JagWire Newspaper — Volume 16, Issue 6

MILL VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL | VOLUME 16 | ISSUE 6 | march 10, 2016

AP

dual credit

ent Is the end of curr m in school curriculu Read the near future?

2292: about House Bill pages 6-7

letter

TABLE OF CONTENTS

from the editors

JAGWIRE 2015-16 staff EDITORs-IN-CHIEF

6-7

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Tori Aerni Sarah Myers Karissa Schmidt

10 16-17 11-14 22-23

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in this issue NEWS

4 6-7

e-books curriculum change

SPORTS

March Madness predictions overtime

18 19

A&E

FEATURE presidential candidate supporters Graham Wilhauk Relay for Life what makes students unique

8 9 10 11-14

local clothing store reviews grilled cheese taste test

21 22-23

PHOTO ESSAY

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Tori Aerni

science experiments

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OPINIONS

Sarah Myers

15 16-17

staff editorial staff columns

fter a successful issue five, the transition to issue six was difficult for the staff when it came to time management. Our last production cycle allowed four weeks to finish the paper and send to print. Due to a five day weekend, we were left with only three weeks to finish the same amount of pages. We had originally planned for 32 pages this issue but unfortunately had to cut back down to the original 24. (But check out www.mvnews.org for the additional content.) While we were not thrilled about having to cut pages, we decided that quality was more important than quantity. Issue five wasn’t the end of 32 pages, as we plan to finish the year with two 32 page issues.

Our cover story for this issue is the Common Core and House Bill 2292 spread. We chose this for our staff editorial and cover as this is a story that has the potential to impact the student body and administration. If passed, the bill would take away Common Core and require each district to write its own curriculum. We wanted to inform our readers and encourage them to take action in contacting legislature.

Wrapping up topics like this in issue six, we seniors on staff are feeling more and more sentimental toward the JagWire. After this issue, we are down to two more issues until we graduate, but we’re ready to embrace our final months.

features/a&e editors

REPORTERS Claire Boone Jason Chen Tricia Drumm Morgan Gurwell Victoria Wright

Claire Biles Margaret Mellott

managing editor

opinions editor

Jillian Leiby

Adri Talavera

PHOTOGRAPHERS

copy editor

sports editor

Nick Booth

Braden Shaw

photo editor Madison Ferguson

mill valley news editors-in-chief

business managers

Justin Curto Jena Smith

Abigail Archibong Adri Talavera

news editor Sam Lopez

Claire Boone Morgan Gurwell Nick Precht Victoria Wright

ILLUSTRATOR Jason Chen

social media editors Alison Booth Nora Lucas

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 the Sedalia Democrat.

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.

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.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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.

Twitter: @millvalleynews Facebook: Mill Valley News Karissa Schmidt

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TOC

DESIGN BY Tori aerni

cover BY tori aerni

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DESIGN BY Sarah Myers

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E-Books: From Paper to Screen Media Center makes titles available to students online in affiliation with the Johnson County Library

by tricia drumm

reporter jagwire.triciadrumm@gmail.com he De Soto school district and Johnson County Library have come together and will be offering the option for students to check out e-books and audiobooks, beginning in March.

Students can check out up to ten e-books or audiobooks, from a selection of over 4,000 titles, and keep them for three weeks, according to the Johnson County Library’s website.

For the students of Mill Valley, e-books will be accessible on Axis 360, an app available for download on iOS, Android, Windows and Amazon Kindle.

After his introduction to the concept almost two years ago, media specialist Andy Shelly has high hopes for the new e-book system. He imagines it will encourage students to spend more time reading.

“Whether it ends up being in an electronic format or ends up being in a book format, everybody has their preferences,” Shelly said. “It’s no different than the way people like to do research, or like to study, or whatever else. They have their personal preference, but, hey, it’s all the same thing.”

Because of his passion for reading, sophomore Jack Ball finds himself in the library checking out physical books once or twice a week. He is looking forward to the benefit of reading multiple books at a time with e-books.

“I’m happy, a little bit, that we’re branching out because with this option now, it encourages a little more reading for a lot of students,” Ball said. “It also opens a much more wide range option. There are some books in our library doesn’t carry, so it would be best probably if we had a better range of titles.”

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App INFO

Google Play rating:

news

03/31/2016

Information about new e-book renting service

iTunes rating:

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While both Ball and Shelly anticipate students using e-books for reading, communication arts teacher Peter Shull sees them utilizing e-books for classwork.

Rather than instigating recreational reading, he figures the e-book system to be another strategy for students to access necessary materials for their classes.

“In the recent past, students who have left their books or homework at home, have been able to, because of the internet, to access information that they wouldn’t have had access to otherwise,” Shull said.

“And these electronic resources do increase our access and help us get more done.”

Even though Ball doesn’t read e-books as often as physical books, he still sees e-books as a more efficient way of reading.

“Instead of having to lug a whole library in your backpack, you can have several titles on your phone,” Ball said. “It’s easy to download it all. It’s immediately right there on your phone. You don’t have to drive off to the library or walk to the library.”

According to Shull, “a lot of people expect [him], as an English teacher, to be kind of ‘old school’ and be opposed to electronic books,” yet the only thing he is worried about are authors not receiving the appropriate amount of money for their work and the health of the students.

Although Shelly understands that not every student is going to be open to the idea, he is still confident there will be kids taking advantage of e-books.

“I know some kids say ‘I don’t want to read a book on my phone,’ but you could read that at a tablet, on a laptop, or whatever else along that line,” Shelly said.

“I’m hoping that this aspect of reading, in terms of being able to read books electronically, is something that kids will give a try and … if it increases the amount that they end up reading, that’d be fantastic.”

design by Sam lopez

Photo by nick precht

4000+ titles available through media center and Johnson County Library

LATE books will be returned automatically after a set time. No late policy on e-books jagwire

mill valley high school

DESIGN BY Abigail Archibong and adri talavera

ads

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state bill would

AFFECT curriculum

Legislature reintroduces measure that would effectively end AP, IB and Common Core in Kansas

by adri talavera

opinions editor/business manager jagwire.adritalavera@gmail.com ansas legislators proposed a ban on statewide alignment with national standards for math and English for the fourth year in a row on Tuesday, Feb. 10. The bill, Substitute for House Bill 2292, hasn’t advanced any further at the time of writing.

The bill states that “the state shall retain sole control over the development, establishment and revision of K-12 curriculum standards.” This would mean the district would no longer align with the Common Core State Standards and would require all new materials.

