The Standard Vol. 7 Issue 5

FAKE OUT

students and staff note concerns over the spread of fake news news pages 28-30

standard the

blue valley southwest | volume 7 | issue 5

2 | contents / the standard / feb. 2017

CO NT EN TS

volume 7 / issue 5 www.bvswnews.com

12

08 31

|3

FEATURE

15

12 14 16 22 24 31

The Vegan Lifestyle Transferable Undebatable Diligence A Family Matter Deciphering Diversity What’s in a Name?

NEWS

18 28

ON THE COVER: Staff and students explain the proliferation of fake news in today’s media., the problems with this phenomenon and how to combat it.

Graphic by Delaney Oliver and Lillie Hoffart

Diving Into The Wage Gap Fake Out

OPINION

05

The Standard of Beauty

08

The Return of Winter Guard

SPORTS

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE Gallery: Girls varsity basketball game on Jan. 30

editor’s note 4|

THE STANDARD EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

A few weeks ago, I drove downtown to meet my cousin and see a movie (Hidden Figures, 10/10, would recommend). The movie got out later than I expected, and by the time I got into my car to drive the 40 minutes back home, it was 10:30 p.m. “No problem,” I thought, pulling out my phone to type my home address into. And that was when the screen went black. No reboot or power plug-in seemed to be able to revive my phone. It was dead.

Very dead.

Now, I have driven to my cousin’s house countless times, but never alone in the dark and without a GPS to remind me of turns. However, I still needed to get home. Mulling over past mistakes I had made on the route (make sure to choose the lane that is actually part of the street, not the QuikTrip turn lane), I started down the road.

The whole trip I questioned if I really could make it home by myself.

What if I missed a turn and got lost? Where would I be able to borrow a phone to call for help at 10:30 in the evening? I stressed about it on the drive back, gripping the steering wheel ever-tighter. But, when I exited the highway onto 151st Street, I realized I was able to drive back after all and relaxed. Questioning myself seemed rather pointless.

When I first joined the newspaper staff three years ago, I had also questioned whether or not I could write long, 2,000-word-plus stories. I never imagined I would be taking photos of sports events (pictures far from the quality of others’ on staff, but still not terrible). Overall, one of the most crucial elements in these changes has been confidence: the ability to ask a stranger for an interview or trying to take photos at a tennis meet.

As the staff on The Standard has gained another semester of experience under their belts, I also see people with much more confidence. Staffers are trying new story forms and digging deeper into their topics. I have seen unbelievable changes in design, photography and writing. Stories this issue also show students’ confidence, from transferring to a new school to ignoring social pressures to look a certain way. And as the Standard gets a little bigger this semester with a few new recruits, I am confident they will show confidence in their work too.

delaney oliver

ONLINE EDITOR donna armstrong

ASSOCIATE EDITOR lillie hoffart

STAFF WRITERS megan flood jenna hope summer lyon emma olinger elianna oliver arielle singer

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER rand alazzeh

STAFF DESIGNERS jonah mccormick isaiah tarwater

ADVISER

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

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

The Standard 17600 Quivira Road Overland Park, KS 66221 Phone: 913-624-2262 Website: bvswnews.com Email: bvswnews@gmail.com

opinion / the standard / feb. 2017 | 5

the standard of beauty students should not face pressure to conform

6|

P

erfection: the quality or state of being free from flaws or defects. An overwhelming amount of pressure seems to engulf people in their lives as they strive for their own defined version of what they deem “perfection.” With the stress of academics, sports, clubs and activities, high school students often struggle with the ability to find balance. While all of these pressures may weigh on students, a less visible strain plays yet another role in the struggles they face.

In a survey of 110 students, about 71 percent said they feel pressure to look a certain way. Students represented by this number face an additional factor in everyday struggles, a problem that should not plague high school students. High school students should not be preoccupied with the thoughts or judgments of others, and instead should be able to focus on other activities. Perceived thoughts of others may seem minuscule to certain people, yet pose major threats to others, such as senior Sheridan Barnhart.

“After you get into middle school, you start caring about what you look like,” Barnhart said. “This can lead to eating disorders and people who are unsatisfied with their looks.”

The preoccupation with looks and constant comparisons between students can lead to lowered self-esteem. According to simplypsychology.org, self-esteem tends to decline during adolescence, particularly for girls. Low self-esteem makes students

more vulnerable to outside influences, such as the media. Junior Raaham Sheikh said he believes the media is a contributing factor in the insecurities of some high school students.

“Society and the media, in a way, set certain standards,” Sheikh said. “This is most likely due to the heavy influence of the media.”

The media’s portrayal of women specifically has created pressure to look picture-perfect at all times and act in ways that appeal to society as whole, rather than the individual themselves.

Although this plays a major role in the declination of self-esteem, its effects can be fought with support from other people.

Along with outside support, it is crucial that people themselves understand and realize their own self- worth.

“Now, I’m more confident,” Barnhart said.

“All I know is that when I go to college, I’ll just be focused on school.”

Barnhart said she has been able to overcome the challenges with self-image she has faced in the past, and now encourages others to be more confident and comfortable with themselves. Despite Barnhart’s increased confidence, others continue to face the struggles of fitting in and remaining self-assured. Spanish teacher Elizabeth Camacho has noticed the effects of these struggles on students.

“I think there’s more and more pressure,” | spanishteacherelizabethcamacho Camacho said. “It’s an expectation for you to The media’s strong influence has led to come to school with your makeup on, have people viewing what is portrayed as what your hair styled or at least looking nice, and should be accepted. The media largely have nice clothes.” determines what is deemed as attractive This perceived expectation leads to or normal, causing those who don’t fit the students spending more time getting ready image to question their looks or actions. in attempt to look their best for a day at “The media has created this image that school. Rather than viewing looking nice for women should act and look a certain way,” school as a choice, it is, at times, viewed as Sheikh said. a necessity.

“I think there’s more and more pressure. It’s an expectation for you to come to school with your makeup on, have your hair styled or at least looking nice, and have nice clothes.”

opinion / the standard / feb. 2017 | 7

In an attempt to fit in, students inevitably waste time preparing for the day or create unnecessary stress over what should be simple tasks, such as selecting an outfit.

“I think all students, to some degree, modify their behavior or appearance, whether it’s makeup or making sure they have a certain kind of jacket,” Camacho said. “You don’t see as many people who dress differently.”

Despite efforts to promote the acceptance of a diverse student body, the feeling to conform continues.

Modifications to behavior or appearance by pressure, rather than choice, damages the individuality of students. Students should use opportunities to express themselves to their benefit, and this creativity should be viewed as a positive, rather than a negative. Junior Emma Robertson said her decision to express herself through her makeup reflects her, not the expectations of others.

“I wear makeup every day,” Robertson said. “I like to do it, not because I’m trying to impress people.”

The difference between the individual’s decision over group mentality is critical. Instead of wearing makeup, buying nice clothes or following the latest trends in order to fit in, some students do so by choice. The elimination of worrying

about the opinions of others opens the door for self-expression.

