ENTERING THE GOLDEN YEARS Long-standing traditions need all students’ support to keep BV’s spirit alive. Read on to page 16 to discover how the Tiger Print staff hopes you will approach this school year. blue valley high school | vol. 53| issue 1 | august 2022 | bvtigernews.com | overland park, kansas THE TIGER PRINT | DESIGN BY AYESHA KHAN
Senior Caroline Doolittle visited Iowa State University.
BV Students visit Colleges over the summer
Junior Jahnavi Parasker visited Yale University.
2 news august 2022 design by chanie rankin
Senior Sophia Occipinto visited the University of Mississippi.
COLLEGE VENTURES
Senior Abby Taylor visited Kansas State University.
“[The No Child Left Behind Act] had happened that year, and there were new rules about how certification happened,” Golden said. “I couldn’t get a traditional certification in Latin, but I could get one in English pretty easily because I had done a lot of graduate work in that. In about a year and a half, I got certified to teach English and never looked back.”
While taking over the role of principal, Gold en doesn’t want the school to differentiate itself from past years.
“My goal isn’t to come in and change a whole bunch of stuff [but] to come in and watch, listen and help us keep being the best version we can be,” Golden said. “I hope stu dents, faculty members and parents will see that just as Mr. Bacon has been approachable, eager to listen and eager to get to know people, they see that for me, too.”
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stern
rhylan stern |publication editor
After teaching for 15 years, he started admin istrative work which inspired Golden to take on a new“It’srole.achallenge, but the opportunity to be a principal and to help facilitate what a team of really strong teachers [and] staff are doing together and to help get things out of the way so that they can do their work,” Golden said. ‘It’s a rewarding [and] helping job.”
After 18 years of Scott Bacon as Blue Valley High’s principal, the Tigers are getting a new leader. Dr. Charles Golden is stepping into the challenge of filling Bacon’s role.
“I was almost done with a Ph.D. in English Literature at [the] University of Toronto when my wife applied for jobs in Blue Valley. It was the year Blue Valley West opened, and they were desperate for teachers,” Golden said. “After she was hired, the HR director found out she was married to somebody who had a year of college teaching experience and had pretty good reading knowledge of Latin. [He] basically said he needs to apply for jobs because there were no Latin teachers with certifications to be found and there was an emergency certification pro cess that the state was allowing at the time. I got a job I wasn’t looking for and I started teaching Latin 1 through 3 — I loved it.”
BVHS gains another tiger A New Era “
My goal isn’t to come in and change a whole bunch of stuff [but] to come in and watch, listen and help us keep being the best version we can be. goldencharles principal“ rhylan
Following that year, an obstacle prevented Golden from continuing as a Latin teacher but took him on a different track.
When beginning his career as an educator, a new and unplanned opportunity opened up, taking Golden on a path to where he is now.
Bar pointed out another reason the district decided to make Level 4 a weighted class.
“Students who complete [Spanish or French in] grades 6,7 and 8 will have completed two full years of their language and enroll in Level 3 at the high school level — as a result, we are now going up through AP 6,” Bar said. “It’s a much more comprehensive and fluid program now.”
“There are high schools in our district that do not have feeder schools for their given languages,” she said. “Blue Val ley North and Blue Valley High are the only two that have a French feeder so when kids come to us in Level 3, we needed to be able to take them up through Level 6. [At] Northwest, West or Southwest, there is no feeder school in French so when those kids got to be in level four as seniors, they didn’t have a weighted credit option, so they would have never been able to receive weighted credit for their language courses.”
The Blue Valley district language program has been implementing changes in the program since 2018 and is continuing with the next phase this year.
Bar offers these words of advice for students partaking in a language.“Goasfar as you can in your language study — I do not recommend that students bounce between languages,” she said. “The goal colleges want to see, and even employers, is that you [have] achieved an advanced level of proficiency.”
