BVSW - The Standard - Volume 10 - Issue 3

Juul To the Judge

District sues Juul in effort to fight growing vape industry Pages 15-17

The Standard blue valley southwest | volume 10 | issue 3

2 | contents / the standard / dec. 2019

contents feature 8 | The Den 10 | Golden Graduates 12 | Holding on to the Reins 15 | Juul to the Judge 18 | Holiday Favorites 20 | Powder Paradise 28 | Finals Countdown

sports 30 | Winter Sports Preview

opinion

30

5 | Culture of Christmas 22 | Screen Happy

news 24 | Fatherly Figures 26 | Trays of Change

volume 10 / issue 3 www.bvswnews.com

on the cover A pair of lungs is filled with smoke.

The school district has joined a lawsuit against Juul. pages 15-17 photo illustration by siri chevuru

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4 | editor’s note / the standard / dec. 2019

editor’s note A

s we grow closer to the conclusion of the semester, I find myself generally less motivated and enthusiastic about my sophomore year than when it initially began. Everyone seems to be stressed, overworked and ready for the winter break.

However, there are some things in my life that I feel very passionate about, and I enjoy sharing them with others more than anything.

This publication, among other things, gives me a great outlet to express my thoughts, which is something I am very lucky to have. I feel like everybody needs that something in their life that will help them to manage their stress and keep them motivated.

With finals season approaching, many students have their GPA at the forefront of their mind, which creates a very on-edge environment throughout the entire building. There’s a wide range of ways that students cope with stress. Luckily, this time of year is one that many associate with being happy and full of family.

Despite the test anxieties and busy schedules, the holiday season is one for looking forward to.

This issue, we take a closer look at some of the unique clubs and activities that our school has to offer, along with taking a new angle on how social media can negatively impact our lives. We introduce our winter sports season and show how certain students enjoy their breaks snowboarding with their families. Regardless of your grade in a certain class or specific holiday plans, the upcoming time of year is one that is best spent sharing the love with your friends and family and enjoying your time off.

the standard editor-in-chief isha patel online editor karley kent design editor siri chevuru social media manager sahar baha staff writers luke hottovy sydney wilson rebecca suku maddie sack keithan sharp jamie malmkar ellie phillips josiah davis adviser rachel chushuk The Southwest Standard is published seven times a year for students, faculty and surrounding community of Blue Valley Southwest. It is an open forum for student expression. Therefore, the opinions expressed within this paper do not necessarily reflect the views of the administration of Blue Valley Unified School District #229.

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

| online editor

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

opinion / the standard / dec. 2019 || 5 5

The culture of Christmas society should embrace Christmas as a cultural holiday

6 | opinion / the standard / dec. 2019

A

ll across the world, there are thousands of different religions that represent various cultures, practice-specific traditions and diversify the areas in which they are based. One religious holiday that is celebrated by nearly all Christianity-based faiths is Christmas.

However, over the past 200 years, there has been a significant increase in the number of people who celebrate the holiday, but don’t really understand why. The religious implications of the holiday itself have become increasingly less important than the cultural effects.

Along with this, there has been a recent debate that concerns whether or not it is politically correct to address someone with “Merry Christmas” as opposed to “Happy Holidays” in order to provide religious inclusion. This way of thinking can create a negative tone surrounding all religious holidays, where the season itself should really be focused on time to enjoy with your family and friends, regardless of the faith of the individual.

Sophomore Ben Ziegelman provides insight on how the Christmas culture can affect those with the Jewish faith.

“If I’m being totally honest, Hanukkah isn’t a super big deal to a lot of Jewish people,” Ziegelman said. “The reason it gains so much more attention than a lot of other traditions we take part in is that the time frame for Hanukkah aligns with that of the Christmas season.”

Christmas can go much further than just simply going to church and getting presents. There is an entire realm of customs that go along with the holiday that do not require a religious affiliation. Things like Christmas trees, lights, Santa Claus, cookies and other common family traditions revolve around this cultural aspect of the holiday. Sophomore Kennadie Campbell who believes firmly in the Christian faith, said she thinks that Christmas should be a holiday that all are welcome to enjoy.

“The reason that I celebrate Christmas is to obviously honor the birth of Christ; that’s the reason it began,” Campbell said.

“However, I think that the way it has grown and developed over the years allows for more people to celebrate it, and I see no reason not to include anybody in that.”

Because the season is so significant for many faiths, there is quite a bit of controversy about how we can include everybody within the statement “Happy Holidays.” In reality, though, there is really nothing we can say to make everybody feel like the spirit of Christmas pertains to them. Social studies teacher Mike Hardin said Christmas should be about the experience you share with those you love.

“Christmas is actually considered to be a pagan holiday now as far as I know, and [I] honestly think that is the way it should be,” Hardin said. “Christmas is a time of happiness, friendship, and family regardless of what church you do or don’t go to.”

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There is in no way anything wrong with wanting Christmas to be a spiritual time of year. Religious tolerance is a problem that deserves plenty of attention on its own, but the Christmas season is not meant to create additional strains upon the tension that already exists.

“Christmas has mostly become a commercial thing,” Ziegelman said. “It is a massive marketing ploy that is fueled by all of the gift-giving. Virtually any business can make a profit off Christmas.”

One of the most important things about Christmas to so many who celebrate it are the gifts. All year long, children try to stay on their best behavior in hopes of receiving everything on their list when the day comes around. It can be the most rewarding feeling to watch a family member open a gift that required genuine effort, especially when they appreciate it. The Christmas season, of course, originated from religion but has inevitably also grown to be a massive secular phenomenon.

“I feel like my peers definitely get caught up in the presents and don’t really realize what Christmas actually means,” Campbell said. “I know every cheesy holiday movie out there has already said this, but it really isn’t about the material stuff. It’s obviously exciting to get new things and to be able to share that experience with your family, but it is also about making memories that you will carry with you for the rest of your life.”

What people value in their life has changed over the course of time. It is equally as important now for people to

be focusing on how they spend their time on earth, as it is to be worshiping in order to secure one past that. There are very few times out of the year when people are able to take off work and go home. The holiday season is one of the most impactful in the entire year because it gives people a chance to come together through whatever religion they do or don’t choose to follow.

“I see no reason whatsoever to make anybody feel bad about not celebrating Christmas,” Hardin said. “It’s all about that warm and fuzzy [stuff] anyway.”

Christmas has changed and evolved into a massive cultural holiday that is fueled by secular and religious ideas.

No matter who or what you believe in faithfully, the definition of Christmas is much more inclusive than what people make it out to be. There is no need for being “politically correct” if there is a mutual understanding that people are free to worship in whatever way they want to. Christianity should not limit Christmas, because anybody who wants to enjoy the holiday should have the freedom to do so.

