The Paw Print: Volume 6 Issue 3 by the Paw Print

THE

PAW PRINT

Kansas City Christian Prairie Village, Kan.

ISSUE 3

VOL. 6

MARCH 9, 2017

INSIDE... FEATURE PAGES 8-9

READ ABOUT TWO STUDENTS WHO HAVE STARTED THEIR OWN BUSINESSES

THE REALITY OF KCC DATING PAGES 10-11

IS THE INELIGIBILITY POLICY UNFAIR? PAGES 14-15

2| THE PAW PRINT | TOC

inside the issue PAGE 3 | NEWS head of school

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Overland Park Regional Medical Center 10500 Quivira Road Overland Park, KS 66215

STAFF

Hannah Peterson Print Editor Olivia Price Web Editor Sky Barratt Staff Writer George Beatty Staff Writer Hannah Breth Staff Writer Hannah Denne Staff Writer Camile Hardt Staff Writer Michael Holst Staff Writer Mallory Mong Staff Writer Jessica Steggerda Staff Writer Hudson Young Staff Writer

Kylie Briggs Adviser

From Iowa to Florida to Kansas City

NEW HEAD OF SCHOOL TODD ZYLSTRA INTRODUCES HIMSELF

The school will have a new head of school next year as current head of school, Bill Glotzbach, will be pursuing STAFF WRITER a doctorate in counseling. The new head of school will be Todd Zylstra. Zylstra is currently the head of school at Summit Christian School in Fort Myers, Fla. Originally from Iowa, Zylstra is a big Hawkeyes fan. A search team including Dan Vander Ark, Brenda Tally, Brent Vander Ark, Kim Bastable, and Andrew Dibble selected Zylstra. He will begin his job as the head of school starting July 1, 2017.

BY MICHAEL HOLST

Q. How much experience have you had with being a school administrator?

After 24 years of teaching, coaching and ministry I decided to pursue school administration. I have been at Summit Christian School in Fort Myers, Florida for two years.

What is your favorite thing about being a head of a school?

I really enjoy working with the board, teachers, staff, students, parents and the rest of the community in developing a school and making certain that it reaches its full potential.

What are you most excited about becoming the head of school at KCC?

A. I look forward to sharing the vision and story of KCC with people.

I am excited about the KCC community coming together and working with them in the ongoing effort to make the school great. Also, after being there and talking with the teachers/students/ administrative team, I am very excited about the academic program. The philosophy of education and academic practices are excellent. And, I really love the culture and energy of the place. Students and staff seem happy to be there. I sensed a very positive atmosphere at the school.

Q. What is your favorite thing about Kansas City in general?

Chiefs. BBQ. The neighborhoods. Four seasons. The size of the city and everything it offers. Royals. It is only three hours from my family.

Q. What is your favorite Bible verse and why? A. My favorite Bible verse changes depending on what the Lord

thinks I need at the moment. Over the years Psalm 18:1-2 has been very important to me and has been an encouragement and source of strength when I really needed it. “I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” Sometimes I need to be reminded of God’s everlasting love for me and I read John 3:16.

Q. What is your favorite Bible story and why? A. I really like it when the boy David runs to the enemy line as

Goliath attacks him. “As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him.” (I Samuel 17:48). His running toward a very dangerous situation is a great example of fearlessness and total faith in God. It is so easy to place confidence in and find security in the things of the world and then avoid all risk. David obviously had no reason to be confident and courageous other than his trust in God to provide the victory. It is a great reminder to resist the temptation to find hope, security, courage and confidence in anything other than the Lord.

4 | THE PAW PRINT | OPINION

BY SKY BARRATT

STAFF WRITER

NOT A TABOO

First off, I’m gonna have to ask everyone to stick with me and not freak out when they see the word “Feminism.” It’s become a dirty word that’s paired with radical women who believe that they’re better than all men (that’s called misandry). Lemme educate you. The definition of Feminism: the social, political, and economic EQUALITY of the sexes. It has no race, no age, no social class. It simply means the equality of all men and all women. As Christians, we should all believe in this. We were all created by God, in His image. No one person is worth more than another. So why then is it called feminism and not equal-ism? Because in our world, past and present, women are so often viewed as less than men. In media, they are portrayed as sexual objects; in business, their work (no matter how good) is not worth as much as a man’s (about 78 cents to a man’s dollar in some places); and even when a woman is molested or raped, the man who does so could receive little to no punishment.

