JagWire Newspaper — Volume 16, Issue 4

MILL VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL VOLUME 16 ISSUE 4 dec. 15, 2015

The rise of technology in cheating pg. 8-9

TABLE OF CONTENTS NEWS cost of being a senior district recognizes individuals

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FEATURES people pieces: senior Morgan Nelson Twitter persona cheating evolves with technology DECA

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7 8-9 10

special section football team wins first ever state title 11-14

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OPINIONS 15

staff editorial

16-18

opinion columns

SPORTS overtime

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ice skating information

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11-14

A&E year of the sequel

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English teachers recommend novels

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PHOTO ESSAY physical education classes

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table of contents

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DESIGN BY Karissa Schmidt

24 Cover photo BY Madison ferguson

mill valley high school jagwire

JAGWIRE JAGWIRE OFFICE 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 the Sedalia Democrat.

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS Kansas Scholastic Press Association National Scholastic Press Association Journalism Education Association The 2015 JagWire was named a Pacemaker winner and an All-American newspaper by the NSPA, and earned an All-Kansas rating from the KSPA. The Mill Valley News website was also named a Pacemaker finalist by the NSPA.

CENSORSHIP POLICY Kansas Senate Bill 62 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.

Tori Aerni Sarah Myers Karissa Schmidt Jillian Leiby Nick Booth Abigail Archibong Adri Talavera Madison Ferguson Sam Lopez Claire Biles Margaret Mellott Braden Shaw Justin Curto Jena Smith Alison Booth Nora Lucas Claire Boone Jason Chen Tricia Drumm Morgan Gurwell Nick Precht Victoria Wright

staff EDITOR-IN-CHIEF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MANAGING EDITOR COPY EDITOR Business manager Business manager & opinions editor PHOTO EDITOR NEWS EDITOR FEATURES/A&E EDITOR FEATURES/A&E EDITOR SPORTS EDITOR mill valley news editor-in-chief mill valley news editor-in-chief social media editor social media editor Reporter & PHOTOGRAPHER REPORTER & ILLUSTRATOR REPORTER Reporter & PHOTOGRAPHER Photographer Reporter & PHOTOGRAPHER

EDITORIAL POLICY We value your opinions. If you wish to submit a column or a letter to the editor for 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.

SOCIAL MEDIA Twitter: @millvalleynews Facebook: Mill Valley News

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DESIGN BY karissa schmidt

staff

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BREAKING The bank Seniors spend a substantial amount of money in order to apply for colleges and scholarships

by alison booth reporter jagwire.alisonbooth@gmail.com

by sam lopez news editor jagwire.samlopez@gmail.com s final deadlines approach and seniors begin applying to college, several students start to endure the financial, timely and emotional strain of the application process.

The process of applying to colleges has proven to be expensive. Along with a completed application that includes basic information, colleges typically request a student’s high school transcript, SAT or ACT scores, letters of recommendation and several essays.

Although sending in transcripts, essays and letters of recommendation are free, sending in test scores and the application make up the majority of the expenses. According U.S. News & World Report, out of 1,073 schools, the average application fee was $41 in 2014. SAT and ACT tests give four free score reports that can be sent to colleges, but after those four each report costs $11 each, according to Marketplace by American Public Media.

The expense for sending in applications builds up, according to senior Jack Booth. “[The total cost has] probably been upwards of $500 at this point,” Booth said.

“When I was first looking at applying for college, it didn’t look like it would be that bad, like maybe $50 an application, and I didn’t really think about how much money I would be spending to send everything in.”

Although several colleges charge for students to send in applications, others will occasionally waive the fee. Such was the case for senior Isabel Crain. One university waived her application fee because she visited their campus, another also waived the fee because of the strength of her ACT scores.

Some disapprove of the high price of applications, including senior Karla Kim, who said that the cost of sending in applications is extraordinarily high and unreasonable.

“We want education to be that opportunity and that access to people to climb up the social ladder, and to be educated and to get good jobs,” Kim said. “I think [high application costs] are not really fair and obviously

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gives a disadvantage to those who can’t afford to apply to multiple colleges.”

In comparison, Isabel’s father Scott Crain feels as if colleges should aim to encourage the students to participate in applying to colleges, regardless of their application fee.

“You’re going to have students whose families are on the lower end of the economic scale who may be just as fabulous of a student as anyone else and you sure don’t want to discourage them in any way from applying,” Scott said.

In addition to fiscal extremes, seniors must spend an adequate amount of time filling out the applications thoroughly in order to make sure colleges receive all parts of the application, according to Kim. “When you send your application, you need to constantly call [colleges] to make sure they have all parts of the application, so I mainly use my teacher’s aid block for that,” Kim said. “For other people who don’t have that time, I can see how it’s challenging.”

Along with filling out the physical application, several seniors have also begun spending large periods of their time going on college visits. The college visits, according to Isabel, are extremely helpful when narrowing down schools one wishes to apply to.

“My dad and I actually drove around a good majority of the U.S.,” Isabel said. “I think we went around ten or 11 states. We drove through them all and tried to figure out where in the world I was going to spend the next four years of my life.”

The emotional toll the process has on students also poses as a difficult factor to overcome. Scott feels that it can be exceedingly frustrating and a “burden for the students, but [not] an unexpected burden.”

Although challenging, Isabel said that the process of applying to college has caused her to reflect on her own personality.

“I think I’ve almost learned more about myself by writing all these scholarship [essays],” Isabel said. “I’ve learned to be humble but confident in myself trying to sell myself to these people.”

Photo Illustration by Claire Boone

What it costs to Costs for completing applications and college visits

$41 $11

average application fee According to U.S. News & World Report

cost for test reports after sending in first four test reports for SAT and ACT According to American Public Media

$3,500 approximate cost of college visits (including lodging, travel, and food) According to American Public Media

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DESIGN BY sam lopez

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Awards

Board, principals and directors recognized 32 people in December

20 ABOVE: Board of Education member Mitch Powers recognizes junior Jakob Coacher for his academic progress at the Board meeting Monday, Dec. 7. “Jakob [is] a representative of all those kids who work their tails off,” Powers said at the meeting. Photo by Justin Curto

Students recognized by Board members

12 Staff recognized by principals and directors

To appreciate staff, students and community members, Board of Education members and principals are

by JUSTIN CURTO mill valley news editor-in-chief ue to two initiatives focused on recognizing staff members, students and district residents, this year’s Board of Education meetings begin on a lighter note.

