BVSW - The Standard - Volume 9 - Issue 6

Up and Away students discuss how drones have influenced their lives pages 16-18

THE STANDARD blue valley southwest | volume 9 | issue 6

2 | contents / the standard / march 2019

contents feature 5 | Apple vs. spotify 7 | Like, comment, subscribe 9 | M’lady 16 | Up and away 19 | Informed or ignorant?

21 | Generation meme 30 | When enough is enough

sports 10 | Launching lacrosse 28 | Spring sports preview

opinion 15 | He said, she said 23 | Time to ditch diet culture 26| The cord craze

news 12 | Gateway to the future 32 | Flipped classroom volume 9 / issue 6 www.bvswnews.com

28

on the cover

Students utilize drones to take unique photos and video of their adventures. photo illustration by jonah mccormick

|3

16

10 online exclusive

4 | editor’s note / the standard / march 2019

editor’s note

I

have been thinking a lot about my education lately. There are so many different ways to learn, whether it be school, the internet or daily conversations. It’s wild to think about the path society expects you to follow: go to school, make no mistakes, go to college, get a job, start a family, watch your kids grow up, expect them not to make mistakes, expect them to go on the same path and the cycle continues.

There is a pressure on every student to get everything right, answer every question correctly, pay full attention to a book and understand how our bones work all at the same time. After 12 or so years of working toward this goal, you are expected to have $60,000 to attend a credible university where you can’t make any mistakes either. We are encouraged to be the best, not to work as hard as you can. We are told to be the prettiest, the smartest, the absolute best without any mistakes. We are told to hang with the coolest people who throw the biggest parties, to follow the rules.

But all I want is to enjoy these moments. I’ve made mistakes.

We’ve all made mistakes — we’ve all tried diets that don’t work, we’ve all believed fake news, we’ve all failed a test — it happens.

In this issue of The Standard, we explore the status quo and those who have decided to stray from it. We explore the success of the strange. While reading this issue, I want you to remember this: you can’t succeed without a few failures. Chin up, buttercup.

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 jessica bell jenna hope luke hottovy karley kent peyton moore isabelle muir isha patel ashlyn wakefield staff designers isaiah tarwater liam olinger adviser rachel chushuk

| editor-in-chief

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

music

VS

6 | feature / the standard / march 2019

Spotify Q: What is your favorite feature on the app?

A: My favorite thing about Spotify is ability to select any song that you want when you want to hear it - senior Abby Garretson

Favorite genres:

23% Country 21% Pop 20% Hip Hop/ Rap 18% R&B 12% Alternative 6% Indie

How often students listen to music:

76% Sometimes: 18% Never: 6% All the time:

46%

of students use Spotify

68%

39% of students use Apple Music

of students use and make their own playlists

15%

of students use other streaming services

Apple Music Q: Do you listen to the “recommended� songs or do you stick to a select number of songs?

A: I do listen to the recommended songs because that is how you find new artists.

- junior Brett Thomas

100 students surveyed

76%

of students have paid subscriptions for either service

feature / the standard / march 2019 | 7

Like, Comment, Subscribe students discuss YouTube’s influence on today’s teenager culture

H

ey what’s up you guys, let’s jump right into it. According to a study by Business insider, teenagers watch more than double the amount of YouTube than live television and the majority of teens don’t believe there is a need for live television at all. While Google defines YouTube as a “video-sharing website,” students and teens utilize it for primarily entertainment purposes. Senior Katie Zimmerman said she watches YouTube frequently and has a weekly routine.

“I watch YouTube almost every day,” Zimmerman said. “Definitely Monday, Wednesday and Friday because I watch every single one of David Dobrik’s vlogs and then whenever there is a big thing like a Shane Dawson movie.”

According to the Washington Post, teenagers are drawn to YouTube stars more than other celebrities because they come across as real and relatable. Zimmerman said she prefers watching vlogs for similar reasons.

“I just really enjoy watching [Dobrik],” Zimmerman said. “His friends have so much fun — they’re living my dream life and I want to be friends with them.”

On the other hand, junior Brody Dorris said he doesn’t have a routine but enjoys the wide variety of content YouTube offers.

“I just scroll through and find whatever is interesting to me and watch that,” Dorris said.

Junior Sophie Oatman said she appreciates the range and convenience of YouTube over other platforms.

“If I just really like don’t know what to watch on Netflix, I’ll go to YouTube and just look up my recommended,” Oatman said.

Not only is the content relatable and easily accessible, Zimmerman said YouTube builds instant connections with other people.

JennaMarbles

JamesCharles

“If you see someone wearing [merchandise] from someone that you like you can say something to them and you instantly have something in common,” Zimmerman said.

Those who watch YouTube can relate to others who subscribe to the same creators. Oatman said inside jokes and bonds are created with people who watch similar channels on YouTube.

“So much slang catches on and inside jokes like the ‘fair enuf’ Cody Ko joke,” Oatman said. “I know a lot of people think that’s funny, so the inside jokes that are created create a bond.”

According to Business Statistics, 85 percent of US teenagers watch YouTube. As one of the most used social media platforms for high school students, Oatman said she thinks it has had an impact on her generation.

“I don’t think [my parents] really get it, they’re always like, ‘Why are you filming yourself?’” Oatman said. “Our generation is obsessed with showing what we’re doing no matter what it is.”

Some students have made their own YouTube channels or have began vlogging their day-to-day lives.

Zimmerman said she appreciates the trends that YouTube has kick-started and she said it’s a different way for people to express themselves.

“It’s impacted a lot of students’ lives substantially and [they’ve] started to make their own vlogs,” Zimmerman said. “Whether it be a day in the life of a high school student or a spring break trip vlog, people are just catching on the trend and doing it themselves. I think it’s really cool because it’s another way to express who you are through a different type of media.” | sadieputnam

EmmaChamberlain

EthanKlein

8|

51% How frequently students view YouTube videos very rarely sometimes frequently

7%

63%

17% PewDiePie of students watch

30%

of students enjoy watching reaction videos

49% of students

enjoy watching vlogs

33% of students enjoy watching gameplay videos

19% 13% CodyKo DavidDobrik of students watch

of students watch

in a survey of 100 students

feature / the standard / march 2019 | 9

M’lady

hat wearers describe meaning behind their fashion choices

When one looks at a person, what do they see? Their face, their new shirt, their glasses, but one very unique trait is one’s hat. They can mean lots of different things to people. It can be their personality, their passion or just a style piece. Hats have many uses, be it to show off, to look a certain way or even just to hide one’s hair.

Sophomore Subhan Jamal said he shows off his personality through his hat. He said he used to wear one of a few fedoras, but he was recently given a beret he said he really enjoys. He said he believes his hat is something to be proud of, even if others think it’s weird.

“I guess [my hat] kind of represents who I am, like, this hat might not be perfect, but it still works and it still looks cool,” Jamal said.

Freshman Gabe Wightman said he sees more practical use in hats. He also said he wears hats with logos or companies that he likes.