This proposed readjustment seems premature to district secondary curriculum coordinator Ceresa Schaffer.

“I believe that this is an attempt at adjusting the standards now,” Schaffer said via email. “The regular standards review process is to take place in 2017, but apparently, some members of the board are not willing to be patient.”

This is the sixth state legislature bill since 2013 that has attempted to place a ban on the Common Core in Kansas.

House Committee on Education Chairman Ron Highland believes that Common Core is detrimental to the competitiveness of Kansas education.

“The Commissioner of Education, Dr. Randy Watson, has stated the State School Board’s mission is to make Kansas the leader in education in the world,” Highland said via email. “Their mission, which I support, would appear to contradict the basic premise of Common Core.”

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With the bill receiving support and criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike, gifted services facilitator Carmen Shelly believes opposition to the Common Core may stem from misconceptions about its origin. “[Lawmakers] do not see Common Core as having been written by the state of Kansas,” Shelly said. “The president and the education secretary and those types of people signed onto the Common Core, but it really was a consortium of states that wrote it and Kansas was a part of that, is my understanding.”

Kansas is one of 46 states to have adopted Common Core, which Schaffer believes helps students’ future preparation.

“As a district and as a state, we have embraced the Common Core initiative.

The outcomes that are considered is what has driven us [to] take the standards and create curriculum that results in students who are college and career ready,” Schaffer said. “I believe that the approach points us in the direction of the outcome we all want for our children, happiness and success.”

The bill specifically mentions AP and International Baccalaureate, and could mean the end of those courses in Kansas. Shelly says the absence of advanced courses could negatively impact high-achieving students.

“The bill does ask for the AP and IB program curriculum to be aligned with Kansas standards, which would possibly not be able to happen because of the kind of structure that AP and IB give their classes,” Shelly said. “Our students would not have the opportunity to experience that kind of rigor in the classroom.”

As a student taking classes the bill may affect, senior Karla Kim sees the value in advanced courses.

“A lot of times I think those challenging courses give a better insight of what you’re more geared toward and what you’re talented in and it challenges you,” Kim said.

According to associate principal Leah Vomhof, the school will make accommodations for students looking for higher-level classes no matter what.

“I think that no matter what happens with this bill … at Mill Valley and in our district, we strongly believe in having advanced courses for students,” Vomhof said. “In whatever way we can do that, we will continue to do that.”

The state’s current Common Corealigned standards, the Kansas College and Career Ready standards, took about four years to be fully integrated. Vomhof said she imagines implementing a new curriculum would take a similar amount of time. The district would determine what happens in the meantime.

“We would go with what the district and the state tell us to do for the interim,” Vomhof said. “So, if that means, following the path we’re on until they have fully written the new standards that’s what would we do.”

Highland hopes that the debate over the issue will help the state come to an agreeable resolution.

“Nobody has all the answers and solutions are found by discussion and good research,” Highland said. “I am hopeful that we all can find a solution to what has become a very controversial subject in our state.”

evolution of the

core A brief history of Common Core standards in the state of Kansas

2009

2010

2013

2013-14 school year

BY THE numbers A closer look at the potential effects of the new bill

46 states have adopted the Common Core

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news

15 Advanced Placement classes at Mill Valley

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2016

past state legislature bills have tried to remove Kansas Common Core standards since 2013 mill valley high school

jagwire

Common Core State Standards Initiative launched ABOVE: In AP Language and Composition, juniors Jazz Loffredo, Brady Rolig and Payton Frye (pictured right to left) wait patiently while communication arts teacher Kristen Crosbie checks their homework on Friday, Feb. 26.

Kansas adopts plan to implement standards Bill to ban Common Core dies in committee Final implementation of Common Core in Kansas

RIGHT: To better her AP Studio Art portfolio submission, senior Brittney Vaughn talks with art teacher Erica Crist during class about her current piece on Monday, Feb. 29. Photos by Madison Ferguson

New bill to ban outside influence on school curriculum passes House Education committee

Information from Common Core Standards Initiative and The Topeka-Capital Journal

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SCHATH Schmidt FOR FOR SANDERS by justin curto

CRUZ

mill valley news editor-in-chief jagwire.justincurto@gmail.com

Bernie Sanders VERMONT

OF

CAMPAIGN

SLOGAN “A future To believe in”

Who do you support for president?

I support Bernie Sanders. I think … the way it’s looking right now, there’s not a lot of great candidates to be completely honest, but I think he would definitely be the best out of all the front-runners.

What were your first impressions of Sanders as a candidate?

I started looking into it and … out of all the candidates, most of my views line up with his, like there isn’t anything about him that I really just disagree with. All around … I agree with what he thinks.

What are some of the issues you think are important going into this election that Sanders can fix?

If [one of the] Republican candidates were to become president, I think the immigration laws and how all of that is handled in the United States would just totally go bad and everything would be horrible. I like the way he handles that. And the rights of people ... like women’s rights, LGBT rights — he cares about everyone.

If people like high schoolers who are going to be able to vote actually do, then I think he would definitely end up winning, because he does fit more, agree more and connect more with a younger audience.

feature

BrowsingBooks

Fave Finds Sophomore Graham Wilhauk gives his favorite novel and author

SENIOR LOGAN SCHMIDT

Why can Sanders win the Democratic nomination?

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A series on our students and staff and what makes them unique

Students show support for candidates in the presidential race as of Tuesday, March 1, some prepare to vote in upcoming election

JUNIOR DANA SCHATH

senator

People Pieces: Graham Wilhauk

DESIGN BY TORI AERNI & CLAIRE BILES

Who do you support for president?

I support Ted Cruz. I feel like Donald Trump, as 99 percent of Americans can agree, is an idiot. Pretty much, I just agree with all of his policies.

What were your first impressions of Cruz as a candidate?

I waited a couple months in ... because obviously everyone’s going to change a little bit once they start seeing other people. So, when he first announced, I didn’t really think anything about it.

Ted Cruz

OF texas

What are some of the issues you think are important going into this election that Cruz can fix?

Some of the biggest ones ... are things with our economy, because it was really bad recently, and it’s slowly but surely improving. So, everyone has a different view on how that’s going to get fixed, like Bernie Sanders [is] trying to raise taxes and allow everyone to have access to college through those raised taxes on the rich. I just don’t really agree with that as much, because then you’re paying for college even if you don’t want to go.

