The Tiger Print — February 2020

THE TIGER PRINT

blue valley high school | vol. 50 | issue 5 | february 2020 | bvtigernews.com | overland park, kansas

employers take advantage of teen workers read about it on page 15 design by charlie trent

Employed Exploitation

2 | february 2020 | contents

Contents NEWS

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Back to the ‘20s Student Council prepares for Sweetheart .

FEATURE

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Best Friends Long-time friends describe importance of friendship.

ENTERTAINMENT

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What does School Mean to You? Students of BV describe high school in one word.

OPINION

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It’s Not a Popularity Contest Erika Kolseth and Charlie Trent discuss the importance of popularity in the modern high school setting.

| DESIGN BY CHARLIE TRENT & MADDY KANG

//TIGER PRINT THE

editors-in-chief managing editor Maddy Kang Vince Orozco Shay Lawson staff members Chloe Browning Emily Cummings Liam Dale Isabelle Fletcher Brynn Friesen

Aubrey Herrin Erika Kolseth Stephanie Kontopanos Ani Kreegar Frannie Lamberti

design editor Charlie Trent

adviser Michelle Huss

JD Loftin Ben McAlister Harrison Melton Claire Middleton Tymber Moody Spencer Norman

Liya Patel Jaidyn Phillips Claire Powell Mia Rice Olivia Sherlock

“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

news |february 2020 |

OFF the RADAR

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U.S. and Iran

On Dec. 31, protesters in Baghdad, Iraq broke through the outer barrier of the U.S. Embassy.

While there were no casualties, the incident led the U.S. to respond with an airstrike near Baghdad’s international airport on Jan. 3.

This airstrike killed 10 people, one of whom was Qasem Soleimani, a major general for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a branch of the Iranian armed forces. The popularity of

Soleimani and his sudden death lead to widespread outrage within Iran.

This situation overall has led to further deterioration of an already shaky relationship.

Iran officially withdrew from the Iran Nuclear Deal Jan. 5, and on Jan. 8, Iran launched ballistic missiles at 2 Iraqi bases housing American troops.

Contrary to initial statements, 11 service members are being treated for injuries due to the blast.

Boris Johnson Wins On Dec. 12, the United Kingdom held its general election.

The main parties of contention were the Conservative Party, led by Prime Minister Boris Johnson; the Labour Party, led by MP and Leader of the Opposition Jeremy Corbyn; the Scottish National Party, led

by MP Nicola Sturgeon; and the Liberal Democrats, led by Jo Swinson.

The Conservatives had a net

gain of 48 seats, Labour had a net loss of 60, the SNP had a net gain of 13, and the Liberal Democrats had a net loss of 1.

This landslide win by Johnson occurred in spite of the difficulties caused by Brexit inaction after the failure of the Conservative Party to reach a majority in the 2017 election.

Johnson has promised to reinvigorate and move forward with Brexit, with the new deadline set for Jan. 31.

Ogallala Aquifer The Ogallala aquifer is a water table that is underneath the Great Plains. At 174,000 square miles, it is one of the largest aquifers in the world, and it is on its last leg.

The aquifer is currently being used at a faster rate than it is refilling. According to “Scientific American,” if the aquifer were to be drained completely, it would take 6,000 years to refill naturally.

Ninty percent of the current use of the aquifer is for

agriculture. Crops grown via Ogallala irrigation are worth $20 billion.

In previous years, farmers believed that the water was inexhaustible; however, in the late 1960s federal and state geologists reported that the aquifer was running dry.

This problem has created a situation where people are competing between conservation and maintaining and meeting economic demands.

| PHOTOS COURTESY OF TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE | WORDS BY VINCE OROZCO

4 | february 2020 | news

Let’s party like Gatsby Sweetheart 2020 tymber moody & mia rice staff writers

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ithin the month of February, our school hosts its annual Sweetheart Dance. Many students look forward to this event and all of the unique traditions that come from it.

One tradition is that girls ask boys to the dance instead of the traditional way of boys asking girls.

Another exciting feature of this year’s sweetheart was that the students had the opportunity to pick the event’s theme.

Student Council members decided to have students choose which theme they wanted via a questionnaire. The options for this year’s theme were the Roaring ‘20s and Disney, among others.

While quarreling between many possible themes for the night, the Roaring ‘20s ultimately won the vote.

“We narrowed it down so that the school can actually choose,” junior class president Piper Puccetti said. “Some-

| PHOTO BY SPENCER NORMAN | DESIGN BY MIA RICE

times people are upset with the themes that we choose, and so this time [they had] the chance to choose.”

When deciding the themes of the dances, the officers and reps in StuCo for each class came up with a few themes and presented them to the executive officers. After that, they moved onto one of their Friday meetings and put them up on a board for the entire StuCo group to vote on.

Once the narrowed them down, they decided on preparations and ideas of what they would potentially do for that particular theme. Then they voted for a final time.

“I’ve always recommended Great Gatsby as a theme idea because I think the decorations are super exciting,” Puccetti said. “It’s going to be a really fun day, and it’ll get people excited to attend.”

Puccetti is on the decorating committee this year and hopes to incorporate the famous Gatsby movie into decorations.

Elements of the Great Gatsby fantasy are the biggest hope for the

decoration committee. This all comes from the book’s lavish 1920s setting, Puccetti said.

“I really want to make it like in The Great Gatsby movie with the big party scene,” she said. “It would be so awesome to incorporate a lot of that into our decorations, have loud music and have people [feel] like they’re back in the ‘20s.”

Decorating for dances can be hard work, and the committee welcomed volunteers. The Roaring ‘20s sets back to the 1920s and all of the pivotal changes that decade brought. Mostly known for flappers and parties.

“We prepare decorations, probably like a month out from when sweetheart is,” she said. “Then we actually decorate for Sweetheart the morning of just like we do Homecoming.”

Setting up all morning makes for a hectic day, but on account of the whole school, it’s always worth it.

“The ‘20s is a popular theme,” Puccetti said. “Our school is determined to make it memorable with fresh inspiration.”

news |february 2020 |

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several staff members seem to have an opposite perspective. Business teachers Kathy Peres and Madi Plankers used their experiences as teachers who Since the introduction of the have taught prior to the extreme use of smartphone in 2007, the debate over phones to explain why phone restrictions its benefits has been a heated topic of in the classroom could be more benefidiscussion. cial than most would think.

Its place in the classroom, as well “Phones are an important part of as its effects on teen’s mental health, students’ social lives, but mental health became the deciding factors for Blue is such a big deal now,” Plankers said.

