Griffin Rites Vol. 48, Issue 2 by Griffin Rites

The Griffin Rites Winnetonka High School | Kansas city MO, 64119 | Vol. 49, Issue 2 | OCT. 31, 2017

Three students overcome disabilities with confidence Pages 8 & 9

FEATURE SPORTS Junior Sancia Reynga details her battle with breast cancer

Junior Travion Franke plays football after tearing ACL

Pages 10 & 11

Page 15

CONTENTS

On the cover:

Freshman Sarah Coccovizzo, who was born blind, uses a cane and landmarks such as the main staircase to find her way around the school. The title of Sarah’s story “Beyond Expectations,” is written in braille. Photo by KatieBullock

Snapshot: Senior Harper Ross receives flowers as she is crowned homecoming queen on Sept. 29 by 2016 queen Francesca Valente. “To me it’s a huge honor. It’s a chance to hold my head high and put my shoulders back and say, ‘Hey, this is what Winneotnka has given me,’” Ross said. Ross was crowned alongside king Nate Blanton at the first homecoming game to ever be held on Winneotonka turf. Photo by AshlynBunch

Features

Editorial 03 - When tragedy strikes, so should response Disscussions of legislation should occur after tragedies

News 04 - Competing for a cause Student Council organizes a new twist on the annual fall food drive 05 - Drenched in pride Students show spirit at the first home games under new lights

Entertainment

08 - Beyond expectations Three students overcome disabilities with confidence

14 - Busy bee Mackenzie Junior Mackenzie Jackson takes dedication to its limit

10 - Strong like Sancia Junior Sancia Reynaga details her battle 15 - When dedication wins with breast cancer as a 15-year-old stu- Junior Traveon Franke recovers dent from torn ACL and MCL to play football

Arts 12 - The piano man Senior Jacob Gustin reveals why he plays piano after school hours, plus a look at the latest news in the fine arts departments

06 - Fall fever Reviewing the best places to visit around Kansas City during the fall

STAFF Editor-in-chief Print Editor Sports Editor Multimedia Editor Photo Editor

Sports

Staff Writer Katie Bullock Jessica Glaszczak Staff Writer Hani Yousif Elizabeth Hopkins Andrea Simmons Adviser

Holly Hopkins Gage Rabideaux Laura Williams

16 - Looking for a new net Junior volleyball players work to get signed to play in college

The Griffin Rites Purpose The Griffin Rites strongly supports the first ammendment and opposes censorship. Freedom of expression and press are fundamental values in a democratic society. The mission of any institution commited to preparing productive citizens must include teaching students these values, both by example and lesson. We welcome letters to the editor and reserve the right to edit them for length and clarity, but we will not change ideas. Letters may attack policies but not people. They must be signed an submitted to F6 or mailed to Laura Williams at 5818 NE 48th St., Kansas City, Mo. Advertising space is available. Please contact laura.williams@nkcschools.org or call 816-321-6527 for information. Our organazation is a member of the Journalism Educators of Metropolatin Kansas City, Journalism Educators Association, Missouri Interscholastic Press Association and the National Scholastic Press Association.

EDITORIAL | PAGE DESIGN BY JESSICA GLASZCZAK

Read student perspectives at tonkanews.com by scanning the code below.

Griffin Rites staff opinions: 7 agree 0 disagree

The Editorial

Jessica Glaszczak

When tragedy strikes, so should response Discussions of legislation should occur after a tragedies

| Art by GageRabideaux

ews media and citizens should use tragedies as a reason to voice their opinion on legislation while still respecting those that the tragedy affected. The largest mass shooting in United States history occurred on Oct. 1, when 58 people were killed and over 500 people were injured at the Route 91 Harvest music festival in Las Vegas. This event led to political controversy when conservative media outlets reprimanded the liberal media’s haste to use the tragedy as a platform for implementing gun laws. However, it is the time after a tragedy that it is most appropriate to move forward with legislation that improves the lives of American citizens. For the sake of those who suffered, and to keep further tragedies and suffering from occurring, voices must be heard on the matter of changing policies. Paige Gasper, a 21 year-old survivor who was shot at the concert was also the first to file a lawsuit against MGM Resorts (the parent company of the Mandalay Bay hotel, the hotel that the shooter fired from), the maker of ‘bump stocks’ (a part of the shooter’s gun used to make the gun act like an assault rifle) and others. In an article by the New York Times, lead lawyer in the lawsuit, Nathan Morris, said about Gasper, “She’s not an outlier… But she’s got a lot of bravery for being the first one to say we want answers; we want to feel safe.” Gasper expanded her opinion on a governmental level, through a lawsuit, in order to implement ideas that will help her feel safe in the future. Similarly, sharing an opinion to change legislation will make the future safer for every-

one.

Some say that it is disrespectful to Gasper and others affected by tragedies to share an opinion on legislation. However, disrespect to the victims of tragedy does not come from sharing an opinion about legislation, but from spreading unfactual information to push a political bias. After the Las Vegas attack, unfactual information spread across Facebook, Google and other social media platforms. In the article “After Las Vegas Shooting, Fake News Regains Its Megaphone” written by Kevin Roose of the Las Vegas Sun, false statements in social media posts are reviewed such as that the Las Vegas shooter “...was an anti-Trump liberal who liked Rachel Maddow and MoveOn.org... that the F.B.I. had already linked him to the Islamic State... that mainstream news organizations were suppressing that he had recently converted to Islam.” By spreading unfactual information, these social media users manipulated the facts of an event that should be taken as factually as possible, thus disrespecting those it impacted. This is because while stating your opinion after a horrific event is not disrespectful, exploiting facts to fit a political bias is disrespectful since it is untruthful. Tragedies reveal faults in the government that need to be resolved. Therefore, it is vital and relevant to discuss and change legislation after a tragedy has occurred. As long as they use factual information, citizens should make their opinions known to government officials after tragedies n order to prevent future tragedies of the same type from occuring.