“I usually tend to wear more baseball hats or trucker hats,” Wightman said. “It’s kind of for the aesthetic. Like a baseball hat over like a bucket hat, I think it just looks cooler, but I just think it’s better overall.”

Hats have a lot of meaning for senior Matt Tullock. Tullock said he would consider his hat as his best friend. Most of the time, he’s seen with his cowboy hat. Tullock said his hat is part of his identity. He said he has a hat that means so much to him, he doesn’t even bring it to school.

“It’s my lucky hat,” Tullock said. “I won’t show without it. Every time I put it on it just was like my good luck charm. Like, some athletes have a lucky sock or something. Me, I have a lucky hat.”

| liamolinger

10 | sports / the standard / march 2019

Launching lacrosse new sport offered for spring season

T

his year, in addition to the seven other spring sports, the school added a lacrosse team to represent in black and green. After a decision to break off from the Blue Valley High lacrosse team, coach Ken Peterson decided to create a new team in representing Blue Valley Southwest.

Among former Blue Valley players is senior JP Tymosko.

“Last year we had about 50 guys on the blue valley team and a bunch of the seniors had graduated and a bulk of the new players were from Southwest,” Tymosko said. “The idea was to create a new team with the Southwest and Northwest kids and that’s how the idea started.”

Upon hearing this news, many students were excited to hear about the new team, much like sophomore Ian Keylon. While also playing for his traveling lacrosse team — KC Venom — Keylon said he played previously for Blue Valley as well for one year before receiving the news of Southwest’s lacrosse team.

“I [am] super pumped because we get to play for our school and not another school,” Keylon said. “We [are] able to have home games as well as the practices are going to be a lot closer on our field and just getting our own jerseys and helmets [is cool.]”

Keylon said he had only played on the Blue Valley team for one year, but has been involved in the sport since third grade.

For other students, unlike Keylon and Tymosko, it is their first year playing for a high school team. Freshman Nevan Patel said he’s been playing lacrosse for about five years and even played on the eighthgrade lacrosse team for Blue Valley last year, but said he was looking forward to playing for the school. “[It is] very exciting [because] our school has never had a lacrosse team and it’s going to be really fun to play for the school and some of my classmates are going to be on the team,” Patel said. “It’s a fun sport, keeps me in shape, has great endurance and is a fast-moving sport.”

He said the sport’s requirement of having sharp technique and ability to move quickly goes in hand with the purpose of the game.

“The objective of the game is basically to score as many goals as possible, more

than the other team, basically the same idea of soccer,” Tymosko said. “I really liked how it’s kind of a mixture of all the sports like the contact of football, the high pace of basketball and the hand-eye coordination of hockey.”

Tymosko said they are expecting around 35-40 players on the team this year, eventually splitting the team up into junior varsity and varsity teams under the supervision of Peterson.

“He’s an amazing coach and knows a lot about the sport and is super fun to be around and always makes sure to get everybody included in the drills,” Keylon said. “He has been super inspirational for me and all my teammates and is really pushing us this year.”

Patel also said he likes how the coaching is player based — letting each player try out their own thing as well as supervised drills and more.

‘The players are [also] really including and if you’re having trouble with stuff, they include you and help you out as much as they can,” Patel said.

The first game was scheduled for March 2. Patel said the games last about an hour and consist of four 12-minute quarters with 10-minute halftimes.

| 11

“[There are] nine players for each team on the field so three attack, three defense and then there’s nine players for the other team so there are about 18 players on the field at once,” Keylon said.

Keylon said he was excited for the new equipment the team will be receiving featuring the Timberwolves logo on them.

“Everybody has helmets which is something that everyone needs, then you need elbow pads and gloves, those a pretty thick and protective,” Keylon said. “Then a chest pad for your chest and shoulders, and then goalies [wear] knee pads and stuff like that, and then cleats.”

Tymosko said the team will be playing in the LAKC league which consists of all of the Blue Valley schools, some Olathe schools, Shawnee Mission East, Shawnee Mission South, the Park Hill and Lee Summit district, as well as private schools such as Pembroke and Rockhurst.­­­­ “At the end of the year everyone makes the tournament you can only take the top eight [to move on], it’s a max of 4 games including the championship game so then the state semifinals are played at the Durwood stadium the UMKC stadium,” Tymosko said.

He said the goal for this year is to get a chance to be able to go back and play in the state semifinals at Durwood stadium, after making it that far the past two years under the Blue Valley team.

“The end goal is always to win a state championship and I don’t know if we going to be able to do it, but were going to try and just have fun, give it our best, and [be] positive this season and have a winning record,” Keylon said. | ishapatel

1. Freshmen Nevan Patel and Chase Hartman practice a body check drill where team members fight to gain control of the ball.

2. Freshman Ethan Boerner jogs down the other side of the field after practicing a drill where players passed the pearl back and fort with a partner on the opposite side.

3. Junior Logan Baldacci runs across the field toward the box as he practices shooting goals.

12 | news / the standard / march 2019

Gateway to the Future state offers free ACT to all juniors

F

or the first time in the history of the Kansas public schooling system the state is administering a free ACT. As of 2018 there were only 12 states in the US that required every junior to take the ACT. Kansas is now joining that select few fold of states,” which require every junior in the state to take the ACT, as of this year.

Junior Jacob Carnes said he thinks the additional test will offer students a variety that was lacking beforehand.

“I’m glad that they offer one to take in school that’s free, and I think it frees up people’s Saturdays.” Carnes said. “I think it’s good that people can also take it on their own time to get a better score.”

The state-mandated ACT has a few minor differences in the actual environment of the testing itself. The test will be free of charge and will be taken in familiar classrooms in our own school. Faculty and staff from each Blue Valley school will help to pitch in. The test will also have about 20 to 30 less people in the classroom, compared to a normal ACT on a Saturday, according to Jason Peres.

“This is part of their normal routine,” Peres said.

“They don’t have to do anything out of the ordinary.”

They’re going to come here, sit in classrooms they’re very comfortable and familiar with, and they’re going to take a high stakes test. In my opinion, and I think if we looked at some of the research about testing and testing

environments, this is for every kid, an advantage for them.”

The ACT was originally set to take place on Wednesday, February 20, but was canceled due to school not being in session as a result of inclement weather.

However, the tumultuous snowstorms that have already canceled school a handful of times will not stop the state.

Therefore, the ACT has officially been moved to Tuesday, April 2.

It is hard to tell exactly what inspired the state to dispense the ACT, although an array of ideas may come to mind. An interesting theory on what allegedly prompted the state to administer the ACT in the first place, is the advancement of the state’s students.

“My guess is that it provides an opportunity for every Kansan to go to the next level, and which is a goal of all high schools.” Mr Peres said. “We want kids to have opportunities beyond high school and this is a gateway for that.”

Standardized tests taking place during the school day aren’t anything new or foreign to the American student body. Although it is a rare occasion, the national testing day which occurs annually in October tests students over practice ACTs and practice SATs. One outlying correlation that can be drawn from the testing in October and the ACT in April is the testing environment,

| 13

which appear to be very familiar to one another.

