The Tiger Print — December 2014

the

TIGER PRINT newspaper

Blue Valley High School — Vol. 45 — Issue 4 — December 2014 — Overland Park, Kansas

2014

History in the Making: Reflection on past year prompts students’ commentary on notable moments, Pages 15-17.

Photo illustration by Sally Cochran.

Photos by Isabelle Allen, Sally Cochran, Alyssa Hess, Megan Hegarty, Molly Johnson and Sophia.

2 inthenews December 2014

inside this issue NEWS 2

BRINGING THEIR A-GAME Success in Scholars’ bowl team sparks hope for fifth State title

page 4

OPINION 6 FINDING FRIENDSHIP Real friends valued over pleasing others

page 9

FEATURES 11 LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION Student filmmaker begins district film festival

page 11

ENTERTAINMENT 18 HOLDAY-ISMS Self-diagnostic chart reveals holiday-inspired maladies page 18

SPORTS 26 ALL THE RIGHT MOVES BV wrestlers demonstrate dedication, endurance

page 27

Visit bvtigernews.com for extra stories, pictures and more

national news explained

ANTI-SMOKING CASE Residents of Westminster, Massachusetts have been up-in-arms over the new movement to make the sale of all tobacco illegal.

The enraged citizens believe that while smoking itself is a bad habit, the loss of the right to do so is worse. The Board of Health held a press conference Nov. 12 at a local elementary school in which almost 500 people packed in to let their opinions be known.

The conference lasted only 20 minutes before the board members were escorted out with police protection from angry attendees.

Why is this a big deal? This would be the first town in the United States to have no sales of any tobacco products including cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars and chewing tobacco. While only 17 percent of Westminster residents identify as smokers, the numbers against this law have risen far beyond that. Many perceive this as the first step in stripping civil liberties from the people such FERGUSON, MISSOURI SITUATION The aftermath of the police shooting of unarmed black man Michael Brown reached new extremes. Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon declared a State of Emergency and mobilized the National Guard in an attempt to keep violence and damages from demonstrators to a minimum. The FBI issued a warning to police forces nationwide that the decision on whether or not to try officer Darren Wilson might be the justification needed by protesters to attack law officers, which is what came to pass after the Grand Jury decided not to indict him and left Wilson a free man.

Violent protests erupted late Nov. 24 after the decision was announced in Ferguson with angry citizens looting businesses and attacking police.

Why is this a big deal? The people of Ferguson and America alike are angry about this allegedly racially-profiled killing of Brown, and tensions were anything but diffused after the Supreme Court decision. Gun sales have also skyrocketed, unnerving law enforcement officials. A shift from the peaceful protests after the not-guilty ruling of George Zimmerman for the murder of Trayvon Martin is apparent in attitudes of Ferguson.

as wearing religious symbols and bearing arms. Since tobacco only accounts for two percent of total revenue for the county, the Board of Health saw little risk on the economic side of it; however, general stores who have customers who buy tobacco and other items could lose as much as a third of their revenue. This county is the guinea pig for the anti-smoking movement and will set a precedent for any future cases involving the illegality of tobacco.

While a lot of the protests have been nonviolent, there were more than $5 million in damages to local businesses after vandalism and looting. Tensions between black communities and white police officers have risen to an all-time high, and Ferguson will likely never recover from this broken trust — even if there wasn’t much there to begin with. President Barack Obama responded with pleas for peaceful demonstrations and a proposition for body cameras on police officers to reduce he-said, she-said testimonies leading to these racially charges cases.

Page designed and stories by Sheila Gregory. Photos courtesy of MCT Campus.

December 2014 inthenews 3

Creating Comedy gennifergeer managing editor A semiannual tradition from Repertory Theatre, Friday Night Live (FNL) imitates the sketch comedy style of NBC’s Saturday Night Live. Tonight at 7 p.m., English Language Arts teacher Kelsey Bakalar will host the show and act in sketches.

Drama teacher Jeff Yarnell approached Bakalar at the beginning of this school year about hosting, and she said the invitation was unexpected.

“I think about the people who have hosted [such as physics teacher John] Holloway,” Bakalar said. “That’s Holloway’s thing. He’s good at that. I’m good at making a fool of myself. So, I think I’ll be OK in that sense, but I was surprised.”

Junior Olivia Carter said she predicts Bakalar will be entertaining in the show.

“She’s going to be funny because she’s a quirky person,” Carter said. “She did a lot of performing arts when she was younger, so I

We Wish You a

English teacher to host sketch comedy show, works alongside students

think she’s going to have a lot of fun.”

Bakalar said though she hasn’t attended past FNL shows, she’s looking forward to participating tonight.

“It’s harder for me to connect with the theater department because I have small children,” she said. “I can take small children to sporting events, but it’s harder for me to bring them to a play or a musical.”

The Rep Theatre students had the chance to write sketches, and Carter said she contributed some for Bakalar.

“I wrote one about how nobody can believe [Bakalar] is a teacher because she’s so short,” Carter said. “When she walks in the room, everyone just laughs at her.”

Bakalar said getting to know the students better is a driving motivation for her excitement.

“I’ve had two of my former students who are in that class approach me with skits they’re writing,” Bakalar said. “I think it’ll be a blast. It’ll be fun to go back to working with them when I enjoyed them when they were freshmen.”

Caring Christmas

hopebrown staff writer The annual Johnson County Christmas Bureau Holiday Shop is open from Dec. 5-13.

Juniors Lizzy Meinzenbach and Marie Hornung were among the 3,000 volunteers at the 2013 Holiday Shop, which served 3,300 families. Meinzenbach and Hornung participated with their church youth group from St. Michael the Archangel Parish.

The Christmas Bureau, which was founded in 1977, sponsors a week-long Holiday Shop that provides an opportunity for low-income families in Johnson County to select groceries, personal care items, clothing and gifts for the holidays.

Meinzenbach said she hoped to aid those less fortunate at the event.

“I thought it would be fun and a way to see how others have to live and how I can

Wrapping up the scene, junior Charlie Stebbins acts in a sketch for FNL. Stebbins plays five characters in the show. “Comedy is not about worrying if I have five different, well-developed characters,” Stebbins said. “It’s about creating five ways to make the audience laugh.” Photo by Sophia Ragomo.

Local charity aids thousands, provides volunteer opportunities

help them,” Meinzenbach said.

Potential shoppers submitted applications to prove they meet current poverty level guidelines and qualify for the aid of the Christmas Bureau.

At the Holiday Shop, volunteers help shoppers select a specified number of items according to the size of their families.

Both Meinzenbach and Hornung assisted clients at the food station.

“My job was taking cans of food and sorting and putting [them] onto tables,” Hornung said. “People would come by, and they would pick out meals. They would take one or two vegetables, one entrée and one can of beans.”

Meinzenbach said one of the prominent issues she experienced was a language barrier. “[The atmosphere] was very crazy and stressful sometimes because some of the people didn’t speak English,” Meinzenbach

said. “A lot of them spoke Spanish.”

Despite the communication issue, Meinzenbach said the shoppers were appreciative of the Christmas Bureau. “[The clients] seemed very excited and relieved that they were able to get gifts because they all didn’t have the opportunities to get presents for their children every year,” Meinzenbach said.

Hornung said she learned valuable life lessons while volunteering.

“This sounds silly, but I did learn some organizational skills because it involved a lot of sorting of food,” Hornung said.

Meinzenbach said she is grateful for the opportunity to help out others in Johnson County.

“Everyone deserves a gift, no matter what it is,” Meinzenbach said. “People were getting the smallest things for their children — it was going to make their Christmas day.”

Page designed by Hope Brown.

4 inthenews December 2014

Can’t Question the

Talent

1.

2.

1. Working a problem, Junior Nathan Luzum prepares to buzz in at a Scholars’ Bowl practice.

2. Practicing different rounds, the Scholars’ Bowl team readies themselves for future competitions.

The team practices every Monday at 3:45 p.m. “We

go through old questions from practice rounds, from old State rounds,” sophomore Sid Hegde said.

“And then, at the end, we challenge whoever had the most points, and that determines our standings on the actual team.” Photos by Jessie Jilovec.

Scholars’ bowl team hopes for fifth consecutive State title sheilagregory news editor

necessarily teach,” Luzum said. “So, there is some outside learning, but I think most people tend to draw from what they learned in school and draw from what they are passionate about.”

Due to the wide variety of topics, diversity in participants is needed as well, Luzum said.

“Everybody is very well-rounded with what he or she knows, and, obviously, everybody has their specialties,” Luzum said. “[There are] people who know music very well, people who know language arts very well, people who know various aspects of history whether it be Roman history or European history or United States history.

Everybody has a basic knowledge of all those, but some people have a very in-depth knowledge, and together, we bring out a lot of success in the team.”

Luzum said, like a sports team, Scholars’ Bowl has training sessions as well as individual preparation.

