The Tiger Print — April 2018

taking a stand student-led walkout creates dialogue about reforming gun legislation

//THE TIGER PRINT

Blue Valley High School | Vol. 48 | Issue 7 | April 2018 | bvtigernews.com | Overland Park, Kansas

2 //april 2018 // contents

in this issue... | DESIGN BY NOMA KREEGAR | PHOTOS BY STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS

3

BV RECEIVES PILOT LAPTOPS

Teachers and students look forward to the possibility of adapting personal laptops.

7 8

15 17 18

BV UBER EXPERIENCES

Students reflect on their weirdest uber rides.

QUIT STREAMING

Staff writer Maddy Kang questions the benefits of watching shows on streaming services.

PROBLEMS, PROBLEMS, PROBLEMS...

9

STAFF EDITORIAL

The Tiger Print staff weighs in on the issue of gun control.

WEBKINZ, NEOPETS AND MORE

21

//TIGER PRINT photo editor Melanie White

staff writers Allie Ament Marie Biernacki Courtney Brown Cassidy Carpenter McKenna Cole Kyle Elmendorf

Molly Holmes Maddy Kang Noma Kreegar Nick Lamberti Shay Lawson Sadie Myer Veronica Peterson

BASEBALL AT THE K

Baseball players showcase thier skills in a game against BV West at the K.

THE

co-editors Julie Freijat Alli Williams Kaitlin Yu

MEET THE HUMANS OF BV

Carley Sherer Lizzie Skidmore Victoria Wilson Kelly Zhang adviser Michelle Huss

“The Tiger Print” is an official publication of Blue Valley High School, an open forum distributed to all students eight times a year. This publication may contain controversial material. Kansas law prohibits the suppression of a student publication solely because it may contain controversial matter. Blue Valley Unified School District No. 229 and its board members, officers and employees may disclaim any responsibility for the content of this publication; it is not an expression of school policy.

Student authors and editors are solely responsible for the content of this publication.

Letters to the editor are encouraged for publication. “The Tiger Print” reserves the right to edit all submissions for both language and content.

Letters should be submitted to Room 450, emailed to thetigerprint@gmail.com or mailed to: The Tiger Print Blue Valley High School 6001 W. 159th St. Overland Park, KS 66085

news // april 2018 //

3

Technology Takeover BV community expresses hopes of future personal laptops

shay lawson staff writer

B

lue Valley is the oldest school in the district, but this doesn’t stop us from keeping up with the latest educational trends. BV was chosen to participate in a recent pilot the District Office conducted among high schools and middle schools where four teachers were given two different devices — Google Chromebooks and Apple MacBook Airs.

The purpose of this pilot is to figure out one essential question: If more devices were put in the hands of students, how would it change instructional strategies?

The classrooms at BV were given MacBook Airs to experiment with day-to-day learning. Spanish teacher Kathryn Sanfle said she wasn’t sure if she was going to like the new additions of laptops but loved having the MacBooks in class.

“I have a lot of online resources we use to practice in class regularly for | DESIGN BY SHAY LAWSON

vocabulary and verbs in addition to Canvas,” Sanfle said. “It has given me a lot more time in class to have students practice in the way they would like to, so there’s a little bit more choice in what students are able to do.”

Laptops haven’t just benefitted teachers. Students like sophomore Courtney Carvajal said the MacBooks have helped out because students have the ability to do more online practice in class with their teachers.

“It has positively impacted me because being able to practice the lesson in class with your teacher there to help you means you’re learning correctly instead of learning it wrong,” Carvajal said. “It’s been a time-saver being able to do more online in class than having to do it at home.”

Even though the laptops have improved learning, the district still must decide which laptop would be the better option between the two devices.

Sanfle said she doesn’t know very much about the Chromebooks other than the ability to do Spanish accent

marks has been difficult.

Weighing in with another view, industrial technologist Keil Pittman believes that MacBooks are staggered to using a normal laptop that would just have a good internet connection.

“A MacBook offers — from an ITstandpoint — fewer viruses,” Pittman said. “MacBooks instinctively just don’t get viruses as much as a PC would.”

Sanfle and Pittman both agreed the iMovie feature the MacBooks include is a good opportunity to utilize the program for educational purposes.

The research conducted over this pilot year will determine if students receive their own laptops next school year at the beginning second semester.