However, students will be taking a legitimate test instead of a preparatory one, which could add some intensity to the nerves, although the two are intrinsically and stylistically similar.

Many students seem to be glad that the state is distributing the ACT, including junior Lily Raby.

“I think it’s a good thing.” Raby said. “Because if you have really good luck, like one and done, it didn’t cost you anything and if not, it’s good practice.”

As for the future of this newly state-provided test, it’s again difficult to speculate on, just like the reason for the spontaneous distribution in the first place. However, if the test is a success, there’s no reason why Kansas would not make the statewide ACT a new annual tradition. The state’s average in 2018 was a 21.6 compared to the national average score of 20. If the students of Kansas continue to score over the national average, perhaps the state will continue to invest in other educational opportunities in the near future.

Another important thing the test brings to the table is college and career readiness, which will now be available to all students in Kansas. Although

students who attend the Blue Valley Schools may not have much difficulty paying for standardized testing, many other students and parents struggle to scrape up the spare change to pay for standardized testing in the state of Kansas. Not to mention, the ACT isn’t as widely distributed in rural areas, which Kansas is plentiful with. Perhaps with this screening, college tuition will be more suitable to the students of Kansas, based on their score on the state-provided ACT. “At least you want to have the option of saying no to college and doing something else and that’s what this does for every kid in our state regardless of socio-economic background, regardless of where you came from,” Peres said. “Every kid now has the same exact opportunity.”

Peres said the statewide ACT is an opportunity that the students of the junior class, and onward will come to cherish. Likewise, the introduction of the free ACT provides an important evaluation for students through examination, and now, the state has come to offer this evaluation for free.

| lukehottovy

14 | ads / the standard / march 2019

Dr. Barton DDSMSDMSD Dr. BartonW.W.Putnam Putnam DDS Phone Number:913-829-0060 913-829-0060 Phone Number:

Buy one get one

FREE

PRESENT THIS Coupon AT ANY PARTICIPATING CAFE WHEN YOU BUY ONE SMOOTHIE OR FOOD ITEM

15933 Antioch Road | Overland Park, KS 66223

OFFER VALID AT 15933 ANTIOCH RD. VALID IN-CAFE ONLY. FREE ITEM MUST BE OF EQUAL OR LESSER VALUE. NOT VALID WITH ANY OTHER OFFER, DISCOUNT, OR COMBO. LIMIT ONE COUPON PER CUSTOMER, PER VISIT. SEE STORE FOR DETAILS. NATIONAL CODE 712 EXPIRES 08/30/2019

opinion / the standard / march 2019 | 15

SHE SAID SHE SAID SHE SAID SHE SAID SHE SAID

VS HE SAID

students discuss their readiness to rise above the status quo

A

longside society comes a world of pressures, whether they regard the way people behave or appear, many people feel as though the world we live in presents itself with social norms that we feel the need to abide by.

In this day and age, from the time children reach adolescence, they’re swarmed with the must haves of society that have the full potential to become burdens on their everyday lives. This can easily include anywhere from general visits to the grocery store to talking to friends and family. Yet no matter the social scene, we still feel as though we have to portray ourselves as happy, worry free people that have little to no hardships.

Junior Luke Besheer said when in public, he feels obligated to act a certain way, along with having to act as though nothing is wrong at all times.

“I make everything seem better than it actually is,” Besheer said.

However, Besheer is not the only one who feels this way.

Junior Alexis Bonder said she agrees with Besheer.

“I think everybody expects you to be kind and to try to get to know them, or at least make small talk so things aren’t awkward,” Bonder said.

When asked the basic question, “how are you today?” both Bonder and Besheer said they always "respond with ‘good how about you?’’”

Although it’s often natural to feel tense and uncomfortable

around new people, once one is able to warm up and loosen the reins around those who we are unaccustomed to, there are much more genuine and personable conversations to be had.

In everyday life, people run into both kinds of conversations depending on whether they feel comfortable with the person or not, like junior Jenna Brewster.

“If I’m talking to someone I don’t know like a store clerk and I’m feeling in the talking mood, I’ll say, ‘I’m not doing too hot,’” Brewster said.

Although Bonder said she, as well as many others, makes her life seem better than it actually is, she said she is on board with being more authentic with individuals she would normally be uncomfortable around.

“I would love to be more genuine with people I come across,” Bonder said. “I would not be in so much of a rush so I can get to know people.”

Through these social changes are presented possibilities of building new and healthier relationships. The possible positive results of being more confident and comfortable in public situations are those of which can help people feel less tense and awkward in their everyday life, creating a new outlook for generations to come.

“The world we live in has endless possibilities to grow and f lourish,” Brewster said. | peytonmoore

16 | feature / the standard / march 2019

T

he earth is filled with miles of sky that extend farther than a human’s field of vision. With new technologies, aside from airplanes, people are exploring this open space at new heights with the help of drones. Senior Daniel Roarty said he has a drone of his own that sparked his future career path.

“I want to go into engineering — electrical engineering specifically — to do drone software development,” Roarty said.

“I’m going to be working on Avionics and Electronics in the Air Force — something specific to drones. I’ll be working on fighter jets and if high tech equipment breaks, I’ll be the one who figures out what is wrong with it, how it happened, when it happened and how to prevent it next time.”

Aside from using his drone to build on

his skills for his future endeavors, Roarty said he uses his drone recreationally with his friends. He said he appreciates the bonds he has built with people over their interest in his drone and loves capturing moments from new heights.

“When I go on dates or flying with my friends, I can take pictures that look really cool from the sky,” Roarty said. “We did this stupid 1980s picture thing where we all jumped at the exact same time, but it’s really funny.”

Similar to Roarty, senior Adam Morse said he has a drone that he likes to take pictures with. Morse is more keen to taking nature photography and has done so in a wide range of areas.

“I went to Moab, Utah, and filmed a lot, not in the national park but just in the areas around them in the desert,” Morse said. “As we were going Jeep off-roading I got lots of cool mountain shots. I’ve shot as well in Colorado, and that’s my ideal location — right on top of a mountain or on a cliff edge.”

In order to successfully pick a good drone, both Roarty and Morse said the most important thing is to research.

While one drone may be better for racing, another may be better for taking pictures.

“I would say definitely do your research, I know everyone always say that, but it definitely helps out to know what you want,” Roarty said. “Each drone has a different aspect for different environments. Going into what the aspect that stood out the most for me was the

students discuss how drones have influenced their lives

drone’s size. It’s small and really easy to travel with — you don’t need a giant case for it. I throw it in some bag and it goes anywhere.”

Depending on how much money someone is willing to spend, Morse said what one spends truly is what one gets. More money generally correlates with more advanced technology and an increased platform of possible uses.

“If you spend the right amount of money, you’ll get one that basically can fly itself, and all you’re doing is just telling it how to fly itself, so it’s really not too hard,” Morse said.

