The Standard — April 2016

the

the standard blue valley southwest volume 6 | issue 7

standard

Going pro with a gopro students share how GoPros will be incorporated in their future lives feature: pages 04/05

inside

online shopping addiction special sections: page 06 drawing the line news: page 11 back to the bases sports: page 16

Front cover: Diving underwater, sophomore Makenna Ruffalo captures moments from her spring break vacation using her GoPro. Photo illustration by Delaney Oliver

contents www.bvswnews.com volume 6 | issue 7

online exclusive 22

features 04 | going pro with a GoPro

sports online exclusive

16

16 | back to the bases

news 10 | crop conflict 11 | drawing the line 14 | the waiting game

special sections 04

06 | the online shopping addiction

online exclusive Gallery: Spring sports assembly Gallery: Girls varsity soccer vs. St. Thomas Aquinas Gallery: Girls varsity swim at Blue Valley West Invitational

Editor’s Note

W

thestandard

alking into room 118 the summer before sophomore year, we stared around in awe at the blue walls lined with shiny Mac computers. As we began to settle in, we realized we knew absolutely nothing about the

class we had signed up for except how to (kind of) work a digital camera. The words “journalistic style” were foreign to us; we had never even heard of programs such as Bridge or InDesign, that we now use every day. Most importantly, we didn’t know how to share the stories of our fellow classmates. So we learned to adapt. We watched and admired as our fellow staff members wrote eloquent stories in perfect journalistic style while we thought the “Oxford comma” was just some fancy British term. Throughout the year, we learned from the words of wisdom of our experienced staff members, our editor-in-chief and the curly-haired, crazy lady we called our adviser. We eventually adapted to the people and the community that room 118 provided for us and used it to become the amateur “journalists” we are today.

Returning to “The Standard” this year meant opening a whole new can of worms.

We were faced with the challenge of adapting to a new adviser, a new editor-in-chief, a different staff and new positions. We were now the veterans — the people the new staff members turned to for help — and we were expected to know what we were doing, or at least pretend like we did. Once again, we adjusted. We worked and taught the new staff members the ins-and-outs of “The Standard,” high school journalism, the ever-changing world of Adobe and the most important lesson we had learned from Ms. Lawrenz: how to Command-Z. We watched as our new staff began exploring and uncovering new stories we had never even thought to cover. We would have never been exposed to such ideas had it not been for our new staff. As they adapted and reached beyond the call of duty to create a new aesthetic, we watched and adapted along with them.

The past two weeks we have watched our senior staff members write their final stories, senior columns and make their final arrangements for next year as they prepare to flee the nest. We too are preparing ourselves for what our final year on staff will bring,

editor-in-chief lexi tarter online editor-in-chief margo johnson associate editor michael magyar business manager nicole becker photo editor delaney oliver online photo editor donna armstrong social media manager blake gustafson writing coaches nicole becker michael magyar design coaches lillie hoffart riley martin staff writers uma desai sydney swyers seth wingerter photographers lily smith kara torgler graphic designers kate bowling abby yi adviser rachel urban

good and bad — a new year of adaptation with no one left to lead us blindly into battle but ourselves. The only thing that we can rely on to remain constant is the necessity to adapt in order to bring you, our beloved readers, the stories you deserve. And that is what we intend to do.

| onlinephotoeditor | printphotoeditor

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.

going pro with A GoPro students share how GoPros will be incorporated in their future lives

D

iving into the salty ocean water, senior Maddie Lowry powers on her GoPro camera and begins her search for the perfect underwater scene.

Envisioning a life of film making for commercials, companies or even music videos, Maddie fixates her lens on details and different perspectives that are not openly visible to the human eye. Her videos and images capture her favorite memories to reminisce on in the future.

“I really want to save all the videos I have now from my childhood memories because I think it would be really cool to show these all to my kids, and then they can see how I grew up because I always wanted to see how my parents grew up, like what they looked like, what their friends were like,” Maddie said. “I just think it’s super cool how you can capture one moment and share it and rewatch it as many times as you want.”

When Maddie was in third grade, she was given her first video camera and began making “silly” videos.

After ruining an iPhone using an underwater case in Hawaii, Maddie and her parents decided a GoPro would be a well-suited investment.

Founded in 2002 by Nicholas Woodman, GoPro was created to capture quality and professional action photos. With time, GoPro grew into a well-recognized brand and eventually became its own verb. With 8.6 million followers on Instagram and nearly 6,000 new tags on YouTube uploaded each day, the recent increase in usage has caused an influx of students to start documenting their journeys through a 41mm by 51mm underwater-capable camera. Maddie is one of those students.

“I think I just like seeing everyone’s reactions to how they see [my videos and photographs],” Maddie said. “I think it is really cool to show everyone these different angles that it allows you to capture.”

Maddie has been seriously involved with film and GoPro shooting since sophomore year when she joined Broadcast 1. Her first story for Wolfbyte that involved the use of a GoPro, a piece on the ALS Ice Bucket challenge, won first place in video news for the September 2014 Kansas Scholastic Press Association contest.

“I feel like the GoPro is what made her start to push the limits because there are so many ways to use it,” Maddie’s mother, Kim Lowry, said. “I came home to find her standing on a ladder dumping ice water onto her GoPro that was taped to a chair.”

Maddie has since developed her skills and is now dedicated to building a career with film and the GoPro at San Diego State University starting in the fall.

“Her junior year, she started looking at film schools, and at first, her dad kind of discouraged her,” Kim said.

“But the stories she put together in broadcast and the fun

4 | april 2016 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | feature

videos she made of our vacations and [of] her friends started to show she had a natural talent. By the end of junior year, I knew she needed to follow her passion and make film be some part of her career.”

Although Maddie’s intentions with the GoPro lead to a career, students like sophomore Makenna Ruffalo have begun to use the accessory solely for recreational purposes.

This summer, Ruffalo is planning an excursion to Fugitive Beach in Missouri to take pictures and videos using her GoPro. After being influenced by her sister’s 15th birthday present, Ruffalo invested in a GoPro to begin capturing her life.

“I got more involved in the outdoors because it makes me want to go out and take pictures and go places,” Ruffalo said.

With no plans to study film or use a GoPro in her career, Ruffalo has built a steady passion that she plans to continue to develop in the future. After a recent trip to the Bahamas, St. Thomas and St. Martin, Ruffalo made a video that sparked her interest, and she began using her GoPro to capture memorable moments of her sisters and landscapes that she could revisit in the future.

“Things that make me stop and take a picture are usually beautiful landscapes that would look great on the wide view on the GoPro,” Ruffalo said. “But then in other cases, I mainly like taking videos because videos are a good way to help you remember and experience things over again. Anything I would want to experience again is worth taking a picture or video of.”

Through videos and photographs, Ruffalo has been able to provide a glimpse into her adventures and share them with her family and friends.

