The Tiger Print — March 2016

Blue Valley High School — Vol. 46 — Issue 6 — March 2016 — Overland Park, Kansas

Party Animals: Student discussion of ideologies, policies shed light on political belief systems Photo illustration by Isabelle Allen.

2 inthenews March 2016

inside this issue NEWS

2

A WALK TO REMEMBER Give Seven Days tributes late BV student, raises awareness

page 4

OPINION 6 POLITICAL RIVALRY Analysis of Clinton, Trump provides insight to presidential campaigns

pages 6-7

FEATURES 12 TWO YEARS LATER Follow-up of former BV student shares life after teen pregnancy

page 12-13

ENTERTAINMENT 25

local • national • international

news explained

NEW BV SUPERINTENDENT

Effective July 1, incoming superintendent Todd White will become acting superintendent of the Blue Valley school district. This change comes after the former superintendent Tom Trigg left BV for a new job in Texas. It was a unanimous decision from the board of directors to appoint White after nearly a year-long search and interview process. White has been in education for three decades, including 13 years as the superintendent of the North Kansas City school district. He said his main focus will be on providing adequate funding to BV schools and continuing the tradition of excellence Trigg started.

IPHONE COURT CASE

The shooter’s iPhone from the San Bernardino attack has been attempted to be unlocked by the FBI as it could reveal important details of Syed Farook’s involvement with ISIS. The FBI mandated Apple to develop software to decrypt locked iPhones.

Apple then filed a motion to block the FBI’s court order to unlock Farook’s phone, claiming it set a precedent for future security cases. By developing software that could bypass the passcode function, Apple claims it leaves a backdoor open to the government and

CURL UP WITH A BOOK Read Across America Day encourages people of all ages to TRUDEAU WASHINGTON VISIT experience literature Canadian Prime Minister Justin page 27 Trudeau visited the White House as the

SPORTS 28 TRAINING WITH TRUHE BV athletic trainer details job tasks, typical day

page 29 Trudeau photo courtesy of MCT Campus.

Other photos by Maddie Davis.

Stories and page designed by Sheila Gregory.

first Prime Minister from his country to do so in nearly 20 years. As part of his three-day visit, Trudeau met with congressional leaders, cabinet officials and President Barack Obama. As the United States’ ally to the north, Trudeau wants to strengthen the relationship between the two countries in matters of trade, fighting terrorism and combating climate change.

Why is this a big deal? Canada’s last prime minister all but neglected a

Why is Why is this a big deal?

Kansas is in a turbulent time with budget and education problems in the local government. The funding has been cut to all but the bare minimum, so it is imperative White forms symbiotic relationships with legislators. BV is the largest district White has worked with, so these next few months will serve as a transition period learning the mechanics of our district. hackers to invade privacy. However, the FBI maintains its stance that not doing so presents a danger to U.S. citizens.

Why is this a big deal? Creating the software to bypass encryptions for the government leaves much room for speculation on how far that reach will go. If this case reaches the Supreme Court and is ruled in favor of the FBI, the privacy of iPhone users could be seriously impeded. However, it would also provide much-needed details on Farook and several other cases that are pending due to the same problem. In this digital age, new precedents are being set everyday — this will be no exception whatever the ruling. relationship with the U.S. and Obama.

However, as Trudeau and Obama lean toward the same side of the political spectrum, the initiative was taken to revamp cooperation. The pair of leaders have similar goals internationally, but with only 10 months left for Obama and the possibility of a very ideologically different president next year, Trudeau will need to work quickly on accomplishing his goals.

March 2016 inthenews 3

LIGHTS, CAMERA, BV RELAY!

Relay For Life...

Students raise money for cancer research, participate in event

was founded in

helps to save

500

lives per day

the core events

At the Drive 5 location...

2016 WAS THE 2nd YEAR ALL B

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$223,328 total raised

by Blue Valley

has raised

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takes place in countries

Opening Lap Caregiver Lap Individual Walking Opening Ceremony Luminaria Ceremony Fight Back Ceremony

D

ancing, dresses and decorations — the annual promenade, gathering hundreds of juniors and seniors each year, is one of Blue Valley’s most time-honored traditions.

Seven students — all junior girls — are responsible for the creation of Prom.

BV counselor Mary Glotzbach said there’s always been a committee of juniors who get together to plan the party for the senior class.

“They started with their theme,” she said. “From that, they came up with ideas and have been working very hard for the past three months.”

The committee meets Thursday mornings to work on one of three sections — Design, Invitations or T-Shirts.

The three groups work separately at

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1,755 participants 36 teams from BV

March 4-5

Through the Looking Glass connorheaton staff writer

$5 since billion it started

first, but after completing their given tasks, they come together to design and survey the dance’s location.

“We help out with all other parts that aren’t done,” junior Rachel Nienstedt said. “We go to where the dance is held and see the design choices we want and see if the DJ can help out with the design.”

This year’s theme, “A Walk in Wonderland,” will feature Alice in Wonderland décor and a special themed centerpiece. Unfortunately, some creativity is limited by mandated requirements.

“Water bottles have to be there — everything needs to be sealed,” Nienstedt said. “We wanted [other drinks] like tea, but we couldn’t. We were going to have displays in the middle like cards or mad hatter-themed decorations.”

Nienstedt is in charge of T-shirts, which she said is more complex than one

P.M.

A.M.

Committee members shed light on prom preparations would think.

“The hardest part in design is finding the right color and deciding if everyone likes it,” Nienstedt said. “Designers of both decorations and T-shirts have the task of making sure their choices are palatable for both boys and girls. If one out of the five [boys surveyed] didn’t like it, that means one-fifth of the school probably wouldn’t like it.”

While making the dance gender-neutral is a priority, Nienstedt said the fact remains that Prom is aimed toward girls.

“Prom is really for the girls who grew up dreaming of being princesses,” Nienstedt said.

She said the dance committee members view Prom as a send-off for the senior class.

“I really like that [Prom] is a junior’s gift for the seniors,” Nienstedt said.

“Don’t worry seniors, we got this one.”

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Infographic by Alli Williams. Page designed by Alli Williams and Connor Heaton.

4 inthenews March 2016

Students Assist Schools

Club members help elementary students with learning taliaamjadi staff writer

Many clubs have been introduced to Blue Valley. A new club called SAS was

recently created by sophomores Nikki Larson and Anisha Kodwani.

“It’s a club where we go to different elementary schools and act as mentors for the students and help the teachers in any way they need it,” Kodwani said.

Larson said high school and elementary school students will both be impacted positively by this club.

“The students who are getting the help will be benefited both academically and socially by spending time with high schoolers who they probably look up to,” Larson said. “High school students would also get multiple opportunities for community service hours.”

As far as the organization is set up, Kodwani said it is easy to join and begin participating. “[ELA teacher Kendra] Wurtz is

our sponsor, and it’s really simple to get signed up,” Kodwani said. “We are going every Wednesday from [2:30 to 3:45].

Hopefully we can go during late start.”

Larson said she believes every student would enjoy being in SAS. “Everyone can and should join,” Larson said. “Anyone who enjoys spending time with kids and could use a little extra community service is totally welcome.”

Kodwani said the experience working at the elementary schools will be fun and memorable, and the connections made with both faculty and students will be worthwhile.

“The relationships you make with all the kids and the teachers will be awesome,” Kodwani said. “The kids are adorable, and it’s a lot of fun to help them out and watch them succeed.”

Walking Toward Unity

Annual walk spreads message on embracing diversity, combating hate ifrahsayyada staffwriter

April 13 is the day many of us remember as the tragic shooting that took place at the Jewish Community Center and Village Shalom, claiming the lives of three individuals. One individual was Blue Valley student Reat Underwood.

Following this tragedy, SevenDays was formed in order to help others embrace diversity and combat hate.

“SevenDays is a community healing event,” said Mindy Corporon, Underwood’s mother and director of the Faith Always Wins Foundation in an article in BV North’s newspaper. “It was created for everyone in our community to heal from something that might be causing them angst, anguish or grief.

It is an event to pull people out of their synagogues, out of their mosques, out of their churches and be able to worship every day of the week in each person’s own human way.”

The organization spreads its message in various ways, but one event the entire community partakes in is the annual walk, which is on April 18 this year.

Photo submitted by Lorna Hurt.

Page designed by Ifrah Sayyada.

“The purpose of the walk is to bring our community together and to accept each other for who we are,” said junior Belal Jamil, youth council member of the SevenDays board.

Corporon said the walk promotes diversity and increases faith in others.

“Our event will always touch people who had a tragedy and overcame it with their faith,” she said. “If we can find and speak to those people that are willing to talk about how faith helped them overcome, that is a key aspect of SevenDays and helping people heal.”

Junior Jake Svilarich, Underwood’s best friend, said the walk has done a great job of representing its purpose.

“The purpose of the walk originally was to bring everyone together, support each other and show that we are a strong community that is there to help each other when bad stuff happens,” he said.

The walk includes many different activities each year, such as speakers to keep the community involved.

Senior Mariam Habib said her favorite things about the events last year were the week of kindness and the walk’s activities.

“I liked how the mayor spoke last year

before we started walking,” she said. “I like the whole concept of remembering Reat by doing the SevenDays Challenge and having a walk in his honor.”

Svilarich said he wants to see some new events incorporated into future walks to get more people involved.

