March 2020

OFF THE RADAR

Russian Constitution

On March 11, the Russian legislature passed constitutional changes, including presidential term limit extensions.

If these changes pass, current president Vladimir Putin, who is currently set to reach his term limit in 2024, will be set to be the longest reigning ruler of Russia with 36 years in power.

According to APnews.com, the measures passed the lower house by a 383-0 vote with 43 abstentions, and then later passed through the upper house, by a vote of 160-1 with three abstentions.

The changes have yet to be reviewed by the Constitutional Court. After that, the final confirmation will be decided by a national vote on April 22.

Super Tuesday

The two big democratic winners of Super Tuesday on March 3 were former vicepresident Joe Biden and senator Bernie Sanders.

Biden came in first overall. He won Alabama, Arkansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

Sanders came in second overall, winning California, Colorado, Utah and Vermont.

Biden’s campaign received a push after previous candidates such as former mayor Pete Buttigieg and senator Amy Klobuchar dropped out of the race and endorsed him.

Additionally, senator Elizabeth Warren’s choice to remain in the race leading up to Super Tuesday, despite being projected to perform poorly, was viewed by some as dividing progressives while the moderate constituency was able to coalesce behind Biden. She has since suspended her campaign.

Kansans will vote on May 2.

Former Kansas Convict Compensated

Lamonte McIntyre, a 43-year-old Kansas resident, was awarded $1.5 million on Feb. 26 after being wrongfully convicted of double murder.

According to NBCNews. com, in 1994, at the age of 17, McIntyre was sentenced to two life sentences for the supposed murder of 21-year-old Doniel Quinn and 34-year-old Donald Ewing.

After spending 23 years in prison, he was released in 2017.

McIntyre was able to receive this compensation thanks to a 2018 wrongful conviction law, which provides wrongfully convicted people with $65,000 per year of wrongful imprisonment.

In addition to the financial compensation, McIntyre received a certificate of innocence from Shawnee County District Judge Teresa L. Watson.

Since his release, McIntyre has conducted a civil lawsuit against the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, and the officers who arrested him in 1994.

Juul is not Cuul

Johnson County schools sue vape company

For the past few years, the company “Juul” has been criticized for targeting teens and young adults by advertising on social media platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter, along with using many other questionable marketing tactics. A nationwide lawsuit that started in 2018 includes more than a dozen school districts, including Blue Valley.

The superintendent Dr. Todd White of the Blue Valley school district joined three other Johnson County schools in a case to sue the company.

“Earlier [last] fall, we were contacted by a law firm to talk about what might be done from a legal means in order to curb the use of vaping, and in particular, Juul,” White said.

Joining the lawsuit is not the only thing the district has done to try to stop this epidemic. The district took previous actions against vaping in school by changing policies last year and adding to the curriculum, starting as early as elementary school.

“A couple of years ago, we began to hear from principals about juuling and vaping,” White said. “We did something I thought was fairly unprecedented — we changed our discipline handbook last year in the middle of the year.”

White said joining the lawsuit was a no-brainer when the district took into consideration the effect that juuling has on students.

“Our principals began to tell me that we’re spending an exorbitant amount of time policing vaping in our buildings,” White said. “We felt like there was a lot of misinformation out there about what juuling and vaping were and what it was not, and that it was so easily disguised as a USB, a pin [or] a key fob.”

Vaping has had a major impact on many students in the district, but that is not the only concern of district officials, who also fear that students are uninformed when it comes to what exactly they are doing to their bodies.

“Understand that what you’re doing today is going to affect a whole lot of other people down the road — people that you haven’t even met yet, like your children,” he said.

All the Bucks on the Ball

New state betting laws affect 2020 March Madness tournament

As football season winds down with the historical Super Bowl LIV championship from the Kansas City Chiefs, sports fans across the nation turn their attention away from the turf fields and focus on the courts in the month of March to experience the highly anticipated NCAA March Madness tournament.

This year, the selection committee revealed the 68 college basketball teams that will be participating in the tournament on March 15. With the beginning of the tournament comes the intense betting associated with this sport.

Much like other sports championships and tournaments, fans across the nation do not hold back when it comes to spending the big bucks on their favorite teams.

According to statistics from Forbes, Americans are projected to spend a cumulative $8.5 billion on betting alone just this year, a significant increase from previous years with only Nevada as the state to legally bet in.

As of 2019, legislation officially allowed sports betting to be legal outside of the state of Nevada. This new rule now includes New Mexico, New Jersey, Pennsylvania,

West Virginia, Rhode Island, Delaware and Mississippi. Due to the passing of this rule, betting across the nation is projected to increase at a drastic rate. So how are fans able to participate in betting this year?

The top two easiest and most commonly used methods include the brackets, which are used for pooling and wagering between friends, families and coworkers, as well as the use of the sportsbook. With sportsbooks, the NCAA thoroughly emphasizes that participation is highly dependent on where you are and if you have the ability to make a live wager.

Based on current research from the NCAA, the states chosen for legalized betting depended on their appeal to court and if the court saw the need to approve it.

Now that there are new states that have been approved to provide legalized forms of betting, fans across the nation will be able to legally participate across different areas of the country.

While non-sports fans might view betting as a waste of both time and money, those invested in the sport have no issue with spending whatever it takes to wager on the success of their favorite college basketball teams.

As the tournament goes on, the NCAA warns fans to analyze the risks of betting and gambling and to not risk what you do not have.

TIGER TIDBITS

LIVE FROM BLUE VALLEY

On Feb. 28, Blue Valley’s Advanced Repertory Theatre class performed their infamous Friday Night Live, with teachers Jonathan Jost and Andrew Reeves as their hosts.

Junior Ann Heitman performed her first FNL and said the working process was unusual compared to any other show.

“It was stressful at first,” Heitman said. “It became a lot more fun and easier to enjoy. It was different from anything I have ever done.”

Heitman wrote two sketches for the show, a challenge she was willing to embrace.

“It was weird because when I wrote [a particular sketch], I had a very specific image in my head,” Heitman said. “It was kind of hard for me to accept that it was being taken in a different direction, but when I actually took the time to watch it, I liked it a lot.”

On an acting level, Heitman said she appreciated the tackle of playing several roles.

“Every character I played was so different from each other — a goth, a grandma and a teenage girl,” Heitman said. “It really pushed me to make a lot of different choices.”

As for working with Jost and Reeves, Heitman said they were great hosts.

