thestandard vol. 4 | issue 2 | september 2013 | bvswnews.com | blue valley southwest | overland park, kansas
football at home page 8
student skaters page 23
printedition|
content|
outdoor pep assembly school gathers on football field for multiple performances
page 6
| feature
¬ life of Dena’h Gregory
| opinion
¬ increase in SW spirit
| feature
¬ beauty pageants
| feature
¬ foreign exchange students
editor’snote|
I
’m not talented in the area of athletics. When I was seven years old, I played soccer and instead of running for the ball, I’d wait on the other end of the field because I didn’t want to run. I also can’t sing to save my life, and instead of singing on stage, I limit myself to singing in the car and the shower. I really haven’t accomplished anything exceptional. I’m basically average. And as much as I’d love to have the skills and opportunity to travel the world dancing, get a lead role in the school play, or be a highly accomplished volleyball player, that’s not who I am. The people covered in our issue have all achieved something incredible. They’ve all accomplished something worth sharing; and, while they deserve the applause for these things, the average people in the world are left to compare themselves to people they’ll never be. We may be talented in our own special ways, but we aren’t what the world calls “amazing.” Partly, because the definition that the world perceives as “amazing” is distorted. Not all of us are going to be the next president, but we all have something worth congratulating. You don’t have to be “amazing” to be accomplished. So congratulate yourself on the small things and don’t worry about being the next best thing, because chances are you probably already are in your own way.
news editor Photo by anna glennon. Cover photo by anna glennon.
onlineedition| foreign exchange students
weekly coverage
Go online to read more about the six new foreigners.
Check out what’s happening around the school every week.
2 | sept. 2013 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | news
vol. 4 issue 2 sept. 2014 the standard
Right on pointe
“
I have a goal I want to reach and I am very dedicated to reaching that goal” | Dena’hGregory
Photo illustration by anna glennon, courtesy of ascinct.
feature | www.bvswnews.com | southwest | sept. 2013 | 3
B
or Netherlands Dance Theatre,
when she turns 18. Gregory says ehind her lls te e sh e, she will be focusing on her ballet nc every da leap ul ef ac gr y technique for the next four years er ev story. And with ly skilled tru a , until she is able to audition and ep st l al and every sm anyone who to y begin her future. or st r he lls dancer te ery sensaev s Dancing for a total of four ve lo e Sh n. will liste her feel. The ts companies, two pre-professional le g in nc da at tion th s rustling around and two professional, Gregory conirt sk r he of g in feel ovtinues to dance at The American ing of her feet m her legs; the feel ; or flo e th ss ro Dance Center, Devotion Dance ac ly al ing rhythmic h every ug ro th r Company, Artists Simply Human, we po of the feeling and TOKYOtheCOMPANY. Gregt. movemen o and a half tw s ory also assists at these companies wa e sh e nc Si Dena’h and trains to reach her dream. an m sh fre d, ol s year ion ss pa r he d ue While training to be the best, rs Gregory has pu or hoping flo e nc Gregory has traveled to over 29 da e th every day on dance r fo ve lo U.S. states and other countries d an y that her stor dedication. r he h such as France, Australia, ug ro th ld will be to s in the studio ur ho England, Germany, Finland, 40 er ov ng Spendi aches for greatre Poland, Canada and Mexico. ry go re G , ek a we training through With all the traveling that by y da y er ev ss ne io and ud st e th in ts occurs for Gregory to ou intense work reach her dream, she also conventions. want to I al go a has to make sacrifices ve ha “I ry dedicated ve am of being a teenager in I d an h, reac goal,” Gregory at th high school. ng hi ac re to sy but I am For the last five said. “It’s not ea te to have years, Gregory has incredibly fortuna ort my pp su at th s been training and nt re my pa teachers e nc da competing, which d an al go push me to doesn’t leave her that continue to r.” with much free strive to be bette time or even time Gregory plans on ofesto go to school. trying out for a pr ry ra po em nt co al Gregory is on si such home-schooled ballet company in by her mother and as Complexions s only attends... New York, Line o sc ci an Fr n in Sa
cont. to pg 5.
4 | sept. 2013 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | feature
cont. from pg 4 Southwest in the mornings for Honors Biology and French 1. “I definitely haven’t had much time for my friends since I travel so much,” Gregory said. “I do meet a lot of wonderful people while traveling and keep in touch with most of them.” Currently Gregory is not traveling for dance but training right in the Kansas City area. Gregory says she has been enjoying her time off to spend time with her friends, family, boyfriend Dylan Pandjaris and being a part of the crowd at Timberwolf football games. “There are definitely a lot of things that other kids my age do that I just don’t have time for,” Gregory said. “Sometimes I wish I had more time to be a teenager but I am determined to make it to the next level in my dancing career.” Gregory says she could not
make it to her dream without the help of her parents, dance teachers, grandmother and godfather. Gregory’s mother, Debi Gregory, has been a great impact on Gregory’s career and giving her the education she needs. A sacrifice for Debi was that she had to quit her teaching job at Blue Valley High School in order to homeschool her daughter during the day before she had to rush off to the studio. Debi not only teaches her daughter in school-related courses but also trains Gregory in dance as well. Debi says that she wouldn’t change a thing but some family sacrifices were difficult to get used to. “We don’t have much time together as a family, but we make the most of what we do have,” Debi said. “ Our philosophy is that quality is better than quantity.” Dena’h’s father, Mike Gregory, has also had to make some
sacrifices in order to keep his daughter’s dream alive. He says the hardest part is having to go to work every day in order to keep up with the financial side of Dena’h’s dream. “We just want Dena’h to be happy,” Mike said. “She has her own dance goals and we try to do our best to help support her in reaching those goals.” All of Gregory’s family and teachers contribute to her goal of being a professional dancer after she graduates high school. One dance teacher of Gregory’s, Tokyo, says Gregory’s hard work and 100 percent dedication will make Gregory’s dream to be a professional dancer a reality. “Dena’h attends every class and every rehearsal in addition to every extra class that is available in her schedule plus understanding multiple roles for the shows,” Tokyo said. “She even took class
sitting on the ground while she was healing from a stress fracture in her knee last spring.” Tokyo is pleased to be able to work with Gregory and to help her make it to the next level in her dance career. Tokyo always helps put Gregory’s interests in perspective when helping her choose working for other dance companies. Tokyo believes that Gregory can make it anywhere she wants with the amount of talent and passion she has for dance. “Dena’h is a very gifted dance student as well as a wonderful person, and she is extremely motivated,” Tokyo said. “She tries to make every correction that she is given because she is driven to succeed.”
| mariemtowakoli
feature | www.bvswnews.com | southwest | sept. 2013 | 5
PRIDE OF THE
PACK
students gather for the first pep assembly of the year | annaglennon
Top: With the flag balanced on her shoulder, senior Hayley Cape watches the students fill the bleachers. Bottom left: Senior Monica Pickett performs an award-winning routine along with the other Glitter GIrls. Bottom right: Silhouetted by the sun, senior drum major Shelby Farris leads the band in their performance of “Strange Humors� during the assembly.
6 | sept. 2013 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | photo essay
Top left: Things get a little rough as junior Jack Rose and social sciences teacher Tyler Alexander fight to answer the trivia question first. Above: Principal Scott Roberts cringes as a bucket of cold water is dumped on him – reward for the students winning the trivia competition. Left middle: As the band performs the “Alma Mater”, seniors Phillip Commons and Pate Nowlin sing along. Bottom left: Head football coach Bill Lowe, disguised as Batman, delivers a speech about the football game. Below: Seniors Issac Gillihan and T.J. Martin shout the words to the “Alma Mater”. Bottom right: Senior football players Salifu Vanesse, Luke Scott and Ben Guenther crack up as ‘Batman’ charges the field.
photo essay | www.bvswnews.com | southwest | sept. 2013 | 7
Defending home turf
Varsity celebrates first home win
8 | sept. 2013 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | photo essay
Top: Senior Vince Loffredo leads the pack out onto the field, “holding the rope� while senior Drake Herrman carries the flag beside him. Bottom Left: Junior Cody DeMoss warms up with the rest of the team on the sideline. Bottom Right: Timberwolves tackle Washington players on the field before halftime.
