JagWire Newspaper: Volume 17 Issue 4

JW

Jagwire

mill valley high school volume 17 issue 4 dec. 13, 2016 mvnews.org

football team wins its second state title in school history Page 18-19

In this issue ...

NEWS

04

04 district updates 06 ACT vs. SAT

08

FEATUREs 07 spotted: Melissa Kelley 08 fake instagrams 11 impact of religion

OPINIONS

11

15 staff editorial 16 opinions

SPORTS 18 state football 20 overtime

20

A&E 21 behind the scenes 22 gingerbread houses

PHOTO ESSAY 24 state football crowd

02

22 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Design by Madison Ferguson

Cover photo by morgan gurwell

24 mill valley high school

Jagwire

letter

from the editors

A

s first semester of our senior year comes to a close, we could not be more proud of our staff’s accomplishments. It’s kind of scary now that we’ve finished our fourth issue — leaving us with only four to go. It may sound cliche, but time has honestly flown by.

While it’s been a fun year, it hasn’t gone as smoothly as we wanted it to when we first planned for this school year.

There was so much that we wanted to try and do this year and while some of it worked great, others not so much, such as our new behind the scenes section. But, as we go into this winter break, we have time to reflect on our work from first semester and figure out how to improve this year’s paper even more. Hopefully we’ll be able to implement new ideas to finish our last semester on staff strong.

JAGWIRE OFFICE

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

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

Kansas Scholastic Press Association National Scholastic Press Association Journalism Education Association The 2016 JagWire was named a Pacemaker winner and an All-American newspaper by the NSPA, was inducted into the NSPA Hall of Fame and earned an All-Kansas rating from the KSPA. The Mill Valley News website was also named a two-time Pacemaker winner by the NSPA.

SOCIAL MEDIA

For issue four, we had to be flexible. With football winning state part way through our production cycle, we had to change a few of our assignments up in order to accommodate for coverage. This was quite the challenge and unfortunately, some people were out of an assignment. Thankfully, we were able to work everything out by switching some pages around and still put out the best paper that we could given the circumstances.

It’s been an interesting year so far having to manage the entire staff for these first four issues. It hasn’t always been fun or easy — especially with fast-approaching deadlines and working together amidst all the stress involved — but it’s been more than worth it.

Overall, we could not be more thankful for our staff and the opportunities we have been given in this first half of the year and we hope to continue putting out great content.

Jagwire 2016-17 staff EDITORs-IN-CHIEF Madison Ferguson Margaret Mellott Braden Shaw

managing editor Morgan Gurwell

copy editor Alison Booth

photo editor Victoria Wright

business manager Madison Ferguson

Hunter Ristau

news editors Katya Gillig Annie Myers Margaret Mellott

features/a&e editors Claire Boone Tricia Drumm

Braden Shaw

CENSORSHIP POLICY

Kansas Senate Bill 62 guarantees the same rights for student journalists as are guaranteed for professional journalists. These rights include, but are not limited to, all First Amendment rights, including the rights of freedom of speech and the press, insofar as published items may not contain libelous, slanderous or obscene statements, may not incite or promote illegal conduct and may not cause a substantial disruption to normal school activity.

EDITORIAL POLICY

We value your opinions. If you wish to submit a column or a letter to the editor for the JagWire, you can do so by handing it in to a member of the staff or to the print journalism room (C101). Additionally, you may email any member of the staff with opinions, as well as tweet us at @millvalleynews.

Anonymous content will not be accepted.

Please understand that we have the right to edit all copy that runs in this publication.

opinions editors Nora Lucas Ally Nguyen

sports editors Anika Roy Jakob Twigg

social media editors Lexi Flipse Abby Layton

ILLUSTRATOR Avery Sheltra

REPORTERS & Photographers James Ball Carter Lawson Joe McClain Michael Sandri Marah Shulda Chris Sprenger

Twitter: @millvalleynews Facebook: Mill Valley News

Jagwire mill valley high school

Design by braden shaw

staff information

03

new direction

by JAKOB TWIGG

sports editor jagwire.jakobtwigg@gmail.com

by NORA LUCAS

opinions editor jagwire.noralucas@gmail.com

District begins new goal-changing process with engagement meetings

ABOVE: At the student advisory team meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 25, junior Jordan Robinson listens to superintendent Frank Harwood. Photo by assistant superintendent Alvie Cater

hot topics 36.4%

additional career programs

A poll of 99 students shows changes students are most interested in seeing from the district (Poll questions selected from online district survey)

36.4%

22.2% additional student support

5% 04

news

I

n an effort to involve district and community input, the district has begun to hold meetings to help initiate discussion about district improvement.

Early this fall, the district arranged three community engagement meetings to gather input on what the district should improve on.

The feedback obtained from the community meetings was then compiled into an online survey, which was open until Sunday, Nov. 27.

Leading this development is superintendent Frank Harwood, who, along with the Board of Education, took the responses from the survey to a student advisory team made up 16 students from both Mill Valley and De Soto High Schools with the intent to give more indepth feedback on the results.

Harwood said the results of the survey showed that many students and parents wanted to the explore the possibility of offering career programs similar to surrounding districts. “You look at our peer districts; they have more opportunities for students to investigate and get further into career

improved facilites for athletics/activies

chose more than one option mill valley high school

Jagwire

opportunities than we have now,” Harwood said.

The first student advisory meeting took place on Tuesday, Oct. 25 at MV. Junior Jordan Robinson, a member of the student advisory team, said the discussion suggested the district has less technology and facilities than other districts.

“That kind of limits us in our oppor-

“I would like to see the administration more open to introducing things students want.”

