The end. blue valley west spotlight.
LETTER from the Class of 2018, After four great years, our time together is coming to an end. We hope that the Spotlight has positively contributed to your high school career, even if many of you have never even looked at it before now. As we reflect on these past four years, we hope that you have found one genuine connection that you can carry beyond high school. While we might not remember all of the material we learned, we will remember the bonds we formed and how other people made us feel. Not only do we hope that you found someone to connect with, we also hope that you were this person for somebody. Continue to develop these genuine relationships as you move forward with your lives, as it is when we are connected that we are strongest.
STAFF
As we all move on to bigger and better things, it can be easy to get caught up in the everyday stresses of life. However, when we get tangled in a web of stress and exhaustion, we lose our sense of joy. While it can be difficult, we encourage you to embrace the imperfections and learn to not take life too seriously. Embrace your mistakes. Our world has taught us time and time again that perfection is good and that mistakes are bad. Instead, we must learn to shift our perspective. Mistakes are essential to growing and reaching your full potential. Every mistake you make gets you one step closer to developing into the person you want to become. Winston Churchill once said, “success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.� We hope that you will take these
words to heart. Our final wish is that you find something in your life that you are passionate about. To some, this comes easily and early on. But for many, the search is long and arduous. Embrace the journey. The answers may not come to you right after graduation, or during college or even during your career, however at some point in your life we hope that you find something that lights your soul on fire. Whatever this may be, pursue it with tenacity and BV West grit. Although it is cliche, it is true - we have the power to make a change in this world. Enjoy yourself and be kind. Thank you for changing our lives. With Love, Spotlight Seniors
spotlight on our Sofia Adinolfi Reporter Kansas State University Jacob Braun Reporter Kansas State University Hannah Holladay Web Editor University of Missouri Behr Kitts Reporter Fort Hays State University Mel Koerner Reporter University of Missouri
FIRST ROW: Hannah Holladay, Behr Kitts, Mel Koerner, Jacob Braun SECOND ROW: Sofia Adinolfi, Mikaela Schmitt, Lanie Render, Rachel Pickett
Rachel Pickett Editor-in-Chief University of Missouri
Lanie Render Reporter University of Kansas
Mikaela Schmitt Editor-in-Chief Butler University
don’t quit. When things go wrong, as they sometimes will, When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill, When the funds are low and the debts are high, And you want to smile, but you have to sigh, When care is pressing you down a bit, Rest, if you must, but don’t quit.
a word from
dr. potts
I
presented the letter below to the class of 2016 in the Spotlight just before their graduation. I know I’m supposed to write a new letter for each class but, I wanted to share this one with you for a couple of reasons. First, the message is still pertinent. It says what I’d like to say to the class of 2018. I know it isn’t a surprise to you but it has to do with grit. Secondly, my father passed away about a year ago. This letter is about him and the impact he had on students and I would like to honor him by sharing it with you.
want to tell you a little bit about my Iwas dad. He is a great and wise man. He my high school football coach. He coached high school football for 34 years in my hometown of Bolivar, MO. Much like Coach Wright, my father developed strong relationships and a strong love for his players and they loved him back. Each year, my dad would get sad as another group of seniors graduated. He was always so proud of each of the young men. It amazes me to this day the sheer number of guys out there in the world who played football for him. A lot of them stay
