JagWire Newspaper: Volume 24, Issue 2

T H E

AG

IRE

Mill Valley High School Shawnee, Kansas Volume 24, Issue 2

Nov. 8, 2023

ABUNDANT ALERTS How the rising amount of notifications is affecting teens’s daily lives

FEATURES page 8

OPINIONS page 16

GRAPHICS page 20

A look at one teacher duo’s carpool commute and the system they have created

A JagWire reporter’s experience after shutting her phone off for the day

Seasonal color palettes and determining if you have warm or cool undertones

2 Table of Contents

Nov. 8, 2023

CONTENTS 5 OPINION STAFF ED

6 NEWS NEW SECURITY 8 FEATURES TEACHER CARPOOL

Freshman Lacey Jennings falling into the arms of Sophomore Izzy Simms and Junior Christina Baumgart to practice for an upcoming scene at rehearsal, Wednesday, Oct. 18. photo by barron fox

9 FEATURES FRESHMAN TAKES THE LEAD 10 FLAG FOOTBALL FEATURES

11 NEWS BATTLE OF THE BRAINS

SECTION 12 SPECIAL NEVER-ENDING NOTIFICATIONS Working on a new play during practice Wednesday, Oct. 18, senior Emily Summa looks ahead at the field. Summa practices and plays flag football with her team twice every week. photo by elizabeth summa

16 OPINION AVERT ALERTS

PUBLICATION INFORMATION @millvalleynews1 @MillValleyNews

JagWire Office

Censorship Policy

5900 Monticello Road Shawnee, KS 66226 Phone: (913) 422-4351 Fax: (913) 422-4039 Email: jagwirenewspaper@gmail.com Adviser: Kathy Habiger khabiger@usd232.org JagWire, a monthly publication of Mill Valley High School, is printed by Valley Offset Printing

The Kansas Student Publications Act guarantees the same rights for student journalists as are guaranteed for professional journalists. These rights include, but are not limited to, all First Amendment rights, including the rights of freedom of speech and the press, insofar as published items may not contain libelous, slanderous or obscene statements, may not incite or promote illegal conduct and may not cause a substantial disruption to normal school activity. This law also prevents censorship of any kind by the adviser, building or district administration.

JagWire

page and cover design by jules shumaker

Table of Contents

3

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

Working at the local Smoothie King, junior Emma Ronning adds ice to a Banana Berry Treat smoothie Friday, Oct. 13. photo by olivia peters

17 OPINION FOUR-DAY WEEK

18 SMOOTHIE

editor in chief

Photo Editor

A&E

luke wood

WARS

ian chern

20 A&E COLOR

PALETTES

22 SPORTS

RECRUITING

Competing at a CrossFit event, senior Olivia Kerstetter completes the snatch lifting portion. photo submitted by olivia kerstetter

anna zwahlen

photo editor

Copy Editor copy editor

Staff

elizabeth summa writer/photographer

hailey perrin

writer/photographer

avery clement writer/photographer

barron fox

writer/photographer

eva hernandez

24

maddie martin

KERSTETTER

maddie mulryan

I AM OLIVIA MV

writer/photographer

evan leroy

writer/photographer writer/photographer writer/photographer

olivia peters

writer/photographer

Professional Associations

Editorial Policy

Kansas Scholastic Press Association National Scholastic Press Association Journalism Education Association Journalism Educators of Metropolitan KC 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.

quinlyn peters writer/photographer

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STAFF EDITORIAL

5

Phone notifications dominate student attention spans; learning to regulate is critical

Y

ou’re sitting at dinner with your family and your phone buzzes. You know you shouldn’t check it, but you do anyway. This urge and its response is common for students now, but maybe it shouldn’t be.

Everyone knows teens spend a lot of time on their phones, so much so that a research study shows teens get around 200 notifications a day. It is important for teens to understand how these constant notifications affect them and how they can stop the overwhelming sense to pick up their phone every time they get an alert.

A new report released by Common Sense Media, studied 200 students ages 11-17 and found that teens get an average of 237 notifications in one day, with about 25% of those coming during the school day. The research revealed that constant notifications make it hard for teens to detach from their phones.

A CNN article about the common sense media study reported that e x ces-

by jagwire staff sive phone use and pressure to respond can cause anxiety and stress even if teens aren’t aware of the effects.

This is evident in the fact

that teens feel overwhelming amounts of anxiety over being detached from their phones.

Some of this anxiety is driven by social media use.

Teens use a variety of apps but social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and Youtube occupy most of teens’ time with about 42% of all screen time being spent on social media.

This time on social media is not all negative; teens nowadays are more informed and have more access to current events through social media than ever before. A Pew Research Center survey revealed

teens believe that social media allows them to feel more connected and gives them access to more information.

While phones can have a positive impact, it is also important to limit usage especially during school hours. The school’s student handbook states that students are not allowed to be on their phones during classroom hours, but that doesn’t stop most students. The best way to deal with phone usage during school is just to turn it off or silence notifications, which can be done using the focus feature on Apple products.

One way parents can help their teens limit screen time is by setting a good example. By silencing their notifications and limiting their own screen time, it sets an example for their kids as to what proper phone usage looks like.

Anyone can get caught up in the glamour of social media and although the constant notifications might make teens feel good, it is important to remember that ultimately teens are the only ones who can help themselves. Teens have to be able to limit their own screen time and know when to turn the notifications off.

6

NEWS

A

t the start of the school year, the district introduced a new CrisisAlert security system to improve safety and to make emergency response times quicker. The system was unanimously approved by the Board of Education in April and was implemented into district buildings over the summer.

With school shootings becoming more common across the country, the new security system will provide another layer of safety.

District coordinator of safety and transportation Rob Moser explains how safety was the main motivation behind the security system.

“We live in a world that nobody likes what we’re seeing, these incidents of mass shootings and things like that,” Moser said. “It basically comes down to the fact that we need to be looking at every different product or every avenue we can to try and keep our students and staff more safe.”