BY OLIVIA PRICE

STAFF WRITER

HUMAN CRISIS

America is in turmoil. A group of people, who call themselves Americans, are trying to take over the country. When people don’t side with them, they destroy homes and lives, and now they’ve threatened you and your family. So you need to leave right away. You hear people are going to a country across the ocean, so you apply for asylum and a few months later, you get it. You and your family board a plane and head to a country to which you’ve never been and about which you barely know anything. But when you land, the people at the airport say they actually don’t want you anymore. Although the settings are reversed in real life, this is a true story. Today, about 12.5 million Syrians are displaced or fleeing their homes due to the country’s inner conflict (PewResearchCenter). It’s not just Syria though, countries such as Sudan, Egypt, and Somalia (among others), have also had many citizens forced to leave. Their homes have been destroyed; they could not stay in their own country. In the past year, I’ve been able to meet a couple families who were refugees from Syria and another family from Sudan. I listened to their stories, and realized how similar we are. A couple of the families have girls my age. They said that they want to be doctors and nurses, they love math, they love school. They have dreams just like I do, but since

Women have historically been on a plateau lower than that of men, and feminism is the ladder that allows women to be on equal ground with men around them. Feminism isn’t just for women. It’s for men too. It gives men the freedom to not constantly have to fight for their masculinity if they feel as if they need to. It breaks down stereotypes that men face, telling men it’s OK to be vulnerable, to have close friendships with other men, and to not play sports. It shows men that it’s not degrading to have qualities commonly seen as “feminine.” Feminism also tells women that they don’t have to act girly, but that it isn’t a bad thing to have those feminine qualities, interests, or tastes. There are also many women who have been discriminated against and even forgotten about by history just because of the body parts they were born with. On April 26, 1777, 16-year-old Sybil Ludington hopped on her horse and rode 40 miles, twice the distance that Paul Revere rode, to alert the militia that the Redcoats were coming. In the 1960s and early 70s, Margaret Hamilton was the lead software engineer of the Apollo Project and wrote the code by hand that landed humanity on the moon. Have you heard of any of these women in history class? I never did. These reasons are why feminism is so important to me. You can call me a bossy, radical woman. You can call me a “feminist” like it’s a dirty word. You can shut me down anytime I mention feminism. But I believe that every single person on this earth has been created equal and deserve the same rights, the same respect, and the same kindness. We all deserve what we work for. We all deserve to be remembered for our achievements. We all deserve to be true to ourselves. And we all deserve to be treated human, despite skin color, body parts, religion, nationality, or any other reason. So yes, I’m a feminist. I’m not afraid to say it and I’m not afraid to fight for what it stands for. Are you? they had to leave their country, their dreams have been put on hold. Some of the Syrians I met told horrifying stories of ISIS bombing their home. One man watched his wife and child die. But despite this, despite the truth of these refugees needing asylum in our country, we’ve literally tried to ban them. Whether it’s because we’re afraid that they may bring danger with them, or we don’t believe they have the right to come to our country, we’ve stereotyped an entire region of the world as terrorists. But these people are not dangerous. They are not terrorists. They are about as menacing as you or me, maybe less so. We make the detrimental mistake of worrying that these people are ISIS, when in fact it’s ISIS that they’re fleeing from. Right now, we are not only in midst of a refugee crisis, we are in the midst of a human crisis. Where has our humanity gone? Where has our American spirit gone? How are we are able to justify turning away people groups who are seeking refuge, liberty, and freedom? The Statue of Liberty reads, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free” (“New Colossus,” Lazarus). This poem, standing engraved into our American monument of freedom, welcomes all who need a home, who need freedom. But, we as a country seem to have forgotten about this manifesto. We have prioritized our comfort, our sense of complete safety, above the actual necessity for safety and asylum of refugees. Our country is built on this necessity for safety. At some point, either we or our ancestors were likely in the same position these people are in now. There are events around almost every city to get involved and help make adjusting to American life easier for refugees. In the KC metro, Hillcrest church has monthly youth group events called Hands and Feet nights. For these nights, they partner with a local ministry called Voice of Love ministries. You can find their information at www. voiceoflovekc.com or by contacting Hillcrest church at hillcrestcov.org. Also Catholic Charities does a lot of outreach in the area. They’re at catholiccharitiesks.org. If you are unable to give time, you can help by getting informed at www.unrefugees.org. So what will you do America? Will you help?

