The Standard Volume 7 Issue 7

Insert creativity {here} creativity is cultivated among students and staff feature pages 24-27

standard the

blue valley southwest | volume 7 | issue 7

2 | contents / the standard / april 2017

CO NT EN TS

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volume 7 / issue 7 www.bvswnews.com

senior section sneak peek: May 4

senior section sneak peek: May 4

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FEATURE

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The Sole of Southwest Spaced Out Inside the Intern Insert Creativity Here

NEWS

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Existential Crisis You Are Being Watched Up to the Test

OPINION online exclusive

ON THE COVER: Creativity levels decrease as students enter high school possibly due to criticism, chances of failing or technology.

Graphic by Lillie Hoffart

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Gender Neutral This is What a Feminist Looks Like

SPORTS

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Crossing Over

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE Photo gallery : The Jazz Cafe

editor’s note 4|

After 13 years of public education, 1,367 days of high school and nine months of senior year, the time has come for the class of 2017 to part ways with the Southwest community. Over the past four years, we have built a community of 295 individuals. On May 13, we will be taking our first steps as high school graduates and adults. We will leave the auditorium headed off into 295 different paths and 295 distinctly different futures, seeking to build a new community in 295 different ways.

While some of us experienced all of the last 13 years of public education together, others have joined along the way. We have formed friend groups, study groups, lunch tables and, altogether, grown accustomed to seeing a selection of each of the 295 individuals in our classes every day. We have grown close to our teachers and become comfortable with their teaching styles. At the end of the last three years, we have said goodbye to one class and hello to a new one. We got to know each other and became the community we are today. But, that is all coming to an end.

In the fall, many of us will step onto a college campus surrounded by thousands of unfamiliar faces. But, we will begin to build a new community. We will make new friends, meet our professors, find new study groups and slowly cycle back to the formation and strengthening of our new communities. As we embark upon this next step in our lives, I hope we can reflect on the community we have created at Southwest and bring that character along with us.

Over the last 1,367 days, as a class and a school, we have built character — character to stand up and speak out when something is wrong, to reach out to those who need it and persevere through every challenge life throws our way. When students at our school felt uncomfortable, we focused our energies to create a Southwest family. We cared about other communities through volunteer efforts in Relay for Life, Hoops for Hope, Dodge to Donate and so many more. We created an environment we wanted to be a part of and found our own niches. Whether we felt the most at home in newspaper, soccer, math class, Wolfbyte, debate, theatre or amongst any of the multiple groups at Southwest, we together, were one community. To the class of 2017, I hope you find your next community, and I hope it has a character like the one we have built here. To the underclassmen, I hope you spend the remainder of your time at Southwest developing your own community.

As a staff, we have built our own community with the goal to cover the stories of Southwest as a whole. We have found new angles and different perspectives to bring to you, our readers, the stories we have found the most pressing and necessary to be shared. For my last editor’s note, thank you. This experience has been humbling and allowed me to appreciate the intricacies of sharing our stories. As a senior and third year staff member, I have had the opportunity to hear and cover 21 issues worth of your stories. For every issue we have published, we have earned more character because of you, our readers, and your stories. Whether you realized it or not, thank you for making a difference in our lives and for letting us share your stories.

For the last time,

THE STANDARD EDITOR-IN-CHIEF 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

news / the standard / april 2017 | 5

Existential Crisis animal extinction impacts students and staff

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mur leopard, black rhino, Bornean don’t really care,’ but I think they should care. orangutan, cross river gorilla: the top of That’s going to affect you and everybody in the endangered species list, according the whole world on a really big scale, so it’s to worldwildlife.org, a website dedicated to kind of scary.” helping endangered animals and preserving Teaching biology for 27 years, science Earth’s wildlife. To some, these names may teacher Lynn Martens said she thinks be foreign, but to many endangered species extinction is a natural part of a species, and biologists, these names are all too familiar. at the rate at which humans are damaging the According to the website, if there are 2 environment, she said humans have predicted million species on Earth, between 200 and Earth is halfway through its course of life, 2,000 species go extinct each year. Senior having “about 4.6 billion more years” left.

Lauren Haught said she is concerned for “I still worry about the animals and the the balance of the ecosystem if the extinction plants because we are already changing the rates continue to increase. direction of which ones are surviving and “I think a lot of animals bring so much to which ones are dying out and so on,” Martens our ecosystem,” Haught said. “I know bees, said. “So, everybody’s like, ‘Oh, we’re only they give us honey and they pollinate and halfway through.’ Granted, there’s no singular without them we wouldn’t have flowers. I species that we have found that was still here don’t know if spiders from the beginning. are endangered, but I “That is happening right now They’ve all turned know they kill a lot of over or become and dozens [of species] go something bugs. You can’t get rid else. of all the spiders. I feel extinct every day. Way more go So, it’s not that we like every animal has extinct than what is normal and don’t expect that their own thing to bring healthy and, because of that, it is we’ll be here forever to the ecosystem. If not, affecting the entire ecosystem — for the other 4.6 I don’t feel like they’d be billion [years] — in this world. Everyone because they are all connected.” but all the stuff that has something to bring we’re doing now to this world and I don’t | sophomoreaveryappleby is just shortening think they should be that wick. It’s like a gone just because we use them for our own quick-burning fuse and we’re just bringing it gain.” back to a collapse point.”

Referencing the World Wildlife Endangered According to biologicaldiversity.org, an Species List, sophomore Avery Appleby endangered animal preservation website, said she is more concerned about the effect the world is “experiencing the worst spate of extinction rates will have on the animal food species die-offs since the loss of the dinosaurs chain, referring to it as a “snowball effect.”

65 million years ago.” Although extinction “When you look at it, we have this whole is a natural phenomenon, Appleby said she list,” Appleby said. “You take these [species] understands the current overall extinction out of the web [and] it’s going to add more to rates are greater than average. the list because it’s going to cause a snowball “[Animal extinction] is a big issue right effect. We are connected to the ecosystem too, now,” Appleby said. “Some scientists, if and we get our food from animals and plants. I remember right, call it the Sixth Mass Eventually, it’s going to affect us directly. I Extinction. That is happening right know some people, they’ll say, ‘OK, whatever, now and dozens [of species] go extinct they’re just animals that live out in the wild. I everyday. Way more go extinct than what

news / the standard / april 2017 | 7

is normal and healthy, and — ­ because of that and melting will significantly raise sea levels.”

