The Standard — October 2015 by The Standard

the

the standard blue valley southwest volume 6 | issue 3

standard

relaxing recreation students express themselves through clubs feature: pages 30/31

inside

on the sidelines sports: page 06 one too many news: page 18 a different course feature: page 26 copy cat special sections: page 32

Front cover: Students engage in various activities and clubs to express themselves. The school began offering many new clubs as extracurricular activities in 2015.

contents

www.bvswnews.com volume 6 | issue 3

photo illustration by Kate Bowling.

30 | relaxing recreation

sports 04 | gravitating toward gaming 06 | on the sideline 27 | making a run for state

opinion 10 | the face of diversity

news 18 | one too many

special sections 16 | made in kansas city 20 | notes of encouragement

24 | packing up a personality 32 | copy cat

online exclusive Gallery: Varsity football vs. Pittsburg

Editor’s Note

oday, there is so much more to being a student in high school than memorizing the quadratic formula or writing a properly formatted essay in English class. The opportunity for stu-

thestandard editor-in-chief lexi tarter online editor-in-chief margo johnson associate editor michael magyar

dents to express themselves, in school and out, has never been higher.

business manager nicole becker

The clubs profiled by one of our writers give students at our school a

photo editor delaney oliver

chance to pursue their passions, whether it be the thrill of participating in trivia competitions or the search for solace and relaxation that is yoga. These clubs provide students with an opportunity to escape the business of their daily lives, even for just a short while. Students in another article shared their fandom of competitive video gaming, something once considered taboo by those with the desire to keep their social status untarnished. Though it may not be obvious, expression is everywhere in the halls. We as a whole are given the reputation of a non-diverse bunch, a uniform student body. The distinct personalities and interests of each student contradict that in a major way. The student population is filled with a kind of diversity that is more than what meets the eye. Our goal here at The Standard is to tell the stories of those that call themselves Timberwolves. I want to continue in my life as a journalist; I live by the creed that everybody has a story — you just have to talk to them. To me, nothing makes a better story— nothing is more of a pleasure to write than a story of a student pursuing a passion and doing what he or she loves.

| associateeditor

online photo editor donna armstrong social media manager blake gustafson writing coaches nicole becker michael magyar design coaches lillie hoffart riley martin staff writers kelsey demel uma desai kelyn lynch sydney swyers seth wingerter photographers cheyenne greathouse lily smith kara torgler graphic designers kate bowling abby yi adviser rachel urban 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.

Gravitating Toward Gaming students and sta

ff participate in

fter a strenuous day, senior Jackson Hunnicutt takes a seat in front of his computer monitor at home. Simultaneously,senior Tristan Eastham does the same. Both pull up and run the same video game, League of Legends. Hunnicutt and Eastham consult with each other and the rest of their teammates on their group they call Compulsion. Compulsion is the name of their League of Legends team, and after a short wait, it’s time to do battle. Hunnicutt and Eastham are teammates and compete in the growing phenomenon that is eSports. eSports is defined as gaming on a competitive level. While competitions with spirited gamers competing for prizes is nothing new, competitive gaming is entering uncharted waters in terms of popularity and attention garnered. “It’s digital competition treating video games almost like sports.,” math teacher Neal Doolin said. “We call them cyber athletes, or just people who are really good at video games, playing competitive games at the highest level against other highly skilled people.” The popularity of eSports among all levels of competition has taken off. Games like Starcraft 2, Dota 2 and Hearthstone have grown in interest; however, none have exploded quite like League of Legends. A five-on-five multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA), League of Legends boasts 27 million players a day, according to Riot Games, a video game publisher. A teamwork-oriented game, League of Legends hosts tournaments with massive viewing and turnout. A competition in New York City in August, with the right to compete in the world competition on the line, played host to 11,000 live spectators with hundreds of thousands streaming the event online. It didn’t always used to be this way. “When I first started playing there was no such thing as Worlds,

4 | oct. 2015 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | sports

the upward tren

ding eSports

and now there’s these giant tournaments,” Hunnicutt said. “They went from filling Gamestops to filling Madison Square Garden.” League of Legends, however, is not the only game commanding the attention of the public. Dota 2, another MOBA, saw over 20 million people stream the 2014 finals competition online. Counter Strike-Global offensive, another game, has drawn over one million concurrent viewers at times during big events. Major entertainment outlets have taken notice of the extreme popularity of these games and events. Turner Broadcasting recently announced plans to cover Counter Strike-Global Offensive starting in 2016. Turner currently covers the MLB, NBA, NHL and March Madness and wants to cover eSports the same way it does regular mainstream athletics. Turner Sports president Larry Daniel said in an interview with Fortune Magazine that he wants to “treat eSports athletes like they’re LeBron James or Bryce Harper.” For the past several months, ESPN has been streaming Dota 2 tournaments online through ESPN3, its streaming service. In April, it broadcast a collegiate tournament of Heroes of the Storm, another MOBA, but with a smaller following than most mainstream eSports, between the University of California, Berkeley and Arizona State. According to Newzoo, eSports as a whole is a $278 million business today, and is expected to reach $765 million by 2018. “It’s the same reason why the NFL is gaining popularity,” Doolin said. “It's exciting to watch, and it’s just a different demographic that’s never been tapped into before.” Experts in the entertainment industry recognize the potential of the eSports market. A report by Newzoo states that the number of eSports enthusiasts will jump from 89 million to 145 million by 2017. Photo illustration by Kate Bowling.

“There is no greater way to reach the 16 to 25 male demographic right now,” Doolin said. “The people they’re trying to get to are the people that wouldn’t buy an NFL jersey or a baseball jersey or even a signed football, but what they are gonna buy is a shirt that advertises League of Legends, or they might even buy a jersey of their favorite professional gaming team.” Not everyone is buying into the new craze. After the ESPN airing of the Heroes of the Storm tournament, Colin Cowherd, a then-syndicated ESPN Radio host, said he would quit if he was forced to cover eSports. Cowherd, now an employee of Fox Sports, stated in October after the announcement of Turner’s eSports broadcasting plans, referred to gamers as “nerds” and saying live on air “eSports are for booger eaters.” This prompted a response from an unlikely defender — Gordon Hayward, a 6’8” guard for the NBA’s Utah Jazz. Hayward, a self-proclaimed gamer and eSports enthusiast defended the merits of eSports first on Twitter and later on Cowherd’s own show. Hayward once claimed on his Twitter he was the best player in the NBA — at League of Legends. “People would make fun of me in high school for playing video games and say it’s a waste of time, while that person is watching two hours of TV a night,” Doolin said. “While they're sitting there absorbing the fake stuff the TV is throwing at them, I’m sitting in front of my computer actively thinking and getting smarter and getting better.” DraftKings, a fantasy sports betting site, announced in August it will soon be allowing us-

ers to draft and bet on eSports athletes, just as they are able to do with NFL and MLB athletes. A 15,000 square foot facility completely dedicated to video games called eSports Arena will be opening in Santa Ana, California in October. The battle over the question, “Does eSports qualify as a legitimate sport?” rages on. “League of Legends is the video game of basketball,” Doolin said. “There’s five guys, and each guy has a different job. If you disagree as a team on a gaming strategy, you’re going to lose because the other team will be working together and they will roll you over.” Certain colleges are beginning to give out scholarships for eSports and treat gamers like athletes. Robert Morris University (RMU), a college outside Chicago, and Pikeville University in Kentucky are now awarding scholarships to gamers. At RMU, athletic directors have plans to hire a coach to recruit players and also to build a $100,000 eSports facility. “It’s just going to be another avenue of college athletics,” Doolin said. “It's OK for colleges to give scholarship for baseball and basketball or football and sports that have practically nil viewer-ship, so what’s the difference.” Mental proficiency is a needed aspect to succeed in the world of eSports. A study done by the Harvard Business Review showed that those who played video games executed and made better decisions than those who did not. “There’s a guy or girl sitting behind a keyboard, but they’re still executing mental proficiency and teamwork,” Doolin said. “It takes skill to dribble a ball; it takes skill to make three-point shot or to juke someone. What’s