In order to learn how to operate his drone, Morse said he watched YouTube tutorials and then practiced often until he got the hang of it. While Morse said his drone wasn’t too hard to operate, he has dealt with others that have been.

“At CAPS [Center for Advanced Professional Studies], we work with building our own drones through the aerospace class. Those drones were a lot harder to fly because they didn’t come with all the technology like GPS, stabilization and tracking,” Morse said.

“So basically the drone, instead of just staying in one place, will start moving around randomly in the area.”

In order to fly drones, both Morse and Roarty said it is very important to be aware and follow regulations, laws and restrictions. One must first register their drone in order to operate it legally.

“When you get a drone, you should

register it under the FAA, and there’s two ways you can do that,” Morse said. “You can either do it as a hobbyist and just register it and then adhere to their laws, or you can take a remote pilot certification test and register as a commercial pilot — which is if you wanted to make money with the pictures you took, or like with drone service, you need to do it that way.”

After registering online, the job as a drone pilot isn’t over. There are laws to adhere to every time one flies their drone.

Morse said drones are as fun as they are dangerous, so it is important to be cautious.

“Every time you fly, you have to go online and there’s the CGI map where it tells you where you’re allowed to fly [and] where you can’t fly,” Roarty said. “[In] some areas, you need to type in your drone code and it will grant you access for only like an hour. If it’s an airport, you can’t fly within about a half mile of the airport.”

Taking into consideration all the laws and being careful to keep himself safe and others around him, Morse said he’s excited for the future in store with his drone.

“I kind of hope to either join or start a drone club where we might do photography stuff for K-State or just explore different drone possibilities,” Morse said. “I hope to start a drone aerial photography business over the summer as well, so that I can make some money with the drone and just pursue the drone

hobby in a different direction.”

Both Morse and Roarty said drones have been a big part of their lives, and have shaped their futures. Roarty said he has not only grown in his appreciation of the world because of his drone, he also credits his drone for deciding his future.

“Flying the drone makes me feel more connected to the environment and it [makes] me realize how beautiful nature is,” Roarty said. “It’s important because it separates me from the people who play video games all the time, and it’s something that has so much potential.

That one drone led me to my future with the air force.”

Drones can be used in many different ways, but at the end of the day, Morse said what he enjoys most is sharing his experiences with others. He said his drone has given him the opportunity to show others the world in a new light.

“Flying my drone makes me feel as if I’m no longer bound to the ground,” Morse said. “I feel as if I can fly in the sky like a bird, and it’s similar to the feeling of flying in a plane and looking at the earth from above. Having a drone is important to me because I feel like I can capture a unique perspective of the world that other people can’t, and I can share the beauty of the world — whether it be the cities we live in, or the simplicity and natural beauty of nature.”

| eliannaoliver

| 18

photos courtesy of Adam Morse and Dan Roarty

feature / the standard / march 2019 | 19

Informed or Ignorant? news literacy of students tested

S

itting in the back of a senior U.S. government class, the questions and statements heard are most frequently accurate and make sense to the conversation. However, every now and then, someone says something that does not quite seem right. Whether it is a totally off-the-wall political story or a historical tidbit, just a tad exaggerated, interesting commentary can be heard throughout the day. This ultimately leads one to question: how informed is the student body?

After administering a survey of 120 students, including questions covering current news such as pop culture, politics and sports, it is evident that only a select group of students and staff truly know their stuff when it comes to the latest key events. Out of the 120 surveys given, only six participants were able to obtain a perfect seven out of seven score. However, the vast remainder of participants were able to correctly identify five to six major happenings properly.

Sophomore Tushar Kotamraju is a student who resides in this knowledge bubble, being able to identify five out of seven events in their true light.

“I feel like it will really benefit [people] in the future to know what our country’s status is,” Kotamraju said.

“Our next generation is going to need to know how this country processes and how they can benefit our

country.”

Kotamraju said he believes the young people of the United States need to be informed in recent politics as well as major economic happenings and socially important events. “[I believe] events like economical issues and social issues are important, but I don’t really see them as important as the major political events,” Kotamraju said.

Contrary to Kotamraju’s opinions, only 53 percent of students surveyed were able to properly identify which state’s governor had a past issue with blackface (Virgina). This event was large enough that many Americans called for governor Ralph Northam to resign from office, as well as triggering the launch of numerous slander ads against the sitting governor, according to Fox News. If that is not a large enough political event, the same percentage of informed students knew the true duration of the longest ever government shutdown. Only 53 percent of students could properly identify one of the most historic events in our lifetimes: the 35 day shutdown.

Kotamraju said he considers himself to be a mildly informed citizen despite checking his personal news feed on his phone at least once daily.

120 students and staff surveyed

| 20 “I follow the news sometimes, but when it comes like daily or with important events, I just, you know, stay back and my parents handle with it,” Kotamraju said.

“Then we talk about some major events and they help me to figure things out.”

Although he said he believes reading into the news is important, Kotamraju also said he is not totally opposed to quick news. Quick news refers to frequently shortened stories often found on social media. These stories are frequently not much more than a heading and a few hard facts, according to the Huffington Post.

“They don’t really explain in depth — the articles focus on the phone,” Kotamraju said. “[Quick news is] nice but, they really they don’t focus that much on how [the news event] affects certain types of people and how it benefits or hurts others.”

Even with the recent availability of quick news on devices all around, 60 percent of students only view the news, in any of its numerous forms, two or fewer times a week and consider themselves to be uniformed in the world of news.

|isaiahtarwater

How news literate are you?

Which band performed at the most recent Super Bowl halftime show?

93% of students answered correctly Justin Timberlake Lady Gaga Maroon 5 Bruno Mars A picture of an egg recently beat Kylie Jenner for the most liked Instagram photo. How many likes did this picture of an egg get?

43% of students answered correctly 32 million 18 million 68 million 52 million Which rapper was detained by ICE in February for overstaying a British visa?

83% of students answered correctly 2 Chainz Big Sean Pusha T 21 Savage Which country is currently in political turmoil with the U.S. backing the rebel elected president?

65% of students answered correctly Venezuela Honduras Ethiopia Iran

Answers in order of appearance: Maroon 5, 52 million, 21 savage, Venezuela

feature / the standard / march 2019 | 21

generation

MEME

meme culture influences students and staff

J

unior Fabiola Cabrera said meme culture is a staple of her generation. She said she first found out about memes when she stumbled upon Nyan Cat, a popular YouTube video posted in April of 2011. Since then, Cabrera said her taste in memes has only evolved.

“It’s like having an inside joke but with the rest of the world, and I think that’s amazing,” Cabrera said. “You can start singing a song from TikTok, and then like, down the hall, someone’s going to join in … It brings people together, it’s unifying people through really dumb things.”

Despite feeling unified through meme culture, Cabrera said she is aware of the apparent divide between generational humor. However, she said it isn’t impossible for different kinds of people to enjoy memes.