French teacher discusses new changes in curriculum Language Learning Curve
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Bar believes there are many positive advantages to the new“Thechanges.cool thing about this new curriculum is that all languages in our district are implementing the exact same thematic units across the board,” Bar said. “Now, regardless of the language you choose to study, whether it be French, Spanish or Chinese, there is a lot of consistency. Kids can take their language skills to a higher level. Teachers are able to collaborate across languages so there’s more support for teachers.”
amy collins |staff writer
“We have gone to creating thematic units with no text books with a level each year,” French teacher Carol Bar said. “Level 1 started in 2018, and then we implemented Level 2. For the 2021-2022 school year we implemented Level 4 so [this] year we will have Level 5 and then AP 6 [the following year].”
“Sophomores can get weighted credit in Honors 4 and Honors 5 as a junior,” Bar said. “[Honors 5] is not only
Not only have the levels changed but the content is also changing.“Weare now using authentic materials for absolutely everything, so we don’t rely on old textbooks,” Bar said. “Ev erything we use is from the countries of the target languages we’reBeforeteaching.”2018students who had completed their language in middle school would come into high school and start at level 2.5 and then would go on to level 3 their sophomore year, Honors 4 their junior year and then AP 5 their senior year, but this is changing.
Freshmen who completed Level 3 last year will start in the new Honors 4 this year and sophomores who completed Level 4 will go into Honors 5 this year.
offered for weighted credit but also for dual credit with the College Now program as well as AP.”
On the other hand, Wright worked through his summer at Waterway Carwash and Price Chopper.
BV students share details of their summer jobs putting in the work
“I think it’s a great opportunity. I honestly felt even though it’s a long time commitment like I really found how to have fun through it.” Beck said.
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“I was able to give back the same experience that I had when I was younger, so I [worked} two weeks. My first week was at St. Teresa’s, and it was five days, from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and you get your phone taken the entire time. My second camp was at Lincoln Middle.”
“ Without a summer job, I feel like I would get bored all the time. wrightcarter
believes that working during the summer is the way to go, remarking that in the summer he “gets more hours and I’m not as rushed, also I’m not always tired when I’m at work. After school, I only have an hour to go home, get ready, then go to work. In the summer, I have all the time I need.”
While summer can be devoted to lazy days, kicking back and relaxing, some students, like junior Carter Wright and senior Aydan Beck dedicated their time to their jobs and working hard during the break from the school year.
“I also had an assistant camp counselor, and we led a group of about 10 elementary school-aged girls. We walked them through four sports a day and got to learn the skills and the rules behind [them]. Just basically instilling some values of teamwork and positivity and how to uplift yourself and others,” Beck said. “We did softball, basketball, soccer, some of the more fun, or I guess interesting, ones were salsa dancing, line dancing, and pickleball.”
At the camp, Beck had a list of responsibilities and spent her days working as the main camp counselor for her group.
ava mcguire |publication editor
“I work to keep me busy and to make money,” Wright said. “It keeps me active in something as a replacement for school. Without a summer job, I feel like I would get bored all theWrighttime.”
Both Beck and Wright agree that working a summer job can have its downsides, like “very hot days” and the stresses of keeping up with ten little girls, but the experience is ultimately worth it. For Wright, working was about making and saving money, and for Beck, it was about connecting with the kids. But for both of them, it was an entertainment outlet to have during the long summer days.“Everyone should have a summer job. It’s a good source of money and keeps you busy all the time.” Wright said.
Beck spent her summer counseling at an athletics-centered youth summer camp. After she participated in a similar camp when she was younger, she wanted to give other children the same empowering experience she had.
“Because we have so many new starters this year, this summer has really helped us figure out how we play as a team and what our strengths and weaknesses are.”
Students give summer updates on athletics
| PHOTO BY CHARLIE TRENT SUMMER
again.”“Dance
“The bonds you make with your teammates and the lifelong friendships we make being with each other almost everyday by pushing each other to get better are my favorite part.”
AUDREY CHE
“Every summer we do our week-long camp, and then after club nationals we do open gyms every Tuesday and Thursday. Most other schools lift and condition over the summer, but our coach knows that we already do so much with club volleyball, so he doesn’t add more stuff on because it could lead to injury.”