“They were super outgoing. They were making crack up backstage,” Heitman said. “They did really well and had good energy.”

RUGBY

Senior Braxton Hammontree practices for the Blue Valley Rugby Club.

“A lot of the guys are ready to step up and play more positions,” Hammontree said. “I’m excited for the future of this team.”

JOUR DU CRÊPE

Junior Ann Vasa puts jam on a crepe for a National French Honor Society fundraiser.

“We raise money for the Senior Scholarhip award,” Vasa said. “It’s especially fun because we get to share French cuisine and culture with students.”

Vasa will travel this summer to many different French-speaking countries with a host family.

“At first, I was scared to stay with a host family, but I was motivated to do it because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Vasa said. “I’m excited to immerse myself in another culture and make memories.”

SING YOUR HEART OUT

Sophomore Anna Bajich sings at the March 9 choir concert.

“Performing gives you an outlet to show what you know,” Bajich said. “As long as your smiling when you do a wrong move, it’s really no big deal.” Bajich said she loves the friendships made through the choir department.

“There’s people who feel like they have a close relationship to at least one person in [choir],” Bajich said. “I’m really glad I joined the department. It’s a lot of fun.”

SLAM DUNK

Squinting his eye, senior Dylan Wipperman searches for his contact lens during the varsity basketball game on Valentine’s Day against Blue Valley Southwest.

“I didn’t think I was going to be able to play,” Wipperman said. “I thought coach was going [to] pull me because I couldn’t see.”

Not being able to find his contact lens after it fell out, Wipperman had to shoot four free throws — fortunately for BV, he made all of them.

“[Some people] made jokes that I should start shooting with no contacts at all,” he said.

The Tigers beat the Timberwolves 71-58.

“We didn’t play that well, but luckily we weren’t playing one of our stronger opponents,” Wipperman said.

Wipperman enjoyed his last season of high school basketball.

Wipperman enjoyed his last season of high school basketball.

"[The team has] always been close," he said. "I feel like everyone knows each other well."

EVERY VOTE MATTERS

Students should realize responsibility of voting

On Nov. 8, 2016, Kansans participated in the presidential election. In total, there were more than 1.8 million Kansans who voted. Some went out to the polling places, while others voted in advance.

Voting has been on a steady decline as fewer people turn out to the polls. NPR had found a correlation between ages and the number of voters, 74 percent of 18-29 year olds do not vote frequently.

“Anyone eligible for voting should vote, many would argue that, ‘Oh [high school students] don’t know the issues well enough; they’re not going to vote well,’” history teacher Catherine Whitten said. “But that’s not really the point of voting, its representation and everyone that can, should [vote]. It’s an easy thing for people to not vote.”

With the 2020 election approaching quickly, some people have become vocal about voting and trying to convince others to participate.

“It’s very difficult as a single person to feel you are actually making a difference, especially the larger the election,” Whitten said. “With local elections that can swing, a smaller margin is the difference between winning and losing or passing and not passing local policies. With national elections, it’s just one person. [People question] what difference is that going to make?”

Those who can vote have to go through an entire process, but there is information everywhere to walk you through it.

In Kansas, it’s as easy as going to the Kansas Board of Election Commissioner’s website.

If you don’t have the time to go out to vote, you can even petition for an absentee vote or do an early vote.

Voting can also be done by mail. To do this you have to contact your county election officer and request an advance ballot application.

“Choosing to [vote] and seeing it as responsibility is a habit that if people fail to develop at some point, they run the risk of not ever developing it,” Whitten said.

Coronavirus declared pandemic

At some point in our lives, we have been sick — it could be as harmless as a stomach ache or as problematic as the flu.

However, a new disease has surfaced that is alarming a lot of people. It is called COVID-19, also known as the Coronavirus.

Not everything is known about this new disease since it has just recently surfaced — what we do know is that the coronavirus, much like the flu, is believed to be mainly spread by human to human contact.

This is caused by the person who is infected to cough or sneeze in the vicinity of another. Then, once the disease is airborne anyone that is nearby can potentially contract it by inhaling the disease into their lungs.

It is also possible to contract the Coronavirus by touching a contaminated surface that has the virus on it and then touching your face. For instance, biting your nails, rubbing your eyes, or even scratching your nose can potentially get you infected.

A big reason why there is such large panic and fear over this newfound virus is how fast it has spread in so little time. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the coronavirus was first discovered in Wuhan City, China.

In the time span of over two months, it has rapidly spread to every continent except Antarctica.

“[The risk is] just how fast it’s spreading,” science teacher Larry Hare said. “A month ago you heard about a couple of cases and now it’s [well beyond that number of] cases.”

To make matters more worrisome, depending on the conditions, the coronavirus can live on a surface from just two hours to an alarming nine days.

“[The coronavirus is] probably overestimated, but I think that’s safer,” Hare said. “I think if I worked for the CDC and I underestimated it and something really bad happened, they’re going to have my head. I’d rather overestimate it and then it doesn’t pan out. If I underestimated and people don’t take it seriously, all of a sudden we get hit with something really bad.”

Medical supplies are flying off the shelves and being purchased online at a rapid pace. This has led companies to increase the cost of items such as masks as much as 400 percent.

There is also the suspicion that this new virus will affect imported items from China; however, research so far from the CDC has shown that the current transmission rate and method of infection from this disease will not affect most imports.

This disease has also affected the social treatment of certain groups of people such as Chinese and Asian Americans. This has happened due to fear and anxiety of COVID-19, which have to lead to some social stigma against groups of people who are not responsible for this disease.

“It’s spreading, and people are scared,” Hare said.

However, the social stigma has been proven by the CDC that being Chinese or Asian does not increase the chance of infection.

There is no reason to lose hope. The virus is being treated as a major threat and is being worked on by every country to keep it from spreading further and quarantining the disease.

“The good news about [it is that it has] a fairly low mortality rate,” Hare said. “So, it’s going to [mainly] affect the people that have lower immunity [because] their immune systems are suppressed. So those are the people that are really going to be at risk.”

To protect yourself, practice good hygiene practices such as washing your hands frequently and making sure to get a good night’s sleep.

The COVID-19 is under constant watch from the CDC and giving us constant updates on the disease.

“I believe in the CDC — I think they have our general best interest in mind,” Hare said. “They’re trying to protect the public — that’s what they get paid for, and I believe in it.”