Life is queer with its twists and turns, As every one of us sometimes learns, And many a failure turns about, When he might have won had he stuck it out; Don’t give up though the pace seems slowYou may succeed with another blow. Success is failure turned inside outThe silver tint of the clouds of doubt, And you never can tell how close you are, It may be near when it seems so far, So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hitIt’s when things seem worst that you must not quit. -Author Unknown
in touch with him. He knows about their families, children, and even grandchildren. He was truly a father figure for many of them and obviously for me. Every year he coached, my father would write a letter for each of his graduating seniors, enclose a little card with a poem on it, and present it to them at the graduation ceremony. I have included the poem below. I’ve carried a copy of that poem on a plastic card in my wallet since the day I graduated from high school in 1985. Over the course of those 31 years, it has become tattered and worn. I’ve had to tape it back together a couple of times. But, I still have it. I don’t look at it too much but I don’t have to because I know it is there. Hundreds of guys carry that peom with them every day. It is in the billfold of a CEO and a founder of a company. It has been in the chest pockets of soldiers who rappelled into Iraq and deployed in Afghanistan. An Air Force pilot carried his in his cockpit during combat missions. A professional football player kept his in his locker. Doctors, mechanics, lawyers, businessmen, and sailors,
all hold on to the little card. Like me, they don’t look at it very often. They don’t have to because they know it is there. But, more importantly, they understand what it means. My dad knew that every one of his boys would face hard times in their lives. He handed them those cards on the last day of high school to remind them of the things he tried to teach them as players - to press on in the face of adversity. This is the message I’d like to send you off with as well. You are a great class. Indeed you have left a positive legacy for our school. I care about each of you and I want you to find success and happiness in your lives, whatever that is for you. You embraced the concept of FAMILY. You showed great PRIDE in your school. You have striven for EXCELLENCE. Great things are in store for you. But, bad things happen. They just do. Things don’t always go the way you want. When that happens, press on, show some GRIT and DON’T QUIT. Best wishes and remember: Once a jaguar, always a Jaguar. Love, Dr. Potts
sen|o r destinat o ns
ALABAMA
University of Alabama Ansel Herndon
ARIZONA
University of Arizona Alexander Lim Audrey Lunn Arizona State University Chloe Clayton
ARKANSAS
John Brown University Britain Bowles University of Arkansas Kaitlin Comstock Matthew Cybulski Madelynn Fancher Lauren Lamker Brady McGinley Joshua Miller Alexandra Moyer Gabrielle Moyer Jared Ross Zane Torizzo-Sanders
CALIFORNIA
California State University, Chico Pia Riveros-Horst University of California Santa Barbara Alexandra Lyon University of California Santa Cruz Roshini Thirumalai University of Southern California Mia Hodges
COLORADO
Colorado Mesa University Abigail Mitchell Colorado School of Mines Megan Neil Metropolitan State University of Denver Kaylee Bliss University of Colorado Colorado Springs Samuel LoMonaco University of Denver Andrew Mellor Western State Colorado University Lauren Harrell
CONNECTICUT Yale University Neeharika Kothapalli
FLORIDA
University of Miami Samuel Jashinski
GEORGIA
Savannah College of Art and Design Ava Tronoski
IDAHO
Brigham Young University-Idaho Sierra Stahly
ILLINOIS
Loyola Chicago Amin Ladhani Christian Turiello
INDIANA
Butler University Mikaela Schmitt Indiana University Cormac Dowdall Hemant Kundurthi Indiana UniversityPurdue Univeristy Indianapolis Megan Wurth Indiana Wesley University Brooke Lansford Purdue University Karan Mehta
