seniors are finally getting glasses; we all get them at some point. You take one look back and it’s easy to see the friendships and things in your life that didn’t last, or lasted too long, but among those are the things that did, the things that matter, the things you’ll remember. It’s hard to know what these will be, and sometimes it can be harder to know the things that won’t.

Commonalities unite us, and they, like those we share them with, leave us behind. The memories don’t, and they won’t. So don’t be afraid to leave things behind; they might not be the same when you see them again, but neither will you.

by Emily Staples

I am a basic white girl, and that’s OK. I am also a lot more than that, and that’s OK, too. So the next time you see someone holding a Starbucks cup and wearing a scarf, don’t assume he or she is just basic. Society has used stereotypes as a means to simplify the complexity of the human race. Strangers do not seem so strange because we can easily categorize them before a word comes out of their mouth. When we over generalize people and see them only as black and white we miss the beautifully colored details that make up each unique individual.

Whether it’s accurate or inaccurate, no one is ever just his or her stereotype.

THE EXPRESS | ISSUE 3 | DECEMBER 2015

Staff editorial

Education comes first

We can sit in front of a PowerPoint and listen for 55 minutes about it.

We can read posters on classroom walls instructing us on how to approach it.

We can gather in an auditorium to watch a video about why we need to know it.

Yet we may still walk out of BVNW without a genuine understanding of what consent during sex really means. We will likely still go on to college or our futures unable to recognize sexual assault if it were to happen to us.

Unless open dialogue becomes the norm.

When we understand consensual sex, we will be closer to understanding and recognizing what is not consensual and what is sexual assault.

During a recent lesson on affirmative consent at the Urban School of San Francisco, students gathered in groups to brainstorm and discuss ways to ask for consent.

Small group discussions took place among 16 year olds about how to have consensual sex—down to specific “go to” phrases they could use to ask for consent in the most direct and comfortable way, eventually agreeing on “you good?” as a way to check in with a partner.

How a school or university handles sexual assault reports is incredibly important—but policy comes second to education. As colleges continue to undergo scrutiny for handling (or mishandling) sexual assault cases, it becomes important to look at how the issue as a whole could be addressed before it becomes an issue.

Students should enter college with a firm understanding of safe sex—one that doesn’t stop at STDs and birth control; it needs to cultivate an understanding of consensual sex, sexual assault and the difference between the two.

Blue Valley prides itself on college readiness. If we want to truly prepare our students for college and ensure their safety as well, the district needs to require health classes to teach sex beyond the physical aspect—we need to, in addition to discussing how babies are made, talk about the emotional aspect of sex—including what consent looks and feels like. We need to have advisory discussions and forums at least once a year reiterating those health lessons and allowing students to freely engage in dialogue. Like any other educational concepts, these measures must be accompanied by repetition and expansion.

We must come together to find our own “you goods” and to promote an atmosphere in which it isn’t awkward to learn about safe sex and sexual assault. Unfamiliar territory is ultimately uncomfortable territory. That’s one more reason for students, educators and administrators to engage in common dialogue and break down the barrier of discomfort.

Do you believe BVNW provides sufficient sexual assault education?

Yes 82.74% No 17.26% The Express surveyed 277 students during lunch Monday, Nov. 16.

Do you feel you are well-educated on the topic of sexual assault?

Yes 55.78% No 44.22% The Express surveyed 303 students during lunch Monday, Nov. 16.

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