BVSW - The Standard - Volume 9 - Issue 3

Can a nation divided be reunited? students should attempt to understand the opposing viewpoints of their peers pages: 11-13

THE STANDARD blue valley southwest | volume 9 | issue 3

2 | contents / the standard / oct. 2018

contents

22

feature 5 | College 101 9 | The sticker stockpile 14 | Spooky spots 22 | All about Iris

sports 7 | No time off

opinion 11 | Can a nation divided be reunited?

20 | Self care isn’t selfish

news - Online exclusive Cross country hosts EKL Go to bvswnews.com

volume 9 / issue 3 www.bvswnews.com

on the cover

Holding hands in the hallway, seniors Sara Armstrong, junior Faris Bdair, and senior Mitchell Lenartowicz stand united despite their political differences. photo illustration by emma olinger & jonah mccormick

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on bvswnews.com 7

4 | editor’s note / the standard / oct. 2018

editor’s note

P

assion is what drives us. Whether it be a drive to learn, to run, to sing or to create, each person has something they live and breathe for. Over the past few years, I’ve been fueled by a “passion” to succeed. Along the way, I became obsessed with the need to become the best I could be.

Many of us do this, and it’s quite possible to lose yourself and your true passion in the process of working toward a higher goal. I’ve discovered over the past few months that no matter how far away you may fall from the core of who you are, you’ll always come back to it, having grown into something more. Unfortunately, sometimes coming back to who you are is much more difficult than it is to stray in the first place.

Fear can keep us in a comfortable place far longer than we are meant to be there. Fear of failure, fear of loss and fear of the unknown all keep us from growth, no matter how safe we feel in a familiar place. The shoes you’ve loved since you were 13 will not fit you now, no matter how much you may try to force them on your feet for fear you will never find the perfect pair of shoes again. The pants you swore you’d never give away when you were 15 may no longer fit once you’ve gained muscle after years of weight training. These transitions you see in your body are not bad; they are signs you’ve grown. The same can be said of your emotional and mental state as you age. We’re not meant to stay in one place or one size; it prevents us from moving forward toward the best version of ourselves.

Overcoming fear and the anxieties that are so often tied to fear is a long journey. In this issue, we feature a student who has overcome fears related to Coffin-Lowry syndrome, students discussing why it’s important to not fear talking about politics and fearing haunted houses and ghost stories. There are many opportunities that I myself have I passed up out of the uneasiness that comes with stepping outside your comfort zone.

It wasn’t until I’d unwillingly lost much of the comforts I clung to like a safety blanket, that I could slowly begin to step out of the familiar.

Reflecting upon this last year of my life, I can confidently say I have learned more about myself and my purpose than I ever could have if I had not been forced to grow. Change means letting go of the fears that may bind us, sometimes leaving us wandering lost for what feels like an eternity. That being said, change also offers a new opportunity to grow into a better version of yourself you could never develop otherwise. The next time you’re offered the opportunity to do something that scares you, ask yourself what you could be missing out on by not taking that chance.

the standard editor-in-chief emma olinger online editor lauren urschel design editor jonah mccormick copy editor elianna oliver social media editor sadie putnam staff writers isha patel jenna hope ashlyn wakefield staff designer isaiah tarwater 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 Website: bvswnews.com Email: bvswnews@gmail.com

| online editor

College101

feature / the standard / oct. 2018 | 5

counselors give advice on how to pick a major in college and how to save money

ma jors

saving money

Assess your strengths and weaknesses as an individual.

Consider small scale judgments such as if you prefer indoor or outdoor settings or if you consider yourself to be a people person or not to guide your search for a major.

Use Naviance as a platform for career searches as well as looking into colleges that fit your desires — size, location, organizations, etc.

Pursue something you’re passionate about because you will be more willing to work hard at it.

Be honest with yourself about which major you want more. Don’t get caught up in the salary and money-making aspect of a prospective career. Do what will make you happy even if that isn’t something with a six figure salary.

Be patient with yourself. It’s OK to go into college undecided and it’s OK to change your major in the process. Take the steps you need to pursue a career that you truly enjoy.

Look into programs or colleges that will accommodate your different interests in the form of minors or clubs and organizations.

If you meet someone that has a job that is interesting to you try informational interviewing. Ask them what it is they do, how did they get there, did they need special skills, what did they major in, etc. Use the people around you to educate yourself on a wide variety of career options.

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101.1 majors jors ma

saving money

Visit websites such as fastweb.com, raise.me and salliemae.com for micro scholarships.

Visit websites like goodcall.com for unusual and interesting essay prompts for scholarships.

Apply for scholarships that are connected to essays because less people go for essaybased scholarships.

Create a budget, stick with your meal plan and stray away from eating out.