the difference? You just have to have surgeon accuracy with your hands.” A sport can be defined by the dictionary as “an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature.” “Every game is different — there’s no strategy that remains constant,” Eastham said. “You have to win every game differently. The game really helps with your thinking process. You always have to be thinking ahead and asking, ‘If I do this, how is he going to respond, and how can I counter that?’” Not all, gamers included, agree with the assessment that eSports is no different from other sports. ESPN President John Skipper said in a press conference in 2014 that eSports was a “competition” later likening it to chess. “Playing video games doesn’t require athletic ability,” Hunnicutt said. “It’s labeled an eSport for a reason.” Sport or not, video game competitions have entered a new realm of fandom levels. The amount of eSports followers is growing, and it does not appear to be stopping “I love the adrenaline you get. I just remember how much fun I had playing in my first League of Legends tournament,” Doolin said. “There were 64 teams and we were all incredibly nervous, and we won the first round and won in the second round, but then lost to eventual champions. Even though we lost, I realized I’d never had more fun doing anything in the past.” |michaelmagyar

Viewership by 2013 Event League of Legends Finals

27 M

The Masters

25 M

NBA Finals

15.5 M

World Series

13.8 M image courtesy of Chris Yunker

information from espn.com

On the sidelines 2

inside look into sports and activites from the sidelines (1) Twirling her rifle, sophomore Claire Boomer performs in the halftime show at the football game on Sept 25. Boomer is a part of the Color Guard, which performs and competes with the band. (2) Sitting on the sideline, junior Dane Pedersen rests after injuring his ankle. Pedersen injured his ankle during the varsity football game on Sept 25. He is now healed and back on the field. (3) Peering over at the score board, sophomores Payden Hart and Hayden Hitchcock reflect on the game. Both boys play on the varsity football team, and on Oct 9 the team lost to Bishop Miege with a score of 14-64. (4) Observing his teammates on the field, senior Erik Hjelmaas puts his hand over his mouth. Along with his fellow varsity soccer players on the bench, Hjelmaas waits to go in while anxiously watching at the game on Oct 13. However, the game did not end in favor of Southwest; the team fell to Blue Valley Northwest in overtime, losing 1-2. (5) Rejoicing after winning a point, the varsity volleyball team brings the score to 6-4 Southwest in the second set against Ottawa. Senior Jenna Phelps scored the point with a kill. Southwest defeated Ottawa in the match on Oct 15.

| donnaarmstrong 6|

3 4

5 sports | www.bvswnews.com | southwest | oct. 2015 | 7

for optimism Hoops for Hope expands to raise more money for families

hrough the multiple rounds of chemotherapy that caused unending heartache, the family couldn’t bear it anymore. Costs continued to pile with treatment after treatment, and the family’s insurance company just couldn’t cover everything, leaving the parents to drown in the emotional and monetary cost of their child’s cancer. However, the simple arrival of a check presented the family with a beacon of hope — hope that caused them to break down with tears of joy. “For patient privacy, I’ve never been allowed to be there [when the families receive money], but they send back emails with quotes from the family,” Hoops for Hope founder and science teacher Chris Jenson said. “I think the comment I’ve heard year after year that they have said is, ‘What a wonderful thing for people to love us this much,’ and I’ll never forget it. It’s such a simple phrase. We’ve heard five or six families now say [that], and it’s really cool to work in a school with students that do love people that much.” As an instructor at the Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS), Jenson started Hoops for Hope in 2011 with a group of 21 students looking to start a fundraiser that would benefit families dealing with pediatric cancer. While the students were browsing the Internet to see what type of events were already in Kansas City, Jenson mentioned an event that happened at his alma mater, Notre Dame, called “Bookstore Basketball.” The event featured a variety of students dressed up in costumes to raise money and play at a basketball tourna-

ment, regardless of skill level. The group decided to run with the idea, and soon, Hoops for Hope became a reality as a fundraiser to help families at Children’s Mercy Hospital that were struggling to pay for treatment of pediatric cancer. “I think [it was most difficult] getting the word out — just describing to people what the event was supposed to be,” Jenson said. “I feel like right now, Southwest has an excellent handle that this is about hanging out with your friends and doing something meaningful for kids fighting cancer, but initially, people were trying to figure out if this was a basketball tournament or a fundraiser or what exactly it was.” After starting in 2011, the event continued to grow with more participants and more money raised, but this year, Hoops for Hope anticipates more growth than ever before — growth sparked by a spontaneous phone call from ESPN announcer Dick Vitale. Vitale hosts an annual gala and is actively involved with the V Foundation, an organization created by former basketball player and coach Jim Valvano, who was a victim of cancer. Valvano founded the V Foundation in 1993, and it has raised over $130 million to go toward cancer research. After seeing a video produced for Hoops for Hope in 2014, Vitale decided he wanted to get the V Foundation involved. So, a couple months after Hoops for Hope 2014, Jenson received a phone call at his house from Vitale, in which he asked if Jenson wanted help with making Hoops for Hope big.

8 | oct. 2015 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | feature

“I really, honestly thought it was my brother prank calling me, but I was very excited when I realized it was actually [Vitale],” Jenson said. “My true reaction was that I was just really proud of our students. I mean, I think he understood right away that this is a student-run, student-driven event, and its success is because of the students at Southwest. I just felt really proud — like this is our school, and it got noticed by someone at ESPN because our students are amazing.” Vitale’s involvement resulted in Hoops for Hope registering as a nonprofit organization and a partnership with the V Foundation. This year, Hoops for Hope will donate half of its proceeds to the V Foundation while the other half remains assisting families at Children’s Mercy. Although Hoops for Hope is partnering with a large organization, Jenson assures that it remains loyal to Children’s Mercy because it has established a relationship with the patients there, and the fact that the hospital is local allows students to know exactly where their money is going. “I have really close connections with Children’s Mercy just because I’ve been a patient there, but, also, I’ve met and been close with a lot of the cancer patients,” senior Hoops for Hope chair Megan Price said. “It’s actually a way of getting to meet someone. Instead of just saying, ‘Oh I raised money and donated it here,’ you actually get to meet the cancer patients and meet their families, and it’s really cool to actually get feedback and stories instead of just saying, ‘Here’s $1,000; I hope this helps.’”