— it is affecting the entire ecosystem because According to earthobservatory.nasa.gov, they are all connected. The extinction is our the rift does not “yet reach across the entire fault; humans are the cause of the Sixth Mass shelf,” and when it does, “Larsen C will shed an Extinction.” iceberg about the size of Delaware.” The earth According to ucsusa.org, a website run by observatory site describes the rift as “a process an organization of environmental scientists, that directly increases sea level,” which, in turn, humans contribute to the pollution of the could increase ocean temperatures. atmosphere by using “heat-trapping emissions Other than the potential of rising from burning coal, gas and oil in power plants ocean levels, Martens said she is surprised, and cars; cutting down and burning forests.” considering humans are intelligent beings, that Appleby said humans need to combat problems they don’t see the reasoning behind trying to like climate change and pollution on a global help the endangered species. scale.

“I don’t know if we’re the most intelligent “First of all, climate change and global species,” Martens said. “I know that dolphins warming [are] very big issues and they need and elephants have a different type of to be addressed,” Appleby said. “I hope we’re intelligence. I definitely think what would show getting there. We need big changes to stop our lack of intelligence as a species would be that; it’s not just going to take little changes. going from the beginning of man to whatever It’s going to have to take that end is and saying the whole world and a “We see hummingbirds. We see that, while we were change in society to stop honeybees. We see a lot of these causing cascades of that. I know it’s a big animals at our zoo, and I feel irreversible events, problem and it … causes like [it] would be kind of sad we were clueless.” all of the ecosystem Since not every change. Climate change that we might resort to just person interacts with can affect all the animals seeing them in the zoo.” endangered species which then affects other in their everyday animals. It’s just a big | seniorlaurenhaught lives, Haught said mess.” she understands it is Relating to climate difficult to relate to change, Martens said it is no surprise major the animals. ice shelves ­­­— like Larsen C in Antarctica — are “A lot of these animals we don’t live around,” cracking, causing an influx of species to either Haught said. “We see hummingbirds. We see move away or die trying. honeybees. We see a lot of these animals at our “Right now, there’s this huge crack in the zoo, and I feel like [it] would be kind of sad that Larsen ice shelf in Antarctica,” Martens said. we might resort to just seeing them in the zoo.

“In fact, [recently], they picked it up on GPS. I hope people can go out into the world and see They’ve been watching it for a long time, but the Indian elephant or the killer whale or the this crack is like 600 feet across and it goes sloth. It really makes me sad that I only saw all the way down to the land. It goes through an elephant at the zoo, and I’m afraid that will the ice, so the GPS could hit it with sonar. be the last time … I want people to go out and They verified, ‘Oh, it goes all the way to the they can see the African wild dog in its natural bottom.’ So, when it cracks and splits — the habitat, just running amuck, or the gorilla just potential that within the next decade or less, chilling. So, I hope people care enough.” some people are saying five years — the entire Larsen ice shelf is going to go into the ocean | summerlyon

8 | opinion / the standard / april 2017

gender neutral

district needs to establish transgender bathroom policy

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ncapping the pen, the document signer peruses the last few lines of the document. Once read, the signer places pen to paper. With the scribble of a pen, transgender students are given more rights in schools across the nation.

In May 2016, the Obama administration issued a nationwide directive that instructed schools to allocate proper resources — restrooms, locker rooms and other facilities — for transgender students for the gender they identify with. This directive applied to public schools and colleges that receive federal funding from the government, according to The Washington Post. Additionally, it stated that these schools could “lose federal education aid” if they were to restrict transgender students to resources based on the gender assigned at birth.

The directive stated that excluding transgender students from using the facilities of the gender they identified or discriminating against students for their gender identity with was a violation of the federal anti-discrimination law, Title IX. Previously, there were no federal guidelines in place to protect the rights of transgender students. After this, these students were finally given the right to choose which facilities they preferred to use.

Some students, including junior Maggie Raming, said she thought this inclusion of transgender students to use the restroom of choice was “a great thing” and helped them feel more accepted and safe in the school environment.

“I think, for transgender students especially, they should be able to use whatever bathroom they feel most comfortable in because I know that a lot of students aren’t comfortable with who they are,” Raming said. “That could lead to a lot of bullying, and harm could come to the students.”

However, this directive aimed at acceptance and inclusion of transgender students was short-lived.

In February, the Trump administration revoked the guideline set in place by former President Barack Obama. An article from The Washington Post stated

that the Trump administration revoked the previous guideline due to a lack of “extensive legal analysis” by the former policy makers.

While this order doesn’t directly strip transgender students of the rights, it did so inconspicuously by taking away a policy that benefited transgender students. It does nothing to help or defend them, as well as invalidates a document that aimed to do so.

By not having a policy in place at the state or federal level, nothing prevents schools from typecasting transgender students and barring them the rights that all other students receive, which can, in turn, cause physical or emotional trauma for transgender students.

However, the opposition began before President Donald Trump took office. Only two weeks after the initial directive was sent by the Obama administration, 11 states filed a lawsuit claiming that the directive had “no basis in law,” and later, 10 more states filed lawsuits claiming the government had overstepped its boundaries, according to The Washington Post.

Kansas was one of these 10 states. Raming said she objected to the idea of Kansas being among the states to respond in opposition to the directive.

“I know we are a rather conservative [state], but I feel like I think it’s a shame that we are so closed off to the idea of people using the bathroom they feel most comfortable in,” Raming said.

Shauna Rinearson, English teacher and GayStraight Alliance sponsor, said her initial reaction to the directive from the Obama Administration, like Raming’s, was one of approval. Yet, she said she thinks the best solution would be to have singlestall restrooms in schools, like some restaurants and entertainment establishments.

