concealed carry
expiring exemption for state colleges establishes right to carry concealed guns news pages 24-27
standard the
blue valley southwest | volume 7 | issue 3
2 | contents / the standard / oct. 2016
CO NT EN TS
volume 7 / issue 3 www.bvswnews.com
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FEATURE
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05 14 16 21
Early [In]decision Helping Paint the Future Hello Fall Keepin’ it Clean: Behind the Scenes
NEWS
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People of the Polls Concealed Carry The Energy Effect
OPINION
ON THE COVER: In 2013, the Kansas Legislature enacted a law preventing state and municipal bodies from banning concealed handguns in public places, but all six Kansas Board of Regents regional colleges were exempt from this law. On July 1, 2017, this exemption will expire, allowing students to carry concealed guns in campus buildings. photo illustration by Donna Armstrong
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Cultural Connections
SPORTS
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The Waiting Game A Different Ride
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE Feature: When is it too old to trick or treat?
editor’s note 4|
THE STANDARD Staring at my laptop screen two nights before issue three of The Standard goes to print, there is one thing on my mind: procrastination. Like most other high school students, procrastination is a battle which I typically lose. It comes knocking at my front door, and I let it in, allowing it to consume my life. Being both a senior and an editor on The Standard, I personally am plagued with a taxing amount of deadlines. As a newspaper staff, we have deadlines weekly to guarantee that we put out the best possible product for you, our readers. Yet, I still find myself doing everything I can to avoid such deadlines. I have actually found myself staring at a wall because of procrastination — this is not a hyperbole. While I might take extreme routes to put off my deadlines till the last minute, in the end, I always have to buckle down and get it done. The real problem with procrastination is not the amount of time spent avoiding the deadline, but the amount of time you leave yourself to complete the task. And it is certainly difficult to overcome considering all the enticing distractions such as Netflix, TV and the fast-paced world of social media. However, in the end, we must close out of Netflix, shut off the TV and turn off our phones so we don’t drown in our responsibilities. This is a skill that all high schoolers must learn at some point; however, some are better at this than others. On this staff we have an assortment of different personality types. This means that different staffers deal with procrastination in different ways; some rarely even face this epidemic. However, no matter how this staff deals with procrastination, one thing is always consistent: in the end, we get our work done. In this case, it meant I eventually had to write this editor’s note. The newspaper staff gets our work done because it is our job. We cover the stories of the students and staff of this school in the most factual way possible to provide the most information for our readers. We work countless hours and stay at school late on work nights to solidify that everything printed in this paper is accurate and meaningful for you all. As a staff, we will continuously persevere through the deathly illness of procrastination in hopes of providing our audience with the stories they deserve.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF delaney oliver
ONLINE EDITOR donna armstrong
ASSOCIATE EDITOR lillie hoffart
STAFF WRITERS megan flood jenna hope summer lyon emma olinger elianna oliver arielle singer
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER taylor falkner
ADVISER
rachel chushuk
The Southwest Standard is published seven times a year for students, faculty and surrounding community of Blue Valley Southwest. It is an open forum for student expression. Therefore, the opinions expressed within this paper do not necessarily reflect the views of the administration of Blue Valley Unified School District #229. Letters to the editor and reader responses are encouraged for publication. The Southwest Standard reserves the right to edit all submissions for both language and content and encourages letters to be no more than 350 words. All letters must be signed and names will be published. The Standard 17600 Quivira Road Overland Park, KS 66221 Phone: 913-624-2262 Website: bvswnews.com Email: bvswnews@gmail.com
feature / the standard / oct. 2016 | 5
Early [ In ]decision Early [ In ]decision seniors plan to apply early for college
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ollege. Applications. Campus. Admissions. To people, these should just go for it and do early decision. But, if there are a lot, words may make them think of the future. To some seniors, then go early action everywhere you can because it’s always cool however, these words define their present. to know that you’ve got into the school.” Ever since senior Maddy Barnes knew it was an option, she has Senior Uma Desai, applying early for Stanford University, wanted to apply early. Barnes said she has always been a proactive said she could not apply for early decision because Standford only person, so applying for early admission has been a goal for her. She offered early restrictive action, which is another form of early said she plans to apply for early action to the University of Oregon action. this fall along with many other seniors. “Stanford doesn’t offer [early decision],” “I’ve wanted to go to Oregon since the Desai said. “If they did, I would do that. Early beginning of my junior year,” Barnes said. decision is great because you can get the “I always knew about it and had heard answer really fast.” “There’s always that more when my sister applied her senior Magness said deadlines for early decision are question in the back of my year of high school. I didn’t really fall in concentrated in the month of November and, mind like ‘Am I going to get love until I started looking into colleges usually, many applicants know by December in’ because, if I don’t get in, I more. It popped up on my ‘colleges that are if they have gotten in. On the other hand, only have two weeks before perfect for you’ sidebar on a website I used students who apply for early action usually all the other applications to organize scholarship opportunities, so I find out if they have been accepted in January are due.” looked into it. The rest is history.” or February. Applying early action for many According to collegeboard.org, early different colleges, senior Matt Nixon said he action differs from early decision because knows the pressure of meeting deadlines. | senioremilymagness an early decision plan is binding. People “I am applying early to the University of who choose to apply for early decision do Arkansas, the University of Colorado Boulder, so in early November. Applicants can only Southern Methodist University and Colorado apply for early decision to one college, but School of Mines,” Nixon said. “The most are free to apply to many different colleges stressful part is meeting the deadlines for the for early action. application and scholarship applications.” Choosing a binding plan, unlike Barnes, senior Emily Magness With November approaching, applicant deadlines can weigh on decided to apply for early decision to Wellesley College in Wellesley, students’ minds. Massachusetts. “Deadlines are hard and fast,” counselor Shari Schaake said. “[Early action is] just really for people who want to find out “There’s not, ‘Okay, we’ll give you a couple days.“You have to have earlier but early decision, for me, was probably the better route all your information in by that school’s deadline. There’s no ‘yes, because I knew I wanted to go to that school,” Magness said. “There no’ answer on a lot of those questions on those applications. It’s are other options that I’ve considered but none of them hold up to hard because it’s not like it’s a test; it’s an application. They’re [Wellesley]. I think, if there’s one you really have in mind, then you selling hemselves, which some students aren’t very good at because