JUNIOR JORDAN ROBINSON tunities for students,” Robinson said.

“I would like to see the administration more open to introducing things that students want for their school.”

Robinson said she would like to see other improvements, including the implementation of a formal winter dance like DHS has. “[The DHS kids] had a different perspective,” Robinson said. “[Harwood]

wanted us to talk about like good things that the other school had that we didn’t, and so they talked about school spirit, which is something we have a lot of.

DHS doesn’t really have that.”

Also in the student advisory meeting, students discussed the recent additions made to DHS. In response, Harwood explained the constraints that prevent expansion to MV. “We’re out of space to build [at Mill Valley],” Harwood said. “We need space for students, but we’re out of places to put more things here.”

Robinson thinks that the district is taking the proper steps needed with the community engagement meetings and the student advisory team.

“I think we’ve got a really good start,” Robinson said. “The new superintendent obviously really cares about serving the students and serving the community. He’s looking to us to see what we want to change and improve, and really he’s just listening [to us.]”

Harwood and the Board plan to use the student advisory meetings and the survey results to help formulate specific plans for the district’s improvements.

“We have very high performing schools, but every school can get better,” Harwood said. “[We talk about] growth mindset, that everyone can get better at everything they do. That’s true for me as a superintendent; that’s true for the board; that’s true for the whole school.”

ABOVE: Mill Creek principal Josh Kindler helps director of secondary personal Brian Schwanz with a presentation on Thursday, Oct. 6. Photo by Avery Sheltra

studentstance Students share why they seek changes in the district

“There aren’t career programs at the high school level, [and] I think that this is where we need to start”

sophomore matthew turner “They should add on a pool for the swim team so they don’t have to drive 30 minutes for practice”

sophomore laura santos “We don’t have an [official] economics class, and I think that is very vital to the high school curriculum”

Senior harmon kaur Jagwire

mill valley high school

Design by Tricia drumm and katya gillig

news

05

Evaluating the exams Both students and teachers assess the ACT and the SAT tests by comparing and contrasting the two

by ABBY LAYTON

LEFT: In their ACT prep class taught by Jeff Wieland on Monday, Nov. 28, seniors Seohee Shin and Hannah Brady review their answers after taking a practice ACT test. Photo by Joe McClain

social media editor jagwire.abbylayton@gmail.com

by ANIKA ROY

sports editor jagwire.anikaroy@gmail.com

H

igh school students face many decisions regarding their academic future, one of them being the choice between taking either the SAT or the ACT test. Students use these scores when applying for college, with higher scores giving them a higher chance of acceptance.

According to College Board, every four-year college in the U.S. accepts both test scores. However, students located in different regions of the U.S. tend to focus more of their attention on one test over the other. Students living in coastal areas tend to prefer the SAT, while in the midwest region, the ACT is typically more popular.

Senior Vicki Robinson, for example, will be attending Kansas State University in the fall of 2017, and didn’t feel the need to take both the SAT and ACT when preparing to apply for college.

“I didn’t take the SAT simply because Kansas colleges don’t require that score to get in,” Robinson said.

The SAT offers two math sections, a critical reading section and a writing section while the ACT consists of math, science, reading and English sections.

When preparing for the ACT and SAT, junior Cori Carver was able to study material that would benefit her on both.

ACROSS the

LINE

The popularity of one test over the other among students varies throughout the states

“Most of the topics overlap for the tests so it’s not like I have to study two completely different curriculum,” Carver said. “Studying for one will most likely help you do better on the other.”

“I would take both [tests] because it’ll help you.”

JUNIOR CORI CARVER Due to the majority of students at Mill Valley choosing the ACT over the SAT, only an ACT prep class is offered at the school.

ACT prep teacher Jeff Wieland teaches students to not only guess the correct answer on the test, but to understand why they got it because the

ACT centers around students’ concrete knowledge. In contrast, the SAT focuses on testing student critical thinking skills, according to Wieland.

“Between the two of them, I felt the SAT answers weren’t as clear-cut right and wrong,” Wieland said. “I look at the ACT … and there is very clearly a right answer.”

College Board also states that ACT questions are straightforward and easier to understand, while the SAT contains more context-based questions with multiple steps, making them harder to comprehend.

The differences in the tests, for Carver, is what drives her to take both the ACT and the SAT, and she encourages others to do the same.

“I would take both because it’ll help you, it’s not going to hurt you,” Carver said. “You may find that after studying for the ACT you are better suited to take the SAT so why would you not want to get the best score possible?”

SAT is more popular ACT is more popular Tests are equal in popularity Source: College Raptor

06

news

Design by annie myers

mill valley high school

Jagwire

all sewedUp Senior Melissa Kelley discovers a hobby for sewing and designing

G

reen fabric is strewn across the floor of senior Melissa Kelley’s basement, and a tub of multicolored spools sits on a wood TV tray. On another tray is a Janome sewing machine and behind it is Kelley, feeding fabric into the needle.

Since her junior year, Kelley has adopted a passion for sewing and designing clothing.

Kelley’s hobby began during her junior year homecoming. After a search for a specific dress without prevail, she gathered scarves and fabrics from unfinished projects. As she wrapped the fabric around herself and tried to get it to stay together, she stumbled upon the idea of making the dress herself.

Since the first homecoming dress, Kelley soon learned how to make the most of a sewing machine. With that knowledge, Kelley believes she has become more confident in her sewing abilities.

As of late November 2016, Kelley had plans to sew pants for other people,

Spotted

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

by TRICIA DRUMM

features editor jagwire.triciadrumm@gmail.com

but had to abandon the project due to a lack of time. Meanwhile, the positive feedback Kelley received from those who did buy her pants surprised her.