The new system consists of beacons in each classroom and badges given to all staff members. The badges are used to quickly communicate with the beacons which sends an alert that notifies important people of issues and emergencies.

“You push [the badge] a certain number of times,” Moser said.

“For a lower level, it’s called a staff alert and more times for complete building wide lockdown.”

The system’s radius covers the entire district, allowing staff to utilize the system from the grounds of any district building as long as they have their security badge.

“If you think of [the security system] not just as a school build-

Nov. 8, 2023

ing, but you consider a camDo you feel safer with the new security system? pus, you come to campus each day,” Moser said. “That campus sits on 80% the boundaries of what the district owns 12% as far as property goes. This Yes 8.5% would cover No any property owned by the My feelings have not changed district and any district bound3.7% Everything How much ary that it endo you know velopes.”

Not Much 25% about the PE teachsystem?

Nothing er Christine 70% Preston feels safer when taking her classStudents respond to es around the school with the questions about the new badges. security system “I think it’s Survey of 164 students really beneficial because if we go outside or if we’re off campus and it’s an emergency or we need a nurse ASAP. We many people in so many little arcan use it to trigger a response to eas of the school, I love that it will get administration and nurses out show you exactly where they’re at there,” Preston said. so I think it’s great. I mean, hopeSchool nurse Heather Van Dyke fully, we don’t need it, but I think sees positives in the medical side it just gives everybody that extra of the badges. layer of security.”

“We know that some other disThe new system has a lot of tricts have had it and it’s worked potential for increased safety, but really well in some situations,” Van there was initial hesitancy from Dyke said. “The one I can think of teachers and staff, according to is in Olathe. It was a dislocated Preston. knee so they could get access up “I think that at first we were a there. I think because we have so little hesitant because a couple of

SAFETY IN NUMBERS

WITH A PRESS OF A BUTTON With a new district-wide security system, safety continues to be one of the school’s top priorities

JagWire

them accidentally went off and we were afraid of what would happen if that happened,” Preston said.

Many staff members expressed other concerns as well, according to Van Dyke.

“The only learning curve so far is some accidental pushes, but [administration] was able to shut that down pretty quickly,” Van Dyke said. “Another problem we had was with people just remembering to wear them.”

Another question staff initially asked was why the badges were chosen over other systems.

“What these [badges] have over a portable radio system is that it’s impractical to give a portable radio to every single district employee,” Moser said. “Over 1300 radios would just be too much maintenance: batteries, chargers, radios, everything that goes out on them. So while that would be nice to have, it’s not practical. These are much more practical in that we issued every single school district employee a crisis alert badge.”

The badges are also useful because they immediately alert everyone that a serious situation is occurring, as opposed to just reporting an issue using a cell phone.

“It alerts everybody versus us calling somebody and then having to call one person to the next person,” Preston said. “This will just give everybody a heads up that there is something very serious.”

The district agreed to the CrisisAlert system for a five-year span.

So far, Moser believes that the security system has been a success.

“Overall, the implementation has been very successful,” Moser said. “The badge has been getting used on the staff level alert type of use. We’ve seen folks with elopements [running away from a safe caregiver] and other behavioral issues at the elementary schools.

The staff has gotten comfortable using them to call for that help when they need it.”

by evan leroy writer/photographer

by ian chern copy editor

design by quinlyn peters

NEWS

7

THE PRICE OF of the line security defies PROTECTION systems student expectations The real price of top

Costing around

$750,000

The new security system will be fully paid for in five years

Students guess the cost of the new system: Survey of 164 students

“$10,000,000?” “$140,000?”

“What security changes?”

Source: District Safety Coordinator Quotes from survey of 164 students

8

design by olivia peters

FEATURES

Start: Lawrence

Teachers Edith Paredes and Landra Fair carpool to school daily

Nov. 8, 2021

MERGING TOGETHER End: Shawnee

by avery clement writer/photographer

E

very day Spanish teacher Edith Paredes and science teacher Landra Fair arrive at school at 7:15 a.m. However, this is not the beginning of their day. The two teachers have already spent the last 40 minutes together on their daily carpool to school from Lawrence.

This carpool together first began 15 years ago.

“I was not excited about the long drive and so I was looking for other teachers that lived in Lawrence to carpool with,” Fair said.

Although Paredes did not know Fair well at that point, she was overjoyed by the proposition.

Paredes had carpooled to school before and wanted to continue the tradition.

“She approached me when she was brand new in the building and I was so happy to be able to continue that because I think it’s very important,” Paredes said. “If I’m honest, I think it’s therapeutic for me to be with another person on the way here and back home.”

The two have established a system for driving and music in the car by alternating both every day.

At first glance, the two teachers’ friendship may seem unlikely as they teach very contrasting subjects, but Fair said that their teaching styles are actually similar and that they have learned new teaching techniques through their

time together.

“It’s nice to bounce off some ideas if you’re struggling with a student or struggling with a teacher problem to say, ‘hey, what have you done in this situation?’” Fair said. “So that is great because being a teacher is kind of isolating.

We are in this classroom [with students] and we don’t often spend a lot of time with other teachers during the day.”

Not only do they help each other with teaching strategies, they also help each other learn more about their native languages.

“I love how much she teaches me about English that I don’t know,” Paredes said. “She’s all about these either slang or idiomatic expressions that she just uses.”

Aside from the practical benefits of the carpool, the two also have a lot of fun during their drives.

“I just know I drive her crazy with my crazy driving,” Paredes said. ”I think most of our funny moments are when I do something crazy at the

wheel.”

Both teachers recognize the value of their friendship and appreciate each other.

“It’s usually wonderful to spend the morning with someone who’s upbeat and funny, so it’s just a great start of the day and end of the day to hang out with a friend in the car,” Fair said.

Paredes echoed Fair’s thoughts.

“We’ve cried together; we’ve laughed together,” Paredes said.

“I think it’s a critical time for us to unload after school when we’re stressed out. By the time we get home, we’re better people.”

