THE
TIGER PRINT
BLUE VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL Vol. 43 Issue 5 December 2012 Stilwell, Kan.
DODGEBALL DECISION District dodgeball ban fuels student reaction page 6 PLACING IN PAGEANTS Sophomore places in National American Miss Pageant, gains life experience page 10 SURVIVING STAYCATION Where to go locally over winter break along with cost-conscious gift ideas for the holidays page 14
U.S. edu cation style dif fers from other co untries, emphas is on individu ality Pages 1 2-13 Photo illustration by Bailey Outlaw.
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inthenews
December 2012
Stadium renovations set to begin, spring sports face relocation kellycordingley editor-in-chief During the spring sports season, Blue Valley’s football stadium will undergo multiple renovations to both its exterior and technology. “The last couple of years, we’ve had storms go through in the summer, which has done a bunch of damage to our current bleachers, and we needed to fix that,” Athletic Director Matt Ortman said. “Plus, the press box was getting old — a lot of things need to be repaired up there.” Along with the press box, a brick façade will be added, approximately 700 seats will be added, the height will be increased by 8-10 feet and the press box will be expanded 10-20 feet.
Within the press box, new technology will be added. “Some of the technology demands people require now to do TV and the radio, we aren’t as equipped to do as easily as we will be with the new press box,” Ortman said. The funding for these renovations comes from the 2012 Bond. Since these renovations will occur during the spring sports season, multiple sports will be displaced to other schools. Girls soccer games are being moved to Blue Valley West’s soccer field, and the BV track relays are being moved to Blue Valley Northwest. West’s field is grass, while BV’s is turf. “I don’t think it’ll have a huge effect,” Ortman said. “The [soccer] girls aren’t as used to playing at West, but that’s where our boys play.”
Soccer coach K. Dean Snell said he doesn’t think the shift in game location will affect his players too much. “Initially, there’ll be some adjustment,” he said. Snell said it will be crucial for the players to focus on the game, not circumstances. “I’ll emphasize these are things out of our control,” he said. “We have to work on what we do have control over, which is our attitude.” Soccer player senior Katie Davies said although she is glad the renovations are happening, she wishes she could finish out her senior year playing at BV. “It kind of sucks,” Davies said. “I really wanted to finish at BV and have Senior Night be where I’ve played the past three years.”
Events calendar Dec. 14 — Repertory Theater show, 7 p.m. Dec. 18 — Finals 1 & 2 Dec. 19 — Finals 3, 4 & 5 Dec. 20 — Finals 6 & 7 Dec. 21 - Jan. 2 — No School, Winter Break Jan. 3 — School resumes Jan. 7 — Pizza Hut Fundraiser Jan. 9 — Fifth Wall show, 7 p.m. Jan. 14 — After Prom meeting, 6-8 p.m. Jan. 16 — Fifth Wall show, 7 p.m. Jan. 18 — It’s Paper Day: January Tiger Print distributed Jan. 21 — No School: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Jan. 22 — Club Photos for Yearbook
Scholarship and Financial Aid Workshop hosted by BV North meghankennedy staff writer Blue Valley North High School hosted the Scholarship and Financial Aid Workshop at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 4. The opening session was held in the Performing Arts Center. Representatives from the University of Kansas, Kansas State University, Rockhurst University, the University of Missouri-Kansas City and Johnson County Community College were present. All junior and senior students and their parents in the Blue Valley District were invited to attend. “Every school has a Scholarship and Financial Aid coordinator,” counselor and Financial Aid coordinator Anne Dummit said. “We had a district counselor meeting and we all teamed up to
organize the event. I had to contact a representative from a private school. I knew a representative at Rockhurst so it wasn’t too hard.” Senior Alex Leatherman said she was unaware of the workshop until her counselor told her about it. “I just need extra money, as much as I can get, for college next year,” she said. “I have already applied for a lot of scholarships through the school website, but I just want to see if there is anything else I can do.” Starting Jan. 1, students must fill out the Free Application of Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to determine eligibility for financial aid. The goal of each session was to allow each student to understand the FAFSA and how financial aid and scholarships work. Dummit said it is important to fill out the application with your parents because it asks about income and your
financial situation. If you are struggling to fill out the application, assistance will be given during College Goal Day on Feb. 24 from 2-4 p.m. To find a location for the event nearest you, visit their website. Dummit said to check your desired college’s website to find scholarship deadlines. Leatherman will be attending Oklahoma State University (OSU) next fall. Even though a representative from OSU was not present, she said the workshop was still worthwhile. “My counselor said, ‘There is a representative from K-State who knows a lot about FAFSA in particular,’ so I think that will help me more than anything,” Leatherman said. “[Her counselor] said even though he isn’t through Oklahoma State, that he knows a lot about the program, and that’ll benefit me as well.”