FOOTBALL AVERYDANCEDELONG
“We hope that the fans and student section can bring as much energy and excitement as possible to each game and make it a really fun and positive environment all around. ”
| PHOTO BY CHARLEY THOMAS
| PHOTO SUBMITTED BY AUDREY CHE
“For us, summer is really just getting used to working with people you haven’t worked with in a year. A huge part of volleyball people don’t realize is chemistry and working with each other.”
VOLLEYBALL
has a couple camps in July — one at Blue Valley and one in Lawrence. For the one at the school, we do a lot of team bonding and learn new choreography.”
“We did an overnight camp at Pitt State, had two 7 on 7 tournaments, had practices for just over a month, and lifted every Monday through Friday in the mornings.”
“Summer is preparing the team for fall by prepping us for football sidelines and teaching the new team members about how football games work.”
TREVOR BRUSH
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“Expect a lot of excitement and entertainment from the volleyball team this season. We are finally where we need to be to compete for a state title
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“The most difficult part of summer has been perfecting our camp material to show up and show out to other teams at summer camp in June. We look forward to this camp every year because we get to represent Blue Valley to teams across the state and learn new skills from professionals.”
NOLAN SCHMIDT COURTNEY BUSTA and activities
“Summer runs are a lot of fun. You get to spend a lot of time with your teammates and get to know them better heading into the season. A lot of the girls have become very close friends even outside of the sport, and I’m very glad to have those friendships because of cross country.” KATE ARNETT heading BY CHARLIE SPIRIT
had daily summer runs at 6:30 a.m. Monday through Friday. Fridays, the practices were senior-led without coaches, and they included team bonding afterwards by playing different games each“Mileageweek.”could be anywhere from between 3-10 miles.”
CHEER BOYS’ SOCCER CROSS COUNTRY MARY
into fall season | PHOTO SUBMITTED BYMARY KATE ARNETT | PHOTO
| DESIGN BY CHARLEY THOMAS
“I believe these kickarounds are helping the team bond together and gain chemistry. It’s especially important for freshmen and underclassmen to be introduced to the program.”
“We had our summer camp, a summer tournament at Aquinas in July, and kickarounds three times a week as we got closer to school.”
“The school can expect the soccer team to be fit and ready to go in the first game of the season against Blue Valley West because we put in the time all summer.”
“I’m looking forward to being able to lead the team as a captain next year and being a good role model to the underclassmen.”“Crosscountry
“Our team has dedicated a lot of practice time to ensure we represent our school’s spirit at games. We’re hoping our student section can help us this year with chants and energy to show the other schools what BV’s school spirit is all about. “
TRENT | PHOTO SUBMITTED BY COURTNEYSPORTSBUSTA &
“Financialgroup.literacy is your basic understanding of finance that you’re going to need as an adult, or even right now,” Patel said. “[It’s] understanding how to budget your money — like how much you should save, how much you should invest, how much you should spend, and understanding how you can set yourself up for success in the real world right now.”
ayesha khan |editor-in-chief
R
“We had a social media team and we had a team that was focused on financial literacy program,” Rudman said. “Then from there, we just worked in our individual groups and came up with a pitch for each team.”
“I started off with assignments where they would say ‘Do these interviews, talk to these people, look at this website, write this summary, etc,” Rudman said. “After that, it very quickly turned — I’d say by week two — [into] doing a lot of work where they would just say go off [and] log what you did. It could literally be me looking at accounts,other like other businesses Tik Tok’s, it could be me making content in my room —
Seniors work at Community America for summer internship
Rudman, who was on the advertising team, promoted educational content about financial literacy while also developing a pitch to a hypothetical investor about why they should give a grant to his group’s project.
THE INs & OUTs OF INTERNING
eturning Blue Valley High School students may remember receiving an email in their canvas inboxes Spring of 2022 regarding a paid internship program through the Kauffman Foundation called Pro X. The students who applied, interviewed, and received a position in this program were paired with an employer in the area that appealed to their interests. Among the students that landed this opportunity were seniors Max Rudman and Shivam Patel
HELLO my name is 8 feature august 2022 design by ayesha khan
These teams were specified as the advertising team and the game team. Patel, as a member of the game team, worked to create a product that educated people on financial literacy.