Many students and teachers think personal laptops are a great idea for next year, like Sanfle.

“I really like having students have devices in class,” Sanfle said. “Having the same capability and the ability to get on the WiFi or use the websites and tools that we are using in class would be so easy if everyone had access to the same things all the time.” | PHOTO BY KYLE ELMENDORF

4 // april 2018 // news

OFF THE RADAR

What you missed

THE AUSTIN PACKAGE BOMBINGS

A series of bombings rattled a suburb in Austin, Texas, in early March. The bombs, which were encased in FedEx packages, exploded at three different homes. Investigators trailed the bombings and eventually identified a suspect. The suspect was chased down by police, but he killed himself as the SWAT team closed in on his vehicle. Investigators are unsure whether the explosion that killed the suspect was planned or not.

THE DEATH OF TOYS ‘R’ US

Toys ‘R’ Us is widely known for selling bikes, toys and games.

However, Toys ‘R’ Us recently announced that it will be selling or closing it’s 735 stores across the nation. In September, the toy store filed for bankruptcy in an attempt to overcome the debt that it was in, but the turnaround failed. According to The Federalist, Toys ‘R’ Us was killed by a lack of babies being born to keep up with the supply of the store.

DONALD TRUMP ON THE OPIOID CRISIS

President Donald Trump’s plan to tackle the ever-growing opioid epidemic was released in late March. The plan outlines Trump’s strategy for punishing drug dealers, which includes the death penalty, stating that the United States needs to “get tough” on drug dealers. Addiction to opioids like painkillers is a steadily growing problem in the U.S. An estimated 42,000 people died from opioid overdose in 2016, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

| WORDS & DESIGN BY NOMA KREEGAR

| PHOTOS COURTESY OF TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

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6 //april 2018 // opinion

Not Your Word Public needs to understand why n-word usage is insensitive

courtney brown staff writer

When I was 6 years old, I was too young to understand racism. I saw people as people, nothing else.

Although I was only 6 years old, my father sat me down and told me stories about my grandparents fighting for basic human rights as black people.

He told me about how they had to defend themselves against the police — people we should trust. My dad sat down and explained “a word.”

He only said it once, but I learned from that point on that it was worse than anything I’d heard on TV. It had nothing but pain and suffering attached to it and was used to bring people down. He was able to explain to a young child who confused the numbers 6 and 9 together that it was a word she should avoid.

Being able to say the N-word is a debate that people have been arguing about for decades, and I find it hard to understand why. Recently, the popularity of the word in American culture leaves many defending themselves for the right. In 2018, Americans are still debating whether it’s OK to be racist. And to be specific, I mean everyone that’s not black.

I’m sorry if pointing out your race makes you uncomfortable, but it’s necessary.

The word comes from the violence and pain that black people in America faced for centuries, from slavery to the civil rights movement. Slavery was a long time ago, but humans — specifically white people in America — literally owned other humans and left impacts that still affect us today.

The fact that I can’t even spell the word out is saying something. We’ve been taught since first grade that judging people based on their skin is wrong — it’s not a complicated concept. I still remember my first grade teacher telling my

| DESIGN BY COURTNEY BROWN

class who Martin Luther King Jr. was and what he stood for.

The civil rights movement was during your grandparents’ time. It wasn’t that long ago. If you really think about it, your grandparents probably remember most of it.

When discrimination in schools was put to an end, when blacks and whites could eat in the same restaurants and when everyone could use the same restroom, we came closer to ending racism.

Of course, racism wasn’t ended with a piece of long-awaited legislation, but the idea that everyone should be treated equally regardless was a simple concept many agreed with.

With that, the N-word is a word used to put black people down in slavery, during Jim Crow and even today. The argument that, “Black people can say it, why can’t I?” makes little sense. The word was reclaimed by black Americans who were used to being seen as inferior. The word belongs to black people, and it’s become part of the black identity. What truly is going to happen to you if you don’t use a certain word?

According to the Oxford Dictionary, there are around 170,000 words in the English language. I think you can avoid saying one of those 170,000 words to avoid being seen as ignorant. If you’re unable to avoid one word that has a harmful connotation, then that’s just plain ignorance.

People have become desensitized to the word, and that’s a problem. It doesn’t need to be said in every other sentence. It was used by blacks as a way to reclaim and fight against racism.