Jan. 23 — Debate Awards night, 6-9 p.m. Jan. 24 — Tiger TV Jan. 30 — Curriculum Evening, 6-8:30 p.m. Feb. 7 - Feb. 9 — Musical Feb. 15 — No School, Parent-Teacher Conferences
Check out bvtigernews online for scholarship deadlines and updates on stadium renovations
December 2012
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Amazing race jansenhess sports editor One of my good family friends lost their little angel, Grace Shaw, in an accident at the Lake of the Ozarks on Aug. 26. She was only 6 years old, and, although she faced many of her own challenges, she brought a smile to everyone’s face. When she was gone, our neighborhood community was devastated. Everyone knew her. Everyone loved her. Our neighborhood hosted a candlelight vigil in her honor. Three hundred people filled the blocked-off street and held up their candles, praying for the family and singing “Amazing Grace.” Grace wouldn’t have wanted her funeral to go any other way — all of her family and friends were present. We sang the Barney song, her absolute favorite. We decorated her casket with princess stickers. She was dressed as Snow White — her favorite princess. Soon, a foundation was started in her honor — the
OneDay at a time
annawonderlich business manager & managing editor With only a few days left in the first semester, I had an epiphany — I’m only three semesters away from finishing high school. I repeat. Three semesters. My junior year is halfway done, and all I can ask myself is, “Where has the time gone?” Whoever said high school is the longest four years of your life was totally wrong. Now this may sound a little bit crazy, but I love high school. I would love to have less homework and stress just like any other student would, but I’m not exactly counting down
Grace Elizabeth Shaw Foundation. As part of a fundraiser, a couple of moms made purple and silver glitter ornaments with Grace’s logo attached — a purple “g” with a silver crown on top, pink angel wings and the “Itsy Bitsy Spider” hanging down. They quickly ran out of purple glitter and sent me to Michael’s Craft Store with a $20 bill to get some more. When I returned, Grace’s mother Kim Shaw was asking the other moms if the ornament looked OK if the glitter wasn’t exactly perfect. Of course the moms said yes. Kim replied saying, “Even if it’s not perfect, I’ve learned not to worry about the little things.” This got me thinking. If she can be so optimistic about such a tragic event, why do the majority of us let the tiniest things get under our skin? We need to stop counting our problems and start counting our blessings. Granted, no one’s life is perfect, but that doesn’t mean focusing on the positives in life is impossible. Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out. Don’t worry about the little things and just enjoy life. It’s hard sometimes, I know. But happiness is a state of mind. Let the little things go and remember, none of the these upsetting things will matter two years from now. Getting a B on your report card isn’t going to stop you
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Tragedy inspires new appreciation for life’s blessings from getting into college. Having a fight with your best friend isn’t going to make you mortal enemies. Someone talking behind your back doesn’t mean they hate you. Breaking up with your boyfriend or girlfriend isn’t the end of the world. I know I don’t speak for everyone when I say this, but we live in one of the richest and safest counties in the nation. What could possibly be so bad about that? We have so many things to be grateful for — so many little things we take for granted. We go to a nationally ranked school, have roofs over our heads and have people who love us. We have opportunities some people can’t even fathom. Thirsty? Just hop in your car and run to QuikTrip or Sonic and get whatever soft drink your little heart desires. Oh, you’re hungry? Mom will have your favorite dinner ready in an hour. Cold? No worries, just turn up the heat or flip the switch on the wall and ignite a nice, cozy fire. Not doing so great in a class? Teachers will spend hours upon hours helping until the concept is understood. We seldom stop to think about how truly blessed we really are. Even though Grace is no longer with us, I was blessed to have known such an inspirational little girl. She’s taught me so many things, but mostly to fight hard, never quit and to live life with no regrets.
Students must appreciate, fully experience high school before graduation quickly arrives the days until graduation with as much anticipation as other students do. Many teenagers tweet or say things like, “Can’t wait to graduate and get out of Kansas already,” but I just can’t seem to understand. I’m so comfortable at Blue Valley — I know a lot of people, and they know me — and I don’t feel like I’m ready to “get out of here” just yet. Maybe it’s because I don’t like change, or maybe it’s just because I’ve had a really great high school experience. I know I’m definitely going to miss the Friday night football games, the intense class competitions and the amazing friends I’ve made while at BV. The average student will have spent around 18,000 to 21,600 hours at school by the time they graduate in May — and that doesn’t even include the time spent participating in extracurricular activities. It sounds like that’s a ton of time spent at school, but it sure doesn’t feel like it. High school is going by way too fast. In just four short years, we’re supposed to transition from getting dropped off in the BV circle drive every morn-
ing freshman year to living independently in college. Of course college is going to be a great new experience with all this freedom, but we need to just enjoy high school before it’s over. Graduation will come eventually — for some, not quick enough, but for me, too soon. So, listen up underclassmen: you still have a few years left. As cliché as it sounds, make it count and get involved — just do something. Try that activity you’ve always been interested in that you never got around to joining. High school will fly by a lot faster than you expect, so don’t reach the end of senior year wishing you would have taken a certain class or tried out for a certain sport that you never did. I mean, YOLO, right? And as for the upperclassmen: we have a limited number of Homecoming dances, varsity home football games, musicals and other events left — don’t let counting down the days until graduation prevent you from fully enjoying these activities. Just take your four years of high school one day at a time.
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ommercialized C C hristmas
Holiday season means more than money, gifts, shift in focus necessary
kellycordingley editor-in-chief Christmas trees decked with glittering bulbs and a plethora of varied ornaments. The nutcrackers are standing by the fireplace, and stockings are hung from the mantle. Perfectly wrapped presents pile up on the tree skirt, and lights are strung outdoors. Venture outside the home to go to the store, and a whirlwind of Christmas smacks you in the face. There are men dressed as Santa Claus everywhere. Sorry to pop the bubble, but it isn’t the real Santa walking around Macy’s. There are cutouts of snowflakes dangling from retailer’s ceilings, and a multitude of advertising promotes all the best deals on presents for your sweetheart. Then, on the way home, you drive by a church. A Manger scene is set up out front — Mother Mary stares lovingly at baby Jesus. The three wise men bearing gifts are near. The angels are posed to look like they’re staring down from Heaven onto
the crown of Jesus. Shouldn’t the second experience be what we focus on during the Christmas season? The gifts and the all the tinsel are lovely. Receiving gifts is a warm feeling, as is giving them. Seeing children’s faces light up when they see real reindeer at Hen House is priceless. But, at the root of all of this should be what Christmas is all about — peace and love, not money. Every year, Christmas becomes more and more commercialized. It becomes who can spend the most, how retail sales compare to last year and when salespeople push eight different perfumes at customers to try. In the end, at the rate our holiday seasons tend to go, most people end up stressed and angry. And that is far from what the holidays should feel like. The Christmas season is a time to enjoy those around us, not spend money we don’t have to try to impress someone who will love us regardless. Make homemade gifts, form a secret Santa group, participate in white elephant or draw names out of a hat and just buy one gift. The people you give gifts to don’t care about how much you spend. They care about the feeling and love you put into it.