“The internship was through Pro X and I worked with Community America, which is a credit union,” Patel said. “It lasted five weeks, we had to work 25 hours a week, and got paid $1,250 at the end.”
The overarching objective with the Community America internship was to spread financial literacy within the high school age
Although Rudman and Patel were both interning for Community America, the company divided its 14 interns into two separate groups based on their interests.
like $10 gift cards, if they got the answer right,” Patel said. “There’s also a website which has the game on it. If you’re making a checking account, there’s a game you can play which will also teach you more about managing your money.”
“The game team basically ran a session every Monday where we had a trivia game and people would get prizes,
“They presented to the entire Pro X internship program in our weekly meeting, which was really fun by the way — they did a really good job with it,” Rudman said. “They [did] that so they could first of all teach kids the things they needed to know in a fun and engaging way, but also so they could understand what they know and don’t know and how they want to learn.”Patel, on the other hand, did not share the same enjoyment in these weekly“Mymeetingsleastfavorite part was the Monday sessions because they got dragged on for way too long — it didn’t need to be four hours,” Patel said. “They’d bring speakers in
it could be really anything, just however I can best give them theAsproduct.”members of different teams, the two each had their own hybrid schedule. However, every Monday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., all of the interns working with Pro-X gathered for a main session.
“I gained a better understanding of being more professional because it was with actual people in the real world,” Patel said. “My favorite part was gaining experience in an area that I’m interested in because I want to go into the business
“They pretty much give you an end task and you’re supposed to get there, but there’s so many ways you can attack the problem that it’s almost daunting,” Rudman said. “When you’re in person, you’re all having group conversations and you make progress in a very tangible way. The challenge of being virtual was finding my own way to work and to try and find the solution.”
Despite certain facets of the internship being difficult, they allowed Rudman to grow in new ways.
might be beneficial to us, but they went super in depth on basic things that most people, I felt, had a good understanding of.”Nevertheless,
“
Rudman has his own aspects of the internship that he found enjoyable. In his case, it was working in a hybrid environment.
My favorite part was gaining experience in an area that I’m interested in because I want to go into the business field.
shivam patel ayesha khan
“ HELLO my name is feature august 2022 9 design by
“It’s taught me about what I want in a job. I really like having people to work with and I struggle severely with hybrid work with virtual or asynchronous work. I like making TikToks, I like coming up with ideas and being creative — I like doing all that and they gave me a reason to do it,” Rudman said. “I didn’t see my career being at a credit union before and I don’t see it being that now, but I think the characteristics of the job rather than the job itself, were really great learning experiences.”
“When we went into the pitch, I had my ideas and the group had their ideas. There were more of them, so I had to give up what I was doing and go with what they wanted to do, which makes it difficult to stay attached to the project since it’s not your vision and it’s not something you believe in,” Rudman said. “It’s hard to watch that product go forward into the pitch process and get shot down because I always thought my ideas would have done better, but that’s part of it — you have to compromise and accept that you’re not always right, which I’m not, so that was it’s nice opportunity to learn.”
By the end of the internship, they both concurred that the experience as a whole was beneficial.
Althoughfield.”Rudman does not share the same desires for his future, his interning endeavors provided him with insight into what he values in the workplace.
“If you’re wanting to ref, do something that you have some experience in and something that you enjoy doing,” Gelles said. “Maybe [find] an age group that you feel comfortable doing because it’s a really great way to make money and it’s reallyReynoldseasy.” echoed the same opinion.
The job has allowed many of the athletes to gain a unique perspective from observing both sides of their sport.
Notzones.”many high school students enjoy their summer jobs but these referees said differently.
All three agree the pay for refereeing makes the job well
With the current shortage of refs and the job’s high demand in almost every sport, referee opportunities are open and encouraged to anyone interested.
“Reffing helps me understand the rules more, and obvi ously when you’re playing, you’re always yelling at the ref,” Malek said. “When you actually ref, you know how it feels and how confusing and hard it can be sometimes, so I feel more empathy for them.”
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Malek’s favorite aspect is different from the others.
“My favorite part is watching the kids when they get to work together — they get so excited, especially because they’re young,” Gelles said. “They are just learning how to play, and it’s really fun to watch.”