photo essay | www.bvswnews.com | southwest | sept. 2013 | 13
Top: Southwest evades Washington in an attempt to get to the 50 yard line. Middle Left: Varsity cheerleaders amp up the Southwest crowd. Bottom Left: Junior Johnny Dunlap dodges his opponent as he sprints to the touchline, scoring a touchdown for the Timberwolves. Middle: The student section cheers on the players after a touchdown. Middle Right: One of the coaches celebrates the teamwork of the players. Bottom Right: Senior Dakota Lebofsky punts the ball, starting a play. Photos by Ciara Murphy
10 | sept. 2013 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | photo essay
in the crowd
“
With a home game there is just a greater sense of community”
“
| teachershaunarinearson
I like how it made the fans really excited and when we’re excited it pumps up the players”
“
| seniorgracewood
We have great potential this year. We’re the first year to go 2-0” | seniorvinceloffredo
photo essay | www.bvswnews.com | southwest | sept. 2013 | 11
Reaching capacity The hallways of southwest are starting to fill up
T
he mass of students are filling up the staircase. That kid in the middle of them is walking slower than the grass grows. The two-minute warning bell rings as the stairs finally start to clear. A speed-walk will be necessary to reach class on time and avoid a trip to the tardy-tracker. It’s a bit more difficult to get to class this year. The hallways of Southwest are finally full. Since the school’s first year the student population has rapidly expanded, and now the school has a little over 1,000 students. Southwest is still small, by normal public school standards, but the school is starting to catch up. The amount of students at the school has certainly grown since year one. The school ended the first official year with 786 students, and currently has 1,074 students enrolled. The hallways being crowded is certainly something new for the seniors, who will be the first graduating class to go all four years at the school. “The hallways are definitely more crowded,” senior Rachel Kirby said. “It makes it harder to get around the school, but it’s so exciting to see the school getting more students.” In 2010, 786 students were enrolled at the school. Many of those students who had transferred from their old schools returned soon after becoming Timberwolves. “It was kind of sad seeing so many people switch back to their old high schools,” Kirby said. “I think the community of people we have at Southwest is something the other schools didn’t have.” Even after losing so many students to transfers, Southwest is starting to make a comeback numerically. Aubry Bend Middle School was built for the 2011-2012 school year and since has
Southwest students pack the hallways during passing period Photo by erica good. serviced Southwest as its main feeder middle school. The new freshmen class has the most students so far in Southwest’s short history as a high school. With more students enrolling at Southwest comes the chances of student life being disrupted. “Getting to school can be an issue sometimes,” sophomore Collin Webber said. “The four-way stop sign on Quivira is really bad.”
Between the times of 7:25 and 7:40, a traffic gridlock will most likely be present at the intersection at Quivira Road and 175th Street. Most students come from the north, and trying to get to school can be problematic. “The first week was terrible with traffic,” junior Marise Ibraham said. “I was late to school multiple times even though I left early.” cont. on page 13.
feature | www.bvswnews.com | southwest | sept. 2013 | 12
High School Hallway Rules
Do:
Walk straight with your head up Take the most direct route Walk on the right side of the hallway (This isn’t England) Dont be a slow poke; walk at a steady pace Manners are a definite must: always apologize if you run into someone
Don’t:
Talk in groups and block the hallway Swerve throughout the hallway Have your earbuds in Be glued to your phone screen Randomly stop
Southwest students pack the hallways between classes Photo Credit: Erica Good
Students have to leave their house early so they can get to their classes before they hear the bell ring. “I really think they need to add a stoplight at that intersection,” sophomore Jack Weidner said. A traffic light would lessen the backup on Quivira Road but would also slow down the traffic flow during the rest of the day when it’s not needed. More students at the school means fewer parking spaces available; however, the school is currently well- equipped with areas for students to park. Southwest has 826 parking spaces; which, for the time being is enough, but with the school gaining more students there will most likely have
to be more parking restrictions for underclassmen. “There are a lot more cars in the parking lot,” Kirby said. “If you don’t get to school early enough, then you have to park further away, which can be stressful.” Cafeteria lines are also lon-
“
cash registers to speed up the flow of the lines, but with more and more students inside the cafeteria area at once comes the chance of bumping into someone holding a tray with a heap of mashed potatoes that could end up on someone’s brand new shorts. With the amount of students growing at the
Everyone is a real Timberwolf now” - senior Sarah Spore
ger. Getting food can actually be a long and annoying process, especially if the kid in front of you keeps punching in his code wrong. The cafeteria has added two extra
13 | sept. 2013 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | news
school, adding more lunch periods may be necessary, which could result in shorter lunches. Some of the issues with the hallway being overcrowded can be
avoided. “The freshmen will sometimes just stand in the middle of the hallway and talk,” Ibraham said. With the school starting to fill up, students, especially the new ones will need to start learning basic hallway etiquette. Simple things, like to not stand in the middle of the hallway and chitchat with a friend, or to be glued to a phone screen while walking. School administration recognized the student growth, and hired 10 new staff members, most of which are core class instructors. “Everyone is a real Timberwolf now,” senior Sarah Spore said. “The people at our school now actually want to be Timberwolves, not Jaguars and Tigers.” | michaelmagyar
Readiness for life after high school
Blue Valley sets standards high to help students reach success
|carolinefronczak
Kurt Vonnegut Jr. wrote about a lot of frightening things that many people are embarrassed to admit are true: the firebombing of Dresden, and the aftermath of war in Vietnam. But the one thing Vonnegut Jr. put on paper that may be the most unnerving, was written as he recounted the words of a fellow high school grad: “When you get to be our age, you all of a sudden realize that you are being ruled by people you went to “high school with… You all of a sudden catch on that life is nothing but high school.” But during our time in high school, is our school system really using every method to prepare us for what comes next? Or are there other options out there that could benefit us better?
Changing the schedule
E
ver since the time of JFK, the debate over what should be done to amp up the United State’s ranking in educational standards has been slowly dragging along. The only difference between schooling in the ‘60s and schooling today is the increase in technology and the decrease in people walking around determined to ‘change the world.’ At least for the few hippies left out there, the pressure to change the world is still alive and often shoved down the throats of students starting in kindergarten. America wants to tackle other leading countries with a new and improved educational system that outsmarts the rest of the world. The only problem? That educational system doesn’t exist. In order to catch up, some education experts advocate year-round schools. Others say we need longer school
days. Some schools have even added Saturday classes. But recently, a growing number of schools in the country are going in a completely different direction. They are taking Monday’s off. “Although I like the idea of a four day school week, I think that students wouldn’t be as focused and would forget more because of the longer weekends,” senior Brianna Betsch said. “Therefore, the teachers would probably spend more time re-teaching us things and the extra day off would do more harm than good.” However, despite the question of whether or not students knowledge would increase, 20 schools in Missouri reported in 2012 that ever since they switched to a four day week, their students ACT scores actually improved by roughly two points. “The change might be effective for kids to
learn more in class itself, instead of rushing to get things finished before the end of the hour,” freshman Ian Fines said. According to the Times Free Press, which reports disciplinary write-ups for high school students, it dropped from 1,344 in 2008 to just 375 in 2011. Even though the week would be shortened, students would have to attend classes an hour longer than normal, in order to meet the required school hours. “I think the four day school week would be much more beneficial,” senior Mati Moes said. “It allows students to take the extra day to catch up on sleep and study. Five day school weeks can cause too much stress and allow students to fall behind. It ultimately widens the gap from the top standard to the low.”
14 | sept. 2013 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | feature
11 things they don’t teach you in school | billgates Rule 1: Life is not fair … get used to it. Rule 2: The world won’t care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself. Rule 3: You will NOT make $40,000/year right out of high school. You won’t be a vice-president with a cell-phone, until you earn both. Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss. He doesn’t have tenure. Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a word for flipping burgers--they called it opportunity. Rule 6: If you mess up it’s not your parents fault, so don’t whine about your mistakes, learn from them. Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren’t as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes, and listening to how cool you are. So before you save the rainforest from the parasites of your parents’ generation, try delousing the closet in your own room. Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life hasn’t. In some schools they have abolished failing grades and they’ll give you as many times as you want to get the answer right. This doesn’t bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.
continued at www.bvswnews.com
What haven’t you learned in school?
“
>“School hasn’t taught me to pay bills or balance a checkbook and all of the stuff that deals with money and how to handle it,” freshman Londyn Bogseth said. >“There’s nothing in high school that I chose not to learn. I could complain about resumes or loan payments or something like that but we have classes tailored toward those things. So honestly, I’ve learned what I’ve needed to learn,” senior Riley Clark said. >“That in real life you probably won’t have enough money to get Starbucks every morning,” sophomore Izabella Borowiak-Miller said. >“I think they have pretty much covered all the things I can think of,” junior Parker Stoops said.