“At the end of the day, that perfect white winter Christmas experience wouldn’t be possible without the people you are with and the happiness that you share with them,” Campbell said. “Just because I like to praise Jesus doesn’t mean everybody does, and I can live with that.”

| karleykent

8 | feature / the standard / dec. 2019

The Den student employees and sponsor weigh in on business proceedings of the school store

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Senior Ashlyn Howard works her shift in The Den during Timber Time B.

any students wear school apparel pertaining to a specific club or team that they are a part of. The apparel is produced and manufactured by specific clubs and organizations within the school, but the hub of all school spirit wear is the school store: The Den. Apart from its spirit wear, The Den does not just sell articles of clothing pertaining to school spirit, but a variety of other items such as notebooks, safety goggles for science class and more.

However, what many may not know is that The Den is much more than a business within the school, and requires a vast amount of work to be upheld and maintained. Currently, The Den occupies a fourth hour class also known as Marketing Management, instructed by business and marketing teacher Erin Fine.

“The Den works directly and is tied in with our DECA club and I am now the head sponsor of DECA,” Fine said. “I have taken over The Den the last three years.”

Marketing Management is one of the few classes that requires an application process which is carried out in a job-like manner.

Head of the Promotion Team, senior Ashlyn Howard, completed a range of business and marketing classes before she enrolled in Marketing Management.

“I took most of the business classes like, Marketing: Sports & Entertainment, Marketing: Branding & Selling [and] Entrepreneurship,” Howard said.

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“You’ll get a little piece of paper that a teacher’s interested for you to interview for The Den,” Howard said. “So you fill out an application and then you go in for an interview and then they get back to you with an answer.”

After the application process subsequent enrollment, comes a great amount of work that has to be done.

Fine said she splits up her students into multiple teams that specialize in different duties around the shop, while she focuses on the large scale part of maintenance.

“We only have 12 students in the class [(and)] 13 that work for The Den.” Fine said. “Because we’re smaller, we kind of overlap some of our team duties but I basically have an apparel team, a promotions team, a specialty team and a finance team and some students work on multiple teams.”

Senior Ben Kimbrough is a part of the design team and said he and the rest of the design team have been creating logos for various sports and clubs recently.

“I know [senior] Tucker Wilson’s working on eSports right now.”

Kimbrough said. “I finished girls bowling, boys swim and dive and ...well, if a club needs something, we’ll get it [done].”

Junior Lizzy Smith, who works for the finance team, maintains a different

aspect of business and the store.

“I, personally, create barcodes for new items [and] print them out,” Smith said. “I do a lot of checking inventory. Just a lot of business stuff.”

The Den has a wide range of inventory in the store, but they also fulfill many online orders.

“When senior shirts came out, there were a lot of people that came in and picked up their shirt,” Kimbrough said.

“And I know some of them even bought stuff from The Den, so that was fun.”

When they’re not working in fourth hour, the students of Marketing Management are required to dedicate their time outside of class to work shifts in The Den. “We started off the year where they worked three shifts outside of class, a week, that’s either before school, during Timber Time, or after school and the shifts are 20 to 30 minutes,” Fine said.

“Right now as we’re leading into winter and finals are going to be coming up, they are now down to two shifts a week so that they can help each other out when other students need to go see teachers, but it’s usually two or three shifts outside of class time a week.”

Furthermore, The Den conducts multiple deals with companies such as

Adidas and Nike, while also keeping the Southwest brand fresh and open to all companies.

“I know some of our other Blue Valley schools have deals with specific brands,” Fine said. “Southwest is not affiliated with any one brand so that keeps everything open.”

Howard also provided a general overview as to how The Den does business on its brand deals.

“Usually we’ll reach out to the different companies and get a quote for how much a certain item would be and if we think it’s too much, then we’ll go check out a different brand,” Howard said. “Then we just have to figure out how to price it in the store so that we can make a profit.”

Finally, taking on an endeavor such as operating a school store is something many of the students tend to use in their future plans, whether it be through college or beyond.

“I’m trying to go into marketing at some point, like sports marketing or sports business and stuff,” Kimbrough said. “So I hope that some of that stuff will carry with me.”

| lukehottovy

10 | feature / the standard / dec. 2019

s e t a u d a r G n e d l o G early graduates explain the process and reasoning behind their decision ne by one, students walk onto the stage to accept their diplomas as they graduate high school. The crowd cheers, the principal shakes their hands and everyone is congratulated on their great accomplishment. As this takes place, the majority of students begin their mental preparation for their next big step in life — college. Surprisingly, by this point, a few students accepting their diplomas have already begun college.

Senior Alayna Tarter said she chose to graduate early to get a head start on college classes. For Tarter, graduating early will allow her to get multiple classes done before she starts her full year of college next fall.

“Graduating early will affect me long term just because I’ll finish college early hopefully,” Tarter said. “I’m planning on

O

going to college for five years and this way I can maybe get done in four or four and a half years.”

In order to graduate early, support from the school is necessary. Counselors help guide the students and give them a variety of options are far as different plans go, but in the end, the final decision is up to the student and his or her parents.

“It was my personal choice to graduate early, but my parents are very supportive and the counseling office has helped me a lot,” Tarter said.

For students in the right circumstances to graduate early, Johnson County Community College is a popular choice for taking classes. It allows the students to be closer to home and attend CAPS and/or high school if they choose.

“I’m currently taking half a day at

Southwest and then going to JCCC in the evening for a few classes,” Tarter said.

“I’m going to be a full-time student at JCCC next semester.”

For students like senior Kristin Tira, being able to take classes and get her college credits for a better price drew her toward the idea of graduating early.

“I wanted to get ahead and get some college credits out of the way because they are a lot cheaper at JCCC than a university like KU or K-State,” Tira said.

Senior Samantha Schnitta is starting college early to play college volleyball at the University of Mississippi where she will start her academic and athletic career. Her coaches advised her to graduate early because she would be able to get in more training before her first season.

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“I’ll be in college for four and a half years, and I don’t know how it’ll affect me,” Schnitta said. “Hopefully, I’ll be able to get more credits done and be able to start life earlier. My coaches down there were like, ‘It’ll be a good idea and we want you to come, but we’re not going to force you because that’s your family’s decision.’”

Unfortunately, there are downsides for students graduating early like missing the final portion of high school. Schnitta said she understands how the last semester of senior year would be the most fun socially, but as far as classes go, she didn’t see the purpose of staying the last semester.

