JagWire Newspaper: Volume 24, Issue 1

APPLYING PRESSURE

How the most common internal and external sources of pressure are effecting teens

page 4

A look into the school’s new dress code guidelines and their enforcement

page 6

An update on the library’s new classifcation system and operating hours

page 14

How the soccer and football teams are filling the roles of graduated seniors

rating

2023-24 STAFF

Editor in Chief

emma clement editor in chief

jules shumaker editor in chief

anna zwhalen editor in chief

Online Editors in Chief

emma clement editor in chief

anna zwhalen editor in chief

Photo Editor

luke wood photo editor

Copy Editor

ian chern copy editor

Staff

elizabeth summa writer/photographer

hailey perrin writer/photographer

avery writer/photographerclement

barron fox writer/photographer

eva hernandez writer/photographer

evan leroy writer/photographer

Censorship Policy

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

Editorial

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

maddie martin writer/photographer

maddie writer/photographermulryan

olivia peters writer/photographer

quinlyn writer/photographerpeters

It’s no secret that Mill Valley is an incredibly successful school with students who are proud to go here. We have some of the most successful programs in the state, from academics to state championship sports.

However, the pressure of at- tending such a successful insti- tution can be overwhelming for Mill Valley students. For most, messages of perfection, striving for success and optimizing performance are part of daily life at school. From improving test

isn’t the best of the best in all areas of life. The expectation can be a lot to carry for students.

According to a psychological study done by the University of Leeds, perfectionism can lead to decreased resilience and increased emotional distress in response to failure. The study also suggests that in order to build resilience, students should aim to specifically reduce “socially prescribed” perfectionism.

Studies like this are the per- fect example of how detrimental a high success driven environ- ment can be. Where achievement is only celebrated when it quali- fies as above and beyond, toxic perfectionism thrives.

In a school where big accom- plishments are riotously cele- brated, it can be difficult to feel achievement in any- thing on a smaller scale. Rarely is effort equally rewarded across activities and subjects, ei- ther by students or staff.

towards success, it is important to bear in mind what we are able to do on our own.

Students should feel proud of the accomplishments they’ve made, whether or not they are the absolute best at what they do. Teachers and administration should encourage students to work hard, but should also be aware of the stress teenagers are alreadyBecomingunder.more empathetic of the pressure others feel can cre- ate a more understanding school environment because all anyone can really do is their best, not the best of other people.

scores to improving goal scores, there’s a constant expectation to be the best of the best.

Though striving to be better is not inherently bad, often the repeated instruction to succeed can result in feelings of failure if one

Some academic achievements are often valued more than others while some sports receive more attention and praise than oth- ers do.

Despite the ac- complishments of Mill Valley, because of our constant push

WEIGHT OF THE WORLD

by jagwire staff

The pressure to succeed can feel overwhelming; being understanding with ourselves and others is key

Students should feel proud of the accomplishments they’ve made, whether or not they are the absolute best at what they do.

JagWire Staff

GUIDE TO THE DRESS CODE

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

DRESS CODE DILEMMA

School dress code’s most recent change prompts renewal of age-old debate over content and enforcement

by emma clement editor in chief by maddie writer/photographermulryan

change in the school’s dress code has renewed the debate about what is acceptable attire for school. In grade level meetings at the beginning of the year, principal Dr. Gail Holder announced that the dress code would no longer be enforced by teachers, just administration.

In previous years, teachers could ask students to go to the office or put on a jacket when they were in violation of the dress code, now administration is the only group who can ad- dress the dress code with students. Explaining the changes made, Holder emphasized that she wanted to prioritize a safe, professional school environment.

“One of the main things I said in our class meetings is we want to create as much of a

professional atmosphere as we can here,” Holder said. “We want it to be a place where students feel safe [and] teachers feel safe in a lot of different ways.”

However, this safety is not always straightforward. Soph- omore Annie Newell, who has been “dress coded” for wearing a tank top, describes how she felt when she was asked to cover up.