STAFF EDITORIAL

POSITIVES OF HIGH SCHOOL DATING

BY HANNAH DENNE

STAFF WRITER

LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE BOYS

To all the boys wronged, belittled, and attacked by feminists: I’m sorry. The word “feminist” gets all sorts of people riled up. Talk of marches and riots and solidarity movements often serves to shove already polarized groups farther apart, instead of allowing for a simple dialogue. I’m not here to define feminism, but rather in the hopes of starting a conversation. So, in an act of unprecedented rebellion against our highly politicized world, let’s forget the politics for a few minutes and talk about the people. I believe in the equality of men and women because of the tremendous women I’ve known throughout my life: amazing friends, teachers, mentors, and my mom (who, coincidentally, is all three). These people have made me who I am as a person through conversations, stories, and jokes. They are just as much people as any men I’ve ever met. The thought of any one of them feeling unsafe walking out to their car at night or going anywhere alone is more than a little upsetting. I hate that they have been trained to place their worth on their physical beauty or how much money they make, and that they will almost always come up short in both areas. I hate that all of those things are realities for a majority of ladies in our world and our country. What I don’t hate is men. I believe feminism should be about bringing people together, not shoving them apart. The “patriarchy” feminists rant about - the idea of a male-dominant society - often expects men to make emotionless and entirely logical decisions and take on all the burdens - and, believe it or not, true feminists don’t like that either. For example, women are widely accepted as being more emotional than men, and this emotional expression that is considered OK with women is an important part of the human experience. The truth is that men are emotional: it’s called being human. Shouldn’t deep male friendships should be encouraged, as humans need companionship and understanding to survive (Gen. 2:18, anyone)? It shouldn’t be emasculating to believe in the equality of the genders. Identifying as a male feminist can also be a difficult title for guys to take on, even if they agree with the idea of the equality of the genders. The way I see some guys respond to feminism is similar to white people talking about race: as a white person, I know that when talking about injustice toward the black community, that injustice was caused by the white community. This can make it awkward for me to maturely talk about race, as I am someone who benefits from the racial system. No one wants to think of themselves as a villain, and most people avoid topics in which they know they’ve done wrong - or could be treated as one who has done wrong. Similarly, there are women who seek to put women above men, simply because of the way men have treated women historically. I know that would certainly turn me away if I was a guy, and with good reason.

At times fumbling and awkward, filled with uncertainty, and nerves, dating in high school certainly has its pros and cons. But, provided that the relationship is healthy, high school dating is worth it because of the new experiences, the strengthening of each individual’s identity, and the learning that takes place regarding how to properly approach future relationships. When a couple dates in high school, it’s likely that they are working through new experiences. Like the first time asking someone to a dance freshman year-- these experiences are filled with uncertainty, but also excitement. In a way, experiencing high school in a relationship has a factor of experimentation. It’s figuring out what “works” and what doesn’t. Although in a relationship, a student is likely to become closely attached to the other individual; in a healthy relationship, dating helps a person discover themselves. When dating, whether consciously or subconsciously, there’s a constant question of character traits that help or hurt the relationship. A high schooler may find themselves realizing the power of sense of humor, or compassion, and how his or her character traits affects the other person in positive and negative ways. Similar discovery can happen in a friendship, but a relationship amplifies the process. A healthy relationship doesn’t let either person forget their identity, even if the two students communicate constantly. They instead discover what sets them apart from the other person and learn to navigate those differences in a positive way. Possibly one of the greatest benefits of high school dating is that it prepares each person for relationships later in life. In a way, dating in high school is trial by error. When an experience like dating is new, there will be mistakes. Of course, a relationship can easily go wrong in high school. That’s why students must be intentional and set emotional and physical boundaries. But, with those boundaries firmly in place, the student should be able to reflect on their experience and understand not to make the same mistakes in another relationship. It’s like learning a new job; while they may have some kind of training, students are likely to make mistakes out of ignorance. But in the best situation, the couple would be able to work through that together, practicing forgiveness, trust, and respect. I can say with confidence, though, that those women are actually misandrists, and misandry (prejudice against men) is just as awful as misogyny (prejudice against women). A true feminist does not hate men, and I sincerely apologize on behalf of any of those that do. The unfortunate reality, though, is that is the sort of thing women have endured since the dawn of time: discrimination based solely on gender. It sucks, right? I’m not trying to change the world (well, not today, anyway); I just want to change the dialogue. I care about friendships and conversations: the people I see around me every day, and how I want them to respect themselves and each other. I want to talk about gender like it isn’t scary, and I want to keep talking about it until it’s not an issue anymore. There’s no one to blame, and so much growth to be made on every side, and if we all shut up and sulk quietly, we’ll never get to see it happen. So, this one’s a love letter to the boys who maybe wouldn’t ever call themselves feminists, but would certainly deserve it if they did: you boys are great. We girls notice, and we appreciate it. Thank you for treating me like a person. (That’s all I’m really asking for, anyway.)

