The Tiger Print — October 2018

THE TIGER PRINT

blue valley high school | vol. 49 | issue 3 | october 2018 | bvtigernews.com | overland park, kansas

0110100001101 100010101 0101010101110 0010100101010 1001100010110 1010110001010 0101101001010

0110100001101 100010101 0101010101110 0010100101010 1001100010110 1010110001010 0101101001010

photo illustration by nick lamberti

students evaluate dangers of accessing hidden parts of internet read about it on page 15

2 | october 2018 | contents

Contents NEWS

8

Medieval Times An in-depth look at what makes the Renaissance Festival so charming.

FEATURES

19

Anchors Away Senior Alex Totta shares about being accepted to the navy.

ENTERTAINMENT

22

Creepy Cinema The ins and outs of scary movies in the film industry.

OPINION

26

The Great Debate Staff writers Josie Cuthbertson and Charlie Trent weigh in on a controversial Halloween candy.

| DESIGN BY NOMA KREEGAR

//TIGER PRINT THE

editor-in-chief Noma Kreegar managing editor McKenna Cole design editor Nick Lamberti

staff members Cassidy Carpenter Jaron Cole Emily Cummings Josie Cuthbertson Molly Holmes Maddy Kang Shay Lawson J.D Loftin

Tymber Moody Vince Orozco Kate Oudejans Liya Patel Claire Powell Olivia Sherlock Charlie Trent

adviser Michelle Huss

“The Tiger Print” is an official publication of Blue Valley High School, an open forum distributed to all students eight 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@gmail.com or mailed to: The Tiger Print Blue Valley High School 6001 W. 159th St. Overland Park, KS 66085

OFF the

news | october 2018 |

3

RADAR

Sparkling water brand sued over alleged misleading of consumers A class-action lawsuit was filed earlier this month against a popular brand of sparkling water, La Croix. The lawsuit claimed the company had been misleading consumers with it’s claims of being “all-natural.”

It also stated that upon testing, La Croix had contained a number of chemicals, including linalool.

The Food and Drug Administration has cited linalool as a synthetic ingredient as opposed to a natural ingredient. The lawsuit also filed claims that linalool is a chemical present in cockroach insecticide.

However, according to LiveScience, linalool is not the active ingredient in the insecticide. In a press release, La Croix claimed “Naturally Essenced is not a marketing ploy, but rather a core product element.”

Canada legalizes recreational Marijuana Canada became the second country to legalize recreational cannabis on Oct. 17. The legalization was a promise in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s 2015 campaign. Canadians are among the world’s heaviest users of marijuana, with more than 8 percent of the population using the drug, according to a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime 2017 World Drug Report.

Although medical marijuana has been legal in Canada since 2001, Trudeau argues that Canada’s laws to criminalize the drug have been ineffective. Government officials are reportedly considering a fast process to allow those who have already been convicted with marijuana possession crimes to apply for legal pardons.

Number of diagnosed cases of ‘polio-like’ illness on the rise Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), a rare disease that causes sudden weakness in the arms and legs, affects the spinal cord. Often confused with polio, AFM affects an area of the spine called gray matter.

According to CNN, the average age of those who have been diagnosed with AFM this year is 4 years old. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are 27 confirmed cases of AFM and 127 reported cases of AFM.

| PHOTOS COURTESY OF TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE | WORDS & DESIGN BY NOMA KREEGAR

4 | october 2018 | news

TIGER TIDBITS

Smiling to the student body, seniors Curran Whited and Ellen Nangia walk as Homecoming royalty at the assembly. “I didn’t expect to be nominated,” Whited said.

“It was nice of people to vote for me.”

Sporting attire for spirit week, freshman Emma Schellhase walks at the Homecoming assembly. “It was a lot of fun to be involved with,” Schellhase said. “It was a blast getting school spirit up.”

Walking at the Homecoming assembly, juniors Will Montgomery and Julia Pettijohn are the junior attendants. “I got to walk on the field Friday night with my dad,” Pettijohn said. “That was really emotional because my mom couldn’t make it.”

Dressed as the mascot, junior Lauren Taylor performs with the dance team at the Homecoming assembly. The Tigerettes have their first competition Dec. 8.

Waving to the students, senior Allie Ament walks as a candidate for Homecoming Queen at the assembly. “It was such an honor,” Ament said. “I appreciate everyone letting me be a princess for a week.”

news |october 2018 |

| STORIES BY NOMA KREEGAR & CHARLIE TRENT | PHOTOS BY JARON COLE, MCKENNA COLE, CLAIRE POWELL, NOMA KREEGAR, EMILY CUMMINGS, TYMBER MOODY | DESIGN BY MOLLY HOLMES

PRAIRIE RESTORATION Science teacher Kale Mann is sponsoring the BV Prairie Restoration Club. The club is aims to transform the plot of land behind the freshman football fields into a grassland prairie.

According to ScienceDirect, native grasslands in Kansas have declined steadily for the past 30 years. The club will be working with city officials and various community members to complete the restoration project.

If you’d like to join the club, talk to Mann in Room 209.

The Homecoming bonfire took place Oct. 4. Chick-Fil-A sandwiches were handed out to students who attended.

Dancing with his mom, senior Alex Totta celebrates winning Homecoming King. “It was an honor just to be nominated for it,” Totta said. “To win it made it that much more meaningful.”

Blue Valley hosted its annual Homecoming dance Saturday, Oct. 6. The dance was from 8:30-10:30 and took place in the main gym.

5

6 | october 2018 | news

Waving to the parade-goers, seniors Hamilton Brown and Sydney Ahmed ride in the Homecoming parade. “It was fun,” Brown said. “I got to sit in the coolest car in the parade.”

GYM CURRICULUM

Smiling wide, sophomore Nyah Smith walks with the color guard and band in the Homecoming parade. “You get to see all the smiles on people’s faces,” Smith said. “You get to make everyone really happy.”

In the next few years, there are many changes to be expected in the gym curriculum. The general PE program will branch into more classes like fitness foundations and a strengthening and conditioning course.

Other elective classes will be added for students looking for more activity. Classes for specific sports and group classes such as pilates, yoga, and kick-boxing are likely going to be added in the coming years.

| DESIGN BY YOUR NAME

Holding up a banner, Gay Straight Alliance walks together in the Homecoming parade. “It was really empowering,” junior Lauren Mohar said. “I like being in a group of like-minded people.”

Dancing with her team, senior Lauren O’Donnell walks in the Homecoming Parade. “It’s really a lot of work to stay super energized and perform the entire parade,” O’Donnell said. “Even when you’re tired, you can’t stop.”

news |october 2018 |

7

GIRL’S GOLF Standing on the senior football float, the players ride in the Homecoming parade. The BV football team played Bishop Miege on Oct. 5 for the Homecoming game.

The girl’s golf team qualified for State this year. The State competition took place in Salina, Kansas, and was scheduled for Monday, Oct. 15.