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they are too humble. So it’s hard for them to sing their praises and “I really liked Wellesley a lot when I went to visit, and I feel like speak to those: out loud and write them down.” it’s a place that I’m really going to be happy,” Magness said. “If I can Schaake said one advantage of early admissions is the increased increase my odds of admission, and I can go early to a school I really ability of the student to show the colleges what kind of person he like, it’s a really good situation.” or she is. Aside from increased scholarship consideration and probability “In some of the essays — selling yourself, making yourself sound of admission, Barnes said her reason for applying early was to not good on paper, GPAs, reporting — all that stuff is done now,” Schaake have to worry about it later on. said. “If you’re waiting to do regular decision, you’re letting your “I wanted to know immediately,” Barnes said. “If I had it my way, transcript just speak for you. If you’re just waiting until later on, I’d be there now. The idea of knowing you’re in and going to attend when we send all the information over, that’s not a whole lot that the college of your dreams is reassuring. It’s less pressure on you you have to go through. I do feel like the later in the school year.” early process is a little more stressful for After turning in an application, Magness students.” said one of the worst parts is the anticipation Barnes said she agrees that the essays of finding out if she got accepted. can be tedious and stressful on most “There’s always that question in the students who choose to apply early. back of my mind like ‘Am I going to get “They’re just time “Most of the time, people applying early in?’ because, if I don’t get in, I only have consuming and need to be are applying early for a reason — that being two weeks before all the other applications perfect. This isn’t a paper an honors college or a scholarship deadline are due,” Magness said. “I’m applying to 17 about rhetorical strategy, — which means another essay or two,” other schools apart from [Wellesley]. It’s this is my life.” Barnes said. “They’re just time consuming going to be a really fun adventure if I don’t and need to be perfect. This isn’t a paper get in or if I get wait listed.” | seniormaddybarnes about rhetorical strategy, this is my life.” Schaake said she believes each choice, Knowing the benefits of applying early, whether it be how students apply or what despite the extra stress, Nixon said he knew college they apply to, is unique to each he wanted to apply early in June and knew individual. what he was in for. “I encourage students to apply where “I decided [to apply early] when I they want to be,” Schaake said. “I think, heard about the increased possibility sometimes, students will apply because of scholarship consideration,” Nixon said. “The chance I have they think it sounds cool or their parents have gone there or of getting in and receiving better scholarships is a lot higher by somebody thinks they should end up there. I encourage kids to go applying early.” visit, experience it and then apply where they feel like it’s home.” Magness said she wants to apply early decision to Wellesley College because her probability of being accepted goes up by 20 | summerlyon percent.
8 | sports / the standard / oct. 2016
the waiting game how injuries affect the varsity boys soccer team
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itting on the sidelines, junior Dalio Mercado watches his teammates hustle to their positions on the field. The whistle is blown and the ball is kicked off. Goals are scored and substitutions are made, yet Mercado remains unable to play. He sits alongside his teammates, cheering for the rest of the team while they compete. As the clock ticks, he observes the game from a new perspective: the bench. Mercado cannot play soccer after multiple injuries and is restrained to the sidelines for the remainder of the season. Throughout the season and during the offseason, many of the boys varsity soccer players are forced to take a break from their sport due to various injuries, impacting different aspects of the team. According to usatoday.com, approximately 1.35 million children experienced a sports-related injury in 2012 “severe enough to send them to a hospital emergency department.” This high number has led to a deeper focus
on injury prevention within the last few years, with more of a prioritization on warming up, stretching and allowing time for players to rest. Despite these measures, injuries continue to persist, as seen by Mercado’s injury. “I started playing soccer when I was 6 years old because my grandpa and dad were both professional soccer players and I wanted to follow in their footsteps,” Mercado said. “I was injured on April 17, 2016, by reaching out for a ball trying to score while an opponent hit my knee and bent it the opposite direction.” This incident led to Mercado injuring his ACL, MCL and VMO muscles, preventing him from playing for what the doctor initially thought would be close to 10 months. Mercado began physical therapy immediately following his surgery, at first needing to go three days a week, now twice a week. Though Mercado has recovered significantly since the initial injury, he remains unable to play for the rest of the season. Despite
these setbacks, he has been able to remain involved with the team. “Injured players always try to stay involved after their injury,” senior Brady Dow said. “[Mercado] has remained a part of our team by coming to the practices and all of the games.” Dow himself broke his back during his sophomore year off the field and was unable to play. While his injury was not soccer-related, Dow said he stretches and warms up before games in attempt to continue to be injury-free. Though he takes preventative steps, he said he realizes injuries happen often. Unlike Dow, junior Jarod Vitha has had the ability to understand sportsinjuries more directly. Vitha tore his ACL in eighth grade and was unable to play for five months, which he said had an effect on the positions of his teammates. Another player needed to learn his position, changing the dynamics of the team, while he was forced to sit on the bench and just watch the game.