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“MISANDRY” (n.) Dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against men (i.e. the male sex) Origin Late 19th century: from Greek miso- ‘hating’ + andr ‘man,’ on the pattern of misogyny -Oxford Dictionary

- The Women’s March took place on Jan. 21, 2017 in response to Trump’s inauguration and his lewd and disrespectful comments directed at women. - There were marches held in more than 600 cities around the United States and an estimated 4.2 million total people who were present. - The surrounding pictures were taken by senior Maya Mastin at the Kansas City Women’s March.

“FEMINISM” (n.) The advocacy of women’s rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes. Origin Late 19th century: from French féminisme. -Oxford Dictionary

SOCIAL TABOO OR A CAUSE WORTH FIGHTING FOR? BY CAMILE HARDT

STAFF WRITER Feminism. It is a controversial word. Anger, hatred, excitement, and passion can all be wrapped into it. It is an idea that always seems to get a room tense. But why? The first thing that must be established is what feminism is and isn’t. Youth leader Ben Zuehlsdorff from Hillcrest Covenant majored in Communication Studies, which is the study of rhetoric - the way that language has inspired action and has built our society, at Colorado State University. Through this he has become very knowledgeable of the topic of feminism. According to Zuehlsdorff, the definition of feminism at the core is the belief that all people, no matter their gender, race, or sexuality, are equal. They have the same rights, same value, same opportunity to hold a position of dignity in society. A majority of feminists concur this to be true. “I would call myself a feminist because why shouldn’t I,” senior Maya Mastin said. “It is all about equality and love for everyone that God has set on this earth, so I think that’s important.” While others agree with the definition of feminism, not everyone wants to be associated with the negative attitude that’s often associated with the word “feminism” itself. Do students here consider themselves feminists? “By the dictionary definition, yes,” sophomore Nathan Davis said. “By how I perceive it in the world, no.” According to Zuehlsdorff, there is a burden that comes with even the word itself. The word “feminist” has the root “feminine”. Because of this, without fully understanding the word it is easy to assume that “feminism” is the idea of women wanting to dominate society, which isn’t accurate. “Historically speaking, as a whole overall, women had been valued at lower levels than men at equal positions for most of human history,” Zuehlsdorff said. Zuehlsdorff explained that the reason that feminism came into existence was because a group of women and some men, too, took a stand to say that it wasn’t fair that women weren’t getting the same pay for the same work, weren’t getting the same amount of dignity, and/or weren’t being valued the same way as a man at a social and interactive level, even though they were the same aside from their gender. “I know some people would say that it means equal rights for all people, but I feel like it’s turned into women protesting all the time to the point where there is hatred, and although women

absolutely should have their rights, I feel as though some of them are asking for too much,” sophomore Carly Connealy said. “I feel some of them, not all, have a lack of contentedness and just feel the need to keep protesting and being angry.” Why is feminism often perceived in a negative way? “I think feminism has become - not slaughtered - but kind of misinterpreted in the media,” sophomore Day Newman said. “People assume that every feminist is the super radical feminist, but with every single group and every single organization there is going to be radical people who always take it way too far.” Is it all due to radical people and misinterpreting the meaning in the media? Or has it been an issue that is just ingrained into our culture? Or is it just a bigger deal than it needs to be? “It might also be attributed to the fact that people might just not want to feel guilt of the reality of the situation if they do acknowledge it. It’d proved that men have been constantly oppressing women, and that’s a tough thing to face and accept,” junior Ian Ko said. “It’s something that’s ingrained into humanity that suppresses a culture or a country. But it’s also hard to see the real extremity of the case in the country that we live in. I’ve talked to multiple girls who don’t understand why women go out and protest things when what they feel is minor oppression like the stereotypical “girl” jokes or sex-based jokes that are present in our society.” Although the word “feminism” makes it sound as if this is only about women’s rights,the idea is still that they fight for equality for both genders. Would it be better if it were called something else? “I don’t think so,” Zuehlsdorff said. “Because if the other word was the word for it then people wouldn’t like that word either.” His idea comes from his belief that some men would still not be able to get on board with it because they still have to realize that women have been treated as lesser. “My main issue with feminism is how I perceive them and how I’ve seen some feminists act,” Davis said. “I’ve seen videos of feminist women from the recent marches who were holding up signs with this horrible language, just awful stuff, references to genitalia that are completely irrelevant and have nothing to do with anything. It doesn’t show any class. It doesn’t show any effectiveness. It doesn’t make me think of them highly as a person. So if that’s feminism, then I don’t want to associate myself with that. But if it were a different word or a different feel or if I perceived it as a better thing, then, yeah, I would.”