“Seeing other people wear my design is unreal to think about, like that anyone else wants to wear it, I can’t even think about because I made that,” Kelley said. “It’s just really exciting.”

Senior Maggie Bogart, a close friend of Kelley’s since freshman year, believes Kelley’s success in sewing lies in her work ethic.

“Whatever she puts her mind to, she’s going to do that to the best of her ability,” Bogart said. “Even if she does have problems or face challenges, she’s going to get over them … to do the best she can.”

Now that she isn’t making the pants, Kelley wants to sew herself a jumpsuit.

But while she enjoys designing and sewing clothes, Kelley doesn’t see herself continuing to pursue her hobby as an occupation.

“I have considered going into the fashion industry as a career, but I realized that it’s not exactly for me,” Kelley said. “It would be a lot of fun, … but I think I decided a while ago that I really have a passion for helping others … and I really can’t give up on that dream.”

“Being able to create something that I will wear is exciting.”

SENIOR MELISSA KELLEY Rather than a specific person or event, Kelley’s inspiration for sewing was a personal drive.

“I think it was just something inside of me that I really wanted to do, and whenever I see something in my head of what I want to make, then I just have to do that,” Kelley said. “I love seeing the finished product of something, and being able to create something that I will wear out of fabric is exciting.”

Pant stats Statistics about the pants senior Melissa Kelley made

3

Jagwire

Pairs of pants Kelley has made

$20

Cost of one pair of pants

1.5

Hours to make one pair of pants

mill valley high school

ABOVE: After starting by sewing her junior year homecoming dress, senior Melissa Kelly continues to sew clothes for herself as a hobby. “It’s mostly trial and error, trying to problem solve to figure out how I can put something together,” Kelly said. Photo by Victoria Wright

Design by alison booth and marah shulda

features

07

a Finsta fever

finsta fast facts

Fake Instagram account trend brings benefits and problems to students

Survey of 110 students shows the popularity of fake Instagram, or “finsta” accounts

Do you have a finsta account?

32% 68%

Yes

No

Do you enjoy looking at other people’s finsta accounts?

36%

36% 28%

Yes

Sometimes

No

F

rom freshmen to seniors, a new social media trend has been taking over: “finstas.” A finsta is simply another name for a separate Instagram account to escape the stress of social media judgment. For most students, they have a real account, known as a “rinsta,” but also have the finsta. Although finstas have existed for a while, they gained popularity within the last year.

There are a variety of different reasons that students create finstas. Freshman Abby Miller likes having one so that she can post anything she wants to.

“It is a place to share funny moments and be yourself,” Miller said. “I don’t really care what I post on my finsta, and mostly only my friends follow it.”

Similarly to Miller, junior Miranda Toland likes having a finsta so other people can enjoy her posts.

“Everyone thought [my finsta] was really funny, and I just like making people laugh,” Toland said. “I can get a laugh out of it too.”

Like Miller and Toland, sophomore Johnathan Contreras enjoys his finsta because he can control what he sees as well as who can see his posts.

“I can view other people’s finsta and post what I want and only my real friends will be able to see it,” Contreras said.

29% 16%

30%

08

0

6-10

1-5

10+

features

“It is a place to share funny moments and be yourself.”

FRESHMAN ABBY MILLER

“Our dance team did not make a very smart decision and we made a finsta that we thought was funny at the time, but was actually very offensive to many,” she said. “Not only our dance team looked bad, but our coach too.”

The source said the team had to take multiple steps to undo their actions.

“After we got in trouble for the account, we deleted all the posts and changed the account name,” she said.

“Instagram doesn’t let you delete the account until 24 hours later, so we made sure everything was down and then de-

both sides of the post

How many finsta accounts do you follow?

25%

While posting on one may seem like a harmless activity, finstas don’t always have a positive outcome. According to an anonymous source on the Silver Stars dance team, a team finsta resulted in trouble for her and her teammates last year after they posted inappropriate content.

sophomore Ashlyn dempsey

PRO con

It’s just kind of something you can do to joke around with your friends.

If people don’t really know you, they can definitely make fun of you for some of your posts.

mill valley high school

Jagwire

by ALLY NGUYEn

opinions editor jagwire.allynguyen@gmail.com

striking up on likes

Finsta allows for sophomore Miranda Toland to post more openly

by MICHAEL SANDRI

LEFT: Displaying her finsta account profile while sitting in her bedroom, Junior Miranda Toland holds up her phone.

Toland’s room is the place where a majority of her pictures for her finsta are taken. Photo by Claire Boone

reporter and photographer jagwire.michaelsandri@gmail.com

leted it.”

Junior Jake Klepac agrees that finstas can be a negative thing at times when people don’t agree with the content that he posts, like his political opinions and activities that he does.

“I seem to be a little bit more on the conservative side on my finsta, so people that don’t have the same viewpoints as me can get offended,” Klepac said.

“Also, the activities I like to do can offend people, like hunting or fishing because it hurts animals.”

One of the differences between a person’s main account and a finsta is the change in their audience and the seriousness of the content. Freshman Ethan Mantel says the content on his finsta, which he has had for two months, is more humorous than his real account. “[On my finsta] I just post funny pictures or pictures that I wouldn’t post on my real account,” Mantel said. “On my real account, I post more serious pictures.”

Likewise, junior Jake Klepac changes his content based on which account he is posting on.

“I feel like I’m more myself on my finsta,” Klepac said. “I’m more funny and creative. My real insta is of me and my buddies and what I like to do.”

JagWire: Why did you create a finsta?