| nicolebecker

2014

412 $12,257 participants

2013

raised

322 $6,853 raised

2012

Along with spreading to other Blue Valley schools, Kansas State University hosted the event on Oct. 3 for college students under the direction of Southwest alumnus Nick Edwards. The event attracted over 130 participants to form 28 teams, and the entire Kansas State basketball team came to support on the players’ day off. The players of the basketball team judged the participants with the best costumes, which ranged from shower loofahs to hot dog suits, and $25 gift card prizes to Texas Roadhouse were awarded to the winning team. Although Edwards said it was challenging to spread the word about the event, Kansas State raised over $1,700 and Edwards said he hopes that Hoops for Hope will continue to spread to other universities. “Schools can put their own little twist on it, but the ending goal is to raise money for cancer research, whether it’s at Children’s Mercy Hospital or the V Foundation,” Edwards said. “It’ll just be a lot of fun and cool to see it expand, especially since it started at Southwest.” This year, Hoops for Hope aims to raise $40,000 to $50,000 among the efforts of Kansas State and the Blue Valley high schools. As the organization continues to grow over the next few years, Jenson said he hopes it can become an event comparable to Relay For Life, in which schools annually participate across the nation. Regardless, Jenson contributes the success of Hoops for Hope thus far to the students at Southwest and their hard work, and he hopes other schools can find that same success in order to make a difference throughout the country. “We’re creating something incredible here, and it’s because of [the students’] hard work,” Jenson said. “There’s a chance that it may go far — I hope it does — and I’m proud that we’re doing it together. I’ll never understand why kids have to battle cancer, but I love that we’re fighting back.”

participants

210 $4,200 raised

2011

In an effort to spread the event, Blue Valley High and Blue Valley West decided to bring Hoops for Hope to their schools for the first time as well. BV High, BV West and Southwest have created a competition among the students to see which school can fundraise the most, host the most participants and receive the most Twitter followers for their individual accounts. The competition has created an alternate motivation to get more people involved. “Our school normally gets hyped up about these things, and we knew that with anything we bring to our school, we kind of get really into it,” senior BV High Hoops for Hope chair Bella Carpenter said. “With people who are competitive, they’ll be like, ‘I want to win,’ or, ‘I want to raise the most money,’ so they’ll think that’s cool.” The three schools will host the preliminary rounds of the tournaments at their individual gyms, but everyone participating in the tournament will conjoin in the Southwest gym on Nov. 12 for a finals night where the best teams from each school will face off. The finals night will be filled with guest speakers, a lip-sync battle and an appearance from a handful of local celebrities. Some of the celebrities include Sporting Kansas City players Matt Besler and Jon Kempin, Chiefs representatives and likely a few University of Kansas basketball players. “I hope [students] get recognition from people that they look up to,” Jenson said. “I mean, it’s kind of neat that you can be 16, 17, 18 years old and make a difference – and so much of a difference that athletes and celebrities take time out of their day to be like, ‘Yeah you know what, that’s cool. What a great bunch of young adults.’ So I hope most of all that the students are excited, and I hope most of all they feel appreciated because obviously these folks that show up on finals night, these celebrities, are very busy, but they’re choosing to take time out of their day because they think what our school is doing is meaningful.”

147 $1,890

participants raised

According to hoopsforhopeusa.com

Changing the face of diversity

students would benefit from a greater recognition of diversity 10 | oct. 2015 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | opinion

enior Christina Cornell observes a family with an adopted child from afar and cannot help but smile. Cornell is an adopted child herself, and seeing other families with the same experience is something she can relate to. Cornell is also Chinese-American, and loves that it makes up a part of who she is. Those two qualities attribute to her uniqueness; similarly, the students at Southwest all have qualities that contribute to the diversity of the community. “Most people don’t know I’m adopted until I tell them or it somehow comes in conversation or they see my parents, but a lot of the times people just think it’s really cool,” Cornell said. “I haven’t ever really been asked too many serious questions about it, but when I see other people who are adopted, or parents in stores with their kids who are clearly adopted, it just makes me happy.” Diversity is a hot-button topic in politics with primary elections just around the corner. The center for those discussions tends to focus on issues of race, such as racial relations and immigration laws. This is a reflection of how many Americans today view diversity — simply an issue of race. “Diversity focuses on the different aspects of people, not just racially, but religiously and other sexualities and cultures,” diversity club president senior Alexus Jackson said. “Everyone is diverse in general. It’s not a specific ethnicity or race that you have to be to have diversity.” Because of the lack of racial diversity at Southwest, students tend to believe that the Southwest community has a holistic absence of diversity. According to The Kansas Department of Education, during the 2013-2014 school year, the student population was 2.06 percent African-American, 3.18 percent Hispanic, 86.06 percent white and 8.7 percent other minority races. This means roughly nine in 10 students are white. According to Independent School Diversity Network, diversity is comprised of much more than just race, gender and sexual orientation. Diversity includes mental and physical ability, socioeconomic class, beliefs, familial establishments, learning style and many other subgroups. Living in an environment that recognizes this wide range of diversity can be beneficial for the whole community. “I think that everyone tends to group each other in this JoCo-bubble type of way, but actually there are a ton of differences inside the bubble,” Jackson said. “We’re not all the same person.” According to the American Psychological Association, fear of identifying with a minori-

ty group because it may carry stereotypes is known as disidentification. Disidentification can become problematic for people belonging to minorities because it can lead them to believe that they have less of a chance of success. “There’s so much more to diversity than just race and skin color,” counselor Kristi Dixon said. “We have a variety of abilities, we have a variety of talents, we have a variety of music interests, of languages. I mean, there’s so much cool stuff here, but kids tend to think that’s not diversity. That’s unfortunate because diversity is something to celebrate and embrace and acknowledge, and I don’t know that we give people a chance to tell their story.” That’s not to imply that society’s view of diversity hasn’t changed. As a whole, the discussions surrounding diversity, and the laws that pertain to it have become more open-ended. For example, the Equal Employ-

“Diversity is something to celebrate and embrace and acknowledge.” | counselorkristidixon

ment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is an established reform that prohibits discrimination in the workplace based off factors such as: age, gender, race, religion, etc. According to The Leadership Conference, the EEOC has been expanded since its creation to also prohibit discrimination based on disability or genetic information. “When I was a high school student, diversity was predominantly thought of as race, and that’s been a challenge to get people to think beyond that, because that’s just one component of anybody’s story, ” Dixon said. “I think when we talk about diversity now, people are still stuck on race, but they are more willing to also include sexual orientation, and they are more willing to include religious diversity. But that still leaves out a whole lot of stuff. So [diversity] has become a more inclusive term, but just barely.” Widening the door on diversity can also be beneficial for everyone. High school is meant to prepare students for the adult world — a world that is dominated by diversity. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, di-

versity is key in education because it provides basic skills of cooperation and understanding of peers that are essential in the modern business world. “High school provides us with the opportunity to just learn more about [different forms of diversity], and people don’t have to be comfortable with it but it’s a good thing to be exposed to,” Cornell said. “When you get to the real world, that’s what it is.” After high school, colleges also focus on diversity because the goal of many public universities is to simulate the real world. Companies are also coming behind this effort by offering scholarships to minority students. For example, there are organizations, such as the ChairScholars Foundation, that provide scholarships for academically achieving students with physical disabilities. “[Colleges] want to reflect the world at large, so there’s an effort to create a visibly diverse campus, as well as what’s underneath,” Dixon said. “I think campuses do a great job with that. Plus, you are legally an adult for most people when they get to campus. So, I think it’s easier to have these conversations that make people so uncomfortable.” Besides preparing for the future, recognizing diversity allows for deeper connections with others as well as a more positive school environment. When all forms of diversity are seen and celebrated, new relationships can be formed with others by knowing more about that part of them. “We find out what we have in common, and when you know what you have in common with somebody, it’s a lot more difficult to hate them,” Dixon said. “When someone looks at you and thinks that they know you, or that they understand you, that’s when sometimes those barriers come in. But when they get to know that there’s so much more to it than what you think what you’re seeing, that’s when we get stronger.” As a school, students should strive to actively recognize and celebrate all forms of diversity. By making a conscious effort to learn about each other’s diversity, the student body would be able to create a more welcoming environment, as well as the opportunity to form bonds with one another on a deeper level. “Once you realize that it’s present and that it’s actually there, I think it’s a really cool thing to see — to see how people are different and unique,” Cornell said.

