Issue 1

PT panther’s tale newsmagazine oct 7 issue volume 64 issue 1

tied up by technology Anonymous apps popular but shine suprising positive light at DHS pg. 4 “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.” Read about ADHD on pg. 13 Sarvin Mahmoodi makes impact with her story, her student leadership pg.23

ON THE COVER

The Cover photo illustration depicts an “average” teenager tied down by media and technology. In many ways teenagers could be tied down by media or technology. Some teenagers can be burdened by what they see on anonymous apps about themselves or others. They could trapped by the fact they recorded a fighting video at school and now are facing serious charges. In many more ways social media can affect us, good or bad. How we choose to handle this great tool with dictate the outcome of our actions. The model in this photo is in no way connected to any of the actions mentioned throughout the stories in this isssue.

PT panther’s tale newsmagazine oct 7 issue volume 64 issue 1

Photo by Korianna Tullis Design by Cole Drees Photoshop by Myah Coberly Modeled by Kenyon Tabor

tied up by technology Anonymous apps run rampid but show a suprising light at DHS pg. 4

CONTACT

“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

@derbypublications

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

@Panthers_Tale

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derbypublications@ usd260.com

Publication Policy The Panther’s Tale exists to inform, entertain and persuade its readers about topics facing the high school community. The student newspaper recognizes all rights and responsibilities as granted by the First Amendment. The Panther’s Tale will not publish material considered to be legally unprotected speech, including but not limited to libel, obscenity, copyright infringement, unwarranted invasion of privacy, or material that could disrupt the educational environment. The Panther’s Tale operates as a public forum for student expression.

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On Pantherstale.com we have even more extra coverage about the #cousinbowl. We have the whole skype press conference between the two cousins, coach Brandon Clark and coach Joel Applebee.

The Panther’s Tale reserves the right to refuse any business that seeks to advertise any product or service that is illegal or generally considered unhealthy or undesirable for students as determined by the editorial board. The Panthers Tale may choose to publish public service ads at the discretion of the editorial board.

Printing and Distribution Services The Panther’s Tale is printed monthly at Valley Offsets Printing in Wichita. Two thousand copies are distributed to members of the Derby High School and Derby communities.

Community Brew

Business boom: City expansion takes off; more to come

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oss and TJ Maxx are just two of the businesses waiting to start building in the Derby Marketplace. Within the next two years, Chipotle, Menards, Wesley Medical Emergency Center, and Mattress Firm are expected to be built.

“There’s the Wesley ER that’s going in at Patriot and Rock, and there’s a possibility for a theme park based around dinosaurs, hotels, restaurants, an archery range, and a medical facility that will specialize in brain injuries which is something we don’t even have in the Wichita area, so that’ll be good,” Taylour Tedder, the Director of Development for the City of Derby said.

Tedder’s job is to assist the businesses that have or hope to build in Derby. He follows their process from the building plan to the ribbon cutting and grand opening.

When a business is planning on building in Derby, there are many things to look at in the community. A site selector will look at the population, the average income and the regional draw of Derby.

“We have over 430,000 people within a 15 mile radius so that’s another big factor,” Tedder said.

“When somebody decides that they want to come to Derby, we require them to have a business registration; if they decide to build, then they go through the department, which will connect them to the site plan review facility. If they have to rezone the property they talk to the planning commission, it’s a lot of little different parts.”

Building is also taking place behind the Derby Marketplace; a 64-unit senior apartment division is currently undergoing construction. The goal of these new quadplexes is to give the senior population more options for their housing.

“Derby typically has single family homes, and we do have a little bit of apartments, but those are mostly 98 percent full most of the time, so other options for housing is something that is high up on our list,” Tedder said.

The west side of Derby also has some changes expected to be coming soon.

“We’ve been really trying to help revitalize the K-15 corridor.

There is a business that’s getting ready to open down in the old Sonic, so we’re excited that they decided to spend their money there to reuse that building,” Tedder said. “We did just finish a whole development plan for the whole west end of Derby, basically we’re just trying to help the redevelopment and keep those buildings looking good, so everyone can be proud of Derby.”

Most of the building will be finished by the year 2017. The main goal of the new businesses is to improve the living quality and growth of Derby.

“We think the building will really increase the quality of life for everyone,” Tedder said. “The goal is to continue growing at a steady pace and gain more commercial.

We’ll be able to keep with that hometown feel and still have everything that you need.”

story by meaghan mizak

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Heavy machinery works the earth on North Rock Road in Derby. Several large businesses are being built in the complex at Rock and Meadowlark. photo by Sasha Lewis photo

by Sasha Lewis

Hobby Lobby held its grand opening in September. The construction took place throughout the summer. photo by Sasha Lewis

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Two senior girls venture through a new anonymous app they found on the app store. More and more apps are being made every minute. photo by cole drees

Chris de los angeles browses through some of the posts on Yik-Yak and isn’t sure what to think. He said he appreciates most of the posts but is shocked by a few. photo by Bailey Witt

Kyle Shafer has just read a very complimentary post on AfterSchool and is trying to figure out who posted it. photo by Bailey Witt

popculture | oct 7 students explore socializing with others anonymously on new apps.

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magine sitting in class, doing your work, and when you go to get something out of your backpack, you find a note that says, “You are a fat, ugly slob,” but you have no idea which of your classmates placed it there. This is the effect some of the posts on anonymous school apps across the country reportedly have been like.

Various apps, such as After School or Yik Yak, designed to allow people to anonymously chat about their schools or surroundings have been heavily criticized lately for — unintentionally — creating environments that are easily manipulated for the use of cyberbullying and spreading serious threats.

However, this was not the intent the developers of these apps had in mind. What the developers really wanted was to promote honest thoughts and opinions by giving the users extra privacy.

“Share your thoughts with people around you while keeping your privacy,” is what is printed on Yik Yak’s official website.