“Family activities would be really helpful,” he said. “Being able to make it more fun and manageable for families would alter the experience for them.”

Habib said everyone should participate in the walk.

“It’s a way to learn about what happened,” she said. “Everyone should know what happened so we can prevent events like this in the future.”

Corporon said the event increases awareness of different beliefs and also increases compassion for others.

“We need to understand that extreme things happen, but those actions do not speak for the entire faith or race,” she said. “It’s OK to not understand, but try to learn. Learn, don’t fear. When we were walking, we stopped and looked at the sea of people that had come together [as one]. I believe that SevenDays is making a difference in a lot of people’s lives.”

Follow @givesevendays on Twitter for updates on the walk

March 2016 inthenews 5

depletion and repletion

Science teacher weighs in on water problem in the United States Hulse said irrigation and farming are the top reasons water is being used.

“For the past 20 or so years we’ve been experiencing a drought,” Hulse said. “Water hasn’t been as available.

Coupled with our increasing population and our increased need for food, we basically have a bank account that’s going down with the need for credit going up.”

Because of the growing population, decreased food production isn’t much of a solution.

“We need agriculture to grow food,” Hulse said. “Obviously, that’s going to be a huge need for our survival, but it’s also the largest pull from our local water systems.”

United States agriculture is the largest in the world and is mass produced in most cases.

“It’s not normal for our planet to grow thousands and thousands of acres of the same product,” Hulse said. “In doing so, it requires us to use an additional amount of water and chemicals in order to facilitate

charlotterooney opinion editor It makes up 70 percent of our planet. It’s clear. Life is contingent upon its existence.

Water.

It seems like our planet has water everywhere — rivers, lakes and oceans — so why are we facing a shortage?

The issue is freshwater, which only makes up about 3 percent of all the water on the earth, and drinkable water is just under 1 percent.

Freshwater is stored in ice and glaciers as well as in rivers, streams and groundwater.

Rivers are used for our drinking water, and streams are usually grossly contaminated. Ice and glaciers are melting at an alarming rate into saltwater oceans, which eliminates it from freshwater supplies.

Groundwater is largely used for irrigation for farms and cities, and this, too, is being depleted rapidly.

Science teacher Andrew

Ogallala Aquifer is the largest groundwater system in North America

COLORADO Arkansas River

that growth. We need to find a way to carry out agriculture in way that doesn’t stress our resources.”

Especially in the Midwest, agriculture is one of the biggest industries, but with water being increasingly unavailable, lifestyles are going to change.

“Without water, the most arable land in the world — the Midwest — isn’t going to be usable, which is going to greatly affect the food industry,” Hulse said. “If you go to Western Kansas, they don’t do cropland anymore. It’s just grassland for grazing cattle because it couldn’t sustain crops.”

According to cornelllaw.com, there has been an ongoing Supreme Court case between Kansas and Colorado over the Arkansas River for more than 100 years.

“Kansas and Colorado have been continually suing each other over the Ogallala Aquifer since the early 1900s,” Hulse said. “Running from the mountains in Colorado to Kansas is the Arkansas

River. That’s where the Ogallala Aquifer gets replenished from our state. Colorado has been diverting the Arkansas River in order to irrigate its farmland and cities in Eastern Colorado. That reduces the volume [of water] that makes it to Kansas. So we sued them, and the Supreme Court said Colorado had to pay us money each year, but we don’t want money — we need water.”

To use less water, Hulse said it’s important to use water in better, more effective ways.

“We waste water with athome use and personal use, like long showers or running the faucet while brushing our teeth,” Hulse said. “We have to balance those depletion and recharge rates. We have to educate people on how to preserve those arable lands.”

As for the government, Hulse said regulation and fines are ways to preserve water.

“The government could regulate the percentage of water each area takes,” Hulse said. “That would help the situation.”

Covers 174,000 squares miles and 8 states

Responsible for $20 billion a year in food and fiber production Ogallala Aquifer

KANSAS 90% of water is used to irrigate crops Page designed by Charlotte Rooney.

6 outloud March 2016

oh, Hill no

Page designed by Isabelle Allen.

Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton represents country’s future demise

isabelleallen staff writer & photographer When Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced she was running for President, there was a legitimate cause for a gasp.

Some of our parents and grandparents might reflect back on any of the numerous Clinton scandals that Hillary was knee-deep in, along with her husband, golden boy, Bill: Filegate, Troopergate, Travelgate, Whitewater, Monica Lewinsky, Paula Jones, Juanita Broaddrick and Vince Foster.

Secretary Clinton has baggage and has quickly added more in recent years.

By having the morality, judgment and aptitude of a not-so-typical politician, Clinton sent and received top-secret, classified and confidential information given to her by the federal government on a personal email server, which is illegal.

This was after she was briefed as the new incoming Secretary of State and signed a document stating she understood protocols for handling classified data. She knew the sensitivity and housed it on her insecure server anyway. She may claim she was too ignorant to understand its importance. Either way, it’s not really the foundation of someone qualified to be Secretary of State, let alone President of the United States, whose number-one responsibility is to keep America safe.

Yes, she may support gay marriage — unlike she did in 2012 — but, since this is the 21st century, so do the other liberal candidates leading in the polls.

To tack on to her accomplishments, Clinton verifiably accepted millions of dollars from foreign governments such as Saudi Arabia, Omen, Yemen and Morocco for The Clinton Foundation. These are countries known to oppress and abuse women, execute gays and/or provide financial resources to harbor terrorists.

Although she claims to be a woman for women, Clinton wants some women to shut

up — at least the many women who attempted to come forward and report sexual harassment claims against her husband.

These situations cannot be ignored as representative of Clinton’s morals and character, or lack thereof.

As the champion of the middle class, Clinton claims she is able to relate to most Americans. I mean, don’t we all have private jets and get paid $225,000 for a 60-minute speaking engagement? Yeah, me too.

Being the Commander in Chief of the American people is quite a responsibility. The President of the United States is responsible for almost 319 million citizens. Why not put it all in the hands of a woman who caused the most disastrous period of foreign policy in three decades?

Because there are better options, that’s why — many of whom won’t essentially create a third term for President Barack Obama.

Secretary Clinton’s plan for the economy is dry and overused — raise taxes and pour revenue into the government. The last time the federal budget was balanced was in 2001. All of Hillary’s chosen policies are very similar to, if not exactly like, the ideas President Obama has enacted over the last eight years. Clinton is openly campaigning that she wants to continue more of Obama’s policies.

Year after year, President Obama continues to break records for the highest tax revenue collected from American citizens, yet he still operates with an annual deficit. Overall spending has never been cut — only the constant increase has been decreased in some areas.

I’m 17 years old and realize that this is dangerous and leaves unsustainable debt for future generations to handle.

I am most certainly looking forward to a female president some day, but it would be ridiculous to vote for someone solely based on gender. My loyalty relies on a person’s actions, ideals and integrity.

As said by Madeleine Albright, the first ever female Secretary of State, while speaking at a campaign stop, where she was encouraging voters to support Hillary “...there’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help each other.” I apologize for the lack of support, Ms. Albright, but it seems silly of me to hang with the likes of a lying criminal simply because she is a woman.

March 2016 outloud 7

Dump Trump

Republican front-runner not representative of American leadership based on policies, actions Economy

charlotterooney opinion editor When he first announced his running, it was reported as a joke. No one thought he was serious — and for good reasons.

Immigration

Donald Trump has spoken about building a wall along the border of the United States and Mexico — and even making Mexico pay for it. He also released a campaign video about it revealing his plans. Mexico is considered a thirdworld country in the middle of a drug war, so how is it logical to think they would be able to fund, much less willingly pay for a wall? Former President of Mexico Vincente Fox told reporters Mexico will not pay for the wall.

Trump will not grant citizenship to immigrants already here and wants to deport 11 million people. According to his campaign website, donaldjtrump.com, “no sane country would give automatic citizenship to the children of illegal immigrants.” He plans to stop birthright citizenship. Regardless of whether it’s a good or bad idea to deport these people, it’s not possible to remove 11 million immigrants from a country.

Trump’s proposed wall would cost billions of dollars

On his website, he details his tax plan, which he calls “bold, simple and achievable.” His plan would remove income tax completely from 75 million homes, which sounds great, except for the fact that the country is no longer getting that money.

He said by reducing loop holes for the very rich, the country will be revenue neutral. The problem is that reducing taxes significantly on homes and businesses, and getting rid of taxes altogether for others will dramatically defund the government. Although many Americans don’t want their money in the government, getting taxed isn’t about a person’s individual home — it’s about funding and supporting our country. It’s how we repair bridges and roads and support the veterans who risked their lives for our country. It’s called civic virtue, and by definition it says that democracy depends on each citizen’s unselfish commitment to the public good. So pay your taxes.

Diplomacy

The most significant reason Trump can’t be president is the fact that he can’t get along with people. At this point in time, diplomacy is at topmost importance. Trump offends anyone who isn’t a white Christian male — and he seems to offend some of them too. So how can he make deals with Arab countries, India, Mexico or Russia? His comments about Mexicans were embarrassing for our

$4 billion Trump’s net worth

4

country, and the thought that he could be leading it makes it very difficult to believe that our foreign relationship situation is going to improve. His derogatory comments toward Muslims have even been used in Islamic State recruitment videos.