COMPETING FOR A CAUSE Student Council organizes a new twist on the annual fall food drive By Jessica Glaszczak

nated food will go to the school’s food pantry, which opened on Sept. 5. “I know the intent, initially, was to support another organization, and I am very excited that our STUCO decided that they are going to support the building’s food pantry and do this competition,” school community resource specialist Shelly Meinke said. “I think it’s awesome and I really, really hope we beat Northtown.” The food pantry is open to everybody, and any students wanting to access the pantry can do so by speaking with Meinke or any

The annual fall food drive has become a matter of pride this year, after Student Council (STUCO) organized it as a competition between Winnetonka and Northtown. The school that collects the most canned and boxed foods by Oct. 31 will send their school t-shirts to the losing school’s administration and student leadership who must wear the spirit wear for a school day. “Originally we were just playing for pride more than anything,” STUCO sponsor and history teacher Sarah Green said. “This was just a way to collect more canned foods, more boxed foods and hopefully get a stockpile for our pantry.” Every year, STUCO organizes an annual food drive during the month of October in order to get students involved in the community. This year, STUCO is collecting non-perishable items such as canned fruit, canned soup, canned tuna, canned vegtables, cereal, crackers, granola | Graphic by KatieBullock bars, peanut butter Source: Feedingamerica.org and rice. “It’s one of those things where we want other staff memeber in the counseling office. the whole school to be involved,” STUCO “They can speak with me or somebody member senior Bryton Koch said. “You have in the counseling office, and they can access to set the example to do events like this, so it,” Meinke said. “There’s no form to fill out, that we can get the whole school involved there are no qualifications. You don’t have to and show them ‘Hey, this is something you have free-and-reduced lunch or anything like should be doing and, guess what, you can en- that. If you come to the counseling office and joy it too.’” say ‘Hey, I would like to use the food pantry,’ This year, instead of donating the food then you get to use the food pantry.” drive supply to an outside non-profit, all doThe food pantry has already helped

12.7% OF AMERICAN HOUSEHOLDS SUFFER FROM FOOD INSECURITY

many families according to Meinke. “I know that off the top of my head, we’ve served at least 15 to 20 families, if not more, and we’ve had several students return for additional food,” Meinke said. “It’s been a really successful thing, a really good thing. We’ve had lots of support from not only district staff, but people in the building.” In order to support the food pantry and the food drive, STUCO took some creative measures, according to Green. They are stacking the donated foods to make a modern sculpture that is located by the attendance office. “The design is going to come as we add stuff to it. Every time we add cans hopefully it’ll look a little different,” Green said. “They [STUCO] wanted to make something kind of different, unusual and unique, hoping that would get more people to donate.” Green hopes to get as many donations as possible. “We have 1,300 kids in this school plus staff members, so if everyone brought one thing in we could get 1,000 canned or boxed foods in the next week,” Green said. “That would be awesome, but my goal really is about anything over 200.” To donate to the food drive, give your donations to your advisory teacher. The advisory class with the greatest food donations will win a pizza party, courtesy of principal Eric Johnson. To access the food pantry, contact school community resource specialist Shelly Meinke in the counseling office.

20% OF children are at risk of hunger

NEWS | PAGE DESIGN BY HANI YOUSIF 05

Drenched in pride Students show school pride at the first football and soccer home games under By Hani Yousif

he whistle blows. Suddenly, fans are up on their feet. Screams and chants of ‘Let’s go Tonka’ can be heard up and down 48th Street and nothing is louder. It is kick-off time and everyone wants a piece of the action. The varsity football team has always played at Northtown, and the varsity boys soccer team has always played at Northgate or Staley. However, this year during homecoming week, a new tradition began. “Up until this year, Oak Park and Winnetonka did not have lights on the field,” athletic director David Garrison said. “Last year was when the district went ahead and got the lights for both of us.” The new lights, which were installed on July 16, mean that games can now be played at home. However, those games also require the purchase of facilities such as concessions and bathrooms. “To host events on an everyday basis there would be permanant structures needed,” Garrison said. “Right now, to go in and rent bleachers and bathrooms is an expense every day that we have them. If you kept them here over the period of a season it would get really expensive so that’s why it makes hosting games difficult right now.” To rent the bleachers and bathrooms for homecoming alone cost nearly $6,000. However, according to senior Parham Habibi, the emotions and the history of home created a more spirited atmosphere that makes Habibi hope for more home games. “My favorite thing [about the games], it’s joy, because I left the games and said ‘Man that was a vibe.’ I got to experience it with my friends and my teachers,” Habibi said. “That Monday, I was talking to my teachers and my math teacher came up and said, ‘Man you were very loud, you were very hype,’ and I liked that. It brings unity.” According to senior Ryan Woods, the