Common Core Hype
I
n following the MLB draft back in June, I was amazed at how much attention and money was spent “breaking down” every player: how they run, throw, hit and pitch. They were examined by their strengths and weaknesses. Everything depended on getting things right for both the team and player. The stakes were high as each MLB team got the chance to select their prospects. Yet with all the analysis, there are going to be plenty of mistakes. Some “can’t miss” prospects will miss, and others who were picked in one of the last rounds of the draft will eventually become stars. Most fall somewhere in between. Having standards that try to measure the likelihood of a player’s success on the baseball field is inexact at best. So it is with the Common Core State Standards, the latest set of standards schools
around the country are beginning to launch in hopes that it will predict career success. “Common Core clearly pinpoints the higher level students opposed to working to build a system where everyone is successful,” senior Mati Moes said. Yet, understanding what makes people successful so it can be replicated with certainty is as impossible with baseball players as it is with students, and testing to see if someone is measuring up to the standards will produce mixed results at best. “I think the idea of Common Core in general is great, except for the fact that it expects too much of every student,” Moes said. “I don’t see it doing well in the future because it is setting a standard for every student to reach and not all of us can get to that point.”
Pros and Cons Four day school week Pro:
What the U.S. hasn’t learned from Finland
M
onday night: “Dancing with the Stars.” Tuesday night: “Pretty Little Liars.” Wednesday night: “Survivor.” Thursday night: “Grey’s Anatomy.” Friday night: “America’s Next Top Model” and “Say Yes to the Dress.” A jammed pack week full of hit television shows and no time to study. While high school students in America are sitting at home on the couch, watching their nightly sessions of reality t.v., enjoying the comfort of the American bubble, students around the rest of the globe are outsmarting
them in every possible way. And by the rest of the world, I mean Finland. Recently, Finland has taken the lead when it comes to “which country’s kids are the smartest,” especially in the areas of science and math, according to PISA (Program for International Student Assesment) So what exactly is Finland doing that America isn’t? And most importantly, what should America be doing to restart the climb to the top again?
>The Finnish school system uses the same curriculum for all students, and students have light homework loads. >There are no special classes for gifted students, and standardized testing is used very little. >Children don’t start school until the age of seven and Finland’s preschool program is used for socializing, not learning. >Class rankings are not compiled. >Teachers must have masters degrees and becoming a teacher in Finland is highly competitive. >College in Finland is free. The education system in Finland thinks that children should all have the same educational opportunities. Not in the way Americans will let “all men are created equal” slip off their tongue and then not take notice that there exists a deep chasm between public schools in this country. No, the Finns believe it in a way that directed their educational reform to focus on equality over excellence. Information from National Governors Association Center for Best Practices
photo by lauren zahner
1. Teachers wouldn’t have to rush through assignments. 2.Studies conducted by schools in Massachusetts practicing the four day school week found students come back to school more refreshed and attendance went up. Pro: 3. District would save money on 1. Common Core standards are internationally benchmarked. U.S. stanbuses. dards will be able to catch up to that of other country’s. Con: 2. This will allow states to compare standardized testing scores more accurately. 1.Students will have to learn at a 3.Increase rigor in classrooms which will better prepare students for faster pace. 2.The long weekend could result in college. students forgetting the topics they Con: learned. 1.Difficult to transition into. 3. Longer days and how this could 2. Currently no science or social studies standards. affect students attention span 3. No equivalency tests for students with special needs.
Common Core
feature | www.bvswnews.com | southwest | sept. 2013 | 15
fall play not going to say that I don’t get “ I’m nervous about auditions anymore, I just take the nervous energy and try to use it for my performance instead of dwelling on it.” | senioralexpeuser
“ “ “
It's terrifying as a freshman, but after that it's not too hard.” | sophomoreryleebrown I don’t get nervous anymore because I’m the best and everyone knows it.” | seniorjakelouis I get especially nervous with Shakespeare because it’s a lot harder than regular text.” | junioramandamiller
16 | sept. 2013 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | photo essay
auditions
thespians try out for “Hamlet”
photo essay | www.bvswnews.com | southwest | sept. 2013 | 17
Top: Theater Director Dan Schmidt inspires his performers before auditions. Bottom left: During callbacks, students observe their peers onstage, auditioning for Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”. Bottom Right: Senior Adam Schifman announces thespians up to stage to try out in front of Schmidt. Photos by Charlotte Davis
18 | sept. 2013 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | photo essay
southwest students get amped up for homecoming at The Bonfire
| sambillman
photo essay | www.bvswnews.com | southwest | sept. 2013
Top left: Senior quarterback Drake Herrmann and Vince Lofredo look on after speaking on behalf of the football team. Top right: Varsity cheerleaders Addison Daniels and Abby Pelfrey stand clean in preparation for their routine. Bottom: Varsity football players watch the mascot of their Homecoming game opponents burn in the bonfire. Photos by Sam Billman.
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22 | sept. 2013 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | ads
Sthe hredding Streets two students dedicate their free time to skateboarding
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Top: Ian McRoberts performs a trick he has perfected over the five years he has been skating. Top right: Jackson Reeves executes a kickflip. Bottom right: RideFourEver is a company that donates a portion of their profit to skate parks in Kansas to improve them. Photos by erica good.
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heir afternoons consist of kickflips, boardslides, and ollies. The wheels of their skateboards grind the pavement as they prepare for the trick they’ve been perfecting for years. They jump, spin, and land like it’s easy. For them, it is. For sophomore Ian McRoberts and freshman Jackson Reeves, skateboarding is everything. “When I was younger, I used to watch my cousins skateboard,” McRoberts said. “It interested me because of how hard it looked, and how you could jump up into the air and land on something, and the board was still with you. That’s really what influenced me to start, and I’ve been skating ever since.”
They’ve dedicated their lives to skating ever since they first dropped a board down in front of them, similar to a few professionals whom they look up to. Their inspirations are the guys who share the exact same passion as them. “My inspirations are Sean Malto and Ryan Sheckler,” McRoberts said. “My inspiration is my cousin,” Reeves said. “He used to skate and he is in the Marines now.” Then, laughing, Reeves changed his answer. “My inspiration is actually the Skate God himself, Ian ‘Steezman’ McRoberts,” Reeves said.
24 | sept. 2013 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | feature
Ryan Sheckler. Sean Malto. Tony Hawk. These are just a few of the professionals that some look up to as skating inspirations. But the chance of this becoming a career is just a mere dream for most. “If I could make this a career I would,” McRoberts said. “But it’s not likely. I don’t play any other sports because I dedicate so much of my time to skateboarding. It isn’t something I’ll give up.” Unlike organized team sports, skateboarding doesn’t have a coach. It’s just the skater and his board. “The best part about skating is that it’s your fault if you mess up,” McRoberts said. “You don’t
get yelled at by a coach, and you don’t let down your teammates. It’s just you, and you only have yourself to get mad at you.” No matter how much a skater practices, they’ll never run out of tricks to perfect or even new ones to learn. They go out every day just because they love the activity. They aren’t trying to prove anything, it’s just an undying passion. “It’s never really over,” McRoberts said. “You can always learn new tricks and get better. Also, it’s hard. It’s a challenge that you constantly work at. I’ve been skating for five years, and I still go out and skate every day. I just want to keep getting better.” Typically, students have a
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certain image in mind when they hink of a skater. “I see a lot of skateboarders wearing Vans and skinny jeans,” unior Ashley McKenny said. “They all seem to look and dress he same.” Sophomore Ellie Augustine has a similar opinion as McKenny. “All skaters have wispy hair and ear piercings,” Augustine said. “And they wear Vans and skinny jeans every day. They ook punk rock.” Contrary to popular belief, not all skaters are the same. They aren’t all the stereotypical punk rockers sporting the skinny eans and rocking the hair flip. “A lot of so-called ‘skaters’
Skate Talk: A Guide for Non-Skaters
Tricks:
wear skinny jeans and try to look punk rock,” McRoberts said. “Which is terrible because real skaters have style.” In sports, uniforms are a given. Looking more like a professional team is something that is desired for coaches and players alike. The same goes for skaters. “Baseball players wear baseball uniforms,” Reeves said. “Skaters wear what skaters wear. It just happens.” Beyond the clothing stereotype, people can also generalize what a skater’s personality is like. “Skaters have a weird vibe,” sophomore Seth Wingerter said. “They hide their emotions and act like they don’t care.”