None of the other world leaders take him seriously, possibly because he shows no leadership whatsoever and is against any kind of diversity.

Trump is known for firing people and having corn-silk hair, and it should stay that way.

Having an offensive, incapable, ridiculous and completely idiotic man for our president doesn’t make sense when what we need is a strong, logical leader — and it’s pretty obvious to me that’s not Trump.

number of times Trump has filed for bankruptcy

information acquired from abc.com, cnn.com and theatlantic.com

of federal suits 100+ number Trump has filed

Page designed by Charlotte Rooney.

8 outloud March 2016

may the odds be ever in your favor Socratic seminars offer minimal educational value, alienate students

hopebrown features editor My heart thumps against my chest, and a paralyzing fear grips my thoughts.

My palms sweat, and when I inhale, my breath is shaky and uneven.

I look around at my classmates sitting in a circular arrangement of desks, and I pray for a lightning bolt to strike me down so I won’t have to sit through the rest of this class.

No, I am not literally being tortured in school, but metaphorically I am slowly dying from Socratic seminars.

I understand the goal of Socratics is to develop public speaking skills, but a

grade-based discussion is a recipe for disaster.

The problem with Socratics is that they do not help me learn.

Thirty students talking over one another in an effort to receive all of the required points is not an effective teaching method. Instead of focusing on comprehending the text, students are only worried about the number of times they speak.

Then, class is no longer about learning.

It’s a competition to see who can talk the most in the shortest amount of time.

It’s “The Hunger Games” — Socratic edition.

Thirty kids enter the arena.

Whoever talks the most is the winner of the ultimate prize — an A. Who will emerge victorious?

Answer — the obnoxious student who speaks 20 times yet contributes virtually nothing to the conversation.

In Socratics, it doesn’t matter if what

Photo illustration by Sophia Ragomo. Page designed by Hope Brown.

you say makes sense — you receive the point regardless of the substance of your comment.

It’s tailored toward drama, debate and generally outgoing students, while ignoring the needs of more introverted peers.

At a time when teachers stress the importance of learning, it doesn’t make sense to implement Socratics. Basically, the more extroverted you are, the more you succeed.

Just because I’m shy doesn’t mean I should get a bad grade. That’s like saying people who aren’t funny should be docked points.

It doesn’t add up.

I can’t help it that I’m not a talkative person.

I can’t help it that I don’t jump at the opportunity to share my convoluted thoughts with the class.

I can’t help that I’m shy.

And I shouldn’t be punished for my personality.

March 2016 outloud 9

staffeditorial TIGER PRINT newspaper the

co-editors Maddie Davis Sheila Gregory web editor Rachel Lock news editor Alli Williams

photographer Isabelle Allen cartoonists Mandy Novicoff Christine Rice

opinion editor Charlotte Rooney

Cartoon by Christine Rice.

School spirit creates positive environment, makes BV enjoyable for students to attend Students hate school. We get it.

Waking up, going through the day like a zombie and having hours of homework isn’t exactly ideal — but try some optimism.

At least we go to a school with awesome spirit.

Who else can say their principal willingly dressed up in a donut suit to celebrate school accomplishments? Not many.

Walking into school every morning, posters hang on the walls, students wear their Blue Valley gear and people talk about the next school event they’re going to.

This school has much more to offer than just academics.

Every week there’s something to go to, and it’s usually going to be fun.

The Homecoming parade, football games, basketball games, class dances, spirit week, class competitions — they’re all staples of being a BV student.

No one else can say they’ve had the same high school experience with the same students and faculty that are crazy into school spirit.

Going to football games like Homecoming and State are some of the best times of the year.

Basketball games are filled with cutouts of the players faces with great narration by soccer coach John Dale.

photo editor Sophia Ragomo

The class dances are full of tumbling and people all happy to be there.

During spirit week, there are people that go all out, and it’s hilarious.

The assemblies with class competitions could very well be the most fun way to spend a day at school.

Even though sitting in class isn’t the most exciting thing to do five days a week, seeing teachers wear their BV T-shirts or asking students if they’re going to the game is pretty cool considering they just as easily could forget about school the second the clock strikes 2:50.

The teachers who go to every game and cheer on the students they see in class are impressive and make them that much more fun.

Staff dances and the staff basketball game are funny and show exactly how much teachers love BV. We’re lucky to have staff members who not only care about us as students but also care about this school and what goes on in it.

It’s easy to complain about being in a once-flooded building eight hours a day, but it could be worse.

Even though school isn’t always the most exciting thing, at least the students and faculty are full of school spirit and are happy to be here.

staff writers Talia Amjadi Julie Freijat features editor Connor Heaton Hope Brown Emilee Holscher Lydia Hsu entertainment Lauren Huesers editor Macie Lawrence Courtney Carpenter Amelia Lock Tatum Sanders sports editor Ifrah Sayyada Megan Hegarty adviser Michelle Huss “The Tiger Print” is an official publication of Blue Valley High School, an open forum distributed to all students seven times a year. This publication may contain controversial material. Kansas law prohibits the suppression of a student publication solely because it may contain controversial matter. Blue Valley Unified School District No. 229 and its board members, officers and employees may disclaim any responsibility for the content of this publication; it is not an expression of school policy. Student authors and editors are solely responsible for the content of this publication.

Letters to the editor are encouraged for publication. “The Tiger Print” reserves the right to edit all submissions for both language and content. Letters should be submitted to Room 450, emailed to thetigerprint@yahoo.com or mailed to: The Tiger Print Blue Valley High School 6001 W. 159th St. Overland Park, KS 66085

10 outloud March 2016

STAND UP

Students need to voice opinions, emotions rather than hide them

ifrahsayyada staffwriter “Why do you let them walk all over you?”

This is a common question I constantly hear as I walk down the hallways.

This question is not just being directed at the stereotypical quiet people — it’s being directed to all kinds of people.

It doesn’t matter if they’re shy or fierce.

It matters that it’s applying to more and more people today.

Many people are oppressed by others simply because they do not stand up for themselves.

I see it happen all the time around me — whether they are my friends or strangers in the hallways, talking about how so-and-so did or said something and how awful they are. But they never actually say anything to that person to address the situation.

Letting others overstep us is a human complex, but the core of the complex results from the fear we have of the consequences that come when we stand up to others.

Whether it will be more humiliating for us.

Or fearing criticism for making an unnecessary scene.

Or facing a bad fallout of some relationships.

But by giving into these fears, we don’t realize we are harming ourselves more through this process.

By not saying something, you are subconsciously allowing that person to treat you in a similar or even worse manner.

This starts the endless cycle that grows over time.

So when someone says something that hurts you, tell them. It doesn’t matter who they are.

Maybe it was a miscommunication.

Maybe hurting you was never their intent.

Maybe it was.

But by telling them, you are ending this vicious cycle before it even starts.

We’ve all heard how we are supposed to rid our lives

of toxic relations and “fakeships,” yet aren’t we perpetuating them by ignoring our emotions and letting others control us?

By actually voicing your thoughts and opinions, you make others aware of how they are supposed to treat you as an actual human, not someone they can push around.

You cannot let others walk all over you.

You need to stand up for yourself.

You need to be brave and have the courage to voice your emotions — otherwise you will become the embodiment of your fear.

Don’t let anyone else treat you with less respect than you deserve.

Speak your mind.

Stand up.

A letter to the editors: Dear editors, Your [February] staff editorial and cover story both cover the topic of which classes are most beneficial to students, yet they are contradictory.

The editorial says, “Some classes are unnecessary for students to take as they prepare for future careers,” while the cover story says, “The reason we take these courses [...] is to see what piques our interest and to gain valuable life skills.”

Someone can be very smart, take all the math classes at school, have a 4.0, be in all

the honors societies — but none of that really matters in life if they do not have social skills or the ability to work in a group.

I am not discounting grades or saying they are not important.

I am saying it is better to be a well-rounded student than a specialist in one area.

The reason schools in India focus on engineering, medicine or business administration is because a student has to pass a rigorous board exam to then go on and study their area of interest in college.

Photo illustration by Sophia Ragomo. Page designed by Ifrah Sayyada.

The Indian school system is not comparable to the United States’. The U.S. has a liberal school system, not a competitive system like in India.

Yes, we are forced to take a certain number of credits that we may not like. But in America, we are in those classes for the sake of learning — not [earning] a vocational degree.

Not every class is directly related to what you are interested in. It is the same for general education classes in college.

The most beneficial class to my personal development was

forensics, and I had to take it for an art credit. I did not want to take it at first — competitive public speaking, no thank you. But it forced me to give speeches in front of complete strangers and worse — my peers.

Forensics helped my confidence and helped me grow as a person.

High school is not for focusing on a career. It is for developing you as a person.

Sincerely, William Carter BV Senior

March 2016 outloud 11

Senioritis has struck

Lack of motivation derives from excitement for higher learning, purposeful classes

sheilagregory co-editor I, along with the majority of my grade and a good portion of the juniors, feel the lack of motivation that often accompanies second semester. Is winter the culprit?

The number of windowless classrooms Blue Valley has? The utter hatred of teachers saying, ‘Sprint to finish’?

In fact, it has nothing to do with BV directly.

The idea of college is to blame.

Most people would say Senioritis comes with the acceptance into a university; however, it starts long before then.

Colleges started luring me away from high school structures with every brochure I received from them. They used tantalizing phrases like “small class sizes,” “individualized learning” and “liberal arts foundations,” starting the disenchantment with my current education.

