Issue 5 by Panther Publications

“I think it means happiness. For the first time, they feel wanted by someone other than parents.”

pg. 10

“Our education system is less effective since other countries push school a lot harder and challenge their students.”

“Six weeks in a boot and eight weeks before I play again.”

pg. 24

pg. 16

push play

panther’s tale newsmagazine april issue

when it comes to streaming, teens and adults are having trouble pushing pause

volume 64 issue 5

“You try to accomplish a task ... and your mind is on five things at once, so it makes everything a lot more complicated than it should be.” pg. 13

Sarvin Mahmoodi makes an impact with her story and her student leadership pg.23

PT panther’s tale newsmagazine

This issue we talk about the teen trend of binge watching. Binge watching is the act of watching a serious amount of epsiodes, movies or any other type of film in one sitting. We wrote a story about how this can actually harm you in different ways.

Anonymous apps run rampid but show a suprising light at DHS pg. 4

oct 7 issue

after pushing play, teens and adults are having trouble pushing pause.

“You try to accomplish a task ... and your mind is on five things at once, so it makes everything a lot more complicated than it should be.” pg. 13

Anonymous apps run rampid but show a suprising light at DHS pg. 4

push play

panther’s tale newsmagazine

volume 64 issue 1

Anonymous apps run rampid but show a suprising light at DHS pg. 4

Sarvin Mahmoodi makes an impact with her story and her student leadership pg.23

Illustration by Cole Drees Design by Cole Drees

The new Madison Avenue park is still under construction. The park is near where the old St. Mary’s school was located near Madison and Woodlawn.

community

brew

Three new parks are coming to the city

ithin the next three years, Derby will be acquiring not one, not two, but three new parks. Madison Avenue Central Park is the closest to be finished, with the hopes it will be completed in early summer this year. The construction of the park is currently taking place at the old St. Mary’s location off of Madison, property the city acquired and the citizens voted on. “[The citizens] voted for a sales tax back in October of 2013, and the sales tax was to help fund part of the library and the fire department, and included in that was a new park,” Assistant Director of Public Works Steve White said. “So at that time we started working with an architectural firm.” Another future park included in the sales tax is to be named after the Descarskey family, who donated the land. The site, roughly located at 95th and Rock, will end up being home to the

most southern park and ball complex in Derby. “That is probably going to be in 2018,” White said. “We had the land donated from Descarskey family, and it’s a large track of land about 62 acres.” White stated that the sales tax passed easily. “When people voted, it was very much in favor of the sales tax,” White said. Because of sports and schoolwork, freshman Alexander Abdullayev doesn’t visit parks very frequently. However, he plans to do so again soon. “I used to [visit parks more often], and I think my family’s going to try to again, and since [Madison Central Avenue Park will be] closer than most of them, I’d probably go with my friends,” Abdullayev said. Not the least nor the last of the coming park attractions, the construction of a new park named Warren River-

view will begin in just a few months. Its completion date is set for 2017. The park will be off of Market Street, close to the river that borders the west side of Derby, hence the name. The land it will be on currently houses the Old Public Works Facility, so the land was already city-owned. “We wanted to utilize that land for a river-access park,” White said. The park Warren Riverview is not included in the sales tax, so it is being funded by donations, the general fund budget and by the Special Parks fund. Most are excited and responding positively to the opening of Madison Central Avenue Park. “We are extremely excited. It’s going to be a tremendous facility for all the people in Derby to enjoy … It’s going to be absolutely beautiful when it’s finished,” White said. U.S. government teacher Stacey Lindsey believes the park will benefit the city by bringing in revenue and by adding to the old “main street” feel on the west side of town. “I also think architects really promote having a town square or a main street, and we don’t really have that in Derby, so maybe things can build up around that,” Lindsey said. She also mentioned that the park might likely make Derby a more popular place to host events, as the area will accommodate for bigger groups. “Sounds like the best park in Derby so far,” Abdullayev said. story by Sierra Bauman