Teachers Edith Paredes and Landra Fair arrive at school in Paredes’ car, Wednesday, Oct. 18. photo by luke wood

JagWire

URPRISE UCCESS

design by hailey perrin

FEATURES

Freshman Lacey Jennings takes on a lead role in the 2023 school musical “Bye Bye Birdie”

9

by evan leroy writer/photographer

W

ith many seniors leaving the drama department last year, there were lots of uncertainties in how director Jon Copeland would cast the fall musical “Bye Bye Birdie.” Ultimately, Copeland decided to cast freshman Lacey Jennings as one of the lead roles.

Copeland explains the difficulties that arise when casting a show.

“It’s like a Rubik’s Cube you turn it, you put this person in this role, and then you build around it,” Copeland said. “ keep turning the Rubik’s Cube, and eventually it just settles in and you go, oh, good. It feels like the people are in the right place.”

This year’s musical is once again double cast, meaning there are two casts that alternate depending on the night of the show. Playing the female lead of Kim Macafee in the Buddy cast is Jennings, while Senior Caroline Alley plays the same role in the Buddy cast.

This casting upset the department norms because it is typical for upperclassmen to get lead roles, Jennings explains what the immediate aftermath of finding out her role was like.

“I don’t really remember anyone ever congratulating me,” Jennings said. “my initial first reaction was disbelief. Because as a freshman, I wasn’t expecting to get any kind of role until maybe my sophomore or junior year” Though there is a norm of roles going to upper classmen, this isn’t the first time a freshman has had a lead role.

According to Copeland other underclassmen have gotten lead roles in the past, 2023 graduate Carter Harvey was Crutchie in “Newsies” his freshmen year.

Freshman Lacey Jennings and senior Caroline Alley run through their scene blocking and lines before rehearsal on Wednesday, Oct. 18. photo by barron fox

Ultimately, Copeland explains why casting Jennings as a lead was a great decision “We went through their generals [First round of auditions] and it just felt like an obvious choice,” Copeland said. “she just had the right tambor and tone quality to her voice as well as having the range. I think the singing was kind of the first thing that made us go, Oh, she could be really good in this part.”

Copeland explains that as a director, it comes down to how the roles in the show work together with each other.

“Sometimes actors, especially student actors, feel like it’s a competition,” Copeland said. “It’s not a 100-yard dash where there’s definitely one person across the finish line first, but rather you could cast the show in many different ways.”

Overall, Jennings is thankful for the opportunities that playing a lead role has given her.

“I’m feeling very grateful that I got this role,” Jennings said.

“I’m discovering my personality through this role. I’m very grateful to the other seniors, juniors and sophomores because they’ve helped me discover how to act [and] how to dance a certain way.”

BACK STAGE

Lacey’s involvement in theatre outside of high school

Inspired Purpose:

“Grease” “Descendants: the Musical”

Monticello Trails Middle School: “A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Death Star”

10 FEATURES

CHANGING THE GAME

design by avery clement

Senior Emily Summa defies gender norms through participation in flag football

Nov. 8, 2023

by emma clement editor in in chief chief editor

T

wice a week, senior Emily Summa makes the half hour drive to play flag football with her team through the National Football League’s program Girls Play Flag Football.

The program has teams for girls 5-18 years old. In Summa’s age division, there are six total teams to compete against in the seven week season. The games take place at Notre Dame de Sion High School each weekend of the season.

Summa first heard about the program two years ago and was immediately interested, even though she had never played flag football before.

“My dad and I used to play football together in the pool but I never played actual football,” Summa said.

She quickly fell in love with everything about the sport.

“I love pulling people’s flags and intercepting balls and catching the balls and everything,” Summa said. “It’s so fun.”

Summa’s coach, Derrick Hunter, believes that Summa is an asset to the team.

“I think she’s doing a phenomenal job of advocating for the sport,” Hunter said. “She’s a hell of an athlete. She plays aggressive, she plays tough and she’s intelligent. She understands

Amidst a hand-off in her second year of flag football practice, senior Emily Summa sets her gaze on the end-zone to score a touchdown Wednesday, Oct. 18 photo by elizabeth summa

the concept of the game.”

Beyond understanding the game, Summa believes that participating in a male-dominated sport makes her feel more confident.

“I feel powerful,” Summa said.

“I feel like I can wrestle anybody and I can beat people up. I’m not scared of people.”

Hunter hopes that the female flag football continues to grow, so more young girls can feel like Summa does.

“She should continue to push it and advocate for [women’s sports] because she’s a good example of what we need when it comes to building female flag football,” Hunter said.

GIRLS TAKE THE FIELD

Various ways girls have become more relevant in often male-dominated sports

Girls Play Flag Football starts

KC Current builds stadium

NFL

NWSL

2021

2022

Girls soccer wins Three girls 6A state title wrestlers go to state

2022

MVHS

2022

MVHS

JagWire

FEATURES

design by quinlyn peters

11

OVER MATTER Twelve Voyagers students compete to create an exhibit for Science City

Participating in Battle of the Brains, sophomores Ian Weatherman and Carson Schmidtlein work on their new exhibit Friday, Oct.13. photo by eva hernandez

T

by maddie martin writer/photographer

welve members of the school’s gifted program are currently participating in the Burns and McDonnell Battle of the Brains competition. The competition challenges groups from schools K-12 to propose a new exhibit for Science City every other year.

Students brainstorm and propose ideas, and the winning proposal gets built as an exhibit at Science City. Sophomore Ian Weatherman explains the benefits of designing a proposal.

“It’s really nice to try to design something that has the potential of actually being created, if you win, your idea can actually be put out into the world and that’s cool,” Weatherman said.

Any group from the Kansas City metro area can participate.

2011

First Battle of the Brains Event

2013

Unplugged: Science of Energy opens to public, first winner

Typically in the De Soto district, guidelines for their proposals, inVoyagers groups are the ones who cluding six separate elements that participate. would be included in the exhibit Groups work for months on accompanied by designs and writtheir proposals, planning starts in ten descriptions of them.