However, due to the near two inches of snow that had fallen on Sunday, the team was forced to wait another day for the competition. The actual State competition took place on Oct. 16, where the team placed fifth as a team. Senior Lauren Wood placed fourth individually.

“We were very excited to go to State as a team this year since we haven’t gone together in three years,” golf captain senior Lauren Reddin said. “We were supposed to play the State tournament on Monday, but it snowed Sunday night so it got postponed until Tuesday to give the snow time to melt.”

Dressed in his traditional donut float attire, principal Scott Bacon rides in the Homecoming parade. The Homecoming parade route began at the Walmart on Metcalf Avenue and finishes at Stanley Elementary.

Holding up a sign, senior Neeka Morelli walks in the Homecoming parade with Art Club. “It was really special to me since I’m a senior and this is my last year,” Morelli said. “I’ve been in the parade all four years.”

Holding their instruments, juniors Suraj Menon and Henry Marshall walk in the Homecoming parade. The band performed at the KBA State Marching competition Oct. 20.

8 | october 2018 | news

TRYING ON A METAL HELMET AT A BOOTH

j.d loftin staff writer

D

uring the Renaissance Festival, the times of the past come to visit us. From the Renaissance era, which rose as early as the 14th Century and ended in the 17th Century, surfaced art, religion and the rise of intelligence.

The Renaissance was considered the bridge connecting the middle ages and modern history. It started as a cultural campaign in Italy and in the late medieval period — furthermore, it later spread to the remainder of Europe.

Sophomore James Rosenzweig has attended the Renaissance Festival in Kansas City for the past five years. “[The festival is] about the best parts of the Renaissance — how society was changing and how people were going down different paths of thought and becoming more independent in their religion,” Rosenzweig said.

The Renaissance Festival offers shopping as a large part of its festivities. There is a vast choice in food selection at the festival, and a well-known menu item is the giant turkey leg.

At the festival, there are large events that go on throughout the day. Grand March parades are hosted daily, and there are also stage and street acts, as well as musical groups that perform.

The Renaissance Festival took place in Bonner Springs, Kansas, in an off-road area that doesn’t have concrete sidewalks, making it harder for handicapped people to maneuver the terrain; however, people were able to rent a motorized scooter for the day to get around.

STAGE ACT CALLED “BAWDILY HARM”

There was an abundance of mini-games and rides at the Festival, such as ax throwing, royal darts and camel rides.

There is a special event called jousting, where two knights ride on horseback toward each other with lances in their hands — large wooden poles carved to a point — trying to knock each other off the other horse.

“I remember one time where I had a duel with a knight with wooden swords,” Rosenzweig said. “We ended in a draw where I stuck the knight on the side of his chest, however, he struck me back on my left shoulder.”

Patrons wandered around the festival looking for new things to do and try out.

In addition, the atmosphere was filled with staff members in costumes and a large dirt path leading all around the park.

“There isn’t an overwhelming amount of Renaissance art at the Festival, but there is a lot of art inside of the buildings,” Rosenzweig said.

The annual festival is not for everyone. Performers walk on the path and try to include you in their act, so Laughlin said people who don’t want to stand out in the crowd should be wary of this.

“I went to the Renaissance Festival one year and was relentlessly followed by a pregnant wench who was tipped off by my brother to follow me around the park for a while saying how this man impregnated me,” Laughlin said.

On the other hand when there is a downside, Rosenzweig said there is almost always a positive side — this Festival is fun for big go-getters who would love to interact with the staff. “[It has a] festive atmosphere with lots of energy,” Laughlin said.

Surely You Joust a story of the famed renaissance festival | DESIGN BY J.D LOFTIN

news |october 2018 |

9

Children of the Corn Baggin’ and Braggin’ jaron cole staff writer

B

ean Bag, Bag Toss, Corn Toss or better known as Cornhole is not a common sport — just hearing the name sounds weird.

Unless you’re tailgating before a special event or hanging out at your family reunion, drinking lemonade and eating hotdogs, you probably won’t think of playing this great sport. Typically two to four players can play at a time — one on one is possible.

HyVee Market hosted its annual Cornhole

Contest Oct. 6. The tournament style was a bracket based on wins and losses.

The team with more wins were seeded higher. The main priorities of this tournament are to have fun, meet new people and toss some bags.

Sportsmanship was a must to play in this tournament; shaking hands and saying good job went a long way.

How to Play: -Boxes are positioned 21’ from front edge to front edge of the boards -Teams consist of 2 players (2 players per box, 1 from each team) -Each team has a set of 4 bags (8 bags in total, each set are different colors) -Team captains play rock, paper, scissors to determine who goes first -Teammates face each other on separate sides of the boards; each take turns -Tossing the bags into the hole are 3 points while landing on the board is 1 point -Each game is at least 3 rounds -Each round, teams can cancel out their opponent’s points -The first team to score 21 wins (total score may vary due to time limit)

| DESIGN BY JARON COLE

Wave

10 | october 2018 | feature

Students prepare for Homecoming Floats claire powell staff writter The Homecoming floats always outdo the prior year’s, but the question is — how much work and planning truly goes into these floats?

This being her second year as class president, sophomore Ann Heitman said she was more than ready for the Homecoming float to be built.

“We [used] materials that are easier to take down because last year we found it an issue to get them off the float in one piece because we use them [as] decorations for Homecoming [too],” Heitman said. “We [used] stuff that’s light and we can easily maneuver into the commons.”

Heitman said the process of building the float takes a lot of time and thinking through.

“It’s a long process of thinking

where stuff is going to go, how you’re going to build it and make it fit on the trailer,” Heitman said. “You have to take into account that you have to fit people on it, too.”

Heitman planned the song choices as she and the rest of class walk in the Homecoming parade.

“We have a playlist of Hawaiian songs that everyone knows, instead of just normal songs like we did last year,” Heitman said.

Heitman’s favorite part for the Homecoming parade is to walk with her classmates and show school spirit.

“It’s cool to be able to represent our class in a super fun way,” Heitman said. “When you’re with a bunch of your friends and people in your class are walking next to you and [showing] school spirit.”

Last year, Heitman said she had a good time at the parade.

“I was super proud of what we had on our float, and I was so happy

that all of my friends were walking next to it,” Heitman said. “Even people I didn’t know were volunteering to walk with it and we were all about just making sure we were super peppy, and it was so fun.”

This year, Heitman said she aimed to gain the judges attention and really impress them with the float.

“I hope it will be something that the judges say, ‘I can’t believe sophomores did that,’” Heitman said.

Heitman said she did not care whether or not the sophomore class would win or lose. She cared more about the connections she makes with fellow classmates building and walking with the float.

“It builds people closer together, and it’s a really fun experience,” Heitman said. “It’s a fun thing a lot of schools don’t do. It’s a cool opportunity to be able to build a float and be able to say you accomplished making it.”