However, there is more to skaters than people expect. They aren’t the ‘emotion hiding, skinny jean wearing, bad kids’ that you often hear people talking about in the halls. Despite what people say about skateboarders, not all fall under the stereotype. “It’s common for people to think that skaters are bad kids,” Reeves said. “But we aren’t as bad as people think we are, we’re just like everyone else.” Story continued on www. bvswnews.com
| ericagood
•
shove it- trick performed by spinning the board 180 degrees beneath the feet without the skater spinning.
•
boardslide- the board straddles the obstacle perpendicularly as the skateboarder slides along the center of the board
•
grind- scraping one or both truck’s axles on a curb, railing, or other surface
Descriptive Words: •
steez/steezy- swag
•
buttery- clean, smooth
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gnarly- cool
•
sketch- not landed or bad landing
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28 | sept. 2013 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | feature
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feature | www.bvswnews.com | southwest | sept. 2013 | 29
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Read m year’s ore about th is foreig ns online at www tudents com .bvswn ews.
30 | sept. 2013 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | feature
Expectation vs. reality
Freshmen speak out on how their views on high school have changed
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D
uring eighth grade, you are at the top of your school looking down on the two grades below you. However, during the following school year, as a freshman you are placed back at the bottom with three grade levels stacked above you. Before starting high school, everyone has an idea of how high school will be like. But expectation and reality are two very different things. It can be changed drastically depending on the individual.
| rachelconner
| thesouthweststandard editor-in-chief grant laster managing editor mariem towakoli web editor caroline fronzcak news editor caroline fronzcak photo editor anna glennon features editor ananda bhatia opinion editor nicole becker
special sections editor lauren stone adviser heather lawrenz photographers sarina acharya sam billman charlotte davis erica good ciara murphy
I thought high school would be a lot scarier than it really is because of how big the school is. I have been able to get around the school a lot easier than I thought. I think my views
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I thought I would get extremely lost in the school and be always late to my classes. I really am liking high school so far. I haven’t had too much trouble finding my classes. The school is so big. My thoughts have changed because now I have had some actual high
staff writers margo johnson michael magyar lexi tarter
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.
Letters should be submitted to room 118 emailed to bvswnews@gmail.com or mailed: The Southwest Standard c/o Blue Valley Southwest High School 17600 Quivira Overland Park, KS 66085
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| emmaholland
school experience. I’ve been having trouble transitioning from summer break to school work every day. The biggest change for me is now I don’t go to my locker much, being able to carry my backpack around. There’s also so many bigger and taller people than me now.”
| angelafornelli
Before I started high school, I thought it would be bigger and scarier. I thought this from movies I’ve seen. Since starting I’ve realised that everyone is pretty nice and sports are a blast. I think I’ll like high school. High school just seems more
I thought it would be a bit harder than middle school but I wasn’t really expecting anything really intimidating. My views have not changed since beginning. I wasn’t expecting much, which explains the lack of change. I have
changed because of the actual experience I have had so far. I have started in more challenging classes and I have started to like school more. Not really any difficulties so far.”
enjoyable and we have more freedom. My biggest change is my friends. I think I will make a lot of new friends, even with older kids. I think the greatest difficulty for me will be scheduling because I will be busy with sports.”
| samgettings
a lot more homework than I did last year, but I didn’t have much last year anyway. It was difficult on the first day trying to find stuff and classes, but other than that I have yet to face any real difficulties.”
| finnmurphy
The Southwest Standard also encourages guest photography.
features | www.bvswnews.com | southwest | sept. 2013 | 31
work hard, play hard
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Winning every match we play means that we are going to win the State Championship. That is our ultimate goal.�
O
-MattSonnichsen
ver 19 years of playing and over 20 years of coaching, he has shared his successes with his players. He has taught them to push themselves to be the best that they can be so they, too, can grow to love the sport and achieve victories of their own.
32 | sept. 2013 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | feature
feature | www.bvswnews.com | southwest | sept. 2013 | 33
work hard, play hard M
three-time All-American player sets volleyball team up for success
att Sonnichsen has had many successes in his volleyball career, both as a player and as a coach. Before entering the coaching field he was a standout player. He was a fouryear letter winner at The University of California, Los Angeles [UCLA], where he was a three-time All-American setter and led the Bruins to NCAA Championships in both 1987 and 1989. He also was named the MVP of the 1989 National Championship. After competing with the U.S. Senior National Team and an international tour of Japan, along with a domestic tour of Russia, he went on to play professionally for five years on the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball tour. In addition, Sonnichsen won two indoor Swiss Volleyball Championships playing for Lausanne and Nafels, and participated in two European championship tournaments competing in France, Slovenia and Romania. “Volleyball has been the common factor in my travels, which makes it much easier to get a true feel for a new area,” Sonnichsen said. “It creates a whole new environment having another volleyball player or coach to help guide you and show you so many things that you would never experience if you were a typical
1987 NCAA Championship with the Bruins.
tourist.” Coach Sonnichsen just recently has retired after 15 years of being an NCAA Division I Head Coach. He has approximately 20 years of NCAA coaching experience in total. He has coached for Louisiana Tech and The University of Tulsa. After all of his years of traveling around the world, he decided to move to Overland Park because it is closer to his family. “I joined NCSA [National Collegiate Scouting Association] Athletic Recruiting, when I decided to step away from collegiate coaching last year, and NCSA allows me to live wherever I want,” Sonnichsen said. “We believed Prairie Village would be a great place to settle into.” This is Coach Sonnichsen’s first year coaching high school players. There are many differences between the players, such as physical aspects as well as experience levels. “I’m used to coaching collegiate and profession-
1989 NCAA Championship with the Bruins.
5 year touring with AVP Volleyball League.
al athletes,” Sonnichsen said. “The skill sets are less developed at the high school level and we [the coaching staff] will work to strengthen those skills to better our players.”
The coaches all have had experience playing and coaching the sport. All of the other coaches have played collegiate level volleyball. They know what it takes to make it to the more advanced levels, and they push their players in order to shape them into more skillful individuals. “We want all of the
Head coach for Louisiana Tech.
34 | sept. 2013 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | feature
players in our program to work hard,” Sonnichsen said. “I want them to apply what the coaches tell them. We are very blessed here. I have a very rich and deep volleyball history, but our other coaches have also played collegiate level volleyball. Our program is very lucky and we have people who know what they are doing so we want our players to do what we tell
them to so we can make them better. Also, we want to always remain positive.” Although he is now coaching younger players, Coach Sonnichsen has the same expectations as he does for his more experienced players. “Our varsity goal is to win every match we play,” Sonnichsen said. “By extension,
Head coach for University of Tulsa.
winning every match we play means that we are going to win the State Championship. That is our ultimate goal. For our other teams, we are aware of trying to win but we want to continue to develop skill sets so that they can grow into good varsity players.” Coach Sonnichsen has a great deal of insight on how to someday make his players successful, high level athletes. “With my years leading up to varsity I know I will learn a lot from both the players as well as coach Sonnichsen,” freshman player Donna Armstrong said. “I’m looking forward to working hard in order to eventually make it to varsity.” Matt Sonnichsen differs from the others due to his experience with the U.S Senior National Team. “It is an honor to have him coach us,” sophomore and varsity player Lexie Penichet said. “I feel like he will take our team very far this year.”
| lexitarter Photos by Charlotte Davis.
Joined NCSA recruiting.
Head coach for BVSW Timberwolves.
Madison Moore poses onstage during Evening Gown. However after her walk, she had a wardrobe malfunction onstage. “I had a big [train that] flowed behind me, and a girl actually stepped on it and ripped it,” Madison said. “The judges were still watching, and all of a sudden you heard a ripping noise. Apparently, nobody noticed.” Photo courtesy of Madison Moore
crowning moment
sophomore Madison Moore competes in beauty pageants
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s sophomore Madison Moore walks across the stage of the Scottish Rite Temple at the Miss Kansas Teen USA 2013 pageant, her ruched mermaid-style dress cascades from beneath her with each step she takes. The dazzling cobalt and silver crystal embellishment under the bust of the dress glimmers under the bright stage lights, and the chiffon train flutters behind her. As the slow pop music plays, she gingerly walks down each step, careful not to trip in her 4-inch heels, and then stops at the foot of the stairs posing for the judging panel situated in front of her. For someone who had no previous experience in pageants prior to Miss Kansas Teen USA 2013, held in Wichita on Dec. 2, 2012, Madison accomplished what many pageant contestants only dream of doing. After practicing and preparing for the pageant for months beforehand, Madison walked away as a Semifinalist, finishing in 6th place out 29 girls. She was also awarded People’s Choice and the Congeniality Award. Madison recently got involved in pageantry in 2012 with the support of her parents, Troy and Angela Moore. With Madison expressing an interest in modeling, Troy and Angela discovered pageants through Angela’s sister’s sister-in-law, Courtney Gay, who had previously competed in pageants. “[Gay] said that a great way to figure out whether you like [modeling], or if you’re into that world or if you would like it, is through
pageants,” Madison said. While Troy and Angela also wanted to get Madison involved in modeling, they learned from Gay that important life skills can be learned through pageants. “[Gay] was talking about how [pageants] built her confidence and interviewing skills, so [Angela and I] thought that that might be an avenue for [Madison],” Troy said. “I thought it would be a great experience for her to step outside of her comfort zone.”