“I kind of feel like it’s a waste a time and I’m just the kind of person that wants to have a list of things to do, things to check off and things to get ready for,” Schnitta said.

Schnitta said she sees the classes she would be taking if she hadn’t decided to graduate early as “time fillers” and is satisfied with the choice she made.

“If I wouldn’t have graduated early, the only real class I would have had to

take was English and government, if I hadn’t taken it this semester,” Schnitta said. “It didn’t seem worth it to me to

“It was my personal choice to g raduate early, but my parents are very supportive and the counseling office has helped me a lot" | senioralaynatarter

come to school for two hours and then have teacher aide or peer tutoring. Even though I like those classes, they’re just time fillers.”

For other early graduates, the last portion of their senior year is more difficult to give up since it features school

dances, senior skip days and more.

“If you graduate early, you kind of do miss some stuff,” Tira said. “You’re not doing your normal lunch anymore and you can go to prom, but it’s not the same in my opinion. I think it’s a little bit different than going to prom if you were there the whole semester compared to if you weren’t.”

After the students picked their plans, they were given the choice to have a graduation lunch in December or come back to school to walk with the other students. They are also allowed to do both.

“I signed up to come back and walk.

So hopefully I’ll get out of college to come. Sounds weird, I know,” Schnitta said. “I get to go to college before I graduate from high school, but hopefully, everything will work out.” | sydneywilson

12 | feature/ the standard/ dec. 2019

Holding on to the Reins

senior Lucy England plans to continue barrel racing and rodeo at the collegiate level

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orseback riding has been a popular pastime for many at “I’ll work in mud; I love working in mud especially with colts school but one student has decided to take it a step further because they’re learning how to get [their footwork], and how to Senior Lucy England has plans to continue her background move in mud,” Lucy said. “It really just helps them, and it’s a good in rodeo and barrel racing onto the collegiate level next year at exercise because it’s like running through sand for us and it’s so Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas. sticky.”

She said she has been riding ever since she was 4 years old Sometimes, Lucy said she needs to work on technique, speed starting off riding English style and then became interested in the or posture in her runs which is when an indoor arena would come Western style when her mom bought Lucy her first horse, Ted, at in handy to practice in. the age of 6.

“There’s some indoor arenas around here that cost us, per “[When] I turned 13 or 14, I really started to mature in my horse, like $10 or something. Sometimes it’s $20 a truck and you riding and be like, ‘Oh, I can do this. I definitely want to grow and can have however many horses and I’ll go to some of those barns want to do this,” Lucy said. and work horses and lights and everything,” Lucy said. “Winter is She said she first start barrel racing in eighth really hard because it gets dark super early. grade and prefers it over rodeoing due to having I’m riding at like nine o’clock at night, and “[When] I turned 13 or 14 I really hoping I don’t run into anything. That’s better ground to race her horses on.

“I barrel race more just because there’s a lot started to mature in my riding why these indoor barns are great, too. It’s more local jackpots,” Lucy said. “I’m not saying and be like, ‘Oh, I can do this. just hard to find them because there’s not a there’s not a lot of local rodeos — because This is fun so that’s when I real- lot around here.” there are — but you always hear barrel racers ly started like getting into [riding] When it comes to racing, Lucy said there complain about bad ground regardless because oh, I definitely want to grow I are different objectives of barrel racing, so we care about our horses’ legs.” the barrel pattern is a cloverleaf pattern. definitely want to do this,’” However, this isn’t the case all the time.

“You can either go left, right, right, or |seniorlucyengland Lucy’s mom, Janette England, said there are right, left, left, and all those turns are being always risks being taken when racing. made on the inside. So you have to go all “They’re always risk there,” Janette said. “I don’t know anything the way around and complete a circle,” Lucy said. “When you’re that you do that doesn’t have a risk ... there have been deaths training horses, it’s really important that they finish that circle. associated with barrel racing. Accidents happen. The horses get Because if they don’t, that’s a waste of time, because you also hurt. People get hurt. Definitely there’s danger in it.” remember that but also that can put you in more danger going in.”

Over the summer, Lucy said she came close to having an Lucy said there is a five second penalty given for each barrel accident while riding Ted. that is knocked down at barrel breakaways. However, in actual “If a horse doesn’t stay square going around a barrel and their barrel races, Lucy said the rider is disqualified immediately if a shoulder drops, then it causes their whole body to kind of flop barrel is knocked down. In the end, the rider with the fastest time over them so they can roll and I rolled multiple times that was wins. the scariest just because I could feel the trip when I went in and I Senior Lauren Peak, a close friend of Lucy, said she enjoys knew he was going down and my feet touched the ground,” Lucy attending competitions and watching Lucy ride. Peak said she said. “It was kind of weird, but he didn’t roll on top of me. He learned to ride by taking lessons from Lucy’s former coach at the stayed square and kept me safe.” barn she practices.

Lucy said she practices riding at a barn near her house off of “She usually brings three to four horses when she goes, so she’s 270th and Mission Road where she boards her horses and keeps all always going out and warming horses up and then bringing them of her equipment. With the weather currently changing, she said back and then getting them settled and ready for competition,” tries to go out and practice almost every day depending on her Peak said. “Usually, she’ll have me warm some of her horses up or work schedule, spending about an hour with each of her current just get them tacked up.” three horses.

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Janette said she tries to support her daughter in any way possible by attending her competitions, watching her runs and even ride with Lucy.

Peak said the atmosphere at competitions is crazy but the people are energetic and happy and willing to talk to each other.

“I think it depends on how many horses she brings and just like the certain competition, but the times I’ve gone, it has lasted probably five hours,” Peak said. “I think we’ve been to a couple in Louisburg and Wichita. She travels to Oklahoma sometimes for barrel races and I know she’s gone to Texas as well.”

For rodeo competitions, Lucy said entrance is broken down into different levels.

“You have your amateur like, yeah, I’m here. I’m doing well or you have like your pros, and there’s college level as well,” Lucy said. “Amateur is kind of like what’s around here. There’s also like little riches rodeo, which is specifically for like kids under [the] high school level, like both ages can’t compete there.”

She said there is also a high school division for just high school riders which is split by each state and the National High School Finals takes place in Wyoming. As for college rodeo, it is split in divisions such as the Central Plain region, Big Plains region and more depending on which state the rider lives in. Pro rodeo is similarly structured to college rodeo, split into divisions by regions.

She said depending on how you perform money and points rack up qualifying some to the pro rodeo National Final in December in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Her mom said it is “amazing to watch her from the time that she started riding and watch her progress over all these years and now to see her controlling the horse that used to control her” at these competitions.