Throughout the duration of high school, students will face a plethora of issues. Finding balance is key, and the elimination of fear to deviate from what is considered “normal” can simplify the lives of high school students.

“I think having a more openminded perspective would be helpful,” Camacho said. “Diversity is very important.”

Though external pressures may seem to push students to act, dress or think in certain ways, the support of classmates, teachers, other students and the community in general can combat this and help students to be themselves. Rather than attempting to “fit in,” students should feel comfortable to be who they want to be, wear what they want to wear and do so without worrying about the opinions of others. Nonconformity is the key to creating an environment where students are able to express themselves without fear.

| ariellesinger

64%

of students believe appearance effects the learning environment

28%

of students spend over an hour getting ready for school

71%

of students feel pressured to look a certain way

110 students surveyed

8 | sports / the standard / feb. 2017

the return of

Winter Guard guard members share excitement for returning sport

1

|9

T

2

3

wirling her blue flag in front of her body, junior winter guard member Claire Boomer listens to the beat of the music. She throws the flag up into the air, looks up and wraps her hand around the flagpole as she catches it. She then runs across the floor to her next position.

This year, winter guard is an addition to the activities offered here, however, not for the first time. Boomer said the school had a winter guard team the first or second year it was open, but it ended after one year. She said since her freshman year, she and some other members of color guard have been wanting to restart winter guard. Though, she said, until this year, the school didn’t have the resources or the people to do so.

“I know I really wanted it, and a lot of the girls just thought, ‘We can do this. If we have enough people committing to this and we really want it bad enough, we can make it happen,’” Boomer said. “We have the girls who are willing, we have the coach who is very qualified and very good to work with and we have the support of our band program. We thought, ‘We can make it work, so why don’t we?’”

Winter guard season runs November through April, and the team began competing in Midwest competitions in late January. Freshman winter guard member Courtney Hafner said they practice two or three times a week outside of school, and that the sport includes dancing, twirling rifles, spinning and throwing flags and sabers and learning choreography. While color guard and winter guard have similarities in the equipment they use, Hafner said the main difference between them is that the band is not involved in winter guard.

10 | sports / the standard / feb. 2017

“Fall guard, or color guard, is the visual aspect of marching band, so all the music is made by the band,” Hafner said. “Winter guard is just the performance where the focus is on the guard members. There is no band, and the music is recorded.”

Another main difference between the two is that winter guard is indoors and is allotted more freedom, Boomer said.

Since they are not limited by the drill of marching band season, they are allowed more independence when it comes to movement and choreography. Boomer said her main goal for winter guard is for the team to have fun while creating a program that will last.

“I think we are really just out there to have fun and make something of ourselves,” Boomer said. “We want this to last and we want other people — involved in fall marching band season or not — to come in and have a good time because there is something other than the regular sports you hear about in Southwest to be a part of, and I think that’s a really good goal.”

| donnaarmstrong

5

4

6

| 11

8 7 (1) Doing floor work, junior Claire Boomer rolls and looks ahead to watch her fellow winter guard members.

(2) Stretching her legs, junior Claire Boomer warms up before winter guard practice on Jan. 19. (3) Sophomore Carly Pearch prepares to catch the flag during a drill at winter guard practice. (4) Focusing on the flag, freshman Jade Ratterman twirls the flag around her body and under her leg. (5) Sophomore Kendra Lee holds her flag high after completing a drill at the start of practice.

(6) Freshman Elise Dahm looks to winter guard coach Abi Brown while tilting backward with her rifle. The winter guard members who hold the rifles practiced this drill multiple times before running through the full show at practice. (7) Looking up to the ceiling, junior Claire Boomer prepares to catch her flag as it falls from a toss. (8) Freshman Courtney Hafner does a passé while the other members of the team do floor work.

Hafner said she is excited “for competitions and putting the show together because it has a great meaning and a powerful message.” (9) After catching the flag tossed by her partner, freshman Jade Ratterman twirls the flag and rifle around her body.

9

12 | feature / the standard / feb. 2017

The

eGan

lifestyle students share their secrets to a successful vegan lifestyle

N

o butter. No cream. No eggs. No cheese or milk from cows or goats. No meat, poultry, lamb or beef. No fish, shellfish, shrimp or lobster. No gelatin and no honey.

This entails the diet of a vegan. According to Harvard University’s website, a balanced meal consists of a plate with half vegetables, a fourth whole grains and a fourth healthy proteins.

However, according to vegetariantimes. com, only around 1 million of the 7.3 million vegetarians in the U.S. are vegan. Vegans and vegetarians make up a small portion of the population that does not consume meat as a source of protein.

A vegan is defined by Merriam-Webster as a strict vegetarian who consumes no food that comes from animals and one who abstains from using animal products. According to Time magazine’s website, the ideals of vegans can be traced back to 500 B.C., to a Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras of Samos, also the creator of the Pythagorean theorem. Pythagoras believed in compassion and sympathy between all animals, not just humans. Similar to Pythagoras’ beliefs, sophomore Cece Chapel said she believes in animals’ feelings.

“I guess I just think that animals have feelings,” Chapel said. “Considering that a pig is as smart as or is smarter than a dog, and is smarter than a 3-year-old baby, I don’t think that they should be eaten.”

Before making her commitment to be vegan five years ago, Chapel said her mom gave her

plenty of videos and books to read and watch to understand the entirety of veganism. Similarly to Chapel, senior Sarah Allison said she did her research before committing to veganism.

“I watched a documentary about the effect animal agriculture has on our society,” Allison said. “It’s astounding and very inspiring if you care about our planet.”

In addition to Allison, sophomore Faith Kim said she watched a documentary called “Earthlings” that finalized her decision to become vegan. However, Kim said her family’s reaction wasn’t as on-board as her own.

“My mom actually gave me a hard time ever since I did become vegan,” Kim said. “She’s like ‘Why do you want to make yourself suffer so much?’”

Contrary to her mother’s concerns, Kim said she enjoys trying vegan foods, and said she eats animal-product substitutes to ensure she gets a balanced diet. From a non-vegan standpoint, physical education and health teacher Staci Lowe said she thinks there are many ways for vegans to get their nutrients.

“I think as long as they make sure they’re getting all the nutrients they need, protein being one, as long as they’re aware of those things and still have a balanced diet and [are] getting all the vitamins, minerals, nutrients they need, I think they’re good,” Lowe said.

According to mercola.com, a health website, a vegan diet excludes many vitamins consumers would get through animal products otherwise, such as vitamin B12, vitamin D3, creatine and

sulfur. However, the article goes on to further explain that this deficiency can be, for the most part, helped through supplementation. From a strictly nutritional standpoint, mercola.com said veganism can be dangerous; however, Kim said she recommends eating more and using substitutes, such as soy to make sure one gets enough protein in his or her diet. “[The] first tip is make sure you’re eating enough, because, for example, [you] get a pasta right, and you take out the cheese and the meat, that’s like 400 calories gone,” Kim said.