There’s never a time when you absolutely need to say it.

And I promise you that you can live without saying that one word.

opinion// april 2018 //

7

Are you still watching?

Taking breaks from streaming services has benefits

maddy kang staff writer

We’ve all been at that point sometime or another. You lose track of time, watch 18 episodes of your favorite show and forget about all of the homework you should be doing — then you begin to watch Netflix stressfully.

Netflix brings people together. Sharing a common love for a character or a show can help form bonds between people.

It almost seems too easy to watch without commercials.

Over the past couple of years, streaming services have become very prominent because of their accessibility to endless movies and television shows. They are worshipped.

But what about regular TV? The so-called “old-fashioned” kind.

The kind where you switched the channels before deciding on what to watch. The kind where you actually had to record movies or watch them live and watch commercials.

Do you even miss it?

Do you miss being forced to watch the news while your mom’s in the other room making dinner? Being a child and feeling somewhat informed on what was going on in the world used to be empowering.

Watching commercials, no matter how cringe-worthy, always made you excited for the newest toy or the latest movie coming out.

It is important to be informed and to be entertained.

Netflix can only do one of those things.

You can’t watch anything live on Netflix. Live sports games, events and award shows are all broadcasted on TV. What about the times our parents spent watching the newest music videos on MTV when smartphones didn’t exist? Music videos aren’t accessible on streaming services.

You can’t replace live-action with pre-streamed episodes forever.

I’m not saying to banish streaming services for good, but we need to watch less Netflix and more live television.

We need to create a healthy balance between the two.

We can’t sacrifice our obligation to be informed on current events and products being advertised just because streaming services seem more convenient.

Watching real television may be “old-fashioned,” but it offers many valuable experiences that cannot be replaced with a tap of the “Click here to watch the next episode” button.

RAISE YOUR VOICE Do you prefer to watch regular T.V. or shows from streaming services?

“I usually go to Netflix or Hulu if I have time. I prefer this because I can choose the shows I watch and don’t miss any episodes in a series. They also have a wide variety of movies you can choose from.”

-Madalynn Gill, 12 “I like to watch regular, live televison because I like to watch sports games. You can’t get that option on Netflix.”

-Josh Frumkin, 10

amaz n | DESIGN BY MADDY KANG

8 //april 2018 // opinion

Don’t complain about your problems. Fix them. nick lamberti staff writer

Picture a night like many nights you might have experienced before: You’re in bed, scrolling through Instagram. Numerous posts from your friends ‘finstas’ are filling your feed (and it’s usually just pictures of their foreheads). You glance at a long caption, and you naturally assume that it contains something important enough to be posted on social media. Lately, however, that is not the case.

Reading the caption, you notice it is filled with various complaints about the Instagram user’s life.

Things like, “I wish my grades were better.” “I wish I could eat healthier, but instead I want to eat cookies.” “I want a better body.”

Or, my personal favorite, from the inveterate nicotine abuser: “I don’t know why I’m so stressed,” posted along with a video of them hitting

a Juul.

Almost everyone can be found guilty of posting their problems for the world to see. I’ve done it. But the thing is — it’s simply unhealthy.

You can’t wait for things to magically get better by sitting around and fussing. You have to make a change yourself.

For example, if you wish your grades were better, don’t use all afternoon to sit and watch Netflix.

Study, take a break and study some more.

If you wish you could eat better, start incorporating healthier foods into your diet and discover recipes that you would like.

If you’re worried about your body, whether your health is at stake or you simply just want to feel more confident, then start exercising.

And if you’re stressed, identify your stressors and cut them out of your life.

It may seem hard to try new things at first, but if you don’t try, nothing will change. Complaining about the things you wish were different in your life is only going to make you feel worse, and in the end, you’ll be glad you got up to make a change.

| DESIGN BY NICK LAMBERTI

staff ed // april 2018 //

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| CARTOON BY KASSIDY WAGNER

Students’ First Amendment rights do not end when school begins In light of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, thousands of students across the country have taken the initiative to organize or participate in class walkouts.

On April 20th, numerous schools in the Blue Valley District experienced their own walkouts, which were organized and carried out by BV students.

Such demonstrations have brought back to the table a decades-long debate — do students have the right to protest?

The answer is yes.

