JagWire: Volume 18, Issue 5

THE GROWING INFLUENCE OF STEM PG. 14-19

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CONTENTS

Cover by Alison Booth & Victoria Wright

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Mill Valley High School

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14

32

28

NEWS

OPINIONS

A&E

04 “She Loves Me” 06 WOCO

20 staff editorial 21 opinions

28 pizza competition 30 smoothies

FEATURES

SPORTS

PHOTO ESSAY

08 daycare jobs

25 athletic watches 26 girls basketball

32 dance

10 teacher couples 12 outside lunch 14 STEM

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Mill Valley High School

Design by Victoria Wright

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS

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elcome to the first JagWire issue of 2018. After last semester, we received feedback from our staff, and most people suggested that as leaders we could work on being more positive. This is why we introduced the first-ever issue awards given by editors. These awards are more human oriented, celebrating staff members for their hard work and in-depth coverage. Being more positive has become a goal for us editors, and we look forward to our continued effort on reaching it.

In our first few pages, you’ll find a news story about the thespian show, “She Loves Me.” This is the first show open to thespians only, and is produced completely by students themselves. From the advertising and marketing to building the sets, the cast and crew of “She Loves Me” have been working outside of school since December to make this show possible. We wanted to showcase that dedication and give those students a spotlight (get it?).

Our special section this issue focuses on science, technology, engineering and math,

specifically how these topics affect district curriculum and students within the school.

We interviewed engineering teacher Denise Legore-Seawood from Mill Creek Middle School, and although her room was overwhelming at first, the loud, charismatic class gave us an understanding of just how passionate STEM teachers are about their jobs.

Elementary and middle school classes have changed so much since we were there; kids are coding and exploring their interests at an earlier age. It was a really incredible story to uncover and we’re excited to share it with all of you.

We’re wrapping up on our senior year, but we’re not done yet. We plan to roll through three more issues, so be on the lookout for more content.

Alison Booth

Alison Booth Nora Lucas Victoria Wright

MANAGING EDITOR Claire Boone

COPY EDITOR Anika Roy

DESIGN EDITOR Annie Myers

PHOTO EDITORS Hunter Ristau Marah Shulda

Nora Lucas

Victoria Wright

BUSINESS MANAGER Hunter Ristau

MILL VALLEY NEWS EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

Jakob Twigg

Tricia Drumm Morgan Gurwell Ally Nguyen

FEATURES EDITOR

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR

NEWS EDITOR

Annie Myers

A&E EDITOR Abby Layton

OPINIONS EDITOR Ally Nguyen

SPORTS EDITORS Katya Gillig

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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 2017 JagWire has been named a Pacemaker winner, its third consecutive honor.

It was also inducted into the NSPA Hall of Fame and earned an All-Kansas rating from the KSPA. The 2017 Mill Valley News website was also named a two-time Pacemaker winner by the NSPA and recieved an All-Kansas rating.

SOCIAL MEDIA Twitter: @millvalleynews Facebook: Mill Valley News

CENSORSHIP POLICY

JAGWIRE 2017-18 staff EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

STAFF

Lexi Flipse

REPORTERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS Drake Brizendine Elizabeth Joseph Carter Lawson Jordan Robinson Michael Sandri Andrew Tow

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.

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NEWS

Design by Anika Roy

Mill Valley High School

JagWire

THEPLAYMAKERS Students take on the responsibility of creating an exclusively thespian-run show

JAKOB TWIGG

news editor jagwire.jakobtwigg@gmail.com

ELIZABETH JOSEPH

reporter/photographer jagwire.elizabethjoseph@gmail.com

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or the first time in school history, the drama and theatre department has put together a single-cast, thespian-exclusive production of the musical comedy “She Loves Me” directed, choreographed and put together entirely by a group of senior members of the school’s thespian troupe.

In order to become a thespian — a member of the international honors society for drama and theatre students — students must participate in two theatre productions through the school as well as work on the set or technical crew. After putting in 100

hours of volunteer work on at least two shows, a student is eligible to join the thespian honor society.

Senior thespian president Lauryn Hurley, who has undertaken the role of vocal director, introduced the idea of a thespian-exclusive show to give thespian students more chances to perform.

“We have a great theatre department, and we wanted to facilitate more performance opportunities for ourselves,” Hurley said. “So, we talked to [drama teacher Jon] Copeland and brought up the possibility of doing a thespian show.”

Besides the unique aspects of leadership and the show being single-cast, the school’s production of “She Loves Me” will also be submitted to the Blue

During set crew on Saturday, Jan. 13, sophomore Analiese Wilhauk uses a drill to dismantle an old set piece. // Victoria Wright

Eyes focused on her work, costume designer senior Katie McNaughton finishes sewing a scarf on Wednesday, Jan. 10. To prepare for the show and work with the limited production budget, cast members either made or provided their own costumes. // Annie Myers

Star Awards hosted by Starlight Theatre. Blue Star is structured similarly to the Tony or Oscar Awards, with numerous opportunities to gain achievements. “She Loves Me” is the first show to be submitted in eight years; the school has not submitted double-cast shows in order to avoid choosing one cast over the other.

In order to determine whether or not the show will receive any Blue Star awards, Starlight Theatre sends experienced theatre personnel to adjudicate the show. At the end of March, nominations will be released. While the opportunity is new and exciting to many students in the department, Copeland has a different priority for his students.

“My goal for my students in every

JagWire

Mill Valley High School

Photos by Annie Myers and Victoria Wright

NEWS

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PRODUCTIONPRICES Working on a $0 budget, “She Loves Me” cast members took the necessary actions to afford the production

Fanny Packs were sold to other members of the theatre department Senior Tyler Orbin purchased and handed out business cards

Students donated perfume bottles for props and bought additional bottles at thrift stores

Georg Nowack, played by senior Tyler Orbin, reads a love letter out loud to Ladislav Sipos, played by junior Nathan Sheehan, on Thursday, Jan. 25. // Victoria Wright

show is that they learn from the show,” Copeland said. “[I hope] they improve their skills, they improve their confidence ... they get the oppurtunity to develop their range as an actor and they have a chance to experience different types of roles.”

To get the show off the ground, the thespians have developed an array of new skills to take on tasks different from those they may have had in a standard show at the school. For example, the thespians raised funds through the sale of fanny packs similar to those Copeland is frequently seen wearing. They were sold for $15 a piece to students, and the money went to building the set, purchasing the rights to the show and creating costumes (coordinated by costume director senior Katie McNaughton).

Furthermore, because the adult sponsors for the show had little involvement in putting the show together, students took various leadership roles in the production. Seniors Durga Jambunathan and Whitney Burke directed the show, Hurley provided vocal direction, seniors Tyler Orbin and Marissa Olin took charge of all design aspects (including set design and pub-

licity) and seniors Caroline Gambill and Alison Booth choreographed the production.

However, the lack of adult leaders led to some difficulty in organizing the show.

“It’s all about working off of one another’s ideas and having a collaborative effort, rather than having a preset vision.”

SENIOR TYLER ORBIN

“The biggest challenge with this show is that the dynamic is completely different,” Orbin said. “It’s all student-led; we’re all the same age, so it’ s all about working off of one another’s ideas and having a collaborative effort, rather than having a preset vi-

sion. So we’ve been building it from the ground up, [which] can cause challenges whenever student leaders have different ideas and we have to ... figure out how to incorporate both.”

Due to the the show being entirely directed and led by these few senior students, new commitments and responsibilities for the students have arisen unique from those the school has done in the past.

