JagWire Newspaper: Volume 24, Issue 3

T H E

AG

Mill Valley High School

IRE

Shawnee, Kansas Volume 24, Issue 3

Dec. 13, 2023

CHEATING IN CONTEXT

The many definitions of cheating and how students interpret them

FEATURES page 9

OPINIONS page 16

A&E page 20

Dr. Gail Holder shares five lesser known facts about her past and present self

Two JagWire reporters go head-to-head with their opinions on cheating

Students explain the significance and origins of their family recipes

2 Table of Contents

Dec. 13, 2023

CONTENTS 5 OPINION STAFF ED

6 DR. GIBSON’S LISTENING TOUR NEWS

8 THE PLANT LIFE FEATURES

District superintendent Dr. Cory Gibson listens in on a Student Advisory Board coversation about the results of his listening tour on Tuesday, Nov. 28, which is composed of students from both De Soto and Mill Valley. photo by emma clement

9 FEATURES GET TO KNOW DR. HOLDER

10 ONLINE STUDENTS FEATURES

SECTION 12 SPECIAL DEFINING CHEATING

Rehearsing for the holiday concert, sophomore Katie Donnelly comes to the school building to sing with Grace Notes on Tuesday, Nov. 28. photo by anna zwahlen

16 OPINION OPPOSING VIEWS 18 A&E STUDENT ART GALLERY

PUBLICATION INFORMATION @millvalleynews1 @MillValleyNews

JagWire Office

Censorship Policy

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

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

JagWire

page and cover design by jules shumaker

20 A&E

FAMILY RECIPES

22

SPORTS

MANAGING TIME At her practice Thursday, Nov. 16, senior Violet Hentges plays a six on six game against her teammates with special rules in order to train certain skills. Hentges is a leader during practice, helping her team get better through sharing her knowledge. photo by luke wood

Table of Contents

3

2023-24 STAFF Editors in Chief

emma clement editor in chief

jules shumaker editor in chief

anna zwahlen editor in chief

Online Editors in Chief

emma clement editor in chief

anna zwahlen editor in chief

Photo Editor

luke wood photo editor

Copy Editor

ian chern copy editor

24

Staff

elizabeth summa writer/photographer

hailey perrin

I AM MV

writer/photographer

avery clement writer/photographer

barron fox

PATRICK SEGURA

writer/photographer

eva hernandez writer/photographer

evan leroy

writer/photographer In full gear, junior Patrick Segura poses before the starting gate in Florida at the National Paintball League competition. photo submitted by Patrick Segura

maddie martin writer/photographer

maddie mulryan writer/photographer

olivia peters

writer/photographer

Professional Associations

Editorial Policy

Kansas Scholastic Press Association National Scholastic Press Association Journalism Education Association Journalism Educators of Metropolitan KC The 2023 JagWire earned an All-Kansas rating from KSPA and were 2023 NSPA Pacemaker finalists. It is also a member of the NSPA All-American Hall of Fame.

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

quinlyn peters writer/photographer

Read more on Mill Valley News

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Dec. 13, 2023

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BREAKING

NEWS

JagWire

C

heating isn’t right. Right?

Most, if not all, teenagers cheat at some point or another. At a certain point, students reach for a quick fix like Googling the last answer to that science homework or asking for answers to the math homework, but even these small things can have detrimental effects on the student if they don’t take responsibility for their own academic integrity.

Sometimes it can feel like there is no other solution. Maybe the missing work piled up or what seems like hundreds of assignments are due in a few hours or maybe the math problems just seem too hard to do, but when students get into the habit of asking for the answers from a friend or using PhotoMath on every assignment that’s when something simple becomes a larger problem.

Most students would argue Googling the answers isn’t cheat-

design by olivia peters

ing since the answers are just out there on the internet; it’s just using resources that are easy to access. However, it is important to identify whether or not the proper amount of effort was put in before resorting to using outside resources.

In some cases, the line between cheating and using other resources is clear. Looking up something to better understand it is completely different from copying the answers from a friend. The general consensus would be that cheating on tests is wrong because a test is more highly weighted, but if students are cheating on an assignment they might resort to cheating on the test too because they never learned the content. There are so many tools out there to use for help, but the important thing to consider is whether or not resources are being used as a quick fix or to avoid doing the work.

CHEATING YOURSELF

Cheating hurts skill development in the long term; students should take responsibility for their own academic integrity

by jagwire staff

STAFF EDITORIAL

5

Sometimes a quick fix works, but over time it doesn’t help develop important skills. When a student isn’t going through the critical thinking process involved in trying to solve a question they don’t know the answer to, they are taking away a very important step in the learning process.

Teachers don’t just assign homework for no reason as it might seem. The saying ‘practice makes perfect’ reigns true here. Without proper practice of applying and using the skills taught in school, students aren’t truly garnering the benefits they should be.

Teachers and schools have learned how to prevent cheating by using programs that detect plagiarism and having kids write their essays on paper, but it’s not solely the school’s responsibility to prevent cheating.

Students have to want to be better. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure that they are developing the skills and learning the content. In the end, students who cheat are only making it more difficult for their future selves.

6 NEWS

N

NEW IN SCHOOL

Dec. 13, 2023

by emma clement editor in chief

by maddie mulryan writer/photographer

New Superintendent, Dr. Cory Gibson conducted a district-wide listening tour to get feedback and gather ideas for improvement

ew superintendent Dr. Cory Gibson set out on a listening tour in April to introduce himself and learn about district perspectives. The six-month-long tour concluded in October, and Gibson has now begun to create action plans based on what he heard.

For Gibson, getting to know the

district is vital for a new superintendent to do as early as possible.

His listening tour intended to accomplish just that.

