April26spotlightpdf by Spotlight

SPOTLIGHT

Volume 16, Issue 6 April 26, 2017

Blue Valley West High School, 16200 Antioch Rd., Overland Park, Kan.

noun

sexism |

sex-ism

\â&#x20AC;&#x2122;sek-si-zem\

Definition of SEXISM 1

: prejudice or discrimination based on sex; especially: discrimination against women

: behavior, conditions, or attitudes that foster stereotypes of social roles based on sex

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@bvwspotlight

CONTENTS Pg. 26

Photo illustration by Rachel Pickett and Mikaela Schmitt

Pg.12

Puttin’ on the Rep. Repertory theater classes produce shows almost every quarter. These shows are the training ground for students looking to explore the activity more than they can from just doing the three mainstages. Read contributor Hannah Holloday’s story to get a behind the scenes peek.

Traveling the world, or at least to Europe, has created life-long memories for the hundreds of students who have accompanied teachers Aaron Anderson and Deb Waldorf. The teachers work as liaisons for Educational Tours allowing them to chaperone but not have to deal with the minutiae of planning. They get to enjoy the trip and add a teacher’s perspective on history and art, which is their expertise.

On the cover

Sexism creeps in to our lives in places we never imagine. Girls in debate found that it impacted their successes when boys banned them from evidence sharing, they were treated in a sexist manner in the GM and when sexist behavior was tolerated on the team.

Photo by Jolie Barnhart

Pg.10

The World Languages Department enjoys great enrollment at BV West. The benefits of being multilingual are explored in the story by Lanie Render

Photo illustration by Jaden Dudrey

...more stories at BVWNews.com

Contents 3

Pg. 8

Pg 10

Sporting Park and Sporting players have a history of pairing up with Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mercy. Read about the special connection. Photo of

Sporting players at Hoops for Hope by Emma Wallace

Lacrosse has long been a popular sport on the east coast. It is now increasingly popular in Kansas. Although still unrecognized by the Kansas High School Activities Association, it enjoys increasing participation along with sustained enthusiasm. The group is now a club and is on its way to being as respected as traditional sports. Photo by Addison Moeller

Pg. 6

Read about the unique experiences of freshman Christian Mergia from his years living in South Africa.

Pg. 24

Street art is all around the Kansas City metropolitan area including Overland Park, Kan. Enjoy contributor Stephen Kinderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s story about how artists get started in the activity and how it impacts our community. He also researched the nationwide trend and explains the symbolism of certain shapes and colors.

4 Masthead

@bvwspotlight

Editor’s Note Integrity is defined as a “firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values; incorruptibility.” As the seniors graduate and enter a completely new world, it is important to remember one’s integrity. Without integrity, it is easy to lose sight of goals or relationships, and have your morals ambushed. It is easy to give up. It is easy to be complacent, “just this once.” But compromising your morals easily leads into a downward spiral. Standing up for your beliefs –integrity–monumentally influences the future, not just for you, but for everyone around you. Do not back down. In the face of adversity, strength and a moral compass are the only tools that will truly aid success. I hope that everyone would have the courage to spread these ideals to others, despite the way people may look at us differently. This edition we were presented with an option: ignore a monumental issue, or address it head on. Our moral compasses and integrity drove us to do the latter. Most can recognize sexism, but when it occurs in segments of our own community with people we know and respect, it is difficult to accept and identify. Female debaters have identified it and have asked for help in removing it. The responsibility to protect others surpasses journalists. I hope that everyone can choose to stand up for what they believe is right, despite any adversity. This–our integrity, our morals-is how a society grows. Until next issue,

Mikaela Schmitt Acting as Editor in Chief

Spotlight is printed at least six times per school year for the BV West students and community. Its goals are to inform, entertain and interpret through editorials and bylined articles while providing an open forum of communication for the diverse student population and faculty members. Spotlight aims to be fair, accurate and impartial. The content of the print publication, online new site and social media accounts is determined by its student editors as determined by the Kansas Scholastic Press Act and may contain controversial subject matter as the staff exercises their First Amendment Rights. Spotlight does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the faculty adviser, the administration of BV West or USD 229.

spotlight staff Leah Zimmerli Editor in Chief Shaye Herman and Mikaela Schmitt Managing Editors Ryan Barrett Photo Editor Kaylee Alexander, Jack Anstine, John Byrket, Kristina Cripe, Jaden Dudrey, Liz Hernandez, Jesse Hoffman, Hannah Holladay, Stephen Kinder, Jonah Park, Rachel Pickett, Lanie Render, Sydney Schranz, Nick Sisler, Rachel Zimmerli Contributors

senior countdown:

days until Graduation!