“I usually share all of my pictures with my entire family,” Ruffalo said. “My grandparents especially love getting a bunch of pictures from all of their grandchildren, so I enjoy being able to entertain them with the great pictures my GoPro takes.”

GoPro earned its second highest revenue in the company’s history in the first quarter of 2015. Whether the goal is purely for enjoyment or a career, GoPro is becoming a larger part of the way people share their artwork and helping them become a “hero” of their own lives, as the company’s product names and slogan suggest.

“I think people like taking good photos,” Ruffalo said.

“Social media, that is a huge thing. Everyone likes to take the coolest photos and put them on social media.

That is a big reason for me, I just like to share photos and my experiences.”

| delaneyoliver

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photos 1, 4 and 6 courtesy of senior Maddie Lowry photos 2, 3 and 5 courtesy of sophomore Makenna Ruffalo |5

the online shopping addiction What’s in your bag? | rileymartin

6 | april 2016 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | special sections

ACCOUNT SEARCH

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nline shopping has substantially changed the way people shop for their newest purchases.

Rather than driving to the closest mall or chain store, shoppers can get what they want with a click of a button.

According to cmo.com, online shopping retail sales are predicted to grow steadily to $370 billion in 2017, up from $231 billion in 2012.

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BAG (2)

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“I like shopping online better than shopping in a store because it’s easier and when it gets delivered it’s like getting a present at your doorstep. My favorite place to shop is lulus.com, and my favorite purchase is my white Kendra Scott necklace that I wear every day. I’m not really sure how much money I’ve spent all together, but it’s probably way too much.”

50%

| seniormaddieparrish

Nearly of millennials say they regularly browse for items that they don’t necessarily plan on buying “Online shopping is better than shopping in a store because I can find more things that are unique to my style. I have spent around $10,000 online shopping in the past year. I online shop at American Apparel., Free People, Urban Outfitters, Nasty Gal, Topshop, Revolve and Zara.

My favorite item I’ve bought is a metallic skirt from Urban Outfitters. The overall best part about online shopping is you can buy things that you can’t buy in stores.”

72%

| juniorlilyklima

of millennials research and shop their options online before going to a store or mall “I shop online at American Eagle, Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com. I like it more than shopping in a store because it’s faster and there are more clothing options. I have spent around $100 in this past year buying clothes and books. A few books I have purchased are ‘Lady Midnight,’ ‘Happily Ever After,’ ‘The Distance Between Us’ and a lot more.”

55% of heavy ecommerce spenders

| freshmankayleecart

came from households earning $75,000 or more per year facts from www.trueship.com and www.cmo.com

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8 | april 2016 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | ads

5/31/2016

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Here’s to the class of

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(1) Illustrating her passion for creating an emotion and telling a story through music, senior Taylen Hitchcock sings “Electric Love” by BORNS. Hitchcock had a heavy influence of music from both parents beginning at a young age and has revealed her own passion through her alternative music taste and the creation of her own music. “The thing about music is a song can fit to whatever mood you are feeling,” Hitchcock said. (2) Dancing at the spring sports assembly, senior Grant Thompson performs a solo dance. A group of senior boys participated in a flash mob during the assembly on April 15.

(3) Waiting patiently for her name to be called, senior Rilynne Like wears red at the sweetheart assembly on Feb. 5 in support of the American Heart Association. (4) Underwater, senior Ian Holman reaches ahead practicing his freestyle stroke. “Most people view [swimming] as an individual sport just because most of the time you are swimming by yourself, but you practice as a team and support each other as a team,” Holman said. (5) Running in a relay, senior Piper Misse finishes the last leg. Misse’s relay team finished third at the Shawnee Mission East track meet on March 25.

(6) Expressing her views on gender stereotypes and expectations, senior Stephanie Kealey fathoms over the boy she wants to ask to prom. “Are We Reviving Ophelia?” was student-directed by senior Lauren Browning and focuses on the roles of females in society by addressing females’ perceptions of themselves, males’ perceptions of females and the role of gender in society. (7) Exhausted, seniors Reagan Dupriest, Brandon Rathburn and Fritz Lienemann trek through their last mile of the EKL cross country race on Oct. 15. (8) Performing in “A Piece of my Heart,” senior Paige Boomer plays a young singer in a band. In the play, she traveled to

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Vietnam to entertain troops. (9) Taking a swing, senior Shelbey Thomas looks to drive the ball. The Timberwolves ultimately lost to the Jaguars 5-6 on March 31. (10) Senior Lauren Browning paints senior Margo Johnson’s face at Relay for Life held on March 4. Browning runs a non-profit company called “Faces of HOPE,” where she has raised over $35,000 in nine years.

(11) Cheering on the football team, senior Sarah Towakoli along with her teammates seniors Abby Yi, Blake Gustafson and Lexi Tarter recite a cheer to excite the crowd. (12) During Dodge to Donate, held on Feb. 22, senior Dylan Curry is coached by his teammate, senior Collin Gallery. (13) During Relay for Life, held on March 4, senior Austin Ragusin announces for the Mr. Relay competition. He was chosen for this position since he was awarded Mr. Relay in last year’s competition. (14) Celebrating culture at the diversity assembly on Jan. 29, senior Rathi Narayan dances alongside her friends to a choreographed routine that celebrates her culture. (15) Despite a broken wrist, senior Jacob Weaver scored an improbable game-winning goal and celebrates with teammates seniors Chad Creason and Carter Yancey and sophomores Matthew Weaver and Braden Vermillion in the Aug. 28 game against Bishop Miege. (16) Seniors McKenna Adamson and Heather Huesman celebrate a point in a varsity volleyball match. The team finished the season with a record of 21-16. “My favorite part was spending time and getting to know all of the girls,” Huesman said. | delaneyoliver | lexitarter photos by Donna Armstrong, Delaney Oliver, Lauren Haught and Abby Yi

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Gage Maccoy & Patrick Cairns Blake Gustafson & Kennady Wallace

Sam Horst & Haley Ryckman

Austin Ragusin & Piper Misse

Sam Kersey & Margo Johnson 4

Grant Thompson as Dwight Schrute & Gabbi Miller as Scout Finch

| donnaarmstrong | blakegustafson | rileymartin

Preston Maurer & Kelyn Lynch Alekos Jovaras & Brea Clemons

Seth Wingerter & Cooper Courtney

Jacob Block & Aubrey Logan

Matt Wilkinson & Shelby Hardison

Nick Schrag & Shayna Byers 5

senior statistics

seniors participate in a survey on high school reflections and future plans | abbyyi Photo by Delaney Oliver.

62% in state

college plans

5%

undecid

ed

60%

33%

out of state

of seniors surveyed have cheated on a test.

6%

have cheated on a significant other.

24%

have been cheated on.

after graduation working <1%

military <1%

95% college

6

democrat or republican

number of jobs held

0

12%

2 1

3

32%

33%

51%

34%

23% 15%- other

longest relationship

1 month

6 months

5%

24%

1 year

18%

1-2 years

22%

22%

have always been sing;e.