The apps are supposed to level the social playing field for all students, so the less popular students can share their thoughts and ideas without people criticizing them because of their social rank.

But, in some cases, these apps have only made the situation worse for these students, because now some of them are being attacked and they don’t know who is attacking them, but they know that the attacker is very close to them.

However, it seems as though the students of Derby High School have been using these apps more responsibly than most other schools across the country, according to the students.

“It’s not very rude, I’m quite surprised,” junior Zoe Welshans said.

This was the common opinion of most students.

“To be honest, it was kind of boring. There weren’t many destructive posts about students,” junior Jessica Ramirez-Auman said.

In fact, many students seem to think that these apps are used in a positive manner at DHS and can see the potential in these apps.

“It’s a good idea because it lets you know where you and your groups are at socially,” junior Emily Jones said.

The Panthers also like the ability

to freely speak their minds.

“I think the apps are great since they allow people to say things that they would normally be afraid of due to their unhappiness with their social standing,” sophomore Skyler Sprecker said.

It’s not to say that the students don’t recognize the common cons of these apps’ presence.

“Even though it sounds good on paper, considering the common outcomes of schools’ students using these apps it doesn’t really seem worth it,” junior Ashley Sherrow said.

There have been many debates throughout the country’s schools on whether or not to ban these apps, and the most of the students here at DHS don’t think it is a good idea to get rid of these apps.

“These apps shouldn’t be banned nor encouraged, but left up to the choice of the students,” Sprecker said.

However, there were a few different opinions on the topic.

“I think that the users of the apps should be mature, so the apps should definitely be banned in middle schools and maybe high schools, but not colleges,” Sherrow said.

Some wonder if banning these apps would be limiting the rights guaranteed to students by the 1st amendment.

Most students think that this action would restrict some of those rights.

“Even though there are some bad things posted on these apps, it still takes away from your free speech if banned,” Ramirez said.

There was some disagreement.

“I agree that there shouldn’t be bullying, but if they ban the apps it doesn’t really take away your right to free speech,” Welshans said.

In conclusion, it seems that a majority of students here at DHS seem to think that the school has been using the apps more responsibly than most other schools, and they don’t think that the apps should be taken away from students, even though there are some downsides to them.

“It really does suck that such a good idea is tarnished by the bullying that takes place. The apps are supposed to prevent this from happening, but instead house it,” sophomore Ethan Foster said. story by Justin Pechanec

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anonymous facts these are the list of apps students use that allow people to communicate about school and community anonymously.

The “After School” app can be found on the Apple app store and is appealing to high school students.

The “Whisper” can be found on the Apple app store and can be used by everyone.

The “Yik Yak”app is also on the Apple app store and is a restricted account that won’t work on or around campus.

The “ask.fm”app can be found on the Apple app store and is used primarily by people with a Twitter account.

Caught Have you ever seen or been in a fight?

No

Yes

No

Yes

Do you follow the twitter account World Star?

Fighting videos are popular among accounts on twitter and tend to get thousands of retweets.

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On Tape

in-depth | oct. 7 Follow 417 Tweets 20 Following 216k Followers

students voice their opinion about violence videos and their harm on society

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ocial media fighting video accounts have made their way into teenage hands. There have been accounts on social media, such as “World Star”, that have been tempting students to watch violence.

“I think violence videos are okay to watch but not if they’re agreeing with what is happening,” senior Kaylie Opskar said.

When people are recorded in violence videos they can sometimes be left feeling embarrassed and sometimes regretful. If someone records violence and posts it on social media the losing person can possibly get bullied. Violence videos and violence in media badly influences people watching them.

“It encourages people to fight,” sophomore Erin Means said.

When someone records a fight they can get into trou-

ble, and sometimes they may feel bad or embarrassed after recording the video. Youtube, Facebook, and Twitter are just some of the websites that these violence videos get posted on.

67 percent of the school has admitted to following a fight video account.

“I saw a fight at school; it was in front of me while I was eating breakfast,” senior Michelle Le said.

Nine out of 10 teenagers have witnessed online bullying on social networks, according to a study done by the Pew Internet & American Life Project some ignore it, and some stop it and defend a close friend.

With violence videos gaining popularity, more videos are being posted by others to get their 15 minutes of fame.

“People might get ideas watching them,” security guard Keith Watkins said.

Videos that go viral can lead to other people getting involved. A fight in the last year where a girl got bashed in the head with a shovel has gone viral. The fight was on Dr. Phil, and it shows how the person that recorded the fight has regret about recording it.

He lost two friends because he sold the video and shared it on social media.

Some people can be known as a bully in Derby High School when they record violence videos and put them on social media for everyone to see.

“Bystanders who do nothing to protect the victim are as guilty as the bullies that do the bullying,” said Dr. Phil on his video about violence videos on June 22, 2015.

story by taylor henry

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This cartoon correlates with the editorial this issue. The cartoon means that if you try a peaceful prostest, in a best case scenario peaceful protest ing wil get more results.

editor’s note

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ith a start of the new year, our staff want s our approach to be welcomed amongst the student body. Last year the Panther’s Tale staff had our ups and downs. From getting negative feedback about our coverage to winning an All Kansas award for our first year being a Newsmagazine. With our trials and tribulations it has only solidified our purpose and reasoning to be here at Derby High School. Each student here has a lot to say. Just as much, each student here has a lot to learn in life, like all humans.

This year as the editor I want our Newsmagazine to be a welcoming source of info and a tunnel to get their voice out as well. With our amped up design we want the magazine to feel up beat and young. This being said we still plan on talking about serious issues that affect high schools. We want to encourage everyone to reach out to us for their concerns about the school or the good things that happen. We can only share the students body’s voice if you are willing to give it to us.

We welcome criticism, it is how we grow. We want this year to be a great year and none of our stories, photos or designs mean anything without the student body.

Cole

Drees

editorial

a nonviolent argument or campaign has better results than a violent one.