August and groups submit final According to Brown, Voyagers proposals Nov. 9. The finalists are students are working hard to get announced Dec. 7. their proposals done.

The last winners’ proposal was “For the students [it is] a lot of just installed in Science City. It was planning and creativity,” Brown an exhibit about robots designed said. “We went to Science City and

by Raytown’s gifted program. saw the new exhibits from past Other exhibits such as Every Last years.”

Drop and Unlock the Code were Through Battle of the Brains, also designed through Battle of the students are able to design, plan Brains. Each winning team wins and problem solve in a way that $50,000 in grant money for their differs from most school projects. proposal. Gifted facilitator Mi- Sophomore Grant Kuchynka enchele Brown explains the prize. joys getting to work with class“They spend like a million dol- mates to create something unique. lars writing it and making it [an “Working with other people, exhibit], then the school wins a doing something new that could pretty substantial prize to be used eventually come to fruition if it’s for technology,” Brown said. good enough, it’s fun,” Kuchynka Students have to follow certain said.

2014

2017

Every Last Drop Simple Machines opens to public opens to public

2014

Genetics: Unlock the Code opens to public

2021

The Amazing Brain opens to public

2023

Riveting Robots opens

BATTLES OF THE BRAIN Important events in the competition from 2011 to present

12 SPECIAL SECTION READ THE SIGNS

S

tudents have been hearing about the harms of screen time for years, but many aren’t aware of the impact notifications alone can have. Recent studies published by CNN show that a constant barrage of notifications have negative effects on teens. The 2023 study, conducted by Common Sense Media, showed that the 200 11-to-17-year-old participants checked their phones 100 times a day on average, with many feeling as if they were unable to put them down. Researchers taking part in the study concluded that the addictive algorithms of many popular social media apps, like TikTok, were to blame. The study found that excessive phone use is closely tied to the pressure to respond to notifications including not just

Nov. 8, 2023

friends and family, but notifications of tragic events worldwide.

Ultimately, the increase in phone use from notifications led to increases in anxiety in the participants.

WHAT’S THE PROBLEM? According to the study conducted by Common Sense Media, teens receive more than 20% of all notifications during the school day, which can number in the hundreds.

With two-thirds of study participants saying phone usage helped relieve negative feelings, it’s no surprise that students are glued to the screen. For sophomore Callaway Clifton, her phone can be a welcome reprieve. “[Checking my phone] gets my mind off of things like school,” Clifton said. “Just the amount of work can be too much to think about.”

Similarly, sophomore Elyott Edwards finds comfort in scrolling on his phone during the stress of

coping with school work and other responsibilities. “[I go on] TikTok just to cope,” Edwards said. “It makes me stop thinking, which is incredibly unhealthy and I know that, but I’d rather think about that than whatever is stressing me out.”

For many, the attraction of phones can make it difficult to maintain focus amidst so many things calling for attention. Sophomore Paige Roth has found that notifications can severely disrupt her focus.

“When I’m focused and I get a notification, it makes me go off track and I start to lose focus,” Roth said. “It’s definitely a struggle because once I get off track I have to realize what I’m doing in order to get back on track, which can be hard.”

According to many teachers, notifications are often the starting point for distraction during class, even just a quick check. Math teacher Sarah Sides attests to this.

“I think that it’s hard to do a quick check,” Sides said. “That check leads to something else, and then something else, and then you end up wasting 10 minutes that you wouldn’t have wasted if you didn’t have your phone at your fingertips.”

NEVER-EN NOTIF by anna zwahlen editor in chief

by maddie mulryan writer/photographer

by quinlyn peters writer/photographer

JagWire

design by jules shumaker

Many students, such as Sophomore Nathaniel Petrowsky, have experienced the phenomena that Sides described with apps like TikTok, which have highly personalized algorithms. According to the aforementioned study, TikTok was the longest-duration app used by participants at two hours on an average day, but ranging to over seven hours.

“I check my phone every five or 10 minutes or when I get a notification,” Petrowsky said. “If I click on a TikTok notification, I’m there for hours, it’s just such a big waste of time.”

However, many students may not be aware of just how much they check their phones. School psychologist Stacy Miller states that this can lead to huge amounts of screen time.

“It’s really interesting because you feel like “Oh, I don’t look at my phone that much,” but you do, everyone does,” Miller said.

“I think that the average is seven hours a day that we look at our phones. That’s a lot of time. Of the time that you’re not asleep, that’s almost half your day that you’re checking your phone.”

Science teacher Eric Thomas, who limits phone usage in his classes, believes that the issue of

notifications is even more recognizable now than it has been in the past.

“I really think that we’re coming to a point where students know they have a problem,” Thomas said. “If you were to ask maybe five or six years ago, it would be a little bit different, but I think now students are like “no, I really do need somebody to tell me to put away my phone otherwise I can hardly function.’”

It’s not just functioning within school that is the problem. According to Miller, the constant influx of notifications from emails, Canvas or Skyward can lead to unbalanced lives, even for adults.

“A big thing for adults is the work and leisure boundaries,” Miller said. “It’s almost like we don’t have a clear boundary between our work life and our leisure life, they’re constantly bleeding into each other. Work is carrying over into home and we’re not having that separation.”

This lack of separation can be very frustrating for students and teachers alike. According to Roth, there is an element of stress associated with the constant expectation to socialize.

“Sometimes I think [getting notifications] just stresses me out be-

NDING FICATIONS

SPECIAL SECTION

cause I don’t want to have to think about responses,” Roth said. “I don’t want to have to think about how my words could affect people, so getting those notifications and having to respond stresses me out.”

RESPONSE TIME One of the main roadblocks to staying off phones is that it can be a struggle to mentally and emotionally differentiate between important and unimportant notifications.

According to senior Ellee Wheelock, it can be difficult to resist the temptation to check her phone with each notification.