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Expanding Entrepreneurs BY HANNAH PETERSON PRINT EDITOR

Before he even started making leather goods, senior Andrew Sotelo enjoyed hands-on tasks. “I was really into making survival bracelets, and just other things with my hands that allowed me to be creative,” Sotelo said. “I started walking through local stores like Westside Storey, and I would take extravagant ideas and try to simplify them into something I could do. So whenever I would stroll through the stores, my mind always has been looking at stuff and thinking how I can improve it or make it differently.” Making his own products came out of necessity. Artisan goods can be pricey. “I was like, ‘Wow, I really want that,’ but it was always so expensive,” Sotelo said.

sophomore rachel rigler

“I like to be able to create and style a shoot, and being able to create my own little fantasy almost, and make it something beautiful.” That’s when he remembered that his father had made a leather gun holster and had a lot of leftover supplies. Having always been one to figure things out through trial and error, Sotelo decided to give it a try. Several students have begun expanding their artistic talents beyond the scope of hobbies and have started their own businesses. Whether it be through the lens of a camera or shaping leather, their talents have shaped their ventures. Sotelo recently began a leather goods business, making wallets and bracelets. His business is called “Sotelo Goods,” and his inspiration stems from both from his father and grandfather. “I asked my dad, ‘Can I just use the stuff you used to make a holster?’ And he was like, ‘Yeah,’ and I asked my grandpa who had a bunch of leather tools that his grandfather had, and I just started experimenting.” Sotelo began by making a key-fob for himself, and the business took off from there. “I made a key-fob just for fun, which worked out well. Then [senior] Luke [Rovenstine] wanted one, so I made one for him around sophomore year. I really didn’t think anything of it. But one day I was looking at strips of leather I’d already used, and I thought I could make

a bracelet out of that. And it just all stemmed off from that.” Sotelo was encouraged by his fellow students to continue making leather goods. “Someone saw the bracelet I had made and said, ‘You should sell those, I would actually buy one,’ and I thought they were joking, but they kept encouraging me to make one, and I finally did. So I thought if I made that, I would make an Instagram page because I have other ideas and I want to see where it goes.” In the future, he hopes to sell his leather goods beyond fellow students to local businesses. “What I’m thinking right now is that there are a lot of local stores in Kansas that I could sell stuff to, and I was thinking about going to City Market or Westside Storey and selling stuff.” Another student, sophomore Rachel Rigler, expanded her interest in photography beyond a hobby and into a business. Rigler’s passion for photography is rooted in her desire to capture moments. “I like to be able to create and style a shoot, and being able to create my own little fantasy almost, and make it something beautiful,” Rigler said. Rigler’s interest was piqued early on, around sixth grade. She began taking photos of her dogs with her parents’ camera, and the hobby later expanded to capturing her friends. “Then, starting this past summer, I got my first wedding booked,” Rigler said. “I was really excited about that. After I shot that wedding, I gained interest in shooting for couples and capturing their moments, because they’ll have those pictures for the rest of their lives.” Rigler has furthered her business by contacting models, artists, and bridal shops to make a collaborative effort. “I’ll contact models, boutiques (like David’s Bridal), hair and makeup artists, and come to together to build our portfolios,” Rigler said. “So, basically the bridal shops will get all my images to use on their social media for their wedding gowns. Then the models and makeup and hair artists will also get pictures for their portfolios.” Rigler aspires to pursue photography professionally and be able to travel to shoot various events. “My dream is to become a traveling wedding photographer, and do destination photography. So say someone in Australia will contact me I’ll fly out there and do their wedding. Until then I’ll keep building my portfolio.”

Clockwise from the top: Senior Andrew Sotelo holds a leather bracelet he created. Sophomore Rachel Rigler took this photo for a bridal shoot. Rigler focuses on getting the best shot. Rigler shot these photos of sophomore Isabel Van Vossen and the Patton family. One of the first things Sotelo made was a wallet. Sotelo uses many different tools for leather making. Sotelo crafts a bracelet in the art room.