“There’s a lot of vegans that don’t eat enough, and they’re like, ‘Oh, I feel sick and I have no energy,’ [so] make sure to eat a lot. All my friends are like, ‘Why are you eating so much?’ but you kind of have to.”

Since Kim said she eats enough, she thinks veganism has helped with her energy and exercise levels, as well as her skin.

“Before I went vegan I didn’t exercise at all, but I feel like nowadays, since I’m eating healthier, I’m like, ‘OK, maybe I should start working out too,’ so, I think my body has changed a lot,” Kim said. “I feel a lot lighter and less weighed down. I had stomach problems, like digestive issues, and that went away really fast.”

Although Chapel, Allison and Kim said being vegan has affected them positively, they all said it can be hard at times. Chapel said it’s usually easy to find vegetarian options, but it’s harder to find vegan options because “dairy is in, it feels like, everything.” Nonetheless,

| 13

Allison said finding things you’re excited to eat is important.

“My tip for beginning vegans is to watch YouTube videos for ideas,” Allison said. “Find meals and snacks that you actually like and stick to them. Peanut butter, fruits and potatoes are going to be your best friends.”

Although Allison is currently on a hiatus from veganism, she said she’ll keep variety in mind when she goes vegan again in the future. Allison said she quit in the first place because she found herself bored with what she was eating. To avoid urges to quit, Chapel said comfort foods are essential.

“First of all you’ve got to get all the comfort foods, like cheese and the meat and stuff that you like, the comfort foods, and you’ve got to get the vegan form of them immediately, because you’re going to want them at some point,” Chapel said.

Kim said she enjoys eating vegan foods like chicken-less nuggets or freezer meals,

and mentioned that there are vegan snacks that most don’t realize are vegan, such as pop tarts. Additionally, since not all restaurants are vegan, or offer vegan options, Kim said she had to get creative. She said there are times when she can’t eat anything at restaurants, so she’ll bring her own food instead. However, Kim said she has found a handful of vegan restaurants to try out.

“I went to this [restaurant], it’s called Eden Alley… It’s a vegetarian, vegan restaurant,” Kim said. “[Kansas] also [has] Cafe Gratitude. It is amazing; their foods are super good. Lastly, I think it’s [called] Mud Pie Bakery, and it’s just a cafe or bakery, and they sell vegan pastries.”

Whether someone is vegan for health benefits, environmental preservation, animal rights reasons or out of guilt, according to familyhealth.org veganism comes with the necessity to carefully balance eating and pay close attention to one’s diet.

“Your body needs certain things to grow

and stay healthy and so you’re just going to make sure you keep that overall goal in mind and make sure you’re not starving yourself of things your body has to have to function properly,” Lowe said. “You can get that from other things, you just have to be focused more and pay attention.”

Outside of the difficulties of being vegan, Allison said it is worth it. She said she thinks the impact one vegan has can accumulate over time to create something bigger.

“You just feel better all around,” Allison said. “Not just physically, but mentally, too, because you know your decision to be vegan is making an impact in the environment and the animal agriculture industry. Some look at it like one person isn’t going to do anything, but individual raindrops all coming together can form a waterfall and that’s the way I look at my impact.”

| eliannaoliver

14 | feature / the standard / feb. 2017

Transferable students share their experiences transferring from private to public school

T

he first day of freshman year. Hundreds of bustling students hurried past sophomore Sally Rose as she looks down at her jeans. She feels abnormal, since it was only months before that she looked down at a plaid skirt. Coming from a class of only 50 students, she felt nervous and out of place. Today was her first day as a private-to-public school transfer.

According to greatschools.org, a schooling reference site for parents, a student’s decision to transfer to a public school may be influenced by factors ranging from tuition to a desire for real-world experiences. For Rose, her decision was based on convenience.

“My brother left Holy Spirit [Catholic School] after eighth grade. He went here to Blue Valley Southwest and I kind of just wanted to follow him wherever he went,” Rose said. “My parents really didn’t like any of the [private] high schools that much, so they just decided that this would be better for both of our educations.”

Enrolled in Holy Spirit for 10 years, Rose transferred to Southwest after eighth grade . Describing herself as a “shy” person, Rose said she had a difficult time getting used to the community at Southwest.

“My first day at Southwest was really hard,” Rose said. “It was pretty bad because I was a shy person before that, but not anywhere as near as I was when I first got to Southwest. It just kind of made me go back into my shell, but once I got to know people, it got 20 times better than it was.”

Contrasting to Rose’s experience, senior Johnnie Kramer, a transfer student from Saint Thomas Aquinas, said he had no problem integrating as a new student. He said he had “always been a people person” who “had good communication skills.” “[On my] first day of Southwest, my sophomore year, I was kind of nervous, I’d say,” Kramer said. “Not so much that I didn’t know people — I knew a decent amount of people coming here — more so getting to know new teachers and taking new classes ... I made a lot of good friends other than the ones I had very quickly, so I got that over with fast.”

Being involved in many school sports, Kramer said his reasoning for transferring to Southwest was the dedication he had to his training.

“From my perspective, I left just because I didn’t have the best experience with the coaches,” Kramer said. “[I] didn’t have the best relationships with them, and I had the same coach for all three sports. I played in football, wrestling and baseball. I

| 15

didn’t think he was the best coach and a lot of my friends agree with that. So, my parents just didn’t like how I was treated, but I played and everything. We decided to come here because this is my district school, and it’s been great here so far.”

Kramer said Aquinas had a little more than 1,000 students enrolled during his time as a freshman. Freshman Libby Shiker, who transferred from Ascension Catholic School after her ninth year there, said her school had 600 to 700 students, approximately half of Southwest’s population.

“I miss how small it was, but I like how big this school is,” Shiker said. “It was good to know everybody, but it’s also good to have people that you don’t know here. There are people here that I don’t even know their names, but over there I knew everybody’s names, and [I] knew everything about them. Here, you’ll see someone in your grade that you don’t even know.”

Because Shiker is involved in cheer at Southwest, she said meeting new people was easier. Although having met new friends, Shiker said she misses her old friends and the memories they had created over those nine years, such as all participating in school theater together. “[I miss] just being around my friends because we went to school together for so long,” Shiker said. “I liked the musical because it was a good way for my friends to have something together, and it was just a good thing to be able to look back on. I was really nervous [on my first day here] because I didn’t really know anybody. I tried out for cheer, so I knew some people, but I wasn’t really good friends with them. I didn’t know what to do and I was scared about who I would talk to in my classes.”

Knowing more people at Holy Spirit,

Rose was involved in her school’s student council and other activities. Rose said she felt uncomfortable being more involved at Southwest because of the amount of students she did not know.

“I was more involved at the private school just because I was so used to everyone that I joined a bunch of stuff like StuCo and a bunch of different activities,”

“It was good to know everybody, but it’s also good to have people that you don’t know here. There are people here that I don’t even know their names, but over there I knew everybody’s names and [I] knew everything about them. Here, you’ll see someone in your grade that you don’t even know.” | freshmanlibbyshiker Rose said. “Everyone was just closer to each other and I don’t think anyone wasn’t friends with each other. Everyone had a strong bond whereas, here, I don’t know half of the grade. It’s a lot different.”

