The Tiger Print — October 2020

THE TIGER PRINT

blue valley high school | vol. 51 | issue 2 | october 2020 | bvtigernews.com | overland park, kansas

SOCIAL DISTANCED SCHOOLING COVID-19 precautions have become an integral part of BV student and staff routines. Read on to page 14 to review how the district has attempted to create an effective work environment while complying to safety regulations.

| DESIGN BY CHARLIE TRENT

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contents

Contents NEWS

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Standardized Testing Colleges, universities venture away from ACT/SAT requirement

FEATURE

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BV Businessmen Seniors become entrepreneurs by starting new rental company

ENTERTAINMENT

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Halloween History The last blue moon that fell on Halloween happened 19 years ago. See how 2001 and 2020 compare.

OPINION

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More than a Hashtag Read Charlie Trent’s opinion on the value of social media activism.

| DESIGN BY CHARLIE TRENT

THE

TIGER PRINT editor-in-chief Claire Powell

story editors Chloe Browning Olivia Sherlock

assistant editor Charlie Trent adviser Michelle Huss web editors Stephanie Kontopanos Tymber Moody

staff members Rylee Bergmann Isabelle Fletcher Brynn Friesen Kaitlin Green Ayesha Khan Erika Kolseth Ani Kreegar Frannie Lamberti

Harrison Melton Claire Middleton Spencer Norman Liya Patel Mia Rice Claire Stein Charley Thomas Eleanor Warren

“The Tiger Print” is an official publication of Blue Valley High School, an open forum distributed to all students six 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

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OFF the RADAR Supreme Court Nomination

Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed to move forward to the final vote.

Barrett, who was nominated by President Donald Trump to replace recently deceased Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, spent last week being questioned by the Senate.

Her confirmation was unanimous among the 12 Republican Senators, as the Democrats boycotted the “illegitimate” vote.

“We are voting with our feet,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told ABC News. “We are standing together and we are standing against this unprecendented mad rush to jam through a Supreme Court nomination just days before an election.”

This confirmation marks the closest Supreme Court nomination process to a presidential election.

High School Election Sites

| PHOTOS BY CLAIRE POWELL

The Blue Valley School District announced all five high schools will be used as Johnson County Election Office voting sites on Tuesday Nov. 3. The poll stations will be located in the schools’ gymnasiums.

“That’s an area in the county where we really need large buildings,” commissioner Connie Schmidt said to KSHB. “There’s not many large buildings in that part of Johnson County.”

Students will participate in school asynchronously on that day with no zooms or school attendance of any kind. Coaches and sponsors will communicate any changes regarding practices or events.

Teen Discovers Lead Toward COVID Cure Eighth grader Anika Chebrolu of Frisco, Texas, won the 2020 3M Young Scientist Challenge for a possible COVID-19 therapy.

According to CNN, her invention uses computer simulation to detect a lead molecule that can selectively bind to the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Chebrolu, who went home with a $25,000 prize, originally planned her project for the flu.

“I, with the help of my mentor, changed directions to target the SARS-CoV-2 virus,” Chebrolu said in an interview with CNN. Chebrolu aims to work with scientists and researchers in charge of the COVID pandemic by further developing her recent discoveries into a cure. | PHOTOS COURTESY OF CBS | WORDS BY CLAIRE POWELL

news 4 A look on the effect of Coronavirus on fall sports

Dance

Dance captain senior Lucy Wolstenholm has loved dance since she was 4 years old and has pursued it throughout her high school career.

“I have loved how involved I feel in the school,” Wolstenholm said. “Getting to be in front of people doing what I love is such a rush.”

Once the coronavirus hit, the Tigerettes had to hault in-person rehearsals, but that didn’t stop them from working.

“We were Zooming to keep practices going,” Wolstenholm said. “Luckily, we are back in the school getting practice done in person.”

The Tigerettes wear face masks and socially distance during practice and games due to COVID-19 regulations.

Tennis

Varsity tennis player senior Lexi Gunn is glad to have her fall season going on.

Fortunately, tennis has stayed remotely the same in the physical aspect, with a few additional safety precautions.

Many tennis players remain distant from their opponents, so that didn’t seem to have a huge impact on this specific sport, compared to others such as football or volleyball.

“Tennis isn’t that much different other than we have to wear masks outside of the courts, and we aren’t able to play as many schools,” Gunn said. “It also kind of sucks because it’s not the same due to most of the tournaments being canceled.”

Although she prefers how

“The idea of not being able to dance for the high school again really affected me,” Wolstenholm said. “When I heard that we get to dance again at games, I was overjoyed.”

As a dance captain, Wolstenholm said she is most excited for all the performances the Tigerettes will have this year.

“The atmosphere of dance team is constant hard work and striving to be our best,” she said. “Our energy is unmatchable. I feel honored to be [a] dance captain this year. My biggest goal is to just lead the team the best I can and make sure we have an amazing year safely.”

tennis was in her other high school years, she is glad to have the opportunity to play the sport she loves.

“I am grateful we are able to have our season during this pandemic and that it didn’t get canceled,” Gunn said.

Gunn is thrilled to finish off her senior year as many other athletes are but wishes it was like before the pandemic.

“I would prefer the way our season was last year because we didn’t have to worry about anything,” Gunn said.

Volleyball

Sophomore Connelly Kilgore said her second year on varsity volleyball has been different.

“We have to wear masks in the hallways [and] getting water,” Kilgore said.

After having two weeks off, they resumed daily practices and played several games.

“You can’t high five the other team or have contact with them, so we’ll wave at the beginning and end of the game,” she said.

Private schools outside of the district require masks while playing. However, Blue Valley schools only enforce it on the bench.

One of the biggest disap-

pointments for Kilgore this year is missing out on a lot of team bonding.

“Traditionally, at the beginning of the year, we’ll do sand tournaments,” Kilgore said. “We will come before practice a little early just to talk so we stay connected as a team.”

Due to COVID-19, Substate was reorganized so teams don’t have to travel as far.

“I’m just happy to play — I think everyone is,” Kilgore said.

Cross Country

Junior Ella Mills, a varsity cross country runner, looks forward to her third season with the team.

The cross country coaches and runners take social distancing seriously to keep each other safe.

“During warm ups and stretching, we keep our masks on,” Mills said.

“When we run off campus, we can take them off.”

During cross country meets, rules for the runners vary depending on the school but continue to keep the athletes’ health a priority.

“Most schools have us wear masks for 400 meters, and then we can take it off and put it on right when we

cross the finish line,” she said.

Although COVID regulations make practices and meets more difficult, the cross country runners are willing to abide by the rules in order to stay safe and continue with the season.

“We don’t want to be the sport that gets everyone else’s sport taken away,” Mills said. “[State] is going to be different, but it’ll be fun,” Mills said. “I just hope everyone stays safe, and no one gets COVID.”

| XC PHOTO SUBMITTED BY ELLA MILLS

| WORDS BY RYLEE BERGMANN, CHLOE BROWNING, | PHOTOS BY CLAIRE POWELL, KAITLIN GREEN, AYESHA KHAN, HARRISON MELTON, MIA RICE, CHARLEY THOMAS, SPENCER NORMAN AND CLAIRE POWELL CHARLIE TRENT,

Football

Football captain senior Andy Simeroth is in his fourth and final season for the Tigers.

The team has had to make several adjustments.

“We have to wear a mask under our helmets during practice and games,” Simeroth said. “Games are really different because we have to be spread out, and each person has a spot to stand in on the sidelines.”

Although the team is beyond thankful to get to play this year, they wish the roaring crowd was still behind them.

“I hope eventually we can have a student section, even if that means only a limited number of people can come,”

Golf

Junior Lea Shamblin’s golf season is playing out differently from past years.

“The season is so much shorter — we have less tournaments and are only playing with teams in the EKL,” Shamblin said.

Despite continuing to play golf, many changes have been made in order to ensure the safety of students.

“We have to wear masks anytime we are around each other and the other coaches,” she said.

“I have been wearing a mask as often as I can because if one of [the players] gets corona, we all have to quarantine.”

The various precautions are set in place to help as much as possible; however, some rules may seem unnecessary due to the low-risk nature of the sport.

“Me and some of my team-

Simeroth said.

Unfortunately, Simeroth’s season took a turn when he was placed in the hospital for health conditions.

After two weeks of being in the hospital with support from his teammates, Simeroth was happy to be released.

“It feels amazing to be back even though I can’t play football anymore,” Simeroth said. “It feels good to support my team at practice and games.”

mates were disappointed that we didn’t get bags even though it is a part of our uniforms,” Shamblin said. “I also find it a little pointless that we only have to wear masks on the first hole but not anywhere else.”

Shamblin said the team hasn’t been able to do as many team bonding activities as they used to.