Valley’s administration to enforce the re- “If this is a way we could improve the moval of phone-usage in the classroom current issues revolving around mental setting. illness, I am all for it.”

During the welWhen it comes to Do you agree with the come-back meeting teenagers in today’s new phone policy? at the beginning of society, mental health the new semester, and well-being seems principal Scott to be most at risk. The Bacon described the stress and anxiety that hundreds of benefits comes from viewing that phone removal 87.2% of responses out of 166 stories and snaps about would have, not only the latest party that voted ‘no’ on the school’s oversome missed out on or all performance, but rumors that are spread on the mental well-being of the students. via pictures and texts have been shown Because phones have become such a to weigh on students’ minds at an unvital part of societies’ social, mental and healthy amount. emotional survival, the idea of restrict“If students can have a few hours ing phones in high school seems like the out of their day where they don’t have ultimate nightmare. to worry about what’s going on through When the idea of phone removal was the screens, I think they would be much introduced, freshman Zane Burton, better off,” Peres said. along with the majority of students at The phone usage policy in the classthe school, were not pleased. rooms of blue valley will be analyzed “I think phones are important for at the end of the year to determine its us, especially in the society we live in,” effectiveness.

Burton said.

Pro phones or not, it is safe to say the Although students might see the future of phones at school will continue removal of phones as a punch to the gut, to be up in the air.

liya patel staff writer

Subject:

Pro Phone or No Phone?

Text Message: New policy receives mixed reviews Q

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Tiger Tidbits

| WORDS & DESIGN BYCLAIRE POWELL

John Oldroyd, 12; and Ben Samuelson, 9

Georgia Trent, 12; Gavin Ruder, 11; Elizabeth Phillips, 12

Harper Clark, 11

Sam O’Brien, 10

news | february 2020 |

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Beckett Hampp, 12

Guys & Dolls

Madeline Friesen, 12

| PHOTOS BY LIAM DALE

This year the BV choir department produced the show Guys & Dolls with freshman Ben samuelson cast as Nicely-Nicely.

“Before I got the role I was nervous,” Samuelson said. “I thought the casting might have seniority to do with it.”

After getting the role of the gambler, Samuelson said he was much more relaxed.

“I’ve just loved doing the musical,” Samuelson said. “All the people in it are just so fun.”

After doing the high school production shows, Samuelson has noticed the different atmosphere compare to middle school.

“I’m going be honest, I didn’t think I was gonna be as tired as I am every day after musical,” he said.

Despite the tireding nights, Samuelson said he has learned a lot thanks to Guys & Dolls.

“It’s making do things I don’t usually do,” Samuelson said. “It’s also great to just get to know all these people in high school.”

8 | february 2020 | news Dance Team

| PHOTOS BY CLAIRE POWELL & MACEY FRANKO Seniors

Jamie van Loben Sels, ELA teacher James Euston, 10

Sweetheart During the Sweetheart assembly dance, the teacher’s wowed their students with their Tiktok inspired dance routine. ELA teacher and cheer coach Jamie van Loben Sels was one of those dancers. “[We teachers] saw all of our kids doing it all the time,” van Loben Sels said. “We thought it would be fun if we surprised [our students].”

Contrary to her original beliefs, van Loben Sels said the dances were difficult.

“It was actually really hard learning it, but it was fun,” she said.

This being her first year here, van Loben Sels said the BV environment has been more than welcoming.

“This is the family that took me in right under their wing,” van Louben Sels said. “The kids and overall district is great.”

news | february 2020 |

Dylan Wipperman, 12

Aiden Shaw, 10

Boys Basketball The boys basketball team won its game Jan. 31 against Olathe West.

They were able to outlast the owls with a score of 75 to 54.

They played on Tuesday, Feb. 4 at Blue Valley West and will face off again next Tuesday, Feb. 11 against Blue Valley North.

| PHOTOS BY CLAIRE MIDDLETON

| PHOTOS BY CLAIRE POWELL

Donut Day Every year the school’s repertory theatre department goes to a convention in Wichita, Kansas to learn more about theatre, and the improv team, Fifth Wall, competes for State.

This year Fifth Wall won first place. Senior improver Sam Murphy had emotions runHalley Eastham, 11 ning high, not just because of winning state but also gaining popularity while in Wichita.

“There’s an anonymous app called Jodel that is used at the convention, and a joke was made on there by a few of my fellow classmates,” Murphy said. “It bloomed into something that I can only describe as madness, but basically, I’m a celebrity.”

Thanks to his quick fame on Jodel, many fans came to watch Joey Compton, 10 him and the rest of the improv team perform for finals, which according to Murphy, helped lead them to a win.

“It was a great moment — it’s something I’ve been looking forward to since I was born,” Murphy said. “It kind of peaked my life.”

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Matthew G, 12; Sam Murphy, 12, Nick M, 12

10 | february 2020 | news

Let Your Pride Shine GSA hosts talent show, aims to gain recognition harrison melton & stephanie kontopanos staff writers From a tiny and crowded Spanish classroom to an open, secluded area, the Gay-Straight Alliance club welcomes in members of the LGBT community and allies alike. The Leaders of the GSA are trying to draw in new members by hosting a talent show in April. “[We’ll be selling] tickets, and we’ve been talking about doing a bake sale,” co-president senior Madilyn Veach said. ”We [are donating to] Glisten. It focuses on student youth LGBT, which is very good for high schoolers. We [decided to pick] a local [cause] rather than a bigger organization.”

All proceeds will be put towards the cause; however, the club is also hoping to use the show as recognition for the GSA. “The talent show is a fun thing for us to produce and get more well-known because [we aren’t] a very well-known club,” president senior Brooke Rupp said. “It’s a place for people in our school to show their talents because [some aren’t] involved in choir or theater.”

The club is accepting every applicant that shows any dedication to the show, no matter the talent they choose to audition with. Along with the expected singing and dancing acts, GSA is looking forward to showcasing new and unique talents.

“I’m really, really hoping to get a lot more creative writing and theater,” Rupp

said. “I want to hear poetry. short skits, and short stories.”

Outside of the talent show, GSA meets every other Monday during Tiger Paws to discuss a variety of topics within the LGBT community.

“GSA is trying to [help] young kids who are struggling with their gender identity, sexuality and even those who are allied with them,” Rupp said. “[We] are supporting them to create a safe space for them to find friends and support.”