District’s decision against popular game opposed
colingregory staff writer A soft, foam ball hits a student in a high school gym class. Nothing happens. No shattered limbs or fractured jaws. No tears of pain or cries of anguish. The student smiles and proceeds to walk back to the side of the wrestling room, content to watch the rest of his classmates finish the game. Not a danger to high schoolers, just a harmless game. In an unprecedented move, on par with tyranny committed all around the world by violent dictators, the district decided to ban dodgeball for Blue Valley physical education classes. OK, it’s not quite on par with mass genocide, but to me, it’s a big deal. Dodgeball is a favorite game of mine, along with many of the other students in my sixth hour Team Sports class. Banning it makes little sense from a logical standpoint. The district is perhaps worried about bullying within the actual game — maybe kids will get targeted more than others. Well, when a player is targeted, it means that they pose a threat. Being targeted means you warrant respect within the
game, which is not bullying. If you can eliminate the best players early, then you don’t have to worry about them coming back later to get you out. This strategizing represents that dodgeball is more than just a competition of who can throw a ball the hardest — it becomes a thinking man’s game. If the district worried about injuries, then they have little idea how dodgeball is actually played at BV. Dodgeball is played in the wrestling room, which features both padded walls and floors, so there’s no hard surfaces to bump into. The balls themselves are, as previously mentioned, soft and don’t hurt at all. We do not play with those hard, rubber balls that the Board of Education members probably played with when they were in school. I’ll admit, a face shot with one of those would hurt. When it comes down to it, whenever there are bodies in motion, there is a potential for injury. If you want to stop injury at school, cancel all gym classes and outlaw walking. Until that day comes, injuries will happen, no matter what gym activity is banned. Physical Education classes should not only include games that force the students to be active, but also games the students are eager to play. If you can combine both of these elements, then you strike gold as a teacher. Why waste that?
Expression of teenagers’ views is inappropriate, uncalled for in certain cases
abbybamburg entertainment editor With all of the controversy going on in today’s world, people are bound to have disagreements. There’s abortion, taxes, marijuana, same-sex marriage, religion, political views and many more issues teenagers enjoy discussing. While it may be good for teenagers to get involved and be educated, there is a certain point where enough is enough. We seem to get so defensive about these issues — wheth-
er we are for or against them, it’s a big deal in our minds. We create this mind-set where everything controversial that comes up in a conversation is either an argument or a chance to push our opinions onto someone else. Yes, deciding how you want to live your life and creating your own opinions is a part of growing up. However, I also think there is a way to go about it without being defensive or offensive when discussing these controversial topics. I’ll be the first to admit, keeping an open mind is hard. You have your opinions and that’s that — no one can change your mind. But there is a difference between making your opinions count and just complaining. Just this month during the election, a riot of about 400 college students against the re-election of President Barack Obama broke out at the University of Mississippi. While some students just stated political arguments, others chanted racial slurs and profanities.
Now, that is going overboard. In a way, I think the students were just trying to prove a point rather than trying to change anything. We teenagers do this in our everyday lives. In one minute, a normal conversation can turn into World War III. It comes to the point where we get into actual fights with our friends over these wide-scale controversies — is it really worth it? Things are constantly changing around the world and always will. Recently, marijuana became legal in the state of Colorado. People have different views about it and everything else. Arguing won’t change anything. Nothing except our tempers. It’s important to remember that keeping an open mind can make you see things in a way you never expected to see them before.
December 2012
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staffeditorial TIGER THE
editor-in-chief Kelly Cordingley website editor Odi Opole photo editor Bailey Outlaw
design and news editor Hailey McEntee
business manager, managing editor Anna Wonderlich staff writers Raine Andrews Sally Cochran Colin Gregory Meghan Kennedy Riley Miller Mitch Sundquist Danielle Williams
features editor Maddie Jewett
Cartoon by Becky Winegarner.
Fence built around mobiles isn’t necessary, will be a hassle !"#$$%&'(")*(#+
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For anyone used to walking straight to a mobile classroom from their parking spot, that will no longer be as simple once the new 6-foot, wrought-iron fence is built. Yes, that’s right. A fence around the mobiles. This fence isn’t necessary and won’t have that big of an impact. Blue Valley has had those mobiles for years, and those east doors are never locked. Nothing terrible has happened yet, so why build it now? Principal Scott Bacon said he consulted with the district to decide
how to keep BV safe and came up with a fence with gates that are only usable from the inside. “The primary purpose is to enhance safety,” Bacon said. “Right now, we lock outside doors, but we can’t by the mobiles, and nothing is preventing people from entering the east side.” Now, the only entrance into the school during school hours will be through the front doors. “I think [the front entrance] will be very effective,” Bacon said. “We have a secure building for students and staff except for that east side.” Construction on the fence will start by winter break, at the latest. The idea makes sense — why wouldn’t you want to make extra safety precautions for the school? The school board should use the money they’re spending on this fence on something more important that could be used to benefit students.
Buy some new computers or new athletic equipment. There are plenty of things we could buy instead of a fence. Feeling safe is very important to a learning environment, but fencing students in seems to be going a little overboard. It will be like a cage. The design of the fence won’t match the architecture of the building, and it will look out of place. It will end up being a hassle for seniors in the front parking lot who used to walk straight through to the senior hallway. Teachers with mobile classrooms will not be able to walk straight to their classrooms anymore. Fire drills will be less efficient as students shuffle through narrow gates. The positives won’t weigh out the negatives, and building this fence won’t achieve anything.
photographers Megan Ball Ellie Fehlig entertainment editor Alex Kontopanos Abby Bamburg cartoonist opinion editor Becky Winegarner Caroline Meinzenbach adviser Michelle Wilmes sports editor Jansen Hess The Tiger Print is published 10 times a year for students, faculty, and the surrounding community of Blue Valley High School. It is an open forum for student expression. Therefore, the opinions expressed within this paper do not necessarily reflect the views of the administrations of Blue Valley Unified School District #229. Letters to the editor and reader responses are encouraged for publication. The Tiger Print reserves the right to edit all submissions for both language and content and encourages letters to be no more than 350 words. Letters should be submitted to room 450, emailed to thetigerprint@yahoo.com or mailed to: The Tiger Print c/o Blue Valley High School 6001 W. 159th St. Stilwell, KS 66085 phone: 913-239-4800 Pacemaker winner, 2012 Pacemaker finalist, 2009, 2010, 2012. Member, Kansas Scholastic Press Association, National Scholastic Press Association and Columbia Scholastic Press Association.