Overseas Pupils

BV students host French foreign exchange students

Each year, a small group of BV students and their families are fortunate enough to host an exchange student from another country and learn about their culture.

This past February, juniors Kaylea Cummings, Emma Williams and Caroline Humphrey along with their respective families hosted exchange students from France for only three weeks.

To begin the process of finding a student who was the perfect fit, Williams said her family did some paperwork to find the right match.

“Our family filled out a profile about what we liked, what we did, who we were,” Williams said. “Then our French teacher came to our house to make sure everything was good [and that we had] a good environment. Once we passed that, we got to look at all the people that were coming and then chose our top two or three students that we’d like to have.”

After getting assigned their exchange students, they waited patiently for their new friends to arrive.

”We looked around town to see what kind of activities that we would like to do with her, and we talked about what we would do and how we would act,” Williams said. “My little sister and I had communicated [over Snapchat] with her, so I knew a little bit about her.”

Although they had previously communicated with Célia Charnet and Tesnim Ellejmi, both Cummings and Williams said the first encounter was slightly awkward.

“It was really interesting,” Cummings said. “We both were really nervous because we didn’t know how to act around each other because we’d never met in person. Meeting her was the best experience.”

Although this experience was brand new for Cummings and Williams, Humphrey had hosted prior to her recent guest. Humphrey said prepping her home is an important step in creating a good environment.

“There’s not really much of a huge culture shock, but just a little language barrier was a big difference for her,” Humphrey said.

Humphrey feared for the worst when this language barrier came up but soon found that her guest was “proficient in English.”

Once the exchange students settled in, they noticed a few cultural differences between France and the United States. The simplest treats we all know were brand new to these visitors.

“There’s food we have here that they don’t,” Williams said. “She had never had mac and cheese, bagels [or] peanut butter and jelly. [In France,] they have a two-hour break, where they can go home for lunch. The differences between our school and our food were very different for her.”

Each girl expressed a gratitude for not only being able to help the foreign exchange students experience another culture, but also to experience another culture themselves.

Although Charnet, Ellejmi and Paloma Moroo were only able to stay with BV students for a short period, each of them hope to continue to stay in contact with their new French friends.

Humphrey and Moroo have already planned for a future reunion during the summer. Keeping in touch is easier with social media and their love for dance.

“It was really cool for her to see American dance styles,” Humphrey said.

Cummings encourages other students and their families to participate in the exchange program if they are able to because of the new mentality the experience taught her.

“The biggest thing that not only me, but my family’s learned, is how different our cultures are,” Cummings said. “[There are] things they do that we would never think of doing over here. It’s a huge difference, and learning can benefit both.”

BLUE VALLEY BOND

Bond Basics

In January, the Blue Valley Bond 2020 was passed by voters, 73.8 percent to 26.2 percent.

According to the official bond website, the $186,835,000 will reinvest in facilities and technology, reinforce school safety and reimagine learning environments and programs that will benefit students and staff for years to come.

Although the budget for the Bond is divided into funding for different elementary, middle and high school projects, Blue Valley will be receiving some much-needed upgrades. These updates and renovations will be implemented in the next few years.

Read on to learn more about the impact the bond will have on our school.

BV Staff Outlook — athletic director Matt Ortman discusses his opinion on the use of the bond

Athletic Director Matt Ortman sees the benefits of the recently passed bond. He said changes will have to be completed within the next three years — and they will help immensely.

“At Blue Valley High, there’s going to be an addition of at least 12 classrooms where the mobiles currently are, and that’s going to start as soon as school ends this year,” Ortman said. “There’s also an auxiliary gym that will be added. We don’t know where it’s going to go or exactly what it’s going to all entail.”

The addition of a third gym will relieve the strain of multiple sports and activities need for a practice space.

“It will help tremendously because dance and cheer are no longer a class, so we have to find practice time for them,” Ortman said. “We currently have our freshman boys basketball [teams] practice off-campus. We’re hoping they can be on campus with that third gym so we don’t have to have anybody traveling every day.” Ortman said other work besides what meets the eye will be done — heating and cooling,

roof projects and other similar endeavors. Teachers will also have more flexibility with the new classrooms.

“Those rooms are going to be a little bit different than our standard room,” Ortman said. “It may depend on the teacher — there’s going to be some teachers that probably aren’t going to want that type of room and others are.”

Ortman said there have been a lot of ideas about how to use the space of the new rooms, but nothing is set in stone quite yet.

“The goal with the new [rooms] is to have more options for collaboration and working outside the classroom,” Ortman said. “There’s going to be places outside the rooms where kids can go and work, so it’s just going to [allow] more opportunities to use spaces differently than what we currently do. Kids [will be able to] move around and work in different groups but aren’t confined to a classroom setting.”

Student's Stance

Senior Jacob Jackson attended an informative meeting to advocate for the Blue Valley bond specifically regarding the performing arts.

“We’re very limited for space here in the performing arts hall. We’re the only school in Johnson County without a little theater and an orchestra room,” Jackson said. “I went to the bond because I knew that, even though I won’t see it, I could make a difference for future classes and students at Blue Valley. Parents can only say so much to board members and administrators; they need to hear it from the students that are experiencing it every day.”

At the meeting, Jackson said he felt like he was taking a stance and his feelings were acknowledged.

“I did feel listened to, and I felt like that made a lot of progress,” he said. “Board members saw that if this issue is so escalated that a student needs to come to a board meeting to present an idea, then it’s probably a big issue.”

Jackson recently did a research project tracking the placement of money to different programs.

“It’s treated like a business. The football team is the school’s biggest income in terms of extracurricular activity, so obviously they’re going to pour more money into the football program because that’s what the most people are coming to,” Jackson said. “The performing arts makes money but not as much sports make. It is unfair, but it’s just the reality in a business.”

While Jackson understands the politics of budgets, he said the bond needs to benefit all programs, not just those that make the most money.

“Performing Arts gets a lot of support, especially at Blue Valley. There are people coming to our shows and our concerts, but it’s getting the [school board] to appreciate that,” Jackson said. “It’s the school board. It’s not necessarily [that] we need our fellow students and our teachers to support us, because they already do — we just need to make that statement to the people at [district office] and [to] the superintendents.”

Sit Down With the Superintendent

Superintendent Dr. Todd White spoke on the long-needed changes around BVHS.

