the
pow wow
vol. 83 | issue 2 Bonner springs high school | DECEMBER 2020
is santa stuck in quarantine? See page 5 for the annual letter from the Pow Wow staff to Santa.
2 Staff | December 2020
Meet The Pow Wow Staff Editor-In-Chief Alexandria Rivers Isabella Colorado
Features Editor Natalie Delgado
News Editor Zaynab Zlitni
Sports Editor
Table of contents 4
Small Town tree farm
5
Dear Santa
8
IS screen time harmful?
10
Holiday Movie breakdown
12
Winter sports preview
Paige Trahan
A&E Editor Izabelle Koenig
Staff Writers Alex Lechuga Alexis Moeschler Laney Alexander Rosie Wilson Lauren Tinberg Morgan Grudniewski Charlie Nolting Thatcher Hoch
Adviser Jordan Stelter Contact Us Bonner Springs High School 100 McDanield Bonner Springs, KS 66012 913-422-5121, ext. 4330 www.bshsnews.com Follow us on Twitter @bshspowwow or contact adviser Jordan Stelter at stelterj@usd204.net
Editorial Policy The Pow Wow is published by the fourthhour publications staff at Bonner Springs High School. The staff devotes itself to the excercise of First Amendment rights and upholding the highest journalistic standards. Editorials reflect the consensus of the staff; opinion articles reflect the individual writer’s opinion. Content and views published in the Pow Wow do not necessarily reflect those of the adminstration of Bonner Springs High School or USD 204.
Letters The Pow Wow is a public forum designed to serve as the voice of BSHS, and we value your input. Letters-to-the-editor of up to 200 words may be submitted. The Pow Wow will not print letters that are libelous, irresponsible, or advocate illegal acts. All letters must be signed and should be submitted to Room 322 in person or via email. The Pow Wow reserves the right to edit all copy that runs in our publication.
Letter from the Editors “Time to add the finishing touches...perfect”, is what Santa’s elves may say, but this Christmas, you’ll hear that same phrase out of the Pow Wow staff. Happy holidays BSHS! We know that the holidays are a little different this year, but we are all still filled with joy and hope that maybe Santa will bring us a healthy New Year. Every year on the staff we seem to have one early grad, and this year our A&E editor, Izzy, will be leaving us early. Izzy, we want to say thank you for all of the hard work you have put in the last two and a half years. We have enjoyed everything that you have brought to the staff. Thank you for all of the memories and we wish you well in whatever you decide to do with your future. Now that we have all of the sappy stuff out of the way, time to get back to the newspaper. This holiday season, in the jour-
nalism room, we decided to have our own little Christmas. It is a Pow Wow tradition. First, we start with the Christmas tree, then move onto making our ornaments. Next, we take one big awkward family photo to share with the whole community. This is one of the things that we do every year and it shows what it is like to be with us all of the time. Lastly, we end with something similar to a secret Santa. It is our last goodbye before winter break. It is a celebration of our second family. To add to that, we know these times are hard, and you may not be with your families during the holidays, but we just want to say, be thankful for what you have and who you have around you as well. Your friends and family have helped you through this year, and it’s time to celebrate with them, even if it’s from
a distance. Happy holidays BSHS. See you in January for a fresh start in a new semester. As always, if you have any questions regarding an article or story ideas, feel free to contact our school emails. alexandriarivers@usd204.net or isabellacolorado@usd204.net
editors-in-chief |Alex Rivers & Bella colorado
December 2020 | News 3
the flip side of winter break
There’s an unspoken side to break for students in abusive homes Zaynab Zlitni| News Editor As winter break approaches, you might pull on your fuzzy socks and anticipate what gifts you’ll receive over the holidays, but for many BSHS students that is not the case. Winter break is not often a happy reality for students who spend it in abusive households. Denise Chowning, the social worker at BSHS, works with students who struggle with these challenges regarding mistreatment at home. “It’s an interesting dynamic because teachers and some people are so excited about the holiday and are just ready to get out, and for some students, school is the safe place that provides them food and stability,” Chowning said. Throughout winter break and remote learning, students within abusive households are left without the support they need. In the absence of the resources provided through school, winter break is often
700,000 children are abused in the u.s. each year
a difficult time rather than a relaxing vacation. “Everyone in this building is a mandated reporter,” Chowning said. “Over winter break there’s a high need for support, but we don’t necessarily know about it because they’re not in school.” Middle school teacher Erin Rausch experienced the flip side of break firsthand throughout her childhood. Rausch experienced abuse from a family member at home. “There was a lot of anxiety about being home with them in the house,” Rausch said. “It was extremely scary being home for a long break because you never knew what was going to anger them.” Oftentimes in school there is a conversation of positivity surrounding break, which isn’t the reality for all students. “I would get so nervous when we had to talk about our summer or our break, and
1,770 children died from abuse and neglect in 2018
hearing classmates talk about all the great things that they got for Christmas,” Rausch said. As an adult, years after her abuse ended, Rausch has a better understanding of students who might be going through the same experience as her. She has developed more empathy around winter break for students who are in abusive households. “Of course I love a good break,” Rausch said. “But I know of the students who are going home to very similar situations like mine, and I do worry about those kids a lot.” Many communities offer the opportunity to “adopt” a family for Christmas, giving them presents, food, and other things that they might not have access to. “I didn’t realize this at the time, but as a kid, the only reason we were even able to celebrate Christmas was because my mom was
243,039 cases of sexual abuse were investigated in 2019
given gifts from different organizations,” Rausch said. “One thing I really struggled with, especially in middle school and high school, was just how differently we recognized the holidays.” During the winter months, the Bonner Springs community does offer various programs for citizens in need. “Our community is great. Feed His Lambs provides a lot of support and Vaughn Trent,” Chowning said. “Some of the libraries and churches will also provide different things.” The anxiety that can build up around the time of winter break for abuse victims can slip by unnoticed by others. It’s easy to focus on the positives of winter break, but as you talk about your New Years’ plans or the hot cocoa you have waiting at home, keep in mind the flip side of break that your peers might be experiencing.