Since the club has gotten much smaller over the past few years, students are closer due to various group activities and discussions. The club leaders hope to achieve this bond with a larger group of students in the near future.

“I’d really love to be able to get a good blend of people into the club,” Rupp said. “[During] one of the few meetings I [went] to my freshman year, they did a lot of small group discussion, but no one knew each other and no one was really close, so discussions didn’t get anywhere even though they had amazing topics.”

Veatch said the open and accepting atmosphere at the meetings drive home the goal everyone within the GSA strives to achieve: “to spread love, acceptance, and to give people a space where they feel comfortable to accept themselves.”

“There is a stigma against people in the LGBT community,” Veach said. “I think that if we spread positivity starting [the Club], maybe it could spread to other places.”

| DESIGN & WORDS BY HARRISON MELTON & STEPHANIE KONTOPANOS

feature | february 2020 |

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Student Explores Ancestral History Winning essay earns junior trip to Washington DC gabriela ruiz & brynn friesen staff writers “When I was younger, I was always told to wait until I was older to hear all of the stories. Now that I’m older, the stories are getting harder to tell.”

Junior Jonah Kahn drew inspiration from his own experiences and his knowledge of the history of Judaism for an essay he submitted to his synagogue.

“I wrote about how sometimes I hear people make jokes at school [and] why I think being Jewish is important and how that affects my life,” Kahn said.

Kahn’s essay clearly left a notable impression on the application reviewers.

“They chose the two best essays,” he said. “Mine was one of them.”

As a reward, Kahn joined an exclusive group of students selected to go to Washington, D.C. There, he toured the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

“They have both a temporary and permanent exhibit,” Kahn said. “The temporary exhibit was really cool. We got really lucky because it was about what America did during the Holocaust. As an American, I want to know what was happening during that time and what our country did to stop what was going on.”

According to Kahn, his visit to

the renowned museum was a harrowing experience filled with emotion.

“It was very sad,” Kahn said. “Some of the pictures or artifacts were disturbing because they [cause you] to think about what others had to go through.

It made me take a lot of things not for granted.”

As poignant as Kahn recalls the museum being overall, he found one display particularly impactful and eye-opening.

“They had an entire room probably three or four stories [tall,]” he said. “If you looked up, there were pictures from a Jewish village, and it was all these people that had lived together that then got torn apart because of the Holocaust.”

Kahn acknowledges he has faced some challenges throughout his life growing up in a predominantly Christian community.

“Sometimes I wish I was surrounded more by people who are like me who understand the religion more,” he said.

“You get school off for Christmas and all of those really important [Christian] holidays, [while] I have to miss school [for Jewish holidays.]”

Overall, Kahn thinks it is important for today’s generation to hold onto the stories of the past, especially as the Holocaust becomes a more distant memory.

“Survivors aren’t going to be alive much longer,” Kahn said. “We need to be able to tell the story of our ancestors.” | DESIGN BY ERIKA KOLSETH

12 | february 2020 | feature

students sell unique shoes on instagram maddy kang & frannie lamberti co-editor in chief & staff writer

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eselling shoes and clothes has been made easy with apps like Instagram and PayPal. Two students have been invested in reselling on social media. Their accounts aren’t just your regular closet accounts trying to get rid of old clothes — instead, they sell expensive and rare items.

George Perkins, a sophomore who has had his account since eighth grade, is into reselling.

His account, followed by almost 2k people

| Perkins

| DESIGN BY FRANNIE LAMBERTI & MADDY KANG

is @boostedrelease.

“Me and my neighbor were sitting on my driveway one day talking about making an account,” Perkins said.

“We just randomly thought of that name.”

Perkins has sold over 700 items ranging from Nike and Adidas shoes and Supreme clothing. Prices differ on how rare they are and on how expensive they were to buy.

“Depending on the item, I try to make a 20 percent margin on each thing I buy,” Perkins said.

Buying from other resellers or straight from the company releasing it itself is where Perkins gets his products. “[A reseller will] ship it to me through USPS, and I use PayPal to pay them,” Perkins said. “Then, I post it on my Instagram page and try to sell through there.”

Perkins enjoys finding things that aren’t sold to the public yet or things that are cool to him. Even though Perkins favorite brands for clothing and shoes are Nike and Supreme, he has a special favorite item.

“I have a signed Travis [Scott] picture,” Perkins said. “I’ve owned a few of his shoes.”

feature | february 2020 |

Sophomore Jake vonSeldeneck also has a knack for reselling shoes on his Instagram account called @jocokicks; vonSeldeneck started selling in September of 2017. “[My friends and I] always liked sneakers and figured out that there’s money to be made, so I started to resell,” vonSeldeneck said.

The shoe account has 2.6k followers on his Instagram reselling account and sold 170 pairs of shoes in 2019.

“Right now [reselling] is just a way to make money — instead of having a real job,” vonSeldeneck said. “It’s not necessarily like going to work because it’s on my phone.

I’ll be at school messaging people if they’re interested in anything, so I make sales all the time.”

Even though vonSeldeneck ran into some difficulties he hit $30,000 in sales.

“There are people that will waste your time,” vonSeldeneck said. “They’ll just ghost you if they just change their mind or something.”

Selling lots of different kinds of shoes, vonSeldeneck said he’s sold a lot of Nike and Adidas shoes — but mostly Yeezys and Ultra Boosts. His successes so far have also influenced what he would like to pursue in the future. “[I’ve] been able to make money without having to actually go and work a real job — it’s a lot easier,” vonSeldeneck said. “I definitely think I’ll go to college and get a degree in business.”

Being involved in the business of reselling has helped vonSeldeneck and Perkins figure out their future careers.

“I’ve been able to connect with a lot more people that I would have never known without reselling,” Perkins said, “I’ve been able to figure out what I want to do for a career path through reselling.”

| vonSeldeneck

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14 | february 2020 | feature

SafeSpace Student creates app for crisis hotlines

claire powell staff writer

for you. You never know want to make the app when you’re going to be just for teenagers, which in a crisis.” is why there is a Veteran’s After finishing the Crisis Textline available.

Imagine an app that prototype, DeZube was “A lot of people were has all the hotlines you able to submit it for like, ‘Oh, why don’t you may need for a mental the Congressional App just do teen stuff?,’ but health crisis. Anytime Challenge.

I tried to get the widest time you were in need “I had no idea what reach,” Dezube said. to talk to someone, you I was doing — I have “I don’t want them to could just open the programming experiopen the app and be like, app and have an ample amount of hotlines to call ence, but I’ve never made ‘There’s nothing on here an app before,” or text. That was senior “Even if I end I can call.’”