The initiatives allow Board members, principals and directors to recognize individuals’ extraordinary efforts at the beginning of each Board meeting by giving short speeches about who they chose to recognize and presenting those they chose to recognize with certificates.

With the first initiative, proposed by interim superintendent Dr. Ron Wimmer, Board members recognize district staff, students and residents. With the second, proposed by interim director of human resources Dr. Lowell Martinie, building principals, along with directors of groups like student nutrition and Access House, recognize staff members. Both occur on a rotating cycle.

Board members began recognizing individuals in September, and principals and directors began in October. Since then, over 80 individuals have been recognized.

“I think it’s important for us to recognize people from a standpoint that lets them know how much we appreciate their efforts and what they’re doing to help others,” Martinie said. “It’s just … human nature to appreciate being appreciated.”

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For Wimmer, allowing the Board of Education to recognize people had more benefits than giving people attention for hard work.

“I was thinking of a way to get the Board members more involved with people in the community and the school district other than sitting behind the podium and I came across the idea,” Wimmer said.

It’s just ... human nature to appreciate being appreciated.

INTERIM DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURC-

Senior Annie Dillon, who was recognized

by Board vice president Dick Dearwester at the Board meeting Monday, Nov. 2, for her work as NHS co-president, said she also enjoyed the recognition because it makes student efforts more public.

“It lets people in the community know what’s going on in the schools,” Dillon said.

“It also lets the students know what they’re doing has been … noticed by other people in the district.”

Principal Tobie Waldeck recognized four

mill valley high school DESIGN BY JUSTIN CURTO

staff members at the Board meeting Monday, Oct. 5: StuCo sponsors Erica Crist and Jessica DeWild, SLT sponsor Erin Hayes and lead custodian Mike Maurer. He said it was difficult to choose so few.

“We looked for extraordinary effort, and when you sit down and you actually start thinking about that and you look at the 148 staff members I have in this building, that’s not a very easy thing to do,” Waldeck said.

“The only negative drawback that I can think of centers on the fact that I can’t select all of them, it’s just not possible.”

Hayes said she not only enjoyed being recognized, but also seeing the other recognitions.

“It was really cool to sit and watch the other people that had been nominated and recognized,” Hayes said. “I think any time you get a pat on the back, it kind of reaffirms what you’re doing.”

Wimmer and Martinie, who will both leave the district at the end of the year, said they would like to see the programs continued. Martinie, however, said he would be open to other ideas for programs as well.

“I would like to see us continue to find ways to recognize staff,” Martinie said. “It may not be in this particular program … but there might be some other ways to do this that would be just as effective.”

For further coverage: { http://www.mvnews.org }

NEWS

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people Pieces: Morgan Nelson A series on our students and what makes them unique

ABOVE: Sitting next to her open laptop, on Wednesday, Nov. 25, senior Morgan Nelson shares her Twitter profile. Photo by Claire Boone

Twitter’stop Dog Senior Morgan Nelson expresses herself openly on social media

by nora lucas reporter and photographer jagwire.noralucas@gmail.com hone in hand, senior Morgan Nelson constructs a tweet about the latest football game. Within minutes, her notifications are continuously lighting up the screen, collecting over 70 likes, most of which are from people she doesn’t even know.

Twitter success hasn’t always come this easily. Nelson started out just like any other 13-year-old girl, expressing her preteen crushes through social media.

“I started my Twitter [profile] in eighth grade originally to follow Justin Bieber fan accounts,” Nelson said. “But I didn’t start real tweeting until sophomore year.”

Nelson’s tweets today consist of jokes centered around school and sports, especially football. Her Jaguar pride can shows, through her admiration of the state game and the sorrowful loss of former athletic director David Ewers.

In addition to her content changing, Nelson’s feed from other users has also evolved in past years to become more tailored to local events.

“Twitter used to be just for celebrities,”

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Nelson said. “But now, especially as a senior, it’s more about Mill Valley and Royals and stuff like that.”

One of Nelson’s friends, senior Derek Meeks, believes that she represents the student body well and expresses the everyday thoughts of students.

“Everyone loves her Twitter [profile],” Meeks said. “So she gets a lot of great feedback from it. She just finds humor in the most average situations.”

Her witty and outgoing personality on Twitter may be surprising, considering how Nelson acts in real life.

“At school, I feel like I’m pretty quiet and people have said that my Twitter [profile] is a lot different than what I usually am [like].”

Nelson said. “Twitter gives me a platform to think about what I say, [while] at school I don’t really talk to people other than [who] I’m comfortable around.”

Though this online persona is often socially positive, Nelson feels pressure to act a certain way because of how she is perceived online.

“I think some people expect me to be funny at times, even though sometimes I just don’t really have anything to say.” Nelson said. “[Because of Twitter,] I think I talk more

and I’m more open now.”

Despite these feelings, Nelson is appreciative of the friendships she’s made through her Twitter profile.

“There’s a lot of underclassmen that I follow back,” Nelson said. “That I don’t talk to ever, but I see what their lives are like through Twitter.”

Inspired By Morgan’s favorite twitter profiles

@LizMorg15 SENIOR ELIZABETH FLEMING

@jakeidc SENIOR JACOB HUBERT

@SidtheKid9872 SENIOR SID JAMBUNATHAN

design by Claire Biles

feature

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CHEAT SHEETS

A survey of 269 students reveals the prevalence of cheating via technology What technology do you use to cheat?

Texting/group messages Taking photos of answers Looking up on websites Other I don’t use technology to cheat I’ve never cheated Do you use technology to cheat?

40% 60% Have you cheated in the past year?

25%

feature

Have you cheated in the past month?