“Don’t be scared to apply — it takes maybe an hour or two to apply,” Reynolds said. “You’ll probably get hired in a week — it doesn’t take long. “
Junior Tyler Reynolds took to umpiring baseball due to his inside access to the profession.
For senior Tori Gelles, volleyball is her sport of choice.
“It helped me get a little bit better at baseball — knowing what’s going on around you and being mindful,” Reynolds said. “Especially as a pitcher, knowing what the [strike] zone looks like and that different umpires are going to have differ ent
“It’s a job I could get when I was 14,” Reynolds said. “My baseball coach at the time knew my boss, so that made it really easy — I got to use him as a reference, and I [also] had a friend who worked there.”
“The kids love the sport,” Reynolds said. “Whenever you have a close game, it’s fun because they’re competitive.”
“Kicking out parents is very fun,” Malek said. “When they curse and stuff, I’ve had to kick them out.”
“I’ve been playing volleyball since I was in third grade so I’ve always been around it,” Gelles said. “Reffing is really fun, and it’s an easy way to make money.”
Reynolds prefers watching the older groups play.
Students find employment as Game
The job has improved Reynolds’ game as well.
isabella vaz |staff writer
Passion for athletics, along with paychecks, has led many BV students to explore refereeing as a summer job opportu nity.Soccer was the sport junior Rehan Malek was drawn to referee.“[Idecided to ref] because I wanted to make money, and I like the sport and play it,” Malek said. “I felt like getting a job was something I was interested in.”
RefereeSoccer Malek,Rehan 11 RefereeVolleyball Gelles,Tori 12 UmpireBaseball Reynolds,Tyler 11
Changers
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ever you’re free, you can ask for those days. Whatever days you can’t do, you don’t sign up for,” Malek said. “It’s super self-paced — it’s very flexible for students especially.”
“It depends on the age you’re working and the level [with] how much you’re getting paid, but usually it’s going to be between $22 and $30 for an hour and 45 minute game,” Reynolds said. “So it’s a pretty good pay.”
referees of various sports worth it.
The adjustable hours are also a bonus.
Soccer scheduling especially provides the unique opportu nity to work whenever you choose.
“It’s pretty flexible,” Gelles said. “I usually work on either Saturdays or Sundays and I do about four games at a time so it takes up maybe three hours.”
“It’s very self-oriented — whatever you want to do, when
Malek offers a word of advice for those interested in the job.“Keep your composure and don’t be stressed because in the game, the last thing you want to do is be freaking out — then the players and everyone freaks out and it’s a mess,” Malek said. “Also try to get interest in the sport first because I feel like if you’re a referee that doesn’t watch soccer or play, it’s not going to be as fun to do. If you want to make money it’s a it’s a good job.”
Predicted Score: 5
t is a common trend that students seeking to challenge themselves through academic rigor take Advanced Placement (AP) classes. Although AP tests are taken in the Spring, College Board did not release scores until July.
Score Received: 5
“Do all your work on time because it’s a really easy A if you turn things in. Also start studying early and watch Heimler.”
“The biggest thing would be to not procrastinate on your projects and actually make sure to do all the lessons so you know all the vocab.” REFLECTIONS
Predicted Score: 4
Read on to hear about what last season’s AP test takers thought they would receive on their test, what they actually ended up receiving, and a few words of wisdom they would leave any students planning to take that course this school year.
I
Seniors advise future examinees
Score Received: 4
AP UNITED STATES HISTORY AP COMPUTERPRINCIPLESSCIENCE emily clausen AP
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AP BIOLOGY
AP CHEMISTRY
Predicted Score: 3
“Make sure you read the textbook because the in-class notes are not enough for the AP exam.”
Score Received: 4
“Stay on top of your work and do it the day it’s assigned, not the day it’s due. It hurt me procrastinating my work and it piled up too much towards the end of the year.”
Predicted Score: 5
Score Received: 2
AP ENGLISHCOMPOSITIONLANGUAGE
Score Received: 3
AP STATISTICS
AP MICROECONOMICS
AP PHYSICS I
Score Received: 3
Score Received: 3
Predicted Score: 3
“Make sure you really understand the many different formulas you learn throughout the year and know how to apply them. The AP test gives you a formula sheet, so if you know how to apply these formulas, you will do well.”