Sophomore Jillian Doebbeling walks with her classmates. “I liked the theme of our float and getting to dress up was fun,” Doebbeling said.

| PHOTOS BY TYMBER MOODY & EMILY CUMMINGS

Aloha

feature |october 2018 |

11

Suited up in a costume, junior Brian Mann lays down in the back of the junior class float.

“I’m not in a lot of clubs, so it was a great way to get involved [in the parade],” Mann said.

Showing school spirit, senior Ashley Pinkham participates in the Homecoming parade. “I had [a lot] of fun seeing all the the students from Stanley Elementary and the preschoolers,” Pinkham said.

Sitting on the freshman float, Kate O’Byran waves to the crowd. “Ms. Fuller and Ms. Plankers came up with the idea [with me in the tiger costume],” O’Bryan said.

| DESIGN BY CLAIRE POWELL

12 | october 2018 | feature

Catching Catching Up Up with with Collins Collins cassidy carpenter & shay lawson staff writers

F

reshmen have finally started getting the hang of things around Blue Valley after three busy months, although they aren’t the only new ones to the building.

New administrative intern Ashford Collins has made quite the first impression on Blue Valley so far. Collins joined the tiger family this fall after a switch from Santa Fe Trail Middle School in the Olathe School District. He was a sixth grade language arts teacher for six years.

“The atmosphere at Blue Valley is different from my previous school in that it is a high school, not a middle school,” Collins said. “There are 1,600 kids here, and overall, there are a lot of similarities I didn’t expect as far as family environment and awesome kids.”

Collins admitted he has enjoyed the transition, but a new school also brings new challenges.

“The most stressful part of the transition has just been being the ‘new guy’ again,” Collins said. “As far as students [it’s difficult] not knowing or having enough of a personal connection with the scholars.”

Collins attended Mid-America Nazarene to major in Criminal Justice originally but quickly decided he wanted to work one-on-one with students to get to where he is now.

Something that sets Collins apart is his obvious effort to build relationships with students at BV. He pulls students aside in the hallway and simply asks them what their name is or what their favorite color or class is. Collins said his goal is to get to know every student personally.

“I ask them the corniest, random questions,” Collins said. “It’s awkward, but awkward is good.”

It seemed as if Collins was destined to be hired at Blue Valley.

In Collins’ interview with principal Scott Bacon, the two discovered they had a connection — Collins had mentored Bacon’s kids previously.

“I didn’t realize that until after we met,” Collins said. “I knew his boys when they were in middle school before I even knew him, from the church and just hanging out and so that was a pretty cool connection.”

Collins has noticed the different feeling at Blue Valley.

“The rooted tradition that Blue Valley possesses — it’s unparalleled with many high schools in the nation,” he said.

NS

ED BY

TOS | PHO

| DESIGN BY CASSIDY CARPENTER

ITT SUBM

LI COL D R O ASHF

“I ask them the corniest random questions,” Collins said. “It’s awkward, but awkward is good.”

feature |october 2018 |

13

Feel the Teal Student battles ovarian cancer

liya patel & emily cummings staff writers

complicated. Each round is about three weeks and consists of a chemo portion that is followed by two weeks of rest.

During the two weeks of rest, she has n a perfect world, there would be to be cautious of her surroundings and is no sickness, no hardship or pain. able to come to school only when able to.

This, unfortunately, isn’t the case When Burriss isn’t at school, she spends her for sophomore Ari Burriss who was days at home or in the hospital interacting diagnosed with Juvenile Ovarian Cancer through a robot she operates. in July.

“I’m always on mute, so when people When summer started, Burriss was say, ‘Hi,’ I feel awkward because I have to just a normal teen enjoying her freedom.

However, while on vacation with her family quickly press unmute, say ‘Hi,’ and then mute it,” Burriss said. “If I don’t say ‘Hi,’ in Breckenridge, Colorado, she noticed an right away, I’m not trying to be rude it just intense pain. This led to her being hospitakes a minute. I enjoy the little ‘Hi’s.” talized, and the doctors finding a ruptured Not only is Burriss going to be dealing tumor in her left ovary. with cancer now, but she will also have to After her first surgery, she had come deal with it well after the treatment is over. home and wanted everything to be well.

Burriss said the rarity of the cancer along Her hope was shattered when finding with the treatment, will lead to a high out her large granulosa tumor burst and success rate. spread throughout her abdomen. The new Even after the treatment is over, Burriss abundance of tumors resulted in another will still need to monitor her tumor count. surgery, which ended in a 12-inch scar.

“After chemo, I get a blood test to track Burriss described what the doctors my tumors,” she said. “This happens every found. three months. If [the blood tests come “[My first tumor] was 13 centimeters, back] high then that means I have tumors, and then I got a bunch of other [smaller if [my blood tests come back low] then I tumors because the large one had burst],” she said. “There were 19-24 small tumors.” don’t.”

Burriss said no one in her family has As a precaution, doctors recommendever had this type of cancer which explains ed Burriss complete four to six rounds of why doctors believe the success rate is quite chemotherapy to eliminate any forming high if she follows the treatment plan. tumors in her body. They told her if she Burriss hopes the treatment goes well had waited any longer, the tumors would and is determined to keep her head up, have become fatal. even at the hardest points in her treatment.

Burriss said her sickness has become She is thankful the school has made it easy a nuisance in her daily life. She is unable for her to still interact with all her friends to interact with people as often at risk of and stay involved with her classes. getting sick. Mostly, the cancer has affected Burriss said, ”Just keep your backpacks her physically. These effects come in hair out of the way so I don’t hit you. Also, just loss, lack of energy, poor immune system wait to turn, you don’t need to go around and loss of appetite. me and then turn. Be patient, because it “The chemo makes me super nauseous, can [be] frustrating.” Having cancer was and it drains me,” she said. “It feels like it not something Burriss expected to have, but takes away your air and your energy. If I she has learned to think positive and keep get up, I feel like I’m going to faint.” looking forward to her life after chemo.

Burriss said her chemo schedule is | DESIGN BY EMILY CUMMINGS & LIYA PATEL | PHOTO BY EMILY CUMMINGS

I

Burriss with her robot

14 | october 2018 | ads

you make the

year. book. we make the

$50

preorder a yearbook through nov.30, 2018!

on the cover |october 2018 |

Students reveal encounters on the dark web

You probably spend most of your time on the internet shopping, browsing social media, and researching for homework assignments.

However, the internet that you’ve been using for those services masks an evil darkness that no one knows about. This concept is known as the Dark Web, and if used recklessly, it could lead you down a path of criminal activity and troubling encounters. Read on to learn about this cryptic type of the World Wide Web.

15

16 | october 2018 | on the cover bing, wikipedia, google

medical records, legal documents, scientific reports, government resources, academic information, subscription information, multilingual databases, competitor websites drug trafficking, political protests, illegal information, tor encrypted sites

If you think the internet is a wide variety of endless information, you are misinformed. According to CSOonline, only about 5 percent of the internet is public. The other 95 percent of it isn’t accessible through traditional web browsers.