“I learned that wanting to be able to do something but not being able to do it is the worst thing,” Vitha said. Vitha said along with learning to cope with his inability to play, he was able to better understand the importance of putting effort into recovery. He said his injury “was just unlucky,” but the process of healing was something he was somewhat able to control. “The only results you get out of recovery are based on what you put in,” Vitha said. Though he is now recovered, Vitha said he now understands the frustrations many players face when unable to play. This experience has given him a better understanding of how injured players have an impact on their teams, whether by position changes, or attitudes of the players. “Injures can really demoralize a team, especially when a key player goes out,” Dow said. “Short term, it may cost the team a few games, and long term, it may cost us the season in the playoffs.” The team is left to deal with more than just the visible issues created. They are left to decide what steps will be taken in order to ensure the future safety of the players. Though Mercado has experienced a soccer-related injury, he said he does not plan on making any major changes. “I probably won’t [change anything],” Mercado said. “I will for sure warm up better now that I’m injured but I don’t think you can really prevent an injury like this.” Dow and Vitha also acknowledged the fact that often injuries are unavoidable and the most that players can do is stretch or warm up. Dow said problems are not always preventable even if
the team does all they can to avoid injuries on the field. Though Mercado’s injury has not greatly altered his physical process of prevention, his outlook on the issue have changed. “With this being my first injury, my mindset kind of changed,” Mercado said. “I would always think that this would never happen to me, and stuff like that, but it could happen to anyone.” After facing injuries himself or seeing the impact of injuries on teammates, Mercado said he realizes that it boils down to sheer luck, and even if they do all they can, being hurt is at times, unavoidable. Mercado said he has learned that injuries are very applicable to the team even if they believe that they are unlikely, and they are forced to cope until full recovery unless they are able to speed up the process. “I’m ahead of schedule,” Mercado said. “My goal is to be ready by the end of December for the Disney soccer college showcase my team is participating in in Florida. But I’ll follow my doctor’s instructions on when he thinks I’m ready.” Though he is out for the varsity season, Mercado has made a quicker recovery than expected and said he has been able to continue to support and motivate his teammates before his return. Vitha said that Mercado’s injury has reminded him of lessons he previously learned while injured himself. “Never give up and keep pushing toward that goal you want to achieve,” Vitha said. “The harder you work, the more you get out of it.” | ariellesinger
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(1) The team celebrates following junior Matthew Weaver’s goal. (2) Sitting on the bench, junior Dalio Mercado watches his teammates.
10 | news / the standard / oct. 2016
People of THE POLLS students and staff discuss the upcoming election
Photo by Saul Loeb
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ulling out a stool to the middle of her living room, sophomore Amber Yarbrough recalls watching the presidential debate with her parents and older sister. As the remote sat on the arm of the couch, she said her family chatted about their least favorite candidate, her knowledge of the election all thanks to her seventh hour class. That class is America Decides, a course designed to inform students on the state of the election, including the presidential candidates, who each student sides with and how the election really works. It is offered every four years leading up to the election to give students a platform on which to discuss political issues. One of the five America Decides teachers, Mike Hardin, said he makes sure to make his class a comfortable environment. He told his students on the first day that there was no room for discrimination in the classroom when students share their opinions or discuss political topics.
Photo by Micheal Vadon
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“It’s about being cool, because you can’t actually have a dialogue and you can’t actually learn and grow from others and differing opinions around you if your ears are turned off to hearing them,” Hardin said. “If you’re saying rude things or discriminatory things, how can you possibly have your ears listening to what others are saying and where they come from?” Students like sophomore Lizzy Reilly said they were exposed to a better view of the election, one they wouldn’t experience from any other kind of class. Reilly said she has gained a different perspective of the election from this class and was excited to share it with her family and friends. “Because of this class I can talk and discuss politics with my parents,” Reilly said. “I can keep up with what they’re saying and [I can correct] them if they’ve confused something. With my friends, we can talk on the basic level about politics and what we believe and support and what we don’t believe and support.” After learning to maintain a cordial atmosphere in the class, Hardin said his students are all very respectful. Learning alongside his students, Hardin said he has had to adjust his teaching style from a previously forensics and social studies focus. “America Decides is different because it grabs the attention of so many people, especially when you have an election like
this one, which is so hotly contested and has made more headlines than any election ever, and in more unique ways than any election ever before,” Hardin said. “So it makes things different, and as a result, I have to teach the class differently.” Another America Decides teacher, David Apel, said no matter who is teaching the class, the students shouldn’t feel like they are being told how they should think about the election. “The students will disagree on issues, but their grades will be impacted positively or negatively on how you disagree,” Apel said. “They need to disagree in a civil way and not make it personal.” Apel said statistics show that young people are least likely to vote of any demographic group. He and Hardin both said they hope America Decides encourages students to participate in voting. “If you’re able to vote, and you could have, and you chose not to, how do you have the audacity to even complain?” Hardin said. “How do you have the nerve to say, ‘Well the government is doing this and that, and it’s so offensive to me,’ but you didn’t cast a ballot?” Hardin said the class mainly covers the election process, from the choosing of a candidate to the legacy of presidents. However, he said he was sure to teach students, like freshman Maddie Huwe, the importance of voting.
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“Democracy doesn’t work if everyone’s voice isn’t heard,” Huwe said. “A democracy is designed so everyone can have a say in the government. People get to vote on who they think matched their beliefs. If everyone who can vote doesn’t vote, then everyone’s voice won’t be heard and the people who are elected won’t match the beliefs of our country.” Students like Huwe have also found this election to be vastly different than any before. With Hillary Clinton, the first female front runner of a major political party, and Donald Trump, a business leader and reality television star as the Republican nominee, Huwe said this election will be one long remembered. Hardin agreed. “I think that some of the surges you’ve seen in unconventional candidates like Donald Trump on the Republican side and Bernie Sanders on the Democratic side are a sign outwardly of dissatisfaction that’s been brewing inside both of those movements for a long time,” Hardin said. Some students like Reilly have made up their mind on which candidate they prefer. “If I could vote, I would vote for Hillary Clinton because she has a long, creditable track record dealing with politics for a long time,” Reilly said. “I support her view on issues such as LGBT rights, gun control, vaccinations, abortion, equal pay, economic issues and foreign affairs.”
