JagWire Newspaper: Volume 24, Issue 4

WILL WE STAY TOGETHER?

Shawnee, Kansas

I THINK I LOVE YOU SEE YOU AFTER HIGH SCHOOL?

The importance of high school relationships and what can help them last

NEWS

page 6 page 10 page 20

Beginning next year, the district will be introducing a new selection of courses

FEATURES A&E

New district initiative helps to get students more involved in the workplace

down, junior Gilllian Szymczak helps junior Kaitlyn Fitzpatrick with her crochet chain Wednesday, Jan. 24. photo by avery clement

As she helps a student with his morning work, senior Kaylen Hyde chats with Prairie Ridge kindergarten teacher Mrs. Goetsch about what the students are learning

Feb. 2. photo by olivia peters

and cover design

A&E SLANG: THEN AND NOW 20

Calming his breath before his squat attempt, junior Aiden Lehr unracks his weight at the Basehor-Linwood meet Saturday, Jan. 27. photo by luke wood

Professional Associations

Kansas Scholastic Press Association

National Scholastic Press Association

Journalism Education Association

Journalism Educators of Metropolitan KC

Editorial Policy

The 2023 JagWire earned an All-Kansas rating from KSPA and were 2023 NSPA Pacemaker finalists. It is also a member of the NSPA All-American Hall of Fame.

We value your opinions. If you wish to submit a column or a letter to the editor to the JagWire, you can do so by handing it in to a member of the staff or to the print journalism room (C101). Additionally, you may email any member of the staff with opinions, as well as tweet us at @millvalleynews. Anonymous content will not be accepted. Please understand that we have the right to edit all copy that runs in this publication.

2023-24 STAFF

Editors in Chief

emma clement editor in chief

jules shumaker editor in chief

anna zwahlen editor in chief

Online Editors in Chief

emma clement editor in chief

anna zwahlen editor in chief

Photo Editor

luke wood photo editor

ian chern copy editor

Copy Editor Staff

elizabeth summa writer/photographer

hailey perrin writer/photographer

avery writer/photographerclement

barron fox writer/photographer

eva hernandez writer/photographer

evan leroy writer/photographer

maddie martin writer/photographer

madelyn writer/photographermulryan

olivia peters writer/photographer

quinlyn writer/photographerpeters

Speaking in front of her Spanish III class, freshman Natalie Long answers the question in Spanish, Monday, Jan. 29. photo by eva hernandez

High school relationships are “just for fun.” At least, that’s what adults always seem to say. However, in the eyes of many students, teenage dating can be more than just for fun; it can be a time for self discovery and figuring out how to set realistic expectations.

For most teenagers, the point of dating in high school is not to marry. While there are plenty of stories about high school sweethearts getting married and living happily ever after, the reality is that the majority of high school relationships won’t last even into college.

In high school, it feels there is a certain unrealistic emphasis on dating. Many people say teens should get out there and try it to see what they like. But on the other hand they say that high school relationships are not that serious and they never really last. This creates a confusing double standard, in which teenagers feel like they have to date but that it can’t get too serious before they graduate.

The reality is that the most important parts of high school are learning and developing friendships. For those who are interested in dating though, the point should be to get a feel and an understanding of what a relationship should look like, which includes having

realistic expectations. This means that both people in the relationship need to be aware that there is a good chance that it may not last beyond high school.

That said, it’s not bad to plan for a relationship to last. It’s even necessary at times to make plans for the future in a healthy relationship. However, putting a relationship above everything else and dropping friendships, not focusing on studies and or even letting dating dictate post-high school plans is

unhealthy.

Much of what makes high school such a difficult time is discovering one’s identity and what they want out of life. Relationships, both platonic and romantic, are an important way teens can learn about themselves. When people are in a relationship, they are able to grow together and decide what they do and don’t like. However, this means that the opposite is also possible: two people can learn a lot about themselves in a relationship and grow apart. Being in a relationship as a teenager means accepting that this is part of the process.

While teens should use high school relationships to learn about what they want out of future ones, it’s always import- ant to remember that one must first be stable with where they are as a person before beginning to involve someone else. Getting into a relationship before one is ready could be detrimental to mental health and development. Building a good relationship with one’s self should be the basis for building a good relationship with someone else.

Overall, the most important thing to remember about relationships and high school in general is that it is a time for teens to learn about themselves and what they want out of a relationship.

by jagwire staff

LOVE LEARNING TO

High school relationships are opportunities for growth and meaningful connections as students learn how to value themselves and their partners

NEW YEAR PLANNING

Students share what new classes they are excited for

Next year, the school plans to offer a wide variety of new classes, including not only more classes within existing programs, like Piano II, Culinary II, Cheer or AP Spanish Literature, but also classes covering entirely new subjects, like AP African American Studies, History of the Holocaust, Essentials of Fashion, Apparel, and Interior Design (FAID) and AP Human Geography. These classes were approved by the school board at their monthly meeting Monday, Dec. 7.

The number of approved new courses for the 2024-2025 school year is also comparatively high, with only two new courses having been approved for the 2023-2024 school year. Despite this number already being higher than traditional, this list of the eight new classes does not include the renamed courses for next year, of which there are five. Information about these courses can be found on the Counseling & Services tab of the school website. The novelty of the newly approvedcourses has excited both teachers and students alike.

Junior

Lil-

lian Schleicher expressed why she is excited to take FAID.

“I’ve always found [fashion and design to be] interesting and I’ve always had a creative eye for that type of stuff, so I think it would be fun to take [FAID],” Schleicher said.