“So far it’s been a great season, and we’ve all become really close,” Shamblin said. “I hope next year everything will be back to normal so the incoming freshman will get to experience golf how it really is.”

| DESIGN BY SPENCER NORMAN

Soccer

Senior Kobee Austria has been on the varsity boys soccer team since sophomore year. His last season will be different from previous ones because of concerns over COVID-19.

The first game of the season was on Sept. 11, winning against Blue Valley North 5-1. The last regular season game was Oct. 20.

Despite coronavirus restrictions, Austria said “six out of the seven days, we are playing soccer.”

COVID-19 regulations in place include temperature checks and wearing masks when not doing drills. Masks aren’t required

Cheer

Four years ago cheer captain senior Olivia Spratley joined the team after seeing the group’s atmosphere.

“Not only did I see the success they had accomplished, but I also saw how much people looked up to them and [the] family aspect,” Spratley said.

She was saddened when she thought her senior season was going to be cut short.

“I was very disappointed that there may have never been a chance I would cheer a game again, and all my ‘lasts’ may have not happened,” Spratley said.

The team cannot stunt with the current gating criteria, and

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during games.

“Practices are structured very similar to pre-COVID since soccer isn’t a high-risk sport,” Austria said.

The largest difference to the boys soccer season is the games.

“Only household members are allowed to attend — they have to fill out a Google Form,” he said. “It impacts the team’s energy and mentality. Celebrating with the student section is what I’ll miss most.”

they must perform in the confines of the BV campuses.

“We were supposed to go to Florida for Nationals,” Spratley said. “All of our competitions are virtual now.”

Despite setbacks of COVID-19, Spratley hopes to create opportunities for her teammates.

“I hope to be remembered as someone people could always come to, cheer related or not,” she said.

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VOTING REQUIREMENTS FOR THE STATE OF KANSAS be a citizen of the United States be a resident of Kansas at least 18 years of age For more info on how to vote:

liya patel & claire stein staff writers Every four years, the Blue Valley District offers an election class to stay in-line with the presidential election. Following current events, discussing each candidate and analyzing the election process as a whole are some of the many things that students are able to do when taking this class.

Social studies teacher Adam Bien is the only one to teach the American Science National Election Class at Blue Valley High this year.

“In 2016, we had over 700 kids in our school sign up for the class,” Bien said. “Our numbers were so high, we ended up having to kick the freshmen out.”

The course is offered during first, second, third and fifth hours. This now allows for students of all grades to take it to fill a social studies elective credit.

Unlike other social studies classes offered in the district, this class follows a more fluid curriculum that is based on what happens throughout the election.

“If something happens that’s important to the election, we may drop our [scheduled] plans to talk about it,” Bein said.

Day-to-day, students’ focuses are centered toward political socialization discussions, diving into the basics of each branch of government and doing socratic seminars based on candidate debates.

As the school segwayed into the hybrid system, students in courses like this learned to adjust as they see fit.

“We do not offer a full virtual [option] for the election class,” he said. “We’re in-person, and the plan is to do hybrid with all of them.”

Along with this, Bein said “for more of our

Decides CLASS RE-EMERGES

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“If something happens that’s important to the election, we may drop our plans to talk about it.”

– Adam Bien, teacher

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small group discussions, we are trying to utilize breakout rooms.”

Keeping everyone involved is one of the key priorities in this class, no matter the structure for the rest of the semester.

“It’s kind of like a form of a government class,” senior Sean Brucker said. “You get to learn more about yourself, who you might vote for [and] your political affiliations.”

Being in such an interactive environment, Brucker enjoys “hearing everyone’s opinions about everything and then getting to learn more about stuff that we’d have to learn about on our own” if this class wasn’t offered.

Both students and educators who are a part of this semester-long experience have one primary goal — informing people about voting.

When discussing the importance of this class, Bein said there is usually a very low voter turnout from ages 18-25 due to them not being well informed.

Despite the class being filled with students of all grades, one quarter of the students enrolled in the class will be eligible to vote in the upcoming election.

Being younger than 18 should not hold students back from taking the steps to be ready to vote when eligible.

Registering yourself and taking classes like this to become educated about the U.S. political system will help increase voter turnout from this generation.

Even though he is not eligible to vote in this presidential election, Brucker and many others hope to use this experience as a way to “learn who to vote for in the future and what to look for in each candidate.”

How educated are you on the voting system?

I am an expert.

I know some things about it.

38 election class students surveyed

“You get to learn more about yourself, who you might vote for [and] your political affiliations.”

– Sean Brucker, 12 | DESIGN BY LIYA PATEL

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CHANGING COLLEGE STANDARDS Colleges move toward optional ACT, SAT scores isabelle fletcher & kaitlin green staff writers

incoming freshmen who are trying to gain admission.

“We recognized that the current global climate may make it difficult for students to s COVID-19 continues to affect the lives of students, another high school secure ACT/SAT testing opportunities,” K-State admission representative Kaylee right of passage has been impacted: Sundeen said in a newsletter released ACT and SAT testing. The pandemic has in September. “The university is also inhibited students from opportunities to currently in the process of developing a gain or improve their scores, and colleges scholarship program for incoming domestic recognize that not every student will meet freshmen who are admitted without test acceptance criteria by the admission scores.” deadline.

Constant changes to standardized test “There’s lots of adjustments being requirements can cause stress to high made for kids [because] they may not have school students who are planning on apany ACT score at all [or] may have only plying to colleges. Junior Alison Yee, who been able to take the test one time, when those same kids normally would have taken has been studying for the ACT since eighth it three times,” said Dianne O’Bryan, one grade, has mixed emotions on colleges changing their testing requirements. of the ACT/SAT test prep teachers. “[ACT and SAT tests] create a lot of The College Board is also providing anxiety and take a lot of time to do,” Yee students with more opportunities to sign said. “But up for tests I’ve been in order to “What I have started to see from preparing meet admisand getting sion require- schools is that they’re going to look at better and ments. better.” “[Coldeveloping some new criteria Yee lege Board] agrees stanis offering for kids for scholarships who dardized several tests tests would in Septem- don’t have an ACT score.” be beneficial ber [and] to students, October, – Dianne O’Bryan, teacher but also when usubelieves that colleges should consider more ally there’s just one in September, one in than scores when selecting students.

October and one in December,” O’Bryan “I don’t like that colleges judge you said. on your test scores, especially high-level Several colleges have acknowledged colleges,” Yee said. “They should not focus that standardized test scores may not be so much on test scores because it doesn’t obtainable for all incoming freshmen and reflect how you learn and do at school.” have decided to change admission criteria While requirements continue to or extend the window for test score accepfluctuate due to COVID-19, it is important tance.

“What I have started to see from schools for students to stay up-to-date with potential colleges in order to best prepare is that they’re going to look at developing for admissions. some new criteria for kids for scholarships “The most important thing for kids who don’t have an ACT score,” O’Bryan right now is to be looking at the websites of said. “[Some] schools are also extending schools that they’re interested in,” O’Bryan their deadline until April for seniors to said. “There’s all kinds of accommodations apply ACT scores.” being made for the situation these kids are K-State has recently become a college in.” to go test-optional and is actively helping

A 78% think colleges and universities should go to test-optional applications instead of requiring the ACT/SAT. 22 % disagree.

188 students surveyed

List of Colleges with Optional Testing

| DESIGN BY ISABELLE FLETCHER

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Choir teacher plans to continue department’s success mia rice staff writer

presented this year. It is expected to see different musical types expressed from Dollins’ younger, fresher style.

“I had to adjust my expectations as I do not get the From transferring to online learning to a long-time immediate feedback that you would normally get in the teacher retiring, the choir department still had one major classroom,” he said. change waiting for them once they returned to school — Even with so much to anticipate, Dollins looked forward new teacher Sam Dollins. to meeting his students the most.

Former choir teacher Marsha Moeller led the Blue “It [was] weird being three weeks into the school year not Valley choirs for 34 years — her retirement was dreaded but knowing what the kids look like or how they act in my class,” respected by staff and students he said. alike.

Online classes made it a Although saddened by her little more difficult to interact retirement, finding a successor with even previous teachers, took priority. That is where but Dollins wants any chance Dollins walks into the story. he can get to bond with stuComing up on his 10th year of dents. teaching vocal music, Dollins “I’ve told some classes that has experience with competithe only way that they can tive show choir and directing. get to know me is if they stay “Blue Valley has a rich after and talk to me,” he said. choral history with very strong – Sam Dollins, choir teacher “I know that it isn’t ideal for music programs,” he said. “I every student, but the students wanted to be in a great district that has high standards for who have stayed after class know me more, and I have their students and staff.” connected with them.”

Though certainly difficult to teach choir under coronaviUpholding a legacy like Moeller’s wouldn’t be anyone’s rus precautions, Dollins said the classes have been successful- ideal introduction into a school, but Dollins looks at it as an ly performing while practicing during online Zoom calls. optimistic opportunity.