“It all depends on your sense of humor, because my sense of humor makes no sense,” Cabrera said. “It can be a picture with a dog with pants on or I don’t know, and I’m like, ‘This literally makes no sense. But I love it.’”

Much like Cabrera, sophomore Karthik Sathish said he began to enjoy memes when he was much younger.

However, he said he took his love of memes to the next level by creating a meme account.

“Back in the fourth and fifth grade days, [my friends and I] would just grind out and get followers by following people that followed big accounts, and we went on mass unfollowing sprees to gain followers,” Sathish said. “Six

months ago, we found the account and we were like, ‘We should do something with this.’ I had 5,000 followers or something like that. Then, we just decided to post memes on it.”

Not only does Sathish run a meme account, but he said he also finds memes used in the classroom.

“I think [memes] are important because, even in Spanish class, we look at memes because they help us get a better understanding of things,” Sathish said. “I feel like they’re important to not only get a good laugh, but also to see what’s in the news these days.”

Spanish teacher Alejandra Alana said she uses memes in the classroom to engage students like Sathish. She said she had thought about using memes in the classroom, however, a blog post online showed her how to use them.

“I found that the best way, for me at least, that I’ve been using [memes] lately and the way I incorporate into my classroom is as a warm up,” Alana said. “I usually start class with a meme like the meme of the day.”

Alana said the most difficult thing when using memes in the classroom is finding memes that have relevance to what they are learning. She said if the class is studying a specific subject, she would find a meme relating to said subject. However, if there are no usable memes relating to their topic, Alana said she finds memes that contain the grammar the class is currently studying.

22 | feature / the standard / march 2019

“I’ve actually had some students volunteer and say, ‘Hey, I want to make one, I want to make a meme for you,’” Alana said. “I’ve shown them in class, so I think they like it.”

With memes taking over social media and showing up in the classroom, Cabrera said meme culture has the potential to stick around for a very long time.

“I don’t think they’re ever going to die,” Cabrera said.

“Meme accounts would be in the past, but do you remember Rage Comics? Those were the original meme pages … you go to Reddit, you go to cheezburger.com and you’re like, “[This is] the my daily dose of stupid comics,’ … What we have now is just an evolved version of that, and it’s just going to continue doing that. I don’t think [memes] are ever going to die. [They’re] too good.”

According to knowyourmeme.com, Rage Comics showed up for the first time on Reddit in 2008, arguably creating a meme culture that could reach the masses through a shareable subreddit where people could post their own original comics.

With Rage Comics being a thing of the past, one might wonder how funny things like the Instagram Egg or Big Chungus will be in the future.

“I always wonder if I’m going to be like 60 years old and I’m looking at a picture of like Sonic’s feet, and if I’m going to laugh at it,” Cabrera said. “I’m going to be like, ‘This is so funny.’ I always wonder, maybe my grandchildren will just [have] a completely different kind of humor. They’re gonna be like, ‘Grandma, what the heck is wrong with you?’ And I’m like, ‘This is what was funny back in the day.’”

Cabrera said the uncertainty of memes is one of the best aspects of them. She said it is uncertain what will make her laugh next week, let alone in 60 years. However, Alana said as long as people continue to be clever, memes have a chance of making a lasting impression.

“I think I have a true appreciation for people being clever,” Alana said. “I like the amount of creativity that goes into these things. When I’ve tried to create some, I’ve kind of struggled. I enjoy them [more] rather than creating them and I truly admire the way people can just come up with so many different things and I think you have to be kind of clever and witty to come up with a good meme.” | emmaolinger

opinion / the standard / march 2019 | 23

h c t i D o e t r e u m t i l T u C t die society needs to stop buying into diet culture

ccording to Boston Medical Center, an estimated 45 million A Americans are currently on some type of diet, whether that be Atkins, keto, paleo, Nutrisystem or any one of the myriad fad diets currently worshipped by our society. The harmful ideals of diet culture have embedded themselves in the daily lives of people around the world, and have created distorted views of food and body image that must be repaired.

As anti-diet registered dietitian Christy Harrison said on her blog, diet culture can be defined as a system of beliefs that “worships thinness” and “demonizes certain ways of eating while elevating others,” which is harmful to those who don’t meet the criteria of what diet culture ideology deems healthy.

Counselor Kelli Baucom said diet culture is something she actively has to fight to ignore in her daily life in order to keep its negative impact at bay.

“For me, diet culture has always been this constant message out there through TV, print ads, print media that everyone should always be on a diet,” Baucom said. “There’s always — on every magazine, it seems like — there’s some sort of reference to a diet that you could try or a workout plan or some way and it just creates this environment where everyone feels that something must be wrong.”

The frequency of the discussion of diets, what people should or should not be eating and what can be done to lose weight is how diet culture presents itself to the public. Once these ideas are spread, they embed themselves in the minds of consumers, until it becomes a dangerous, harmful way of viewing food, exercise and personal health. Senior Briana Lowe said she’s seen the effects of diet culture among friends and family, and the pressure it puts on individuals to look their best is constant.

“When I think of dieting, I oftentimes think of failure, honestly, because diets just put this expectation of perfection and you can’t have a cheap meal, you can’t skip a day of working out, everything has to be perfect and has to be scheduled out, but it’s really unrealistic,” Lowe said.

According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, nearly half of first-third grade American children actively want to be thinner, while half of 9-10 year old girls are dieting. Baucom said her own issues with body image began in fourth grade.

“I think it can start really young, and I think it goes all the way into adulthood at times,” Baucom said. “It seems to come after

more girls and women than young men, but we do talk to young men all the time who also struggle with what they’re supposed to be according to all the men’s health magazines, that have the same kinds of articles.”

While the rate of young children who are concerned about their weight and what they’re eating is rising, there is an alarming amount of young adult women who are constantly trying to lose weight through dieting. According to the National Association of Eating Disorders, 91 percent of women surveyed on a college campus reported trying to lose weight through dieting. Senior Georgia Raaf said teenagers and young adults are most impacted by diet culture.

“I definitely think it’s young people from age 15 to like 25, because at that age you’re doing new things, you’re meeting new people, you’re in high school, you’re in college,” Raaf said.

“You have this image that you have to fill and portray online ... especially with social media now. It’s like, ‘Who can get the most likes?’ and obviously people are attracted to that sort of thing, like abs and all the fitness people online. That’s how people get famous now, but they probably didn’t get there by doing super strict diets whereas people think you have to.”

In many ways, diet culture has turned food into an enemy. Diet culture forces society to question everything they eat and consider the consequences a certain type of food will have on their bodies.

This type of mindset instills fear and shame in individuals every time they sit down to eat a meal, which is something that should be enjoyable. Raaf said the ideas diet culture has about food are always in the back of her mind, making her question herself and her food choices.

“Food is definitely categorized into ‘good’ and ‘bad,’ or ‘healthy’ and ‘unhealthy’ rather than just, ‘I’m going to eat this burger because it sounds good,’” Raaf said. “I think a lot of us have gotten away from intuitive eating and listening to your body and what food is going to fuel your body, and it’s more of, ‘How little can I eat in one day?’”