Differently from FAID, Cheer has become a class to provide the already existing cheer team with more time to practice. Despite not being an entirely new program, sophomore Sydney Epperson believes this addition to the course selection guide is just as important as ones like FAID because of the opportunities it will provide.

“One of our specific reasons [for having it as a class] is that most schools in Kansas have it as a class and our dance team also has it as a class,” Epperson said. “So we fought for it to become a class so that we can have more practice time and more opportunities to work with the team.”

Two of the new additions to the social studies department, AP African American Studies and History of the Holocaust aim to tackle important topics that are, according to social studies teacher Angie DalBello, not covered enough in the standard social studies curriculum. DalBello explains why it was important to her to be able to teach a class on the holocaust.

“We’re one of the few schools that doesn’t have something directly related to [the holocaust],”

by emma clement editor in chief by maddie writer/photographermulryan

NEW TO SCHOOL

District introduces new classes for students to select for the 2024-2025 school year

Dalbello said. “I probably spend two weeks on it [in US History], and that’s probably more than the other US history teachers do, because it’s just something I’m passionate about.”

DalBello’s passion for the subject led her to work with principal Dr. Gail Holder to create the new course. District director of curriculum, instruction and title programs Joe Kelly explained that the actual development of the course happens almost entirely at the building level.

“The principals work with teachers to identify things like what’s the name, is it a weighted course [and] how is it all going to work in a master schedule,” Kelly said. “It’s very organic in the sense that the principal and the teachers are responsible for seeing if it fits into what they can do at the buildingThen,level.”after those initial steps are complete, Kelly worked with his colleagues to review the courses and eventually proceed to getting the required school board approval.

“I, along with our curriculum coordinator, will review [new] courses to determine if it aligns with the district mission and our goals,” Kelly said. “If all those align, we’ll reach back out to the principal at each school to have a discussion about whether or not they want to proceed with the courses.”

Culinary Essentials II

Teacher:

Margret Dieckhoff

Essentials of Fashion, Apparel, and Interior Design (FAID)

Teacher: Lauren Stringer

Dalbello said not only is it something she wants to teach, it needs to be taught to our students.

“The increase in antisemitism right now in this country is astronomical,” DalBello said. “Even before the last couple of months, it was already on the rise. Even when you look at things like with COVID-19 and how people of Asian or Chinese descent were being discriminated against and targeted and attacked, it’s just so disheartening. So even if it’s not specifically, Jewish people, whatever someone’s background is, we just all need to be kinder, better people.”

History of the Holocaust

Teacher: Angie DalBello

Cheer

Teacher: Unknown

Piano II

Teacher: Unknown

GAINING ACCESS

Prerequisites for new classes in the 2024-2025 school year

FAID: None

Piano II: Piano for Beginners

AP African American: None

AP Human Geography: None

History of the Holocaust: None

Culinary II: Culinary Essentials I

Cheer: Audition

Explaining a political cartoon, history teacher Angie DalBello dives deep into the artists through process in class, Thursday, Feb. 1. photo by luke wood

H

ead wrestling coach Joey Lazor has years of experience in wrestling and has competed in some of the toughest competitions. Prior to the pan- demic, he traveled all over the world and even competed in the Olympic qualifier before COVID halted his progress.Lazor started wrestling at a young age and immediately fell in love with the sport, enjoying the physical aspects and how easily he could enter tournaments and compete against other people.

“I started wrestling when I was four years old, my dad introduced it to me,” Lazor said. “Me and a bunch of my buddies played every sport we possibly could. We played football, baseball, and then wrestling just happened to be a sport between those two.”

Middle school is when Lazor really decided he wanted to pursue wrestling. He stopped playing football and baseball and switched to new

“Thensports. I started focusing more on just wrestling and other sports that helped me in wrestling,” Lazor said. “That’s when I started doing [sports] like track and cross country to help shape me even though it’s a different kind of shape.”

In high school, Lazor had a very successful career in wrestling.

“We traveled to big world competitions to try and wrestle the best competitors,” Lazor said. “I was very blessed with where I was at. I had a great coaching staff that believed in me. I was ranked top five in the country when I was in high school.”

Knowing the Olympics were coming up and that he wanted to start teaching, Lazor decided to go for the Olympic tryouts.

“You have to win certain tour-

naments to qualify for the Olympic trials,” Lazor said. “I was making a good run and then COVID happened a month later, so everything just got shut down. When that happened, my wife and I decided to move back to Kansas.”

Ultimately Lazor decided to move back to Kansas to coach and to teach.

“I bumped into Eric Aiken, who was the head wrestling coach at Aquinas, he gave me the opportunity to be an assistant coach there,” Lazor said. “Then Travis Keal, who was the old head coach here saw how I pre pared the guys and how I lead them in the right direction while we’re at regionals at De Soto and while we’re on a lunch break and he just called me over and we chatted and kind of hit a spark”

After coaching at Mill Val ley for only a year, Lazor won regional coach of the year in 2023. Senior Colin McAlister en joys working with a coach with Lazor’s level of experience.

“[Being coached by Lazor] is great because we know what he’s been through so it’s easy to trust him and believe what he’s say ing,” McAlister said. “It’s nice to know that you can put your full trust in him because he’s been through it and he has the skill he does.”

McAlister is appreciative of how Lazor’s coaching style is different than other coaches has had.

“One of the best coaches I’ve ever had in the sport. He’s very motivational, his main goal isn’t even to get you better at wrestling is to make you a better per son and make you better in life.”

LAZOR

by evan writer/photographerleroy

Arm raised to celebrate his win, Joey Lazor competes in the 2020 US Open in Texas.