41% 75%

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Yes No

Yes No

59%

Yes No

mill valley high school jagwire

ARe You AN

E-CHEAt?

by sam lopez

by nora lucas

news editor jagwire.samlopez@gmail.com

by sarah myers

reporter and photographer jagwire.noralucas@gmail.com

editor-in-chief jagwire.sarahmyers@gmail.com

ate on a Sunday night, an anonymous junior girl finishes her last homework assignment for the weekend with the help of her classmates’ answers sent in a group message. She completed what otherwise would have taken an hour or more in less than ten minutes. However, with the power of technology at her fingertips and the overwhelming number of students using the same methods to complete assignments, the anonymous junior doesn’t think much of it.

As the use of technology for academic purposes increases, cheating is becoming more and more common and 75 percent of students in a JagWire survey having admitted to using technology in order to cheat within the last year. What is considered cheating and what is considered utilizing resources has become a gray area that many students struggle to define.

Some of these students, like the anonymous junior girl, believe that students and teachers focus too much on cheating in the classroom and not enough on cheating that happens outside of school.

“I think cheating is looked at now as when you [cheat] just on a test,” the anonymous junior girl said. “If you use other sources or copy down homework, that’s also cheating, but because of technology now, it’s not looked at as cheating.”

However, sophomore Cori Carver thinks there are definite boundaries when considering what it means to cheat.

“I think the lines [for cheating] are pretty clear. If you’re stealing someone else’s work that isn’t yours, that’s obviously cheating,” Carver said. “There’s a pretty clear definition and line between what’s OK and what’s not.”

Associate principal Leah Vomhof refers students to page nine of the student handbook for details on forms of academic misconduct, including cheating, plagiarism, obtaining an unfair advantage and aiding and abetting academic dishonesty. According to policy, “a student who engages in any form of academic misconduct will forfeit credit for the work in question and also be subject to additional disciplinary measures.”

With the new opportunities to cheat that arise with new technology, Vomhof acknowledges that academic misconduct has become more common in classrooms. However, she does not see

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the rising popularity as an excuse not to do work.

“The Internet doesn’t teach you how to think. The Internet doesn’t teach you how to analyze. If students are going there just to get information, that’s not OK because they’re not learning it,” Vomhof said. “We have to really encourage students to think and come into the classroom ready to discuss those ideas that maybe they found on the Internet, but then they can come in and talk about in a new or unique way.”

One of the ways technology has made cheating so easy is the use of group messages. Students are able to form group messages in order to share their answers to a homework assignment so others can copy them down.

“Group messages have definitely affected classes where you have the same homework [as others],” the anonymous junior girl said. “It just [gives easy ac-

When a student’s caught cheating, it destroys the trust that the teacher and other teachers had with that student.

SUBSTITUTE TEACHER DIANE BARGER cess to] what you need to find and that definitely delays the learning of those subjects.”

In one case of cheating last year, several students in a Physics class obtained pictures of answer keys to a test. With the help of group messages and mass texting, those answers spread to other students taking the course within a matter of days, according to an anonymous senior girl who was among those who initially saw and sent the answer keys to other students.

“I only sent them to one person and it just kind of spiraled from there. There were other people that were standing around and saw that we took pictures,

Photo illustration by morgan gurwell

Technological advances have made it easier to find new ways for students to cheat

so … we started a group message and everyone sent it out,” the anonymous senior girl said. “I felt awful about it. At first, I felt like it was wrong to do it, and as it progressed and [the answers] got out, I knew it shouldn’t be happening.”

Substitute teacher Diane Barger was teaching the physics class at the time, however on the day of the incident, Barger was absent and had a substitute teacher covering for her. On her return, she was disappointed to learn that students had taken pictures of the answer key and sent them to others and consequently required all of her classes to retake a new test.

“I don’t think students are understanding of how far-reaching what they do is,” Barger said. “When they cheat, it affects them, it affects the teacher, other teachers and administration. When a student’s caught cheating, it destroys the trust that [the] teacher and other teachers had with that student.”

Although it is easy to spread answers when students are given a key, like in math and science classes, English classrooms can also be subject to academic dishonesty, like plagiarism, according to English teacher Anna Nelson.

“I want my students to know that they need to learn the lesson now so if I catch them cheating on an essay or copying something I always try to talk to them about [it],” Nelson said. “These consequences are bad now but they’re going to be really bad in the future with paper writing in particular.”

Not only does cheating affect a student’s reputation, but Carver claims it takes away from students who put in the effort required to get their work done.

“I work hard to get good grades and I work hard to be ready for tests and do my homework,” Carver said. “So when people cheat their way out of studying and cheat their way out of doing their own work, it makes me angry.”

While cheating may continue to be an issue for most schools, Vomhof believes the best way to combat this problem is to inspire students to learn.

“We have to really encourage students to think and come into the classroom ready to discuss,” Vomhof said. “[Maybe they found those] ideas on the Internet, but then they can come in and talk about [them] in a new or unique way.”

design by tori aerni & jillian leiby

feature

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6 About DEca

things you Didn’t KNOW

by braden shaw

sports editor jagwire.bradenshaw@gmail.com

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by tricia drumm

reporter jagwire.triciadrumm@gmail.com

Members of the Distributive Education Clubs of America, or DECA, explain what the club entails

WHat is Deca?

“DECA is a national organization that runs business competitions throughout the country and they have some in Canada and some in Europe. They give out scholarships to students for competing in these events and it’s what we’ve chosen to compete in our business category for.”

JUNIOR ETHAN HANSEN

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WHat Do DEca Competitions Consist of?

“You take a 100 question test in an hour or less over the material.

You also get presented with a problem situation and you have to answer a series of questions in a certain amount of time.”

SENIOR DANIELLE HOLT

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What is the preparation for a deca competition?

“We’ve had practice role playing with [Physical Education Teacher Joel] Applebee and [Associate principal Marilyn] Chrisler. We’ve also had old DECA members come back [to] help us prepare.”

JUNIOR MEGHAN BURKE

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how is a competition Judged?