ABOVE: At his desk, sophomore Graham Wilhauk displays his favorite books discussed on his personal YouTube channel on Saturday, Feb. 27. Photo by Madison Ferguson

by sarah myers

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

CAMPAIGN

SLOGAN “Reigniting the Promise of America”

Why can Cruz win the Republican nomination?

Even if you support Donald Trump’s ideas, it’s just the way that he plans to go about fixing them, or the way that he even just asserts himself, it’s just outrageous. It would make us almost a laughing stock of a country.

PHOTOS BY CLAIRE BILES AND mct campus

“The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger

senator

mill valley high school

jagwire

Sophomore Graham Wilhauk puts his passion for classic novels into YouTube channel hether speaking to a class of 20 students or to a camera for 60 YouTube subscribers, sophomore Graham Wilhauk brings the same amount of enthusiasm and heart into his words every time he discusses his passion for classic novels.

Since late December 2015, Wilhauk has been posting weekly videos on his YouTube channel MegaManChiefFan about his love for classic novels. In the two months since he started the videos, he has gained 60 subscribers, some from school and some strangers.

Wilhauk decided to make his channel specific to the genre because of its lack of representation on YouTube.

“Most people read John Green and Cassandra Clare, which is more in the genre of [young adult literature]. I don’t really like that,” Wilhauk said. “Since I’m more into classic novels, I thought I would make a channel about that.”

The channel features a variety of videos, ranging from monthly wrap-up videos sum-

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marizing and reviewing the books he read that month to “book haul” videos to give previews of recent purchases.

“If you don’t care about books, even if you want to burn them Fahrenheit 451 style, you can still enjoy my charisma and still enjoy my passion for it,” Wilhauk said.

Before making videos about classic novels, Wilhauk was using his channel to review and analyze comic books. After reading “1984” by George Orwell, his interest shifted.

It gives me the best form of escapism. I just turn my mind off and let the story flow through me.

SOPHOMORE GRAHAM WILHAUK Wilhauk’s passion for classic novels extends past the online platform, however.

Communication arts teacher Anna Nelson, who has Wilhauk in both Pre-AP English 10 and Creative Writing II this year, sees Wilhauk’s drive to become an author when he

J.D. Salinger

analyzes the authors of the books they read in class during discussions. This is only one of the ways that his reading background sets him apart from other students.

“He thinks a lot about the author more than a lot of students do,” Nelson said. “In class discussion, he really picks up on author’s purpose and he really does a good job seeing … the person behind the writing and what their motivation was and what their strengths and weaknesses are.”

In the future, Wilhauk’s would like to become a writer himself, and feel the skills he gains from reading classic literature help him to improve his writing skills in and out of class.

“I have a better understanding of grasping stories, characters and analyzing themes better,” Wilhauk said. “I feel like reading a ton of classic novels will help me have a greater understanding of not only storytelling, but analysis.”

For Wilhauk, reading is rewarding in more ways than just the ability to analyze and interpret themes and characters. It is a passion he hopes to carry through the rest of his life.

“It gives me the best form of escapism. I just turn my mind off and let the story flow through me,” Wilhauk said. “I read not to read, but I do it because I enjoy it. That’s the most simple answer I could probably give.”

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RELAY RATES Committee plans first Relay for Life event in school history with organization motto being “Paint Your World Purple”

by jillian leiby

managing editor jagwire.jillianleiby@gmail.com he school is hosting its first Relay for Life, a fundraiser event for the American Cancer Society. The overnight event will begin at 6 p.m. on Friday, April 1 and end at 6 a.m. on Saturday, April 2.

Event chair Isabel Crain had participated in Relay for Life events at other places with a group of friends. Crain, having been personally affected by cancer, wanted to contribute to the American Cancer Society.

“My good friend’s mom passed away from cancer a few years ago. She was awesome and I looked up to her,” Crain said. “I do it for her and her family ... It’s just my way of trying to do what I can to help out.”

Senior Micaela Crispin participated in Relay for Life with Crain. A member of the Team Recuitment Captains committe, Crispin answers questions for team captains. Early in the year, Crain, Crispin and friends brought up the idea of bringing Relay for Life to Mill Valley.

“We had said before, ‘other schools have Relay for Life, why don’t we?’ Crispin said.

Planning the event meant contacting community manager Amie Walter, who helps people plan Relay for Life events.

“We had to have a ... meeting about what starting a new event looks like,” Walter said.

“I talked through stipulations: we need a committee of about … 25-40 kids, we need faculty advisors.”

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To assign Relay for Life staff members to an event, at least $15,000 must be raised. This goal may have seemed unattainable at first.

“We had a Relay Rally … and we [thought] it would be nice to have a hundred people … and that seemed realistic to me,” Crain said.

“We had a little more than three hundred people there.”

Junior Brady Rolig’s friends convinced him to be on the Team Recruitment Captain committee. Now, with 46 teams signed up for the event, Rolig is gratified to see the response from the student body.

“Everyone has been really positive about it,” Rolig said. “More people are getting involved than we first anticipated ... all our hard work has finally culminated into a big event.”

Crispin has noticed the students’ response in her everyday life.

“The response has ... way better than we had expected,” Crispin said. “Going through the halls … just hearing the words Relay for Life, that was really cool to see that people were actually responding well to it.”

With over $10,000 raised and under a month until the event, Crain is thankful for the student support and looks forward to bringing the community together.

“Relay for Life’s … main goal is to raise money for the American Cancer Society, but it’s more than that,” Crain said. “It’s a chance for a community to come together and fight cancer and Mill Valley has a very [close]-knit community and it just seemed right to try incorporate Relay for Life in this community.”

Event chair Isabel Crain gives curent facts about the event

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teams signed up to participate

350 participants signed up

$10,530 raised so far through donations as of Tuesday, March 1

e l p r Pu

In a look at what makes people unique, the JagWire profiles five students whose passions and experiences have shaped who they are

LEFT: Handing in money for her group’s donations, freshman Lauren Rothgeb talks to junior Brady Rolig during a meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 24. Photo by Margaret Mellott

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FEATURE

DESIGN BY TORI AERNI & CLAIRE BOONE

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illustration by Jason chen

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sibling’s passing draws senior closer to family

by sam lopez

Swimming fosters friendship’s growth

After the loss of her baby brother, senior Lilly Lutz prioritizes family

Being on the girls swim team together continues to positively influence the friendship of seniors Jennifer Sims and Claudia Meredith

news editor jagwire.samlopez@gmail.com

hen she was just an eighth grader, seWith the loss of her sibling, Lutz’s family ally try to make a difference.” nior Lilly Lutz lost her baby brother struggled through this time in their lives.