Photo submitted by Joey Lazor

CLOSE

KNIT

New Crochet and Knit Club provides a creative space

by barron writer/photographerfox

Anew club has recently caught the attention of students, the Crochet and Knit club. This new club centers around activities that are a good way to pass the time, keep students’ hands occupied and learn an easy new hobby.

Junior Gillian Szymczak, the president of the club, explains how she fell in love with crocheting.

“I could bring it with me everywhere,” Szymczak said, “I am a wrestling manager and I do theater and sometimes we have empty space [that] it’s good for. It’s compactable and easy to carry around everywhere you go.”

English teacher Kristen Huang, the sponsor of the club, describes Szymczak’s dedication to crocheting and how the club came to be.

“[Szymczak] is the one who started it,” Huang said. “She is always crocheting and showing me stuff and I was like, ‘you need to teach people [how] to do this’ and she came back with a plan to have

a club.”

Szymczak had many ideas for the club and the environment she wanted so everyone was comfort- able with sharing ideas and creating what they wanted.

“I want to have projects that they want to make and that’s easy for beginners, but also fun for advanced people too,” Szymczak said. “Also take up ideas and build on that, like having a safe place to have safe ideas and make [what they want such as] more plus size [clothing] and be able to make it as they want and make sure it will fit the person.”

Huang describes the meeting as a comfortable group that has people of all skill levels.

“It’s a nice, comfortable group; we’ve only met a couple of times so far, but I think it’s pretty relaxed,” Huang said. “There’s some people in there who already know

Yarn in hand, sophomore Liberty Bouskill works on perfecting her double crochet chain. Bouskill plans to make a crochet hat along with the rest of the group. Wednesday, Jan. 24. photo by avery clement

how and some people who are learning.”

Huang also describes the goals that the club eventually wants to achieve, such as bigger projects that would be used as donations.

“[Szymczak] would like for us to get to a point where we can do something that we could donate, like baby hats to a hospital or something like that,” Huang said.

The club plans on meeting every other Wednesday in Huang’s classroom, A201. Everyone is welcome no matter the skill level. Szymczak and the others members are already excited to get started on new “We’reprojects. going to [start with] little projects,” Szymczak said. “Next meeting, we’re going to make hats. Then the next meeting we’re gonna make granny squares which we will use to build a blanket together.”

Workplace experience has become more valuable than ever in recent years as more students enter the workforce before college. A new district internship initiative has facilitated this experience for a wide range of career interests from teaching to dentistry.

Senior Kaylen Hyde has been interning at Prairie Ridge Elementary School since her sophomore year.

“I’ve always known I wanted to be a teacher and then I found out that [the school] had teaching as a career and then internships,” Hyde said. “I’ve been working with third grade for the last three years [and now kindergarten too.]”

Hyde has gotten diverse experience with her internship, doing many of the tasks a teacher would.

“I’ve graded papers and I’ve taken small groups out to help them with assignments,” Hyde said. “Being able to get in the classroom and with the kids has made me want to be a teacher even more.”

Senior Bridgit Duffin has been able to intern at WaterOne through the school and has found it valuable to her pursuit of chemical engineering.

“I think [interning] is just a great opportunity that the school and the district has given me to go and see the real world and see how

what I want to do can be applied in the real world,” Duffin said.

Interning provides not only valuable experiences that guide students for post-secondary education, but it also gives students many skills for any career, according to program facilitator Kevin Jeffries.

“I think [students] are getting a lot of learning about what it’s like to show up to work on time,” Jeffries said. “You know how to work with other people, how to network, how to collaborate, a lot of that stuff for when you have no idea what [employers] expect.”

Jeffries explains that for students interested in interning, it is a simple process.

“If you think you want to [pursue a career], but you’ve never really experienced it yet, come talk to me and I’ll help find something,” Jeffries said. “I have a lot of contacts, so I try to leverage those connections to help find opportunities for the students.”

However, the complexity of tracking these internships does mean there is a limit on how many students can intern.

“We have capacity to handle about 25 interns a semester,” Jeffries said. “That’s because we have to do all the paperwork. We have to do site visits too where I will go out and actually see what this site is where the student is working to make sure it’s safe.”

BRIDGIT DUFFIN SENIOR

KAYLEN HYDE SENIOR

CHLOE CLAYTON SENIOR

Pipetting water samples at CTEC, senior Bridgit Duffin practices at WaterOne, where she tests water for coliform and E. coli using using similar pipetting techniques Friday, Jan. 26. photo by olivia

In Mrs. Goetsch’s kindergarten classroom at Prairie Ridge Elementary, senior Kaylen Hyde helps kids reach the end of their erasable mazes Friday, Feb. 2. photo by olivia peters

DOWN TO BUSINESS

Students intern to gain real-world job experience before graduating through district initiative

by anna zwahlen editor in chief

by evan writer/photographerleroy

Location: WaterOne

Work Field: Chemical Engineering

“There I’ll be able to test water samples and get to know more about chemicals and chemical engineering in the real world and its applications.”

WHERE WE WORK

Location: Prairie Ridge Elementary

Work Field: Education

“I’ve always known I wanted to be a teacher, but being able to get in the classroom and be with the kids has made me really want to be a teacher even more.”

Looking to a classmate, senior Bridgit Duffin discusses her internship while pipetting water samples Friday, Jan. 26. photo by olivia peters Interning, senior Kaylen Hyde helps kindergartner Greyson Rocco color his morning work Friday, Feb. 2. photo by olivia peters

Location: HT Complete Family Dentistry

Work Field: Dentistry

“I went around during my three hour timeframe and would help out where I could. I [also] watched when root canals or crowns were happening.”