Toland: At first I thought they were

Students evaluate both the positives and negatives of having a finsta

junior max pinney Jagwire

mill valley high school

PRO con

It is a lot of fun to post embarrassing pictures of me and my friends.

I have never technically gotten in trouble, but my mom has yelled at me because of things I have said in posts.

photos by claire boone

really stupid and then I got one. I just wanted to do it to make myself laugh.

Jw: What inspired your Instagram username? mt: In seventh grade, [junior] Cooper Kaifes gave me the name Big Ronda as a joke and it kind of caught on.

Then, freshman year, [junior] Brody Flaming pointed out that I have big toes and [junior] Evan Rice yelled Big Toe Ronda.

JW: Have you ever gotten in trouble for a finsta post? mt: No, because I try to be smart about what I post.

JW: What is the difference between your finsta and your real Instagram account? mt: My finsta is just really ugly pictures of me and it’s just supposed to be funny. On my [real account] I try to be all cute and good-looking.

JW: Why is your finsta private? mt: At first it was just so only my friends could see it, but now I pretty much am open about what I post and I’ll let anyone follow me.

Design by morgan gurwell and chris sprenger features

09

10

ads

Design by hunter ristau

mill valley high school

Jagwire

religious impact

ABOVE:

how are your beliefs

influenced?

by BRADEN SHAW

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

Jagwire mill valley high school

Individuals define influences in the world around them in their religion

by MARAH SHULDA

reporter and photographer jagwire.marahshulda@gmail.com

Design by claire boone, madison ferguson and hunter ristau

special section

11

religious impact

finding faith

Students practice various religions based off their own personal choices and influence from their parents and heritage

ABOVE: Club 121 meets in sponsor Brian Rodkey’s room to hold a short sermon before school on Friday, Dec. 2. Photo by Carter Lawson

M

ost students believe their peers have similar religious views that typically center around Christianity. In fact, in a student survey of 691 Mill Valley students, 501 students said they were Christian.

FAMILY

However, even with this statistic,

other students participate in other religions such as Islam and Judaism. Also, according to the survey, 532 students get their beliefs from their parents, as well as a strong faith in a higher being.

However, freshman Noah Hookstra chooses to be an atheist rather than participate in the religion his family believes in, which is Christianity.

“Both my parents and my family [are] Christian and I just couldn’t buy into it,” Hookstra said. “I base everything that I believe in off of evidence and scientific fact.”

On the other hand, senior Kaylie McLaughlin’s religious beliefs do stem from those of her parents, who had Christian beliefs but didn’t begin going to church until McLaughlin was in first grade.

“I’ve kind of grown up in a family that believed in God and believed in Jesus but I had never gone to a church before and that changed everything,” McLaughlin said. “When I was nine I got baptised with my twin sister and I started practicing it.”

SCHOOL

ABOVE: After giving an offering to the Hindu god Ganesh, junior Shanu Kaushal rings a Ghanta bell to notify the god of her presence. Photo by Carter Lawson

12

special section

In a school setting, World Geography classes have a unit on world religions, covering the basis of different faiths.

Mill Valley also offers student-run clubs made up of students who share similar faiths.

Social studies teacher Michael Ben-

nett teaches world religion in his World Geography classes and believes that the teaching of religion goes into the regions the faiths originated from instead of simply the beliefs that stem from them.

“You know when you talk about the different religions … It’s tied to the people of the area,” Bennett said. “So, when you talk about the different religions, you’re also talking about the different areas around the world.”

While history classes teach religion, junior Shanu Kaushal, who practices Hinduism, believes that the curriculum can be improved to make the students more well-rounded and include deeper explanations of various religions.

“We mostly focus on Christianity and I do want to learn about other religions besides Christianity, maybe Islam and Judaism,” Kaushal said. “There’s so many different religions out there that I wish they had a class focused on [more religions]. General knowledge is always a good thing.”

Outside of the classroom, students have gotten involved in clubs such as Club 121, an organization made up of students who practice Christianity and want to grow in their faith together.

Since becoming a part of Club 121, McLaughlin’s perspective regarding her peers has changed and allows her to interact with students that share similar

mill valley high school

Jagwire

worshiptime daily weekly monthly a few times a year not at all other 0

50

Students define their faith and determine whether it differs 200 from their parents

2%

100 21%

Survey of 694 students

100

“If I do tell them they don’t really care. That’s what I love about Mill Valley, that we’re a really accepting place.”

JUNIOR OZAN KING “Most people that I know, I don’t even really tell them [about my faith] and we just get along fine,” King said. “Even if I do tell them they don’t really care.

That’s what I love about Mill Valley: we’re a really accepting place.”

mill valley high school

comparingbeliefs

250

150 What is your belief?

religious beliefs. “[Club 121] has mostly impacted how I see other people, and Club 121 is a really good way to be in a position in school to reach out to others that maybe don’t believe what I do,” McLaughlin said.

Even though he isn’t apart of a club for the faith he practices, junior Ozan King still feels free to practice his respective faith of Islam at school without much judgement.

Jagwire

A bar graph showcasing how often students worship

150

200

1.5% 1% .7% 1.3%

72.5%

250

SOCIETY

Religion also plays a role in everyday society, whether that be on a worldly scale or locally within the student body.

Kaushal believes that religion should be about being a morally good person but says that many of the world’s conflicts spawn from religious disagreements.

“There are those that use [religion] and abuse it and that’s what happens with wars in history,” Kaushal said. “So even though it’s well-intended, it can have a negative effect.”

Comparatively, King said practicing a religion should bring peace and serenity to societies, rather than violence.