If the company you’re getting your student loans though allows it, pay your loans off during college.

Save any money you get or earn at work, and put it toward necessities such as textbooks.

Stay away from online shopping and buying things you don’t need just because you aren’t under the supervision of your parents anymore.

Limit yourself on extravagant outings with friends and look for small areas you can save money. Use your old highlighters even if they aren’t the colors you want, eat leftovers instead of going out, etc.

| eliannaoliver information gathered from counselors Shari Schaake and Kristi Dixon

sports / the standard / oct. 2018 | 7

No time Off

athletes share their experiences in a fully-committed sport

H

photo courtesy of freshman Ethan Houseworth

eading toward the back of the court, junior Samantha Schnitta takes her position, taking a step forward, tossing the ball up, serving the ball to the other side at the start of a volleyball game.

Ever since the third grade, Schnitta said volleyball has been her main sport. She said she chose volleyball not only because of her height, but also because of her competitive spirit.

“I kind of fell in love with it,” Schnitta said. “I have a competitive personality, so I like to compete for things and work hard to do my best.”

Schnitta said she currently plays for the MAVS-Mid America Volleyball club and just currently ended her 16 season during the summer.

“For club volleyball, it does work in ages. So there will be 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 [age divisions] and within the ages, there are more teams so you have the ones team which is the best and the twos, which is second and so on.”

She said she is very fortunate to play all positions on the court as a part of team one.

“How our season works [is] we start competitive ball in November, around Thanksgiving is when practices kick off and if you qualify for Nationals then you go all the way until the weekend of July 4th exactly,” Schnitta said.

Schnitta’s team has made trips to Colorado, Las Vegas, Omaha and Minnesota last year to compete and is considered a traveling team.

In addition to the three practices a week for two hours, Schnitta said she also receives outside training through a conditioning program called PSP3, to build up more muscle in order to

move faster and be more efficient on the court. Knowing the commitment it would take, Schnitta said her interest in being recruited to play volleyball in college peaked in eighth grade. She said her first big school was Tennessee, as she has been in the recruiting process since last year. “[Colleges] aren’t allowed to contact you until Sept. 1 of your junior year,” Schnitta said. “So I was having to send all of the emails and having to call and get to know all of these schools I was interested in.”

She said Ole Miss had always been on the list of colleges she would like to attend and that there was a special connection with the school, especially since her mom attended and played volleyball there. Schnitta said the school never took an interest in her until one month after spring break when she received an offer. “I compared [the University of Mississippi] to the other schools I was looking at and my personality,” Schnitta said. ”[I] was like ‘It’s perfect, this is where I am going to be, where I am going to grow.’”

Similar to Schnitta, freshman Ethan Houseworth said he has developed a similar mentality about soccer, and how the sport helps his grow after making the decision to the continue playing with his club instead of high school soccer. Houseworth said he has been playing soccer for almost 10 years, and five of those years were played competitively. He plays for the club PUMA South Hampton ESI 2003, in the first division team which is occupied mainly by 16-year-old boys. ESI stands for European Soccer Institute.

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“We have to be at practice pretty much every day,” Houseworth said. ”There are kids that quit [the team] because it is too much, or they want to do other things.”

Due to his participation in the ESI team, he said he is not allowed to play soccer on the school team during the fall. Houseworth said he made this decision as it was a priority of his to continue training his skills of being a goalkeeper year round.

“Right now, we [play] in the Nebraska League because [their boys teams] play [high school] soccer in the spring instead of the fall so we drive up every few weekends to play them; usually two to three times,” Houseworth said.

In addition to the frequent trips up to Nebraska, he said he has been to Dallas, Paris, France, and Guadeloupe to compete against other teams.

“Every spring break we go down to Guadeloupe, it’s a very small French island in the Caribbean, which is where my coach is from and there is an academy down there [that] we train with,” Houseworth said.

Furthermore, he said he spent two weeks this past summer in France with his team training and playing against other competitive academies.

“Basically we flew over there, [we were] there for two weeks,” Houseworth said. ”We went to a France national team game, which was really cool, [because] they won the World Cup, [and are now the] best team in the world. We traveled around every few days and went to different cities and towns and just played local academy teams there.”

He said the team has taken a trip like this in the past and it was a great experience, and he said his coach felt like going back to revisit, in which he said he had a great time.

He said with everything he has committed already to the sport and has only been playing competitively since sixth grade he said he can’t see himself

quitting his ESI team to play for the school. However, he still has respect for the high school team.

“I just want to get across [that] Southwest has an awesome program and I hope to be a part of the winning tradition some day,” Houseworth said.

Like Houseworth, junior Glenne Harvell was the given the opportunity to travel abroad as well for a summer dance intensive program in Tuscany, Italy. For the past 13 years Harvell said she has been performing ballet, tap, jazz and contemporary dance.