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I have loved everything about [pageants]. [Miss Kansas Teen USA] was probably the highlight of my school year. ” | MadisonMoore
After learning about pageants and deciding that she wanted to get involved, in July 2012 Madison started meeting weekly with a pageant coach, Lisa Forbes, who won Miss Kansas USA 2004 and the United States Miss Earth title in 2007. She worked with her until the pageant in December in order to perform her best at the pageant. “[Forbes] would come for about an hour and a half to two hours, and we’d work on walking and interviewing,” Madison said. “She taught me interview skills, she taught me how to walk and that there are different kinds of walks.
Some days we’d work on hair and makeup techniques.” In order to prepare for the competition, Madison would also practice on her own, whether she was at school or home. “I walk around my house sometimes and walk in front of mirrors,” Madison said. “Sometimes I’ll even walk when I’m alone in the hallway. My parents will just sometimes ask me questions randomly that I have to answer like I’m in the pageant.” At Miss Kansas Teen USA 2013, contestants competed in three different events in the preliminary round including: Opening Number, Swimsuit and Evening Gown. Contestants who made it to Finals answered questions presented by judges until a winner was decided. The first event in the pageant is Opening Number, when contestants are first introduced to judges through a choreographed dance with all the other contestants, all while wearing coordinating dresses. “[Opening Number] is just supposed to be fun,” Madison said. “Everyone is synchronized, and it’s totally cliche. It’s the first time judges see you, and even if you can’t dance, which I cannot, [the judges] want to see you having fun and being outgoing.” Although she did not particularly enjoy opening number – she was the first one to volunteer to go to the back row – she felt more in her element during the Swimsuit portion of the pageant. cont. to page 36.
feature | www.bvswnews.com | southwest | sept. 2013 | 35
cont. from page 35. Her sister, 13-year-old Malerie Moore, who is an 8th grader at Aubry Bend, also enjoyed her older sister’s Swimsuit walk. “I loved her Swimsuit walk,” Malerie said. “I’d probably have to say the Swimsuit walk [was her best.]” The last event in preliminaries before judges tallied up their scores in order to see who would be competing in Finals the next day was Evening Gown, which Madison was most nervous for. “Evening gown is really showing off elegance and beauty and just how [contestants] carry themselves,” Madison said. “It’s awesome because you feel so gorgeous and pretty. You’re showing off your nice pretty dress, and you’re walking around. Everyone’s looking at you. It’s your little moment.” The following morning, after discovering that she was a Semifinalist, Madison advanced to Finals, where judges interview contestants about their personalities and their beliefs on issues such as politics. “In Interview [the judges] try to find out who you are as a person,” Madison said. “They are really keen on if you’re into
giving back to the community, and if you’re involved in things outside of typical teenage life. They want to make sure that they’re picking a girl that’s as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside.” Although this was a nerve-wrecking event in the competition for Madison, it is one that Troy finds the most important for developing skills that will be beneficial later on in life. “[I wanted her to get involved] to build poise and confidence,” Troy said. “Those are things that you can take with you on job interviews in the future or just speaking in a group where you may not know anyone. It’s a good skill to have.” While mastering the graceful and elegant walk of Evening Gown or rehearsing answers that will impress the judges are important to have down for when the judges are scribbling on their scorecards and tallying up points, contestants must also go through intense beauty routines in order to look the part on stage. “I have gotten makeup lessons from the MAC counter,” Madison said. “I’ve gotten [lessons] from my coach. I’ve been learning hair from pretty much everyone under the sun. I go get
my nails shellacked on French tips. I have to get specific eyelashes. I have to trim them. Thank goodness that I got my braces off when I did because it’s awful, but you can’t win the competition if you have braces.” Madison’s passion for pageants has rubbed off on Malerie, who plans on competing when she meets the age requirement of 14, which will be in the 2015 pageant. “[Pageants] look like a lot of fun because [Madison] gets to wear pretty dresses, but the award part looks like a lot of fun,” Malerie said. “I also like doing hair and makeup.” Madison and Malerie have high hopes from the upcoming years of the pageant. “I thought it would be cool if Madison won this year, and then next year I won so she could crown me,” Malerie said. Although Madison has taught Malerie strategies for walking and posing on stage, they do not plan on competing against each other in the pageant. “I don’t know how well we would do competing against each other because we... cont. to page 37.
Madison Moore accepts the Congeniality Award. The winner of the award is voted for by the other contestants. Contestants make their decisions on who is the nicest. and most charismatic girl in the pageant. Photo courtesy of Madison Moore
36 | sept. 2013 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | feature
inside Madison’s closet
Brand: Mac Duggal Event: Evening Gown “The cobalt color really popped,” Madison said. “It bumped up the green in my eyes.”
Brand: Helen’s Heart Events: Evening Gown and Swimsuit “The reason that [the shoes] have to be nude is because [the judges] want your legs to look longer,” Madison said. Brand: French Connection Event: Interview “[The dress has] this blocking on the sides that makes my waist look smaller,” Madison said. Brand: Enzo Angiolini Event: Interview “The shoes have platforms with sparkles,” Madison said. “The way they catch the light is awesome.” Brand: Meriell Club Collection Event: Swimsuit “I knew that I wanted to do something that was going to not be typical [in Swimsuit],” Madison said. “I wanted cutouts.” Brand: MICHAEL Michael Kors Event: Opening Number “In Opening Number you have to have the dress on,” Madison said. “You could do whatever you wanted with the shoes.”
cont. from page 36. would do competing against each other because we would get pretty competitive,” Malerie said. “The family would be divided. It’d be rough.” Malerie is looking forward to competing in the upcoming years, and is not only excited about the possibility of winning, but also the social aspect of the pageant. “I’m just excited because it looks like a lot of fun, and you get to meet a lot of cool new friends,” Malerie said. “If you win you get to go to the national pageant, and I watched it this year, and it looked really fun.” With the Miss Kansas Teen USA 2014 competition being held in Maize, Kan. this upcoming December, Madison has been busy preparing for the competition, which she hopes to win this year. As for pageants beyond the teen category, Madison is open to thinking about it. “I might do the Miss [USA or America] pageants,” she said. “It just depends on what my life looks like at that point when I’m eligible, and how I’ve done in the teen category, but as of right now I would love to do the Miss [pageants]. I think it’s a lot more fun because it’s less conservative.” However, pageantry does come with a downside. TLC’s hit show “Toddlers and Tiaras” has shown a negative light on the world of pageants and focuses on the drama and
cattiness side of pageantry. “All the stereotypes that people talk about [is the downside to pageants,]” Madison said. “There are some girls that fit the mold of “Toddlers and Tiaras,” and I don’t think they should be here if they’re going to act and say things that way. There are so many great things that you get out of [pageants] that I think you have to take it upon yourself to look past all the negative stuff.” While Toddlers and Tiaras focuses on sassy preschoolers used to getting their way and throwing a fit if they do not, it also features the “pageant moms” and “pageant dads” who are portrayed to be more interested in pageants than their own children. However, Troy does not see this is a common situation among other parents involved in Miss Kansas Teen USA. “We haven’t really noticed [the parents being] that sensationalized,” Troy said. “It is a television show, and 99 percent of it is entertainment. I’m sure that deep down we’re fierce competitors. We want her to do well but it’s not something we impose on her competitors.” The negative stereotypes and non genuine girls do not distract Madison from her goal of winning, and she finds that the positives of pageantry outweigh the negatives. Continued at www.bvswnews. com
| margojohnson
Madison Moore (right) poses with other contestants, including winner Alyssa Klinzing (second from left), during opening number. “I’m not a good dancer but it was still fun,” Madison said. Photo courtesy of Madison Moore
q&a:Alyssa Klinzing How did you get involved in pageants?