“There’s one judge for your role-play. Then there is a test score out of 100. Then they rank you based off your test scores. ”

SENIOR JACOB KLENDA

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What does DECA teach from a Business Perspective?

“They have a more professional presentation of themselves and better people skills. It’s all about learning to think on your feet, solving problems … it’s an unbelievable experience [for students].”

ADVANCED MARKETING TEACHER DIANNA HEFFERNON

WHat Can students take away from deca?

“We learn a lot of business skills, definitely, because you are on the spot with your role-plays, you’re creating solutions. You definitely learn how to speak and to think critically and problem solve.”

SENIOR NADIA SUHAIL

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Feature

Design by Claire Biles Photos By Nick Precht & Claire Biles

6 mill valley high school

jagwire

s for s Krull run a veiver Luca er re ft e A id : T w H r io IG R idt ENTER: Sen sa Schmidt xis Strauss C ov. 28. Photo by Karis . Photo by Karissa Schm le A by to ho N n P , io ay at rd e. br tu m le pionship gall Golden Eagles on Sa pionship trophy in ce state cham the cham play of the ainst the Bishop Carro a to ts tt holds up ac Dervin re pionship game ag hase Midye ill C r W r io n io n se : , Se cham LEFT ov. 28 in the state Saturday, N a first down e champtionship on at st e win in th

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design by tori aerni & sarah myers

special section

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vs PITTSBURG sectionals

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56-21

Jegen scored seven of the team’s eight touchdowns. This win advanced the Jaguars to sub-state for the first time in school history.

THE ROAD TO ABOVE: Senior linebacker Grant Warford runs for a first down after an interception in the regional game against the Leavenworth Pioneers on Friday, Nov. 6. Photo by Karissa Schmidt

vs st. james districts 1

45-14 The Jaguars took a 17-14 lead at the very end of the first half after touchdown run by senior wide reciever Christian Jegen.

This win gave St. James their first loss.

vs bonner SPRINGS districts

vs TURNER districts 3

48-0

In a muddy beatdown, the Jaguars shutout the Bears, to go 3-0 in district play.

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special section

sub-state

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45-28 Jaguars beat Aquinas for the second time in the season.

The Saints scored first but the Jaguars came back and didn’t trail in the game again. This win advanced them to the state championship game.

vS BISHOP CARROLL state

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35-14

2

48-14 The Bonner Springs Braves scored the first touchdown, taking an early 7-0 lead. After two Jaguar touchdowns, Mill Valley kept the lead the rest of the game and held the the Braves from scoring in the second half.

This was also Bonner’s first loss of the season.

vs AQUINAS

vs LEAVENWORTH regionals

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49-0 The first touchdown was scored within the first minute of the game. Another shutout brought the Jaguars their first playoff win of the season.

DESIGN BY tori aerni & sarah myers

The Jaugars led the Bishop Carroll Golden Eagles the enitre game after the first touchdown. The team scored five touchdowns in freezing rain, bringing the Jaguars their first athletic state title in school history. mill valley high school jagwire

hey hey whatd’ya say?

WE WON STate Football team wins state for first time in school history with support of school and community s head coach Joel Applebee raises the 5A state championship trophy into the air, the players and students kneeling around him stand and cheer, lifting teammates onto shoulders and celebrating on the field.

On Saturday, Nov. 28, the football program won its first state championship in school history after defeating Bishop Carroll Catholic High School 35-14. For Applebee, the victory is merely a reflection of the hard work put in by players throughout the season.

“It just shows that if you are willing to put in the work, and keep the mindset that every rep, every practice, every day is important, it will pay off,” Applebee said.

“It is a testament to our kids’ character and will to win.”

For the 22 football seniors, a state title has been four years in the making. From 2012, the team has ended with records of 8-2, 10-1, 5-5 and 12-1, respectively.

“It’s been a goal since my freshman year,” senior wide receiver Christian Jegen said. “Every senior’s goal is to win a state championship and it didn’t happen until our year. It’s nice being able to accomplish your goals.”

After finishing with a 5-5 record in the 2014 season, head coach Joel Applebee said that hard work helped the team bounce back to win a state title this season.

“We just kept our heads down and worked,” Applebee said. “In the weight room, on the practice field and in film sessions. Our players really understood that it is a process and we needed to improve daily.”

This comeback and the effort devoted to making it happen translate to something greater than just winning more games, however. Defensive line coach Eric Thomas believes it shows the team’s perseverance.

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by tori aerni

by sarah myers

editor-in-chief jagwire.toriaerni@gmail.com

editor-in-chief jagwire.sarahmyers@gmail.com

“I think the biggest thing and one of the great things about football is that it teaches you how to overcome adversity,” Thomas said. “We lost to Staley in probably a game we should’ve won, but I think the pride and defending being number one all year and not wanting to be number one on paper was huge. We never got discouraged.”

It is a testament to our kids’ character and will to win.

HEAD COACH JOEL APPLEBEE For Jegen, the perseverance Thomas references contributed to the team’s success, along with encouragement and motivation.

“It gives [the school] hope that Mill Valley sports can be at the top and can compete for a state championship,” Jegen said. “We knew that we didn’t have much experience last year that we’d have almost all returning starters this year, and that this is our senior year, this is our year.

That [motivation] helped.

Besides time spent practicing and natural talent, the team also benefitted from the relationships they shared off the field, according to senior offensive lineman Tyler Shurley. Shurley saw these relationships form throughout the season between players of all classes, however what struck him the most was the closeness of this year’s seniors.

“As seniors especially, we were a very tight-knit group,” Shurley said. “I mean, we’ve been playing football together since kindergarten or first grade. It’s something we’ve always been doing together, so that

friendship transferred really easily over to the football field.”

In addition to the connection between players, the student section also made an impact on the team. The school spirit that made this year’s student section so memorable to football players was partially aided by senior Shane Calkins with his organization of weekly tailgates and spirit throughout the season.