If a student wants to see chang- he or she should attempt to negoes within the school, what’s the tiate with an administrator. If the best way to approach the matter? situation is not resolved through Change is commenced not through negotiation, self-purification and rioting but through rationality, direct action can take place.

Direct action is not a means talking to someone about what needs to be done to figure out a real of force, but another form of negosolution to the problem, rather than tiation. The direct action King is making it bigger. Overall, a nonvio- talking about is the kind that “dralent argument or campaign has bet- matizes an issue so that it can no longer be ignored,” the kind that ter results than a violent one.

In a school of the high school’s creates tension so that those in ausize, complete with rules and stat- thority have to embrace the probutes, people are bound to disagree. lem.

“There is a type of constructive No matter what, there will almost always be a person who thinks the nonviolent tension that is necessary dress code is too restrictive, a late for growth,” King stated in his letwork policy is unrealistic, or that ter. schedule changes are way too comMany teachers and administrators would be glad to discuss plicated.

Martin Luther King Jr., one of possible ways the school could be the best examples of a nonviolent improved, as long as suggestions campaigner, laid out the four steps are reasonable and shows considto a nonviolent campaign in his let- eration toward all the varieties of ter to a group religious leaders in people within the school. the south, titled “Letters from a BirThere have been campaigns throughout history that did not mingham Jail.”

“In any nonviolent campaign uphold the practice of nonviolence, there are four basic steps: collec- and most of time, they ended in tion of the facts to determine wheth- consequences for both sides. Deer injustices are alive, negotiation, struction of a city or town proves self-purification, and direct action,” nothing and is only detrimental. It captures attention, but not the good King said in the letter.

First, an unbiased, objective kind.

To receive respect for a cause, weighing of the facts should be conducted. Most of the time, students one must give respect. Mutual unwill come to realize a school rule derstanding is always the best way is really not that outrageous after to go. Many more teachers, administrators, and students would are some deeper thinking.

For example, several students willing to listen if they are treated are upset upon hearing the school fairly and acknowledged.

Even so, if mutual understanddoes not offer open lunch. It may seem a little devastating, but think- ing does not seem possible, Martin ing about it, closed lunches are re- Luther King Jr. himself has providally for students’ safety. ed excellent advice and examples However, if a student has a of nonviolent, peaceful picketing good reason why an open lunch has for whenever we see something we more benefits than a closed lunch, want to change. each editorial is written by an anonymous writer and reflects the opinion of the majoriaty of our staff

opinion | oct. 7

editorial staff cole drees

editor in cheif

sierra bauman

copy editor

justin pechanec

website editor

mikaela mizak

graphics editor

kori tullis

photo editor

brianna cleveland

indepth editor

kenyon tabor

sports editor

owen berk

assitant sports editor

cassidy conway

coacademics

britney mcswain

coacademics

myah coberly

entertainment editor

meaghan mizak

popculture editor

maryah whiteman

social media manager

editor

editor

general staffers gerrika alcorn

evan read

anthony allen

alyssa soell

taylor baer

james thompson

opinion column Brianna Cleveland talks about if our generation is antisocial or not.

We are slaves to the cell friends, we are snapchatting or phone. Faces lit up by the tweeting the event instead of screens of technology, unaware just being in the moment and of our surroundings. The ques- making it something to rememtion is, has it become a prob- ber, instead of something to capture. An invite to hangout lem?

We have gotten so used to has become a question of “Netflix and chill?” communicating through texSo many of us have ting, calling, tweeting, ignored that our genetc. that we miss out on building actual eration is becoming far more antisorelationships. cial through “soWhen you breakdown comcial” media. In some ways social munication, 93% media might be is non-verbal. making us more Eye contact, body social just in a language, tone of voice are importdifferent way. ant forms of non-verInteraction with bal communication. brianna Think for a moment cleveland’s your peers or others is an important part of how long you could actuopinion building relationships ally go without your cell and making friends in phone. An hour, a day, a week? Do we need to have this high school. The best time of technology in our hands just to your life is shared with another person. You don’t get to make survive a school day?

When there is free time in memories by sitting alone beclass, I bet more than half of the hind a computer screen.

It has become a “trend” to students are on their cell phones or laptops, playing games or on hate people. Half of the tweets social media, rather than get- I see on twitter are so negative ting homework done or making towards people. Why is it that we can’t just walk in the hallnew friends.

Was the last friend you ways and smile at someone.

Or just say “hi” and commade because of a conversation talking about similarities municate. Why is it such a bad or because you retweet the thing to speak to a random persame things? I guarantee how son but it’s not a bad thing to you met your best friend was follow a random person.

We, as a generation, need to not made by a “people you may know” suggestion on Facebook. step back and look at how we Some people meet their best communicate with others. With friend or soulmate through so- technology improving every cial media, but is that how we year, we need to make sure we should look forward to meeting are still acting like human bethem? ings and not robots.

Even when hanging out with

taylor henry sasha lewis

kaitlyn werth

erik nenortas

tayler brown

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cliques: fact or fiction

photo by James Thompson

Student discuss effects of stereotypical cliques on high school environment

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ome Derby students said they do not think cliques affect the high school like they do at other schools.

“Cliques have an impact on the school by giving each student a place to feel accepted by the others in their clique but also makes you feel strange about making friends in other cliques,” freshman Danielle Conaway said.

Junior Kolby Greenstreet talks about how cliques aren’t just groups defined as a group, but who you are.

“I think cliques kind of define who you are, and it’s just who you are around the most,” Greenstreet said.

Many students at the school are categorized by their appearances.

Junior Alyssa Bandasack describes the students’ cliques.

“There are the athletes, gamers and just different types of people who hang around each other,” Bandasack said.

Conaway labels the cliques in another way.

“I would describe the different cliques as the emos, slightly geeky,

anime looking people, sporty groups and gamers,” Conaway said.

Students who know their clique described their own clique in one word.