| kelseydemel Graphics by Abby Yi

| 11

cr oss

fIt senior Rachel Stetson finds her passion in crossfit

12 |

alking into her first Crossfit class, senior Rachel Stetson had no idea what to expect. Having only learned about what Crossfit was a few days earlier from her brother, James Stetson, she was surprised by the intensity and endurance it took to do Crossfit workouts and had no idea that it would become her passion. When James came back home for winter break in 2013, he started up at the Crossfit gym, On Track, and thought he would bring Rachel in with him. “I always wanted her to find her sport, and originally, Crossfit was just a way for her to strengthen her pole vaulting,” James said. “As time went on, we both realized that Crossfit and Olympic weightlifting were our sports.” Crossfit is a workout that mixes Olympic lifting, power-lifting, gymnastics training and cardio. At a Crossfit gym there are no machines, but rather only free weights and barbells. Every time Rachel trains, she pushes herself harder and harder in order to achieve her goals. “I just want to get stronger and faster,” Rachel said. “Everything motivates me, and I just want to get better. I had a competition this last weekend, and I learned so much about what my weaknesses are and how to train better. I just want to learn more so that I can keep getting better.” Ever since her first class, the longest Rachel has gone without training is three days. “Once I started Crossfit, I had no idea where it would take me,” Rachel said. “I just know that I am probably never going to stop. I am really happy with the progress that I have made.” Rachel trains one to two times per day for two to three hours. Her goal is to make it to regionals, and she then hopes to eventually make it to the games on a team. At competitions, crossfitters can compete on teams of six with three males and three females, or they can compete individually. They are judged on their workout as a whole — not only how strong they may be, but also on their technique. Rachel just started to com-

pete a couple weeks ago in large competitions alongside James. “When we were competing at the Heart of America Team Competition, we were on completely different schedules, and because of it, I wasn’t able to watch her compete in any of her workouts except for one,” James said. “I need to do the things I have to in order to perform at my best, and that can seem like I’m not being supportive in her eyes, but regardless of whether I’m there to see it, I always support her and always want her to be her best.” Rachel and James said Crossfit has brought them closer together and has also made them better individuals. As Crossfit has brought many changes to their lives in the past two years, Rachel said she is very thankful for finding something that she is so passionate about. “It has changed me in so many ways,” Rachel said. “I have become mentally, physically and spiritually stronger. I have gotten a lot closer to God. It has also brought me a lot closer to my brother. It has also made me more mature because most of the people that I hang out with now are all 21 or older. And I’ve found that that’s where I fit in, with the older crowd, and they don’t treat me any differently or that I am younger. I have become more responsible because I have had to learn to balance things between school and Crossfit and just life.” Over the past few years, Rachel has become close with many other Crossfitters whose goals are very similar her to own. Rachel’s friend, Anne Marie Winn, said she has loved watching Rachel transform into the athlete she is today. “Because she is younger, she has so many opportunities ahead of her in the Crossfit world, and I will be there rooting for her every step of the way,” Winn said. “She is an amazing athlete with so much ahead of her.” As Rachel continues her Crossfit journey, she said she thinks God has pushed her to pursue Crossfit. Through hard work and long hours, Rachel continues to push herself. As

she works, her overall goal is to glorify God on a daily basis. “Everyday I walk into the gym and think about how He brought me here, gives me strength and willpower to lift heavy and speed through a workout, and to be better than I was the day before.” Rachel said. “Every time I meet a new Crossfitter, go to other gyms or am asked how I do it, the only answer I give is, ‘for the glory of God.’ He has helped me to become stronger physically, mentally and spiritually.” Rachel has been able to compare her goal with other Crossfit competitors who are involved in a group called Faith Rx’d. The groups has monthly meetings where its members discuss how they are bettering themselves through Crossfit for God. “We talk about how God is working through us while doing Crossfit,” Rachel said. “The organization has meant a lot to me. Through the common goal of glorifying God, I have created so many relationships through Christ and Crossfit.” As she continues into college and the rest of her life, Rachel doesn’t plan on stopping Crossfit. After finally finding her passion, she only plans to get better from here. “When I first came to the game, I was very small and weak and not coordinated at all, and I never really thrived in sports,” Rachel said. “So, being able to find this and do well at it has been amazing.” Over the past two years, Rachel has accomplished more than she ever imagined. On her first day, she was only able to do a 15-pound snatch lift and now is able to do 135 pounds. To Rachel that is a feat she is proud of but it is not her biggest accomplishment. “Walking through the door two years ago was my biggest accomplishment,” Rachel said. “It’s the progress that I have made since I started and how I’ve grown as a person that matters.”

| blakegustafson photo by Donna Armstrong.

journey feature | www.bvswnews.com | southwest | oct. 2015 | 13

early ending students prepare to graduate early

14 | oct. 2015 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | feature

hen senior Rylee Brown moves the tassel to the left side of her cap at graduation, it won’t signify the entry of a newfound phase of independence in her life — a phase filled with the anticipatory excitement of starting college at the end of summer. When Brown walks with the class of 2016, she will just have completed final exam week of her first semester of college. Even though Brown will return to walk with her graduating class in the ceremony, Brown will have already received her diploma five months earlier, as she plans on graduating at the end of first semester. After Brown finishes her first semester final exams, she will have just over three weeks until she begins classes at the University of Kansas, where she plans on majoring in chemistry and potentially film. Brown made the decision to graduate early during the fall semester of her junior year. Although she was originally planning on completing her senior year through online school, Brown realized with the help of counselor Kristi Dixon that finishing high school in a social environment was her best option. “Junior year I had so much going on that I had no idea what to do — I was always sick; I didn’t want to go to school,” Brown said. “[Dixon] helped me realize that not only did I need to suck it up and go to school, but I also needed to find different ways that would help me like school better, and looking forward to something like graduating early helped out with that.” Counselor Kevin Halfmann said students want to graduate early for a variety of reasons, whether that be to start college early, work or simply because they do not enjoy high school. Halfmann said the counseling department never recommends that a student graduates early. However, it does help those interested in taking alternative routes their second semester senior year explore their options. “There are people who are ready to go, so if a person is truly ready for the next step and they have a good plan in place and have the maturity and academic skills, that’s great,” Halfmann said. “I’m still skeptical that there isn’t more that could be accomplished in high school for almost everybody. There are very bright people working very hard in very challenging classes all the way to the end, so I think that there’s a lot to be gained by doing that.” In order to meet the graduation requirement of earning four credits of English classes, Brown is enrolled simultaneously in ELA 12 and online Contemporary Communications, which is equivalent to second semester ELA 12. Brown said the modifications she’s had to make to her schedule haven’t been difficult to adjust to and what she’s learning in ELA 12 is often congruent to the material she is learning in online Contemporary Communications. Even though graduating early has been

a fairly easy process for some students, Halfmann said convenience shouldn’t encourage students to graduate early. He said there is still benefit in completing four full years of education and taking advantage of classes that prepare students for college and the workplace. “When a school is designed, you plan the curriculum in the school — that curriculum goes for 13 years,” Halfmann said. “There are skills and awarenesses that you want everyone to have as you go through, and that’s one of the things that happens when you short circuit the process — you don’t finish all that. The fact of the matter is, the less education you have the less you know, and so those are the kind of things that become more a problem. You just don’t have the chance to learn as many things as you could learn.” Alumnus Hailey Weston, a sophomore business major at the University of Oregon, said graduating a semester early allowed her to build a sense of maturity that she would not have been able to develop if she was in high school second semester. After graduating in December 2013, Weston moved to Bend, Ore-