“If you are a part [in the show], you are held responsible for knowing your stuff, and if you’re a student leader, you’re responsible for making sure your aspect is done well and done timely,” Orbin said. “It’s definitely been a challenge — how constricted our time has been — but I think it’s gone really well.”

Although the show required high amounts of energy and hard work, Hutley believes the experience was highly rewarding.

“It’s been a really great and a really unique experience to create something with all my closest friends in the [theatre] department,” Hurley said.

“We’ve all put our hearts and souls into this show. We chose it; we made it. This is ours.”

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NEWS

Design by Andrew Tow & Victoria Wright

ALISON BOOTH

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

LEXI FLIPSE

social media editor jagwire.lexiflipse@gmail.com

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tudents will flood into the space-decorated, dimly lit commons and gym on Saturday, Feb. 10 with peers dressed in semi-formal dancewear in preparation for this year’s winter homecoming dance.

This scene is a huge contrast to the past six winter homecoming dances, all of which were held as informal, Friday night events.

Prior to 2012, winter homecoming was deemed “WPA” (women pay all) and was hosted by the cheer and dance teams. However, in 2012, administration changed the Saturday dance to a Friday night dance that occurred after the night’s basketball game.

According to StuCo sponsor Erica Cris the Friday dance has “never been well attended,” even though StuCo has “tried different activities and events [at the dance] in the years past.”

However, according to student body

president Bella Hadden, in the past two years, students have expressed interest in changing the informal Friday dance into a semi-formal dance.

“StuCo did an online poll [in early 2017] about what students wanted to see at Mill Valley, and the biggest response was having a more formal winter dance on a Saturday,” Hadden said.

Previous StuCo members had been frustrated with the lack of a semi-formal winter homecoming, including 2017 student body president Brady Rolig. Rolig felt it was “embarrassing” the school didn’t have a third dance since other area schools (like De Soto High School, Shawnee Mission schools and Olathe schools) did.

“The Friday night dance was lame,” Rolig said via email. “I loved being on StuCo and going to all the events we put on, but I could barely stand going to the Friday night dance for more than 15 minutes. I think a Saturday night dance is much better because people will go out to eat, take pictures and do all the normal dance stuff.”

In order to get the Saturday dance approved by administration, StuCo members contacted these local schools that put on more formal winter dances and assembled a presenta-

DANCEDEVELOPMENT

The process of changing the Friday dance to semi-formal

2012 First year of Friday winter dance instead of formal event

2016 Idea of having a formal winter dance again introduced

AUGUST 2017 SPRING 2017

Theme of “Space Jam” decided for dance based on StuCo poll

FEB. 10, 2O18 First WOCO dance

StuCo spoke to administration about having a formal winter dance

Mill Valley High School

JagWire

tion of the feedback they received.

“A lot of the StuCo members that graduated last year emailed schools and got information about what schools around us do for winter homecoming,” Hadden said. “We took all that into consideration and put it into a PowerPoint and presented it to administration.”

According to assistant principal Marilyn Chrisler, this presentation was a huge factor in helping bring a third dance to the school.

“I loved being on StuCo and going to all the events we put on, but I could barely stand going to the Friday night dance.”

2017 STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT BRADY ROLIG

“Kids have been approaching us over the last couple years and finally, in spring of 2017, StuCo presented their reasons why they wanted to have a third dance,” Chrisler said.

“Our biggest concern was the cost — a lot of people think that they have to spend a lot of money on dresses and tuxedos and stuff like that, [but StuCo] said that it didn’t have to be officially formal — kids could wear whatever they wanted. It was a very good, well put-together presentation from the kids.”

According to Crist, the dance is being deemed winter homecoming (or WOCO, for short) instead of WPA to help cultivate inclusivity.

“It’s more like a homecoming; it’s not a WPA,” Crist said. “We don’t want girls to think they have to ask a guy or guys to think they can’t ask a girl. Or, if you have same-sex couples, they can attend.”

Moreover, Crist said the dance is defined as semi-formal rather than formal, since StuCo wants to alleviate the financial burden that may accompany the addition of a new dance.

“I think StuCo members have been describing it as if you’ve ever been to a Cheerball or a banquet attire — that way, students aren’t spending as much on dresses,” Crist said. “We really encourage students to wear things that

JagWire

NEWS

Mill Valley High School

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Spreading Mod Podge on a lantern, senior Bella Hadden makes a planet on Sunday, Jan. 28 that will be used for decoration at WOCO. “I’m extremely excited for WOCO because StuCo has been trying to get this dance to happen for such a long time and we’ve put a lot of work into it” Hadden said. // Victoria Wright

are already in their closet or to exchange items with friend. You don’t need to go out and spend money on a brand new dress for this dance.”

Senior Julia Feuerborn is excited for the dance, and said it will hopefully be “less awkward” than the past Friday dances since there will be “a lot more people,” making it “easier to dance and have fun.”

“It’s something that’s been talked about since my freshman year and it’s actually happening my senior year so that’s really cool,” Feuerborn said. “I just wish it would have happened earlier so I could have gone to it more.”

However, Hadden said that the success of the dance this year will determine the recurrence of future WOCOs. “Administration has said that we’re going to try it for this year, and if it’s a bad turn out and not busy, then they won’t do it again,” Hadden said. “So, we’re trying really hard to make sure it’s a success.”

POSTERPUNS

Girls take on the role of asking dates to winter homecoming

“Being the one to ask was a lot more nerve racking than I thought it was.”

JUNIOR ALLY KLAUDT

CAN I

have this

“We both have a very strong love for the office and it’s something we have in common.”

SENIOR SIMON STEWART

DANCE?

StuCo to host semi-formal, space-themed, Saturday night winter homecoming dance

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FEATURES

Design by Morgan Gurwell

Mill Valley High School

JagWire

KEEPING UP WITH THE Students find work with taking care of kids at daycares, JCPRD and at home

CAREGIVERS TRICIA DRUMM

Mill Valley News editor-in-chief jagwire.triciadrumm@gmail.com

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Mixing up a bowl of fruit, senior Will Morris prepares a snack at the Prairie Ridge Elementary JCPRD program on Monday, Jan. 29. // Jordan Robinson

SUMMER SCHEDULE

When nannying during the summer, senior Kendall Gaignat follows a schedule every day with the kids

ith kids, after school can be hectic. Between running around the elementary school gym, rounding up the kids for a snack at home and helping a fussy baby settle into a nap, high school students are there to help.

As an after-school job, plenty of students split off to the elementary schools to work under Johnson County Parks and Recreation District (JCPRD), nanny elementary school students or work at local daycares.

Before his current position at JCPRD at Prairie Ridge Elementary, senior Will Morris had no prior experience with working in a daycare, but was drawn to the job after hearing about it from an alum. Over the past two years, Morris has had “nothing but good experiences” watching and playing with the kids until their parents retrieve them.

“The experience has been like being a kid again, [like] knowing the troubles that they’ve gone through … getting to play with them and hear what their school life is about,” Morris said.

Some students, such as senior Kendall Gaignat, work with kids in a more exclusive environment, such as nan-

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The boys complete a list of chores that their parents leave for them to do

nying. She began nannying two elementary-aged boys during summer of 2017, and when the school year started, she opted to watching them Mondays and Tuesdays after school.

“Some days we’re both in a [weird] mood sometimes, and it’s not fun,” Gaignat said. “I still do get to have a lot of fun with these kids, like I still get to do stuff I want to do. Like over the summer we went and saw movies, we went mini-golfing, went to SkyZone, Dave and Buster’s. We got to do a bunch of stuff that I still wanted to do. … I love those kids; they’re funny.”

“The experience has been like being a kid again.”