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Walk into a classroom. There are people on their phones. Passing notes. Whispering to the person seated next to them. Students are scrambling to finish their homework before the bell rings. The teacher is trying to get their attention. Social studies teacher Brian Mowry, who has taught in Israel and China, said this wouldn’t happen in a classroom there. “The expectation of a student [overseas] is that you have to do work on your own,” he said. “You have to earn your grade. You’re not guaranteed to pass — there’s no problem giving failing grades at all. You’re also expected to take your education very seriously. If you’re not doing that, you will not be there. So there’s no jacking around — there’s none of that junk going on.” Mowry said not only is the atmosphere different, but the teaching style is different, too. “In Israeli and in Chinese schools it is primarily lecture,” he said. “Students sit and get information, but they spend less time in school. So, their time in class is just ‘sit and get.’” Exchange student from Tajikistan senior Sarvinoz Norkuzieva said the teaching style in America has helped here. “Here you can get more help,” she said. “It is beneficial. I like it here.” Mowry said that the “sit and get” method has both pros and cons. “The benefits are that you can give a lot of information to a lot of people very quickly, so it is more efficient,” Mowry said. “The disadvantages are that there’s very little checking for understanding. You just assume to have got it and are assessed on it way down the road. It doesn’t account for any different type of learning style or any certain thing like that. It puts a lot of responsibility on the kids themselves, which is good and bad.”
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“The teachers are more helpful here,” she said. “There are more resources here which makes it easier. Also, you have TCB time, at home we don’t have anything like that.” Mowry said both overseas and domestic schools display advantages for their students. “Both aspects do something well,” he said. “Overseas, they do something well because they force kids to take ownership of their own education, but they don’t really foster this creative environment that you find in the U.S. system. But, we don’t necessarily teach kids responsibility that well.” Mowry said that if an American student is going to compete, they will need a strong motivation as well as creativity. “If you’re an ideal [American] student, you’ll be somebody who’s able to think outside the box, to look at a problem and think of new ways of solving it, innovative ways of solving or doing something,” he said. “You’re going to have the same basic background knowledge — in fact, the people overseas are probably going to have more. They’re probably going to, quite honestly, have a little more of a work ethic, so the advantage that Americans are going to have to have is to be able to work differently. If you can’t do that, you’re going to have a huge problem.” He said that the American system needs to have more of the responsibility aspect shown in the overseas schools. “Our education system needs to be a fusion of the two [styles of teaching],” Mowry said. “Like anything, you can’t be extremely one way or the other and expect to be successful. We’ve done a lot of things right in the U.S., but we’ve also done things not very well. And so I think the best way to prepare kids is we need to be able to keep fostering creativity, and being able to work on your own, but we also need to be able to enforce deadlines, enforce responsibility, and make kids have to work within a system while still being creative and thinking outside the box.”
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A blushing face. A ripped dress. A 15-year-old girl covered in jewelry, makeup and a glittering dress. A roaring crowd filled with applause. A success in a world she never knew. Sophomore Stephanie Mahaffey competed in her first pageant, National American Miss, July 20, 2012. Despite the fact she had less experience than most of the contestants and a few wardrobe malfunctions, Mahaffey said she did exceptionally well. Mahaffey said she wasn’t originally interested in pageants and assumed they just weren’t for her. “I thought they were stupid, and I made fun of the pageant moms for them,” she said. “I thought it was all about being pretty.” Mahaffey won Dancer of the Year when she was 8 years old, and then again when she was 10. Ever since, Mahaffey said she has been noticed by both the modeling and pageant world. “I’ve gotten letters in the mail before for other pageants, and my mom usually just threw them out,” she said. “But when I found this in the mail, I knew I wanted to do it.” Mahaffey said National American Miss is different than most pageants because the competition focuses on more than beauty. “It is a pageant that’s more about personality and not the looks,” she said. “They don’t have a swimsuit competition. Instead, they had an interview where you actually sit down with the judges and just talk.” Mahaffey said at first she wasn’t sure how to go about the pageant process, but after going to the dress shop “Sassy and Chic,” she received insight on the basics. Mahaffey said she enjoyed picking a dress because she got to try on and compare 30 different dresses. “I ended up getting the opposite color than I thought I would want — yellow,” she said. “It stood out the most.”
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Pageantry A look inside some of the typical competition categories in pageants:
Evening
Gown Contestants wear formal
gowns and present both themselves and the dresses
10 November copy.indd 1
Through pageant participation, ZVWOVTVYL KL]LSVWZ JVUÄKLUJL gains competition experience Sophomore Linden Hoffman said she has learned a lot about pageants through Mahaffey. “I learned that pageants are a lot more serious than just dressing up,” Hoffman said. “There’s a lot more that goes into them, and there’s a lot of things you have to do to get ready for 4HOHɈL` the pageants.” Because National American Miss was Mahaffey’s first pageant, she said she didn’t have high expectations going into the competition. “I really didn’t think I was going to do that well because most of these girls have been doing it since they were six,” she said. “Meeting new friends is what I thought I was going to get out of it.” There are four main categories in pageants: Personal Introduction, Interview, Evening Gown and one optional category such as Spokesmodel, Talent, Casual Wear, Most Photogenic and Actress. “I liked casual wear the best because it was the most relaxed,” she said. “You got to be yourself.” Mahaffey said the pageant seemed to be going great until she went to receive an award in formal wear, and her dress ripped. “My dress ripped seven to eight inches, and it kept getting caught on my heels,” she said. “One of the queens offered to get scissors and help me. Then my straps broke for my talent dress, so it kept falling down.” Despite the mishaps, Mahaffey received numerous awards, outshining the rest of her competitors. She won awards for Most Promising Model, third runner up for Most Photogenic, second runner up for Casual Wear, Ms. Personality, the Portfolio Award winner, first runner up for the whole pageant and a few others. “At the award ceremony they just kept calling my name,” she said. “I had no idea that would ever happen.” Hoffman said she was not surprised by how well Mahaffey did.