“Every Monday, we have a Scholars’ Bowl practice, which is just going through a whole bunch of rounds of questions,” Luzum said.

“We also train every day we go to school by learning new things. Then, on our own,

The mornings where donuts are delivered into every Blue Valley classroom are ones where students and staff alike are appreciative of the hard work athletes have put in to win a State competition.

However, in the past four years, those donuts in late February have not come from any sports team but from Scholars’ Bowl participants.

Junior Nathan Luzum has been on the varsity team for two years and expects to go to State this year. He said the team’s success has come from a shared passion to perform to their highest abilities.

“We just have a lot people on the team who are very unique and intelligent, who have a great drive for knowledge and love of academics,” Luzum said. “That definitely contributes to the success of the team.”

A Scholars’ Bowl competition covers not only mathematics, but everything from history to foreign languages.

“Most of [the information] tends to be school-curriculum based, but there are certainly some concepts that school does not

we delve into subjects we’re interested in and passionate about, so training is both in school and out.”

The interactions among the members is another reason Luzum said he enjoys Scholars’ Bowl.

“Everyone in Scholars’ Bowl is so unique and intelligent, and it’s nice to meet others who share the same interests in academics,” he said.

Luzum said participating in Scholars’ Bowl attributed to his success in high school. “[Scholars’ Bowl] does help enforce certain academic concepts,” he said. “There are some questions that are very recurring in Scholar’s Bowl, so you learn certain new random facts. Also, it’s a good way to practice what you’ve learned in school.”

With four consecutive State victories, Luzum said he is optimistic about upcoming competitions.

“This year we have a lot of new freshmen who have become interested, which is a very good thing because, obviously, we need to look out for the future of the Scholar’s Bowl program,” he said. “It’s good to see so many young minds wanting to grow to become better.”

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE LANGUAGE ARTS

Which Victor Hugo novel depicts the rise of a thief to the position of mayor in a French town?

SCIENCES

FINE ARTS

What dinosaur was nicknamed “the plated lizard”?

What is the real name of Salvadore Dali’s painting often referred to as “Melting Watches”?

ANS: Stegosasurus

ANS: Les Misérables

Find all 4 real roots to the equation x4 - 13x2 + 36 = 0.

ANS: Persistence of Memory

MATHEMATICS

Page designed by Sheila Gregory.

ANS: 3, -3, 2, -2

December 2014

payin’thebills

5

Flat-rate tuition.

Less than two hours away.

Exp. 1/31/15.

Pittsburg State University www.pittstate.edu • Pittsburg, Kansas

Exp. 1/31/15.

Stop by Robeks on late arrival Thursdays and get your day off to a great start!

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Sound the Alarm

FIRE

Lack of balance in emergency drills calls for urgent changes

charlotterooney staff writer

You’re sitting in class taking notes. Maybe you’re talking to a friend, or your teacher is lecturing. Suddenly, you hear the shrill sound of the fire alarm, and your class is directed out of the building.

The state of Kansas mandates that schools have one fire drill each month school is in session, according to the Kansas Building Fire Safety Handbook. I am in no way questioning the need for fire drills, but due to their frequency, I’m slowly packing up my backpack and checking my phone before I even think about the safety procedure.

In other news, there have been 87 school shootings since Sandy Hook, according to NBC News as of December 5. I have never once worried about my school burning down, but school shootings have been on my mind because of how often they occur.

I could go on about how I shouldn’t even have to think about my safety while at school, but the reality is, I see school violence on the news constantly. It’s a prevalent issue, and after these events happen, the media talk about it for a couple weeks, and then the topic disappears.

Honestly, I don’t question my safety when walking into school, and I love coming to school. But on the other hand, there is nothing wrong with being prepared.

Schools in the BV District are required to perform at least two code red drills per year.

BV only does the minimum — one for each Photo by Molly Johnson.

Page designed by Charlotte Rooney.

semester, according to BV School District Police Supervisor Sergeant Micky Medellin.

The most I’ve ever done for a lockdown drill is have a teacher lock the door, but if I were sitting in the lunchroom and a peer fired a gun, I wouldn’t know where to go or what to do. The lockdown drills that BV rarely practices are only for one out of many different situations that could happen.

BV students are unprepared for an actual threat.

Teachers rarely talk about school shootings or what we would do if it ever really happened. Instead, I hear on the news at least once a month — if not more — about school shootings, but we rarely have drills.

Medellin said he would like to see everyone gain confidence from having more discussions about school safety.

“I do think students and teachers should have more conversations about what would happen in a dangerous situation,” he said.

I think more conversations are needed, but just because we live in Johnson County doesn’t mean that we are any less likely to experience school violence. Sandy Hook Elementary is in an upscale neighborhood, and they certainly didn’t expect an act of violence to happen to them.

Instead of learning from these events, we seem to be almost ignoring them and not taking any knowledge from them.

I’m hoping that BV will have more lockdown drills in the future. Schools should realize more drills are needed, so we can prepared if any threatening events happen and give students a peace of mind.

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staffeditorial TIGER PRINT newspaper the

editor-in-chief Sally Cochran

adviser Michelle Huss

managing editor Gennifer Geer

photographers Isabelle Allen Alyssa Hess Sophia Ragomo

photo editor Molly Johnson news editor Sheila Gregory opinion editor Riley Miller Cartoon by Christine Rice.

Depression, suicide awareness not taken seriously enough by high school students staff editorial

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Because our society has romanticized the idea of depression, many of us fail to understand how severe the illness actually is.

Many try to offer advice to those with depression, especially via social media.

After the recent Olathe Northwest suicides, social media was filled with posts and tweets insinuating that ridding yourself of depression is as easy as willing yourself to be happy.

You wouldn’t hear someone suggesting a similar simple cure to a cancer patient or someone with schizophrenia

— “Oh, you don’t need help, just do something you love to do.”

Like other illnesses, depression is something that can and needs to be treated.

It is so important to understand how crucial it is to get someone help. It truly is a matter of life and death.

Yes, we live in a nice area, but we also live in an area with extremely high expectations, anonymous social media accounts and exclusive cliqués.

If you know of someone who is experiencing depression or suicidal thoughts, do something, and, if you can’t, tell someone who can immediately.

Do not brush it off.

Don’t complain about the school shoving suicide prevention down everyone’s throat because with the constantly increasing rate of

suicides, everyone needs to be aware of the warning signs and what to do when they emerge.

We don’t need another dead student for us to respect one another.

Just weeks after the suicides of the two Olathe Northwest students, everything seemingly returned to normal.

Twitter was full of its usual insults and subtweets.

The boy you went out of your way to say hi to in light of the tragedy is suddenly invisible again.

It’s hard to constantly be loving and positive, but it’s even harder to imagine your words and actions could cause someone to end his or her own life.

The least you can do is speak to others as though your words will be the last they hear.

features editor Maddie Davis entertainment editor Rachel Lock sports editor Matt Antonic

cartoonists Mandy Novicoff Christine Rice staff writers Chloe Breau Hope Brown Courtney Carpenter Megan Hegarty Makayla Nicholis Cassie Nichols Charlotte Rooney Ifrah Sayyada Meredith Strickland

“The Tiger Print,” published seven times a year, 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 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@yahoo.com or mailed to: The Tiger Print c/o Blue Valley High School 6001 W. 159th Street Overland Park, KS 66085

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T3ch 4 Lyfe

New devices enable students’ laziness

sallycochran editor-in-chief Are you aware that school existed before Google?

Millions of children — even high school students like you! — were forced through their educations with no help from little computers in their pockets.

Imagine: These brave students actually had to open up books to find information.

That’s right — instead of a cheerily colored search engine logo, all they saw was words.

Lots of words.

The horror! And it gets worse.

These students might have actually had to think about “The Great Gatsby” to understand what the green light represents as they couldn’t just ask their cellphone-inhabiting best friend, Sparknotes.

Forget that: They might have actually had to read “The Great Gatsby.”

Back then, there used to be this subject

The Big Picture maddiedavis features editor It’s different for all of us, but most of us can remember a time in our past where we haven’t been proud of something we’ve done.

Or even, what was done to us.

Each of our lives can be represented as a canvas — white and unmarred by brushstrokes when we are born.

But soon, as the days and months and years streak by, we will make decisions we regret.

We will make mistakes.

We will hurt someone.

Someone will hurt us.

Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is that none

called “spelling.” (This archaic word is actually the root of “spell-check.”)

Students were forced to know the pattern of keys they had to press to form words.

But I forgot — they didn’t even have keys.

Forced to write out words like cavemen, students were required to know the order the letters came in.

Thank God there’s spell-check and autocorrect today, helpfully adding an apostrophe to “well” when I actually meant the adverb.

And, in ancient times, they had these large catalogs of words and their meanings as if someone needed to lug around a 20-pound dictionary.com.