Lutz has since joined Friends in LearnSimon Lutz to Trisomy 13, a chromo“The hardest part about the whole thing ing and her family also donates to organizasomal condition associated with severe inwas that, Max, my brother, and I, we weren’t tions that help families in similar situations. tellectual disability and physical abnormalallowed to go to the hospital to see my mom While she focuses on helping those with auities. Five years later, Lutz devotes her time and we didn’t get to hold Simon,” Lutz said. tism, she still aims to help people in general, to helping others and continsomewhat of an effect of losing ues to grow as a person using her brother. the lessons she learned from “We constantly want to her family’s loss. help and we constantly want The initial diagnosis to give to organizations that showed Simon to be a perfecthelp with babies and families ly healthy baby boy, a promisthat lose babies,” Lutz said. “In a ing outcome compared to Lutz’ way, it’s made us better people.” mother’s loss of another baby She has also decided to fopreviously. cus on social work in her fu“This one was different beture, due to the helplessness cause everyone thought it was she felt while her mother coped going to be perfect. We had with the loss of a child. a name picked out and baby “I am going to focus on helpblankets made, we were geting people because I could not ting ready to start his room,” help my mom in her situation Lutz said. “[Simon] was due because it was greater than May 27, 2012. My mom ended anything that I could have hanup having him in February dled,” Lutz said. “I am going to because things weren’t develhelp people to make up for the ABOVE: Senior Lilly Lutz poses with a photo of her brother Simon oping correctly. He was only lack of help that I could give.”

Lutz, taken before he died. Photo by Karissa Schmidt about a half an hour old [when Lutz describes herself as a he died].” family person, and said losing “My father doesn’t really talk about it. He Transitioning into high school after such her brother has further reinforced her famikind of shut it out because it was too hard a traumatic event led to some difficulty for ly-oriented personality and determined how because it was the second baby that my mom Lutz due to her family’s effort as a whole to she identifies herself. lost.” come to terms and cope with Simon’s pass“Family comes first. I’m super close with This event caused Lutz to see the world ing. my cousins, with my second cousins, my exfrom a different perspective and adopt a “It was hard. Freshman year was not a tended family, and so going through somemore positive outlook on life. good year because I went into this funk and thing that traumatic like losing a sibling and “I realized that we can’t take the little got depressed,” Lutz said. “My mom and I not being able to be there, it’s hard,” Lutz things for granted because you never know were so close and after that happened she said. “[Losing Simon] shaped who I am. I nevwhen life is going to come to a complete halt,” shut everybody out and that was hard for er got to meet him but you can ask me about Lutz said. “After losing him … I wanted to fome going into high school not having my him. I love talking about him. It is who I am cus on putting others before myself and remom to turn to.” and I love my brother.”

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by alison booth

reporter jagwire.alisonbooth@gmail.com hen senior Jennifer Sims moved across from senior Claudia Meredith in fourth grade, the two didn’t know they would become such close friends.

Before freshman year started, Sims taught Meredith how to swim so the two could join the girls swim team. Being on the team together has positively impacted their relationship.

“There’s a lot of times when you can’t find times to hang out outside of swim ... so we get to hang out more,” Meredith said. “I’d also say it adds a little competitiveness, but it’s a healthy competitiveness.”

Sims agreed, saying the competitive aspect of their friendship has also impacted

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other elements of her life.

“She’s pushed me really hard, not just with swim, but with grades,” Sims said.

“Throughout middle school, we were competitive with everything so I would always want to get the better grade.”

Competing in swim together also brings the two closer by providing a topic for discussions. “[Swim] gives you something to always talk about [and she] always understands what [I’m] going through,” Meredith said.

Sims has ultimately made Meredith a more of an extrovert.

“She’s definitely made me more outgoing,” Meredith said. “Freshman year, I wouldn’t go out as much and didn’t want to be outgoing, but she was like ‘OK, we gotta go to the football games,’ ... so that was nice.”

The two intend to continue their friend-

Sophomore Jameson Isaacsen finds voice and gains more positive outlook with involvement in Quiz Bowl

by nora lucas

reporter and photographer jagwire.noralucas@gmail.com

what I do,” Isaacsen said. “I [now] have some goal that I am working towards and that will bring me happiness.”

Quiz Bowl coach Mary Beth Mattingly has seen Isaacsen’s confidence rise significantly since he joined Quiz Bowl.

“He’s a very energetic young man,” Mattingly said, “and I think he’s found a place where he feels he can do very well in, and it gives him an extracurricular activity that is meaningful.”

According to him, Quiz Bowl succeeds because of Mattingly, who has been the coach since the school opened.

“I think it would be different without [Mattingly],” Isaacsen said. “[She] really did help solidify [my growth] by being an excellent coach and really encouraging me to go all out and try as hard as possible. [Quiz Bowl

Students anonymously filled out questionnaires to show what makes them different from everyone else

What are your personal values and rules to live by?

What is your favorite item in your house right now?

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ship and swim together after high school.

“We will both be attending K-State next year,” Sims said. “We plan on joining the club swim team there and [will] continue to push each other. I always have someone to go to no matter what. She’s always there.”

sophomore finds confidence through quiz bowl uzzing in his response, sophomore Jameson Isaacsen correctly snswers a question at Quiz Bowl practice. According to Isaacsen, Quiz Bowl is a major part of his identity.

“I went to my first competition and discovered that by giving myself something to do, other than just sitting around,” Isaacsen said, “I was much happier than I had been in a long time.”

Since getting involved in an activity outside of school that he can succeed in, Isaacsen said he has been a more positive person as a whole.

“I’m a lot more driven now to succeed in

all about me

ABOVE: Sitting poolside, seniors Jennifer Simms and Claudia Meredith laugh over a story. Photo by Karissa Schmidt

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has] really showed me something to strive towards and to be better at.”

ABOVE: Sophomore Jameson Isaacsen stands with Quiz Bowl coach Mary Beth Mattingly in her classroom. Photo by Claire Biles

photo illustrations by claire biles & karissa schmidt

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STaff Editorial

junior uses music as creative outlet

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

Junior Brady Herron shapes his life around music, songwriting and his band with friends, Counterculture

effort to end national curricula is harmful

by alison booth

The sixth bill to end Common Core and AP classes keeps students from being college and career ready

reporter jagwire.alisonbooth@gmail.com s the lights dim and the crowd bursts into cheers and applause at the annual Battle of the Bands at the Nelson-Atkins Museum, junior Brady Herron sings his last note to the audience with the rest of his band, Counterculture, behind him.