1) opinion of erin kooser

L fascinating

beautiful &

interesting Teens react to unexpected compliments

iving in a society where we put others down for self pride has numbed our teen spirits. We do not regard other people when we speak or act. Granted, this stage of our young adult lives is devoted to developing ourselves, but we become so self-absorbed at times that we forget to consider other people’s feelings. With all this self discovering we tend to just think about our own personal benefits. Instead of lifting someone up for who they are we tend to tear each other apart for who we aren't. Our human interactions, and, even more so, our online profiles contribute to how we view ourselves and others. Why? Why do we compare ourselves to that someone we will never be? Is it out of jealousy? Anger? Pride? Whatever it may be it is evident in our daily teenage lives. We make ourselves feel temporarily better by dehumanizing someone and casually attacking them with our words, but what if we were to stop and think before we spoke? Think about how we would feel before we would pressed send, snapped back, or retorted aloud. If we were to bite our tongues and instead think of something nice to say. Maybe if we actually try living by that old saying “if you don't have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all” we will start to sense a change. We need to stop dehumanizing each other and simply lend a kind word to someone more often. In our social experiment, we had someone tell students we wanted to capture something we found beautiful, fascinating, interesting or intelligent. This project was to simply capture the raw reaction to students being complimented. Here is what we got.

pop culture | april Senior Zoey Saville was ecstatic when told she was beautiful.

1) Sophomore Nichole Stewart says, “What?! Really? Me?” when told she was fascinating and beautiful.

2) When Panther’s Tale staffers told Tanner Brown he was interesting he was at first confused and then thankful.

3) Sophomore Kelsie Shields was speechless when told she was beautiful.

4) Senior Cameron Benefiel smiled confidently when we told him how fascinating he was.

5) Freshman Emma Johnson’s reaction to Panther’s Tale news staffers telling her she was beautiful was a soft ,humble smile.

I See Stars

Students at DHS have their similarities and differences, but some look stunningly similar to populor musicians, actors and actresses.

hat would you do if you looked nearly identical to BeyoncĂŠ or Selena Gomez? For some people,

it seems, nothing. Photos have emerged on Twitter showing some DHS students who have celebrity doppelgangers.

Mariah Miller

Over the years, some students have been told that they look similar to certain celebrities. Not only have they been

told this, but some of their photos found on Twitter prove to show the similarities. written by Brianna Cleveland

Selena Gomez

Taylor Bynum

BeyoncĂŠ

Brady Rust

Owen Wilson

popculture | april

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editorial staff cole drees sierra bauman

editor in cheif copy editor

justin pechanec

website editor

kori tullis

photo editor

owen berk

assitant sports editor

maryah whiteman

social media manager

kenyon tabor

sports editor

brianna cleveland

indepth editor

dawn mullen

cartoonist

myah coberly

graphics editor

general staff

anthony allen

opinion column Teens need to stop dehumanizing others on Internet.

magine: as a girl walks down the hallway, a stranger drops everything they are doing to say how beautiful she looks. The warmth flows to her bright red cheeks, and she can’t help but smile. Those few words can make her whole day. She woke up at 5 that morning to make sure her hair was curled, she had the perfect outfit, and her makeup was spot on. Was it worth it? Beauty isn’t defined as one thing; it can come in many different forms. Would the girl have had the same reaction if the stranger would have replaced beautiful with articulate, responsible, respectful or smart? Society bases most things on how people look, instead of the quality of personality. The truth is, yes, looks do matter. It goes back to the beginning of time with humans’ basic instincts. Humans have to be able to categorize objects and

people into two basic categories. Those categories are threatening and nonthreatening. This protecting instinct developed in the beginning of time, which evolutionized into judging people. As much as it’s wanted, the world couldn’t operate without basing most things on looks. It’s not fair, but it is human nature. One of the most important things to remember though is that looks can be deceiving and everyone deserves a chance. Beauty is an important quality, but it isn’t everything. People shouldn’t strive only to be beautiful. Strive to be independent, smart and funny. Work towards something in life rather than beauty. Just because it is a basic instinct doesn’t make it right, and this instinct is a split second decision that eventually changes over time as opinion forms about the person in question.

juliana karagianis

taylor baer erin kooser taylor henry mallory girton sasha lewis erik nenortas

james thompson

evan read

jordan cornell

alyssa soel

taylor dunbar

james thompson

opinion of juliana karagianis

opinion | april

editorial

This cartoon illustrates a student studying for the ACT. Our staff beleives that it should be required for everyone to take the ACT, as it will benefit anyone even if they don’t plan on going to college. Cartoon by Dawn Mullen. This editorial is written anonymously and relfects the opinion of our entire staff.

