BVSW - The Standard - Volume 9 - Issue 1

sweet summer spots

students shed light on favorite summer break hang outs pages 8-9

the

standard blue valley southwest | volume 9 | issue 1

2 | contents / the standard / aug. 2018

contents features

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08 | sweet summer spots 10 | taking the crown 14 | au revoir

sports 06 | lightning on the field

opinion 12 | pride in validity

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on the cover students shed light on favorite summer break hangouts volume 9 / issue 1 www.bvswnews.com

graphic design by jonah mccormick

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9 12 14

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

editor’s note A

t the beginning of the summer, there were limited complications in the nature of the Standard staff. I was assigned to co-edit alongside a long-time friend, and things were set in motion. However, time has no mercy — things get in the way to the point where you feel like there is no hope. The first was the loss of a new staffer, our only completely new staffer in fact, as none of us knew her before her apparent membership in this year’s volume of the Standard came to an end. However, things happen, and leaders have to continue to lead.

I was put on pause temporarily as death had taken my grandfather, and I once again felt lost in the summer, unable to control how the things in my life played out. I felt the things I did have control over were slipping through my fingers. Burying someone I loved and respected had me thinking — especially about what my future held. I had to focus on my home family for a while rather than my paper family. After feeling knocked by grief, I was able to pick myself back up again with the help of our unusually small staff of newsies.

More people continued to drop newspaper, and still I felt powerless.

But I think there is something super special about a staff who exits a storm with heads held high. I think there is a future for the Standard, despite what other people might say. Even though we currently have seven members, we support each other. We want the best for each other, we are constantly looking out for each other. The most important lesson in newspaper is not learning how to write quote-transition-quote stories or how to change the PPI of a photo. The most important lesson is teamwork.

Teamwork is showing love and support to your peers, problem solving for your team and listening to the plights of your friends. I know this volume of the paper will raise not only the standard of the paper, but the standard of the school.

And to anyone interested in joining our family, we welcome you with open arms. See you fifth hour.

the standard editor-in-chief emma olinger online editor lauren urschel design editor jonah mccormick social media editor elianna oliver staff writers isha patel sadie putnam adviser rachel chushuk

The Southwest Standard is published seven times a year for students, faculty and surrounding community of Blue Valley Southwest. It is an open forum for student expression. Therefore, the opinions expressed within this paper do not necessarily reflect the views of the administration of Blue Valley Unified School District #229.

Letters to the editor and reader responses are encouraged for publication. The Southwest Standard reserves the right to edit all submissions for both language and content and encourages letters to be no more than 350 words. All letters must be signed and names will be published.

| editor-in-chief

The Standard 17600 Quivira Road Overland Park, KS 66221 Website: bvswnews.com Email: bvswnews@gmail.com

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6 | feature / the standard / aug. 2018

Lightning on the Field senior Gracely Briley turns soccer into a lifestyle

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leats, shin guards, tall socks, soccer practice, training, games — all things that revolve around the world of senior Gracely Briley. Ever since she was 6 years old, Gracely said she has grown to not only love soccer, but live a life full of it. Gracely’s mom, Meaghen Briley, said Gracely brought something new to the table, choosing a sport unique from the rest of her family to call her own.

“What’s really funny about Gracely and the whole desire to play soccer is that no one in our family has ever played soccer,” Meaghen said. “It’s always been a big family joke that she chose to play soccer so that [Gracely’s dad] Bart and I couldn’t coach her and that she could kind of do her own thing.

Soccer is something she has selected to do and always been very self-driven in achieving her goals around that sport.”

Gracely was recently named Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year for the second year in a row, among other awards and titles she has earned throughout her soccer career. Gatorade Player of the Year is a distinction picked based on athletic excellence, academic achievement and exemplary character, and is given to a male and female in each state for different sports. However, with her successes in mind, Gracely said she cannot take all the credit.

“I think the team and Coach [Jason Pendleton] this season pushed me and put me in the best position to be successful, so I think the award ultimately just reflects the team and the season that we had together,” Gracely said.

The girls soccer team won the 5A state championship in May for the second season in a row. Gracely’s brother, Noah Briley, said Gracely deserves everything she has received.

“She works her butt off,” Noah said.

“She’s at the field or at training probably

four, five hours. She’s got to leave school, go to training, come back, so I mean she just works harder than everybody else — then on top of God given talent — and it’s a pretty good combo.”

Gracely dedicates a lot of her time to further her abilities and skills in the soccer realm.