“I think it’s mission critical for any new leader to walk into an organization and really understand where they’re at,” Gibson said.

“The only way you can do that is by listening to all voices.”

DR. CORY GIBSON THE LISTENING TOUR The dates and people who Gibson spoke to on his listening tour

MAY

Previous superintendent District leaders De Soto Teacher Association Building principals

JULY

Leadership team District office employees Teachers

AUG.

Board members Board Candidates

SEP.

Johnson County Chambers of Commerce Student Advisory Board Lenexa Economic Development Council

OCT.

Parents SITE Council members

Staff Advisory Council Source: Dr. Cory Gibson photo by luke wood

Gibson’s tour included meetings with building and district administrators, De Soto Teacher’s Association leaders, teachers and staff, board of education members, surrounding community members and councils, parent SITE councils and the student advisory board.

Gibson described the most common answers he heard when asking about district strengths.

“I literally had over 1,000 individual words used to describe the district,” Gibson said. “The ones that are most common were: ‘there’s a sense of family,’ ‘we’re a growing and successful district,’ ‘we are innovative,’ ‘and we believe in excellence,’ so those just confirmed what I already knew about the district.”

According to Gibson, one of the most illuminating parts of the tour was what he learned about the district’s weaknesses. Areas of growth he identified included communication, collaboration, connections, expanded opportunities for students, mental health/ behavior support and professional development.

“The one that came out on top is professional development for our staff,” Gibson said. “[It is about] making it meaningful and [providing] things they can use in their classroom the next day to support students and their growth, but it also went into how we can better train our custodians, our food service brokers.”

Senior Lucy Roy, one of the student advisory board members who participated in the tour, said conversations about expanded opportunities for students also came up frequently.

“We talked a lot about providing lots of opportunities for students, so that went with the CTEC building and developing more classes

JagWire

and opportunities for students to take classes at CTEC,” Roy said.

“That was a big thing that it seems like Dr. Gibson is hoping to develop while being here.”

Roy met Gibson this year at a student advisory board meeting, and believes he has brought passion to the district. “[Gibson] seems super passionate about making our school district a good place to be at,” Roy said. “I like all the ideas and the things that he has planned for our district.”

Chamber of Commerce director Ann Smith-Tate, one of the community members Gibson spoke with, agreed with Roy. “He understands that the school district is a huge part of this community, and he wants us to all be working together towards the same goals of educating and creating a great community that starts with our schools and who’s coming out of them,” Smith-Tate said.

Smith-Tate specifically admired that Gibson took time out of his schedule to talk to his community one-on-one. “[Gibson] was curious about the history of our relationship as far as how we had worked in the past with USD 232 and any Addressing the student advisory board, district superintendent Dr. Cory Gibson explains the results of his listening tour Tuesday, Nov. 28. Gibson met with the same students as part of his listening tour in September to hear their perspective. photo by emma clement

ideas I might have for the future,” Smith-Tate said. “I love that he took so much time to hear from us and many different sectors in the community. It takes a lot of time to schedule the meetings to get the calendars coordinated.”

I think it’s mission critical for any new leader to walk into an organization and really understand where they’re at Superintendent Dr. Cory Gibson

Elaborating on Smith-Tate’s ideas, Roy appreciated how Gibson made the participants feel valued.

“We were able to voice our opinions and it wasn’t like there was a right answer at any point, so we were just able to say exactly how we felt and weren’t judged,” Roy said.

For Gibson, taking the time to engage was truly a priority. He explains the benefits the tour had in

design by barron fox

NEWS

7

terms of connections and culture.

“I truly am just sitting on the sidelines literally in some cases but figuratively and others,” Gibson said. “All I’m doing is trying to engage and listen because there is a lot you can just get a sense of when it comes to culture, so just being out there a lot and making those connections has given me some opportunities beyond just the listening tour.”

In addition to learning the culture and making connections, Gibson also made it a goal to get to know the people themselves.

“Part of [the tour,] of course, is not just learning the perceptions of others, but really getting to know who the people are,” Gibson said.

Though the tour’s goal was just to get to know the district, now that it has concluded, Gibson is eager to begin solving some of the identified problems.

“My intent was just to get to know people and hear what their perceptions were of the district.

However, now that I have some information it might be the right time to turn some of these into action plans,” Gibson said. “It has certainly resonated with a lot of people and as a result, I think we have a duty and responsibility to act on some of these things.”

8 FEATURES

BUDDING INTEREST

C

Senior Valeria Cruz explores her interest in all things plants through her Instagram page

OVID-19 helped many students discover new interests. For senior Valeria Cruz this interest was plants. In the past few months, Cruz has created a plant-centered Instagram account in order to express herself and her interests.

“I felt like none of my friends really like plants and I just needed to share my plant photos because I’m proud of my plants growing...it’s really exciting whenever they get a new leaf or they flower,”Cruz said.

Cruz uses Instagram to showcase her several plants, as well as offer advice she could have used when she first began to grow plants.

“I’ve got a lot [of plants]. I have trailing plants like Pathos and Philodendrons. I have succulents and I have cacti. I don’t have that many flowering plants, they’re mainly houseplants,” Cruz said.

Plants are a large part of senior Katie Fredricks’ life as well, and she and Cruz often talk about their plants since discovering their shared interest in sophomore year.

For Cruz and Fredricks, plants are just one part of their friendship.

“I mean, in every relationship people meet because they have traits in common with each other.

We were becoming good friends for other reasons,” Fredricks said.

by quinlyn peters writer/photographer

Dec.13, 2023

With her plant, senior Valeria Cruz shows off the stunning leaf. Cruz has been making a plan on how she will be taking care of all her plants when she goes to college. photo by eva hernandez

“We are both competitive in school and we both like the same subjects and we have the same humor. And then we also just coincidentally enjoy plants together.”