Although Rose said she has found some negatives within the community of Southwest, she said she has enjoyed the laid-back environment compared to her private school. She said she felt like there was an improvement in the freedom and in the way teachers understood their students.

“It was extremely strict all throughout the time I was [at Holy Spirit],” Rose said.

“All 10 years, we had to stand in singlefile lines and be silent down the halls.

We’d get part of our lunch taken away if we weren’t quiet down the halls. There were a lot of things to get in trouble for.

At my private school, they’d always warn the students that high school teachers have no mercy and they’d just be way worse, but then, when I got here, they were super understanding and [they] just made classes easier.”

In relation to classes, Kramer said he appreciated the chances that Southwest offered him through his sports training and his education. By coming to Southwest, Kramer said he had more opportunities to improve his academic performance.

“I think [at] Southwest, they offer more chances,” Kramer said. “There’s more opportunities to get a better grade, which I don’t think that’s bad. I definitely think if the student is trying, they deserve that grade. At Aquinas, it was kind of more like one and done. There [weren’t] as many of those opportunities, but Southwest definitely has top-of-the-line education. It’s not bad at all whatsoever, they both have very good education.”

As Rose continues her sophomore year, she said Southwest has offered her the opportunity to excel through the positivity and unity of the school community. While Rose still said she misses her private school friends, she would not change her decision to come to Southwest.

“I have considered going to Miege before,” Rose said. “Just getting to be with my friends again makes the chance tempting, just to make the high school experience even better. The opportunities there don’t even compare [to the ones at Southwest], so I don’t think about it anymore.” | summerlyon | randalazzeh

16 | feature / the standard / feb. 2017

Undebatabl e debate team describes work put in for a successful season

W

alking to the fixed forum after school ends, senior advanced debater Dean Ziegelman opens up his laptop to begin practicing for his debate.

After compiling hours of resources and facts to support his argument, he strives to make his speech as fast as possible to include all the facts.

Staying late and putting in extra hours, Ziegelman, with the assistance of debate coach Jared Zuckerman, plans for his upcoming debate.

Zuckerman teaches both novice and advanced debate students. He said that preparing for a debate consists of two big factors.

“I would say that 70 percent of it is research and finding out what other schools are reading, staying on top of the news and making sure that everyone has assignments,” Zuckerman said. “The other 30 percent is practice, giving speeches, working with the assistant coaches, refining the research that we do to fit the arguments that we’re doing, then collaborating with our assistant coaches on strategies and ideas.”

In addition to those factors, Ziegelman, who has debated since his freshman year, sticks to a regimen of attending two debate classes and staying after school for up to two hours each day. He said that a good debater needs to see both sides to every argument.

“A debater needs to be able to separate their arguments from reality,” Ziegelman said.

“I guess every good debater needs to be the devil’s advocate and be able to look at different issues from multiple angles because the nature of debate is that we have to switch sides. So, one round we will think that the United States should do something and then the next round the United States shouldn’t do something. It’s really confusing, but that’s the great thing about debate is that you have to switch sides.

It proliferates the best arguments and definitely leads to better argumentation skills.”

Along with learning how to perfect arguments, junior Sumaya Hussaini, an advanced debater, said she thinks debate can help people acquire speaking skills.

“I think it gives you good social and speaking skills, because if you do debate, you are comfortable talking in front of larger audiences,” Hussaini said. “I know a lot of people are kind

of stage-shy or they’re just afraid of talking in public spaces in front of a bunch of people, but I think debate has helped me with that because I’m more comfortable talking in front of large audiences and I wasn’t a few years ago.”

To obtain these speech and argumentation skills and get the all the benefits of debate, Zuckerman said a tremendous amount of discipline and commitment is necessary.

“The time commitment is probably the hardest part,” Zuckerman said. “To be really elite at [debate] means you have to give up other things. But that’s just true at being elite at anything. You have to make some sacrifices.

I think that that’s asking a lot. Another thing is that you know you’re going up against the

“To be really elite at [ to give up other things. B being elite at anything. Y sacrifices.”

smartest people that every single school has to offer, so the margin for error is really slim.

Just like if you’re playing a varsity sport, you’re going up against the best athletes that every school has to offer. So the difference between winning and losing can be really small and you have to have a lot of attention to detail to make sure that you’re able to win on the margins.”

As a novice debater, sophomore Anjali Roy said she was a little nervous about the amount work she would have to put into the class.

“I was a little nervous because I didn’t know anything about debate,” Roy said. “But, as time progressed I got more comfortable and used to the workload and what was expected. But because I was nervous toward the beginning, I think it showed how much I cared about my success in debate.”

Like Roy, Zuckerman said most people don’t know what debate is, or have a warped perception of it from the media.

“What people expect and what we do are totally different,” Zuckerman said. “What people see on TV or if they see debates on CNN or FOX news are predominantly scripted. The questions have been provided ahead of time, the people

| 17

l e Diligence have had staff writers write their answers to be memorized, and that’s not debate. What we do is so far removed from that, that I think [people’s] perception of what we do is totally different than what we actually do. There is no grand audience, we’re not on some beautiful stage debating. You’re in a classroom with three or four other people and a judge. It’s actually far different than what most people would expect.”

Blue Valley Southwest hosted the statewide 5A/6A debate tournament on Jan 27 and 28.

Debate teams from across the state traveled to Southwest in pursuit of winning state. As this is the school’s first year hosting it, Zuckerman said that many requirements had to be met in order to be selected.

[debate] means you have But that’s just true at You have to make some |debatecoachjaredzuckerman “The first thing is that your school has to be big enough so you have to have about 90 to 100 classrooms that you can use, and you have to have a supportive administration that wants to have debate in their building,” Zuckerman said.

“Then, I think the second thing is it tends to go to schools that have a strong debate program because they know they’ll have the parent community support to make sure it happens.

So, between those two things, the Blue Valley schools tend to host a lot because our schools are always really well supported.”

Ziegelman said he was looking forward to having state at his own school, and he believed they would benefit from it.

“It’s nice to finally have the home-field advantage for once after four years of going out to Derby High School or wherever else it is,” Ziegelman said. “So it’s nice to be in a familiar setting. I also think it looks really good on our school because only really good debate programs have the opportunity to host state.

It’s nice to finally get recognition by letting us host state.”

In addition to being selected to host state, Zuckerman said the debate program has earned

many other prestigious awards including winning state six times.

“I think that as a school there has been twice where we’ve been recognized as national debate school of excellence which means you’re one of the top 20 programs in the country,” Zuckerman said. “That’s pretty unique considering the whole district has accomplished that maybe one other time in the last decade. More locally, winning state is what we are measured by, so to me that means a lot more than kind of how we do nationally.”

