The Express 2013-2014: September Issue

TheExpress

volume 21

|

Issue 01

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September 2013

Worth a thousand Words Senior Lauren Muth and junior Helen Peng use their passion for photography as a creative outlet and gain experience through professional opportunities along the way.

PAges 26 - 29

|

Blue Valley Northwest High School

CONTENTS

The icing on the cake With flour, frosting and fondant, sophomore Claire Albright bakes her cakes and sells them, too (Photo by Nicole Tenold).

SEE PAGES 30 - 32

ON THE COVER

Peng-tography From having her photos published in Photo Vogue to gaining more than 9,000 followers on Instagram, junior Helen Peng has found great triumphs through photography (photo courtesy of Helen Peng).

SEE PAGES 26 - 27

02

SPORTS

FEATURE

5-7 Batter Up

a rock 12-15 Between and a hard place

Working on the field with major league baseball players, senior Alex Pener is able to pursue his passion for baseball as a Kansas City Royals employee.

Taking the ultimate rides, seniors Taylor Wiebke and Layne Hoskins venture out to off-roading parks to put their Jeeps to the test.

and 8-10 Kicking dreaming

one more 16-19 Just episode

Moving to Kansas City in order to play for an MLS U18 team, senior Andy Lopez works toward making his dream of playing professional soccer a reality.

BVNW students and staff share their Netflix addictions and which series keep them glued to the screen.

the express | Issue 01 | September 2013

CONTENTS The Express Staff

FEATURE

24-25

Getting our ACT together

Reaching a record high and making school history, BVNW students ranked highest in ACT scores in the metro area.

28-29

Life through her lens

Read about senior Lauren Muth’s love of photography and how she has turned it into her own business.

40-41 All in the family

Students and teachers who are related at BVNW are quizzed on their knowledge on their true family connections.

42-43

Corsages and Catastrophe

BVNW students and staff reminisce in their awkward and embarassing school dance experiences--bad hair and all.

OPINION

wanna be an 34-36 The Truth Hurts 46 Don’t American idiot Take a closer look at the seemingly harmless use of Ask.fm and how simple advice may be hurting more than helping.

Americans are losing our once enriched culture every time we tweet about twerking.

Editor-in-chief Delaney La Fon

Print Editor Meredith Johnson

ONLINE Editor Cara Brashears

Design Editor Holly Noon

Sports editor Liz Kuhlmann

visual Editor Michaela O’Connor

Copy Editors Sarah Hirsch Ankit Kadakia Madeline Maloney

Reporters

Olivia Baird Laney Breidenthal Claudia Chen Madison Graves Sidney Hallak Zac Johnson Brooklynn Langham Avery Mojica Greyson Woerpel Natasha Vyhovsky

Photographers Maddison Barley Lindsay Haight Natalie Pyle Nicole Tenold Caroline Trupp

Business Manager Zach Zelinski

Artist

Owen Sinn

ASSISTANT ADVISER Jeff Brown

ADVISER

Jim McCrossen

Checking-up on India

Flying across the world to lend a helping hand, junior Shafaa Mansoor gave her time this summer to improve the health of Indian citizens (photo courtesy of Shafaa Mansoor).

SEE PAGES 38 & 39

The express | Issue 01 | September 2013

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 summer issue of volume twenty-one. Subscription rates are $10. The Express is printed

by Osage Printing, 400 N Liberty St Independence, MO 64050. 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.

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Sports

4 r e tt a B

Up

Senior Alex Pener is pursuing his passion for baseball by getting up close and personal with the game in his school and work life.

By: Zac Johnson

Senior Alex Pener returns a foul ball to the umpire. Pener has been working with the Royals for two years (Photo courtesy of Alex Pener).

THE express | Issue 01 | September 2013

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Sports

Mikey was the 14th pick in the first round during the MLS draft. According to Mikey, his experience thus far with SKC has been a good one. “[I chose to play in America instead of Europe] because I wanted to be close to family,” Mikey said. “[SKC] was a good, guaranteed contract and stuff. I wanted to make a name for myself here.”

Miguel said despite living far apart, the family has remained very close.

Andy and Mikey call every day, Miguel said, and they keep their parents informed.

“We aren’t living in the same house, but we feel like we are very close to them,” Miguel said. “It’s hard, yes it’s very hard. We miss our boys, we miss having them at home. So we try to get out there as much as we can. They’re great kids, and they have shown a high level of maturity. I have never had any problems with them wanting to party or anything like that... I am very proud of them.”

Mikey said though he misses his parents, it is not so hard living away from them because he has been doing it since he was in eighth grade.

“It makes it better now that my brothers here with me,” Mikey said.

“At least I have some family with me.”

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According to Andy, now that Mikey is a professional soccer player, it is nice living with him because his brother knows what to eat and different workouts that the professional players use.

“I want to play professionally,” Andy said. “I know in the U.S., playing college soccer is a stepping stone to playing professional soccer. When my brother went to UNC, I knew I wanted to go there as well ... I’m most looking forward to living there and being with the people.”