However Cruz has already begun planning how to take care of her plants after high school, as she prepares to go to college.

“I’ve definitely got way too many [plants] for my dorm room.

Some of them are huge, and I don’t think I could physically fit them in the room. But I kind of also have talked to my future roommates about getting a south facing window so plants have a lot of sunlight,” Cruz said.

Going into the future, Cruz is excited to discover more about caring for plants, and to share those discoveries on her Instagram account. “[I want to] become the crazy plant lady,”Cruz said.”I just want plants all over my room and kind of create little ecosystems.”

and tricks BLOOMING Tips for basic home WITH CARE plant care Most plants bought from hardware stores need to be re-potted.

design by hailey perrin

Dead leaves or stems should be cut off in order to inspire plentiful growth.

The average house plant needs to be watered once a week after the soil has dried after the previous water was given.

Choose a plant that will optimize the amount of light you have.

Snake plant flourishes in low light Jade plant flourishes in high light

JagWire

9

THE FIVE LIVES OF DR. HOLDER photos by elizabeth summa

FEATURES

design by avery clement

Principal Dr. Gail Holder gives insight into who she is outside of school

by evan leroy writer/photographer

1 SWIMMING

“I did synchronized swimming from the time I was in seventh grade all the way through high school. I went to the Olympic trials for synchronized swimming.”

4 LUNCHROOM

“When I first got here in 2020, we had quite a significant custodial shortage and there was a time that we were operating with maybe three total custodians in the building. I believe that the environment where students and staff walk into needs to feel clean. If they see me, I’m cleaning the floors, I’m dumping the trash. I’m doing those things because I want this place to be nice for you guys every day when you walk in.”

2 DANCE

“Being a high school dance coach, I think has been was incredibly rewarding and I did that for 25 years.“

3 COLLEGE

“I graduated from high school in 1984.

I went to Kilgore Junior College and danced for two years and I got my associate’s degree from there. I then went to KU where I got my bachelor’s and my master’s degrees. Then I went to Pitt State to get my administrative degree. Then I went to Baker University to get my to earn my doctorate.”

SURPRISED Students react to these STUDENTS Holder facts

SENIOR JULES TRACY “I did know [that Holder coached dance] as I heard about it from theater because I know that she had helped choreograph some stuff [for the musical,] so I already knew that about her. I just didn’t expect [her to have coached] for that long.”

5 FASHION

“[I am always] trying to keep up with current fashion trends on a budget.

I do like comfort but I always like to look professional. My students used to ask me when I was in the classroom, they would be like, “you know, Ms. Holder, why are you always so dressed up?” I would say, “because I take my job very seriously and I always want to look like I’m coming to work.’”

55%

of students did not know any of these facts

6.3%

of students knew Holder was a synchronized swimmer

39.6% of students knew Holder coached dance

Survey of 159 students

10 FEATURES

VIRTUALLY THE SAME 21 students choose to complete high school digitally

E

very day, senior Abigail Troilo starts her four hour school day at 10 a.m.. Upon hearing this, the average student would likely assume Troilo is homeschooled, but in reality she is one of the 21 students that are part of the school’s virtual education program.

The program allows students to complete their coursework from home through Edgenuity. Though they have a teacher who manages their work, there are no class instructors for the classes students are enrolled in. Students must learn the content through entirely virtual instruction consisting of videos, texts and other online content. According to assistant principal Deb Jaeger, there are many reasons a student might choose to go online.

DAY AIL’S ABIG Abigail Troilo’s

Dec. 13, 2023

by ian chern copy editor

by emma clement editor in chief

“Usually students have a medical reason, like they’ve had surgery or some sort of condition where they just can’t come to school so they do classes online,” Jaeger said. “We have students with mental health issues, where they just can’t attend in person.”

Senior Abigail Troilo switched to virtual school in November of her junior year. Though there were some things she liked about traditional school, Troilo wanted to do school in a way that better suited her needs.

“I liked Mill Valley for a while, but at some point, I just felt like it wasn’t for me anymore,” Troilo said. “It all went back to Zoom in 2020 when we did online. I’ve always felt like that was better for me.”

Sophomore Katie Donnelly, who made the switch to the virtual program in October, felt similarly.

“I was getting done with a lot of the stuff in school way quicker, so I would have a lot of free time during the day,” Donnelly said. “It was easier to go online because it was self paced.”

Although online school did exist during the Covid-19 pandemic,

Senior daily schedule for school 9 a.m. - Wake up

Get ready

9:30 a.m. - Breakfast/

ork

10 a.m. - Start schoolw

ak

12-1 p.m. - Lunch bre

ol

3 p.m. - Finish scho

ork on other 7-8 p.m. - W work

homeWorking at a desk, senior Abigail Troilo goes to the library often to get her school work done . photo by elizabeth summa

JagWire

Edgenuity is very different. Donnelly said that she was initially surprised to learn she wouldn’t be using Zoom for her classes.

According to Jaeger, students still must be active learners in order to reach the program progress requirements. “[The virtual students] are required to be online so many hours a day, just like if they were by emma clement in school, and the Edgenuity proeditor in chief gram tracks their progress,” Jaeger said. “It sets a goal like they have this many weeks to complete a class, so they have to meet certain percentages each day.”

Despite its differences from the online school that many students know from the COVID-19 pandemic, Donnelly enjoys it, saying that her school day is much less strict in terms of time.

“I like being able to wake up at the time that I want to wake up,” Donnelly said. “I like being done within three hours for the day.”