Unfortunately, the statement has a history of being questioned.

The freedoms of students were first challenged in the Tinker v. Des Moines case of 1969, when an Iowa school district suspended several students for wearing black armbands in protest of the Vietnam War. The court ruled in favor of the students, stating school administrators have to demonstrate constitutionally valid reasons to enforce any regulation of speech in the classroom.

In other words, as long as demon-

strations are carried out in a peaceful and respectful manner, students reserve the right to speak out without being reprimanded.

Despite this ruling, several schools in the country have made efforts to discipline their schools’ walkout participants through threats of detention, suspension and in some states, even corporal punishment.

Although schools legally hold the authority to inflict punishment due to a disruption to the overall function of the school or a violation of the school’s content-neutral policies, a school cannot inflict punishment on the grounds of thinking the speech is controversial or because they disagree with a student’s position.

As Americans we obtain the rights of the First Amendment, which grants an individual the freedom of speech, press, peaceful assembly and petition against the government.

When a student walks into a classroom, their constitutional freedoms are neither lost nor compromised.

Fortunately for the students of BV, our administrators chose not to punish any walkout participants for exercising their First Amendment rights properly, but numerous students nationwide are falling victim to an infringement on their rights.

In a democracy where we aren’t old enough to vote or in a school system where we are ruled by a board, often we find that the only place our voices aren’t limited is amongst each other.

As teenagers, our intelligence and maturity is continuously underestimated and belittled by the adults in charge.

We are expected to play the submissive role without complaint or uprising, but when we are heavily affected by an issue or legislation, we will fight for a place at the table and should not be lashed out against for doing so.

Students have the right to protest because as future voters, we have the right to be heard.

So the next time you are told to sit down and stay quiet — stand up, speak out and speak loud.

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

10 //april 2018 // feature

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On April 20 at 10 a.m., students across the Blue Valley School District walked out of class in response to the numerous school shootings taking place in the United States. The Tiger Print sat down with students and faculty to discuss the organization of the walkout and the many opinions surrounding it.

B BEEHHII NND D TTHHEE W WAALLKK OOUUTT F

Firearm laws in Kansas do not make it necessary for individuals to register their firearms.

In order to be considered for eligibility by the state for a firearms license, a person must be at least 21 years old and a resident of the state for at least six months.

Kansas firearm laws regarding possession require that a person be at least 18 years of age.

BREAKING IT DOWN: KANSAS GUN LAWS

feature //april 2018 //

11

rom coast to coast students have been holding town halls and coordinating class walkouts, calling on elected officials to push for gun reform.

Sophomore Nicole Lickteig said after seeing Twitter posts about other walkouts in the country, she decided to join the movement by starting the Blue Valley Walkout but never anticipated the magnitude of the event.

“I didn’t think it was going to have such a large outcome,” Lickteig said. “I decided I wanted to create the Instagram page, but when I woke up the next morning, I was shocked by the amount of followers I had.”

From there, Lickteig said she started organizing with students from BV and other schools in the district, and eventually a core planning team was formed.

Junior Jack Reeves was a part of the planning team and helped start the #NeverAgain March. He said the intent was to give an opportunity for students to speak out.

“The purpose of the core planning team is to provide a vehicle for feelings to be expressed,” Reeves said. “It’s a platform so that students — in my opinion the smartest, most open-minded generation in history — can engage in national discourse and demand accountability from those elected to represent them.”

One of the main focuses of the walkout and march was to help cultivate change, Reeves said.

“Our job is to provide the resources to foster a space and make [change] happen,” he said. “It’s to raise up all of our voices together and say we need to take a serious look at this issue in this country and change the way we do business legislatively and culturally.”

Aside from creating T-shirts, fundraising and communicating with participants, Lickteig said the team met regularly with school administration to ensure a safe demonstration.

“I expected them to completely shut us down,” Lickteig said. “I never thought they would give us the time of day, but in the end, they have given us really great support.”

Principal Scott Bacon said he felt it was important for administration and student organizers to work together and keep the lines of communication open.

“I met with them several times, and all the representatives were there,” Bacon said. “I really want to salute the students because they were able to reach a compromise. The bottom line is that they have an opportunity that thousands are going to participate in, and we need to do this as safe as possible.”

While some schools across the country are threatening walkout participants with detention or suspension, Bacon said the BV administration decided not to punish students.