“As of right now, the plan is to continue with everything “The great part about following a ‘titan’ such as Marsha as ‘normal,’” he said. “There will be a lot of changes due is that the students love singing and have a strong desire to be to the restrictions of COVID, but we are still planning on great,” Dollins said. “There will be many bumps along the having a musical in February.” road, but I know that BVH is where I’m supposed to be at Choir doesn’t plan to slow down even with the surprises this time of my life.”

“There will be many bumps along the road, but I know that BVH is where I’m supposed to be at this time of my life.”

| DESIGN BY MIA RICE

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stephanie kontopanos web editor The coronavirus outbreak has led people to be more concerned about their health, but there are those who feel more anxiety about COVID-19 than others.

Junior Avery Harris has severe hypochondria or hypochondriasis, a mental illness that causes anxiety of having a serious, undiagnosed illness.

Harris began to show symptoms when she was 4 years old, and in sixth grade she was finally diagnosed.

“It made me really relieved,” Harris said. “Before [I was diagnosed,] I thought all my symptoms were real.

Knowing that it was just a mental disorder cleared up so much confusion.”

Hypochondriacs typically have varying symptoms and have anxiety over different diseases.

“My main triggers are heart attacks, strokes and vomiting,” Harris said. “I commonly feel shortness of breath, upset stomach and tension headaches, which spiral into panic attacks.”

While Harris is staying home like many because of the pandemic, physical

illness is not the only limitation keeping her inside.

“I refuse to go in public at all because I know that if I do, I’ll start feeling the symptoms and not know if it’s in my head or really happening,” Harris said.

Luckily, Harris has a strong support system to aid her.

“The only way I can cope is distractions such as friends, family and pets.

My friends know not to bring up disease around me,” Harris said. “My really close friends will talk me down from panic attacks. Friends and family avoid me when they feel like vomiting so they won’t trigger me.”

While Harris does have a great support system, she feels that many people tend to undermine hypochondria.

“Hypochondria is usually just considered overreacting or being a germaphobe,” Harris said. “Many people think it’s as simple as thinking puking is gross, when in reality, it’s a whole other level.”

Harris said that people shouldn’t self diagnose themselves with hypochondria.

“If you feel like it affects your life, get a professional diagnosis,” she said.

“People think it’s as simple as thinking puking is gross when in reality it’s a whole other level.” | DESIGN BY STEPHANIE KONTOPANOS

– Avery Harris, 11

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BV parent discusses Suicide Awareness Month frannie lamberti staff writer Five years ago, Speak Up was founded to provide support to those struggling with their mental health.

A mother of a Blue Valley junior, Jennifer Levinson, is the community outreach facilitator for the organization.

“We were founded in October of 2015 after two of my friends, within a span of May to September, each lost a child to suicide,” Levinson said.

She said the Speak Up foundation focuses on the health of all individuals who need help. The foundation provides help for people on both sides of the state line.

“Our mission is to break the silence and break down the stigma surrounding conversation around mental health and wellness,” Levinson said. “[We want] to get people comfortable talking about their mental health, the way we are comfortable talking about physical health.”

Numbers to call for help National Suicide Hotline 800-273-8255 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – For youth and adults (800) 273-talk (8255) SAMHSA’s National Helpline 1-800-662-help (4357)

Levinson said over the past five years, the foundation’s views of suicide prevention have changed.

The first few years the foundation focused on the signs of someone who is considering taking their life.

“It’s really shifted to getting people comfortable talking about their mental health and wellness,” Levinson said. “We should be so far upstream on having a conversation about our mental health that we never get to the point where someone is contemplating harming themselves or taking their life.”

Levinson said the events this year for suicide awareness have looked different due to the pandemic.

Since they can’t host their annual walk, the foundation is focusing on the mental health of students who haven’t been in school.

“Our walk is not just a walk,” Levinson said. “It’s more about sharing community resources and the program having suicide attempt survivors speak.”

As a suicide survivor herself, Levinson is glad people are more open to talk about their mental health and journey now.

“I attempted three times, two times as a teenager and once as an adult,” Levinson said. “Even though what you all are going through now as teens is completely different than what I was going through as a teen, I still know what it’s like to be in that deep dark hole and feel like it’s never going to get better.”

Levinson said anything you are going through in life can be worked

“Be open to having the conversation — if you think that your friend is struggling, it’s OK to ask them questions.

– Jennifer Levinson, Speak Up through and fixed with the support of the right people, and suicide is not the answer.

“There’s nothing that could happen that we can’t fix [or] that we can’t get through unless they make a choice to take their life or to harm themselves,” Levinson said. “Once you’ve made that choice, there’s no turning back. We can’t undo that.”

If students know someone having mental health issues, Levinson advises them to reach out. Helping them go talk to someone and taking the right course of actions can make a difference, she said.

“Be open to having the conversation — if you think your friend is struggling, it’s OK to ask them questions: ‘You just seem like you haven’t been yourself lately. Do you want to talk about what’s going on?’”

Levinson said. “Recognize that it’s not [a friend’s] responsibility to keep that person alive, but [they can] connect them to a trusted adult and resources.” | DESIGN BY ERIKA KOLSETH

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Quarantine Grace Malm, 11 reading

Junior Grace Malm has used her time in quarantine to jump back into a love of reading.

“I used to be a huge reader when I was in middle school and elementary school,” Malm said. “I was the kid that read all the ‘Magic Treehouse’ books.”

Malm turned to books as a way to alleviate quarantine boredom.

“I really didn’t have a lot going on,” Malm said. “I just needed something to occupy my mind that wasn’t my phone or the TV.” She hopes to continue reading as a way to relax.

“It’s almost escapism — it’s really a wonderful break from reality to just be able to dive back into a book,” Malm said.

She believes that, in some ways, other forms of media can’t compare to books.

“The amount of description and the amount of intimate understanding that you can have of a character and the way that their mind works is something that you don’t get on TV or in movies,” she said.

Quincy Hartman, 12 photography, cello

During quarantine, senior Quincy Hartman began to not only pursue her love of photography and painting, but she also picked up an old hobby as well.

“I’ve [taken] a few senior pictures and have started doing cello lessons again,” Hartman said.

Even with the rules and regulations of quarantine, Hartman still found ways of pursuing these activities.

Whether it was doing online cello lessons or wearing a mask and social distancing while taking photos, she made the most of it.

“I pushed through and didn’t give up on trying to find ways to be safe but still have something to do,” Hartman said.

| WORDS BY TYMBER MOODY & STEPHANIE KONTOPANOS

Luke Smith, 10 gaming, fishing

Sophomore Luke Smith spent his time in quarantine playing video games and trying to keep in contact with his friends. Although he liked gaming before the pandemic, his drive to do so grew immensely when he was unable to see his friends.

“I played a lot of video games with my friends [during quarantine],” Smith said. “That was the only way that I could talk to them.”

Along with playing video games, Smith also began fishing during quarantine. Although it kept him busy, he said it was sometimes a lot of waiting.

“It’s very exciting when you get a bite,” Smith said. “It can also be pretty boring when you don’t get any for a long time.”

Now that everything is opening back up and slowly going back to normal, Smith has picked up some of his old hobbies as well.

“I [have] started hanging out with people a little more, but not as much as normal,” he said. “Sports have started up, so I can watch them now.”

Ava Wadman, 9 self care, organization

Before quarantine, freshman Ava Wadman was always doing something. Whether it be with friends, family or dance, Wadman was constantly busy. Although most of her hobbies weren’t quarantine friendly, she had to find new ways to keep herself busy and entertained.

“During quarantine, I needed to figure out more things to do on my own, so I did a lot of organization and self care,” Wadman said. “[I also] fell back into painting [and] spent a lot of time with my family. We’re all super busy, so it was good to have more time with them.”

Even though most businesses are open now and she’s almost back to her busy schedule, Wadman still finds the time for self-care.

“I try to still do as much as I can,” Wadman said. “It makes me a better person, and I do it as a distraction from everything else that’s going on.”

Students dive into new activities during isolation

Emma Williams, 12 reading

Life before quarantine for senior Emma Williams was very busy and full of activities. She played volleyball, hung out with friends and was involved in track; but all of this came to an end in quarantine.

With her new-found boredom, she had to find a way to keep herself busy so she began reading.

“I didn’t want to sit on my phone all day or watch TV so I was like, ‘Let’s start reading,’” Williams said.

Williams enjoyed reading before the pandemic but didn’t read nearly as much as she did during quarantine.

“I did a lot of reading,” she said. “I read like 50 books.”

Because of all of that reading, Williams and her friends decided to create a book club and now have a positive new hobby they plan to continue even out of quarantine.

“We’re going to read books and talk about them together,” she said.

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Sofia Hughes, 11 embroidery

Junior Sofia Hughes learned how to embroider during quarantine after seeing pictures on social media.