The mere possibility my next level schooling would be up to my own choosing entices me so much that most of my work here seems like nothing more than a base stepping stone to this magical place.

College sucks the motivation from a lot of high school students — mostly with the promise to be different.

“

I realized my lack of drive didn’t come from me simply wanting to be finished with this level of my education. It came from me wanting to continue learning.

Noble, right?

Let me rephrase — it came from my desire to be in a place where learning is the cornerstone of the institution.

My classes with seven students too many — all scrambling to earn speaking points — aren’t the paradigm of ideal learning environments.

Schoolwork has become so tedious in the past months that learning doesn’t feel like a priority to the majority of my teachers — don’t worry Mr. Mowry, you’re in the clear here.

What seems like a priority is vocab we only cram for the test. So is the

menial busy work assigned every night to maintain the status of an AP class.

So are the notes we scribble down for completion points.

This is why college makes it so hard to find importance in these tasks we’ve been completing for years now.

Everything we have been taught about higher education is that it is purposeful.

It encourages thinking.

It wants you to be there.

Knowing the near future won’t have the same standards of what constitutes a rigorous class makes it so hard to do the work now that won’t benefit us later on.

We are ready for the content being taught to be the most important aspect of a class.

We are ready to move on.

Knowing the near future won’t have the same standards of what constitutes a rigorous class makes it so hard to do the work now that won’t benefit us later on.

”

Photo illustration by Sophia Ragomo. Page designed by Sheila Gregory.

12 upclose March 2016 In December 2013, “The Tiger Print” covered the then senior, 17-year-old Amelia Sargent’s story of her pregnancy.

Two years later, we followed up with Sargent to discuss how her pregnancy changed the course of her life.

‘The path I was on before was going to get me .

It saved my life, having Tilly.’

killed

AMELIA’S CURRENT LIFE Tilly Sargent, Amelia’s child, is now 2 years old: a beautiful, smiling little girl.

“I was looking for baby names online, and [Tilly] stuck out,” Amelia said. “I looked up the meaning, and it means mighty in war, which fit her perfectly after everything that has happened.”

Since graduating high school, Amelia juggles the hectic schedule of taking care of Tilly, her job at the printing company Ricoh and classes four days a week at Johnson County Community College.

Amelia said although this can be lots to handle, her friends and family are there to help ease her stress by taking care of Tilly while she works.

“My family is 100 percent supportive,” Amelia said. “They’re super helpful. They watch [Tilly] for free — they love watching her.”

Tilly’s father, Cody Lyndell, is still

present in Amelia and Tilly’s lives, but Amelia said they are not romantically involved. “[Cody] sees Tilly Tuesdays and Thursdays while I work,” Amelia said. “He watches her, and then he gets her on the weekends. We’re basically a business relationship.

We’re not really friends, but we aren’t enemies.”

Amelia said becoming pregnant was a major turning point in her life; until then, she was living recklessly and without much purpose.

“I was a terrible high school student,” she said. “I was into a lot of bad things — I was drinking, smoking and hanging out with the wrong crowd. I did not care about school.

When I got pregnant, it was a huge wake up call — it was God telling me, ‘Hey, you’ve got to come back.

You’ve been gone way too long, and it’s gotten you into trouble.”’

Amelia’s thoughts on considering abortion: “Don’t do it. God let you get pregnant for a reason. Obviously, you needed to learn some type of lesson, or at least that’s how it was for me. If anything, there’s always adoption — there’s always people looking for babies. You’re young; your body will return to being just fine in literally months. I think a lot of teens use the abortion excuse because they don’t want to ruin their bodies, but it doesn’t when you’re that young. Raising a kid is so hard, but it’s life-changing in a really good way.”

March 2016 upclose 13 Far left photo by Raine Andrews.

Other photos submitted by Amelia Sargent.

Story and page designed by Courtney Carpenter.

A NEW LIFE After she gave birth to Tilly, Amelia said the quality of her her life began improving. “[My life] changed so much,” Amelia said. “I’m sober, and I actually get along with my family now — that’s a big thing. I care about school — I’m getting all A’s in college.”

Amelia said she wanted so strongly to rely on God, but she was caught at a crossroad. She still faced hardships from her old lifestyle and struggled with drug relapses.

“I was in a relationship with somebody who wasn’t the dad,” Amelia said. “He was a drug addict. He smoked all the time, and he would go to raves and do acid. He was never around Tilly at all. I would smoke with him after she was in bed or after a long day to get to sleep. It’s not making it OK, but I was never like that around Tilly.”

Amelia said she lived with this man and wanted it to work for

Amelia said she realized she couldn’t continue living two lives at once, so she rededicated her life fully to God and was baptized at Grace Church as a public representation of her faith.

“I was raised in church,” she said. “The whole reason I went ‘bad’ was because I was just rebelling from all of that. After coming back to God, I had started school, and I hadn’t thought about [baptism] until I went to Grace [Church] and saw someone get baptized. It was an accountability type thing [and] an opportunity to share my story — how God has worked in my life.”

Believing God has called her to become a youth pastor, Amelia is at peace with her

her child’s benefit, but she ultimately knew she needed to escape from the situation.

“Part of me really thought I was doing something right, because I was giving Tilly a father figure,” Amelia said. “I thought I was doing something good, but God told me I wasn’t.

Things ended badly, and I moved back home. I stopped doing all of that once I removed him from my life.”

Amelia said she also wrestled with the idea of sex before marriage and how to approach it now that she has a child.

“I thought I already ruined the whole virginity thing,” Amelia said. “[I thought] there’s no point in going back now. After that bad breakup and moving out of his house, I realized that [having sex before marriage] was something I shouldn’t be doing. At the time, I was really trying to grow close to God, but that kept getting in the way. I have now decided to wait until marriage.”

past since she will use it as a tool to guide other teenagers away from the things she was involved in.

“I’ve been there,” she said. “I can tell students from my first-hand experience, ‘Hey, don’t do this because I did it, and this is what happens.”’

Amelia said she battled feelings of unworthiness during this transition.

“There’s no such thing as too far gone,” Amelia said. “God loves you, and He will always love you. Jesus will always be there — He will always want you back. There is nothing you can possibly do to make Him not love you.”

Amelia said her pregnancy and the constant battles along with it have greatly changed the course of her life, and she has only God to thank for that. She said she doesn’t regret her past. Without it, she would never have come full circle to the person she is now, and she wouldn’t have Tilly.

“It has opened so many doors,” Amelia said. “It made me grow up a lot. The path I was on before was going to get me killed.

It saved my life, having Tilly. God works in mysterious ways for sure. I’ve learned a lot, but I don’t regret anything because where I was back then brought me to where I am today, and I’m so grateful for that. I love her so much. Tilly has blessed me in so many ways.”

HER TURN TO FAITH

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March 2016 upclose 15

WE THE PEOPLE REPUBLICAN CORE BELIEF: Each person is responsible for themselves in society with as little government intervention as possible.

EDUCATION: The educational system will provide higher learning to those whose achievements deserve it.

ENVIRONMENT: When considering what actions to take, economic growth and private property rights are the main factors.

TAXATION: Reductions are important to stimulate growth.

Rates shouldn’t be higher as that punishes those who work hard.

HEALTH CARE: It should be on the free market with competition between providers that drive costs down.

ABORTION: The unborn child has just as many rights as any human. Abortion should be illegal —with rape and incest as an occasional exception.

a note from the editors:

As the upcoming election is more polarized than ever, the staff of “The Tiger Print” thought it is necessary to address many of the subjects and controversies that surround this presidential bid. We hosted a round-table discussion with a group of Blue Valley students hoping they could shed light on why they believe what they do. This cover story features that conversation, as well as a poll on key issues 188 BV students voted on. We want to encourage all readers to look at this with an open mind and to leave all preconceived notions about party affiliation behind. Believing in something is easy, but articulating why you believe what you do — well, that is a bit more difficult.

— Shelia Gregory & Maddie Davis, co-editors-in-chief

CORE BELIEF: Everyone deserves a fair shot — that’s when the United States is at its best.

EDUCATION: It is a right to have a quality education regardless of economic status. A highly educated population is a successful one.

ENVIRONMENT: It is necessary to fight against those who exploit resources for personal gain. As inhabitants of this earth, people should protect it.

TAXATION: The wealthy shouldn’t receive a break while the poor are supporting the economy.

DEMOCRAT HEALTH CARE: It is essential to life and wellbeing. It is a right for every American to have, and it’s a public necessity.

ABORTION: To uphold the Roe v. Wade decision, women should have access to affordable prenatal care — no matter the circumstance.

Stories by Shelia Gregory. Page designed by Alli Williams and Julie Freijat.

16 upclose March 2016

LET’S TALK POLITICS BV students weigh in on political beliefs, controversial stances

How We Side @Blue Valley

Pro gun control?

Pro large military?

54%

58%

yes

yes

Pro universal healthcare?

59%

Pro gay marriage?

80%

yes

yes

16%

38%

Adam Houghton, senior

I’m passionate about immigration in the United States, as well as gun control and gun regulation.

’’

‘‘

Republican

I’m most passionate abou immigration, gun control and abortion.

Anna Hill, senior

Can you fit yourself into one political mold?