While single-stall restrooms would allow all students to avoid discrimination, it is nearly unfeasible in a school environment. Rinearson agrees this solution is unrealistic for existing school buildings, and said while she approved of the directive, she realized some students could oppose

10 | news / the standard / april 2017

it and be uncomfortable with transgender people in the While it is important to respect the wishes and bathroom with them. boundaries of all students, it is equally as important “As a human being, who is a female, if I go into a female that schools guarantee that transgender students feel restroom and Chaz Bono walks in, I’m going to feel a little accepted. If a transgender male wants to use the male awkward because there’s a male in my women’s restroom,” restroom, he should be allowed to do so.

Rinearson said. “Likewise, I would imagine, as a male, if Principal Scott Roberts said he works with a male were in a bathroom and in walks Caitlyn Jenner transgender students at Southwest on a case-by-case or Jazz Jennings, I feel like that would be uncomfortable, basis. He said the school aims to establish a “comfortable too. So I think, what would be ideal is, again, my very situation” for each student with the help of their families unrealistic solution of single use bathrooms, so that the and the district. people who would feel uncomfortable or violated with the “Honestly, what’s most important to me is that every presence of a transgender person in the same restroom student in this school feels like this is a safe, welcoming don’t experience that and a transgender person doesn’t place that they can learn,” Roberts said. “That’s the most experience having to use a bathroom of which he or she important thing. Whether it’s a bathroom, a locker room, does not identify. Right all that is just part of now, it’s lose-lose, really that process. So, that’s for everybody.” what’s most important: “Honestly, what’s most important to me is that Here lies the main ‘Do you feel safe? Do every student in this school feels like this is problem: schools must you feel like this is a safe, balance the needs and welcoming place for you a safe, welcoming place that they can learn. rights of transgender to become a student?

That’s the most important thing. Whether it’s students while still Can you learn here?’ keeping all students in That’s what we have got a bathroom, a locker room, all that is just the school comfortable. to make sure happens part of that process. So, that’s what’s most As with most sensitive for every student, and controversial issues, and that’s why we go important: ‘do you feel safe? Do you feel like there are bound to be through the process that this is a safe, welcoming place for you to multiple viewpoints, we go through.” all of which need to be Although the school become a student? Can you learn here?’ That’s acknowledged.

While works with students some people wouldn’t on an individual basis what we have got to make sure happens for want transgender to ensure comfort, every student, and that’s why we go through students in the restroom Kristi McNerlin, with them, Rinearson executive director of the process that we go through.” said all opinions must be communications for the met with civility. district, said Blue Valley | principalscottroberts “I can’t help but does not have a policy feel that multiple concerning transgender perspectives deserve respect and empathy,” Rinearson students. She said policies are established by the board said. “It’s not our job as public educators or an educational of education, and there have been no official discussions institution to tell someone how to believe or think or feel. about establishing such a policy. However, she said Our job is to give our students the skills to figure out the district has other policies in place to ensure a safe with logic and reason and research and facts, that are environment for all students. not necessarily alternative, to figure out how they want “For [the district] though, we have chosen to focus to think and feel and believe. It’s not our job. So, while on what we believe aligns with a key fundamental in our I’m pretty easy going, and this particular issue wouldn’t district, and it’s three words: ‘all means all,’” McNerlin bother me, using the restroom with female transgender said. “‘Shouldn’t we be providing privacy for all students?’ students in the same restroom facility — like down the And that’s been our perspective. So, for Blue Valley, while hall — would not bother me. But that’s just me. And there we’ve followed the litigation that has occurred and we’re are people that it would genuinely bother, and I think we aware, our focus has always been and will continue to be have got to be respectful of that as well.” on privacy for all students.”

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McNerlin said the district has regarded this process since the Obama administration’s directive and applied it after the revocation as well. While it is eminent that the district evaluates and follows the guidelines of such directives, it needs to establish a policy of its own. By not having a policy, the district is subconsciously avoiding the issue and relying on problems not arising.

McNerlin said that a lack of a policy means principals must deal with concerns about privacy at each school individually.

“If a student feels like their privacy is not being addressed ... that’s something we would work with families to make sure every student — every student, all students — who have a privacy concern, that that is addressed,” McNerlin said. “That conversation would take place if we hear that a student does not feel that’s true.”

Providing privacy for all students is necessary and pertinent, but not having a policy in place can lead to detrimental effects if problems surface in the future. However, since there is yet to be a policy, Roberts said he finds it important to work with students individually.

“Policies are policies, but we are most interested in the safety and well being for each individual student,” Roberts said. “So, that’s why we take it on an individual basis, because everyone is a little bit different. And everyone’s comfort — everyone’s well being — looks different than somebody else’s,

so that’s why we do it that way.”

Dealing with students one-on-one may work for now, but this will not likely always be the case. While schools are facing strenuous amounts of pressure with the changing laws concerning transgender bathroom usage, it is imperative to have a policy in place.

Transgender students should be allowed to use the bathroom of their choice to ensure they feel safe at school. No matter what, some sort of policy must exist. The policy could allow transgender students to use a bathroom in the nurse’s office, the bathroom of the gender they identify with or could implement more gender neutral bathrooms. Regardless, it is imperative that a policy is established not only in this district, but in schools around the nation to ensure a safe environment for all students.

“I think we definitely do need to implement a plan overall because there are going to be more transgender students as that becomes more of a culturally accepted thing,” Raming said. “We can’t just have every student that is transgender going to the nurse at all times of the day. I feel like we need to have something put in place, whether that’s a gender-neutral bathroom overall or some sort of plan that you can use this bathroom or that bathroom, whatever you feel most comfortable in.”

| donnaarmstrong

12 | feature / the standard / april 2017

THE SOLE OF SOUTHWEST sneakerheads describe passion for shoes

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hoes. Shoes have served one sole purpose: to cover one’s feet while they walk around or do activities.

Humans have covered their feet with shoes for the last 40,000 years, according to lifescience.com.

However, the integration of the shoe into popular culture did not gain traction until the early 20th century with the creation of the Chuck Taylor’s. Starting with Chuck Taylor, an early U.S. all-star team basketball player who would be the

first athlete to have his name associated with a shoe, soon shoes would start to be branded with future celebrities and athletes with the growing popular culture in the U.S. according to heddels. com.