“I saw a lot of videos of embroidery on TikTok,” Hughes said. “I also saw pictures on Instagram or art accounts — unique stuff that isn’t what you think of when you think of embroidery.”

Hughes learned how to embroider through YouTube tutorials, but she said most of it is intuitive.

“You learn some basic stitches, but a lot of it is just pull[ing] the needle through the [fabric] over and over again until it looks like what you want it to look like,” Hughes said. “There are definitely more complicated styles, but I’ve just kind of done whatever I wanted and messed around.”

Besides the creative aspect of embroidery, Hughes likes how she can multitask with it.

“I really like listening to podcasts and watching TV [while I do it],” Hughes said. “I always have a hard time paying attention to things, and [it’s] just a really nice thing to do with my hands.”

Ellie Nuss, 11 tarot, oracle reading

Over quarantine, junior Ellie Nuss got more in touch with pagan spirituality, especially tarot and oracle card reading. This hobby stemmed from an interest in various religions.

“I’ve always been very interested in different types of spirituality,” Nuss said. “This is just the one I gravitated toward most.”

Although there is much information on this topic on the internet, Nuss prefers to learn about tarot and oracle reading through literature.

“There are a lot of really good books that are really specific,” Nuss said. “I have one that’s about tarot and [its meanings in] pop culture.”

Besides tarot, Nuss also dabbles in spellwork.

“The only real spells I do are ones with pure intent,” Nuss said. “They’re [for] protection and making sure I’m safe.”

Nuss plans to continue reaping the emotional benefits of this spiritual practice.

“It really helped calm me down,” Nuss said. “It’s something I really, really enjoy.”

Max Holdhusen, 10 gaming, schoolwork

Over quarantine, sophomore Max Holdhusen has been playing more video games.

“A new video game came out called ‘Among Us,’ and it’s really fun to play with my friends,” Holdhusen said.

Holdhusen’s friends encouraged him to start playing “Among Us.” “My friends are the ones that do all of that gaming stuff,” Holdhusen said. “They told me to download this game.”

Besides gaming, Holdhusen has also focused more on his studies during the break.

“I’ve been getting on top of schoolwork and getting all of it done,” Holdhusen said.

Thinking toward the future keeps Holdhusen motivated to keep improving as a student.

“I’m striving to do better in school,” he said. “That’s something I want to do in life — have good grades and go to a good school. I think that’s important.” | DESIGN BY STEPHANIE KONTOPANOS

14

on the cover

PROBLEMS WITH THE PANDEMIC WRITTEN BY:

CHLOE BROWNING STEPHANIE KONTOPANOS HARRISON MELTON TYMBER MOODY CLAIRE POWELL CHARLEY THOMAS ELEANOR WARREN *statistics based on a poll of 188 students

see the New York Times’ United States coronavirus hot spot tracking map

on the cover

FROM HIATUS TO HYBRID On Oct. 2, Blue Valley students experienced a school day beyond the parameters of virtual education and attended classes in-person for the first time in a whopping 207 days — which is almost double Phineas and Ferb’s intended 104 days of summer vacation.

With this announcement came the excitement of seeing friends and teachers face-to-face — or mask-to-mask — as well as the dread of relinquishing the freedoms of online school, such as sleeping in later and having access to snacks at all times.

HYBRID In addition to the comfort in having a structured routine, many BV students like sophomore Alexis Forgy longed for the interpersonal elements of school that they so dearly missed during isolation.

“I love the social aspect of school,” Forgy said. “I really like going and actually seeing people.”

Along with physically interacting with friends, Forgy believes her ability to learn fully in-person is greatly dependent upon whether or not students come back to school.

“Chemistry is hard because you are supposed to be doing labs, which you obviously can’t do online,” Forgy said.

Despite being enthusiastic about going back to school in the hybrid model, Forgy pulled some positives from the online school experience.

“I feel like teachers are a little bit more flexible with due dates,” Forgy said. “I also like how we have block days every day because I have more time to get all my work done.”

15

However, online school does have its faults, starting with the amount of screentime and the consequences that come with it.

“I get headaches a lot because I’m on my computer so much,” Forgy said. “I also feel like we get a little bit more work than we did when we were in person.”

All pros and cons considered, Forgy was ready to move forward from virtual learning and start the process of phasing back into a normal education. “[Online school] is not as bad as I thought it was going to be, but it’s still a lot harder than in-person,” she said.

“It’s a lot easier for me to learn things when I actually have in-person school.”

When students finally returned to the building for the first time since March 12, it was a busy day, but nonetheless one filled with the promise of more time with friends and a return to at least some normalcy. “[I loved] getting back to the social aspect of school,” Forgy said. “It’s a lot easier for me to learn with hybrid instead of online.”

Although Forgy’s feelings about the return to part-time in-person learning are generally positive, she acknowledges some negatives. “[The worst part is] having to wear masks all day,” Forgy said. “The desks are spread out, and we have to wipe them down at the end of class.”

Following the lead of the classrooms, lunch seating arrangements have also greatly changed — students now eat during 1 of 11 different assigned lunch times in either the commons or the gym.

“We have to sit six feet apart,” Forgy said. “It’s awkward because I’m used to sitting somewhat close to my friends.”

Forgy looks forward to moving forward in-person.

“I’m happy with continuing with hybrid going into November,” she said. “I wish we could totally in-person, but I’m super happy that clubs are starting back up, too.”

DO STUDENTS THINK THERE SHOULD BE A MASK MANDATE AT SCHOOL? 86% 90% yes 14%no 10%

DO STUDENTS THINK OTHER STUDENTS HAVE DONE THEIR PART TO KEEP CASES DOWN? 62% no 38% yes |DESIGN BY CHARLIE TRENT

16

on the cover

VIRTUAL The COVID-19 pandemic forced everything from hair salons to the NFL to adapt their methods and create a brand-new way of doing things. Schools are no exception.

To create a safe and healthy learning environment for all students, Blue Valley Schools offered the option to take virtual classes instead of attending in-person school. In the interest of their children’s safety, some families decided to exercise this option.

“We weren’t sure if school was safe,” freshman Sydney Maxwell said. “COVID case numbers are still pretty high.”

Maxwell is one of the Blue Valley students taking online classes for the 2020-21 school year.

“It’s not the best [because] I need some more discipline to learn,” Maxwell said. “I’m just not getting that in virtual.”

This online learning atmosphere has been a challenge for all students, but for the virtual students, there is no end in sight.

“It’s been harder for me to force myself to do work,” Maxwell said.

Virtual students are also missing out on a lot of the educational opportunities that in-person learning offers.

“I like having a teacher there so I can ask questions,” Maxwell said. “I’m more of a learner that has to work with someone. I’m not really good at independent work, as in teaching myself.”

Although Maxwell is “definitely not happy” with the virtual classroom, her hopes are high for the future of online learning.

“We have less time with teachers right now,” Maxwell said. “But once the in-person kids go back to school [I think we] will have more time with teachers.”

Additionally, the virtual classroom is teaching kids valuable skills for entering the workforce.

“It’s a lot of extra independence,” Maxwell said.

Students outside of the classroom are learning to operate without the control of their teachers.

“You have to really focus and get your work done,” Maxwell said. “There’s no teacher there to remind you.”

Clearly, there can be many benefits to online school.

“I get out of school early,” Maxwell said. “Sometimes I don’t even have class.”

However, if possible, Maxwell said she will “probably go back to school second semester.”

“COVID numbers might’ve dropped, or there might be a vaccine by then,” Maxwell said.

At the end of the day, virtual learning has its ups and downs, as does in-person learning, but all of the Blue Valley students and staff will be working together to find a way through this school year.

“I’m not mad about my decision, but I’m definitely not happy with [it],” Maxwell said. “I just wish I could go back to school so that I can learn with my friends and have an actual teacher there in front of me.”

HOW LONG DO STUDENTS THINK THE MASK MANDATE SHOULD LAST FOR SCHOOL? 7%

5%

15% 73%

depends on coronavirus cases for the rest of the year for the rest of the semester there shouldn’t be one

DO STUDENTS THINK THERE SHOULD BE A MASK MANDATE IN JOHNSON COUNTY? 86% yes 14% no

on the cover

VIRTUAL/HYBRID mixture Junior Jessica Alexander made the decision to do hybrid learning so she could take certain classes and reap the benefits of in-person learning while still staying safe.

“I wanted to be able to have my theater and chemistry classes in person,” Alexander said. “I thought a virtual experience wouldn’t be as beneficial for me due to the fact that I am an extrovert and miss the conversations generated in my typical classes.”

So far, Alexander has mixed feelings about virtual learning.

“I enjoy taking math and U.S. History online,” Alexander said. “I almost wish I didn’t have to take them in-person at all anymore, but other classes have me excited to get back.”

Her biggest worry about the hybrid learning plan was a lack of organization.