’’

Anna: “Our world is always changing so our political values have to change as we move [forward]. We can’t really be steadfast in one belief for the rest of our lives. Fitting yourself into a cookie cutter mold is not something we’re supposed to do.”

Kevin: “It’s OK to separate what your beliefs are. If you believe the government should not control guns, that is a Republican belief. It tends to become an issue when people start believing in all of the Republican ideals without thinking about any of the other side and becoming close-minded.”

Abby: “I think of [being an Independent] as, ‘I don’t put myself in the mold of any sort of party,’ so I pick and choose from each one.”

How do you approach conversations with people of opposing political parties?

Adam: “I’d like to say I am tolerant of others’ ideas. I might not believe them, but I am not going to treat someone differently based on their political views. If we’re trying to have an honest conversation about politics, I will listen to the ideas of others.

There’s definitely a level of respect that needs to be there between the people of opposing parties.”

Anna: “The way I feel about opposing parties is that I am much more willing to have a conversation with you if it is educated, and you understand what you are talking about, rather than someone who is on my side about everything but has no facts behind it.”

Abby: “I like hearing both sides. You just have to take into consideration which one you believe in.”

What do you think about the candidates for the 2016 election?

Independent Republican

‘‘

Democrat

Other

5%

Democrat

41%

Based on poll of 188 students.

Adam: “The candidates we see now are going to be much different from the candidates we vote for next fall. What we see now is a more radicalized form of republicanism and democratism.

Those things are going to be changing as those candidates move closer to the middle as they try to appeal to more voters.”

Anna: “We’re coming up on a bizarre election because we have two front-runners who haven’t been a part of the political system really. Ben Carson’s a surgeon, and Donald Trump is a businessman. Are they qualified? You could say anyone’s qualified if they

r A h g a l

K h g A r h t c

S b A I v r a A w t s w

A c t d a p S

March 2016 upclose 17

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Independent

Libertarian

[My interests] are pretty much gun control and abortion.

I have an equal amount of passion for each issue.

Abby Bantham, junior

Kevin Mann, sophomore

read up enough, but have they ever held a position in office?”

Abby: “Even though the candidate might be a girl, you don’t have to agree with them. I’m not going to be like, ‘Oh, there’s a girl, I’ll vote for her because I am also a girl.’ I am going to look at her views and the stances I care about. If they aren’t the views I like, I’m not going to vote for her.”

What are some misconceptions about the political party you identify with?

Kevin: “If you look at the Republican party, people think they’re hillbillies and rednecks, but there’s a lot of economic stuff that goes into the thinking.”

Anna: A lot of people think we’re gun-toting, ‘Merica-shooting rifles into the air and riding off into the sun on bald eagles. I have things I’m passionate about, but I am more Republican than Democrat for sure. We need to understand we can pick and choose from both sides.”

Are there any aspects of other parties you feel strongly about?

Shakti: “Temporarily banning Muslims as Trump wanted — being more socially liberal, I think that’s pretty ridiculous to say.”

Anna: “On the issue of abortion, we tend to be very polarized.

I have certain exceptions to my rules like rape and incest. I feel very strongly that a human has the right to grow full term. I can’t really understand going into an office and having an abortion for a reason that isn’t rape or incest.”

Abby: “I have the opposite view of that. It’s a choice no matter what. It doesn’t have to be rape or incest. It could be that it’s not the girl’s fault she got pregnant. Even if she was on birth control, she could still get pregnant. It should be a choice whether you want to do that. Having a kid is a huge commitment.”

What is the best way to overcome the polarization of political parties?

Adam: “Eliminate the party system. Eliminate the electoral college. How come in three elections in United States history, the majority of the votes has not led to a presidency? That doesn’t make sense. If a majority of the people want something, and there’s a national vote for it, that person should be elected president.”

Shakti: “The right president can meet in the middle like Bill

Democrat

[I’m most concerned] socially with immigration and environment.

Shakti Arunachalam, sophomore

Clinton. He was good at making friends with the other parties.

The right president can potentially meet in the middle. To actually get things done, you’re going to need to do that.”

Anna: “It shows us how we’re going to do overseas. If we can’t figure out how to get along at home, how are we going to negotiate with other countries’ presidents and leaders? That’s a necessary skill — to work well with others. We learned that in kindergarten.”

What are some environmental factors that helped form the political views you have now?

Adam: “Your parents have a huge impact on you. My parents have never explicitly told me what political party they associate with. Also, my parents aren’t from this country. They immigrated here 18 years ago. Where they came from, no one had guns. So their opinions on gun use is very different from someone who’s grown up in America.”

Anna: “My parents have always shown me both sides of things.

They felt it was important not to instill in me their absolute beliefs. They are Republican, but we also flip between CNN and Fox. We look at both sides, talk about the differences between people, watch the Republican debates and watch the Democratic debates. I really could be a Democrat if I wanted to be.”

Abby: “My parents and I have never discussed politics before this year. I just found out both of my parents are Republican. I sat down with my dad, and we’ve had discussions about it. I’ll get his side of it. Then I’ll go talk to some of my Democratic friends about the same issue, and I’ll get their opinion.”

Kevin: “My friends and the people around me at school have a large impact. They bring more ideas to the table with the younger community. My parents are both unregistered voters, and they recently became citizens, so they’re new to the political scene.”

Shakti: “My parents are registered Independents. I have a lot of the same beliefs as well.”

How to get informed: +Download the CNN app +Watch Nightly News with Lester Holt +Follow @voxdotcom on Twitter +Watch Last Week Tonight with John Oliver +Take iSideWith.com quiz — scan QR code Pages designed by Alli Williams and Julie Freijat.

18 payin’thebills March 2016

March 2016 upclose 19

2.

1. Social studies teacher Clark Winslow appears with other members of Calontir in typical viking dress. 2. Winslow and the rest of the Kingdom of Calontir prepare for battle. Photos submitted by Clark Winslow.

1.

The Best of Both Worlds Teacher explains involvement in recreating history emileeholscher staff writer Social studies teacher Clark Winslow calls himself a history geek, but he doesn’t just teach it — he recreates it. Winslow is a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA). Not to be confused with LARP (live action roleplay), the SCA recreates the medieval period in history, focusing on everyday life during that time. The kingdom Winslow is involved in, Calontir, recreates viking-age Europe 850-865 Calontir is spread A.D. across the states of Like many other kingdoms in the Kansas, Missouri, SCA, Winslow said the members of Nebraska, Illinois, Calontir live the way the people of Iowa and Arkansas that time would, minus the harmful conditions and violence. Winslow said most members sleep in tents called a viking wedge and dress and fight in battles.

“We recreate the cool things,” he said. “We recreate the battles as close as we possibly can while still understanding everybody that fights has to get up and go to work on Monday.”

Though he receives criticism, Winslow said he still enjoys the activity.

“When people laugh at me for doing this, it doesn’t bother me,” he said. “It’s what I do as a hobby and something I deeply treasure.”

Winslow was 29 years old when his then-neighbor invited

him to an SCA meet to see what they did. For the past 18 years, Winslow said he is the only one who has successfully passed an authorization without previously fighting in a battle. The authorizations are not to test skill, but to ensure safety during battle. One cannot fight until they have gone through this process.

“I went to one event, and I thought it was pretty cool,” he said. “The next event, [my former neighbor] found loaned armor to put me in. I was his grand experiment.”

Winslow said the members of SCA are willing to lend a hand to another member in need, no matter if they know them personally or not.

“In the SCA, you have an extended family across the globe,” Winslow said.

Winslow said he tries to live with the virtues of the SCA and the code of chivalry in his everyday life.

“Our society is built on the Victorian ideals of chivalry but in a real world situation,” he said. “If you’re not doing that outside of the SCA, there is no point in being involved.”

The SCA has influenced Winslow so profoundly he said it led him to teach social studies.

“It was the love of the medieval ages, the research and the interest in the time period which led me back to getting a degree in history,” Winslow said. “[That] subsequently led me to get my teaching certificate, and eventually the classroom.”

Page designed by Emilee Holscher and Maddie Davis.

20 upclose March 2016

Daily Guidance

Counselor gives insight to job requirements laurenhuesers staff writer

Enrollment, scholarships and college information are just a few examples of what the Blue Valley counselors provide for the school.

In reality, the counselors are more than just the ones who help students change out of that hard math class into a study hall — they are mentors guiding students through high school.

Counselor Anne Dummitt said counselors need to be adaptable every day in order to provide all the help they can for students.

“Our job is pretty much to be flexible and take things as they come,” she said. “There are times of the year where we have big projects like class meetings that we’re working on. We also have to be available for students who are having a crisis or have questions about enrollment and other things like that.”

Dummitt said her counseling career was a good fit for what she had been studying in college, and she decided to follow that path.

“My major was psychology, and I had two minors — one was criminology and one was child and family development,” she said.

“I knew I needed to go to grad school, and I thought that with how much I like working with students and all the coursework I had done that counseling was a good fit.”

In addition to getting a master’s degree, Dummitt said aspiring counselors need to be easygoing and accommodating.

“You can do counseling in schools or in the community,” she said. “You have to be flexible and be able to work really intently on one project and be able to drop that the second something else walks in your door. There’s also a lot of paperwork that needs to be done, and that can get overwhelming, so being able to work diligently is an important skill.”

Dummitt said her favorite part of being a counselor is the personal time she gets to spend with the students.