“It was embarrassing,” Newell said. “It was an inconvenience to my dad because he had to bring me a sweatshirt.”

Sophomore Gus Goetsch has had similar experiences with the dress code in previous years. He explains how uncomfortable he felt about the way he was called out for his Playboy sweatshirt.

“The way that I was called out, I feel like [the teacher] was trying to embarrass me, which is also

Sophomore Annie Newell considers her fashion options daily. Photo by Eva Hernandez

really weird. He was laughing about it with his teacher friends,” Goetsch said. “I feel like it’s better that a teacher can’t call you out on it.”

Students were not the only ones who preferred a dress code that was not enforced by teach- ers. Art teacher Bryan Lloyd Rosell explains that an admin- istration-enforced dress code can help avoid awkward in- class confrontations, like what Goetsch experienced.

“I think that dress code enforcement falling on admin in- stead of teachers can eliminate conflict between the student and the teacher. If the teacher can let the administrator or counselor know to reach out to a student instead of confronting the student in the middle of when they’re supposed to be learning,” Lloyd Rosell said.

A separate enforcement issue students found with the previous dress code was that it was not applied equally. Newell faced an issue with this last year when she was asked to change clothes when another student was wearing the same item of clothing as her but was not asked to change.

“We were both wearing the same things and it was just an eye opener to see that sometimes if you look different than other people, you can’t wear the same things,” Newell said.

Goetsch echoed Newell’s thought, saying that in his ex- perience, the dress code seemed “very nit picky.”

Both Newell and Goetsch’s observations about the dress

code seem to represent a broad- er opinion of the student body in that the dress code should be more equally enforced. In a JagWire survey of 169 students, students were almost exactly split on whether or not the content of the dress code was reasonable, but only 4% said it was equally enforced.

Math teacher Amy Welzen- bach represents another side to this issue, saying that the en- forcement or content of the dress

the same things

code is not what needs to change, but rather the fashion trends that girls commonly wear to school.

“I have more trouble with girls coming in dressed slightly inap- propriate, more so than boys,” Welzenbach said. “I don’t think that we’re specifically looking for it. I just think that that’s how it is. I think that there’s more op- portunities for girls to push the limit on how they dress.” While this problem might not

be entirely solved by this year’s changes, it does eliminate some potential discrepancies. Aside from enforcement, the students feel the dress code can limit creativity when it comes to fashion. However, Welzenbach thinks one of the strengths of the school’s current dress code is that it does not limit personality.

“I don’t think [the dress code is] too strict,” Welzenbach said. “I mean, kids can show a lot of their personality in the way they dress and they can do that within the dress code.”

Newell agreed with Welzen- bach that the dress code itself does not restrict many specific types of clothing, advising stu- dents to be confident in their style choices.

“I think just wear what you want always because I just don’t think that Mill Valley has a strict enough dress code to restrict yourself from wearing things that you want to wear,” Newell said.

Ultimately, Holder thinks stu- dents should be empowered to dress freely on the weekends, but should remember the rules during school hours.

“I know that kids have to have a life and they should have the opportunity [to wear what they want] on the weekends,” Holder said. “I want them to have that same kind of freedom, but [during] our 7:50 to 2:55 school day, I want it to remain academic and professional. So that when students get a job, they know “OK, when I’m at work, this is what I dress like.”

It was just an eye opener to see that sometimes if you look different than other people, you can’t wear

Sophomore Annie Newell

LIBRARY LOOK IN

A look into the organization of the library and its available uses for the upcoming school year

by maddie writer/photographermartin

The library is undeniably an important place at school. It is used as a study space for many students and a collaborative space for classes. However, many adjustments have been made to how the library operates.

With media specialist Ashley Agre entering her second year in the library, she hopes it is “a comfortable [and] accessible place for everybody.”

Most students use the library not for books but as a place to study and socialize. Sophomore Abby Abebe goes to the library during seminar and says it is a nice place to go.