Score Received: 4
carmen
“Practice your timed writes because that’s the main thing since there’s three of them. Make sure you know the vocab for the multiple choice questions because I feel like that is the thing that can easily mess you up the most.”
rohit menon ronit patel joaquin toro liann moegerle alexis forgy
Predicted Score: 4
Predicted Score: 3
Predicted Score: 3
“Keep up with the class and make sure you really get the lesson down before you move on. It’s a completely cumulative class and every lesson builds off of the last one, so don’t be afraid ro reach out for help or tutoring if you need it — you’ll see a very visible difference.”
“Do all the work and worksheets she assigns even though they’re not graded.”
moonesinghe
“I have not ever been on a school publication before,” said junior Allison Sharber. “My brother is on newspaper, and I have friends in yearbook.”
Being on staff comes with plenty of ways to expand your creativity.“I’mmost excited for working with people I don’t really know,” Campbell said. “I want to have a reason to be at school and to participate in something other than normal classes.”Becoming involved in your school yearbook or newspaper not only broadens aspiring journalists horizons and adds to students’ college applications, it also opens the door for pas sion and eventually for some, the perfect occupation.
“I’m open to pursuing journalism as my profession, I’ve always thought it would be cool to make my own magazine,” Poland said.
But for some, journalism is expected to remain a personal hobby.“Ireally enjoy taking photos of people and I thought it would give me a good experience,” Sharber said. “[But] as of right now, I probably will not pursue journalism in college or as a professional life”.
then I was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll give it a try.’”
Newspaper, Headrush, and Yearbook staff changes from year to year, bringing in new staff members and fresh twists.
chool publications are arguably what keep students and staff connected throughout each school year. It gives young journalists the opportunity to form their passions and find what they are and aren’t so good at.
NEWS BEGINNINGS a
BV TIGER
part of a school publication staff
No matter the publication, BV journalism all has the same bottom line: sharing current events at BV and spreading school spirit. It gives students and staff a sense of community that wouldn’t exist without young journalists with a passion for storytelling and shedding light on the people in their schools.
too.”Although some have been on multiple staffs before, many have not.
elle moulder |staff writer
Some people switch publications to properly feed their interests. Junior Ava Poland was on yearbook her sophomore year but will be switching to newspaper for her junior year.
“I have been on the yearbook staff and Headrush magazine,” Poland said. “I love writing, and taking 21st century journalism made me realize I love graphic design
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BV journalists discuss becoming
S
“[Mrs. Huss] asked if Newspaper is something I’d be interested in,” junior Kenzie Campbell said. “At first I said no, and
Many take the prerequisite in order to be a part of Newspaper or Yearbook: 21st Century Journalism.
Every June LGBTQ+ individuals across the internet take to social media to have a laugh about the year’s over whelming display of rainbow capital ism.Rainbow
This can effectively turn a movement into a marketable product, pushing aside the struggles many queer people face to make profit.
There’sitself.
harrison jones |staff writer
The problem isn’t companies giving kind words and gestures to the commu nity — it’s that kind words and gestures is all that it
Of41%LGBTQ+individuals believe the impact is greater when they see themselves in ads compared to 24% who believe the impact is equal, 23% when the ad features just general populous, and 12% who believes neither has impact. 71% Of LGBTQ+ people and well as 82% of allies are more likely to shop at a business that supports the community. source: CMI opinion august 2022 15 design by harris jones
very year numerous videos come out making fun of the “Target Pride Collection” for some of their more hilarious blunders when it comes to the company’s attempt toward making merchandise for pride month.
Pride
E
Do I believe many of the corpora tions are slapping a rainbow logo on something because they feel that strong ly about helping queer people? No.
For example the alcohol industry makes a great deal of income during pride month despite the LGBTQ+ community being considered at a higher risk for substance abuse; many of the
safe spaces originally being bars where many found each other while drinking and abusing other substances.