The freedom of the virtual program does also have its drawbacks. For Troilo, this is because of its lack of a consistent routine. “[In some ways being online] is harder because if you’re someone that gets distracted easily and you need more of a routine, probably in person is better for you,” Troilo said. “But if you are able to take breaks and you’re able to create your own routine, I would say online is good as long as you’re good at organizing and getting your stuff done.”

Trolio also cites that virtual students do not have the same built-in time off from school that in-person students have, making it more difficult to take time off from schoolwork.

“It’s harder because if you go on vacation you still have to do that work, so it’s not like you can just take a break,” Troilo said. “I don’t get breaks on weekends. I still have work, regardless if I get it done or not. If I do it ahead of time then I don’t have work on weekends, but I don’t really get fall break or winter break or spring break.”

Despite the many differences, participation in clubs and activities is one thing that virtual students can still do just like their in-person peers. Donelly is still a member of the Grace Notes, so she attends

design by madelyn mulryan

FEATURES

11

Rehearsing for the holiday concert, sophomore Katie Donnelly comes to the school building to sing with Grace Notes Tuesday, Nov. 28. photo by anna zwahlen

in-person class for choir.

“It’s kind of weird walking around school Sophmore Katie Donnelly’s without a backpack,” Donnelly everyday school schedule said. “But I just 8 a.m. - Wake up go in through the front office and I wait un9 a.m. - Start schoolwork til the bell rings and then I just 10:30 a.m. - 10 minute break walk around like I’ve been there all day.”

12 p.m. - Lunch One of virtual school’s greatest 3-4 p.m. - Done with school drawbacks is the isolation that can come from working from home constantly, according to both Donnelly and Troilo. To improve this, Donnelly would propose creating small ways for students to socialize.

“I feel like I’d make a little group where you can meet up once in a while to get help so you can be with people every once in a while,” Donnelly said.

Ultimately, Troilo likes the stress-free environment of virtual school and believes it has benefited her learning.

“When I’m online, I get to take my time doing things,” Troilo said.

“I don’t have to rush. It’s just less stressful for me. I can just solely learn and not have to worry about anything else.”

KATIE’S DAY

12 SPECIAL SECTION

DEFINE:

Dec. 13, 2023

CHEATING Cheating can be defined in many ways; teachers and students give their input as to what counts as cheating and when it is more or less acceptable

by anna zwahlen editor in chief

by barron fox writer/photographer

I

THE CHEATING AGE

t’s no secret that students cheat on schoolwork, especially in high school. In fact, 85.5% of students reported that they have cheated in school before in a JagWire survey of 159. However, the age of the internet has not only changed what cheating looks like, but how students perceive cheating versus using their resources. Apps and websites like PhotoMath, Desmos, Sparknotes and even Chat GPT allow students access to answers and resources outside of just instruction. The use of many of these has been encouraged by teachers and students alike as supplemental materials. With all of these resources available, students and teachers are evaluating where the line between academic fraud and free use of resources is drawn.

WHAT QUALIFIES AS CHEATING? With all the resources students have access to today, the methods of cheating students use can seem

by evan leroy writer/photographer

never-ending. As a result, drawing a fine line between cheating and not cheating is a hard thing to do.

For example, sophomore Mya Franco defines cheating as the act of copying someone else’s work.

“Cheating is taking an answer from someone else, word for word,” Franco said. “I think that if you use Google and you use it in context, I don’t feel like that’s cheating. I feel that’s using your resources, but if you look out for someone’s paper and you put word for word exactly what they said, that is cheating because you’re not using your brain, you’re just copying.”

For senior Gus Hawkins, whether or not copying answers or looking them up counts as cheating depends on the type of assignment.

“I think cheating only applies whenever it’s on a test,” Hawkins said. “I think you should be able to use any resource on homework and notes and everything like that.”

However, there are some students who believe the act of cheating really lies in a lack of effort. Senior Brooke Bellehumeur believes it is alright if students get help on

DICTIONARY

Defintion from Oxford Languages

Cheat

CHēt

Verb

1. act dishonestly or unfairly in order to gain an advantage, especially in a game or examination 2. avoid (something undersirable) by luck or skill

assignments as long as they make their best attempt at it.

“I don’t really think you can cheat on homework unless you’re just not working through the problems at all,” Bellehumeur said. “I think if there’s a question that you need help with, and you look it up and [have it] explained to you, I don’t think that’s cheating.”

Students agree, with 92.5% reporting that they do not consider sharing their work with peers to be cheating. Hawkins is one such student who uses his peers to find help on questions he finds particularly difficult.

“I’ll usually ask a friend [about the assignment] first and I try to figure out how they did it,” Hawkins said. “Once I feel confident, I eventually try it myself, so it helps to show me a process.”

However, French teacher Denise Smith has a different take on students cheating in her class.

Smith said that in her class, any kind of access to resources other than those explicitly given qualifies as cheating.

“Whether it’s a phone, writing on a desk, or writing on a small piece of paper, I’ve even

JagWire

design by jules shumaker SPECIAL SECTION

Sophomore Mya Franco believes that cheating is bad on tests and quizzes, but sometimes feels like it is the only option for classwork during her busy schedule. photo illustration by olivia peters

had a student write so small then put it on the inside of a mechanical pencil, those are all forms of cheating,” Smith said. “Using resources would be a student looking around the room and finding a word that is posted in my room that happens to be a vocabulary word on the quiz. That’s not cheating, that’s me, I forgot to cover it up so you get to use that word.

That to me is not cheating, because you’re only ever going to have one or two words like that.”

Despite the fact that many teachers like Smith consider using outside information to be cheating, Bellehumeur describes how she sees her classmates use external resources frequently on assignments.