“I am scared that I [won’t] know where [I’m] supposed to be those mornings,” Alexander said. “Outside of school, I already have a complicated schedule, so this is really going to test my time management.”

Due to the pandemic, performing arts students like Alexander no longer have as many performances to look forward to.

“It’s harder to get motivated for the class when we don’t get to practice for a show,” Alexander said. “It really is a shame.”

Alexander is prepared for the COVID-19 and school situation to continue changing.

“This plan doesn’t seem perfect, and the pandemic isn’t over, “ Alexander said. “Things could change quite drastically again.”

Five days after it started, hybrid learning had not made a good impression on Alexander.

“Hybrid is a bit worse [than expected],” Alexander said. “[It’s hard to] remember which days are which, know when to go in [or] stay home.”

While Alexander has concerns with social distancing, the hybrid model proves to have some benefits. “[In] theater and chemistry, [we] get to do more

17

interactive stuff,” she said.

Alexander also believes that despite the safety precautions not being followed perfectly, she isn’t excessively worried about her health. “[I feel] as safe as I can given the circumstances,” Alexander said.

Now that she has experienced hybrid learning, Alexander thinks the district can improve its COVID-19 learning plan. Her experience with hybrid learning so far has only made her more confident about wanting to take more virtual classes.

“I don’t think I will do [in-person] next semester for anything but theater if I can help it,” Alexander said. “I have found that I get more work done when I don’t face the classroom distractions, and I really enjoy getting to work at my own pace with my classwork.”

ADVICE FROM THE BV NURSES

Through the pandemic, the school nurses Julie McCrea and Anne Smith dedicated themselves to the students’ well being. While we all enjoyed our extended summer, these two worked with other school nurses across the district to plan for this school year. “[We did] a lot more educating on COVID, [and] we had meetings throughout the summer to get updates to prepare and to discuss things as they came up,” McCrea said. “We tried to make sure we were prepared as best we could be for coming back [this semester].”

Since March, the nurses have seen a major change in communication between the district and its surrounding community.

“We always had communication before, but it’s definitely increased on the education side a lot to try to help educate students and families of the new normal,” Smith said.

This year is uncharted territory for everyone, and staying up-to-date on important school information is critical for a good learning experience.

“I want this to feel like a safe place where they can come and get the health care they need,” Smith said.

WHAT TO EXPECT VISITING THE NURSES: TEMPERATURE CHECK FOLLOWING COVID-19 REGULATIONS

18

on the cover

,

EXPERTS OPINIONS The Blue Valley Board of Education approved of the Kansas State Department of Education’s coronavirus gating criteria on Aug. 18. However with that change, fall activities were suspended for two weeks.

“At the time of the board meeting, we had committed to look at the gating criteria on a regular cycle, but [school] was different from what athletics and activities were,” BV School District’s chief communications officer Kristi McNerlin said. “On Sept. 4 the decision was made [that] as long as we made significant modifications, [we would] allow athletics and activities.”

Since then, school is back in session with hybrid learning with new health regulations.

“We have the mask [mandate, and] we’re doing our best to do social distancing,” McNerlin said. “The mitigation efforts that we have in place, I believe, will reduce to the greatest extent possible the number of cases we will have in our schools.”

According to Dr. Alex Hallock, COVID-19 is a new disease of the coronavirus. Hallock is the Associate Chief of Staff for Education for the Veterans Affairs Eastern Kansas Health Care System.

“This is a particular strain of COVID that humanity has never seen in any great degree, so we’re much more susceptible to it,” Hallock said.

While this new strain of the coronavirus has flu-like symptoms, Hallock said the two do have disparities. “[With] COVID, we’re testing more people, and it seems to have a much higher mortality than influenza does,” Hallock said. “We don’t know how bad it could be if we didn’t put in place [restrictions]. Because there’s so much unknown about it, that’s what’s scaring people — 20,000 [deaths] a year we can deal with, but 200,000 tends

to freak us out.”

Having helped with the 2003 smallpox response and being in charge of the 2014 Ebola response for the VA, Hallock is more aware of how to react to COVID-19.

However for the school district, this is uncharted territory.

“We’re doing the best we can with the information we have at the time,” McNerlin said. “We’re partnering with our medical experts. We want kids back in person every day.”

Hallock, whose daughter Sarah is a junior at BV, knows there are inevitable risks associated with returning to school. Still, Hallock believes the school district should balance the traditional learning environment with the rate of infectivity.

“Unfortunately schools are put in an extremely tough position,” he said. “Obviously as a dad, I don’t want my daughter to catch something that could potentially harm her. At the same time, this happened so quickly that we did not have a way of adequately trying to figure out a good response for it. It’s sort of a double-edged sword.”

Though Hallock and McNerlin both said cases will rise in schools, they stressed the gravity to lessen the number affected. A great way of doing so is by wearing a mask. “[The] Johnson County government can make whatever recommendations they want, but ultimately it’s going to boil down to the individual,” Hallock said. “The point of the mask is that if you’re a carrier and you don’t know [have] it, we want to minimize your risk of giving it to somebody else.”

Agreeing with Hallock, McNerlin believes independent choices affect the outcome of the school’s education.

“If they’re exposing themselves because they’re not wearing masks outside of school, that impacts potentially the learning environment,” McNerlin said.

While Hallock recommends to socially distance and wear a mask, it’s also important to remember the basics.

“Wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands,” Hallock said. “Infection control boils down to covering your mouth when you cough, washing your hands frequently [and] staying home if you’re sick.”

Hallock also emphasizes the coronavirus’s ability to become a teachable moment.

“When [COVID-19] dies down, we need to take lessons learned and apply them for the future,” Hallock said. “If we’re not paying attention to what we’ve learned from all this, then we’ve wasted an opportunity because we have to find some good.”

During this time, McNerlin still finds merit in the difficulties of the pandemic.

“I’ve learned how important it is for us to be kind,” she said. “There are a lot of varying opinions and people are impacted differently by COVID-19. At the end of the day, regardless of where you stand in your opinions, express those opinions with kindness.”

As for whether or not the country will ever return back to “normal,” Hallock doesn’t think it will nor should.

“Things change constantly, and we will change with it,” Hallock said. “The problem [is] we’re right in middle of it, but humanity will find a way because we always do.”

on the cover

19

HOW WOULD STUDENTS DESCRIBE MODIFIED LEARNING? VIRTUAL: “limited” George Perkins, 11 “unengaging” Matthew Greer, 12 “unorganized” Bella Field, 10 “busy-work” Katie McKain, 12

HYBRID: “terrible” Ben Brown, 12 “hype” Jack Sartino, 11 “inadequate” Charlie Klepper, 12 “refreshing” Isaac Hudson, 9

26 students said that hybrid learning is

CONFUSING

PRE-HYBRID With all of the new changes occurring at BV this year, it’s no surprise that some students have been at the school since the very beginning. While many students are getting back in the swing of things and are becoming acquainted with the hybrid schedule, some students with diverse learning needs have been at the school for almost two months and are getting used to seeing other students around the school again.

Sixteen students have been at BV since school started in September working with intensive resource teacher Heidi Parrish along with other members of her department. At the start of the school year, there were some challenges that Parrish’s students faced with the new schedule.

It might have been difficult at first, but Parrish’s students have since gotten used to the new schedule and were very excited for other students to be back at the school with them.

Along with the new schedule changes, another one of the struggles that Parrish’s class had to overcome with online learning is the challenge of not having student helpers in the classroom.

“Our students learn from their peers and each other as much as they learn from us,” Parrish said.

Like other students at BV, Parrish’s students had the option to be in person or online, and while four chose to stay online, more and more students are choosing in-person

learning. With the number of students coming to BV, there are a lot of safety procedures that have been implemented in their everyday school experience.

“Our students have been doing really, really well with wearing their masks,” Parrish said. “They have to wash their hands or sanitize every hour, [and] right when they come in, we have to check their temperature.”

Students were also asked to bring a personal pencil box with supplies like scissors, pencils and pens, in order to prevent cross-contamination with other students or staff. Additionally, students are given a short break each hour so that the long block periods aren’t too mentally draining.

“Usually, I give them one 10-minute break during the [class period] and we go outside,” Parrish said. “They’re able to take off their masks for that entire time, but if somebody’s having a hard time with [wearing a mask,] we will go with whatever individually each kid needs.”

Even with all of the new procedures and schedules put in place, Parrish said the students adjusted very well to the changes.

“Our students have been total rock stars,” Parrish said. “They have been wearing their masks, washing and sanitizing their hands, and just overall being very flexible.

Honestly, you can tell they are so happy to be back [in school and] in a routine.”

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feature

On The Hunt BV students share their passion for hunting

chloe browning story editor

H

unting is an ancient sport that has been around for at least the last 2 million years.