However, some students like Yarbrough question Hillary’s legitimacy as a candidate and don’t trust her to be the president. “I would vote for Donald Trump because I wouldn’t be able to trust Hillary,” Yarbrough said. “Have you seen the movie ‘Whiskey Tango Foxtrot’ with Tina Fey? In the trailer, this girl is the first to ever drive a car in [Afghanistan] and crashes the car. She doesn’t speak for all women, but she was the first one to drive and messed it up for all the [women] who wanted to drive there. It’s a good representation of what will happen after this election.” Despite having different opinions, Apel said most of his students are very respectful of each other. While he said the students are learning a lot, Apel is learning a lot himself. “One thing that I’ve enjoyed is that contrary to what a lot of people say — ‘Young people don’t care about the elections’ — I don’t find that to be true at all here,” Apel said. “I think most students are very passionate about their beliefs and that’s good. That’s enlightening. That makes me feel good about this generation.”
| emmaolinger
14 | feature / the standard / oct. 2016
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senior Londyn Bogseth gets certified to teach people with Alzheimer’s to paint
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alking into Brookdale senior care community, senior Londyn Bogseth heads toward the painting room and hears the familiar sound of therapeutic music. She begins to help set up by grabbing watercolor sets, paint brushes and bowls of water. She then sits down in between two residents and watches them begin to paint. This is the scene that Londyn encounters every Sunday when she volunteers at Brookdale College Square, a senior care community that specializes in Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Londyn helps a select group of residents paint. These residents are given the opportunity to paint through Memories in the Making(c), a program provided by the Alzheimer’s Association that allows people with Alzheimer’s disease to paint with watercolors every week in an hour-long session. Londyn said she attended a six-hour-long training session and afterward was trained through the Alzheimer’s Association to help with the program. Londyn attended the training session with Pamela Luna, the activities and life enrichment coordinator at Brookdale. Londyn has worked with Luna since she started volunteering in seventh grade at Rosewood Estates Assisted Living Community. Londyn’s mom, Shelley Bogseth, said Londyn began volunteering with her older sister Lauryn Bogseth at Rosewood Estates in seventh grade when her sister needed community service hours for National Honor Society.
“Londyn found out she really enjoyed it,” Shelley said. “I believe to do this type of work, you truly have to have a calling to do it. Lauryn did it to get her hours, Londyn did it because she enjoyed it.” When Londyn first started volunteering at Rosewood Estates, she helped out with Bingo and by painting the residents’ nails. Then, in the summer of 2016, Londyn said she started volunteering at Brookdale after Luna switched jobs. She said Luna then approached her about getting trained to help elderly residents paint through the program. Luna said she asked Londyn to get trained because of her commitment and dedication. She also said that since she has worked with Londyn for so long, she finally realized she was going places and she wanted to help her out. “It takes a special person to engage and to show compassion to residents, especially [with] Alzheimer’s and dementia unit patients,” Luna said. “It takes a great deal of patience, and just the love that you have to show to them. And just knowing that she has a great personality and those characteristics, it was really easy to know that she would make a perfect fit into starting out this program and to be able to be hands-on with the residents and doing these painting projects.” Londyn said she decided to get certified because she enjoys working with elderly people. She also said it’s a good way to earn community service hours while still knowing she is doing something to help change someone’s life.
After being trained, Londyn said one of the most rewarding things was being able to watch the residents enjoy themselves while painting. “Usually you walk around nursing homes and you just see people sitting there and not actually doing anything,” Londyn said. “A certain group of people once a week get to go and listen to music and sit and chill and just paint what they want to. I think it’s pretty cool, just that time to themselves where they can just relax.” Londyn said she realizes the importance of Memories in the Making(c). She said it provides structure for the residents by providing them with a place to go every week to paint, while also providing a free space for the residents to be creative. Londyn also said that this creativity through painting trains the residents’ brains and allows them to create more memories. Londyn said this program is very rewarding. She said one of the most rewarding things is being able to see residents interact with their children and being able to see the look on the families’ faces after a resident remembers something. However, Londyn said there are difficult aspects because the rules of this program don’t allow her to directly help the residents. “I just want to help them,” Londyn said. “I want to help them draw a line. They just can’t mentally know what they want to do. Some of them don’t know just to put the brush onto the paper; they just can’t physically do that. And so I just want to get in there and help them, help them draw a flower or anything like that. It’s tough to not help them with that kind of stuff.” Karen Clond, who works for the Heart of America Alzheimer’s Association, said the reason for this rule is because Memories in the Making(c) wants to guarantee that the work done is by the resident themselves. She said a volunteer’s job is to help engage the resident, not paint for them. She said if the volunteer were
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to paint for the resident it implies that the resident is not able to do it. “It also dilutes the artist’s sense of ownership and pride, both goals of the program,” Clond said. “A volunteer’s job is to empower the artist.” Londyn said volunteering at nursing homes and helping residents paint through this program has helped her realize what she wants for the future. She said working with the elderly has made her see she wants to work with special education students in her future. She said even though these two groups have quite an age gap they both possess some of the same qualities and she wants to continue to feel like she is making a difference. Not only has volunteering helped Londyn know what career path she wants to pursue, Luna said it has also shaped her as a person. Luna said when Londyn first started out, she was quiet and shy, and is now more outgoing. “She became outgoing and she found herself, who she is and what she wants to be,” Luna said. “She has grown in a mental status by being able to communicate with all different personality types. She has gotten to meet all different types of people with educations and they have gotten to live their lives. And she has gotten a piece of that knowledge.” Shelley said she agrees that she thinks Londyn’s volunteer experience has helped shape the person she is today as well as what she wants to do in the future. “I believe volunteering at the assisted living facility has influenced Londyn in such a way that she wants to make a career out of helping those with challenges,” Shelley said. “She gets so much joy out of helping others. It has also helped her appreciate the small acts of kindness in life. What might seem like nothing to most of us, can mean the world to these individuals.”
| donnaarmstrong
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(1) Admiring Alzheimer’s residet Darlene Warring’s painting, senior Londyn Bogseth laughs at a comment Warring made. Bogseth helps residents at Brookdale College Square with Alzheimer’s paint through a program called Memories in the Making(c).