“The reasons [for practicing a religion] aren’t, ‘Oh let’s kill someone, let’s hurt someone, let’s be discriminatory,” King said. “No, it’s, ‘Let’s be peaceful and let’s pray. Let’s just worship with what we have.’ I like that.”

Even with all of these conflicts due to religion, McLaughlin strives to treat people equally and uphold the values of her faith while doing so.

“I believe that you’re supposed to love people before you do anything else.

Love people before you judge them,” McLaughlin said. “The calling that I believe all Christians were given is to love people and that calling is bigger than hating people because they are different or don’t believe the same thing.”

Christianity

Buddhism No Religion Other

Islam Judaism Hinduism

Does it differ from your parents?

1%

22%

77%

Yes No

Survey of 691 students

Other

Design by madison ferguson and hunter ristau

special section

13

religious impact

contrastingreligion islam Number of God(s) they worship

christianity hinduism

A chart depicting signifigant differences between religions

buddhism

judaism

infinite one god one god gods no god one god

around the world A 2014 survey conducted by Pew Research Center about international religious identity

3.1%

18.1%

4% .7% 1.9%

where do they worship?

Religous book they use to worship

mosque church temple temple synagoge quran

bible

vedas tripitaka torah Source: Pew Research Center

name the symbol

14

special section

70.6%

.9%

Christianity

Buddhism

Islam Judaism

Agnostic

Hinduism

Atheism Other

Source: United Religious Initiative

Connecting the religions taught in school to their symbols

islam

christianity

judaism

buddhism

Hinduism

athiest

Design by madison ferguson and hunter ristau

mill valley high school

Jagwire

world religion studies

Teaching world religion allows students to see history in its entirety

encourage tolerance S

ince the beginning of time, religion has played a large role in dictating historical and current events. Religion often shapes our worldview, influences our choices and determines the key points in our lives, making it an educational subject to study in high school.

Although some believe teaching all world religions persecutes Christians, curriculum standards expect teachers to be objective and historical just like any other subject. Learning about world religions helps students understand their peers, keeping them informed instead of spreading hatred.

In the U.S. today, lack of religious diversity can sometimes provide a gateway for intolerance to emerge. Derogatory slurs or hate speech can be emotionally damaging and do not promote the inclusive environment we strive to achieve. Learning about different religions here at school educates religious majority students about substantial pieces of history and current world issues in a positive, well-controlled set-

ting that encourages discussion and dismisses hatred. In turn, this can help reduce discrimination later in life, providing a bridge between people of different religions instead of a wall.

Learning about world religion helps minority students feel a part of history.

Likewise, benefits for religious minority students are evident as well. It’s a well known fact that representation matters, and teaching about world religion allows those students to see their culture and history represented equally among their peers. For some, this is the first time they have ever studied religion with their peers, and that recognition encourages participation and helps minority students feel as if they are a

Staff editorial

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

part of history.

Not everyone, however, sees the value in learning about all religions. In 2013, a magnet school in Osawatomie, Kansas was under fire by parents who opposed an educational visual display of the Five Pillars of Islam. State Rep. Dennis Hedke said he was “appalled� by the display, since it did not represent the violent aspects of Islam.

In response to Hedke and other opponents of inclusive religious education, there are violent aspects in every religion, but these individual actions do not represent an entire group of people.

The inclusion of balanced religious curriculum will help students see beyond the violent current events and hopefully prevent intolerance from growing in the first place.

With religion being such an important aspect of world events, the need for healthy religious discussion in school is more important than ever. Education encourages tolerance, and the world always needs a few more tolerant people to truly make a difference.

jagwire staff vote Agree

24

Disagree

0

Jagwire mill valley high school

illustration by by avery sheltra

Design by nora lucas and ally nguyen opinions

15

a sarcastic personality doesn’t make you a bad person A bad experience with an annoying movie inadvertently taught me to appreciate my most hated quality

by nora lucas

opinions editor jagwire.noralucas@gmail.com

A

couple weeks ago, I went to go see the long-awaited movie “Edge of Seventeen.” From the trailers, I expected this to be a sarcastic, dark-humored movie about the perils of high school. What I got instead was a theme I’ve heard all my life: people will like you more if you just smile. Now, although there were several other under-

lying themes about family bonding and understanding others, this previously mentioned proclamation of exuberant sunshine really just got under my skin.

As someone who truly related to the bitter, dramatic main character, I felt defensive about the film’s message. I’m never going to be a genuinely positive person, and that’s OK with me.

Sure, negativity can be annoying, but pessimism is often necessary for success. Those who always expect the best-case scenario end up unprepared when things go wrong, while the socalled “Debbie Downers” already have a plan. As long as you remain mentally healthy, having a sarcastic or negative personality can be an integral part of teamwork.

In addition, the assumption that people will like me more if I smile is preposterous. Smiling doesn’t even represent someone’s happiness, and forcing a sarcastic person to smile when they don’t want to is like to forcing clothes on dogs: it doesn’t work. Also, I believe that

changing my personality to fit someone else’s expectations is fundamentally stupid, and I refuse to take part in it. I genuinely don’t care if my sarcasm is off-putting; it’s who I am. If someone doesn’t accept my dry humor and lack of enthusiasm, that’s their loss. I happen to love my obnoxious commentary, and my true friends appreciate it as well.

If someone doesn’t accept my humor, that’s their loss.