This is a sport of not only technique but discipline and patience. Seniors Katie Twedt and Matthew Fitori have both been practicing these skills from a young age. “[My dad] would take us out when we were 5 or 6 years old to watch him shoot,” Fitori said.

“For a couple years, [I learned] all the safety stuff and then started shooting when I was 8.”

For Fitori, hunting is not just a sport but a way for him to bond with his family.

“It’s something to do with my brothers and my dad,” Fitori said.

Twedt also sees hunting as a chance to connect with her father.

“I’ve grown up in a hunting family — it’s something that bonds my dad and I together,” Twedt said. “I first started out with my hunter safety class when I was 12, and then I started hunting when I was 13.”

For both seniors, hunting involves multiple seasons and a lot of planning behind the scenes.

“You [have] to scout where the animals are going to be and know the location you are wanting to go to,” Fitori said.

While this planning may seem like a hassle “the reward is worth it,” Fitori said.

Although hunting is a predominantly male sport, many women have started to tackle the challenge. Twedt, like many female hunters, encourages other girls to get out and try it.

“I definitely think that girls need to throw themselves out there,” Twedt said. “If you are interested just ask around, and someone will always

| DESIGN BY CHLOE BROWNING

be willing to help you.”

With many different animals to hunt, the different seasons last from around September to May. “Duck season is [happening] now, and it just depends on when the birds migrate through Kansas for when the season ends,” Fitori said. “If it’s deer, the season will usually be during the mating season because the deer are on the move.”

For Fitori, every season is game day, and he is always ready to get out there.

“My biggest accomplishment is that I shot a goose band that was from Russia,” Fitori said.

Another popular animal in the area is turkey.

Turkey season in Kansas starts in the middle of April and ends in late May. For Twedt, turkey season is the best of them all. “[My biggest kill] was a tom turkey with an 11-inch beard,” Twedt said “I shot it with my 20-gauge shotgun, which is my gun of choice.”

For both of these hunters, it isn’t just about the kill but helping the environment and the animals themselves.

“Would you rather go to the store and get meat from a factory where they’re abusing the animals and not treating them right? Or would you rather go and kill something yourself that was able to live in the wild where it belongs?” Fitori said.

Hunting also statistically helps with keeping wildlife populations in control.

“There’s a lot of animals out in the wild such as deer that are overpopulated. Hunting helps keep those populations in check,” Twedt said.

Hunting is something many people in this country love to do.

“It is one of those all-American things that brings our country together,” Twedt said. “I think it should continue forever.”

feature

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“I definitely think that girls need to throw themselves out there.” – Katie Twedt, 12

“My biggest accomplishment is that I shot a goose band that was from Russia.” – Matthew Fitori, 12 What animals do you hunt?

3% pheasant 9% coyote 6% geese

3% fish 23% turkey

Do you hunt?

8%Yes

9% dove 38% deer 9% duck 188 students surveyed

92% No

22

feature

Kansas City Rental Company

DECA students become entrepreneurs

rylee bergmann staff writer

T

hree Blue Valley seniors Varoon Enjeti, Jackson Hagen and Naveen Kodwani have recently started their own business, Kansas City Rental Company (KCRC).

In the past, Hagen had his own lawn mowing business after an internship with a family-friend. The two others did not have their own businesses before but have always been very interested in entrepreneurship.

The three share a love of learning about people and adding more value to the world. They were intrigued by the idea of becoming business owners, but their creativity truly blossomed when they all worked together in a group project for DECA. The organization’s goal is to prepare “emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe.” It allowed them to focus on their idea and flourish it into something tangible.

Enjeti, Hagen and Kodwani knew they wanted

1

Enjeti, Hagen and Kodwani. to create a business beneficial to not only their community but the ones neighboring it, too.

They center around in-person relationships and building interconnectedness among the people of Overland Park. KCRC allows for customers to rent or put up their items for others to rent.

“We provide this platform where people can share their belongings that they may have sitting around in their garage [or] basement,” Enjeti said. “[People have] these expensive tools that are very niche [that they] only use a

“[It] streamlines an entire rental process, and that fulfills our main goal of connecting our community around a certain need.” – Jackson Hagen, 12

couple of times a year.”

Their company’s goal is to help bring the community together and create a stronger bond. With the need of a short-term rental, this business allows others to rely on each other and truly create a connection for a common purpose.

Another priority of theirs is to encourage others to be less wasteful with their money and time.

Starting in the late September, the trio officially launched their three-phase business plan. In phase one, a marketing plan was included, and they are starting by only allowing others to rent the specific items they own.

After phase one, they will continue to add more items and hopefully expand to the surrounding neighborhoods outside of the Blue Valley District.

The KCRC CEOs said creating a new business might seem impossible to their peers, but they encourage everyone to really think of ideas and follow through with their goals.

“Normally when you think of entrepreneurs, you think of adults, but we’re high schoolers,” Kodwani said. “We have ideas; we can be creative. So, just try it out and if you fail, you fail — but I mean, just go for it.”

THE PROCESS: *Directly from KCRC* Rentee places an order for rent on the website.

2

Renter is sent a message containing rentee’s contact info.

3

Renter and rentee discuss an agreed upon time and place to complete transaction of item.

4

Item is delivered and renter informs rentee on any additional necessary information about item.

5

Once rental period is complete, renter and rentee will meet again at an agreed upon time and place to return item.

| DESIGN BY RYLEE BERGMANN

| PHOTO SUBMITTED BY JACKSON HAGEN

KCRC’s website

How To Stay Focused

23

a&e

5 tips for succeeding in school

electronics f f o n r u T .

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asy to It’s super e any rounds y one too m la p r o k o T Tik e during n our phon o e m a g a f o put it rn it off and class, so tu out of sight. gree somewhere tudents a

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22% of 18

| CARTOON BY ANI KREEGAR

2. Get into a routine

Try to make a routine from the beginning to the end of your day. That will help your mind an d body get used to focusing on one spec ific thing at a time.

38% of 188 students ag

ree

3. Make a list of goals This one is super self-explanatory — make a list of goals to accomplish.

It could be class by class, or it could be day-by-day, but no matter what, it will feel so nice to get one more thing checked off your list.

21% of 188 students agree

4. Personally co

nn

ect to the materi This will make it al easier to focus. Fo r example, if you need to read a bo ring book for ELA, try to relate to the characters an d the events of th e book.

11% of 188 studen

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| DESIGN BY ANI KREEGAR | WORDS BY OLIVIA SHERLOCK

24

a&e

NCE IN A

BLUE MOON charley thomas staff writer

H

alloween this year will be unique from the rest for one specific reason unrelated to the coronavirus — in true 2020 fashion, the holiday will host the rare solar event of a blue moon. To put this into perspective, there will only be 11 blue moons on Halloween throughout both the 20th and 21st centuries, the most recent one having been 19 years ago in 2001. In the last 19 years, a lot has changed. From movies to candy to costumes, everything has had its Halloween trends go in and out of style, and this article will help you to see just how much can happen between two particularly spooky blue moons.

MOVIES 2001

“Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge,” a childhood favorite for many, was released to theaters across the country on Oct. 12, 2001. The movie came as a sequel to the original “Halloweentown” released in 1998 that, despite having a budget of only $4 million, received generally positive reviews from kids and adults alike. It follows an adventure of Marnie Cromwell, a young and particularly talented witch, that must stop an evil warlock from sabotaging Halloween night. Kalabar, the warlock antagonist, has stolen Marnie’s grandmother’s all-powerful spellbook, and he plans to use it to turn humans into their costumes permanently at the stroke of midnight. The movie included many Halloween traditions like bobbing for apples, decorating with spider webs and cauldrons and dancing to songs such as “Monster Mash” and “Thriller” to help get its audience into the fall spirit.

2020

The star-studded movie “Hubie Halloween” premiered Oct. 7 on Netflix. Set in Salem, Massachusetts, perhaps the most eerie town in America, the film focuses on the devoted outcast of the town, Hubie (Adam Sandler), who is more often than not the victim of his community’s pranks and mockery. This Halloween, however, Salem finds itself in the midst of a murder investigation, and it’s up to Hubie to save his beloved town as well as it’s favorite holiday. The stunning cast of “Hubie Halloween” has been the reason for much of its publicity, sporting a seemingly endless list of accomplished actors like Maya Rudolph, Kevin James, China Anne McClain and Shaquille O’Neal. As Halloween restrictions continue to be set because of the coronavirus, a home-showing of “Hubie Halloween” with friends and family may emerge as a popular celebration of the ghostly holiday.

a&e

CANDY

25

watch the twizzlers commercial here

2001

The candy for which everybody wanted to trade in 2001 was Twizzlers, the strawberry-flavored licorice strings. The Twizzlers sudden rise in popularity can be attributed to the company’s highly effective commercial that showed a grown man pretending to be a walrus while at a zoo with two Twizzlers in his mouth.

An obviously ridiculous scene, the advertisement seems to have fit perfectly with

the brand’s former slogan “play first, eat later.”