“For this particular bond issue, about two and a half years of planning and designing [took place],” White said. “The last bond issue was nearly $300 million. This one is shy of $200 [million], so we were pretty focused on what we need to do [in terms of] reinvestment, reinforcements, safety and security.”

The money for the bond has been broken down into several parts to make sure funds are distributed where the district thinks the money will be most effective.

“This bond has three specific elements — the first one is to reinvest in Blue Valley High,” White said. “I believe it’s been around 20 years that we’ve had the mobile farm. We actually have some board members who went to school in those mobiles.”

White went on to compare facilities within the main building to the mobiles.

“We can run the classrooms inside the building more efficiently,” he said. “Heating, air conditioning and lighting [can be controlled better inside].”

The safety of students also plays a large factor on why the mobiles need to go.

“We don’t live in the safe and predictable world that we once did when those mobiles were put there,” White said.

The school will not only have the mobiles removed, but the junior pod will also be remodeled into classrooms that will provide a communicative learning area that is unique from the everyday classroom.

Another new amenity BV will receive is a third gym. With so many classes happening in these areas adding another gym will help with room for both classes and after-school activities.

Although these additions will be great once built for the time being, students and teachers will have to adjust to the construction that will be going on during the next few years.

“We’re doing it as fast as we can,” White said. “It’s going to take everybody’s best effort to make sure we can provide the very best learning environment. We know that at the end of the day, it is going to be a much better situation — not only for [current students] but others that will follow.”

Scientists in the Making

Students prepare for once-in-a-lifetime experience

For the first time in Blue Valley history, students have been selected to tour the KU Med labs on Friday, April 3. Multiple students are preparing to attend the tour with the help of their science teachers.

One of these educators invested in the process is science teacher Dianne Dunn.

“This is the first time, to my knowledge, that any high school has had this opportunity,” Dunn said. “They don’t typically do this.”

Ear, nose and throat specialist Dr. Hinrich Staecker is in charge of this process. According to Dunn, he is the doctor of librarian Mary Gojcevic.

“[Gojcevic] was the one who approached the honors biology teachers,” Dunn said. “She said, ‘My doctor is willing to meet with some of our students. Do you think we want to do this?’ And we all said yes.”

Gojcevic showed Staecker some of the assignments students had completed, and he was surprised at the level of understanding.

“After [Gojcevic] shared some of the research articles we were annotating and reading about with our honors project, he was so impressed,” Dunn said. “He wanted

to share what he does with high school students to build on some of the things students were researching for their papers.”

Staecker has personally rebuilt one of Gojcevic’s ears, who later found out students going would be able to learn about how he used gene therapies to treat hearing loss.

“They’re going to tour numerous neuroscience labs at the KU campus,” she said. “They’re going in where they’re using CRISPR and all sorts of gene therapies that the kids are reading about. They are using them and creating hearing. [Staecker] did the world’s first hearing transplant.”

The selected students, Dunn said, will be able to discover whether or not this path could be one for a future career.

“I’ve already had several students tell me that this is something [they’re] really thinking about,” Dunn said. “There’s going to be some students that end up in that field.”

These two teachers agree this experience will open the eyes of many of these students to a world full of life-changing investigations. “It’ll be an opportunity for them to see the real applications of the research processes we’ve talked about,” Dunn said. “[It will allow them] to see how they really have an impact on people’s lives.”

Atypical Athletics

rugby, lacrosse players prepare for upcoming seasons

With spring just around the corner, the uncommon sports are welcome for anyone in the Blue Valley district to join.

Senior Jack Bowersox is the captain of the rugby team, and this will be his third year playing. Bowersox started the sport with the influence of his neighbor.

“He came knocking on my door and asked me if I wanted to join,” Bowersox said. “I decided to give it a shot.”

After playing for only one year, Bowersox was named captain and has lots of duties that are gained by having the title.

“I make sure all my guys are giving their best effort all the time,” Bowersox said. “If there are penalties or [if] anything happens, it goes through me, and I talk to the ref.”

Bowersox describes the sport as very physical with lots of complicated rules.

“You pass backward and run forward, so it’s hard for a lot of people,” Bowersox said. “You [have] to create space and outsmart the other team.”

Bowersox said he enjoys rugby because he also played football during the fall.

“It’s similar in the sense that you [have to] score and tackle people,” Bowersox said. “The game is explosive.”

Bowersox plays rugby with others who were also part of the football team.

“I like playing with my teammates,” Bowersox said. “[It] feels good to go out there and feel like you’re part of something.”

Bowersox is involved in the sport with junior Ian Olson, who is playing for the first time this year.

“I got really close with the seniors from football, and a lot of them play rugby, too,” Olson said. “I thought it’d be fun to play with them.”

Olson said the sport is a mix between soccer and football.

“[When you score] it’s like a touchdown — it’s called a try,” Olson said. “[You] run into the end zone and have to put the ball on the ground to score.”

Olson said rugby isn’t as time consuming as football, but there are practices every week.

“[Since] I joined the team, we’ve practiced two or three times a week at [Blue Valley Middle],” Olson said. “Tournaments are on the weekend [at the Scheels Overland Park Soccer Complex].” The rugby team encourages people to get involved in the uncommon sport. “Anybody can play,” Bowersox said, “You have to have a lot of determination to want to do good.”

Senior Colby Marsden was introduced to lacrosse in fifth grade and is now the varsity captain of the lacrosse team.

Marsden’s coaches inspire her to make her love the game more every day. As captain, Marsden deals with the responsibilities of being a leader.

“Our coaches invest in us so we can invest in the team,” Marsden said. “We make sure everyone is following our team motto, ‘attitude, effort and fun,’ and [I] lead by example.”

Marsden plays with sophomore Sarah Walsh, who has been playing lacrosse since kindergarten and grew up in New Jersey, where lacrosse is a common sport.

“When I moved, my dad looked for a girls program so I could keep playing,” Walsh said.

Marsden and Walsh play on the Valley Titans, a district recreational team that includes all of the Blue Valley schools and anyone south of Blue Valley.

Students like seniors Jillian Beal, junior Zoe Best and Ryan Sanchez, sophomores Ava Nickel and Marina Golden, and freshman Julia Walsh also play on the Valley Titans.

After 10 years of playing, Walsh has gotten very familiar with the sport.

“We use sticks to throw and catch a ball,” Walsh said. “There are 12 people that play on the field at a time. The goal is to pass the ball down the field to score in the goal.”