...more stories at BVWNews.com

BTB 5

Chorale spent the weekend in Hollywood, California April 20-23. They went to Universal Studios and the beach before performing in WorldStrides OnStage. Chorale received a first place gold rating and Champer received a second place gold award with an adjudicator distinction. Choir takes a trip every other year so that vocalists can have a variety of experiences. In 2015 choir director Kim Modelski took the group to New York. Other teachers from the Performaing Arts department attended as chaperones including drama teacher Laurie VanderPol and debate coach Arianne Fortune. Photo courtesy Brian Cole Venezuala is home to unrest and three weeks of violent protests against socialist dictator, Nicolas Maduro. At least 30 have died in demonstrations as right-center resumed shows of force. Photo courtesy Tribune News Service

Bey nd the Bubble Mikaela Schmitt Managing Editor

Important stories taking place beyond Johnson County’s borders

President Donald Trump’s 100th Day in Office is Friday, April 29. Trump made promises during his campaign about what he would accomplish; many are waiting to see what he’ll get done by Friday.Photo by Stephen Kinder

Lady Jaguar soccer is undefeated. All three teams, varsity, JV and the C team have yet to lose a match. In their last three matches varsity and JV combined have beaten their opponents 37-3. Their next match is against the Blue Valley Tigers on April 27 at 5 and 7 p.m. Photo by O. Barker

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humans of bv West Jonah Park Contributor

Freshman Christian Mergia shares his experiences living in South Africa

OR THE LAST THREE YEARS, freshman Christian Mergia lived in a country thousands of miles away. He was new to the school last fall, yet most are still unfamiliar with his past living in South Africa. Mergia’s family was given the unique chance to move to South Africa because of his father’s occupation. “I moved there because my dad’s an engineer and the company he works for was designing and building a new power plant,” Mergia said. “We moved back because my dad had a contract for three years and the designing was done.” While he was in South Africa, Mergia experienced a life much different than the one he now has in Kansas. He attended the American International School of Johannesburg, and was exposed to many new people and cultures. “It was an amazing school because it provided the same curriculum [as in America],” Mergia said. “I got to experience new cultures because there were over 92 different nationalities that went to the school.” The school was founded in 1982, and developed immensely. Originally, the school’s only building was

a horse stable, but this was converted into a building of 18 classrooms. The school’s population has only grown since its opening, its only exception being during South Africa’s days of apartheid. Obviously, this unique school is much different than any other school in America. For Mergia, there were many other differences in the school as well. “One thing that was different at that school than West is that there I had to take a ninety-minute drive to school,” Mergia said. “One thing that I saw there that I would never see in Kansas is lions, cheetahs and leopards. You may find it surprising, but it was in a my backyard, not in a zoo.” However, Mergia feels he received the same education as middle school students in the US. Mergia was more than prepared for the physical and mental demands of high school when he moved back. “My school in South Africa was really hard compared to work now so I didn’t really have a problem coming back here. There these seems to be a lot more homework there so it really helped me adjusting to high school.” Photos courtesy Christian Mergia

more stories at BVWNews.com Another difference between the two countries is the popularity of various sports. At the American International School of Johannesburg, the most popular sports include soccer, tennis, rugby, swimming, volleyball and golf for both boys and girls. For Mergia, the popularity of golf was a benefit. “My favorite sport is golf,” Mergia said. “It is the equivalent to baseball there, so it was so amazing to live there because I could practice whenever I want and play a lot on the weekends.” Mergia played golf for his school in South Africa, and has continued playing his sport at BV West. He has quickly made new friends and connections through the sport. “My school was K-12 so I played for the high school team,” Mergia said. “I now play varsity for West. I have a lot of fun playing with the other guys on the team at practice and at tournaments.” Naturally, Mergia’s three years in South Africa has given him a different perspective on the various cultures he witnessed. He was exposed to new food, a new environment and new people. “The experience has really changed me by allowing me to open myself up to so many cultures I thought I would never know about,” Mergia said. “Since I went to international school, I got to be exposed to so many different people and different cultures. For example my best friend was from Sweden and now lives in England for his dad’s job.” Many of his experiences were shared with the people he got to know in South Africa. Moving back to the States was bittersweet for him. “I still Snapchat and text some friends in South Africa,” Mergia said. “I really want to go back to South Africa to visit my friends there.” Although Mergia wants to visit South Africa, he prefers to live in Overland Park. His family lives in the US, and visiting them while he lived in South Africa was a struggle. A flight to South Africa from Kansas City would take almost half a day, not to mention layovers and security. “Although I really loved living in South Africa, I wouldn’t move back because here just feels like home,” Mergia said. “I’ve lived in Overland Park almost my whole life and all my family lives here in the US so it sucked having to fly so far to visit family.” Mergia has fit right back into the Overland Park community, and upon first glance, no one would be able to tell he had lived in South Africa. However, his experiences and memories in South Africa will always be a part of him.