For Lucy, she said the next competition season is going to be crazy because she will be riding her colt, who is currently in training in addition to the two horses she already competes with.

“He’s 3 and then I have a 14 year old and a 17 year old, And so I want my 14 and 17 year old at races all the time, but I take all three and I expo my colt which is basically like practice runs,” Lucy said. “I’ll kind of be doing a little bit futurity on my colt which is basically [competing with] horses five and under,” Lucy said. “There’s different levels for that. But [I will] also be going to a little bit rodeos with them since he’s going to be expected to go to college rodeos.”

Janette said her favorite part to watch in the competitions is the competitiveness. “[I like] Watching the way people control their horses, [and the] speed involved in order to [have] agility,” Janette said.

Lucy said her favorite event every year is the St. Jude’s barrel race in St. Louis. She said contestants ride to raise money for St.

Senior Lucy England smiles while sitting on top of her horse during one of her practices.

Jude’s hospital and for raising a certain amount of money. Prizes are awarded to the riders.

“The first year we went, it was 2017 and I raised $5,000,” Lucy said. “The first year I did it and won a saddle from it, and the next year I raised over $2,000 and got a belt buckle for it.

Lucy said she enjoys this event because of the friendly atmosphere and the nice people she meets every year. The objective is to raise money for a good cause and she said if a barrel is knocked over or someone had a bad run, you recover quickly because it all about riding for fun.

“It’s just great because everyone is there to help the same cause and everyone’s so supportive, which I really love,” Lucy said. “When you win money, it’s always great regardless of if you’re fifth division last place, or first division first place, right?

It’s great either way, because everyone’s so supportive.”

When is comes to Lucy’s riding and decision to continue at the collegiate level, Peak said she is excited to see all of the great things Lucy does and is glad she is continuing with her passion.

Janette said she is happy as well and thinks it is great and is something that can stay with Lucy for the rest of her life.

“For me, mostly [riding has] really built my self confidence and really helped me grow as a rider, and I’ve met so many great friends and everything [from it],” Lucy said.

|ishapatel photo courtesy of Lucy England

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news / the standard / dec. 2019 | 15

Juul to the Judge

district sues Juul in effort to fight growing vape industry

16 | news / the standard / dec. 2019

“Juul purposely, through their advertising, identified and directed their advertising to teenage youths.” | superintendenttoddwhite

Editor’s note: In order to protect the identity of a student, he will be referred to as Edward Matthews.

O 78% increase in vape usage among high school students from 2017 to 2018 According to centers for disease control

No tax payer’s funds will be used as part of the litigation

n Oct. 28, 2019, the Blue Valley School District filed a lawsuit against Juul Labs, Inc. Blue Valley justified the case by stating that Juul use “detracts from educators’ limited time and resources to educate,” as well as forcing educators to “combat, police and try to prevent” Juul use in school.

The district is suing for an undisclosed amount.

Meanwhile, superintendent Todd White said the district has incorporated stricter penalties regarding vapes, specifically changing the classification of vaping from a tobacco incident to a drug incident.

“I’ve been a superintendent now for 17 years, and I’ve never been associated with a school district that did what we did last year, which was in the middle of the school year, we changed how we were disciplining a particular infraction,” White said.

According to the CDC, as of Nov. 20, 2019 there have been over 2,000 cases of vaping-related illness/injury and 42 deaths. Nurse Mitzi Edwards said there is sure to be more in the future.

“We still don’t have any idea what this is going to do to a person’s lungs 20, 30, 40 years down the road,” Edwards said. “I have a feeling the impacts are going to be much more devastating than we realize.”

Even with the stricter punishment, White said he is turning to the legal system to force Juul to correct their alleged wrongdoings.

“Juul purposefully, through their

advertising, identified and directed their advertising to teenage youths,” White said. “You can take a look at their social media posts, the use of teenage models that were involved in it. You can take a look at their TV ads, both the time that they were done, the programming that it was attached to — I mean, there’s a variety of things from a media standpoint that they utilized to both get into that market and then to continue to hook it.”

White said he wants Juul to be forced to create cessation, addiction and remediation programs to help teenagers who have been harmed by Juul.

“My hope is that the people that were responsible for generating this problem in the first place, Juul, that resources are provided by them to American Lung, American Heart, Pediatric Association of America and others to develop these programs because we have students now who are going to be addicted for a very long time,” White said.

White said the district hopes Juul will compensate schools, but more importantly, pay for new addiction programs. There is currently nothing in the works to help students outside of school.

“I honestly wish that drastic measures could be taken to make them illegal,” Edwards said. “There’s nothing good that will come out of it, especially with young peoples’ bodies that are still growing and developing.”

Junior Edward Matthews began vaping at the end of his freshman year, and said he has noticed the effects on his health.

“Your lungs get super moist, and I cough up loogies all the time,” Matthews said. “Your breathing gets really weird; you get raspy breath.”

Matthews said he started to use Juul to help with anxiety and stress from school, parents and friends. He would go to the bathroom and Juul to help relax after a difficult test, for example. After the district incorporated stricter punishment on vapes, he said he has stopped vaping on school grounds.

“I used to sell them. I sold on the side for a little bit, so I refilled peoples’ pods.

Once they put a 45 day suspension on that, I was like, ‘no,’” Matthews said. “And I know a lot of people — a couple people I know — brought them to school, and they stopped doing that.”

Another harmful effect of vaping is that the lungs are never able to heal, science teacher Chris Jenson said.

Unlike cigarettes, vapes permanently scar

“I honestly wish that drastic measures could be taken to make them illegal.” |nursemitziedwards

the lungs, narrowing the airways.

“You have to live with [the effects] for the rest of your life, meaning that you’re always going to be impaired. You’re not going to have the same lung capacity as someone else,” Jenson said. “Your 35-year-old self is very interested in the decision your 15-year-old self is making.”

Jenson said the nicotine salts used

by Juul are specifically engineered to decrease the body’s natural reaction to ingestion of a foreign drug. Usually the reaction is a hard cough, and the nicotine salts are made to decrease the cough, thus allowing more nicotine into the body with fewer noticeable side effects.

“What we see in general with nicotine salts is that you have the capability of delivering higher doses of nicotine, making it more addictive,” Jenson said.

White said the actions taken by Juul that violated the law were directing their marketing campaign to underage users.

“Did they willingly participate in creating, sponsoring and then identifying a certain group of students, or adults, that were vulnerable, meaning that they didn’t know the effects of this?” White said. “I believe, based upon what the attorneys have provided, as well as others that have joined the lawsuit, believe that they absolutely did.”

Because of the use of Juul in teenagers, White predicts there are going to be societal consequences similar to that of other stimulant drugs.