According to the National Eating Disorder Association, intuitive eating is “trusting your inner body wisdom to make choices around food that feel good in your body, without judgment and without influence from diet culture.” Intuitive eating is a new, healthy way of viewing food in order to undo the diet culture ideologies that demonize food. Baucom said food needs to be viewed as fuel rather than something that can be manipulated to

| 24

lose or gain weight. “Your body needs to be fueled to do the things that you want to do. Sometimes, you need to eat in a more specific way,” Baucom said. “If you’re an athlete, you have a different requirement for calories and the foods you need to eat, versus if you’re just an average everyday office worker type of person. Viewing food as fuel, as opposed to separating things into categories of good foods and bad foods. You wouldn’t expect your car to go with no gas. You can’t do that with your body either.”

Another staple of diet culture is calorie counting. Calorie counting is the obsession with how many calories are in food, how many calories someone can eat in a day without gaining weight, and how few calories someone can eat while still being able to function. According to registered dietitian Alexandra Reed on “Ask a Dietitian: Why You Should 100% Stop Counting Calories,” calories have been “grossly distorted” by diet culture and instead of focusing on calories, it’s important to ask where calories are coming from.

At the end of the day, calorie counting is a method people use to try to eat less so they can lose weight. The fewer calories an individual eats, the more weight they will lose. Therefore, counting calories can play a large role in the development of disordered eating as it advocates for intense control of food born out of fear.

Baucom said eating disorders and body image issues are seen commonly at school, usually stemming from other, larger issues.

“People make food choices based off of what they think is going to allow them to lose the most weight,” Baucom said.

“They’re looking at the lowest calorie option, versus what’s going to sustain them longer; again, what’s going to allow them to do the activities that you want to do.”

As the main purpose of diets is often to get people to eat less so they can lose weight, it’s no wonder these diets are often extremely restrictive to a point that is dangerous. Lowe said those who don’t eat enough put their energy levels, and therefore their learning, at risk.

“I think that restrictive diets impact learning, especially if you’re not getting enough protein,” Lowe said. “You’re not going to be as attentive as you would be if you were getting the right vitamins and nutrients that you need to stay awake and stay alert during the school day — especially kids who don’t eat breakfast, because they don’t want to eat as much food because they’re trying to lose weight.”

Not only are restrictive diets harmful to your energy level, but to your ability to pay attention. A common symptom of a restrictive eating disorder is the inability to concentrate, which can cause major problems when it comes to learning in school.

According to Center for Change, an institution which helps those with eating disorders, academics and extracurriculars are “almost completely curtailed in the advanced stages of an eating disorder

and will lead to massive disruption in a student’s educational advancement” until the problem is addressed. Baucom is aware of this issue, as she said learning when you are starving is extremely difficult.

“Your brain does not know that you are making a choice not to feed it, as opposed to that there is some sort of famine or you are on the run from some sort of creature that is trying to get you,” Baucom said. “It will end up conserving calories at a point, so you don’t lose the weight that you think you’re going to lose, which then usually gets people to drop to an even lower calorie count.

Your body needs a certain number of calories to run its basic functions. Its basic operating system requires a certain number of calories every day, and when you go below that it slows systems down. It slows your heart rate down, you can’t think. You’re so hungry that you can’t access the part of your brain that helped you study for that chemistry test the night before.”

The effects a poor or extremely limited diet can have on performance in academics is only one of many complications.

When an individual’s mind is consumed with thoughts about food and losing weight as a result of diet culture ideologies, it becomes nearly impossible to live out a normal life separate from that. According to Psychology Today, teenagers with extremely restrictive diets hold decreased trust in others, “show an unwillingness to disclose personal information to others, notably about eating” and “show elevated loneliness.”

While many people diet without falling into the category of having an eating disorder, the fear that diet culture can instill in an individual when it comes to certain foods or merely when it comes to eating in general can lead to disordered eating. There’s a fine line between trying to eat a healthy diet in order to maintain a healthy life, and falling prey to obsessive behaviors that are problematic long-term. Baucom said the choices made that isolate an individual who is dieting can turn out to be dangerous.

“If everybody was going out for ice cream, you might choose not to,” Baucom said. “Then you kind of end up isolating yourself socially, which all just kind of can play into, especially, an eating disorder. That can really fuel that fire of feeling not good enough and that these are things that you can’t do and should not do because you’re trying to lose weight.”

According to a report on statista.com, reviewing the percentage of high school students trying to lose weight in 2017, an average of 59.8 percent of females compared to an average of 34.8 percent of males were actively trying to change their weight. That’s a 25 percent difference between males and females. While it’s important to note that men do struggle with societal expectations of how their bodies should look, the statistics consistently show that women are more susceptible to diet culture ideologies about body image. Baucom said the issues of body image and dieting are

| 25 most frequently seen among female students.

“In the case of girls and women, I think that that constant feeling of not good enough, that dieting and the bombardment of the media aspects around diet and exercise can contribute to a lot of women not feeling good enough,” Baucom said. “We lose out when women don’t feel good enough and don’t want to be involved or don’t push themselves out of their comfort zones — to be involved in positions of power, to do more things, to share their opinions, to do these things — because they can get caught in this belief of not being good enough and food definitely plays a role in that.”

The image of the ideal body and what can be done to get that ideal body is stubbornly woven into everyday life.

For example, you’ll rarely pick up a magazine without seeing something about a new diet you can try or how to get six-pack abs in as little as a few weeks. Raaf said the images of six-pack abs and new celebrity diets are harmful and ever present.

“I think it’s definitely hurt our society more than it’s helped it, because now you can’t just watch TV without seeing advertisements for The 30 Day Fix or even Seven Day Fix which is like—a week? That’s completely unreasonable,” Raaf said. “It’s definitely built its own industry based off of people’s insecurities and desire to be fit and fit the stereotypical, healthy version of yourself.”

The idea that an entire industry has been created around dieting and weight loss is undoubtedly true. According to TIME magazine, the weight loss industry — an industry focused on making money by targeting individual’s insecurities — is worth $66.3 billion. Lowe said the idea of losing weight seems to be in everybody’s mind whenever they eat, leaving a negative impact.

“I think that weight loss, diets and different methods of losing weight are so prominent in the media right now, that everybody thinks they need to be losing weight even if they don’t,” Lowe said. “I definitely think that food has a big impact in that.”

It doesn’t help that many people are not educated on nutrition outside of what they see in the media about dieting and perhaps a semester-long class in high school. This lack of education can be extremely harmful to young children. Baucom said when she was in elementary school, her lack of knowledge about weight caused poor body image.

“My first real concrete memory of that is being a fourth-grader, and when I was in elementary school, they used to line us up once or twice a year and they would weigh everybody and they would take everybody’s height, and by the time I was in fourth grade I was quite tall for my age,” Baucom said.