“It’s a good environment and you get to be with your friends,” Abebe said.

In seminar groups of students gather together to study. Students can also be found reading, talking and relaxing.

The biggest change Agre has made for this school year is in how to sign up to spend seminar in the library.

“I have a laminated pass that kids show their teacher,” Agre said. “It’s much easier to sign up for seminar than it was last year.”

Aside from seminar, the library is open before school start- ing at 7:15 a.m., after school until 3:30 p.m. starting in October and during class for the entire year.

The protocol for frequenting the library is not the only thing that has changed.The nonfiction section is still organized using the Dewey decimal system, but

How do you use the library?

A key of all of the genres of books in the library and their corresponding colors

the rest of the library is now col- or coded by genre, with stickers. Agre further explains the system.

“Fantasy and [science fiction] have a green sticker on them, realistic fiction has a blue sticker, historical fiction has a yellow sticker, mystery has an orange sticker, short stories have a pur- ple sticker, thrillers have red stickers and then romance has a pink sticker,” Agre said “Those stickers are on the spine, so the students are able to visually see where those books are. ”

Each year, Agre gives presen- tations to freshmen about resources available in the library during their English classes. These include technology re- sources such as printers, K-12 technology, loaner laptops.

“I think this is a good place to start if you’re struggling with anything,” Agre said.

Agre has implemented book and movie clubs that meet and discuss and hopes to start a mu- sic section of the library where kids can check out and listen to music. Agre is also getting access to e-books for students to use.

“I’m really hoping to get more students into just checking out books just to read,” Agre said.

Design by Barron Fox

Media specialist Ashley Agre enjoys Jenny Han’s “The Summer I Turned Pretty” in the media center. This is Agre’s second year as media specialist for the school. Photo by Olivia Peters

Survey of 169 students

Mystery Short Stories

Thriller

Fantasy and Science Fiction

Realistic Fcition

Historical Fiction

Romance

A visual representation of student use of the media center

REQUIRED READS

by quinlyn writer/photographerpeters

Every summer, students are tasked with reading and analyzing a piece of litera- ture for their upcoming English classes. These assignments have led students to wonder how exactly English teachers decide what to Englishassign.teacher Sara Sedg- wick, as well as several others, have been introducing lists of book options for projects as opposed to one assigned reading for their English classes. Extra thought has to be put into these lists, so that they all still have the same academic value.

“I look for books that are the same difficulty level so no one’s picking an easy book over a hard book, but I also look at what skill I am teaching with that book,” Sedgwick said.

In her class, English teacher Kristen Huang consistently updates assigned reading material in order to stay up to date with recent events.

“For our class, AP Language and Composition, we try to keep it current,” Huang said. “Once an article ages out, we don’t assign it anymore. We look for new ones.”

Freshman Natalie Long said that after years of being used in her English classes, older books

READING RATINGS

Students rated schoolrequired books out of five stars

have become overused, rather than achieving their intended impact.

“It’s obvious with those kinds of stories or books that they have been used for English teaching for years and years and years, to the point where you can only as- sociate their name with “We read it in English class,” Long said. “At this point, you can’t actually take them for what they are. You just take them as English class readings.”Students, including sopho-

more Liberty Bouskill, also pre- fer to be able to pick a book that suits their own interests, instead of one that has been read for years in the same classroom set- ting like what Sedgwick is implementing.

“[I would prefer to choose] from a list of options, 100 per- cent,” Bouskill said. “If you have a choice then it doesn’t feel like as much of a chore when you’re reading [the book] because you’re like, ‘Oh, I picked this. This is a book I wanted to read.’”