(2) Pointing to the picture Mike Resovich is painting, senior Londyn Bogseth suggests he add more green to his painting. Resovich is one of the Alzheimer’s residents at Brookdale College Square that is able to paint every week through Memories in the Making(c).
hello fall 109 students were surveyed about their favorite aspects of fall
Apple or pumpkin Flavor
55% 45% Are avid PSL (Pumpkin Spice Latte) Drinkers
36% other
favorite fall color 1%
2%
3%
8%
9%
77%
frequent fall pastimes
:
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Haunted Houses
33% cider mills
68% corn mazes
40% other
8%
feature / the standard / oct. 2016 | 17
Favorite fall clothing Items pumpkin patch
66%
jackets
boots
scarves
Hats
sweatshirts
sweatpants
4% 18% 8%
apple orchards
19%
worlds of fun: the haunt
54%
2% 40% 4% Flannels
jeans
?
other
11% 8% 5% | eliannaoliver
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18 | opinion / the standard / oct. 2016
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ix thousand, nine hundred and nine. According to the Linguistic Society of America, the most extensive catalog of languages is a list containing 6,909 distinct languages, yet so many people are content with knowing just one. While not everyone may feel particularly linguistically gifted or ever become fluent in more than one language, learning another language is just as important as math or history. Senior Sara Fanous has taken Spanish every year since her first years in elementary school. She said at first she continued with Spanish because she didn’t want to waste all the time she had put into learning the language over the years.
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manifests as they turn to other classes to fill its place. Kilcoyne said some students are content with only completing two years of a language because it gives them just enough for colleges to be satisfied. “They don’t see the benefits of continuing, or often time they think ‘I only need two to get into KU’ or ‘I only need two to get into K-State,’” Kilcoyne said. “I have heard from kids who have dropped, they come back and their question for me is ‘Why did you let me drop?’ Well, in the end, it’s your decision.” Even though it is not a requirement to take a language class to graduate in the Blue Valley district, language classes are still an important aspect, not only for the improved communication possibilities, but also cultural engagement. Being culturally aware benefits individuals as they are often more understanding of others and their culture. They learn to respect differences, and view them in a positive light. Taking a language throughout high school opens up numerous opportunities for service, travel and viewing a different perspective as the knowledge of a language grows. “Yes, it looks great on a college application and yes, you get paid a lot more for being bilingual, but it’s more than that,” Fanous said. “Just knowing a little bit of a different language opens the doors to communication with hundreds of thousands of more people, and that is pretty cool.”
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“I knew that throwing away 10 years of “It’s a great way to build relationships work would be a mistake, so I continued,” with people, when you find you have Fanous said. “After freshman year though, something in common,” Spanish teacher my reasoning shifted. I continued because I Alyson Kilcoyne said. “Even if it is a loved learning Spanish and learning about stranger, just the simple fact of being able the culture.” to speak their language, even if they speak Fanous said taking Spanish has exposed yours, immediately brightens their day. For her to a different perspective, increasing example, there’s a woman at my gym, she her appreciation of culture and history, knows some English but she’s much more as she views it differently than she used comfortable speaking Spanish. Every time to. Lingual and cultural differences put a we see each other, she always addresses spin on events that me in Spanish. might be familiar and Just the smile that “Taking Spanish has definitely transform them into is on her face, it’s something new and contagious and opened my eyes to a exciting. it’s incredible.” whole different world. We “Taking Spanish Kilcoyne said has definitely opened she believes the as a society are so focused my eyes to a whole ability to make different world,” connections like on our own individual Fanous said. “We this is one of the worlds that sometimes as a society are so things she likes focused on our own most about being we forget about what’s individual worlds bilingual, and happening in the worlds of that sometimes we looking back, forget about what’s she wishes she people around us.” happening in the would have taken | seniorsarafanous worlds of people French as well around us.” to expand her As complex as our world is today, communication abilities. knowing another language has multiple In a different country, knowing the advantages. Along with the personal language is the best way to connect with and cultural benefits of a language class a diverse culture and be more personable throughout high school, students can also and trustworthy, and overall, adds to the enter a higher level class when they begin experience. For most students, Kilcoyne college. said travel is probably the main reason “One of the advantages to taking four they continue with language classes. years of high school Spanish is that I However, junior Michael Walker is get to go into college with a lot of credit among several students who choose not hours,” Fanous said. “That becomes helpful to take a language, as he dropped Spanish because I don’t have to be in a beginning after sixth grade. Spanish class with 200 people and I can get “It was really hard and there’s a lot a minor pretty quickly.” of homework, and I really didn’t like not No matter what a student’s plans are knowing what the teacher was saying,” for college, language is always applicable, Walker said. “[I dropped language classes and being bilingual is a huge benefit when because] I’m really crunched for credits applying for a job after they graduate. anyway.” Fanous said she plans to pursue a minor in Besides the extra workload, schedule Spanish next year in college. space for a full-year class often prevents “My plan is to go into medicine and or discourages students from taking a knowing different languages can be language class as they opt to explore other really helpful when trying to understand options. patients, even in Kansas,” Fanous said. “The “I think most people stop taking more you can understand, the more you Spanish in high school because they don’t can help.” have time for it in their schedule,” Fanous Communication is often something said. “It’s a big commitment, and to add it taken for granted, especially in a on top of your core classes can be difficult community where there is limited diversity. at times. I manage my schedule to take The ability to converse in another language Spanish by not taking any of the extra enables connections with a broader range curricular classes.” of people, and also automatically makes a After the first few years, some students’ person more approachable and respectful. commitment to taking a language
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feature / the standard / oct. 2016 | 21
keepin’ it clean: behind the scenes night shift custodians share their stories
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very night a group of 10 men and women strive to keep the hallways clean and the school spotless. Two additional staff members help out during the day. Since the night custodians work from 3 p.m. to as late as 11:30, many students don’t have the opportunity to meet and know the night shift staff. Five of them share their stories below.