They weren’t even user-friendly. One had to know the alphabet to find words in these artifacts.

How am I supposed to be able to know the order of 26 letters when I can barely remember my locker combination without looking at the note on my phone?

In the olden days, when finals came, students couldn’t refresh their phones as constantly as the school Wi-Fi allowed, eyes glued to the screens until they finally knew their grades.

Can you imagine actually having to wait more than an hour to know your test score?

Sometimes, the older generations call us “lazy.” How dare they when all we’re doing is using our resources?

Little mistakes don’t define a person’s life

of us are going to get through life without some bruises and scratches. That’s just the way things work.

At some point, all of the mistakes and bad memories will cover up our previously white canvas with dark brushstrokes, making us believe that life will never be the same as we knew it.

We will begin to think of ourselves as nothing more than all of the negatives.

We’ll start to repeat to ourselves that we are nothing.

We are worthless.

We are failures.

It’s all our fault.

However, we would not be the people we are without experiencing the good and bad in our lives.

Our canvases may seem ruined.

Too far gone to be repaired.

But they’re not.

Each and every single one is a work of art worthy of hanging in the Louvre or Smithsonian.

We just have to change our way of thinking to see the masterpieces for ourselves.

Page designed by Sally Cochran.

Art by Bonnie Anderson.

December 2014 outloud 9

rileymiller opinion editor I know parents and adults are full of crazy sayings such as, “You’re too young to understand,” and, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”

But I’ve found one thing in particular that I’ve been told over and over again by countless adults (other than, “You’re going to need a jacket”) has turned out to be true — “Following the ‘cool crowd’

isn’t worth it.”

I hate to give credit to all of the adults who have ever told me that, but every single one of them was absolutely right.

Nowadays, being “popular” or “cool” means nothing but trying to please a bunch of people who don’t actually care about you and regularly using phrases such as, “Turn up or transfer.”

In other words, popularity is extremely overrated.

Why stick around people who base your worth on how “hammered” you got over the weekend?

Of course no one is perfect, but I personally want to be around people who will fill me up, talk to me about things that actually matter and keep the drama to a minimum — and I’ve found just that.

In fact, discovering who my real

friends are has brought nothing but good things. We go to concerts, we still have fun and I’ll be the first to admit that we break a fair amount of rules ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­— but most importantly we care about each other.

We put one another first. There’s never a “better option” because to each other, we’re the most important thing.

No one should be embarrassed to be passionate about the things they are passionate about.

No one should have to apologize for how they feel.

No one should be ashamed of who they are.

As astonishing as this may sound, your friends are supposed to make you feel good about yourself.

High school is rough as it is.

Surround yourself with people who care.

Page designed by Riley Miller.

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A to Z Z Z Z z Medical experts share thoughts on sleep deprivation, recommendations for students ifrahsayyada staff writer You were up all night studying for the big test you have the next day.

You’re on the brink of an A — 89.3 percent — and you need this test.

The stress is eating you from the inside out.

When you are finally done and start getting into your bed, your alarm starts ringing.

Time for school.

Children’s Mercy sleep specialist Teresa Schneider said sleep deprivation can affect a student’s quality of life.

“Lack of sleep can cause moodiness, irritability, slowing of your thought processes and difficulty with memory,” Schneider said.

Blue Valley nurse Jennifer Runyan said if students don’t get enough sleep, it affects their performance at school.

“I think students don’t get enough sleep because they are working on homework,” Runyan said. “They have tons of extracurricular activities that keep them extremely busy.”

Senior Erin Rambo swims for BV, and she said sports can also cause sleep deprivation in students.

“It affects my sleep, especially during [the BV swim] season because we get up

for practice at 5:30 a.m., and we spend a whole day at school,” Rambo said. “[After school], we practice, and I’ll get home around 7 [each night]. Then, I have around two hours of homework, which means I don’t get to sleep until around 9 p.m.”

Runyan suggests sleep-deprived students turn off electronic devices to get the sleep they need. She said technology distracts students and keeps them up during the night texting friends, working on the computer or playing video games.

Schneider advises sleep-deprived teenagers get to bed early enough to have nine to nine-and-a-half hours of sleep each night.

“If you are sleep-deprived, you should not think that you can make that up by sleeping extra on the weekends,” Schneider said. “The best thing to do is to get up at the same time every day. Be sure to get in bed early enough to get the needed sleep.”

Although you are supposed to get nine to ten hours of sleep, Rambo said it’s sometimes impossible to fit those hours into her schedule.

“I do take naps during the day,” she said. “I try not to sleep during class, but sometimes I just have to because I’m so tired. Occasionally, I leave during study hall or a class I know I can make up during the day, and I can go home and sleep for a little bit.”

Because of the importance of sleep,

Photo illustration by Molly Johnson. Page designed by Ifrah Sayyada.

Runyan said she tries to help students who are sleep-deprived when she can.

“I do let some students lay down,” she said. “It depends a lot on what class they’re in, especially if they’re in a study hall. I try not to let people take advantage of that, but if they’re not feeling well, sometimes just 20 to 30 minutes laying down can really make a big difference for the rest of their day.”

Rambo said busy students must balance sleep and school.

“I would suggest not falling behind in your schoolwork because it’s important to stay caught up but also try and get as much sleep as you can,” Rambo said.

“I suggest definitely taking study halls during your season if you are in a sport because that helps you a lot. Maybe going to sleep earlier or even just sleeping in [will also help].”

Schneider said she believes some changes in the timing of school would also help students who are sleep-deprived.

“I would really love to see schools shift the start times to 9 a.m. for teenagers,” Schneider said. “It would work better with their body clocks because teenagers have a natural change in their body rhythms that makes them sleepy later in the evening. If school districts would make these changes, it would probably improve test scores and make the students happy at the same time.”

December 2014 upclose 11

Capturing the Moment

Sophomore expresses herself through making short movies, establishes first Blue Valley district film festival

courtneycarpenter staff writer Trying to turn her passion for directing into a future career, sophomore Maria Gnoza has been creating films and short movies since she was in sixth grade.

She said she was inspired after watching movies when she was younger.

“When my friends and I watched ‘Twilight,’ that’s when I decided to be a filmmaker,” she said. “I remember thinking I could create something better than that [movie], so I started making music videos and things to try it out.”

Gnoza said she has created various genres of movies from dramas to comedies but is currently experimenting with other kinds of film.

“I’ve made some [films] that are 15 seconds [long], and I’ve made another that was 15 minutes,” Gnoza said. “I’ve done a couple of parodies and voiceovers, a couple music videos. I’ve tried animation, but I’m learning — I’m not very good at it. I also do short comedies.”

Depending on how long the film is, the time it takes to complete varies.

“I spend a couple of days just editing,” Gnoza said. “To make an actual video where I have to go out and film, it will take about three days for the filming and a couple more for the editing because I used to only make short films. I’m trying to work on making a lot longer [films] now.”

Gnoza volunteers to help with local events.

“I haven’t [filmed] anything for money,” Gnoza said. “I actually volunteer to do videos or projects. I’m doing a wedding, and I also edit and create promotional films for people.”

Gnoza said she is trying to get her films out to the public to watch.

“I put videos that need to be shared on YouTube, but most of the time, I don’t share my videos unless they absolutely need to get out there on online sources,” she said. “But, I’m planning on entering more film festivals this year and getting my name out to sponsors and local filmmakers.”

Depending on what she’s creating, Gnoza said there can be problems and stress along with the process.

“It depends if I have a deadline or not,” Gnoza said. “It’s usually pretty laid-back since I [film] because I love it. But, last year

Blue Valley’s First Film Festival “Students can create their own short films,” Gnoza said. “I thought of the idea over the summer, and now [librarian Jessica] Edwards is sponsoring it. I really want to stress that it’s open to everyone — if you’re the next Spielberg or just an amateur who’s bored and wants to do something with their friends. The films can be submitted now, and the award ceremony will be in April. I’m very excited, and I cannot wait to see these films.”

Above Left: Gnoza sets up the scene for her video.

Above Middle: Looking through her video camera, Gnoza films a scene.

Above Right: Using her tripod for support, Gnoza zooms in to film from far away.

Page design and photos by Courtney Carpenter.

editing on a video — something that I did have a deadline for — it screwed up pretty badly the night before it needed to be finished, so that was stressful.”

Gnoza said the people she’s met through this passion are her favorite part of the whole process.

“I really like working with a bunch of different people because I can get a lot of my friends together to act and help with it,” Gnoza said.

Gnoza said finding people to star in her films isn’t as hard as some may think.

“Since I am in theater, I know a lot of actors and actresses, so I’ll usually call them first,” Gnoza said. “Or, if there’s extra [people] where I’m filming, I can ask them.

It’s happened before where I’ll see someone at a park, and I’m filming a movie there. I’ll be like, ‘Hey, do you want to come in for this shot really quick?’ Most of the time children are ready to come willingly, but if they’re adults, they just give me strange looks.”