unity that results from having sporting events at home is helping to improve Winnetonka’s image by showing the community that students are proud of their school. “I like when people get loud and show their school spirit,” Woods said. “Most people say stuff about Winnetonka and when it comes to games and stuff it’s people getting together and having fun.” Not only do home games bring students together, but according to Habibi, they also help reach the younger generations that attend feeder elementary and middle schools. “As a whole, I feel that we have started a new tradition. I know we had the feeder schools see us in the parade and stuff,” Habibi said. “When I came to high school I was scared, and I think now that the kids have seen us they will be excited to come to high school.” Woods hopes that the combination of spirit and visibilty will help engage the community. “If you see good school spirit, more people will enjoy it, and the more people enjoy it, the more people will come,” Woods said. “It just takes you to come out there and to enjoy the spirit of it.” Although having games at home can not currently happen on a regular basis, according to Garrison if students and parents comunicate with the district and the school itself, the positive effects of home games, concessions and bathrooms may come soon. “There’s no timeframe on hosting events here on an everyday basis right now,” Garrison said. “I think just communicating to the school and letting them know that it’s a priority that they think will benefit our community is a good conversation to start.” 1. Seniors Der’Ruan Brown and Long Tran tear through a sign that reads “We love Tonka football,” as it is held by junior Alyssa George and other cheerleaders. Photo by KatieBullock

PERSPECTIVES 1.

Junior Damean Parks

Q: What is your favorite aspect of home games? A: “Just the community coming together as a whole and supporting the team and making new friends. Football games: they bring people together to support the school; you might be next to someone and be talking and be best friends all of a sudden.”

Sophomore Destiny Calderon

Q: Do you think having games at home will make the atmosphere at Winnetonka different? If so, how? A: “Yes, I do believe that having home games here will make our spirit for Tonka more confident. If we’re at our home then we’re supporting us and we have more fire in us to stand up and really want the win.”

Sophomore Nesrudin Redi

Q: How do you think students can best show their school spirit? A: “By wearing a smile. It shows that you’re proud of your school. And why wouldn’t I be proud? The people that go to this school, they make my day. They come to our [soccer] games and cheer us [the soccer team] on. I go to the football games, I cheer them on.” Photos by KatieBullock

Fall Fever

Reviewing the best places to visit around Kansas City during the fall By Gage Rabideaux

reen summer leaves fade into autumn colors as brown, orange, red and yellow leaves swirl about in the cool breeze. ‘Tis the season to get spooky. Time to go to pumpkin patches, wear your favorite jackets, find horror movie classics on TV and enjoy the cool weather.

But when hot cocoa, horror movies and sweaters aren’t enough, fellow fall fanatics must leave their homes in search of somewhere spooky. I visited many places in search for the ultimate spook and discovered three beautiful places to visit this autumn. They are close, have a lot to offer and are fun for the whole family.

Shoal Creek Living History MuDrive time: 12 minutes

Cost: $5

he Shoal Creek Living History Museum in Hodge Park is the perfect first stop for an autumn adventure. Complete with covered wagon rides, face painting, music, pony rides, robbery reenactments and three dollar pumpkins, this 1,000 acre old-timey shindig has a perfect balance of fall fun and Missouri history.

Rating: 7/10 While the museum mostly stands to honor and teach Missouri’s past, it has a wonderful array of bison, nineteenth century log houses, picnic areas and walking trails to see as well. I had a wonderful time watching actors fire fake muskets at each other, and a covered wagon ride brought the entire experience together.

Carolyn’s Country Cousins Drive time: 19 minutes

Cost: $10.95

arolyn’s Country Cousins is a popular destination to visit when October rolls around. What used to be a small, humble pumpkin patch has developed into much more. The farm itself has about 60 acres of corn, pumpkins and soybeans. Another 20 acres is set aside for the annual fall festival, where there is a carousel, corn mazes, fudge, a petting farm, pig races, train rides and so much more. There is also the now-iconic

Rating: 10/10

‘Pumpkin Pad,’ a huge inflatable jumping pad in the shape of a pumpkin. Although the farm can be busy, which meant I had to wait almost ten minutes in line for a pumpkin donut, I realized that every second was worth it upon taking my first bite. I recommend the pumpkin donuts and Carolyn’s other tasty treats to anyone who enjoys food in general, as I was briefly taken away to a sugary cinnamon pumpkin oasis, and it was glorious.

Worlds of Fun: Halloween Haunt Drive time: Eight minutes

Cost: $37.50

E 31.

very fall, Worlds of Fun hosts Haunt, a Halloween event that lasts through Oct.

After regular park hours on Friday and Saturday, at 7 p.m. the park shifts gears into Haunt by turning on the fog machines which quickly cloud the air. It can be very difficult to see even a couple of feet if there is no wind to stir up the fog. To kick off the night, the park’s actors, who are dressed up as clowns, undead cowboys, zombies and more, parade through the

Rating: 9/10

oriental section of the park. Afterwards, the actors stalk through the park in an effort to catch guests off guard and scare them. The park also has many haunted houses to explore such as Asylum Island, Carn-Evil and Zombie High. These houses are full of what the park calls “screamsters,” who are also actors dedicated to scaring visitors. Although Haunt is not recommended to those 14 years of age or under, guests can purchase “No Boo Lights,” which tells screamsters not to scare them.