In January, four debaters — senior Abby Fry, Ziegelman, junior Stephen Lowe and junior Danish Khan — qualified for the Tournament of Champions (TOC), considered to be the most prestigious and competitive high school tournament in the country. Senior Abby Fry is the first female to represent Kansas and the team of Lowe and Khan is the first junior-junior team to qualify in the state. Ziegelman said qualifying for the TOC has been a goal for him and Fry since their sophomore year.

“We sort of had this goal starting out our sophomore year of qualifying to the Tournament of Champions which is the most prestigious and elite national tournament,” Ziegelman said. “We met that goal this year which is a really big deal considering that Blue Valley Southwest is the first school since 2002 to send not only one, but two teams to the Tournament of Champions.”

Looking to continue a tradition of excellence, Roy said she plans to continue participating in debate next year. She said she enjoyed going to tournaments in her first semester and looked forward to state because of the togetherness she felt on the team.

“I’m excited about all the debaters coming together to do what they love,” Roy said. “It’s a really good thing to see because it’s what they are all passionate about. It’s inspiring to me because it makes me think that there are things that bring us together even when times are rough.”

| jennahope

18 | news / the standard / feb. 2017

DIVING INTO

THE WAGE GAP students and staff discuss both the CEO-to-median-worker and gender wage gaps

S

| 19

I

t is the end of the month, payday, and as four o’clock rolls around, employees from every office begin to file down to the mailboxes to receive their paychecks. One hand reaches for the envelope and fingers begin to tear at the seam. The eyes, impatient to see this month’s numbers, are directed down, eagerly anticipating an increase. As the numbers become visible, shoulders shrug forward and eyes, now clouded and gray, look away from the check while the hands slowly shove it back into the envelope.

Feet shuffle out the door, weighed down by the discouraged mind of the common worker. After hearing of their own CEO’s pay increase in the newspaper, the eyes had anticipated a small increase in their own salaries.

Portland passed a law on Dec. 7 that will go into effect this year, placing a tax penalty on companies with excessive CEOworker pay gaps. Excessive, according to The New York Times website, meaning if the CEO of any company makes 100 times what median workers earn, an additional tax of 10 percent will be placed on the company. Furthermore, if the CEO makes 250 times what the median worker earns, an additional tax of 25 percent will be placed. Expected to generate $3.5 million in annual revenue for the city, the new law will affect upward of 500 companies, forcing them to take one of three routes: pay their lower income employees more, pay their CEOs less or pay the tax. In an interview with the Huffington Post, Sarah Anderson, co-editor of Inequality. org at the Institute of Policy Studies said that as Portland takes steps to reduce the CEO-to-median-worker wage gap, their tax could “spread like wildfire” to other cities across the nation.

According to payscale.com, on average, the CEO-to-worker pay ratio of 168 companies — including Nike, CVS, AT&T and Walt Disney — is 70:1, based solely on cash pay. This ratio does not factor in common stock option grants available to many CEOs, which gives the employee the right to purchase a certain number of shares of the company’s stock at a predetermined price, according to investopedia.com, and compensation which can quadruple their total pay.

Senior Sam Gettings said he agrees with the tax penalty Portland proposed, and that the taxed money should be distributed among the CEO’s employees.

He also said more equal pay will help grow companies.

“If CEOs and employers want people to come work for them, they should show their employees they will be treated in a fair manner and will get paid a respectable amount for the job they’ll be doing,” Gettings said. “This greed, I believe, is part of our culture, though, as Americans.

We work hard and never take a break and destroy whatever is in our path just to make money. CEOs need to pay their employees what they would want to be paid if they were in their position.”

“IF CEOS AND EMPLOYERS WANT PEOPLE TO COME WORK FOR THEM, THEY SHOULD SHOW THEIR EMPLOYEES THEY WILL BE TREATED IN A FAIR MANNER AND WILL GET PAID A RESPECTABLE AMOUNT FOR THE JOB THEY’LL BE DOING. THIS GREED, I BELIEVE, IS PART OF OUR CULTURE THOUGH AS AMERICANS. WE WORK HARD AND NEVER TAKE A BREAK AND DESTROY WHATEVER IS IN OUR PATH JUST TO MAKE MONEY. CEOS NEED TO PAY THEIR EMPLOYEES WHAT THEY WOULD WANT TO BE PAID IF THEY WERE IN THEIR POSITION.”

| seniorsamgettings English teacher Charles Golden said while he does not have a problem with entrepreneurs having a larger salary, some CEOs make ridiculous amounts of money.

“I don’t really begrudge that entrepreneur who has built the business from the ground up because it is their thing,“ Golden said.

On Aug. 5, 2015, The Securities and Exchange Commission published a press release that went into effect on Jan. 1 of this year requiring public companies to disclose the ratio of the compensation of its CEO to the median compensation of its employees, hoping to pressure companies

to improve their workers’ salaries. While Golden said he believes that some CEOs make ridiculous amounts, he also stated that leadership should cost money.

“There is no substitution in an organizational group for really, really good leadership, and really, really good leadership can and should cost money,” Golden said.

In 2015, the salary ratio of first year teachers with a bachelor’s degree and the superintendent of Blue Valley Schools was 16:1, according to kansasopengov. org. Golden said he does not find this gap begrudging. “[Teacher salaries are] certainly not commensurate with the responsibilities and backgrounds and the kind of educational backgrounds that we have,” Golden said. “Do I think [the superintendent] should earn less? No. But do I think teachers should earn more? Yeah. Our district has a fabulous superintendent right now. I think he is worth every penny that he earns.”

Similar to Golden, technology teacher Perri LaTerza said she does not find the gap in salary from superintendent to teacher a major issue when referring to Blue Valley as a corporation.

“If you look at Blue Valley as a district corporation, it is a multi-million dollar company with thousands of employees, and they have to deal with the public,” LaTerza said.

LaTerza began teaching after around 15 years of programming with an information technology (IT) company.

Intending to start a family, LaTerza chose to follow her high school-planned career and become a business and computer teacher, which she said resulted in an immediate 70 percent decrease in her salary.

“It took a lot of budgeting; I wasn’t used to budgeting for a gallon of milk,” LaTerza said.

After working at the IT company, LaTerza said she has seen a wage gap play a part in her life.

“I started out in programming and IT and for my first five to six years, I was the only woman in my department,” LaTerza said. “I was the lowest paid, mostly because I was the lowest man on

20 | news / the standard / feb. 2017

the totem pole, because I was the newest one in, but, I don’t think my raises came as quickly or as incremental as the men in the companies that I worked for. Later on and now, I don’t see that, especially in teaching; teaching is more based on experience and education.”

According to news website fortune. com, seven in 10 employed adults in seven countries (United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, The Netherlands and Switzerland) believe men and women are paid equally by their employer for equal work. As it has been found by fortune.com, the gap usually claims women make between 76 and 80 percent of what a man makes in a year.

According to fortune.com, those who believe the wage gap doesn’t exist tend to think this number is explained through the career choices women make or things such a taking breaks to have children or choosing a career with more flexibility.