Bandasack describes her clique as “lively.” Conaway describes her clique as “different,” and juniors Dezarae Little and Greenstreet describe their cliques with the word “family.”

Many cliques are seen differently from each other, but nobody really knows why they are different.

“We are different from other cliques, because we understand each other better and are all different in our own ways. Not all of us are super smart, but we also aren’t honors students. We don’t hang out all together most of the time but just know that all of us are bound together into some sort of friendship nobody understands,” Conaway said.

For some students, the cliques at school affect others, and some just really aren’t interested in the “clique” fad. ”Unless you actually care about

popularity in school, it doesn’t really affect the people around us at school, because you are at school, and you are there to learn,” Bandasack said.

Some students don’t really fit into a certain clique and just talk to multiple people. Some define themselves as an individual without others defining who they are. Junior Ethan Kirby does this.

“You see lines in the sand between these so-called ‘cliques,’ but in the end it’s just sand, just people. I’m one of those people; I don’t belong in this or that group. Take away the lines that define us, define you, and you’ll find yourself being a better person,” Kirby said.

Many of the cliques can differentiate from the athletic types of people to the types of people who live for video games and anime. This is what makes school diverse. Many students have spoken and noticed these groups.

“People tend to go toward people they think they fit into,” Little said.

story by cassidy conaway

in-depth | oct. 7

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in-depth | oct. 7 Students struggle with diagnosis of Attention Deficit Disorder.

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ccording to psychologist Richard Saul, more than 4 percent of adults and 11 percent of kids had ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, in 2014. That’s one in 20 adults and one in 10 kids.

ADHD is defined by most as an inability to focus. This definition details the symptoms, but not so much the cause.

Several theories exist on what causes ADHD. The National Resource Center on ADHD, and many psychologists, believe the disorder is caused by something biological within the brain.

Genetics have also been blamed.

Others, like school special education teacher Kelly Holopirek, believe differently.

“From what I’ve read … I guess most of it does center around diet … I think there’s environmental causes … I don’t really see a genetic link.” Holopirek said.

The causes of ADHD are highly debated. Therefore, ADHD is defined and diagnosed by its symptoms rather than its causes.

Nicole Mathews, a senior who has ADHD, explains how it feels to have ADHD. “Your mind is doing five or 10 things at once,” Mathews said.

“You try to accomplish a task like your math homework or your English homework, or you’re just trying to do something, and your mind is on five things at once, so it makes everything a lot more complicated than it should be.”

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, a guide for therapists, doctors, neurologists, and psychologists around the nation that has been updated several times since its birth in 1952, states a person must show, at the very least, five out of the criteria in the infographic to the left and a couple more for a running of six months to be considered to have ADHD. After undergoing this evaluation and a few other tests, depending on the therapist, people can be diagnosed for ADHD. Then what? Treatment.

Typically, a person’s ADHD is treated based on the extremity of his or her symptoms. For some, like senior Sophia Loibl, a can of pop in the morning is treatment enough.

“I have to take a Pepsi or something like that in the mornings, and then I’m good … The caffeine does the exact opposite to what it does to normal people;

the caffeine calms me down,” Loibl said.

Running, eating a healthy diet, receiving a good amount of sleep, and maintaining a positive attitude are also some of the more natural ways a person’s ADHD symptoms are held at bay according to HelpGuide.org However, others have had to, or are, taking prescribed drugs for ADHD. Nicole Mathews took medication from third grade until fifth grade, when she said her ADHD was enveloped by her previously diagnosed anxiety.

“I still have ADHD. It’s just my anxiety encompasses more of it, so when I take my anxiety meds, I’m also taking it for my ADHD,” Mathews said.

Many who take medicine for their ADHD claim it helps because focusing comes more naturally, and an assignment that would have taken an hour to complete now takes a mere fifteen minutes.

Still, there are some negatives to taking stimulant drugs. First of all, the long-term effects of the drugs are unknown. Secondly, they may cause side effects or changes in personality.

Having taught special education for 15 years, Holopirek has seen the effects of ADHD stimulants firsthand on a variety of students. Holopirek has seen weight loss and weight gain in her pupils as a result of the meds, but she hasn’t ever noticed a huge difference in personality. “[There’s] enough of change in personality that you can see it, but it’s not necessarily a negative change; they’re just different,” Holopirek said. “I’ve seen bad side effects. I’ve seen kids who tell me they want to stop taking their meds, and it makes me sad.”

Like most drugs, there are claimed benefits and disadvantages.

“I’ve seen meds that have really helped kids, and I’ve seen meds that have made kids zombies,” Holopirek said.

Other theories on what causes ADHD and whether ADHD actually exists have made their way through the press. Psychologist Richard Saul has a rather unconventional idea on the concept of ADHD, which he explains in his book “ADHD Does Not Exist.”

He believes while people do exhibit the symptoms detailed in the diagnosis of ADHD, the symptoms are not the result of

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a disease called ADHD but of other diseases, like anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression, schizophrenia, and more. He has seen patients who were diagnosed with ADHD and another disorder, and typically, when the other disorder is treated, the ADHD s y mp t om s go away as ents as well. stud y that h HD f o t d n D o e The idea A perc someb ed with that symptoms w s o kn diagno of ADHD can been result from lack of parental discipline or simply discipline in general has been around for several years. At the very least, it does seem possible ADHD does not exist in the sense psychologists have formulated over the past century.

If she was told ADHD did not exist by a professional, Mathews admitted she’d be very confused and frustrated.

“I’d be like, ‘What the heck is wrong with me?’” Mathews said.

No matter what the real cause of attention deficit symptoms or whether ADHD is its own mental disorder or not, the symptoms themselves do exist, and students are dealing with their effects. It’s up to all students, even those not diagnosed with ADHD, to find what works for them and what helps them stay focused in life and in school.

In fact, with positive thinking, some students have learned to use their ADHD as an asset; Mathews is one of those students.