“If [the assignment] is on the computer, it’s pretty easy to just look up answers if needed, but I think unless teachers take [students’] phones, I see students using them too,” Bellehumeur said.

Similarly, sophomore Jordan Powell has seen fellow students cheat in similar ways, but on tests and quizzes rather than just homework. “[I’ve seen students] talking to one another during a test sharing answers and bringing in notes hidden either on your body or on a water bottle,” Powell said.

With the rise of programs like

ChatGPT and PhotoMath that assist students with their homework, many teachers have begun to adapt to how their students use their resources at home. Smith explains how she initially believed Chat GPT was just a way of cheating until she learned more about how it works.

“Sometimes when you’re against things, it’s because you’re ignorant and for me, I went into [ChatGPT] very against it,” Smith said. “But then I was blown away by the power of it when you’re using it the right way. I don’t even think students are aware it can even be used as a great review technique.”

13

THE CHANCE TO CHEAT What students believe is “cheating” and their habits around cheating

85.5%

OF STUDENTS SAY THEY HAVE CHEATED AT SOME POINT IN SCHOOL

50.3%

OF STUDENTS BELIEVE IT IS SOMETIMES OK TO CHEAT

WHY DO PEOPLE DECIDE TO CHEAT?

The debate on cheating tends to be more on how students are cheating or what is classified as cheating, so the question of why students cheat is often ignored. Generally cheating is framed as something students decide to do, but sometimes it can appear to be the only option.

COMPARED WITH

13.8% OF STUDENTS BELIEVE IT IS NEVER OK TO CHEAT

Survey of 159 students

14 SPECIAL SECTION

Dec. 13, 2023

Franco said cheating is unavoidable at some times because of her workload.

“I hate cheating, but sometimes it feels like the only option,” Franco said. ”[Studying] takes away from other things that I could be doing because of the fact that I had to spend so much time on homework that I don’t have enough time to study because I have a test every week.”

Also, junior Juliya Laws has

I hate cheating, but sometimes it feels like the only option Sophomore Mya Franco

found that she sometimes feels like she has to resort to cheating just to get through the class unscathed.

“Sometimes I feel like the teacher didn’t teach me enough of the content that was on the test originally,” Laws said. “I felt like I did need to help myself out [on the test] especially because it was all memorization.”

Franco has found that cheating is more common in advanced classes because of the pressure to seem smart enough for the class.

“I see [cheating] in a lot of the harder classes because I feel like the pressure is if you’re taking a harder class, you should be at that level,” Franco said. “If you feel like you don’t know the answer, it feels like there’s a pressure on you

to know the answer. If you’re not sure then you go look it up.”

Some teachers agree with Franco such as Smith, who explains that sometimes you won’t use everything you learn in school and how it’s not worth it to stress about it.

“I know the students always say, ‘I’ll never use this in my life,’ and as a teacher I know very well that’s true,” Smith said. “I think there are assignments often given to students that are busy work. I’ve had teachers, I know colleagues, I have my own graduate professors who give me nothing more than busy work instead of coming up with a quality type of assessment.

So in those circumstances, if it means using Chat GPT to get that resource, absolutely, use it because you’re doing nothing but causing yourself a lot of wasted time, a lot of anxiety and a lot of frustration.

When I know at the end that the teacher is not really grading it for quality, they’re grading for completion.”

WHAT’S THE VERDICT? Though the narrative of cheating has been communicated to most students as set in stone, the real situation has proven to be more fluid. Most teachers and students condemn the practice, but only under certain conditions ,with more than half of students agreeing that cheating is only acceptable in some situations.

According to Franco, it’s important to do work representing her ability, but sometimes getting the answers to homework is more important than spending the time

JagWire

design by jules shumaker

Junior Juliya Laws considers how cheating helps and hurts students, asserting that in situations where students don’t have the necessary resources, working with others can help. photo by olivia peters

As a world language teacher, Smith finds that cheating on homework or classwork rather than practicing the language often leads to longterm failure. “[Cheating] is doing no one any service except themselves in the short term,” Smith said. “They are doing themselves a disservice because now when I put those

[assigned] sentences on a test, they are not able to do them.”

Though many students resort to cheating for fear of failure, Smith argues that learning to fail ultimately leads to success.

“I just don’t think it’s necessary because you’re just setting yourself up for failure later in life because when things get really hard, you don’t have the qualities that you need to be able to pull upon to get through those tough times,” Smith said. “That’s more of the athletic mindset, that you have to fail [to move] forward to success.”

According to Laws, although cheating never feels right, sometimes students may not feel like they have any other choice amidst academic expectations.

“I never think [cheating] is okay,” Laws said.

“But if you are genuinely struggling and maybe you do need to have that A in the semester, your GPA or whatever to get into college, I can’t say it’s okay, but I don’t think it’s that bad.”

FREQUENT FAKING

The three most common ways students have cheated

#1

#2

LEARNING ABOUT THE TEST AHEAD OF TIME FROM OTHERS

67.3%

GOOGLE TRANSLATE OR USING ANOTHER TRANSLATOR

Survey of 159 students

67.9%

69.2%

to work through them.

“For me, I feel like if I cheat it’s not really my academic ability, so I don’t like the idea of cheating,” Franco said. “I don’t like the idea of cheating on tests. I don’t try to cheat on my tests or quizzes, but I have been guilty of copying an answer to my friends for things like homework or classwork.”

Some teachers agree that there is a time and a place for finding answers that you didn’t come up with on your own, but that situation is limited.

“I do think there are instances for [cheating], but it’s not ever for a test or a quiz,” Smith said. “I think it’s for longer assignments that as a teacher and a student, we all know is considered busywork. So I think there are circumstances, though not many, and I think it’s more apparent as you get higher up in education.”