Senior Addisyn White grins as she reads “The Glass Castle” by Jeanette Walls, which she read the summer of her junior year for AP language and composition. Photo by Anna Zwhalen

Students and teachers share their opinions on the required readings for English classes

Survey of 169 students

A PRESSURE COOKER

Mill Valley has award-winning aca- demics, a three-time national champion dance team, impressive test scores, a state winning football team of four consecutive years, successful students, competitive activities, difficult classes and everybody knows it. The school is a place of excellence, of high-achieving students and the staff that helped them get there. However, with a seemingly never-ending legacy of success, those that must follow these feats find themselves wondering how they can possi- bly measure up, fearing that they will come up short. The JagWire newspaper explores how the ‘pressure cooker’ environment of Mill Valley manifests and how to start cooling down.

SUCCESS CULTURE

There are many sources of pressure coming at students as they go about their daily lives. Whether it be from family, teach- ers, peers or themselves, this pressure’s existence is almost a guarantee at Mill Valley. This pressure not only affects students physically in their sports and activities, but also mentally with their academics and mental health.

For freshman Graham Anderson, this pressure is often exac- erbated by his two academically successful sisters, class of 2022 graduate, Summer Anderson and senior Sarah Anderson. He explains how this affected the difficulty of his courses this year.

“I felt a little bit of pressure from my family to make sure that I was taking the hardest classes that I could and the best classes, but my teachers were pretty sup- portive of whatever I wanted,” Anderson said.

Similarly, sophomore Pres- lie Wampler, who is one of five siblings, often feels she needs to both live up to her older sister, senior Halle Wampler, and set a good example for her younger sisters in terms of both school and dance.

“She’s the [dance team] cap- tain, and she has been for three years, and I want to become a captain next year,” Wampler said. “I want to [be able to] do whatever she does with the dance and everything and that takes a lot of time.”

Sophomore Heidi Baillos also faces pressure specifically from her father to succeed in her sport. Baillos’ father is one of her tennis coaches which creates a compli- cated source of stress for her.

“I mean, [my coaches] don’t really pressure me, but my dad’s a coach and he’s always been very keen on winning.” Baillos said.

Aside from familial pressure, some students feel their biggest

critic is themselves. Senior Wil Lehan expresses this sentiment.

“I would say a large amount of the pressure comes from my- self, wanting to be the best per- son I can be and achieve my goals [and] get to college and the programs I want,” Lehan said.

However, students are not the only people at school who feel like they constantly need to succeed. Chemistry teacher Jill Lloyd shares that even teachers can feel pressure to help their students raise test standardized scores. Additionally Lloyd ex- plains that pressure stems from competition as a district for success.

“I think the pressure is multi- faceted,” Lloyd said. “As a teacher you know your students are outstanding. You want the pub- lic to see that as well and a standardized test is accepted maybe for all of the patrons including state or national. I feel it as a district, even competing from year to year.”

Furthermore honors and AP classes can be sources of pres- sure in and of themselves, even without busy schedules and dif- ficult tests.

“More pressure is held at the beginning of the year and more pressure is probably felt during the junior year with the honors classes,” Lloyd said. “I think the kids see value in themselves as high performers and when they don’t perform highly they feel like their value is being judged.”

DROWNING IN

SUCCESS

SUCCESS

The impact that success has on students and the places that pressure to succeed stems from

by emma clement editor in chief

by evan writer/photographerleroy

by avery writer/photographerclement

WIL LEHAN HEIDI BAILLOS SOPHOMORE SENIOR

BE PERFECT, ALWAYS

While the standardized test scores Lloyd mentioned are one way this pressure manifests, there are many other manifesta- tions of pressure that students faceForregularly. Lehan, the need to constantly live up to the accomplishments of an older sibling can greatly affect a person. Lehan has three older siblings who were all successful at Mill Valley, but his brother John Lehan was who he most felt he needed to live up to.

“In the

past that affected me quite a lot,” Lehan said. “My brother is a big inspiration for me. He’s a very talented individual, especial- ly when it comes to school and learning, so I definitely felt pressure in the past to match what he was doing when he was at Mill Valley.”When coupled with a sport, this pressure only increases. Bail- los finds her long days of both schoolwork and tennis can make her exhausted from the balancing

“Iact.end up coming home from school exhausted,” Baillos said.