“You can do multiple things at once kind of,” Mathews said.

“Lots of people with ADHD do really good in art. Especially if you’re drawing. It’s really good to do multiple areas at once … It’s really good if you have ADHD to be able to bounce all over something.”

Loibl has another reason ADHD is more than an acronym.

“I have more energy. I’m more upbeat when I need to be upbeat,” Loibl said, which she counted as a positive and demonstrated ADHD doesn’t have to just be a label.

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story by sierra bauman

ANTI

social [media] generation

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in-depth | oct 7 Students and Teachers discuss whether or not our generation is antisocial

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e live in a world full of different devices, such as IPhones, Macbooks, Tablets and so on. Our generation spends most of their time on their cell phones. One hour. Five hours. Twenty-four hours. We are a new kind of social, anti-social generation.

To be antisocial is to resign from human concerns, withdraw from the world and its problems.

Whether it’s a tweet about a football game, a picture on instagram or a story on snapchat, we’re always plugged into something. We look forward to watching the newest season on Netflix or what’s trending on Twitter. It’s like we’re always on our phone doing something. But maybe we’re on them too much.

Math teacher Gretchen Pontious talks to us about her reasoning behind our antisocialness.

“I think that people spend too much time on social media and not talking to people. It’s like they’d rather be alone,” Pontious said.

Some people may say the reason we’re unsocial is in the brain. Teacher Roger Scovell has a different idea on the subject. “[Social media] is a very big factor and it’s an extended version of a person,” Scovell said.

We all know social media is always through a screen. We’re also controlled by it. We might be antisocial in means of going outside, hanging out with friends, or going places.

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Netflix and Snapchat are all social media sites, some used more than others.

Seventy percent of teens, in DHS, claim they watch Netflix more on the weekends than go out

with friends. Netflix is a getaway from the real world like other social media. You can just sit in your room in the dark, a light from the device you have in your hand shining on your face, watching hours and hours of TV instead of being active and socializing with actual people. Social media and sites like that make it hard for us to actually do so, which can lead to bad things. Cyberbullying being just one of them. Why? “It’s so much better to go off on someone, and it’s easier to mistake someone for being happy without seeing facial expressions,” Pontious says.

But what really happens behind screens instead of face to face?

“It detaches their emotions from their words,” Scovell said.

So, are we really that antisocial? We might be social in means of social media but “not as much on the level of emotions or face to face social,” sophomore Samantha Lindgren said. “[This] generation just needs to put down our cell phones, close our laptops and just simply talk,” Pontious said.

Do you really want to be named “Most Antisocial Generation”? If not, get out of your comfort zone, deal with your problems and stop looking at those tiny screens. They aren’t that fascinating.

“They create a barrier between us and our emotions, they teach us that you can say or do anything without consequences, and that’s just wrong in so many ways.” Lindgren said.

story by Gerrika Alcorn

Holding an iPhone 6 plus to show the importance of technology in this generation. Some students find their social life revolves around their phone and social media. photo by Kori Tullis When looking around the lunchroom, sometimes students are more interested in their phones than their friends. photo illustration by Sasha Lewis

1515

incarcerated

Students and teachers talk about the financial issues with college and other problems surrounding debt.

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iguring out where you are heading after high school is a big decision. There is college, work, military and lots of other options.

College loans can take forever to pay off. For some students that is the only option.

“Taking out student loans is also an option for going to college. Taking out student loans is often scary because of the debt that comes with it, and it can be nerve racking, but never discount the tools provided for you to get a good education and move forward in your life or career,” junior Easton Wharton said.

Parents may help pay for their children’s college education. Some students parents set up bank accounts just for their children’s college funds. Parents either pay all of it or some of it.

“I received several scholarships, and my parents paid the rest,” government teacher Stacey Lindsey said.

Scholarships are also a

big way to help pay for college. There are many different types of scholarships to apply for. Some scholarships you can even get by your ethnicity and cultural background.

Usually, scholarships do not cover everything in college. It only goes so far until student fees, registration and other expenses come into play.

Unfortunately, working until one can’t work anymore is an option for funding for college education.

Most people work full time while going to college.

“I worked full time every summer and part time during every semester of college except when I was student teaching.” said Lindsey.

With all of these options, people are still struggling financially. Americans have more debt in student loans than in credit card debt.

There is about 864 billion dollars in student loan debt as of 2012. This is where the government could play a big role in

helping out with college funding.

“I think that the government should provide more funding to public colleges and universities to help reduce costs, and thus make higher education more affordable,” history teacher Robert Ash said.

There are different views on how much the government should help out. One of the ways students do receive some help is through Free Application for Federal Student Aid. FAFSA helps with funding for college costs like tuition, student and resident fees, books and many more things relating to college.

Financial aid, particularly grants and other forms of college-sponsored aid and assistance, is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.

“FAFSA is not very helpful for working/middle class families,” Lindsey said.

The federal student aid programs are based on the concept that it is primarily one or one’s family’s income

that pays for the education.

Young adults can be considered “dependent students,” which means they depend on their family’s income to be eligible for financial aid. They can also be considered an “independent students,” which means their eligibility for FAFSA is based on their own income.

There are many options on how to pay for college.

Ash gave his best advice to seniors about saving plan called 529 used to help students and parents save for future college costs.

“I believe the smartest option for financing higher education is a 529 college savings plan set up by parents. If that hasn’t been done, then the next best option for those wanting to be full-time college students would be to consider their options regarding scholarships, grants and loans,” Ash said.

story by brianna cleveland

by debt College Debt

FACTS

The majority of borrowers who are still paying back their loans are in their 30s or older.

About 65% of high-debt student loan borrowers were surprised or misunderstood aspects of their loans or the borrowing process.

According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, there is now $1.2 trillion in student loan debt in the US. Student loans are the most common form of increasing debt among 18- to 24-year-olds. source: www.dosomething.org, www.forbes.com

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in-depth | oct. 7

w

#cousinbowl

Cousins clash in showdown of top 5A and 6A teams

E

ver since they were, Joel Applebee and Brandon Clark have been extremely close.