Students should be required to take the ACT regardless of college choices.

he fact that Derby High School’s efforts to give all juniors a free chance to take the ACT is being met with cries of disapproval is concerning. The school should be commended for this, not criticized. The school is providing an amazing opportunity to the students, especially to those who normally can’t afford the entry fee. There could be nu-

merous intellectually talented students who have never been able to take the test due to financial reasons who now could end up doing very well and receiving scholarships enabling them to go to college, something that was previously unobtainable to them. The main reason why many don’t approve of this action is that they are worried this will lower the district’s

average score on the ACT. Even if this proves to be the reality of the situation, it is still worth it to provide an equal opportunity to all students regardless of their financial status. In the end, any effort to support students’ opportunities should be supported, not shot down.

Relationship Rules

Teachers give advice to students on the rules of relationships in high school and in adolescence.

hrow a rock down the hallway in a high school, and the chances of hitting a couple saying goodbye is pretty great. High school relationships are very common nowadays, which can be a very good thing or a very bad thing. “This is where you learn what you want and what you can tolerate,” English teacher at Monica Swift said High school sweethearts face a wide array of opposition and obstacles: strict parents, disagreements and differences and the fact that they may not know what they want from life yet. This is the time in their lives when they are trying to figure out exactly who they want to be, and being involved with someone romantically at the same time can be both a blessing and a curse. “If you’re going to be in a relationship, know what you’re getting yourself into; make sure you have time for it,” School Resource Officer Justin Taylor said. Teachers gave advice about what teenagers should do when they’re involved in a fight or argument with their boyfriend or girlfriend. “Try and work problems out. Try and see it from their point of view,” math teacher Shelby Wehrman said. When couples fight, it can cause a lot of unwanted tension. Swift offered a solution that may help in the midst of an argument and may also help prevent future arguments. “Don’t make decisions right away so [that] you’re calmer. Don’t just give up. Give it 24 hours,” Swift said. Love require sacrifices. Some people might recognize this quote from the 2015 Nicholas Sparks movie “The Longest Ride.” Taylor agreed that love takes sacrifice. “[It takes] sacrifice, time and effort to make the relationship last, ” Taylor said. Falling in love isn’t always

easy, but falling out of love is a diftoo serious,” Wehrman said. ferent story. It can be either easy Should teens date? It’s a quesor extremely difficult. What are the tion several concerned parents and reasons for breaking up? Do you grandparents are asking. Whether work things out? Or move on? they think relationships are benefi“Not watching the warning cial or are a waste of time and not signs is a mistake teenagers worth the emotion, teachers have make. When it’s over, they don’t their own say about teen relationpick up on it, they just try and ships. make it work,” Swift said. “Teens should date to marry, According to Google, love is an look for qualities they’d look for in intense feeling of deep affection. a spouse, but not getting serious,” Swift thinks teens enjoy being in Calderwood said. a love relationship because it’s Some high school couples have something new to them. ended up getting married. Taylor’s “I think [being in a relationhigh school sweetheart eventually ship] means happiness to teens. became his wife. For the first time, they feel wanted “Me and my wife got together by someone other than parents,” my junior year. It was tough and Swift said. took a lot of commitment to stay toCalderwood thinks love means gether, but if you know that person being close to and loose around is right for you, you know it’s right, someone. no matter what happens. You’ll “[I think they mean love as] know when it’s right,” Taylor said. someone that you’re exclusive with story by Juliana Karagianis and someone you’re comfortable and Mallory Girton around,” FACS teacher Amy Calderwood said. Teachers instructed teens not to get too serious in their relationships and to avoid getting too tied down. “Always keep your options open; don’t settle; look around and see. I’m not saying cheat, just watch for who treats you well and who doesn’t,” Swift said. “Becoming too physical is something I think is a problem, [as well as] spending too much time together … People need space and [should] not [be] Seniors Serena Davis and Joseph Dubois stand holding hands with a phone between their fingers, reperesenting the idea that relationships can center around technology.. Photo by Taylor Dunbar

in-depth | april

This graphic illustrates different teachers opinions on dating in high school What are the biggest mistakes you see teens making in relationships?

Do you believe teens should be in a relationship? Why?

What is the biggest problem with teens being in relationships?

Sexting.

No, there are more important things to focus on. I don’t wanna be tied to one person.

They are not mature enough to handle what goes into a serious relationship. They sacrifice time and effort to make the relationship last.

I don’t think it’s bad. I just don’t think they should make it too serious.