This part of the internet is known as the deep web. The deep web has another, deeper component to it called the dark web.

The dark web is particularly complicated to access due to its hosting of illegal activity and the numerous browsers that require granted admittance.

The deep web enables access to hidden documents, while the dark web is filled with five levels of “hidden rooms.”

Despite their slight differences, both the deep and dark web are hubs for criminal activity.

The only way to access the dark web is through specific browsers. One of these browsers is called The Onion Router, also known as Tor. A VPN must be downloaded to access private search browsers.

The dark web is used to buy and sell illegal items and to get in touch with others with a similar agenda. One could get in much legal trouble for possessing these items and selling

them on the dark web to others.

It is unsafe to browse the dark web because the computer being used could catch viruses or be attacked from the sites.

The computer could also be hacked, which is why numerous precautions are taken, such as taping the camera of the computer, turning off the microphone and having two flash drives and CDs to erase the computer being used.

There are multiple reasons people choose to dive into the dark web.

“I read an article somewhere that said the regular internet that we use is only 5 percent of what we can access,” sophomore Arshya Zakeri said. “I got fascinated and wanted to see what they’re trying to hide from us.”

Zakeri said people have to be careful when accessing the dark web.

“You have to download a special browser called Tor or Tails, and once you do that you need to have two flash drives and CDs so your entire computer is erased,” Zakeri said.

“You need to hide your webcam, and you have to make sure your microphone is off.”

Zakeri said she saw a lot of things she wish she hadn’t on the dark web.

“I always heard about WikiLeaks [on the news], and I saw a lot of those — pages about celebrities with their addresses, phone numbers and social security leaked,” Zakeri said.

“There were documents the government hasn’t really talked about that the FBI has posted, like 9/11 and JFK. There were a lot of child pornography websites, and there was a lot of illegal gun purchasing and drug websites.”

Zakeri said her expectations were exceeded — she thought the dark web was just a 2.0 version of Reddit. After exploring, she found what was hidden.

“I was really surprised by the WikiLeaks — I never knew they would be posting someone’s social security, bank numbers, check numbers and even selling stolen credit cards,” Zakeri said. “I found it really interesting. It’s like

the movie ‘Unfriended’ — the videos of people kidnapping girls and then paying for them. People would say, ‘Give me 5.0 bitcoins, and I’ll bring this girl to you and you can do whatever you want to her.’”

Zakeri said there is also a red room, but no one has really gone on it to prove it. “[The abusers] basically auction off people; it’s all live,” Zakeri said. “Someone can pay [the abuser] $1,000 to rip out all the victims’ fingernails, and people [are auctioned] off.”

Zakeri said she believes people who partake in these activities do so for the money or because they are sick in the head.

“A lot of the videos are people putting cameras in little girls’ or boys’ rooms,” Zakeri said. “They show themselves sneaking in through the window and then they give the cameras a little thumbs up like, ‘I did it.’”

After visiting the dark web, Zakeri said disturbing things began to happen to her.

“I started getting calls from the [number] 666 — I got maybe 30 in one day, and when I answered I didn’t really hear anything — not even breathing,” Zakeri said. “Everywhere I went, it says you have to change your IP every five minutes. [The computer] can’t be on full screen, but I never listened to any of that.”

Zakeri said she has visited the dark web frequently for the last three years and said she’s interested in finding out what actually [happens] at rallies and videos the public isn’t shown.

“All of my friends know I’m a big conspiracist — I don’t really trust everything the government says,” Zakeri said. “I just like to know the facts.”

18 | october 2018 | on the cover Blue Valley student Jack*, whose name has been changed in order to maintain anonymity, shared his experience with the dark web.

Jack said his fascination began because of the movie “Unfriended,” and he had to research precautions to take before continuing onto the dark web.

“You have to get a VPN and private search browsers,” Jack said. “You have to tape the camera so no one could hack your computer. You have to go through a bunch of different browsers and you have to search through different things and find hidden keys to click on to get past certain levels. It depends on how far you want to go, and it’s almost [like a game].”

Jack said when he accessed the dark web, he went through different layers.

“First, there were drug sales — which was just lots of weed,” Jack said. “Then we found links to click on things where you could watch people get murdered — we didn’t do that because we aren’t psychopaths. If you go far enough, you can find red rooms which you have to be a code expert to get onto. The FBI can’t track them.

They’re torture rooms, and it’s really messed up.”

Jack said because the dark web is a terrifying place after he explored it, he started receiving disturbing calls.

“I thought it was one of my friends trying to prank me because they knew I was freaked out and said, ‘We’re

going to come to your house and rape you,’” he said.

“Then I got a bunch of random calls from people in like Illinois, Florida and New York, which is weird because my phone was away and I wasn’t even using it when we were on [the dark web].”

Jack said he would go on the dark web again but would turn off his phone and be more careful. He said there are sick reasons behind the hackers’ ambitions.

“There could be different things, like they’re trying to find you, find victims or drag you into their sales and get you involved into it — you’re a witness,” Jack said.

“If you snitch on them, they could get in trouble so that could be another reason.”

Jack said there were just crazy people who enjoyed looking at the things on the web along with a strong curiosity have a motivation behind entering the unpublished part of the internet.

“It’s just the mystery of what it really looks like for those terrible things to happen because everyone hears about them, but not a lot of people see them and people just want to experience that,” Jack said. “It was crazy to see how easy it was to get on [the dark web]. Once you get on there you can find anything really quickly, except for the crazy and really messed-up stuff. It was kind of weird to see how easily you could buy drugs off the internet and not get caught.”

If students are caught on the dark web at school, there will be consequences. Although there’s no law against browsing the dark web outside of school, most of the websites on the dark web could be perceived as illegal, Student Resource Officer Trevor Burgess said.

Burgess said there is a part of law enforcement assigned to the dark web.

“Once you get on the dark web, there’s so many loopholes that you have to jump through to get to somebody’s page,” Burgess said. “There’s so many passwords and it’s just a server somewhere.”

Student Resource Officer Nate Schmidt said if you’re exploring the dark web by yourself, you will probably hit a lot of dead ends.

“It’s a community of users where they have to know you and trust you to go further,” Schmidt said. “Once you start knowing people that are opening up the community, then you’ll be able to access more.”

Burgess said although people know about the dark web, many are hesitant to investigate it.

“They know people are out there doing mischievous things, but it’s hard to get to [those things],” Burgess said. “It’s hard to access and that’s why it [isn’t] popular.”

Burgess said besides illegal activity, gamers can use the dark web for hacks and cheats.

“It’s gotten to a point where the normal internet

has actually cleaned up a little bit,” Burgess said. “Now there’s this underneath portion of it.”

Burgess said people sell personal information on the dark web.

“Let’s say you leave your social security number and driver’s license in the car, and it’s broken into,” Burgess said. “Somebody having that can do a lot of damage.”

Schmidt said the usernames and passwords for everyday apps can be bought and used for as long as the subscriber keeps their username and password the same.