Michael Brown
The lead custodian, Michael Brown, was born in Ohio and came to Southwest after working as a custodian at Lakewood Middle School. On top of that, he’s managed and supervised in his previous job as a salesman. Through his former careers, Brown said he’s learned how to be a good listener and how to be people-oriented. Brown said these skills help him lead his crew in daily tasks. “First I get the crew ready at three o’clock and tell them what’s going on in the building — if we’re short people, how we are going to adjust and who’s going to cover what,” Brown said. “If we have events and stuff, [we] make sure we have everything set up. [We are] just making sure that we’re doing our job so you guys can enjoy your time here.” Outside of school, Brown spends his time riding motorcycles. He owns a Harley Davidson motorcycle and has been riding for
over 30 years. “My outside joy is motorcycle riding. So I do trips, events, things like that. Anything motorcycle involved is what I like to do. It helps me relax,” Brown said. Working at the school since its first day, Brown said he has done a variety of tasks and recommends doing the hardest things first. “There’s things I don’t like to do but I know I’ve got to do them, so you just have to get it out of the way,” Brown said. “Don’t do something first and get back to it later. If it’s something that needs to be done and it’s tedious, I’ll do that first thing just to get it out of the way.”
Robert Pearce
The assistant night shift custodian, Robert Pearce, covers all the floors in the building except inside the classrooms. Having 15 years of custodial experience, Pearce said he likes the day shift but likes the night shift because of the work. He was born and raised in Missouri and has also lived in Billings, Montana, and Sheridan, Wyoming. “I lived in the base of the mountain,” Pearce said. “I worked as the road crew and I also worked at the third largest rancher in the United States driving a semi truck.”
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“we have twelve different personalities, and we all have to figure out how to work together.” | Lead Custodian Michael Brown
Lead custodian Michael Brown folds up tables for the commons. Pearce said he likes to spend his free time in the outdoors. On top of that, Pearce said he enjoys stock cars and has a passion for racing and fishing. “I love the outdoors and I love racing,” Pearce said. “I used to do stock car racing and then it got too expensive, so I decided to get out of it. If it’s a nice day, I’m usually out and I’m gone fishing. Even if they’re not biting, I can sit there on the dock all day down at the lake and just enjoy myself — just being out in the fresh air — because I’m an outdoor person.”
Jonathan Hall
Custodian Jonathan Hall has been working as a custodian in the district for 17 years, and said he’s worked in almost every school. Hall said he is a fan of music and that it keeps him going. In addition to being a music lover, Hall is a self-taught acoustic guitar player. “I play acoustic guitar but I haven’t played it in a while,” Hall said. “I have led worship at my church for a long time and one of my favorites is ‘Open the Eyes of My Heart.’ I’m a big fan of Chris
Tomlin. I learned to play when I was 8 years old. I can’t do scales. I taught myself, but then I took lessons because I hit a wall. I listen to a lot of music — a lot of stuff on my radio — to keep me going.”
Amelowrk Yitparek
Custodian Amelowrk Yitparek covers the library and the senior hallway during her shift. Yitparek was born in Ethiopia and said she can speak Amharic, the official language of Ethopia. She came to the United States in 2004 when she was around 20 years old. She said she likes working the night shift and working at the school because of all of the encouragement and friendly faces. “Southwest is new, it’s clean, and it looks good,” Yitparek said. “Teachers [and staff] are so nice. Seriously, I like being here so much, especially the senior hall. The teachers all the time encourage me and say ‘thank you.’”
Nancy Lai
Custodian Nancy Lai has been working at Southwest since 2011. Lai is in charge of covering the front office area, including the
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meeting rooms. She has lived in Kansas for 30 years but was born in Vietnam. At that time, Vietnam was split into two parts, North and South. North Vietnam was under communist rule and the South was a republic. When South Vietnam fell in 1975, the whole country of Vietnam was under communist rule. As a result of the instability in her country, Lai left to pursue freedom and start a new life. “I remember that last day before I left Vietnam my mom said one word, ‘Honey you sure you want to do it? Because you don’t
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see anything but the sky and water. That’s all,’” Lai said. “And then I was in the boat, under the boat like almost a couple weeks. I went up and I saw sky and water. I was just terrified and remembered what my mom told me.”
| jennahope
24 | news / the standard / oct. 2016
Concealed Carry S expiring exemption for state colleges establishes right to carry concealed guns
trolling into his 8 a.m. lecture, Southwest alumnus and Kansas State University freshman Daniel Staudenmaier notices something different about the no-gun sign. He refocuses his vision on the sign and reads “expires July 1, 2017.� Having noticed the new policy flipping through his orientation booklet earlier that summer, Staudenmaier continues on with his day. In 2013, the Kansas Legislature enacted a law preventing state and municipal bodies from banning concealed handguns in public places. All six Kansas Board of Regents regional colleges were exempted from this law for four years, allowing people to conceal-carry guns on campus, but not in any buildings. On July 1, 2017, this exemption will expire.