“My favorite [type of dance] would be jazz and contemporary, but my schedule at my studio [is] pretty evenly balanced,” Harvell said. “I have ballet almost every day of the week, then jazz four times a week and contemporary once and tap once.”

For the past four years she said she has been spending three to five hours of her day at her studio, Crescendo Conservatory. Harvell said her studio splits each type of dance into levels: ballet and jazz one through seven, pointe one through four, and contemporary and tap into beginning, intermediate and advanced.

“The expectations are to not only to be role models for people below you, [but] to kind of show them something they could be, [and] also to be dedicated and hard working, and be in the performances and to work hard for what you want,” Harvell said. “I am on the highest level for all, so for my studio I am topped off with all because I am one of the oldest.”

As a result of all of her hard work and dedication to dance, Harvell said she received a scholarship to go and train in Tuscany, Italy with her dance teacher’s former partner, who put together a dance intensive for ballet students.

“Over the summer I flew out to Italy with my mom and my jazz teacher, and we spent two days in Rome and [then] the week long in Tuscany where I danced every day for 12 hours; it

was really intense but an amazing experience,” Harvell said.

Toward the end of the intensive she said they had a final performance in which all of the participants were a part of a scholarship audition. She said she was lucky enough to win two more scholarships; one to go back next summer to train in the same intensive, and the other to join a week long project in Rome next summer that involves collaboration of the arts.

“I learned a lot; only two of my teachers spoke English there and all of my classes were in Italian,” Harvel said.

“I tried my best to mentally focus on the dance and pick it up to the best of my ability.”

| ishapatel

feature / the standard / oct. 2018 | 9

e h T

r e e l k i c p sti k c o st

Students showcase their personalities through bumper stickers

When looking across desks in any classroom, a million different manners of customization can be seen. One of these trends that has recently picked up steam is bumper stickers. Students sticker bomb surfaces — making it one of a kind. Whether it’s a laptop or a Nalgene water bottle, students school-wide use stickers as a way to show off their personality and interests. If a student shows interest in the outdoors, they may cover their water bottle in stickers from the national parks they have visited. If they love classic movies and 80s pop culture, they may plaster their laptop with quotes from “The Goonies” or “Pretty in Pink.” This school year, a water bottle is just as much of a water bottle as it is a conversation starter.

Savannah Greathouse

Collect Status: or addict

Starting her sticker collection over five years ago, senior Savannah Greathouse purchased her first sticker oriented water bottle in eighth grade.

“It showed up on my Pinterest feed one day and I just thought it was super cool how people decided to express themselves by putting stickers of their favorite brands or the places that they’ve been,” Greathouse said. “Then with my water bottle, I thought it’d just be a different way to express myself.”

Greathouse collects stickers for two different bottles, following two separate themes. Her first water bottle is lined with brands and aesthetically pleasing stickers. The other water bottle is covered with stickers from her adventures with friends and family.

“They’ve been all over with me, wherever I have traveled,”

Sticker Placement: Water bottles

Spent Total ers: ck on Sti + $100

Greathouse said. “This one actually went to Hawaii with me and so I just think they’ve been a sort of a travel companion.”

Greathouse has stickers from national parks she’s visited, her family vacation to Hawaii, along with ones she’s been given by friends and family.

“I have one for K-State. It came from my sister and I just really like it,” Greathouse said. “I’m really excited about it because that’s where I’m going to go to college and I think it really shows people ‘Hey, I’m really interested in this school and this is where I want to go.’”

Greathouse said she considers herself a sticker addict — constantly on the prowl for new stickers wherever she goes.

“I feel like wherever I go I need to buy another sticker and immediately when I walk in a store I’m like, ‘I’m going to buy a sticker from here,’” Greathouse said.

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Merritt Ellis

tus: r Sta o t c e Coll obbyist H

Total S pen Stickers t on : $40+

Sticker Placement: water bottle & Laptop

Over a year ago, after receiving her laptop, sophomore Merritt Ellis began collecting stickers for her laptop cover.

Ellis said she is always on the lookout for new stickers and tries to find stickers that both fulfill her aesthetic as well as represent her personality and interests.

“They also add to external personality as well,” Ellis said.

Ellis said her stickers often work as conversation starters.

“There are always people that comment on them when I get my laptop out,” Ellis said. “[They say] how my stickers are cool and they talk to me about them and ask questions

Merritt Ellis shows off her favorite water bottle stickers.

Merritt said she selects the stickers based on her favorite things and stickers she thinks are pretty. Her water bottle features stickers including Michael Scott from “The Office.”

about which stickers mean what.”

When looking for a new sticker, Ellis said she looks for small stickers that match with the rest of her laptop but aren’t too big or too expensive.