Herron was first introduced to music when he received a guitar as a gift at the age of six. Initially, however, Herron said he “felt obligated to play it [and] didn’t like it that much.”

Nevertheless, Herron continued to play and over time began to enjoy it more. He eventually evolved in performing guitar by himself in front of his peers, performing an original song at his fifth grade talent show.

Three months ago, Herron, along with junior Jakob Errigo and junior David Kuk, formed the alternative band named Counterculture, debuting at the annual Battle of the Bands at the Nelson-Atkins Museum on Friday, Feb. 19.

Although they didn’t win the contest, Herron thinks Counterculture is different than other local bands because of their unique style and lyrics.

“I think it says it in the name,” Herron

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said. “We write songs towards being kind of counter-culture. We don’t want to try to come off as a bunch of hippies that are against every single thing that culture has to offer, but it’s easy to write about stupid things that everyone does.”

Kuk said Herron has grown since being a part of Counterculture and has greatly influenced the band as a whole. “[Herron has] impacted our band through creating a much more unique sound,” Kuk said. “[He] is really good at writing catchy lyrics and verses and stuff. [Herron] makes the band counter-culture.”

In addition to performing, Herron has been writing songs since elementary school.

“I’ve definitely gotten more in tune with myself through [music],” Herron said. “Instead of thinking about my thoughts, I’m now putting it on paper and performing it for people. There’s a lot of self-discovery when you’re writing music.”

According to Kuk, Herron is perceived as the main songwriter for Counterculture. “[The process is] very collaborative but [Herron] writes all the lyrics so he kind of drives most of the song and we all chime in and structure the rest,” Kuk said.

Herron said it’s “unpredictable who [he] would be without music” due to the large impact it has made on him.

or the sixth time, the state has introduced a bill that gives the state control over current curriculum, including Common Core standards, advanced placement and dual credit, and in which they can ban outside curricula. This bill passed the House and could eventually pass the Senate as well. It may be appealing to reject Common Core as a federal overreach into education, but losing national and statewide standards would lead to an inefficient and inadequate educational system.

With opponents of Common Core being mostly conservative, it is likely that the bill would pass through the Senate, where the Republican party holds 80 percent of the seats.

GOP Gov. Sam Brownback favors local control of education, making the bill likely to be signed into law if it ends up on his desk.

State and national standards are integral to our current educational system. They regulate what teachers need to be teaching to their students at each grade level, which helps students become adequately prepared for the fu- ture. The bill’s passage would require individual districts to rewrite their curricula for each class and each grade level. At the state level, it can take two years to change educational standards, according

f

ABOVE: In the woods, junior Brady Herron plays his guitar on Monday, Feb. 29. Photo

by Karissa Schmidt Herron wants to continue to pursue his passion. “[Music has] been a part of my life for so long and I really want to be a rock star, and I want that not for the fame part of it, but just so I can do music for a living,” Herron said.

The presence of music in Herron’s life has shaped him into the person he is today. “[Music] gives me a lot of opportunities to express myself and it brings a lot of people together in a lot of ways,” Herron said. “It just makes me really happy, and it doesn’t really matter what specific part of it makes me happy because it all does.”

ap calculus impacts junior’s work ethic Difficult math course allows junior Spencer Taylor to grow as a student and develop motivation to learn

by nora lucas

reporter and photographer jagwire.noralucas@gmail.com lthough junior Spencer Taylor has stayed up late night after night finishing his AP Calculus homework, he says it has changed him for the better. “[AP Calculus] is definitely the most difficult course I’ve taken,” Taylor said. “Other courses I’ve taken, even if they’ve been AP classes, have been not that difficult. They only required a small amount of extra studying, while [AP Calculus] has definitely affected the way I study and the way I listen and the way I do my homework.”

Taylor is glad he was given the opportunity to take the class because of how it has affected his work ethic.

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ABOVE: Junior Spencer Taylor stands AP Calculus teacher Brian Rodkey’s room on Tuesday, Feb. 23. Photo by Claire Biles “I think it’s made me a person who works harder,” Taylor said. “And now I appreciate

DESIGN BY margaret mellott & sarah myers

the hard work that many people go through to complete difficult courses.”

AP Calculus teacher Brian Rodkey agrees that the class has its benefits despite being a challenging course.

“There’s a huge aspect of academic success in college, that is around organization, time management, and just being willing to work through problems,” Rodkey said. “Realize from past experience of success in class that just because you hit something difficult, doesn’t mean you have to get stopped by it.”

Ultimately, Taylor believes that taking AP Calculus was a good decision in the long run, and he is thankful for the opportunity to have taken the class.

“I’m able to embrace harder courses now,” Taylor said. “And I feel like I’m prepared for anything after [AP Calculus].”

photos by claire biles & karissa schmidt

mill valley high school

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agree DISAgree

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to past precedent — not including individual class curricula. This would be incredibly inefficient for the school district to devote its time and money to.

It makes sense why some oppose Common Core: Many, in Kansas especially, do not like the idea of the federal government having a say in state curriculum. However, a complete rewrite could cost up to $9 million, as estimated by Kansas’ budget director in a memo — something that a state in debt cannot afford.

There are some positive aspects to Common Core which would be lost with the bill.

The standards promote critical thinking skills, according to many educators who testified to the state. Additionally, the standards’ emphasis on language skills prepare students not only to further their education, but also to communicate in the workplace.

In short, Common Core’s rigorous standards can make the U.S. more globally competitive.

The current bill does not only apply to Common Core. It would also disallow curriculum for AP, ACT preparatory and career and technical education courses, as these curricula are derived from outside groups or statewide standards. Dual credit courses would likely not be allowed under the bill as well, since the curricula and tests come from colleges outside of school districts. Although the bill’s supporters argue that the bill can be updated to not affect these classes, Kansas shouldn’t rely on that.

Parents and students who care about AP, dual credit and other college and career preparatory courses, along with Common Core, should contact their legislation to speak against Kansas government’s continual effort to thwart state and national curricula.