As more and more trends for shoes hit the stores, people started to collect and procure new unique shoes to either sell or keep. “Sneakerheads,” a term coined by “B-Boys,” otherwise known as people who enjoy hip-hop according to webster.

com, collected basketball shoes that their favorite athletes would wear in games and in advertisements.

With the evolution of the shoe, more and more varieties and types of shoes hit the market, some that were limited edition, or just stock. Some students at Southwest have even taken up this “lifestyle” of sneaker collecting and share why they enjoy collecting so many shoes.

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or sophomore Sam Martin, shoes and sneaker collecting have been a large part of his life ever since the fourth grade. But he never actually started taking a dedicated interest until around the sixth grade when he would routinely read about shoes in magazines and articles before starting to collect.

“I’m really sentimental about stuff,” Martin said. “So for something like shoes that I have, there are different memories and stories that go with each pair and how I got them. So there’s a lot of sentiment involved.”

Currently, Martin said he owns roughly 20 pairs of shoes that fit him, not counting the ones that he has grown out of since he began collecting a couple years back.

“My favorite pair that I own are the Doernbecher SB’s because the profits went to a children’s hospital,” Martin said.

“I just thought the whole idea was cool and they look really unique.”

To promote shoes, athletes go to places like children’s hospitals, in the case of the Doernbecher collection, which helped popularize sneaker collecting even further, give children with illnesses the chance to design their own shoes and promote cancer research with the profits that were made from the project.

“The most special pair I own is the EYBL KD 5 Elites because only a select few got it, and I wanted it the first time I saw it,” Martin said. “They’re special to me because I was lucky enough to be able to acquire a pair of those shoes and it just makes my collection more diverse.”

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nother sneakerhead, junior Raaham Sheikh, has also been collecting shoes since a young age. Similar to Martin, he shares a sentimental value for his shoes and said he likes that each has their own story and memory to go with each one.

“I feel like in certain shoes, there is a certain significant sentimental value, like the Doernbecher collection

by Jordan,” Sheikh said. “Although I don’t wear them that much, they are special to me because Michael Jordan went to a children’s hospital himself and helped kids out and let them design their own shoes and all of the funds collected were donated to the hospital.”

Sheikh said the fact that shoes aren’t just used as footwear but as an outlet to help other people.

Even though Sheikh said his most special pair is his Doernbecher’s, he likes his Adidas the best.

“They’ve been upping their game with new technologies like Boost, and the materials are nice generally, like the Primeknit,” Sheikh said. “Overall, I just like how the shoes look aesthetically like the Ultra Boost.

I also say Adidas [is the best] because, when choosing an outfit, the neutral colorways on their shoes always look nice with what I like to wear, and that’s always a plus.”

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uying fancy shoes can lead to an empty wallet. Freshman Sam Palecki, though, said he has figured out a way for him to be able to buy his favorite shoes and still be able to fund other endeavors.

“After I’m done shoe shopping, I’m broke basically, but I found a way so that I can still buy the shoes I want and still be able to go to the movies with my friends or something,” Palecki said. “I’ll wait until I have enough money to buy two pairs of shoes — a dark pair and a light pair — but I’ll leave just enough money left over so I can still do stuff with my friends. That way I can do what I love without burning too much money in my wallet.”

When Palecki is thinking of buying new shoes, he said he takes a lot of things into account.

“When I’m buying a new shoe, the maximum amount of colors on my shoes that I try to aim for is three, just because it’s simpler,” Palecki said. “I’ll usually lean toward Nike, because they fit my feet better. Plus, I still think Nike is the best because it doesn’t seem like Adidas or Under Armor, for example, are doing anything with their shoes; it just seems that they’re focusing on just making more sports-related shoes and nothing with the technology of their shoes.”

14 | news / the standard / april 2017

You are

being I

watched is internet privacy a thing of the past?

n the senate: 48-50. In the house: 215-205.

On April 3 of this year, law 11522 went into effect. This legislation nullified recommendations made by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which required internet service providers (ISPs) to notify the public of their privacy policies on an optin, opt-out basis, according to federalregister.gov. Consequently, this recent nullification results in the ability for ISPs to sell consumer’s internet search history without consent.

“Providers know our complete browsing history,” Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz said on the Senate

floor. “Think about that for a second. They know everything we do online, everything we search for on a daily basis. Think about how personal that information is, how it paints a picture of who we are.”

While the FCC’s act did not have time to go into effect, its implementation would have curbed unauthorized sales of data “like Social Security numbers, precise geolocation data and financial or health information,” according to Politico. Now, internet providers can see much of consumer’s browsing history, though within limits.

While all domain searches are

recorded, ISPs are unable to see what users are doing on websites that are encrypted — those that start with “https” rather than “http.” Additionally, a person may choose to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to mix up any search history, according to Politico.

“Consumers have a right to be safe, a right to be informed, a right to choose, and a right to be heard,” Schatz said. “Those rights are in jeopardy.” | lilliehoffart | isaiahtarwater Graphics by Donna Armstrong and Delaney Oliver

How am I being monitored?

Types of Cookies

Cookies (No, not the edible kind)

Absolutely Necessary Cookies Required for a website to work Functional Cookies Social sharing and behavioral Targeting Cookies Full user tracking

Cookies provide a way for a website to recognize you and keep track of your preferences.

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96%

of students wouldn’t allow their internet history to be sold without their permission

45%

of students don’t think their internet provider can sell their information without consent

SOLD

fcc announcement of congressional action

70%

of students use the internet more than 10 times a day

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he rules ensure broadband customers have meaningful choice, greater transparency, and strong security protections for their personal information collected

by ISPs ... To provide consumers more control over their use of their personal information, the

information from: congress.gov & federalregister.gov

rules establish a framework of consumer consent required for ISPs to use and share their customers’ personal information that is calibrated to the sensitivity of the information.

Announcement by the Federal Communications Commission on 10/27/2016

statistics from a survey of 250 students

16 | feature / the standard / april 2017

Spaced Out students share their passion for space exploration

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azing at the stars, one often wonders what lies beyond the atmosphere of the Earth. Every year, new planets, stars and even solar systems are discovered. With advancing technology, scientists have been able to uncover more than ever before. Drawn to the seemingly never-ending discoveries, senior Lauren Burrow has found her passion for outer space.