2+ years

8%

have you ever skipped a class?

no

hardest year

freshman

34%

yes 66%

sophomore junior senior 7

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2

Cole Thomas

John Brown University

Arkansas

Jessica Bitteker

Northern Arizona University

Jennifer Morrison

Grand Canyon University

Michael Magyar Corbett Oliver

Arizona State University

Arizona

Taylen Hitchcock Annie Bennett

University of Alabama

Alabama

8

Southern Illinois University

Neka Wingert

DePaul University

Kayla Egan Austin Ragusin

Columbia College Chicago

Illinois

Kathryn Venzon

University of Georgia

Georgia

Austin Blessing

Pasco-Hernando State College

Kyle Kramm

Nova Southeastern University

Florida

4 4

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map of the different destinations of this year’s seniors

Ethan Milner Ellie Morris Mikayla Murphy Katherine Ostrom Justin Patterson Zach Petty Brandon Rathburn AnnMarie Riley Zach St. Clair Daniel Staudenmaier Sara Stowe Eskilson Jacob Stuckey Kate Sullivan Austin Taggart Grant Thompson Chris Walker Graham Walker Logan Wassall

Sam Horst Briana Huttie Leah Joseph Katherine Keeler Sam Kersey Justin Knoepker Josie Lapke Sandra Le Alyssa Leibengood Joe Lienemann Riley Martin Gabbi Miller Caleb Moler Jasmine Moore Madison Moore Rathi Narayan Livia Palmieri Jay Patel Anjali Pradeep

University of Kansas

Zane Heflin Adnan Islam Rilynne Like Mitchell Reilly Sarah Towakoli

University of Missouri — ­ Kansas City

Will Hawkins Alex Henke

University of Missouri

University of Nebraska — Lincoln

Rachel Brake

Creighton University

Nebraska

Cassidy Winsor

William Jewell College

2

University of Central Missouri (cont.)

Lexie Penichet Cassie Petrillo Matt Wilkinson Alicia Ye

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4 3 5 4 3 19 2 2 1 7 2 1

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Kansas State University (cont.)

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172

Ian Andrews Jacob Block Izabella Borowiak-Miller Abby Boyd Devin Brady Luke Brown Patrick Cairns Madison Coakley Jackson Conners Devin Elstun Briege-Clare Fowler Luis Garcia Lexi Gruenenfelder Kyle Halbhuber Alex Hemberger

Johnson County Community College

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| katebowling

flying the coop

Texas State University

Sneha Bhavanasi Nicole Dudley Cole Nelson

Baylor University

Texas

Sydney Swyers

Middle Tennessee State University

Emily Butler

Belmont University

Tennessee

Cooper Courtney

South Dakota School of Mines

South Dakota

Freddie Charlesworth

Clemson University

South Carolina

Swetha Jasti

University of Pittsburgh

Pennsylvania

Julia Eggleston Stephanie Kealey Rachel Stetson

University of Tulsa

Cameron Barclay Brea Clemons

University of Oklahoma

Haley Ryckman

Southern Nazarene University

Jackson Lazzo

Pepperdine University

Heather Huesman

Fort Scott Community College

Tess Gray Marty Verhaeghe

Fort Hays State University

Tristan Foster Spencer Mees Tori Wilson

Emporia State University

Lexi Thom

Benedictine College

Cameron Murrow Riley Swickard Carter Yancey

Baker University

Kansas

Morningside College

Jake Lebofksy

University of Denver

Tristan Eastham

Brett Basler Shelbey Thomas

Hutchinson Community College

University of Highland Colorado—Colorado Community College Springs Garrison Louis

Breana Cox

University of Colorado—Boulder

Zane Harvell

Fort Lewis College

Hannah Harrick

Colorado Christian University

Colorado

Michael Shao

University of California ­­— Los Angeles

Maddie Lowry

San Diego State Univesity

Landon Tasset

Lauren Browning

Jack Fiorella

University of Notre Dame

Zach Novicoff

Charlee Striebinger

Butler University

Indiana

Lindsay Green

Maddie Allen Maddie Barger Brianna Bartalos Alex Bartlett Nicole Becker Devin Bratkiv Harrison Carney Colin Casey Chad Creason Jared Daniel Makyla Davis Tara Dorsch Drew Easterday Brooke Egan Sydney Fitchett Connor Frock Collin Gallery Kirsty Gordon Becca Gregory Tyler Greene Erik Hjelmaas Jackson Hunnicutt Ian Holman Tyler Howard Lindsey Jost Zach Keeling Kelyn Lynch Preston Maurer Jackson McCormick Caroline McFeeters Taylor McKillop Danny McReynolds

Kansas State University

Iowa

California Institute of the Arts

California

Isabelle Finzen

University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Erica Good Maddie Parrish Taylor Ross Mitch Sutton Isabella Victor

Wheaton College

Indiana University — Bloomington

Andrew Davis Zack Howard Madeline Hoyt John Humbert Sobir Hussaini Alekos Jovaras Fritz Lienemann Sean McKinzie Grant McLain Jennifer Meiners Meghan Neill Sean Nix Alex Riley Nick Schrag Whitney Sharon Justin Skaggs Tyler Stander Thomas Uko Valarie Ventura Erin Welch

University of Arkansas

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Trevor Agonis Ellie Augustine Osama Azam Haywod Baha Rylee Brown Koree Case Matthew Chichura Dylan Curry Brooke Dennin Madison Deppe Colin Doerr Hunter Entwistle Rilyne Fate Hanna Festa Emiley Fletcher Kinsey Fletcher Hannah Forney Emily George Blake Gustafson Madi Hatch Drew Havens

University of Kansas

Erika Bolles Caitlyn Henderscheid Taylor Massey Jon Meyer Piper Misse Megan Price Blake Smith

Pittsburg State University

Bailey Robertson

Neosho County Community College

Marketa Veselkova

MidAmerica Nazarene University

Gage Maccoy Adrianne Maninger

Kansas City Kansas Community College

Jake Willson Jacob Woolworth Abby Yi Isaac Zahner Jordan Zimmerman

Ben Cowan

University of Central Missouri

Katie Lienemann

St. Louis University

McKenna Adamson Emilie Dayton

Missouri State University

Casey Gonzales

Maryville University

Brooke Pigneri

Evangel University

Brooke Westrom

Avila University

Missouri

Lindsay Wittig

Z Hair Academy

Shelby Hardison Kate Perrigo

Wichita State University

Jessica Art Riley Trent

Washburn University

Brennon Hipsher

Manhattan School of Music

University of St. Mary

Shayna Byers Aubrey Logan

Oklahoma State University

Jacob Weaver

Northeastern State University

Oklahoma

Kelsey Demel Jessica Sorcher Rachael Sorcher

Miami University

Christina Cornell

Case Western Reserve University

Ohio

Shelby Moseley

Warren Wilson College

Alexus Jackson

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University

North Carolina

Joann Armstrong

Cornell University

Bentlei Benak

American Musical and Dramatic Academy

New York

Jenna Phelps

Connor Eksi Cailee Traen Kevin Woolworth

Maren Ruf Madison Ruffalo Marissa Santacruz Nikki Seurer Chandler Starling Brock Stephens Lexi Tarter Jesse Truong Kennady Wallace Lauren Wambold Colin Webber Jack Weidner Seth Wingerter