SENIOR WILL MORRIS

While both Gaignat and Morris work with elementary school children, senior Vanessa Harlow works with the infants at Dandelions and Mud Puddles Child Development Center. She has been working there for about a month, and aspects of her job include feeding, holding, changing

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Gaignat takes the kids to sports camps or swimming lessons

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Q&A

Since she began nannying elementary students Zach and Ryan Gleason in March of 2017, senior Kendall Gaignat has spent a lot of time getting to know them. “It’s definitely a different experience, because each day with them is unique,” Gaignat said. // Claire Boone

and taking care of the little ones.

“Watching the kids that are crawling start walking [has been one of my favorite experiences while working at the daycare],” Harlow said.

Because of the bond he forms with the kids, Morris finds reprimanding those who misbehave to be a challenge.

“Seeing them go through the pain of sitting out a game or not being able to play with a toy [is difficult for me],” Morris said.

As for the future, Gaignat is not positive she wants to work with children, whereas Harlow thinks her plan to go into nursing could involve kids. Morris, on the other hand, intends to study education to further his child-related work as a teacher.

“It’s definitely going to help with

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Gaignat and the kids walk the dog if the weather is nice

already having experience with kids going into college and knowing how kids think and what their after-school life is,” Morris said.

Each time she nannies the boys, Gaignat has found ways to parent her future children, like knowing what she should and shouldn’t do, and new “teaching skills” she can use in the future.

“I get to teach them basic life lessons that they need to know, like saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ and picking up after themselves and cleaning up their messes,” Gaignat said. “Getting to teach them that kind of stuff is really fun for me because I feel like I’m making an impact on them and molding them into decent human beings in this world. I feel like I’m making an impact [on them] in that way.”

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Gaignat takes the boys somewhere like the movies, the pool or to play mini golf

After meeting through the Peers in Learning program, senior Dakota Wilson began taking care of junior Corinne Brown three days a week. // Jordan Robinson

Senior Dakota Wilson spends time with junior Corinne Brown after school JagWire: Is there a routine you follow when you take care of Corinne?

Dakota Wilson: I usually get her off the bus at 3:15 [p.m.], we eat a snack and watch some TV or play in her room. We eat dinner at 6:30 [p.m.] and then hang out with her family until she goes to bed around 9 [p.m].

If she has any studying to do, her mom and I usually do that with her.

JW: What do you enjoy most about taking care of Corinne?

DW: I love everything about my job.

Corinne’s family is amazing and there’s never a dull moment when I’m over. I consider Corinne one of my best friends, so it never really feels like work, we’re just hanging out and having fun together.

JW: Do you plan on working with kids in the future?

DW: I plan on being a high school special education teacher, so I would say yes. After meeting Corinne and working with her in school and outside of school, I realized I wouldn’t want to do anything else.

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FEATURES

Design by Morgan Gurwell

Mill Valley High School

JagWire

TEACHERS IN LOVE

In addition to having professional relationships, the Shellys and the Riss’s are also married couples

TRICIA DRUMM

Mill Valley News editor-in-chief jagwire.triciadrumm@gmail.com

KATYA GILLIG

sports editor jagwire.katyagillig@gmail.com

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oming to school, gifted services facilitator Carmen Shelly and media center specialist Andy Shelly walk through the doors together. While they go their separate ways, they both know they’re just a door apart.

Carmen and Andy first met at Bethel College in 1981, where he worked in admissions and she was a student.

Shortly after, they started dating in 1982 and married in July 1983. But they’re not the only couple at Mill Valley.

Science teacher Donna Riss and substitute teacher Mike Riss first met in 1984 while working as biology and English teachers respectively at Washington High School. They married three years later, in June of 1987 and continued working together at Washington until 1988, when Donna resigned to stay at home with their kids.

For the Shellys, Andy finds working in

the same place as Carmen has improved their day-to-day communication.

“It’s been easier to communicate with each other about our work day since we know the same colleagues, students and staff,” Andy said via email. “When our kids were growing up it also allowed us to focus on their days when we’d arrive home from work.”

“It’s been easier to communicate with each other about our work day.”

MEDIA CENTER SPECIALIST ANDY SHELLY

Additionally, Carmen enjoys the extra time they spend together in the car ride to and from school. Not only has she noticed how having the same workplace benefited daily conversation, Carmen appreciates their common work schedule. “[Working at the same place as my

husband] did promote communication among family members because we can’t just go our own way or leave the house or job at different times,” Carmen said via email. “Having the same spring break, the same days off for winter break, the same snow days ... all of that helps when life is busy.”

On the other hand, because of differing teaching schedules, the Riss’s don’t always carpool to and from school. However, Donna believes she has a better understanding of how her husband’s day might have gone and has a better connection with him.

“The benefit of being married to a teacher [and] being a teacher is that you have a good understanding of what their job is like,” Donna said.

“Even if we weren’t in the same building we would have that understanding.”

Mike credits his subbing position to his wife.

“She actually talked me into subbing,” Mike said. “[Donna] networked me out in this place so that I know 90 percent of the faculty here.”

Even though they worked on different floors, Donna said she “[owes their] marriage to Washington High School.” Even at Mill Valley, they hardly see each other during the day.

Working together since the opening of the school, gifted service facilitator Carmen Shelly and media center specialist Andy Shelly have worked together for 22 years, including previously working together at De Soto High School. // Andrew Tow

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“If Mike is subbing for [science teacher Betsy] Meeks or [English teacher Ashley] Agre, I’ll see him, but not a lot,” Donna said. “[I see him in] Meeks more because if I hear him make mistakes I’ll go in and correct him.”

However much she enjoys working in the same place as her husband, Carmen feels mundane conversation outside of work has dwindled.

“Sometimes we don’t have anything to talk about at the dinner table now that our children are out of the house,” Carmen said. “We know what happened in our day at work.”

Even so, after spending most of his career working with his wife, Andy would not have wanted it any other way.

“We’ve worked together for such a long time it’s difficult to imagine what it would have been like not to have done so,” Andy said. “I think it’s really been great to work in the same place as my wife.”

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After teaching together at Washington High School, science teacher Donna Riss and substitute teacher Mike Riss were married in 1987 and have worked together for three years at Mill Valley. // Andrew Tow

MOST LIKELY TO BE...

HIGH SCHOOL SWEETHEARTS

Staff members explain the benefits of marrying the same person they dated during high school

CLASS OF 1982

CLASS OF 2002

CLASS OF 2008

“I had what I called ‘boyfriends’ before dating my husband…but once we started dating that was it for me. That sounds cheesy, but it’s true.”

“We have many of the same values and our families are very similar, so he was on the same page as me when it came to how our relationship should grow.”

“The cool thing about marrying your high school sweetheart is that all those awkward, funny, and strange memories you have from high school are shared memories — you can reminisce about things from a long time ago together.”

SECRETARY LYNN BATH

ENGLISH TEACHER ASHLEY AGRE

ENGLISH TEACHER ANNA NELSON

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FEATURES

Design by Nora Lucas & Marah Shulda

Mill Valley High School

JagWire

the OUTSIDERS

Senior boys utilize outdoor seating despite cold weather

LEXI FLIPSE

social media editor jagwire.lexiflipse@gmail.com

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ith below freezing temperatures and winds howling around them, a small group of senior boys sit outside huddled around a table, their breath visible and their food steaming.

Like many seniors, the group of nine boys began eating lunch outside during the warmer months of the school year, but as the weather changed, their daily routine did not.

“I look forward to blue [day] lunch every single day.”