4. 1. Horses named Ben and Blaze pulled guests on a covered wagon ride at the Shoal Creek Living History Museum. 2. The Shoal Creek Living History Museum’s original mill, which was built in the 1800’s, stills stands over a century later. The mill was originally used to deliver water to crops such as wheat. 3. Carolyn’s Country Cousins has many activities, but still remains true to its farming roots by growing a massive pumpkin patch. 4. Goats eat food out of guests’ hands at Carolyn’s Country Cousins’ petting zoo. Photos by GageRabideaux

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VARSITY SPORT SCHEDULE

November 2: Boys swim MSHSAA State Championships @ St. Peter’s Rec Plex November 3: Boys swim MSHSAA State Championships @ St. Peter’s Rec Plex November 4: Cross country MSHSAA State

Championships @ Jefferson City November 14: Girls basketball Jamboree vs. Oak Park @ Oak Park at 6:30 p.m. November 16: Boys basketball Jamboree vs. Northtown, Oak Park, Staley @ Staley at 6 p.m.

November 21: Boys Basketball vs. St. Joseph Lafayette @ Home at 7 p.m. November 27: Girls basketball tournament @ Home at 7 p.m. November 28: Girls basketball tournament vs. TBA Wrestling @ St. Joseph Benton at 5 p.m.

November 29: Girls basketball tournament vs. TBA Boys basketball tournament @ Van Horn at 7 p.m. November 30: Girls basketball tournament vs. TBA Wrestling Quad Meet/Match @ Raytown South at 4 p.m. Boys basketball tournament @ Van Horn at 7 p.m.

beyond expectations Three students overcome disabilities with confidence No vision, no limits Usually, a student would walk to class without giving it much thought but freshman Sarah Coccovizzo grew up having to find her way around in the dark. “I was born blind and my parents were trying to figure out what was wrong with me and why I didn’t have any vision,” Coccovizzo said. Despite being a freshman and being blind, Coccovizzo already knew her way around the school by Aug. 16, the first day of school. “I did a lot of orientations close to the end of summer and at Freshman Jumpstart Day,” Coccovizzo said. “Last year, during my eighth grade year, we came here a lot.” Coccovizzo finds her way around the school using a technique that lets her know where she is based on the location of landmarks such as doors, stairs and hallway walls. “I use this thing called ‘landmarks’ and that’s another way I get around,” Coccovizzo said. “I use the different openings in the school like the elevator and the stairs.” Although the landmarks help Coccovizzo find her way around, they do not make up for the fact that she has no vision. Coccovizzo still cannot see colors. However, she has a unique way of interpreting them. Instead of seeing her colors, she tastes them. “I can tell by the flavors what colors things are, like how sour or sweet something is,” Coccovizzo said. Coccovizzo’s blindness hasn’t stopped her from doing what she can to stay on top of things. “Some students do kind of bad in some classes and I’m one of the only people who gets a good grade,” Coccovizzo said. “Some of the students do get good grades but they just need to work a little harder.” Although not being able to see can make everyday takes more difficult for Coccovizzo compared to

“I’m happy...even though I can’t see.” - Sarah Coccovizzo Freshman Sarah Coccovizzo, who was born blind, uses landmarks like the stairways to help her find her way around the school. Photo by KatieBullock

other students, with the help of teachers that work to support her, Coccovizzo said that she is happy with her life and hopes to keep moving forward. “I’m happy and I’m glad, even though I can’t see,” Coccovizzo said. “I feel like I’m overcoming things that I need to overcome.” Coccovizzo’s current goal is to

learn to play the piano. Although she cannot see the keys, she can still rely on her sense of feeling and hearing to memorize their placement. “Once I do something and keep doing it, it gets easier,” Coccovizzo said. “It gets easier every time you keep trying. I learned that from myself.”

Braille alphabet A

| Graphic by HollyHopkins

Optimism is key

fter school, freshman Matthew Dakon can be seen racing laps around the D Quad at speeds of up to 6 mph. Dakon suffers from Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) which is a disease that limits his mobility and causes difficuluty walking, fatigue and muscle weakness. “It makes me all around weaker because it’s a disease that slowly destroys my muscles,” Dakon said. “My major problems are that I can’t get up from falling on my own. I’m more prone to fall. I can’t lift heavy objects and I can’t walk long distances.” Since Dakon was first diagnosed with muscular dystrophy when he was 8 years old, he has learned to adapt to it. “I can get around a lot faster because my wheelchair can get up to 6 mph,” Dakon said. “I also get more staff members helping me to get around through doors and other things.” Although his dystrophy is

FEATURES | PAGE DESIGN BY HOLLY HOPKINS a major factor in his life, Dakon said he also does what he can in his classes and keeps up with his work. According to Dakon, he is doing well in his classes. “Everybody says that I’m really intelligent and because of that, I believe that I am and I take pride in that,” Dakon said. Dakon has created an environment where he feels like he is accepted no matter what happens. He has many different ways to keep himself preoccupied and thinking of other things other than his muscular dystrophy. “I’ve figured out ways to keep myself from going off,” Dakon said. “Life is fun with all of my weird friends and my passions. It feels great with the big, loving family that I have.” Although living with his muscular dystrophy can be a challenge, Dakon believes that if he does not focus on his disease then he will not feel overwhelmed. “Emotionally, having Duchenne is upsetting. I want to be

“Sometimes I feel like giving up, but I usually just keep on keeping on.” - Freshman Matthew Dakon Freshman Matthew Dakon (center) sings during choir rehearsal. Photo by HollyHopkins

able to do what every normal kid can do but then again I could have it a lot worse off,” Dakon said. “Sometimes I feel like giving up because I feel like I’m not strong enough, but I usually just keep on keeping on.”