“Years ago we worried about crack babies, we worried about meth babies.

We’re going to have vape babies,” White said. “They’re going to have some physiological, mental or other impairments because of the ingestion of nicotine in the blood system of their mother. I believe that it needs to be the people that created that mess in the first place that need to be responsible for paying for [assistance programs].”

Jenson said he worries the focus is too much on the issue on school property, and therefore, has made vaping a before and after school issue as opposed to eliminating the act altogether.

“We’re looking at a vaping cessation program that [includes] very specific information to this community that we could present to a student and parents and say this is exactly how you do it — here’s who you contact, here’s who you call, here’s what you do, and we intend to roll that out in 2020,” Jenson said.

Matthews said he isn’t convinced that suing Juul will have any impact on the long-term issues at hand, such as student dependencies and health.

“They can be using those resources to help better our school and help better our education, rather than fighting for people being stupid for vaping at school,” Matthews said.

White said by raising awareness and education about the dangerous effects of vaping, he hopes that students will be more cognizant of the risks, both inside and out of school.

“My hope...is that we see a decrease in use of vapes among students,” White said. “I hope that we see fewer and fewer students that want to sell it… [and] I hope that we can provide them with some assistance, whatever form that looks like.”

|keithansharp

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“We’re going to have vape babies.” | superintendenttoddwhite

18 | feature / the standard / dec. 2019

HOLIDAY

Favorites

Students and staff share what they enjoy during the holiday season Be sure to check out Wolfbyte’s December show on YouTube and subscribe to their channel

“So after my family goes to “My favorite tradition of Hanukkah is Christmas Eve service, we go to a the Seder meal. My mom makes this nice restaurant like Bone Fish or really good family brisket and makes Lydia’s, and we have a nice family latkes, and we just basically hog out.” | juniorhannahginsberg dinner there. Afterward, once we get home, we always open one gift and it’s always either a pair of pajamas or sweatpants, something fun like that, and then we wear it to bed that night. And then my brother and I spend the night together in each other’s rooms and wake up the next morning.” | juniorlaurenheck

“My favorite thing about Diwali is my grandma makes a ton of snacks and stuff and it just sets the mood. It’s really fun because you get gifts and when my grandma starts making the snacks, it’s kind of like ‘Ooh Diwali has started.’” | freshmanvritipatel

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“My favorite holiday vacation was when we went to Hawaii because it was really pretty there. I enjoyed going somewhere far away and seeing new landscapes different from Kansas, because Kansas is pretty boring. We also got to spend a lot of time together as a family, which was really fun.” | sophomorenatekaestner “One of my favorite vacations was Disney World because during the Holidays they had special events there, like fireworks and special themed performances, which made it more fun during the holiday season.” | freshmanmaleenabaha “We would do this vacation with my dad, so I lived in Los Angeles, and we would drive out to the desert in California where my grandparents live. Being out in the desert and being in an open space, seeing the scenery that is in the desert in the winter, it’s actually a really beautiful place. I always have had a lot of good memories, just hanging out with my grandparents, and it was a lot of fun.” | scienceteacheraaronballew

“My favorite holiday drink is sparkling grape cider, specifically the Welch’s white grape one, because the bottles are pretty and you always have to drink it in a champagne glass because that is the only way to drink sparkling grape cider. Also if you mix it with orange juice and fruits, it tastes really good.” | juniorkristinawu “During the holiday season, my favorite thing to drink is a dark hot chocolate with whipped cream on top.” | seniorjacobcarnes “My favorite is hot chocolate topped with whipped cream and just for funsies, I add a little bit of cheese. I take a cheese cube and dip it into the hot chocolate and eat it.” | juniorannavenegas

“On Christmas morning, I received a puppy and my parents had got it on Christmas Eve in Iowa at the puppy mill. They brought it to our house and surprised us and they put a bow on her head, it was so cute. It was awesome.” | seniorcaseymills “I got these new shoes, that I had been waiting forever, and I finally got them last Christmas.” | freshmanjackgaines “I received a television for Christmas when I was probably 7 or 8 years old.” | socialstudiesteacherjasonpendelton

| rebeccasuku

Powder Paradise

20 | feature / the standard / dec. 2019

students share what keeps them returning to the ski slopes every year

Isaac LaCroix

F

reshman Isaac LaCroix started snowboarding in fifth grade. Since then, his passion for the sport has only grown and his skill level has improved. Although, in order to improve, risks were taken. LaCroix said when he reached a certain point, he wanted to give the terrain parks, where riders can do tricks, a shot.

“Last year actually, I did a ramp that was too big and I ended up falling and breaking my arm and my pelvis and that wasn't fun,” LaCroix said.

Skiing and snowboarding do not come without repercussions. However, the risk seems to be worth the reward for many riders.

“My mind feels really clear. Everything about it is just relaxing,” LaCroix said. “Once you get up on the lift and then just being able to talk to friends up there and then just making your way back down is also a lot of fun.”

LaCroix had advice for anyone interested in snowboarding.

“Make sure you know what you're doing and don't do anything above your skill level,” LaCroix said.

Taylor Gillis

O

n the slopes since middle school, senior Taylor Gillis finds skiing a calming activity that she describes as “super fun.”

“You can just kind of relax and let go and just ski and it's really pretty,” Gillis said. “I love the snow.”

Gillis’s love for snow has kept her interested in skiing.

Skiing isn’t all about the tricks or the skill level, even novice skiers can have fun and enjoy their time on the mountain by continuing to improve and seeing themselves grow as a skier or rider.

“Oh, I am an awful skier, but I still think it's super fun,” Gillis said. “So like probably the level of like my 7-year-old brother.”

Nevertheless, she still has found a way to find joy and a sense of peace from skiing.

“I love the mountains and being able to go up and see all the snow and be able to look down over onto Colorado and the little ski town,” Gillis said. “I think that's my favorite part.”

The views from the top of the mountains are one of the best parts for Gillis. The quaint stores, restaurants and ski shops add to the ambiance of Copper Mountain. Another enjoyable aspect of skiing is the rush of adrenaline. “[I feel] kind of terrified but still free,” Gillis said. “I let loose, but [I am] still a little scared.”

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Brooke Hill

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rom a very young age, sophomore Brooke Hill has been going skiing every year with her family. Hill said she enjoys the rush of adrenaline and the beautiful views. There also is a sense of nostalgia that comes with skiing for Hill.

“I think it's just something that has a lot of memories,” Hill said. I remember my first time going on one of the bunny hills, I remember my first time going on a blue, my first time going on a black.”

It seems that the feeling of the cold breeze and the snow beneath her skis brings about memories from her childhood.