2020

The candy that was preferred by most Americans in 2019 and is expected to earn the title of most popular Halloween treat in 2020 is Reese’s Cups. The chocolate and peanut butter concoction was listed as the most beloved candy of a whopping 36% of Americans, beating out its closest competitor Snickers by 18%. With an abundance of spin-off products like Reese’s Pieces, Reese’s Fast Breaks and Reese’s Thins, it’s hard to find a candy basket today without the iconic brand.

COSTUMES 2001

In agreement with the magical nature of the holiday, the most popular Halloween costume in 2001 was either Harry Potter or Hermione Granger from J.K. Rowling’s book and movie series also titled “Harry Potter.” Although the first book, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” came out in 1997, it wasn’t until Nov. 14, 2001 that its movie counterpart was released, therefore building up excitement and anticipation about the series and its characters once more. In addition to this, many chose to dress up as the people who they considered to be “true heroes” after the tragic terrorist attacks of 9/11, which led to an increase of police officers, fire fighters and other patriotic references like Captain America and Wonder Woman on Halloween night.

2020

This Halloween, people can expect to see many costumes that reflect the recent events of a pandemic and widespread quarantine. One example of this is Joe Exotic or Carol Baskin themed costumes that are expected to be all over the U.S. after so many of its citizens binge-watched the show “Tiger King” while in lockdown. In addition to this, people may get creative with their masks and style them into costumes such as participants in “The Purge,” a 2013 horror movie. Lastly, the social media trend of dressing up your pets is likely to result in many dogs and cats not-so-happily tricked into being pumpkins, devils, hotdogs and more for the festive night.

| DESIGN BY AYESHA KHAN & CHARLIE TRENT

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a&e

ess favorite fall trad r p x e s r itions Tige

Coco Thomas, 9 “I look forward to Halloween.

Every year my family goes to Walgreens and buys a bunch of full-size candy to give to the neighborhood.”

Simon Menees, 9 “I look forward to having my family over and hosting Thanksgiving every single fall because it improves the connection with our family.”

Miranda Miller, 11 “My club soccer team has State in the fall, so it’s a fun time of the year when we are practicing in order to prep for that.”

Max Rudman, 10 “I like Thanksgiving football.

It’s an activity that brings us all closer together. I’m part of a really competitive family, so it provides a lot funny moments and dialogue. It’s a constant rivalry — I love it.”

| DESIGN BY MIA RICE

Gracie Terrell, 12 “I love going to the Louisburg Cider Mill and getting cider donuts because they are so yummy. My family goes every year, and because we are all so busy, this is the one thing we have always make time for.”

Logan Clark, 12 “Since my birthday is Oct. 4 and my cousin’s on the 6th, my entire family always does something together. My favorite thing we’ve ever done was when my cousins and I drove go-karts in an empty parking lot on my birthday — it was the best.” | WORDS BY CLAIRE MIDDLETON & ELEANOR WARREN

opinion

erika kolseth staff writer

I remember in elementary school, boys would think it was so funny to say that their favorite color was pink. I never understood what was so funny about the color pink.

Later I realized that the boys at school viewed pink as a girl color, and a girl color meant that it was feminine and wasn’t “strong” enough.

But colors like red and blue were boy colors — strong and masculine.

The color you like doesn’t determine how masculine or feminine you are.

The only reason why people associate color as feminine or masculine is because of a generalization that was created to put sexes into boxes.

Views on colors are similar to how gender is viewed in fashion.

We all grew up with the societal norms that men should wear suits, and women should wear dresses. It was decided in the 1940s that gender should be more prominent in fashion for the purpose of men and women “dressing to

their parts.”

Obviously we’ve come a long way from the 1940s.

I scroll through my social media feed and see boys in skirts and dresses and girls in suits and button downs.

Fashion is becoming more androgynous. If someone feels like a dress best fits their body and their personality, there is no reason why they shouldn’t wear it.

Toxic masculinity plays a part in why men feel they need to dress “like a man,” with powerful suits, and a tight tie to assert dominance.

Men aren’t the only ones who struggle with toxicity in fashion — women also face a lot of trouble.

Recently, I’ve been buying mens shorts because they are longer and more comfortable.

When I was buying them in store, I went to the checkout, and they asked me if I wanted a gift receipt like they were for someone else. When I explained to the clerk that they were for me, she was confused at first then loved the idea of women wearing mens clothes.

Not only do women face an unrealistic standard of beauty and body types, but they are forced to wear uncomfortable clothes just to fit in.

Women are always being told what to wear, whether it’s a dress code or other men telling women what they can and can’t wear. Spoiler alert: womens clothes are restricting and uncomfortable. I’d rather wear long shorts and

Androgyny: the combination of masculine and feminine characteristics into an ambiguous form

27

a T-shirt to school than jeans and a form-fitting shirt.

Women deserve to dress outside the norms because women deserve to be comfortable in what they wear and feel confident in it as well.

A man wearing make-up, a skirt or a crop top is still a man. His gender identification doesn’t change based on his clothing.

A woman not wearing make-up, with a short haircut or one who wears suits is still a woman. Her gender identification doesn’t change based on her clothing.

Masculinity and femininity aren’t genders — they are behaviors and roles rooted from stereotypical gendered experiences.

Why not step out of your comfort zone and wear something new and forward?

As a generation, we should accept new trends and push boundaries.

Gender-neutral clothing is the future of fashion.

It stands for equality and breaks all stereotypes that force people into boxes.

Toxic masculinity: a cultural concept of manliness that glorifies strength and dominance, and that is harmful to mental health | DESIGN BY ERIKA KOLSETH

28

opinion

45.5%

said no

54.5%

said yes

#performativeactivism do blue valley students believe performative activism is harmful?

Based on a poll of 187 students

Related hashtags: #blackscreen, #blackouttuesday, #socialmedia, #editorialized, #blacklivesmatter, #ACAB, #misinformation, #injustices

charlie trent assistant editor

You likely posted a black screen on June 2. So did 14.6 million other Instagram users. So did I. This may have started as an act of ally-ship with the Black Lives Matter movement and the systematically oppressed black people of America; however, the result of this endless sea of black screens was the birth of an inherently dangerous internet culture that values the quantity of social media posts over true quality of activism.

After what was known as Blackout Tuesday, the expectation on social media was to frequently post about any social or systemic issues, and if any person was not actively taking part in this, they were immediately assumed to be against these causes, an enemy of progress.

While actively communicating, bringing awareness to these issues and educating others about injustices is vital to progression, measuring the ally-ship of any one person based on their frequency of posting creates a community of toxicity.

Not only does this discourage people from taking any part in speaking out, but it also causes those who are not posting “enough” to dissociate themselves from the group due to the pressure they receive to be deemed a worthy ally.

Furthermore, the creation of this culture has led to those who wish to be seen as allies to post info-graphics and information without properly reviewing and researching the information they are then spreading to their followers.

As I scroll through social media, I often see many infographics that are very aesthetically pleasing. These lend themselves to be reposted by many people, which then reaches more users, so on and so forth.

However, when examined more closely, I tend to see many posts that either hold no real substance — except for stating a message — or I see blatantly editorialized information.

These posts often look like statements, such as Black Lives Matter or ACAB, accompanied by attractive graphics, which | DESIGN BY CHARLIE TRENT

although aesthetically pleasing for an Instagram feed, have nothing to do with the message or don’t truly support the cause.

For example, I’ve seen countless images of Hello Kitty or the Powerpuff Girls pictured next to messages that represent serious systemic issues.

Spreading voidless messages that have no educational value does nothing but spread the statement itself. The people who claim to be allies to these movements perpetuate the stereotype that these movements are based on feelings rather than facts, which then partially delegitimizes the movement as a whole.

The expectation that those who stand with these social commentaries should be constantly flooding their social media with content regarding these topics has led to the constant spread of these false, yet pleasing to the eye, social media statements.

Not only are these posts problematic because of the culture surrounding them and the necessity of them to be deemed politically correct, but they also mask the posts that expose social injustices and facts to support the movements with which they align.

Blackout Tuesday took place exactly a week after the death of George Floyd, at the height of Black Lives Matter protests and riots, many of which were documented, though there were likely many of these that were drowned out by the black screens that sprawled across multiple social media platforms.

Nevertheless, posting valuable information to vocalize these movements on social media will only promote growth.

Spreading information such as statistics outlining the disproportionate number of black people killed by police in America is much more educational and effective than posting a cartoon character saying ACAB with no reference or educational material accompanying it.

The root of the spread of this misinformation based on necessity to post does not reflect upon the movements themselves but instead on the value of social recognition of correctness rather than true social activism in modern society.

opinion

29

Feminism Isn’t Something to Fear Women still just want equality

brynn friesen staff writer

For years on end, women have been told their only purpose is to care for their families and be a housewife. We’ve been treated as if we were inferior to men with the wage gaps and the derogatory phrases.