Personal
Introduction Contestants say a paragraph’s worth of information about themselves
Interview Contestants sit with eight judges and talk for approximately two minutes
“She has a fierce attitude,” she said. “She’s really confident, and she works hard.” From the pageant, Mahaffey received the title of Ms. Leawood and qualified to compete in a national pageant in Anaheim, California called National All American Miss. “It’s a whole new level of competition,” Mahaffey said. “They not only judge you on your personality, but also how you present yourself and how you look.” Hoffman said she has seen a change in her friend since Mahaffey began doing pageants. “I’ve seen [Mahaffey] develop and become a little more outgoing and confident in herself,” she said. Mahaffey said she isn’t sure how long she will pursue pageants, but she hopes to attend a few more throughout high school. “I will probably stop when I go to college” she said. “But I really want to go to different pageants, other than National American Miss, to get more experience.” Mahaffey competed at Nationals from Nov. 18-20. She said although it wasn’t her best competition, she enjoyed the memories she made in California. “I did OK,” Mahaffey said. “I did better at State. I felt like this was more of a vacation than a competition. I got to go to Disneyland and walk around the [Los Angeles] area, which was really cool.” Mahaffey said despite the hard competition, she walked away with a few more awards. “I got Spirit of America, which is an award you get when you do well in all your categories,” she said. “And I got the spirit stick, which is given to whoever does the best picking up the dance the quickest.” Mahaffey said due to the overwhelming amount of girls at the pageant, she met a lot of new people. “There were 150 girls in my age division, so I ended up making a lot of new friends,” she said. Mahaffey said she is grateful for the experience and all the lessons she has learned along the way. “It’s not just the gowns and bikinis and whatnot,” she said. “It’s actually learning life skills like getting up in front of crowds and being more confident in yourself.”
OptionalCategories Typically, a fourth category of competition is included in pageants. Styles of competition include:
Actress
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Photogenic
12/10/12 3:28 PM
December 2012
Lighting up the night
upclose
11
Annual Country Club Plaza lighting sparks students’ interest
Illuminating the Country Club Plaza, lights adorn buildings throughout the shopping center. The tradition of the lighting ceremony started with 16 lights hung on a doorway, and it now includes over 280,000 bulbs. Photo by Ellie Fehlig.
haileymcentee design & news editor Lights shine brightly in red, green, blue, white and any other color imaginable. Buildings are completely covered in shimmering bulbs. Twinkling lights illuminate the brisk night. This is just a glimpse of the holiday atmosphere in Kansas City at the Country Club Plaza. BV students, including sophomore Jack Carrigan, junior Chelsea Callihan and senior Mikayla Foss, among mass crowds of people, visited the Plaza to admire its famed Christmas lights. “[My family and I] always go down on some Saturday night and go to dinner down there, and then we go see the lights,” Carrigan said. He said going to see the lights is a great experience during the holidays. “They’re really neat, and I think it is one of the main things people can do in Kansas [City],” he said. “There’s not much else to do besides going to see the Plaza lights. It’s a big thing to do in Kansas [City], and I feel like it kind of represents the whole Kansas City area, and we are proud of it.” Carrigan said he recommends people go see the lights. “It’s a great thing to go do,” he said. “I am kind of amazed when I see the lights. I’m just amazed about how many there are and all the colors.” a az Pl ing y e t n n Th igh mo e o L re ac ing l Ce s p sgiv ar. e k ye k ta han ry T ve e
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Callihan went to the Lighting Ceremony on Thanksgiving. “It was my first time going,” she said. “My parents kind of dragged me out there, and I didn’t really want to go, but I ended up loving it. I would definitely recommend for others to go see the lights.” Callihan said when the lights were turned on, the feeling was indescribable. “It was really happy,” she said. “It was uplifting — it’s kind of hard to explain. Just seeing all the lights and all the singing and people dancing was great. It was pretty crazy. Everyone was happy and having fun.” Foss had the opportunity to dance on stage at the Plaza Lighting event. “My studio did it last year and they really liked what we did and got good feedback from it, so they asked us to come back this year,” she said. “We were asked to do the pre-show, so we just danced for like 15 minutes. And then, [my dance studio’s] teachers were in the actual show so that was actually on TV — the pre-show was just seen by the people who were actually there at the Plaza.” Foss said the dance rehearsal schedule was crazy. “The night before Thanksgiving, we had to run through the entire show about 15 times to make sure it was perfect for the event,” she said. “The rehearsal leading up to it was the most stressful part, but performing made it all worth it.” Foss said performing in front of such a big crowd made her a little nervous. “I wasn’t nervous at first because I have performed and
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done dance competitions and stuff since I was like eight years old,” she said. “But then, when I got on stage and realized how many people were there — I had definitely never performed in front of an audience that big — I got nervous at that point, but it was a good nervous.” Foss said she felt in the holiday spirit while dancing at the Plaza Lighting. “For the holidays, I usually think of it as a time to spend with family,” she said. “The people I dance with are practically like family to me, so being on stage with them was amazing.” Foss said the atmosphere backstage was hectic. “You had to be on time for every little thing and we had a couple of quick changes, so there was a lot of running around and a lot of people directing you where to go,” she said. Foss said seeing the lights turn on in person was a memorable experience. “I’ve always watched [the lighting] on TV every year, but it’s a completely different experience to actually see it in person,” she said. “I just think it was so much more memorable to see them all go on at once in real life, instead of just seeing it from in my living room.” Foss said when she thinks of the holidays, she thinks of all the Christmas lights. “I always think of all the pretty lit up houses and driving around to see the houses with the best lights,” she said. “All the lights at the plaza just really get me excited and ready for the holidays.” ts ligh The taken g get startin n 3 dow Jan. 1 g on ehun r and ting in r a st gust. Au
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Facts from visitKC.com.