RSP 7

Daily Agenda 4:45 6:00 7:30 7:45 12:30 2:50 3:00 4:15 4:30 6:45 7:15 7:30 9:30 10:30

wake up and shower and eat Bus Pickup Arrive at school school starts lunch school ends bus leaves bus drop off Golf Practice drive the golf cart home dinner start homework watch YouTube sleep

8 Sports

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Jags Lacrosse

The pros and cons of being a club sport

e never hear about lacrosse over the announcements, because lacrosse is not a high school sport. The Jags Lacrosse team is a club sport, and is not directly related to BV West. There are pros and cons to being a club team, and there are different opinions surrounding the sport’s status at the school. Sophomore Jake Zevitz, a midfielder on the varsity team, enjoys the benefits that come with lacrosse being a club sport. “I’m glad it’s not a school sport because we have a lot more freedoms and flexibility,” Zevitz said. “But if it were a school sport, I feel like it would be more respected and recognized. There’s always a small crowd at our games.” The team can schedule games flexibly due to their lack of affiliation to the school. They recently played games against other teams from Oklahoma and Missouri, something that high school sports would not be allowed to do. However, being a club sport has drawbacks that other high school sports do not experience. The team struggles with finding fields to practice on, as the school is not required to reserve a field for them. Their club status has forced them to move around frequently.

Jonah Park Contributor

“We have to work around other spring sports to try and find a field to practice on,” Zevitz said. “Right now we practice on the West football field but we’ve had to have practices at Blackbob Park, the BV Academy, and Kensington Park.” David Foltz, a defender on the varsity team, also wishes lacrosse was a high school sport. “Yes, I do very much [wish lacrosse was a high school sport], because we get no recognition for our achievements or even an announcement for when our games are,” Foltz said. Jags Lacrosse shares a team bond unlike any other high school sport. “I feel like our team is unique and we’ve all become like brothers and love each other way more than other teams,” Foltz said. This bond is carried over into practices and games, ultimately enhancing the performance of the entire team. “The Blue Valley West Jags Lacrosse team is a family,” Zevitz said. “We push each other to our limits everyday in practice, and when we play games, we put the success of the team over individual stats.” This season, they have high hopes and goals for what

more stories at BVWNews.com Sports they want to accomplish, and they have not let the loss of some experienced players bring them down. “This past year, we lost a lot of our old coaching staff and about fifteen seniors, but this has given us the opportunity to start fresh,” Zevitz said. “We’ve been working in the offseason to adjust to the changes, and now that the season has started, our main goal is to improve ourselves as players and work together as a team.” Despite their losses, the team is confident about the season. The team has a couple more weeks of regular season games, before playing in their season closing tournament. These include a home game against St. Thomas Aquinas on April 27, and one at Blue Valley North on April 29. “Jags lax has been known by other schools as scrappy and tough,” Zevitz said. “We value the energy and fire that our team possesses, and our goal is to defeat every other team in the league as an unstoppable force that cannot be broken.”

Photos by Addison Moeller

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@bvwspotlight

You are what you speak

Lanie Render Contributor

Exploring the presence of multilingualism in the BV District and the benefits it brings

OLA. BONJOUR. HALLO. SALVE. HELLO. A multitude of languages can be heard throughout the globe and each dialect has the ability to connect cultures. Just in the United States alone, there are at least 350 different languages spoken in homes, according to the US Census Bureau. Despite the diversity of language, not everyone considers multilingualism a necessity. Even at BV West, students are not required to take a foreign language to graduate. BV West students may enroll in the foreign language classes of French and Spanish, however in prior years, there were more options. Latin and German classes have been cut from the curriculum at Blue Valley West. Additionally, middle schools in the Blue Valley district no longer require students to take a foreign language. On the other hand, the district’s plan to open a Chinese Immersion Elementary school shows the presence of some languages throughout the district. Head of the Language Department, Karen Tritt stresses that learning a language is more than grammatical structures and vocabulary: it gives individuals insight to different cultures. “As we become a more interconnected world, almost any position you take nowadays is going to benefit from having the knowledge of another language and another culture,” Tritt said. “And language and culture are tied together.” According to Russell Berman, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, people who are multilingual are able to recognize cultural differences and appreciate traditions. Berman also emphasizes the benefit multilingualism can have on your dialect as the study of another language can improve your native tongue. Often times, there are similarities between language structures and grammatical rules. The complexities of one language can appear in others, making it easier to comprehend the second time around.

tarting in the 2017-2018 school year, the Blue Valley district’s middle schools will no longer require students to take a foreign language in 6th grade. World language will now fall under the category of an exploratory course. Middle school students continuing on to high school will discover that foreign language isn’t a mandatory course to graduate. As courses are removed from the curriculum, it seems the emphasis on foreign language is dwindling. However in other aspects, the importance of multilingualism is expanding.