“It’s these kids I’ve grown up with, they’re the ones out there, making plays,” Calkins said. “They’re the ones winning, and it’s really fun to watch your friends be really good at something” Senior offensive lineman Tyler Shurley affirms that the enthusiasm of the student section was one of the factors that positively affected the team on the field.

“Any time we were in a rough spot in a game, the fans were always going crazy making noise and that really helps more than people know,” Shurley said.

Shurley also notes the significance of the role coaches played, especially during this season.

“The coaches pretty much have been the fathers away from home for all of us.

They’re all great coaches, but other than that, you can tell they really cared for us and they wanted that state championship for us,” Shurley said. “We did it for us, but we did it for them too, because they’ve been helping us out all along the way.”

Looking forward, Thomas sees the state championship as an example for future players and validation that high expectations and hard work pay off.

“The truth is, no one is going to win a state championship in football without working very hard,” Thomas said.

“It doesn’t just happen. It’s not luck. You might get to the state championship with a little easier road, but you’re not going to win it. That’s the difference.”

special section

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power in Stats on the 2015 football season that led to a state title 2015 record

12-1

75

touchdowns scored

team dinners

500+ 2340

pounds of pasta eaten breadsticks eaten

13 scored by senior quarterback Logan Koch

$16,700

31

1,513

Photo by Kat Anglemyer

special section

design by tori aerni & sarah myers

scored by senior wide reciever Lucas Krull

times the band played the fight song

christian jegen - Gatorade State Football Player of the Year - 2015 Otis Taylor Award winner for Outstanding Wide Receiver

824

rushing yards

1274 14

14

52

worth of concessions sold throughout season pushups completed by senior Ryan Anderson in student section.

scored by senior wide reciever Christian Jegen

recieving yards mill valley high school jagwire

STaff Editorial

The JagWire gives its opinion on a topic covered in this issue

state title raises the bar

As the school gains recognition through football program, expectations are heightened for other programs too

ith the 5A football state championship title still fresh on the minds of students and staff, the atmosphere throughout the school and surrounding community is full of excitement and pride.

The eyes of Kansas schools, the media and patrons of the community are heavily geared toward us now that we have an athletic state title under our belt. This attention is, at first thought, positive, but only if students use it to their advantage and continue working hard in and out of the classroom, keeping the school in a positive light.

The state title undoubtedly draws attention to the football program. But this is about more than just football. This accomplishment sets the bar for other teams and activities.

The pressure for teams and activities to perform well is at an all-time high; in turn, these expectations can make the school perform stronger academically and athletically if reached. This winning mindset can be used in more than just football to make our school even more reputable.

An overwhelming amount of families and residents of Shawnee supported the success of Mill Valley throughout the season, especially in the postseason. Around threefourths of the attendees of the state pep rally were non-students, and over 3,000 fans

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were in attendance at the state title game cheering on the Jaguars. A football state championship only adds to the pride of being a Jaguar — imagine the continued extent of pride from the community if state championships happened more often. Moreover, Jaguar pride should be kept regardless if teams win or lose.

The student body prides itself on its school spirit, as it should; however students must be conscious of the fact that people outside of the community are now paying closer attention to the school. Knowing this, students should more carefully consider how they represent themselves in their actions in the student section and outside of school.

While the student section generally keeps things fun, exciting and appropriate, straying away from booing and chanting profanity — both of which were heard at the state game — will make a stronger first impression that will leave spectators spreading good word about our student body.

More than just during athletic events, the reputation of the school remains important throughout the classroom. With the prestige earned in previous years, the school can expect to get more recognition from outsiders when accomplishments like the Kansas State Board of Education’s Governor’s Achieve-

ment award are achieved. The general public knows who we are and it is crucial that we take advantage of what may come our way because of the recognition.

Mill Valley is no longer an unfamiliar name throughout Kansas, and the days of being confused for Blue Valley are numbered. Students must take this with pride and continue to represent the silver and midnight blue in a positive manner.

JagWire staff vote agree 23

Design by Adri Talavera Illustration by Jason Chen

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Point-Counterpoint

Can an injury be a positive experience?

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opinion

DESIGN BY adri talavera

Mill valley high school jagwire

point

positivity makes a difference his leg over the summer, disagreed saying it was the worst experience of his life because of everything it took away from him. While I agree that being injured does take a lot away from you, focusing on the positive can help make the worst not so bad.

While injured, life does pass you by.

There are things that you miss out on. However, it teaches you to appreciate things you can’t do any more.

Injuring my kneecap taught me to have a more positive outlook

by claire biles features/A&E editor jagwire.clairebiles@gmail.com islocating my kneecaps twice in two years should have been the worst experience of my life, but it has actually made me a more positive person. The first time I dislocated my kneecap, I had a very negative view on the world. But the second time it happened, I was able to make the best of a bad situation.

During this issues brainstorming, I brought up the idea of how injuries can actually be a positive experiences. My fellow staff member, junior Sam Lopez, who broke

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Breaking my leg impaired not only my body and sports career, but it affected my mentality too

by sam lopez news editor jagwire.samlopez@gmail.com hen the newspaper staff had to brainstorm opinion ideas for this issue, the topic of injuries came up from a fellow member of mine, senior Claire Biles. I hadn’t planned on writing an opinion this issue, but when Claire said that after dislocating her kneecap, it hasn’t been all that bad during her recovery, I couldn’t help but disagree.

Although I praise Claire for having a “glass

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CLAIRE BILES Doing simple activities such as going up and down stairs, sitting and walking become incredibly hard. You really learn how to appreciate the little things. Now, when I do normal tasks I have a sense of accomplishment and feel lucky to do something so easy as running, which is something I would never thought I would say.

Injuries can hinder way of life

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My injury has really been a “glass is half full” experience.

Instead of fixating on what I couldn’t do, I focused on what I could do. It’s impossible to not think about everything you can’t do, but thinking about the things that you can do is a way to bring happiness to a frustrating life.

Something I couldn’t do was learn the dances for the musical. So I threw myself at student directing, because it was something I could do. It made the time that I couldn’t dance go exponentially faster.

Before my injury, I considered myself a pessimist when it came to negative situations, but now I can say I am an optimist.