However, starting in the early 1900s, women became more vocal about this inequality between genders.

There were so many women in female history that shouted for change, and most of the time, it worked.

But even after these battles we’ve fought in our past, we still face sexism.

Modern feminism is all about facing these issues and educating others on how and why we should fix them.

One of the largest problems in current time is that people tend to think feminists “hate men” or are sexist toward them while trying to reach equality. This is incorrect for most feminists — they are against sexism toward all genders.

I have seen so many comments on feminist social media pages claiming that women hate men, when they were simply trying to say that we should be treated equally to men. There are a few here and there who prove the beliefs correct, but the majority simply wants equality.

Another issue many people believe is false is the wage gap. I’ve seen others argue that this only existed in our history, or that it never existed at all. This, in fact, is incorrect, which can be proved by statistics

36.7% don’t consider themselves feminists

from this year. While we’ve made significant progress since the centuries before us, there is still a gap between the genders.

In a recent study from PayScale, it was found that the wage gap has only decreased by 7 cents since 2015. It was also discovered that this year, women make 81 cents for every dollar a man makes.

Women can do anything a man can and should be paid the same for their hard work.

Not only is the wage gap persistent, but many mothers during the time of COVID-19 were practically forced to teach their children while also running full time jobs. This caused many women across the world to be fired because they simply were too preoccupied with homeschooling the kids.

In my eyes, this is reflecting outdated ideas such as women should be taking care of the household. I’m not saying all fathers don’t help out with the current priorities at home, but it’s mainly women, and it always has been.

Feminism in our current society has developed such a horribly negative connotation, and we need to fix this. Women don’t speak to degrade men — we speak to improve our social stances and praise those before us who made change.

I would consider myself to be a feminist, and I think any woman could. Being a feminist stands for confidence in yourself as a woman and reaching the desired equality between the genders.

While this equality may seem so close yet so far, if we all work together as women and build each other up instead of tearing each other down, we could make even more of a difference.

Women have been oppressed for centuries, and it’s about time for sexism to be an idea of the past.

63.3%

consider themselves feminists

ed 188 st udents survey

| DESIGN BY BRYNN FRIESEN

30

opinion

A Little Party Never Hurt Nobody Large gatherings need to stop

frannie lamberti staff writer

Once the school year ended, people went straight into the summer magically thinking that corona had disappeared.

Parties and large gatherings were thrown all summer, not only in our area but in major cities like Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

Don’t get me wrong, I hung out with a few friends and tried not to completely isolate myself, but I never was with more than 10 people at a time.

Since people never stopped hanging out with their friends, the cases increased, and we have had to change the way we go about our daily lives.

I understand summer is supposed to be fun, and I haven’t been the most careful with following precautions either, but in order for the pandemic to come to an end, that has to stop.

A lot of students and parents were mad about the decisions being made about school and sports but then continued to hangout in immense groups — not to mention when these people hangout there are no masks present.

There were also people preaching to their acquaintances that they should social distance themselves. But

| DESIGN BY FRANNIE LAMBERTI

then hypocritically, they would excuse themselves from the precautions that needed to be taken.

People are starting to get busy with school and jobs, so the amount of gatherings will hopefully go down — but there still are people partying on the weekends and for things like the Chiefs games.

The quicker we can social distance, wear masks and stay home, the faster we get to safely be in large gatherings and enjoy the company of friends.

People should just stick with a small group of friends they see regularly and make sure their loved ones are safe before hanging out with someone new.

Following health regulations to maintain safety shouldn’t be hard, and refraining from holding or attending large gatherings without masks is necessary.

Many teenagers forget that just because you are low-risk doesn’t mean people around you also are. When younger people get the virus, even if they are asymptomatic, they are still putting others at risk. It’s not only older people and those with compromised immune systems that need to follow regulations — younger, healthy people need to as well.

The health regulations according to the CDC recommend wearing masks in public, getting tested regularly and quarantining if you have symptoms.

As of Oct. 21, there have been around 221,000 deaths in the U.S. and 178 deaths in Johnson County due to COVID-19.

Other countries recovered in a span of a few months due to serious lockdowns and regulations. Americans have had a hard time adjusting to this new way of living. For some people, their political affiliations can affect how they may view the pandemic and what regulations they may think they need to take.

Even though there are people dying, influencers in major cities have thrown huge birthday parties with up to 100 maskless guests. The influencers were posting on social media and setting the example for others that not being considerate of other people’s health is OK. Just because James Charles never stopped partying doesn’t mean you shouldn’t.

No matter how many followers you have, what your political party is, or how low-risk you are, you should stay safe and be mindful of other people.

on the cover

31

| CARTOON BY CHARLIE TRENT

Students must follow guidelines provided by Blue Valley, CDC Let’s address the elephant in the room: this learning situation is NOT ideal.

Not only is this the freshmen’s first introduction to high school, but it’s also the senior’s last goodbye from this chapter of their lives.

It’s obviously sad to hear that this is how it’s going to be, but we can still make the most of this year.

We are in a pandemic, and that’s not going to magically disappear.

This is a group effort, and together we must try to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

First off, we must follow the CDC guidelines — social distancing, masks and proper hygiene. If these precautions aren’t taken seriously, our schedule will once again change.

One concern is student and staff health; however, it is also imperative students continue learning with a consistent schedule.

According to a study from The

Lancet Psychiatry, those who have an active daytime routine have healthier sleeping cycles. Sleeping, especially for teenagers, is important to maintain a stable mental health.

Chair of the Department of Psychiatry for the Jersey Shore University Medical Center M.D. Ramon Solhkha stated the COVID-19 crisis has led to “a lack of structure that can contribute to stress, anxiety and even clinical depression.”

Not only is wearing a mask important to protect physical health but also mental health. The quicker we are able to stop the spread of the virus, the quicker we are able to create a more stable schedule which, in turn, will help our mental health.

Having a consistent routine is vital to let one’s body know what to expect for the day. Staggered start times every other day make it difficult for students to maintain regularity, including finding a sleep schedule that works with

the homework load, especially with the removal of Tiger Paws.

The only way for students to ensure stability is by following health regulations and not becoming complacent.

The Blue Valley School District wants to make sure students are still able to learn despite the constantly changing restraints on how education can be provided.

We have to start playing our part in this pandemic. We have to continue wearing masks and social distancing.

This is the bare minimum. If we can’t do this, we can expect to never get back our Prom, our school or our lives.

Hybrid is not ideal, and it is in no way consistent. Following CDC health regulations will be a catalyst into getting our school back to normal.

Let’s all play our part to help to get things back on track — the more cooperative we are, the sooner we can have the school year we deserve.

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

32

news

AP OVERLOAD

Students reveal difficulty of taking online AP class eleanor warren staff writer Blue Valley underclassmen taking Advanced Placement (AP) classes for the first time face many challenges in navigating an AP course during virtual learning.

“It’s a lot to get used to,” freshman Jordan Meckstroth said. “Not only am I getting used to how much work there is for the AP class, but I’m also getting used to how to adjust to technology.”

An AP class is a college-level course offered at a high school level in order to give high school students college credit.

“Right now, my hardest class would be AP Euro,” sophomore Adela Lipari said.

Lipari is taking AP European History, one of the only AP classes available to Blue Valley sophomores.

“The class requires a lot of work,” Lipari said. “I definitely have [more] homework for this class than other classes.”

Likewise, Meckstroth is enrolled in AP Human Geography, the only AP course offered to freshmen.

Meckstroth said it is her hardest class, and trying to take on a college-level course for the first time while also having to learn virtually is “kind of stressful.”

Lipari and Meckstroth share other student’s struggles of online learning while simultaneously taking a challenging college-grade course | DESIGN BY CHARLEY THOMAS

for the first time.

“It’s hard,” Meckstroth said. “If I have a question on something, it’s harder to get in contact with the teacher. I can’t just go up and ask her after [class]; I have to take the time to email and wait for a response.”

Lipari agrees taking an online AP course is extremely challenging.

“Taking notes is harder because all of our lectures are pre-recorded, so you can’t ask questions,” Lipari said. “I’m typically someone who asks a lot of questions in class, and it’s harder to do that when we’re online.”

One unique thing about an AP class is the test taken at the end of the year that the entire curriculum leads up to.

Meckstroth does not want to take this highstress test online and hopes it will be “back to normal” by the end of the year.

However, AP students across the country are worried the test might be taken virtually.

“I think this year the test is going to be online, when in the past it’s been hand-written,” Lipari said. “This means we’ll have less time to take the test.”

Regardless of the test format, AP classes are a challenge for all students, and those taking it for the first time have a unique struggle.

“Because it’s my first AP class, I don’t really know what to expect,” Lipari said. “It’s a lot different distance learning than it is in person. I just don’t know the expectations.”