Marsden said the fast pace of the game takes a lot of commitment and hand-eye coordination to keep things interesting. The team practices three times a week.

“It’s more laid back compared to other school sports,” Walsh said.

Even though the team is made up of girls from many different schools, Marsden and Walsh are close to their teammates.

“You work as a team — communication is important,” Walsh said. “It’s a really fun environment to be part of.”

BV's Subs Shine

Temporary positions turn into permanent reputations

Mrs. Neal

Niki Neal has been a building sub for BV for about seven years now, but she hasn’t always been a substitute teacher.

Neal first received her bachelors from Kansas State University and her masters from Baker University. Then she went on to teach sixth grade in the Shawnee Mission School District for 18 years.

After those 18 years, it got too overwhelming for Neal to have to juggle being a parent and a teacher. On top of that, her husband was working in production at NBC, which was a 24-hour job.

“I was working full time, taking the kids all over the place, [grading] homework and [making] dinner,” Neal said. “I felt like I wasn’t doing either very well — I didn’t feel like I was parenting very well, and I didn’t feel like I was teaching very well.”

When she quit teaching, she picked up subbing because she missed meeting people and getting to know the teachers and students. She started subbing

at every grade level, from elementary schools to high schools and eventually subbed at BV until they asked her to be a building sub.

“It’s funny because I always loved teaching sixth grade,” Neal said. “When I started subbing, I enjoyed the high school aged kids more than middle school, [and I] definitely did not enjoy kindergarten. They were cute, but I did not like spending my day with them.”

For Neal, the highlight of teaching has always been about the people and the relationships she builds with them. Being a building sub, she experiences that without all of the hassle of the major time commitment that being a fulltime teacher would have on her life.

“I enjoyed meeting people and talking to people and that was one thing I really missed,” Neal said. “Being a building sub I got all those things again. I got to know the staff, kids and families well, and that brought me joy.”

One thing Neal likes about substituting is the flexibility and freedom she has with her schedule. When she’s not substituting, she does things like hanging out with her husband, who’s now retired. She also is also kept busy with both a scary movie club and a book club.

“Sometimes I just chill and do nothing, especially in the winter months when it’s cold,” Neal said. “I might be like, ‘I’m sitting in my cozies all day and putzing around the house.’”

Even with all of her entertaining hobbies, she loves the connections she makes with the students and staff at BV.

“I like being around people and hopefully making them happy sometimes and embarrassing them — especially young kids,” she said. “That brings me joy.”

Mr. Bertalone

One of BV’s most well-known building subs is Tom Bertalone, who students address as Mr. B. Bertalone has been involved substitute teaching for eight years — six of which were at BV. Famous for his lighthearted and joking personality, as well as his power-couple relationship with fellow BV sub, Bev, Mr. B is recognized and loved by all BV students.

Bertalone received his college education in teaching at the University of Central Missouri. He majored in social studies and then became a social studies teacher in Missouri for 10 years prior to subbing at BV.

“[Social studies] is definitely the subject I like the most,” Bertalone said. “It’s what I specialized in and what I’m most comfortable with.”

Despite his love for education, however, Bertalone’s career has not always been in a classroom.

“I taught in the ‘70s, then I left teaching to actually earn money,” Bertalone said. “When I retired from [the trucking] industry, I came back to subbing.”

Substituting has always been a productive practice for Bertalone, but when not subbing, he spends a lot of time with his wife.

“When Mrs. B and I are not in school, we have a “Honey-do” list,” Bertalone said. “It’s all the things we need to get done — vacuuming, cleaning — things like that. I don’t mind it, [one of my hobbies is] taking care of Mrs. B.”

Bertalone appreciates this time off and doesn’t mind not being in the school building every day. In fact, he appreciates the flexibility of the substituting schedule that allows him to stay active, even in retirement, and the action that comes with each school day.

“Being a substitute allows me to interact with different kinds of people and students all over the school,” Bertalone said. “It keeps me young, which is good.”

Bertalone is also kept on his toes in the classroom due to the increasing amount of technology used by students. Despite his unfamiliarity in this area, Bertalone thinks this can be beneficial for students.

“In many ways, you guys have the same thoughts, the same feelings and the same ambitions as kids 30 years ago,” Bertalone said. “You just use different gadgets to get there, which is fine by me.”

The youthful students that Bertalone is around every day make teaching and substituting a difficult but rewarding profession for him.

“[My favorite part about teaching is] the kids,” Bertalone said. “They’re cool. They’re great. They’re fun to be with. There’s nothing more interesting than being around the students, and that’s the whole part of subbing — helping them.”

Life is a Highway

students explain

Junior Katie Twedt went to the car dealership expecting an older car but left with a brand new Jeep instead.

“Her name is Ruby,” Twedt said. “[Once I got my car], I started the hobby of jeeping and going off-roading.”

Twedt enjoys modifying her car with her dad — she has a lift and a winch. She also has fond memories of her car.

“A few weeks ago, around 11:30 p.m., it was raining and one of my friend’s boyfriends got his truck stuck,” Twedt said. “I [had] never pulled anyone out by myself before, so I had to go rescue this kid and use my winch for the first time.”

While off-roading a different time at Kansas Rocks, Twedt had a more nerve-racking adventure.

“We were going through this block trail which is the hardest type, and there was this really big turn,” Twedt said. “Half of my car was tipped and this guy had to hang out the side of my car to keep it from tipping over. It was scary but fun.”

Our favorite men in blue also have their own special vehicle. Student Resource Officers Nate Schmidt and Trevor Burgess drive their Freedom electric golf cart around the school campus all the time.

“We call it the cart,” Schmidt said.

The officers got their iconic cart in 2016 when former SRO Dennis Randall ordered it. Although it may seem glamorous, the officers use this to do their daily job.

“We just cruise the parking lot looking for parking lot violators — you can quote me on that,” Burgess said.

Although we see the SROs using the cart every day, they do have their special adventures.

“One day, we had to go hunt down a missing laptop on the cross country course,” Schmidt said.

Schmidt and Burgess also put a tiger sticker on the front of their golf cart so when it’s driven around at football games, it shows Tiger spirit.

“Since we share the football field with Southwest, they use our golf cart when they are here,” Schmidt said. “We like it because it shows that this is our house.”

Junior Max Gelman fits right in with his black Ford Fusion that he is proud to own.

“My car’s name is Ruby, like Max and Ruby,” he said.