“[Counselor Kristi Dixon] helped me realize that not only did I need to suck it up and go to school, but I also needed to find different ways that would help me like school better, and looking forward to something like graduating early helped out with that” | seniorryleebrown

gon to work. Weston said she initially missed the atmosphere of high school and her friends, but working allowed her to build her independence. “I had time to figure out who I was, and I had time think about where I want to happily spend the next four years of my life,” Weston said. “Oregon was that happiness and independence that I had always sought in high school. Graduating early is such a positive thing, and many people don’t really think about the benefits that it can bring. It gave me such a positive, independent, fulfilling feeling inside knowing that I could finally start my life studying something that I am very interested in and meet amazing new people along the way.” Halfmann said each year, only a handful of students will graduate early. Junior Anne-Marie Dahms is taking the even less-typical route of graduating a full year early. Dahms plans to spend her senior year studying abroad in a French-speaking country. She said she wants to be a French language teacher, and she hopes to apply her experiences from studying abroad

to teach others about international cultures. Dahms is enrolled in four Advanced Placement classes, including both AP English Language and Composition and AP English Literature and Composition. In addition, she is enrolled in online Physical Education and takes 25 hours of ballet classes a week. On a typical night, Dahms is awake until midnight finishing homework. “I have slightly [considered not graduating early because of the stress], but whenever that happens, I think of all the fun stuff to happen,” Dahms said. “I feel like I’ll be letting myself down if I didn’t [graduate early] now that I’m already invested. I’ve invested so many people into it that I don’t want to let them down.” Dahms said that when she met with Dixon to modify her schedule, Dixon expressed concern that Dahms would be missing out on a vital year of social development. However, Dahms said while she thinks there’s value in being academically smart, she think it’s equally as important to be culturally smart. “I will be missing out, but I also feel like I will have different experiences than my classmates will have,” Dahms said. “I think it’s a win-lose situation where I get more experiences, but I also lose social experiences of high school.” Halfmann said in addition to missing out on traditional experiences of being a high school senior, he worries that students who graduate early will not be prepared for succeeding in college classes. According to TIME Magazine, on average, it takes a college student six years to complete a four-year degree. Halfmann said not receiving four full years of high school education makes students more likely to fall victim to this statistic. “There’s a big complaint by colleges that high schools don’t send people to them that are ready to succeed,” Halfmann said. “We want to make sure that whoever leaves here is ready to crush wherever they go next, and we can best do that if people are with us for the full four years.” Brown said she thinks she is prepared at both an educational and a maturity level to start college. She said she isn’t worried about missing out on an extra semester of education since if she had chosen to stay in high school second semester, the only classes on her schedule would be ELA 12 and film courses at the Center for Advanced Professional Studies. “I won’t be sitting around for another eight months,” Brown said. “If I didn’t take online [Contemporary Communications], which is what I’m doing right now, I’d be sitting around bored, wishing that I was at college. I get tired of high school drama so I’m ready to be out of that area.”

| margojohnson photos by Cheyenne Greathouse. | 15

ast season, the Royals broke the all-time attendance record with the 2,477,701 fans to walk through Kauffman Stadium, according to the MLB. With the Royals going to the World Series and other Kansas City athletics doing exceptionally well, students have started to have more pride in the city than ever before. Companies like Charlie Hustle began to sell shirts in order for people to show their appreciation of Kansas City. “Made in KC” was even the theme for the homecoming dance. “I thought of this theme for homecoming because I felt this was the year to do it,” senior student council president Maddie Allen said. “I love KC because to me, it is unlike any other major city. It’s very down to Earth and offers something different for any type of person.” | rileymartin

16 | oct. 2014 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | photo essay

“I think pride has gone up in Kansas City, especially since the Royals have been doing well. Everyone has been getting into Royals spirit wear and KC shirts. [I wear this shirt] because I think it’s really cute. I think Kansas City is a great city. It’s really not that boring, and we should all be proud that we are living here.”

“Since the Royals and other KC sports teams are doing well, I definitely think KC pride has gone up in the community. I like how [my shirt] makes the Royals emblem with the Kansas City skyline at the top. I like that [everyone in KC] has pride and shares the same beliefs. ”

“I wear the shirt because it’s comfortable and represents KC. The message I think it sends is to have pride in our city.”

“[In Kansas City], we go to First Fridays down in the West Bottoms, concerts, a lot of Royals games and we go to the Plaza all the time.”

| 17

one too

many

substance abuse policy called into question

mplemented last school year, a district-wide substance abuse policy was established to ensure equal consequences for students who violated it. The new policy was revised in the beginning of the 2014-15 school year to meet the needs of the district and ensure fairness. The drug and alcohol policy for all the Blue Valley schools is now uniform 365 days a year. “Two years ago, the policy stated that only infractions at school events could be punished,” baseball head coach Rick Sabath said. “As coaches and teachers, we didn’t feel like that really sent the right message because there were too many loopholes. We, as a district, didn’t think that was the right way to go about it. So, based on the other schools, we wanted to have uniformity. Blue Valley Northwest and Blue Valley North had separate policies than Blue Valley High, Blue Valley West and Blue Valley Southwest. Theoretically, an athlete at Northwest or North could get in trouble at their school, but the Southwest kids may not have been punished at all.”

18 | oct. 2015 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | news

Beginning this school year, the drug and alcohol policy was applied to not only athletics in the district, but activities as well. In order to participate, students must agree to this policy without exception. “I think the policy is a good thing,” Wolfbyte and Wolf Pack Crew sponsor Steven Cortez said. “If kids are going to be a part of and represent our school, which the kids do in Wolfbyte and Wolf Pack Crew, they should be held accountable. If you’re in sports and get kicked out for 50 percent of the season, and you’re in an activity and don’t get punished, I don’t think that’s fair either. I think it’s important to be [fair] across the board for all activities.” Although the policy has been implemented to keep students accountable for their actions, there seems to be some gray area during the times where the policy has had to be enforced. “I believe that the way the policy is written leaves too much wiggle room and gray area where favoritism could potentially play a part [in the punishment],” cheerleading head coach Taylor Holmes said. “It is not zero tolerance, and it should be. There is too much gray area and it should be black and white. You get caught — you are removed from the program. That’s how it works in college sports, and if we are training our kids to go to college and participate in sports or activities, we should

be implementing a zero-tolerance policy.” For a first offense, the policy states that consequences could extend to as much as 50 percent of the season. In order to determine the severity of the offense, both the administration and the coach or sponsor meet to sort through the case. They also meet with other administrators to make sure they are remaining fair district wide. For the first offense, the phrase, “Suspension from participation in activities for not more than 50 percent of one full season,” leaves leeway in choosing the punishment, which is why it’s being seen as a gray area due to the fact that the consequences could go from zero to fifty percent of a season. “I still want them to be part of the team on a first offense level,” athletic director Gary Howard said. “If it happens again, then they could potentially be removed from the program. That’s when they didn’t learn their lesson the first time. I try to be as fair as possible about it. My policy is: kids are always going to make mistakes, and it’s my belief that they need to stay with a good support group. If you take them out of that support group, then we’re saying to them, ‘You don’t matter.’ Well, they all matter to me.” Since the coach or sponsor has a say in punishing the student who has been caught with drugs or alcohol, there could be the potential for favoritism to shine through. An example of this could be a coach or sponsor favoring more valuable players or assets to the team and decreasing the punishment. Cortez said this is a common misconception. “When you are trying to be flexible with the students, in other words trying to take into account what happened, the student’s perception of that flexibility will be skewed in their minds to favoritism,” Cortez said. “We’re trying our best to help kids learn. At the second or third offense, they obviously haven’t learned and they should be done. But if it’s the first offense, we’re trying to help them learn from their mistakes because that’s what teaching is all about. I’m hoping there’s some flexibility on everyone’s part in realizing that we aren’t trying to play favoritism — we’re trying our best to help the student.” The policy allows students to have a second chance if a mistake is made, which is something that is special to the