Despite living three hours away from one another, Clark and Applebee were more like brothers than cousins. Playing very competitive games of backyard football and basketball every chance they could.

They continued to grow closer, talking to each other almost daily through high school. They decided they wanted to go to Kansas State University and be roommates. After college they made a pact.

“Whoever got a head coaching job first, and there was another opening

on the staff, we would call each other,” said Clark.

Clark was the one to make that call. Clark was hired on to be the head coach at Derby in 2004.

With an opening at defensive coordinator, Clark came through with his promise. Applebee enjoyed four years at Derby before accepting the head coaching job at Mill Valley.

Applebee had to start fresh in Mill Valley, just as his cousin did at Derby. A lot of the things that Applebee installed at Derby, he took with him to Mill Valley.

“I think we agreed not to look at each others sidelines, didn’t we coach?”

said Applebee during the skype call, on the Wednesday before the game.

Every game Clark plays he wants to smash his opponent, same for Applebee. Unless they’re playing against each other. “This is really one of the only times we want coach Applebee’s team to lose, other than that you got the biggest Mill Valley fan, wearing green down here,” said Clark.

After Derby’s win against Mill Valley in 2014, Mill Valley got even with Derby this year.

Both teams rankings were top tier, Derby being #2 of 6A, and Mill Valley #1 of 5A.

Coach Clark waves at his cousin, coach Applebee on the other end of a skype call between the two coaches.

Junior Lachlan Jones leads Derby on to the field in Mill Valley on Friday September 18th. Derby would fall 27-20 in a heart breaking loss.

DERBY

MILL VALLEY

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20

19

dodging the dart New nerf gun arena opens up and sponosors the derby cross country team

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n Sept. 10, the cross country team went to the Grand Opening of DartWarz to experience some fun team building. Dart Warz is a new paintball and airsoft center located at 6803 Taft St in Wichita. They specialize in birthday, teambuilding and employee parties.

“It was a blast and great for the team. We were all smiles the whole time,” sophomore Jonathan Jones said.

Dart Warz offers fundraisers in which they give participating organizations 30 percent of the profit. When Coach Jimmy Adams called Dart Warz, they offered him more than an opportunity to fundraise.

“I called about doing a fundraiser, and they were still setting up the place and training employees,” Adams said.

“They asked if we would come in for free to play, and they would use it as training time for everyone that works there.”

Besides playing paintball and airsoft, the cross country team has been preparing for their season.

“A majority of the runners met with us all summer to run. We met three times a week in the morning and had two optional practices for runners to attend if they wanted as well,” Adams said. “The athletes have been logging miles the last month trying to run themselves into shape as we get closer to the important part of our schedule.”

Cross Country is preparing for Regionals by training every Saturday and going to competions and invitationals.

“Varsity boys are looking for state this year, and everyone all together is out there putting in the work getting faster every week. All in all, it’s a great team this year,” Jones said. story by meaghan mizak

sports | oct 7

Dartwarz Highlights “Getting to shoot coach because how often do I get to do that? and it was really fun and brought our team closer in my opinion” sophomore Jonathon Jones

“It was a good way to make firends and connect with people and shoot the crap out of them” senior Chalese Honan

21

hi i am Student leader Sarvin Mahmoodi impacts the student body with her story and acceptance.

B

eing able to yell out one’s religious beliefs is something most American take for granted. Senior Sarvin Mahmoodi has not always had that freedom.

Mahmoodi was born in the Middle-Eastern country, Iran.

After the revolution in Iran, there was heavy discrimination against the Baha’i faith, which is also the faith Mahmoodi and her family associate with.

Even in school as a child, Mahmoodi faced a lot of discrimination from teachers and students.

“I went first grade at a public school [in Iran], so there was a lot of Muslims. They were all under the influence of the government, so if I said a lick of being a Baha’i they would make me sit in a corner, like detention.” Mahmoodi said.

After a while, Mahmoodi was moved to a private school where most control was not from the Iranian government. This lead to one of Mahmoodi’s happiest moments.

“The private school wasn’t like that, it was self-run without the government. So one day it slipped one day that I was a Baha’i, and my friends were okay with it, and I was like ‘What?’ and I was like ‘Wow I’m a Baha’i!’” Mahmoodi said.

Discrimination can come from a lot from things; Baha’is are discriminated against in Iran because their beliefs are different from the Muslim religion, Islam.

Baha’i is not the majority religion

in Iran. Islam is.

“Muslims believe Muhammad is going to come back. Our religion says he did come back and he came back in the form of Bahá’u’lláh.” Mahmoodi said.

Baha’is believe spirituality and religion evolves with humans just as society does and that it is always changing.

“You grow as a society, so we need to grow spiritually as a society so god sends messengers,” Mahmoodi said. “It’s nice to see how religions progress, like Christianity says this, but Islam will say this to make it closer to perfection, and then we make it closer to perfect.”

Mahmoodi moved to the United States with her mother and her father. Moving to a foreign country shook Mahmoodi’s family. After a falling out between her parents, Sarvin felt more alone than ever.

“I didn’t know anybody. I did not have any friends. My parents were in different houses and wanted to keep to themselves,” Mahmoodi said.

Mahmoodi moved to Derby her freshmen year with her mother.

Her mother has been caring for her emotionally, academically and in many more ways. She has helped inspired Sarvin to do her best.

“She grew up at a time the revolutionary war was happening [in Iran], and she had to hear bombs in the background and soldiers were always going to her house,” Mahmoodi said. “She has PTSD

from it now. Even now, she is still living day by day. She has a job and is living and has a career. I admire her for that.”

With her mother being an inspiration, Mahmoodi wants to be the same thing to the student body.