One of Gelman’s favorite memories made in his car occurred at Blue Valley West with his friend.

“We were eating donuts, and I hit a curb that ended up putting a huge hole in my tire,” Gelman said.

Despite the common model of his car, Gelman worked many hours to afford this big purchase.

“I’ve never really saved a lot of money before, so I decided to talk to my parents about buying a car,” Gelman said. “It gave me an opportunity to drive and be more independent.”

Senior Beau Palmer previously owned a Jeep but traded it in for a large, red Ford F150. Palmer’s old car has a story as well.

“Freshman year, someone swerved into my lane,” Palmer said. “It was only a two-lane road, and they hit me.”

Palmer’s new truck is hard to miss.

“I don’t really have a name for it,” Palmer said. “My friends like to call it Big Red.”

Palmer has lots of memories in both cars, but the ones in his truck involve more people.

“[I’ll always remember] hanging with the boys and our boys trips,” Palmer said.

Junior Katie McKain enjoys cruising in her white bug that she has dreamt of driving since she was a little girl.

For her 16th birthday, her parents decided to surprise her with her dream car, a Volkswagon Beetle.

“I have always wanted something different,” she said. “I didn’t want what everyone else had.”

McKain believes her car reflects her personality — fun and cute.

“I love rolling down the windows in the summer,” McKain said.

Through countless hours of “driving around with friends,” McKain couldn’t be happier with her bug.

“She does not have a name, but she is a she,” McKain said.

Freshman Michael Andry wanted to drive as soon as possible, unlike his brothers who waited until sophomore year — which is how he ended up with a Honda Odyssey minivan.

“That car is like 20 years old,” Andry said. “My mom bought it, and then we moved. My grandmother used to drive it. Now it’s mine.” Andry’s car is also known as the Gold

“[I gave it that name] because it’s gold — and it explains itself,” Andry said. “It’s crappy, but it fits a lot of people. It’s fast and fun.”

The Gold Digger can fit lots of Andry’s friends and is suitable for a good time.

“We usually take the seats out and put some people in there,” Andry said. “I’ve also drifted before [in my car].”

Dream Deep-Dive

What can your dreams reveal?

Isaiah Orozco, 9 “I was kidnapped by some weird guy. I think he had a Michael Myers mask [on]. I was in a room for hours with nothing there. Suddenly, a gate opened that I didn’t know was there. It looked like hell was progressing toward me.”

Gwynn Merriman, 10 “I had a dream where I was driving a car. I thought someone was chasing me. I turn around, and there’s a giraffe with his head stuck in my back window. It just collapses, and I’m dragging the giraffe behind me. Then I woke up.”

Sophia Dvorak, 10 “I was in a spaceship driven by my bus driver. Our heat shield was broken, so we couldn’t go back to earth. We were stuck in space with the music player stuck on the Phil Collins CD.”

Emma McClure, 11 “I would have recurring nightmares where I was alone in my house. I would go down to my garage and there was this bin of monsters.”

Stephan Lehman, 12 “When I was 12, I had recurring nightmares of being chased through a Las Vegas casino by a T-Rex. It [was] right after I watched ‘Jurassic Park’ for the first time.”

Madi Murphy, 12 “I had a dream I killed my ex-boyfriend.”

Jumping off - need to pay more attention to responsibility for yourself and your life, or watch where you’re going in life.

Kidnapping - You are being forced to do something you don’t want to, or you’re unable to do the right thing. Hell - Symbol of tough times to come, vor it could allude to a feeling of guilt.

Running - the fast passage of time, or quick progress in life or along your life path. Window - your view of the world around you, or how you view or perceive people, events, and situations in your life. Giraffes - a new aspect on life; hope and danger.

Music - expression, communication, message. Hearing music can represent the idea of someone, or your own intuition or spiritual guidance, trying to give you a message. Stuck - feeling unable to make progress or make changes in your life.

Being Alone - a project has successfully ended; independence; having the confidence and resources to deal with anything that crosses your path. Monster - an aspect of your personality that acts terribly toward others or is unfair.

Casino - It can either be time to take a risk or a recent risk has payed off.v

Killing someone - repressed anger and dissatisfaction that finds its release in murder.

Don’t be a Party Pooper

Throwing a party was the quickest way I learned more about myself.

Between choosing the perfect playlist that makes people want to get up and dance around and preparing a cute setup of delicious food, it is no secret that throwing a party can be stressful.

And even though people may get bored and leave or a ginormous layer of chips and salsa covers the floor, inviting people over to your home is worth it because it makes you a creator, not a consumer.

Hosting teaches you how to embrace stress

When throwing a party, anything can go wrong. There can be spills and messes. During these situations stress levels are high, but the way you handle it tells you a lot about yourself.

Organization Skills Improve

Before people come over to your house, most likely you will not want them walking into an absolute pigsty. Whether you are the anxious neat freak who deep cleans your house or someone who is more comfortable and confident about your clutter, your coordination skills advance.

Boost Courage

Being able to ask people to come into your home takes major risk. Your home is you. It is personal and reveals every detail about your life. Hosting others offers the opportunity to exercise a social boost. It takes courage to let people in and face their opinions about the food you prepared or how a conversation might go. Take a risk, and have a party.

Improves Generosity

There is nothing more kind than opening your home to your companions. With that also comes the task of serving them and making sure everyone is comfortable. That takes compassion. It’s more than being a good host — it’s having manners.

It’s fun

Throwing a party is extremely exciting. It is one of the best ways to create anticipation and have something exciting to look forward to. There is nothing better than friends, food and music. The combination of the three is what you get at a party, and it makes you happy.

Letter to the Editor

Dated Feb. 12, 2020

Good afternoon,

Last week, we had the opportunity to read this month’s Tiger Print Newspaper. After reading the opinion article, the Student Council Executive Board had a few concerns that we wanted to speak with you about. While we do understand the nature of an opinion article and that students have the freedom to express their opinions publicly, we found that the article portrayed Student Council in a negative manner. Having been involved with the planning of our dances, we feel that we can provide additional information that may clarify some of the points made in the article.

The article stated that our dances are produced with a “tiny budget.” With each dance, Student Council spend an average of $6,000 for our DJ and decorations. This year especially, we have allocated an increased amount of monetary resources to improve our student’s experience at the dance. We have modified our DJ and dance set-up this year in order to better accommodate the opinions of students who have provided input in our numerous student surveys.