“It’s definitely hard to ignore my phone when I’m getting notifications and I want to constantly check it, but so I’ve kind of learned to just ignore them,” Wheelock said.

In her career, Miller has found that anticipating messages or notifications can lead to distraction for students at school and

This is the text you should use to create your subheads.

How the daily endless amount of notifications affects students’s psyche for the better and worse

13

14 SPECIAL SECTION at home.

“It’s easy to want to know what that buzz was or the vibration of your watch or whatever it may be,” Miller said. “If something’s going on and your friends are contacting you, it’s hard to have focused attention on school and your tasks.”

This is true for senior Kai Hayes, who has felt overwhelmed by the number of notifications he received at once, especially if they are school-related.

“There’s just too many notifications and [my phone] is constantly buzzing so I just have to use the Do not Disturb feature,” Hayes said. “[There’s more pressure] if it’s something for drumline and a bunch of people are sending messages or something that’s important.”

According to a JagWire survey of 164 students, 53.1% of students cannot go over one hour without checking their phone. Roth explains that for her it can be stressful to be away from her phone for long periods of time.

“It stresses me out because I feel like I’m missing out on something important,” Roth said. “If somebody needs something from me, I can’t get back to them.”

With most notifications setting off the same sound, it can be hard to determine the actual urgency of a notification.

“I think that there’s always an urgency of “Does my friend need me? Does my mom need me?’”

Miller said. “It makes me feel bet-

Nov. 8, 2023

ter if I’m that person that’s always responding and helping.”

Even when it doesn’t result in opening the phone, notifications encourage heavy attachment to

Too many notifications feel like someone’s tugging on your arm. It feels like someone is demanding your attention. I don’t know why, like just a couple texts don’t feel like that, but if I have 20 texts, it feels like everyone is trying to rip me apart.

Sophomore Ellyott Edwards

the device. Wheelock said that she checks her phone for new notifications every five minutes.

“I’ll check my phone but sometimes I don’t answer [my notifications],” Wheelock said. “I’ll still see who it is and I always check [that].”

For Clifton, seeing so many names flash across the screen can cause important notifications to get lost in the flood.

“Usually I’ll [pick up my phone] for iMessage and texts because they’re more important, I think,” Clifton said. “They are usually from more important people like my parents who might need me to respond quickly.”

These kinds of constant notifications can be stressful for many students. For Roth, the buzzing of her phone can upset her mood when she is trying to take time for herself.

“Sometimes if I’m not in a social mood and I get a whole bunch of notifications it just makes me mad,” Roth said. “When I’m trying to listen to music and my airpods tell me I got a notification, that’s when I get mad.”

Similarly, Edwards feels overwhelmed being constantly pulled back into his phone by notifications.

“Too many notifications feel like someone’s tugging on your arm, it feels like someone is demanding your attention,” Edwards said. “I don’t know why, like just a couple texts don’t feel like that, but if I have 20 texts, it feels like everyone is trying to rip me apart.”

Miller understands the difficulty of maintaining a healthy relationship with notifications in a society that relies heavily on instant replies.

“Our world is not designed to

GET THE MESSAGE? their phones and on what apps TOP 3 APP’S WITH THE HIGHEST NOTIFICATIONS 43.9%

82.3%

59.1%

IG

ONE HOUR

TEXTS

OF STUDENTS SAY THE LONGEST THEY’VE GONE WITHOUT CHECKING THEIR PHONE WAS

SNAPCHAT

How frequently students check

37.8% Survey of 164 students

JagWire

design by jules shumaker

KEEP A LOOK OUT 57.3%

OF STUDENTS SAID THEY ALWAYS SILENCE THEIR PHONES WHEN THEY GET TO SCHOOL

have a separation from our phones anymore,” Miller said. “We do so many things on them and they can be really useful. There has to be a good balance of when you can use them and when you should not so that you can be engaged in the lesson or activity.”

CHECK YOURSELF, NOT YOUR PHONE Reaching a good technology balance can be difficult when social media apps are designed to pull users in.

For some students like Wheelock, the Do not Disturb feature has been a useful tool in limiting how much she checks her phone.

“I use [Do not Disturb] during tests and then at night,” Wheelock said. “If I know I need to focus then I like to make myself not check [my phone].”

Similarly, Miller advocates for the usage of do not disturb features to avoid the buzz of notifications while she is trying to sleep.

“I use sleep mode at night, and so it turns my phone and all my notifications off so I don’t get any phone calls or messages,” Miller said.

SPECIAL SECTION

15

What notification alerts look like for the student body throughout the day

48.2%

OF STUDENTS SAID THEY GET THE MOST NOTIFICATIONS IN THE AFTERNOON

STUDENTS SAY THEY GET 14.6% OF 0-50 NOTIFICATIONS A DAY

28% 6.1%

It can be hard to get into these habits. For Edwards, shutting off all notifications can be just as stressful as being flooded with them.

“I don’t [use Do not Disturb] just because I’m always afraid that something’s going to be urgent and then I’m going to miss it,” Edwards said.

To avoid this anxiety, some students limit notifications on just the most distracting apps, like Roth has done with TikTok. “I turn on my Do Not Disturb on my phone during tests,” Roth said. “For TikTok I don’t even have notifications turned on cause I don’t need another reason to open the app.”

Additionally many apps have features that enforce time limits on that app exclusively, which can be set by the owner. This is one of many ways that Miller suggests to prevent getting sucked in by notifications.

“You can set limits within an app,” Miller said. “You can go into Instagram and say “I only want to use it for 30 minutes a day” and it can set some time limits, which can be super helpful.”

Taking a break from the phone altogether can also help improve general focus. While reading,

OF STUDENTS SAY THEY GET 101-200 NOTIFICATIONS A DAY OF STUDENTS SAY THEY GET 401-500+ NOTIFICATIONS A DAY

drawing or other activities can help, Miller attests that simply staying off your phone during quality time has its benefits.