SENIOR CODY ROBERTSON

According to senior Justin Schierbaum, the idea of eating outside during winter began as a joke among the friends.

“We kind of laughed at [the idea], but eventually we started taking it more seriously,” Schierbaum said.

“The first cold day came in November and we were still eating outside, so we decided to keep going.”

Even after making the decision to Taking advantage of senior privileges, the group of seniors eat outside on Tuesday, Jan. 23 despite the 28 degree weather. // Jordan Robinson

bear the cold, a comment from science teacher Eric Thomas further spurred the group on in their resolve to last all winter.

“Thomas commented that we wouldn’t last past January,” Schierbaum said. “At this point, we have to stay out there and keep eating, otherwise he’ll prove us wrong.”

To prepare for cold temperatures, which according to senior Cody Robertson, have “got down to where it feels like six degrees,” some members of the group bring several layers of clothing.

“I wear a lot of layers; we’re talking three or four when it gets real low,” Robertson said. “Some of the others don’t prepare at all, but I’m always ready.”

However, with temperatures averaging 31 degrees for the past month, Robertson says the group has been asked to eat inside some days. “[Someone] did kick us inside the other day. We were very gloomy,” Robertson said. “Then we decided, ‘we’re going out next time, just to spite them.’”

Despite the cold, the friends enjoy being able to converse and catch up with each other on a near daily basis.

“I look forward to blue [day] lunch every single day,” Robertson said.

“Honestly, it’s just a swell time.”

On Wednesday, Jan. 10, senior Justin Grega laughs during lunch. // Jordan Robinson

MONTHLY CHILL Average temperatures each month students sat outside

74 SEPTEMBER 74 OCTOBER 61 NOVEMBER 48 DECEMBER 35 JANUARY 31 AUGUST

Source: Weather Underground

JagWire

Mill Valley High School

Design by Hunter Ristau

ADS

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FEATURES

Design by Alison Booth & Annie Myers

High School

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During Engineering Design & Development on Thursday, Jan. 25, senior Maggie Miller works on a prototype for her belt clip. // Hunter Ristau

JagWire

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Photos by Hunter Ristau

FEATURES

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STEMMING

INTO THE FUTURE

Integration of STEM in education encourages students to explore interests and future careers

ELIZABETH JOSEPH

reporter/photographer jagwire.elizabethjoseph@gmail.com

NORA LUCAS

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

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hough the current discussion about what K-12 curriculum should look like is often dividing and polarizing, there is one common ideal most Americans can agree on: high school students need to be more

prepared for careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

The push toward STEM is seen at both the state and local levels, from curriculum reform in Topeka to the integration of technology in the classrooms of Mill Valley. According to the Pew Research Center, 34 percent of Americans would tell a current high school student to pursue a career in STEM. Additionally, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts employment in STEM occupations will grow to more than 9 million between 2012 and 2022.

This emphasis on STEM can be seen not only in our halls, but throughout the district and throughout the country. And though as students we seem to hear about it constantly, the actual implementation of this STEM curriculum is somewhat complicated and misunderstood. With almost half of the 1.9 million seniors who took the ACT in 2015 entering a field in STEM, it is necessary for them to understand the field they are about to enter.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

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FEATURES

Design by Alison Booth & Annie Myers

Mill Valley High School

DISTRICT-WIDE

JagWire

District offers multiple pathways to pursue STEM from elementary through high school

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f there is one word to describe the climate of Mill Creek Middle School engineering/technology classroom, it would be “crazy.” Engineering teacher Denise Legore-Seawood uses the word herself, and on the afternoon of Friday, Jan. 19, that description is fitting. There are 32 eighth grade students, 11 of which are girls, beginning a project focused on architecture and drafting. Throughout the room are positive affirmations encouraging confidence, and Legore-Seawood wears a t-shirt with a simple mantra: “Wake up, teach kids, be awesome.”

On the board is a large piece of graph paper with a shape and dimensions on it, and Legore-Seawood is di-

THE DREAM SCENARIO IS THAT IF YOU KNEW WHAT YOU WANTED TO BE, YOU’D BE TAKING CLASSES IN HIGH SCHOOL TO GET YOU TOWARDS

During seventh hour on Friday, Jan. 19, Mill Creek Engineering teacher Denise Legore-Seawood explains the importance of drafting. // Hunter Ristau

THAT PATH. MILL CREEK ENGINEERING TEACHER DENISE LEGORE-SEAWOOD

recting her students the correct way to copy the drawing. One student from the center table asks about the arrows on the end of the dimension lines, creating a loud discussion between the students which ends in applause as they find the answer. By the time the bell rings for the end of the 45-minute class, one boy pleads “Please let me stay.”

Legore-Seawood’s classes are in the middle between the basic computer classes of the elementary schools and the engineering pathways of the high schools. Her classes range from the principles of flight and aviation to bioremediation. Her eighth grade classes, however, study architecture and engineering concepts in order to provide a foundation for high school curriculum. Despite the hyper-energetic atmosphere of the room and the loud chatter of students, Legore-Seawood loves her job.

“Why would you not teach this class?” Legore-Seawood said. “I get to play with airplanes. I get to build rockets. I get to cut things on power tools.

I get to draw on paper … I have the greatest job ever.”

Between drafting on computers to graphing measurements, Legore-Seawood’s class is the epitome of STEM curriculum, yet she emphasizes the importance of the soft skills her class utilizes.

“This is about lighting the fire,” Legore-Seawood said. “It’s community building, it’s how you work together in a cooperative group, it’s communication, it’s team-building, it’s sharing, it’s problem solving, it’s being creative, [and] it’s ways to do those things.”

This goes hand-in-hand with the technology standards implemented by the district. According to district Career and Technical Education Coordinator Cindy Swartz, technology education “can assist with student engagement, creativity, critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and innovation.”

Legore-Seawood’s class has been continually adjusting to coordinate with the engineering and technology curriculum taught at the high school level.

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“Everything is changing because the state is changing, so we’re looking at individual pathways,” Legore-Seawood said. “The dream scenario is that if you knew what you wanted to be, you’d be taking classes in high school to get you towards that path.”

That path can vary between high schools, though. While some STEM courses are only offered at certain schools, such as Zoology here and AP Computer Science at DHS, the district’s goal is “to use our resources efficiently to ensure that students have great learning opportunities, regardless of which school they attend,” according to district Director of Teaching and Learning Joe Kelly.

“In the state of Kansas, there is a new movement to include Individual Plans of Study (IPS), which helps students make decisions about their education based on career interests and goals,” Kelly said. “Staff members are continuing to look at ways in which we can identify a student’s interest in STEM fields and encourage the exploration of STEM possibilities through the Individual Plan of Study.”

STEM education is also integrated into the elementary schools. According to Horizon Elementary technology teacher Sarah Midiros, students focus on “basic computer skills such as typing, learning how to use a Word document, and creating PowerPoint presentations,” alongside skills such as coding, 3D printing, and video game design.

“If you think about it, STEM is invading our students’ world as they know it,” Midiros said. “It is imperative we effectively teach students critical thinking skills as well as let them create, have the opportunity to fail and troubleshoot to achieve an end goal.”

Even teachers here are incorporating new district standards into their classes. Technology teacher Helga Brown said that over the last few years, the district has shifted their focus from simply learning engineering concepts to more engaging curriculum that will effectively help students more later in life.

“The district is embracing the whole Common Core for more applied math, applied science, applied technology,

so not like learning keyboarding for the sake of learning keyboarding, but learning how to use the computer as a tool,” Brown said.

Brown explains how the state’s changing standards for her classes have shifted to a computer-based curriculum, specifically in her Drafting/ CAD class.