I think they get too serious, and they do things that cause problems that affect them later in life.

How is it helpful Do relationships for teens to have affect their lives someone support too much? them?

What advice do you give to teens in a relationship when arguing occurs?

Yeah.

If you’re going to be in a relationship, know what you’re getting yourself into. Make sure you have time for it.

I think it just depends. Personal relationships are a huge part of life.

Try to work problems out. Try and see it from their point of view.

What do you think the word love means to teenagers?

What should teens stray away from in a relationship?

Infatuation. Lust.

Becoming too physical and spending too much time together.

SRO Taylor Spending too much time together. They abandon their friends.

I think sometimes someone on the outside can see things that are unbiased.

Shelby Wehrman Not watching the warning signs; when it’s over they don’t pick up on it. They try and make it work.

Monica Swift

Don’t make decisions right away so [that] you’re calmer. Don’t just give up. Give it 24 hours.

Oh yeah! Because this is where you learn what you want and what you can tolerate.

I think that’s kind of unavoidable.

Getting serious too young, not being with their friends.

Stacey Lindsey

Yeah, and sometimes in a positive way.

Try to remove yourself from the situation for awhile, and cool off.

I think it means happiness. For the first time, they feel wanted by someone other than parents.

Controlling or demanding, if anyone is abusive.

streaming just as addictive as nicotine

ver heard of the mind-bending action called binge watching? Netflix definitely has, considering it released a public service announcement warning against the dangers of binge watching. “Some studies would have you believe that binge watching can cause depression, but it’s really just a correlation they are talking about and not causation,” licensed professional counselor Sarah Vaughn said Studies are showing that binge watching is causing teens with depressive symptoms to actually amplify those. People with these symptoms tend to lack the incentive to be active or interact with people, while reaching for the remote is manageable. “People who watch too much TV are more likely to mindlessly eat, not get enough exercise and not get enough sleep. All of these things can lead to major physical problems,” Vaughn said. There are many problems that have been linked to binge watching, both mental and physical problems. The way that binge watchers connect with others is also affected by countless hours of TV. “The show Supernatural has affected me so much I’ve decided to get a tattoo of something that represents the show,” sophomore Chandler Blanchard said Teens are starting to develop

emotional attachments to television characters because binge watchers will watch hours of the same show consecutively. Soon these characters are almost seen as friends to them. “Yes, I develop a connection [with the characters]. A lot of the characters have the same mentality as me,” sophomore Kiana Pereira said There can be a good side to watching too much TV, depending on what’s being watched. Watching educational TV can make people more culturally informed, and watching entertaining shows with other people is shown to improve relationships. “I talk about what happened in the shows with my friends,” sophomore Westin Murrow said. There have been warnings about what watching too much TV can do to healthy young adults since the television was first invented, but now there are many networks that offer instant streaming, turning everyday worries into serious problems. In 2014 the American Heart Association released a warning when the craze of binge watching had just started, saying that watching more than three hours of TV a day can double your risk of premature death. “As with many addictions, many people are in denial about just how much something is really negatively impacting their life,” Vaughn said. story by Juliana Karagianis

in-depth | april

Binge watching is the proccess of watching an extreme amount of episode in one setting. This has become a large trend among teens and adults. Now it can be considered addicting and hard to pull away from. Illusttration by Cole Drees and Kori Tullis

NET

1-3 hours 2-5 hours More than 5

FLIX

None Do you watch the same show consecutively? yes no

Have you ever cancelled plans to watch a TV show? yes no

Do you think binge watching TV is a problem? yes no

surveyed from 217 students

SHAKE IT

OUT

As earthquakes increase, district revamps earthquake approach, enforces biannual drills

D D

rop, cover and hold on. This is the proper protocol to follow when the ground starts shaking beneath your feet. More earthquakes have occurred in Kansas the last several years, and people are beginning to take precautions. The Reason Behind the Increase Why have earthquakes become so commonplace in Kansas? It has been suggested that the rise in earthquakes is being caused by fracking, but that’s a misconception. Don Blakeman, a Geophysicist at the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network in Washington, set the record straight. “When fracking operations occur, it doesn’t really cause any earthquakes … What’s causing them is the disposal of the fracking fluid,” Blakeman said. Fracking in itself hardly contributes to the tremors Kansans have been feeling. However, the liquid used during fracking, toxic wastewater, has to be specially disposed because it’s too harmful to be put in the environment; the disposal is done by drilling the water into underground disposal wells. According to usgs.gov, the water causes usually frictionally resistant fractures within the earth to slip, and an earthquake begins. The District’s Response Oklahoma is the state that has seen the biggest growth in its earthquake number. In fact, Blakeman explained that for the past couple of years, at almost 50