Continued on Page 12.

12 //april 2018 // feature

E E H H T T D D N N I I ) H ) .

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E t E t n B n B o o C C ( ( t t u u o o k k l l waa w “I respect our students’ rights to protest and speak out,” Bacon said. “It’s the First Amendment. If we can do it in a peaceful, respectful and efficient manner then I would ask everyone to respect the guidelines. I see no reason at that point for punishment.”

Reeves said the expectation was to have a peaceful demonstration.

“There should be respect for those who don’t protest in promotion of a civil and safe environment,” Reeves said. “At the end of the day, I’d express to people to remember you have the right to participate to the degree to which you feel comfortable. We’ll

advocate for your voice, too.”

Bacon said he hoped to see both sides be considerate of the other’s actions and opinions.

“My expectation is that the respect goes both ways,” Bacon said. “We’re going to have students that don’t feel like they should be a part of this and there are students who don’t want to. There’s parents who have also told their children that they won’t be a part of this. Everybody who is a part of it needs to have respect for both sides. Likewise, those who aren’t participating need to be respectful of those who are.”

“If it’s something you actually care about, be prepared for a lengthy process of fighting, protesting and participation in other ways.”

- Social studies teacher Brian Mowry

“It sho though nothin

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their opin Sopho walk out o “Some sicken me one statin children.’ that statem letters.”

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“It sho thoughts a has chang cool that B something I am for it Sopho and said t because o teachers h the past ye “It’s im stand with that our sc issue and listen to th it,” Keleti a whole n stand to m ronment f Social Buffingto the walko it wasn’t a parents fro

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ith the conclusion of the walkout, students and faculty members weighed in with nion. omore Karsen Turner didn’t on April 20 for many reasons. e of the signs I have seen e,” Turner said. “I have read ng ‘NRA stop slaughtering our There is nothing right about ment except for the first three

r Jessi Kirwin said she was t of the walkout because she tion needs to be taken on gun

ouldn’t just be condolences, and prayers because nothing ged,” Kirwin said. “It’s really Blue Valley is willing to do g like this and have a protest, so t.” omore Michael Keleti agreed there needs to be action taken of how many students and have died in school shootings in year. mportant we show where we h [the movement] and show chool is united to work on this that we aren’t just going to his and not do anything about i said. “Even the country as needs that — people taking a make our country a safer envifor everyone of every age.” studies teacher Courtney on said it’s ironic to coordinate out with the school because then a surprise. She said the grandom the counterculture of the

1960s would be disappointed with this decision, although the school appreciated the warning.

“It’s really important — especially in this current political climate — to protect First Amendment rights which the founding fathers said were fundamental and the most important thing to be protected in this country,” Buffington said.

“I’m very supportive of it. I am proud of them for organizing it as long as it has meaning. It’s important that it’s not ‘we walk out and then all just Snapchat on the football field for five hours.’”

Buffington said her dad state representative, Jan Kessinger, and a member from the core planning team for the walkout was in contact with him. She said she was impressed that the organizers tried to get people to speak during the walkout or the march at the Church of the Resurrection afterward.

Social studies teacher Brian Mowry said that like voting, the first protest is just the beginning.

“You shouldn’t be that proud of yourself for doing the first step,” Mowry said. “Actual protest and real change is hard — and takes a long time. You’re going to have way more disappointments before you actually have successes. If it’s something you actually care about, be prepared for a lengthy process of fighting, protesting and participation in other ways.”

feature // april 2018 //

DISCUSSION AROUND AROUND BV BV DISCUSSION

ouldn’t just be condolences, hts and prayers because ng has changed.”

- Senior Jessi Kirwin

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UBER WEIRD

Harrell, 10 Jessamy

BV shares their wackiest UBER experiences

ing out, about to cry.

He said, “Oh no, don’t worry. You’re safe with me,” and I told him to just take us to the mall, or we would get out and walk there ourselves.

After arguing with the dude, he drops us off at the mall. When we get there, there’s only 10 more minutes till closing, and when we had called the Uber, we still had an hour to spare.

We spent 45-50 minutes in that car when it was supposed to be a 10-minute drive.”

Rating:

“After the Logic concert, my friend was supposed to drive me and my other friend home. She was too tired so we decided to take an Uber. I have never taken an Uber before, and I was really scared after watching the horror stories on YouTube.