“You can buy someone’s Netflix username and password have it as long as that person has that username or password,” Schmidt said. “If they change it then you have to buy another one.”

Burgess said he experienced first hand the effects of the dark web when his Netflix account was hacked.

“Our Netflix at home has been compromised,” Burgess said. “One day, there were these random shows that showed up in our playlist. We realized neither of us had watched them, so we changed our username and password.”

Burgess said once someone stumbles onto the dark web, his or her computer is getting searched and all of your personal information is exposed.

“It’s so weird,” Schmidt said. “The craziest stuff you can think of, they can do.”

feature |october 2018 |

19

Commited to the Country Student recieves Letter of Assurance from U.S. Naval Academy

Totta said the application process was long and difficult.

He said it is meant to weed out the people who aren’t as interested.

“You have to get recommendation letters, fill in of activity his fall, senior Alex Totta was accepted into the U.S. records and you have to get a nomination from either one of Navy, and received his letter of assurance early. your two state senators or from one of your state congress“[My acceptance letter] came out of the blue,” men,” Totta said. “You have three chances to get a nominaTotta said. “I had no idea I was going to get one this early tion from one of them, and if you don’t get a nomination, you because the admissions board just started meeting the week can’t get in.”

I received it. Some people don’t even get letters of assurance Totta said when he starts the second half of summer 2019, until March, April or May. he won’t have any communication with anyone in preparation Totta said his family members were as happy as he was to for what life will look like at the Naval Academy. have been accepted.

“You wake up early every morning and go to formation,” “My mom said if I ever went to “Ever since I was a kid, I would dress Totta said. “Every morning you watch the flag the military, she would break my leg up as a soldier for Halloween, and get raised, and every night you watch the flag so I wouldn’t have to go,” he said. get lowered. You have military and academic I’ve always wanted to serve our “She’s really happy and excited for classes.” country.” me because she knows this is what Totta said he would like to go into Naval I want to do. As soon as I found out, I called her and she start- Special Warfare. ed crying. I felt bad because I made her cry — so I went to “For SEALs, the top 35 midshipmen, who are the most Price Chopper and bought her flowers, and she started crying physically fit and the smartest, go to SEAL training — that’s again. I made my dad cry, too, even though he won’t admit it. what I ultimately want to do,” Totta said. “If I can’t do that, He was really happy for me because he’s the one who pushed I’d just go to the Marine Corps.” me to get my [application] in early.”

Totta started looking at the Academy his freshman year.

Totta said he was ecstatic to get his letter because he had He said he hopes to gain valuable leadership skills there. put in a lot of hard work and it paid off to fulfill his dreams.

“I’m hoping to learn how to lead men and women in battle “I learned about the military academies and they have and apply what I learned at the Academy in the actual line of great engineering programs,” Totta said. “I thought I’d put duty,” Totta said. “Not only that, but after, I can take it into the two things together and have a great opportunity.” the workplace or wherever I go and use my leadership abilities

maddy kang & nick lamberti staff writer & design editor

T

| DESIGN BY MADDY KANG | PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY STEPHANIE WERTHS WITH CLOUD9KC.COM

20 | october 2018 | feature

TAKING FLIGHT

Field biology classes learn importance of monarch butterflies

T

he monarch butterflies are one of the most known of their species for their vibrant orange wings and large size. They can be seen fluttering through prairies and tall grasses in the Midwest.

October is the starting month for the annual monarch butterfly migration. During the spring and summer, monarch butterflies start their journey to the south, which takes an average of 1,800 to 3,000 miles of flying.

They will reach their destination in the oyamel trees of the Michoacan and other Mexico states, where they will remain for the winter season.

Science teacher Kale Mann said he teaches his students about the butterfly migration because it is a “scientific mystery” most people don’t know about.

“It is an awe-inspiring moment for people because of the tremendously long distance they travel after barely flying a quarter of a mile prior in their lives,” he said. “It’s an amazing topic to cover.”

Mann said he also likes to focus on the monarchs because of their migratory patterns.

“They give us a good indication of our entire North American grassland area,” Mann said. “By studying this one creature, [we gain] insight on how our continent is doing on our natural health.”

Mann said the monarch’s declining population has made them a species of concern. He said students can get involved in helping the monarch population on their own in addition to what they are doing as part of the curriculum.

“Something to do at home

would be to plant nectar sources like milkweed,” Mann said. “You can also join Monarch Watch, the premiere conservation group [who] are tagging the monarchs.

They are also reaching out to people, giving out grants and distributing milkweed to organizations that have land to plant it. Anything that involves helping native grasslands would be helpful.”

Mann said the butterflies should be protected because they are part of nature.

“Everything that is present in our environment needs to be there,” Mann said. “If we lose pieces of the environment, the environment as a whole is less healthy [and] less able to respond to changes, which [could] have effects that we don’t even anticipate. It can even affect our health and our livelihood.”

Surveying the field for monarchs, sophomore Aiden Haynes holds a net. “It was fun to go outside and learn about butterflies,” Haynes said.

Shaking a net, sophomore Mac Demo walks through the field. “[Catching butterflies] was a fun way to get extra credit for the class,” Demo said.

Looking for a monarch, senior Angelina Borisky checks her net.

“It was really fun and something I have never done before and probably would have never thought of doing,” Borisky said.

|PHOTOS & DESIGN BY NOMA KREEGAR |WORDS BY JARON COLE & J.D LOFTIN

a&e |october 2018 |

21

DIY Decorations save money, get creative diy gravestone Want a scary Halloween decoration, but don’t have the money to buy one? Here’s a scary cheap and fun idea for you.

Steps: 1. Hot glue wooden dowels to the back of the board to act as a stake 2. Apply sticky letters to board the spell out your spooky phrase 3. Spray gray spray paint all over the board 4. Carefully remove all the stickers 5. Use any extra wooden dowels to carve cracks into the spray painted board

mini trick or treat lanterns In the dark we want something bright to catch our eyes, how about the friendly Halloween phrase, “Trick or treat”? In just four steps, you can make lanterns to place on your steps for Halloween.

Steps: 1. Spray paint your cans black and wait for them to dry 2. Take a pencil and mark out the words Trick or Treat on each can 3. Take your nail and hammer and make holes in the cans to spell out the words 4. Once your cans look the way you want, place a candle inside to let the light reveal the words

ghost in the mirror Ever get scared of your own reflection? With this DIY decoration, you’ll have a new reason to jump when looking in the mirror. All it takes is three quick steps. Similar to ghosts, the frosted window film vanishes without a trace, so it’s an easy clean-up.

Steps: 1. Draw the ghost figure on the back of a sheet of frosted window film 2. Cut out the figure and its features 3. Apply cutouts to a mirror | DESIGN BY TYMBER MOODY | WORDS BY TYMBER MOODY & OLIVIA SHERLOCK

22 | october 2018 | a&e

GUIDE GUIDE TO TO

HORROR MOVIES MOVIES HORROR SLASHER Black Christmas This often overlooked classic of Christmas horror tells the story of a group of sorority sisters. They receive mysterious phone calls from an unknown killer who proceeds to pick them off one-by-one. This movie is considered by horror fanatics and scholars to be the first modern slasher film, going on to inspire John Carpenter’s monumental slasher film, “Halloween.” For similar films, checkout “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “Scream.”