Looking down, senior Chloe Clayton discusses paperwork at HT Complete Family Dentistry photo submitted by Kevin Jeffries

practices skills for her internship using dilution and incubation olivia peters

FOREVER & ALWAYS?

FOREVER & ALWAYS?

by avery writer/photographerclement

by emma clement editor in chief by barron writer/photographerfox

High school relationships are a time to learn how to date and discover more about oneself

CRUSHING IN CONTEXT

It’s well-known that high school serves as an introduction to independence, work ethic, perseverance, balance and so much more. However, high school is also a great opportunity for students to get their first introduction to the complicated world of dating. Many students use high school as a training ground for learning how to love and care about someone seriously. In a JagWire survey of 148 students, 68% said that they have been in a relationship or have experienced the beginnings of one, showing that dating is clearly a priority for students. However, dating has changed throughout

the generations, especially between parents and students. This has prompted discussion about what a high school relationship looks like and what the point of dating in high school even is to begin with.

HOW WE WORK

Relationships can vary dramatically in structure; what works for one couple doesn’t necessarily work for another.

For juniors Reese Miller and Kai McGarry, a relationship with clear boundaries and understanding is key.“I feel like our relationship is

honestly more of a friendship,” Miller said. “We respect each other a lot and respect each other’s boundaries. I feel like there’s no expectations in our relationship, so we understand that we each have our own flaws.”

Understanding can play a major role in feeling connected in a relationship, according to senior Isabella Skramstad who says that it is crucial to her relationship with sophomore Sienna Suderman.

“I’ve never had the type of con- nection that I have with her,” Skramstad said. “I’ve never loved someone like I love her. We just understand each other on a whole different level. We put each other first and we understand what each other needs.”

ISABELLA SKRAMSTAD

SIENNA SUDERMAN

LENGTH

Shopping, drive-in movies, ferris wheels, painting pottery, walks, cards, crafts

The understanding Miller and Skramstad referred to can be reached in many ways, but for freshmen Chris Hale and Andrew Estes, communication is the key.“We communicate with each other and just talk about everything and how we feel,” Estes said.

Another important component of a relationship is undivided attention to your partner, according to senior Mason Kemp. Kemp and senior Maddie Hopkins prioritize one- on-one time whenever possible.

“We like to spend a lot of quality time together, whether we have five minutes to hang out or five hours,” Kemp said. “We just like spending that time together.”

Suderman explained that quality time is import- ant for her and Skramstad

too, saying that they prefer it over communicating online.

“We’re not very big texters,” Suderman said. “We do text but the main thing is hanging out and that’s where we have all of our conversations: in person.”

However, access to technology and the internet can be beneficial as it allows people to stay con- nected, even when they cannot communicate in person. For ex- ample, media specialist Ashley Agre met her husband in high school when she had just got- ten her first cell phone, allowing them to stay connected.

“We met two weeks after I turned 16 and I had gotten a cell phone for my birthday,” Agre said. “That was a big deal. He also had a cell phone and we would call each other [every night].”

Cell phones can provide an avenue for new types of communication. McGarry explains that he and Miller often send words of affirmation or general updates in texts, rather than calling which was common for Agre.

design

jules shumaker

photos by elizabeth summa

“Sometimes we’ll just drop a little essay in iMessages of words of affirmation,” McGarry said. “I feel like that just definitely helps a lot. We hang out and we text constantly, like if she is at a party and I’m at a party, or we’re just doing something separately, we’ll stay in contact.”

Other than staying in contact via cell phones, Agre found that going with the flow in her relationship was helpful.

“We have very similar family dynamics,” Agre said. “Also we were very honest with each other. Our communication has always been pretty good. There wasn’t a

lot of playing games or anything like that. He’s very chill and [he] goes with the flow and is very vocal about things, so it works.”

Hopkins and Kemp have a similar structure, saying that keeping their relationship more personal, yet being flexible works for them.

“We’re not super into making our relationship public and in everyone’s face,” Hopkins said. “We do our own thing and go with the flow.”

RELATIONSHIP STATS RELATIONSHIP STATS

45% OF STUDENTS HAVE BEEN IN A HIGH SCHOOL RELATIONSHIP

20%

OF STUDENTS IN RELATIONSHIPS PLAN TO STAY TOGETHER AFTER HIGH SCHOOL

MASON KEMP

SENIOR

SENIOR MADDIE HOPKINS

LENGTH OF RELATIONSHIP

2.5 YEARS FAVORITE ACTIVITES

Watching movies, dinner dates, spending quality time together

A HARSH REALITY

Despite the many ways couples may stay connected in their relationships, the reality of dating in high school can be harsh. The rumors, drama and gossip that plague the high school environ- ment can feel exacerbated when there is a relationship on the line.

McGarry shares that he and Miller had struggles early on in their relationship with others’ per-

A look at the school’s beliefs about relationships and their current statistics throughout the school

64% OF STUDENTS THINK HIGH SCHOOL RELATIONSHIPS ARE WORTH THE TIME & EFFORT

Survey of 148 students

-ceptions and opinions.

“[There were] rumors all the time, especially when we first started dating,” McGarry said. “There was just so much that people were saying that just wasn’t true. I just feel like the biggest roadblock in any high school relationship is the people that just talk.”

Skramstad agreed, explaining that for her and Suderman, other people said a lot of things about the controversial aspects of her relationship.

“At the beginning of our relationship, we struggled a lot with other people’s opinions,” Skramstad said. “A lot of people had a lot of things to say about our relation- ship: the age difference and also it being a gay relationship. That got in the way a lot for the first couple of months and then we just started to [stop caring, then other] people stopped caring.”

For Kemp, relationship publicity is one of the aspects of dating in high school that is different from dating later on.