“You’re capable of doing anything as long as you have the strength to do it.” - Junior Andrew Willis Proud to prove

hen junior Andrew Willis was three, his doctor told him that he would struggle with school throughout life because of his hearing loss. Now, Willis is proud to say that his doctor was wrong. On Oct. 17, Willis received an Academic Letter Award, which he believes shows how he is overcoming the stereotypes that come with hearing loss. “My life isn’t any different from anyone else’s. I can still drive a car, listen to classical music,” Willis said. “All I know is that I can’t really hear behind me, but I can still understand people who are in front of me without having to look at my interpreter.” Even without help from his interpreter, Willis is able to read the lips of

the people who talk to him and around him. While many people assume that Willis is deaf, he stresses that he just has partial hearing loss. “One thing that I’ve noticed that people do is that sometimes they associate me with special needs but it’s just my hearing,” Willis said. “Other than that I’m no different than anybody else.” According to Willis, having a disability should not stop anyone from doing the things they love. “This [receiving an academic letter] just shows that I have the same opportunities as everyone else,” Willis said. “You’re capable of doing anything as long as you have the strength to do it.”

Junior Andrew Willis was diagnosed with hearing loss as a child. Now, he is excelling in his classes. Photo by KatieBullock

PAGE DESIGN BY KATIE BULLOCK | FEATURES

Strong like sancia By Katie Bullock

“

My doctor said ‘Kids don’t get cancer when they’re that young.’” But junior Sancia Reynaga did. Although Reynaga’s doctor was sure that positive tests for breast cancer must have been false, in July of 2016 Reynaga’s parents sat her down on the couch and told her she had been diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. Although about 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer by the time they are 80, there is only a 1 in nearly 2,000 chance that a girl under the age of 20 will develop it. Reynaga was 15 years old. “I cried. I stayed in my room for two weeks,” Reynaga said. “I didn’t come out. I stopped eating. I didn’t want to be seen.” Three weeks after Reynaga learned of her diagnosis, she

Junior Sancia Reynaga details her battle with breast cancer began to tell her her friends, starting with junior Asase Jewel. “As a friend it was very hard,” Jewel said. “For a while, I would just cry because I mean, I cannot imagine life without her. At the same time, I didn’t want to just be like, ‘Sorry,’ because, you know, everybody says that. So I would tell her, ‘I’ll do whatever you need me to do.’ If she needed me to go to doctors visits with her I would. If she didn’t want to talk about it, then we weren’t going to talk about it.” On Sept. 15, two months and 10 days after Reynaga was diagnosed, she began undergoing radiation therapy to treat her cancer. Although it began as only once a week after school, soon Reynaga was traveling to Second Nature Breast Care six times a week to lay on a metal plate as an x-ray beam irradiated

FEATURES | PAGE DESIGN BY KATIE BULLOCK the cancerous cells in her right breast. “It’s supposed to kill the cancer cells, but it kills your [healthy] cells with it as well. So every single time it happened, I would get really really weak,” Reynaga said. “Since I was doing it so many times a week, I started getting really pale and losing a ton of weight and I kept getting sick. I didn’t think I was going to make it through that year.” According to Jewel, many people who found out about Reynaga’s diagnosis began to treat her differently. “She didn’t tell people because she didn’t want the attention, but there was a lot of people that ended up making jokes about it,” Jewel said. “She wouldn’t defend herself because she didn’t want to call even more attention to the situation. She would tell me, ‘I just want to leave. I don’t even want to go to school anymore

because no one understands that I’m actually here, that I’m actually a person.’” According to Reynaga, the change in the way people treated her made her feel frustrated. “All of a sudden, everybody had a different perspective of who I was and that made me feel really bad,” Reynaga said. “I mean, I didn’t choose this. It just happened. And I’m strong enough even though everybody keeps telling me I’m weak.” Jewel, who has known Reynaga since sixth grade, hopes that people understand Reynaga is more than what they think she is. “People say ‘Oh Sancia, the girl with cancer,’ but she’s more than that,” Jewel said. “She’s bubbly but tough at the same time. She’s not afraid to tell anybody anything, but she’s also very

caring, and supportive. She’s one of those all-around kind of people that can be this, that and the other. And she is really trying to change the world.” Reynaga was declared cancer-free on July 18, one year and 18 days after her initial diagnosis. She is scheduled to undergo surgery this December to correct the cause of her cancer, a lack of two muscles in her shoulder that allows cancerous cells to form. “It’s scary because I don’t want to be cut open, but it’s also exciting because there’s the possibility that if it works I’ll have a 100% chance of not getting it again,” Reynaga said. “At the same time though, if it doesn’t go as planned I pretty much have a 100% chance of getting it again. And if it comes back, it will probably come back as stage 3, which means chemo.” 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime

Source: breastcancer.org

Reynaga was recently accepted into the National Guard, which has been a dream of hers since she was young. However, now Reynaga worries that a recurrence of her cancer may hurt her career. “It makes me really scared because I just joined the National Guard and if they ask me if I have cancer and I do, then they’ll probably kick me out,” Reynaga said. “It’s just really scary because I’ve wanted to be in the military since I was 3. I‘ve always heard my parents talk about it. I see that as my future. And the idea that this [cancer] could ruin my career is terrifying.” Reynaga is not only worried that her cancer might take away her chance to serve in the National Guard, but also scared that she will not have the chance to make her parents proud as a result. “I felt like a failure because I kept thinking, you know, I’m supposed to make my mom proud, but now what if don’t get into my future job? What if I can’t finish high school? What if I can’t make it through this cancer,” Reynaga said. “Seeing my [mother] cry, it made

me feel bad about myself because I kept wondering about what would happen if I didn’t get better, if I had to go to hospice and get chemo. That could kill me, and I don’t want to die.” Although she is cancer free for the moment, Reynaga must still fight to remain that way. Although there are times when she feels like giving up, according to Reynaga, her family keeps her going. “Cancer is a battle. You’re fighting the hardest sickness of all: your body itself,” Reynaga said. “I mean when you go through radiation, it’s killing the cancer cells one-by-one but that means it’s also killing you. You’re dying with your cancer. When I’m fighting, I’m fighting to make my family proud, and sometimes I wonder ‘What if I quit fighting,’ and worry that it’ll make me look weak, and I worry about what it would do because when you lose someone there is a depression, and I keep fighting because I don’t want that for my family.” According to Jewel, Reynaga’s positivity and empathy for other people shows even in the face of hardship. “I think she hides sometimes.