78% of child abuse cases are inflicted by a parent Photo by Zaynab Zlitni Statistics: nationalchildrensalliance.org
4 News | December 2020
Oh Christmas Tree
Christmas tree farm brings holiday cheer Written by: Laney Alexander| staff writer Page Design by: Lauren Tinberg| Staff Writer Due to the pandemic, the holidays are going to look different for everyone, but the Rus-T-Barn Christmas Tree Farm has decided to not let this deter their spirits. This will be the farm’s second holiday season, but it is not the second year Lisa Tobin has dreamed about it. This farm made her fantasy of many years a reality. Rus-T-Barn Christmas Tree Farm has been owned and operated by Lisa and Trevor Tobin since May 2018. Lisa decided she wanted to open the farm many years ago when her children were young. “When my kids were little I always wanted to start a Christmas tree farm,”
Lisa said. “I loved the charm and everything about a real tree the first time my family went to pick one out. As time went on and my kids grew up, I had a window of opportunity to do it.” As of November 21st, the Tobin family is ready to tackle the holiday season. They have some new items and fun activities to do as well! “We sell wreaths you can decorate and plant, as well as pre-decorated wreaths, and we also have candles. You can also enjoy a cup of hot chocolate by the fire on your visit,” said Lisa. While the farm has had a great start, Lisa isn’t stopping there. She would like to continue to enhance the farm. “I would
love to expand more and more every year. I have a vision and it will grow in baby steps,” said Lisa. “I almost think of it as a Hallmark movie. We would love to add more picture areas and a horse-drawn hayride. We just want a Christmas feel and to let people come out and let them feel the spirit of Christmas. We would even like to have a huge store with ornaments and everything for Christmas.” The pandemic hasn’t affected the farm yet, but they are prepared. Even though the farm is outside they will still have safety precautions in place. They are also ordering smaller amounts of products similar to other businesses during this
time. “There’s so much property you can move around so it will be a very safe environment. We had a little over 200 people visit last year, and we sold just under 200 trees as well as wreaths. This year we ordered 175 trees since we aren’t expecting as many people due to the pandemic,” said Lisa. The Tobin’s have their hearts set on creating an environment that families will love and create memories at. Lisa is truly passionate about the farm and it brings her family and so many others lots of joy and Christmas spirit. Stop by the Rus-T-Barn Christmas Tree Farm for some family-friendly holiday fun!
Located at 1425 South 138th Street, Bonner Springs, KS 66012 Hours of operation: 10:00 am-6:00 pm Friday-Sunday
December 2020 | Opinion 5
Dear Santa
The Pow Wow staff writes a letter to Santa hoping for brighter things in 2021
Pow Wow newspaper staff Dear Santa, It has been about a year since we have spoken last, and quite a bit has happened since then. First, we want to thank you for giving us an extra week on our spring break, the outcome was not our favorite, but it was fun while it lasted. With a new advisor this year, we would like you to convince her to let us get a class pet since Mrs. Holder wouldn’t break last year. We know that it is a lot to ask for, but hopefully she will give in. If that is too much to ask for, we ask that you replace our stuffed turtle, Timothy, he went missing after school closed due to COVID-19. We know that you are “always watching”, so you know that the world shut down due to COVID-19. It granted us not only an extra week of spring break, but for us to not return to school until after Labor Day. Unfortunately, the Class of 2020 never returned to the
building after spring break, and graduation was pushed out to June and was at the Children’s Mercy Park. This year, the senior class is asking that we have graduation at the end of May like always and to be able to walk across the stage at Braves Fieldhouse. We have had a lot taken from us this year and we want that last moment with everyone to be bittersweet and finish where we all started. With COVID-19 striking just over a year ago, this year we would like a vaccine so that we can go back to our normal lives. We want to be able to go out with our friends and not have to worry about if we have a mask or not. This year, we have also had a lot of issues outside of the virus. There has been a lot of hate towards people around the world and we ask that you guide us on how to solve this issue and that we all care for each other equally.