“That decision was made by the legislature — all of the regions testified, different universities in the region testified, and everyone was against it, but they passed it in Topeka, which is beyond our control,” said Ronnie Grice, assistant vice president and chief of public safety at K-State. “We are all against it, but at the same time since we are an institute of the state of Kansas and a certain percentage of our funding comes from those entities, we don’t like it, but it is going to happen anyway.” After the expiration date, campuses will not be allowed to prohibit concealed weapons unless security measures are put into place at each doorway. Each individual school will be required to write their own policies that correspond with the law as well. These policies will include that for someone to carry a concealed weapon, he or she must be 21 years or older and have legally obtained the gun. According to Fox 4 News, he or she must also keep it in a holster with a safety engaged and must keep the weapon in his or her control at all times as well. “Personally, I think the only people being able to carry guns on campus are the police, and that is us,” Grice said. “They say it is for personal protection, which it could be, but at the same time, we try to have an environment to let everybody feel safe and try to provide on those services. Somebody in Topeka thought it was a great idea for everybody in college 21 or over to carry guns, and that is even stretched to the faculty and staff.” Knowing that the change in the law is inevitable, Grice said he and his team have accepted the change despite their displeasure with the idea. “We are against having a bunch of guns running around, especially here, on main campus, with 21,000 kids, students, not talking faculty, staff, visitors, guests,” Grice said. “In my opinion, less is best for me, but I do not control that.” According to news website rt.com, Kansas governor Sam Brownback signed a law authorizing the carrying of concealed handguns in the state without a license or a training requirement, as long as an individual is not prohibited from accessing a firearm, which went into effect on July 1, 2015. Staudenmaier said his biggest concern is that the new laws will enable the wrong person to have a gun. Despite these concerns, Staudenmaier said he supports the change in the law. “I am all for allowing concealed-carry on campuses,” Staudenmaier said. “A college campus can be a scary place. Unlike a typical high school, anyone can walk on campus at any time, so it gives me some peace of mind to know that if someone suspicious did come on school grounds, there could be someone there to provide defense for the general public.” With a similar viewpoint as Grice, senior Rachel Aron said she is concerned about the increase in weapons on college campuses and would rather see improvement in other areas. “I think it would be more effective to simply increase security, and spend time training staff in defensive measures, so that if there is a conflict, they’re prepared,” Aron said. “But it shouldn’t be every student for themselves. It’s not the students’ job to protect themselves with guns while they’re simply trying to earn a degree.” According to KSNT.com, the concealed carry policy contains an exception to the open-carry ban for someone who pulls a gun in self-defense, but it contains no specific exception for defending others. Aron said she acknowledges that there are benefits as well, but she believes allowing more guns will allow more violence. “There are definitely benefits, like the fact that should a shooting occur, students would be able to defend themselves and apprehend the criminal, but it’s a cycle,” Aron said. “The more guns are allowed, the more other students will feel the need to purchase guns to defend themselves. Yes, we need increased
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safety measures on campuses because of the consistent shootings and the rampant sexual assault and rape, but I don’t think allowing more students to have guns is a good way to increase safety. In the end, it’ll probably just increase violence.” This law requires individuals wanting to carry a weapon to be 21, which leaves high school students individually unaffected by the law. However, school resource officer Matt Buelt said if a staff member or parent wanted to exercise their right to carry a concealed weapon, it is not against the law. However, Buelt said since the school is private property, owned by the school district and assigned to principal Scott Roberts, Roberts is in charge of the building and can ask someone to leave, whether this may be because of a weapon or a parent being belligerent toward a referee. If said person decides not to leave, they can be arrested for trespassing rather than carrying their weapon onto campus, leaving a “loophole” of sorts, school resource officer Lance Balderston said. Loophole or no loophole, junior Seth Bryant said he believes this law is a respectable change for the state. “I think guns on campuses are a good thing; more people will be able to defend themselves and others from bad people wanting to do harm,” Bryant said. “I believe I need a gun to feel safe and in a case where anything goes [wrong] which requires me to use my firearm, I would.” Whether or not the law is popular among citizens, Buelt said he doesn’t expect that it will have a large effect on the amount of crimes committed. “Criminals are going to carry guns whether it’s illegal or not and criminals that use weapons don’t care if it’s illegal or not,” Buelt said. “Tightening the restrictions on a campus, I don’t know if it would prevent any violence that was going to happen anyways. That might just be the cop in me, we train that everybody is armed until we know otherwise.” Like Buelt, Staudenmaier said he trusts the security on the K-State campus and doesn’t feel endangered. Staudenmaier said it’s reassuring to know that other “good people” are armed in case a situation arises, but does not feel it is necessary for him to own one himself. “The university works very hard to make sure the campus is as safe as possible and that no one should live in fear that they may be in danger here,” Staudenmaier said. To prepare for any change that might occur, Grice said K-State is looking toward an increase in staff and more training, especially for dispatchers. “I think once that this goes into place, the first three to four months are going to be entertaining, because you don’t really know what to expect, but after that, it might just level off,” Grice said. While each college will do what they believe needs to be done to prepare for July 1, Buelt suggests students be aware. “Be aware of your surroundings, have good situational awareness — like on a campus, know where your exits are to each building, know where your exits are to your classrooms, pay attention to your surroundings, people around you, people acting nervous, people acting strange,” Buelt said. “That shouldn’t be any different because of this law; that’s just good practice to do anyways.” Grice said other states who have had this law enacted for a while have not seen a large change. However, until July, Kansas will not know the effects of the expiration. “We don’t know what to anticipate; we don’t know what to expect,” Grice said. “We are just going to have to wait until after July 1, then see how many times the phone rings.” | delaneyoliver
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CCW: carrying of concealed weapons “May Issue”: issuing authority wide discretion to deny a CCW permit to an applicant “Shall Issue”: requires the issuing authority to grant most CCW permit requests. “Shall issue” laws can be further subdivided into states that provide no discretion to the issuing authority, and states which provide the issuing authority a limited amount of discretion.
No CCW Required “May Issue” States Limited Discretion “Shall Issue” No Discretion “Shall Issue” information from: http://smartgunlaws.org/
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28 | sports / the standard / oct. 2016
A d iffer e nt ri de students find their passion in horseback riding
What makes it “worth” it? “It’s a lot of hours and a lot of long days but it’s a passion of mine and there’s like nothing else like being around the horses and like having and when I’m having a bad day I can like go up and be with them and it calms me and. It’s just a passion of mine and it’s hard to stop a passion just got to do what you love I guess.”
How does horseback riding affect your school work? “It’s really difficult because there’ll be times where I’m gone for months at a time. I did online school for about two years and I take a couple AP classes online. The teachers at Southwest have been awesome, with helping me whenever I do take a couple classes there, of being really supportive and getting me my schoolwork and just always being there for me whenever I need help.
| seniorraeganrast Senior Raegan Rast leads her horse, Peter, at the barn at her house.
What makes it “worth” it? “I’ve grown up riding all my life. It’s not just a sport it’s a lifestyle and I wouldn’t trade it for anything or any of the opportunities I have been given because of it. And in the end, it’s the love I have for the horses that makes it all worth it.”
When did you start riding/ competing? “My mom rode a little bit when she was younger but she wasn’t ever as near as competitive as I am now. I started riding when I was 6 and I started with riding ponies.”
How does horseback riding affect your school work?
Senior Hailey Livingston rides one of her boarder horses, Magic.