Skiing has another significance to Hill; she values the chance that it gives her to bond with her dad.

“Me and my dad went up one time when it was just us because my mom and my brother were in New York for that time of the year,” Hill said. “We just got closer and I feel like that was the trip where I really improved because that's something that he's always been passionate about. He shared that passion with me and it's something I'm really thankful for.”

Hill said she appreciates the variety of options of ski resorts. Her condo is located on Lake Dillon which is near Keystone, Breckenridge, Copper and Vail. However, she said her favorite place to go is Beaver Creek. She described the views as “super pretty.” Skiing seems to have an escapism aspect to it. This is one reason many people view it as an addictive sport. Hill said skiing serves as a chance to clear her mind.

“I just feel genuinely happy and I feel like I'm not thinking about anything else,” Hill said. “I'm just thinking about the placement of the skis and the snow, just going down the mountain and nothing else.”

Drake Mitchem

S

ophomore Drake Mitchem has been snowboarding since he was 8 years old. He goes to Winter Park each year. Mitchem said he enjoys going to Winter Park because of the wide variety of options ranging from green to triple black diamonds.

“I like how there's a lot of different runs,” Mitchem said.

“It's a pretty big resort so there's a big variety in between some smaller runs, some harder longer runs.”

Mitchem also loves the stress free nature of snowboarding.

He wakes up late and gets to the mountain at his own leisure and then does basically anything he wants for the whole day. “[I like] probably just the freedom,” Mitchem said. “I like to just go to the mountain at 10 o'clock in the morning and just go have fun and do whatever for like six hours.”

As Mitchem returned to the slopes annually, his skill level drastically improved. Now, he considers himself to be “pretty good.”

“My favorite run to do is the hardest run at Winter Park, The Cirque,” Mitchem said.

There is always a turning point for snowboarders where they feel as if they have mastered linking turns and going down the mountain with ease. At this point, many challenge themselves by expanding their skills to the terrain park or powder fields.

“There's always a new thing you can learn. It's not like you hit a certain point where you've done everything [or] you've learned everything,” Mitchem said. “There is always a new run you can go on, a new trick you can try.”

No matter which route one takes, each option is appealing for different reasons. Landing a jump or perfecting a grab is fun for some, while others would tend to enjoy the euphoric feeling of untouched powder. Mitchem said he enjoys both.

“The terrain park is pretty fun. I mean, I prefer just longer runs,” Mitchem said. “I like to go try to find a powder field somewhere, but ramps and rails at terrain parks are pretty fun too.”

When the weather starts to get frosty, Mitchem said he has snowboarding in the back of his mind.

“It's kind of been a tradition now for our family to go every year,” Mitchem said. “When it starts getting cold, I start thinking about our family trip to Colorado.”

| elliephillips

22 | opinion / the standard / dec. 2019

Screen Happy social media can have a negative affect on happiness

O

ur generation is the first to grow up wired to life online, something that is and continues to be a mystery to scientists. There are countless research studies dedicated to finding out the true effects of what technology is doing to our minds and bodies. Could it be an unhealthy obsession for our society? Does it affect our happiness?

“It’s really easy to forget that what people are posting is something that they have selected carefully,” counselor Kristi Dixon said.

Today, social media has a significant impact on the way we see the world. “Social Media and Cultural Studies” is even offered as a degree at universities across the globe. Each day, we are bombarded by messages that can impact the way we think, what we think about and how we view our thoughts.

Through the power of social media, organizations and individuals can reach audiences in staggering numbers not previously accessible through traditional media channels. Although the positive effects of social media are overwhelming, the negative effects are now coming into view. Scrolling through her Instagram feed, sophomore Sophie Ellis said she becomes more and more weighed down by all of the negativity she sees on her screen.

“Some people are very honest and can show their true

selves through it,” Ellis said. “But I feel like other people pretend that their life is better on social media than it is in real life and try and put up a facade.”

Some people have taken the anonymous aspects of social media and used it to their advantage, making it difficult to decipher what’s real and what’s not.

According to Edweek.org, in a survey done by Digital Education, 81 percent of teens now use social media, and 70 percent use it quite a few times a day. Nearly three-fourths check social media daily, commonsense.org found, including 38 percent of teens who do so “constantly” or “many times an hour.” This information shows how addictive these platforms can be, and how it has become a large part of our lives.

“I think that everyone is kind of addicted to social media,” Ellis said. “It’s like we are all connected whether you try to be or not.”

If we feel we are less popular and less happy than our friends, then there is a risk that this has a detrimental effect on our happiness through social comparison.

“I definitely think when I’m on social media a lot, comparing myself to others, I kind of get down on myself,” junior Kate Sawaya said.

| 23

According to Psychologyinaction.org, social media has been linked to a new phenomenon known as the fear of missing out, as well as social anxiety, emotional distress, problems regarding body image and depression. It is easy to think that you know someone’s life just by liking their Instagram post, but the reality is, people are only showcasing the best aspects of their life.

“I definitely think it makes us less social, even though it’s called social media,” Sawaya said. “We aren’t as willing to call someone or reach out and text someone what we think and sometimes we tend to think we have everyone’s life all figured out based on what they post when in reality, there’s always more to the story.”

In an article on psychologicalscience.org, Ed Diener, a professor of psychology at the University of Illinois, said five factors that contribute to happiness are having social relationships, temperament/adaptation, money, society and culture, and positive thinking styles. Happy people have strong social relationships.

“Happiness, to me, is a feeling where it’s like you’re overwhelmed with joy, and you just feel alive,” Ellis said.

“It’s like you’re being overwhelmed with laughter and then it’s the euphoric feeling of just being free.”

You can’t determine your self-worth or happiness from the validation of others, especially through a screen. In a world full of algorithms, hashtags and followers, you should keep in mind the true importance of human connection and authentic, real-life relationships.

“Social media affects my confidence because everyone in their life seems so much better online,” Ellis said. “So you assume their life is perfect and then compare yours and

notice how ‘bad’ your life is in comparison to theirs.”

Mainstream media presents unrealistic beauty standards in the form of Photoshopped celebrities or Instagram models. Now that influencers fill up our feeds, it’s easy to judge your own body image.

Although so many aspects seem to be negative, Dixon said social media can be a “wonderful tool to connect people and to advertise opportunities.”

It can give a newfound confidence to those who are more shy or introverted. You can create a positive footprint and learn to dominate your online presence, as well as using it to boost your creativity.

Junior Abigale Stapely said she is likes the creative side of the platform.

“I have Instagram but I don’t use it for social media. I use it to look at the art pages,” Stapely said.