“Five years ago, when I was teaching drafting … we had to teach them how to letter. It’s a big deal, and we would spend two or three weeks on learning how to letter,” Brown said.

“So we completely dropped lettering, which opened up the opportunity to get that 3D modeling in there. No longer were we teaching three weeks of lettering and spending half a year drawing on paper, we were doing quick, basic skills you need for sketching, then right into CAD.” Brown said the evolution into a computer-based class is a positive change, especially the addition of the free drafting program Revit, and is excited to see where her classes will go in the future.

“I love that it’s evolving,” Brown said. “I love that like three years ago, we implemented Revit and I’ve been running with it since. And most of it is self taught, just jumping in and figuring out how to use it, and the kids like it.”

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STEM classes offered at the high school level

STEM classes offered at the middle school level

Pouring sand into a bucket, sophomore Eva Burke participates in the tower competition at the Northland Invitational for Science Olympiad on Saturday, Jan 27th. “I think a lot of girls don’t think of STEM as a job they can do,” Burke said. // Hunter Ristau

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FEATURES

Design by Alison Booth & Annie Myers

WHICH STEM? S T E M 31%

23%

27% 17%

58%

of MV students want to major in STEM

48%

of national students want to major in STEM Source: ACT

WHY STEM? 8%

8%

parents other

38%

money 46% passion

Survey of 250 students

D

ue to the priority placed on STEM careers and the increased wages for occupations in the field, the number of students entering college with the intent to major in a STEM field has increased dramatically over the past years. According to a 2015 study conducted by the ACT, the number of high school seniors interested in STEM has increased from 780,541 in 2011 to 939,049 in 2015, with the percentage of students interested in computer science and math majors increasing by 2 percent. In order for all those students to be adequately prepared, teachers have stressed that practicing skills needed for STEM in high school is an important forerunner to succeeding in college.

Brown said she encourages her students to find part-time jobs that use Revit, the current standard modeling software used in architecture, to make “good money” instead of minimum wage. That way, students can put skills learned in high school into use.

“We’re building those skills, building industry standards so when they go to college they’ve got a leg up with other schools that aren’t using Revit, that aren’t using the software we’re using,” Brown said. “But colleges are, so they go and they already kind of know their way around.”

With the amount of academic scholarship opportunities available, as well as high starting wages, the appeal of going into STEM is lucrative, but students must be prepared for the rigor of “hard science” courses in college. Counselor Chris Wallace explains that although difficult math and science classes will prepare you for that pathway into your major, taking English, history and art is also recommended.

“Even though STEM is typically thought of as being strictly about sci-

COLLEGE

Mill Valley High School

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ence and mathematics, you still need a variety of educational backgrounds in order to be successful in those industries,” Wallace said. “Though taking classes like physics and higher math classes ... are always a good idea, it’s still beneficial to also take your English classes and some of those [other] classes seriously.”

Additionally, activities outside of school can prepare students for STEM careers in the real world. Extracurricular activities such as FIRST robotics, Science Olympiad, Skills USA or JagFlite can help students explore their interests and see if they would actually enjoy a career in STEM. Robotics president senior Amanda Hertel said robotics has allowed her to implement what she’s learned in the classroom into her extracurricular interests. “[Robotics] really helps you to see a real world application,” Hertel said. “It’s not just book smarts. A lot of times with engineering and technology, you need the real world skills as well as the book smarts, and with robotics you’re able to apply the concepts you’re learning in class to whatever you’re working on in the robot.”

Similar to Hertel, junior Sydney Clarkin said her participation in Science Olympiad has allowed her to explore her interests, and expressed that clubs at school offer students a chance to relax while they still practice STEM concepts.

“In some ways, it creates a less structured environment where kids are still able to learn,” Clarkin said.

“I’ve been inspired by it and I hope that whatever I do can help people.”

Hertel emphasizes that STEM is becoming the field of the future.

“It’s all about innovation and design,” Hertel said. “It’s where our world is headed. Robotics and things like that — that’s our future.”

Scholarship opportunities available for those interested in STEM fields

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19

JOB MARKET STEM continues to grow as a field and in pay

AND STEM LETS YOU SOLVE THOSE PROBLEMS. IT PUSHES SOCIETY FORWARD. SENIOR SKILLSUSA PRESIDENT ZOLTAN GOTHARD

$61,321

$55,087 $46,065 $34,891 ed uc at ion

$64,891

“There’s all these problems, and STEM lets you solve those problems,” Gothard said. “It pushes society forward. It lets you get past your old problems so you can get to the new ones. It helps invigorate economies, it helps invigorate technologies and science and lets you go more in depth.

It’s just a driving force that allows humanity to go forward.”

However, there has been a notable lack of diversity in regards to the makeup of STEM occupations. While women make up more than half of the workforce, according to a survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2011, only 26 percent of workers in STEM fields are female.

Even so, sophomore Eva Burke, who is interested in pursuing biology, believes that the STEM workforce will grow more diverse in the future.

“When you look around, there aren’t a whole lot of female scientists,” Burke said. “I think that’s going to change in coming years as society is progressing. It just takes a little bit for the workforce to catch up with that.”

And as STEM grows, Legore-Seawood sees the field becoming more accessible to students of all backgrounds and capabilities.

“STEM is not for geniuses,” Legore-Seawood said. “It’s not for the cream of the crop. It’s for everybody.

And it’s finding your level of where it fits.”

hum an itie s

Source: Time magazine

eng inee ring

Starting job salaries by career choice

PROBLEMS,

scie nce

DOLLAR

THESE

com put er s cien ce

BY THE

THERE’S ALL

ma th &

A

ccording to a survey of 263 students, 57.78 percent of students at the school are interested in pursuing a career in a STEM field, with 38 percent of those students motivated by the high wages STEM careers can give. And the wages can be lucrative. A report from the U.S. Department of Commerce notes that those working in STEM can earn 26 percent more income than those who are not in STEM. Wallace notes the level of student interest in STEM has grown as the field has become more prominent.

“The typical benefit is that jobs are available; it’s not a shrinking market,” Wallace said. “It’s an expanding one, so it’s usually pretty easy to get a job coming out of school. You can usually make a good amount coming right out of school [where,] if you had to take on some student loan debt, you could manage that pretty well.”

The statistics agree. The STEM field has been growing over the past decade, with 17 percent growth projected from 2008 to 2018, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. These numbers are drastically higher than the growth projected for other fields, which had a projected rate of 9.8 percent from 2008 to 2018.

As for its importance, SkillsUSA president senior Zoltan Gothard sees STEM being critical to the development of society.

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OPINIONS

Design by Ally Nguyen | Photo Illustration by Marissa Olin

Mill Valley High School

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STAFF EDITORIAL

DON’T FEEL PRESSURED TO CHOOSE A CAREER IN THE STEM FIELD A liveable wage can be found in most career paths, so choose a career in which you’ll be happy

M

any parents encourage their students to take advanced science and math classes, while losing focus on other subjects such as English and history. This carries over to college, where many students will choose to go into STEM, as they see it as a guaranteed way to make money.

However, this should not be the reason you choose your major.

Pursuing a major just for the “high-paying” career will not always lead to money or happiness.

Going into STEM has its merits if you truly love the career. According to a study by Glassdoor, a site used to analyze jobs and employers, 21 of the 25 highest paying jobs in 2016 were related to STEM degrees. This is good news if you’re passionate about STEM, but this statistic does not mean that it’s always a good idea to go into this field.

In a 2013 study conducted by the ACT, nearly one-third of the incoming freshmen described their declared major as a “poor fit” when asked how well it aligned with their interests.