I tried out for my school drill team when I was in the 7th grade with all my friends, and I was the only one who didn’t make it. All those girls who I was friends with started being really mean to me, and I decided to turn around and do something that would give me my confidence back so I started doing pageants.
How do you prepare for pageants?
There are a lot of things that go into prepartions. Sponsorship is one of the main things. There’s also the fitness portion and just adopting a healthier lifestyle.
How did you feel when you won Miss Kansas Teen USA 2013? It was very surreal. My heart was probably about to beat out of my chest because I was so nervous. It was a very overwhelming feeling. I get chills when I think about it.
How was competing at Miss Teen USA 2013 different from Miss Kansas Teen USA 2013?
The competition doubled but it was still the same amount of fun. I was in the Atlantis Paradise Islands for five days with 50 other girls that I can now call my sisters. Out of the 51 girls I was in the top 16.
What is the best part about being involved in pageants?
Making new friends all across the state and country is probably my favorite part. I have met more genuine girls through pageantry than I have through school.
What is your advice for girls wanting to get involved in pageants?
Go for it because if you would have asked me two and a half years ago if I would have ever done a pageant, I would have thought you were nuts. Follow your dreams and it can really be you. You can be the one having your crowing moment.
feature | www.bvswnews.com | southwest | sept 2013 | 37
The
BiggestQuestion
Students ask each other to the dance in unique ways
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Photo courtesy of Megan Tolar
When asking someone to the dance, is it best to be creative or traditional?
t was a typical August afternoon, but as junior Megan Tolar drove home, something caught her eye that made her heart stop. Blowing gently in the breeze, a line of bright yellow police tape surrounded her front porch, alerting Tolar that her house could be the scene of a serious crime. With sweaty palms, she got out of the car, unsure of what to think until she noticed boyfriend Ryan Pasco’s writing on the sidewalk that said ‘I’m dying to go to Homecoming with you.’ Feelings of concern were replaced with excitement as she whipped out her phone and typed up one message, ‘Oh my god yes, this is awesome.’ This year Homecoming was held on Sept. 21, much earlier than the mid-October date from past years. For anyone willing to look hard enough, ideas on how to ask someone to the dance are countless, regardless of relationship status. While having the dance early in the school year helps keep up school spirit, it also leaves students with less time than usual to find someone that they want to ask to the dance and actually go through with asking. For upperclassmen, this may not be much of a problem because they already know their peers, but freshman haven’t had the time to get to know their fellow classmates. “Well, I think it’s fine [that Homecoming is early], except that in terms of people getting to know each other and scoping out a possible date, I think it’s really hard,” freshman English teacher Marin McCrossen said. “Especially for the younger kids. I think the fresh-
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Unique, because everyone else does flowers and chocolates.”
| seniorhaileyweston
38 | sept. 2013 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | special sections
men are still trying to find their way in every regard- physically, emotionally, mentally. They’re still in that limbo area, especially this early.” Freshmen, with their lack of Homecoming experience, are working to understand the ins and outs of school dances, but that hasn’t dampened their spirit. “For the freshman, we haven’t done this yet, so it’s a big deal for us,” freshman Trevor Seyl said. “It’s our first time so that’s probably why [Homecoming is such a big deal].” For students who have already dealt with Homecoming, the biggest issue they are facing is trying to come up with unique ways to ask their special someone to the dance. Even couples that are in an established relationships have pressure put on them to be flashy when asking each other to the dance. “The thing that strikes me as so funny is that if you’re already in a relationship with somebody, there is still the expectation that you ask your boyfriend or girlfriend to the dance in a very creative way, which is kind of funny because it’s not like you’re going to get a ‘no’ answer probably,” McCrossen said. “But the pressure is still there to come up with something really creative.” That pressure leaves students turning to every resource they have, especially friends, to find the perfect idea.
cont. to page 39.
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You should be creative because it makes a girl feel special.”
| sophomoretylerhoward
cont. from page 38. “One of my friends told me that doing stuff with chalk is always fun,” Pasco said. “But I was like, ‘you know, chalk’s a little bit lame,’ so I might just think about it for a little bit. Then I came up with the idea to do a crime scene with an outline of chalk and ask that way.” Instead of bouncing ideas off of friends, other students rely on inside jokes to base their homecoming ideas off of. “I wanted to surprise him,” senior Matilyn Moes said about asking her boyfriend to the dance. “We both had an inside joke that the police would be out to get us one day, so that’s how I came up with the idea to go over to his work and get all his managers and co-workers involved. I stood outside with a cake and balloons that said, ‘Will you go to the dance with me?’ and his co-workers told him that the police were outside waiting for him since they saw him speeding down 119th Street, so he flipped out and ran out back and I asked him that way.” With so many ideas floating around, it leaves students with the choice of using a classic approach, or making a big, bold statement as they ask their would-be date to the dance. While asking someone to the dance in a creative way has its supporters, some favor the traditional approach because it puts less pressure on the person being asked to say yes. “I’d go with flowers and chocolate just because it’s not like I’m going to buy this gazillion dollar something and you have to say yes,” Seyl said. “I might put a rose in her locker through the vent with a note
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Before you ask A checklist of things to do before asking your special someone to the dance.
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Check their relationship status Nothing is worse than asking someone to the dance and finding out that they can’t go because you didn’t do your research. Make sure that they aren’t already in a relationship or have a date before you ask.
Last year, Moes was asked to prom by boyfriend, Mitch Easley. He had his uncle, a cop, pull her over for “reckless driving,” and then handed her a ticket that said “Prom?” Photo courtesy of Matilyn Moes
attached to it saying ‘Homecoming’ and her name on it.” Despite which approach they take, students often tend to try to one-up each other when asking dates to the dance. “I think the trend has been toward outdoing one another with the creativity, and that’s fun as long as you’re not the one who has to come up with it,” McCrossen said. “I don’t have to think of any ideas, so I love looking around and thinking ‘Oh, that was a really good one.’” Regardless of how they plan on doing it, students agree that adequate time for planning and preparation is a solid first step in asking their date to the dance, and sometimes preparation requires getting friends and co-workers in on the master plan. “It took a week to figure out what I wanted to do and then another week to plan with all of his co-workers and get his friends involved,” Moes said. “13 people knew, and I
Creative, because that usually goes down better”
| sophomorecorbettoliver
had full trust in them because they knew it was supposed to be a surprise.” Even though some employ the help of a small army, others choose to only have a select group of close friends assist them in getting ready to ask. “I didn’t tell anybody until one or two days before because I needed somebody to help me set up,” Pasco said. After all the planning and preparation has been carried out, the final step students have to take is to make sure that their date doesn’t find out how they are going to get asked. “I had no idea. At first when my car pulled up, I was like ‘Holy crap someone got murdered on my porch,’” Tolar said. “But then I saw that I was getting asked to Homecoming, and it was awesome.” |laurenstone
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Take time to get to know them Spend some time finding out their interests, their likes and dislikes, and then use that information when asking them to the dance. Whoever you ask will be touched that you put a personal touch on your idea.
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Come up with a plan
Don’t just wing it. If you’re going to ask someone to the dance, be sure to come up with a game plan before going through with it. This will help you make sure that you don’t forget something and make a fool of yourself.
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Get help from friends
If you’ve got something big in the works, get friends, family or co-workers to help you get set up. Just be sure to choose trustworthy people to help you out so that your big plans don’t get spilled to the person you are asking.
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Take a deep breath
Asking someone to the dance may be nerve-wracking, but the worst someone can do is say no. Even though rejection is hard, it isn’t the end of the world. Calm down and tell yourself that everything is going to work out, and it probably will.
A lot of people aren’t original, so be creative because it shows you put a lot of thought into it” | sophomorefreddiecharlesworth
special sections | www.bvswnews.com | southwest | sept. 2013 | 39
green machine Southwest spirit continues to grow and develop.