DeZube said.

Despite Samuel DeZube’s goal up saving one the frustrating “I was watchwhen making the app ing videos life, that’s one nights of work SafeSpace. trying to figure and deadlines, “There’s a mental saved.” out how this all DeZube said it health crisis going on. was worth it.

Everyone’s going through worked. Having to learn stuff on your own with “The most rewardstuff like anxiety or absolutely no guidance ing part was I could l depression,” DeZube was definitely stressful at do something with my said. “There’s too many first, but it all ended up passion, which is propeople who don’t know gramming technology what to do [or] reach out [being] worth it.”

After winning the in the field of mental to. Through research I congressional app chalhealth,” DeZube said. figured out that there’s lenge, DeZube started “[That] hit me personally no one out there who’s improving his app with throughout high school made an app that has all a company called Net and I’m sure everyone’s these hotlines— calling Smart. been touched by it. I just and texting, “Net Smart think too many lives are in one place.” “I think of it like is a healthlost for reasons that they Through the epi pen of care company. shouldn’t be. Even if I CAPS, Demental health.” They’re going end up saving one life, Zube made to walk [me] that’s one life saved.” a SafeSpace through the process of prototype. getting [SafeSpace] on “I think of it like the the App Store, that’s epi pen of mental health step one, ” DeZube said.

— if you’re in a crisis, “Step two would be to what is something you redevelop it for Android always have with you? so it can be [available] Your phone,” DeZube across all devices.” said. “So why not make DeZube said he didn’t an app that’s always there | DESIGN BY CLAIRE POWELL

Crisis Lines Available on SafeSpace National Suicide Lifeline Sexual Assualt Hotline Teen Abuse Hotline Substance Abuse Hotline

National Crisis Textline Veteran’s Crisis Textline

on the cover | february 2020 |

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on-duty oppression teens experience harassment within the work place

in the news It was reported that 38 Michigan businesses were in violation of wage and child labor laws on Dec. 12, 2019. This discovery was made through investigations conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division.

A total of 167 minors that were found working in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Of these minors, 132 of them were working outside of legal working hours for minors, and the remaining 35 minors were employed within hazardous conditions or positions for their age.

Ten minors from the ages of 15 to 17 were performing hazardous occupations for minors, such as using heavy machinery, operating trash compactors and making time-sensitive food deliveries. More than 30 minors, ages 14 and 15, were found working jobs prohibited for the age group.

The remaining more than 100 workers were employed outside allowed work hours.

The businesses owed a sum of $94,501 in civil money penalties for violating child labor laws, with only $92,194 being paid.

According to the Kansas Department of Labor, “Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, children under 16 can

written by: claire powell, spencer norman, chloe browning

work between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.”

From June 1 through Labor Day, evening hours are extended to 9 p.m. as an exception.

Minors “under 16 can work up to three hours on a school day, 18 hours in a school week, 8 hours on a non-school day, 40 hours on a non-school week,” according to the Kansas Department of Labor.

| DESIGN BY CHARLIE TRENT

16 | february 2020 | on the cover

expert s opinion do you have a job?

30 % no

70 % 70 yes

tu de nts

After around 40 years of law experience through the Johnson County District Attorney‘s Office, the Office of the Kansas Attorney General and representing clients in employment and business litigation attorney Rick Guinn gave insight into the laws surrounding child labor, for which they don’t see many cases.

“Unless it’s a class action lawsuit where there’s a large number of employees involved, the extent of monetary damages that exists for somebody that’s likely many times working minimum wage doesn’t make it financially feasible for attorneys to take those kinds of cases,” Guinn said.

Guinn talked about how many of the cases he sees involving teens and their workplace involve inappropriate behavior of other workers towards the teens. “[If] they have been touched or harassed inappropriately, and they want that activity to stop and the employer doesn’t do anything about it, then the employer becomes liable,” Guinn said.

Guinn believes another reason they don’t see many of these cases is that employers know they can face serious charges if caught in violation of child labor laws or other workplace laws. He also spoke about the abuse of the hours teens can work. By Kansas law teens are only allowed to work between the hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. during the school year. “[Breaking of this law seems to be] more prevalent, not tremendously prevalent, but more prevalent in the restaurant industry and the food service industry,” Guinn said.

Luckily for teen employees, there are ways to report mistreatment or unfair work environments.

The Kansas Department of Labor has a website that provides for an employee to lodge a complaint. You fill out the questionnaire that they have on their website and then the Department of Labor will look into your complaint.

“You have to make a decision — do I want to go to the manager and complain because sometimes that ends up with you being ostracized?” Guinn said. “But if it’s bad enough, you should go and complain.”

ss vh b 6 *based on a poll of 16

% 6 6

of students work over 8 hour shifts

Lilly Curtright Like many teenagers, junior Lilly Curtright was in need for some extra cash. At the age of 15, she decided to pick up a busser job at a restaurant in Martin City, and for her nine months of working there, Curtright faced several mistreatments, such as the length of her shifts.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, a 15-year-old can only work till 7 p.m. on school nights and 9 p.m. on weekends.

Although these laws are in place, many workplaces overlook them.

“I would get off work around 11:30 at night,” Curtright said. “I was aware of the law but I knew that my boss did not care.”

In addition to working late, Curtright said the environment itself was extremely hostile.

“It was a very stressful job — the waitresses and owners would always get mad for little things,” She said. “If you were already going to do something, [the owner] would tell you to do it faster [or] yell at you for stuff that other people did. It was stressing me out to the point where I would go home and cry.”

on the cover | february 2020 | Curtright’s boss demanded odd tasks, which only amplified the negative experience.

“She didn’t want anyone who wasn’t eating at the restaurant to park in our parking lot, so you would have to go up to strangers and tell them they can’t park there,” Curtright said.

“We would have to stand in the cold for around an hour, even if it was winter.”

Although Curtright found the treatment to be unfair she did like one thing and that was the pay.

Curtright was making Missouri minimum wage, $8.60,

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plus the tip out at the end of the night where she’d earn $40 to $100. Despite this, Curtright couldn’t stand feeling unsafe in the work environment.

Curtright quit after spending nine months bussing and she has now gotten a new job at Tanner’s. After working in a new restaurant, she truly saw how badly she was treated previously.

Curtright felt it was important that she was safe and happy where she was working.

“In the end, the money wasn’t worth the stress,” she said.

“It definitely wasn’t worth being treated that way.”