“More people notice you guys in high school rather than in college because there’s more people in college, so it’s harder to keep the relationship private [in high school],” Kemp said.

Hale and Estes have experi- enced some of the negative effects

JUNIOR

KAI McGARRY

JUNIOR

REESE MILLER

of this publicity in their relationship, sharing that trust helped them through it.

“People will try to start rumors about you,” Hale said. “Sometimes people just want to start drama around it, but you just have to trust your partner.”

For Skramstad and Suderman,

“I would 100% believe a relationship in high school is worth the time and effort. If it doesn’t last, you are learning what works best for you, what you need in a relationship, what you are searching for in a person

Senior Isabella Skramstad

their relationship is often judged and compared to others, especially because it is a LGBTQ+ relationship.

LENGTH OF RELATIONSHIP 8 MONTHS

FAVORITE ACTIVITES

Listening to music, driving around, exploring Westport and Lawrence

tionships are compared to one another,” Skramstad said. “[People say] ‘oh, well, their relationship is different from theirs’ and ‘their relationship is better’ but realistically you don’t know someone’s relationship because you’re not in it. I know people have said some crazy things about our relationship, like that I was faking being gay because people didn’t know that I was gay when I came to this school. People say that all the time, ‘you look straight’ and I [say], ‘well, I’m not.’”

Aside from the negative opinions of their peers, students in high school relationships also often face judgment from adults who view their relationships as unserious. However, McGarry believes that there is no reason someone cannot form a serious connection with someone else while in high school.

“Oftentimes high school rela-

“[High school relationships are] extremely meaningful,” McGarry said. “[Many people say at] our age, we can’t feel those feelings of love that people in more mature relationships have, but I don’t think that’s true at all. Another thing that bothers me is the high school sweetheart concept where they’re just destined to fail. If you find your person, I don’t see why it’s an issue if you find them in high school.”

Estes agreed, saying that high school relationships can last if both people put in the effort.

“I think a lot of people think [high school relationships] will never end well, but I think if you really put the work into it and try to maintain it, it can be good and will actually last,” Estes said.

MAKING IT WORTHWHILE

A healthy relationship can look different for everyone, but there are some qualities that can make a relationship last. Even when a relationship doesn’t last, it can be a valuable learning opportunity.

From a teacher’s perspec- tive, social studies teacher Jeff Strickland believes that a high school relationship should be viewed as a learning experience.

“A lot of people in high school don’t really know what they want in a relationship and maybe a long-term relationship

and a spouse,” Strickland said. “You just don’t know and don’t have life experience. I think it is a learning experience.”

McGarry explains that just being in a relationship has already helped him to learn new things.

“I continue to learn so much from this relationship,” McGarry said. “I don’t see it ending anytime soon. I just know this relationship has taught me a lot and [Miller] has taught me a lot.”

For Agre, there is no issue with dating in high school. She thinks it’s important for growth no matter the outcome of

“High school relationships are building a base for you as a per- son to see who you want to be and who you want to be with and ultimately what you want from life,” Agre said. “With some of these relationships that aren’t successful, they’re still just as important because they helped form that idea of your future partner or even if you want a future partner.”

design by jules shumaker photos by elizabeth summa

Similarly, Skramstad believes that just the experience of a relationship in high school makes it worthwhile.

“I would 100% believe a relationship in high school is worth the time and effort,” Skramstad said. “If it doesn’t last, you are learning what works best for you, what you need in a relationship, what you are searching for in a person. Just because you’re going off to college in a little bit doesn’t mean that you don’t deserve the experience of liking someone or possibly loving someone or someone liking you or someone loving you.”

Getting to experience dating, and possibly love, during high school can be a fun experience. Family Consumer Sciences teacher Ellen Gray teaches that this should be the priority, rather than the long-term plans for a relationship.

FRESHMAN ANDREW ESTES

CHRIS HALE FRESHMAN

LENGTH OF RELATIONSHIP

3 MONTHS FAVORITE ACTIVITES

Playing video games, biking, going out to eat, watching TV shows/movies

“I really think high school dating is a great time to see what we like, what we don’t like and what kind of things we really need in relationships,” Gray said. “It’s just really to have fun and learn how to date before it’s more serious.”

According to Hale, just having someone to have fun with makes having a relationship worth the

effort.

“It is worth the time to have someone,” Hale said. “You know they’re going to have your back and you support each other and you have fun together.”

For Kemp, the chance to find a lifelong partner makes the difficult aspects of high school relationships worth it in the end.

“Just go for it if it feels right,” Kemp said. “You never know what could happen out of it if you find the right person.”

LENGTH OF RELATIONSHIP

17 YEARS FAVORITE ACTIVITES

Reading, traveling, watching their kids in their activities, hiking

ASHLEY AGRE

MEDIA SPECIALIST

JUSTIN AGRE

Photo submitted by Ashley Agre from high school prom

Our school is 81% white according to US News. Most students are aware that our school lacks diversity, but not how this actually affects students. Because our school is predominantly white, students are often unaware of other cultures. Some ways for students to bridge this gap are by opening ourselves up for new experiences like service projects or taking the time to learn about other ethnicities’ history. Doing these things can help white students be less stuck in the bubble that is our school.

Not making an effort to know other cultures and races can create internal biases against people of color. Sophomore David Johnson, a Black student, explains how some students treat him when they only see depictions of people of color on television.

“[Students] come at me using slang and African American Vernacular English, but I don’t actually talk like that. On top of that, [they make] assumptions based on how I would look,” Johnson said. “If you don’t fit into the bubble of sorts, you’re going to be looked at as weird, and you’re going to be labeled with a bunch of words that aren’t very nice.”