Being able to find the good during an injury, which is one of the worst things that can happen to a person, has taught me to find good in any situation.

I understand that the a glass is half empty outlook after an injury. That is how I was after I dislocated my kneecap the first time and I thought my life was over. Having a positive outlook is not something everyone can have, it takes a lot of work, but it makes a monumental difference. Being optimistic during my rehabilitation, I truly believe, led to my knee healing faster. I was highly motivated to regain the strength in my knee with a strength I never thought I could have.

My injury has really been a “glass is half full” experience. After two months of healing I have a new found optimism in my life.

half full” outlook on her injury, having broken my right leg and destroying all of the ligaments in my ankle back in July and still not being able to do a whole lot with my right leg alone five months later, I can’t help but have a “glass half empty” outlook on my own injury. I’m not at all trying to be a pessimist, it’s just that injuries like these are incredibly degrading physically, and even more so mentally, for people who are generally active.

For starters, I’ve never been one to ask for help from anyone, ever. After breaking my leg, I had to come to terms with the fact that I couldn’t do simple tasks such as getting a plate of food, showering, or going up and down the stairs without a lot of effort. For months, I had to push off my responsibilities around the house onto the rest of my family and rely on them for self-care such as icing, medication, food, etc. I felt like a burden and a nuisance to anyone when I asked them to help me with a task that would normally take minimal effort.

Due to the fact that I had to rely on others for everyday help, I laid around the house expending zero physical effort. Not only was I too stubborn mentally to be down and out for five months, but I now had to watch the muscle in my right leg deteriorate. This affected me way more than I anticipated. I knew that I wouldn’t be anywhere close to

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where I used to be physically. But watching it happen before my own eyes was crushing because I pride myself on being active and generally fit and I continue to struggle with how I feel physically.

While breaking my leg was mentally and physically stressful, what really hit me was that it pretty much wiped my soccer career off the face of the Earth. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to play high school soccer this year and I knew that I wouldn’t be able to get back into club soccer right away. What sucked even more was the disconnect I felt from the teams I call my soccer family and that affected my soccer career more than anything else.

While I know that I will eventually recover and be able to play sports again — such as being able to snowboard this winter as that isn’t as hard on my ankle — I was still taken away from something that I loved.

As much as I advocate for an optimistic outlook on life, there’s just not a whole lot of positive things that I could get out of breaking my leg besides not having to do chores for a good four months.

It wasn’t some miracle story about how I worked through this injury by staying positive and working hard. I was limited in what I could do physically, no matter how much I strived to do what I could to recover.

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opinion

Celebrate the healthy shift away from traditionalist politics

by nick booth copy editor jagwire.nickbooth@gmail.com ver since Bernie Sanders entered the race earlier this year, I’ve been an ardent supporter of his campaign. As somebody who considers the influence of big money the most important issue in politics, I absolutely loved his message, including his own focus on smaller monetary donations.

I agreed with him on most political issues, and admired his consistent political career.

So it’s really disconcerting for me when I see the way the media has treated his candidacy. I’ve seed pundit after pundit tell me what little chance he had to win. Sanders, as well as some of those in the Republican field, is a threat to the establishment politics of our country. This kind of threat is exactly what

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opinion

Self-piercing can lead to various healthssues and should always be performed by a professional

by margaret mellott features/A&E editor jagwire.margaretmellott@gmail.com ver the course of two years, I have acquired quite the extensive collection of piercings. It started with my mom’s gift to me for my 15th birthday­— my cartilage piercing. I was really nervous at first, but things went really smoothly.

I credit this to the fact that I went to a professional piercer with the proper training and

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opinion

DESIGN BY adri talavera

don’t count out the ‘unelectable’ American politics needs, and shouldn’t encounter so much dismissiveness.

I’ve witnessed that disdainful attitude in just about every discussion of Sanders I’ve seen. After all, a “self-described socialist” would never be able to hold the highest political position in America, right? Sanders is doing fairly well for himself in the polls right now, despite being a far-left candidate that these commentators believe would be too alienating to the general populace. Granted, he’s still quite a bit behind Hillary Clinton, but he’s certainly doing a lot better than many pundits thought he would.

On the other side of the aisle, there’s Donald Trump and Ben Carson; one is an obnoxiously idiotic reality TV star and the other a neurosurgeon, both without any prior political experience. Despite being the current frontrunners, they still receive similar condescension from their party.

While they all threaten the political establishment, none of these candidates are actually that comparatively extreme. Carson and Trump have similar positions to the rest of their party, and Sanders holds positions that are arguably less extreme than FDR’s.

There’s really no political reason for the attitude so many have towards these candidates.

Those in power are afraid of change, and especially the kind of change that threatens the way they operate; this includes, for example, Sanders’ challenge to the relationship between politicians and big money.

Because the narrative that these candi-

dates are “unelectable” pervades the media so much, people can be afraid of voting for candidates that seem so extreme. But they shouldn’t be. A change from the norm is exactly what American politics needs right now, and it’s the kind of shift that our democracy is designed to accommodate.

poll popularity DNC Primary polls (as of dec. 4) Clinton (58%) Sanders (30%) O’Malley (21%) Other (10%)

gop Primary polls (as of dec. 4) Trump (36%) Cruz (16%) Carson (14%) Other (34%) Statistics from CNN.com

Piercings: Don’t try this at home resources.

I’ve had 11 piercings since then, including my nose and a couple unusual ones such as the daith and rook. I’ve had absolutely zero problems with these piercings — no infections, no bleeding and no deviation or movement.

Way too often I am asked if I did the piercings myself. Honestly, it scares me that someone would pierce themselves instead of going to a professional.

I understand why teenagers give themselves piercings. Many times, it’s because they can not afford to have it done professionally or their parents won’t allow it. Teenagers tend to ignore the obvious dangers that come with self-piercing.

From what I’ve seen, having piercings done by someone other than a professional is just a bad choice. Growing up, my older sister had a couple friends that decided to pierce their lips themselves. While their wallets might’ve been saved, their lips weren’t.