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reality of kcc dating

ups and downs of dating during high school “[Dating] is a good thing in high know him very well,” McNeill said. school because it makes you want After going to Sweetheart together junior year, the two started to to be involved more,” Ericson said. go out more and found a connection.They had common interests, the STAFF WRITER “It increases conversations flowed easily, the feelings had grown. the high school Their first date was spent at the Liberty Memorial experience and by the World War I Museum. They got Miami Ice makes you dedicated to one person.” afterward. What do you think Seniors Will Ericson and Hannah Peterson have “I remember forgetting my jacket and he gave me about dating in high his,” been dating for three to four months now. Ericson McNeill said. recalls taking her as his date to JSB last year and Through the past 11 months, McNeill has been most school? enjoying it tremendously. They got to know each annoyed by the way others mock the relationship. other better and later started to see a lot of each “The worst part about dating is that people judge “I think it’s great if you find the right other. or categorize you,” McNeill said. “Our ‘ship’ name person, because it can be tricky. I just Their first date consisted of grabbing coffee at Thou is ‘Motelo.” focus on schoolwork; everyone should.” Mayest Coffee Roasters, checking out Prospero’s “Motelo” isn’t the only couple who has experienced -sophomore Emma Carter Books and walking around Loose Park. Peterson this judgement at a small school like KCC. likes to show Ericson new spots during dates. Because dating presents obstacles, primarily “I think [dating seriously] is better if “It’s really fun to have that one person to talk to and everyone knowing everything about your it’s later, don’t get too serious when share new experiences [with],” Ericson said. relationship, some students choose to stay out of you first meet the person.” Ericson has many experiences with Peterson that it. For sophomore Brandon Engel, there is a main -freshman Andrew Brannon he considers some of his favorites, from constantly reason on why he isn’t dating anyone in his grade. falling while ice skating to making pizzas together on “I just know my class too well,” Engel sighed. “I don’t see [dating] being serious, Valentine’s Day. “It would be like dating my sister; it would never since it is just creating problems for “I would try to ice skate,” Ericson laughed. “I would happen.” college!” fall several times and almost pull her down with me.” Dating can be beneficial though. -junior Josh Kucera Seniors Andrew Sotelo and Molly McNeill have “There should be a purpose,” freshman Emma been dating for 11 months after getting to know Browning said. “It’s exploring who your date is or “I like to keep my options open” one another at the same summer job at Sheridan’s what he values. Don’t date just because you can, it -junior Brianna Bodine Frozen Custard. should be enjoyable to both.” “He kind of was a little intimidating because I didn’t

BY HUDSON YOUNG

1. Seniors Hannah Peterson and Will Ericson snap a pic outside of the WWI museum before Homecoming. 2. Seniors Molly McNeill and Andrew Sotelo pose together at Homecoming this fall. 3. Laughing together, senior Will Ericson gives senior Hannah Peterson a corsage before Sweetheart. 4. During first quarter, seniors Molly McNeill and Andrew Sotelo pose together at the KCC Hoedown.

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THREE UNUSUAL LOCKERS BY JESSICA STEGGERDA STAFF WRITER

LOCATE US AT... THE VILLAGE | W6921 TOMAHAWK RD. PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS 66208 12920 STATE LINE RD. LEAWOOD, KS 66209 12627 METCALF AVE. OVERLAND PARK, KS 66213

Emma Wheeler’s “Memorial”

Sophomore Emma Wheeler’s family moved to Chicago in late 2016, forcing her to leave both her friends and locker. Before she left, she purposefully left things in her locker so that her friends could have a memorial. Wheeler left some simple rules: “When they found objects or pictures that reminded them of me, they’d put it in my locker.” The things in Wheeler’s shrine include a toy car Mustang in honor of Wheeler’s first car, some stress relief lotion because Wheeler always used it and wants her friends to use it too, expired Old Navy cash because everything Wheeler wore was Old Navy, some hair ties, and her backpack. She also left a picture of herself sitting on the bench during a 6th grade basketball game. Wheeler specifically left Megan Hutcheson and Maya Mastin in charge, but the girls who have lockers around Emma’s memorial also like to take care of it. Sophomore Emma Carter shares, “We don’t really add anything because we like to keep it the way she left it. If we ever do [add] anything, it is mostly pictures or random paper.” Some sophomore girls recently printed out a picture of them at Sweetheart and glued a cut out of Wheeler onto the picture.

The “Tea” Locker

Juniors Hannah Breth, Olivia Price, and Annelise Madderom started up their very own tea locker. The idea came from Breth after one day noticing the empty locker next to hers. “I put my mug in there because it was crowding up my locker, then Olivia put her mug in there and then we were like, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s like a locker for tea!’” Breth said. Now, the locker is full of supplies. “We keep different kinds of tea and mugs in there,” Madderom said. Along with tea, Price keeps her yoga mat and other various workout things in the locker. “Every morning we get our mugs out and go to Ms. Smith’s room and we talk to her while we heat up some water,” Breth said. The members of this group have not dubbed it as exclusive. “You can be a part of the tea locker if you bring your own tea,” Price said.