Putting all of that aside, we want the Chiefs to bring home another Superbowl trophy so that we can get out of school for a day while celebrating the great city that we live in. We would also like to give a good luck to the Kansas City Royals and Sporting KC. We also want to welcome the Utah Royals, as they are the newest addition to our sports community in Kansas. We are so grateful that the National Women’s Soccer League is back in Kansas. Now back to our community. We haven’t been too lucky in the sports programs this winter with basketball and wrestling getting quarantined, it has put a slight hold on the start of their season. We always ask for you to give our basketball team a little help, and send them to state as you did in 2019. We also want you to send the rest of our winter sports to state and to bring
home a trophy to represent their hard work and our school. Here on the Pow Wow staff, we are really struggling this year with having a small staff and not having everyone in the classroom. We want you to help us get some great people to apply for next year so that isn’t something we have to worry about. Although this year has been hard, we hope that you get our letter since the postal service has been very busy due to the election. Santa, you are the one thing a child looks forward to every year, so please take the time to read our letter and grant all of our wishes. Thank you for everything you have done in the years past and you will hear from us again next year around this time, just with a brand new editor.
Looking Forward izabelle koenig | A&E editor I am going to be honest, I won’t miss much about high school. Of course I will miss my friends and a few of the teachers I’ve had, but I won’t miss waking up early and I definitely won’t miss presenting in front of the class. I remember sophomore year I told my uncle I wasn’t
going to homecoming. He told me I should because “these are going to be the best years of your life.” I remember feeling the same way then as I do now, if these were the best years of my life then my life is really going to suck. It’s not that high school was bad, it wasn’t, but it wasn’t amazing either. My high school experience was average, and that’s ok. I’m only 17, I don’t expect my life to be like it is in the movies. I don’t want to think that these past 4 years were the best of my life because that
would mean it’s all downhill from here. I like to think that things are still improving, that things are good now but will be even better in the future. I learned a lot here at school, not just in classes. I learned how to talk to people and be less shy. I did have some good times here that I will miss. I will miss seeing my friends every day, although thanks to COVID I already miss them. I will miss sitting in the cafeteria or library or wherever everyone met
before school and just talking. There are a lot of things I will miss but I won’t stay sad for too long. When one door closes another one opens. Even though that’s very cheesy, it’s true. I will miss my friends but I can still talk to them and I will make new ones wherever I end up this time next year. I won’t miss high school too much because I know things will be even better after I graduate. I know because I will make sure of it.
6 Opinion | December 2020
At home without the holidays
My experience as a Muslim girl in a predominantly Christian culture Zaynab Zlitni| News Editor Having a different experience during the holidays always caused an awkward pause in conversation, a slight look to the left, or even a little gasp in surprise in response to me admitting that I don’t celebrate Christmas. As a person of the Islamic faith, our belief differs immensely when it comes to the idea of Jesus. Unlike Christians, we believe that Jesus is a prophet, and not the son of God, so his birth isn’t something we celebrate. When I was 7, I can specifically recall wondering to myself why my mom had never explained to me who Santa Claus was, or who this infamous Elf on the Shelf was and why he moved around your house at night. One night, I stayed the night at a friend’s house who owned an Elf on the Shelf and they had told me about the magical powers he possessed and that he turned up somewhere different each night. I cried myself to sleep that night, hoping I wouldn’t wake up to a six-inch elf doll staring at me.
Many instances like this one were sprinkled sporadically throughout my childhood. I attended a Christian preschool and before they would eat, they would pray. I made it clear that I don’t pray the same way they do, and I would tell myself that the class deserved a real-life demonstration of how Muslims prayed. I was always proud to display my faith, but the holidays were the one time where I felt the pressure of being different. The constant cheer and bustle of the holidays often leaves people thinking that the Christmas season is full of joy that is spread to everyone around them. But contrary to that, I often found that as a Muslim girl in a predominantly Christian culture, the holidays are just another normal time, with a few weeks of break in between semesters, only celebrating with family members who are Christian and New Year’s. I am constantly surrounded by friends and other people who are enthusiastic about Christmas. The idea that everyone celebrates the holiday has been so normalized throughout our society that people are often shocked, feel pity, or deny that my family and I don’t celebrate Christmas.