“Riding interferes with school a lot and as well as a social life with friends at home, but that’s just something you have to except when going into a sport like this. It requires maximum time and effort at 110 percent. It’s difficult when I miss school for weeks at a time, but not only do I ride when I’m there, I also take care of the horses so I have to be there all week. Depends on the show, but I miss one to three weeks of school every month. This has really taught me to be proactive with getting my work and staying in contact with my teachers, and yet I have actually found out I do better the more school I miss because I have been in more contact with my teachers.”
| seniorhaileylivingston
| 29 How does horseback riding affect your school work? “Riding takes up a lot of my time because I ride five days a week. I’m up [at White Fox Manor] for typically 3-4 hours every day after school and on Saturdays. I sometimes miss school because I’m away at horse shows that are out of the state. It does cause me to stay up a little later doing my assignments. It also makes my social life a little restricted, but because I go to the barn so often I’ve made so many good friendships and I do what I love.”
When did you start competing? “I started competing about half a year [to] one year into riding, of course I was jumping the smallest things possible and we weren’t a best, but I guess you have to start somewhere.”
What makes it “worth” it?
Sophmore Morgan Young rides her horse, House, at White Fox Manor.
“Honestly, it is a very hard sport to do, it takes up so much time, it is very expensive, and it is frustrating at times, mainly because you are playing a sport where the “ball” has a brain of its own, but the outcome of it and creating a bond with an animal can’t be beat. It is such a physical experience that you stay in great shape, but the reason it’s all worth it is the connection you make with an animal all while you make new friends. Competing is a huge part of it — there is no greater feeling than working hard at something and then accomplishing it. But even when we are just practicing, the learning experience is like no other.”
| sophmoremorganyoung
Senior Hailey Livingston boards this horse at her barn.
30 | ads / the standard / oct. 2016
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The energy effect
news / the standard / oct. 2016 | 31
administrators explain reasoning for school’s LEED certification
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aylight harvesting. CO2 sensors. Occupant-level air diffusers. Stormwater retention ditches. These instruments may seem far-fetched, but all can be found in the school as part of the Leadership on Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program, which the school is certified by. According to usgbc.org/leed, the program changes the way people think about how buildings and communities are planned, constructed, maintained and operated. This program addresses sustainability and resource efficiency in building design, construction and maintenance. To build for LEED awards, the organization — in this case, the school district — must accumulate a certain number of points. These can be gained by doing anything from using approved building materials to implementing certain processes in the building. “The whole idea is ‘can you design a building with a smaller carbon footprint?’” principal Scott Roberts said. Such instruments implemented in the school include sensors which monitor the levels of carbon dioxide in the room, preventing excess fatigue. Panels on the wall in classrooms and under the floor in office spaces also help regulate air quality and ventilate the building more efficiently, as compared to older methods of introducing air from the ceiling. “As we breathe in and out we are creating carbon dioxide,” said Scott Crain, district director of design and construction. “Those contaminants are stratifying in the upper levels of the space and when we add air, what we are doing is we are remixing all that in the space. What we experience in this building is air that is delivered at the level of the occupants. It creates higher indoor air quality for students and a better environment.” Another feature is the school’s daylight harvesting system. Observing the windows throughout the building, sensors can regulate the amount of light coming inside. On an overcast day, all banks of lights may need to be on, while on a sunny day, no extra light may be needed at all. Also, occupancy sensors can detect when there is movement in the room and can turn off the lights accordingly, monitoring when rooms are empty. Additionally, the school grounds feature stormwater retention sites. The pond and
surrounding ditches are made to trap and store runoff in an effort to minimize the amount of water flowing into the stormwater system. “The biggest benefit is directly to the students,” Crain said. “I know it creates better learning environments. When you are in a space where you are not being distracted by being too hot, too cold ... falling asleep because the CO2 levels are too high, there are studies that prove students learn better in those type of situations.” Due to this focus on education, a balance must be found between energy-efficiency and creating the optimal education space. For example, windows — not known for their insulation benefits — are abundant in the building to achieve that better learning environment, Crain said. The LEED program has guided the district toward this. However, certifying buildings takes time and money. The district has modified building processes, choosing to implement practices learned from the LEED program and not seeking the official certification. Certain district buildings — such as Southwest, CAPS and Timber Creek — have acted as “pilot schools” for the district to test out the program. “You can design to those LEED principles without actually putting that plaque on the wall… We did that a few times then realized we can get the same building and provide the same experience for the occupants without spending those taxpayer dollars to highlight the fact,” Crain said. “Whether it is a major renovation, a small building addition, a brand new facility, we are going to incorporate those principles into our process, but we are not going to seek that recognition for that. We have proved we can do it.” Although the district has begun implementing energy-efficient processes in the facilities, it still has a main focus on education. “Generally we have those things which create exceptional learning environments,” Roberts said. “We are more about creating those exceptional learning environments than saving energy, per say. We want to do both when we can, but our ultimate goal isn’t to save every penny of energy. It is to provide a place for students to learn.”
| lilliehoffart
“We are all going to die. There is a very large scientific consensus that global warming is real and caused by humans. We should do everything we can to help the environment.“ | juniorrachelholzer
“The earth is our home so we need to protect it and keep it healthy. “ | seniorabbypearch
“There is so much natural beauty, like in Yellowstone, where we can really understand and see what we came from, and by not being environmentally friendly, we are destroying [it].” | seniorkeithandrews
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What leads to a LEED?
Using a process known as light harvesting, sensors measure amounts of light entering the building and adjust the indoor lighting accordingly.
The pond and surrounding ditches collect stormwater runoff instead of sending it into the sewer.
Air is delivered via wall or floor panels to occupant-level, creating a more efficient airflow path.
Sensors measure movement in the room and turn off the lights when it is not occupied.
Sensors monitor the amount of carbon dioxide in each room, minimizing the chance of exhaustion due to
Parking lot and street lights have LED bulbs, conserving more energy than the traditional light bulb.
Containers were ordered during the construction of the building to recycle materials like plastic and cardboard.
As part of the LEED certification, building materials were chosen based upon sustainability and efficiency.