The district’s lack of opposition and general reaction to this effort is counterproductive in preparing students for college and a career. With many issues already affecting Kansas’ educational system, it is not worth the time, money or effort to keep drafting bills that hurt education.

illustration BY jason chen

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opinion

very time I watch a Republican presidential debate or town hall, at one point or another I inevitably hear presidential candidate Ted Cruz criticize president Barack Obama for not using the phrase “radical Islamic terrorism.” And, every time I hear those three words spoken — whether

by Cruz or another GOP politician — I cringe.

This presidential election cycle, Cruz in particular has been outspoken in wanting Obama and others to “name the enemy” by referring to terrorist acts as radical Islamic terrorism. However, the GOP’s penchant for referring to radical jihad as radical Islamic terrorism is actually counterproductive in the fight against terrorism.

While the GOP has always been critical of Democrats, president Obama specifically, for not saying radical Islamic terrorism, the issue became prominent late last year. In the wake of the November 2015 Paris terror attacks and the December 2015 San Bernardino, California, terror attack — both of which involved attackers with Islamic State group affiliations — Republicans had a field day on Obama and the Democratic party for not calling the attacks radical Islamic terrorism. Some of the candidates, especially Cruz, have alleged that the U.S. can’t defeat terrorism if it doesn’t call it radical Islamic terrorism.

E Calling terrorism ‘radical Islam’ isn’t productive in countering it

by justin curto

mill valley news editor-in-chief jagwire.justincurto@gmail.com

Choice words Presidential candidates differ in words that refer to radical jihad

““The strategy to defeat the enemy begins with calling it by its name.

That enemy is radical Islamic terrorism and it is trying to destroy our country and our way of life.”

GOP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE TED CRUZ

““I don’t think we’re at war with Islam. I don’t think we’re at war with all Muslims. I think we’re at war with jihadists.”

DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE HILLARY CLINTON

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don’t call it islamic terrorism

Those three words — radical Islamic terrorism — don’t hold any magical power.

This notion, that the leaders of our country must use a certain phrase when fighting against terrorism, is absurd. Those three words — radical Islamic terrorism — don’t hold any magical power. If Obama starts saying them, we won’t be any closer to defeating terrorist threats than we were before.

Believe it or not, there’s a reason why many people steer clear of calling terrorist groups like the Islamic state group or al-Qaida radical Islamic terrorists. In doing so, they associate an entire religion, with more than 1 billion adherents, with radical, murderous, oppressive people. The reality of the situation is, the Islamic state group represents about 50,000 people. Al-Qaida represents about 20,000. That is nowhere near even a significant fraction of the 1.6 billion Muslims worldwide.

This association is very hurtful. The U.S. needs all the help it can get to fight terrorism, and much of that help should come from Muslim countries in the Middle East.

Saying terrorist groups are radical Islamic terrorists won’t help us form alliances with

these countries, led by practicing Muslims.

If you look at the teachings of Islam, a peaceful religion that many say worships the same god as Christians and Jews, you won’t find much supporting violence. In fact, the fifth sura of the Quran says if someone commits a murder, “it shall be as if he had killed all mankind.”

Given this, by saying these groups act in the name of radical Islam, people like Cruz give them legitimacy. Clearly, radical jihadis are out of step with the teachings of Islam.

However, when American politicians refer to jihadis as Islamic terrorists, the politicians further instigate the jihadis by associating their terrorism with Islam — making it so that, no matter how radical they may be, they can justify their terrorism through by its flawed association with Islam.

There’s a bigger problem with calling jihadis radical Islamic terrorists, too. There are Muslims in the U.S., and the idea that terrorists practice radical Islam creates anti-Islam prejudice among Americans. Associating benevolent and religious Americans with the Islamic State group, even through the words we use, can lead to American Muslims being judged for their beliefs. How else did we end up with a Donald Trump, who advocates banning all Muslims entering the U.S. and whose supporters berate Muslims at his events, as the GOP presidential front-runner?

Let’s look at a comparable situation: The Westboro Baptist Church preaches hate against LGBT people, Jews, soldiers, celebrities and politicians, to name a few. They claim to be Christians, and use that claim to justify their preachings, despite being classified as a hate group. However, Christians steer clear of any association with the church, as they don’t want to associate Christianity with this hate. By this same logic, Christians like Cruz shouldn’t want to associate Muslims with terrorism.

At this point, there’s a question to be addressed. If it’s not radical Islamic terrorism, then what is it? Throughout this column, I’ve been using the term “radical jihadis.” Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, noted for her extensive foreign policy experience as secretary of state in the first term of Obama’s administration, refers to terrorism done by “jihadists.” And Obama prefers to be blunt, calling members of the Islamic State group “thugs and killers” in his speeches instead.

Throwing around phrases like radical Islamic terrorism — and judging those who don’t — can have serious consequences, both inside and outside politics. The next time you’re talking about terrorism, or watching Ted Cruz in a presidential debate, remember that we’re not fighting Islam. Maybe former GOP President George W. Bush said it best shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks: “We fight not a religion; ours is not a campaign against the Muslim faith. Ours is a campaign against evil.”

mill valley high school

jagwire

Society promotes impatience, doing more damage than thought

by sam lopez

news editor jagwire.samlopez@gmail.com had a bit of a revelation during the time the JagWire staff was supposed to come up with story ideas for this issue. As I wasn’t really focusing on the task of actually completing story ideas I was telling myself I needed to go to the gym and start my workout for the night. The problem is, I hadn’t gone to workout in a few days at that point, actually about two weeks, as I had come up with plenty of excuses to skip out.

I was struggling to find the motivation to get myself to the gym. Due in part to the fact that I’m just really lazy, but I think mostly due to the fact that I wasn’t seeing any real changes in my life. I was not being immediately gratified by the work I was putting in and so that work slowly fizzled into nothing.

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Society needs to slow down I have found that our generation is becoming so reliant on this idea of immediate gratification for our efforts that when we don’t see results, we just kind of give up. I do think it’s a lot easier to give up and call it quits now because we rely so much on our parents and others nowadays that it almost makes it easy to just “take the L” and stop putting in effort before we see any results.

While that may not pertain to every single person, I believe it’s a problem more prevalent now than ever, and I’m plenty guilty of it.

I see this frustration even in the smallest things during my daily routine. For example, if Twitter doesn’t load fast enough, I just close out. Oh that Youtube video takes more than ten seconds to load? I don’t have time to wait like that. A friend is trying to show me a photo and it takes a second too long to load, I’ll just say, “show me later,” and leave it at that. I will probably never see that photo. It might be a really small and insignificant action but I think it transcends in other parts of my life as well. The easiest word I can use to describe this phenomenon of our generation is an overall impatience in our lives.