HUsam Younes Husam On a hot day in August, with the start of school right around the corner, junior Husam Younes went to the pool with friends — he later found himself and his fellow teenage co-workers crammed in a Target office, told they would all soon be laid off.

After being denied to work at the Starbucks at Target, Younes was offered to work as a cashier for the store. Wanting to quickly find a place to work, he accepted the position, later realizing why the spot was opened in the first place.

“The people I worked with were nice but the management was pretty bad,” Younes said. “If you tried to take off work for a certain day, they would always make you feel guilty about it.”

Being a part of theater, Younes would have to rerarrange his shifts––however, Target seemed to ignore his requests.

“They don’t care about your schedule — they make you follow their schedule,” Younes said. “If you went to go talk to [management, I think teenagers that they] wouldn’t work are still thought fix it.”

When Younes of as little kids and would come to places of work will just his shifts, he said the Target man- take advantage of them. agers would ask if he could work afterward as well.

“Almost every shift they’d [ask] ‘Can you stay an hour or two longer?’” Younes said. “I would always hesitate, but I’d say yes. I wanted to show that I cared about my work.”

Though Younes and other past Target workers thought the work environment was unfair, they were paid higher than the minimum hourly wage of $7.25.

“I was paid $14.50 an hour,” Younes said. “I think they pay that much to cover up the fact that the management is terrible.”

As the end summer began to roll around, Target started to hire more workers, most of whom were out of high school or had already retired from a past.

“What happened was we were getting overstaffed, and one day some of us were called in an office,” Younes said. “They basically were telling us how they’re going to [start] firing

us. Most of the people that were [going to get] fired were teenagers.”

Almost immediately, Younes, who had been working at Target for 10 months, was angry — most of his co-workers feeling similar emotions.

“We were mad because we worked there for so long. I felt like I was actually putting in a lot of work and when [I was assigned my shifts] I would always try my best to show up,” Younes said. Knowing that they were going to lay me off like that didn’t make sense. At that moment, most of us got up and said we quit now, and then [we] left the store.”

Looking back, Younes realized the extent of his unfair treatment — and not just him, but other high school students in work environments.

“I think teenagers that work are still thought of as little kids and places of work will just take advantage of them,” Younes said. “I’ve texted some of [my old coworkers,] and they felt the same way. They’re happy with their new jobs.”

Younes said is important for teenagers to have work experience, but that shouldn’t mean they are driven to the ground because of it.

“I encourage people to go get a job but make sure you don’t overwork yourself,” he said. “Communicate with your managers, and stick to your schedule because that job needs you more than you need them.”

18 | february 2020 | feature

long-lasting friendships develop at BV February is recognized as a month of love.

However, love is a general term. In addition to romantic relationships, the word includes familial, self and platonic love.

| MARSHALL

| KIRWAN

| PONNURU

| DALTON

J

uniors Charlie Marshall, Gavin Kirwan, Nathan Ponnuru and Ben Dalton and senior Madison van Ophem are a prime example of platonic love.

The group has been friends since freshman year — sophomore year for van Ophem — but some of them

have found their friendship surprising.

The group of friends hung out for the first time at someone’s house, meetings they now refer to as “gang bombs.”

“Being in band, I would expect to become friends with people my own age, but we’ve gotten pretty close.”

| WORDS BY STEPHANIE KONTOPANOS & ANI KREEGAR

| VAN OPHEM

said Marshall.

Ponnuru’s friendships in the past had been rocky, but he’s found security in this new group.

“I was a very switchy person in middle school friend-group wise,” he said. “In high school, there’s friends that last.” said Ponnuru.

feature | february 2020 |

S

ophomores Shivam Singh and Valerie Lu have known each other for eight years, ever since they were in second grade.

“We were in the same class, and I started to talk to her,” Singh said.

Despite their long relationship, they haven’t always been close.

“I thought he was annoying and slightly hated him in second grade,” Lu said. “I slapped him.”

Like most friends, Lu and Singh share many inside jokes.

“We have some that carry on from middle school,” Singh said.

“We’ve got jokes with certain people.”

The pair loves to talk about a variety of topics: boys, people and shows. “[We have] laugh attacks together at school,” Singh said. “We go to the park and have laugh attacks.”

Lu and Singh sometimes hang out at their old elementary school, where they first met.

“We go to the Sunrise Point playground and hang out for a little bit,” Lu said.

Throughout the years, the two have seen each other grow.

“She’s gotten a lot more brave, a little louder [and] a little less shy,” Singh said.

who is..? more likely to go to a justin bieber concert

19

shivam

valerie

more likely to watch a cheesy romance more likely to be famous smarter more unorganized | DESIGN BY STEPHANIE KONTOPANOS

20

STAR IN THE MAKING

maddy kang & shay lawson co-editor in chiefs

W

ho would have thought a normal college visit would have turned into an audition for a Broadway production in front of a famous choreographer on the 12th floor of a skyscraper in a tiny room that, when filled, was almost an entire Blue Valley hallway shoulder-to-shoulder, so small you couldn’t take any steps?

Senior Ryan Jacobs auditioned in Boston at Berkeley University in December of 2019 for the show “The Music Man” while being in the area for a college visit he was already on.

“I found out the week before that Playbill, a Broadway organization website, posted an audition notice on their website for the revival of the show,” Jacobs said. “I was up in Boston, so my dad and I found a flight that transferred so that we [could] just drive a couple hours to do the open call because it was open to anybody.”

Jacobs said this audition was different than most because usually you have to have an agent or be part of some kind of union to get an audition slot. But this audition was open to anybody in the area who put their name on the list.

“We showed up super early [to] the 12th floor of Pro Studios, [a] big casting office downtown,” Jacobs said. “There were kids stretching [and] warming up.

By the time the call actually started, there were 600 people there. They had holding rooms for people after they signed up. I stepped out of one, and it

Groups of 40 were taken back to audition every half hour | DESIGN BY MADDY KANG

was literally like filling almost an entire Blue Valley hallway shoulder to shoulder — you couldn’t take steps.”

Jacobs said the amount of moms and anxiety in the room was overwhelming.

| Jacobs “The choreographer took us into a room — he’s done a ton of Broadway shows,” Jacobs said. “He was the one who taught [the dance] which is cool because I thought they were gonna have an assistant to do it or something, but he brought us all in and he taught us a combo. He walked us through each [dance move] and told us what he was looking for for each section of the dance.”

Jacobs said he was taken into another room for him to give them his resume and headshot.