Juniors cheer their class to victory in the class competition at the first outdoor assembly. Photo by Anna Glennon
40 | sept. 2013 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | opinion
T
he crowd cheers on senior spirit days and attending school activities. These things are creAlexander Hintz as he ated in order to bring us together dribbles the ball around three and promote the school. defenders towards the goal. At Assemblies are a time created Bishop Miege, for the first boys specifically to pump up the school soccer game of the season, a and get excited. Not only do stugroup of 20 students made the dents get the benefit of shorter 30-minute drive to come and class schedules, but they get to support the team. “The fans give me an extra have a time where it’s actually push,” Hintz said. “It pushes me encouraged to cheer and be loud more to play better and want to in school. Since we get the luxury of having assemblies at the end score for them.” Students definitely have built of the day, some use that as an up the school spirit since the in- opportunity to go home and enaugural year, but there is still joy some extra free time. It may work to be done. From the crazy not seem like it but participation spirit day outfits, to the crammed in assemblies greatly affects the student section at football games way students carry the pride of the we have made so much progress school. “I hope to see a lot of the freshand we can’t just stop here. The Southwest student population is men step up and get into pep asgrowing, and so is its spirit. This semblies and football games this spirit is vital to the developing year,” junior Jack Rose said. “There’s so many of them that unity of the student body. “I think we have come a long they have the potential to boost us up and make way in so much the last t h r e e I think spirit day is a day noise.” years,” where the entire student O u r school consenior body pulls together. sists of many Emma different Stewart Richard Bechard c l o t h i n g said. “It styles, but definitely spirit week showed in our first assembly, but I think we is a week dedicated to putting away differences and dressing in still have a long ways to go.” Spirit can be promoted through unity. Spirit days create a fun and three primary things: assemblies, lighthearted atmosphere. Some
“
spirit days
hawaiian
The stands filled with students for the first home game ever at Southwest against Washington. Photo by Ciara Murphy
students may think that going all out during spirit days make you look dumb or overdressed. If you have fun with it, it’ll turn out great and generate confidence within the enitre school. “I think spirit day is a day where the entire student body pulls together,” Assistant Principal Richard Bechard said. “We have to make sure that the themes are tasteful and doesn’t take away from the learning environment. I think that this year’s spirit days
are great and will bring us together like it’s supposed to.” The biggest form of spirit is supporting the activities that students participate in. Students who participate in school activities represent Southwest, which goes to represent the whole student body. cont. to pg 42
nicolebecker
Photos courtesy of Molly Menefee, Liz Putnam, Blake Gustafson and Haley Fahnholz
Disney
what not to wear
throwback thursday
opinion | www.bvswnews.com | southwest | sept. 2013 | 41
Top Left: Fans raise their voices at the opening kickoff of the first home game. Top Right: The cheerleaders bring the fans to their feet to cheer on the football team. Bottom Right: After scoring their first touchdown of the season, the football players celebrate. Photos by Ciara Murphy and Anna Glennon
cont. from pg 41 Having the support of other students encourages participants in activities to do better. It reminds them who they’re playing for and excites them to know that people care about what they’re doing. Hintz is a foreign exchange student from Germany, where they don’t have activities for their school. “It’s cool to hear them[the fans] screaming the school name,” Hintz said. “In Germany, we don’t play for a school and there isn’t cheerleaders, it’s only parents. I like it way better with a crowd in the stands.” Other Blue Valley schools argue that we aren’t as spirited as them which could lessen our pride. Recently, the Twitter world has heated up with debates on the best schools in Blue Valley. Students from Blue Valley West continue to make remarks on how they’re the best school and Southwest is lacking spirit and pride. “I truly think that the fights on Twitter don’t have a winner or loser,” Blue Valley West junior David Pickett said. “You could never convince someone
that the school they go to isn’t as good as they think in only 140 characters.” With this being our fourth year open, we’re forming our own personality and coming out of the developing stages. It takes time to create traditions and great spirit and we are continuously improving. We may be called “unspirited” by other schools, but we should use that as motivation to prove them wrong. “I think the hatred will fade once Southwest stops being recognized as the new school of Blue Valley,” Pickett said. “You have to earn your share here. Before Southwest was the prime target, it was West; so, it’ll eventually die down for you guys.” This is our fourth year, and we are coming out of our shell. It’s time to prove to everyone what we are made of. We have made so much progress and there’s so much more we can do. We will no longer be the Southwest student body, we are the Southwest family. “I believe that the other Blue Valley Schools have really started to notice us,” Bechard said. “ The students here have grown through the Southwest
way and have really committed to our school. I really sense a pride from almost every student for Southwest that transfers into positive spirit.”
42 | sept. 2013 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | opinion
staff vote
yes - 16 no - 0 your vote Go online to bvswnews. com to cast your vote for this month’s editorial question. Read other student responses and comment on the editorial. Make your voice heard at www. bvswnews. com. or mention us on twitter @bvswnews
Photo illustration by Anna Glennon.
living in the
bubble
the pros and cons of staying in Kansas after high school Last year, 120 out of the 206 students in the senior class stayed in-state for college, and out of those who didn’t, 22 remained in the Midwest. Of course, every student considers the factors of cost and distance from home when looking at universities. In-state schools are enormously cheaper, and no one wants to spend another year’s worth of tuition on traveling for Thanksgiving. But so many kids refer to Johnson County as “the bubble,” and it usually does not have a positive connotation. If so many students feel trapped, why does over half of the school choose to stay in Kansas each year? Staying In-State Sophomore Callie Williams hops into the SUV with her family and heads off to tailgate before every Wildcats football game. Plenty of avid college sports fans ride down to watch the games as well, and there might even be some others who’ve been attending the same games for about 15 years.
But for Callie, they’re more than just games. They were part of her childhood, something she grew up with, and they’re just one of the reasons why she wants to stay in-
state for college. Callie has lived in Kansas for as long as she’s been alive. She wants to grow up to teach children who speak Spanish. She considers herself to be a city person. She wants to study abroad. But in order to reach these goals, she sees no reason to have to leave Kansas after high school. “I didn’t go on many vacations outside of Kansas [as a kid] because all of my grandparents and relatives live here,” Williams said. “I didn’t really see what it
was like [outside of the state] until later on.” Callie’s parents both grew up in Kansas, and her mom’s parents lived here their whole lives as well. Her mother, Denise Williams, decided not to leave the state she grew up in after high school and attended Kansas State University. “It’s a big school, but it had a small town feel to it,” Denise said. “Most people who go there are from Kansas, so it seems like there’d be connections. You’d meet people and you’d know someone in common just because most people are not from far away.” Denise eventually met her husband Mark at K-State, and after college they got married and moved within the Blue Valley School District. Callie plans on attending her parents’ alma mater as well. “It’s the only place I really know,” Callie said. “I’ve always loved it and I’ve always pictured myself going there.” By choosing to go to K-State, Callie knows she will always be close to home: Denise has no
doubt about for how long the family plans to live in Kansas. “Probably forever.” Bordering State Lines Math teacher Kelley Alexander ended up at an in-state school, even though she initially wanted to leave Kansas. Alexander grew up attending the same Nazarene church her mother went to when
she was younger, so Kelley knew she wanted to find a Nazarene college. But at first, the school her mother, father and older sister attended, MidAmerica Nazarene University, didn’t seem appealing because of its proximity to home.
feature | www.bvswnews.com | southwest | sept. 2013 | 43
“For me, I thought I didn’t want to go to MidAmerica,” Alexander said. “I thought, ‘I don’t want to stay here. I don’t want to be in this city still.’ [But] I looked at three or four different Nazarene schools, and with every one except for MidAmerica, when I went on campus it didn’t feel right. And I didn’t feel that way at MidAmerica. I was holding a grudge against it because it was close to home, but in the end it turned out to be the right choice.” Aside from the three years she spent in Dallas during elementary school, Alexander spent her entire childhood in Olathe. She met her husband, who grew up in Topeka where his mom was raised, the first year after she decided to attend MidAmerica. “Sometimes I wish I would have gone away for college, just so I would have seen something different,” Alexander said. “Mr. Alexander and I have talked about how we think after we’d met each other freshman year, maybe we would’ve liked to transfer somewhere together. But you can’t really have any regrets – you can’t look back and think ‘what if.’” After college, the Alexanders briefly lived in an apartment in Lenexa before moving back to Olathe. But traveling became a part of their lives right away; they took four different vacations just during their first year of marriage. “I could see us staying here
forever, just because this area we’re in is so good to raise families,” she said. “We have our nice house, easy commutes and jobs that we really like, and we have [almost] all of our cousins and aunts and uncles right here. [But] if we didn’t travel, I could see us wanting to move somewhere else to see something new.” Alexander suggests not worrying too much about the location of the school initially. “I wouldn’t pick a school based on where it is – saying like ‘I want to get away from my family’ or ‘I want to be on the beach,’” she said. “I would pick it more on the atmosphere, because you can have a college in a great location, but when you actually get onto the campus it doesn’t feel right. If you get both location and that good feeling then that’s great, but I would pick it more on what it has to offer for you.” Eager to leave Kansas On the opposite end of the spectrum are the students who have a strong desire and reason to leave. Senior Connor Davis has a future in mind, hopefully at Harvard University. “I love its location and I love the campus – if I don’t get into Harvard, I want to find a college where it’s the same kind of scenario and atmosphere,” Davis said. “Everyone there you know is just
as smart or probably smarter than you, and I think that’s a cool feeling.”