Although she loves all of her films, Gnoza said she has a couple favorites.

“Right now I’m making a music video to a song called ‘Youth,’” Gnoza said. “It’s a drama, and so far it’s been one of my favorites to make. My ‘2013-2014 Friends’ video was one of my favorites as well.”

Gnoza said filming is her passion, and the end product is something she can watch and cherish forever.

“It’s really fun actually making [the films],” Gnoza said. “Once you get to see all of the pieces of the puzzle come together, it’s very worth it.”

Scan the QR code to watch Maria’s “2013-2014 Friends” video.

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December 2014

A Classy Review

Students share experiences from courses with stressful reputations They’re the classes we all hear about — the ones with crazy homework, impossible curricula and teachers who expect perfection. Despite common misconceptions, these students say the classes aren’t as difficult as they expected.

AP Biology a.k.a. AP Bio: Nick Williams Senior Nick Williams had heard AP Biology had really long labs but a well-liked teacher.

“A lot of students like [science teacher Azie Taghizadeh],” Williams said. “She understands young students and jokes around while teaching us.”

He said the homework load is pretty extreme but he knew that going into the class.

“If you take all the homework from my other classes, excluding AP Bio, and add it together, it’s still less than the homework I have for AP Bio,” he said.

Williams said the homework can either be easy or really difficult.

“Half the time the information and home-

work is really hard to get through,” he said. “Other times it’s pretty doable — either you get it or you don’t.”

AP Biology is definitely one of his hard classes,Williams said.

“After what I heard, it’s not as bad as I thought it was going to be, but it’s still pretty difficult,” he said.

Teacher Response: “I would hope that students don’t have anything super negative to say about my class,” Taghizadeh said.

“I think they would say it was difficult and that I have high expectations.”

AP Statistics a.k.a. AP Stat: Ricky Chen Senior Ricky Chen hadn’t heard terrible things about taking AP Stat before he enrolled in.

“I actually heard it was really easy,” he said. “I heard that [math teacher K. Dean Snell] was nice and pretty chill. People told me [Snell] doesn’t have hard tests but he has a lot of quizzes.”

Snell rarely gives out homework, Chen said.

“If he does assign homework, he’ll usually give time in class, and the homework is easy,” he said.

Chen had heard from multiple students that the class was simple but said there are some surprises.

“The class was a little harder than I thought it was going to be,” he said. “Even still, AP Stat is one of my easier classes.”

Teacher Response: “I think initially, because AP Stat is so different from other math classes that students have taken, it looks like it’s going to be very easy,” Snell said. “It is a rigorous class, and it is difficult. Students don’t realize that it’s going to be a challenge.”

December 2014

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13

AP United States History a.k.a. APUSH: Sydney Anderson Junior Sydney Anderson initially signed up for regular U.S. History but soon decided it wasn’t challenging enough for her.

“I think I learn more when I’m challenged,” Anderson said. “When a class isn’t easy for me, it makes the information more interesting.”

Anderson said APUSH doesn’t require as much homework as she thought it would.

“We have to find primary sources and are expected to finish review guides, but that’s pretty much it,” Anderson said.

APUSH students with social studies teacher Clark Winslow have a test after completing each unit, but the score isn’t taken

for a grade.

“We only have three test grades that count toward our semester grade — our quarter final, the semester final and a research paper,” Anderson said.

“It’s nice because all the questions on those two major tests are from previous tests, so it’s easy to study for them.”

Anderson said the class isn’t difficult because she has been learning about U.S history since she was young.

“It’s just going deeper into the information,” Anderson said. “I think it’s really interesting.”

Teacher Response: “If you have a strong work ethic, AP classes won’t be hard,” Winslow said. “If your work ethic slips, and you get behind in your classes, that’s when AP will get hard.”

AP English Literature a.k.a. AP Lit: Maddie Coole Senior Maddie Coole said she had heard AP Lit prepares students for college and for the essays required for college admission.

“At the beginning of the year, [English Language Arts teacher Linda Eagleton] kind of throws you to the sharks,” she said. “By the end, you can write really great essays. I already feel that my essay writing skills are getting better.”

The amount of homework depends on what the class is working on, Coole said.

“If we have a book due in a couple days, then everyone is scrambling to get it read and perfect journal entries,” she said. “If [the class] has lit terms or vocab, then the homework doesn’t take a lot of time.”

Coole said Eagleton is known for having high expectations but said she likes her.

“She’s really sassy and knows what she’s doing,”

Miller

“AP U.S. History would be the hardest for me to take because I’m not very good at history.”

— Tabitha Miller, 9

Coole said. “She has a passion for what she’s teaching, and that makes the class interesting.”

Though Coole said she second guesses herself in class, she still enjoys the subject.

“I wonder if my answers are good enough or if I’m at the level I’m supposed to be at,” Coole said. “The class isn’t about a certain number of questions you can get right — it’s really about learning to think in a certain way.”

Coole said she had heard from past seniors that the class was going to be challenging, but she learned she didn’t have anything to worry about.

“I made myself much more nervous than I needed to be,” she said. “If I take a step back, the class isn’t that bad.”

“AP Literature would be hard because I don’t like writing essays.”

— Brandon Blando, 11

“AP Statistics would be the hardest for me because math isn’t my strong suit.”

— Lauren Lee, 9

Lee

Blando Photos by Isabelle Allen.

Pages designed and story by Charlotte Rooney.

14 upclose December 2014

Aiding Animals

Director explains purpose of local animal shelter; BV student finds solace in volunteering

chloebreau staff writer

Those who have pets know just how important they are to our lives. They provide us with the unconditional love and companionship we can’t always find elsewhere, no matter how many times we forget to let them outside.

Every year, according to the ASPCA website, 7.6 million companion animals enter different shelters around the country looking for a home.

Wayside Waifs is one of these many shelters.

Located in Grandview, Missouri, Wayside relies heavily on volunteers to keep the facility up and running.

Sophomore Sydney Kitt helps out at Wayside every Tuesday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

“I have been volunteering for about a year since June,” Kitt said.

“It’s a great non-profit organization, and I think the people and the animals greatly benefit from it.”

Director of Animal Welfare Sarah Little adopted two dogs, Jenny

Above: Smiling ear to ear, one of many Wayside Waifs dogs greets volunteers as they walk into the kennel area.

Right: Director of Animal Welfare Sarah Little stands in front of the Wayside Waifs facility’s welcome sign. Little said she has always had a passion for animals. “I got my dream job when I started at Wayside seven years ago,” she said.

and Bruno, from Wayside Waifs and has fostered many others since her first day working there seven years ago.

“Our mission is to educate the public about responsible pet ownership,” Little said. “We have our Humane Education Program where we go out to the schools, and we talk to younger students about how to take care of a pet.”

Wayside also hosts many fundraisers and events.

“We have ‘Strut With Your Mutt,’ which is one of our biggest fundraisers,” Little said. “We also have Homecoming for our Wayside Waifs [canine] alumni. We have a dog park, so our alums can use the dog park for free for that day. It’s just kind of a fun thing for people to get together.”

Kitt said volunteering with the animals helps them become more adoptable.

“I volunteer at Wayside because I have an interest in dogs,” Kitt said. “They are very playful, and they love to be around people.”

Currently, Wayside has about 1,400 regular volunteers who help by doing anything from socializing and training the animals to fostering them.

Kitt said she becomes emotionally attached to the animals at the shelter.

“There was this really cute dog named Claire,” Kitt said. “She’s a miniature poodle, and she had a bow in her hair. She was gray, and she was probably about five pounds. She was really cute.”

Little said volunteering with Wayside Waifs benefits those involved.

“My biggest personal connection is [to the animals],” Little said. “I don’t know how you cannot become attached to them. It’s a job that I enjoy getting up every day and coming to.”

Page designed by and photos by Chloe Breau.

2014

December 2014 upclose 15

IN REVIEW

Many people have a time in history they want to live in. Whether it’s the roaring ‘20s with Gatsby-style parties or the ‘80s as portrayed in “The Breakfast Club,” other decades seem to have more of an appeal than the current one.

We are so caught up with wanting to be in a time with “history in the making” that we forget to see the history forming right before our very eyes.

People don’t usually think of the time

they are living in now as history. We live our lives day to day, not stopping to think about how one day, this age will be reduced to numbers and notable events for a future student to come across in a textbook (Or, more likely, on the Internet).

As we near the end of 2014, we can reflect on all the triumphs and failures of this important year. Looking back, we see the events here at BV and nationally that will define us throughout the ages.

Stories by Maddie Davis and Rachel Lock.

National photos courtesey of MCT Campus.

School photos by Megan Hegarty, Alyssa Hess and Hannah Koenig.

Information taken from a poll of 160 students.

Pages designed by Maddie Davis.