Microaggressions like these are avoidable, we just need to understand how to recognize them. Creating assumptions about someone is never okay, especially when using harmful stereotypes. While I am white, it’s up to those who are white to ensure that our school feels accepting to people of color.

According to a Harvard study, schools lacking diversity in race tend to have students who have a “profound lack of creative empathy,” meaning that the white students have trouble envisioning what life different to theirs looks

like, especially when it comes to living in a marginalized society.

While it’s true our school cannot control who attends it, there are ways our community can attempt to fix the ignorance that causes microaggression. Junior Davin Bickerstaff describes the ways that her past schools have helped their peers understand other cultures.

“[My old school] had an association of Asian kids,” Bickerstaff said. “We would celebrate AAPI month by bringing all sorts of different cultural stuff of our own to school, and I thought it was nice to have little days dedicated to

As a white person in a predominantly white school, it’s our job to learn and understand the history of racism in America.

Sophomore Maddie Mulryan

celebrating early cultures. We had seminar parties so they brought food from very different cultures, or sometimes we would wear clothes from a culture.”

Having an understanding of the different ways that people live is not only respectful of those who celebrate different cultures, but it will also help when students eventually leave the bubble of Shawnee and come into contact with more diversity. The amount of racism that I see casually everyday that goes without consequences makes me feel disappointed in our community.

One great way to ensure you’re becoming aware of others’ cul-

STUCK IN A BUBBLE

tures, while also opening up your eyes to more of the world, is by volunteering. Volunteer Coordi- nator from the United Methodist Open Door Communities Booker Jones explained why helping others is a great way to improve your well-roundedness overall.

“[Open Door is] such a diverse community, not just ethnically, but also as far as our beliefs,” Jones said. “We try to communicate and just express love knowing that we don’t care who you are, or the color of your skin or whatever language you Volunteeringspeak.” is helpful because seeing other people’s beliefs and lifestyles creates better compre- hension and compassion that is appreciated in the real world.

An easier way to get an insight on other ethnicities’ history is to invest in watching movies, doc- umentaries and shows that are created by people of color that portray their experiences. Films like “The Hate U Give,” “13th” and “The Florida Project” all bring awareness to the lives that a lot of people have to experience and the history behind why.

What I hope people can under- stand is that while jokes and offensive words can seem harmless, microaggressions and unintentional racism can be damaging students at our school. Stereotypes also play a part in making our students feel unwelcome and out of place.

As a white person in a predominantly white school, it’s our job to learn and understand the history of racism in America. Making a difference in your actions to quit supporting the systemic racism that’s occurred throughout our country’s history also makes a difference in how students at our school feel, hopefully leading to a better community.

by maddie writer/photographermulryan

Due to a lack of diversity in school students are ignorant to other cultures

design by hailey perrin

photos by

NOW PLAYING GRAMMYS

The school’s Grammy picks of this year’s nominations

by evan writer/photographerleroy

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

World Music Radio by Jon Batiste

the record by Boygenius

Endless summer vacation by Miley Cyrus

Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd by Lana Del Ray

The Age of Pleasure by Janelle Monáe

GUTS by Olivia Rodrigo

Midnights by Taylor Swift

SOS by SZA

“While I enjoyed albums like ‘GUTS’ a lot this year and I have revisited oth- er albums more often, I think that the Lana Del Ray album had very pretty instrumentals and a lot more depth than some of her previous albums.”

Sophomore Andrew Heideman

A&W by Lana Del Rey

Anti-Hero by Taylor Swift

Butterfly by Jon Batiste

Dance The Night (From Barbie The Album) by Dua Lipa

Flowers By Miley Cyrus

Kill Bill by SZA

Vampire by Olivia Rodrigo

What Was I Made For? [From The Motion Picture “Barbie”] Billie

Senior Anna Guest

Freshman Briggs Wilson

SONG OF THE YEAR BEST

Gracie Abrams

Fred again..

Ice Spice

Jelly Roll

Coco Jones

Noah Kahan

Victoria Monét

The War And Treaty

“I think Ice Spice is the best new artist of the year because she has gained lots of attraction and fame over the past year from her music and style. In my opinion her music is fun to listen to with friends and puts people in a good mood.”

“‘What Was I Made For?’ should win song of the year because it speaks to so many girls. The first time I heard that song was in theaters while watching Barbie and it made me and everyone else in that room start crying because of its message. Billie’s voice is so beautiful too, she deserves it.”

Student Pick Actual PIck

THE COLOR PURPLE ALL THE LIGHT

THE COLOR PURPLE

by maddie writer/photographermartin

Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple” is about two sis- ters, Celie and Nettie, who are separated for most of their lives but share stories with each other sometimes through their letters and sometimes just through their faith in each other. They both question their faith and what it means to be Black women in the early 1900’s.

Every character is displayed in a beautifully real way, praised not only for their wonderful traits but also their mistakes. That is what makes the book so compelling, it’s real, it’s not always glamorous but it appreciates the complex beauty of the world.

The movie however with the musical aspect puts a brighter spin on the book. While the plot stays true to the book the overall tone differs from that of the book. My favorite part of the book was the characters who accompany the sisters. The movie does a great job of staying true to each character’s person- alities in the book. While reading the book I struggled to picture the setting but the movie does a good job of transporting you to the time and place the book is set in.

The movie is definitely worth the watch but is 100% more enjoyable if you have also read the book.