The BV West Language Department, composed of ten staff members, works hard to ensure that students’ foreign language curriculum is sequenced. As students grow, the foreign language teachers work harmoniously, building off primary school learning. Without students taking a second language in middle school, a large portion of learning is missed. “Students believe they can reach a level of proficiency with just two years of language study and you can’t,” Tritt said. “That ability to hold your own in a conversation takes at least four years of study.” As many know, foreign language is not a graduation requirement for the Blue Valley District. Due to the lack of requirements, some students assume that foreign language is not a necessity. Likewise, Kansas regent schools do not require a foreign language for college admission. Because of the lack of requirement, some students don’t see monolingualism as a disadvantage. For Junior Kati Curran, foreign language was not something she could fit into her schedule. Due to her love of art, she prioritized her passion. “I chose not to enroll in a foreign language because of my already hectic schedule filled with AP classes and volunteering,” Curran said. “And I lack a passion for learning another language, I instead chose classes that fulfill my passion for art.” Students like Curran are passionate in other fields of study, so multilingualism is not a necessity for the future. Curran hopes to pursue a career in elementary education and to her, knowing another language does not translate to success.

more stories at BVWNews.com Feature

Allegations of sexism divide debate community Team members clash over group message arguments, evidence sharing and whether female debaters are devalued

ebate is a cornerstone of pride at BV West with impressive accolades and a reputation for excellence. The team, led by coach Arianne Fortune, includes an eclectic collection of some of the brightest minds in the school. It is hard to imagine that the team struggles to define “sexism” as a group. Yet, they do. Some female members of the team see sexism in almost every aspect of debate: from sexist arguments that are made in a group message, to the practice of separating debate evidence, to more overt examples of sexual harassment. “Debate is a festering petri dish of horrible things,” said a female debater. “Personally, I don’t really feel comfortable on the debate team.” Female debaters who spoke to Spotlight feel these problems are extensive and dangerous to the team. “It’s about seeing certain members of a team as more valuable than others, and when that happens, you don’t consider the people who have legitimate complaints,” said another female debater. “You don’t consider their problems as problems. But yes, they’re happening, and yes, they’re problems, and yes, people could be getting in big trouble for what’s happening.”

The Assistant

n incident of sexual harassment by two male debaters occurred at an out-of-town tournament in 2015. According to 2016 alumni Bijan Esfandiary, an underclassman male debater sent a direct message on Twitter to a female debater from another school he was later debating against.

Rachel Pickett Contributor

The message proposed that she send nude photos of herself and he would, in exchange, concede the debate round to her. According to Esfandiary, he gave the underclassman the idea to send the message. Esfandiary said that he proposed the idea in a joking manner, but the idea was taken seriously by the underclassman who then made the request. The Spotlight confirmed that the female debater receiving the message was a minor at the time of the message. Her debate coach reported the incident to Fortune. Fortune brought the situation to the attention of BV West’s assistant principal Bryan Brutto. According to Esfandiary, Fortune and Brutto believed that the underclassman was the sole perpetrator. Esfandiary reported that, in order to deflect some of the blame from the underclassman, he told Brutto that he was actually serious when he proposed sending the message. Esfandiary stated that both he and the underclassman were required to write apology letters to the female debater and serve detentions. The underclassman was also not allowed to debate in one debate tournament, according to the underclassman. “He [the underclassman] automatically regretted it, so obviously he was just joking; he wasn’t actually being serious about it,” junior Dan Vasudevan said. “But I guess there is no excuse for saying stuff like that.” Fortune believes that Esfandiary deflected some of the blame in order to be a team player. “He [Esfandiary] took the fall for another student on that deal because he was afraid that it would be a worse ramification for that kid than it was for him,” Fortune said. “Bijan took the blame because he is a unifying factor on our team.”

Esfandiary is now the assistant coach of the debate team. The debater that sent the message remains on the team. “Our coaches are in charge of identifying individuals who would be assistant coaches,” said principal Brett Potts. “In the case of debate, Fortune would be in charge of getting that [individual]. That [hiring] would require administrative approval, so likely the person who approves that would be the assistant principal, which would be Mr. Brutto.” According to a female debater, the solicitation of nude photos goes beyond a simple joke and continues to impact gender relations of the team. “They were valuing her nudes over winning the round,” a female debater said. “They were saying, ‘I’d rather see your nudes than win the round and debate you as an equal.’”