She is heavily involved with extracurriculars at the high school. She is the Executive President for Student Council and an avid member of HOSA, Panther Crew and NHS. Senior Class President Alexis Devous has worked extensively with Mahmoodi.

“The main attribute Sarvin has that I wish I had is the fact that she does well under pressure,” Devous said. “She can stay calm and collected during the most stressful circumstances, and that is definitely an admirable characteristic to have as a leader.”

Mahmoodi said she hopes to make a positive impact on others.

“I hope they (students and peers at Derby) can remember someone who is nice and someone they can talk to and someone who wouldn’t judge.”

Not only does she want a positive impact on the student body, student council has had a positive impact on Mahmoodi.

“Being in student council has made me confident to make decisions in my life,” Mahmoodi said. “I also gained confidence in talking to other people, and I know if I didn’t have Mrs. Wilson’s class I would not be in student council.” story by cole drees

Senior Sarvin Mahmoodi wears safari gear and print for the student council spirit week for homecoing.Mahmoodi is very involved and is the executive president for the student council.

23

to a different

beat

Drumline girls experience something different than some of the boys on the line.

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ix out of the 30 drummers in drumline are girls.

This small number supports national statistics showing that girls tend to select instruments that are seen as more feminine like the flute, and boys tend to select instruments seen as more masculine like the drum.

The girls have different opinions about being one of the few females on drumline.

Some said there are disadvantages while others believe it doesn't make much of a difference.

One of the girls who feels like there is a disadvantage is Maddie Rhineheart. She said she feels like people don’t take her as seriously because she is a girl.

Rhinehart also said she has no bad feelings about the boys in drumline, she just felt as if she wasn’t a part of the “guys.”

But one of the boy drummers feels differently about that.

“I view the girls just as any other members on drumline. I would treat them like I would treat any guy because they put in the exact same amount of work as we do,” Kolby Greenstreet said.

He also talked about how he is friends with all of the girls that are in drumline. Although some girls feel ostracized about the boys in drumline, other girls don’t seem to mind it as much.

For example, Lauren Tanner doesn’t see anything wrong with the way drumline team is already.

She said everyone treats each other equally for the most part. She feels this way because the drumline coach is a girl.

“There are opportunities for disadvantages for being one of the few girls but our drumline coach is a girl so it makes it to where we don’t really have to worry about that issue.” Tanner said.

Tanner said the guys do treat the girls differently. “As friend wise, yes; player wise no.” She thinks there is a difference but it isn’t negative. story by brttney mcswain

feature | oct 7

Carefully watching drum majors, sophomore Lauren Tanner plays the keyboard. The band performed the first movement of the marching band show on Sept. 11. photos by Alyssa Soell

25

Early in the morning Sophmores Melissa Hart and Macey Townsend practice the xylophone. Zero hour for the band is held every school day.

Watchman his conscious.” -Go Set a

atchm an, is an’s w

, ev er m Louise

“Every man’s island, Jean

GO SET A WATCHMAN

Teachers at derby high discuss the new book written by Harper Lee

T

o Kill a Mockingbird was released in 1960.

The author, Harper Lee, has only done a couple of recorded interviews in her whole life, so it was a big shock when the sequel Go Set a Watchman was released.

“I was really surprised that they’d found the manuscript and were able to publish it,” library clerk Connie Thompson said.

In 2011, Lee’s belongings were appraised and the manuscript for “Go Set a Watchman” was found. It took four years for the book to be released because of the publishing rights and controversy over Lee not wanting to be publish the book.

“She’s very quiet, and she’s always kept to herself,” Career and Technical Education advisor Alison Strecker said.

Just like “To Kill a Mockingbird,” the book is set in

Maycomb County. Scout is now 26 years old and she’s gone home to visit her father.

“Atticus is still the same person but from the time that she was six, she worshiped him as her hero, and she’s always thought that she and Atticus had agreed on everything,” Strecker said. “He’s pretty much perfect, but now she realizes that he is human and he does make mistakes.”

The book is set in 1955, during the Civil Rights movement right after the Brown vs.

Board of Education court case.

“You have to read between the lines,” Strecker said. “It’s right in between the Civil Rights movement and there’s lots of stuff going on and Scout has lots of flashbacks from when her, Jem, and Dill were little, so there are more Dill stories, and they’re really funny.”

“Go Set a Watchman”

sold more than 1.1 million copies in digital and physical copies and beat the record for presales at Barnes & Noble faster than any other book sold at the store.

“I think because there’s so much love for To Kill a Mockingbird, and people really value it, they’ll value this book and love it just as much,” Strecker said. “I think this book is already sold with everyone.” story by meaghan mizak

academics | oct. 7

Derby Family MedCenters

速

1101 N. Rock Rd. in Derby (316)788-6983 Thank you for serving as a SPONSOR for Derby High School publications!

Go Panthers!

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9/15/2014 2:30:59 PM

A whole new world

Changes of teaching styles, notes have drawn the attention of student body

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ornell Notes “It’s an important study skill, and it works,” Allison Strecker said about Cornell notes, which have been used nationwide since 1949.

Derby teachers are required to give an example of two uses of Cornell notes in class each quarter because of the decision made in the school improvement team, itself consisting of teachers; administrators like Tim Hamblin and Travis Moore also sit in on these meetings.

Junior Emma Gill, who took Cornell notes in middle school and takes her own organizational notes now had positive and negative things to say about Cornell notes.

“If someone doesn’t have notes organizational skills, now they do,” Gill said.

Strecker, a strong advocator of Cornell note-taking, suggested the new system was more than recording information.

“It forces you to interact with the material. … You come back to it at a later time, review the information,” Strecker said. “You’re asking yourself

questions about it so that you can synthesize the information, make connections to other things you already know, adapt it to something new, write a summary about it, pull out the most important parts.”

Cornell notes should also make studying for a test easier; all the information is there, organized and easy to study.