SPECIAL SECTION

#3

LOOKING AT OR COPYING ANOTHER STUDENT’S WORK

15

16 OPINION

Dec. 13, 2023

HARDLY WORKING

by maddie mulryan writer/photographer

School is changing, and so should cheating’s definition

W

ith artificial intelligence (AI) on the rise, the question of what qualifies as cheating is being frequently debated. I believe that using certain types of resources has been widely misconstrued as ‘cheating.’

One such resource is using AI on schoolwork, which when implemented properly, can simply be a really helpful tool to assist with homework. But it has a reputation of being used to get out of having to do your own work.

AI can be helpful with writing outlines, helping you get started on projects, and it’s really good at helping you study. Using AI can be a really helpful tool if it’s purpose is not just doing your assignments for you.

A more popular debated resource is using Google and other online tools to help with work. If you’re only doing homework, and not a test, looking up and finding answers is not cheating.

In the real world, everyone will

be using online resources to help them figure out how to best solve their problems. Being able to correctly research and find answers is a very important real-world skill

Being able to correctly research and find answers is a very important real-world skill that people actually need sophomore maddie mulryan

that people actually need.

Not only is researching a good skill that isn’t recognized, but not everyone in school has the same set of talents.

Those who say you can just study a couple hours to completely learn a topic are privileged.

Some people aren’t able to process certain topics as well as others, so they need to use helpful tools such as Google or AI. Imagine being talented at something that isn’t taught in school, such as building or being persuasive. Both of those talents can introduce you to amazing careers in the future, even though they aren’t popularized in most schools.

Those who have more niche talents like these might not be good at traditional academics like math or science. Why should they fail these classes that they don’t understand and won’t use in the future? All students deserve to have the same opportunities as others, and getting help from online resources allows that.

‘Cheating’ needs to be redefined to make clear that some students are just using their resources to get help.

JagWire

design by quin peters

OPINION

17

WORKING HARD

by emma clement editor in chief

A

Cheating should not replace the learning opportunity of hard work

lmost every student has thought about cheating – had a moment of consideration where they tried to convince themself it was a good idea.

Thoughts of, “I just need to pass this class” and “everybody does so why can’t I?” can seem overpowering, but in reality, cheating is never worth it. Putting in the hard work to learn the content will only benefit students.

A study done by the International Center for Academic Inquiry revealed that 95% of high schoolers admitted to cheating in some capacity. Additionally, 64% of students admitted to plagiarism and 58% said they had cheated on a test.

This study shows that cheating is not only common, but frequent in school. However that doesn’t mean it should be. The same study concluded that one of the main reasons students cheated was because they felt pressured to get good grades and do well, especial-

ly for overachievers.

While their reasons are valid, cheating is not the only way to success. Though it may feel like an easy solution to being over-

The skills gained from problem solving and leaning to be imperfect will always be more valuable in the long run senior emma clement

worked, burnt out or stressed, it really only makes things worse in the long-term. Cheating takes away opportunities for students to learn how to work hard, prioritize

and manage their time.

Facing difficult situations with scheduling and feeling overwhelmed is something anyone can empathize with, but those who use those situations to hone critical thinking and decision making skills are the true successful students and that means that they have to do the work..

Besides being a detriment to the student’s own learning, cheating is also unfair to those students that do put in the effort to get their grades. As many high achievers are aware, academics are a competition: GPA, scholarships and college applications, to name a few.

It is unfair for students who cheat to take the easy way out and get ahead of those who are genuinely putting in the effort to succeed.

Cheating to get a good grade in a class may give a brief GPA boost, but the skills gained from problem solving and learning to be imperfect will always be more valuable in the long run.

18 FEATURES

PAINT ME A PICTURE

Dec. 13, 2023

by anna zwahlen editor in chief

by maddie martin writer/photographer

Selected artists chosen to display their work in the Tim Murphy Art Gallery share their art processes and the effort they put in

T

he school’s top artistic talent is being recognized through Dec. 30 in the Tim Murphy Art Gallery located in Merriam. The exhibit, created to showcase high school artists from all over Kansas, will feature four pieces from the school, including a 2D piece by senior AJ Lauer, a 3D piece made by junior Kennedy Goertz and two 2D pieces made by senior Emma Clement.

The show’s judge, an anonymous professional artist, considered color/values, technique, form and presentation to select the pieces to be featured in the show.

In addition to displaying the pieces, the show also awards prizes for the top three works in each

category: photography, 2D art, 3D art and digital art. The show is highly competitive, according to art teacher Jodi Ellis, who has instructed many of the students whose work has been featured in the past.

“Last year they had about 1,300 entries and they selected about 100 pieces,” Ellis said. “I think they’re just looking for a good array of subject matter and medium. I do think that more than just technique, they are looking for that creativity and that voice.”

Ellis believes that part of the students’ voice being reflected is how they express ideas about the world.

“Something that’s original and you can tell it’s their voice,” El-

lis said. “They’re communicating something about themselves to the world around them. Students who really develop [and] refine their ideas and go back and try to push themselves to better create those ideas are the ones that I feel like their artwork consistently shows that development in that depth.”

The process for making an award-winning piece varies by artist. For Goertz, creating the sculpture was an evolving process, but was inspired by one central idea.

“She looks like a tree and her hair’s like leaves, it’s kind of like how people have started to disconnect from the nature around them,” Goertz said. “I initially wasn’t going to make the bark on her face, but I realized that there

EMMA CLEMENT SENIOR

AJ LAUER

SENIOR

JagWire

photos by eva hernandez

ARTISTS AT WORK Students share their art experience and opinions in a survey of 159

Talent Shared

48% of students have had their art displayed in or near the school 52% have never had their art displayed

needed to be some kind of contrast.