‘‘Debate is a

festering petri dish of horrible things.’’ The Dropbox

n exclusive Dropbox account further causes divisions among the team. According to Vasudevan, only six male debaters have access to this collection of research and argumentations that are used in tournaments. Debaters gather evidence, or “cut cards,” to back up what they say in tournaments. Normally, they put the gathered evidence into one of the official debate Dropboxes that the entire team can use. An advantage of having a large team means that the research burden is lower while the research available is greater. Although the debate team’s policy is to have Dropboxes for younger and older debaters, a third, exclusive Dropbox exists for a few male debaters. Girl varsity debaters have asked for access and are willing to contribute, but have been denied by male members.

“They [a few male debaters] would cut cards and put them onto their own flash drive or onto a different Dropbox because they did the work so they’re going to take the credit,” said junior Matthew Burgess. “They would create this massive Dropbox full of cards that they didn’t share.” Vasudevan, who has access to the exclusive Dropbox, feels that evidence should not have to be shared with other members of the team, because the six males who have access worked harder than the girls. “The main point of argument is that the females don’t feel like we are giving them our help or our debate research files, but then again the thing is we kind of make those files and we do it ourselves,” Vasudevan said. “If they come and ask for help, we obviously don’t give up all of our files because we don’t want them sharing them with people from different schools, but we always tend to give them advice and kind of help.” Female members of the debate team take issue with the assumption that they do not work hard and believe that the practice of an exclusive Dropbox not only hurts their results, but the results and atmosphere of the whole team. “How do you foster an environment of cooperation when you are telling some people that you don’t need to be sharing your work?” a female debater said. “You are automatically alienating people from the squad when you do that, and you are creating your own little clique, and that’s not receptive to doing well in debate.” Some of the female debaters interviewed felt strongly about being excluded from the Dropbox and went to Fortune for help. Multiple females compete on the top level Debate Coaches Invitational, DCI, circuit that the boys using the exclusive Dropbox are on. In some cases, the females have been on the team longer. “I don’t think that if a young lady came to practice, contributed and wanted to be at that level and was practicing at that level and working at that level, I don’t think that they would exclude her,” said Fortune. “I wouldn’t allow them to.” Fortune is aware of the exclusive Dropbox and does not feel that it is wrong to exclude

18 Feature

@bvwspotlight the top female debaters from accessing the information. “I am okay with them having a private Dropbox of their own because I understand their commitment level and what they’re trying to get out of that,” said Fortune. “There’s really four different levels of debate, so it’s okay for me if that very top level needs to have its own Dropbox.” Fortune’s comments contradict the opinion of the senior female debaters who have the understanding that they travel and compete at the highest level. None of them have access to the exclusive Dropbox while sophomore boys are included.

Group Message Another point of conflict between the male and female debaters involves arguments that occur in a debate group message on GroupMe. There are approximately 14 male and female debaters in the group message at any time. According to a female debater, many of the disagreements in the group message devolve from politics into sexism when the males “mansplain,” and also make fun of females who get upset. According to a female debater, male members using derogatory terms like “bitch,” or worse, while discounting the intelligence of the females, results in them feeling disrespected. “In the past, a lot of it was them [some male members] demanding information [regarding arguments], but when we gave them what they wanted, they would immediately jump on it and question it,” a female debater said. “But as soon as a guy would agree with what I was saying, they [certain males] would act like the words were gospel.” Some male debaters believe that while some of the arguments in the group message “get out of hand,” the confrontations are not started with the intention of being sexist. “The thing is that the guys in the GM [group message], I don’t necessarily

think that they’re making the arguments that they are with the intentions of being sexist,” said Vasudevan. “I think they are just trying to prove one thing or another.” The girls’ concerns resulted in discussions in the group message, among team members regarding whether or not the arguments in the group message were sexist. Because of those talks, some male debaters believe that the overall toxicity of the group message is decreasing.

‘‘ I don’t necessarily think that they’re making the arguments that they are with the intentions of being sexist. I think

they are just trying to prove one thing or another. ”

“We have had pretty nice discussions about what we should do to reduce the toxic nature of how things go down in there [group message],” junior Srivats Narayanan said. “It’s definitely in an upward trend.” Female debaters do not agree that the conversations in the group message are improving nor has the behavior of the male debaters.