“I love shopping in general, so just like going on Redbubble there’s some fun and funny stickers that I like,” Ellis said. “My favorite is either my ‘Stranger Things’ sticker or this KU one. I like them because they are two things that I love, and I love all of the show and Netflix ones because people always come up to me and they’re like ‘Oh, I love that show;’ and it makes an automatic connection.”

Senior Savannah Greathouse’s water bottle features stickers from her favorite brands ranging from Patagonia to Varsity Donuts in Manhattan, Kansas. Savannah said she purchases her stickers wherever she sees them, weather it be on a college visit or a National Parks adventure.

Sophomore Merritt Ellis’s water bottle sports sticker that fulfill her overall aesthetic including numerous watercolor and calligraphic stickers.

Merritt said she buys her stickers online and looks for smaller, colorful stickers.

| isaiahtarwater

opinion / the standard / oct. 2018 | 11

Can a nation divided be reunited?

Students should attempt to understand the opposing viewpoints of their peers

R

acist. Over-emotional. Indecisive. Republican. Democrat.

Independent. Unfair stereotypes are the first thing that come to mind when discussing the political affiliations of our peers.

Over the past few years, the political parties in our nation have become more divided than ever. This division is responsible for unfair judgments made toward people based on their political affiliation and the choices of rather extreme members of their political party.

Understanding the perspective of others is imperative in order to have open-minded discussions about important political topics, despite how different people’s opinions may be.

Each of us have had different experiences in our lives that have shaped the way we think about absolutely everything, including our political beliefs. After growing up in New York and moving to the Kansas City area, junior Faris Bdair said he would classify himself as an Independent.

“I grew up in New York, which is heavily democratic, and then I moved here which is the opposite,” Bdair said. “I’ve learned both sides of the story which has given me different perspectives. Also, as a person whose parents are immigrants, I take from that because they had to go through the struggle of immigration and build themselves up.

So I am heavily influenced from that.”

Similar to Bdair, senior Sara Armstrong said that her upbringing influenced her political beliefs. However, she considers herself to be on the left side of the political spectrum. She said her parents may not agree with her and her sisters politically, but the way they were raised allowed them to discover their own beliefs.

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“I think, in general, my parents raised very independent communicate and learn than to just be completely in the daughters and so even though we don’t always agree on [dark].” things or they think we’re just naïve, I think we’re able to In the same survey of students, 62 percent said they feel discuss events in a respectful way in my house,” Armstrong classmates will judge them based on their political affiliation. said.

Nineteen percent chose “prefer not to respond” when it On the opposite side of the political spectrum, senior came down to choosing a political party. To be fair, in high Mitchell Lenartowicz said having a mother who is a cop school, it may not always be easy to know what beliefs you and a father who works in the government has led to his agree or disagree with. However, some people still felt they conservative beliefs. Not only did his parents influence his could not choose between right, left, Independent or other political beliefs, but he said living in a place where having when asked on an anonymous survey. This could be because conservative ideals was looked down upon only solidified students fear the judgment of their friends and peers. them.

On the other hand, Armstrong has “I used to live in Canada and “A lot of people get more “never felt uncomfortable discussing up there, they’re pretty liberal and emotionally involved when [her] political beliefs in school,” moving up there I got picked on a lot but said sometimes she thinks that for being American and Christian and talking about politics. I just feel people may hold back when talking conservative so that reinforced my like that should be something to her. Lenartowicz said he also feels beliefs in a way,” Lenartowicz said. people try to separate. I get it, comfortable discussing politics at In a survey of 309 students, school.

74 percent agreed that the 2016 people are passionate and I “[Southwest] is a lot more of a Presidential election affected the think that’s good. If it’s to the fairly balanced school than what political climate at our school. point when you get angry at I used to go to,” Lenartowicz said.

Although it has been two years, the “It’s a lot more of a comfortable divide between political parties has someone just for disagreeing environment to talk about [politics] not improved much. Lenartowicz said with you, I think that’s when it and people aren’t as insane leaning he feels that since the election, people goes too far.” one way most of the time to have tied their emotions into political where you can’t have a normal | seniormitchelllenartowicz conversation.” conversations. He said this makes it difficult to discuss opposing opinions Unfortunately, the statistics without harsh arguments. from the survey reflected that a majority of students may “A lot of people get more emotionally involved when not feel as comfortable to speak up as Bdair, Armstrong talking about politics,” Lenartowicz said. “I just feel like that and Lenartowicz. In an increasingly divided nation, it is should be something people try to separate. I get it, people important to remember that everyone has had different are passionate and I think that’s good. If it’s to the point experiences in their lives that have shaped their beliefs and when you get angry at someone just for disagreeing with ideals. Rather than judging each other for having conflicting you, I think that’s when it goes too far.” opinions, we could all benefit from being open to the ideas However, the only way we can understand the of our peers. viewpoints of others and build on our own, is to have tough “When you have an open mind it’s very useful to have conversations about topics we disagree on. Bdair said he these discussions with opposing viewpoints,” Bdair said, feels it is important to discuss politics so we can learn and “But if you don’t, it doesn’t accomplish anything.” be aware of current events. | sadieputnam “I think it’s important to discuss [politics],” Bdair said.