Good or bad, social media has had an affect on all of us.

Though it had been proven useful in many ways, it seems as though it can be taken advantage of. You can hide behind a screen and have unlimited amounts of freedom.

Sometimes you can get caught up and lose track of time. Sawaya said her mom doesn’t really like social media because it seems like a waste of time.

“If I’m on social media, I like to keep in contact with family members. I feel happy because I feel like I’m staying in contact with them,” Sawaya said. “But on the downside, other times, I’m comparing myself or looking at my life in comparison and it feels like I’m not progressing as much as I should be.”

| maddiesack

Fatherly | 13

24 | news / the standard / dec. 2019

Father’s Club makes an impact on the school community

F

rom putting out the fire at the Homecoming Bonfire to roaming the halls on Fridays during Timber Time, Father’s Club has become more involved over the past year. They are on a mission to being more present in students’ lives by providing advice and life skills on how to succeed inside and outside of school.

Daughter of a member of the Father’s Club and sophomore Emma Hildebrand talks about how many moms have always been a part of a child’s school experience through the ParentTeacher Organization. The Father’s Club is giving dads their own way to become involved.

“Moms have always been the ones that are a part of the PTO ... you rarely ever see dads,” Emma said “[Father’s Club] goal is to make sure that the kids knew that [fathers] were involved in [their kids’] experience.”

The Father’s Club has helped Emma and her dad get closer and given her the opportunity to see her dad more. Co-chairman of the club Todd Milner said how the club has helped fathers become more aware of issues happening in their kids’ lives.

“As men, as dads, we think we can play a stronger role in our kids’ lives, our community, our teachers and talking about things that are important,” Milner said.

With the club starting up at the beginning of January 2019, they greeted students with Chick-fil-A sandwiches as they were coming back from winter break. They then continued by attending AVID classes and offering insight into their personal occupations and life in the workforce. With their increased activeness in school activities, they have grown a lot over the past year.

“Last year, they tend[ed] to stay in the cafeteria, and now they’re going all throughout the halls and to all different areas of the school,” Emma said. “So they meet all sorts of different people from all grade levels instead of just the few people that sit in the commons.”

Having them travel all throughout the school has made Father’s Club available to a wider range of students. Although they only have 4 to 5 fathers come down for Timber Time each Friday, they always have the students’ best interest in mind.

Active member of Father’s Club, Joe Hildebrand, is a frequent visitor to the Timber Time sessions “What we’re wanting them to do more than anything is just know that we’re there,” Hildebrand said.

Having been at our school for 15 months now, students are starting to see the positive effects of having fathers be more involved at school. Senior Jackson McCall has seen this firsthand as the Father’s Club visited the senior AVID class

Father’s Club members Mike Price and Dan Pashke hand out lollipops with messages to students in the Commons on Thursday, Nov. 21 for Mental Health Week. on Nov. 8. As the AVID class made plans to visit a college fair, Father’s Club was able to help prepare the students. “[Father’s Club] just helped us prepare resumes and ...[taught] us how to approach the table for future job opportunities,” McCall said.

Milner said sharing their life experiences with students in order to better equip them for their futures is a goal that Father’s Club is aiming to achieve. “[Father’s Club is] working with the AVID teachers to come in and do what’s called life skills,” Milner said. “What we want to do is show up and you know, if it’s the senior class, maybe they want to talk about resume building and interviewing.”

Educators are able to teach the concepts to help with students futures, but the fathers of Father’s Club can help guide students by offering their real-life experiences in different fields of occupations.

McCall said that Father’s Club is helping to give an outside perspective that is helping him and the rest of his senior AVID class.

“I found it very beneficial because they’ve all been in realworld situations with interviews and things like that,” McCall said “And they just gave us a point of view that [AVID teacher Erin] Fine couldn’t necessarily give us.”

Many students in the district are focused on academics and Milner said students can be academically accomplished, but if they don’t know how to apply that to their futures, then that’s all right as well. Milner said academics shouldn’t be the sole focus, because for some students pursuing a career that doesn’t focus on academics is a valid option.

“And that’s all really good stuff, as long as you know what

Figures you’re going to do with all that. Right?” Milner said. “If you don’t know, maybe academics isn’t your thing, but you’re really good with your hands. Why would you not pursue a passion in art or in construction or in welding or landscaping or whatever it might be that may or may not require a four year degree, but you find your passion in life?”

Father’s Club has also made a point in getting more involved in mental health awareness and how they can be more prepared and educated on the impact of mental health on this generation.

They partnered with Sources of Strength to help out with Mental Health Week, and have taken time out of their busy lives to get the training and knowledge they need in order to better assist students struggling with mental illness.

Joe said they helped put up fliers with hotline phone numbers during Suicide Awareness Week. Many fathers participated in the mental health certification program. By doing this, fathers can have a more personal connection with students and have a basis of knowledge so the situation can be handled better.

“A number of us have been mental health certified,” Milner said. “So we’re not experts, but we have the capacity and at least enough education.”

On Tuesday Nov. 12 Father’s Club Co-Chairman Donny Thomas shoots while competing in Hoops for Hope.

| 25

Junior Kristina Wu poses with Father’s Club member, Andrew Kneisler on Nov. 21.

Having 30 of the fathers participate in this program and having done one session already and plans for another one is helping to educate all the members on how to approach the situation.

“It’s such a big deal and we’re losing too many kids to suicide and...it’s just helping equip us a little bit, we’re certainly not experts by any means, but it’s just helping equip us with hopefully being able to answer questions and make a difference,” Joe said.

The Father’s Club logo, symbolizing three interlocked shields, represents their three principles. The first being a focus on students and building relationships with students, which is evident especially for many students whose fathers are involved in the club. For Emma, it has helped her get closer with her dad.

“He was always traveling, but he’s made a point to stay around here more often so he can come to the school,” Emma said.

Milner said the second principle of the club is to help dads gather within a community and build relationships with other fathers who also share a passion for the message of Father’s Club.

The last principle that represents the last shield of the logo is community and being able to come together as one community and better the lives of kids.

“You know, it’s kind of intimidating a little bit...to walk up to a bunch of kids and try to figure out how to start a conversation with them is more difficult.” Hildebrand said. “What we’re wanting them to do more than anything is just know that we’re there; that we care that hopefully, we can make a difference.” | saharbaha

26 | news / the standard / dec. 2019

Trays of

Change

| 27

Environmental Club implements use of compostable trays ith new recyclable and compostable objects, more people are working toward environmental conservation. The district is doing their part by implementing compostable trays in the cafeteria of all Blue Valley schools. This idea was proposed by the Environmental Club, an organization that is concerned with the conservation and protection of the environment. Each week, club members go around the school collecting recycling bins from each classroom and helping clean up the courtyard by picking up trash. Even with these other tasks, implementing compostable trays was their main project.