Even throughout a society where Christmas is extremely homogenized, I’m not the only one experiencing this. According to Pew Research Center, while nine out of ten Americans say that they celebrate Christmas, only 46% of Americans do it solely for religious purposes. Regardless of religious affiliation to the holiday, 93% of people celebrate it. There has often been controversy surrounding Christmas decorations on school property in regard to whether there should be any sort of religious decorations. As a student who doesn’t celebrate Christmas in its core values, the decorations don’t bother me at all. Presents, Santa Claus, Rudolph, and elves spark no need for controversy with me, but I do believe that in public schools, the decorations should be kept at a neutral stage with things such as snowflakes, holly, and hot cocoa. Despite not celebrating Christmas, every year, my family and I would go look at the different lights on people’s houses and stare in awe, we really enjoyed it. I often saw the way other families decorated their houses, where all the things like lights and trees lay around the house, wreaths and holly garnished the railings, my house always lacked in
the holiday cheer. I have always been extremely proud of who I am, who my family is, and what we believe. People often find my family to be interesting, or out of the ordinary especially in a smaller town like Bonner Springs. The peers I grew up with often had never been exposed to or even heard of someone being Muslim. I used to love talking about my family’s beliefs as a child. A rush of excitement would push me into a frenzy of explanations of who I am, and who my family is when even the slightest interest in my religion was implied. But as I’ve grown older, I’ve slowly realized that the way I lead my life and my beliefs, is something that most of my peers are completely oblivious to. When winter break rolls around, and with it comes the buzz of conversation surrounding people’s holiday plans the reality of my contrasting religious beliefs settles in. I think that through conversation, and asking each other questions, we can find a new understanding of the world. We can learn about new people, cultures, and religions by openly discussing our differences and the world can slowly become a more inclusive place.
December 2020 | A&E 7
Treat Yourself
Make staying at home more fun with these holiday recipes izabelle koenig | A&E editor
Gingerbread Pancakes Ingredients
• • • •
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 egg ½ teaspoon vanilla extract ¼ cup molasses
•
1 ½ cups water
• • • •
1 ½ cups all purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon salt
•
½ teaspoon ground dried ginger
1.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, and cinnamon in a bowl; set aside. Beat the egg in a separate mixing bowl with the vanilla and molasses until smooth. Whisk in the water until completely incorporated. Stir the flour mixture into the molasses mixture until just combined (a few lumps are okay). Heat a lightly oiled griddle over medium-high heat. Drop batter by large spoonfuls onto the griddle, and cook until bubbles form and the edges are dry. Flip, and cook until browned on the other side. Repeat with remaining batter.
Instructions 2. 3. 4.
allrecipes.com
Parsnip Latkes
Ingredients • • •
2 large whisked eggs Kosher salt and ground black pepper 1 ¼ lb. peeled russet potatoes
• • • •
¾ lb. peeled parsnips 1 large onion ½ cup matzo meal 12 tbsp. Canola oil (for frying)
Instructions 1.
2. 3.
4.
5.
Preheat oven to 250°F. Place a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet. Place eggs in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Grate potatoes, parsnips, and onion with a food processor or box grater. Add vegetables and matzo meal to eggs and toss to combine. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Drop 4 spoonfuls (1/4-cup) of potato mixture into skillet; flatten to create even pancakes. Cook, turning once, until browned, 8 to 12 minutes; transfer to prepared baking sheet and keep warm in oven. Repeat with remaining potato mixture, adding more oil to skillet as needed (when getting near the end of the potato mixture, strain and discard any liquid at bottom of the bowl). Serve with sour cream and applesauce alongside. countryliving.com
Hot Chocolate Pods Ingredients • • •
3 ½ cup baking chocolate of your choice 14 oz sweetened condensed milk ½ cup half & half or heavy whipping cream
•
1 ½ vanilla extract
•
Marshmallows of your choice
Instructions 1.
2.
3. 4. 5.