earthquakes a week, Oklahoma has seen more quakes than California. “Just to be clear about it, I think that South Central Kansas, Oklahoma [and] a little bit in Arkansas is where we’ve seen the increase,” Blakeman said. Kansans are responding to the earthquake increase. Derby schools are practicing their earthquake drills for the first time this year. “We didn’t use to run them yearly,” Assistant Principal Travis Moore said. “We just had a procedure that we went over with our teachers, but with the increase in earthquakes, we started increasing our drills.” On Oct. 15, the district participated in the Great American ShakeOut drill, where schools, homes and organizations practice their earthquake drills on the same day. Ginny Atkinson, the Safety and Security Officer for Derby Public Schools, has been a part of the process to raise awareness of earthquakes in the school district. She noticed that USD 260 was the only school district in the Central Region that signed up for the Great American ShakeOut. “Realistically, if it’s going to be happening here, things would shake off the shelves and shake off the walls. I think we’re more prepared for that. I think mainly we’ve raised awareness,” Atkinson said. Atkinson’s goal is to ready children for earthquakes at school. She doesn’t want the

younger students to be frightened; she wants them to be confident in knowing how to respond in that situation. “Let’s get something in place so students know what to do, so that if it does happen, it’s just one of those things … and we continue to learn,” Atkinson said. Concerns Sophomore Katherine Roeder doesn’t feel prepared to act in a major earthquake. When she felt her first earthquake last month, she admitted she was confused about what was going on more than anything. “I’ve only felt one, and it was one of the recent ones,” Roeder said. “It wasn’t that big. It just kind of shook the house a bit.” Other than an earthquake drill, she’s not aware of anything that could help schools better equip students to respond to an earthquake. She does have some concern about future earthquakes. “It kind of does [scare me] because I don’t want anything majorly bad to happen, but other than that, I don’t really think about it,” Roeder said. Moore’s afraid of earthquakes resulting in property damage. “So far what we’ve seen are slight ones that [I hope are not] starting to shift foundations on things … That becomes a major issue and brings up people buying insurance,” Moore said. The Good News A majority of the earthquakes that have occurred recently have been magnitudes of two or three, which don’t do any damage. “In the U.S., it takes probably about a magnitude five earthquake before it starts causing damage,” Blakeman said. In other countries, such as in

rural China, even the little quakes cause damage because their edifices are not built as sturdily as buildings in the U.S. So far, no one is able to predict whether the rate or size of earthquakes in the Midwest will continue to grow. However, Blakeman shared that some attempts have been made to stop the acts that are contributing to the earthquakes. “From what I’ve read, there have been several disposal wells that have been shut down because they were very suspect of causing earthquakes,” Blakeman said. How to React Atkinson thinks many people have been misinformed about how to protect themselves in the middle of an earthquake. Not only does she advise people who are inside to stay inside, but she also discourages people from hiding under doorways. One piece of her advice is to lie on the ground, rather than being knocked to the ground by tremors. According to Blakeman, what hurts people during an earthquake is falling objects. Once the earthquake starts, one should get under something strong. In small earthquakes, the shocks will probably be over by the time someone gets to his safe spot, but it’s best to be safe in the case that it’s a more powerful, longer earthquake. Moore hopes students have a good idea of what to do in an earthquake. “And if not … we need to do more drills. I mean, it’s that simple. I feel confident that we’re going the right direction on them in case [earthquakes] do get worse,” Moore said.

in-depth | april

story by Sierra Bauman

what’s the

fracking problem?

Besides leading to the disposal of fracking fluid and thereby causing earthquakes, fracking has caused numerous other problems. source : www.cleanwateraction.org Habitat fragmentation is when a natural environment is broken up into pieces, and it can be caused by fracking.

At least eight states have reported surface, ground and drinking water contamination due to the disposal of fracking fluid. Fracking uses between two and five billion gallons of water in areas with low amounts of freshwater.