Burrow said she is drawn to the “giant mystery” space provides and the ability to constantly learn more. Burrow said she has had a fascination for space which began when she was in middle school and has continued into her high school years.

“The fact that there is so much more of space to discover and learn about really keeps me interested,” Burrow said. “There will never be a shortage of space-related objects to study.”

Due to her curiosity, Burrow said she wants to study outer space in the future.

“I’m planning on majoring in astronomy,” Burrow said. “I’m doing so because I would get to study something I love for four years and then have a job that is directly related. The thing I find the most interesting about a career relating to space is that it’s very research-based, so you’re constantly discovering and learning about new things.”

Even if a chosen major doesn’t seem to have a direct correlation to outer space, there are other ways to have a spacerelated career. Freshman Rylan Kohl plans to pursue a major that will allow him to work for what he said he is passionate about.

“I really want to go to an engineering

college,” Kohl said. “[Then], I can work and build things to further space exploration.”

Kohl said his obsession with space began early on due to his parents encouraging him to learn more about the topic by showing him pictures of space and watching space launches with him.

“One of the things I find interesting about space is how vast it is,” Kohl said.

“It’s infinitely vast. The universe is constantly growing and we’d never be able to reach the end, which means new things are constantly forming and you can explore it forever.”

future developments and is excited to see how space exploration continues to progress.

“I’m looking forward to colonizing Mars,” Kohl said. “There are already plans

by SpaceX to land shipments there and start building things so we can colonize Mars.”

Though Kohl is up-to-date with recent developments, senior Jack Jennings said he believes being aware of recent developments is not always a simple task.

“It’s not tough [to stay up-to-date], but it’s not an everyday thing, unfortunately,” Jennings said. “We’re not constantly going out and doing something new with space.”

Although recent developments have “The universe is constantly not led to frequent headlines, Jennings growing and we’d never said he thinks this may soon change.

“Now with the fact that the new be able to reach the end, administration has given more [attention] which means new things to NASA, I think we’ll hopefully be seeing new headlines soon,” Jennings said. are constantly forming and Jennings said the vastness of space you can explore it forever.” contributes to the ability to continue to make new scientific discoveries. However, the expanse of the universe offers more | freshmanrylankohl than the ability to uncover new discoveries.

“It kind of hurts sometimes to be reminded of how small and insignificant Despite the anticipation of exploring we are,” Jennings said. “Not in a pessimistic space, Kohl said he understands the way, [it is] just that Earth is so small even preparation that goes into the journey. compared to our own sun and the sun is “Just getting into space is really only a fraction of the size of other stars interesting — how we got up there,” in the universe, let alone the universe Kohl said. “All the things that were itself because it’s infinite. It’s just mindpushing against [us] going to space and boggling to me; it’s humbling.” pushing through those to get out of the | ariellesinger atmosphere.”

Kohl said he also looks forward to

18 | sports / the standard / april 2017

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crossing over

two schools come together to form one team

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2

acrosse is America’s first sport, according to leagueathletics.com.

The sports information site describes lacrosse as “born of the North American Indian, christened by the French, and adapted and raised by the Canadians.”

Lacrosse is played by 750,000 people in the U.S. alone, based on a survey conducted by uslacrosse.org. Some of those players are from the Blue Valley community.

Although Southwest doesn’t have a lacrosse team of its own, the school shares players and fields with Blue Valley West. The varsity team is coached

by Seth Matlock, and Chris Hammond coaches junior varsity. Together, they lead two teams with a total of three Southwest students: seniors Zach Glynn and Quinlan King, along with sophomore Michael Chichura. | randalazzeh

4

3

6

5

(1) Observing the play 10 minutes into the game, sophomore Michael Chichura prepares himself to play during his time on the sidelines. (2) Standing off against a rival player, Blue Valley West student Caleb Mitchell defends his region against another player along with his teammate; both going head-to-head with the other team. (3) Setting up for a play, Blue Valley West student Conner O’Keefe runs down the field as he is followed alongside another

player from the opposing team, a fast-paced race for the ball. (4) Watching the play unfold in the beginning moments of the game, coach Chris Hammond observes his players. (5) Vying for the ball alongside another player, Blue Valley West student Jack Mahony scuffles for the ball. (6) Chasing the ball across the field, Blue Valley West student Matt McBride runs after a rival player as they both fight competitively for the ball.

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20 | news / the standard / april 2017

Up to the test

students prepare for Advanced Placement testing

B

y the time May arrives, many students have summer, vacation and relaxing already on their minds. The first two weeks of the month, however, will be filled with hours of studying, bubble sheets and black- or blue-ink pens as many take on one or multiple Advanced Placement (AP) exams in order to earn college credit.

According to College Board, a nonprofit educational organization, last year a total of 2,611,172 students took 4,704,980 AP exams across all subjects offered: from biology to studio art to macroeconomics. Science teacher Melissa McCarty said teachers are highly encouraged to prompt their students to take an AP test.

“I would say [the school] thinks it is important ... but we’re encouraging them for the right reasons­­­­ — that it’s a good experience,” McCarty said. “The AP test is a really high-level, difficult test that involves you putting all your information together, and a lot of people haven’t had that experience until the AP test.”

Junior Samrina Acharya said she believes the school’s emphasis on testing has to do with how they rank, but this isn’t a very accurate representation due to test anxiety many students may experience with such an important exam.

Q= s

Calor *m* imetr T Q-a y m s - s ount of h p T- ch ecific hea eat trans fe ange t in tem (depends rred perat o ure n materia l)

“My teacher — [psychology teacher David] Apel — he hunted me down to make sure I signed up for the test,” Acharya said, “He called people’s parents to make sure they knew their student wasn’t signed up. I don’t think so much importance should be placed on that.”

With all of the importance placed on taking the exam and doing well, Acharya said, for her, the exam often takes precedence over the grade she receives in the class.

“My grades in class don’t matter as much as getting a good score on the exam does now because if I get a good grade in the class, that’s cool, my weighted GPA is good, but I won’t get the college credit so it feels like a waste of time on my part,” Acharya said.

Receiving college credit for an AP course through the exam is also the main motivation for senior Thorne Banks. He said his goal with AP exams is to have his general education credits out of the way for college in order to focus on his major.