“At least, practices for high school are a little shorter than my club days, but sometimes I’ll come home and I’ll take a two hour nap from school. Then I’ll have to go play or it’s the oth-

Being

valedictorian is not important to me. It’s a nice title to have but to have been ranked one in your class, but it’s not going to make a difference whether I’m going to get into a college program.

Senior Wil Lehan

er way around. I go play right after school and then I come home at 6:30 and fall asleep in- stead of doing my schoolwork.”

Lehan also feels the stress of a busy schedule because of his difficult course load this year. He opted for an academically rigor- ous senior year to ready himself for college, and he is feeling the effects.

“I’m in five AP classes, seven weighted classes total,” Lehan said. “I have some easier AP classes to help with the workload to make sure I have enough time, but it’s definitely a lot of work this year.”

Similarly, Wampler has a dif- ficult schedule, which was influenced by the fact that her sister took and continues to take many advanced classes.

“I spend a lot of my time studying for my tests and I al- ways see my sister studying a lot,” Wampler said. “I have hard classes on both [blue and silver] days. I’m in Honors Chemistry and math with upperclassmen so it’s a good challenge.”

Lloyd explains that as a teach- er, she sees many students take

difficult classes and feel the pressure to succeed in them. Sometimes she sees this manifest financially since many students need good grades or test scores to get scholarships.

“I think the pressure to catch on to a class is there as well in that when you have scores attached to it with potential scholarship [it gets complicated],” Lloyd said. When you start putting your money value on your academic journey, [it] is tough.”

PRESLIE WAMPLER SOPHOMORE

The complexity of pressure may seem never ending, but there is hope. Whether students can turn pressure into a positive or simply find a way to make it less influential in their day to day lives there are plenty of ways to lessen its effects..

For Anderson, outside sources of pressure can al- low him to reach his higher goals.

“I think that [pressure from teachers] helps push me to be better and try harder and make sure I do my best,” Anderson said.

Lehan agreed with Anderson, explaining that stress can be beneficial to him.

“Stress is a good thing,” Lehan said. “It’s a good thing for us to feel because it helps us prepare to per- form at a high level whether that’s in school or athletics, but know that you don’t have to face stress alone. You can rely on your peers or your teammates to help you get through stress so that you can be the best that you can be.”

FRESHMAN GRAHAM ANDERSON

Baillos had similar experiences with tennis, saying pressure helped her find the success she

has found in her sport.

“I wouldn’t be where I am right now, without the pressure.” Baillos said.

Lloyd even furthered Anderson, Lehan and Baillos’ ideas, saying that in her classroom she tries to make the content fun to keep the stress low.

“[To] quote Mary Poppins, “a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down,”” Lloyd said. “So while you focus on the content,

YOUR BEST, NOT THE BEST

I felt a little bit of pressure from my family to make sure that I was taking the hardest classes that I could and the best classes, but my teachers were pretty supportive of whatever I wanted.

Freshman Graham Anderson

WHAT PRESSURE? WHAT PRESSURE?

The student body’s feelings behind the pressure to succeed

ON A SCALE OF 1(low)-5(high)

46.7% OF STUDENTS RATE FEELING A 4 ON THE PRESSURE TO SUCCEED ACADEMICALLY

you’re probably more likely to remember a good experience. You review those good experiences and then you also take those high stakes testing in a low risk atmosphere and practice that so it’s just a daily occurrence of performance as expected. It can be fun as well.”

Lloyd said focusing on the journey rather than the destination can be a good starting point for refocusing.

“I think the more you experience [pressure] in a safe manner, it doesn’t seem so scary,” Lloyd said. “If it becomes a daily routine, it’s a part of your practice. It’s a part of your academic journey. You show

45% OF STUDENTS SAY YES, THEY HAVE HEARD TEACHERS MENTION NEEDING TO RAISE AP, SAT and/or ACT SCORES

up and it’s just another day. You do you and focus on your journey and the results will come.”