“I was almost five feet tall. I didn’t understand the relationship between height and weight, so I always felt big. When I would see my classmates, who were quite a bit shorter than me, but also weighed less than I did, it really messed with my head.”

This lack of education can not only lead to a warped perception of what a healthy weight looks like for each person, but,

in terms of dieting, it has led society to believe that there are certain miracle diets that will work for everyone. Yet, everyone’s body is different, and everyone’s activity level is different, so this misconception is dangerous. Raaf said while many believe there is one right way to diet, there is no correct way.

“Someone that works out for three hours a day is going to need a different diet than someone who sits on their butt all day long and does nothing,” Raaf said. “The athletes obviously need more proteins and carbohydrates and stuff. Other people may need something different. I think, personally, it’s all about finding the food that works for your body instead of trying to adapt this diet that someone else has on social media that makes them work a certain way, because that might work with their genes and their body, but it’s not going to work for you.”

When determining what diet is right for an individual, it is vital that outside help is obtained. While a diet can ‘work’ — meaning the desired effect occurs, whatever that may be — for a certain period of time, it’s more than likely that the effects will not last.

According to The Council on Size and Weight Discrimination, 95 percent of diets fail. Baucom said when finding a diet that is right for you, speaking with a professional is the first step.

“Doctors have varying degrees of knowledge about nutrition, so also involving a nutritionist in that decision can be a great idea,” Baucom said. “If a doctor advises you for medical reasons that you need to lose weight, then that’s something that you need to seriously consider, but involving a nutritionist or a dietitian — someone with a nutrition background — to help make sure you’re getting all of what you need, that is super important.”

Diet culture has taught us that we need to lose weight, and we need to lose weight no matter what. It has taught us that food is the enemy, and we are champions if we are able to resist the last few bites of cake at a party. It is possible to unlearn these ideas. We can change our view of food from something that must be fought to something that is a delicious and fulfilling tool for survival.

It begins with reteaching ourselves and the generations to come.

Proper and extensive education about nutrition and exercise is the greatest and most essential step that can be taken to undo the damage diet culture has done. Baucom said education on where food comes from is important for unlearning diet culture.

“I think we’ve really separated ourselves from that aspect of things: knowing where your food comes from, knowing about what protein and carbohydrates and fats and what their functions are in the body and what they allow you to do, and what happens when you don’t have those things,” Baucom said.

“Teaching nutrition from more than just a food guide pyramid or My Plate type perspective, but more from what does it truly do and what are the effects of not taking your personal nutrition seriously.” | laurenurschel

26 | opinion / the standard / march 2019

The Cord Craze cords should not be motivating reason for students to get involved

I

t’s graduation day. Peering out into a sea of seniors, one can see the boldly decorated caps proudly displaying students’ future endeavors. Some wear stoles around the neck of their gown signifying their membership in National Honor Society. Those in other clubs show their membership through cords. These cords, all different colors, represent involvement in clubs and activities ranging from Hoops 4 Hope to National English Honor Society.

Seniors strive to get these cords, especially during their last year in high school, to appear involved and distinguished. However, students are beginning to join clubs solely to receive cords, not because they truly have an interest in what these clubs are about.

Senior Ted Shi is involved in student council, Relay for Life, Hoops for Hope,

Diversity Club, National Honor Society, Science National Honor Society, debate and tennis. Knowing that he will receive many cords for his involvement, Shi said it wasn’t his main motivation.

“I mainly did things that I was interested in, so I just found myself interested in a lot of things at school, such as debate or even just taking a larger role in Relay for Life and Hoops for Hope,” Shi said. “Those were all things that really interested me. I wanted to give back to the community at the same time and found the school was a good outlet to do so.”

Activities director and assistant principal Erica Warren, said she has students come to her asking what clubs give out cords so they can join and get them their senior year. However, she said she doesn’t understand why they are so important.

“The last school I was at in a different district, gave everyone a gold cord because we were the black and gold,” Warren said. “So no one had anything different unless they were in a honor society, and that was the stole. So that’s why I didn’t understand it when I got here. Like, why is this a big deal?”

Unlike Warren, junior Josette Pinto said she thinks cords are important. She said she is looking forward to receiving them her senior year to show her family how hard she’s worked because for her, the cords show what she has accomplished in high school.

“It’s like a visible and tangible reminder of all of the hard work you put into being in those groups, clubs, activities and honor societies,” Pinto said. “[Cords] really validate the hard work you put into those and you can see who has

| 27

put in the time for everything, and they’re also really pretty.”

Although there are no regulations regarding cords, and what clubs are eligible to hand them out, Shi said it should be determined based on level of commitment.

“I think that if it is a club in the school and that there is consistent attendance and commitment to that club, [students deserve a cord],” Shi said. “Because they put their time into being a part of that club and also contributing to it, then that hard work should be recognized.”

However, the desire to have these cords even drives students to go on sites like Amazon to purchase them so they fit in at graduation. Pinto said students

joining clubs just for the cords or buying them to fit in, are missing the purpose.

“That’s just really not it,” Pinto said.

“If you just join a club to get the cord that’s false and empty as a person. That’s something you shouldn’t do. You should join the club to be an active member, and you get the cord as an honor.”

What the cord symbolizes is being lost in the popularity of wearing them.

Warren said she believes they are no longer a necessity.

“I honestly don’t see a purpose to the cords any longer,” Warren said. “I think it started years and years ago with the right idea. I think it, like a lot of things, we’ve overdone it and now it has lost its purpose.”

In the grand scheme of things, cords are only a small accessory that is frequently overlooked on graduation day.

Warren said she doesn’t think students should be in it for the cord.

“If the cord is the only reason you’re motivated, you’re there for the wrong reason,” Warren said. “You don’t want to be a part of a club. You don’t want to be a part of what that club is doing or who those people are. You just want to use it for what you think is recognition, but in the big picture of graduation day nobody pays any attention to the cords. You are a big class in a giant stadium and no one can tell the difference.” | jennahope

28 |

Spring sports preview students battle cold temperatures to try out for spring sports Working on footwork, sophomore Hannah Phillips does field drills at practice on Feb. 25. Phillips played for junior varsity last year and also plays for a club team. “I’m looking forward to being on a new team other than my club team to meet new girls, and play with different people,” Phillips said.

Running on the track, sophomore Kagan Leiker, warms up at practice on Feb. 25. Leiker said he was not on track last year, but is excited to become a part of the team. “I’m looking forward to being around the track community,” Leiker said. “They are all really nice I just like being with my teammates.”

Coming up for a breath of air, junior Courtney Hafner swims laps during practice on Feb. 25. Hafner said this is her first year on the team and she is excited for the season.“I like it a lot, it’s a big workout, but it’s really fun,” Hafner said. “The girls are all really supportive if you’ve done it for all four years, or if you are just starting so it’s really nice to be a part of that family environment already.”