This brings us to our second point. Student Council is an organization that welcomes representatives from other organizations. Our Friday meetings at 7:10 am in the Fixed Forum are open to all students to attend and provide input about what they would like implemented in our school. If students have concerns about dance themes and decorations, they are encouraged to provide feedback to Student Council members through either direct contact, surveys, or attendance at our meetings.

Again, we understand that students have the right to their opinion. This article, though, misrepresents the culture of our Student Council. Student Council strives to continue the development and support of a family culture at BVHS. Outside of our dances, Student Council funds and organizes many school traditions, such as Donut Days and class activities (like Commencement). We believe in our Tiger community and always support other student organizations in their endeavors. And while everyone is entitled to their opinion on school activities, we believe that student organizations should promote the culture administrators, teachers, and students work hard to develop. Student Council members, at all levels, work hard each and every day to optimize the student body’s experience at school. The efforts of our members are often unrecognized by our peers, but still they continue their work to organize Hallway Decorations, Spirit Days, Dances, and grade-specific activities.

This year’s Sweetheart was one of our most successful dances that we have had in history. We had over 600 students in attendance, contributing to our continued support for school-sponsored dances. The money raised from our dances is used to fund staff appreciation activities, student financial needs, and various events that promote our school culture.

We hope that in the future, we are allowed the opportunity to provide the facts on the nature of our organization, in order to prevent the spread of misinformation. We can’t change your opinion of our organization, nor do we intend to, but we do hope that this letter has enlightened you of the factual basis of the Student Council Organization.

On behalf of Student Council, we hope that the student body enjoyed our Sweetheart activities this year and will provide their input formally in our future surveys to help us improve our events.

Thank you, Student Council Executive Officers Surina Walia, president Anna Van Brunt, vice president Regan LeValley, secretary Peyton Heaney, treasurer

Boys Don’t Cry

Masculinity needs to be redefined in today’s society

The epidemic of men with underdeveloped psychological traits due to outdated societal expectations is stunting the growth of social progress.

As a society, we need to take a step back and look at the rules we have set for ourselves and consider the issues they create. The ball is in men’s court for these outdated roles to change.

Men are in positions of power, and most issues that exclusively affect men were created by men. In contrast, the majority of women’s societal obstacles are in place because of men.

The attitude of many people is to blame women for a system of which they cannot change without men’s cooperation.

For example, if a woman is sexually assaulted or raped, there should be no blame placed on her. The blame should be entirely placed on the rapist regardless of the victim’s failure to avoid the situation.

Women dressing modestly, carrying pepper spray or doing anything to try to protect themselves from these tragic occurrences is a short-term solution.

The only way to fix problems like these is to teach men to not rape.

This isn’t only applicable to issues as important as rape but smaller aggressions such as men talking over women. Women shouldn’t be expected to be more assertive or louder. Men need to be taught to shut up and listen.

Men face their struggles, too.

Perhaps the worst of men’s problems is the notion that challenging the definition of masculinity makes you less masculine.

This is the root of gender issues, a cycle that keeps these outdated ideas from progressing.

If a man does something as silly as wearing traditionally feminine clothing, many men would be quick to call that person gay or girly. But if these men were brave enough to look at this situation logically, they would embrace the other man’s expression.

It makes no sense that certain types of clothes or jewelry would be associated with masculine or feminine. There is no biological inclination for women to wear something like skirts more than men.

There is also no reason for someone’s sexual orientation to influence their social standing.

The reason masculinity needs to change instead of femininity or gender roles as a whole is because most of the issues created by gender are issues stemming from a bad definition of masculinity.

There will be no change until men are willing to be brave enough to embrace their individual differences and update the definition of what it means to be masculine.

Police and Complacency

Standards for law enforcement in America promote violence

Since our adolescence, we’ve been taught the police are here to protect us from the things we fear — but what we should fear is the police themselves.

Police aren’t held accountable for their violence toward their families and those in poverty. There needs to be greater scrutiny toward law enforcement from both the public and their fellow officers.

Police develop a superiority complex, coinciding with the justified feeling of being “above the law,” which has been proven to be true. As reported in Police Integrity Lost: A Study of Law Enforcement Officers Arrested composed under the U.S. Department of Justice, an average of officers arrested for offenses ranging from murder to drunken driving, only 54 percent were fired and 37.5 percent arrested for domestic violence lost their jobs. Considering these are allegations, an even smaller percentage of officers guilty of domestic assault receive harsher punishments, such as conviction or termination, for their crimes.

A considerable number of officers are permitted to resign, rather than be fired, which allows for them to retain law enforcement certification. When an officer resigns, they merely have to leave the precinct they were formerly employed within, retaining the ability to join a law enforcement agency of another precinct.

According to Police Integrity Lost: A Study of Law Enforcement Officers Arrested, only “two-thirds of the [police officer] arrest cases originated from an arrest made by an agency other than the employing agency.”

There is an obvious complacency with the actions of police officers within law enforcement, by both fellow officers and by the lack of regulation within governmentfunded law enforcement, as two-thirds well exceeds more than a margin of error in the supervision of police officers.

A lack of legal repercussions and regulation of their actions makes police officers feel they are free to abuse their own families, whether it be verbally or physically.

It’s been found that at least 40 percent of police officers’ families experience domestic violence, according to On the Front Lines: Police Stress and Family Well-Being by Johnson, L.B.

The reality is there’s an even greater number of cases that remain unreported out of fear of the potential further abuse from the police officer.

Police violence isn’t limited to home, as police are fearless to discharge their weapon before considering a pacifistic approach. On Dec. 5, 2019 in Coral Gables, Florida, a shootout occurred between two jewelry store robbers and 21 law enforcement officers, 19 of whom opened fire. The robbers hijacked a UPS delivery truck, taking the driver hostage.

Fatalities from the event totaled in the two suspects, the UPS driver and a bystander. Video footage of the incident shows police officers using civilians’ cars as protection from the robbers, with little regard for the civilians put in the line of fire. As said by a press statement made by UPS, the shootout was a “senseless act of violence.”

While some may be able to call the shooting an involuntary involvement of civilians, there are definite examples of police intentionally isolating civilians.

Police can be found targeting those in poverty, especially the homeless. Two officers of the Mobile, Alabama, police force were photographed holding a “homeless quilt,” constructed out of cardboard signs collected from panhandlers. Their actions, at the very least, mock those less fortunate, potentially harming the panhandlers as police actively attempt to prevent achievement of survival from charity. Police universally aim to damage the lives of anybody unprotected by the law.