If I’ve learned anything from high school (or just social studies teacher Jeff Strickland’s class), it’s that sarcasm, while not necessarily popular, isn’t something to feel ashamed of. It’s a part of life that not everyone can be happy go-lucky. In fact, it makes us human.

america is not doomed just because trump is president Regardless of political opinions, one person does not control our system or define our country’s values

by ally nguyen

opinions editor jagwire.allynguyen@gmail.com

F

or many people, including myself, this year has been one of the craziest in term of politics. While politics are always a hot topic, the 2016 election and the results of it were clearly the biggest occasion. After the election, there was a surge of tweets, Instagram posts and messages on other social media platforms saying the same thing: “America

16

opinions

is doomed.” I will admit, I participated in this, but I now realize my actions were wrong.

Although the president is an influential person, America is not doomed because our democracy isn’t based on who our leader is. Instead, it’s based on the diversity of opinions and needs of our citizens. The majority of this country has the ability to voice their opinion and advocate for actions they want taken.

Advocating for actual change is important because it lets the leaders of America know what the people want and why. Of course it is still OK to post humorous content; we don’t have to be serious all of the time. However, if messages are always funny or have no substance to them, they aren’t changing anything. A simple tweet reading, “America is doomed” isn’t going to change the actions of our leadership or the way they take those actions.

It can be disappointing when the

leader of a country isn’t someone you wanted, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the country is doomed. It just means there is more opportunity to advocate for the actions you want taken.

President-elect Donald Trump may not represent everybody, but regardless of political opinions, he should be given a chance to represent and serve America to the best of his ability. After all, the citizens of the U.S. are still his first priority.

Overall, the U.S. is a great country. I will always be proud to be a citizen regardless of who the leader is because I know that one person doesn’t define the country. The citizens as a whole define our country because the fundamentals of a democracy will always be in favor of the people, not one individual.

The citizens of this country may argue about the direction of America, but at the end of the day, we’re all Americans and that is the most important factor to our country.

mill valley high school

Jagwire

hi, i’m a vegetarian; nice to meat you Don’t make fun of someone for different eating habits than your own

by MARGARET MELLOTT

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

E

ver since I was a baby, I’ve always had a slight aversion to meat. As I got older, I went through phases of liking and not liking meat but for the past couple years, I have been a full vegetarian. My friends have teased me constantly for this, saying things along the lines of “Why don’t you just eat meat?”

But, there is no reason to make fun of

someone with different eating habits than yourself.

Everyone has different eating habits. I may not be allergic to meat, but I definitely do not like it, just how some people can’t stand tomatoes or spaghetti or strawberries. There’s not a whole lot you can do about it; you can’t just tell yourself to start liking something.

It’s important to realize how annoying it is for someone to make fun of something you can’t control, especially when it’s your friends. Taking a step back and not making fun of someone is so easy. I’m not saying to stop teasing your friends but there comes a point when a line is crossed. It’s hard to say when because every person is different but if you don’t know, then don’t make fun of them. It’s simple.

Just because I don’t eat the same things as my friends doesn’t give them the right to make fun of me for it. And, the same goes for everyone else; don’t make fun of people for having different eating habits.

The NCAA needs to finally start paying college athletes After years of unfair revenue sharing, it’s time to give the players a fair compensation for their efforts Due to all of this revenue sharing, the student athletes deserve to be paid for their efforts.

Money isn’t supposed to be a driving force. by braden shaw

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

C

ollegiate athletics are intended to be sports in their purest form, a stage where athletes can compete at the hone their craft and potentially play at the professional level. Money isn’t supposed to be a driving force as much as it is at the professional level, where contracts and collective bargaining agreements are always on the forefront.

Jagwire

mill valley high school

The problem of unfair revenue distribution worsens when the NCAA refuses to make any legitimate changes to accommodate the athletes. NCAA president Mark Emmert and his organization continues to grow college athletics, especially in basketball and football, monopolizing the game into essentially money monsters. Outside of winning, it’s all driven by money.

It sounds so cliche, yet it’s still a problem even this year. The NCAA, including the colleges themselves, are profit-

illustration by avery sheltra

ing off these student athletes, while the athletes themselves are suspended and reprimanded when they try to profit off of their own name and likeness. It’s been a problem for years and nobody seems to care enough to force serious change.

Even with all of that, the NCAA continues to create new programs and ideas, such as TV deals for March Madness and the young College Football Playoff (which is imperfect as is) to make the rich richer and make crazy cash off these athletes. It’s a power struggle that the higher-ups continually win.

I can’t say there’s a perfect way to fix this. It’s so difficult to come equally share all of the money that floats around in college athletics. I’m also not saying these college kids need to become millionaires by any means. But a small portion of money to compensate these athletes for the unfair welfare distribution could go a long way in leveling the playing field.

Design by nora lucas and ally nguyen

opinions

17

BacktoBack Football team wins its second straight 5A state championship

by KAtyA GILLIG

news editor jagwire.katyagillig@gmail.com

by ANIKA ROY

sports editor jagwire.anikaroy@gmail.com

F

ans rushed the field with a mix of excitement and shock as sophomore kicker Jack Matchette’s game-winning extra point flew through the goal posts on Saturday, Nov. 26.

The football team won its second consecutive 5A state title in a double overtime win over Goddard.

Head coach Joel Applebee wants the team to appreciate all that they have achieved.

“I told the kids I don’t want anyone to take this for granted,” Applebee said. “It takes hard work, it takes dedication, it takes being resilient like these kids have been all year.”

The season was widely considered a “rebuilding year” after 22 seniors graduated, and only six starting players returned. According to junior quarterback Brody Flaming, however, the team knew the year would be more than that.

“Losing a lot of those crazy athletes last year was a little nerve racking,”

18

sports

Flaming said. “But … I had complete confidence that we are going back to Pittsburg State [stadium] this year.”