However, even after fortune.com factored for differences in education, experience, age, location, job title, industry and company the “adjusted” gender pay gap in the U.S. resulted in women making 94.6 cents per dollar compared to men. Based on the 2014 census that states the average woman’s salary was $39,621 a year, this pay gap would cause a $2,140 pay loss per year or a $64,200 pay loss over a 30-year career.

Golden said he agreed that differences in taking time off does affect the statistic.

“Part of it is explained by persisting difference in values in the work that men and women do, but part of it is explained by the fact that women still do stay home with their kids or take time out of their careers with kids, and I think that puts some on a perpetual path behind men in the workplace,” Golden said.

Coming from a different perspective, Gettings said he does not know much about the wage gap, but still agrees that women and men should be paid equally for equal work.

“I think the wage gap hurts women the most out of anyone,” Gettings said. “They’re doing the same jobs as men but still are

making less money. This is definitely not fair as everyone is created equally and should be paid the same for the same job.”

Complementary of Gettings’ viewpoint, Golden said it is good business to make sure people can earn money so that they can do honest work and not have to have second jobs or “cut all the corners.”

“If we are a humane society, we should make sure that people are not suffering because of something that is beyond their control and that they are able to enjoy a reasonable quality of life,” Golden said.

“Even if it is a meager one, it should be one where they wake up every day and it is possible for people that are making reasonably good choices to have good lives because of the way we set up our economy.”

Golden also said he does not believe that people are paid fairly for the amount of work they do or how hard they work.

“I know hard, hard working people who barely get by,” Golden said. “I think lots of people put a lot of effort and a lot of care into their work and I think people’s pay doesn’t reflect that, the effort, the thought, the compassion or anything; it reflects what the market thinks it is worth.”

Although Golden said he does think there is a short-term solution, he said investing heavily in education to ensure students leave school with a marketable education would be one step.

Golden and LaTerza said the wage gap is better than it used to be. Going forward, LaTerza said she thinks pay should be based on work and experience.

“I don’t think race, gender or age should come into play for any of the jobs,” LaTerza said. “It is all based on your ability and your experience. I think that is the number one thing you should look at — not what you look like, what color you are or if you are male or female.”

| delaneyoliver

Women’s wage: unadjusted

76% to 80%

of what a man makes in a year Women’s wage: adjusted

94.6 cents

per a man’s dollar CEO-to-median salary worker wage

70 : 1 ratio based soley on cash pay for 168 companies

Information from: fortune.com and The Huffintngton Post website

ads / the standard / feb. 2017 | 21

This is a reminder from the Relay for Life Committee to keep fundraising!

BV Relay For Life March 3-4, 2017 New Century Fieldhouse save lives, celebrate lives, and lead the fight for a world without cancer.

Dr. Barton W. Putnam DDS MSD Phone Number: 913-829-0060 Follow @BVSWNews on Twitter and Instagram

for stories, live updates, photo galleries and more

22 | feature/ the standard / feb. 2017

A Family Matter

military families share challenges of service

S

itting amid piles of boxes, sophomore Kyle Crader unpacked in another unfamiliar house after moving back to Kansas in May 2014. He has had to leave everything he knows behind, including friends and school, due to his father’s career.

However, this is a circumstance to which he has grown accustomed.

Crader’s father has been in the military for 31 years and works as a contracting officer. Crader said that his father’s career impacts him most directly through where they live, which has included Virginia, the District of Columbia and Germany.

According to edsource.org, children in military families move an average of six to nine times before graduating high school.

“I never really liked [moving] that much, considering it’s very hard to leave your friends behind and find

new ones, and knowing that you’ll leave those behind,” Crader said.

“You make friends fast when you’re in the military. They support you and know what’s going on.”

One drawback, Crader said, is not seeing family as much, which includes his father, who often travels on his own.

“My dad’s kind of protective over us,” Crader said. “But I think that when you’ve experienced a lot of stuff most people haven’t, you kind of would be paranoid.”

Crader said he gets worried about his father as well, since sometimes his father travels to active war zones.

One misconception people often have, Crader said, is that he and his family know everything about his father’s military career, but he said this is not true.

“They think that we know everything that my dad does but

actually we don’t really know much at all, only the most basic details,” Crader said.

Along with his father, Crader’s uncle, grandfather and other family members have served in the military, so he said he tends to take current events “more seriously than most people do, and [has] a stronger viewpoint of it.”

“Most people view world events from a bystander view, where it doesn’t really affect them,” Crader said. “But for me, if something happens over there, it directly affects me, and it affects my family.”

Another family affected by world events and the military is that of senior Avery Pollitt, whose older brother Adam has been in the Marines for four years, and eldest brother Jonathan will be entering the Navy in March. Avery said she has paid much more attention to

| 23 what’s happening in the news after Adam joined the military.

“There was that hurricane that hit Haiti, not too long ago … and my brother was going to be deployed to Haiti for relief, to help with cleaning and stuff like that,” Avery said. “It’s definitely made me more aware of what’s happening … because there’s always that chance, even though his job isn’t necessarily to be out there; you just never know.”

While Avery said Adam did not end up going to Haiti, there is always a chance he could be in an area with conflict in a couple of months. This is a concern her mother, Cindi Pollitt said she has as well for her sons.

“With all that has happened in the world and with all that continues to happen and change with different countries and with ISIS, it is always a concern and constant worry that there may be that day that he would have to be deployed,” Cindi said.

Another challenge, Cindi said, was finding out how the whole military system works with enlistment and careers. Avery said before her brother joined, she never really paid attention to what goes on in the military, and “how important it really, truly is.” She said having a family member involved has really made her respect the people who have served.

“Before, I don’t think I really realized how difficult it was to be in the military, whatever branch you’re in,” Avery said.

“Now I see; my brother will come home and tell stories about how his friends were deployed in whatever country and the things that they saw, and it’s insane.

You never would think people would see that in real life. You hear about it,

but you don’t really know how that person felt seeing it. Not that I didn’t appreciate military people or veterans before, but it’s made me respect them a lot more.”

Additionally, Avery said one thing she has appreciated more since her brother joined the military is family.

She said while it is difficult to not have her brother around for holidays, such as Thanksgiving or Easter, she really appreciates the times she gets to see him.

“When we want to do a family thing, it has to be planned a year in advance so they can get home,” Avery said. “It’s really made our family stronger, and it’s made our love for each other stronger.

‘Absence makes the heart grow fonder:’ that’s definitely true. It’s different because all my life, I’ve been with my family, and I’ve always valued being around my siblings a lot, and so with two of my siblings gone or leaving, it’s going to be harder to get used to.”

Avery said getting used to Adam’s absence was difficult as first, especially with her parents’ recent divorce, and him “always [being] that solid rock in [her] life”. Cindi agreed it has taken some getting used to, saying the family was excited for him but it was difficult to get used to the distance.

“There was a lot of uncertainty and sad feelings knowing he was going to be so far away, and we would have very limited contact with him at first and then of course, knowing that he would not be stationed close to home, so it was hard to know that we would not be able to see him much,” Cindi said.