While Banks said he does not believe many students take the AP exam simply to avoid the final, McCarty said several students have told her their decision was based on just that. Junior Deandra Horner said she thinks the reason people do this is because they are “lazy and don’t want to study everything again.”

“The whole exemption system is supposed to be so if you take one big test you don’t have to take another big test and spend all your time in May studying,” Horner said.

“However, the people that just take the exam to get out of the class often do not study for the test anyway, so they’re just spending money to escape finals and work.”

Whether or not the perk of avoiding a final plays into

a student’s decision to take the exam, McCarty said even if he or she does not take the test, an AP course will be beneficial to the student.

“It gives you the experience of what a college course is like, especially if it’s in the area you’re going to go into,” McCarty said. “College classes are really different than high school classes, so understanding what that looks like is going to be great for everybody.”

Acharya has been able to compare AP courses with college courses since her sister took biology in college last year, while Acharya is in AP biology currently. She said the AP courses are a fairly accurate representation, from the same textbooks to similar outside reading assignments and test format.

So much material is covered so quickly, Acharya said, that if a student gets behind, it is nearly impossible to catch up, which can create stress for the student, especially if he or she takes the AP exam.

While Banks said AP exams and the time surrounding them can be stressful, he recommends still sleeping and eating well prior to the test.

“Just relax; your future doesn’t ride on the AP exam at all,” Banks said.

“You lose [$106] but you have a chance to get rid of a college course which would cost $500-$1,000. It’s not the end of the world if you do bad. Study your hardest, but don’t make yourself a zombie.”

ter hap C 8 iew Rev section 3,

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AP tests begin May 1

Testing Tips:

“I get an AP review book. I take the practice test in the front and, every section that I don’t do great on, I start reviewing from those sections.” | juniordeandrahorner

“Get your materials ahead of time, because if you do it in advance, instead of having to cram everything, you can split it up section by section and it helps with your memory, as well as it prevents you from being stressed out.”

“Study your hardest but don’t make yourself a zombie from studying; still sleep and eat well.” | seniorthornebanks

| juniorsamrinaacharya

“When you’re doing your studying, you want to spread it out over months of time. Have a lot of confidence in yourself that you’re ready to go.” | scienceteachermelissamccarty

In 2016, 2,611,172 students took an AP exam

There are 38 AP exam subjects

| meganflood

22 | feature / the standard /april 2017

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Inside the intern

sophomore Lainey Dow talks about her internship at California Wedding Day Magazine

ooking at her laptop screen, sophomore Lainey Dow opens up her email to see her weekly wedding files. Venues, caterers, videographers and florists are all attached in the email, and now it’s up to her to compose an article about the featured wedding.

Dow is an intern at California Wedding Day Magazine, where she writes articles for their website. She traveled to California this past summer to learn how to use the website and write a concise piece.

“When I went to California, Lara [Burnap] taught me how to use the website and how to post on the social media sites,” Dow said. “When I went out there I just got some basic training so I could become more familiar with the online process.”

At 15, Lainey has many responsibilities in addition to her internship with the magazine. Involved in KAY club, cross country, Relay for Life, Student Council, Spanish National Honor Society, mentors, the Special Olympics United soccer team, and managing the baseball team. She said it can be challenging at times to manage all of her activities and classes.

“It’s definitely hard,” Lainey said. “I’m in a lot of hard classes this year like AP and honors classes and then having to do extracurriculars and clubs; trying to maintain my grades and also juggle a part time job along with this internship has been really difficult.”

However, because of this challenge, Lainey said she has learned to balance this long list of responsibilities and manage her time better.

“I’ve learned how to manage my time and I usually use at least half of Timber Time to work on California Wedding Day stuff, just because it is a free hour of the day” Dow said. “I would say I’m pretty booked a lot of the time, but the work that comes along with my internship never feels like a terrible task I have to get done; I really enjoy it.”

Lainey came across this job because Andi Dow, Lainey’s mother, has grown up knowing Burnap, Lainey’s boss. When Burnap needed an intern, she came to Andi and thought Lainey would be a good fit.

“I’ve known Lara for a long time and we went to college together,” Andi said. “I thought the internship would be a really

good experience for Lainey to have. I also knew that Lara would work well with her and that this would be a good way to try something new.”

Burnap, who is the editor-in-chief of California Wedding Day Magazine, had an internship involving writing with a multitude of different magazines when she was younger and said it was a beneficial experience.

“I gained a lot of experience when I was in college through a variety of internships, and it helped shape my own career, so I wanted to give other students the same opportunity,” Burnap said.

In the nine months since starting her internship, Dow said she has written over 50 pieces about weddings. Venue reports, Instagram inspiration and Wedding Wednesdays are all areas she covers on the website in addition to other tasks she does for the company.

“For Real Wedding Wednesday, I would write up a story about the couple or the venue — all the details of the wedding from the colors, vendors, dresses — things like that,” Lainey said. “Then, I edit the pictures that go with the weddings. For the magazine, I’m in the middle of doing

| 23

venue reports, which is when I see a bunch of high-end wedding dresses and I have to write a detailed piece about it, places they’re sold and things like that.”

Additionally, Lainey works on the magazine’s social media pages like Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

However, prior to getting a writing position for the magazine, Dow had to take a writing exam test her strength as a writer. Burnap said she was very impressed with the results.

“I have all of my interns take a writing exam which consists of writing a real wedding,” Burnap said. “Lainey’s writing was on point: it was well-written, had solid point of view and hit all the necessary pieces of information, and captured our voice. I decided being in high school shouldn’t be a reason not to hire someone who proved to be more than capable. In fact, she is a better writer than some of our college students.”

Sophomore Bethie Gregory has been friends with Lainey since middle school.

She said she was “super impressed” when Lainey told her about her internship and that she thinks Lainey will have a bright future.

“In a couple of years I see Lainey in an extremely successful position,” Gregory said. “She works so hard. She’s in all kinds of activities and involved in ways that make her stand out in the crowd, which is a hard thing to do in the Blue Valley school district. She already has a lot of experience that most kids don’t get until college. So I think in a couple of years she’s going to be really successful.”