Blue Valley district. “I think this policy is fair — we all make mistakes,” Howard said. “This is a time where a lot of kids experiment. To me, it’s not about punishing the kid. It’s about keeping kids safe, and it scares me to death if I hear about kids that are out partying. You never know how much they drank, what kind of drugs they did and how that affects their body — especially someone who has never done it before. So for me, it’s a safety issue.” Posting or being in photos that have drugs or alcohol in them can lead to the same consequences as being in legal trouble. This is another area of concern since the margin among offenses can be large and can lead to questions on how to implement the policy. Senior Patrick Cairns said he was suspended from participating in two football games due to the administration finding a photo of him pictured with alcohol. “I wasn’t happy with my punishment,” Cairns said. “There’s nothing really in the policy that deals specifically with pictures, so I still think I deserved some kind of punishment, but I think there should have been something in the policy that pointed my case out in specific and had a set procedure. There’s a ton of gray area in this policy, and there’s a lot of things that could happen that people couldn’t get in trouble for and things that aren’t specified that people could get in trouble for just because it’s not mentioned in the policy.” Although there is potential for gray area in the policy, Howard said the basic principle comes down to keeping students safe. Using this policy as not only a guide to make decisions to not use drugs or alcohol, but also keeping in mind that the choices that are made in high school can affect a student throughout his or her entire life. “We don’t try to punish students; they have to learn this,” Howard said. “It’s not me punishing somebody — it’s something that they did. If they wouldn’t have done that or been at a certain place, we wouldn’t need to have a conversation. A lot of people are disappointed about the policy, but sometimes they’re disappointed that they got caught. Everybody should know this policy because they signed it. If it keeps kids safe, I’m all for it.”

| lexitarter. photo illustration by Donna Armstrong. | 19

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| cheyenneg reathouse Graphic by Abby Yi.

20 | oct. 2015 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | special sections

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gaining new adventures along the way, junior Landon Smith travels across the world

hile floating down the Nile River on a riverboat cruise, junior Landon Smith saw a village. The people were living in straw huts glued together with mud. Their homes had no doors or windows. There was a young boy bathing in the dirty river because the community didn’t have access to clean water. As everyone aboard the cruise shoveled dinner into their mouths, Landon paused to realize that nearly 20 feet away, an entire community struggled for basic necessities. “I felt very fortunate but also guilty,” Landon said. “I wanted to help them by giving them my dinner or even just some clean water, but I knew that wasn’t possible. I remember that experience really pushing my passion to help people that can’t help themselves. Looking back at it, one of the reasons I started doing missionary and volunteer work was because of that experience. Now, one of my favorite things to do is volunteer at my church and travel to different places to help people.” Landon has been traveling the world since he was six months old, partly due to his parents’ passion for traveling and partly because he feels as if traveling is a part of who he is. He has had four passports since he first traveled to Canada and has visited over 43 countries, including China, Russia, Egypt and Australia. One vacation that has stuck with him over the years was when he first traveled to Austria at age 9. “My parents struck up a conversation with the royal family in a restaurant that was hosting a famous ballet and orchestra performance,” Landon said. “Somehow, we ended up sitting front row beside them. My parents discovered that the family was there because a rare $16 million Stradivarius violin was being showcased. After the performance, my family and I were invited to the Princess of Austria’s birthday party, which took place in their castle. I’ll never forget how cool it was feeling like royalty, even if it was only for a few hours.”

22 |

Although Landon enjoys the experiences of traveling, his parents’ passion for seeing the world acts as the driving force behind their adventures. Jane and Brian Smith think that traveling is an important aspect of growing up because it allows a person to see different cultures and understand how others live outside of the United States. Although it can be expensive, the Smiths have learned how to travel affordably. Finding deals, traveling at off-peak times during the year, staying in inexpensive bed and breakfasts, eating food from street vendors instead of fancy restaurants and taking the bus or the subway are all tactics the Smiths have adopted. They also buy books to educate themselves on the country they’re visiting in order to gain more knowledge about their destinations. This helps them decide what they want to spend their money on. “We enjoy traveling so much that we feel it is worth spending the money, especially when we are making so many memories along the way,” Jane said. “It can be very affordable, but occasionally we splurge, like staying in Ashford Castle in Ireland. We were treated like royalty, but it was expensive and we usually don’t do that very often.” Staying a weekend in Ireland’s Ashford Castle is not an opportunity that most 16 year olds have the chance to do. The Smiths had the entire castle to themselves, which exposed them to a lot of out-of-the-norm opportunities, such as cooking with the chef, skeet shooting and training a falcon to hunt.

“Training the falcon was my favorite because it was as if I had a pet falcon for a weekend,” Landon said. “I had my own personal instructor who told me what to say and do in order to control the falcon’s actions. Standing on the roof of the castle and watching a falcon fly above the castle grounds was such a cool thing to experience.” Some of Landon’s other experiences include riding a camel around the Egyptian Pyramids and spending a day in Machu Picchu. Another memory was added the summer before his seventh grade year when Landon traveled to England and France. He had the chance to explore his passion through People-to-People, an organization that connects people with Parliament and allows them to travel around Paris, interact with the community and get involved in community service projects. “My parents didn’t go on that trip with me, which was really weird because they’re usually the reason I travel,” Landon said. “Not having them there was scary but exciting at the same time because I had to take care of myself. I remember going into that vacation with a skeptical mindset, but it ended up being one of my favorites.” Other than learning how to train a falcon, riding a camel and going to a princess’s birthday party, Landon has gained more than experiences. New memories are collected from every travel, but he’s also gained a new perspective along the way. “Traveling outside of the JoCo bubble has opened my eyes to different ways of

life,” Landon said. “We don’t understand just how fortunate we are because everyone’s so wrapped up in their own problems. I know a lot of people who dream about traveling but are scared it’s not achievable. I would tell them to never give up on their dreams even if it involves traveling the world. You don’t need to be rich to experience different cultures. If you want to travel, then don’t hesitate; just do it.” Through their experiences, the Smiths have learned to put their lives in perspective. On the Smiths’ trip to Egypt, they realized that the key to the families’ existence was finding enough food and water each day. The Smiths have come to realize that material things are not worth as much as memories. “Traveling makes you appreciate what you have,” Brian said. “It gives you an education in history and other cultures that no book and class can ever come close to. Money can buy things like clothes, toys and games, phones, cars; most of those things have a short life span. Travel gives you memories that will last an entire lifetime. I take hundreds of pictures when we travel. I can look back at those pictures and be transformed back to that place and time. A memory never needs to be washed, upgraded or tuned up. An experience can be relived over and over again with every conversation. Spending money on travel is investing in a lifetime of memories.”

| sydneyswyers graphics by Riley Martin.

feature | www.bvswnews.com | southwest | oct. 2015 | 23

backpack can be more to a student than just a bag full of books and pens. For some, it’s a vessel for a precious object, an object that carries sentimental value. It might be a necklace, or a even a sketch of a loved one. Seemingly trivial items hidden away in a pouch, vacant of typical school supplies, can provide a window to the part of a given person’s personality that is absent while walking in the halls. | karatorgler

Packing up a personality

students share the meaning behind what they carry in their bags

Junior Ellie Chramosta fiddles with a sand dollar necklace and colorful bracelets. The jewelry is a constant reminder of blissful periods in Chramosta’s life. “I got [this necklace] in the Bahamas and it was a really good time for my family,” Chramosta said. “These couple of bracelets I got over the summer from some little girls I befriended at a cancer survivor camp. [The camp] is special to me because I get to meet people that have gone through the same things as me.”