“We did the audition for [the director], and another lady sitting there, and they would watch and [after the audition] would say thank you and then they would take the resumes,” he said.

Numbers were given to auditioners — Jacobs was 109th

student’s college visit turns into spontaneous experience “They had two piles of people — people they wanted to keep in and people that they’re going to excuse.”

Jacobs didn’t end up getting a part, but he did gain a new experience.

“They’re really looking for technique — it was fun and such a cool experience to know that I was in the room that it was happening,” Jacobs said. “I did the best I could have done. I’ve taken ballet for five years but I’ve kind of put my time in other things like composition, acting and other music ensembles, so I’m OK that I wasn’t at that level. It was really cool to see that I still did well and held my own in the other parts.”

He said auditioning was a positive experience filled with immense support.

Even though Jacobs didn’t make it into this show, there is promise in the future.

“A cool thing is if I’m not right for this, a lot of times casting directors, if they like you, they’ll be like, ‘Great, we’re not needing you for this,’” he said.

“If you stand out, they’ll [call you for a different role you might fit better in].”

Jacobs wants to continue his music passion in college. “[I’d want to attend a university] anywhere that’s going to let me compose and do musical theater performances,” he said. “If I can get anywhere close to the city, like my college audition in Boston, that would be cool to do train rides up there. I would love to keep performing [because it is] a part of my life, as long as I get to keep the other things, too. It was a cool experience to see if this could be for me, so I’ll definitely keep going for it.”

The audition started at 10 a.m.

a & e | february 2020 |

Compatible Lovers

21

according to the stars

Aries: March 21-April 19

Taurus: April 20-May 20

Gemini: May 21-June 20

Cancer: June 21-July 22

Have you ever felt as if you and your significant other were star-crossed lovers? Well, according to the Zodiac, that may be true.

Your individual star sign comes from the month and day you were born. Each sign lies between the four elemental states of earth, fire ,water and air that then determine your born nature. It has been a rising topic within this generation and makes for some fun inner discoveries.

Now, this is NOT deemed factual, so no need to break up with your boyfriend if he isn’t a scorpio, but understanding another world of connections can always be fun. Enjoy the star map that has been laid out for you and challenge your bonds.

ARIES: Gemini, Leo, Sagittarius

LIBRA: Gemini, Leo, Sagittarius

TAURUS: Cancer, Virgo, Capricorn

SCORPIO: Cancer, Virgo, Capricorn

GEMINI: Aries, Leo, Libra

SAGITTARIUS: Aries, Leo, Aquarius

CANCER: Virgo, Scorpio, Taurus

CAPRICORN: Taurus, Virgo, Scorpio

LEO: Aries, Gemini, Libra

AQUARIUS: Aries, Gemini, Sagittarius

VIRGO: Cancer, Scorpio, Taurus

PISCES: Taurus, Cancer, Scorpio

Pisces: Feb 20-March 20

Aquarius: Jan 20-Feb 19

Capricorn: Dec 22-Jan 19

Sagittarius: Nov 22-Dec 21

Scorpio: Oct 23-Nov 21 Virgo: Aug 23-Sep 22 Leo: July 23-August 22

Libra: Sep 23-Oct 22 |WORDS & DESIGN BY ANI KREEGAR & MIA RICE

22 | february 2020 | a & e

SCHOOL IN ONE WORD Students, staff at BV try to capture high school environment in one word

Hannah Hayden, 11

Productive

Anna Bajich, 10

Big

Dylan Golden, 10

Hard

Mrs. Mackey, Staff

Awesome

Ms. Koch, Staff

Community Austin Flink, 10

Home Charlie Starr, 9

Alright Ishar Venkatesh, 11

Great

| DESIGN BY AUBREY HERRIN & EMILY CUMMINGS

a & e | february 2020 |

23

Lyric Moody, 9 Michelle Meyer, 11

Accepting

Friendly

Stanley Kenyi, 12

Caring Mr. Cromer, Staff

Supportive

Zane Burton, 9

Tigers

Nicole Osterlund, 9

Family

Darya Moiny, 10

Unique

Maddie Rimmer, 12

Challenging

Rylee Bergmann, 11

Life-Changing Jan Jaramillo, 11

Exasperating

24 | february 2020 | a & e January is the month for resolutions. Although many people set a goal for the year ahead, a study done by Ashira Prossack from Forbes.com showed less than 25 percent of people stay commited to their resolutions after just 30 days, and only 8 percent accomplish them.

NEW YEAR

RESOLUTIONS

“I want to have a positive impact on others. I love seeing others happy. It’s just a good feeling knowing you made someone’s day better.” -Carson Strang, 11

“Having more realistic expectations [gives you] a lot better outlook on life in general.”

-Sam Hurt, 12

“Don’t make it super big because it’s hard to go through with big goals. Set a specific time. Try not to do it for only two days. You have to remind yourself what motivation is.” -Eliot O’Bryan, 10

“[I wanted to learn to] not care what people think about me. I think I accomplished that because I am smiling 24/7.”

-Will Montogomery, 12

have you ever kept a new years resolution?

Different types of resolutions: -new hobby -not buying anything new (ex. clothes, fast food, makeup, video games, etc.)

50%

44%

no yes

50% Do you set new years resolutions?

| 166 students surveyed

| DESIGN BY JAIDYN PHILLIPS

56%

no yes

a & e | february 2020 |

2 0 2 0

25

PREDICTIONS Mary Kate Arnett, 9 “[There will be] robot pantries — like type in a food, and it goes and gets it.”

Jay Fritzler, 12 “We’re going to announce a mission to colonize the moon.”

James Donnici, 11 “The dinosaurs are coming back.”

Mr. Jones, Teacher “The economy will go down.”

Chase Taulbee, 12 “NHL MVP Nick David. NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.”

Carson Bulkeley, 10 “[The] Clippers will win the NBA championship.”

Will Stroud, 9 “Juice Wrld’s gonna come back alive.”

Sophie DeVeney, 10 “The entire school will die from vaping.”

Sammy Behrndt, 12 “There [will be] a Hurricane Sammy.”

Maya Williams, 11 “I’m going to get Tik Tok famous.”

Mrs. Neal, Teacher “Meghan Markle will have another kid and the family will not return to England.”

Carson Hunter, 11 “2Pac [is] gonna come back.” | DESIGN BY MIA RICE & CHLOE BROWNING

26 | february 2020 | a & e Could our BV tigers predict who will go to the Super Bowl weeks ahead of time?