“I definitely love working one-on-one with the students the best,” she said. “That’s something all the counselors wish we could do more. We have a lot of projects going on all the time. We’re all very busy so the time we do have with students can sometimes be brief — we don’t really get to know them as much as we would like.”

Dummitt said she hopes the students and staff appreciate all the counselors do for the school.

“It’s easy for everyone to get into their own group and not really know what another person does behind their desk,” she said. “Students usually come see us if they have a problem with a friend or if they have an F in a class, so a lot of people think that’s all we’re here for, but we invest our time in a lot of projects for the students, and we are here to help.

Page designed by Lauren Huesers.

Counselor Anne Dummitt works on her daily tasks. She said she needs to be able to adapt everyday to what needs to be done. “It’s not a set hourly thing,” she said. “Every counselor is in charge of their own schedule, so we just call kids in when we need to and take it as it comes.” Photo by Isabelle Allen.

Individual Responsibilities

Greg Curran — department chair, budgeting, coordination of events Anne Dummitt — Tiger Time, ACT, Naviance Mary Glotzbach — AVID, career programs, At Risk programs Jane McGraw — AP program, College Now program Kristin Stallbaumer — scholarships, financial aid, foreign exchange, PSAT, senior awards program

CONDUCTING success

March 2016 upclose 21

New drum majors discuss significance of the job juliefreijat staff writer

Exactly 113 musicians surround you, all waiting on your call. The stadium you stand in is loud and crowded, and bright lights beam down on your back. With so many students to control and a crowd to please, your job seems to be reaching maximum difficulty. This is an ordinary occurrence for a drum major.

Juniors Noah Patton, Elizabeth Toles and Sam Rosenbaum are Blue Valley’s new drum majors for 2016. Rosenbaum said a drum major is more than just a part in the band.

“A drum major is the student side of the leadership of the band,” he said. “We need to be friends with everyone and [be] there for people.”

Rosenbaum

Toles said auditioning and achieving the status of a major is lengthy and begins from the moment you join band.

“When you audition for drum major, it’s not just that process that is taken into account,” she said. “It’s your whole history in the band and even in the school. You can’t be a drum major and have a bad reputation.”

Despite the time and effort auditioning requires, Rosenbaum said the hard works pays off and the position has its perks.

“It’s a lot of work, but it’s a lot of fun,” he said. “It’s my favorite thing to do — ever.”

Contrary to popular belief, Patton said drum majors don’t play the drums. In fact, their position is more complex.

“When you’re on a massive football

Patton

Toles

field [it’s important] to have someone keeping time, starting movements and flailing their arms about,” he said. “[We need] to have someone who is a student and a member of the ensemble making the calls that need to be made.”

Like band itself, being a drum major takes up time outside of school with practices and meetings. Despite the large chunk of time it takes out of their schedules, Toles said there isn’t much to dislike about the job.

“The connection is something I’ve really picked up on,” she said. “Making a connection with people outside of your section is difficult. But being drum major, the band is your section.”

All three agreed the job is important not only for the musical aspect but for the members of the band itself. Patton said he believes a drum major isn’t just the person in charge.

“A drum major is a leader, a musician and a friend,” he said. “But also, [they’re] someone you can count on — someone who is there for you and for the ensemble.”

Photo by Sophia Ragomo. Page designed by Julie Freijat.

22 upclose March 2016

behind the scenes

Tech crew members provide insight on backstage, before production tasks

The weeks of preparation have led them to this moment. Before the show begins, each checks to make sure that everything backstage is ready to go.

Costumes

Junior Lorna Hurt said she decided to start doing the tech crew because she had stage fright.

“I didn’t want to act in the show, but I still wanted to be a part of the production,” she said. “Since then, I’ve realized that technical theater is my passion. What goes on behind the scenes is half the magic.”

Hurt said the first show she did, “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged),” required very complex costume changes. “[It] involved everyone in the cast playing a different character in almost every scene,” she said. “There were a few costume changes in that show that involved getting people out of their old costumes and into long, puffy dresses in about 10 seconds.”

Other shows require simple costume changes, Hurt said.

“The trick to [‘The 39 Steps’] came from finding places to hide the different hats the actors wore for the characters, as they couldn’t leave the stage to get them,” she said.

Hurt said her favorite thing about costumes is getting to work with everyone in the theater department and getting to be a part of an amazing aspect of the storytelling.

“Anyone interested in costume crew should definitely ask me about it,” she said. “I would love to explain more, and I promise I don’t bite.”

Makeup

These aren’t the actors, though — they’re members of the tech crew, and while they aren’t seen by the audience, they’re an integral part of the performance.

Junior Litany Green said she became interested in makeup when she wanted to be a zombie for Halloween.

“I looked up the makeup for that,” she said. “From there, I watched tutorials, got my own makeup kit and started accumulating makeup and skills.”

In terms of recognition, Green said she doesn’t care about it too much.

“There are going to be people who notice the makeup techniques and think, ‘Wow, that’s really cool,’ and appreciate it that way,” she said. “I don’t need someone verbally telling me that it’s good. Also, at the end of the performance, the actors extend a hand to the booth, which is also recognizing me.”

Green said the amount of work she has depends on the show.

“Something like ‘Friday Night Live’ is very minimal, and I have about three looks,” she said. “I maybe start on that the day before for the show. We’re doing ‘King Lear’ in Advanced Rep, and I’ve been working on that for [more than] a month now. It starts in April, so I’ve got some time left to work on it.”

The end product of each show makes it all worth it, Green said. “‘King Lear’ has been the biggest project I’ve worked on, so it’s been a little stressful, but since we have so much time and encouragement, it takes the weight off,” she said. “I’m sure that it’s going to be so amazing to see the performance and everyone’s reactions — just like every other show.”

Story, photos and page designed by Maddie Davis.

Set Design

Sophomore Quin Birmingham said he started doing tech crew in order to see theater productions from in front of and behind the curtain.

“I wanted to understand both sides of the stage,” he said. “All I had ever seen was the actors’ view.”

Birmingham said he enjoys the construction of the set the most, even though it’s difficult to envision the end product.

“I’d have to say my favorite part of building the set would be seeing it come together for the first time and finally realizing you weren’t just building random walls that didn’t make sense,” he said.

Birmingham said the best set he’s worked on was for “The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940.”

“It was my favorite because of all the secret passageways and moving parts,” he said.

Birmingham said it isn’t too hard to learn how to make the set, but there are difficulties.

“Depending on if something breaks or something doesn’t work the way that it originally was meant to, we have to change it, fix it or at least work around it,” he said.

“However, the end product is always worth it.”

In terms of recognition, Birmingham said he believes tech gets the credit it deserves.

“While it is true actors do have more of the limelight, I think most of us would prefer to stay backstage,” he said.

March 2016 upclose 23

Jiang

Meacham

musically inclined rachellock web editor

KMEA All-State

The Kansas Music Educators’ Association (KMEA) Convention hosts auditions to have a band, orchestra and choir consisting of students from across the state.

These students participate in a music conference as well as learn and perform pieces with other high school musicians.

Sophomore Angela Jiang said she feels honored to be chosen for KMEA All-State orchestra with older students.

“It’s really exciting knowing you are good enough to be performing with all these talented upperclassmen,” she said.

“The music at KMEA is a lot more advanced, and you are surrounded by people who are all really skilled musicians.”

Junior Noah Patton, though a band student at BV, was chosen to perform as one of the four clarinets in KMEA’s symphony-style orchestra.

“The wind players who auditioned are divided between the All-State band and orchestra by alternating based off the

Choir

Soprano Stephanie Ainsworth & Angela Wright Alto Maria Wonderlich Tenor Austin Bade Bass Lance Jewett

Wonderlich & Ainsworth

Blue Valley music students chosen to perform, learn with state ensembles

person with the top score’s preference,” he said. “The All-State orchestra is a full orchestra with string and wind instruments, which gives students an experience they don’t normally have at schools.”

Senior PJ Meacham said being in the All-State band gives people an opportunity to work with new teachers and have new experiences.

“KMEA All-State is basically all of the best high school musicians doing band and orchestra within the state of Kansas all in one place,” he said. “This way, we get to play difficult pieces with some great musicians as well as hear new ideas from a different teacher. It condenses a month of band class into a weekend.”

Senior Maria Wonderlich said the rigorous schedule of KMEA completely changes the choir’s dynamic.

“The District and State choirs are so different than choir at Blue Valley,” she said. “The audition is pretty grueling, so generally the people in the choirs are more strongly musically inclined than people in a regular high school choir.”

Orchestra

Violin Angela Jiang & Mindy Liu Bassoon William Liu B-Flat Clarinet Noah Patton Trombone Nick Dahl Percussion Justin Underwood

Page designed and photos by Maddie Davis and Sophia Ragomo.

Band

Patton said KMEA All-State gives students opportunities for personal growth and teamwork.

“Participating in All-State makes you a more mature and accountable musician,” he said. “It is completely up to you to prepare your part of the music before the full ensemble rehearses.”

Wonderlich said working with the choir at KMEA leads to a wonderful end product.

“Both the district and state performances are absolutely breathtaking,” she said. “The state performance is fulfilling because we work on the music basically for three days straight — seeing the product of the three days is very gratifying.

The goosebump moments are well worth all the hard work.”