List as of April 21

Paige Boomer Reed Bowling

Undecided

Shane Bradford Will Davis Julia Dopheide Reagan Dupriest Joe Martinat Ian McRoberts Zach Miller Griffin Schmidt Patrick Seagraves Jada Torian Christian Woodruff

Other

Military Matt Heise

Anne-Marie Dahms

University of British Columbia

Andres Antillon Perez

University of Anahuac Queretaro

Breatriz Infantes RodriguezCourel Marta Pasqualini Gabriela Pozo

International

Margo Johnson

University of Washington

Josh Wu

Seattle University

Washington

Taylor Melau

Sports & Basketball Patrick Cairns Johnson County Community College Cooper Courtney South Dakota School of Mines Jackson Lazzo Morningside College Rilynne Like University of Missouri–Kansas City Senior Hannah Marketa Veselkova MidAmerica Nazarene University Harrick strides Brooke Westrom Avila University through her last Matt Wilkinson University of Central Missouri mile. Harrick placed Cheer Kate Perrigo Wichita State University

signings

30th and completed her 5K in 21:36 in the girls varsity EKL race.

Cross Country Tristan Eastham University of Colorado Hannah Harrick Colorado Christian College Piper Misse Pittsburg State University Football Brett Basler Hutchinson Community College Jon Meyer Pittsburg State University Lacrosse Brennon Hipsher University of Saint Mary Soccer Casey Gonzales Maryville University Brooke Pigneri Evangel University Riley Trent Washburn University Jacob Weaver Northeastern State University Carter Yancey Baker University Softball Shayna Byers Oklahoma State University Tess Gray Fort Hays State University Riley Swickard Baker University Lexi Thom Benedictine College Shelbey Thomas Hutchinson Community College Swimming Isabelle Finzen University of Arkansas—Little Rock

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“[Lacrosse in college] should be a little bit faster and different. You can use different equipment, so I am looking forward to that.” | seniorbrennonhipsher

Fighting for possession, senior Jacob Weaver lunges for the ball, but is caught by the opposing player.

Weaver was the Kansas 5A Player of the Year in 2014 and helped bring the team to a 2-0 win against Blue Valley North.

performing arts |lilliehoffart

“The quality of singing is probably way better in college because in high school a lot of people just do choir for fun. In college, although some people will be there for fun, most people will be there because they really want to be there and really want to improve their singing.” | seniordevinbratkiv

Performing in “A Piece of my Heart,” senior Joann Armstrong plays a nurse. This play ran in December and helped to illustrate the impact of the Vietnam War on service members.

Rowing Madison Moore University of Kansas Madison Ruffalo University of Kansas Wrestling Marty Verhaeghe Fort Hays State University Volleyball Jenna Phelps Cornell University Heather Huesman Fort Scott Community College Band Ben Cowan University of Central Missouri Kinsey Fletcher University of Kansas Kirsty Gordon Kansas State University Swetha Jasti University of Pittsburgh Justin Knoepker University of Kansas Brandon Rathburn Kansas State University AnnMarie Riley Kansas State University Justin Skaggs Johnson County Community College Sara Stowe Eskilson Kansas State University Zach St. Clair Kansas State University Choir Devin Bratkiv Kansas State University Emily Butler Belmont University Sydney Swyers Middle Tennessee State University Debate Zach Novicoff Indiana University—Bloomington

“I chose [to continue playing my instrument] because I really enjoy marching band, and I really like the marching aspect of it ... I think it will be a good way to get involved at college and make new friends.” | seniorannmarieriley

Orchestra Mitchell Reilly University of Missouri­—Kansas City Theatre Joann Armstrong Manhattan School of Music Lauren Browning California Institute of the Arts Brea Clemons University of Oklahoma Austin Ragusin Columbia College Chicago

Signings as of April 21 Photos by Donna Armstrong and Delaney Oliver

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Senior Columns

margo johnson 12

online editor-in-chief

y story of how I came to join the newspaper staff isn’t similar to many of the other stories shared in the senior columns in this issue. I never had that awkward time of questioning what it was I wanted to be a part of in high school. I never experienced that “High School Musical”esque cliche of giving up my promising athletic career to join the musical. I had spent all of middle school hiding in the locker rooms during gym class, and my already semi-deep voice doesn’t sound any better when I’m singing, so when I entered high school, I was looking forward to joining activities where I actually felt I had some potential. And by the beginning of freshman year I had already decided how I was going to get involved — I was going to join newspaper and debate.

Almost four years later, if you were to ask me what activities I’m a part of, my answer would still be, “newspaper and debate.” And I can look back on my involvement in both activities not wishing I had done anything more. But when I decided what activities to join, — and yes, I know this is cliche — I didn’t think the best part of my involvement would be the friendships and memories I’ve created.

Naturally, finishing my final issue of the newspaper has made me nostalgic, and really, it’s made me reflect on a lot of the weird stuff I do. Like when I escaped to the newspaper room to eat cake during the AP European History exam break and tried to convince Ms. Lawrenz that I quit mid-test. Or when I took enjoyment in my staff’s annoyance as I loudly played A$AP Ferg on my computer and gave our former editor, Grant Laster, an illegally downloaded copy of “Trap Lord” as his graduation present. Or when I made my mom drive to Toys “R” Us to buy a plastic kiddie pool so I could fill it with sand and attempt create a beach scene on my driveway for my page design. But what I’ll miss most about newspaper is these oddities were appreciated.

I’m typically on the quiet side, but newspaper was a place where I didn’t have to hide my personality and where I felt speaking my mind could be valuable.

Even though I don’t intend to pursue a career in journalism, I still look forward to joining the student newspaper of the university I attend and surrounding myself with people who share a similar passion.

However, I can’t deny I’ll miss going to Noodles & Company with my “newspaper friends” and forcing them to listen to my life problems or receiving their texts of YouTube links to 2005 Lil Jon music videos at midnight.

The people I’ve met through interviews for my stories have provided me some of the greatest learning experiences, and I look forward to having even more of these experiences in college while bonding with my new staff.

W

ords do not come to me like they seem to do so easily for the writers here on staff. On work nights reading the beautiful stories written by my peers I became jealous, even intimidated, by their ability that I did not possess. I could barely write captions for my photos, let alone a whole story, and I began to think of myself as less of a journalist than the writers were.

My mindset began to shift when I was working on my memorable “bridge story.”