Prediction Date: Dec. 12 Henry Schmidt (Senior) Predicted Teams: 49ers vs. Chiefs Predicted Winner: Chiefs Confidence: 5/10 “[The Chiefs] have a better defense this year. Our offense was a little lackluster at the start of the season, but we’re starting to catch up again, so I think we can win this.”

Prediction Date: Dec. 12 Aidan Siefkes (Senior)

Predicted Team: Ravens vs. 49ers Predicted Winner: Ravens Confidence: 7/10 “Because [the Ravens] have the MVP, Lamar Jackson”

Prediction Date: Dec. 17

Mr. Sundquist (social studies teacher)

Prediction Date: Dec. 17 Kat Ryan (freshman)

Predicted Teams: Patriots vs. Rams Predicted Winner: Rams Confidence: 2/10

Predicted Teams: Ravens vs. 49ers Predicted Winner: Ravens Confidence: 8/10 “I think [the Ravens] have the best player, the best offense and a good defense.”

“They have good odds.”

Prediction Date: Jan. 8 Katie Coda (junior)

Prediction Date: Jan. 8

Sterling Locket (sophomore) Predicted Teams: Chiefs vs. 49ers Predicted Winner: Chiefs Confidence: 7/10 “I think they’re going to outscore the 49ers by the end of the game.” | DESIGN BY TYMBER MOODY & OLIVIA SHERLOCK

Predicted Teams: 49ers vs. Ravens Predicted Winner: Ravens Confidence: 6/10 “[The Ravens] have the best record in the league right now.”

opinion | february 2020 |

27

It’s Time for a Change of Scenery Dance themes need to be more simple olivia sherlock staff writer Themes like Party in Paradise (Homecoming, 2018), Road Trip around the USA (Sweetheart, 2018) and Glow-in-the-Dark (Prom, 2020) can be tacky and messy if not done the right way.

With the challenge of a tiny budget on their minds, it is nearly impossible for Student Council to pull off these themes without the dance looking a little bit off.

While it sounded nice on paper to “Party in Paradise” for Homecoming, it was less glamorous in person when taking pictures next to a pool noodle with a flamingo head on it.

This isn’t the fault of the people decorating the photo booth at Homecoming last year, but rather the fault of such a low budget. Financially it makes sense that the theme was portrayed in pool noodles. The theme “Party in Paradise” makes no sense when it’s 20 degrees outside, and I find myself posing next to a tiki while in a faux fur.

I can see the appeal of getting to choose the theme of a dance and seeing it come to life.

But, I can also clearly, without the light from a glowstick, see the appeal of just having the same themes every year.

One of the benefits of a consistent theme is avoiding ideas like glow-in-the-dark, which, to be brutally honest, is definitely not the first thing I think of when I hear Prom.

When I hear glow sticks, I think of C.A.N. Night in 8th grade — not a dance people, on average, blow over $900 on.

The themes would make more sense if people attending the dance actually dressed to the

Alex Pena, 12

“Prom is portrayed in the media as one of the most important dances of a teenager’s life, but the themes that are chosen are too immature to fulfill my Cinderella fantasies.”

Taylor Dauernheim, 12

“[School dance themes] aren’t drastically important, but they help with the base of decoration [of the school].” theme — but the people going to the dances never dress with the theme. Perhaps it would be easier to dress with the themes if they were more simple. I don’t know about you, but I’m not buying a glow-in-the-dark dress anytime soon.

Having the theme black and gold for every dance would look classier, and the money we save by reusing decorations could be used for other StuCo events.

Not only does it financially make sense to reuse the decorations each year, but it also makes it way less stressful for Student Council members planning the dances.

These are the dances we will look back on and tell our kids about, so lets make them something more true to Blue Valley and less true to Hawaii. | DESIGN BY SPENCER NORMAN

28 | february 2020 | opinion

The Eyes of the Public The Danger of Stan Culture isabelle fletcher staff writer

The word stan derives from the song by Eminem, “Stan,” which tells the story of an obsessive fan named Stan who murders his pregnant girlfriend and himself after Eminem refuses to respond to his letters. This name has turned into a name about fans who go above-average loyalty.

These fans are typically fans who also refuse to acknowledge the artists’ flaws and defend the artist when they face any type of negativity. The people who stan artists can go to a level of evasion of privacy.

There is a line between a casual fan and a fan who claims to stan the particular celebrity, a line that has become more noticeable every month with different people getting ‘canceled’ — when someone does something to offend or oppose the ideas of the person they stan.

This culture can typically be pinned to certain types of fans. The beauty community and the music community are the biggest groups.

Within the beauty community, it isn’t other people outside of the community, but the fans of different makeup artists going against each other.

It’s different for the music community, though.

With singers from everywhere, it becomes a messy place. Every celebrity has a different following — some calm, some rowdy.

Communities are becoming more and more toxic with the ability to constantly spout their thoughts.

While casual fans are only there to listen to music, other fans are there to follow the artist’s life thoroughly and stop anybody from saying anything bad.

That’s when things can become dangerous — people who stan a celebrity are inclined to stop anybody from saying anything bad, blocking people on Twitter and going as far as to harm the person.

This type of fan wants to be a part of the celebrity’s life, attempting to gain their attention. Some will strive to break into the celebrity’s house. Several of these victims are Sandra Bullock, Queen Elizabeth II, Emma Watson, Paris Hilton, Kate Moss, P Diddy, Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus. These are | DESIGN BY ISABELLE FLETCHER

all prominent celebrities in the west, but the culture in the east is extremely different.

In the east, one prominent group of celebrities is K-Pop groups. Fans from everywhere flock to them.

Every day they are surrounded by their stans, being watched at all times. These fans can sometimes be even worse than western stans. Even gaining their own name, Sasaengs.

They constantly invade the privacy of the stars.

They tap and record their phone calls, breaking into their houses like western stans, taking pictures from spy cameras and poison stars they don’t like. They even drop out of their entire lives to invest themselves in their celebrities’ lives.

Of course, these are extremists when it comes to these fans. The other stans typically just use Twitter to promote their celebrity. That is where the internet part steps in. They’ve taken over Twitter and are able to single-handedly create trending hashtags.

Fans are able to do a lot when it comes to the celebrity they stan.

They can help or they can hurt.