16 upclose December 2014

News

As of Dec. 5, 34 states had lifted bans on gay marriage.

Eighty-two percent of BV students approve of the new gay marriage laws.

“As a kid, I went to a camp every summer that really emphasized how bad and amoral [homosexuality] is. But, now that I have friends who are gay, it just feels wrong that they shouldn’t be allowed to experience the kind of legal companionship that straight people do.” — Senior Gabby Gunnerson

2014 BV News

Late student Reat Underwood was killed in a hate crime at the Jewish Community Center in April.

“I certainly enjoyed every minute I worked with him. He was an outgoing kid. You know the cliché, ‘He gives 100 percent every time’? That was Reat. He was active and always involved and did everything to his fullest.” — Debate teacher Chris Riffer

2014 News Worldwide

The Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa killed 6,113 people as of Dec. 5.

Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 disappeared in March 2014 and has still not been found as of Dec. 5.

The Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) murdered four journalists on Nov. 4 and five on Nov. 6 in Mosul, Iraq.

More than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls were kidnapped in April by a terrorist group known as Boko Haram.

Pop Culture

Popularity of superhero movies skyrocketed with the release of five live-action films — “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” “X-Men Days of Future Past” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” — and the announcement of three more in 2015.

Sixty-three percent of BV students liked the new superhero movies released in 2014.

“I think [the movies] are pretty great, but at the same time, they are a little overdone compared to the original ones. I think they are pretty sweet, though. Plus [the actors] are all ripped and handsome.” — Junior Cam Smith

Premieres of “How to Get Away with Murder,” “Red Band Society” and “Gotham” gain national attention.

New seasons of “American Horror Story,” “The Walking Dead” and “Once Upon a Time” spark students’ interests. “‘Once Upon a Time’ is good because [the writers] bring in different fairy-tale characters from Disney and other places and put their own twist on them. It is a good story, and [the characters] all fit together perfectly.” — Sophomore Hannah Maxwell

“Viola Davis from ‘How to Get Away with Murder’ is a really good actress, and I aspire to be her.” — Senior Brina DeWeese

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December 2014 upclose 17

Sports

United States goalie Tim Howard made 16 saves in the Belgium vs. USA game in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. BV goalie senior Erik Rimmer finished the season with 98 saves and 7 shutouts.

“The toughest save I made this season was when a BV West player hit a free kick from 40 yards out, and I blocked it in the middle of the goal. Then, I had to get up really quickly to save another shot that was me against one player from five yards out. It ended up hitting my chest and going wide.” — Senior Erik Rimmer

According to tvbythenumbers.com, 151 million Americans watched the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. The United States received 9 gold, 7 silver and 12 bronze medals.

Eighty-four percent of BV students watched the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.

“I enjoyed watching the Olympics. I especially liked the bobsled event. It’s so crazy to watch those people perform such a unique event.” — Junior Tyler Elmendorf

“I am impressed by Olympian athletes’ agility and how long they train to compete.”

— Freshman Carlee Cline

The Kansas City Royals lost in game seven to the San Francisco Giants in the 2014 World Series.

BV Boys Baseball won the 2014 6A State Championship.

“The best part about last year was having a whole bunch of seniors. It was great to see them win during their last year at BV. And for [2015] State, we have all of our pitchers back, so we should be good this year. We should win State again.” — Senior Ryan Cyr

Meb Keflezighi from California won the 2014 Boston Marathon, becoming the first American male runner to win since 1983.

Boys cross country won the 2014 6A State Championship.

“Having such a good finish this season was great, and being able to end it with a State title was the best part. I feel like all of my hard work finally paid off when I found out we had won, especially since we had been thinking about winning since summer break.” — Senior Jake Mikuls

Academics

Scholars’ Bowl won the 2014 6A State Championship.

“The team is really close-knit. We’re like a family, except a little bit crazier. We yell at each other every second of our spare time, call each other idiots, insult each other to the lowest degree possible. And [math teacher Adam] Wade — we call him Sensei — just looks on in amusement. It’s awesome.” — Junior William Liu

Nationwide, 1,407 students scored a 36 on the ACT in 2014.

Two students at BV achieved a 36 on the ACT in 2014.

“Getting a 36 was always an idea in the back of my mind while I was preparing for the ACT. During the test, however, I forgot about aiming for a certain score and focused on getting as many questions correct as possible. Fortunately, all of the pieces ended up falling into place.” — Junior Nathan Luzum

18

centerstage

December 2014 Of course!

Are you ready for the holidays?

Do you have holiday fever?

Take this quiz to diagnose your winter ailment

Pages designed and story by Gennifer Geer and Rachel Lock.

Already?

Absolutely...

Not. “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” because the idea of having the Whos’ gifts excites you

“Reindeer(s) Are Better Than People”

Which “Frozen” song is your motto?

Favorite winter movie?

The Classic: “Frozen” “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?”

Humbug Bites — Overview: Inflicted by a London parasite by the name of Ebenezer Scrooge, these bites fester negativity. Victims harumph and boo-hoo at any mention of holiday cheer.

The idea of actually buying presents for a “loved” one or giving to charity repulses the victim, and the sound of children laughing causes bleeding from the ears.

Diagnosis & Tests: Put on “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and “Frosty the Snowman.”

If you have the urge to vomit and don’t reminisce about childhood and the meaning of life, you have this ailment.

Treatment: “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.”

Spend an hour ringing a bell in front of Wal-Mart. Anything seems better after that.

“Let It Go” Black [Friday] Plague — Overview: Rats. Crowds.

Super low, low deals. This was the perfect breeding ground for a pandemic that swept the nation, knocking over little kids in the process.

Causing severe bargain hunting, the Plague promoted insomnia and mob mentalities in victims.

Diagnosis & Tests: All of the following are signs of Black Friday Plague: mysterious stacks of shoeboxes full of receipts; a sudden increase in the number of televisions and other appliances within your home; or vague, hazy memories of trampling or being trampled upon.

Treatment: The Middle Ages knew it best — apply leeches to skin to suck out the evils of consumerism.

Resolution Rabies — Overview: Much in the fashion of regular rabies, New Year’s Resolutions only last for three weeks before they kill you. An infected victim burns with the determination to become a better person, but this type of self-empowerment wears itself out quickly.

Diagnosis & Tests: Someone with this form of Rabies will commonly start sentences with “This year is going to be different” or “I am going to change” or even — surprisingly enough — mention a New Year’s Resolution.

Treatment: Tackle your resolution in true effectiveness: Construct a four-year plan.

December 2014 Encountering a reindeer, you would...

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19

Break into a chorus of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”

Befriend it by giving it food

Hang out with your friends

If you had a snow day, you would...

Eat twice your weight in holiday cookies.

Put finishing touches on your snowman

What’s your biggest pet peeve?

Humbugs

When people don’t use enough glitter

Gingi-bread-itis — Overview: Sometimes deadly, this disease causes obscene obsession with food, especially food normally associated with and/or consumed around winter holidays. Any holiday food from green beans to cookies appeals to the victim, causing excessive drooling. Other symptoms include spending disturbing amounts of time in the kitchen.

Diagnosis & Tests: Attempt to frost a cookie. If the cookie is no longer outside of your body by the end, you have tested positive.

Treatment: Replace your family’s mashed potatoes with cauliflower to discourage appetite.

Scarlet-Green Fever — Overview: This deadly holiday malady is characterized by the excessive longevity of your decorations. If you start decorating before Thanksgiving is even out the door and don’t remove said decor until Easter, you have a problem.

Diagnosis & Tests: Take a visual assessment of your Christmas tree. If the top is within three inches of the ceiling, you have gone too far.

Treatment: Outside of the regular holiday season, remove the lights from the trees, bushes, doorframe and toilet and move them to a closet. This is your “Christmas Closet.” No decorations are allowed outside of the Christmas Closet. Once a month, treat yourself to five minutes in the closet. Leave the closet, and don’t look back. If all else fails, purchase a three-headed dog named Fluffy to guard the closet.

The Common Christmas Cold — Overview: You have jumped on the Christmas bandwagon — or band-sleigh, rather. You commonly express your burning passion for the holiday as well as its benefits including but not limited to: presents, tree decorating, warm sweaters, ugly/cute hats, cuddling, snowmen and Ugg boots.

Diagnosis & Tests: Open your Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr or even Facebook (though highly unlikely) and count how many holiday posts you have. If this number is greater than 25 in the past week, seek immediate medical attention.

Treatment: Take a nap, dream of sugar plums, drink plenty of eggnog and move on.

Flu-la-la-la-la — Overview: You cannot stop singing holiday songs no matter how much the people around you want to bang their heads on the wall.

Making you prone to constant humming, this ailment can be detrimental due to the noise pollution it causes.

Diagnosis & Tests: Turn the radio to your favorite holiday station and resist the urge to sing. If you are unable to do so, you have Flu-la-la-la-la.