While he was at boot camp, Avery said she could only send and receive letters from him, so it was difficult not

being able to talk very often. However, Avery said she knew how much he wanted to serve and saw how rewarding the job was for him, something she said she knows Jonathan will find as well.

“Having a family member in the military is difficult: you don’t see them, and it definitely puts a little bit of a strain on your family at first, but the reward of serving — I can see it in him,” Avery said. “He absolutely loves it, and that it’s a rewarding job. There’s something that makes me proud, to see that in both my brothers, how they want to serve our country. It’s hard being a military family, but it’s made me appreciate family and my brothers and sisters and the military and veterans … and life a lot more.”

| meganflood

24 | feature / the standard / feb. 2017

DECIPHERING

DIVERSITY students and staff share what diversity means to them The annual Diversity Assembly is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 16 and aims to celebrate all sorts of diversity. Since many people view diversity differently, students and staff answered three questions: “What do you think of when you hear the word ‘diversity?’” “How

“I think [diversity

is] more of acceptance of people, people that are different from you. Basically, we all accept each other for our differences. Even though we are all human, we’re really not different from each other.

We look at that as a barrier, and, really, it shouldn’t be there.” | seniorkirstenlee

would you define diversity?” and “Why do you think diversity is important?” Here are their answers.

| donnaarmstrong | delaneyoliver

| 25

“I think about different

people’s cultures [when I hear ‘diversity’] and even in a deeper sense, people’s personalities - like how people are different - some people are shy, some people are outgoing, and how it all balances each other out.” | juniorhoudaderbas

“I would define

diversity as uniqueness within people and how they celebrate their own cultures and the way that they look, the way that they act, where they are from and their roots and just embracing that.” | freshmanfabycabrera

26 | feature / the standard / feb. 2017

“Everyone has their own sense about them, and you want to find out what that is. I think it would just be boring if everyone was the same.”

“I wanted to be a part of [the diversity assembly] because it’s

a very strong message that I think we need to say, especially in this area where it is white dominated.”

| juniorhelenebechtel

“Diversity is important anywhere

because, without diversity, we are all just mindless drones because we are all the same. It is really important that we have our differences because that is what makes us who we are.” | sophomoredawsonplaster

| 27

“In the school setting,

[diversity] is nice, especially when you have people from different areas, backgrounds, walks of life, stuff like that. [It] brings different points of views and personal opinions and stuff like that to the classroom, so hopefully if you’re having [a] class debate, that is a lot of different trains of thought where you are talking about a different topic or issue; It’s a good way to learn.” | businessteachernicholasfoster

“It shows

that everyone is different; we all have different kinds of struggles and different kind of attributes that separate everyone out and give them distinct differences toward everyone else.“ | sophomorelizzyreilly

28 | news / the standard / feb. 2017

| 29

Fake out

students and staff note concerns over the spread of fake news

E

ighty percent of middle school students cannot distinguish between a news story and a sponsored advertisement. A quarter of high school students accurately identify the blue credibility check mark found on social media accounts.

These results, found in a study by Stanford University, illustrate people’s difficulty in deciphering what is reliable news, what is fake and how to verify sources. In the summary of the study, the researchers concluded the results in one word: “bleak.”

Art teacher Sarah McKee said this outlook on news consumption can be partially attributed to the relatively new ease of information acquisition — through the internet.

“Because anyone can post on the internet, you can sound like you are coming from a really cool online newspaper, but really you are just some guy who is writing about stuff from your living room,” McKee said. “You can make it sound like a legitimate source. I think there has always been that problem in journalism, I just think it is so much harder to police with so many sources out there.”

To avoid misleading information, when McKee uses the internet to find news, she chooses her articles by source rather than topic. Among her favorites are NPR

and the New York Times: credible sources which she considers relatively unbiased.

“Generally speaking, I don’t read a source unless I know where it is from, like The Journal of American Medicine or something like that,” McKee said. “So you can say, ‘OK, yeah. This story about lung cancer is probably correct because it has been verified by a jury of peers.’”

However, McKee said she does not believe all students prioritize credible sources when reading news. Sometimes she will overhear doubtable information being shared in her classes.

“If someone tells me something that they’ve read, I’m like, ‘Oh, where did you read that?’ and a lot of times students can’t tell how they know that fact or where they got that source,” McKee said. “I think maybe students aren’t as aware of what they are reading from. They see a headline or read an article, and it’s not always their first thought to check where that article was published.”

Freshman John Price said he noticed an up-tick in fake news stories during the election cycle. He said some were easy to spot, like “Trump is going to win California,” while others may not have been as obvious.

“It may be something blatantly ridiculous and you go, ‘Well, that’s obviously fake,’ but sometimes people

do a good job of making it seem like it’s true and that is the worst kind,” Price said.

“You are actually thinking you are getting correct information from something that is false.”

Junior Maverick Edwards said this phenomenon can also be attributed to social media, enabling the widespread sharing of information. He said this is a problem because it provides misinformation to large groups of people.

“When somebody hears something that sounds interesting they will retweet it and then all of their friends and everybody else will read it and they will retweet it,” Edwards said. “Then, everyone will think one thing is true when in reality, it is not.”

In one part of the Stanford study on deciphering news credibility, high school students were presented situations and asked to determine whether or not to trust the source. In one scenario, a photograph of mutated daisies — stated as sourced from a creative commons website — was shown accompanied by a caption explaining the flowers’ defects caused by nuclear exposure. Over 40 percent of students said the source was trustworthy about the nuclear impacts because of the pictorial support.

The study summary noted students’ ignorance of “key details” in the presented scenario, such as the nonexistent

30 | news / the standard / feb. 2017

Verizon LTE 85%

knowledgeable people. He said Facebook should take care not to remove a story on an incorrect basis.

McKee concurs with Edwards’ concern over removing only what was intended — fake news stories — while not trampling authors’ freedom of speech.

She suggests categories to help consumers decipher between factual news stories and opinionated articles.

“If there was a consistency for filtering those stories out, and if there were more regulations as to what applies as a news story, that would be more helpful,” McKee said. “But then there is the other side of it, where people don’t like adding regulations and people don’t like more rules. There needs to be a distinction as to whether you are writing an opinion and whether you are writing a news article.”

Whether intended as fact or opinion or as misleading information, McKee said that regulating news sources walked a fine line between free speech and fake news.

She said it was important to keep aware of the topic and think critically about where information was coming from.

“I think it’s good that people are talking about it,” McKee said. “I know that people don’t necessarily want to keep beating a dead horse with a subject like this, but it’s really, really important. Throughout history, journalism has influenced a lot of people and a lot of decisions and a lot of events. It’s just another evolution of that happening, and the more we can rein it in and keep an eye on it, the less damage a negative news source can potentially incur.”

12:36 PM

“REAL” NEWS

information about the author and freesharing nature of the website. Students trusted the given information because there was a supporting picture and ignored the lack of author or website credibility.

“I think as people use more social media, the less policing there is of news sources,” McKee said. “It used to have a clear-cut code of ethics around it, and now, because anyone can post anything on the internet, I don’t think that code of ethics is applied to all sources everyone is reading.”