Illusttrations by Cole Drees

A typical upper secondary European classroom would consist of students from the ages 14-16 learning the common subjects of science and math. Europeans are ahead of Americans in these subjects in 8th grade and up. Teachers in Europe are more like a coaches, while students are in charge of their education at a young school age. Photo by Erin Kooser

What’s the Difference?

Students think that U.S. education system highly differs from European education system.

rising concern the past few years in America is how it seems as though the country is falling far behind other countries in terms of educating its youth. It seems as though most students at DHS feel this way considering that a survey of 269 students showed that 79.6 percent think that the United States is losing the education competition to other countries. “I think that most European countries are by far ahead of us in terms of education,” junior Madisyn Schofield said. Freshman Hunter Torres agrees with Schofield. “All Asian countries and a lot of European countries are dominating us,” Torres said. While Schofield and Torres agree on the topic, their ideas on why these countries are beating us couldn’t be more different. “It seems like the students are a lot less pressured, which makes them apply themselves

more since they don’t have to stress about a grade,” Schofield said. “Our education system is less effective since other countries push school a lot harder and challenge their students,” Torres said. DHS students have very different opinions on why the education system in America is ineffective. “The classes are too generalized and not tailored to each person very well. You don’t have a lot of creative license,” Schofield said. Junior Cody Swartz slightly disagrees with the common opinion. “I think our system is effective to an extent, but it definitely could use some improvement,” Swartz said. While 90.7 percent of students agree that changes need to be made to the education system, they have varied ideas on how to fix the problem.

“Cheaper college costs would be a big improvement. It would give high school students more of a drive to work hard since they would know that they could go on to further their education,” Swartz said. Schofield has a very different take on the matter. “Take away the grading system and give students more options for their core classes so that they could pick what they choose more,” Schofield said. Schofield, Torres and Swartz all agreed that math needs improvement the most, but every core class could use an upgrade. Most students at DHS seem to desire changes to America’s education system, but with the upcoming cuts to education it seems as though the students are not going to get their hopes fulfilled. “Just by looking at global education statistics, it seems like we’re pretty dumb,” Torres said. story by Justin Pechanec

academics | april

Do you think that the current United States education system is effective?

yes79.7%

Do you think that the U.S. education system is in need of changes?

no54% no46%

Do you think that the U.S. is falling behind compared to other countries in terms of education?

yes90.7% surveyed out of 311 students

in-depth | april

Introverts VS. Extroverts Students spend time and socialize with other people in their own ways.

t has been said that there are two types of people: the shy type and the outgoing, loud type. It’s important to know the difference when trying to respond or communicate with others. Introverts are the type of people who are just content with being by themselves or the group of friends they have had since kindergarten. Extroverts are people who are outgoing and make friends easily. They are fine with big groups of people and can just start up a conversation out of nowhere. “I’m an introvert,” freshman Isabel Burns said. “I just don’t like huge groups

of people.” Huge groups of people can be overwhelming and sometimes just plain scary, but when one has a friend around, it can sometimes make that all go away. “I have a friend who’s an extrovert, she’s very social and can talk to anyone. We have mutual friends though, so it’s not terrible in a group, but [around] anyone else, I’m kinda awkward,” Burns said. Introverts is just a fancy word for shy people. They can usually start a conversation off really well, they just prefer not to. Senior Zachary Simonson considers

While some kids find it easy to socialize, others aren’t as outgoing. Some people are introverts because of social anxiety, shyness or because they simply prefer to be alone. Photo by Jordan Cornell

himself to be an introvert. “I’m definitely an introvert, I don’t usually enjoy being in crowds or big groups of people I don’t know … I’d much rather be with a smaller group of friends,” Simonsen said. Extroverts are outgoing and are usually over-expressive people. They are comfortable in crowds and normally have quite a bit of confidence. “I just like meeting new people, and talking to them … If I could give any advice to an introvert it would just be to be yourself,” freshman Jaycie Nelson said. story by Mallory Girton

winter wrap-up

Winter sports end with huge accomplishments, wild crowds.

D column by owen berk

erby saw many of its winter sports teams participate in postseason play. Wrestling competed at state and placed fourth as a team. Derby sent 11 wrestlers to the state tournament, and freshman Cade Lindsey placed first in the 120 weight class. Boys’ basketball had a roller coaster of a season. After starting off 2-0, the team went back and forth between winning and losing for the next 13 games with the exception of a two-game loss streak in the middle of the season. However, head coach Brett Flory found a way to get the team to rally around its leaders and put on a five-game win streak to end the regular season and gain momentum heading into the postseason. Even with that momentum, Derby suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Wichita East Blue Aces in the first round of regionals. The girls’ basketball team saw an impressive turn around from the past couple of seasons.