This mindset starts with taking tasks one step at a time. Wampler does this by keeping a calendar to keep her stress low.

“I have a good calendar on my phone,” Wampler said. “I write down all my school assignments and everything to do with dance so I keep them balanced.”

The pressure to succeed, especially in intense academic and athletic environments can be a lot to deal with. For Lehan, escaping the prison of others’ expectations of you and your abilities is ultimate-

THE PRESSURE PROFILE THE PRESSURE PROFILE

46.7% OF STUDENT SAID THEY FEEL THE MOST PRESSURE TO SUCCEED FROM THEMSLVES

ly about being true to yourself. He offers this advice to anyone who is struggling with these issues.

“Be yourself as best as you can be,” Lehan said. “You are not your siblings. You do not need to meet the same standards that your siblings meet. There’s going to be areas where you’re better than them and there are going to be ar- eas where you’re worse than them but being true to yourself will ultimately find you more success in areas that you enjoy in life and it will just make you a happier person in general. Try to be somebody that is authentic, instead of putting on a disguise.”

A look at Mill Valley’s academic rankings and test scores over the past few years

OUT OF 192 AP TESTS ADMINISTERED

48 SCORED RECIEVED A SCORE OF 5 (2022-23)

USD 232 HAS A GRADUATION

97.3% RATE OF

THE AVERAGE COMPOSITE ACT

21.6 IN 2022 SCORE WAS A

THE CLASS OF 2023 HAD 309 GRADUATES WITH 64% of students

LEAVING FOR FOUR YEAR COLLEGES

Survey of 169 students

OPTIMALLY SUB ME

by olivia writer/photographerpeters

In a school full of academic growth, the expectation of perfection can be stifling

One of the first things that can set the tone for each school year is the school motto. This year, the word “optimize” is plastered on every teacher’s door, but what does that really mean? The motto could mean anything from per- fection to growth, and we as the students and staff of Mill Valley get to decide what it means for us.

Upon seeing the motto for the first time, I understood it to mean “perfection.” There is a lot of harm that can come from this interpretation. Trying to be perfect gets in the way of making mistakes. Mistakes directly contribute to growth, and are an important part of learning. The stress of perfectionism can weigh on students, and sometimes hold them back from starting some- thing – an assignment, a hob- by, a project – just because they are afraid it will not be perfect. Trying to be perfect all the time hurts us and limits what we are able to do.

Striving to be suboptimal or imperfect instead of trying to be perfect all the time allows us to

be messy and creative. Striving to be imperfect helps us get out of our own way; we allow our- selves to be new at things, and to make mistakes. It frees us from the pressure of perfection.

Principal Dr. Gail Holder, who

in the classroom with students as it relates to learning, but our time when we’re not here in the building?”

Holder believes that working solely towards perfection does not allow us to take risks and make mistakes. Making mistakes, however, is absolutely critical to “Thereoptimizing. have to be a lot of risks that are taken in order to truly optimize,” Holder said.

Taking risks and making mistakes is scary, and it doesn’t al- ways end well. It is nonetheless a huge part of truly optimizing. Without allowing ourselves to make mistakes and fail, we are not able to explore everything we otherwise could.

chose the motto, never meant for it to mean perfection. Instead, she hoped the motto would en- courage us to look at what we have and make the most of it.

“How can we optimize our energy and our well-being?”

Holder said. “How can we opti- mize not only the time we have

Ultimately, we decide what the motto “optimize” means to us. We should reject perfection and instead embrace being sub- optimal and all the opportunities it allows us. At the same time, we should recognize the opportuni- ties for growth that we have and we should take them. We should change “optimize” from some- thing that encourages us to be perfect into something that encourages us to become better.

Design by Quinlyn Peters

We should reject perfection and instead embrace being suboptimal and all the opportunities it allows us.