Overall, Dow said that her internship has helped her grow as a writer, and she plans to continue working for the company this summer.

“I know that it sounds cheesy, but honestly, I jumped into this headfirst without having any idea of what I was doing,” Lainey said. “I found that it was something interesting something cool and I wouldn’t have ever gotten this opportunity if I didn’t take the offer. As a result of that, I’ve been doing it for a really long time. It was just supposed to be like a summertime job and I’m continuing to do it and I’m even scheduled to keep doing it throughout the summer as well.”

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26 | feature / the standard / april 2017

E

veryone has that drawing tucked away in a folder or stored in the bottom of a shoe box.

A scribble of red. A dash of green. Two large purple circles. A stick person with 10 noodle-like fingers and a giant grin. That kindergarten drawing which, every time it resurfaces, brings the question “what is that supposed to be?”

Some students and staff have noticed a decline in creativity as students enter high school. From visual and performing arts to classroom activities, every aspect can be impacted.

“I’d say I was a lot more creative when I was younger,” senior Katharine Wu said. “I don’t see that much of a difference, but when you are younger you have a lot more ideas and a lot more drive to put those ideas into motion, being able to see those, I guess, in a way, come to life.”

The phenomenon surrounding the loss of creativity is one Wu said she has experienced herself. However, she still expresses herself in her art and piano playing — specifically, making up tunes and melodies and playing variations on them — but realized creativity touches all aspects of life.

“Creativity isn’t limited to music or art, as some people seem to think,” Wu said. “I guess I follow the standard for creativity in art and music, but there is also creative thinking: being able to think outside the box, coming up with new ideas for how to do things.”

Despite the broad reach of creativity, Wu said students are often discouraged from practicing their creativity early on. While she said younger children — like those in elementary school — are creative because they are given free-rein over artistic license, older children are criticized.

“They’ve had somebody say, ‘That wasn’t done very creatively,’ or ‘You should be more creative’ and so they start to second guess themselves and they start to think ‘Maybe I’m not creative,’” Wu said. “They start to doubt it.”

Art teacher Shawn Stelter agrees that critics of people’s creativity lead to the decline of this value as people get older.

“I feel that most people in high school do not feel that they are creative,” Stelter said. “There are pockets of kids that feel creative, but it’s very limited ... Along the line, they had somebody say something to them and they started questioning that and so they don’t feel like they are creative.”

Despite discouragement from outside sources, Wu said she has found support in Southwest’s art

| 27

community. From visual to performing arts, Wu said the teachers challenge students to tap into their creativity.

“I know the art department is very supportive of expressing creativity in general,” Wu said. “Stelter, in particular, has been very, very supportive. In my jazz classes, [band director Ed] Protzman, for example, also supports being able to — I don’t know how to put it — be wild.

Stelter said the art department tries to foster creativity by encouraging open-ended projects, which then allow students to “think outside of the box” and personalize the project into something they are interested in. However, she also said interpretive lessons like this could be implemented in other classes, not just in the arts.

they’re able to be creative during the day, in all classes, not just the arts.”

The Torrance test, a popular tool used for testing “divergent thinking” is used in many studies on creativity. The test challenges students to certain tasks, such as analyzing a toy or drawing a picture within a pre-drawn box, according to an article about creativity evaluation by Newsweek.

A person’s performance is then scored based upon the number, uniqueness and variety of ideas he or she came up with. Numerous studies, such as that by William & Mary researcher Kyung Hee Kim, have concluded, using the Torrance test, that American creativity scores are falling.

Conversely, according to Newsweek, standardized test scores are going up; the education system is pushing students toward a testing-based system and away from projectbased learning, according to an article.

Freshman Jessa Butte said she has realized the pressure to succeed does not always align with nurturing creativity.

“I think, especially in Blue Valley, there is a lot of pressure on kids to produce really | freshhmanjessaboutte good work because they are all expected to be successful,” Butte said. “When you are “I think there is room for improvement,” Stelter endeavoring to be successful, you wouldn’t want to said. “I think having creative thinking in all the produce something that isn’t very good, so I think classes would be really beneficial because you use a lot of people err on the side of not doing anything that in life. And that’s not quite there yet. We’re at all because if you don’t make something there is trying to move that way at Southwest as a building, no way it can’t be successful.” but I don’t think we are there yet.”

Although Butte said she considers herself From creating a product to using knowledge creative, she sometimes has challenges involving to solve a problem, Stelter said creativity could be coming up with her own ideas. further ingrained into other subjects taught at the “I draw a lot,” Butte said. “I have a sketchbook school. at home; I play the flute. But it’s hard coming up “It’s one of those things that I hope to see grow with my own ideas. I find that I have to search in the future,” Stelter said. “And I think schools are for pictures on the internet to draw; I’m not very moving away from doing the standardized testing good with coming up with my own things to and hopefully creativity will come back into draw. Obviously, when you are playing music, the picture again and everyone will be inspired. it is somebody else’s work, but you should be Everybody will be excited to be in school because interpreting it as an artist in your own way and

“When you are endeavoring to be successful, you wouldn’t want to produce something that isn’t very good, so I think a lot of people err on the side of not doing anything at all .”

Creativity of Expression 1 “I listen to a variety of recordings by different artists... If I hear something I like, I’m like, ‘Oh, I should incorporate that into my own playing.’” | freshmanjessaboutte 2 “[With piano], I do a lot of playing a few notes and then taking it into a melody.” | seniorkatharinewu 3 “I create my own dances ... because it makes me happy and makes the whole world just disappear.” | sophomore annaleisezimmerman 4 “[In theatre], if you are given a character, you have to come up with how that character walks and talks.” | freshmanjacksonsalin 5 “I’ll listen to a song sometimes, and, in jewelry, I’ll come up with a piece that is related to that song.” | senior gabeangermayer

opinion / the standard / april 2017 | 29

this is what a feminist looks like society should hold feminism in higher regard

30 | opinion / the standard / april 2017

F

eminism: The doctrine advocating social, political and all other rights of women equal to those of men, according to webster.com. A definition debated for centuries. An ideology that can determine the very life a person could or could not live.