We miss our boys, we miss having them at home, So we try to get out to kansas as much as we can.

-Andy’s dad, Miguel Lopez Miguel said playing professionally is a realistic goal for Andy to have. He is a good player with a good head on his shoulders, Miguel said.

“Not many teenagers would want to move away from home, from their friends, from their girlfriend and from life as they know it just because they think maybe it’s going to help make

achieving their goal easier,” Miguel said. “[Andy] has been doing that and making those sacrifices since he was little so that’s what makes me believe that he will be a professional player.”

In order to play at that level, Mikey said an athlete needs to remain determined and work hard every day.

“Be yourself and express yourself through your sport and do whatever you do to the very best of your ability,” Mickey said. “That’s all you need.

Don’t listen to people who try to tell you what you can and cannot do. You know what you can and cannot do, so go and do it. Prove everyone else wrong.”

Top Left; Mikey Lopez dribbles down the field in a game against the Des Moines Menace .

“I love everything about SKC,” Mikey said.

“It’s an amazing feeling to play in front of the crowd that we have (photo courtesy of the Lopez family).”

Right: Mikey steals the ball from a Menace player and takes off down the field. Mikey said soccer is an escape for him and his teammates are like this second famly (photo courtesy of the Lopez family).

Bottom Left: The Lopez family left to right: Mikey, Miguel, Martha and Andy Lopez.

Mikey said he decided to stay in America in order to be close to his family (photo courtesy of the Lopez family).

The express | Issue 01 | September 2013

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Feature

The icing on the cake By: Olivia Baird

The express | Issue 01 | September 2013

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Feature

Q: A:

Do you have any advice for someone receiving hate?

“Just don’t take any of it seriously.

Although it’s hard when people are directing them at you, you just need to realize that they’re reflecting their own insecurities when they say that kind of stuff. It shows that for whatever reason they feel threatened by you.”

-Junior Erin Lazarus

How do you react to negative messages?

“They make me feel bad about myself and believe that everything they say is true. I don’t cope well, to be honest. The things people say can really have an effect on you.”

-Sophomore Leena Clark

?

57% * Out of 148 students polled 57 percent of students at BVNW said they have been bullied on ask.fm

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Q: A: Q: A:

What is one of your favorite messages you have received?

“It’s funny actually, the [messages] that I’m most touched by are the ones after a really negative one. Like, I’ve gotten messages telling me “Go kill yourself,” but after that, several people will send messages and be like “No, don’t do that, ignore them”. For every good thing there’s a bad thing and vice versa.”-Junior Erin Lazarus

Do you think people would say the same things face-to-face?

“No one would say this crap to your face.

At least, no decent person would. Lots of people are way too cowardly to actually tell you what they dislike about you to your face.

They feel a lot more powerful by sending hate behind a screen.”

-Sophomore Leena Clark

“

We all have things that we’re insecure about, and sometimes that anonymous thing can just hit that

“

Q: A:

- Technology Integration Specialist Craig Odle

The express | Issue 01 | September 2013

Looking for more?

Check out

BVNWnews.com - for -

News Sports Coverage Blogs and Photos

Entertainment

Crossword

| By: Avery Mojica

Find answers to the Word Search and crossword puzzle online at bvnwnews.com 44

The express | Issue 1 | September 2013

Entertainment

Crossword Clues Directions: Fill in the grid with the answers to the clues below.

Across

DOWN

1. Fireman’s slide 5. Sob 7. ___-fi 10. AP finale 11. Ohio’s postal code 12. Chemist John ____ 15. Musical tone 17. Death listing 19. Take swiftly 21. Iowa’s postal code 22. Your nose sometimes does it 24. Study of the environment 27. Doubled, a toy 28. Maryland’s postal code 30. Greek letter 32. I ___ Legend 33. Volkswagen type or an insect 35. Sound heard when laughing 36. Time period 37. Virginia’s postal code 38. Rival 40. Words With Friends

43. Cooking spray 44. A subject 45. A rebel’s artwork 48. Shoulder bone 49. From the area 50. Ignorance ___ bliss 51. Gym class 52. Rapper 54. That object 55. Flying insects 57. Fish 58. Interrogative word 59. See 44-across 60. Measuring tool 62. Word following paper or hair 64. Ancient civilization 65. First two letters 66. Circular term 67. A beverage & healant 68. Masking or scotch 69. Not fro

Word Search | By: Avery Mojica Find the words below hidden in the grid. Then, unscramble all unused letters to form a word related to an upcoming school event.