Alexis Termini’s Locker

Senior Alexis Termini left quickly after the start of her senior year when her dad’s job moved the family to Arizona. She left her locker in the same manner as if she was coming back to school the next day. The things in Termini’s locker include the following random things: all of her school books, many different plastic cups, empty snack bags, and loose papers. Termini’s friend, senior Callie Eldred, has noticed some of the things that have been strangely left. “She also left this like weird ceramics pot she made,” Eldred said. Many of the seniors leave random trash and things they don’t want in her locker. For instance, the large, banner-like tennis picture spent a short time in the locker before moving to drama teacher Brian Miller’s room. The seniors also put any unwanted locker signs on the front of the door.

14| THE PAW PRINT | SPORTS

Students question whether the Kansas City Christian ineligibility policy is too strict, or possibly

U N FA I R ? BY HANNAH DENNE

STAFF WRITER

As a general rule, students loathe ineligibility. Perhaps it motivates students to try harder, or perhaps it makes them decide that the sport isn’t worth it - it varies from student to student. If there isn’t already enough pressure to do well in school, the threat of ineligibility gives students another reason to keep their grades up. Most schools have some form of ineligibility policy, a policy to encourage academics before extra-curricular activities. The general KSHSAA rule is that in order to play sports during the semester, a student must have passed (with a 60 percent overall or higher) in five out of seven of their classes the previous semester. This is the policy that all schools in Kansas must adhere to; however, some schools choose to have a more strict policy. KCC’s policy is that if students have one F (below 59 percent) or two Ds (below 69 percent) they are considered ineligible. Several students agree with this portion of the policy and see it as a reasonable way to motivate students to keep up with their studies. However, the second portion of the policy causes some discourse. According to

the Kansas City Christian School Athletic Handbook, “A student placed on the ineligibility list at the conclusion of any quarter (including fourth quarter) will be ineligible until mid-quarter of the next quarter (including first quarter of the next school year).” This means that students would go four weeks unable to participate in sports or extracurricular activities, even if they got their grades up right at the beginning of the next quarter. However, once mid-quarter rolls around, students are able to re-obtain their eligibility status on a weekly basis. If a student is ineligible at mid-quarter, their grades are checked for two weeks. If they don’t regain eligibility after two weeks, they’re out for the rest of the quarter; but if a student can get their grades up quickly, they could possibly only spend a minimum of one week ineligible. While this makes the experience more pleasant for students ineligible after midquarter, it begs the question: why does the policy change halfway through the quarter? Why do students have to wait so long to regain eligibility at the beginning of the quarter? Under this rule, a student with good grades

who slips up can be forced to sit out an event of their favorite sport. Junior Jamie Fogel had to sit out on a track meet once due to ineligibility; however, his circumstances were somewhat unusual. He said it was because he brought some homework in late to a teacher, and the teacher forgot to put in the assignment in time for it to bring his grade up. This left him ineligible. “I really wish they made exceptions,” Fogel said. Athletic Director Josh Poteet is working to change this portion of the policy. Two years ago, the policy changed to allow students the opportunity to earn eligibility every week after mid-quarter; according to the old policy, after mid-quarter grades were checked every two weeks. “If someone was ineligible at the end of the school year, they’re ineligible the first four weeks of the next semester - that’s like the entire tennis season, and I think that’s a little too stringent on my end,” Poteet said. “I think that there’s conversations happening on if that needs to change.” Not to mention that this system doesn’t

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY CAMILE HARDT

exactly encourage much growth throughout one of the best players is out. Once a player the first half of the quarter, or any other time is affected, the whole team is affected,” that grades are not being watched. If grades freshman Emma Browning said. “I think it can are only checked at mid-quarter and the end affect how teammates view the player, there of the quarter, and a student knows they’ll be might be a little anger toward [the student that ineligible until then no matter what, what’s is ineligible].” to keep up their motivation throughout that half of the quarter? The policy to check “If someone was ineligible at the end of the student’s grades school year, they’re ineligible the first four weeks infrequently and on of the next semester - that’s like the entire a regular schedule makes it easy for tennis season, and I think that’s a little too students to slack off stringent on my end.” when they know their grades aren’t being monitored. “I’ve seen kids be super ineligible and still High School Vice Principal and Guidance do stuff because they got the timing right,” Counselor Amanda Wade explained this Fogel said. “It’s just luck if you get it.” portion of the policy in a more positive way. Along with this, the policy to leave students She said the staff’s mentality behind keeping ineligible for weeks on end can cause bigger students out of sports so long is that if a problems in the social atmosphere of the student spends the entire second half of a team. quarter ineligible, administration believes “[Ineligibility] can hurt a team a lot, like if there is a need for them to spend the next four