She keeps stuff in so that she can help other people,” Jewel said. “There would be times where she would be taking six or seven pills a day in the bathroom and then she would come back and be super bubbly and sprightly. She’s just such a good person. She goes through so much and she puts herself through so much and I don’t know how she does it because I could not. She’s strong, she is so strong.” For Reynaga, strength is not just the determination to keep going, but also the mindset of living life to the fullest. “If I don’t stay strong, then I’m letting myself down,” Reynaga said. “Sometimes it’s hard, staying strong, but now I think it’s just saying, ‘No, God gave me another day to wake up and do this life.’ Staying strong is realizing that I might not be sick right now, but realizing that it [cancer] could come back eventually, and it means living my life right now, as I want it.” For more information about breast cancer, support, or to donate to breast cancer research visit http://www.breastcancer.org.

PAGE DESIGN BY ANDREA SIMMONS | ARTS

The piano man Junior Jacob Guston talks music and why he plays the upstairs piano after school

1. Junior Jacob Gustin plays the piano alone in the little theatre. Gustin enjoys the privacy that playing upstairs gives him, since he considers himself a shy person. 2. Junior Jacob Gustin plays Time by Hanz Zimmer on the piano. Movie music is his second favorite genre, but Time is is his favorite song to play. Photos by KatieBullock

By Andrea Simmons

erene music rings through the halls after school, reaching the ears of janitors securing the building, teachers grading papers and students practicing the latest musical. The music comes from a piano next to the Little Theater, the sound of mixed emotions. In March of 2016, junior Jacob Gustin - who has been playing piano since he was five years old - discovered that a piano resides upstairs above the D-Quad. Soon after, he began staying after school to play. “At first, I didn’t really have a motive,” Gustin said. “I just came back here one day because I had just gotten back from NCC and I saw the piano. I only have a keyboard at home and

I really love playing on real pianos. It just kind of evolved from there.” Senior Anna Braman, who listens to Gustin during theatre rehearsals, is one of many students that find Gustin’s music engaging. “Jacob would always play for us last year during Fame [the 2016 spring musical]. He kind of became our entertainment so a lot of kids got to know him,” Braman said. Although Gustin enjoys playing for people, he perfers to remain behind the piano where people can not see him when he plays. “People would come up and listen to me play or request stuff for me to play and I guess I just liked performing for peo-

Fine arts Instrumental music: Orchestra concert

Instrumental music: Band competition

1. Winnetonka Pride Band received 12th place out of all bands at the Park Hill High School Band competition on Oct. 14. “This year was our first year with a new director and color guard coach. We were rough but we’ll definitely get better,” band director Jennifer Rubin said.

2. Both Chamber Orchestra and Symphonic Orchestra played their fall concert on Oct. 10 in the auditorium. “We have a lot of freshman that are involved in symphonic this year. To see them enter not only high school but also the highest level orchestra was good,” senior Rana Ekilah said. “I’m very excited to see where we go this year.”

ARTS | PAGE DESIGN BY ANDREA SIMMONS

necesarily know who I am, which actually works really well because I’ll play after school when everybody is downstairs and they’ll hear me and talk to me from downstairs and I’ll just stick a thumbs up up for them to see.” According to Gustin, playing piano helps release stress by acting as an outlet for his emotions. “It’s really nice to play because it calms and it takes my mind off negativity,” Gustin said. “It’s been a kind of therapy for me.” According to Gustin, one of the benefits of playing in a relaxed setting is that he can play whatever he wants. As a result, Gustin often plays contemporary music. “I like sad pieces. They’ve always been close to my heart because the chords that go along to it may be sad but they’re also pretty and I like playing that because other people really seem to vibe off of it,” Gustin said. “I like classical, but I don’t really play it that often because of it’s difficulty level. I really enjoy like a cheerful kind of Waltz sound. I also like playing 80’s rock every once in a while, like Queen. I also like playing movie genre music. I play a lot of music from Star Wars, or interstellar.” Gustin’s favorite composer is Hans Zimmer, and he often plays Zimmer’s song Time. “I like how Hans’s music sounds on the piano,” Gustin said. “[It] sounds really pretty.” Gustin tries to play as much as he