My idea for the page was to take pictures of people who sat in the bridge area during lunch time and ask them what brought them there. I knew I would get some interesting stories just because I knew there were all different types of people that sat in the bridge.

When I went to go take pictures I saw

a girl so deep into a book she was unfazed by the chaos of the crowded bridge. Talking to people I didn’t know was a bit out of my comfort zone, so it took a little to convince myself to go talk to her, but when I asked her why she read in the bridge she told me her story. She explained to me how she was from Jamaica and she loved to read because it helped her feel more confident with her English.

It was in that exact moment that it hit me: it didn’t matter how well I could write.

I was in newspaper to share the stories that needed to be heard. Everyone has his or her own story, and I could have missed a great one if I didn’t step out of my comfort zone. In the time you have, make your story worth sharing.

J

lexi tarter

editor-in-chief

I

specifically remember the moment where I considered joining the Standard, as I was sitting inside of Mi Ranchito, sitting at the first booth past the bar, talking to fellow staff member Michael Magyar.

After commenting on the year ahead for the staff, I made a side remark, lacking any seriousness, about me potentially joining the staff. Immediately, Michael looked up from his deep-fried tacos, and told me I needed to join.

Journalism had never even crossed my mind. From the youngest age, I would answer the question that was asked all-too often that my favorite subject was math.

Naturally inclined to math, I adversely never found too much joy in reading or writing, so at a young age I found myself saying that I would be an engineer once I had grown up.

That night I found myself considering

oining staff sophomore year after a semester-long introduction to journalism class, I had no idea what I was in for. Newspaper has easily been the most challenging yet rewarding class I could have ever taken at a high school level. Being a part of something that pushes me to work toward deadlines and innovate new ideas has helped me shape not only my character, but also my career path. I plan to pursue a strategic communications degree at the University of Kansas Journalism school.

On work nights at the end of the issue cycle, “The Standard” staff starts after school, and sometimes don’t finish until six or seven at night. We critique and make each other better. We keep one common goal in mind and that’s to serve our readers’

rethinking my priorities, questioning whether I should take Michael’s advice and join the staff. My course-load had always been structured to support both my future in college and professionally, but this scenario brought an opportunity to expand my skill set and diversify my high school experience.

Looking back upon the decisions I made that night, I can say with full confidence that they were some of the best decisions I have made throughout the last four years of high school. By joining the staff, I was introduced into an entirely new thought process and an entirely new way of solving problems. Further, I was able to create plenty of new friendships, some that were able to enhance and further my senior year and leave me with so many good memories as I go off to college.

Abby yi

graphic designer

purpose. We go through all of this extensive work not only for ourselves and each other, — we do it for you as our readers. Without you, we wouldn’t have an issue to hand out and we wouldn’t have stories to write.

Journalism has taught me that there’s so much to report on and publicize. People all around us have so many talents and opinions. Allowing them to share their own beliefs or their passions is something I find so much joy in — it’s opened my mind to think about things differently than I ever have before. The one thing I hope I’ve instilled in my staff as well as our readers is to accept people for their own passions and learn to open your own minds to culture, differing opinions and talents.

seth wingerter staff writer

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I

n sixth grade I thought being the youngest child of four was the worst thing that could happen to someone, and I cried to my mom about it. Half of my closest consisted of out-of-style handme-downs, no one bothered to ask my preferences when they decided to eat my least favorite meal for dinner, and life was hard. To that, my mom firmly informed me she wasn’t adopting or having another child, so pretty much I was stuck in defeat.

Ultimately, my fourth-childness shaped my early-aged self to be the quiet observer in the background where I watched what everyone else was doing and learned from others’ mistakes. I watched as my older sisters thrived in high school with their involvement in activities and commitment to studying, and I wanted to do the same. So, I joined StuCo, played two sports, and took some honors classes, just like my siblings. Although those were all things I equally enjoyed, it wasn’t until I joined journalism sophomore year that I really felt as if I touched a path my family had yet to explore.

Newspaper gave me an outlet for my observations, and I had more opportunities to learn and understand other people. I’ve gotten to interact with so many people I wouldn’t have talked to on subjects I wouldn’t have talked about, and it’s prompted me to become more willing to understand others’ perspectives and really, truly listen. I’ve sat across the table at the library from a student I’ve known since elementary school and learned what his religion meant to him and how he’s grown. I’ve listened to a native Pakistani student explain the judgmental questions she’s received from other students and

why she’s motivated to study here for a year. It’s through hearing these stories that I’ve discovered so much about my school and how I could become more selfaware, which has ultimately inspired a better me.

As the sad time comes for me to skedaddle on out of here, I suppose I finally have some authority to give others advice. So, I advise you to not settle for being the youngest sibling, even though I’ll tell you it does have its perks. Don’t follow things just because they’re what you know; be open to venture out and try something beyond your realm. If I never would’ve pursued journalism, I wouldn’t understand ghost pig, train wrecks at work night, Bebas Neue, “join now” videos, and Columbus Day, which have all contributed to the completeness of my high school experience. Our school and staff have broken ground on so many things that I’m happy to have been a part of, and there’s so much more to be accomplished. It just starts with the mentality and confidence of the oldest sibling to cross boundaries, establish tradition, and make a change.

nicole becker

business manager

michael magyar 14

associate editor

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was lost when I started my second year of high school. I wasn’t comfortable with who I was. Being around my friends wasn’t an enjoyable experience for me because I couldn’t embrace my individual personality.

When I joined newspaper my sophomore year I knew absolutely no one on the staff.

Everyone was a stranger. I was skeptical that I would fit in with people who, at first glance, shared no common interests with me. As time went on, I interacted more with my fellow staff members. Sooner than later, I realized that those I surrounded myself with in that class were some of the most marvelous people I had the pleasure of ever having met.

Artists, Ivy Leaguers, athletes. The scrambled variety of personalities and interests in the newspaper room made every day a delightful smorgasbord of conversation.

The three years I’ve spent in newspaper have contributed so much to my growth as a person. The interactions I’ve had have allowed me to leave high school more well rounded than I would be had I not spent the time in room 118. I’m thankful for having met people I wouldn’t have either been acquainted with otherwise. I’m thankful for having met a best friend. I’m thankful for photo booth selfies, thanksgiving dinners, and sketchy bean bag chairs. I made so many memories on our trips to Lawrence, whether it was hipster juice being spilt in an auditorium or roaming the splendid weirdness that Mass Street had to offer. I’m thankful for Margo’s and Lexi’s stories, Kate and Lillie’s designs and Donna and Delaney’s action shots. So many amazing “acts of journalism” (as Ms. Lawrenz would put it) were committed during my time on staff.

To me, the most valuable commodity one can seek to encounter on this earth is human interaction. Whether it be a short discussion or a lengthy conversation, learning more about a person allows for one to look at things from their viewpoints, something I find to be very important. Newspaper gave me a chance to become comfortable in my own skin, and I finally was able to choose to welcome in my personality with open arms.