This kind of mentality that one must do something they don’t enjoy in order to make money is toxic for students, both mentally and academically. The same study suggests that students who answered that their interests aligned well with their majorsl tended to outperform their peers.

When deciding a major, many prospective students fail to realize is the wide range of pay gaps that exist within STEM careers. According to a study done by Temple University economics professor Douglas Webber, the top quarter of English majors make more over their lifetimes than the bottom quarter of chemical engineers. Students who commit to their passions can find a way to have a stable income, despite the fact that many prospective students don’t see these jobs as viable options for providing them financial security.

Many graduates from fields perceived as “low-paying” can make as much over their lifetime as those in “high-paying” jobs. According to the

study by Webber, the overall average college graduate makes $2.86 million over a lifetime. An English major in the 60th percentile makes $2.74 million and a history major in the same percentile will make $2.64 million.

In the end, pursuing a major just for the perceived “high-paying” careers will not always lead to money or happiness if i’s not something you’re truly passionate about. There are other ways to make a living, so pursue what you want to, chances are it will benefit you in the end.

JAGWIRE STAFF VOTE

AGREE

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DISAGREE

3

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Mill Valley High School

Design and photos by Ally Nguyen

OPINIONS

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NAILING YOUR OPTIONS: A LESSON ON ACRYLICS Investigate the pros and cons before committing to acrylic nails

TRICIA DRUMM

Mill Valley News editor-in-chief jagwire.triciadrumm@gmail.com

A

month ago, I used to hate having short nails. In a text, I told my friend I would “start my new year right” by getting acrylic nails. Unfortunately, I didn’t know that meant having a few more problems than I started with. There’s more than appearance to consider when contemplating trying acrylic nails.

You never realize how often you use your fingertips until one day, you can’t.

My decision to get acrylic nails was last minute. I had two reasons for wanting fake nails: I wanted to try something new and wanted to stop biting my nails. If I bit off the acrylic nail, my nails wouldn’t look too hot and I’d have to get them fixed. Getting them fixed costs money and, unfortunately, money doesn’t grow on trees.

The idea sounded flawless at the time. It wasn’t until I was trying to get my debit card out of my wallet to pay for the nails that I’d realized I hadn’t thought the decision through.

To start, there are positive aspects of having fake nails. My fingernails have never been longer than my fingertips, so it was an exciting change.

Not only do they look gorgeous, but my co-workers said mine looked natural compared to their thick acrylic nails.

However, acrylic itself is anything but natural. Essentially, a wet brush is dipped into a powder and evenly applied to both the natural nail and the shaped fake nail, therefore creating the acrylic. That’s the simplest explanation without talking about monomers, polymers and other science-y stuff.

If the process is so simple, then what’s the harm? According to the American Academy of Dermatology, whenever technicians file away at the natural nail to get that necessary rough feeling, it actually thins and weakens the nail. My co-worker told me how her nails were still healing even though she’d tried acrylics over a year ago.

Here’s an even better question: did the acrylic nails stop me from biting my nails? The short answer is yes. I achieved my goal in that respect, but that’s about it.

You never realize how often you use your fingertips until one day, you can’t. Ever tried picking up change from the floor? Not as easy as it sounds. I used to type on my phone and computer with my fingertips, but I’ve had to resort to using the palm or sides of my fingers. You just have to get used to it, but it’s definitely not the most comfortable.

Near the end of January, I somehow broke about half of my thumbnail off, exposing part of my thumbnail. Even though it’s only been a month, it feels like forever since I’ve felt my fingertips.

Considering all the dangers of acrylic nails I just preached, what did I do mid-January? I got my nails filled, which damages my natural nails even more. In fact, I suppose I wasn’t ready to give them up.

Even though they’re impractical, harmful to my natural nails and they make my fingertips close to impossible to use, I love the way they look and I haven’t bitten off my fingernails since I had them done. I’d rather spend $20 to get them filled than continue my nervous habits.

In the end, make sure to explore your other nail methods. If all else fails, acrylics might be worth a shot.

NAILS & NUMBERS

The description and processes for different nail additives

GEL POLISH 40

percent of students prefer gel polish

Uses a UV light in order to “bake” the polish onto the nail. Lasts for two weeks

REGULAR POLISH 33

percent of students prefer regular polish

Can last between 2-7 days

ACRYLIC NAILS 17

percent of students prefer gel polish

An artificial nail is placed on top and polished over. Lasts 2-3 weeks

DIPPING POWDER 10

percent of students prefer regular polish

The nail must be dipped into the powder and smoothed out. Lasts two weeks

*Survey out of 127 students

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OPINIONS

Design by Ally Nguyen

Mill Valley High School

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GRADES MATTER AND ARE WORTH FIGHTING FOR Advocating for oneself is a life skill that is developed by school

MARAH SHULDA

photo editor jagwire.marahshulda@gmail.com

N

o matter what your opinion is on completing school school work, grades do matter. Whether you believe this to be a good or bad thing, they may ultimately help you decide where to go to college, what degree you should pursue and what job opportunities arise. So don’t be afraid to talk to your teachers about grades you think you deserve and advocate for yourself. Your grades are always worth fighting for.

Contrary to some beliefs, teachers are very nice people and are willing to

help you. I had to fight for my grade in one of my classes this year after receiving a grade on a project that I thought I didn’t deserve. It dropped my semester grade by a letter right before the final. I went to talk to the teacher about what I did wrong and it turned out that it was just one small mistake. I was able to redo it for full credit, bringing my semester grade up higher than it was before.

There is also the heart dropping feeling at the end of the semester when you have an 89.54 percent and are so close, yet so far, from getting that A. Most teachers sympathize if you simply go in to ask them if there is anything you can do to raise your percentage by a small fraction. Whether that is accomplished through extra credit or redoing a small assignment, many teachers will help you fix it.

Questioning your grades doesn’t only have to apply to the grand scheme and it is helpful in all aspects of a class.

As far as assignments go, those few

points that may seem insignificant at the time can often be a deciding factor in the final grade. If you consistently get the same adequate grade and then bomb the final your semester grade won’t showcase your consistency but rather your ill-preparedness for the exam. If you are advocating for your grade throughout the semester then the final grade should reflect that.

Advocating for yourself is a trait that many people struggle to achieve and this simple task in high school will continue to benefit you throughout life. By being able to promote and argue for yourself, one is able to lead a successful life.

These skills don’t end after high school and will be important in college. Fighting for grades and self promotion are ways to set oneself up for a life of success. This skill is applicable to many aspects and boosts self confidence. Use your resources. Teachers are there to help and fighting for your grades will help in the long run.

NEW AIRPORT WILL BENEFIT KANSAS CITY PUBLIC The new one-terminal airport will bring economic boosts to KC Citians, support the vote that ruled 75 percent in a new airport’s favor.

ABBY LAYTON

A&E editor jagwire.abbylayton@gmail.com

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ver since I was a kid, I’ve always loved to travel. I love the excitement of the entire process, from start to finish. As I’ve grown older, however, my experience has been hampered by numerous problems with the Kansas City International airport. From the limited number of restrooms to the lack of seating in the waiting area beyond the security checkpoint, the list is endless. This is why I, along with many other Kansas

The new airport will benefit the Kansas City community as a whole.

The majority of the 25 percent of voters who voted against a new airport believe renovating the airport would work. However, renovating KCI won’t fix the fact that the three-terminal layout is old, outdated and inefficient.