“I’m a strong believer so I think that because I’ve been blessed with the talent to play soccer, I want to use it as much as I can as a platform for Christ and bringing others to Christ.” | seniorgracelybriley

“During the summer … I probably do almost an hour a day, so like seven hours a week, with an occasional off-day, so six maybe, it just depends,” Briley said.

“During the school year, I usually work out for an hour after school and then I’ll have practice for an hour and a half.”

With the countless hours spent playing soccer, Gracely said it is difficult to balance soccer and school.

“You’re so exhausted from the day already and then it’s like, ‘Oh, got to go to train,’ which is fun, and then you come back and you’re like ‘Oh, got to do homework,’ and it’s just an ongoing cycle, but honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Gracely said.

Meaghen said Gracely’s consistent dedication has fostered a willingness in Gracely to put soccer over most everything else.

“She really never viewed the sacrificing

things socially as something that hindered her, but was just something that she needed to do so that she could get better at something that she loved,” Meaghen said. “Then I kind of realized, ‘Wow, she really loves the game,’ versus ‘Oh, she’s just playing the game.’”

Gracely has committed to play soccer for the University of Kansas after high school and hopes to continue her soccer career professionally if given the opportunity. Her family said they have faith in her abilities to carry her beyond the collegiate level.

“I would be shocked if she doesn’t end up overseas playing soccer somewhere,” Noah said. “She works so hard and she will go to KU and be the same player from Southwest and show off and everybody will know her. Hopefully she will go overseas and kill it over there and make some money playing.”

At the end of the day, although she hopes to create a career out of soccer, Gracely said the game means so much more to her. Gracely said soccer is her outlet and a way she connects with her faith.

“I’m a strong believer so I think that because I’ve been blessed with the talent to play soccer, I want to use it as much as I can as a platform for Christ and bringing others to Christ,” Gracely said. “Other than that, nothing else really matters, and that the awards on top of it [are] just extra blessings for putting in the work and grinding it out. I think that anything to further the Kingdom through soccer is what makes it all worth it and what I love about it.”

| eliannaoliver design by jonah mccormick and elianna oliver photo courtesy of gracely briley

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r e m m u s t swee s t o p s 8 | feature / the standard / aug. 2018

students shed light on favorite summer break hang outs

Sugar Creek

Sugar Creek is a popular spot where locals go to get a quick thrill by jumping off an old bridge into the creek below, providing a break from the hot KC weather. Sophomore Caroline Hoggatt said she heard about Sugar Creek through a friend on Instagram. “Jumping off of a bridge sounded pretty fun and it was on my bucket list so I crossed it off,“ Hoggatt said. “I was kind of scared at first but I ended up having a lot of fun.” photo courtesy of Caroline Hoggatt.

The Warehouse off Roe Rumored to be an old jewlery factory, The Warehouse off Roe Avenue offers a place to rediscover the previously abandoned. Junior Brett Thomas likes how there is so many different reasons to visit. “ I go to The Warehouse because it’s a different place to hang with my friends but you can see photographers and adventurers there all the time.”

Joe’s BBQ Joe’s BBQ is a popular eatery with multiple locations around Kansas City. Freshman Taft Barr said he likes how the restaurant has large portioned meals and great customer service. “You can always smell the meat being smoked from outside the restaurant,” Barr said.

“They have a great food and the enviroment feels like home.”

| jonahmccormick

underclassmen participate in local, national pageants litz and glamor, gowns and crowns make up the stereotypical idea of beauty pageants. Freshman Madeline Garcia has participated in pageants for the past four or five years, when she said she decided to join after receiving a letter in the mail.

Currently, Madeline is representing the title of Miss KS Junior High School America with other past titles including Miss KS PreTeen, National Cover Model and a Photogenic title.

Madeline said most beauty pageants have five age categories from 5 years old to college age.

“A lot of them are just really around your age group but [in] the bigger [pageants], you’re competing against a wider range of girls,” Madeline said.

Madeline said she has participated in past competitions involving a talent round rather than fashion. She said she has been dancing for the past six years, which is her talent in the competitions.

“When you enter the competition,

it’s about five minutes, you approach the judges personally and nobody is allowed in the room,” Madeline said. “Then, there is an onstage portion, in some of them there is athletic wear or swimsuit portions, but the ones I do, there is gown which is your stage presence — how graceful you are walking on stage.”

Much like Madeline, sophomore Rachel Hammons has been involved in pageants since the age of 7, and said not all of the stereotypes are true. “[A] common misconception about pageants is that it’s all around beauty, but it’s really not,” Hammons said.