“Teachers should be asking you to go back to the notes and do something else with it, not just record the information … That’s where the study part comes in so that you can actually put in deeper in your brain, not just hear it once and forget about it,” Strecker said.

Gill recalled taking Cornell notes in her eighth grade English class, but only when the teacher wanted everyone to understand the same thing in the same way.

“Otherwise, we took notes on what we thought was important,” Gill said.

Normally, Gill doesn’t learn the way Cornell notes implicates her to learn.

“I don’t ask myself questions to learn stuff,” Gill said. “I just learn

what there is to learn.”

Strecker acknowledged that there is a disadvantage in enforcing Cornell notes but not to the notes themselves.

“I don’t think there’s a disadvantage to the process of the notes,” Strecker said. “Seniors especially and students who are enrolled in honors classes who have been successful in the classroom tend to think they have it all together and that they don’t need to learn anything new because ‘I’ve already got it all under control.’ So they don’t really see it as a benefit.”

However, she thinks using Cornell notes to learn will help students to understand more of the complex lessons they’ll be learning in college.

“We don’t want to take medicine either, but you have to sometimes because it’s good for you, and that’s what you need to do to become better,” Stecker said PAR Another change in school policy has presented itself as PAR, which stands for Panther Academic Rehabilitation.

academics | oct 7 “Mr. Moore [initiated PAR]. It’s something he’s been wanting to do, finally got together. It was his idea, and he knows there’s a need to help students that are struggling,” Success 101 and Spanish teacher Carrie Sharpe said.

PAR takes place in the library, and if a student is flagged as struggling in at least two core classes in the gradebook, he or she is required to attend the next two-week session of PAR. Teachers can also recommend students for PAR, but only flagged students can be assured a spot.

Ultimately run by ten teachers handpicked by Moore himself, PAR is intended to help students catch up on homework, become organized and develop foundational study skills.

“He picked a group of teachers that work well with kids but that also can help them, so it’s really an intense tutoring,” Sharpe said.

Presently, there are two science teachers, two English teachers, two math teachers, and one social studies teacher,

and more, Sharpe being one of the Success 101 teachers.

On the first day of each two week session, students look at their grades, figure out where they’re struggling and what assignments they need to complete. If they have a test missing, those can be administered in PAR. Not only that, but assignments completed in PAR are immediately sent to the teacher who assigned it so the work can’t be lost.

One student, who the Panther’s Tale is protecting due to grade confidentiality, attended the first two weeks of PAR and explained focusing on work was easier in PAR. “In there, it’s easier to get help on homework than it would be in a certain homeroom class because you have one teacher in the room, and they’re usually one specific subject,” he said.

The student’s grades improved within a few days of PAR, but he admitted it was a little annoying because although he had achieved his goals within the first

couple of days of PAR, he had to remain in the library until the two weeks were up. However, those last days were still beneficial.

“In PAR, you work on homework or classes, and when you’ve caught up -- because you’re in there for two weeks no matter what -- it’s homeroom, basically, after you’ve caught up because then you just work on homework you have, classes that you think you need to do better in.

You can ask for help in there because there’s math teachers, science teachers, English teachers,” he said.

By the end of the two weeks, the students set more bars for themselves, one of the goals being to stay out of PAR for the rest of the year.

“This Friday will be the end of our first twoweek cycle,” Sharpe said.

“They’re going to set some goals; they’re going to set some to not end up in PAR again, so they can do it on their own.”

story by sierra bauman

photo by James Thompson

29

Yella Belly Improv

The improv troupe secedes from being a school club and preforms seperatly.

F

ormer Derby High School improv group, Yella Belly Improv, may have gone rogue, but it remains a family. If you’re interested in being adopted into the Yella Belly family, the group still holds auditions at the beginning of each year. All new people are paired up with one of the “senior members” and they play a series of improv games. “ The point isn’t to find the best performers. We’re looking for people who aren’t afraid to step out of their comfort zone,” Junior Mitchell Elmore said.

The group says the audition is a little awkward at first but in the end it is what really bonds them together. After so many practices and shows, speaking made up languages and creating crazy characters at a moment’s whim has become second nature. “ We have to have conversations in gib-

Q & A

berish and understand the point we’re trying to get across, once we can do that, we instantly gelled,” Elmore said.

If joining the family isn’t for you, it’s okay to watch rather that play! One doesn’t have to miss out on Yella Belly Improv, they perform at local hangouts around Derby. “ We perform the first Saturday of every month that Wazup Coffee house” Atkinson said.

Auditions and practices may be intimidating at times but performing is the most fulfilling part of Improv.

“The shows are the best part. The energy is so much fun,” said Elmore.

According to the performers, the best part of the show is the people that come to support them.

Atkinson spoke for the group when she said, “ I love hearing people laugh. I love the audience’s reaction.”

Are you pursuing acting after highschool?

“Yes, I want to minor in theatre.”- Mitchell Elmore “Major in theatre, Yella Belly will look great on a resume.” - Nicole Atkinson

How often do you perform and where?

“Wazzup coffee House.”- Mitchell Elmmore “The first saturday of every month at Wazzup coffee house.”-Nicole Atkison Junior Mitch Elmore, junior Hazel May, and senior Caulin Smith introduce their upcoming skit at the STUCO Regional Conference. Photo

by Bailey Witt Senior Caulin Smith and junior Hazel May act out skit, in which Smith plays an ant at May’s birthday party.

Photo by Bailey Witt

story by kaitlyn werth

entertainment | oct 7

31

Line Up

The student section is ready for the game to start.

Exited for the first game of the season. “It went really good the guys played hard and the guys didn’t stop after half time was down,” said junior Braden Ash.

The marching band leave to prepare for the half time show. They are exited for their first performance.

“Pretty good first performance went well we could have done better,” said freshman Jesse Gifford

The cheerleaders stand behind the team players ready to cheer.

The Panthers get ready for kickoff. “I think it went well and we did good,” said sophomore Taylor Silva.