“Having a tech free evening with your friends can be really healthy and healing to create some space and boundaries,” Miller said. “You have to remind yourself that there are times that you have to be truly engaged and not interrupted.”

In the end, phones can be an excellent tool for socialization and communication, but teens have to recognize when that vibration begins to interfere in their lives, according to Thomas.

“I think the phone is a tool, just like anything else, but I think it’s a tool that can dominate you,” Thomas said. “When that starts to happen, I think you just have to put away your phone.”

16 OPINIONS

design by maddie mulryan

Nov. 8, 2023

VERT ALERTS

JagWire reporter Hailey Perrin turns off her phone for an entire day and reports on the effect it had on her focus and mood

by hailey perrin writer/photographer

Did turning off your phone improve your focus at school?

During my day to day life my screen time reached nearly 6 hours each day previous to this experiment.

As far as focus goes during the first half of my first block, English, no. I was almost more distracted thinking

about all the things I could be missing on my phone. However eventually it leveled and by 2nd block psychology class I had almost completely forgotten about not checking my phone.

How did you feel throughout the day without your phone?

Forcing myself to not check my phone or even touch it gave me more anxiety than I have on a general school day. I was scared that I would miss something important or be left out about some local or social news.

Uneasy and hyper was another thing I noticed rising in levels. I was getting bored quickly and almost felt like I needed to multitask but I wasn’t sure how to without my phone.

What benefits and drawbacks did you notice during the day?

As far as benefits go I was able to read over a hundred pages of a book which I had been struggling to force myself to read for a while now. As far as my actual academic day, once I was able to use my laptop for mu-

-sic my focus went through the roof and I got all my assignments done for the week. However I did notice that I was behind on conversations my friends were having which left me feeling left out and confused.

design by barron fox OPINIONS

JagWire

13

JagWire reporter Madelyn Mulryan shares her opinion on why we should have four day school weeks

by madelyn mulryan writer/photographer

G

rowing up, five-day school weeks were fine. But now, four-day weeks are crucial to the overall wellness of students and staff and Mill Valley.

When we were younger, we would have 30 minutes of homework and then go play catch outside.

But now that we’re in high school, our days are filled with more than just school and homework. We have practice after school and on weekends, along with clubs and all eight classes with half an hour of homework, and on top of all of this, some students have to work. There is no time to rest.

Four-day weeks would prevent and eliminate burnout by giving students the time they need to take a break and care for themselves before returning to school. They would be able to get everything in their personal lives done, along with getting caught up and ready for the week ahead. The agenda in place currently causes students to spend almost all of their time outside of school thinking or working on schoolwork.

This isn’t a good setting for students and is likely a cause of many adults struggling with having a work/life balance. Only having a couple of days off during the busiest part of a teenager’s life only

adds to the mountain of stress a teenager has.

Having a weekday off could allow students to pick up college classes, more work hours, or even become an intern. This can set up opportunities for students to think about their careers and prepare for their future.

Only having a couple of days off during the busiest part of a teenager’s life only adds to the mountain of stress sophomore madelyn mulryan

If four-day weeks were implemented, our district wouldn’t be the first to try it: 71 schools in Kansas have already switched to having four days a week. Not only schools, but many companies have also continued to shift to only four days a week stating that having more time off increases work incentive and focus, which I’m sure would be reflected in a school setting as well.

Having Friday off wouldn’t be the only schedule change. Other districts that have already moved

to this schedule, and start at the same time we do: 7:50. They only end school later, around 3:45. While this might seem like a downside, it would coincide better with parents who work longer, and younger siblings who currently get out of elementary school at 3:30.

Other than having longer school days, four-day weeks would create a better schedule. We wouldn’t need a reminder at the beginning of every week for if it’s a silver or blue day, because it would stay the same each week. We also wouldn’t need a late start on Wednesday, since teachers could just have professional development days.

This would also greatly benefit teachers, who would not only get another day off, but would get more planning time and not have to worry about having only two days with one class, while three with the other. Because of these benefits, it would be easier to find teachers to hire in general, because working at Mill Valley would have a greater appeal than working for a school that has five-day weeks.

Students could spend their Friday getting caught up on homework and studying for their tests the next week, while still saving time to enjoy their weekend and spend time on their other hobbies.

Having four-day weeks would make everyone’s life easier, it’s a win-win.

18 A&E

Students At Work

Two students who work at both smoothie restaurants share their opinions

Junior Emma Ronning “It’s a lot healthier in my opinion,” Ronning said. “You can customize the smoothies more [at Smoothie King]. You can switch out the extras.”

Sophomore Nadia Kindt “I feel like there is a better variety for picky eaters at Tropical Smoothie Cafe,” Kindt said.

Nov. 8, 2021

Tropical Smoothie Cafe

Ratings and comparisons of three similar drinks from each place

Kiwi Quencher This smoothie was the best from Tropical Smoothie Cafe. It was sweeter than its counterpart, which we enjoyed. It overall had a slightly better flavor, so it wins for the strawberry and kiwi category.

Mango Magic This drink competed well with its counterpart, but it was overall less flavorful and tasted slightly watered down compared to “Island Impact” causing it to lose in the mango and pineapple category.

Blueberry Bliss Tropical Smoothie Cafe’s “Blueberry Bliss” had a good consistency, but the banana overpowered the strawberry and blueberry, causing it to lose merit in the flavor category. This drink was our least favorite of those we tried.

SMOOTHIE JagWire reporters review both new smoothie places to

JagWire

A&E

design by avery clement

Smoothie King

19

with winning drinks highlighted

Strawberry Kiwi Breeze This drink was good overall and both the kiwi and strawberry flavors shined through.

Both this drink and its Tropical Smoothie Cafe counterpart were fairly similar in taste, though it was a bit more tart.

Island Impact This Smoothie King drink provided a deliciously tropical combination both mango and pineapple flavors. It was not only our favorite drink from Smoothie King, but also our favorite overall.