Our driver seemed nice and kept conversation with us, but I noticed she was taking us a weird route. I knew how to get home, and every turn she made seemed wrong.

We started driving on a dirt road in the middle of the woods, and a man walks out of

the woods right in front of her car, holding something.

Then she yells, “What the hell! This is some Jason-type [stuff],” and gases it. We flew out of there. It was so scary — even she was freaked out.

As were driving, she told us she wasn’t going to let anything happen to us and that if anything she was going to die protecting us.

After she got us out of there, I finally felt safe and was glad she was our driver.”

Rating:

driver got out of the car only a second later to realize he forgot to put the car in park.

He was able to get in the car fast enough to stop us from rolling, but it was pretty scary.

Then the guy said, “Yikes, that was a close one,” and continued to get gas.

We finally made it to the volcano alive.”

Rating:

Za ch

Ol so n,

11

“We were on our way to a go see a volcano in Hawaii and decided to call an Uber.

Our Uber driver seemed pretty normal at first, but then we drove past a police officer and he began going off about how much he hated the police.

He kept talking about this one specific cop that always [ticketed] people for jaywalking.

Then we stopped to get gas. Our

15

UBER

| DESIGN BY NOMA KREEGAR, VERONICA PETERSON & ALLIE AMENT

Sabine Fardoun, 11

“I was in Rhode Island at the time, and my friend and I wanted to go to the mall before we left. The mall was closing in an hour, so we decided to get an Uber.

When our driver arrived, the car itself was pretty sketchy. You had to use this cord thing to keep the door shut, and our driver spoke the littlest of English, which made it hard to understand what he was saying.

So after we figure out the door, the guy shuts his phone off and says, “We go my way.” My friend and I started freaking out, texting each other trying to figure out — should we have 911 on speed dial?

Then he turns into some alleyway, and I start freak-

feature // april 2018 //

16 //april 2018 // feature

BEYOND BV

Teachers accompany students across the world

courtney brown staff writer Traveling for some people can be seen as a once in a lifetime opportunity. However, Blue Valley is fortunate to host tours multiple times a year that travel across the world from places like Europe to South America. The tours are organized by Education First (EF).

“Teachers work through EF representatives to organize tours, price them and get itineraries set in place,” social studies teacher Kimberly Thompson said. “They help us with recruitment materials and give information to advertise throughout the school. They’re not associated with the school.”

Social studies teacher Molly Cowan-Johnson will take a group of students to Japan this summer.

“When we go to Japan, we’re going to the Hiroshima Peace [Memorial] Museum,” CowanJohnson said. “We’re also doing things like cultural lessons with Japanese students and something with sumo. There’s a range.”

Thompson took a group of students to Italy on Spring Break

of 2017 and also spent a lot of time focusing on the history.

“Italy has a lot of Renaissance art, and we were able to see a lot of that,” Thompson said. “There was a lot of interaction with the community through purchasing with the local street vendors as well.”

Cowan-Johnson said if students want to go on a trip, they should first talk to the teacher in charge.

“We don’t want to limit kids,” Cowan-Johnson said. “I have students going to Japan that I haven’t had in class before. If they come talk to me, I try and get to know them a little bit. If you’re super excited and you really want to go, we’ll work it out.”

Thompson said she also looks for students who would be fun to explore new places with.

“We always want to take students that are interested in traveling,” Thompson said. “We want kids that are laid back and eager to see the world. We want to really immerse ourselves in where we’re going for the few days that we have together.”

There are a lot of benefits to going on these trips, Cowan-Johnson said.

“You’re getting out of your comfort zone — quickly,” she said.

“There are different languages, alphabets [and] food. You experience a lot of things that are different.”

Thompson said traveling has made her more open-minded.

“Going to Costa Rica recently forced me to see what it’s like to be a human in the world,” Thompson said. “I didn’t speak the language, and I couldn’t read the menu. These are the kinds of struggles of people who live down the street from you that aren’t originally from here. I finally got to empathize with that a little bit. It’s a great way to give me a view on what it’s like to be a global community.”

Thompson said her favorite part of the EF tours is watching students challenge their original perspectives.