Place chopped chocolate in a large heat-safe bowl. Line mini muffin tin or regular muffin tin with cupcake liners. In a small saucepan, whisk together sweetened condensed milk or half & half over medium heat. Stir constantly to avoid burning. When the mixture starts to boil, remove from heat. Stir in vanilla extract. Pour mixture over chocolate. Stir until smooth. Spoon chocolate mixture into cupcake liners and top with marshmallows. Press down gently. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. (Can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.) To prepare hot chocolate: For an individual pod, bring 8 ounces of milk just to a boil. Stir in pod until dissolved. Serve. akitchenaddiction.com
8 Features | December 2020
Image created by Natalie Delgado
Screentime’s Scary Truth Does an increase in screen time tie in with an increase in health issues? Natalie Delgado| Features editor Thatcher Hoch | staff writer Over the last 4 decades, technology revolutionized our daily lives. From instantaneous communication to a movie just a click away. Because of advancements in technology, the amount of time spent looking at screens has increased over the last two decades. For example, in earlier years the only capability a phone had was to call. According to the first-quarter 2018 Nielsen Total Audience Report, “American adults spend over 11 hours per day listening to, watching, reading, or generally interacting with media.” Modern technology has not only given us many useful resources, but it’s also given us another thing to worry about. Too much screen time is a growing concern in both children and adults. There are various ways that too much screen time can negatively affect your health including chronic pain and vision issues. According to Julia Dellitt, health and wellness consultant for Advent Health, an excess
amount of screen time can lead to physical pain in your neck, back, spine, muscles, nerves, ligaments, wrists, fingers, and even forearms. Unnatural positions that one puts its body in — for texting, watching tv, or gaming — lead to strain on your muscles, nerves, and ligaments. You might have experienced cramping in your hands. One of the most concerning aspects of screen time is the issues one may experience with their vision. Over a survey of over 2,000 people, two-thirds of that survey said the first thing they do in the morning is subject their eyes to their phone screen. Make sure you’re tracking how much screen time you take in. Over the years the use of computers has increased and staring at a computer screen all day long is much more common. According to Optometrist Dr. Karen Stephens, generally after spending extended periods looking at a screen people experience “computer vision syndrome.” Symptoms include
eyes fatigued, strained, really dry, red, watery, and headaches. Senior Kallie Millison says “I spend a lot of time looking at screens and also at night. I’m not as active and my eyes sometimes hurt.” It is not a secret that screentime is wearing out our eyes, but is it changing our eyes? According to Dr. Karen Stephens, “ eyesight isn’t changing, but side effects are prevalent.” And according to ophthalmologist Ashley Brissette, “there is no known permanent damage to the eyes from prolonged screen use.” Stephens says the best way to deal with screen time is to limit your time or step away every two hours. “ 20-20-20 strategy, every 20 minutes look 20 feet away for 20 seconds to reduce eye strain.” Read a book, or go for a walk, to give your eyes a chance to rest. Using your phone before bed could be a very tempting thing, however, you may not understand the certain circumstances that come with using
your phone before going to bed. Using your phone before going to bed could interfere with suppressing your production of melatonin, which is a natural hormone that is released during the evening that helps you feel tired and gets your body ready for sleep. What you may not know is that, when the sun rises in the morning, your body produces cortisol, which wakes up your brain, helping energize your body. Some studies show that most lights also suppress melatonin, like household lights and lamps. That’s why it’s best to sleep with all lights off. One thing that causes this is blue light. Blue light is everywhere, reaching from outdoors to the tv you have, the sun is the biggest producer of blue light we have. Along with LED and fluorescent lights in buildings. Blue light rays iare the reason why the sky seems blue to our eyes. Blue light blocking tech-
December 2020 | Features 9
nology has been advancing for a while now. According to Stephens, “ Blue filters on glasses help with the straining and fatigue but they help with sleep when used with computers with night mode.” Blue light studies have proven that it doesn’t have an effect immediately, and it can’t be proven that it has irreversible effects on your eyes. A study done by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine conducted among more than 177,000 students suggests that “insufficient sleep duration is associated with an unhealthy lifestyle profile among children and adolescents”. Teens making sleep a challenge with screen
time will create poor habitats, later on leading to infamous insomnia. Among children and adolescents, it’s easy to unknowingly snack on unhealthy food and drinks, which eventually leads to weight gain. A five-year study from the University of Montreal and the Sainte-Justine Hospital Research Center, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, has shown that “teens who increase their screen time are simultaneously reducing involvement in and opportunities for more active pursuits. Similarly, teens that had initially high levels of screen use but dropped their
screen use over time ended up with the most favorable body fat profiles.” All this inactivity and unhealthy eating habits put one at risk for serious conditions like diabetes. Sophomore Cynthia Sanchez says “I do spend a lot of my time looking at screens and it has affected my health by making me lazier and not want to do anything but be on my phone.” The effects of too much screen time on your eyes can be reduced by taking breaks every so often and taking the proper precautions. Practicing these precautions will prevent long-term side effects. Practice self-care.
BY THE
NUMBERS 60% Of americans don’t own blue light blocking glasses
17 is Kansas average weekly screen time in hours
60%
53% of people said that they were burnt out on social media
57%
57% 53% Sources: https://simpletexting.com/screentime https://nypost.com/2020 https://www.cbsnews.com
of people said they experience more headaches than before
4-7 The jump of the average screen time for young americans
10 A&E | December 2020
Holiday classics worth the hype? Taking a deeper look into the movies you should watch Rosie Wilson |staff writer Alexis Moeschler| staff writer Nothing gets you in the spirit like a great holiday movie. Although there are thousands of them out there, we narrowed it down to four highly-loved Christmas classics to give you our take on them.