Senior Olivia Peters

DRESS TO IMPRESS SCHOOL IN STYLESCHOOL IN STYLE

Exploringwhatitmeanstowearstylishoutfitsinschool

Source:Surveyof169students

TIME AND EFFORT

STYLISH STUDENTS

Q+A with two students who dress their best for school: senior Nikki Owens and sophomore Olivia Nzioki

Mill Valley News: How would you describe your style?

Mill Valley News:

What’s your favorite thing about your style?

Olivia Nzioki: I feel like sometimes I see a bunch of people walking around with the same exact outfit. I like the way thatmy style can switch based on my mood.

MVN: What makes you want to dress up for school?

ON: I like to pretend that there’s modeling agents walking around school. I don’t want to be caught in a really bad outfit, so why not dress up?

Nikki Owens: I just wear what I want to wear. I don’t really have a specific aesthetic.

MVN: Why did you start dressing up for school?

NO: I just like when I dress up. I feel better. If I feel like I look [bad, then] I’m going to feel really unconfident.

Students ranked the importance of their personal style out of five stars

AESTHETICS OF MILL VALLEY

A breakdown of different aesthetics and how students described themselves

Preppy - 5.3%

Similar to a classic style and includes bright colors and clean lines. Preppy style includes pieces like straight leg jeans, sweaters and tennis skirts.

Casual/Comfy - 45.6%

Usually defined by comfortable clothing. This can include sweatshirts, sweatpants, leggings and baggy t-shirts.

Grunge/Goth - 3.6%

Characterized by lots of black and layers. Grunge style includes items like Dr. Martens, baggy jeans and striped shirts.

Basic - 17.8%

Refers to a style that is trendy but simple. Basic style includes jeans, crop tops and sneakers.

Athletic - 10.7%

Includes clothes that would be more likely to be seen in gyms. Brands like Lululemon and Nike are popular for this style.

Design by Emma Clement and Olivia Peters Research by Maddie Martin

Photos by Elizabeth Summa

by ian chern copy editor

by anna zwhalen editor in chief

STEPPING UP STEPPING UP

Both the football and soccer teams have seen team members step into new roles with the graduation of influential seniors

Coming back from state championship seasons, the football and boys soc- cer teams both have their eyes set on another championship. However, the biggest challenge that they will need to overcome is to find players to fill the shoes of the former seniors.

Last year, the football team lost their starting quarterback of two years, Hayden Jay, who left be- hind a winning legacy. Normally, the position of starting quarterback would be filled by a single player. However, the battle for the position has come down between senior Daniel Blaine and junior Connor Bohon. After the first three games, head coach Joel Applebee has split time between the two players.

“At this point, it’s a battle,” Bohon said. “It’s still a battle. We both have been pushed re- ally hard. We both pushed each other really hard and that led to getting better at a very fast rate, which is a good thing. It’s a good problem to have for the team. We’re still fighting to see who’s going to take it.”

Despite how contested the position of starting quarterback is,

Bohon and Blaine have retained a good relationship.

“I love Connor,” Blaine said. “He’s a great guy. He makes me better every day. I make him better every day, just like we always do. Our coaches like to say we treat each other like brothers.”

English teacher and defen- sive coordinator Michael Strack shares similar sentiments about

LOFTY LEGACIES

Defender of the Year: Owen Peachee

Midfielder of the Year: Nico Pendleton

All Sunflower First Team: Dylan Ashford, Nick Hodson, Owen Peachee, Nico Pendleton, Collin Riley

the importance of team relation- ships. Strack was offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach prior to this year, so he worked directly with Jay. He remarks on the impact that last year’s seniors had on the underclassmen.