“I love seeing the students overcome some of the obstacles with trepidation and talking to the locals,” Thompson said. “The students stay clustered in their big groups at first, and then throughout the trip, you see them branch out, wander and explore. It’s interesting to see how people fit themselves in the narratives of different countries.”

upcoming trips as

kans

Peru & Costa Rica: July 2019 sponsored by: Kimberly Thompson

Japan: July 2018 sponsored by: Molly Cowan-Johnson

Ireland: Spring Break 2019 | DESIGN BY COURTNEY BROWN

sponsored by: Jenny Buchanon

a&e // april 2018 //

virtual nostalgia

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students share experiences with online games growing up Josie Cuthbertson, 10 “Webkinz was the main one I played. I also played Papa’s Freezeria and Run on Cool Math Games. I was so good at them.

“On Webkinz, you could ‘pimp out’ your house. You could customize it however you wanted. You could get [virtual] money from playing games on there. You didn’t have to pay for any [membership].

“I remember there were a bunch of songs. My favorite one was about the cat sleepover. It was just all the cats on Webkinz having a slumber party. Also, the one about the ‘prettiest pink pony’ in town.

“It was really fun because you got to [talk] with people and make friends, [and] you could also play mini-games.”

Zoe Cott, 9 “I played Animal Jam, Moshi Monsters, Webkinz and Poptropica.

“Animal Jam [was] my favorite game. It was really fun because you got to [talk] with people and make friends, [and] you could also play minigames. Webkinz was just fun. [I liked] decorating the rooms and getting the stuffed animals. Poptropica was fun because I could go on little adventures and solve mysteries.

“I remember I [paid for] a membership on Animal Jam, and I got this huge ‘den’ that I decorated, so I invited people to it. Everyone came, and there was this one person who said, ‘Your den isn’t decorated well.’ Then I got mad, so I blocked them.”

Keaton Buchert, 11 “I didn’t start playing anything that wasn’t a ‘generic, hulking Chad [first-person shooter]’ until probably about seventh or eighth grade. Then, I branched out into other stuff like [role-playing games].

“Mainly, I liked [the escape]. For me, in terms of

anything I do, whether it’s school or my art, I treat [it] more as a responsibility. Even if it’s something I benefit from and enjoy doing, there’s a point where I need to get away from it. Video games are that escape from everything else.” | DESIGN & GRAPHICS BY VERONICA PETERSON

18 //april 2018 // a&e

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| DESIGN BY NOMA KREEGAR

20 //april 2018 // sports

LACROSSE THE DISTRICT BV titans share advantages of playing on club team

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irls lacrosse is not like any other sports team at Blue Valley. Unlike BV’s football and swim team, girls lacrosse is a club team of all the BV high schools combined into one.

The BV Titans club team was first formed in 2007.

This diverse team provides students the opportunity to get out of their comfort zone and meet new people.

“I love having a combined team of all BV schools,” captain senior Alyssa Graebner said. “It allows you to get out of your school’s bubble and meet a lot of new people from the different schools.”

Graebner’s teammate, junior Angelina Borisky said she has also met girls who go to her school she didn’t know until she joined the team.

Not only has this club team helped to form new friendships, but Borisky said it also gives the BV Titans an advantage.

“Each teammate has different strengths to share with the team,” she said. “It has helped the team be

| WORDS BY ALLIE AMENT | DESIGN BY VERONICA PETERSON

very successful each year.”

As one of the captains, Graebner has a big responsibility in leading the team.

“I make sure my teammates are doing what they are supposed to be doing,” she said. “I implement and fulfill tasks that my coach asks of me, such as running warm-ups or running my teammates through a drill so that coaches can delegate to get other things done.”

Above all, Graebner’s biggest goal is to keep a positive atmosphere for the team.

“I make sure my teammates keep their composure and good sportsmanship on and off the field,” she said.

Borisky said the BV Titans are off to a great start.

“For varsity, we just had our first game of the season against Aquinas — we won 9-4,” she said. “Our JV team also won against Aquinas 7-0. This season has already started off great, and I’m excited to see the potential our team has.”

sports // april 2018 //

21

GAMEDAY AT THE

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cassidy carpenter & molly holmes staff writer Kauffman Stadium is home to the two-time World Series champion Kansas City Royals, but April 17, it was the home of the Blue Valley baseball team. Beginning in 2015, the team has had the opportunity to play BV West in a routine league game at the stadium.