12
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assistance sidelines from the
raineandrews Z[HɈ ^YP[LY A line of students stretches down the hallway, waiting for the athletic training room’s door to open. From basketball players waiting to be taped, to wrestlers needing ice, athletic trainer Roberta Kuechler attends to it all. Kuechler said by the time she was a sophomore in high school, she knew she wanted to help athletes as her profession. “I injured my knee playing basketball, but I didn’t want to miss any of the season,” she said. “It was really swollen, but in ten days it went down, so I went back to play.” It wasn’t until her senior year she learned she had torn her Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL). “I ended up having surgery in the spring of my senior year,” she said. “I thought it was fixed, but found out later that they just took out the broken parts.” Kuechler’s injury motivated her to help other athletes in similar situations. “Because no one really knew how to take care of my knee, I decided that I wanted to help athletes like myself that really wanted to play,” she said. “Somebody needed to know what to do for them.” Originally unaware of athletic training, Kuechler said she decided to study physical therapy. “At that time, [physical therapy] was the closest profession I knew about that would educate me about the human body and how it works to get athletes better,” she said.
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Regardless of her ACL, Kuechler received a scholarship to Saint Louis University (SLU) for field hockey. Kuechler said she was introduced to the sport by her older sisters. Kuechler played at SLU for two years and helped her team win fifth place at Nationals her sophomore year. Kuechler said her coach, a former player for the Dutch National Team, helped her to be the best. “He had talked to me about be able to play even after college — possibly Olympic level,” she said. “It was always a dream of mine to play in the Olympics.” During her second year of college, she had acquired all of her general education requirements but didn’t have a major. “I started researching professions that would help athletes,” Kuechler said. “I then discovered Athletic Training.” After this, she transferred to Western Illinois University and changed majors. Kuechler graduated with a degree in Physical Education K-12 and a minor in Athletic Training. Immediately after graduation, she went to work at Wheaton College in Illinois. With little professional experience, she said she witnessed one of her most gruesome injuries right off the bat. “I was working men’s basketball, and our point guard dislocated his ankle,” she said. “They were carrying him off in the Fireman’s carry, so when they walked past me, his shoe was facing sideways instead of facing down. It looked liked his shoe was stuck on the left side of his leg.”
Kuechler said she cares for multiple injuries, but concussions are the most difficult injuries to treat. “Concussions are the most difficult and time consuming injury, primarily because every person is going to respond differently,” she said. “It’s critical you care for it properly. You have to communicate with both parents about what is happening. They may or may not understand, so there is a lot of education involved. They look fine on the outside, but they are really struggling inside because their brain isn’t really processing. It is so frustrating for the athlete going through that.” Junior basketball player Will Cook was recently cleared to play after recovering from a minor concussion. “I got [my concussion] playing basketball during tryouts,” he said. “I went for a loose ball, and I knocked heads with another player.” Cook said he wasn’t allowed to practice for a week and a half. “I had to take the written test — ‘My Symptoms Test’,” he said. “If I was feeling dizzy, I would rate it on a scale zero to five. I wasn’t allowed practice until all of my [results] were at zero.” Kuechler said she treats muscle and bone injuries, as well. “I can help people feel better with all the other injuries, but with concussions I can’t do anything,” she said. “It frustrates me when I see people really struggling, and I can’t do anything about it.” Kuechler said, though some injuries are difficult to face, her main focus is always on the patient. “I have never been grossed out by blood [or injuries],” she said. “My job is to care for that person. I would be not concerned about how I am feeling because that is not what I look at. I am looking at that individual and caring for that individual. While it’s happening, you kick into a certain mind set and you’re not concerned about looking and thinking about how gross something is, it just doesn’t enter your mind.” Senior Tyler Randall broke his hip during his sophomore year while running at a track practice. He said Kuechler helped him overcome this difficult situation. “The one thing I really like about [Kuechler] is the fact that she stays longer than she really needs to,” he said. “She is supposed to clock out a certain time, but she always stays hours past that until the last person leaves just to make sure everyone gets help that needs help. She goes beyond what she has to do to make sure everyone is healthy.”
Attending to athletes after school, athletic trainer Roberta Kuechler wraps senior Andrew Reinkemeyer’s ankle. Kuechler began working at Blue Valley in 2009. “I really enjoy getting people back into working order,” she said. “I love being a part of the success of athletes.” Photo by Alex Kontopanos.
12 December copy 2.indd 1
12/10/12 3:28 PM
December 2012
centerstage
13
146 students surveyed. Information gathered by Jansen Hess and Mitch Sundquist.
2012
REWIND
Students vote on most important, newsworthy events of 2012
ENTERTAINMENT
4. Senior Colton Donahue wins 6A Individual State Cross Country Championship and the Timmons Award and breaks 19-year-old school 5K record.
2. Cyclist Lance Armstrong stripped of seven Tour de France titles due to doping scandal. 3. Miami Heat basketball player LeBron James wins first NBA title.
4. Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi gives birth to Lorenzo Lavalle.