They had not cracked the nine-win mark in the last six years, but if you watched any of the games this year, you’d understand why they easily broke that streak this year. They ended with a record of 19-4 and ended a 10-year postseason drought with a state title run. The dynamite freshman duo of Kennedy Brown and Tor’e Alford helped a solid core of seniors put up one of the best seasons in recent history. Even with that duo and a solid team around them, they fell victim to Olathe East in the first round of the state tournament. The bowling team had themselves another stellar postseason. They participated in state on March 3 and took home third as a team. Four boys placed individually; Senior Ryker Percival finished 15th, junior Michael Klein finished 13th, junior Justin Pecanic got 12th and sophomore Matthew Heddon finished 8th. The girls did not qualify for state as a team, but sophomore Madisyn Hansen took second. story by Owen Berk Ben Griffin photo by Emily Cleveland

Junior Nyjee Wright dribbles past a Maize defender in their game on Dec. 15th. Derby would fall 42-59. This was their first loss of the season. Photo by Ysabelle Hunwardsen. Freshman Kennedy Brown takes a free throw against Andover high school on Jan. 26th. Derby would go onto win 58-29. After this win the girls had a 10-0 record. Photo by Kaitlyn Sanders.

sports | april

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spring peak

Junior Braden Ash will be key to the baseball teams season. Ash is one of the few returning starters this year. Photo by Owen Berk. Senior Micah Dunn practices his serve at practice after school. Dunn will look to lead a young tennis team to post-season play. Photo by Taylor Henry

sports | april As spring break comes to an end, spring sports begin.

column by owen berk

s one door closes, another opens. As winter sports wrap up, athletes and coaches the same are already in the gym preparing for the upcoming spring season. Each team is looking to improve and hopefully participate in postseason play at the end of the regular season. Derby’s softball team looks for a sixth consecutive run to the state tournament. Last year they were eliminated in their first game by Olathe Northwest. Baseball will also likely continue its recent success. Head coach Todd Olmstead has dealt with plenty of challenges the last two years, losing a total of 24 seniors in that timeframe. Despite his losses, Olmstead has coached his team to the state tournament two out of the last three years. Boys tennis will look to turn its potential into a state title run. The last three years the boys’ tennis team has had a huge team, averaging from 30 to 40 players each year. Each team has featured a solid top five players made up of juniors and seniors with major talent and potential coming from the rest of the team. The boys’ golf team faces a tough year ahead. With only two varsity golfers from last

year, neither one of them has ever qualified for the class 6A state tournament. Nonetheless, head coach Tim Herrs will work with the talent he has and make the best of what everyone is calling a rebuilding year. The girls’ swim team will also look to make another run at state, as individuals and as a team. It will be a little tougher considering they lost sophomore Megan Keil, who will forgo this season to train for a spot in this summer’s Olympic trials. They have strong relay teams and above-average long distance swimmers, but they will need to work on their short distance sprints to really lock in a top spot at state. The key to success for Derby’s track team might just be itself. Derby’s stars look to break more records while other competitors in that event look to dethrone those stars. Last year current seniors Christian Compton and Trenton Allen both broke school records in pole vaulting and the javelin respectively. Juniors Peerlus Walker (discus and shot put) and Michaela Gerhard (distance running) both had breakout seasons last year and will look to improve yet again and help this team get back to state. story by Owen Berk

Junior Michaela Gerhard practices for her relays by working on timing with her teamates. Photo by Taylor Henry. The JV soccer team huddles up to talk about the game plan for their first home game. Photo by Andrew Liss.

