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EXPRESS
Issue 3| Basehor-Linwood High School | December 16, 2013
Finals Week Edition
What’s Inside?
Early Graduation p. 2-3
Zack’s Story p. 4
Photo by: Reese McDowell
BLHS Then & Now p. 6
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The Dilemma of School Fees p. 8
Photos of the Month p. 11
FEATURES
The Early Graduation Dilemma
by Alyssa Foster
When May comes around, seniors prepare to graduate and head off to college. A majority of the seniors graduating have gone through high school for four years, but there are usually a select few who choose to graduate early, only having three years of high school under their belts when they walk across the stage.
older than I am, with a few good friends in my own grade. If anything, it showed the people that truly wanted to be friends with me,” Pedroza said. Although her friends were saddened that she wanted to graduate early, they were still supportive of her decision.
“Jade Provence, Sean Potter, and a couple of others are my best friends. Jade really didn’t want me to [graduate early], but she knows that it’s something I need to do and she supports me wholeheartedly. She often gives me pep talks when I’m discouraged. I don’t exactly remember how Sean reacted, but he’s fine with it because I am graduating with him. My friends are very supportive of me. It has definitely made me closer with a few of my friends, but not everyone,” she said.
The decision to graduate early is not an easy one, and it involves doing a lot more than people realize. The process to graduate early includes talking it through with parents, meeting with the guidance counselor and principal, and finally sending an application to the Board of Education to be approved. One senior who is currently going through the early graduation process is MaryBeth Pedroza. She realized that she wanted to graduate early near the end of her first semester of her sophomore year.
Along with the support coming from her friends and family members, she also received negative comments from classmates about her decision on graduation.
“I decided to graduate early because I think it’s a better use of my time, learning-wise. It’s not that I particularly hate it [school] a lot, just that I think it’s the best decision for me,” Pedroza said.
“I have received numerous not-so-nice comments from others, but I’m not going to waste my time getting butt-hurt about it. If they don’t want me to graduate early, it doesn’t really matter anyway,” Pedroza said.
When kids make the decision to graduate early, there is often concern from the student themself, and others, that they will either back out or can’t handle the work.
Planning to graduate early requires a plan of action, which should include an idea of what career the student wants to pursue and where the student wants to go to college.
“The biggest concern was whether I was making the right decision. Another [concern] would be that more students would want to graduate early, so I had to have a good reason. I did not [back out], mainly because it would be stupid to throw away all of the work I’ve done so far,” Pedroza said.
“I will attend Kansas University next fall. I want to pursue a music career, but I have been weighing more options such as some sort of therapy or teaching,” she said. Another concern for students with the wish to graduate early is missing out on their senior year.
Soon after MaryBeth was approved by the Board of Education, she began taking online classes through distance learning at our virtual school, in addition to her classes she has at school every day, to have a minimum of 28 credits to graduate.
“I think it will be weird and sad not to walk with the class of 2015 just because I grew up with them, but I won’t miss having a senior year next fall,” MaryBeth said. Although MaryBeth is ready to graduate and move on to bigger and better things, she isn’t ready to leave her friend behind.
“I have taken one semester of Interactive Media, but I have three more virtual classes to go before I earn all of my credits to graduate. [In addition], I take band, Honors English IV, College Chemistry, and Play Production on Green days. On Gold days, I take trigonometry/precalculus, College Government, Honors English III, and Care Cats,” MaryBeth said.
“I think the right question is, ‘Are you ready to leave your friend (singular) behind?’ No. But I wouldn’t be next year, either. Even if I graduated next year, we would end up leaving each other somehow. The friends who really want to be in my life will be,” MaryBeth said.
When students decide to make the commitment to graduate one year early, teachers and faculty members fear that these students would lose contact with their classmates and friends because of how busy they will be with school work and online classes. MaryBeth tells us otherwise.
MaryBeth has one more piece of advice for anyone considering graduating early. “Don’t doubt yourself. If it is what you really want to do, you shouldn’t let others dissuade you. It is definitely a very large load of work, so just stay organized, make time for your homework, and you will be alright. And if along the way you do start to have doubts, just stop for a moment and remember why you’re doing it.”