can after school to entertain the custoBraman is now also learning how to dians and students that stay after school play the piano, and hopes that Gustin will hours. But even when Gustin goes home, continue as an inspiration. he enjoys playing. “I hope he continues. I love listen“It’s [playing piano] really ing to him and I’m trying to learn to play calming,” Gustin said. “At first piano myself,” Braman said. when people are learning, Gustin hopes to continue playing they struggle with it, but until he graduates, since he believes that once you have a music is his form of entertaining and general feel for calming people. it you just tin“At first it was just a therapy thing, ker around with but now since people notice me playit and you’ll lose ing, I feel like I’m obligated to,” track of time. I’ve Gustin said. “One of the been late before to custodians walked up to me work.” and asked if I would play for 25% Classic rock Staff memthem after school, serenade 35% Sad and sorrowful them. Anyone should purbers also enjoy taking time to listen to 25% Movie scores sue music if you can. It’s a Gustin as he plays. beautiful thing.” 10% Happy music “Normaltain the custodians ly I would just sit and students that stay after 5% Classical repertoire school hour“I hope he con| Percentages of what junior tinues, I love listening to Jacob Gustin plays him and I’m trying to learn to play piano myself,” Braman said. Gustin hopes to continue playing until he graduates, since he believes that music is his form of entertaining and calming people. “At first it was just a therapy thing, but now since people notice me playing, below him I feel like I’m obligated to,” Gustin said. near the Grif- “One of the custodians walked up to me f i n on the staff parking and asked if I would play for them after side. His music makes me feel happy and school, serenade them. Anyone should calm,” custodian Bryan Boles said. “My pursue music if you can. It’s a beautiful favorite music he plays is probably his thing.” Queen selections.”

Vocal music: All-District choir

3. Seniors Anna Braman, Cameron Daniel, Derrian Davis, Jackson Mattingly, Ryan Hill, Vinny Taylor and junior Lana Moerer and Julia Madisonare will be a part of the KC Metro All-District Choir on Jan. 20, 2018 at after qualifying at auditions on Oct. 7 at Oak Park High School. “I am excited about the opportunity that these students will be a part of,” choir director Jason Elam said. “These ensembles are very difficult to make because of the level of talent in the KC Metro District. This is definitely something to excited about.””

PAGE DESIGN BY JESSICA GLASZCZAK | SPORTS

Busy Bee Makenzie Junior Makenzie Jackson takes getting involved to the limit

“I don’t sleep,” Jackson said. “When I do sleep, it’s probably like four hours.” As a student in multiple honors classes, eniors leaving Winnetonka always seem to have the same piece of advice for underclassmen: get getting homework done is another challenge for involved. Some students listen, but junior Makenzie Jackson. Due to her busy schedule during the day, the only extra time Jackson has is at night Jackson has taken this advice to a whole new level. While being involved may mean particpating or in the early morning. “I stay up really late. I try to use Tonka in one or two clubs to most students, Jackson is inTime, but that normally doesn’t get everyvolved in five in addition to three varsity sports. thing done,” Jackson said. “So I’ll either stay “It keeps me busy. I don’t like sitting up really late and do it, or I’ll wake up at at home doing nothing,” Jackson said. 5 in the morning and finish The majority of Jackson’s time everything beis spent cheering, dancing or golfing. fore I have to get But besides ready.” sports, Despite her busy schedule, head Jackson golf coach Nathan Stephenson still nois also tices Makenzie’s positivity at practice. involved in “She’s a really hard worker,” leadership, prom Stephenson said. “I know she’s incommittee, student volved in a lot of things, but even council, and yearthough she’s got a lot of things gobook. This winter, Jacking, she’s always got a great personson also plans to return as ality. She’s always very cheerful, she a manager for the boys wrestling team. takes instruction well. She’s just a “Typically, I would go to school, pleasure to be around. She’s fun and then there’s normally a student to have on the golf team.” council meeting, or a prom comAccording to Stephenson, mittee meeting after school, so I Jackson’s positivity affects the go to that until 3 p.m. maybe,” whole of the golf team. Jackson said. “Then I go to dance “She’s just a very positive team practice from 4 p.m. to 5, person, and she’s kind of bubbly, and I go to cheer from 5 p.m. fun to be around,” Stephenson to 6. A lot of times, I have [to said. “That brings the team up, so cheer at] a volleyball game I think that’s inspiring.” after that so then I’ll have to Although it may mean less be at volleyball at 6:25 p.m. sleep, at the end of the day JackThen I go home to do my son hopes her involvment will homework.” inspire others to get active at Although she is inWinnetonka. volved in many after-school “I hope my peers follow activities, according to Jackin my footsteps and come to son the hardest part of her love Tonka as much as I do,” day begins once practice is Jackson said. “I love seeing over. Finding time to finish others involved and joining homework and to sleep is new things.” nearly impossible. Photo by JessicaGlaszczak By Gage Rabideaux

A day in the life

7:23 a.m. Junior Makenzie Jackson starts her day by going to school.

2:30 p.m. After school, Jackson goes to either prom commitee, a student council meeting, or yearbook.

4 p.m.

Jackson has a dance team practice that lasts an hour.

5 p.m.

Jackson has cheer practice that is also an hour long.

6:30 p.m. Jackson cheers at a volleyball or football game.

8:00 p.m.