“It’s a very important subject, especially with all that’s been happening recently. It’s better to understand and

opinion / the standard / oct. 2018 | 13

11.3%

Independent

40.5% Right leaning/ Republican

8.4% Other

19.4% Prefer not to respond

20.4% Left leaning/ Democrat

74.4%

of students feel that the 2016 Presidential Election affected the school political climate

61.5%

of students feel classmates will judge them based on their political beliefs

309 students surveyed

10 / the/ standard / feb./2018 14 || ads feature the standard oct. 2018

sPOOKY SPOTS

thesalliehouse H

idden on a quiet street in downtown Atchison, Kansas, stands the infamous Sallie House. On any given Saturday afternoon in mid-October, cars will stretch across north Second street as eager thrill-seekers hope to hear the whisperings of a spirit. After waiting outside in the chilly weather for nearly an hour in a line that stretched back two blocks, the house was bombarded with people of all ages slowly peeking their heads into each individual room.

According to the Sallie House website — a recount of the horrors written by previous owner Debra Pickman — the house has a history of alleged hauntings. Those horrifying happenings include stuffed animals being moved, a sighting of a little girl, and even scratches and claw marks manifesting on people’s skin. In July of 1993, the Pickman family had a few odd occurrences in their home that only escalated as time went on.

There is a lot of speculation on the exact nature of the hauntings in Atchison, especially in relation to the possibility of a demonic infestation. With little-to-no discernable proof, we knew we had to check it out for ourselves.

In hindsight, the visitation was not well executed as many other people filled the halls of the smaller-looking house.

A group of people sneaked into the master bedroom closet and could be heard murmuring to each other about spirits.

Others would bob their heads in and out of bedrooms to see if anything at all was different. We, however, were mostly interested in the basement of the house.

According to the Sally House’s website, after spending a day at her in-laws’ home, Debra, her husband Tony Pickman, their infant son Taylor, and Debra’s sister Karen went back to their home and noticed something odd in the nursery. All of the dolls, which Debra said were meticulously placed around the room, had all been moved to the floor, facing each other in a neatly executed circle.

During self-guided tours from 1-5 p.m., the basement is off limits to guests. According to thesalliehouse.com, the hole in the brick wall is rumored to house a demon that lives on the premises. Alongside the unsettling sight is a black circular shape that resides on the floor, rumored to be where a large pentagram used for satanic rituals once sat. The circumstances of this occurrence are unknown.

| emmaolinger

L

theJOHN WORNALL house

ocated in old Westport on the appropriately named Wornall road, the John Wornall house sits, awaiting tours from curious citizens and even more curious tourists.

According to wornallmajors.com, the house was home to the Wornalls, a very wealthy family who made their fortune selling crops to settlers heading west on the Oregon and Santa Fe trails. With a rich culture and an even more rich history, we knew it had potential to be frightening. Upon entering, we were instructed to wait for a tour, and were left to sit in the foyer with a distinct view into the living area.

During the Civil War, and more specifically, the battle of Westport, the house was used as a field hospital to both the Union and the Confederacy. Due to this, many soldiers were pronounced dead in the home, and it is said that their spirits roam the halls.

Despite being one of the lesser known locations we visited in this investigation, we felt the most uneasy in the John Wornall House. We experienced unexplainable phenomena while walking through the old home, followed by the docent Caden Gird, a junior in the Shawnee Mission school district, quickly explaining how some people felt in the rooms. In one instance, we were standing in the children’s bedroom, and I thought my jeans were caught on the wardrobe behind me.

When I glanced down to check, I saw that the wardrobe was a

| 15

good three feet away from me, and the tugging sensation that occured must have been caused by an outside party. However, I glanced around to notice that no one was standing near me.

In fact, everyone had already left the room. The docent noted as I exited the room that many people felt the ghosts of the Wornall children tugging at their pants and their shirts, and my heart stopped.

| emmaolinger

stullKANSAS L

ocated between Topeka and Lawrence is the small town of Stull, KS. Since the 1970s, the Stull cemetery has been rumored to be one of the seven gates of hell and house demonic forces. In an effort to uncover the truth, we decided to go and visit the town for ourselves and see if the rumors were true.