For a solid month, their lips were infected and swollen. There was no covering it up and, it was disgusting. Unfortunately, ear piercing infections are just as bad and a lot

of people don’t know how to properly treat them.

According to the Association of Professional Piercers, using unclean equipment can lead to a various number of infections.

This is very much so a reality for many selfpiercers that use unsterile tools.

In the long run, doing piercings yourself is just not worth the overall hassle and risk.

When getting a piercing done, it’s easier to just do your research and/or be patient and wait until you’re older. I know waiting can be annoying, but safety is so much more important.

Doing proper research is crucial when getting a piercing. You have to find the right place and the right professional to get your piercing. It might take a while and some heavy research but it’ll be worth it in the end to have it expertly done.

In the end, going to a professional is so much more important than acting on impulse and getting the piercing done. The dangers that come with self-piercing far outweigh the convenience of it. I’ve had all my piercings done professionally and I couldn’t imagine it any other way.

mill valley high school jagwire

FIGURING

by morgan gurwell reporter and photographer jagwire.morgangurwell@gmail.com

IT OUT

Ice skating tips, tricks and information according to two student-figure skaters

Like a

PROFessional

Figure skaters teach basic skating tricks

“If you take your leg in a C around yourself, then you pull your arms in, then you should be able to

spiN.”

Senior Audrey Meacham

go backwards

“To , we recommend people to pretend they’re a dog and they’re wagging their tail.”

Junior jessi mitchell

Know YOur

First time

Advice Junior Jessi Mitchell’s tips to learn to skate

“Keep your] knees bent at all times — not like half bent, just slightly.”

“keep your feet together because, if your feet go too far out, then you’re going to fall on your face.”

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sports

Skates Types of skates, according to senior Audrey Meacham

DOUBLE RUNNER SKATES “[They] are little kid skates that have two blades and ... aren’t very common anymore.”

FIGURE SKATES “They have a long blade and a toe pick on the end.”

CHEap

Skates Here are the prices of admission to local rinks

$6 Crown Center Ice Terrace

HOCKEY SKATES “They have a curved [spot] at both ends of the blade.”

INLINE SKATES

$8

“[These] have two blades and they can only actually turn right ... which is very weird.”

Kansas City Ice Center

design by Justin Curto & Jena Smith

Photo by Nick Precht

mill valley high school jagwire

j a g w i r e

s p o r t s

overtime An inside look and additional coverage on this season’s sports and athletes

freshman boys form rec team Red Bulls enjoy a season of non-serious competition in soccer

by jason chen reporter and illustrator jagwire.jasonchen@gmail.com

by braden shaw sports editor jagwire.bradenshaw@gmail.com reating a recreational soccer team, freshman boys are able to enjoy a season of non-serious competition.

Four teammates of freshman Jack Matchette rush into position in a desperate struggle to maintain control of the ball. After a couple passes, the soccer ball ends up in the back of the net. It’s a goal and the team celebrates their success.

The scene appears to be a serious soccer match; however, in reality, the game is played only for pure enjoyment by the recreational indoor soccer team, the Red Bulls.

“We started [the team] last year at the beginning of the year,” Matchette said.

“We started with nine players and then added three extra.”

The team consisting of the 12 fresh-

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chant of champions Mill Valley News followers participate in voting for their favorite student section chants

31% 30% “Hey, hey what’dya say”

“Scoreboard”

29% 10% “You can’t do that”

“Let’s go Jaguars” Survey of 215 students

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man boys developed after Matchette watched his brother compete in a recreational indoor soccer team.

For freshman goalie Trevor Wieschhaus, being a part of the Bed Bulls is a good means for bonding with his friends and teammates.

“I just want the memories of coming out here every weekend and playing the games,” Wieschhaus said. “All of my friends do it and it’s a lot of fun.”

The team’s season lasts for around two months, during which they play eight games. To prepare for their season, the Red Bulls take no extra measures.

“We kind of just show up at game time and just see how it goes,” Matchette said. “We’re doing pretty good and we’re going to end the season strong.”

According to freshman Nick Phillips, the Red Bulls will continue to compete in soccer games throughout high school.

“I think we’ll be doing this for awhile because we are having a blast and we don’t plan on stopping,” Phillips said. “We don’t take it too seriously and we have fun with it.”

ABOVE: Racing ahead of the other team, freshman Jack Matchette pushes off a defender to get the ball on Sunday, Nov. 28. Photo by Karissa Schmidt

Q&a with track coach Chris Mcafee JagWire: What is the purpose of winter conditioning?

Jw: What are some of your goals for your runners?

mcafee: This is the biggest chunk of time in the offseason for a distance runner. So this is the best time to build your lung capacity, build up your endurance.

CM: [I want them] to run consistently ...

Jw: How did you come up with the idea for

with the athletes?

the training regimen?

CM: If people show up and run consistently

CM: I do a lot of reading and I’ve been

then they’ll run faster. It’s an aerobic sport and it’s a fitness sport. The more fit you are and the more endurance you have, the better off you’re going to be. The more you run, the better off you’re going to be.

coaching for a while. This is my 17th year coaching year coaching track, so over the course of time I’ve accumulated quite a bit of stuff.

that’s probably the number one factor for a distance runner — just go out and put in the miles.

Jw: How much will these workouts help

DESIGN BY Karissa Schmidt

sports

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Driver Education at Johnson County Community College

Drive Safe, Drive Smart • Kansas Board of Education certified instructors providing comprehensive training • 6 hours of driving • 6 hours of observation • 30 hours of classroom instruction • Optional at-home pick-up/drop-off service for driving portion of training • Automobile fleet includes a Toyota Prius hybrid car and Nissan electric car, which lessens the program’s carbon footprint while promoting sustainability Register today for classes that begin in January, February, May, June and July. Online course coming summer 2016! Course fee: $369.

For class dates and times, visit www.jccc.edu/ce or call 913-469-4446.