For the next four days or so, I just added stuff over and over again, my mind was always changing.

The picture was way different than what she ended up looking like.”

Lauer drew inspiration from a real life example and kept the process simple, starting with sketches and then worked from there.

“Seeing a guy walk through the forest was the original inspiration,” Lauer said, “I sketched out the pencil drawing and then I painted and then I put on some Sharpie on top of it.”

Ellis believes the whole show is a fun opportunity to see what art students have been creating. “[To] go and see what it is that students are doing [or] they’re not

design by hailey perrin

Popular Interest 61% have taken a visual art class at MV

29% of students prefer drawing 22% of students enjoy painting more than other visual arts

doing because it’s just going to be amazing artwork that’s really fun to view,” Ellis said.

According to art teacher Erica Matyak, who worked with Goertz and Lauer on their pieces, the exhibit is a good opportunity for the students to be recognized for their work.

“I think it is really exciting,” Matyak said. “It gives the students recognition for all of their hard work. It kind of shows them what they could possibly do with their artwork in the future.”

Being featured is a bittersweet moment for Goertz, reminding her of when her art was featured as a young child in a similar event. “[Being featured] was a weird feeling because I got sent to an

Art I: 57% of students took this class Survey of fine arts: 20% of students took this class 38% of students have never taken an art class at mill valley

16% of students do not have a preference or prefer something different 13% of students enjoy ceramics more than other visual arts

art show at one point when I was younger so it kind of made me sad, because that’s not what I want to do anymore,” Goertz said. “I’m growing up, it’s kind of sad. Now I want to be a doctor and I always wanted to be an artist as a kid.”

Similarly, Lauer has found that though art is important in his life, he spends less time on it than he has in past years.

“Usually I do my pieces fast, I have a fast turnaround,” Lauer said. “I like to work through them. I usually take around three hours max. During my sophomore and junior year, I spent about four hours every day. But now during my senior year, I’ve dialed it back a bit. I still enjoy it, but I enjoy math a bit more.”

KENNEDY GOERTZ JUNIOR

19

The Top 3

39% have never taken a visual art class at MV

What Kind?

FEATURES

20 A&E

Dec. 13, 2023

Samosa Ingredients: Rice Vegetables Seasoning

SOPHOMORE ESTHER KISIVO Kisivo enjoys a favorite cultural dish with her family: Samosas.

“I always remember when I was little, in our church nursery, she’d bring me a little thermos of pilau and I’d always eat that with my mom there. With samosas, I would wrap them with my mom and help her fry them.“ “Samosas are kind of taken from Indian cultures, but we have our own twist. How my mom makes it, it’s a tortilla outside and then inside is a ground beef mixture. It’s seasoned and it has vegetables then she fries it and it’s really cool.“

Tortillas Ground Beef

“When I was little, these were things that my parents would make. It was like baby food I would always eat, like pilau and stuff like that. So I think as we got older, it’s continued because I don’t know how I’d not eat pilau and samosas all the time. So I know when I’m older, I’ll probably be cooking it just as much.”

SOPHOMORE MADDIE VINH

Banana Tapioca Ché Ingredients: Banana

Vinh often enjoys meals from Vietnamese cuisine with her family

Coconut

“My mom makes this really good Vietnamese dessert with banana, coconut and tapioca pearls. We also have this thing called spam musubi which isn’t really a Vietnamese thing but my family still likes it. It’s really good.”

Tapioca pearls

Spam Musubi Ingredients:

“The dessert [banana tapioca chè] is more like a special occasions type of thing …I grew up eating that dessert a lot”

Spam Rice

OUR TABLE Nori

Students share the meals that bring their families together

by quinlyn peters writer/photographer

JagWire

photos by luke wood

design by avery clement

A&E

21

FAMILY FOOD

Students eat different ethnic foods at home Northern European 42.8%

Italian 87.4%

Mediterranean 35.2%

Chinese/ East Asian Latin American 73% 86.8%

Indian/ South Asian 27%

Survey of 159 students

JUNIOR MOLLY GRIFFIN

Griffin and her family has been cooking through generations “There’s always so much food and it just ties back to memories and brings the whole family together.”

“I have so many memories of just being in the kitchen with my family. It definitely brings my family together.”

“Every time we have the Apple dumplings its for a big family event or just something really exciting is going on. So that dish just always brings back Creole happy family Pork chops memories.”

Ingredients “I remember the first Rice time my mom really Cabbage taught me how to make it. I’ve been cooking Creole since I was little. My Pork chops mom taught me how to cook, [along with] my grandma and my aunt. It’s kind of a thing being a woman in my family: you learn how to cook and you learn how to cook how my family cooks. “

Bread

Apple Dumplings Ingredients Whipped cream

Apples

22 SPORTS

P

Dec. 13, 2023

ractice schedules during the sports season can be intense.

For senior Garret Cronin, his day starts with football practice at 6:15 a.m. each morning and goes until 7:15 a.m.. After school, he practices for another four hours every day of the August to November season. Cronin is not the only one to have such an intense school day schedule.

Sports can take up numerous hours out of any student athlete’s life, with practice occurring almost daily and games taking place multiple times a week. As a result of this, Cronin explains that his energy level is sometimes low during the school day.

“Sometimes in classes I feel tired, but once practice comes around, I start to pick up more energy,” Cronin said.

Volleyball also practices every day during their season. New to high school, freshman Riley Riggs believes that the repetitiveness of each day can become overwhelming.

“It’s really hard to do all the sports and the school aspect because you’re up late and then you’re getting up early for school and then you’re doing it all over again,” Riggs said.