IOWA
Drake University Phillip Miller Iowa State University Wesley Jamieson Lauren Lenson Animesh Shrouti Dhanush Karthikeyan Vasudevan Phoebe Wu Morningside College Aaron Robinson William Penn University Christopher Mincher
KANSAS
Access House Summer Mareski Alexis Rivera Kris Vilasagar Baker University Grace Elliott Robert Huebert Brendan Hulla Maggie Young Benedictine College Nicholas Spraetz Emporia State University Mitchell DeWalt Kevin Miller Samuel Pascuzzi Claire Robertson Michelle Schrader Anna Stern
Fort Hays State University Alberto Kitts Johnson County Community College Dima Albadawi Joshua Benton Cailey Boileau Lindsay Branton Jackson Bullis Christopher Chandler Breanna Clark Julia Dealmeida Caroline Ellis Lauren Evans Cooper Fine Zachary Frede Colin Grosvenor Shelby Hoelting Samuel Hoffman Alexander Johnson Brooks Kannady Adena Kapustin Kayla Kasaei Ahmad Kattan Jeffrey Keller Khalida Khokher Stephen Kinder Kaytlyn Kunkel Foster Kunkel Jackson Martin Dalton McCullum McKenna Mestas Emily Morris Delcie Mueller Dana Najib Peyton Pitman Derrick Price Sirona Ramahi Ted Reinhardt Gideon Roberts Kaitlyn Schaefer Madison Schrag Thu Tran Fletcher Turner John VanDeSteeg Reygan Wightman Heather Yates Kansas City Art Institute Elishua Kerns Kansas City Community College Emilio Garcia Kansas State University Sofia Adinolfi Trent Bandre Molly Bechtel Trey Becker Jacob Braun Henry Broussard Skylar CarrascoGillpatrick Austin Chen Cameron Cline
Emma Crawford Darby Cullipher Kati Curran Megan Delventhal Katherine Edmunds Megan Funk Anna Gifford Gunnar Harmon Cody Hatton Jacob Hatton Ridgely Hatton Morgan Horsley Kirsten Kauth Justin Kingry Michael Kirk Andrew Kubicki Tyson Lambden Kolton Lehman Samantha Louis Zachary Luchtefeld Faith Marble Noah McWhorter Gabe Mitchell Andres Nebergall Elizabeth Neelly Julia Nichols Derek Nielsen Jake Patterson Kevin Plant Jake Riedel Aakash Sauji Tyler Shank Laken Snowdy Emme Tremaine Sara Wallace Kia Warren John Wills Chase Wilson Michael Zipse Kansas Wesleyan University Lauren Flowers University of Kansas Gabriella Aguilar Ilexa Axelrod Olivia Barker Muizz Basra Brady Beland Nicholas Blanckensee Molly Brellenthin Drake Breuckmann Nicholas Brown Jonathan Chao Cole Childress Dylan Coens Zachary Cole Gibson Corcoran Cameron Cowen Page Cramer Kristina Cripe Kiersten Crum Elizabeth Davidson Antonia DelCastillo
Catherine Ducharme Yasmin Edrees Ahmed Elghzali Keegan Elliott Annaliese Estevez Connor Faith Anna Ferguson Jackson Forsythe Alexander Fortune Nathan Foxworthy Brady Gell Keaton Goodale Kira Greene Mandy Grosdidier Akshat Gupta Theodore Harbison Trevor Harrison Eric Hartman Maureen Hartnett Griffin Harvey Ali Hassan Matthew Heidenreich Rylie Humphreville Syed Hussain Bran Jackson Miranda Januszewski Yasmin Jarik Sundas Javed Annika Jensen Jake Jensen Matthew Jensen Ashwin Kandukuri Clint Karges William Kelley Sophia Kolkhorst Jack Krebs Dayne Kreutzer Emily Krotz Lauren Levine Lauren Lile Rodean Majidy Jackson Michelson Emma Moriarty Steven Morris Dean Morrow Dana Nasr Kevan Nguyen Thu Nguyen Spencer Norkey Jack Novorr Layne Nudson Connor O’Keefe Emily Oades Smriti Prasai Morgen Randazzo Tayler Randazzo Bryce Randazzo Lanie Render Jacob Ross Preston Rouse Farshad Rozati Ahmed Saad Kristen Sawyer
Rachel Schirber John Schrag Mira Shenoy Benjamin Sherwood Jessica Simpson Madison Smith Hannah Smith Conor Stephens Matthew Stonestreet Archana Sundar Thomas Tilley Addison Toon Christian Toth Alexander Valler Jackson Weems MidAmerica Nazarene University Jentry Muck Emma Ryan Ottawa University Lindsey Fletcher Connor Harris Andrew Kessel Pittsburg State University Jaden Albers Grace Burns Drake Gammon Tate Haddock Cole Haffner Karlin Lane Jaylin Lindsey Andrew Orcutt Sophia Porembski Kelsey Southard Jared Steiner Kayla Winter Washburn University Marisa Aguirre Katie Lopez Kylee Odgers Benjamin Perez Isabel Riede Wichita State University Loren Brown Josie Hansen Colin Innes Kaylee Woltman
KENTUCKY
University of Kentucky Colin Innes
MASSACHUSETTS