Upon arrival in the town, we were engulfed in its eerie atmosphere. We were looking for parking in the church parking lot outside of the cemetery when our attention was refocused on some type of local fundraiser. The fundraiser was less off-putting than everything else in the town and lifted our spirits briefly. We ventured over to the locals and asked if they’d let us take pictures of the cemetery.

They seemed tense about the proposition but eventually conceded to our wishes. We walked over to the cemetery and began the whole picture process — making sure to keep a respectful distance from the graves and respect people’s privacy. To be honest, the cemetery was quite peaceful and nothing was out of place. However, what was most unsettling was an old man who had followed us. The man was perched on his four wheeler and made it his mission to make sure

we didn’t do anything out of line. With the man watching our every move, we decided to get out of there while we still could. As we got into the car and started to back out of the parking lot, the same man came up to window. He stared at me intensely and asked coldly “Did you get what you came here for? Did you ask permission?” These unsettling comments freaked us out and we hightailed it out of Stull, Kansas. While we never uncovered the whole truth about Stull, our odd encounters with the locals give us a feeling they might be hiding something.

| jonahmccormick

16 | feature / the standard / oct. 2018

student scares

students share their own trippy tales about the paranormal

senior grace davis

senior CRANDALL BLAKE

“I got a Oujia board at the end of eighth grade and I played it, but I knew I already had a ghost in my house named Carl but I confirmed it — we still don’t know if he’s nice or mean. And then junior year, me, Grace and my friend Kelsey, we were all in Grace’s basement and Grace and Kelsey played with the Oujia board. I sat out because I came from a superstitious family and I didn’t want to get killed by my parents. And we all start playing and it spells out c-e-i-f-y and it means power of three, which when we looked it up is an actual spirit. So then I stopped playing and then the board would stop moving and when we asked if we should get the third person to play again, it said yes. The board would pull out very strange and personal things that none of us even knew about each other. We also had a candle which had three wicks, and whenever one of us stopped playing, one of the wicks would go out.”

| 17

“Have you ever heard of the Satan room at the Warehouse? … One of my friends went in there and he said there was basic 666 stuff on the wall — things like that, pentagrams, basic graffiti. But then he — I remember because I was on the outside of the room looking in, watching him — he turned around to the wall I couldn’t see and he was stunned ... We left, and I couldn’t ask him what it was then because one of my other friends was freaking out, like, ‘We have to go right now,’ type stuff … I asked him later that night when it was just us, and he said, ‘I know what you’re talking about, but I legit do not remember what I saw.’ He got kinda spooked, and he told me, ‘I just need to not know what I saw.’”

senior AUSTIN DOUGAN “My whole life, I’ve always been haunted. I’ve always been addicted to scary stuff. But lately, OK, just the weirdest stuff has been happening — maybe it’s just because it’s Halloween time. So, I’ve been finding a penny everywhere. I looked it up and apparently pennies are a spiritual thing and everywhere I go, there’s pennies. I’m at my work and there [are] pennies. At my house they’re on the floor; it’s so weird. Lately, I’ve been seeing this black car everywhere I go. I was coming home from work last night, and [I saw] it … pulled off the side of the road, abandoned. I know there’s a ghost behind me at all times. I feel his presence, but, me and him are friends. So — don’t think I’m crazy, I’m serious. He doesn’t mess with me, but, sometimes he does. One time, he locked me in my room and there was this massive moth flying around. I got locked inside my room and I couldn’t open up my door. Apparently, at my old house, there was a ghost. Our neighbors had seen it, our house-cleaners had seen it, and he would always blow out the heater … I always just feel something.

My house always gets cold — I’ll be laying in my bed and I can just feel that breeze. I know there is a presence there.”

senior NATALIE GISH

18 | feature / the standard / oct. 2018

senior CHRISTIE SEYL

“I was in the booth with one other girl at the time and it was before a show and [the] audience is coming into the theatre — good, fun stuff. I look behind me and I see a man standing there.

There’s two flights of stairs and there’s like a halfway stair and he was standing on that platform. And I look down and I’m like ‘You’re not supposed to be here.’ It was an older man and I was like, ‘maybe he knows someone.’ I was a freshman, so I didn’t know anything. And so I turned to my friend Maddy who’s also in the booth and said, ‘Do you see that guy?’ And she says, ‘What guy?’ I’m freaking out because it was my first time in the booth, we have ghosts, and it’s my first show. So, the other girl who left and came back, we asked her and she said she didn’t know who he was. Because I’m terrified, I named him Joe the booth ghost to make it like less scary because Joe is such a kind guy. So whenever anything goes wrong, we blame Joe.”

SPOOKY STATISTICS What would students do if they saw a ghost?