Cronin thinks getting good sleep is essential, so he tries to stay on track with his assignments so his busy schedule doesn’t affect

by maddie martin writer/photographer

by ian chern copy editor

SENIOR VIOLET HENTGES

HOMEWORK

10 hours per week

vs

SOCCER

10 hours per week

Senior Violet Hentges sings in the Jag Singers choir and plays club soccer Thursday, Nov. 16.

Hentges must balance her schoolwork and choir practices with both high school and club soccer. background photo by luke wood, foreground photo by elizabeth summa

his health. “[I] just try to stay on top of work, plan things out, try and use my time wisely, so I can still get good sleep,” Cronin said.

Riggs has a similar problem with volleyball, as it doesn’t leave much time for homework throughout the week. Riggs likes to set goals for herself each day to manage her time and her work.

“I have little goals like I need to have this done by this time and it helps me keep everything

LEARNI

BALANCE Student athletes maintain their academics while excelling in their sports

manageable so I don’t forget anything,” Riggs said.

Senior Violet Hentges has a similar system to Riggs. She uses an agenda to keep track of all of her assignments.

“I like to keep an agenda and write out every single thing I have, that way when I mark off something on my list [it] helps relieve some tensions,” Hentges said.

“Sometimes I go to the library to be in a better environment to clear my head.”

NG TO

BOTH

JagWire

design by emma clement

SPORTS

23

FRESHMAN RILEY RIGGS

HOMEWORK

2

hours per week

vs

VOLLEYBALL

10 hours per week

Freshman Riley Riggs jumps for a spike at volleyball sub-state Saturday, October 21 and studies for an upcoming exam during seminar Monday, Nov. 27. Riggs went directly from winning the volleyball state championship to focusing on the upcoming basketball season while also practicing with her club volleyball team. background photo by luke wood, foreground photo by eva hernandez

In addition to school volleyball, Riggs also plays club volleyball and is also playing school basketball and plans to try out for track.

She will have to balance her Monday, Tuesday and Thursday club volleyball practices with her other school sports when they start.

“Sometimes it’s stressful to manage both,” Riggs said. “It can build up really quickly if you don’t slow down and focus.”

Cronin had similar experiences with football, saying that it can be

stressful to balance constant practices and rigorous coursework.

“There’s a lot of pressure to be successful and I kind of hold myself to a high standard,” Cronin said.

Hentges also experiences stress during the week especially since has a particularly hard workload most of the time.

“I am constantly stressed. I don’t think I’m never not stressed sometimes,” Hentges said. “But I like the challenge and I like the

conversations I can have in the harder classes and [I] like being surrounded by people who also want to work hard.”

Hentges also thinks taking harder classes will help her prepare for the future.

“I’ll definitely be prepared for college and maintaining work because I’m so used to balancing so many things on my plate currently,” Hentges said, “I think I’ll be better set up for the future than other people.”

HOMEWORK

5

hours per week

vs

FOOTBALL

20 hours per week

SENIOR GARRETT CRONIN On the football field, senior Garrett Cronin throws up the signature “landshark” celebration Friday, October 27. In school, Cronin is a part of JLC, NHS and StuCo. On his computer, he checks his schedule to look at upcoming events Tuesday, Nov. 28. photos by luke wood

PATRICK SEGURA I JagWire

n November, only five years after he started the sport, Patrick Segura competed against teams from around the world in the NXL World Cup of Paintball in Kissimmee, FL. Brent Whitfield, Segura’s stepfather, has been playing paintball since 1993. In 2018, Whitfield introduced Segura to the sport at Jaegers Subsurface Paintball.

“I thought [paintball] would be something that Pat may like, so I got him a [paintball] setup and took him out one time,” Whitfield said. “I figured that he would like it or he wouldn’t and he just took to it and ever since that day, he’s been going at it.”

Segura loves paintball because of the intensity of the sport which blends many athletic aspects from other sports.

“I love the adrenaline, it’s an adrenaline sport,” Segura said.

“You don’t need a ton of running. You d o n ’ t need to be super

design by avery clement

I AM MV

Junior competes in paintball NXL World Cup with his team

by ian chern copy editor

strong. You do need to be somewhat flexible and you need a mix of all of the aspects that go into every other sport being played.”

Since Segura started playing paintball, he has made massive improvements in a short amount of time. Whitfield believes that Segura’s confidence level played a large role in his rapid growth.

“He got more confident,” Whitfield said. “It took about eight to ten months, and I watched him go from just sitting back in a bunker and shooting to actually wanting to move and take advantage of the layout of the field.”

For Segura, he was surprised when he learned that he was traveling to Florida for the World Cup of Paintball.

“I was super stoked about it,” Segura said. “I didn’t know that was even an option for me because I’ve always wanted to play paintball at a higher level than I am now but I never expected the World Cup of all things.”

Segura played a total of seven matches at the World Cup. The environment and community at the World Cup created an unforgettable experience for Segura.

Rounding an obstacle at high speed, junior Patrick Segura and his paintball team advance on their opponents at the National Paintball competition in Florida. Photo submitted by Patrick Segura

“It was awesome,” Segura said.

“They had vendors, like hundreds.

Apart from vendors they had like seven or eight fields, each sponsored by a different company.

Whenever I played, it was on one of the HK Army fields. The day before I played, I got to watch all the pros playing.”

According to Whitfield, Segura’s paintball journey has surpassed his expectations.

“I’m proud of him,” Whitfield said. “He has well exceeded what I thought he would do in paintball, especially in the short amount of time.”

SPLATTERING STATIS Information on Segura’s TICS team and the competition

51st of 600+ teams

2

minutes per game

7

24

team members

5

days of the tournament

7

rounds