Environmental Club sponsor Deborah Cash said they had been working on the idea for a couple of years, researching and developing the idea into a plan. Only recently have the new trays been put into effect. “[The club] started working on it, [they] took the ball and ran with it,” Cash said. “It was a long process and we had to meet with a sales rep from Huhtamaki. We had to get them to quote us a price, then we had to go to the district food service manager and talk with him. [We] had to get all of those people together to talk about [the trays] and then we had to talk to [principal Scott] Roberts.”

While the trays are more friendly for the environment, they also cost more money to make. In order to implement the trays, the school district had to raise the budget when the company that the club partnered with stated a price.

W

LK I M

“It’s three or four cents more per tray,” Cash said. “We use several hundred trays a day just at [Southwest], so you can imagine what it would be like for all five high schools.”

Despite the increased cost, the trays are made of cardboard, meaning they are easier to break down. Junior Subhan Jamal said the club is in the process of finding a partner to compost the used trays. Eventually, the trays will be sent to a compost instead of a landfill, decreasing the amount of waste.

“The overall goal is to basically lower the amount of waste we cause and to lower the hazardous waste,” Jamal said. “The cardboard trays we currently have will probably only take a couple of years to fully degrade.”

Due to the different material, the cardboard trays have a different quality than the Styrofoam ones. Overall, Jamal said he thought the new trays are more useful than the Styrofoam trays.

“From what I’ve seen, [the trays are] a lot better than Styrofoam trays. People no longer have to grab three for their food not to fall right through,” Jamal said. “The only problem that [we] know of is when you place a really moist thing on the surface, it gets a little wet. But other than that, it’s been a lot better than the Styrofoam ones.”

Senior Peyton Moore joined the Environmental Club late last year after the idea was proposed. She said the trays were a good idea and have had positive results.

“When I first saw [the trays] in the lunch room, I thought it was kind of just a new thing,” Moore said. “I didn’t realize that the Environmental Club had anything to do with it.”

Jamal said the Environmental Club meets a couple times a month and carries out tasks almost every week including the recycling bins and cleanup. He said while they may get off task sometimes, they generally discuss the projects they are working on and make progress on future plans.

“We’re kind of changing the pace this year, so we are basically separating ourselves into groups, and we’re starting different projects,” Jamal

said. “Sometimes we get off track, but we overall try to do something with ourselves and with the environment.”

The Environmental Club is currently working on new activities around school to further their objectives. Moore said they are planning to hold an Environmental Week during second semester in which they will have different activities relating to the environment. Moore also said the club has ideas of implementing reusable metal and plastic straws in everyday life. Their overall goal of these different activities is to promote the care and protection of the environment at school and around our community. “[The Environmental Club] is just a group of people who are wanting to — not change the way the environment functions — but at least do our part in helping it,” Moore said. | jamiemalmkar

What do you do when stressed?

28 | feature / the standard / dec. 2019

FINALS COUNTDOWN

Listen to music

100 students surveyed about finals stress Cry

How do you study?

Sleep

Study Guides

1

10

2

3

Binge watch

4

Notes

9

Stress Levels students rank their stress from 1-10

Videos

Flash Cards

5 6

Eat

7

Nothing

8 “I guess I kind of just take a break from whatever is stressing me out. So if it’s homework, then I’ll just take a break from it and I’ll kind of regather myself, and just tell myself that I just got to do it.” | sophomorerabiyashoaib

Other

Other

How do you cope with stress?

“A lot of the time I take notes all on my computer, and so I’ll go back and I’ll look through everything. So a lot of the time it’s looking over tests and quizzes and seeing what I missed. And really hitting hard on...the stuff that I got wrong.” | junioralexermgodts

Exercise

Shower Organize

Breathe

Nothing

Other

What class Is the most stressful?

Science

Math

Language Social Studies

ELA

Do you cope with stress well?

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How long do you stay up studying?

12:00

Before 11

After 2

1:00

“It depends on which finals I have and how hard I’ve studied before that, but [I] always [stay up] after one, sometimes try to cut it off at two, but then like, if I still need more time, then I get up at five and pound out more.” | junioremilyhope

What type of final is most stressfull?

Test Essay Project

Time Content Grade Weight

What Is Most Stressful About Finals?

How To Help With Stress

Breathe

Sleep

“I think I cope with stress pretty well.

I mean, I think I just go into sort of autopilot when I’m stressed out. I think I deal with it well.” | sophomorecarolynbrotherson

Get Moving

Stay Hydrated

|sirichevuru

30 | sports / the standard / dec. 2019

Winter Sports Preview athletes prepare for the upcoming winter season

1 1.Sophomore Jinwoo Kim looks up at the hoop after shooting the ball during basketball tryouts. “My goal is to do well myself, but mainly to do well in the EKL, because it’s most the most competitive league in Kansas,” Kim said. “And ultimately, go for state this year.

We have a lot of returning seniors so we should do good with that.” 2.

Freshman Anthony Melick takes a breath as he makes an open turn at the end of the swimming pool.

“I was really excited for that team spirit kind of thing. You know, just being with teammates all the time; it was more like a family than an actual team.”

2

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3

3.Freshman Sultan Bayazid stands in a bridge pose as a part of the stretching exercises the wrestling team does at the start of each practice.

4

5

4. Sophomore Charlie Christenson dribbles two basketballs up and down the gym floor as a part of a drill during boys basketball tryouts on Nov. 19.

“We’re hoping to win some games and [have a] positive record and [win the] first game,” Christenson said.

5. Senior Maddie Garretson holds a basketball in her hands about to take a step to dribble the ball on the court.

“We want to get back to state this year,” Garretson said. “We were runner up last year which was pretty cool.

There’s definitely a lot of change this year with a new coach and a new player from Chicago, so that is awesome.”

32 | sports/ the standard / dec. 2019

7. Freshman Beckett Dupriest takes a breath while swimming freestyle during the first day of boys swim tryouts on Nov. 18. 8. Junior Sydney Beck smiles while holding a basketball waiting for her turn to take a shot at the hoop. “I think we have great team chemistry,” Beck said. “And I’m really excited to see the great things we can accomplish this season. We have some really solid players, as well as some newcomers, but I think we’re really a cohesive group and we’ll work together on the court.”

7

8 9. Freshman Joseph Lochner sits in a bridge position rolling his head during an exercise at the start of wrestling practice on Nov. 19.

7 9

|josiahdavis |ishapatel