Treatment: Avoid holiday tunes at all costs. Carollers are no longer your friends.

20 centerstage December 2014

The Season Top 5 gifts for of Giving hard-to-shop-for people

Top 5 gifts for dad/men — 1. Homemade gifts — he’ll cherish it forever. (Priceless) 2. Business accessories (e.g., tie, watch, cufflinks, personalized pen) 3. Custom sports team’s jersey 4. Fitbit (Get the grandparents in on this one.)

5. Novelty slippers

Top 5 gifts for female friends — 1. Alex and Ani bracelets 2. Starbucks (Duh) 3. Spirit Football Jerseys 4. Shea-infused lounge socks (Available at Bath and Body Works) 5. Collage of favorite pictures accompanied by a cheesy quote

Top 5 gifts for mom/women — 1. Pandora bracelet charms (Available at most jewelry stores or Pandora at Oak Park Mall) 2. Spa day coupon 3. Lush holiday Bath Bombs 4. “#1 Mom” coffee mug 5. Tyler Candles

Top 5 gifts for male friends — 1. American Eagle cologne gift set 2. Nice clothing (Something other than a T-shirt and basketball shorts) 3. Sony headphones 4. Video games 5. Protein Powder

Let It Snow

Foolproof methods to ensure class cancellation Frozen Crayons — Put a

white crayon in your freezer the night before you want your big snow day. The link between the white color and below-freezing temperatures is sure to get you a day off.

Spoons for Shovels —

Sleep with a white, plastic spoon beneath your pillow. You absolutely must lick the spoon first, or it won’t work.

And the spoon cannot break while you’re sleeping or else it doesn’t count.

Do it right, and you can be sure you’ll find yourself shoveling your driveway the next morning.

The Ice Cube Trick —

Place ice cubes all over your front porch. The more, the merrier. There’s a basically proven correlation between the amount of ice placed outside and the amount of snow that you get.

Toothbrush Craze — The Toilet Test —

Flush exactly six ice cubes down your toilet — no more, no less.

And make sure the ice hasn’t melted by the time you flush.

Stories by Alyssa Hess, Isabelle Allen and Makayla Nicholis Photos by Alyssa Hess and Isabelle Allen Page designed by Alyssa Hess and Makayla Nicholis

Use your non-dominant hand to brush your teeth. (This is way harder than it sounds.)

Don’t forget to floss, too.

Your dentist will like that.

December 2014 centerstage 21

aswift

change

meredithstrickland staff writer Born Dec. 13, 1989.

Youngest recipient of the Grammy Album of the Year Award.

Seven-time Grammy Award winner.

One million copies sold in the first week for two different albums.

With such success from a young age, singer Taylor Swift is expected to continue creating quality music.

To the disappointment of her fans, Swift released her new cliché pop soundtrack “1989” on Oct. 27.

Not only has her hair changed, but the album brought a whole new sound contrary to her old country style.

The first song from the album is “Welcome to New York.” This song features the phrase “Welcome to New York” six times in every chorus.

Students at Blue Valley shared their thoughts about the artist’s repetitive lyrics.

“The old Taylor Swift was much more relatable to listen to,” junior Anna Arends said. “Now it’s just cheesy pop lyrics with auto-tuned vocals that take away the

Former country singer debuts pop sound, invokes negative responses

innocence of her voice and lyrics.”

Different students at BV deemed all 13 songs from “1989” to be filled with uninspired pop lyrics.

Junior Madison Doherty said she used to look forward to the new songs Swift wrote.

“Choosing a favorite song now from the album is really hard because every song sounds the same, and they aren’t even good,” she said.

Old Swift fans fell in love with the curly-haired country singer who wrote songs about old breakups and family. The new straight-haired pop singer now writes about old boyfriends from years ago and going to New York.

Doherty said she and her friends have compared Swift to pop musician Miley Cyrus. She said they talk about how Cyrus had a successful album that was different from her prior Hannah Montana sound.

“Taylor tried to change her sound like Miley Cyrus did, but all of [Swift’s] songs sound immature,” Doherty said. “I actually liked the ‘Bangerz’ album, unlike the new ‘1989’ album.”

Despite the reviews of the lyrics, “Shake It Off ” is often played on radio

stations and Doherty’s phone.

“Even though the song is really bad, it gets stuck in your head,” she said. “I end up playing the song a lot because I think her music is a joke now.”

After the release of “1989,” Swift decided to remove all of her songs and albums from Spotify.

Spotify is a commonly used free web player for millions of songs with advertisements, but for non-advertisement use, it costs $9.99 a month.

Swift argued in an editorial for the Washington Post she does not want to put all of her work out in the world for free because it does not compensate enough for the creators of the music.

“As someone who uses Spotify every day, it’s a little upsetting that she took them down,” senior Sarani Pachalla said.

“Though, I never really listened to her music.”

There is no doubt about how much attention this album has brought, but the reaction others have will control Swift’s success, Doherty said.

“I guess, in time, we will see if her new sound attracts more people,” she said.

“But for now, I’m not a fan.”

Photos courtesy of MCT Campus.

Page designed by Meredith Strickland.

22

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December 2014

From HOOD to TOE Savvy pairings serve to avoid sacrificing style for warmth

As the weather shifts from fall to winter, tank tops are traded for sweaters, sneakers are traded for boots and sweatshirts are traded for coats. Here are jacket and boot pairings that will help transition your wardrobe.

{

For the Girls:

The Pairing: Leather Jacket and Suede Booties Shop The Look: Forever 21, Topshop, Asos.com Dressing Down: Match with laid-back pieces

}

such as ripped boyfriend jeans and a loose-fitting T-shirt. A necklace with a long chain or a colored belt can also add some sparkle.

Dressing Up: A simple white button-down paired with a circle skirt in a bright hue can help dress up this clothing. Add a printed clutch for an accessory.

{ {

The Pairing: Denim Jacket and Lace-Up Boots Shop The Look: Urban Outfitters, Journey’s, Zappos.com

Dressing Down: Wear with a graphic tee and

} }

colored skinny jeans to add some color and print.

Patterned socks that can be seen over the boot are also an accessory option.

Dressing Up: A black or gray dress in a simple cut is the best choice. A leather bracelet or printed tights can add edge.

The Pairing: Army Jacket and Motorcycle Boots Shop The Look: Macy’s, Nordstrom, Gap Dressing Down: A baggy T-shirt with light-wash

jeans can be paired with this for a casual occasion.

A leather saddlebag is an option that will add to the vintage quality of this ensemble.

Dressing Up: A solid-colored jewel-toned dress, such as navy blue or dark red, with black tights will pair well. For an accessory, mix short and long necklaces to add some style and flair.

{

}

{

}

{

}

For the Guys: The Pairing: Bomber Jacket and Chukka Boots Shop The Look: Clarks, Topman, Zumiez Dressing Down: For a casual appearance, the

December 2014

centerstage

23

jacket will go nicely with a printed T-shirt and light wash jeans. A solid-colored beanie can also be added.

Dressing Up: With this pair, a solid-colored button-down and dark-wash jeans will provide a dressier outfit. You can also add a leather belt in the same color as the boots.

The Pairing: Leather Jacket and Wingtip Boots Shop The Look: Aldo, Macy’s, Zara Dressing Down: Pair with a plaid shirt and skin-

ny jeans to create a more casual combination. Also, a zip-up hoodie can be worn under the jacket in a solid-color that matches the shirt’s print.

Dressing Up: To dress this up, wear with a white button-down and dark jeans. A solid-colored tie and vest can also be worn with this.

The Pairing: Wool Jacket and Chelsea Boots Shop The Look: Asos.com, Nordstrom, J. Crew Dressing Down: Wear this pair with a printed

pull-over sweater and solid-colored jeans for a casual ensemble. With this, a matching scarf can also be worn.

Dressing Up: Match with a black button-down and black jeans for a more dressy look. A solid-colored tie and cardigan in a coordinating color can also be added.

Page designed by, story and sketches by Sophia Ragomo.

24 centerstage December 2014 If you had to listen to one of the following nonstop for an entire road trip, which artist or band would you choose?

63% really dislike Justin Bieber 50% really dislike Miley Cyrus 38% really dislike Nicki Minaj

Please no: 44% Taylor Swift: 33% One Direction: 13% Miley Cyrus: 6% Justin Bieber: 2% Nicki Minaj: 2%

77 percent prefer Taylor Swift over Selena Gomez

Which concert would you prefer going to?

67 percent prefer One Direction over 5 Seconds of Summer

56% actually enjoy Maroon 5 52% actually enjoy Taylor Swift 15% actually enjoy One Direction

Maroon 5: 83% Ariana Grande: 8% Nicki Minaj: 6% Justin Bieber: 4%

BV Staff’s Thoughts on Pop Music

“When on road trips with my wife, if we use her phone for music, I am forced to listen to hours of Taylor Swift. But don’t worry, I have learned to ‘Shake It Off.’” — Social Studies teacher Adam Bien “This [survey] was painful.”