I feel that this attitude towards life in general may be relevant to a large portion of the student population. In fact, in issue four of the JagWire we had a spread over cheating.

The essence of cheating is, and I think most students can relate, if I take these answers from someone else and it keeps my grade up; one, I get to keep my grade up with minimal effort, and two, it’s about ten times faster

illustration by jason chen

and easier to cheat than it is to do the actual work. Forget that we’re not actually learning anything, I know that my work is done and that’s where my gratification lies. And while I do think this happens because the current education system values grades way more than actual learning, I think this mindset perpetuates the immediate gratification attitude that a lot of people have nowadays and in turn damages one’s integrity.

We value the easiest and quickest way to get a task done because we immediately see results instead of putting in the required effort to get where we want to be. I’m clinging tooth and nail to my New Year’s resolution to stick to boxing because after I broke my leg I couldn’t do anything and I’ve become accustomed to not doing anything. After I started boxing, I expected to be in the shape and where I was physically before I broke my leg but that’s not the case, and it was hard for me to realize that I need to put in months of work to get even close to where I used to be.

Now more than ever, we need to stick to our New Year’s resolutions, we need to put in the work in school and actually learn what we’re being taught because we have some really fantastic teachers at Mill Valley that do treasure our learning and they will do what they can to help the student body.

We need to realize, as a generation and generally as an entire population of humans, that while the easiest and quickest way to reach our goal is incredibly enticing, it does nothing but hurt us in the long run.

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One ShiningMoment The JagWire predicts the top seeds in the NCAA tournament

by braden shaw

sports editor jagwire.bradenshaw@gmail.com

Villanova

Projected Top Seeds Virginia

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

Why they’re a top seed: Senior leadership and how they’ve navigated the unpredictable Big East How they’re vulnerable: They’ve lost winnable games and struggle against tough competition

Selection Sunday takes place on Sunday, March 13

Roles Reversed Refereeing recreational volleyball at Okun Fieldhouse gives sophomore Whitney Burke a different viewpoint

by nick booth

copy editor jagwire.nickbooth@gmail.com

Virginia

Final Four takes place on April 2 and 4 in Houston, Texas

Oklahoma

Why they’re a top seed: Quality wins and the play of G Malcolm Brogdon How they’re vulnerable: They struggle to put up points and are inconsistent

Kansas

Oklahoma

Why they’re a top seed: They’re the best Kansas team since 2008 and they have the best resume in the country How they’re vulnerable: Defensive lapses and past Kansas teams have struggled as top seeds

Why they’re a top seed: They have the top player in the nation in G Buddy Hield and have a starting lineup with lots of experience How they’re vulnerable: It’s been a long season, and tired legs will get the best of them

Other top teams that could contend for a title during March Madness

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ABOVE: Calling an end to the rally on Sunday, Feb. 28, sophomore Whitney Burke referees a volleyball game. Photo by Victoria Wright

Dreaming big Students that play a winter sport choose which professional athlete they would be “I’d be Peyton Manning, just because if he retires he’s gonna end on a high note. He’ll end up on top in the very end.”

Oregon: Quality wins against Arizona, Utah and Baylor make them the best team in the Pac-12. They could make a Final Four run after years of disappointment.

photos from MCT Campus

SOPHOMORE COOPER KAIFES mill valley high school

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Flint said Burke is an excellent referee for Okun. “[Working with Whitney is] awesome,” Flint said via email. “She is very honest. I know I can count on her to show up and do an amazing job. She also helps me out when I’m short a [referee].”

Because of the nature of the recreational volleyball seasons, Burke is involved with volleyball in some capacity throughout a good portion of the year.

For Burke, the fun of the game makes up for the hectic schedule that goes along with both refereeing and playing.

“It can be a little crazy because you go straight from playing a game to working for a couple of hours, but it can be fun,” Burke said. “Your job can be fun because you can [referee] kids [that] you know and have fun with it.”

Top four number ones 1. Kansas

1. North Carolina

Students pick the teams they think will be number one seeds in the NCAA tournament

“[I would be] Kevin Pangos. He’s my hero, because he’s a small point guard from a little town and he’s playing in Spain right now. Also, his hair.”

North Carolina: F Brice Johnson has them in the running for a high seed and wins against Miami, Maryland help too.

DESIGN BY Braden shaw

ince her freshman year, sophomore Whitney Burke has refereed volleyball games at Okun Fieldhouse during her free time in addition to playing the sport in school.

According to Burke, the experience has provided her with a new perspective on volleyball.

“It’s been eye-opening because you can see how hard it is when you’re a [referee],” Burke said. “If everyone’s yelling at you, you can now understand the pain. You get a different perspective of the game, so that’s interesting.”

Burke began refereeing games at Okun after her volleyball coach at the time, Lindsay Flint, hired her.

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SOPHOMORE CONNER WARD

Bracket Busters

s p o r t s

overtime

Villanova

Kansas

For student picks for March Madness, see Overtime on pg. 19.

j a g w i r e

Survey of 253 students

1. Oklahoma DESIGN By morgan gurwell

1. Michigan State Photos By MCT CAMPUS

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DID YOU KNOW? JCCC offers a variety of classes to meet your needs. Explore your options.

JagWire reviews Kansas City’s local clothing stores

Affordable • Flexible • Engaging Visit jccc.edu/college-bound to learn more.

Ray Gun

$$ Midwestern hipster’s dream is probably the term that I would use to describe Raygun, whose motto is “The Greatest Store in the Universe.” As a Kansas City lover, and native Midwesterner, it’s hard to argue that Raygun isn’t the greatest store in the universe.

Raygun lies just on the outskirts of the Crossroads and depending on when you go, parking may or may not be an issue due to the popularity of Crossroads on the weekends.

While they do sell water bottles, sunglasses and other little items like jew4.1” elry, etc., there are two defining

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characteristics of this store: the Midwestern pride and the inappropriate humor.

Yes, Charlie Hustle is the kingpin of Kansas City clothing, but just give Raygun a shot. Their t-shirt mottos include “KC: BLVD, BBQ, BASEBALL,” and, although censored, “S*** just got Royal,” a personal favorite of mine. Although most of their merchandise is made up of graphic t-shirts, they do provide some really cool sweatshirts representing Kansas City pride.