So for that, I look back on my experiences in this class with nothing but warm memories.

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riley martin design coach

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hroughout my life, my heart has always been devoted to music. From singing in choirs to leading worship at church, the art of music has always enamored me. I had never seen the other sides of the music industry until my sophomore year when a few of my friends started songwriting and releasing their own music. It was then I discovered that writing was an art-form in itself. I claimed a new passion and started writing poetry and lyrics nearly every night. Hundreds of long nights later, my senior year was approaching and I realized

hen I was younger, I got up on stage to play a piece I had practiced for my piano recital, only to realize I had brought the wrong book. I am not a bold person or someone who likes performing in front of a crowd, but for some reason I decided to play a piece I had never practiced in front of all of my peers, rather than getting off the stage. It was rough, but it was in this moment that I was given the most recognition I’d ever received. This incident is what made me realize my passion for music and its importance in my life.

Likewise, my fondness of graphic design came unexpectedly as well. I took graphic design as a computer credit and didn’t even think about joining newspaper until

I wasn’t involved in an activity, other than English class, that would challenge and grow my writing until I decided to join the newspaper staff. Although I’m only a oneyear member, the experiences and training I’ve gained will stay with me as I venture into college. Because of these experiences, I have decided to minor in journalism at Middle Tennessee State University alongside my major of recording industry. I am hopeful for the future and would like to thank everyone who helped me get to where I am today.

a friend told me to. Not knowing what to expect, I went in with an open mind, and it soon became one of my favorite classes; I even joined CAPS to pursue graphic design.

From countless work nights to chocolate Fridays, newspaper class is where I found something that I love to do.

Some of the best things that have happened in my life have happened when I least expected them to. Newspaper has allowed me to find out a little bit more of who I am as a person and has given me a better idea of what I want to do in the future. Instead of looking for who you are, search for the person you aspire to be, because not until we are lost do we begin to find ourselves.

sydney swyers staff writer

M

Blake Gustafson

social media manager

y sophomore year, I thought I had purpose. I was in classes with teachers I loved, and I spent all my time outside of school cheering on the sidelines of whatever sport was in season. Life was perfect, and I felt complete until one day when my friend talked me into joining the newspaper staff. At first, I was hesitant — I knew nothing about journalism. And besides, what kind of people were involved with newspaper anyway? But I decided to sign up because I thought it would be another blow off class that would look good on a resume. Little did I know, it would be one of the best things that has ever happened to me.

As we worked all summer long, I continuously questioned what I had gotten myself into. My easy-A class turned out to be more work than any class I had ever

taken. And school hadn’t even started yet.

However, I stopped asking myself why I had joined when we handed out our very first issue on the first day. Being a part of something that affects the entire community was new to me, and it made me feel like I was making a difference.

I have spent these past two years building friendships with my staff members and learning more about our community than I ever thought I could. The people I have met and the things I have learned from being a part of “The Standard” will have an impact on me for the rest of my life.

When I think of high school, I will think of room 118 and what it meant to be a high school journalist. As I start a new chapter in my life, I will be forever grateful to “The Standard” for showing me what it means to have purpose.

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BVSW CLASS OF 2016 16

ads | www.bvswnews.com | southwest | aprill 2016 | 9

crop conflict conflict over GMO labeling heats up

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ast March, the Senate struck down a bill presented by Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts which would block state requirement of genetically modified organism (GMO) labeling occurring.

A resolution failed to be passed, and talks on the GMO conflict stalled. Now more than ever, the battle over the future of American crops rages on.

GMOs have infiltrated the world’s food supply. A GMO is simply an organism with an altered genetic structure. Several crops, including crops that feed massive populations such as corn and soy, are widely made up of genetically modified organisms.

According to the GMO Project, 88 percent of corn crops and 94 percent of soy crops are genetically modified. A common motivation to alternate the genetic code has been to make crops more pest repellent. For years, the GMO controversy has been on the front lines of discussion. Farmers, senators, parents, as well as the average citizen have all chimed in on this issue.

Senior Jackson McCormick plans to study either agricultural business or agricultural economics. For those in McCormick’s potential future field, this issue is difficult to ignore.

“The GMO issue is really tricky,” McCormick said. “On one hand, you’ve got a world that needs to be fed and farmers that need to do the feeding. On the other, you’ve got an American public that doesn’t trust what they’re being told to eat is actually free of all risks.”

The debate over GMOs has taken on many different forms.

Recently, however, the spotlight has been shined primarily on a single issue: labeling States all over the country have introduced legislation that would force producers of goods to label their genetically modified products as such. Several companies, including major players such as General Mills, Kellogg's and Campbells, have all come out and committed to labeling their products. For many grassroots campaigns, however, these “gentleman’s agreements” are not enough. The state legislature of Vermont wrote a new law into action that requires all companies to go through with this type of labeling starting in July. Surrounding states like Maine and Massachusetts, as well as governments nationwide, are considering emulating their own versions of this bill.

“I think it’s important that we do go ahead and take the initiative to label GMOs,” sophomore Saketh Bhavanasi said.

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“Even though specific studies that show the potential effects of GMOs are difficult to prove, they still could be harmful to us in the future and we wouldn’t know.”

Examples of the presence of GMOs in U.S. food supply are everywhere. In October, a geneticist at Pennsylvania State University presented a genetically modified mushroom. The product of experimentation was a mushroom with a substantially slowed down browning process. This was done by altering the organism’s genes by modifying an enzyme. To proponents of ending food waste, this kind of fungus would be able to help take steps to end food waste as a result of browning. A study done by the National Resources Defense Council showed that the U.S. wastes $165 billion in food every year, the root cause of this being the spoilage of foods like mushrooms. The same study showed that 40 percent of the U.S.’ food goes uneaten. On the other end of spectrum, the end result of the experimental mushroom is horrifying to some. In early April, the United States Department of Agriculture allowed these mushrooms to bypass typical regulations and enter the market as any typical fruit or vegetable would. This is due to its status as a fringe GMO. Because of its creation with gene editing tools, the producers created a loophole to get around typical restrictions.

“We’ve already been selectively growing crops that specifically do better, which is essentially a form of GMOs,” senior Jay Patel said. “Nowadays, we go in and modify the genetic code ourselves, and that’s what’s really changing.”

One of the major cornerstones of the conflict pertains to the divide between the general public and the scientific community.

A Pew survey taken in 2015 showed that over half of American adults think GMOs are unsafe. The same year, Pew surveyed a collection of scientists connected with the American Association for the Advancement of Science and found that 88 percent of them think GMOs are “generally safe.” Safe or unsafe, as legislation correlating with GMO production is continued to be written, the conflict remains unsolved.