Stan culture is dangerous — they force unrealistic standards onto the stars. It is important that we save our society from this dangerous behavior and start to correct the way we interact with celebrities.

it’s not a

A L R U I P T Y O P

opinion | february 2020 |

the high school hierarchy through the eyes of the new generation

29

contest

is popularity real? charlie trent design editor

79% *based on a poll of 166 bvhs students

We’ve all seen the classic ‘80s, ‘90s and ‘00s movies that depict the football stars and cheerleaders mocking the art kids or the clichés where the edgy girl ends up falling for the jerky jock.

But — newsflash — this is not the reality of the high school hierarchy.

While it may be true that many football players and cheerleaders are friends and in the same social circles, this does not mean that they refuse to talk to other people at schoo. The majority of them are nice people who will be friends with whoever they want to be friends with.

By putting these people in this hypothetical position of power, it creates a social bubble for them — they don’t ever have to ignore anyone if everyone assumes they already don’t like them because they don’t fit the stereotypical criteria of potential friends.

In addition, most of the kids considered popular at Blue Valley are generally well-liked, which is the majority of the reason they are well known and have a large group of friends.

Arguing that cheerleaders and football and basketball players shouldn’t be friends is problematic, not only because it allows a stereotype to continue. It also creates an argument that people aren’t allowed to be friends with those they spend a lot of time with, especially if it involves school activities.

54%

21% no

erika kolseth staff writer

of students think popularity is

irrelevant

yes

*based on a poll of 166 bvhs students

Teenage movies portray high school as popular girls walking in slow motion down the hallway and jocks who will steal your lunch money and dunk your head into a toilet.

Obviously, this isn’t realistic — just like popularity.

Although 21% of students believe popularity doesn’t exist, I believe popularity exists only inside people’s heads, whether students admit it or not.

It seems like students define popularity by how many followers or likes they have on Instagram or how many Snapchats they get a day. That shouldn’t be what popularity is about.

Popularity should be about radiating kindness and being a good person, that’s what makes you likeable. I will speak for the people and say that we do not care about who you hang out with.

You shouldn’t pretend to be someone else just to be in a “likeable” friend group. Guys, it’s high school. As long as you’re happy in your friend group, then who cares?

Popularity is overrated and irrelevant because we are all going to end up going to different colleges and restart in new environments anyway.

You shouldn’t change your interests and personality just to be popular. | DESIGN BY CHARLIE TRENT

30 | february 2020 | opinion

When the going gets Tough Pursuing your ideas without the fear of being rejected Does rejection affect the way you go about life?

shay lawson co-editor in chief

Rejection is when someone is dismissed.

It’s when someone feels shame, sadness or grief when they are not accepted by others.

Being told no or that it isn’t the right time is something that, without a doubt, will happen to everyone in their lifetime and something that comes in many different forms.

That can be a teacher telling you your answer in class is wrong.

A coach cutting you from the team.

Your friends not including you in their plans.

And as much as it hurts to feel shunned or shut down, one of the best things to happen to a person is rejection.

People do not grow stronger when situations are easy.

A strong individual is created when they have to adjust and persevere to create the desired outcome, and there is nothing that challenges a person more than rejection.

Rejection helps us prosper because it forces us to embrace denial instead of running away from it.

“I am afraid of rejection because it makes me feel awkward and uncomfortable. When someone says they can or they don’t want to, to the plans I ask for it just makes me not want to ask them again because I feel like it’s going to constantly keep happening.” - Courtney Carvajal, 12 | DESIGN BY SHAY LAWSON

68% out of a poll of 166 students

32%

Author and entrepreneur Jia Jiang spoke about rejection in his Ted Talk where he “desensitized himself to the pain and shame that rejection often brings and, in the process, discovered that simply asking for what you want can open up possibilities where you expect to find dead ends.”

Rejection empowers you as long as you do not draw broad conclusions about why you were dismissed.

Just because one person told you no does not mean everyone else that follows will.

When you reflect on what happened, make changes that will benefit the next time.

You can present your idea in a new way.

You should never be afraid of going after what you want because you’re scared of what the person you’re asking might say.

The more rejection you face, the easier it will be to continue to express your thoughts.

In the end, being able to present your ideas to someone and get criticism back to make it better is one of the most important skills someone can possess in life.

staff ed | february 2020 |

31

| CARTOON BY VERONICA PETERSON

Working teens should know their rights Historically, children were an unrestricted source of labor. It wasn’t uncommon for children to help their parents out with farm work, or within urban settings, go to work in factories where their small stature lended itself to work that was befitting their size but was no less dangerous.

In addition to children suffering workplace accidents while fiddling within the smaller spaces of large machines, the opportunities for schooling were lacking when the children had to work 12+ hour shifts.

This all changed, at least in the United States, with the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. While the main focus of the bill was the establishment of an 8-hour work day, 40-hour work week and minimum wage, it also included a clause that prohibited the employment of children in certain dangerous jobs.

Additionally, children under 16 could not work in manufacturing, mining or during school hours. Overall, this was a

significant win for labor and established the foundation of children’s rights within the workplace.

According to the modern iteration of the Fair Labor Standards Act, children under 16 can only work from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at most jobs in the state of Kansas.

However, several students at Blue Valley have told their stories from their first job about working past 11 p.m.

This is representative of a problem that, fortunately, has a solution — teens who decide to work need to be aware of child labor laws.

This knowledge is crucial to ensure that teens who work are not taken advantage of. They may be shorted on wages or overworked.

For instance, according to NBC25 news, the U.S. Department of Labor found 38 Michigan businesses in violation of wage and child labor laws.

Thankfully, there are some resources online to learn the child labor laws in

Kansas. The Kansas Department of Labor website has information for children and parents, including the number of hours the child can work and the times.

An additional resource that provides information on not only Kansas’ child labor laws, but labor laws for all 50 states, is MinimumWage.org.

Additionally, teens and laborers of all ages, should be unafraid of discussing wages. If one eschews discussing wages, workers may not notice that they are being paid less than their co-workers for the same job. Furthermore, by knowing your wages compared to those of your co-workers, it provides you with an advantage in negotiating wages. Put simply, avoiding discussing wages only benefits the employer.

Teens should be better acquainted with this information for the simple reason that having a well-educated child labor populace will allow them to make smarter decisions regarding employment, both now and in the future.

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

32 | february 2020 | feature

Traveling Tigers Taking a look at where BV students visited over Winter Break Hadley Way, 10 Canada

Joaquin Toro, 9 Puerto Rico

Avion Jones, 11 Florida

Sam Fine, 12 Thailand

Jada Clayman, 9 Mexico

| DESIGN BY AUBREY HERRIN

Riley Hinmon, 12 Jamaica