The fact that travelers have a short walk from the baggage claim to the doors can’t hide the wait many passengers face when trying to check in. In addition, according to the Kansas City

Star, while renovating KCI would cost half as much as building a new airport, the renovation would only last ten years, whereas the new airport will last much longer.

The new airport will benefit not only those who travel frequently, but also the Kansas City community. According to the radio station WPUR, the new KCI will provide more opportunities for international flight due to the layout, and more shops in the airport will allow for more jobs. It will bring in more tax revenue for the Kansas City, Missouri area, and will save flights from being terminated.

As our beautiful city grows, we need to allow our airport to grow with it. For students and members of our small community this means educating ourselves on city councils decisions and remaining vigilant about any decisions they make. Kansas City voted for a new airport. Now it’s time to make it a reality.

JagWire

OPINIONS

Mill Valley High School

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ALLOW STUDENTS TO ACCESS ACCURATE CONTENT Restricting information or providing false information is harmful

ALLY NGUYEN

Mill Valley News editor-in-chief/ opinions editor jagwire.allynguyen@gmail.com

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rowing up, I was told that certain content was not “age-appropriate” for me. I never understood why until I reached high school and had to find out exactly what those things were myself. Thankfully, I received trustworthy information about a variety of topics through the school and I now realize how blessed I am to be able to rely on education.

Finding out “explicit” content in high school never really bothered me because I learned eventually. What bothered me was learning that some students may never learn as much as me or they don’t have access to the same resources. Worse, some information being taught isn’t accurate and that is 100 percent legal.

It shocked me to find out that social studies teacher Jeff Wieland wasn’t allowed to teach his forner students in Virginia that slavery was a primary factor of the Civil War. It was also surprising to hear from English teacher Anna Nelson a book she’d assigned us to read, A Separate Piece, was banned in some schools for themes of “homosexuality.” In reality, the author said that was never his intention. I was confused as to why I had learned from Health teacher Amy McClure an informative lesson on sexuality when my peers in classes with other teachers didn’t. Shouldn’t everyone have access to this information?

Make it easier to access information that everyone is entitled to.

Small details like these in the curriculum should be readily available to all high school students in all places

EDUCATION: FALSE FACTS?

Only 13 states require content in Health classes to be medically, scientifically or techniallly accurate

*Information provided by the Non-profit Guttmacher Institute

= states that require medically accurate information in Health classes

and it’s vital to make sure all information is accurate. It’s unfair to restrict information when that content could ultimately end up shaping one’s opinions and actions.

It’s understandable why some districts refuse to acknowledge some topics; it doesn’t seem like their place to do so or they feel that providing information about an “inappropriate” topic will encourage bad behavior. However, while intentions may be sincere, censorship can have the opposite effect of what is desired.

According to a study by the National Institute of Health, the movement to limit information regarding other sex education, such as birth control or condoms, did not end up preventing teen pregnancy, but it may have actually contributed to the fact that the rates were so high. In addition, the National Conference of State Legislatures lists only 13 states that require sex education that is “medically, factually or technically accurate.” Not only are restricted methods of teaching contributing to the problem, the teaching of medically inaccurate information is legal.

Of course there’s always the chance that this information will be learned outside of the school setting, but the risk of receiving wrong facts vastly increases once a student turns to places like the internet. Having informed and well-rounded students can only be good for society as these students leave to impact the world. If the American public education system truly wished to be impactful and keep all interests in mind, education would be more inclusive. In addition to this content coming from the school system, it is also important to recognize the information needs to be accurate.

Ultimately, having too much information is always better than not having enough. If the public education system had the next generation’s best interest, they’d make it easier to access information that everyone is entitled to rather than forcing students to seek that information out on the internet.

After all, if high school students are old enough to decide what we want to do for the rest of our lives, we’re old enough to learn slavery was a reality of the past and male friendships exist.

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ADS

Design by Hunter Ristau

Mill Valley High School

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WATCH YOUR HEALTH Students use various sports watches to track aspects of their health habits

MICHAEL SANDRI

reporter/photographer jagwire.michaelsandri@gmail.com

Fitbit

A

Fitbit watch inumerous exercise-related capabilities which is why sophomore Paige Oliver choses to wear one.

Oliver says she enjoys tracking the number of steps she takes each day and choses to wear a Fitbit because that is one of its many features.

“I like to track the amount of steps that I get in each day and when I’m at sports I like to see how much how many more steps I get depending on how much physical activity I get,” Oliver said.

Although she mostly utilizes the pedometer feature, Oliver is also fond of the Fitbit’s other utilities.

“I can tell the time, my steps, the amount of miles I walk every day, the calories I burn each day and the number of minutes that I am active each day,” Oliver said.

Along with its numerous features, Oliver is appreciative of the way the watch looks and feels.

“It’s a good size for sure,” Oliver said. It’s slimmer and during sports I sometimes forget that it’s even there.”

Hours of battery life Source: Fitbit

Feet device will remain waterproof

Photos by Carter Lawson

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Garmin

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arketted towards the running communitee, Garmin watches offer a multitude of ways to track different aspects of exercise.

Senior Blake Walker was attracted to the watch for this reason.

“I run cross country and saw that a lot of other runners had Garmins,” Walker said. “I thought they’d be pretty useful for running.”

Walker said the watch has many uses that would make it an ideal watch to wear while out on a run.

“The watch can track my heartbeat, steps taken, calories burned and my time and distance on runs,” Walker said. “Of course it can also tell the time.”

216 130 $299 Hours of battery life Source: Garmin

Feet device will remain waterproof

Price per watch

Apple Watch

A

0 $150

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SPORTS

Design by Katya Gillig & Hunter Ristau

Price per watch

lready having numerous technological products, Apple also has a presence in the watch market.

As a swimmer and owner of an Apple watch, junior Celia Kistner appreciates the fact that the it is waterproof and has many utilities related to exercise and physical activity.

“I like how it’s waterproof and I can use it to track how much exercise I get,” Kistner said. “It’s also nice because I can use it to set alarms and get texts.”

18 Hours of battery life

Source: Apple

165 $325 Feet device will remain waterproof

Price per watch

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SPORTS

the

Mill Valley High School

Design by Annie Myers

SOLIDSIX

JagWire

Varsity girls basketball finds strength in fluidity of team roster

With seniority and experience over their younger teammates, junior Presley Barton, junior Claire Kaifes, senior Evan Zars, junior Trinity Knapp, senior Payton Shurley and senior Adde Hinkle lead the team throughout the season. // Lexi Flipse

ABBY LAYTON

A&E editor jagwire.abbylayton@gmail.com

A

Arms extended, junior Trinity Knapp guards a player on Monday, Jan. 22. // Lexi Flipse

collection of six girls basketball players walk out onto the court in the seconds before the game begins. They take their respective positions eagerly, and wait for the game begin.

Since the beginning of the season, these same six girls — seniors Evan Zars, Adde Hinkle and Payton Shurley, and juniors Trinity Knapp, Claire Kaifes and Presley Barton — have played each varsity game no matter the opponent. This collection of juniors and seniors make up the varsity team. According to head coach Drew Walters, this type of play strategy, with a fluid substitute lineup but set varsity players, has its advantages and drawbacks.

The purpose behind this, according to Walters, is to improve the overall quality of the game and the team’s lineup.

“We are trying to develop our depth,” Walters said. “We have six [girls] that we really feel confident in, and we’re confident in others but … we don’t use games as opportunities to play through mistakes [so] we play the people who have earned that playing time. We have six who have proven they can play at a really high level and we are trying to get some other people to get to there too.”

This is junior Claire Kaifes’ first year of starting permanently, and she believes that having a larger lineup, meaning more substitutes players, gives the six current varsity players a sense of security in their team while they are on the court.