“You know, I think for our team, our kids understand what’s expected of them,” Strack said. “They understand that we

A look at the myriad of successful seniors last year and the ground left to make up

All Sunflower Second Team: Kael Drummond, Matt Morgan, Luke Shideler, Brady Robins

Honorable Mention: Codey Geis, Jack Gilmore, Nick Schrag

14 Total Sunflower Awards

Returning Team Members

Source: @mvjagsoccer on Instagram

Senior Tristan Baker blocks his opponent so senior Daniel Blaine can run Friday, Sept. 2. Blaine is one of two starting quarterbacks for the team this year. Photo by Elizabeth Summa

he had to step up. I want to live up to Thoughthat.”football has a strong foundation from which to continue to claim victories, boys soc- cer has suffered a significant loss of senior players. According to assistant coach Justin Crawford, it has impacted team dynamics.

“We actually lost 12 players last year and we lost a lot of se- nior leadership,” Crawford said. “You talk about Owen Peachee, Dillon Ashford, Luke Shideler, among a ton of others that were programmed people that under- stood what was needed to get to the end.”

Senior Kael Drummond, one of the remaining upperclassmen

STACKING UP STATS

Highlighting the strengths of the new quarterbacks after the third football game of the season

140

2

TOTAL TOUCHDOWNS

3

mates] know what to do before [coach Jason Pendleton] gets to them. When it comes down to situations of close games, I try to take over and have them follow what I do.”

For Bohon and Blaine, stepping up means making improve-

fied with wherever we’re at.”

Though improvement is im- portant, Strack emphasizes that players should be working hard based on their own status, not that of the players who came be- fore them.

“Obviously we have new play- ers and a lot of them took over or are playing in spots where we had really good football players last year,” Strack said. “I think they understand it’s their job just to do the job as best they can, not necessarily worry about how well the guy before me did it. Just try to be the best player I can be. Ultimately if they do that, then they’ll be really successful in their position.”

Senior Daniel Blaine VS Junior Connor Bohon

Photos by Elizabeth Summa

[Bohon] makes me better every day; I make him better every day, just like we always do.

Senior Daniel Blaine

Source: Mill Valley Jaguars on MaxPreps

ONLY UP FROM HERE

Sophomore Zach Chang speaks on his time rock climbing

by

copy editor

About twice every week, sophomore Zach Chang scales the rock walls in the indoor gym at RoKC. Ever since 2021, indoor rock climbing, also known as bouldering, has come to be one of sophomore Zach Chang’s favorite things to do in his free time.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Zach discovered rock climbing as a great way to stay active, explaining that he enjoys the freedom that bouldering allows him to have.

“I really like the dynamic movement and how it’s allowed to kind of do whatever you want,” Zach said. “You can kind of skip whatever [rocks] you want.”

According to Zach’s mom, Emily Chang, he learned about bouldering from his cousins in a full circle story.

“He was introduced to bouldering by his cousins who boulder in New York City,” Emily said. “When his cousins were little, my husband and I actually introduced them to rock climbing.”

Another factor that helped Zach find rock climbing as one of his favorite hobbies was the similarities with his previous experience in Ninja Warrior.

“There was a place called Apex and they had Ninja Warrior classes,” Zach said. “They do a lot of strength training and stuff like that, but then they switched ownership. I didn’t really like the ownership so I was looking for something similar like flyweight stuff. I went to rock climbing.” When Zach goes rock climbing, he usually climbs along with his friend, sophomore Phoenix Johnson. Johnson describes what he enjoys about

climbing with Zach.

“I like to climb with him because he’s good at the more technical parts of climbing,” Johnson said. “It’s fun to try to finish a route together. It’s also a good time to just hang out and talk.”

Although bouldering is not a traditional sport, Emily believes that bouldering is exceptional because it is an enjoyable yet flexible challenge.

“You get support from the community because you can meet friends and strangers that help you with the routes and give tips,” Emily said. “It’s also very individual and the timing is very flexible.”

Design by Luke Wood

Climbing at RoKC in Olathe, sophomore Zach Chang practices a difficult route as fellow climbers watch and cheer him along.

Photo Submitted by Zach Chang