Secondly, their humor is very geared toward teenagers and those who aren’t afraid to wear something that will catch the eye. None of their actual designs are inappropriate, though; it’s just the little quips that provide some humor in order to make their store unique.

They play up the stereotypes of the Midwest, creating a sense of humility with shirts like, “Don’t meth with Missouri,” or, “Let’s ex-

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ads

DESIGN BY ABiigail archibong and adri talavera

mill valley high school

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At a glance $$$$$ = Price

= Quality

ceed your already low expectations.”

These are two pretty tame shirts that I enjoyed.

One I found inspirational was, “This is my cancer fighting shirt.”

If any of this spikes your curiosity, I highly suggest making a visit.

the bunker ocated in Westport, The Bunker is pretty similar to Raygun’s style of clothing, minus the flashiness.

If you’re looking for a local clothing store that actually feels like a clothing store more than a theme shop, then The Bunker is definitely the place you want to visit. Their employees were incredibly nice and gave out free drinks while I was there doing my review, under the condition that I call them, “The best store in Kansas City.”

Strictly speaking, I found it a lot easier to legitimately shop in The Bunker more than any of the other stores I visited. While they do provide plenty of Kansas City based items, they also have seasonal clothing options. Their rotation of clothes throughout the year keeps you coming back for more just to see what’s new.

419 W 47th St, Kansas City, Missouri

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419 W 47th St, Kansas City, Missouri

Check out mvnews.org for a special project focusing on graduates who pursued their passions after high school

news editor jagwire.samlopez@gmail.com

1803 Baltimore Ave, Kansas City, Missouri

CHARLIE HUSTLE epresenting Kansas City as the leader of Kansas City clothing, Charlie Hustle is your go-to place for your classic Kansas City wear.

For those who don’t know, Charlie Hustle has a store down on the plaza. It’s practically hidden and it’s actually pretty easy to miss if you’re not looking for it. It has a really personal feel to it, possibly because everything in there is about Kansas City.

As always, they’ve got your baseball tees, t-shirts, and hats showing off their iconic Kansas City Heart design.

by sam lopez

$$$ However, the plaza store is only a pop-up store. So you’re not going to be able to find everything that they offer. If you’re looking for a wider variety of merchandise, such as college clothing, you will want to do some extra searching on their website.

Charlie Hustle provides the natives of Kansas City with a great and unique style of clothing to represent and show off their love for the city.

Photos by Karissa Schmidt & Jena Smith

$$-$$$$

DESIGN BY Jillian leiby

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Cheesy Choices

RECIPE

RECOMMendations How do you make a grilled cheese sandwich?

Two JagWire reporters review grilled cheeses at three restaurants

town topic

toM + Chee

Black dog

6018 Johnson Drive, Mission

15991 W. 119th St., Olathe

12815 W. 87th St. Parkway, Lenexa

Grilled Cheese, “[I make it] in a pan and over the stove. [I] butter the two slices of bread and I toast them, then I put cheese on it and let it melt.”

FRESHMAN STEVEN COLLING

“I get a baguette and I cut it up, then I dip it in some olive oil and seasoning, and then I grill that ... then put cheese and get it all melted and gooey and eat it.”

SOPHOMORE PARKER JOHNSON

Please

The JagWire pursues the perfect grilled cheese sandwich

by jillian leiby

managing editor jagwire.jillianleiby@gmail.com

by adri talavera

opinions editor/business manager jagwire.adritalavera@gmail.com

How to make the best grilled cheese The Bread:

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Slice their grilled cheese in two triangles

Keep their grilled cheese whole

I really liked the simplicity of the grilled cheese. It was nice and gooey.

Plus, fries elevate everything.

Mine was nearly perfect: the cheese was tasty and the bread was crunchy.

The garlic put it over the top, though.

The bread was nicely brown, and I appreciated the variety of cheeses. It was still spicy, which I wasn’t a fan of.

ADRI SAYS ...

ADRI SAYS ...

ADRI SAYS ...

It was pretty basic and I felt like I could make it at home but it was pretty cheap.

The sandwich was probably the best of the three, but it had too much garlic flavor.

The chipotle mayonnaise was overwhelming and the grilled cheese was greasy.

USE AMERICAN

Slice their grilled cheese in fourths

JUNIOR LAUREN SCHATH

JILLIAN SAYS ...

7% 14% Slice their grilled cheese in two rectangles

Don’t care how their grilled cheese is sliced

mill valley high school

The soup:

38% 24% 12%

287 students answer questions about how they make grilled cheeses

53% 19%

JILLIAN SAYS ...

The Cheese:

6% “I put bread down, and then I use white cheese and I put honey on them ... and then I eat them with tomato soup. ”

JILLIAN SAYS ...

jagwire

USE CHEDDAR

56%

USE PEPPER JACK

Dip their grilled cheese in tomato soup or eat it as a side

7% 5% 3% USE COLBY JACK

USE SWISS

USE PROVOLONE

9% Use Multiple cheeses 3% Use a different cheese jagwire

mill valley high school

38% 7% Don’t like tomato soup

Eat another kind of soup with their grilled cheese

Percents may not add to 100 due to rounding

photos by Claire Biles

design by justin curto

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Exploring SCIENCE

RIGHT: After discovering how to illuminate a light bulb, junior Jakob Coacher (right) holds a light bulb to some batteries on Friday, Feb. 26. “[My favorite part was] when we used 16 batteries to light up one bulb,” Coacher said. “It was cool to see the batteries act as one and make the light shine bright.” Photo by Margaret Mellott BELOW: In her Pre-AP Chemistry class, sophomore Evan Zars works on a 3-D periodic table on Wednesday, Feb. 22. Photo by Morgan Gurwell

While in their classes, students test out the different aspects of science

ABOVE: In Physics, junior Jordan Junkins stacks batteries with her tablemates, making a light brighter on Friday, Feb. 16. “My favorite part of the class is that there’s never a dull moment,” Junkins said. “We are always having a fun time.” Photo by Margaret Mellott

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photo essay

DESIGN BY madison ferguson

ABOVE: Senior Ryan Anderson tests his lung capacity in Human Anatomy and Physiology on Wednesday, Feb. 24. Photo

by Abigail Archibong LEFT: While in Pre-AP Chemistry, sophomore Durga Jambunathan (right) works on a lab in class on Tuesday, Feb. 16. Photo

by Margaret Mellott

mill valley high school

jagwire