...more stories at BVWNews.com 19 “When you do something wrong, you don’t just have to acknowledge it and say sorry,” a female debater said. “You have to not repeat the same kind of behavior again.” Based on discussions, Burgess, who is on the team but not in the group message, generally shares the opinion with the female debaters that the conversations within the group message are harmful. “It [the group message] is generally used to be mean,” Burgess said. “I think it’s used as a tool to bully people who they [certain male debaters] think are lesser or don’t deserve the attention that they get.” Female debaters feel that sexism, harassment and criminal behavior goes unnoticed in debate because the perpetrators are successful debaters. “A lot of people wouldn’t go against the idea, that if we have debaters that are really good, we should let them get away with what they’re doing because they’re the ones that are winning all of these tournaments,” a female debater said. Fortune believes that complaints of sexism are coming from certain female debate team members who have negative attitudes. “This ax to grind is coming from people that are toxic to a certain extent,” Fortune said. “They’re negative and other people pick up on that. Just because people that are disgruntled make a statement doesn’t necessarily mean that that’s the truth.” Fortune also believes that complaints of sexism stem from a lack of understanding of the word “sexism.” “I think the disconnect might be in the misunderstanding in what that word actually means,” Fortune said. “True sexism would be if I were to say ‘okay you girls could only debate at this level. These other levels aren’t open to you.’’’ According to Fortune, if people would interact more with the top debaters, many of the complaints of sexism would resolve. The female and “top debaters” travel the same DCI circuit. “I think if people take the time to get to know people and get to know their true motivations without casting aspersions, or just making assumptions about ‘oh this person is that way’ or whatever, I think

that they would be pleasantly surprised by the level of compassion and empathy and character that so many of our top debaters have,” Fortune said.

“This ax to grind is coming from people that are toxic to a certain extent. They’re negative and other people pick up on that. Just because people that are disgruntled make a statement doesn’t necessarily mean that that’s the truth.” The female debaters believe labeling them as women who have an “ax to grind” is grossly unfair. “Wanting to be treated equally and fairly doesn’t make me a girl with a vendetta, or an ax to grind, it makes me within my rights as a human being who deserves respect and justice,” a female debater said. The female debaters feel that they, and their complaints, are dismissed as nonissues. They have approached Fortune about the lack of access to the private Dropbox. Their complaints have not led to change.

20 Feature

Stephen Kinder Contributor

@bvwspotlight

a year in review at bvw Looking at Blue Valley West by the Numbers

1,376

the evelyn gates award

The number of students at BVW.

a volleyball award won by senior Madison Lilley.

The average ACT score of students.

Jonah Park

a Sophomore member of the Swim Team who won state.

Volleyball

was the runner up at State.

16.4%

the percent of teachers that are in their 1st and 2nd year of teaching.

The number of students who got a perfect score on the ACT.

230

The national ranking of BVW for academics.

according to Newsweek High school Rankings

The crucible scored highly and performed at the

Kansas State Thespian Conference.

$11,472

The average expenses per student for activities.

...more stories at BVWNews.com News 21

out with the I in with the new J 411 341 J J J J J 200:211 Mikaela Schmitt Managing Editor

J J J J J

Comparing the classes of 2017 and 2021.

outgoing seniors

incoming freshmen

2021

Boys

2017

J J J

Girls

Pleasant Ridge Lakewood

Freshman Year V.

end of

J J J

Beginning of

favorite brand

fears for next year

Nike Lululemon Favorite Brand Chance the Rapper Favorite artist Shawn Mendes Size of the school fear for next year The course difficulty

favorite artist

-American Eagle -H&M -Anything that Fit -Polo Ralph Lauren -Kaleo -Ed Sheeran -John Mayer -U2 -Not getting good grades -Not knowing anyone -Getting lost -Staying focused academically