Pulling out a hand-drawn picture, junior Liz Putnam reminisces on a joyful memory. The drawing allows Putnam to recollect the precious time spent with a seldom seen relative. “I carry a drawing my cousin gave to me,” Putnam said. “[He] lives in New York and I don’t get to see him often, so this is a way to always remember him.”

Freshman Lainey Dow twiddles a small, gold necklace in her hand. The small token was a childhood gift from her mother, and Dow soon began toting the necklace around, with it never leaving her sight. “I have a necklace that has the letters of my name,” Dow said. “I have had it since I was really little and my mom gave it to me. It’s just a little something that I always carry around no matter what.”

Holding a small, crystal turtle, freshman Samuel Lopez stares meaningfully at the translucent object in his palm. The keepsake from an ailing grandmother constantly accompanies Lopez. “[The turtle] means a lot to me because my grandma gave it to me before we thought she was going to die,” Lopez said. “She had a lot of knick-knacks she got throughout her life and she just wanted to give me something before she went that I could remember her by.”

24 | oct. 2015 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | special sections

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a different course students pursue interests at Olathe Advanced Technical Center

n the facility, students learn real-life work skills in an environment that mirrors that of the workplace. They learn automotive repair, aspects of construction and culinary skills. But these students do not go to CAPS: they attend the Olathe Advanced Technical Center. The Olathe Advanced Technical Center (OATC) is part of the Olathe school district, but also provides services to students from Blue Valley, DeSoto, Spring Hill, and Wellsville. Senior Justin Patterson began taking the Automotive Technologies I class this year. His goal is to learn how to service his car himself and not to pay others to do it. However, he may not have known the class existed. “This whole program is not advertised at Blue Valley,” Patterson said. “I heard it from Seth Thomas who was on the basketball team last year, so if I had not talked to him, I would not have done it. That’s probably why there aren’t many Blue Valley kids doing it; many haven’t even heard about it.” Director for Career and Technical Education Linda Affholder said Blue Valley FACS and drafting teachers visit the technical centers so they can recommend it to students who would be interested. Students submit applications for the program and are chosen based on the number of seats available at the center. To reduce the number of applicants, only juniors and seniors are allowed into the program and seniors are typically given priority. “There are limited numbers of people in these classes, like there are already too many people in my class now,” Patterson said. “That will be interesting in a few years if they advertise it more and [OATC] went multiple years having to turn down Blue Valley students to this program, then Blue Valley might want to think about doing it… it might be a problem, but it would be a good problem.” In the OATC automotive classes, the students have time in classrooms to listen to instructors, and also hands-on time to work

26 | oct. 2015 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | feature

on the vehicles and get first-hand experience with car maintenance and repairs. Patterson said he has learned about “suspension in cars, taking out all the springs, and about what makes the car stay on the road, tearing it apart and putting it back together, and how to diagnose problems.” The first-hand experience gained by the students helps prepare them to perform tasks a mechanic would be asked to do. “It teaches you a lot about actually working, because they will give you tasks you have to complete,” senior Garrison Louis said. Louis has taken classes at OATC during both his junior and senior year. He was placed in Automotive Technologies II last year, but wanted to complete the series and took Auto I this year. He said he has found this class has been very helpful to him not only because of the skills he has gained, but also because of the opportunities available at OATC during open lab time. “I actually had something last year where I had [my car] taken to a shop to see how much they would charge and it was going to be $500,” Louis said. “It was a little hose behind the motor. I was able to do it for fifteen bucks. So you can save money, and they provide a lot of tools. It is a nice facility; it is a brand-new shop. I’ve seen kids do several thousand dollar projects for a couple hundred bucks.” OATC also recently moved from its original location to a new building with more space for the classes and tools. “At Olathe, the facilities are top-notch,” Patterson said. “I heard the professionals will come in and tour the center and say that the facilities are kept nicer than their shop is, and they’re from O’Reilly, or some other auto shop.”

| lilliehoffart photo illustration by Cheyenne Greathouse. continued to bvswnews.com

making a run for state varsity cross country team advances in rankings

s the gun fires, senior Piper Misse takes off, pushing herself as hard as she can in order to reach her personal goal. Each and every one of her individual victories helps bring the varsity cross country team, as a whole, one step closer to state. “I feel like I’m on the journey to state, and of course you never know until regionals, but I would say that it is one of my personal goals to make it to state,” Misse said. “This year we’re so fortunate to have a team that has been doing great so far with the underclassmen girls who have really stepped up. I think that we have a very good chance of qualifying as a team. I would never have been able to do that in the past, but we’ve been very blessed to not experience any injuries so far, so I think that we could take a team to state this year and that would be wonderful.” Misse is ranked 27th overall in Kansas girls cross country state and seventh overall for Kansas 5A girls. She has been a part of the cross country team since her sophomore year and has helped the varsity team

advance. Last year at regionals, the boys varsity team placed third and the girls placed fourth. This race was the qualifier to make it to state. At state, the boys’ varsity team placed fourth overall and the girls did not place. Misse thinks the team has been advancing in the state standings this season because they have been training harder than ever before to improve themselves. After the EKL meet, the girls are ranked tenth in the state and third for 5A schools and the boys are ranked seventh in the state and third for 5A schools. The team hopes to improve and surpass these scores as they compete at regionals and hopefully state. Misse, along with others, thinks that in order to do so, the team must practice very hard. “Just keep training — I mean, we never stop; we always push ourselves and just keep going,” sophomore Dylan Miller said. This is exactly what the team has done, starting in the summer and continuing throughout the season. The success of the

entire team can be partially credited to individual efforts. Every runner on the varsity team plays an important role in helping the team as a whole advance in the rankings and improve from the previous race by seeing what they could have done better. “I just really like the competition, and I feel like I thrive off of it and I like working hard toward a goal,” junior Beau Constant said. “If you have a bad race or bad practice, a kind of a big mental thing is how you respond. If it’s during a workout or race you can be like, ‘Well, I can either accept that I had a bad race or take this really hard and pick the good parts out of the race,’ and then you can improve off that.” This sport is not all about training physically, although to physically train, they do extended speed workouts in order to prepare for a race. It is also about the mentality of how everyone reacts before or after a race. To train mentally, the runners push themselves as hard as they can to prove to themselves that they can work through pain in order to have confidence going into a race.