— English Language Arts teacher Britt Qualls “Pop culture is an embarrassment. Bring back the ‘60s and ‘70s!”

— School Psychologist Julie Seitter

Information collected by Makayla Nicholis and Meredith Strickland.

Page designed by Maddie Davis, Makayla Nicholis and Meredith Strickland.

Photos courtesy of MCT Campus. Information based on a poll of 52 teachers.

“What happened to good ol’ rock & roll? Guess I’m showing my age!”

— Receptionist Denise McGillivray “I’m 55. Ask me about the Rolling Stones!”

— Math teacher Kate Julian “I can tolerate some of this maybe for one hour at a time. An entire day is a little extreme. Would I get paid?”

— Paraprofessional Diana Huber

December 2014

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26 tigerturf December 2014

getting the ball rolling

Last year’s winter sports results recapped; coaches, players predict successful seasons Bowling

In only its fourth year in existence, the Blue Valley Girls Bowling Program is readying for another great season, having had a strong showing in eight competitive events last year.

Coach Mark Mosier said tryouts to form this year’s squad will give attendees plenty of games and will form the teams over two days.

“Prospective team members will bowl two to three

Boys Swimming and Diving

Last season, the boys swim and dive team finished the season eighth out of 21 teams at the State competition.

However, the team hasn’t been dry since the off-season began in late February.

Senior Cade Blackburn said the team has stayed in shape through hard work and competition with club teams.

“A lot of the swimmers work hard in the off-season on

games each of those days, and the top six averages will be the initial varsity team,” Mosier said.

Mosier said members may move between JV and varsity based on their in-season results.

“As the season progresses, if people have increased or decreased averages, they may go back and forth between the varsity and JV,” he said.

Tryouts were Dec. 8 and 10 at Olathe Lanes East.

club teams,” Blackburn said. “In addition to the teams, many people showed up to preseason practices held by the school.”

He said proper diets have been important for fitness.

“Eating healthy is always very important in the off-season,” he said.

The team opened the season on Dec. 9, competing in the Jaguar Invitational Meet at Blue Valley West.

Boys Basketball

This season, the Tiger boys basketball team will have plenty of shoes to fill — literally.

After a painful 46-45 playoff loss to the Shawnee Mission East Lancers, the season concluded with a record of 10-11.

Several new and relatively untested players will have to step up to taste success this season, with the team having graduated a majority of the starting lineup.

Junior guard Will Brennan has high hopes for the season and said the team has worked hard during the off-season to prepare.

“We went outside to the track, and we also did some work in the gym on a lot of defensive stuff,” Brennan said. “It’s all about conditioning for the season, and we’re looking forward to having a great year.”

The team opened its season Dec. 11 against Kansas City East Christian.

Wrestling

Girls Basketball

The Tigers finished last season with an 11-10 record, but it ended with a crushing 48-47 defeat to Shawnee Mission West.

However, the returning players are ready to move on and improve.

Senior Gabby Gunnerson said the team worked before school started to prepare for the season.

“We’ve been practicing really hard, and we worked a lot in the summer,” Gunnerson said.

Coach Ryan Mahoney said he has a positive outlook on the upcoming season.

“I’m very excited about this year’s team,” Mahoney said. “We have a good mix of youth and experience.”

Mahoney also added that the returning members have set goals for the year.

“They decided this team is going to be about toughness, trust, hard work and each other,” he said.

The team’s hard work paid off on Dec. 4, with the Tigers starting the season strong in a 37-30 road victory over the Gardner-Edgerton Trailblazers.

Last season, the wrestling team churned out 17 individual State qualifiers and two State placers, setting the bar quite high for this year.

At the State meet, the team finished 17th place, right in the middle of the pack.

Although practice began back in mid-November, the team trained hard during the long off-season.

Page designed and stories by Matt Antonic. Photos by Alyssa Hess.

Senior Austin Crawford said the team put in time in the weight room to get ready for the season.

“We’ve been working hard every day in the weight room,” Crawford said. “We’ve been getting quicker, faster and stronger — all the essentials.”

The team started the season in dominating fashion, going 5-0 in duals at the Spring Hill Meet.

One-on-One

December 2014 tigerturf 27

Unique aspects of BV wrestling program inspire hard work

The Eye of the Tiger Dedication.

According to wrestling coach Kale Mann, it’s a virtue not given the credit it deserves.

“I think a lot of times success is celebrated when sometimes that’s not the most difficult thing to do or the biggest accomplishment,” he said. “If people are more gifted naturally, then they might experience more success whether or not they work as hard.”

When Mann took lead of the wrestling program two years ago, he said he created The Eye of the Tiger Award to celebrate dedication to the sport. “[Wrestlers] have to have perfect attendance at practices and competitions,” he said. “They can’t be late — they can’t leave early. They can’t go on a college visit or vacation. They have to be at everything they’re scheduled to be at.”

As many students begin wres-

tling during their high school years, Mann said the award also helps highlight the team’s goals.

“I think it sets the expectation of, ‘We come in to work every day to get better,’” he said. “Even if someone is first learning how to wrestle, they can still control their own actions. They can still control whether they’re at practice or not every day.”

In the two years the award has existed, six athletes have earned it.

Last year’s recipients were alumni Jackson Macoubrie and Keith Mulligan, senior Joel Thomas and sophomore Max Molitor.

“To me, it means that you care enough about the sport to come every day and not make excuses,” Thomas said.

Winners receive a T-shirt as well as an arguably greater prize — their names on a large sign in the wrestling room.

Junior Demond Glynn and senior Jake King wrestle during practice. This is King’s fourth year wrestling at Blue Valley. “The most difficult part of wrestling is having to lose weight by dieting,” King said. “That’s hard.” Photos by Isabelle Allen.

Senior Austin Crawford and graduate Jackson Macoubrie wrestle in a twoon-one arms match. After demonstrations from coaches, Crawford said he made an effort at a variety of wrestling techniques. “[To prepare for wrestling] we do off-season lifts and explosive weights,” Crawford said.

20-Minute Match

Imagine a football game with three hours of constant action.

Or a cross country meet with the sole event being a 15K. Such an extensive show of athleticism is a reality for Blue Valley varsity wrestlers as they face the 20-minute match.

“Every minute, you get a new partner, and it doesn’t stop,” wrestling coach Kale Mann said.

“There’s no break. Every minute, someone new is coming at you for 20 straight minutes. It’s a conditioning drill, but it’s also a mental-toughness drill.”

Mann said the 20-minute match isn’t necessarily like wrestling in competitions.

“We’re not keeping score,” he said. “We’re not worried about that — we just want to make sure wrestlers are still fighting for good position and being competitive even when they’re tired.”

Junior Shawn Alexander said the drill is intense.

“It’s very painful,” he said.

“You’re so tired, and you’re trying to catch up on breathing while continuing to go against a fresh wrestler, someone who hasn’t been wrestling for the past 10, 15, 20 minutes.”

Mann completed the challenge of the 20-minute match last season while the team watched.

“He had a good attitude,” Alexander said. “He was working hard the entire time. He didn’t complain once until the very end, where he was just messing around. It was very good leadership on his part to show us he would do what he tells us to do.”

Facing the brutal 20-minute match brings wrestlers confidence in future matchups, Mann said.

“We feel like if you can do that with 20 different wrestling partners in a row, then you should be able to wrestle one person for 6 minutes straight as hard as you can,” he said.

Page designed and story by Sally Cochran.

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December 2014

Success

Chiefs go unnoticed in early season due to Royals excitement cassienichols staff writer With the Royals’ World Series run capturing the attention of Kansas City sports fans, the Chiefs quietly completed the first half of their season under the radar with a surprising 6-2 record.

Has the stage been set for an NFL playoff run, capturing the heart of our sports-crazed city?

Coming into this fall, most experts agreed if the Chiefs played a strong season, the team could return to the playoffs.

Of course, they had already proved this the prior year, boasting a roster full of all-star caliber talent and accomplishing a 9-0 run to begin the season.

However, the Chiefs’ success may have been too much too soon last year.

They finished the year with a 2-6 stretch, including a 45-44 playoff meltdown loss at Indianapolis.

While Chiefs fans were confident their team belonged in the

playoffs, a closer look at the late-season collapse revealed some hurdles to a repeat performance this year.

The strength of the Chiefs lies in the defensive front seven, with outside linebackers Justin Houston and Tamba Hali and nose tackle Dontari Poe all making the Pro Bowl team last season.

In addition, the Chiefs’ first-round draft pick defensive end Dee Ford has shown potential to play alongside Houston and Hali. The secondary is mostly new and untested.

Strong safety Eric Berry returned to the lineup only to discover a tumor in his chest shortly thereafter.