Underthe Knife Many times in sports, athletes face injury, and possibly surgery. For some student-athletes at DHS it threatens their season.

etting an injury can be like pushing the pause button on life. At least that’s what it was like for sophomores Rileigh Mahoney and Rebecca Riggins. Mahoney plays competitive soccer all year for Azteca and plays for the school in the spring. “I didn’t think it was going to be that hard for me to just not be able to play but now that I can’t it’s so awful sitting on the sidelines watching everyone play,” Mahoney said. She recently had foot surgery having to have wedges of bone cut out of her foot and big toe with multiple screws put in place. “6 weeks in a boot and 8 weeks before I play again. I get to start physical therapy the Monday of spring break.” Mahoney said. Her surgery took place right before soccer season causing her to miss tryouts. Luckily since she was on the

team last year her coach held her spot on the team and her jersey. “When I come back I’ll probably play some JV because I wouldn’t expect to be just thrown back onto the varsity field but I’m still part of the team and I still go to practices.” Mahoney. Mahoney will have to undergo a second foot surgery on the opposite foot. 8 weeks recovery time would have been a dream for Riggins who had back surgery in the fall. “4 days of bed rest at the hospital not being able to get up. Then 4 weeks at home with no school and just laying down. I got to come back to school after that for 2 classes a day.” Riggins said. Riggins was bornwithout part of her vertebrae in her lower back. She started out sophomore year in a back brace which put a lot of restrictions on movement, to make it more difficult she is part of the marching band.

“My back brace stop me from being able to turn and to bend. I could move around and play some of the notes but I couldn’t fully do it all.” Riggins said. Marching band starts 2 weeks before school starts with practices Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. With this high demand schedule the matching band directors had to find a way to work around Riggins injury. “They had me go and instead of playing in some parts I just move [with the band],” Riggins said. Whether it’s out for 8 weeks or 4 months injuries can be hard to deal with. For both these girls it was like sitting on the sideline and watching their lives play out before their eyes. “I’ve played since third grade and I played high school last year and I played varsity. It sucks being able not to play because that’s what I’ve done for so long,” Mahoney said. story by Juliana Karagianis

Rileigh Mahoney on her crutches post surgery. Photo by James Thompson

feature | april

Q&A

What is your favorite part about teaching this class?

ANSWER “My favorite part about teaching the classes is seeing the kids grow and improve in just a few short weeks. I’m extremely proud of them.”

Do you from special bonds with your students? ANSWER “I definitely form bonds with all of them! They’re all great kids, and each one of them has something special about them. I couldn’t imagine my life now without them.”

Why did you start an acting class?

ANSWER “I started teaching the class because I figured it would be a wonderful experience to have. Theater is my favorite thing, so I’m always down for anything related to it.”

How long have you been teaching? Do you plan on continuing teaching this class next year or even after high school? ANSWER “I’ve been teaching since September 2015 and definitely plan on continuing teaching for as long as I can! It’s a big part of my life.”

feature | april

Natalie Wilson as Alice rehearses with Jaina. Natalie has a lot of fun being the star of the show. Photo by Brianna Cleveland Addison and Jaina use props to enhance their acting skills during their acting class at the Derby Recreation Center. Photo by Brianna Cleveland Zoe Welshans helps the kids rehearse one last time before the big show. Welshans Directs and narroates the entire play of Alice and Wonderland. Photo by Brianna Cleveland

Through the Looking Glass Student teaches interesting acting class at local recreation center.

oe Welshans, a junior high school student and a teacher. Of all the things you think of a student doing in his or her free time, is teaching a class one of them? Welshans teaches classes at the DRC in her spare time. She acquired this job when the person who is now her boss was looking for someone who could teach acting classes to children. Because her boss was also a friend of the director at DHS, he decided to ask the director, who then put Welshans and another student to the task. However, the other student backed out, and Welshans was

left to teach the class. She started working in September of 2015 and really enjoys the opportunity to teach children about acting, “It is so much fun to teach this class, and the kids are great. I want to keep doing this for a long time,” Welshans said. How does she balance her job and being a student? Surely the stress both school and her job cause must be bit overwhelming at times. “I haven’t really thought about quitting or leaving. The only time I feel bad is when the kids leave to go home. We have a sort of sibling dynamic,” Welshans said. story by Erik Nenortas

ART COMPETITION

Juniors Bella Smith and Jasmine Krause use oil pastels to create a masterpiece mural using the style and image of Van Goghâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s starry night to portay a modern day Deadpool. Photo by Sasha Lewis Junior Paige Sutton uses charcoal for the quick draw competition. Photo by Sasha Lewis Senior Ashley Gates makes a dragon out of cardboard. Photo by Sasha Lewis Senior Linnea Engstrom and junior Curtis Unkel work together for the theme mural competition. Photo by Jordan Cornell Junior Adalie Schroter uses oil pastels to create an vintage-looking masterpiece with a modern twist. Photo by Sasha Lewis