“I think having a deeper bench helps us play our game which is more up-tempo [and] pushing the ball,” Kaifes said. “It really allows us to use all of our energy because we know there are [substitute players] that can take us out and it helps knowing that there is someone behind you that can come

JagWire

SPORTS

Mill Valley High School

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RAN K: In Ka nsas 5A

RECO RD: Wins

Poin ts earn ed per g ame

Loss es Poin ts allow e per g d ame

Assis ts per gam e Rebo unds per gam e

help you and give you rest.”

Agreeing with Kaifes, guard forward junior Lexi Ballard believes that having the deeper lineup helps to give the team more security. “[The lineup] helps the team quite a bit because even if one person is doing bad, with the two or three besides those six varsity [players], they allow us to get a lot of different players going in and a lot of different talents on the court,” Ballard said.

However, in terms of the six set varsity players, Walters believes there are some concerns with relying on those girls to play in every single game.

“Right now, especially with the top six, [the players] are very fluid with each other [and] all know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, so they are playing more together than having a deeper rotation would allow,” Walters said. “So, in one way it’s a benefit and in other ways it can be a drawback too because you get a little more tired throughout the game.”

Kaifes believes that the rotating lineup of substitute players creates a more competitive environment, which often translates to the younger girls having more drive in practice and in games.

“I think it helps them perform better in games because they know if they do well they could get some varsity time and they could move up,” Kaifes said. “During practice, they work hard to show the coaches that they can play to the best of their ability and try to get them into varsity games.”

As the season goes on, Walters is hopeful a more solidified lineup may emerge due to more time spent in practice, with more girls getting regular varsity playing time.

“We are hoping to add to the depth of our lineup and continue to work on that day by day,” Walters said. [We will continue to work] in practice and getting some of those others in games and getting some experience and confidence in that atmosphere as well.”

After being fouled, senior Evan Zars shoots a free throw on Monday, Jan 22. // Lexi Flipse

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A&E

Mill Valley High School

Design by Anika Roy

JagWire

CHEF SHOWDOWN Students employed at various local pizza places participate in a pizza-making competition, with one JagWire reporter and FACS teacher Ellen Gray judging on taste, appearance and creativity

MICHAEL SANDRI

reporter/photographer jagwire.michaelsandri@gmail.com

After creating their small pizzas on Wednesday, Jan. 17, seniors Kaitlyn Buisch, Gavin Overbeck and Sabrina Uriarte show their finished products. //Andrew Tow

= one point in creativity = one point in taste = one point in appearance *All rankings are out of five possible points

“All I can really taste is pepperoni. There are little spices. The crust is cooked a lot better than the others’.”

“The competition is fun. It’s pretty laid back and not too stressful. Everyone here is nice.”

“The pepperoni and cheese are spread among the pizza evenly which provides the entire pizza with a uniform taste.”

FACS TEACHER ELLEN GRAY

SENIOR SABRINA URIARTE

REPORTER MICHAEL SANDRI

Ingredients Used:

PAPA MURPHY’S EMPLOYEE SENIOR SABRINA URIARTE

JagWire

Mill Valley High School

Photos by Morgan Gurwell

A&E

29

PIZZA WEST EMPLOYEE SENIOR GAVIN OVERBECK Ingredients Used:

“The crust tastes “I’m really not here to undercooked. It’s spicy, but it’s not too win, I’m just here to have a spicy. It’s just not a good time.” normal pizza flavor.”

FACS TEACHER ELLEN GRAY

SENIOR GAVIN OVERBECK

“The crust is undercooked and leaves me just as unimpressed as with the rest of the pizza.”

REPORTER MICHAEL SANDRI

“It’s fun seeing the “It has way too much competition even “I am a fan of the texsauce. The pepperoni doesn’t taste right. though [Gavin and ture created by both Maybe it’s because ... I] are not as experi- the cheese and green peppers.” enced.” it wasn’t crispy.”

FACS TEACHER ELLEN GRAY

SENIOR KAITLYN BUISCH

REPORTER MICHAEL SANDRI

Ingredients Used:

PIZZA SHOPPE EMPLOYEE SENIOR KAITLYN BUSICH

30

A&E

Mill Valley High School

Design by Victoria Wright

JagWire

( 64%

Do you make your own smoothies?

How often do you make smoothies?

a few times a year 28% never 24%

64% yes

28%

monthly 23% weekly 18% daily 7%

a few times a year

36% no

36%

What do you mix into your smoothies?

6

5 What type of smoothies do you make?

31

YOGURT

45% yogurt

21% 27% peanut butter honey

TOPSHOPS

7% other

59% fruit 31% protein 6% other

59

5% vegetable

Students and JagWire reporter expand on their favorite smoothie shops

(Tropical cafe) 12850 W 87th St Pkwy, Lenexa

(Smoothie king) 12106-B Shawnee Mission Pkwy, Shawnee

“I like it because they also have food there. I really like the bahama mama [which] has strawberries, bananas, coconut and chocolate.”

SENIOR MIRANDA TOLAND

“You can customize [the smoothies]. It’s unique because it only sells smoothies, so everything there is very specialized.”

“Smoothie King is a bit more expensive but it has greater serving sizes, which makes up for the extra dollar spent.”

“I liked Tropical Smoothie Cafe’s smoothies because they tasted really fresh and non-processed.”

JUNIOR NICOLE WIESCHHAUS

STAFF REPORTER ABBY LAYTON

STAFF REPORTER ABBY LAYTON

JagWire

31

A&E

Photos by Carter Lawson

Mill Valley High School

(SMOOTHIES) A GUIDE TO

Survey of 262 students shows popular ways to enjoy smoothies

POPULARPRODUCE

35

What fruits do you use in your smoothies?

What vegetables do you use in your smoothies?

35

STRAWBERRIES

32

18

BANANAS

SPINACH KALE

32

1 CHOOSE A BASE

17 BLUEBERRIES 8 OTHER 16 KIWI 7 CARROTS OTHER *Numbers in percents

What is your favorite place to get a smoothie?

2

CHOOSE 1/2-1 1/2 CUPS OF FRUITS OR VEGETABLES

44% Smoothie King

)

3 CHOOSE A THICKENER 26% make it yourself 18%

oatmeal chia seeds McDonalds

12%

Tropical Smoothie

6% none 5% other

4 CHOOSE A MIX IN YOGURT

SOURCE: HEALTH

32 PHOTO ESSAY

Design by Hunter Ristau and Marah Shulda

Mill Valley High School

JagWire

DEDICATEDDANCERS

Students are involved in dance groups outside of school and perform different styles of dance At Miss Maria’s Dance studio, junior Lucy Graff performs a hip hop movement on Tuesday, Jan. 23. “Moves like these … really bring the music to life,” Graff said. // Marah Shulda

At a ballet rehearsal on Wednesday, Jan. 17, junior Libby Mullican performs a piece from her routine. “Dance is a really big part of my life,” Mullican said. // Marah Shulda During a practice for a ballet competition piece at KC Ballet on Monday, Jan. 22, senior Madeline Montgomery does a retiré. // Drake Brizendine

At Midwest Elite Academy, senior Parker Johnson does a straddle while suspended on aerial silks on Wednesday, Jan. 24. “It’s eerily cool because I have a fear of heights but feel safe in silks,” Johnson said. // Claire Boone

Preparing for a dance competition, senior Ashley Ebner practices at Academy of the Arts on Thursday, Jan. 25. “ I enjoy dancing. It’s fun and I get to make a lot of close friends,” Ebner said. // Hunter Ristau