“It’s more about how you’re doing in school [and] how you’re helping your community.”

After being introduced to the gig by a family friend, Hammons said she fell in love.

“I just had a lot of fun with them and it helped me grow my self confidence and I got to meet a bunch of new people,” Hammons said. “My favorite part is

talking to people — learning their stories — and just the volunteer service aspect of it.”

Hammons said she volunteers with the Lend It Heart Organization that deals with human trafficking. Hammons said she has earned the titles of Miss KS Tween, Junior Teen, KS Junior High and KS High School. She currently holds the title of International Junior Miss KS Junior Teen.

“As a titleholder they really care about your volunteer service and what you’re doing, so a lot of times you figure out your platform and what volunteer service you want to work with so you [help out a lot] in your community,” Hammons said.

Madeline said since the rules state she is not allowed to compete in other pageants when already representing a title, she likes to help out with the local pageants like Miss Johnson County, Miss Merry Christmas and Miss Summer in addition to the volunteer work she

already does. She said pageants have helped her come out of her shell.

“Before pageants, I was really shy — like the person who would hide behind their parents or not talk to anybody,” Madeline said. “Now if you know me, I’m not like that anymore.”

Madeline’s sister, junior Megan Garcia, said she thinks pageants are a good experience, but can induce added stress.

“If you have a little money to spare and are looking for that confidence boost and wanting to learn how to be a more polished person, [then it is good],” Megan said. “But, it does put a lot of stress on you as a person at a young age, so it’s hard to decide whether it’s good or not.”

Megan said she has seen a difference in how pageants are run ever since her sister started competing.

“She started with Miss National American Miss — it’s a pretty fairly large pageant system and a natural pageant,” Megan said. “It’s all about your natural beauty and your personal skills — that was the first one she ever competed in and placed in the top 10.”

Megan said Madeline received a National Cover Model award allowing her and her family to travel nationally for the first time to Anaheim, California, to compete, where the pageant there was also a natural, no makeup pageant.

However, Megan said the pageant in Little Rock, Arkansas, was the opposite experience.

“The girls weren’t being judged for how well they interviewed or how well they present themselves, they were being judged for looks and such,” Megan said.

However, Madeline said stereotypes

should not limit others from participating in pageants.

“There isn’t a kind of ‘pageant girl’ — you don’t have to be a pageant girl to compete in pageants,” Madeline said. “Anybody can compete in them.

You can be any kind of person — you can have any body shape — you are not judged for being different, you are actually encouraged. I think a lot of people think you have to be tall, you have to be skinny — like a supermodel — but really, they’re looking for a natural, all-American girl — they are not looking for the next top model of the United States.” | ishapatel design by emma olinger

photo courtesy of Madeline Garcia

photo courtesy of Rachel Hammons

12 | opinion / the standard / aug. 2018

photo courtesy

of Morgan Youn

g

pride season should expand to be more inclusive

alidation: something everybody craves. Possible validation drives people to become better. However, others use a lack of validation to drag people down. Being on top feels good, and when there, climbing over a few people on the way is just a part of the gig. This feeling of being invalidated is known all too well by the sub community of LGBTQIA people — the “B,” which stands for bisexual.

During the 2018 pride season, bisexual persons felt discrimination across the country, being told they were invalid by others who were once told they were invalid themselves. This concept is called bierasure. According to senior Jordan Gutierrez, being bisexual has its ups and downs. After being invalidated by peers and coworkers, she said she has

had her fair share of discrimination for something she fundamentally cannot change.

“My mom ... was saying I don’t ‘look like I like boys,’” Gutierrez said. “[She said] things that indicate the next person I date will no doubt be a girl. It’s annoying.”

Despite facing people who doubt her legitimacy, Gutierrez said she is glad to be supported by the community.

Aside from the possible toxicity, she said she believes the LGBTQIA community should continue as is with their current support.

“Why shouldn’t every human being feel cared for and supported and accepted for how they were made?” Gutierrez said. “If there wasn’t anything to make these people feel safe, then they could end up in a bad place.”

Much like Gutierrez, senior Morgan Young said she has seen the effects of bi-erasure increase during pride season. She said she doesn’t understand why people in the community feel the need to exclude fellow LGBTQIA people, especially during a month where the freedom to love is supposed to be celebrated.

“It is ironic because those same people are persecuted by homophobes and should understand what it’s like to be incorrectly invalidated,” Young said.

Young attended Kansas City’s pride parade with friends including senior Barrett Dupree, another member of the LGBTQIA community. Dupree said his problems with the community stem only from words people use to describe themselves.