The people we pay to protect us from violence are the ones most commonly inflicting it upon others. They work out of self-interest, disregarding the poor or their own family.

As philosopher Noam Chomsky said, “Unless the powerful are capable of learning to respect the dignity of their victims, impassable barriers will remain, and the world will be doomed to violence, cruelty and bitter suffering.”

Choose yourBattles

forgiveness is essential in life

The idea of right and wrong is subjective. Most things are not as simple as good or bad. The majority of us can agree on the big things that are considered wrong like murder, rape and theft. But when it comes to the little things, we have a hard time agreeing to disagree.

In our world we find balance in both being held accountable for our actions and being forgiven for our mistakes.

If we were forgiven for every little thing, no one would get better, no one would be able to grow.

But, as mathematician Issac Newton once said, “for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” So while we may grow from criticism, forgiveness is one of the most powerful things in the world.

Think of all the times you mess up or do something objectively bad in your everyday life — it’s too many times to count.

What if every time you walked too slowly in front of someone they yelled at you, or if every time you went five over the speed limit, you got pulled over?

Whether it’s taking an extra chicken nugget from the cafeteria or something much more serious, we are all humans who are all flawed. We need forgiveness to survive. One of the most important lessons I learned from my mother at a very young age is how to choose your battles.

Choose your battles because fighting is exhausting and because mistakes are constant.

If we can’t learn to forgive, we will never be successful in life — for life is not as simple as good or bad, and neither are people.

Let’s treat others the way we want to be treated and forgive others the way we want to be forgiven.

Choose forgiveness because you never know when you will need it in return.

MEDIA MATTERS

the importance of a basic journalistic education in the American high school

While bombarded with a myriad of required courses, students often overlook a branch of the educational system imperative for a knowledgeable and well-informed society. This unexplored area is journalism.

In recent years, there has been a major decline in the number of undergraduate enrollments in this field, which is especially troubling, considering the amount of manipulation seen within the media.

Without a basic, if not full, understanding of the intricacies of the field, how are those apart of the younger generation expected to distinguish between reality and falsification?

Journalism is defined as “a utility to empower the informed” by the American Press Institute. If that’s the true definition, why is it so that each school is not implementing this practice?

By definition, students should be informed of not only what is happening around them by the media, but also how the media functions in order to fully understand the power of manipulation of this system.

As an editor and leader on the staff of The Tiger Print, I have seen how simply words can be twisted — not only by the writer of the piece but also by the student body reading the article.

Many people in our generation cannot understand how easy it is to manipulate a quote and take it out of context, which happens often with media sources who don’t hold themselves to high standards, such as gossip tabloids.

While some may argue media is toxic, manipulative and “the true enemy of the people,” as President Donald Trump would tweet, this policy immediately sparked an inspirational flame in young adults wishing to become involved in journalism in order to regain control of their informative media sources.

Because of the behavior toward the media from our president, there has been a surge in enrollment in this field, known as the “Trump Bump.”

According to Lucy Dalglish, JD, Dean of the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, “[College students] enrolled in journalism because they want to hold the powerful accountable.” By suppressing the American youth in regards to media, it is clear there is a hunger for this type of fulfilling enrichment missing from the everyday lives of these students.

Although journalism is generally a particularly small program in many schools, especially high schools, the students in these programs boast an academic advantage when compared to other students.

According to a study done by The Newspaper Association of America, “high school journalism students perform better on standardized tests, make higher GPAs and earn higher grades their first semester of college than their classmates.” In accordance with many other real-world benefits, this academic distinction could lead students to gain entry into many colleges and possibly receive scholarships.

With all of this in mind, there is a clear lack of representation when it comes to the education of journalism and the media for high school students in the United States. Considering the current political climate and the toxic relationship the media has with many Americans, there is a need for a resurgence of ethical journalism, all of which begins with the education of high school students.

Repairs missed in the bond need attention next time

The Bond, as shown by the Blue Valley electorate, is something that is desired.

The mobiles are rundown and the classroom expansion will be much appreciated by teachers who have to share rooms. The third gym will also surely be appreciated by the athletic and physical education departments.

But there are still areas of the school that need improvement that are sadly ignored.

The ceiling is leaking in many spots around the school such as the PAC and in the 400 hallway.

In multiple rooms, there is a brown slime that has crawled down the wall and has yet to be dealt with.

The band and orchestra still have to share a room. This has made it a confusing environment for practicing musicians with conflicting schedules.

Dr. Shah’s room remains the only chemistry room that lacks a hood, thereby limiting the experiments that can be done by his classes.

The aging PAC is still in need of improvements. There are seats toward the front that require repair.

Additionally many parts of the stage have been damaged, posing a hazard to performers.

Underneath the stage, the pit’s crowded spacing makes moving about a hassle.

Technical Director of the PAC Tyler Lasche was able to give info of the condition behind the scenes.

“Since the theatre was built in 1986 there have been many additions added on to the theater,” Lasche said. “Instead of replacing the entire [curtain] fly rail system, they have just been adding on to it. This is where we get different size counter weight holders. We have different batons that come in at different heights or batons that don’t fly all the way out. Our fly system is safe, but it is dated. Now if a new school is built, there are certain guidelines that have to be followed, like a loading bay. A loading bay is a catwalk that is above the rail on the stage. This makes it easier to load weight on and off as well as [making it] safer for everyone.”

The pool is measured in meters instead of yards. This has prevented the hosting of specific meets, such as State qualifiers, because of this idiosyncratic measurement.

The boys bathroom in the 500 hallway has a broken soap dispenser, a lock that is bent and therefore does not lock the door and a door that is completely missing.

This is not to say that all areas of the school deserve equal attention — not all activities, obviously, draw in the same attention and revenue — merely that the next time funding comes around, the lesser-known areas of the school should get some love.

ORCHESTRA

seniors reflect on their high school orchestra career

Willy Jiang — “I saw my sister playing [the violin] and said, ‘Alright, I need to crush her self esteem. It’s nice playing because I can flex on people.”

Clare Chambers — “I like the people — there is a lot of different students you wouldn’t expect to be in orchestra that I wouldn’t have met otherwise.”

Lily Damron — “In the cello section, I feel like we have a good time. We have a group chat the boys always put memes in, so it’s always interesting.”