French writer and feminist Simone de Beauvoir once said that Christine de Pizan was the first woman to “take up her pen in defense of her sex.” In Pizan’s 1399 literary quarrel, “The Letter to the God of Love,” she writes, “If women are so flighty, fickle, changeable, susceptible, and inconstant (as some clerks would have us believe), why is it that their suitors have to resort to such trickery to have their way with them? And why don’t women quickly succumb to them, without the need for all this skill and ingenuity in conquering them? For there is no need to go to war for a castle that is already captured.”

Students like senior Rachel Aron debate feminism in and out of the

classroom to find the true meaning of equality.

“Feminism is simply the belief and resulting movement for women’s equality,” Aron said. “That includes all women, including black women, women of color, women of any religion, trans women, disabled women, etc.”

Sexism and the inequality between the sexes has dated back to the very root of society and societal norms. Things like the “scientific discovery” of women statistically having smaller brains than men and the dreadful fight for women’s suffrage lead to a male-dominated culture.

“Though many rights have been won for women, especially in the U.S., there are still dangerous social ideologies ingrained in our culture,” Aron said.

“Besides the U.S., women’s human rights are still not internationally recognized.

That includes child marriage, education, voting rights, and the right not to be raped. Feminism has not won until

women and men are completely equal, on the legal and social level internationally.”

Some students, like sophomore Caleb Maninger, say they are not feminists due to the ideology praising women over men. He said that since America is a free country, feminism has no real meaning.

“If you are American, there’s no point of the word feminism when you have every right as everyone else,” Maninger said.

Students like sophomore Claire Rips-Goodwin agree with the ideas behind feminism, however have decided to not label themselves as a “feminist.”

Rips-Goodwin said she was not a fan of some ideologies that have been attached to the movement.

“I support the equality of women, but I’ve avoided the term in the past because I dislike some of the other ideologies some sects have strung onto feminism,” Rips-Goodwin said.

Despite the negative connotation

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that critics have forced upon feminism, some feminists, like Aron, understand the progressive ideology is focused on the equality between men and women.

“Men are also raped; men are also socially marginalized in the fact that they’re not as allowed to cry or show friendship without being called ‘gay,’ even though that shouldn’t be an insult,” Aron said. “But, men have undeniable rights that women don’t yet have, so they’re not the focus.”

For some members like Aron, the feminist movement has shaped the way they see the world. She said that her own definition of feminism meant much more to her than what is written on webster.com.

“I grew up wanting to be more boyish and rejecting femininity,” Aron said. “I hated pink. I hated makeup. I hated the idea of being a wife. So, my personal [way of portraying] feminism was finally understanding what it means to be a woman and taking pride

in the power, intelligence, capability and grace that women have; taking pride in the beauty of myself and all that I’m capable of.”

Humans are social animals and therefore perceive things differently.

The way a feminist lives and acts for one person can be entirely different for another.

“I guess I try to be weary of how I perceive other women and how men treat women,” Rips-Goodwin said. “I’m a very judgmental person in general, but I try to be aware if I’m judging another girl for dressing a certain way or hanging around boys. I make an effort to realize that sometimes my criticism is unjustified and to consistently take into account that even if I don’t necessarily agree with their actions or dress, that they have jurisdiction over their themselves and if it’s healthy and safe then I’m not really in a place to pass judgment.”

According to gender.cawater-

info.net, the first wave of feminism focused on ideas of women’s suffrage, and third wave feminism is described as a movement that seeks to redefine just what it means to be a feminist, this time including more ethnicities, religious backgrounds, cultural backgrounds and nationalities. The two movements are admittedly different, but students like Rips-Goodwin argue there isn’t a disconnect.

“Third wave feminism is more focused on different things that may seem petty if you’re comparing it to the goals of the first wave, but you have to look at it from the perspective of women in a post-internet world who are living with the gains made by first wave,” Rips-Goodwin said. “So, of course the activism is going to look different, but I think, as seen by events like the Women’s March, I don’t think feminism has necessarily lost touch from its roots as much as it’s grown and adapted from them.”

32 | opinion / the standard / april 2017

Despite the celebration of the female gender, more barriers stand in the way of nation-wide feminism.

According to gender.cawater-info. net, the disconnect between first wave feminism, which focused on ideas of women’s suffrage, and third wave feminism has been shown to not attract individuals to the movement.

“The fact that the first wave was going for the rights women didn’t have [and] nowadays the third wave is fighting for rights they have or even try for more rights than men,” Maninger said. “[They are] fighting for a wage gap that doesn’t exist.”

Though some students believe the wage gap does not exist, others like sophomore Shannen Fahrnow have experienced its effects first hand.

“My mom used to be a criminal lab person; she used to work with dead bodies and autopsies,” Fahrnow said.

“She was actually the first person to catch one of the first serial rapist in Kansas City using blood. My mom wasn’t being paid the same amount

of money as the men were being paid, even though they had the same job.

She sued the company and won, but because she won, they fired her. She would have gotten equal pay, but they fired her so they wouldn’t have to. That’s how badly women were mistreated in the workplace.”

Fahrnow said she is familiar with some members of the movement against feminism. She said one of the main traits of the opposition movement is their lack of facts versus what they think they know.

“There is a thing called the pink tax,” Fahrnow said. “It’s where if there is a women’s product, you have to pay more for it, even if it has the same purpose as a men’s product.”

Every year, a woman pays around $1,351 more than a man on things like dry cleaning, vehicle repair and personal care products, according to listenmoneymatters. com. The dissatisfaction with the feminist movement has ridden on the insufficient amount of education

people in the opposition movement or people who are unsure of the benefits of being a feminist have received. Though, in recent years, it has been viewed in a much better light, some feminists aren’t giving up until women and men are completely equal.

“I’m not going to apologize for taking pride in who I am,” Aron said. “I couldn’t care less if men feel attacked at their place of privilege being threatened. I won’t ever renounce a fight for basic human rights; it’s unbelievable that we’re still having to fight for them in the first place. Isn’t it incredible that supporting feminism is controversial?

You can say, ‘I believe women should have basic human rights worldwide,’ and someone else will say, ‘I don’t agree. You’re oppressing me.’ The reason feminism is needed right now is because it’s still controversial.”

| emmaolinger