Chipping the ball, senior Nick Limback, finishes his round during practice on Feb. 26. Limback has been on the team all four years, and said he’s hopeful for this upcoming season. “If we all come together and find our rhythm and find our groove, we could potentially win a state title, and bring that home for Southwest,” Limback said.

sports / the standard / march 2019 | 29 Getting ready to serve the ball, sophomore Alex Ott warms up at practice on Feb. 25. Ott said he was cut from the team last year, but is eager for this year’s tryouts.

“I like tennis because of the people surrounding it,” Ott said. “It’s so much fun when you can play with your friends and just have a good time.”

Throwing the ball, sophomore Lance Teague works on pitching at practice on Feb. 25. He said he is excited to be playing junior varsity, and is eager for the season to begin.“It’s a lot of fun to play with all of your friends, and we all come together to represent the school,” Teague said.

About to throw the ball, senior Kori Stonestreet does pitching drills at practice on Feb. 25.

Stonestreet said she has been playing softball since she could walk, and is excited for her final season at southwest. “We have a lot of good underclassmen coming in that I’m really excited about,” Stonestreet said. “Nobody’s hurt yet this year so we’re all going to be ready to play and I think it’s going to be a really good season.”

| karleykent

30 | feature / the standard / march 2019

When enough is enough coaches and athletes share opinions on district substance abuse agreement

I

n the 2014-15 school year, Blue Valley finalized a Substance Abuse Agreement for student athletes. It was created to give athletes fair punishments, allow athletes a chance to fix their mistakes and give the coaches an outline for their team’s substance abuse policy.

New baseball coach Tyler Kincaid said he thinks the district should have an overall policy that allows coaches some wiggle room with opportunity to manage their program the way they see fit.

“Some coaches are going to have some leniency toward that, some coaches are going to be a little more stricter to that,” Kincaid said. “But, as that head coach to that program, you still have to set a guideline structure of what your expectations are should that occur.”

| 31

The agreement states athletes are given three chances before any longterm punishments are made. The first offense states the athlete will be suspended for no more than half of a season. The second offense causes the athlete to be suspended for no more than a full season. The third offense has the athlete suspended for 365 consecutive days. However, Kincaid said his policy differs on the third offense.

“If you have three offenses in a short time span, I think there’s a lot more going on in your life and a lot more that needs to be corrected and behavior changed,” Kincaid said. “So, our [policy] is going to be an indefinite suspension should the third time occur.”

Most coaches follow the first and second offense, but all coaches have different expectations for their teams. Whether that be three chances to none, each coach can set those expectations. Softball coach Shari Schaake said she has a “two strike rule,” where the athlete is suspended after their second offense.

“They can still be part of the program, but they wouldn’t necessarily get to play because I do have those conversations with them, I tell them what my expectations are,” Schaake said.

Those expectations are different for each coach. Schaake said learning from mistakes is the best way to have positive outcomes.

“I think as long as you have a good conversation with the kid and make sure they know that ‘Hey, this is the expectation,’ and give them the opportunity to rectify it and fix it and do something better, then I think that is fair,” Schaake said.

From a coach’s perspective, learning from mistakes is a big part in growth, however an athlete may see it differently. Senior Peyton Renzi, who is on the softball team, said she thinks it is unfair to give athletes three chances.

“I definitely agree that [the policy] should be more strict,” Renzi said. “I think that one chance is enough. I think that if you know what’s right, you should be able to follow through with that.”

Some athletes believe the punishment should be determined by the offense, but in the end the coach is in control of what happens. This could be enforcing less punishment or more than what is recommended by the agreement.

“If [the student] feels [they] really need to [break the contract] over my sport — because it’s a team sport — I think they’re letting down the whole team, they’re not just letting down themselves,” Schaake said. “I give them that opportunity to fix it, but if they don’t, they’re choosing something else over me and their teammates.” | jessicabell

32 | news / the standard / march 2019

FLIPPED

CLASSROOM teachers implement new learning environment to utilize new laptops

T

eachers are introducing a new style of teaching into the classroom to give students a choice on how they would like to learn the information. With students receiving laptops, they are now able to access information online at home.

Math teacher Jillianne Bellville said she doesn’t have a traditional flipped classroom, but has changed up her lessons with the new technology.

“I’m giving students the opportunity to do stuff on their own,” Bellville said. “I have a lot of kids who learned stuff very quickly, and I have a lot of students who need extra help. I’m allowing the kids who grasp things very quickly to watch the videos on their own and do the homework on their own. They can do that either way. They can watch the videos at school and do the homework at home, they could do it vice versa or they could just get it all done at school. It’s up to them.”

In 2010, the U.S. Department of Education released a metaanalysis and review of empirical studies focused on online learning in K-12 schools and higher education from 1996-2008.

Their findings revealed that “students in online conditions performed modestly better, on average, than those learning the same material through traditional face-to-face instruction.”

“My strategy for teaching students depends on the student,” Bellville said. “I give the kids ... the option of how they want to learn. They can watch the videos or they can participate in the lessons in the classroom. My strategy is to hopefully be able to reach each different kid in the their own way of how they want to learn.”

Everyone has a different way of learning. Some students do better learning in the classroom than at home. Some teachers have started recording their lessons so that if they were to be absent, the students would still be able to have access to their lesson for that day.

Senior Shayen Patel said the new concept of a flipped classroom is beneficial to him.

“I think that this new way of teaching is effective because if you are watching the videos at home and then the next day if you would like some help on the homework — if you don’t understand something — you can quickly ask the teacher in there,” Patel said.

Patel said he typically follows a routine with his flipped classes. Usually, Patel watches the lessons at home and attends

class to ask questions about things he might not understand.

“I prefer to learn it with the teacher,” Patel said. “I think it’s just easier to understand the material when someone else talks about it and [during class when] everyone talks about it at the same time.”

However, not all students are in agreement with this new style of teaching.

Junior Sam Palecki said the concept of a flipped classroom is not beneficial to him.

“I feel like students are left with questions that can’t be answered, but yet don’t have the confidence to ask the teacher for help,” Palecki said. “I feel like I am learning less because I choose to learn on my own and with that comes not understanding exactly what the teacher is saying.”

When given the opportunity to learn the material on their own, Palecki said most students aren’t choosing to actually take the time to learn the material.

When giving students the freedom to learn outside of the classroom, Bellville said teachers cannot always be sure if students are taking the time to watch the videos, so they need to check for understanding in a variety of ways.

“The way that I can see if they’re learning is by checking their homework and making sure they’re doing their homework correctly and walking around the classroom and saying, ‘OK, do you understand this?’” Bellville said. “I really look at kids eyes also to see if they’re really grasping it or not.”

Bellville said she hopes to increase student comprehension while still providing students an opportunity to choose how they want to learn.

“I noticed a lot of kids weren’t getting their homework done and they weren’t actually watching the videos when they were going into the hallway,” Bellville said. “This unit, I am making sure that the kids stay in the classroom rather than leaving the classroom and that gives me more say over what they’re actually doing. So I can see that they’re actually watching those videos if they say they are going to be. It’s kind of my way of keeping kids accountable, making sure that they actually are doing the work.” | izzymuir