Johnson County Community College 12345 College Blvd., Overland Park, KS 66210

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YEAR OF THE

GO set a watchman 55 years second 1.1

SEQUEL

since last installment

book in the series

Multiple long-awaited sequels to beloved movies, books and TV series came out during the year 2015

by nick booth

by jillian leiby

copy editor jagwire.nickbooth@gmail.com

managing editor jagwire.jillianleiby@gmail.com

Mad Max: fury road 30 years fourth $374 since last installment

movie in the series

million earned

or over 30 years, audiences have enjoyed “Mad Max,” a film series surrounding Max Rockatansky, an Australian police officer, who finds himself having to survive in a world without natural resources.

“Mad Max” was released in 1979, and with it, a new age in post-apocalyptic action movies.

The film had surprise success with both critics and audiences. The sequel, “Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior,” which was released in 1981, was more successful than its predecessor. By the time the third film, “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome” was released in 1985, however, audiences and critics were feeling the fatigue of Max and his post-apocalyptic adventures, shown by the box office.

In 2012, the release of “Mad Max: Fury Road,” the fourth film in the series was announced with Tom Hardy as the protag-

F

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design by nick booth

onist. Released last summer, “Mad Max: Fury Road” became the most successful ever. Critics praised the film for its practical effects and fully fleshed-out characters--a novelty in the action film genre.

The film follows Max as he is captured and imprisoned in a water-based society, The Citadel. He is conveniently captured right before Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron), a driver in the city, steals his harem of healthy young women and starts a road war.

“Mad Max: Fury Road,” represents a new age in modern action movies by, ironically, not being so digitally manipulated.

The film uses practical effects in the car chase scenes. Special effects enhance some shots.

The plot has been criticized for lacking depth, as the entire film is a long car chase. However nuance can be found in the characters: Furiosa is the actual protagonist of the film, fighting against those who hurt her and helping women that have been hurt themselves.

million copies sold arper Lee’s 1960 classic, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” followed ten year old Scout as she navigated the racist world of the ‘30s in the South. For year, it was the only novel published by Lee and it won her a Pulitzer Prize.

Last summer it was announced that at the age of 89, Lee would release a second novel.

“Go Set a Watchman” was actually written before “To Kill a Mockingbird,” although it’s now widely considered a sequel.

With the re-emergence of classic characters, however, there was bound to be criticism from

H

fans of the classic novel.

Atticus Finch, portrayed in the first book as the mild-mannered lawyer with a strong moral compass, is revealed in “Go Set a Watchman” to hold political beliefs that at best are contrary to Scout’s liberal views and at worst border on racism.

Although “Go Set a Watchman” might not be a work of the same literary genius as “To Kill a Mockingbird,” it creates a much more complex and adult narrative, and cements itself as an excellent companion to the original novel.

heroes: reborn 10 years since last installment

6 million average viewers

he original “Heroes,” released in 2005, had an excellent first season but fell short after that, providing lackluster story and execution for its next four. The show’s seasons followed a basic formula: We see a dark, dystopian vision of the future where the protagonists are pitted against each other by violent factions, then the heroes work together to stop that future and save the world.

T

“Heroes: Reborn” uses the same formula. It does the formula well, but it’s hard to overlook that it does still use it instead of creating more original content.

In this new series, the creators had an opportunity both to improve and make something new, but they instead recycled the same old stuff. Fans of the original show will appreciate this sequel, but it still gets a bit boring after a while.

Coming soon...

Star wars vII: the force awakens Release date: Friday, DeC. 18 mill valley high school jagwire

Books on break Teachers choose their favorite books for winter break reading recommendations

by tricia drumm

by victoria wright

reporter jagwire.triciadrumm@gmail.com

reporter and photographer jagwire.victoriawright@gmail.com

COMMUNICATION ARTS TEACHER kristen crosbie “Pillars of the Earth” by Ken Follett “I read it when I [lived in] in Europe, and it’s this epic novel about generations of Cathedral builders and it’s just cool to know and think about the process and the hundreds of years it would take them to build one of those places I like to visit.”

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2

“Villa Incognito”

by Tom Robbins

3

“A Prayer for Owen Meany”

by John Irving

from the media center

COMMUNICATION ARTS TEACHER mike strack “In Cold Blood” by Truman Capote

“I think I enjoyed the fact that it is a true story that reads like a fictional novel. It’s based on real events that ... that make reading intriguing, entertaining like you would in a fictional novel.”

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2 3

“Playing for Pizza”

by John Grisham

Media center speacialist Andy Shelly picks his favorite book for the break

“All the Light We Cannot See”

by Anthony Doerr

“Painted House”

by John Grisham

It’s a very interesting “storyline that deals with

COMMUNICATION ARTS TEACHER heather shaw “Room” by Emma Donoghue “I actually haven’t read it myself yet, but it’s on my list. I’ve heard from a bunch of people that it’s really good because ... it gives a really interesting perspective on something that was once a news headline.”

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2

“Modern Romance”

by Aziz Ansari

3

“The Glass Castle”

by Jeanette Walls

two seperate characters and you find out what their backstories are and you see where their lives intersect with each other.

{

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For all communication arts teachers: http://www.mvnews.org

design by alison booth & jena smith

A&E

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WORK IT OUT

To improve their health, students take Physical Education classes RIGHT: In the weight room on Tuesday, Nov. 24, senior Koy Holden crouches in preparation to hang clean. “[I took Strength and Conditioning] to get faster and stronger and to work out before golf season,” Holden said. Photo by Abigail Archibong LOWER RIGHT: In anticipation of a timed sprint, junior Sam Andres prepares to do the five-tenfive in on Tuesday, Dec. 1. “You run five yards, then you run ten yards and then you run another five yards,” Andres said. Photo

by Madison Ferguson

LEFT: As one of the freshmen girls PE classes plays football on the turf on Thursday, Nov. 19, freshman Erin Miller runs down field. “We get the full experience by getting to play on the same field that the football players do,” Miller said. Photo by Margaret Mellott RIGHT: Freshman Derek Wiedner blocks freshman James Smith’s shot on Tuesday, Dec. 1.

Photo by Madison Ferguson

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photo essay

design by madison ferguson

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