To combat such issues, on Dec. 15, Facebook announced it would be implementing tools to flag misleading news stories, review them, and remove offenders.

Users now have the option to notify the poster of an incorrect news source or flag the story as misinformation pending review. Flagging stories leads to fewer shares, according to Facebook.

News stories in question then go through testing, checking for things such as financially-motivated spoof websites (for example, a story from NYTimes.com.co vs. the real website at NYTimes.com).

“If you are going to consider yourself or state that you are writing for a news source, I think you have to follow the same rules that any other print publication would have to follow,” McKee said. “I think it is really important to filter that out. Some people can take fake news to heart and act on it, and that is when it becomes something that crosses the line.”

Edwards said he agrees with Facebook’s move, as he hopes it will encourage more peer monitoring and discourage people from writing fake news stories.

“If you are putting something out there to try and get attention, people should call you out for it,” Edwards said. “You should be punished by the system [of] which you tried to put your ideas and propaganda out.”

However, he said this system would only work if stories were flagged and reviewed by

How to detect a fake news story

1.

read past the headline

2.

check who published it

3. who is the author? for questionable 4. look quotes and photos

5. what sources are used?

6. beware of bias other news sources 7. are reporting on it?

8. think before sharing

| lilliehoffart Graphics by Jonah McCormick and Lillie Hoffart Information from The Huffington Post

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

| 31

students share why they use a nickname

A

ccording to the Social Security Administration website, William has been the fifth most used name in America for five consecutive years. Sophomore William “Cole” Cruce said he has found a loophole, and instead of having the fifth most common name, he was excited to go by Cole.

“No matter what class you’re in, there’s at least one William,” Cruce said. “Am I right or am I right? So, I was getting to thinking, and I was like, ‘Hey. My middle name is Cole. I think I’m gonna go by that.’”

Cruce said he has always gone

by Cole, and in every orchestra class or diving practice, most people knew him only by that.

He also said whenever there’s a substitute calling role in a class, they always say “William” and he

rarely registers his name is being called.

“Unless someone like a friend or something calls me Will, I probably won’t respond,” Cruce said. “My friend Neil called me William all the time, he never called me Cole, just for the meme.

But if anyone else called me that, I wouldn’t recognize it.”

Despite going by Cole for several years, Cruce said he has never regretted his decision and embraces his name.

“I don’t ever regret going by Cole; it’s a lot simpler,” Cruce said. “When I’m writing, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve legit spelled William wrong. It’s kind of weird, since it’s my first name, but I’ll get confused and I try to write it in cursive when I need to sign my name, but I always spell it wrong.”

S

logan

COLE

ophomore Robert “Logan” Kemp said he prefers to go by his middle name, however, he said he doesn’t just prefer to be called Logan. He is Logan.

Kemp said he was not named after anyone in particular, nor was there a real reason for him to be named Robert. He had simply been called Logan ever since he was young.

“I’m not really sure why I was named Robert if they don’t call me Robert, but that’s just how it’s always been,” Kemp said.

Both Kemp’s names bring different connotations, hence why he has chosen one over the other. For example, Kemp said he associates Robert with people who are old, and Logan with people who are fun.

“Robert feels stingy, and I feel like Logan just kind of goes with it, like Logan is a fun guy,” Kemp said. “No one would ever be pumped that Robert is coming to the party, but they’d be like, ‘Oh yeah! Logan’s coming!’”

In new classes, Kemp said

teachers would regularly call him by his first name rather than his middle name, as Synergy lists everyone’s first name.

However, he said he does not like confrontation, and never wants to make a big deal of his nickname when he is called Robert instead.

“When [the teacher] calls my name for attendance, which it says I’m Robert, I just was like, ‘Yeah, that’s me, I’m Robert,’ just so they won’t talk to me,” Kemp said.

After trying to use his first name, Kemp found that “Logan” really brought out a new part of his personality. He said he just didn’t feel right when he went

by Robert.

“Robert is not me, you feel?”

Kemp said. “Robert takes away personality from me when Logan kind of is who I am. Whenever I think of Robert, I think of an old dude. I’m not an old dude, you know? But even still, when I’m old, Robert will never be me.”

32 | feature / the standard / feb. 2017

A

fter introducing himself to people, senior Alexander “Z” Gianino finds himself scrambling to explain the story behind his self-proclaimed odd nickname. But, when students raise a brow after hearing someone say, “Call me Z,” he said he can’t blame them.

Gianino said his nickname originated from a childhood laziness that he said is shared universally among preschoolers.

After meeting his peers and noticing a large amount of them shared his otherwise common first name, he said he decided to go by Zander. However, he said he was confused and bored by taking a few extra moments to spell out his whole name, so he simply wrote Z. “Every time I’ve moved since then, I just told people my name was Z,” Gianino said. “Some people don’t actually know my real name.”

Even after more than a decade, Gianino said he would never answer to the name Alex in the halls; he is Z. At the workplace, he said it is a little different.

“I only get called Alex in a professional environment; at work I go by Alex, and teachers still call me Alex,” Gianino said. “It feels a lot more professional, and it’s kind of weird if another kid calls me Alex.”

He said he doesn’t blame people for immediately asking the story behind his nickname; however, he said that, on a rare occasion, he likes to switch it up.

“I’ve told people that it’s legitimately my name,” Gianino said. “Like, ‘Oh, yeah. That’s literally on my birth certificate.

It’s just Z.’” Gianino said he does not regret going by Z, as it is how everyone knows him. He said he likes the persona it built for him.

“I like my nickname; it’s unique,” Gianino said. “It’s a different way to have an identity.

As long as that person who has [a nickname] is OK with it, and there’s nothing wrong the name, then it’s OK. I know a lot of people who have nicknames, and it’s an interesting way to own your identity.”

C

BUTCH

onfusion. Confusion often happened when someone said “Duane,” and before senior Duane “Butch” Clemons Jr. opened his mouth, another person would respond. Silence would follow, but eventually it turned to laughter, as his parents figured maybe naming their son after his father wasn’t the greatest idea. No matter — Clemons was ready to paint a new identity for himself.

Clemons, who was originally named after his father and later nicknamed after his grandfather, said he enjoys his nickname, Butch.

“I don’t regret going by Butch over Duane,” Clemons said. “I’ve grown up being Butch; I was called Butch ever since I was young.”

Clemons said nicknames have always been a big part of his life, but he hasn’t faced many troubles.

Z

He said he has been called Butch ever since he was young, but said there have been some strange experiences.

“I’ve had some interesting encounters, just because of the meaning behind Butch and being called Butch,” Clemons said.

In the end, Clemons said he appreciates his nickname for opening new doors for him and allowing him to further explore his character.

“It’s interesting because you’re getting to choose a big part of you,” Clemons said. “It’s kind of weird to go by a nickname, like some people in my family still call me Duane and I’m Butch sometimes. It’s kind of like two different personalities.” | emmaolinger