13 December copy 2.indd 1
3. Varsity volleyball team places second at State.
1. Michael Phelps becomes the most decorated Olympian with 22 total medals.
3. Final installment of “The Twilight Saga” movie series, “Breaking Dawn: Part II” premieres.
1. President Barack Obama reelected. 2. Hurricane Sandy 3. Aurora, Colo. shooting. 4. U.S. wins Olympic medal count with 104 medals. 5. Daredevil Felix Baumgartner breaks sound barrier.
2. BV raises $48,612 for Relay for Life.
SPORTS
2. Singer Whitney Houston’s death.
NEWS
1. BV recognized as a Blue Ribbon Award recipient.
5. “The Tiger Print” wins the Pacemaker award.
1. Marvel’s “The Avengers” breaks weekend box office record with $207.4 million.
5. Singer Michael Jackson’s children’s custody case.
BV Moments
Smiling with pride, Communication Arts teacher Teresa Schulte presents the Blue Ribbon Award to Blue Valley Board of Education President Tony Thill. Photo by Alex Kontopanos.
TRENDS 1. Selfies and Snapchat. 2. Riding boots. 3. The preppy frat look. 4. Pinterest. 5. Infinity scarves.
4. The University of Duke and the University of Missouri (No. 2 seeds) both lose to No. 15 seeds in the first round of the NCAA tournament. 5. Detroit Tigers baseball player Miguel Cabrera wins first triple crown in 45 years at age 29.
NEWSWORTHY PEOPLE 1. President Barack Obama 2. Trayvon Martin 3. Joseph Kony 4. Malala Yousafzai 5. David Petraeus
12/10/12 3:32 PM
14
centerstage
December 2012
How to Make your Winter Break even
C
Stories by Hailey McEntee.
LER
Ice Skate at Park Place
11565 Ash Street Leawood KS, 66211 Whether you have never ice skated before or are actually good at skating, The Ice at Park Place is a fun option. It’s always amusing to fall on the freezing cold ice and laugh at your friends who do the same thing. Afterwards, you could get some hot chocolate at Ingredient or Paciugo next door. Admission is $7 for patrons 11 years and older and $6 for children under 10 years old. Skate rental is $3 unless you bring your own pair of skates.
Bake Christmas Cookies
On a day you are bored and hungry, baking Christmas cookies is a perfect thing to do. Just find some recipes and grab some friends to help you out. Maybe even blast some Christmas music in the kitchen while baking. It’s a win-win situation — you get to hang out with your friends and you get cookies. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Go Bowling
Incredibowl 8500 West 151st Street Overland Park, KS 66223 AMF College Lanes 10201 College Boulevard Overland Park, KS 66210 This idea might sound super dorky, but it’s actually really fun. A little competition never hurt anyone, right? Also, at Incredibowl you can play laser tag, compete in The Vault, go cosmic bowling or play mini golf.
How to
save money and give the best gift
Get Artsy
Instead of buying all of your friends or siblings expensive gifts, make them something that takes a little more effort. Go on Pinterest to find some cute, cheap present ideas and let your imagination run wild. After all, something that you put a lot of work into has a lot more value than something you just put a lot of money into.
Find the Sales
You may have been enthusiastic enough to go to all the crazy Black Friday sales, which is always great. But for people who didn’t want to be a part of the Black Friday craziness, don’t worry. There are always good sales going on — you just have to seek them out. Places such as Target and Old Navy have sales going on throughout the whole holiday season.
Gift of giving Secret Santa
Secret Santa has been a tradition in freshman Bella Carpenter’s household for four years. “We didn’t want to have to get each person presents, and it was just easier this way,” Carpenter said. She said her sister picks names out of a hat and emails each family member who his or her person is. “Usually I get clothes, gift cards and candy,” she said. “You don’t get as many presents, but it’s fun seeing who your Secret Santa is.” Carpenter said she hopes to continue this tradition with her own children someday. “It has brought our family closer because you have to get to know the person to get them a good gift,” she said.
Pajama Party
Sophomore Sydney Kampschroeder and her family are continuing an old tradition of buying each other pajamas for Christmas. “On Christmas Eve, we give pajama pants or pajamas to sleep in,” Kampschroeder said. “My dad did it growing up, so we just continued it.” Kampschroeder said she enjoys this family tradition and hopes to carry it on for many generations. “It’s special to pick [the pajamas] out with your family members, and it’s fun to wear them when we open presents the next morning,” she said.
Stories by Danielle Williams.
Pinterest Passion
Junior Aubrey Myer scrolls through the Pinterest home feed to choose the gifts she will make for her friends and family during the holiday season. “I make my own gifts because it’s cheaper and easy when you don’t know what to get people,” Myer said. She said she enjoys making homemade gifts because she feels like it adds a personal touch to the gift. “It seems like you put more effort into it if you made the gift yourself,” she said. “It’s worth the time because you can tell people like them.” Myer said she has already found some recipes she is excited to try and is planning to make her “little sister” on the Blue Valley Cheerleading team a homemade gift as well.
Warm and Fuzzy
To some, fuzzy socks are just a way to keep your feet warm in the winter, or a great accessory to wear under Ugg Boots, but to sophomore Saleeha Soofi and her family, they are the traditional Christmas present. “Every Christmas, we give each other fuzzy socks,” Soofi said. “By the end of it we have socks from each family member.” Soofi said the tradition started a couple years ago when all of her family got each other fuzzy socks by accident. “We used to do Secret Santa,” she said. “We all opened our presents and we all got fuzzy socks for each other. It was a total coincidence, so we decided we would just get each other fuzzy socks every year.”