Davis is one of seven kids. He has a brother at Harvard and a sister at Yale, and his parents have started their own business. “Just seeing so many different things like what my brother and sister are doing; there are just so many new things and new people that I want to meet and see, and I think college is a great opportunity to do that,” he said. Many people are afraid of leaving home, but for Davis, being on his own is nothing new. “I’ve grown up with a lot of brothers and sisters, so I know how to take care of myself and other people,” Davis said. “I don’t feel the need to have a parent within a couple of hours. That’s not limiting me.” Over the summer, Davis attended a three-week camp at Columbia University in New York City, where he was exposed to a
new potential career path in international relations. Without that experience of being in a completely different environment, he might not have ever considered the possibility. “I don’t think Kansas is a horrible place; I just think there are a lot of places that are better than Kansas,” Davis said. “It’s probably a great place to raise a child, but I don’t think it’s a great place to be when you’re 20 and learning, trying to meet new people. There’s a type of crowd Kansas would be ideal for, but I don’t think it’s the college kid.” Like Callie, Davis describes himself as a big city person. He is also studying Spanish and considering studying abroad in Spain. But Davis doesn’t see himself reaching his full potential in the same place he grew up. “I think it [living far away] builds character in a way that you have to figure out your own problems,” Davis said. “You’re on your own. It forces you to reach outside of your comfort zone – making new friends, finding your way around a new place – it’s a whole new life that you have to learn. Whereas if you go to K-State, you probably already know a lot of the people that are going to that college, and I don’t think it stretches you as far as going someplace else would.” | anandabhatia
Do you want to go to college in Kansas?
“
I want to go out of state for college because Kansas is a black hole of death and I’ll never get out of it if I don’t go to college anywhere else. I want to see the world.”
| junioralyssayarbrough
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Probably in-state because it’s cheaper and it’s close to home. It’s all I know and I don’t want to leave Kansas.”
| seniorandylindsey
44 | sept. 2013 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | feature
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I’m probably going to UMKC. I have more scholarship opportunities, and it has the program I’m looking for, and I don’t want to go far away because I feel like I still have responsibility here.” | seniormeganedwards
10% off film paper and chemistry with student ID
ads | www.bvswnews.com | southwest | sept. 2013 | 45
Dressedfor Success
stylish alternatives for risqué fashions | sarinaacharya
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I like that I can show my personality and beliefs through my clothes regardless of my emotions.”
46 | sept. 2013 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | opinion
W
ith the sweltering heat brought on by the summer months, it only seems logical to wear shorts and a tank top, but students also have to think about what is appropriate according to the dress code when considering what they are going to wear to school. As the years go by, fashion is constantly on the move from one trend to another. This year, it seems as if the shorts have gotten shorter and the shirts sheer-er. The purpose of the dress code is to construct the ideal learning environment and remove any distractions that inappropriate clothing may cause. It is implemented in order to create a positive image concerning the school and the students. Dress codes are also intended to help prepare students for the future, since adults cannot dress as they please in a work environment. As part of the staff at Blue Valley Southwest and a member of the dress-code-enforcing team, assistant principal Lisa Wilson shares her views about the dress code. “We do not have a dress code to be punitive,” Wilson said. “We have a dress code to not distract from learning. Students need to be dressed for success.” When a student is caught violating the dress code, it is up to the administrator to choose the proper method of disciplinary action. “We take the time to talk and educate the students about the expectations when they violate the dress code so that it doesn’t happen in the future. Good communication with the students about expectations is important.” Current fashion trends can make finding attire that fits within the dress code difficult, but there are ways that dressing suitably can be achieved. The most important thing to remember is that
clothes must cover the necessary areas, meaning there can be no midriff showing or any extremely short bottoms. Like many other students, senior Rachel Rutledge has her own opinions about the dress code. “Yes, I think that the dress code can be restricting at times,” Rutledge said. “Personally, the ‘no exposed shoulders’ rule seems stupid to me because V-necks can be more revealing than that.” Some students may argue that the dress code is too restricting and therefore breaching upon freedoms of expression. Although there are limitations, student individuality is not suppressed. The current fashion may be too loose and may push the boundaries of what is considered appropriate for school, but essentially, fashion is all up to interpretation. Students can adapt a trend such as transparent shirts to the dress code by simply putting on a tank top underneath. Students can also cover excessively exposed skin by choosing to wear a light jacket over tank tops or skimpy dresses.
Often times, the dress code is focused upon girls, but it also applies to the guys. Commonly seen violations occur on days such as “Tank Top Tuesdays,” or when shirts contain unsuitable or illegal slogans. “It is very frustrating to see students wear clothes that are completely sheer or that show their bellies just because it is the current fashion,” Wilson said. “But when I look around, the vast majority of the student body is well within the dress code.”
Fashion Timeline 1930s- Women wore loose, flowy, and very elegant dresses. The theme was a conservative but feminine look. The men went for a more rugged look with double breasted suits and wide trousers. 1940s- A more modern look came along as represented by feminine suits, shorter skirts and nylon stockings. Pants were also acceptable for women to wear. 1950s- Clothing such as pencil skirts, swing skirts, poodle skirts, Peter Pan collars and shirt dresses were in style. 1960s- In the early part of the decade, women sported leather boots, mini skirts and tall hair. The later part of the decade was dominated by the “hippie” look. There was a lot of floral, tie dye and loose fitting clothing. 1970s- Neon and crazy colored clothes were all the rage. Unisex fashion was also a big thing. Flared jeans (bell bottoms), hot pants, crops tops and mules are some pieces of this decade. 1980s- The men started dressing simplistically with jeans and a t-shirt. Women’s fashion got even more complicated with tons of accessories (chunky bracelets, Top left: Junior Hope Riley is wearing a black and gray big belts). maxi skirt with a solid white tank top. Top right: Senior 1990s- Denim Kelly Urschel has on a polka dotted black dress with a becomes more skinny brown belt. Bottom left: Juniors Holly Long and Emily Dixon are both wearing jean jackets paired with popular. neutral colored shorts. Bottom right: Senior Matilyn Moes 2000s- Styles has dressed in something similar. School from the past are Dress Code making a reapWhat to avoid: bare midriff, showing under garments, too tight/loose clothing, extremely pearance, but short shorts/skirts, low necklines, bare backs, provocative clothing, hats, clothing advertising illegal things. with a modern Consequences for violating the Dress Code include being asked to change, being sent home, and/or an assorttwist. ment of disciplinary actions (i.e. detention).
timeline information from www.randomhistory.com
opinion | www.bvswnews.com | southwest | sept. 2013 | 47
THE
ALL ABOUT
ACE
Girls tennis fights big rival BVH
T
he girls varsity tennis team went head to head against one of their biggest rivals - The Blue Valley High Tigers - on Sept. 5. The Tigers are known for having one of the strongest tennis teams in the district but the Southwest girls put up a fight against them. Throughout the meet, the girls battled the intense heat and the tough competition. Although they worked hard, their efforts were out-stepped by the team of Tigers.
| annaglennon
ORE:
match. oubles d r d e h son , an uring ser ve d s Title last sea Sophr e h s t: righ ouble readie estrom gional D . Bottom aylor W k won the Re match begins T r io n er, ju their Hicko above h s before te Anna the ball he and gradua e team huddle uss strategy. e e s to h c S m left: T they dis the sun varsity team. ting in n. Botto r, Westrom as e o in s th u a q n e S o s : l e d Above o. 1 see ther successfu r doubles par tn is the N e ano ntly to h Westrom prepared for is tens inte s m li o r e tr h s We orc essica S omore J
48 | sept. 2013 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | photo essay
“
FINAL SC
0-12
I was focused on each point and I put the bad ones behind and kept moving on. I love playing with Taylor Westrom and we both motivate each other.� -Sophomore Jessica Sorcher