Lexi
Rosie
I watched this movie for the very first time because I heard from several friends that it was a good movie to watch around the holidays. A Christmas Carol is a Disney movie about a Ebenezer Scrooge. Scrooge spent his life focused on money. His obsession with money has ruined all of his relationships. Scrooge despises Christmas because he thinks that it is a waste of money. Things take a turn for the better when three ghosts come to show him how bad he is acting and the effects it has on people around him. At the end of the movie Scrooge loves to donate and be kind to everyone. I did not like this movie, although I think it has a great message, it was weird to watch. The animation was poorly done and they mixed realistic and cartoons which didn’t look right to me. The dialogue was also very hard to understand and I had to turn on the subtitles to be able to follow the movie. I would not recommend this movie to anyone.
Although A Christmas Carol has been told, filmed, and performed many times over, this is by far my favorite version. I love this movie for its great message about reflection and redemption. I would not necessarily consider this a feel-good movie, it’s more creepy than anything. However, that’s personally what I love about it. It’s realistic animation and immense detail make the movie that much more enjoyable to watch. I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone looking to add a little spice to their holiday movie watchlist.
Rosie
Lexi
Based on the book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash by Jean Shepherd, A Christmas Story tells the tale of Ralphie and his desire for a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas. This movie is nice in that it’s appropriate for children but is the type of slapstick and silly humor that appeals to all ages. There aren’t any deep messages in this movie - it’s just a funny, sweet story about a kid that you can really get behind.
Home Alone is an iconic movie and if you have not watched it you are seriously missing out. Home Alone is about a big family vacation and they are all rushed in the morning to leave, however they forget their youngest son, Kevin. Kevin is left alone at his house over Christmas and is left to defend his belongings against A couple of burglars. I absolutely love this movie because it is funny and it shows the imaginations of kids, you have got to watch Home Alone over the winter break.
Lexi
Rosie
This is a movie about a family guy, Clark Griswald, who only wanted a traditional family Christmas. He wanted to have all of his family members at his house and everything to go perfectly like he remembered. However, this was not the case, everything that Clark did went wrong. After a horrible Christmas Eve, Clark goes a little bit crazy trying to make everything perfect even though not one thing has gone right. Clark spends most of the movie waiting for a Christmas bonus from his company, but when he gets a delivery it’s not quite what he expects. A Christmas Vacation is a comedy and I love it, it has to be one of my favorite Christmas movies.
It’s rare for a movie to make me laugh, but it’s hard not to while watching this. The film is based around a dysfunctional family preparing for what they had hoped to be a perfect Christmas. Of course, that doesn’t happen and things go very bad very quickly. Although I found a lot of the movie to be predictable and cliche, I still think this is a solid, fun film if you want to get a few laughs in this holiday season.
December 2020 | ADS 11
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12 Sports| December 2020
Winter Sports Preview A look into the winter sports season Alex Lechuga| staff writer
Girl’s Basketball
Boy’s Swim
The girl’s basketball season is underway and they are ready to bounce back with a fresh, new coaching staff. Senior guard, Jazmin Graham, sees both the positive and negative sides of having a brand new staff. “A good thing is that there’s a different perspective from coaches that have experience, but you also lose the past connections from the previous staff.” The new coaching staff has already helped freshman Addison Hassett feel prepared for this season. “I’m very nervous, but the coaches aren’t cutting freshmen which eases my nerves,” said Hassett. Junior Corrie Hassett, is anxious but ready to see what the Lady Braves will face.“I am a little nervous of how things are going to play out this year, but I am very excited,” said Hassett. The Lady Braves are determined and enthusiastic, even through adversity, to make this season a slam dunk.
With this upcoming boy’s swim season, many of the athletes are ready to dive into the competition. Senior Jase Hadley, is enthusiastic about the season. “I feel ready to give my best for my senior year and I feel ready to put forth the best work I can,” said Hadley. Other swimmers, including sophomore Isaac Bates, have been preparing for the season. “I’ve had about a month and a half to two months of preseason,” Bates said. “It’s been three or four other swimmers that meet up with me at the YMCA to swim.” Boy’s swim coach, Bill Downing, is apprehensive about how COVID will affect their season. “It’s going to be a logistics thing,” Downing explained. “So everything we’ve traditionally done in the past, we’ll have to think of in a different way.” The boy’s swim team is ready to adapt to anything that comes their way during this unique season.
Boy’s Basketball
Spirit Step by step, and in rhythm, the spirit team is there day in and day out for all of our sports teams. Sophomore Hannah Duskie explains how she’s feeling about this winter cheer season. “It’s definitely gonna be a lot different,” Duskie said, “and we’re gonna have to make adjustments to the team.” Jaycee Millison, also a sophomore on the cheer team, is looking forward to this season but is also worried about how it will go. “With COVID, we can’t really do what we do best, which is stunting.” Millison explains, “There’s also not much of a crowd to cheer for which is a huge bummer.” Even through those challenges, the spirit team will be able to dance and cheer on our winter sports athletes.