Many members of the community lean into alcohol and drug culture to numb various traumas, resulting from society’s rejection of being queer. Data from the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found queer individuals are twice as likely as straight individuals to develop substance abuse disorders. So at least to some degree, doesn’t it seem almost exploitative to have the industry lean into promoting their product so heavily during the month?
an episode in the show “The Good Place” where in order to up how good they are the characters run around doing as many good deeds as possible, but their score doesn’t go up at all because their intention behind it wasn’t
Capitalism is a term used to describe the commercialization of LGBTQ+ movements. This phenome non typically exploits the community by putting the label of support on products without actually donating to any char ities or organizations centered around improving the lives of people within the community.
But, what I am sure of is that some where out there, there is probably a queer person, young or old, who wants to feel seen — and if that rainbow shirt at their local Walmart makes them feel OK then maybe it’s not all bad.
Is there anything substantial enough there to actually take this world we live in and at least attempt to make it a better place for others?
Gesturesis.of support are, of course, lovely, but they often aren’t enough. So people aren’t angry that companies are making their logo rainbow for the month, it’s just a matter of where does that support go when they can no lon ger market it?
PridePandering?ormonthmarketingshould not be superficial
What’s behind your gestures of sup port, and is there anything more than just a gesture?
pure. This raises the question: does the intention behind a good deed matter if it still helps people in the end?
Pride Month is a celebration to com memorate the many historical events and figures that pushed the movement forward to better the future for others. With companies just slapping a rainbow logo on whatever merchandise they happen to be selling, it flattens the struggle queer people still face today — and alongside it, the history of move ment
photo by name First sentence. Second sentence. “Quote.”
It is the students, after all, who cele brated when Bacon triumphantly held up hardware to assembly crowds. It is the students who called out to Bacon at the end of every grade-level cheer battle and the students who fill the stands at
That is not, however, an invitation for BV’s renowned school spirit, one 53 years in the making, to leave along with him. Bacon made incredible contribu tions to the community here at BV, but it’s our job to continue the traditions that made us sad to see him go.
every football game.
16 opinion august 2022
As you’ve all heard hundreds of times, Mr. Bacon is no longer the com mander in chief of BV.
The seniors especially are in a unique and pivotal position in regards to continuing the school’s unparalleled culture — they haven’t yet had a single “fully normal” year of high school without an abrupt ending, online classes or masks.Furthermore, the younger grades ha ven’t experienced BV in all its “normal glory” either. It is the class of 2023’s job and privilege to lead a school spirit re vival at BV, and it’s the responsibility of the juniors, sophomores and freshmen to buy into the creation of a culture of
design by charley thomas
With the effort and enthusiasm of an entire student body, BV can become the best it has ever been as we approach what will hopefully be — fingers crossed — the first wonderfully “normal” school year of the decade.
| CARTOON BY REGAN BYRNES
We can’t fall back on the narrative that there will be an inevitable loss of spirit or tradition due to Bacon’s departure — to do so would be doing ourselves, especially those starting their senior year, a monumental disservice.
which they want to be a part.
After countless days in the uniforms of State victors, inspirational speeches and iconic GRRs at assemblies, Bacon’s time at this school came to an end.
With Bacon gone, we lost a key member of the BV community, but we still keep the thousands of others who lift BV far above its district rivals through relentless dedication to tiger pride.This year, each of us has a respon sibility to go all in. Each of us has the opportunity to dress to the nines for spirit days and attend, or be a part of, BV’s various games and showcases.
This staff editorial is the representation of the opinion of The Tiger Print staff.
The one guarantee we have going into this year is that it won’t be the same as the last — for better or for worse, the students hold the fate of BV’s culture in their hands. For better or for worse, we decide the power of the legacy Bacon leaves behind.
Tigers must embody school spirit heading into the Golden years
One last thing — as we adjust to a new principal, remember that compar ison is the root of much unnecessary unhappiness. Dr. Golden will never beat Mr. Bacon at being Mr. Bacon, so we should not hold him to such an unrealis tic standard.Eachofus, after all, would fail at be ing anybody but ourselves. BV must give Golden the opportunity to carry on the torch of spirit that lights the hallways and sets crowds of students ablaze.