weeks focusing on academics. The problem might be laziness or a more serious learning disability, but either way, spending this long unable to raise a grade alerts the staff that there is a problem to be addressed. According to Wade, the staff places a large amount of importance on the individual student’s abilities and will make exceptions in special cases. “There’s a huge difference between learning disabilities and someone who just doesn’t turn in homework,” Wade said. All discrepancies aside, the truth is, all schools need a policy of ineligibility to encourage students to put their academics first, and KCC’s has been effective in keeping students up to speed. “At the end of the day, and I know this sounds cliche, but it’s student athlete, or student actor, student whatever - you’re a student first,” Poteet said.

FROM THE WEB:

A different kind of game

BY GEORGE BEATTY STAFF WRITER

Junior Gabe Reid, like many others, got his start with video games on a Nintendo console. In 2007, while at a friend’s house, Reid got to play the New Super Mario Brothers on the Nintendo Wii. Since then he has stayed an avid fan of Nintendo, and has purchased a few generations of their handheld gaming system, the DS. He intentionally chose to buy a handheld. “You can take it anywhere you want.” Reid explained, “I don’t have to just sit on the couch.” His favorite types of games are platformers and brawlers. Platformers are games where the player navigates their character on various platforms with enemies, points, power ups, or other game mechanics on them. Reid has played many platformers, including Super Mario, New Super Mario Brothers, New Super Mario Brothers 2, and New Super Mario 3D Land. “I’m a big Mario fan, in case you can’t tell,” he jested. Brawlers on the other hand are games where the players’ goal is to defeat the opponent or opponents in combat using a variety of different moves to strategically damage them, while still blocking and dodging to preserve their own health. Although he does not play as many brawlers as he does platformers, Reid still enjoys the experience of playing a different style of game. Like Reid, senior Andrew Darlington also got his start on a Nintendo system, granted an older one. Darlington started out playing Mario Kart Double Dash on the Nintendo GameCube, which is where he got his affinity for consoles. Since then, he has branched out more to Xbox than Nintendo, mainly playing on the Xbox One, and Xbox 360. Darlington’s favorite genre of video game is the ever popular 1st person shooter, where the player looks through the eyes of the protagonist and shoots things. While the definition sounds simple, game developers have put their own twist on the genre, keeping it from getting stale, whether it’s game mechanics, story, environment, or plot. “[I think] being the epic protagonist with abilities is really cool,” Darlington said. He is particularly a fan of the Star Wars: Battlefront series, and Destiny, which are all co-op games. Darlington and his friends like to play the co-op campaign in these games. Co-op is a game mode where players work together to achieve a common goal, which can mean a variety of tasks. In the case of 1st person shooters, it usually involves clearing an area of enemies, surviving for a set period of time, or capturing areas on a map. Sophomore Sophie Brock started out playing Diddy Kong Racing on the Nintendo 64, which she played with her sister and father, but also played on a GameCube with her cousins. Now she uses a 3DS and Nintendo Wii. “I can’t remember when I wasn’t [playing video games],” Brock said.

Junior Gabe Reid works to beat his high score while playing his 3DS. While not preferring any specific genre of game, she particularly enjoys the concept of the butterfly effect in games. The butterfly effect in video games is similar to the real life principle in that player’s actions have an effect on the game’s outcome. For example, games like Life is Strange and Until Dawn, two of Brock’s favorite butterfly effect games, have different endings based on the decisions you make in the story. In Until Dawn you follow a group of eight characters staying in a mountain lodge being hunted by a serial killer, but certain actions like noticing a weapon or searching a room, will have ripple effects in the story. “It’s so interesting to think of things happening in a course of this happened first and then this domino’s falling, and tipping each other over,” Brock said. As an extension of this idea, Brock is also fascinated with the idea of how our choices affect our future, and the results of game play throughs when we follow our own moral compass. “It’s interesting to see the kind of choices people make when going with what they believe and their personality and their morals,” Brock said.

Humans of

SENIOR MITCHELL PAUL “I love them [senior Jackson Vander Ark and Sam Coleman] so much and think back to the times we’ve had together with the three of us. It will just be a lot of fun living with some of my best friends and the thought of having two of my brothers to live with, instead of a guy I hardly know, is very comforting and exciting at the same time.”

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