In addition to mastering new skills, Meacham said All-State is a way to bond with other groups of band students outside of BV. “I love doing KMEA All-State,” he said.

“Chilling with music geeks for a weekend while learning new music is great.”

Trombone Sam Rosenbaum & Jacob Howey B-Flat Clarinet Jackson Alford Contra Clarinet Alt. — Ben Mullinnix Trumpet Bobby Feller & PJ Meacham Tuba Nicholas Johnston Percussion Alt. — Kyle Dlugopolski

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24 payin’thebills March 2016

The Next Best Thing To Fruits and Veggies Lisa Huesers (913)851-3765 lhuesers@kc.rr.com

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March 2016 centerstage 25

Promp

sals

BV students take on unique ideas for Prom

Prom

senior Jillian Bode and senior Jackson Newkirk

When: Saturday, April 2 Time: 9 p.m. - 11:30 p.m.

Location: Camelot Ballroom Tickets: Seniors — Free; BV students —

$30; Outside Date — $30 Theme: A Walk in Wonderland

senior Emily Bridges and senior Niels Hansen

After Prom

When: Sunday, April 3 Time: 12 a.m. - 3 a.m.; no entry after 1 a.m.

Location: Blue Valley High (Commons/Gym) Tickets: Free Theme: Downtown Urban

joke’s on you While not officially recognized as a holiday, April Fools’ Day is celebrated every year on April 1. This is a day of many laughs and jokes among friends and family.

There are many different mythological theories behind April Fools’ Day. Historians have linked this day to the ancient festivals in Rome which involved people disguising themselves. They also believe it may reveal the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere.

Others speculate that April Fools’ Day goes back to 1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar.

People who were slow to realize the new year was moved to Jan. 1 became the targets of the jokers. A common joke was taping paper fish on their backs and being known as “poisson d’avril” — April fish — it was said to indicate a young and innocent person.

Although it has been celebrated by many cultures for centuries, the origin of this day remains a mystery.

TICKET

TICKET

senior Evan Katz and junior Mallory Norris

Prom?

Four letters, 1 question — yes or no?

Throughout Blue Valley, students find creative, cute and fun ways to ask their dates to Prom. It’s the last dance for seniors at BV, so a lot of students think outside of the box to get a definite ‘Yes’ to Prom. Although asking someone to the dance can be a nerve-wracking experience, it’s something you and your date will never forget.

April Fool’s Day provides entertainment value JOKE IDEAS

-Cream Cheese for Deodorant -Fake Parking Ticket -Park cars really close together, making a barricade to the school’s main entrance -Make a ‘new teachers needed’ sign for the door “In seventh grade, I had a teacher that I did not like at all. So, my friend and I decided to play a prank on her. When she left the room, we put tape on the bottom of her straw so she couldn’t drink out of it. When she came back, she yelled at my whole class and someone ratted us out.”

— sophomore Jillian Hurst

Photos courtesy of students pictured. Stories and page designed by Lydia Hsu and Macie Lawrence.

26 centerstage March 2016

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Photos courtesy of MCT Campus.

Story and page designed by Courtney Carpenter.

March 2016 centerstage 27

for the love of reading

Read Across America Day maintains importance despite lack of celebration in high school amelialock staff writer With all of the school books forced down our throats and amongst the endless hours we spend annotating, sometimes students — and even teachers — forget what it is like to truly love reading.

March 2, Read Across America Day, reminds us of our love of books.

Reading is something we should remember and their are many reasons to do it.

ELA teacher Linda Eagleton said she has many reasons to read.

“I read to learn, to escape, to explore other times and places, to feel more deeply the feelings of others,” she said.

This day is celebrated in

the United States to encourage reading and coincides with the birthday of Dr. Seuss.

Eagleton said reading good writing can have a profound influence on us.

“It can educate us, expand our worlds, put us in another’s shoes, cause us to think, cause us to feel,” Eagleton said.

While some prefer to focus on the Dr. Seuss portion by wearing hats and bringing their favorite Seussian books, others like to celebrate reading as a whole with author speakers and reading-themed activities.

Read Across America Day raises reading awareness and creates a love of reading in our country. It is celebrated in 3.2 million schools across the United States — almost

all of them being elementary schools with some middle schools as well. However, as students age, the day is slowly celebrated less often.

Schools shouldn’t neglect this day just because their students are older.

“Schools should encourage reading whenever and however they can,” Eagleton

said. “One day is a start.”

Students need this day more as they age considering the significant increase in workload and decrease in free time.

However you decide to celebrate it, Read Across America Day shouldn’t be forgotten and deserves recognition in all grade levels.

raise your voice

Honnur

Bakalar

“I read because it’s a way for me to escape for a few hours, and it gives me different perspectives on life. A good story always makes my imagination go crazy. Reading broadens your horizons.”

— sophomore Anchitha Honnur

“I think we should celebrate Read Across America Day because being a good reader is going to help people in all aspects of their life. It is an important skill to have for the future.” ­— sophomore Victoria Wilson

“My former students will understand this analogy that I often make: we are like horses wearing blinders. The more we learn, the more our blinders open up, the more we see in the world and the better decisions we make. Reading opens our blinders.”

— ELA teacher Kelsey Bakalar

I love a good story — but more than that, I believe it opens my eyes to things I might not otherwise see. Learning history is good, but reading a story that includes history gives us a different perspective, and we understand a little bit more of what it was like.”

— ELA teacher Jennifer Balke

Wilson

Balke

Photo courtesy of MCT Campus. Page designed by Amelia Lock and Maddie Davis.

28 tigerturf March 2016

lack of tracktion

Limited participation for varsity girls track influences practices, points scored sheilagregory co-editor Track and Field events range from twomile runs, hundred-meter dashes, javelin throws and numerous relays. With 18 events in total and up to three entries per school in each event, the talent spectrum can be quite varied.

However, Blue Valley’s girls varsity rarely fills up the three-participant limit per event, putting a strain on how many points are scored.

Senior Josie Lewin said despite the lack of participation, it helps having individual attention in her events.

“Some of the upsides to being one of the only varsity vaulters and sprinters is you get to really know your coaches,” she said. “You get a lot of one-on-one attention, and with pole vault, that makes a huge difference.”

However, junior Meredith Wilcox said so few girls left her without company.

“There isn’t a whole lot of pressure,” Wilcox said. “I don’t really have anyone to run with now. It’s a bummer for me because I don’t have anyone next to me who can push me.”

Order of Events

Lewin said not having to compete with others from BV strengthens the team’s bond as a whole.

“The lack of competition makes the girls closer as a team,” Lewin said. “When you and your teammates are constantly competing for a spot, it often takes the fun out of the sport.

I do think times might improve, though, if there was more competition within events.”

Moving JV runners up to the varsity level is something Wilcox said could help the team at meets.

“Sometimes [JV athletes] think, ‘If I’m on JV, why should I even try to make the varsity level?’” she said. “So if [the coaches] pull them up to varsity, that’s going to put them in a much more competitive environment and push them to reach their full potential.

Plus maybe they’ll pull through, and we could score more points.”

Since she is the sole participant in her event, Lewin said she has extra responsibilities.

“By being the only girls varsity vaulter last year, I tried really hard to make a good impression for BV,” she said. “It was really important for me to represent our team and school well.”

Track:

4x800 Relay 100m High Hurdles 100m Dash 1600m Run 4x100 Relay 400m Dash 300m Hurdles 800m Run 200m Dash 3200m Run 4x400 Relay

Field:

Shotput Discus Javelin Pole Vault Long Jump Triple Jump High Jump

Track Meet Schedule

March 25 — JCCC Invitational April 2 — Shawnee Mission South Relays (9 a.m.)

April 8 — Blue Valley Relays (3 p.m.)

April 15 — ­ Olathe District Athletic Complex (3:30 p.m.)

April 22-23 — KU Relays (8 a.m.)

April 29 — St. Thomas Aquinas at the Switzer District Athletic Complex (SWIDAC) (3:30 p.m.)

May 6 — ­ Shawnee Mission North Relays (3:30 p.m.)

May 15 — EKL @ SWIDAC (3:30 p.m.)

May 20 ­— Regionals @ BV (3:30 p.m.)

May 27-28 — State @ Wichita State

Leaning into a sprint, junior Meredith Wilcox prepares for future track meets. Wilcox qualified individually in the 400 meter dash last year for State. “I will do whatever event the coach needs me for,” she said. “I have my preferences — I love the 400, the 100 is nice and I do long jump.”

Page designed by Sheila Gregory.

March 2016 tigerturf 29

day in the life of

CAITLIN TRUHE

What it’s like to be the school’s athletic trainer

daily schedule DATE: Friday, March 25

11 a.m. “I come in sometime between

Wrapping a student’s leg, BV athletic trainer Caitlin Truhe talks about preventing and treating shin splints. Photo by Maddie Davis.

alliwilliams news editor Athletic trainer Caitlin Truhe said though she played for her high school volleyball team, she truly got her start working with athletes as a football manager.

“At my high school, we didn’t have an athletic trainer,” Truhe said. “The athletic trainer that came to cover our football games taught all the managers how to tape, how to look for injuries and when to tell [athletes] they needed to see the athletic trainer. It was a lot of fun.”

She said it wasn’t until after high

11-11:30, just depending on how late I’ll be here in the evening. I come in, I check my email, I look at the schedule for the week and for that day because things tend to change a lot. I answer emails and contact people who need it.”