SCI-FI SCI-FI They Live This Sci-Fi horror showing by John Carpenter tells the story of an unnamed vagabond, played by Roddy Piper, who discovers a pair of sunglasses that reveals both the alien nature of the ruling class and the bleak message of the world around. This critique of capitalism demonstrates the power of horror as a social commentary, while maintaining engagement and suspense. For similar films, check out “The Thing” and “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.”

SUPERNATURAL SUPERNATURAL

Rosemary’s Baby It isn’t often that one creates a masterpiece. However, if any horror movie deserves this honor, it is Roman Polanski’s magnum opus, “Rosemary’s Baby.” The movie follows the story of a young couple who move into a New York apartment. The couple then decides to have a baby. However, once pregnant, everything in Rosemary’s life, from her own body to her new-found friends, starts to become very strange.

This masterclass in suspense effectively demonstrates the artistic merit of horror films. For similar films, checkout “Hereditary” and “The Ritual.”

| WORDS BY VINCE OROZCO | DESIGN BY KATE OUDEJANS & NICK LAMBERTI

a&e |october 2018 |

23

STREET SMARTS

whether you’re trick-or-treating or going to the haunted houses, this guide will help keep you safe during the Halloween season Checklist:

✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Have a plan Respond to messages Tell a trusted adult where you are going Don’t follow strangers Go in a group

Officer’s Opinion Officer Nate Schmidt gives the students of BV general tips for staying safe when trickor-treating on the suburban streets or visiting the haunted houses downtown.

What are some red flags when trick-or-treating?

“Familiar places are the best places to go.

If you’re going to unfamiliar places and it’s too dark to see anything around the corner or other people hiding, that’s red flags.”

What precautions should you take when going to the haunted houses downtown?

Quick Tips

“It’s not anymore dangerous downtown than it is any other time of the year. You still have to take the same precautions.

When you go downtown, always let someone responsible know where you are. I would go in a group.”

1. Avoid loud areas Loud areas are dangerous because you are unable to scream for help.

2. Trick-or-treat is well-known areas You are less likely to become a victim if you know the owners of the houses.

3. Go to well-lit areas You want to be able to see where you are and the people around you.

DESIGN BY CHARLIE TRENT WORDS BY CLAIRE POWELL & CHARLIE TRENT

24 | october 2018 | a&e

Snack Attack Costumes, candy will spice up your Halloween season

CANDY CORN

According to Time.com, candy corn was invented in the 1880s by Wunderlee Candy Company employee George Renninger.

CHOCOLATE Originally marketed as “Chicken Feed,” candy corn adopted its current name after Goelitz Confectionery Company brought the Chocolate was first candy to the masses at the turn of the 20th served in Mesoamerica as century, and soon, sales began to skyrocket. a bitter concoction that was Due to corn’s link to fall harvest, the believed to give strength to candy was associated with autumn and whoever drank it. At one point, became a Halloween staple by the 1950s. it was used as a form of currency Today the candy has become so sucdue to the immense value of the cacao seed. cessful it now has its own holiday — Today, roughly two-thirds of the world’s National Candy Corn Day is Oct. 30. cacao beans are produced in West African countries like Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon. Those beans are then processed into cocoa, which is used in candy bars like Snickers and Twix — National Chocolate Day is Oct. 28.

TOOTSIE ROLLS TAFFY This saltwater treat became an essential Halloween snack when the Willy Wonka Company debuted its taffy selection in the 1970s.

According to TheDailyMeal. com, more than 890,000 pounds of taffy are sold during the Halloween season.

Candy maker Leo Hirshfield invented the tootsie roll in 1896, named after his 5-year-old daughter, Clara, who he referred to as “Tootsie.”

During World War II, the candies became increasingly popular, as they were used as rations for the troops.

They were credited as “life-saving” when American pilot Frederick Arnold was shot down in the Sahara and was able to sustain himself for several days with only tootsie rolls.

Today these chocolaty treats are enjoyed and rationed by all ages throughout the Halloween season.

SPONGEBOB GUMMY KRABBY PATTIES Created in regards to the “Spongebob Squarepants” movie in 2004, Frankford Candy launched a gummy version of Spongebob’s favorite food, the Krabby Patty.

This fun treat gave Spongebob fans a small taste of the famous cartoon burger.

a&e |october 2018 |

25

Dress to Impress THE NUN:

Stay holy on this cursed holiday with a modest get-up inspired by the spine-tingling movie “The Nun.”

Items needed:

- Veil - Fake blood - Floor-length black dress - Rosary

TONYA HARDING:

Dress up as your favorite Olympic scandal this Halloween season with a costume inspired by the Oscar winning movie “I, Tonya.”

Items needed:

- Large scrunchie - Sparkly tutu - Police baton - Fake blood

GHOST:

Save time and money with this easy yet spooky DIY Halloween costume classic.

Items needed:

- White sheet - Scissors (to cut two holes for eyes)

| DESIGN BY NOMA KREEGAR & MCKENNA COLE

26 | october 2018 | opinion

Bittersweet Treat Candy corn: Super Sweet or Disgustingly Dreadful?

HATE

LOVE

charlie trent staff writer

josie cuthbertson staff writer

Candy corn has been one of the most iconic and controversial Halloween traditions for years. But what makes these small, tri-colored candies such a staple of the season?

The humble little candies have been around since the late 1890s and are made of five simple candy ingredients — sugar, carnauba wax, corn syrup, fondant and marshmallows. The combination of these components forms a consistency by the name of “mellow creme,” a soft, fudgy texture which makes the candy a perfect, easy-to-eat consistency — not too harsh or crunchy like some candies, while also not being too sticky or runny like others.

One serving of candy corn, which is 19 pieces, is 140 calories, while one chocolate bar is 406 calories — almost three times the amount of calories as a serving of candy corn.

Candy corn also paved the path for candy becoming a staple part of Halloween. According to “Candy: A Century of Panic and Pleasure” by Samira Kawash, the 1950s were the era in which candy took over as the image of the holiday. Kawash said before then, “Coins, nuts, fruits, cookies, cakes and toys were as likely as candy.”

Candy corn, being one of the most popular candies at the time, helped candy capitalize the Halloween season.

Being delicious, we owe quite a bit to these sweet little nuggets.

The epochal little kernels have been a key element of the fall season for decades. As they are so simply made, they prove that extravagant caramelized bacon-covered candies aren’t the only thing to satisfy a sweet tooth.

The small, sugary candies — in small doses, of course — make for a perfect sugary treat during the autumn season.

| DESIGN BY CHARLIE TRENT

As soon as the month of October rolls around, the shelves start to fill with my worst nightmare: candy corn.