22 Feature

@bvwspotlight

Stageone Nationals

Rachel Zimmerli Contributer

As the school year comes to a close, dancers gear up for a summer of competition

N JUNE 12TH, FIFTEEN LOCAL dance make a dance competition less stressful, however studios will travel to Branson, Missouri to the staff at Stageone try. compete under hot spotlights for prestigious “As the owner of a business my first priority dance awards. Competitive dance is a high stakes is our clients and employees. From that I have activity, requiring tireless practice, endless always tried to know what is happening with makeup, and of course, costumes. Stageone is just every aspect of the business. From studio entries one of many national competition circuits, and to trophy orders all way down to making sure happens to be the one that many studios in the the truck is ready for the road,” Massay said. “At Kansas City area that are attending. Stageone we try to always make the dancers feel “We hosted 30 Studios at the Kansas City welcome and create a relaxed atmosphere. We are Regional. From the 30 participating studios 15 currently in our 21st year and it is so rewarding will be attending Branson Nationals,” Stageone’s seeing dancers grow through their dance and Executive Director Greg Massay being a part of that process all the said. “Nationals differs from a way to their senior year.” regional competition in many Senior year as a dancer is very ways. First off, Nationals is important. Some dancers choose spread out over several days. not continue in dance, some go There is a considerable amount professional, and others struggle of production that goes into to find a suitable degree or Nationals, from lighting, video, program for themselves. social media, etc.” “I’m undecided right now on It’s not just the Stageone staff exactly what I plan to do after my that puts a considerable about senior year, but I do know that I of work into this competition. want to dance in the future, and Competitive dancers spend probably minor in it in college,” endless hours a week in the studio Crum said. “I can’t imagine not perfecting their dances down to continuing it because I’ve been the smallest detail. dancing since I was three and I Kiersten Crum performing “I’d say I spend about 16 hours would miss it.” her solo at Stageone at dance in a week,” Kiersten As the owner of a studio, Regionals in Overland Park Massay had advice to anyone that Crum said, a BV West junior Kansas, April 1st, 2017. and a dancer at Denise’s Dance dances. Academy. “Competitions can be “The most important thing to stressful when I know that I have a bunch of accomplish everyday no matter what you are dances to compete in a short period of time and doing is always doing your best and doing the the best thing to do for that is running the dances right thing. That is something that should always in my head the night before so I don’t need to be the single goal from start to finish,” Massay worry about running them the day of in such a said. Doing your best and the right thing is not just short time frame. Other than that, going onstage limited to competitive dance, and it is something and performing is fun,” everyone should have in the back of their mind as Crum noted that it can be incredibly hard to they live each day. Photo courtesy of Kiersten Crum

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Feature 23

Stephen Kinder Contributor

THE WRITING ON THE WALL A look at graffiti from the point of view of graffiti artists

A street art mural in 18th and Vine District displays some important figures in jazz music such as Billie Holiday and Charlie Parker.

Next to a beaten down piece of graffiti, someone painted a small piece dedicated to the singer Billie Holiday.

Behind the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and the Jazz Museum, this street art shows off more musicians that were born in Kansas City.

Despite being painted illegally, anyone can see that a lot of time and effort has been put on this graffiti piece. Based on on the tags, it took two artists to paint this.

Photo Courtesy of Quirky Travel Guy

@bvwspotlight 24 Opinion PON DRIVING INTO ANY and it would not be as special PLACE downtown, on any wall there might be spray painted words or even some eyecatching art. This form of art is very controversial, as some see it as a form of vandalism. Unfortunately for those that paint on the side of walls, “graffiti” is a form of vandalism, depending on the circumstances of what was painted. This brings up a question; where can the law define decide was is art and what is vandalism? Graffiti is a term for painted or drawn things on walls, and it can range from simple words painted, to some very fancy paintings. Graffiti can be done on any sort of walls, from the side wall of a store to a whole train. Graffiti has its own style, and it can often be found in large cities. For some, graffiti is an eyesore, and something that should be considered as vandalism, regardless of the content painted. However, it is all about the context of the artwork itself that determines if it was legal or not. Things such as the wall used to paint on, whether or not the owner of the property gave permission to paint, or local laws determine if the graffiti should be considered vandalism or art from a legal perspective. Legal perspectives aside, there are many conflicting opinions on what is art or vandalism. Most people can agree that blatant vandalism with spray-paint are usually hate symbols, and not an attempt at something of artistic value. Many graffiti artists paint on illegal spots knowing the consequences, but a lot of artists still believe that graffiti should be illegal. “The beauty of graffiti is that some one is going out and risking their freedom for art,” said one anonymous graffiti artist and photographer on the internet. “If graffiti was legal, citites would be a mess. Graffiti would be everywhere

anymore because it is legal. The reason why it is so interesting is because it is against the law. It is the rebellion factor that makes it beautiful.” One reason why graffiti is legally painted around cities are because owners of some walls give permission. After the owners of buildings are victims to minor graffiti “tags” or letters written with spraypaint, they might ask for an high-priofile graffiti artist to paint something grand and glorious on their wall to drive away smaller artists. This scenario is common, because graffiti artists think it is disrespectful to their peers to paint over someone else’s work, so a wall

own reason for painting, people that do graffiti; legally or illegally have their own reasons for enjoying their form of art. “I think walls should be colored. I hate the grey’s, beige’s, mundane colors that are predominant in a city atmosphere; It diminishes the representation of the people who live within the area and stifles much creativity,” said another artist online. “Graffiti to me represents art culture by the people for the people; I am trying to keep the culture alive and active. It feels good to know that people saw what you put up, and that it probably made them think. I would always rather see even a crappy toy tag on the ceiling of some mini-bus rather than just

with a well painted piece will be left alone. In light of many people allowing good artists to paint on their property to keep away taggers, people that paint graffiti illegally or “graffiti bombers” have tendencies to paint on billboards, trains, public restrooms, and subways. “I really have no message when I tag my graffiti around town,” said a graffiti artist on the internet. “I am just trying to get my name up and around. Whenever I paint, I usually go to spots that have already been hit. My overall rule is no hitting schools, churches, business I support or peoples’ homes.” Just like every artist has their