sports | www.bvswnews.com | southwest | oct. 2015 | 27

“Physically, you just do long runs before races and then mentally stay positive and stay focused,” freshman Lindsey Batkiewicz said. “Don’t get distracted and don’t let the nerves get to you; just talk to friends and have fun.” While the athletes contribute greatly to the success of the team as a whole, the coaches also play a big role. Head coach Richard Wilson and assistant coaches Aaron Ballew and Kelley Alexander act as mentors and help guide the practices to make sure that all runners improve in order to reach their goals. “The coaches have a huge impact on the cross country community,” Misse said. “They are constantly pushing us to get better and to work through pain. They hold us to a very high standard and I think that’s a wonderful thing because we need to be challenged in that sport.” As of print time, the varsity cross country team was scheduled to compete at regionals on Oct. 24 at Pierson Park in Kansas City. To view the results, visit ks.milesplit. com. If the team finished in the top three, then they’ll compete at the state meet on Oct. 31 at Rim Rock Farm in Lawrence. “There’s such a sense of family and team, and you’ll see it during the races,” Misse said. “If you’re not running, then everybody’s out on the course cheering on their teammates. There’s nothing like it when you’re at the end of the race, and you’re so tired but there’s one person in front of you and you look over and see your entire team out there cheering. It’s the best feeling in the world, and whether it’s a good day or bad day you’re always surrounded by kind, supportive people.”

| umadesai 28 |

1) Exhausted, seniors Reagan Dupriest, Brandon Rathburn and Fritz Lienemann trek to their next mile. In the C team race, Lienemann placed 79th with a time of 23:09, Rathburn placed 92nd with a time of 24:21 and Dupriest placed 101st with time of 24:56. 2) Striding into their rhythm, the boys JV team takes off at the sound of the gunshot. The JV boys placed second out of six teams at the EKL Conference Meet on Oct. 15. 3) Racing to the finish, sophomores Weston Evans and Jared Lefert fight for fifth place. Evans (on the left) placed fifth in the boys JV race with a time of 18:29.2 and Lefert placed sixth with a time of 18:29.3.

(4) Determined to finish her race, junior Carsyn Greet finishes her 1st mile. Greet placed 10th in the girls JV race with a time of 22:58. (5) Pushing themselves to the finish, freshmen Taylor Walton and Ashlyn Wakefield work together to pace. Walton placed 100th with a time of 18:58 and Wakefield placed 83rd with a time of 18:37 in the JV Girls Gold Division Race at Rim Rock Farm on Sept. 26. (6) With his eyes set on the finish line, junior Jared Crain sprints to the end. Crain placed 17th in th boys JV race at EKL with a time of 19:10. (7) Competing to gain a lead on one another, senior

Tristan Eastham and sophomore Dylan Miller inch closer to the front of the race. Miller (on the right) placed 5th with a time of 16:43 and Eastham placed 7th with a time of 16:52 in the boys varsity race at EKL. (8) Senior Piper Misse strides to the front of the pack, leading her team and finishing the race in 6th place. Misse completed her 5K in 20:15 in the girls varsity EKL race. (9) Catching his breath, senior Cameron Muro stops and stretches after finishing his race. Muro placed 40th in the boys C team race at EKL with a time of 22:13.

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relaxing recreation students express themselves through clubs

fter finishing her math homework, senior Sneha Bhavanasi closes her laptop and looks at her next assignment for the night. The deadline for an essay is coming soon, yet she is not quite mentally prepared to start. The task of school has weighed heavily on Bhavanasi, so she decides to take a break. Instead of checking her phone, she decides to get back on her laptop and look through a multitude of songs to play on her ukulele. As the music starts to flow and the chords begin to resonate, the stress slowly fades away, giving Bhavanasi energy to complete her homework. Many students face the same problem of school-related stress that Bhavanasi has faced multiple times. In order to reduce stress, The National Institute of Mental Health recommends finding a stress coping activity, whether it be meditation or, specifically for Bhavanasi, playing the ukulele. Many students require different ways to relieve their stress, and for a select few, they take their activity to administration and start a club for it. Surrounding themselves with like-minded students, they meet on a weekly basis to escape the stresses of school.

UKULELE CLUB

Bhavanasi, before she begins the first words of her essay, finds her specific relaxation in the comforting chords of the ukulele club. “It’s a really laid back environment — we like to play and sing a little,” Bhavanasi said. “The ukulele is a really cool instrument, and it’s really underappreciated.” Although Bhavanasi began to play the ukulele a year ago, she said it has developed

into a passion for her, as it is a surefire way to improve her spirits whenever she needs it, especially in the midst of a mountain of homework. “It makes me happy; it brightens up my mood, and then I’m ready to focus again,” Bhavanasi said. The stress-reducing effects of music Bhavanasi mentioned are supported by a 2013 study conducted in part by the University of

For senior Nekä Wingert, a simple poem she discovered in middle school has changed the way she has dealt with stress and found herself a new favorite pastime. “I remember in eighth grade, I found a poem titled ‘It’s Funny How,’” Wingert said. “It’s an ironic poem, but I really liked it, and it has gotten me into poetry,” Wingert said she enjoys both writing and listening to poetry to relax, but in order to do that she set up an environment that emphasizes a fun, relaxed atmosphere that prevents any stress that might be correlated with school-assigned poetry. “It’s a safe place — we wouldn’t judge you; it can be something about your life,” Wingert said. “I wanted people to have a place where they could express themselves and read things they wouldn’t usually share.”

30 | oct. 2015 | southwest | www.bvswnews.com | special sections

Marburg. The findings concluded that music alters the psychobiological stress system, for when a stressor was introduced into test subject’s environment, those listening to music responded with less stress than those who were not. The stressors in high school students’ lives can change, whether it be friendship drama or an upcoming test, but regardless, music helps the stress levels of the individual, specifically in Bhavanasi’s case.

POETRY CLUB

This comfortable and open-minded environment Wingert strived to create can be a potential release for many, as poetry has been proven as a long-term stress therapy method. In a test of 97 patients with secondary Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, patients showed a decrease in symptoms from their trauma through poetry therapy. The results are applicable to the poetry club too, as poetry has proven to be a relaxation technique for many in the club. Wingert’s mission to help people feel comfortable, in addition to being a stress reliever, has translated successfully, as senior Izabella Borowiak-Miller has learned to put her thoughts into poetry, especially when in stressful situations. “People should come join poetry club to express themselves,” Borowiak-Miller said. “Whenever I’ve been mad or sad, I just write a poem.”

YOGA CLUB

When senior Lauren Browning needed a release from the relentless college applications and various stresses of senior year, she turned to yoga. “Yoga helps me calm down and destress before my day starts,” Browning said. “For the rest of the day and throughout the week, I have that energy and focus.” When Browning started the club, she had just two other members. After several weeks of meeting each Wednesday morning, the club has started to pick up more of a following, but they are still looking for as many people as possible to come relax. “Just taking 30 minutes each Wednesday morning is a good time to watch the sunrise and be with some cool kids and take a moment to be a human,” Browning said. Browning’s desire to destress before the day begins is becoming an increasing trend throughout America. Currently, Browning joins 18 million other Americans in her routine yoga, and most , as 76 percent of yogis reported that they felt reduced stress after 90 minutes of yoga per week, according to FitnessHealth101.com. Browning said the effect is clear, as she has learned to look at life in a new light. “Yoga has been a reminder that in the middle of senior-year stress, there’s so many things going on around us that we forget to enjoy the present moment,” Browning said. “That’s what yoga is all about — breathing in your body, in the moment, with pure intention.”