This sickly sweet treat follows you everywhere, your kitchen, at parties or your own lunch box. But this is not only an overly sugary snack, it is packed full of ingredients that might scare you.

According to Health.com, a single serving of candy corn is only 19 kernels and contains 28 grams of sugar — over the daily recommended amount of sugar for women and just under for men. Most of this sugar comes from high fructose corn syrup, which leads to problems such as Type 2 diabetes, weight gain and other issues that affect your health.

Although candy corn does not contain fat, it contains 140 calories per serving. Although this number is relatively low compared to other Halloween sweets, the lack of fat means it won’t fill you up, which means that it will leave you reaching for more. In addition to the lack of fat, it also has little nutritional value.

According to sunriseconfections.com, their candy corn product contains no vitamins or minerals. Not only does it not contain any nutritional benefits, candy corn has ingredients such as egg whites, artificial flavor, carnauba wax and soy protein, which are not exactly appetizing.

Although fans of candy corn might love the taste, the facts and ingredients hiding behind this sweet treat might be more of a trick. This Halloween, instead of reaching for this snack full of sugar and other questionable ingredients, you might want to grab some peanut butter cups instead.

How often do BV students eat candy corn?

7.2%

always

*based on a poll of 278 students

59.7% seasonally 33.1% never

opinion |october 2018 |

27

time to retire the pillow case & glow stick are you too old to be trick-or-treating? olivia sherlock staff writer

A

s much as I would like to go to a Chuck E. Cheese or wear a tutu with my Cinderella glass slippers to school, l cannot because I am not 5 anymore.

There are a lot of things we get to do once we grow up — get a job, buy a car and seek independence. With these come many things we must give up: taking naps, Easter egg hunts and trick-or-treating.

Many adults shut the door on the few high schoolers still trick-or-treating, assuming that it is a rowdy teenager not in costume, roaming the streets smashing pumpkins and harassing young children.

People get upset about teenagers trick or treating because they can easily buy their own candy, and the candy is meant for the excited little children.

My mom always said once you’re out of middle school, it is time to hang up the old glow stick and pillowcase and leave behind your trick-or-treating days.

Here’s a way to figure out if you are too old to still be trick-or-treating: If you are old enough to have a babysitting job, you have money and can get the candy yourself.

Once middle school is over so is trick-or-treating. But not to fear, Halloween can still be fun without the trick-or-treating.

If you’re a teen still looking for a way to jump in on the free candy action, volunteer to take a sibling, cousin, or other young relative trick or treating.

It is tempting to throw on some cat ears and dump a whole bowl of Jolly Ranchers your neighbor left on their doorstep into your pillowcase, but you’ve grown up now and need to move on from your childhood.

Don’t rob children of their childhood filled with candy just because you

want to take the last jumbo candy bar from that cool house at the end of the block.

If dressing up is your motivation, you can volunteer to work at a haunted house, have a costume party or dress up while accompanying a small child.

If your motivation is candy, you could go buy your own, hand out candy and eat the extras or wait until your younger sibling comes home and take what they don’t want.

If you’re creative and your motivation is getting into the Halloween spirit then you can make decorations for the house.

Finally, if the whole social interaction thing sounds horrible, then stay in and watch a scary movie at home while internally laughing at all the people walking around all night in itchy costumes.

There are many ways you can celebrate Halloween but now that you’re in high school, trick-or-treating is no longer an option.

| DESIGN BY NICK LAMBERTI

28 | october 2018 | opinion

INVASION OF THE HORROR TRASHERS horror films deserve more respect

vince orozco staff writer

“It’s alive!”

“Here’s Johnny!”

“I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti, thlfthlfthlfthlfthlf.”

Horror has spread itself to every aspect of culture, from quotes, to sound queues, to iconic figures. For instance, more people are likely to connect by ear the Michael Meyer’s theme to Halloween than Piano Sonata No.14 to Beethoven.

One of the first films made was a horror film by Georges Méliès called “Le Manoir du Diable.”

Yet with all this cultural influence horror seems to be held in lower regard than other movies. There is a common dismissal of horror as a genre by claiming it is all “cheap jump scares” or “it’s all unrealistic.”

These attempts to dismiss the genre give no regard to the achievements and innovations horror had brought in filmmaking, nor do they give regard to the genuine quality of horror films that have been released since the genre’s inception. Unfortunately, the genre is still seen as a cheap way to get some thrills at a Saturday night hangout.

However, this characterization is unearned.

For instance, it would be disingenuous to characterize all action movies as dumb violence and explo| DESIGN BY VINCE OROZCO

sions. This characterization can easily be defeated with examples including “Saving Private Ryan,” “The Raid” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” which all demonstrate exemplary techniques along with storytelling elements.

This is to show that you cannot simply dismiss an entire genre due to some tropes that exist in some of its films.

If this is true, why are people comfortable with applying this unquestioned logic to horror? The answer to this question is simple — film institutions.

Film institutions are ultimately the ones that guide the direction of the general public’s perception of films.

Horror films and the genre as a whole are given undue disrespect in the form of mislabelling, the creation of new categories of horror and simple disregard.

The mislabelling of horror is a common practice in the film industry. When horror movies break out, they are given improper labeling in order to acknowledge the films merits itself but not the artistic merit of horror and to make the film more marketable by labeling it a “psychological thriller” or “suspense,” or even in the case of “Get Out,” a “comedy.”

The shifting of words used by film institutions hasn’t stopped at mislabelling. Internet film institutions such as IMDB have even taken to creating new categories of horror in order to recognize the undeniable success of new horror movies.

This new category is labeled “smart horror.” However, the invention of the term “smart horror” is a move by the film industry to finally accept the artistic merit of horror while ultimately creating a sense of inferiority toward the genre by implying that horror by default is dumb and lacking artistic merit.

The final reason why horror films deserve more respect is simply that there are amazing horror movies that are simply ignored.

The quality demonstrated by movies such as “Rosemary’s Baby” and “Psycho” demonstrates that horror is just as capable as any other genre of film at producing cinema classics.

However, before “Get Out” the last horror film to receive an Oscar was “Black Swan.” And yet critically acclaimed horror movies such as “The Witch,” “It Follows,” “Sinister” and “The Babadook” show there is no shortage of quality horror films, simply a shortage of due respect and recognition.

Ultimately, in order to spark this change within the film institutions, general movie goers must give recognition to the genre. Before you decide to cast the genre off as cheap thrills and poor filmmaking, consider the rich history that horror has not only within itself but within the history of film as a whole.

opinion |october 2018 |

29

OUR FUTURE. OUR DECISIONS. Teens need to speak up, talk to their parents about political differences

claire powell staff writer

Ever since you were little, you always wanted to be just like your mom or dad — whether it was dressing like them, walking like them or even trying new foods because they liked it, but times have changed.

Looking back on recent elections, we’ve seen parents and their children declare their political opinions. You would think they would choose the same side, but some studies say otherwise.