After losing four consecutive games, junior wide receiver Evan Rice was confident the team could overcome the tough stretch.

“We fought for everything we got this year.”

OFFENSIVE COORDINATIOR MIKE STRACK “We knew it was going to be tough coming out of those games,” Rice said.

“We just were working extra hard all the time … we knew we could do something special with it.”

Matchette knew he would have a chance to redeem himself, after missing a field goal. The defense had come up with key stops all game, with interceptions by defensive back senior Joel Donn and sophomore Tanner Moore.

“They all told me I was going to have a second chance because our de-

ABOVE: With the ball in hand, sophomore Cameron Young runs on Saturday, Nov. 26. Photo by Margaret Mellott

fense was going to stop them,” Matchette said. “I had no doubt in my mind that they would.”

Offensive coordinator Mike Strack believes the team’s ability to overcome obstacles was evident after a fumble by Goddard at the goal line.

“I think it’s indicative of who our team’s been,” Strack said. “We fought for everything we got this year, so when we got to that second overtime we just said ‘hey, we’ve got a chance.’”

Moore has determination to keep the program successful into the future.

“It’s just a reload, and next year’s just going to be another reload,” Moore said. “We’ve got years to come.”

mill valley high school

Jagwire

A goal line fumble by the Lions in the first overtime pushed the game to a second overtime.

Junior wide receiver Evan Rice caught Flaming’s pass, and sophomore kicker Jack Matchette’s PAT gave the Jaguars a one point lead and the win.

55-24 win

35-13 win

After trailing 24-10 at halftime, the Jaguars scored 44 unanswered points to win their regional championship.

The Jags defeated the then number one ranked St. James, with five passing touchdowns by junior quarterback Brody Flaming and the defense only allowing 13 points.

game 13 - aquinas 14-13 win

game 4 - blue valley

A red zone fumble by the Saints in the last two minutes allowed the Jaguars to advanced to the state title game, after a down to the wire win.

45-28 loss In the Jaguars first loss of the season, the first half was back and forth, with three touchdowns by each team. The Tigers lead 24-21 at the half. In the second half the Tigers scored three unanswered touchdowns.

ABOVE: After the game, head coach Joel Applebee hugs his daughter on Saturday, Nov. 26. Photo by Morgan Gurwell

SENIOR BEN HARTMAN

A rundown of important players from this season

TOTAL TACKLES: 195

RECEIVING YARDS: 1,008 TOTAL TOUCHDOWNS: 14

PASSING TOUCHDOWNS: 33 PASSING YARDS: 2,700

#9 QUARTERBACK

#8 WIDE RECEIVER

INTERCEPTIONS: 3

#13 SAFETY

SENIOR JOEL DONN

35-34 win

game 10 - bvsw

game 1 - st james

mv’s mvps

game 13 - goddard

JUNIOR BRODY FLAMING

the road to state

A season recap of Jaguar football and the path that led to state

game day numbers

Important game day statistics from the season

67

times the fight song was played during the season

Jagwire

mill valley high school

hey hey whatd’ya say?

about 25 signs were at the state game

cutouts by Victoria Wright

M

40

V

times the flag runners ran the flags this season

Design by madison ferguson and margaret mellott

sports

19

OverTime

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

A brand new beat

Silver stars adjust to new regulations regarding performance music

perfectfit

Students exercise at local gyms to better their overall fitness

LIFETIME FITNESS “Although it is expensive, there are a lot of classes you can take that are really fun, and just a lot of things that you can do there.”

SENIOR PAYTON FRYE

LENEXA FAMILY LIFE CENTER “There might not be as much equipment as others, but I like that it’s not always busy like Lifetime, or 24-Hour Fitness.”

SENIOR DANIEL ARCHIBONG

dress for

success

ABOVE: During halftime of the football game on Friday, Nov. 6, juniors Emmy Bidnick and Emma Barge strike a pose as they dance with the Silver Stars. Photo by Victoria Wright

by ANIKA ROY

sports editor jagwire.anikaroy@gmail.com

W

ith the competition season for the Silver Stars dance team officially underway, the team is experiencing change in their choices of competition music, something they have never experienced before.

According to sophomore Addie Ward new restrictions by the Universal Dance Association has caused this change.

“Our competition music for this year is a lot different than it has been in the past, and it’s a lot different than our football music because of the new UDA rules,” Ward said.

This past year, The Universal Dance Association, or the UDA, added a new set of regulations to the song choices allowed at competitions. When competing, dancers can no longer use the original version of any given song; only cov-

A survey of student’s favorite themes at football games 17%

Tropical Whiteout/Blackout Camo Neon Survey of 103 students

20

sports

42%

16%

Design by james ball, braden shaw and Victoria Wright

27%

ers are allowed for competition. Songs can also not be cut, put together or manipulated in any way for the team’s use.

Members of the team, such as junior Emma Barge, are slightly unhappy with the new restrictions.

“The new rules are hard because you can tell when a song is a cover,” Barge said. “When you have to dance to a cover, the crowd can tell, and I feel like they’re not as into it.”

Due to having no restrictions regarding the music that can be used by dancers at school events such as football or basketball games, sophomore Addie Ward enjoys these performances best.

“It’s really hard to find good songs to dance to that are good quality for competition,” Ward said. “But for games, you can manipulate any songs you want, which makes it really easy to dance to.”

The UDA rules have allowed Ward to dance to and appreciate music she may not have listened to otherwise had the changes not been put into effect.

“Most of the songs that we dance to, students and us have already known,” Ward said. “This is with the exception of our jazz song for competition this year. I had never heard the song before, but I ended up really liking it.”