Girl’s/Boy’s Basketball 12/17- De Soto @ BSHS 1/18- Tonganoxie @ THS 1/26- Turner @ BSHS 2/16- Piper @ BSHS
The boy’s basketball team plans to dribble through the ins and outs of a season affected by COVID. Despite the challenges that the virus has created, Junior Mayson Sprague still has high hopes for the season. “My expectations are for everybody to stay focused and have a great mindset about the season, even with everything going on right now,” said Sprague. Senior Derrick Kolle is going into the season with confidence. “We’ve got a lot of talented players this year and I’m excited to see what all the new players bring to the table.” Head coach Dan Streit is prepared to lead the boy’s basketball team to a successful season. “I feel good about this upcoming season.” Streit said, “We have three returning letterman starters… We are athletic, young, but have more varsity experience than last year.” The Bonner Braves are ready to shoot this season’s lights out.
Top EVENTS to see:
Boy’s Swim
1/11- Turner @ Turner 1/14- Lawrence @ LIAC 1/28- Championship @ Turner 2/4- Topeka @ BSHS
December 2020 | Sports13
LUcky number 7 The girl your coach warned you about Paige Trahan| Sports editor
Bonner Springs High School has finally begun an all-girls wrestling program and among them is nationally ranked, freshman wrestler, Olivia Stean. Stean is ranked 7th in the nation for the 132 lbs weight class. While Stean competed with other girls to achieve this title, she prefers to wrestle boys. “I like the challenge,” Stean said. “I feel like I’m a lot stronger than the girls, plus it’s a lot more satisfying when I beat boys.” She has competed with Bonner for three years (since seventh grade) and it all started when wrestling coach and weights teacher, Brandon Jobe approached her to come out for wrestling. “I’ve known Olivia since 7th grade when she started wrestling with our middle school team,” Jobe said. “I immediately noticed her love of the sport of wrestling, and her drive to be
successful is incredible.” Coach Jobe is excited to see her compete at the high school level and is expecting big things for her first year. “I expect Olivia to compete for a state medal in her freshman year, which is very unusual!” Jobe said. “She’s going to turn some heads in the near future.” Stean’s family had a big part in her wrestling career. According to Stean, a huge reason she is wrestling is because of her dad. “Olivia has wrestling in her blood, her father was a state champion wrestler at Bonner Springs in 1992,” Jobe said. According to Olivia, her dad was actually trying to convince her brother to wrestle but she ended up falling in love with the sport despite its challenges. “It feels like girls have to work 10 times harder for the same results,” Stean said. “I had
to cut 10 pounds in a week once and I was really struggling.” Regardless of the struggles, this is Stean’s calling and with her national ranking, she has been an inspiration to other girls and has brought her newfound fame. “People have recognized me, it’s crazy!” Stean said. “Even when I travel for tournaments I have people come up to me, I am so grateful” Jobe said Olivia and Chloe Knapp will be the girls to watch in Bonner’s first year with a girls wrestling team. They are ready to get the season started and dominate on the mats!
Wrestling Schedule
Olivia Stean BY THE NUMBERS
723 4 Medals
3 Belts
Plaques
3
Trophies
123-8 2020 Record as of Dec.2
1,112-284 Overall record as of Dec.2
7th-Overall National Ranking as of Dec.2
Photo by Brian Turrel
14 Sports | December 2020
2020 mvp MVP candidates Candidates Chef Russell or The Bazooka? Paige Trahan| Sports editor Josh Allen is an obvious candidate for the NFL’s Most Valuable Player for the 2020 season because of his “bazooka” of a throwing arm. Allen knows he has a strong arm. In his rookie year we saw him attempt many deep passes. In 2018, 18.1% of his passes were deep and averaged 11 yards in the air so his completion rate plummeted to 52.8%. This season he is focussing on accuracy, with passes averaging 8 yards in the air, and only 10.1% of his pass attempts this season have been deep passes. Former Bills coach Rex Ryan said, “The guy protects the ball, he’s got a bazooka for an arm and he’s just a huge man that’s similar to Cam Newton in the running game.” Allen is 6’5” 230 lbs and still has 279 rushing yards for 5 touchdowns so far this season. Many people compare his throwing style and his overall physical appearance to Ben Roethlisberger but as Rex Ryan said, Allen can run the ball like Cam Newton so not only is he a threat in the passing game, but he knows when there is a hole he needs to take advantage of it. As of November 18, the Bills are 7-3 having lost to the Cardinals, Chiefs, and Titans whereas the Seahawks are 6-3 having lost to the Rams, Cardinals, and Bills. The Seahawks-Bills game was a true showdown of possible 2020 MVP’s but in this game, Josh Allen really brought it to the table winning 44-34. In that