Movie Previews Stories by Colin Gregory.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Releases Dec. 14 A prequel to the “Lord of the Rings” series, The Hobbit appears to have a lighter, more jovial tone than the “Rings” trilogy. However, since it is helmed by “Rings” director Peter Jackson, there shouldn’t be much reason for concern. The final film in that trilogy won 12 Oscars, so the Hobbit is obviously in good hands. Zero Dark Thirty. Releases Dec. 19 Chronicling the manhunt for Osama Bin Laden, “Zero Dark Thirty” looks to be one of the more thrilling movies of the year. This is, in part, because of director Kathryn Bigelow, whose last feature, “The Hurt Locker”, racked up plenty of major awards in 2008. The film promises to be politically impartial, as the president is reportedly not in the movie at all. Regardless, this promises to be a good one. Django Unchained. Releases Dec. 25 The “D” is silent. Directed by Quentin Tarantino, director of several movies that are revered within the film community, including “Pulp Fiction” and “Reservoir Dogs,” “Django Unchained” looks to be one of the most original movies of the year. Starring Leonardo Dicaprio and Jamie Foxx, among others in an all-star cast, this movie is certainly marked on the calendar of movie buffs everywhere. Les Misérables. Releases Dec. 25 Based on the book read during sophomore year, “Les Misérables” has perhaps the best cast in a movie this year. Anne Hathaway, Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman and Amanda Seyfried top the star-studded list of actors. The film itself will be partly a musical, as shown heavily in the trailer. Whatever the case, “Les Misérables” looks to be among the most emotionally resonating films of the year.
December 2012
WWeight
restling
with
colingregory staff writer Students pile greasy pizza and ranch-laden salad onto styrofoam plates. Steaming pasta and macaroni and cheese sit, waiting to be consumed, on the plates of other students. School lunch. The stomachs of wrestlers in all four lunch periods rumble, as commitments to their sport limit them to sparse meals and altered meal schedules. In order to prepare for the season, wrestlers have to adjust their weight to fit into a certain weight class. “If I can lose weight and get into a lower class, then I would have an advantage of strength over the competition of that class,” wrestling captain senior Grant Robbins said. “I was 144 [pounds], and I’m trying to get down to 132 [pounds].” In order to lose weight, Robbins said he has to carefully watch what he eats. “I pay a lot closer attention to the labels on food now,” Robbins said. “You can’t starve yourself, but you just have to eat healthy no matter what. For instance, I don’t eat junk food anymore, which gets really hard when you see other people eating your favorite snacks.” Wrestling captain senior Jacob Sims said cutting pounds is particularly difficult around the holidays.
Athletes change diets, focus on weight to meet demands of sport, improve performance “There’s a lot of temptation, especially around Thanksgiving,” Sims said. “You just have to go all in and avoid those types of things.” Some wrestlers, such as Sims and junior Jackson Macoubrie, said they altered their meal schedule in order to cut pounds. “I have to separate my eating schedule to five meals per day,” Macoubrie said. “You just have to cut down on the portion for each meal, and you have to get to 2,000 calories a day. It’s really important to eat [carbohydrates] in the morning, which is when you are the most tired and sore. Ultimately, though, it’s worth it because we have a ton of potential to do really well this year.” Sims said the key to losing weight is starting early. “It has to be a long process,” he said. “However, the majority of the water weight is lost in the final couple days, where you wear all sweats to practice.” Robbins said the wrestling practices are great for losing weight. “Practices are tons of work,” Robbins said. “If you combine that with always being hungry, losing weight isn’t too bad.” Sims said cutting weight can sometimes have negative effects in school. “I remember last year I tried to cut weight too quickly, and I ended up being really tired and unable to focus during the day,” he said. Though dropping pounds for wrestling requires some sacrifice, Robbins said it is worth it. “Ultimately, [losing the weight] makes you tougher,” he said. “It definitely pays off when it comes to the meets because I love the competition.”
tigerturf
15
TIGER
TURF
BV SPORTS
sports in brief GIRLS BASKETBALL
Previous Action: 12/4 @ Leaventworth (44-35 W) 12/6 @ Olathe East (43-31 W) 12/7 @ Olathe South (45-55 L) Upcoming Action: 12/14 @ BVW 1/2 @ St. Thomas Aquinas Record: 2-0
BOYS BASKETBALL
Previous Action: 12/6 vs ONW (45-42 W) 12/7 vs Sumner Academy (54-46 W) 12/8 vs Topeka Highland Park (49-59 L) Upcoming Action: 12/14 @ BVW 12/20 vs BVNW
Record: 1-0
BOYS SWIMMING
Previous Action: 12/4 @ BVW (W) 12/13 @ BVNW Upcoming Action: 12/22 BVN Invitational 1/12 Greg House Invitational @ BVW
WRESTLING
Previous Action: 11/30 @ Spring Hill 12/7 @ Eudora 12/8 @ Eudora Upcoming Action: 12/14 Johnson County Classic 12/15 Johnson County Classic 1/2 @ Mill Valley
GIRLS BOWLING
Upcoming Action: 1/10 @ BVN College Lanes 1/14 @ Mission Lanes
Results current as of Dec. 9.
16
incolor
SWITCHED
December 2012
up
(1)
National Art Honor Society sponsored annual SWITCH dance Nov. 30; included new rules, new activity, new disc jockeys
(3)
(4) (1) Flying high, senior Katherine Brimble crowd surfs. This was the sixth annual SWITCH dance. “My friends make me crowd surf wherever we go,” Brimble said. (2) Listening to the music, senior Bergen Stephens dances with friends. Mix 93.3’s Steve Serrano disc jockeyed SWITCH for the first time this year. “I really enjoyed the DJ and just having a good time not worrying about having a date,” Stephens said. (3) Dancing and singing to the music, seniors Bri Woods and Brooke Snyder partake in the SWITCH dance-fest. This year, duct tape was banned as clothing for the dance. “I just pulled all the sparkly and neon things out of my closet and made my outfit,” Snyder said.
(2)
(4) Striking poses behind the screen, National Art Honor Society (NAHS) members dance before SWITCH begins. Students danced behind the screen prior to participating in the fashion show. “It took a lot of time to plan SWITCH for NAHS executives, but all NAHS members helped,” NAHS copresident senior Maddie Kreamer said. Photos by Megan Ball.