“There is no evidence suggesting that GMOs are actually harmful to the human body,” Patel said. “Any argument against GMOs really isn’t backed by science.”

| michaelmagyar Photo illustration by Delaney Oliver

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hen junior Abby Fry turned in her senior year enrollment form, she didn’t feel any certainty in her classes for the upcoming school year. While she debated challenging herself by adding both AP Biology and AP Physics 2 to her course load, she was ultimately met with a more imminent concern — whether or not school would open in the fall.

In February, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled the new funding formula for public schools did not provide equitable funding for all socioeconomic levels of school districts in the state.

The court stated the Kansas legislature had until June 30 to pass a new funding formula that meets both the adequate and equitable funding standards, as outlined in the Kansas Constitution.

Otherwise, schools would not open for the 2016-2017 school year. The court

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criticized the new block grant method’s heavy reliance on raised property taxes as being biased against poorer districts.

The block grant formula was designed to replace a decades-old funding method that allocated money to schools based on the number of students and the profile of students in the district.

“I would be pretty disappointed in FortinScott the failure of legislatures Topeka because I think you have to try pretty hard to mess up that badly,” Fry said.

“I honestly think it would significantly complicate an admissions process to any university because how do you explain that you didn’t Pittsburg attend school for part of the semester or, ‘Why are you now attending a community Parsons college as opposed to your home high school?’ That’s a complicated thing to Cherryvale explain to someone on an admissions application.”

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Independence

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On April 7, governor Sam Brownback announced he had signed a bill enacting a new funding formula for the upcoming school year. School districts would receive the same amount of money previously allocated, with 23 school districts receiving increased funding from an emergency reserve.

District representatives from Blue Valley and Shawnee Mission voiced support for the bill. However, representatives from Kansas City, Kansas and Wichita criticized the bill for its continued reliance on property taxes and not addressing the increased need for funding in school districts such as Wichita, which has a projected cost increase of between $16 million and $30 million for the next fiscal year. The bill only addresses funding for the 2016-2017 school year and leaves funding for future school years to be determined.

“Long term, there’s got to be a larger discussion about what education looks like in the 21st century, how much it’s going to cost and how we’re going to pay for it,” deputy superintendent Mike Slagle said. “The formula we’ve just come out of is a 1992 formula. We didn’t have technology back then. We didn’t have a lot of drivers of education. We didn’t have a lot of things that we do now that we need to make sure kids are ready for, so I think we need to think about what kids need now and how we’re going to pay for that.”

After major tax cuts were enacted

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in 2012, Kansas began to see an annual decrease of between $250 and $400 million in revenue used to fund transportation, schools and other public establishments.

Slagle said Kansas is currently at a breaking point where the state cannot legally enter into a new fiscal year with a budget requiring more money than the state brought in the previous year. This situation is only expected to worsen, as state revenue projections over the next several months are likely to miss their projections by $50 to $100 million each month.

As Blue Valley has been feeling the pinch from budget shortfalls, it has used funds in reserves from previous fiscal years, contracted district transportation services to private companies, cut salary raises, increased activity fees and lessened the quality of healthcare plans. While Slagle said these changes haven’t been particularly noticeable to the Blue Valley community, future budget uncertainty may bring more robust cuts.

“If we’re forced to go to a budget reduction strategy again, I think it’s going to have to impact the classroom,” Slagle said. “I don’t know in what way yet, but parents and our patrons are going to feel that differently than they’ve felt in the past. Four or five years ago, we had to cut $11 million out of our budget. We were able to do that without impacting the classrooms very much. If we’re forced to cut another $11 million in the future, the classrooms will be a part of that equation

unfortunately.”

Social studies teacher and Kansas National Education Association (KNEA) building representative Mike Hardin said the concern among KNEA members isn’t as much the funding for the upcoming school year, but the possibility of budget cuts in coming school years.

He said while budget cuts will have an impact in Blue Valley, due to the district’s strong parent base, the severity of cuts will be more profound in poorer districts “We have a really good parent community that supports the school system really heavily, which is critical,” Hardin said. “Blue Valley is also fortunate enough to be in a well-off area, so for us, an impact to state funding does hurt. It’s less things we can do academically; it’s less opportunities to enhance technology; it’s less field trips. But the impact will be much greater in rural or urban schools where funding is not as plentiful and where the tax base isn’t as high.”

Although Blue Valley hasn’t officially decided what sort of reallocations must be made next year to meet budget shortfalls, Fry said the first classes to be affected would most likely be elective, music and performing arts classes. As a member of the school’s nationally-recognized debate team, Fry said the school helps finance much of the team’s travel costs and overnight trips to tournaments hosted across the country. Fry said a decrease in funding could limit the team’s competitive potential.

“I think if we do lose a significant amount of state funding, some of the money we use to support our band, choir, debate and all the performing arts may have to be reallocated to basic functions to keep the doors open,” Fry said. “That’s obviously more important, but it also means taking services away from students, which is obviously not the desired result of attending school.”

Mother of junior Olivia Swyers and senior Sydney Swyers and Olathe East English teacher Gretl Swyers said she started noticing effects from inadequate funding two years ago. If Swyers needs supplies for her classroom, she no longer can go to a storeroom and instead has to submit a form to the office where secretaries will assess the availability and necessity of the supplies. But more severely, this past year Olathe East excessed four teachers. Even though Swyers has taught at the school for six years, because she is the newest teacher in the English department, she is the next teacher to be excessed.

“It hurts morale if your teaching staff knows that they’re the first place you go to cut,” Swyers said. “When teachers realize it’s not about what they do or what they bring to the table, but it’s about how many years you have in the game, that just affects morale. It has nothing to do with merit — it has everything to do with how many years you’ve been doing it, and that’s a big problem in education.”

With teachers in the Olathe School District already instructing classes of up to 35 students, Swyers said excessing teachers

will only make the issue of overpopulated classrooms worse. She said in order to continue to provide students a quality education, school districts should cut administrative positions and encourage more parent involvement in making administrative decisions.

“We need to start top down cutting some people,” Swyers said. “Quit taking away English jobs and history jobs and math jobs when we’re only making about $40,000; yet the average administrative salary is probably around $70,000. Teachers have more to do with kids than administrators do, so if you’re really worried about the effect on kids, why aren’t we getting rid of one administrator before getting rid of two teachers?”

In the last state legislature election, less than 20 percent of eligible voters participated. Slagle said during times when funding for public education is in jeopardy, it’s important parents are aware of and involved in education policy decisions.

With primaries and general elections for state legislature members to be held in August and November, respectively, Slagle said parents need to be politically active to ensure students can continue to receive a quality education.

“There’s a lot of policy decisions that have been made over the past four or five years that are affecting our ability to provide a quality education system like we’ve provided in the past,” Slagle said. “It’s election year for the legislature. I would just want [parents] to become informed because

they might find that policies are to their liking right now, or they may find that their policies aren’t. I think it’s a head scratcher to have less than 20 percent of people vote in our election, and there’s some improvement that could be done there.”