27%

20%

would try to communicate

would fight the ghost

17%

wo u gho ld pre st w ten asn d the ’t re al

36%

Do students believe in the paranormal?

43%

yes

no

57%

76%

of students are scared of demons

4% 12% 8%

would run away 100 students surveyed

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20 | opinion / the standard / oct. 2018

Self-care is not selfish students discuss the importance of self-care

t’s late on a Thursday night and you’re on your fourth cup of coffee, trying desperately to keep yourself up for just a few more hours. You have two tests to study for, 40 pages to read, an essay to finish and math homework, all of which must be done by tomorrow morning. You rest your head on your desk and glance at the clock, which tells you it’s well past 1 a.m. Putting your work away, you decide sleep is more important than getting an A on the test you didn’t finish studying for.

Many high school students face the struggle of choosing between their health and their academic duties each day, and a majority choose their work over taking care of themselves.

However, in recent years, there’s been an effort among young adults to promote self-care and relaxation over overexertion and overworking. Senior Amayah Meadows said she’s noticed people have recently come to see that self-care is necessary.

“I think in this generation we’ve kind of come to the realization that it’s important in order to be the most efficient in all aspects of life,” Meadows said. “I know that didn’t use to be a common belief a long time ago, but I think we’re

I

doing pretty well in balancing out our personal, self-care and everything and work, school and other obligations we have.”

According to National Public Radio (NPR), self-care is a $10 billion industry that is continuing to grow. In fact, over the past five years, Google searches for “self-care” have generally increased and have now reached an all-time high in 2018, according to Google Trends. Senior Katherine Garrett said social media platforms have helped her gain an interest in taking care of herself.

“Pinterest has surprisingly shown me the importance of self-care because it’s kind of a positive environment,” Garrett said. “There are a lot of posts that go around that just show the importance of self-care, including things like hydration, eating healthy, taking naps, going to bed early, etc.”

There is much evidence of how social media has taken ahold of the self-love trend. Instagram accounts dedicated to positivity, Pinterest boards for tips on relaxation and trends like #MyTipsforMentalHealth on Twitter all keep the interest in taking caring of yourself alive. So, why this newfound obsession with self-love? Meadows said self-care is an important part of a healthy life.

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“If you do not take care of yourself, if you give too much to others without giving back to yourself, you’re going to run out of energy to give to others, and you’re just going to feel drained and stressed all the time,” Meadows said. “You need to take time to do things you enjoy, like, make time to do things you enjoy.”

According to PsychCentral, self-care can be defined as any activity done deliberately to improve mental, emotional or physical health. The website goes on to suggest this idea is not selfish, either; it is meant to help improve an individual so that individual can live their life in the best manner possible. Selfcare is also different from relaxation in some ways, because sometimes relaxing is not beneficial. Meadows said there are times for her when relaxing is harmful rather than helpful.

“I know a lot of times I will stay up really late to ‘relax,’ but I actually end up getting more hurt in the end because I’m like tired the next day and I can’t do anything,” Meadows said.

“Like today, I stayed up really late watching ‘Bob’s Burgers’ and I fell asleep in photography class.”

While relaxing is taking a break from work, sometimes taking care of oneself means getting things done and being productive to reduce anxiety and stress, and increase success.

Junior Saadia Siddiqua said although she does take time to herself most days, there are times when work is more important.

“I do make time to relax because I was always stressed when I started working right away when I got home, so I had time to just enjoy myself,” Siddiqua said. “Sometimes...if I have a lot of homework or a test then I have to sacrifice that time to study or do well.”

Siddiqua said finding a balance between responsibilities and caring for oneself is a large part of self-care. If one overworks themself to succeed and never takes a moment to recuperate, chances are he or she will burn out. On the other hand, ignoring all work to watch Netflix will not lead to living a successful, productive lifestyle. She said many of her peers know the importance of self-care, but don’t take the time to participate in it.

“A lot of people just overwork themselves and are always stressed,” Siddiqua said. “They come right home from school, go

straight to practice and then cram themselves with homework and they take classes that are too much for them, so that’s not good.”

Similar to Siddiqua, Meadows said she’s observed her peers pushing themselves too hard in school or work and not taking care of their own health. On the other hand, Meadows said selfcare can reach a level where it’s not healthy.

“Some people kind of ‘over-self-care’ and they talk about like ‘self-care night’ and then don’t study,” Meadows said. “You know...self-care is not just herbal baths and sleeping in and doing things you enjoy, it’s eating good food-healthy food-and getting enough sleep, and maybe you don’t enjoy those things, but those are necessary.”

There are many ways to participate in self-care in a healthy, beneficial manner. For example, some people take bubble baths, read, take a nap, or exercise. Meadows said she recommends journaling to those interested in self-care.