Boston Conservatory at Berklee Alex Leondedis
The Newman School Balint Czako
MICHIGAN
University of Michigan Matthew Burgess
MISSOURI
Avila University Cavan Hendricks Culver-Stockton College Maia Wilson Drury University Parker Tinkler Metropolitan Community College Autumn Bridges Missouri University of Science and Technology Hayes Pateidl Jackson Rogers Missouri State University Sydney Moler Missouri Valley College Makenzie Lake Missouri Welding Institute Nicholas Wise Northwest Missoui State Emma Evans Margo Jones Lauren Mills Park University Madison Perry Rockhurst University Noah Mabry Saint Louis University Mark Nouhan University of Central Missouri Hannah Engelken Alex Petty Molly Saporito University of Missouri Jackson Bell Molly Cummings Isabella Elwell Audrey Glander Alexa Goforth Hannah Holladay Jake Kidd Melody Koerner
Lauren Michelson Christopher Nordstrom Rachel Pickett Sydney Register University of MissouriKansas City Summer Arshad Ethan Bales Morgan Hennessy Megan Mayer Srivats Narayanan Nure Qarini Nicholas Wood Danial Zamir
NEBRASKA
Concordia University Dalton Cain Creighton University Coleman Barnes George Leondedis Sirbidya Pradhan Midland University Michaela Jackson University of Nebraska Carly Crow University of NebraskaLincoln Taylor Acheson Elise Couse Nicholas Kirk Aamina Mariam Jacob Morrison Nathan Pollock Paige Seitz
NEW HAMPSHIRE Dartmouth College Vasavi Garimella
NEW YORK
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Deepti Sachi
NORTH CAROLINA
Appalachian State University Jana Owens Johnson and Wales University Chloe Hayne North Carolina State University Shreya Kalavala University of North Carolina Charlotte Tait Sasenick
OHIO
Ohio State University Xiaosheng Song Yinsheng Song
OKLAHOMA
Okahoma State University Connor Freeman Emma Sylvester Oklahoma University Gabriella Ross
OREGON
University of Oregon Holly Arend
PENNSYLVANIA University of Pittsburg Madhura Leninkannan University of Pennsylvania Issac McGinnis
TEXAS
Balyor University Morgan Scheere Brady Vaughan Texas Christian University Delaney Bredehoeft Minh Ly
University of Texas at Austin Shrey Shah
VIRGINIA
Old Dominion University Bradley Mittleman
WASHINGTON, D.C. George Washington University William Jackson
WISCONSIN
Marquette University Gabirel Kash University of WisconsinMadison Kaitlyn Walesh Natalie Xu
OTHER Military Oxana Blas Sean Carney Houson Dearing Jacob Hearron Nathan Kolman William McCullum Parker Parise (Air Force) Employment Amalie Blucher Cameron Kohl Michaela Vannote Americorps Training Pierce Farquhar - Fort O’Sage Firemedic Certification Unknown Ali Daifallah Kathleen Mathews
SENIOR SURVEY
What is your gender? 53.7% Female 46.3% Male
Based on the responses of 214 seniors
Did you enjoy high school? 23.8% No 76.2% Yes
Have you ever cheated on a test? 67.8% Yes 32.2% No
Have you ever pulled an all-nighter studying?
40.2% Yes 59.8% No
Are you happy with your plans for next year?
93 .9 Yes %
6.1% No
Do you feel a teacher has had a significant impact on your life? 84.1% Yes 15.9% No
What is your political affiliation? 43% Republican
40.2% Democrat 16.8% Other
Which year of high school did you enjoy the most? Freshman - 10.7% Sophomore - 19.2% Junior - 12.6% Senior - 57.5% Which year of high school was the hardest? Freshman - 5.6% Sophomore - 10.7% Junior - 65.4% Senior - 18.2% Do you currently support President Donald Trump?
39.7% Yes 60.3% No
Do you believe in a God? 57% Yes
Did you ever have a job in high school?
84.1% Yes
20.1% No
15.9% No
22.9% Maybe
Have you ever tried marijuana?
49.5% Yes 50.5% No
Are you sexually active?
50% Yes 50% No
Have you ever had a crush on a teacher?
41.1% Yes 58.9% No
Have you ever been drunk?
60.7% Yes 39.3% No Do you consider yourself a part of the LGBTQ+ community?
Have you ever been involved in a car accident?
45.8% Yes 54.2% No Have you ever vaped?
59.3% Yes 40.7% No Do you have any tattoos?
4.7% Yes 95.3% No
7.9% Yes 92.1% No
Have you ever Did you lie on this form? snuck out?
51.4% Yes 48.6% No
5.6% Yes 94.4% No
class of 2018
thank you.