THE COLOR PURPLE

3

ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE

by ian weatherman guest reporter

A5 of students have seen it

THE COLOR PURPLE

% % %

4

WE CANNOT SEE BEYOND THE

Students explain why they enjoy their favorite book to movie adaptations

of students have read it of students have seen it

Survey of 148 students

nthony Doerr’s “All the Light We Cannot See” is a great book that explores World War II from perspectives that don’t often get spotlighted. It’s told from the point of view of two children affected by the war: Marie-Laure, a blind girl who lives with her father in Paris and must escape to the French coast during the German occupation, and Werner, a German boy who leaves his sister in their poor neighborhood to study at a Nazi training facility.

As the story progresses, the direction of their lives is shaped by the war. Each chapter is only two to three pages, so it’s very easy to stop and start reading with each free moment. Unfortunately, this makes the book seem really long even for active readers because finishing a few chapters only gets readers through a few pages. It felt like it took a long time to read but the story was never too slow.

Overall, I liked the story and would recommend it to anyone interested in World War II history. I haven’t heard much about the Netflix show but I hope it stays true to the book and portrays the events well, which is especially promising given they cast a blind actress to play Marie-Laure.

THE HUNGER GAMES

“[The Hunger Games Movies] are really accurate to the books and they did a really good job of bringing the characters to life.“

Senior Abigail Warren

THE HUNGER GAMES READY

19

PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS

O3

% of students have read it

ur generation grew up on Rick Riordan’s “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series. Reading about the pre-teen demigods had us all theorizing about who our own godly parents would be. So when it was announced that Disney+ would be creating a live action series (a much needed redemption after the failure of the movies), I was ecstatic. After viewing the eight-episode first season, I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it.

One of the most controversial aspects of the show was the casting, which was actually one of my favorite things about the adaptation. Casting a Black actress, Leah Sava Jeffries, to play the fandom’s beloved Annabeth Chase (depicted in the book as having blonde hair and gray eyes) created a lot of online discourse.

However, in my opinion, one of the few faults of the original book was the lack of racial diversity among main characters, so I believe Jeffries’ casting was long-awaited. Riordan confirmed this in a behind-the-scenes video for Disney+ saying that he want- ed all kids to be able “look at this series and see themselves.” Aside from the additional diversity, the casting as a whole was exceptional and made the series come to life.

of students have read it of students have seen it

structure as the book, keeping the original iconic moments in. However, there were some changes to smaller plot developments which might disappoint some viewers. I personally enjoyed these changes, but I know nine-year-old me would have loved to see a more book-accurate adaptation.

% %

The biggest complaint I had in terms of changes was the trio’s knowledge of what they were walking into. Whether it be Medusa or the Lotus Casino, Percy, Annabeth and Grover always seemed to know when they were walking into a trap. This erased some of the tension from the original books, and made the group feel more experienced than orignially.

Its at-times choppy pacing and its downplaying of the toxicity of Gabe and Sally Jackson’s relation- ship were a few other small issues I had while watching. However, these issues were minor compared to the over- all success of the show. Despite the slight qualms I had, the Percy Jackson series was wonderfully executed. It put a great spin on the book series of our childhoods and reminded us why we fell in love with Percy, Annabeth and Grover to begin with.

PAGES

JagWire reporters review three new book to movie adaptations

Player One] is a fun movie in general,

it doesn’t really have the same feel that the book does.“

THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY

Senior Ellee Wheelock

Sophomore Jack Thomas

THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY

Survey of 148 students

Survey of 148 students

PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS

THE CHANGE IN

Students and staff explain the slang terms most popoular with their generations

FIRE SLAPS

“[Fire means] really good, better than good like you would say ‘thats fire.’”

“I’ll use it like ‘this is lowkey good.’ When you first see it, it’s not the best thing in the world but after a little while it starts to grow on you.”

“Slaps or hits is usually about food. For example ‘that pizza slaps.’”

“Another one of my favorite words is probably ‘sus’ because I also find it really funny. It just means ‘suspicious.’”

“My favorite word is ‘purr’ because I feel like it’s funny and I use it a lot and it’s just means like ‘yay.’”

“I think people learn about them over social media and I feel like they were born by people just cutting words in half [like rizz.]”

years old years old years old years old

21 photos by elizabeth summa and olivia peters

SLANG

by maddie writer/photographermartin

by ian chern copy editor

“Fox was what guys would call girls and then hunk was what we would call some cute guy, like ‘He’s a hunk, look at that hunk.”

“People would say ‘Man, you’re trippin’ like you’re acting foolish [or] you’re acting ridiculous.”

“Ralph was if somebody’s about to get sick. ‘Hey, don’t ralph in my car;’ don’t throw up in my car.“

TRIPPIN’

Further changes to slang across time

“Rizz, in my day, we would call it game. I don’t know if kids still say game. Because you say game in that context, like ‘Oh, he’s got some serious game.’ Now they say rizz. I find that word amusing.”

“I still said things like cool. I remember there were people that said things like cool beans.”

“I know lots of slang terms. I try to stay current and know what the youths are saying. I go to the Gen Z Wikipedia dictionary, just to check out what’s new and different.”

1610 Lily Livered Cowardly Gasser

1700 Moppet Young person or child

1880 Long Greens Dollar Bills

1920 Nerts Nonsense or nuts

1944

Something outstanding

Information from Merriam Webster

Powerlifting is a relatively new sport and has gone through some changes since new head coach Andrew Sachen started this year.

The strength-based sport consists of three lifting exercises: hang clean, squat and bench, with competitions divided by gender and weight. According to Sachen the sport is very self guided because of how flexible it is, though he still ensures there is a plan for the team.

“The kids kind of go at their own pace,” Sachen said. “I still make workout cards and I still put

all the exercise out there and help demonstrate and teach kids that aren’t in a certain conditioning class.”