“In the morning I wake up and I just have 15 minutes where I write down everything I’m thinking about,” Meadows said.

“It helps get out anxieties and kind of organize my day, so I’m not freaking out about forgetting things or anything like that… even if you don’t keep up with it all the time it’s good to just have it and start it so you have motivation to keep going. Keeping a journal definitely helps me, it’s the most relaxing thing I have right now.”

Sometimes, self-love doesn’t require energy. Garrett said her main form of taking care of herself comes in napping.

“I love to take a nap everyday after school, because I’m always really tired after going to school all day,” Garrett said. “I also love to relax just by watching TV or reading a book.”

Siddiqua said her chosen methods of relaxation are “bubble baths, writing, singing, and doing makeup.” She said she gives her father credit for inspiring her to take care of herself while still working hard.

“He’s a really great worker so he’s like, ‘Saadia, get great grades. Do all of this,’ but he also tells me there’s no point in working so hard if you can’t also be happy and enjoy what you’re doing,” Siddiqua said. | laurenurschel

I 22 | feature / the standard / oct. 2018

All About

Iris

Senior Iris Zakarian explains how Coffin-Lowry syndrome affects her daily life

Senior Iris Zakarian poses with her sisters, juniors Melody and Daphne Zakarian.

“I

want to be strong, mighty and the best girl ever,” senior Iris Zakarian said, surrounded by her friends in the senior hall during Timber Time. Lunch is Iris’s favorite time of day, as she can socialize and eat with her peers. Communication and friendship are some of the most important things to Iris, along with her sisters, who help her thrive despite having Coffin-Lowry syndrome.

Iris was diagnosed with Coffin-Lowry syndrome when she was a baby. The syndrome affects approximately 1 in 50,000 people and is more common in males, according to Orpha.com. Although she said she has grown accustomed to her differences, they still play a major role in her daily life.

“It has been [a big part in my life],” Iris said.

“Like from the day I was born, through middle school and high school, it has been with me.”

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Sitting in a locker bay, senior Iris Zakarian said she enjoys talking with her friends during Timber Time.

Iris has two younger twin sisters, juniors Daphne and Melody Zakarian. They said they grew up with a different perspective through having Iris as a sister. Melody said she admires Iris’s love for people and further explained how she’s seen CoffinLowry syndrome affect Iris.

“It affects people in different ways and is pretty rare, but with her, her brain developed differently,” Melody said. “She sometimes Melody said coming to high school wasn’t easy for Iris, but slowly she began to grow more confident.

“I think it was a pretty big transition

and so was middle school,” Daphne said. “I haven’t been in too many of her classes so I didn’t know what she was like until we came to high school. But I think once she got here she’s really thrived and all of her teachers and [fellow] students are really saying how big of a foot print she’s leaving on Southwest.”

However, learning and carrying out daily tasks isn’t always easy. Iris said she struggles with the idea of not being able to participate in fundamental milestones.

“It’s hard for me to cope with everything,” Iris said. “Not being able to do things I used to. Some things I can’t do

Eating her lunch, Iris talks with her friend senior Regan Kerr.

without my mom’s help. Some things I wish I could do, like driving for example. I can’t drive.”

Although Iris said she’s never been bullied, she said she knows some people don’t understand her syndrome.

“I just say, ‘Hey I have a disability, just please try to help me,’” Iris said. “It’s hard for people to know I have a disability. I think people should know me for who I am. I’m going to show them that I’m a good person.”

Despite these struggles, Iris’s sisters see her using her multitude of talents to excel in the future workforce. Involved in choir and

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her church, Iris has found a love for music and helping others.

“She’s definitely a people person,” Daphne said. “We don’t know where exactly she’ll go, but we know it will probably go toward people. She also loves music so I think there’s potential there, and just really helping people is something she finds so much joy in.”

Iris said she wants to pursue a path using her social skills to help people around her feel better. She said she hopes to go into the medical field.

“After graduation, I want to get a doctoral degree for people who have

injuries,” Iris said. I just want to be there to help them,” Iris said.

In everyday life, Iris’s sisters said they have many roles to ensure Iris is treated fairly. They said they want everyone to behave the same way around Iris, as they would anyone else.

“Sometimes it’s a little difficult to figure out what our job is in public because she’s our friend, she’s our sister, but there’s also some responsibility,” Melody said. “We want people to give her the respect she deserves. Sometimes that can be difficult with some people not understanding.”

Overall, the Zakarian sisters have grown close as a result of Coffin-Lowry syndrome. Each one striving to not let Iris’s differences define her. Instead of focusing on the negative they look to the positive.

“I think I’ve learned a lot about patience and just to just see the funny side of things in every moment,” Daphne said. “Even to pay attention to the small things and how lucky we are to have such a unique perspective. | jennahope

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