11:30 a.m. “I see student athletes during lunch times. Sometimes I have kids come in, sometimes I don’t.”

1 p.m. “Then, I’ll go to the office, check my mail and [greet] Ms. Wadley, the nurse and all the ladies in the office. Then I come back, and usually that’s about the time that school is getting out.”

3 p.m. “I take care of athletes after school before practice. It depends on the season, but normally I stay until somewhere between 7 or 8 at night.”

school when she realized she wanted to pursue a career in athletic training.

“I didn’t really think about it again until I was about a sophomore in college and I was like, ‘I think that’s what I want to do with my life,’” Truhe said. “So I found an athletic training program and figured it out. I hadn’t even known what the athletic trainer’s role was. I just thought he comes, and he’s there — I didn’t know what his job title was. So, I had to do a little digging for it, and that’s how I found out.”

Truhe said she finds being the bearer of bad news the hardest part of her job.

“The most challenging [thing] is having to tell an athlete they can’t play

because they’re hurt,” she said. “They don’t want to listen — they want to play — and I have to explain why it’s important for them to rest, sit out and communicate that with the coaches.

You never want to give anyone bad news.”

Despite the emotionally difficult parts of the job, Truhe said she most enjoys it for the connections made with the students.

“I really like getting to know the athletes and getting to watch them succeed,” she said. “[I like] watching athletes who do get injured get back into the sport. Seeing them play is really rewarding.”

Page designed by Alli Williams.

30 tigerturf March 2016

Let the MADNESS Begin

Blue Valley students, faculty compete in March Madness bracket challenges tatumsanders staff writer This year as spring starts, some people get excited for the weather and others get excited for March Madness.

Everyone gathers at games, sport bars and friend’s houses around their TVs with brackets in their hands watching their favorite teams, hoping that their 1 out of the 68 teams competing for the championship will win.

March Madness was started in 1939 by the National Collegiate Athletic Association for Men’s Division-I Basketball. This event is known as the biggest annual sporting event in the United States.

There are three phases to the process to determine the 68 teams for the

tournament. First, choose the 36 best at-large teams. Then seed the field of 68 teams. Lastly, place the teams into the championship bracket.

When we’ve already seen our favorite teams at their best, everyone starts to make their brackets.

The bracket-making process became popular in 1975 as someone hung up a whiteboard with the brackets on it.

People make their bracket based on the team’s ranking — and, of course, they want their teams to win. Many people even make multiple brackets.

When making a bracket, start with drawing the four regions with eight bracket spots for 16 teams in each region.

Then, the winners from each game are put up against the other winner from another game in the same region until there is one winner in each region.

That team will then go against the winner of an opposite region. This is known as The Final Four. The winners of the two Final Four games will compete against one another for the championship.

Students are getting in on the Madness by making their own brackets and plans with friends to go watch the games.

As March Madness began, Sports and Entertainment Marketing teacher Kathy Peres helped get her students involved by having them make brackets.

“Not only will we be making brackets, but we will be looking into the history of how this little NCAA tournament turned into a huge tournament and how the publicity of a college will become known based on their rankings in the tournament,” Peres said.

march madness timeline Week 1

Week 2

On Selection Sunday, teams are seeded, or ranked, from 1-16 in one of four regions. The 68 teams are organized into a singleelimination bracket.

Once the first week knocks out about three-quarters of the teams, and then it narrows it down to the Sweet Sixteen for the second weekend.

Week 3

After the Sweet Sixteen plays the regions get narrowed down to The Final Four, which consists of the best team of each region.

Week 4

The last week is The Final Four, consisting of a team from each region. They compete in Houston, the predetermined location for the National Championship.

raise your voice Guidessi

“My favorite NCAA team would have to KU because I have season tickets, and I’ve had them for the past seven years.”

— senior Michael Guidessi

Page designed by Tatum Sanders.

“I’ll be making a bracket for March Madness with my softball team. Normally, we sell premade brackets for a fundraiser as well.”

— sophomore Grace Garcia

Garcia

SWINGING for the

March 2016 tigerturf 31 Senior Gunner Halter fields the ball during practice. The varsity baseball team is mostly comprised of seniors this season. “It really helps us build chemistry,” Halter said. “You’re not nervous to mess up. You don’t have to prove anything because you’ve already played with them.” Photo by Megan Hegarty.

FENCES Baseball team expects winning season, improved senior leadership

meganhegarty sports editor Baseball is one of the first sports students play as children.

Most people remember playing tee-ball in elementary school. Very few, however, play in high school, and even fewer play in college or the major league.

Senior Gunner Halter said baseball became important to him at a very young age.

“My parents say I've been playing ever since I could walk,” he said. “I always had a bat or a ball in my hand.”

His dad played professional baseball for 17 years, eight of which were in the major leagues, and Halter said that influenced his decision to play baseball.

“He forced me to play baseball when I was little, but

it’s OK because I love it,” he said. “The only sport my dad ever let me play was baseball because he was afraid I would get hurt [in other sports.] It's always been the only thing he ever talks about.”

He said his favorite part of baseball is that it’s therapeutic for him when he’s overwhelmed.

“It gets my mind off things — baseball is my escape if I'm stressed out,” he said. “Whenever I go play baseball, it takes my mind off everything.”

Halter said high school baseball is different from competitive because the team’s record is important.

“Winning games actually matters [in high school],” he said. “But in summer league you just have fun and it doesn't involve as much competition.”

After a 2014 State Title,

LOVE THE ROYALS? The baseball team is selling Royals ticket vouchers for the 2016 season. The vouchers cost $18 to $28, depending on the seat section. The proceeds fund the BV baseball team, and they need to sell 1,250 tickets

by April 1 to play in the Day at the K on Saturday, April 30. Go to bvhsbaseball.com, or use the QR code for more information.

the 2015 Tiger baseball team went 11-11, and coach Tony Scardino said it was a learning experience for the boys.

“We were disappointed with the way last year concluded,” he said. “The guys recognize that even though we won a State championship in 2014, just showing up in 2015 doesn't mean anything. You’ve got to be able to perform.

I think there was a level of expectation that it would just happen again, and it didn’t.”

Halter said this year’s seniors are more invested in the sport than the previous senior class.

“Last year, our seniors didn't really care about baseball,” he said. “They’d come to practice and said they didn't really want to be there. This year we actually have a bunch of guys who care, and that'll help a lot.”

Scardino said these seniors make baseball their first priority.

“We’ve got stronger senior leadership than we had last year,” he said. “Mainly because this year our seniors, like in 2014, are composed a lot of baseball guys who love to play the game.”

Halter has signed to play

COLLEGE SIGNEES

Will Brennan — K-State Tanner Fox — K-State Gunner Halter — K-State AJ Johnson — Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Kyle Spriggs — Greenville College baseball at K-State, and there are four other seniors on the varsity baseball team who will play in college.

“It definitely helps because obviously if people committed that means they're really good,” Halter said. “Everyone's going to contribute to the team in some way.”

Halter said he’s always wanted to make a career out of baseball and will try to follow in his dad’s footsteps.

“I've wanted to play outside of high school ever since I was little,” he said. “That’s what I've been writing down since kindergarten when they ask what you want to be when you're older. It’s always been what I want to do. I want to be better than my dad, get that upper hand and be able to brag to him.”

Page designed by Megan Hegarty.

32 snapshot March 2016

practice makes perfect

1.

2.

Spring sports get ready for upcoming seasons

3.

4.

5.

6.

1. Junior Morgan Hoffman dives during practice. She was a competitive gymnast before injuries forced her to quit. “Dive was an easy transition because I already knew how to flip and twist,” she said. “I had to learn the different entrances to the water.” File photo by Emma Hardeman.

2. Senior Griffin Mott looks to see where the ball will land. Mott has played golf all four years of high school. “When I was a freshman, a lot of the seniors looked out for me and helped me,” he said. “That’s what us seniors will be doing to assist the underclassmen.” Photo

by Alexis Vance.

3. In the gym, senior Sarah Jonhaugen

7. practices her pole vault form. Jonhaugen is a foreign exchange student from Norway. “I’ve never tried pole vault before,” Jonhaugen said.

“All my friends told me, ‘You’ve got to try pole vaulting. It’s so fun.’” Photo by Isabelle Allen.

4. Kicking the ball, freshman Anna Todd participates in a soccer drill. Todd is on the girls varsity soccer team and also plays for Sporting Blue Valley ECNL. “I’ve been playing since preschool,” Todd said. “I like the competitiveness of the sport.” Photo by Isabelle Allen.

5. Swinging his arm, junior Nathan Huber prepares to throw the ball. Varsity’s first game was March 22 at 5 p.m. against Shawnee Mission East. “To get ready for the season, we

are doing bullpen with our pitchers and hitting against them,” freshman Matthew Andry said.

Photo by Alexis Vance.

6. Sophomore Mia Garton fields the ball.

Garton has been playing softball since she was 7 years old. “I practice hard,” Garton said. “It’s what I want to do when I go to college.” Photo

by Isabelle Allen.

7. Looking up, sophomore Christian Hansen gets ready to hit the ball. The Tigers finished third last year at State. “We have excellent seniors,” he said. “We also have excellent sophomores who will ensure a successful future in BV tennis.” Photo by Alexis Vance.

Page designed by Maddie Davis.