According to the USA Today, school children chose Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump in a nationwide mock election, yet Trump won the actual presidential election.

You would think the children would have chosen the same candidate as their parents, but according to the American Sociological Association, fewer than half of children in the United States reject their parents’ political party. They actually found that the more politics arise in a family discussion, children will correctly identify their parents’ political party, but does not increase the odds of them agreeing.

Though many teenager don’t agree with their parents’ political affiliations, they hardly ever speak up about it. They’ll sit in a corner and let their parents believe they are in total agreeance.

It isn’t until adulthood when they feel they can say what they want to say, and even then, they may never reveal it to their parents.

But teenagers shouldn’t have to wait to become an adult to share their political opinion. The future is youth and not their parents.

Even though you can’t vote now, you will be able to soon.

You should never have to feel ashamed because you don’t agree with your parents. You should be able to decide what you want to believe and which candidate, for president or mayor, you trust more.

Having the same political opinion as your parents makes life a little easier, but believing in something because you believe in it is a sign of individuality and that you are no longer a little kid, but a young adult who takes pride in themselves and their opinions.

| DESIGN BY CHARLIE TRENT

sophmore faith nielsen “I don’t think I would [talk about politics] with [my parents] because their views are so strong, and mine are the complete opposite.”

senior chinmay dabli “I’m open about talking about [politics] with [my parents], but I don’t generally have that conversation with my parents because I don’t know how open they are to talking about politics.”

sophomore robert holt “I feel open talking about politics [with my parents] because I come from the family of an immigrant.”

senior zach armentrout “[My parents and I] never discuss politics because it’s not really a dinner topic.”

30 | october 2018 | opinion

WHERE WHERE ART ART THOU? THOU? art classes should have equal recognition of other classes in schools

kate oudejans staff writer

G

rowing up, everyone would take art throughout the course of their elementary careers.

Projects ranged from constructing noodle art to making clay shoes. It didn’t matter if you had the artistic “talent” of your age — all that mattered was that you were creating something from your imagination and having fun doing it.

But as kids become older, art becomes less prevalent in schools. Soon, class sizes shrink and student art projects aren’t pinned onto bulletin boards that are found on every other hallway.

Even though the Blue Valley high schools offer 19 art classes, several of them are not provided at every school due to limited space and lack of enrollment.

On top of that, BV schools do not offer high-level art classes such as the three AP Studio Art classes, which help prepare art students for their future and help push their creative limits in a rigorous way.

With the lack of these classes, many students who want to pursue art as their future career try to take as many art classes that are available at the school as they can before they graduate, but sometimes they are put in a limited amount of those classes — despite availability.

More often than not, students gain recognition for their outstanding academic and athletic achievements

STUDENT STUDENT WORK WORK

| PAINTING BY KEATON BUCHERT “I think art is a bit of a release and an escape. It’s a way to find or make a different world that’s separated from the things you have to deal with in day-to-day life.”

| DESIGN BY KATE OUDEJANS

and earn a spot in glass cases around the school, but this falls short to art students.

Maybe the case is the lack of national art contests publicized in the school or the lack of actual winners; but in the past several years, students have gained national recognition for an art and writing contest for teens called Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.

Countless hours of hard work go into the pieces they submit and rightfully get the recognition they deserve through the contest, but not so much at the school. There isn’t a designated case or wall that displays the awards they won but are recognized in an assembly.

Although the art department gets recognition throughout the school, the hard work and awards of art students should be held at the same level as the academic and athletic achievements are.

| DRAWING BY KASSIDY WAGNER “I find myself sketching things out in the middle of classes when I probably should be doing other things. When I’m just doing nothing, I bring myself to come up with some idea.

[My inspiration] just happens on a whim — it comes and goes.”

staff ed |october 2018 |

31

| CARTOON BY ANIKA KREEGAR

Blue Valley’s tight grip on internet censorship is detrimental to student research, learning This past September, Blue Valley librarians revealed an exhibit in celebration of Banned Book Week.

The display featured numerous novels and comics that were previously banned from public schools by the American Library Association (ALA) for containing improper items such as “inappropriate language” or “sexual content.”

The librarians and staff took this week to bring to light the importance of book censorship and how it can simultaneously protect a student and hinder access to diverse information.

While we shed light on the issue of censoring literature, perhaps we should also shed light on the censorship of a developing resource just as accessible — the internet.

In the spring of 2019, students in grades 9-11 will receive personal, school-provided MacBook Air laptops and will begin utilizing them in the classroom.

But with this new, modern resource comes a set-back — Securly.

When students use a school laptop off-campus, the computer requires users

to login daily to Securly, a software that filters any non-Blue Valley Wi-Fi networks.

Every public school across the nation follows the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA), which was signed Dec. 21, 2000. The law requires that K-12 schools in the United States receiving federal funds install blocking software to protect students from “harmful online content.”

It was one of a number of efforts set forth by Congress to limit students access in schools to subject matter that is obscene, pornographic or harmful to minors.

But the way many schools interpret this law has brought into question whether the motive is still student safety or online dictatorship.

The ALA reported in “Fencing Out Knowledge” — an analysis of CIPA 10 years after its enactment — that schools overreaching with filtering software were putting education at risk.

Controversy arose in 2011 when the American Civil Liberties Union spoke out against the act, claiming students were routinely experiencing web filters

blocking access to groups such as the Gay-Straight Alliance Network, along with LGBT anti-bullying resources and other items related to LGBT. By censoring the wide-web, schools are inevitably disservicing a generation of technologically advanced students, and should instead search for alternative solutions.

In place of internet blockers that limit access to sites and social networks, faculty should be trying ways to utilize them in an educational manner.

If a concern is easy entry to unsafe content, students should be taught skills to become savvy searchers rather than relying on web filters to evaluate the relevance of information.

Instead of allowing an artificial software to determine what’s unsavory, teachers should take a more active role by personally inspecting and manually allowing students to access blocked videos or websites.

The internet provides opportunity, and while we should take some steps to ensure safe-searching, those steps should include educating students and not hindering internet blockers.

This staff editorial is the representation of the opinion of The Tiger Print staff.

32 | october 2018 | news Volunteering at Vintage Park, seniors Sheridan Hoy, Bella Bade and Ella Ciochon paint an elder’s nails. “My favorite part was just getting to know them,” Bade said.

“I loved watching how much they enjoyed the attention and company.”

COMMUNITY SERVICE DAY | PHOTOS BY HANNAH PATTERSON

Talking with an elderly woman at the hair salon, senior Karlis Mendoza volunteers at Vintage Park. “The whole time was so awesome,” Mendoza said. “I lost my grandma a year and a half ago, so being around grandmas makes me feel closer to her.”

Rolling up a carpet, students serve Habitat for Humanity at ReStore, a discount home improvement store that collects and sells items to fund Habitat for Humanity’s goal of providing homes to low-income families.

| DESIGN BY MOLLY HOLMES