“It’s an electric atmosphere,” senior Benjamin DeZube said. “More people show up, and obviously we’re at Kauffman Stadium, so it’s kind of intimidating but really cool at the same time.”

Junior Walker Kinney played in the games the last two years, and as a Royals fan, he said his favorite part is getting to be on the same field as the team he loves.

“I love being in the batter’s box and knowing what great players have hit in this batter’s box, too,” Kinney said. “There’s nothing like looking out into the Royals field and the big crowd and the big scoreboard.”

Both players said they see a contrast in the field versus their usual playing locations.

“Obviously it’s a lot nicer, which makes a huge difference,” Kinney said.

“There [are] professionals actually maintaining it every day, even in the off-season.”

The change in venue makes the tradition unique but also provides different challenges for the players.

“We have to realize it’s a normal game and not something more,” Kinney said. “The stands make it harder to read [fly] balls, but we can’t get caught up in the | DESIGN & PHOTOS BY MOLLY HOLMES

fact that it’s Kauffman Stadium.”

In the game at the K in 2017, BV lost to West 2-1, but DeZube said the defeat pushed the team to get focused.

“The loss was early on, the second game of the year,” DeZube said. “It sparked us to really get serious and stop messing around and we did, considering we won State”.

As a result of losing to West, the team had a vengeance to win. However, after playing in extra innings until the twohour time limit expired, the game this year ended in a 3-3 tie to be finished May 10 at the BV West field.

“Obviously we wish we could have gotten the win at the K,” Kinney said. “We’re ready to finish it and come out on top.”

Paige Moses 12

Jacey Eastham 11

R E R E G I G T I T

“My favorite memory from soccer is winning Regionals last year,” junior Jacey Eastham said. “It was really exciting and I hope we can do the same thing this year.”

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LLY HO S BY MO | PHOTO

Emma Andersen 12

HOLMES

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“I do track because it makes me a better athlete in other sports,” junior Eric Olson said.

“I enjoy the competition.” | PHOTOS BY CASSIDY CARPENTER

Eric Olson 11

“I love the people, we combine our dive team with Blue Valley Northwest so you get to meet a lot of new people,” senior Emma Anderson said. “I also love the coach because she’s super nice and super positive.”

Macey Lewin 10

LLY S BY MO | PHOTO

Peyton Palmer 10

Anna Herrin 11

Peyton Holsinger 9

Taylor Gutschenritter 11

22 //april 2018 // sports

ANIE WH

Breck Dickey 11

ITE

“My favorite memory of golf is winning Regionals my junior year,” senior Michael Secrest said.

“It was a really rewarding experience.”

| PHOTOS BY SADIE MYER

“It has been really exciting to be on such a competitive team and see our hard work pay off in games,” junior Emma Stachowiak said. “Everyone on the team really wants to work hard so we can get back to State, win EKL and win Regionals again.” | PHOTO

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Saketh Pachalla 12

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Ben Elgas 9

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| DESIGN

Quintin Wright 10

“In tennis we have an encouraging respectful environment where there is a culture of competition and comaraderie,” said senior Saketh Pachalla.

Hank Boylan 11

Peter Gessler 11

Emma Stachowiak 11

Ross Hahn 12

TURF

sports // april 2018 //

| DESIGN BY YOUR NAME

24 //april 2018 // news Sitting on the football field, junior Kassidy Wagner makes a sign. “My sign says ‘I want to see my whole class graduate.’ [I chose to write that] because I don’t think lives should be taken for some absurd reason.

B [Above] On the field, walkout participants form a peace sign.

“I [participate in the walkout] because I want to find a solution to the unnecessary fear of going to school every day,” sophomore John Oldroyd said.

[Left] Freshmen Mia Rice and Olivia Sherlock show their painted hands. “We painted our hands red to show we’re human and we need to fight for the people who don’t have the chance to stop what happened,” Rice said.

[Below] Junior Maddi Sanchez speaks at the walkout. “It was rewarding to speak out about the [gun violence] issue to people who feel the same way and want change.”

| PHOTOS & DESIGN BY NICK LAMBERTI

[Left] Being held up by her friend, freshman Mackenna Hayes holds a sign.

“I [chose to participate in the walkout] because in Australia, where they regulate guns, there’s less school shootings than in America,” she said.