a grey ceiling. Art can be inspiring no matter what the quality. That’s the ultimate goal for me; to get someone to think differently than they would on their own.” Unfortunatly for graffiti artists or those that aspire to be one, the consequences for painting on walls can be huge. In this modern day with cellphones and GPS caches, police departments now have “graffiti databases” which record every single place where graffiti has happened. For those who have been caught for painting illegally, the police can now identify every single place where the perpetrator has painted on, because even small things in the database such as the

such as the painting and writing style is recorded into the database. These databases are open to the public, and anyone can report graffiti on websites such as 594graffiti. com. For those wanting to paint legally, there are health risks due to the spray paint used; “I would trade it all back... for perfect health,” said deceased graffiti artist “Iz the Wiz.” “Every drop of fame, every drop of glory, every magazine I was ever in, every movie I was ever in, I would give it all back in a heartbeat and have my health.” Along with health issues from spray paint, several graffiti artists have died from accidents while painting; “Graffiti is dangerous, you take stupid risks to get to the best spots. There’s hundreds of ways you can make that terminal mistake, such as getting hit by a train,

Photo by Ryan Barrett

Editorial 25 electrocuted by a live rail ormore stories at BVWNews.com falling to your death.” said an artist on his website. “The Black book: A graffiti artist’s sketchbook for funniest, kindest and wisest where they sketch all of their ideas before guy I’ve ever had the pleasure painting it on a wall. Graffiti artists do not of calling a friend would still flash these around because they can be used be here today if he never as evidence against them in a vandalism case. painted.” While there are many Bite: To steal another graffiti artist’s ideas and downsides and upsides to style. being a graffiti artist for whatever reason, one can find Bomb: To quickly and illegally spray-paint graffiti anywhere around town. something on a wall. From paintings of celeberties that have died to bubbly letters Burner: A really nice and large piece of graffiti. written on walls, graffiti is Most burners on walls are legal, because they certainly not going away. Many take a long time to do. street artists that paint illegally have been caught countless Tag: A graffiti artist’s signature. Sometimes times while painting, but artists will tag their artist name around town getting caught does not stop to get noticed. them from pursuing their form of art. Toy: An adjective to describe a poorly done “Painting graffiti illegally is piece of graffiti. Also the act of “toying” is to a game of risk taking,” said a paint over someone else’s graffiti, which is a graffiti artist on his website. “I big no-no in the graffiti world. always take precautions when painting to lower the odds of getting jacked.”

GRAFFITI TERMS 101:

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Behind the spotlight

Repertory theater students pepare spring shows with help of student directors Hannah Holladay Contributor

Meet the Directors Prime ofJeanmiss Brodie

the

HERE IS SOMETHING FASCINATING ABOUT a theater performance. A freshly painted set. Gleaming stage lights. An auditorium filled with a murmuring audience. As the actors take the stage, the anticipation builds and the plot thickens. The beginning and advanced Repertory Theater classes work hard to bring their shows to life and capture this essence on stage. While the audience sits watching, it is hard not to focus on the present moments occurring on stage. An unfolding performance and the story of a show captures the attention of attendees, but the hard work and commitment that can be found behind the spotlight is often just as captivating. Members of the repertory classes spend class time reading scripts and rehearsing shows to prepare for performances throughout the year. The upcoming beginning repertory show, Almost, Maine, and the advanced repertory show, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, will take the stage on April 28 and 29, respectively. Both shows have distinctive plots, characters, and themes, but they share one commonality—student

directors. “I’ve always used students directors in acting classes,” theater director Laurie VanderPol said. “It’s educational. There’s no better way to learn how to swim than to be thrown into the water and try it.” VanderPol has allowed students to work alongside her in the theater department for many shows, giving them a chance to explore other opportunities within the realm of theater and take on new responsibilities. Students who become involved in student directing become responsible for a variety of different tasks, and play an integral role in bringing a show to life. “I first got interested in directing my sophomore year when I got invited to assistant direct for a mainstage,” senior Sydney Schranz said. “[As an assistant director] you’re very involved in all things tech. You’re fix all of the issues and you’re there every day during rehearsal, which is sometimes more than some of the actors. You meet everybody, you get to be backstage, and you kind of run everything. It’s a place where you can explore it if you want.”

advanced repertory theatre presents..

$5, aprbvil we29,st pac7:00 pm

by Jay Presson Allen. adapted from the novel by Muriel Spark.

Charlie Meacham

Tommy Klaus

Zane Champie

Sydney Schranz