Jackson ends her day at home doing homework

SPORTS | PAGE DESIGN BY JESSICA GLASZCZAK

When dedication wins Junior Travion Franke recovers from a torn ACL to continue playing football

By Jessica Glaszczak

unior Travion Franke’s doctor told him in January that it would take him up to nine months to heal from a anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and lateral meniscus tear in his knee. But just six months later, Travion was on the football field taking hits and helping to score points. After tearing his ACL and meniscus on Jan. 28 at a wrestling match in Warrensburg, Franke attened physical therapy twice a day, every day through July in order to be able to play football as an offensive lineman. “I jumped on it wrong during a wrestling match. It just gave out. It hurt for a couple of

minutes, but then it just felt weird,” Franke said. “As soon as it happened the trainer at Warrensburg told me to ice it and then she looked at it, and she told me to go to the hospital and get X-rays.” Although his doctor estimated that it would take Franke up to nine months to recover, Franke was determined to play football, which started on July 31. “[My doctor] wanted me to wait until September, and I came back in July,” Franke said. “I got to play this season, so that’s pretty good.” Head football coach Jared Barge believes that Franke’s fast recovery can be attributed to the skills of the doctor that did Franke’s surgery. “Whoever did the surgery did a really good job,” Barge said. “It used to be 10 or 15 years ago that with that kind of injury it was questionable if he’d ever come back.” According to Franke, working with the trainer was difficult, but his dedication to recover helped him through the challenges. “It was painful getting it to bend like it’s supposed to and learning how to run again and putting all your weight on it; getting it how it used to be and even better,” Franke said. Although there were struggles along the way, Franke is glad that he was able to play football this season. “I love football. It’s everything,” Franke said. “[I like] the brotherhood, the bond and the teamwork. [I like] when you win how excited everyone is.” Franke contributed to the football team this season by playing offensive tackle. “He’s a really good kid. He’s a really good football player,” Barge said. “He’s strong and aggressive. He’s got what coaches call the eye test. He’s a big kid. He’s 6-foot-4, 300 pounds, so for his position that’s what coaches want to see. He’s one of our better offensive linemen. I wish I had about five more of him.” Franke’s advice to athletes who have a sports-related injury is to keep going and work hard. “Never give up,” Franke said. “Just dedicate all your time to that injury, work hard on it and you’ll be back and better than ever.”

Road to recovJan. 28 Junior Travion Franke tears his ACL during a

feb. 15 Franke undergoes surgery to move muscles from his thigh to his ACL and me-

feb. june Franke goes to physical therapy twice a day, every day for four months.

july 31

Franke starts the football season off by attending practice before Photo by KatieBull-

SPORTS | PAGE DESIGN BY KATIE BULLOCK 16

Looking for a new net

they still have room to improve. “We’re trying to tell them each and every day at practice and at games how loud Junior volleyball players work to get signed to play in they need to be. We’re showing them how By Katie Bullock talking creates energy,” Espinosa said. “Especially with them being the captains I exump. Set. Spike. Repeat. For juniors Ashlyn pect a little more out of them than the rest Bunch and Maggie Williams, the grind to of the kids. They’re coming along but if they Name: Maggie Williams get better never stops. Year round, Bunch and want to play at the next level then they’re Grade: Junior Williams play volleyball and now that they are going to have to kick it up a notch.” Position: All-around juniors, they are beginning to look towards their According to Williams, who hopes to outside player future as athletes. study physical therapy in college, one frus“I’m a little apprehensive about college trating part of trying to get signed is the unbecause I feel like I’m not ready for it yet,” certainty about her future. Williams said. “But last night I got one of “The uncertainty does scare me a litthe first colleges to look at my NCSA [Next tle bit because there are so many directions College Student Athlete] profile so it’s real that I could go,” Williams said. “There’s dinow. I’m realizing that it’s actually getting vision one, division two and even division closer and it’s scary.” three. There’s even the NCAA [National Williams began playing volleyball recCollegiate Athletic Association]. Everyone reationally when she was just 7 years old at is always asking, ‘Where do you want to Future-Griffin camps. By the time she was play?’ but I don’t know because I still have 10, she played on a competitive club team. to focus on my major and I’m really waiting For the last five years, she has been a part of on the college to sign me. I don’t want to say the Highland Performance team which has where I want to go, because just focusing on gone to Nationals each year she has been a one school is going to divert my attention View Williams’s part of the club. Hudl profile by instead of looking at the schools that are acscanning the tually looking at me.” “Just the thought of going to play at QR code. college and people actually counting on me Bunch plays on the Club North 17[is scary],” Williams said. “It’s a big deal. 2’s gold national team year round outside of It’s not just high school anymore. In high school volleyball season. According to her, school, you’re with friends and part of it is the differences between college and high playing for fun, but college is what my whole school volleyball can be intimidating. life playing volleyball has been leading up to “I’m not even 100% sure that I’m so I want it to go right.” really going to enjoy playing on a college The process of recruitment for college team, which is what scares me the most,” Name: Ashlyn BunchBunch said. “Because, what if I do get sports is generally most intense junior year Grade: Junior for volleyball players, since that is the time signed, and then after my first year of playPosition: Outside that colleges begin looking at the athletes ing I don’t want to play college volleyball hitter, middle hitter they would like to sign. For Bunch, t h i s anymore? That’s scary to think about.” means that now every game counts. Although Bunch may be apprehen“I think there is more sive about if she will enjoy playing in colpressure now,” Bunch said. lege, she is sure that for now it is what she “Recently, I’ve just been thinking wants to do. Whether she is playing on the a lot about my highlight court, making highlight videos off of it or videos. Every touch matters now that I visiting a college and its coaches, Bunch is know I want to play in college because I can working hard to get signed so that she can put those touches in video and I can send View Bunch’s play the sport she loves for a few more years. Hudl profile them to colleges and coaches. That’s really “It’s seriously the best sport in the by scanning the important because that’s how I get noticed.” world and I believe that I love the sport QR code. Helping Bunch and Williams get enough that if I do get signed I’ll still enjoy better on the court is head volleyball coach it,” Bunch said. “I mean, volleyball affects Mike Espinosa, who said that while both me so much. It’s always in my heart and in girls have a good shot at playing in college, my brain and it’s always, always important in my life.”

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