Fry said her mother’s involvement in Stand Up Blue Valley, an organization of parents whose goal is to educate voters about issues that impact schools, has caused her to take notice of the importance of being knowledgeable about education policies in the legislature. Despite the education funding crisis making national news, Fry said she doesn’t think many students are aware of the situation’s severity. Even though many high school age students aren’t old enough to vote, Fry said it’s still important that students are aware of the officials in the state legislature and the policies they’re creating.

“The choices that other people are making could end up having a very direct impact on your education, which even if the doors close for a little bit, not at all or there’s a small change in funding, that could impact what teacher you have in the classroom or how you apply to college,” Fry said. “I don’t think a lot of people know that this is a potential impact of failure on the part of the people in Topeka.”

| margojohnson | nicolebecker Graphics by Abby Yi | 13

The WAITING Game stress of collegiate waitlists adversely affects students

For senior Will Hawkins, waiting had already become the standard. After turning in his application by the early action deadline, Nov. 1, the University of Michigan forced him to wait nearly two months until the decision date, Dec. 24.

Once that date arrived, the university deferred him into the regular decision pool, which caused him to wait another month to find out his status. After the month had passed, Hawkins opened his much anticipated college decision letter only to be informed he would be placed on the waitlist and would have to wait another five months to be notified of the final decision.

“It was a lot of work to apply in the first place, and it’s just sad that you get wait-listed rather than getting a decision because you’re still being forced to wait,” Hawkins said. “It’s just a bad experience.”

The waitlist has developed into a major aspect of the college admissions process and in turn has left thousands of students questioning their futures just weeks before they attend college.

Although an opportunity to be admitted to a dream school can be viewed with a hopeful disposition, the stalled decision has served as a rejection for many, as practicality usually trumps the dream of getting into a school.

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“It’s really stressful, and it really makes you feel worthless, and it makes you feel like you’re not good enough to get in, but you’re questioning why they didn’t just reject you.” | snehabhavanasi

“When you apply early action, you do all that work, and then they say that you aren’t good enough for now,” Hawkins said. “It’s basically being denied.”

The harsh reality is that for many, the waitlist does serve as a denial. Of the 1,153 students on the University of Notre Dame’s 2013 waitlist, only 86 were admitted, an acceptance rate of 7.4 percent. That was still a tenfold improvement over the prior year’s admittance rate, in which only seven of the 951 students were admitted from the waitlist, a .7 percent admission rate.

“I never have had my hopes on the waitlist, because I have never seen anyone be admitted to a school off of the waitlist,” said senior Swetha Jasti, who was wait-listed at the Washington University in St. Louis. “[The waitlist] depends on the university and how much they use it, and I didn’t want to set my hopes up high because I was trying to be more realistic, so I didn’t consider being on the waitlist as another way of admission.”

While certain universities may use less than one percent of their waitlists, other universities do use their waitlists much more avidly.

According to the National Association for College Admission Counseling, 30 percent of students on the waitlist are admitted into a university, leaving a seeming sense of hope. However, for Jasti, it simply feels like an illusion.

“I feel like [the waitlist] fosters a sense of false hope in students because there is no way of telling how much a university can use their waitlist,” Jasti said.

Because of the recognition of this potentially false sense of hope, a large majority of students do not even pursue the waitlist. Specifically, in University of Notre Dame’s 2013 waitlist, only 46.9

percent of students offered a place on the waitlist actually accepted that spot.

Even though 30 percent of students nationwide on waitlists are admitted, there is still a common feeling of mistrust of the process to deliver.

“Being wait-listed doesn’t really give me a choice,” said senior Sneha Bhavanasi, who was waitlisted by Washington University in Saint Louis, George Washington, Rice, Johns Hopkins, and Case Western. “It gives me hope, but I have to choose already.”

For the limited number of students who do pursue the waitlist, they must avoid multiple obstacles in order to even get to the waitlist decision date.

With a nationwide enrollment deposit deadline of May 1, and many waitlist decisions after this date, students are chased off because of the necessity to put a potentially non-refundable deposit to a school they may not even attend.

“You haven’t had a chance to do anything that the campus offers, whether you are looking for a roommate or picking the classes that you want when you want,” counselor Tom Hult said. “You’re probably going to be stuck with the crappy hour classes that might not work for anybody else. There’s a lot of negative if you wait that long.”

Due to these obstacles, pursuing an opportunity on the waitlist increasingly becomes a difficult task for many students to either manage the setbacks of the waitlist or to even escape it into admission. Because of this dilemma, many students are feeling an emotional toll.

“It’s really stressful, and it really makes you feel worthless, and it makes you feel like you’re not good enough to get in, but you’re questioning why they didn’t just reject you,” Bhavanasi said. “You’re stuck in the second circle

of hell.”

Even though students are emotionally affected and put at a serious disadvantage, the waitlist continues to be essentially commonplace throughout higher level learning institutions across America. While no potential solution is in sight, students are still looking for something.

“If the waitlist were figured out by mid-May, then it would be so much better,” Bhavanasi said. “George Washington [University] asked for the waitlist response by April 11, so they could give you a tentative decision by May 1, which is really nice.”

However, for Hawkins, a potential fix was easy to diagnose.

“It’s better to be accepted or denied from the start so kids aren’t having to wait to make a decision,” Hawkins said.

However, no solution even appears possible currently. Hult said it goes against all logistics for the universities that employ it, as it is the college’s way of ensuring they are able to completely fill their freshman class.

Thus, the student is left at the mercy of the university. Students must put off potential roommates, potential scholarships and potential class schedules just at the hope they can join that class, and many times are still unable to be admitted. Although many are discouraged and admit surrender, those who do stay are adversely affected by it, feeling the continued stress of college admissions.

“It makes you feel like you’re a puppet on a string because I am literally at their will right now,” Bhavanasi said.

“Being on the waitlist gives you this hope while I feel like you’re just going to be disappointed in the end.”

| sethwingerter Graphics by Kate Bowling | 15

Back to the

BASES boys varsity baseball team prepares to defend state title

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(3) A Bishop Miege pitcher throws to freshman Will Eldridge standing at home plate. Varsity coach Rick Sabath said his team focuses on “getting better every day and constantly working on fundamentals to improve its play” in order to create more success. (6) Junior Ryan Davis reacts to a ball to the back. While coaches and players agree they do not feel pressured to get to the championship again, they do feel they need to maintain the “traditions of the program.” “I try not to put too much pressure on myself and just focus on doing my job and letting the chips fall where they may,” Howe said.

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(1) Junior Tanner Howe pitches a ball during the baseball game against Bishop Miege April 13. The Timberwolves beat the Stags 4-2. Howe said the best part of being on this team is the camaraderie. “Every single guy on the team is someone I would consider a good friend, and it shows on the field,” Howe said. “I have complete trust in my teammates, and I think they all have complete trust in me as well.” (2) Standing up to bat, junior Chris Esposito waits to hit the oncoming pitch.