Even with the new, strict rules applied, Barge is pleased with how well the dancers were able to adapt to the changes and continue to perform well.

“Though I still wish we could use the original songs, I actually like how it turned out,” Barge said. “I think it definitely turned out better than we all expected.”

mill valley high school

Jagwire

Holiday tidings

by LEXI FLIPSE

social media editor jagwire.lexiflipse@gmail.com

by CHRIS SPRENGER

reporter and photographer jagwire.chrissprenger@gmail.com

Behind the scenes

An inside look on jobs and activities in our community

Reporters learn what it takes to run Midland Holiday Pines, owned by Judy and Phil Wegman

What they do: Before their season officially begins in late November and early December, the Wegmans measure and prepare their trees to be cut down and sold. “Some trees are really excellent and some are ‘Charlie Brown’ trees,” Judy said.

“We price the trees based on height and quality.”

What Chris learned: Throughout the year, the Wegmans are constantly working on the quality of their trees in order to make them pleasing to the eyes. They spend their spring and summer mowing and shearing the trees. They typically sell the trees that are six feet or taller and let the small trees keep growing.

moving the trees What they do: The Midland Holiday Pines tree farm grows Scotch Pines on its land, but has to have the other trees species that they offer shipped in from out of state. “Fraser Firs are beautiful, but they can’t grow in Kansas,” Judy said. The farm typically gets three shipments of Fraser Firs, Balsam Firs and White Pines from North Carolina, Michigan and Wisconsin.

setting it up Jagwire Mill valley high school

What Lexi learned: When the Wegmans receive a shipment of trees, they first have to unwrap each tree from the netting it is shipped in. Then, they place the stem of the tree into a pipe that they’ve placed in the ground so that the tree stands up straight. These large trees are surprisingly heavy, which makes the process of moving them difficult for even four people.

final touches What they do: After receiving shipments and placing the trees in the ground, the Wegmans fluff the branches up to make the tree look full and natural. “It’s beautiful to see the trees open up like they do,” Judy said. According to the Wegmans, some farms use artificial coloring on their trees. However, Midland Holiday Pines keep its trees their natural color.

What Lexi learned: When the tree is shipped, the tree branches are all packed and wrapped together. After the Wegmans place each shipped tree into a pipe in the ground, they cut all the strings that are holding the branches together. After awhile of being unwrapped, the tree will naturally unfurl and begin to resemble a tree once again.

photos by carter lawson Design by claire boone and abby layton

A&E

21

gingerbread house showdown theplan

The JagWire found two students from three activities to compete in a decorating competition

by ALISON BOOTH

copy editor jagwire.alisonbooth@gmail.com

Contestants share their strategies before starting the decorating competition

CHEER

Senior Brooke Carson and sophomore Hannah Barnes

NAHS

Juniors Parker Johnson and Durga Jambunathan

ROBOTICS

Juniors Cody Robertson and Amanda Hertel

“Our strategy is to build fast, sturdy, just classic.”

“We’re going to bring our art talents into the competition.”

“We’re going to try to integrate engineering in there somehow … I think it’ll be an easy win.”

SENIOR BROOKE CARSON

JUNIOR PARKER JOHNSON

JUNIOR CODY ROBERTSON

theconstruction

The competitors work fast to finish decorating their gingerbread houses and beat the other contestants

“We’re feeling pretty confident.”

“We have to decorate the roof more, add some pizzaz to the front and back but all in all, we’re doing well.”

“We just need to finish the windows … it’s definitely a winner.”

SOPHOMORE HANNAH BARNES

JUNIOR DURGA JAMBUNATHAN

JUNIOR CODY ROBERTSON

22

a&e

mill valley high school

Jagwire

theproduct

“I think we won. State gingerbread house winners.”

SOPHOMORE HANNAH BARNES

After completing the showdown, the contestants reflect on their art

“I thought it was going to be way easier than it was, [but] I feel like ours is the Mona Lisa of gingerbread houses.”

JUNIOR DURGA JAMBUNATHAN

“I think it turned out pretty great, far superior to anything the other groups have.”

JUNIOR AMANDA HERTEL

AND THE WINNER IS ...

Students voted on the winner for the best-looking gingerbread house via Twitter

NAHS 53% ROBOTICS 38% CHEER 9% Survey of 237 people on Twitter

Jagwire

mill valley high school

Photos by morgan gurwell

Design by joe mcclain and margaret mellott

a&E

23

Spirit increases in the student section as the football team makes a state appearance for the second time

ABOVE: With friends, senior Nicole Lozenja rushes the field on Saturday, Nov. 26. “I was like ‘Please, please, please make it,’” Lozenja said. “It’s kind of a blur .... It was so crazy.”Photo by Margaret Mellott ABOVE: Showing support at the state game on Saturday, Nov. 26, senior Austin Garner cheers for the Jaguars. “The student section at state was off the chain. It was an unforgettable experience,” Garner said.

Photo by Victoria Wright RIGHT: After watching the final extra point attempt go through on Saturday, Nov. 26, freshman Audrey Grabmeier erupts in excitement. “I was so happy, I don’t know any other words to describe it,” Grabmeier said.

Photo by Victoria Wright

24

photo essay

LEFT: Celebrating a good play, senior Riley Doyle waves pom poms to cheer on the Jags in the middle of the first quarter on Saturday, Nov. 26. Photo by Morgan Gurwell

ABOVE: Among her peers, sophomore Caroline Rutledge celebrates a touchdown on Saturday, Nov. 26 that, according to Rutledge, “definitely increased the hype of the student section.” Photo by Victoria Wright

Design by victoria wright

headline photo by morgan gurwell

mill valley high school

Jagwire