game alone Allen had 31 balls caught for 38 attempts with a total of 415 yards and 3 touchdowns whereas Russel Wilson only had 28 caught balls for 48 attempts with a total of 390 yards and only 2 touchdowns. NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky said, “When you have a guy like Josh Allen who is dominating games not with his legs like we thought he would do for the first few years of his career but by outpassing and outperforming Russell Wilson as a passer… making Wilson look like maybe he shouldn’t be MVP.” Not to mention Josh Allen won Fox Sports’ Midseason MVP award with 40.1% votes, Wilson was second place with 22.5% of the votes. If you look at their stats alone, Allen is MVP hands down. He has 2,871 passing yards, 21 touchdowns, only 7 interceptions (19th overall), and a QB rating of 78.4 putting him in 5th overall. The Bills haven’t had an MVP since Thurman Thomas in 1991 (30 years), they haven’t even had a playoff appearance since 1995 when 2002 Hall Of Fame inductee, Jim Kelly was quarterback. Josh Allen has been the difference-maker for this franchise. Since he was drafted in 2018 he has been working to change the Bills franchise and bring them out of this playoff drought. “We’ve always known about the talent, the size, the athleticism and arm strength of Josh Allen, but now we’re starting to see the trust to go along with that talent,” said NFL Network Analyst, Daniel Jeremiah. After only 3 seasons in the NFL Allen has made history as one of the best quarterbacks to come out of Buffalo and has made himself a front runner for the NFL’s Most Valuable Player of the year.
Charlie Nolting| staff writer Russell Wilson is an obvious candidate for the NFL’s Most Valuable Player for the 2020 season because of his ability to make the play you need. Wilson is just like a Swiss Army knife, there when you need it, and can do just about anything. In and out of the pocket, sitting flat, on the run, on his backfoot. He’s got it. With amazing leadership, and an 80.7 QB rating putting him 4th in the NFL, this sets Wilson up to be what you need on and off the field. This makes the 2020 MVP award in his future. With receivers downfield Russell averages a passer rating of 102, placing him in good standings. Wilson has a 71% completion rate. Among the 71% chance of his throw connecting with a receiver, his throws average 8.6 yards per completion. With a cannon of an arm, Russell has a 62-yard pass in 2020 alone. Not to mention the smooth play-action movements keeping defenses guessing all over the place. Averaging at 7.2 yards per rush with 15 first downs this season, if all fails, he can take matters into his own feet. With both of these skills, Wilson is a defense’s worst nightmare. Using these many talents, defenses are forced to play traditional defense. Stick to the basics and it’ll all be fine right? Nothing fancy? That’s when Pete Caroll does his thing, throw something in to take them off their tracks, and Russell executes. With Wilson being in the league for 8 seasons, working through 9, and 2 Super Bowls and a win under his belt, Caroll knows whatever call he needs to make, he can. Russell has had the experience to be able to read defenses like none other. Coach needs a triple option? Russell makes the read. Three routes all to read off of a zone to man? Russell knows before the snap. If all fails and the defense tricks him, he can still make those last-second decisions with confidence. Having been in 7 Pro Bowls, you could say Wilson is known. Teams study him on film for hours just trying to figure out how to somewhat get an understanding of where he’s gonna be. Mistakes all over give Wilson that slight edge to be himself and make a highlight play. Some may argue the Wilson to D.K. Metcalf duo is the best in the league. Maybe the Wilson to Lockett. That’s two receivers Wilson can let do their thing and reign terror on defensive backs. Besides the top tier receiver core to his left and right, this 5-star quarterback can make a practice squad player look like a starter. Putting the ball right where they need it. This makes it easy for receivers even if they are not in a great position. These many different skills put Wilson in good standings to be MVP in my book. That’s why Russell Wilson is the obvious candidate. Graphics created by Natalie Delgado
December 2020 | ADS15
JEFFREY L. ELMER, D.D.S., LLC 172 ALLCUTT • BONNER SPRINGS, KS 66012 TELEPHONE: (913) 422-3011• FAX (913) 422-3014 “ALL YOUR PROTECTION UNDER ONE ROOF.”
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Then vs Now
16 Extras | December 2020 Alex Lechuga| staff writer Charlie Nolting| staff writer Paige Trahan| Sports editor
Top tech past and present
Playstation
Gameboy
Discman
$299 |1984
$89.99 | 1989
$299 | 1995
Nintendo 64
Tomagotchi
$17.99 | 1996
$200 | 1996
VS iPhone 12 Playstation 5 $399 | 2020
$999 | 2020
Xbox Series X $399 | 2020
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 $1299 | 2020
AirPods pro $249 | 2020