It was that back-end unit that was torched by passing offenses in the late season free-fall, but so far in 2014, the patchwork secondary, aided by a strong pass rush, has held opponents in check.

On offense, quarterback Alex Smith proved he can lead the team, but aside from Pro Bowl running back Jamaal Charles, he lacks the weapons and the protection of his fellow playoff quarterbacks.

While Dwayne Bowe proved he could be a top receiver in the Indianapolis playoff game, he has countered in 2014 with zero touchdowns as of Dec. 6.

The team will need more than Bowe’s typical uninspired play in order to make the post-season.

Conversely, the strength of the receiving corps may be the tight ends, headed by the returning Travis Kelce.

The offensive coaches adjusted the play calls to this unexpected trio and altered the style of play to take advantage of the group.

December 2014 Another question mark heading into the season was the offensive line, which has had its ups and downs so far.

Key losses of offensive linemen Brandon Albert, Geoff Schwartz and Jon Asamoah could have literally left a gaping hole up front, but the unit has given Charles and running back Knile Davis some room to run and the quarterback enough time to find his receivers.

Make no mistake, keeping Smith healthy is their mission for the remaining three games.

Certainly coach Andy Reid and his staff know how to build a playoff-worthy roster.

In the past 15 years, he has guided 10 teams to post-season play.

Reviewing last year’s performance, the Chiefs were much stronger than the league’s weakest teams but struggled against the league’s elite, as evidenced by the 10-0 record against clubs who missed the postseason offset by a record of 1-6 against playoff teams.

This year’s results are more of a mix, with highlight wins at Miami and San Diego, as well as a home rout of New England.

However, the team has also suffered head-scratching losses against the Tennessee Titans, the struggling San Francisco

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49ers and the then winless Oakland Raiders.

If the Chiefs want a replay of last season’s run, they need to step up the remaining opponents and win the rest of the games.

If they continue to play great defense and keep the ball for long drives on offense, the playoffs may be in reach.

The key stretch to winning the wildcard lies in the games of Dec. 14 (home vs. Raiders), Dec. 21 (away vs. Steelers) and Dec. 28 (home vs. Chargers).

If results go their way, Kansas City could look a lot like it did this past October.

Could we be predicting a hunt for red January?

Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Sean Smith (21) and strong safety Ron Parker (38) celebrate after a fourth down pass was incomplete allowing the Chiefs to take over on downs in the fourth quarter during Sunday's football game against the Seattle Seahawks on November 16, 2014 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. The Chiefs won 24-20.

Photo courtesy of John Sleezer of the Kansas City Star and MCT Campus.

Kansas City Chiefs running back De'Anthony Thomas (13) is lifted off the ground by Kansas City Chiefs running back Knile Davis (34) at the end of the Chiefs' 24-20 victory over the Seattle Seahawks during NFL action on Sunday, Nov. 14, 2014 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. Photo courtesy of David Eulitt of the Kansas City Star and MCT Campus

Pages deigned by Cassie Nichols.

30 tigerturf December 2014

Triple Threat

Athletes juggle multiple high school sports throughout year

Excelling in one sport is a challenge for most athletes. They spend all of their time trying to be the best they can be in that one sport. A few athletes at Blue Valley, however, manage to succeed in three different sports — one per season.

Gabby Gunnerson — cross country, basketball, track Senior Gabby Gunnerson is on the varsity cross country, basketball and track teams.

“I’ve been on varsity all four years for cross country, and I’m assuming four in track — it’s been three [years] so far,” Gunnerson said. “Sophomore year, I played some varsity [basketball] but mostly played JV. Last year, I started for varsity.”

She said she has to train for each sport while the previous one is still competing.

“It’s a lot of time,” Gunnerson said.

“During cross country, [I’m] training for basketball. I just have to spend time shooting. It’s annoying, but it has to be done.”

When training for track during basketball season, Gunnerson said she has to get up early to run on Thursdays as well as run on the weekends.

In addition to extra training, Gunnerson said she also has to be careful to avoid injury.

“I stretch a lot and try to eat right,” she

said. “If something does hurt, I go talk to the trainer at the school. But, I’ve been pretty injury-free, and I’m thankful for that.”

Gunnerson said it’s a challenge to manage school and three different sports.

“I sacrifice sleep a lot,” she said. “I stay up until midnight usually if it’s a day when I’m training for the next sport, but other than that, it’s probably like 11. I usually get five hours of sleep a night.”

She said sports have influenced what classes she decided to take.

“I take a lot of hard classes, but both last year and this year, I decided to not take one of the AP classes,” Gunnerson said. “I knew they were very time consuming, and I didn’t want to put in half the effort. So, I decided not to take [them].”

Gunnerson said her key to success is simple.

“I just give it my all,” she said. “That’s all there is to it.”

Brendan Fletcher — football, wrestling, track Junior Brendan Fletcher plays football, is on the wrestling team and throws for the track and field team. Last year, he was on the JV teams for all three sports but played in the occasional varsity football game. This year, Fletcher played left guard for the varsity football team and said he hopes to be on varsity for wrestling and track, too.

He said playing three different sports consumes time.

“You kind of just live at the school,” Fletcher said.

He said during

wrestling season, he gets to school at 6 a.m. for off-season football weights and doesn’t get home until 6:30 p.m. after wrestling practice.

“I try to go to most of the off-season [workouts] to make myself as strong as I can,” Fletcher said.

Handling schoolwork and sports is a challenge, he said.

“You’ve got to be committed to everything,” Fletcher said. “You have to make yourself do homework after practice. You’re really, really tired after a long day, but you’ve got to

force yourself to do it.”

Fletcher also said doing three sports impacted what classes he took.

“I took weights first hour because I want to get stronger for my sports,” he said. “I didn’t take honors [classes] just because I knew I wouldn’t have time.

You think about how much time you’re going to have and plan your schedule accordingly.”

Fletcher said he puts a lot of time and effort into being the best he can be.

“Give everything you got in everything you do,” he said.

Page designed, story and photos by Megan Hegarty.

December 2014 tigerturf 31

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TIGER

TURF BV SPORTS

1. Junior Meg Hollingsworth swings her arm during the jump sequence. Hollingsworth has been a member of the Blue Valley cheer squad for three years. “It was great to do well at the competition af-

4.

ter the incident at the assembly,” she said. Photo

by Alyssa Hess.

2. During the cheer, sophomore Abby Loudenback, freshman Lauren Anderson and senior Danielle Williams hit a high-V. The BV cheer team performed on Dec. 11 at BV Southwest.

“We worked so hard for the competition,” Loudenback said. “All of us were so happy with how we performed after our tough year with all of the injuries.” Photo by Alyssa Hess.

3. Freshman Emma Andersen performs a pirouette. A BV alumni choreographed a routine the Tigerettes will be performing at upcoming assemblies. “The hardest part is probably the time commitment — just how much we have to practice,” Andersen said. Photo by Molly Johnson.

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4. Senior Alyssa Thomas prepares to go up into an extension. BV cheer received superior routine, overall outstanding routine and tumbling and high point overall at the BV Southwest competition. “[Cheer] has been fun being a senior and doing it all four years with the other seniors and growing closer as a team,” she said. Photo by Alyssa Hess.

5. Sophomore Abby Helms dances with her teammates. The team started preparing for its competition season in November. “I like dance team because I’ve met my best friends through it,” Helms said. Photo by Molly Johnson.

6. Senior Natalie Thomas performs for the student body. Thomas began dance when she was 3 years old. “I met a couple girls through the musical that were on dance team, and they encouraged me to try out,” Thomas said. Photo by Molly Johnson.

32 snapshot December 2014

switching it up

NAHS Hagcoming replaces annual SWITCH dance; local bands perform, create artistic setting.

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1. Junior Hampton Williams watches the band Oils perform at Hagcoming. Willams became president of NAHS this year. “I don’t usually go to school events,” Williams said. “It was cool that all the kids that don’t usually go to school events went to a school event.”

2. Bass player Nicky Stahl performs with Your Friend. Junior Kelly Wood attended Hagcoming as the vice president of NAHS. “It was a totally Page designed and photos by Molly Johnson.

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laid back, relaxed trip,” Wood said. “I felt like I’ve recovered seven personal revelations just from being there. It was the bomb.”

3. Strumming the guitar, junior Addie Sartino plays an original song at the dance. This was the first gig Sartino performed with her band. “I’ll remember it forever,” Sartino said. “There’s nothing I love more than performing.”

4. Senior TJ Weiss poses with friends at a photo

booth. The photobooth was a donation from BV parent Patty Thompson to NAHS for the evening.

“Music, food and festivities all for $5,” Weiss said. “[It was an] amazing night.”

5. Bishop Miege senior Manion Kuhn dances during a break between sets. Kuhn attended the event as a guest. “It was the best school dance I’ve ever been to,” sophomore Alli Carrigan said. “It had good music and not crappy DJs.”