Junior Emma Ronning scoops ingredients into a customized Banana Berry Treat smoothie at Smoothie King Friday, Oct. 13. photo by olivia peters

Banana Berry Treat This smoothie had a very strong flavor, but the seeds were distracting when drinking it. Despite this, it was the winner in the blueberry and banana category because of its great flavor.

Student Selection Students share their smoothie favorites.

1. Strawberry Banana

27

students

by emma clement editor in chief

by maddie martin writer/photographer

WARS decide which is better

2. Mango

13

students

3. Strawberry 4. Kiwi

10

students

3

students

Survey of 164 students

Smoothie King

Tropical Smoothie Cafe

49% 51% Which do you prefer?

20 A&E

Nov. 8, 2023

OUR TRUE COLORS Use these tips and tricks to find the seasonal color palette that makes your features stand out

PALETTE PREFERENCES

Sophomore Claire Cooper

Students’ opinions and experiences with seasonal palettes Survey of 164 students

18%

16%

34%

14%

Winter Spring Summer Fall

26% 41% VS 34% of students dress according to a specific color palette

Gold

WINTER

Silver

Colors: Neutrals/Warms Season: Fall Jewelry: Both photo by luke wood

“It definitely makes me feel better and more put together when I have outfits that flow together throughout the week.”

SPRING

The colors and characteristics of a winter palette

The colors and characteristics of a spring palette

Best Colors

Best Colors

Black, white, emerald, royal blue, deep red/maroon and other jewel

Coral, aqua, ivory, golden browns and other bright or

tones

lively colors

Worst Colors

Worst Colors

Oranges and pastels

Black and muted/very dark colors

Common Traits

Common Traits

Dark or blueish black hair without red highlights, absence of rosy cheeks and eyes with white flecks in

Freckles, “peaches and cream” complexion, golden/orange tone, flush easily, blue/green/golden brown eyes

the iris

and hair with warm undertones

Famous Winters

Famous Springs

Selena Gomez, Lucy Liu, Michael B. Jordan, Katy Perry, Viola Davis and Zooey

Chris Hemsworth, Taylor Swift, Demi Lovato, Tessa Thompson, Jennifer Hud-

Deschanel

son and Rebel Wilson

Source: Insider, Spicemarket Colour

Source: Insider, Spicemarket Colour

JagWire

research & design by emma clement

A&E

21

SILVER OR GOLD Identify your undertones and which jewelry type fits you best 1. What color are your veins?

3. What color tint does your skin have when next to white?

5. What is your skin’s typical reaction to the sun?

A

Greenish-blue

A

Yellow

A Tan

B

Bluish-purple

B

Pink/Rosy

B

2. What color are your features (skin and eyes)?

4. Which color looks best on you (when wearing no makeup)?

A

Deep/dark

A

Orange

B

Fair/light

B

Fuchsia

SUMMER

Sources: Insider, Byrdie

Burn

RESULTS

MOSTLY As

You have warm undertones! Your skin looks best in gold jewelry and you are most likely a spring or fall palette.

MOSTLY Bs

You have cool undertones! Your skin looks best in silver jewelry and you are most likely a summer or winter palette.

FALL

The colors and characteristics of a summer palette

The colors and characteristics of a fall palette

Best Colors

Best Colors

Powder blue, mauve, lemon

Orange, brown, red, pale blue,

yellow, grayish pastels and cool/ muted colors

muted peach, olive green and deep greens

Worst Colors

Worst Colors

Orange and most yellows

Black, white and pastels

Common Traits

Common Traits

Cool toned hair, blue/green/gray/soft

Warm/golden undertone,

hazel eyes, pinkish/reddish/grayish undertones to the skin and blonde hair in childhood

Famous Summers

Emily Blunt, Anna Kendrick, Olivia Wilde, Kate Middleton, Leona Lewis and Rami

copper/caramel hair with red or gold streaks, hazel eyes with flecks of brown/ gold and warm/golden freckles

Famous Falls

Jennifer Lopez, Halle Berry, Beyoncé, Ana de Armas, Elizabeth Olsen, and

Malek

Rihanna

Source: Insider, Spicemarket Colour

Source: Insider, Spicemarket Colour

22 SPORTS

Nov. 8, 2023

SIGNING UP & SIGNING OUT

by anna zwahlen editor in cheif

by ian chern copy editor

Students currently and working towards being recruited to a collage

ELLA

HANSEN

Seniors ___ and ___ are Senior Ella Hansento continues her already committed ___ swimming career by signing on to and ___ the University of Missouri

S

wimmer and senior Ella Hansen committed to the University of Missouri in

June.

“I wanted to continue my swimming career and just see how long I can belong to it and I fell in love with [Missouri] and it just felt like home,” Hansen said. “ I plan on going into media studies in their journalism school.”

Collegiate swimming follows a very different recruitment process compared to most other sports.

According to Hansen, the process can be more direct rather than passive.

“You go on a visit and [the school] will come and watch you swim and then you about offers,” Hansen said. “I only had Mizzou come and watch me because that’s the one official visit I went to.”

Hansen began searching for her school early in the year as she racked up the stats to back up her profile.

“Recruitment started at the beginning of August,” Hansen said.

“That’s when colleges can reach out to you. There’s a thing called Swim Cloud where colleges can

Starting off her race at a swim competition, senior Ella Hansen continues to improve her times even after committing to Mizzou. photo submitted by Sweet Chai Photography

look at all your times and meets you’ve completed, then they reach out to you in August and you start taking visits then.”

Though the overall recruitment process may look different, schools are still looking for specific traits in their recruited swimmers, according to Hansen. “[Schools] want to see how well you can place in your conference meet,” Hansen said. “I’m going to an SEC school, so they’re gonna see how many points I can score for their team. I think it was definitely my 100 fly and two fly that got me to Mizzou.”