October Night Tuxedo Clap Time Queen Gown Dinner Stop Crush Corsage Fun Football Teen DJ Limo Prince Friends Boutineer King

The express | Issue 01 | September 2013

32. Arkansas’s postal code 33. Dog breed 34. A home’s big screen 1. Domesticated animals 36. Spanish, in spanish 2. An ox’s plural 38. Of a country 3. Singer Del Rey 39. An atom with the gain/loss of 4. Smiley face, for example an electron 5. Colorado’s postal code 41. Expert 6. Greek letter 42. Ocean 7. A big test 43. Same as 66-across 8. Chess, golf, or duct tape 46. Obese 9. Rome’s locale 47. Florida’s postal code 12. A graph, for one 48. Company that delivers to 13. Cookie postal codes 14. Scientist Bill ___ 53. See 41-down 16. Soda brand 18. Study of chemical processes 55. Written message 56. One of Miami’s sports teams in nature 57. A 3-D square 20. Song by Phillip Phillips 58. Sick 23. Syrian capital 60. What the person in 52-across 25. Lithium’s abbv. does 26. Same as 27-across 61. ___ Grande 28. ___, myself, and I 62. California’s postal code 29. Delaware’s postal code 63. A type of box 31. Chocolate milk producer

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Opinion

EXPRESSIONS Don’t wanna be an american idiot Column By: Sarah Hirsch

H

ere in America, we speak American. Our ancestors inherited the English language, yet for some reason, we’ve warped it into a monotonous hot mess. All those English classes we took throughout elementary, middle, and even high school seem to be having less and less of an impact. This makes my inner grammarian cringe and weep for the future of our country.

Language is essentially what separates humans from animals — they moo and bray; we speak. Yet in the technological age, communication seems to have fallen from its once high pedestal. What used to be eloquent, drawn-out, carefully crafted letters has now become 140-character tweets. If YOLO, then why waste it sounding like a total idiot?

Our generation is exposed to the degradation of language every single day. While our ancestors got to see English evolve and grow, we get to see what was once a rather respectable language turn into a mishmash of acronyms and slang. While slang is unavoidable and sometimes necessary in most languages, it undermines the authenticity of communication itself. We may be witnessing the de-evolution of culture at this point.

Our generation is exposed to the degredation of language every single day.

What’s really sad is how dictionaries are now adding slang to their archives. This could be due to the ease of online capabilities, which urge everyone to keep up-to-date. Our generation is known for quickly dying fads. When highly esteemed dictionaries, e.g. The Oxford Dictionary, include slang words such as “twerk”

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and “selfie,” they are convoluting the English language itself. How will future generations look back on us?

That’s right, it’s not just technology that is stifling our language — even the written word is adding to the downward spiral. While teenagers of previous generations had to work their way through the classics, the majority of our options are a complete joke. I can rarely find anything with literary merit in the young adult section of libraries. Edward Cullen just doesn’t sparkle next to Heathcliff. It’s almost as if society doesn’t think we are capable of comprehending further thought.

We are being downgraded. Are we really that dense?

The majority of teen novels are mediocrely crafted and don’t expose us to any decent use of language.

Now, perhaps I’m biased because I plan on pursuing a writing career. But by the time I start writing professionally, will Americans be able to read my work? By demeaning what was once an art, we are squandering our chances of having our culture stand the test of time.

If you were incapable of comprehending this, then my point is proven. Let’s learn to speak English.

The express | Issue 1 | September 2013

OPINION

STAFF EdITORIAL READ THE NEWS THAT MATTERS

A

s the president asked Congress to consider a military strike on Syria, the jobless rate fell to 7.3 percent and the House of Representatives debated the merits of Obamacare (again). But what were we talking about? Miley Cyrus gyrating her way to shame at the VMAs. The hallways were bustling with the redundant hum of “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe what Miley did,” and “When did Miley Cyrus become so crazy?” Even at the Miss America pageant last week, the subject of Miley’s misadventures was on par with the atrocities in Syria. Interest in THE world

should not be restricted to Hollywood CELEBRITIES. They are not the news that matters.

What does this obsession with bad behavior say about our generation? We are not mindless. We are not petty. Yet every day we demean ourselves when we fail to take note of the vital changes in our world. The primary purpose of news is to inform and educate. When the news strays from this purpose, our expectations alter accordingly. We

should hold ourselves to a higher standard. Entertainment news has its place; the lure of People

magazine is hard to resist. However, it should not replace the role of the real news and understanding our world.

In a few short years, we will be the workforce and the leaders of our nation. It’s time to pay attention. It’s easy.

Get a news app and follow events as they happen with the world’s newspapers: The Wall Street Journal, Al Jazeera or The Telegraph. It only takes a few minutes to read the headlines and a brief synopsis of the news from a variety of sources. Once a day, try reading a full-length article to become educated about the events which will change our lives.

As future decision-makers, we need to understand current events. This is not to say

that everyone should huddle in front of the television and watch C-Span. But with the addition of a news app on our smartphones, we can hopefully learn a little less about Miley Cyrus’s dance moves and a little more about the important aspects of our constantly changing world.

The express | Issue 1 | September 2013

Do you watch the news regularly?

Yes 41% No 59% Do you know what’s up with Syria?

Yes 77% No

23%

Do you have an update about healthcare?

Yes 36% No 59% Poll was taken by 277 students

New idea?

Got a story?

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