“LGBTQIA does not make sense to

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sy of to courte

pho

Morgan

Young

me personally,” Dupree said. “I don’t understand why people identify as queer because to me queer is a negative word.”

The word “queer” was originally used as a slur toward homosexual people, meaning they were different or strayed from the norm. However, some members of the community turned the offensive word around and used it to describe their sexuality, thus canceling out the discrimination. Despite this, some people like Dupree do not agree with the use of the word.

Some of the discrimination can be stemmed back to a lack of education, Young said. She said the topic of bi-erasure not only includes bisexual people, but also people who experimented in the community, but came up empty.

“As many kids do find out they aren’t straight, there are many kids that explore the idea of it, but end up not being a part of the community,” Young said. “They were never faking their feelings and they were never invalid. Sexuality and gender identity is a wild concept and in a society where it isn’t taught about in sex ed, can be confusing to deal with. I wish

photo courtesy of Jordan Gutierrez

more adults could remember that struggle and empathize a bit.”

The debate on the “A” of LGBTQIA poses yet another problem, as many believe it stands for asexual exclusively. Others argue it stands for both asexual and ally. An ally is a heterosexual person who supports the rights of LGBTQIA people. Some aspects of pride discourage straight or heterosexual people from participating in the pride season festivites. Gutierrez said she isn’t fond of straight people attending pride unless they are there for a queer family member or are an ally themselves.

“I wouldn’t like seeing them there because it isn’t about them at all,” Gutierrez said. “It’s about people being who they are without hate and [intolerance] directed at them.”

Despite the pride season celebrating the rights of LGBTQIA people, some members of the community feel that straight people should feel welcomed at parades. Young said allies should take coming to pride weekend as a duty.

“As long as they are there to support the festival, then there is nothing wrong with it,” Young said.

“A true ally is one that is comfortable defending what they claim to support, whether that be through going to Pride or just having an open mind to the community. Pride is also a great area for education with tons of booths containing organizations and events.”

On surface level, the month of June is a time for celebration of the acomplishments made by the LGBTQIA community. However, there is more to the season than anticipated.

Validity and tolerance are themes to be taken not only out of the festivities, but applied to the lives of those who notice it. Without that validation, people feel invisible. Without tolerance and support, people would just be moping through life, expected to lash out at anything they don’t agree with.

“You can’t change people, but you can change how you act,” Gutierrez said. “So if you’re unaccepting of the LGBTQIA community, keep it to yourself or don’t advertise it when there’s no need for it because it can be very harmful to whomever is hearing you.” | emmaolinger

14 | feature / the standard / aug. 2018

Au RevoiR French 4 students embark on trip to France

win, Camryn Grosse Senior Claire-Rips Good m, senior Hannah St. (‘18), senior Sadie Putna Dow stand in front of Clair and senior Lainey “Being on the Eiffel the Eiffel Tower in Paris. you were seeing se au bec l Tower felt surrea s architecturally very the view of Paris ... it wa from the inside,” St. interesting and beautiful of sadie putnam sy rte Clair said. photo cou

he early summer sun gleams down on the paved streets of Paris as a group of Americans walk through a crowd of both tourists and natives. Cafes, patisseries and boutiques crowd against each other on either side of the path, their patrons spilling out French in what seems like warp speed to the foreigners.

On June 15, a portion of the French 4 class traveled to France for two weeks for the chance to experience French culture and improve language skills. Among this group of students was senior Hannah St. Clair. St. Clair said it took some time for her to decide to go on the trip.

“I actually was not going to go because I was so scared of the language barrier and ... getting all the money for it, but my best friend’s mom was like, ‘You’re not passing this up. You need to go on this trip,’ and I was like ‘OK, I’m going to go to Europe,’” St. Clair said. “I just kind of pulled the plug like, ‘OK, I’m doing it; I can’t secondguess myself at this point.”

Senior Claire Rips-Goodwin also went on the trip and said the choice to go

T

to France was based on her want to better her French. She said the opportunity to live with a host family would help her with the language.

“I was really excited to see all these beautiful things and be able to spend time with my friends,” Rips-Goodwin said. “I was extremely nervous about the family stay because I was terrified that my host family would hate me. I was worried that my French wasn’t good enough and I’d end up making a fool of myself.”

Like Rips-Goodwin, St. Clair said she was both excited about culture and nervous about the language barrier.

“I thought I was going to get there and forget how to speak it and not be able to form actual sentences and my family would be like, ‘Oh my gosh, a foreigner.