SENIOR SUCCESS

Senior Ella Hansen’s swim awards and accomplishments Sunflower League School league record USA Swimming Junior National Championships

1 1 5

st Team 2022 state champion st ever- 100 Fly 55.31 seconds th place Women’s 100 Fly

JagWire

design by hailey perrin SPORTS

COLIN

Practicing his single leg takedowns, senior Colin McAlister works on his form at practice Monday, Oct. 16 photo by luke wood

MCALISTER With his profile ready senior Colin McAlister is recrutted to the Univercity of Nebraska

W

restler and senior Colin McAlister committed to the University of Nebraska in September.

For McAlister, his recruiting profile is on TrackWrestling which is designed for wrestling. On his TrackWrestling profile, it lists his wrestling record, competition results and match videos.

McAlister began creating his profile by asking other experienced individuals for wisdom.

“I started out by talking to people who had created profiles before to figure out what information I needed to include,” McAlister said. “I made sure to include my academic and athletic achieve-

ments as well as some highlights.”

For many student athletes, they have a difficult time deciding when to begin creating their recruiting profile. McAlister believes that creating one earlier is beneficial.

“I started building my profile at the beginning of summer which felt a little late for me,” McAlister said. “I would suggest to start building it as early as possible and adding to it as you progress in your academic and athletic career.”

Even after being recruited, student athletes cannot slack and

JAYDEN

WOODS

A

must continue to work hard.

McAlister continues to focus on wrestling and school to keep his commitment.

“In school I have to make sure I’m still holding myself to a high standard on and off the mat,” McAlister said. “That includes getting good grades and working hard in the practice room. I also need to stay out of trouble outside of school. Having good character and being the person I sold myself as while getting recruited is very important.”

Junior Jayden Woods uses a stiff arm to block the opponent Friday, Oct. 13. Woods is consistently working on getting more offers photo by elizabeth summa

Junior Jayden Woods actively prepares his recruitment profile for future recruitments

ll-state football player junior Jayden Woods, who holds 24 offers, is one of many student athletes who are in the midst of their recruiting process.

Woods mainly uses X, formerly known as Twitter, as his recruiting platform. There, Woods includes his physical attributes, GPA and video highlights. Through X, he is able to communicate and speak with college coaches and scouts.

Woods believes that a primary part of recruitment profiles is maintaining contact with scouts and coaches.

“It’s just contact really and once your name gets out there, it’s just kind of out there,” Woods said.

23

“It’s just like a snowball effect. So once it gets started, it really doesn’t stop.”

Woods regularly updates his recruiting profile by posting new offers he receives and by adding new video highlights to his Hudl account.

Since Woods was first invited to the University of Kansas to watch a football game, he has received a flurry of offers.

“It kind of just came out of nowhere,” Woods said. “It was like the fourth week of the season last year, and KU invited me to a game

and it just kind of snowballed from there.”

With many colleges looking for well-rounded potential recruits, student athletes must be able to find a balance between school and their sports. Woods explains how he has handled his recruitment process.

“I’m just trying to balance everything and just not getting consumed by it,” Woods said. “Just trying to be a student when it’s time to be a student and be active when it’s time to be active.”

JagWire

OLIVIA KERSTETTER

I

by ian chern copy editor

n August, senior Olivia Kerstetter made her individual debut in the 2023 CrossFit Games against ages 18-35. During these games, she was the youngest competitor at age 17 and placed 16th in the world. Her results also earned her the 2023 Rookie of the Year award.

Olivia previously competed in the CrossFit Games teenage division where she earned the title “Fittest Teen on Earth” twice. The CrossFit Games include various types of fitness including swimming, weight lifting, cardio and gymnastics.

Being surrounded by an athletic family, Olivia began her fitness journey at a young age.

You have to easily adapt and change your mindset and just always stay positive.

Olivia Kerstetter

“Whenever I was little, I used to go to the gym with my dad all the time and I wasn’t ever old enough to actually compete,” Olivia said.

“I would just swing on the bars and do stuff while he worked out and then once I was old enough, I started doing kids classes.”

Russell Kerstetter, Olivia’s dad, has also done CrossFit for 10 years.

He explains how he has watched

Olivia grow since she started CrossFit. “She started at 9 years of age,” Russell said. “It’s been great to watch her get stronger and work on weaknesses over the years.

She puts in a lot of hard work and takes dedication with her nutrition. As a parent in any sport you get nervous and cheer her on. She is very dedicated and works hard daily. ” Jacob Heppner, a CrossFit Games veteran, met Olivia in 2015 when they started to train together. They now regularly train at Heppner’s home gym called “The Barn”. Heppner believes that Olivia’s drive and motivation is what sets her apart from other teenagers.

“Come summertime, most teenagers aren’t going to want to spend time and go work out two or three times a day,” Heppner said. “That’s what she’s done for many, many years and why she has the success she has had. ” The CrossFit Games span over the course of multiple days with each day containing multiple events. According to Olivia, maintaining a positive mindset is important for success during her competitions.

“You just have to easily adapt and change your mindset and just always stay positive,” Olivia said.

“There’s a lot of difficult things that can happen but you just have to stay positive.”

Olivia’s work ethic and results in the CrossFit games have made her family proud.

[Olivia] winning the 14-15 and 16-17 teenage division was a very proud moment,” Russell said.

“Then as a 17 year old this year she qualified as an elite individual and was 16th in the world. That was a pretty amazing week of competition.”

Olivia continues to train rigorously during the school year, working out five days a week with each session lasting a couple hours. She believes her training always pays off when it comes time to compete.

“I like how fun it is and how rewarding it is to work so hard all year and then being able to compete and show everyone else what you do,” Olivia said. “I also like inspiring people and setting an example.”

design by luke wood

I AM MV

24

Making her way through a timed event, senior Olivia Kerstetter completes the muscle up section at her CrossFit competition. photo submitted by olivia kerstetter

FAN ASTIC FEATS A short list of Kerstetter’s accomplishments and stats

#1

Ranked CrossFit 16-17 Year Old

#82

Ranked CrossFit Any Age

245

Pound Competition Clean Max

305

Pound Competition Squat Max

395

Pound Competition Deadlift Max Source: CrossFit Games