At each tournament, the lifters do all three exercises and get three attempts at each exercise, with the highest overall weight winning their weight class. For experienced athletes like senior Waylon Schenk, powerlifting competitions are highly individual.

“Every person is different,” Schenk said. “You’ve got to find what works for you and then do that and just keep experimenting.

A WEEK OF WORKOUTS

I like to do a lot of stuff where you put more weight on the bar that you can actually do. That makes it easier to get the maximum weight that you can handle.”

Like many participants, Schenk joined powerlifting to help him with other sports, in his case football.

“[Powerlifting] just made me stronger, and I put on a lot of weight,” Schenk said. “It just made me better on the field because I was heavier.”

Though he originally joined to help in other sports, Schenk has now broken many meet records in his powerlifting career, with personal records of 450-pound squat, 370-pound hang clean and 260-pound bench press. In close competitions Schenk’s’ ability to push himself is necessary.

“Sometimes there can be a strategy to [the competition],” Schenk said. “If you’re close to somebody else on the last lift, if you’re behind by five pounds, you can add that to your final lift.”

Powerlifting has helped others in sports, such as softball, for sophomore Callie Caldwell.

“[Powerlifting] helps a lot in softball,” Caldwell said. “I see a huge difference in my hitting because it increases my strength.”

While powerlifting is open to anyone and is often useful to many sports, the team has shrunk in the last year. Few experienced seniors like Schenk remain active participants, which has impacted the team’s overall performance.

Powerlifting helps students to get stronger, improve their

by anna zwahlen editor in chief

A glance into senior Waylon Schenk’s weekly powerlifting workouts

UPPER BODY WORKOUT

LOWER BODY WORKOUT

SPRINT

STRETCH + MOBILITY

WAYS OF LIFTING

The three ways that powerlifters compete

photos by luke wood ZOE ENGLEHART

HANG CLEAN

Full body lift with weight starting at the knees that emphasizes power and requires less technical skill than pulling the bar from

“I’m the only senior in the class,” Schenk said. “The team’s kind of big, yes, but it’s shrunk a little bit from last year. Last year, we were winning quite a bit, we were getting second or first. We lost a lot of seniors that were getting a lot of points, so we haven’t placed very well. We need people to join the team.”

There are many reasons for any student to join the powerlifting team, regardless of athletic background. The individual, support- ive environment is fit for any athlete, according to Sachen.

“It doesn’t matter what weight class you’re in, there will be people from every school, every gender, every weight class yelling for you and trying to encourage you to set a new PR or make that list or anything,” Sachen said. “Everybody from every school is supportive.”

SQUAT

A lift which focuses on legs and back, beginning in the upright position at the rack with weight on the trapezius muscle, sinking into a squatting position and rising again.

WAYLON SCHENK

BENCH

Push workout that targets the chest muscles, the lifter will begin chest up on the bench and lift the weight off of the rack, allowing the bar to descend slowly to the chest.

THE BAR THE BAR

skills in other athletic activities and be part of a supportive team

by ian chern copy editor

Adjusting his hands, sophomore Jaxon Masek gets ready to bench press 225 pounds at the powerlifting meet Saturday, Jan. 27 photo by eva hernandez

ERIC PENNER

Only in her first year of high school, freshman Natalie Long is on a unique and advanced language learning path. Long is taking Spanish III, a class that is generally taken by sophomores and juniors.

At the start of school year, Long was enrolled in Spanish II but felt that she could be challenged more.

“In Spanish II, I felt like it was not very difficult,” Long said. “I felt like I was just going over stuff I already knew from Spanish I and other things, so I decided I wanted to go further and take Spanish III instead.”

In order to move to Spanish III Long had to test out of Spanish II by passing the Spanish II finals.

“My Spanish II teacher, Mrs. Dillon, gave me the resources for the tests,” Long said. “The resources had all the subjects that we went over in Spanish II and she just let me go study in the library for a couple of class periods. About a week later, I took the finals for that class.”

Spanish teacher Edith Paredes was excited when she heard Long was joining her Spanish III class.

“She might be maybe my third in Mill Valley’s history to take that challenge,” Paredes said. “I get very excited when I see students are so ready to move on and move up and take the challenge because it’s not an easy elective.”

Since Long joined Spanish III toward the end of the first quarter, she was significantly behind in the class. However, she has caught up and found the class enjoyable.

“At the beginning, my grades

NATALIE LONG

by ian chern copy editor

Freshman moves up to Spanish III halfway through first semester

were a bit lower just because I had to adjust and I was a little behind on certain things since it was already October when I joined the class,” Long said. “But eventually, a month or so later, I found my traction and I’m doing pretty well and it’s a fun class.”

According to Paredes, Long has not only caught up with the rest of the class, but she has also excelled.

“She’s at the top of the class and doing better than some of the kids that have been here the whole year,” Paredes said. “She just brings a whole different level to my teaching in the class. Her classmates look up to her and they’re in awe when she opens her mouth and she speaks Spanish.”

In a class full of sophomores and juniors, Long is eager to learn and

not afraid of failing. Paredes believes that this is the most important trait for learning a language.

“She’s hungry for more Spanish,” Paredes said. “She’s very bold and she has no fear which is one of the number one traits of people that will eventually become bilingual. They just use the language with no fear.”

Long plans to continue to take Spanish through high school and up to the new AP Spanish Literature & Culture class for her senior year. Paredes is excited to see Long’s language journey continue.

“I’m very excited to see how she will continue to learn and become better and read more and speak more,” Paredes said. “She’s always trying to do a little extra and always pushing herself to do the best that she can do.”

class,

searches

Photo by Eva Hernandez