She’s such an idiot,’” St. Clair said.

When they arrived in France, RipsGoodwin said she experienced some difficulties with her American accent and the speed at which the natives spoke, but found amusement in it.

“I had some trouble understanding

people when they were speaking at a normal pace,” Rips-Goodwin said. “For example, on the first day me and the other girls from [Blue Valley] Southwest went to a sandwich shop in Paris for lunch and the woman — who was very nice — asked us, in French, how much mayo we’d like on our sandwiches and we all just laughed [because we didn’t understand].”

St. Clair said she also struggled understanding French speakers, as well as speaking it.

“I couldn’t speak as quickly as the natives, obviously, and they would get annoyed with me and the rest of the group and be like, ‘Can we please speak in English?’” St. Clair said. “I understand they don’t want to make it difficult for us, but we were there to speak French and they would speak to us in English like, ‘Oh, they’re just a foreigner. They’re speaking like the basic French phrases,’ and I’m like, ‘No, I know some French, I can speak it to you,’ and they would not be super welcoming to that all the time.”

£2 FR ANCE PARIS

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Arc de Triomphe

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ses for ior Hannah St. Clair po On the Eiffel Tower, sen se cau be ] ch en el, I took [Fr a picture. “On a basic lev ish an Sp ing tak en be d lley ha d. everyone else in Blue Va hin be s young, so I felt like I wa since they were super the t tha ht ug nal choice, I tho But then, from a perso ng ttier and more interesti pre s wa e ag French langu d. sai ir Cla than Spanish to me,” St.

Along with some difficulties, both St. Clair and Rips-Goodwin said they had enjoyable experiences with the group.

“Some fun moments include — but are not limited to — gossiping with Madame [Emilie] Grant about the other mesdames, getting to experience the fête de la musique — ­­ which is a country-wide music festival in the streets — and eat lots of crêpes,” Rips-Goodwin said.

St. Clair said the majority of the trip was pleasant, especially her time with her host family, which she said helped her speak more frequently and understand more of the language.

“When I was with my host family, it was really fun to be able to be introspectively aware of how much more I comprehended every single day, because the first day I got there, I was just like, ‘Oui, uh-huh, merci,’ and that was all I said for the first two days,” St. Clair said.

“Then every day I would slowly be able to comprehend more and more of what they were saying. I think that was what was most exciting for me.”

Senior Katherine Garrett had the

opportunity to travel with the group to France, but ultimately, did not. She said she regrets this decision, but notes that it wasn’t the “right time” for her.

Her dream trip to France is a work in progress, however, and it is much like the trip the French students took over the summer.

“If I were to travel to France, I would want to do everything,” Garrett said.

“First of all, like most tourists, I must get my tourist duties out of the way,” Garrett said. “I have to see all of the famous attractions and sites that we have learned about in French class.

I want to experience the French culture completely.”

All three students will continue in French 4 this year. Rips-Goodwin and St.

16 | feature / the standard / aug. 2018 Clair plan to obtain a French minor in college. St. Clair said she will try to continue to include French in her life following her graduation from college.

“I don’t know yet, but I’d want to be a kindergarten teacher but if I could do that in a French immersion school, that would be awesome,” St. Clair said. “Or if I even taught abroad and taught English in a French-speaking school, I think it would be a good experience for me to do it throughout my life and not just stop after college.”

To those thinking of going to France — or any foreign-speaking country — St. Clair said to ‘just go for it,’ as the opportunity may be fleeting. Rips-Goodwin said those who are considering learning a new language or going to a foreign-speaking country should have open minds before traveling.

“A lot of things are going to feel very similar to here in the U.S., but just slightly different,” Rips-Goodwin said. “It kind of feels like a cultural, uncanny valley in that way, so it’s incredibly important to keep an

open mind and not think about everything relative to American culture. Yes, things are different, but they’re not worse, nor better. Differences are what make things exciting and experiencing them is the best part of traveling.”

| laurenurschel | sadieputnam

FRANCE

PARIS

Sacre Coeur

among Laying on the lawn r Hannah other tourists, senio the for s St. Clair smile eless camera. “I felt very clu ng eti me t las the til up un d, and our whole group ha that to t go we then, when nch of bu a d ha we , ng meeti ve ga y paperwork and the I ce on ... s rie us our itinera ow kn ‘I , like s wa I re got the ,’ and more than I think I do en I wh red pa I felt more pre id. sa ir Cla St. ” got there, nnah photo courtesy of Ha St. Clair

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£2