“I don’t think there is any more distance between myself and others in my grade than there has been since I’ve started going to school with them. I don’t think my social life has changed much. I’ve always been friends with people
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FEATURES
Early Graduate Profile: Brooke Olesen Have you ever thought of applying for a job while going to school? How about graduating a semester early? Well, senior Brooke Olesen is doing it all. Graduating at semester, working 12-hour shifts at a time, 36-48 hours a week, and managing to spend time with friends and family.
by Cassie Batesel
be attending school in Oklahoma in August. In Oklahoma, Brooke will most likely be pursuing a degree in psychiatric nursing. After getting the four-year degree, Brooke plans on going into the United States Army.
Brooke Olesen is just a normal senior in high school. What many people don’t know is that she works a full-time job at the same time. She has been working at Twin Oaks Health and Rehab since November 2012. Brooke also still manages to finish all of her homework, spend time with friends and family, and get some sleep in.
“As my dad has always told me, ‘Do not depend on others to get things done.’” Although her friends aren’t all supportive of her decisions, Brooke is going into her future with confidence and strength. No one can stop her.
“I normally go to school, then work 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., then go straight to school the next day, so I’m up for like two days straight. I normally sleep after school is over and won’t wake up till school the next day. It does affect my sleeping habits, even after staying up for two days, I still find it hard to fall asleep,” Olesen said.
All of the sacrifice and hard work is worth it to Brooke. She said, “I love my job, I love helping people, it’s always been my passion.”
After graduating, Brooke plans on getting her CMA(Certified Medical Assistance, they can give medications to their patients) in January, taking classes at Kansas City Kansas Community College, then will
Do what is going to make you happy, people will tell you through your life that you can’t do it or something like that, but it all depends on how much effort you put in,” she said.
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FEATURES
Junior Zack Carter shares his story with Ms. Mayberry’s health class.
The Story Behind the Story By: Liz Morris Many of us pass one another through the hallways and not think about what someone might be going through, or what they have gone through. For the past two years, Zack Carter, junior at BLHS, has traveled to many school with his mother and shared their story - about the struggles they have gone through and how they overcame them.
Today Zack and his mother go around to different schools and share their story. His mother talks about how she started and lived through her drug addiction. Zack talks about how you shouldn’t judge anyone by not knowing who they are or what they do. Zack’s mom faces challenges as she has moved on from a life of drug addiction. She has worked to regain a relationship with her family. Zack now looks up to his mom and her love for God. Zack mentors younger kids as much as possible. During the summer, Zack is a teen counselor at a camp for underprivileged and neglected kids that he once attended as a camper.
Two years ago in Ms. Mayberry’s health class, a man named Ron Grover came to speak in her classes about his son who was a drug addict and how it was living with him. Once Zack heard him speak, he knew he wanted to share his story with others. Zack’s mom was getting better and off drugs, they started rebuilding their relationship as a mother and son. After going home that night and talking to his mom for almost three hours, they decided they could change kids’ lives by sharing their story.
At the end of his speech he expressed that, “My main objective when I speak to kids and other people is to make you think. Think of what it means if you don’t make fun of that one ‘weird’ kid, if you don’t laugh at that kid or friend group. Just think, if everyone worries about themselves and doesn’t bully then there would be none. These little things can change the world starting with each one of you. All you have to do is stop and THINK.”
Growing up, Zack was raised by his mother who had a drug addiction. He constantly faced hardships. He was made fun of and teased at school for being the fat, poor kid. Those kids didn’t know what he was going through, they judged off of what they saw. He lived in a drug home, he would constantly see multiple people walking in and out of the house. There would be time that he would wake up with strangers in the bed next to him. 4
FEATURES
Engineering Students Lead the Way By: Mitchell Mikinski
When you look at the BLHS career pathways, some of them are obscure, but with others like the engineering pathway, one finds a very obvious purpose. In the most advanced class, students design a product in hopes of winning a scholarship to Wichita State.
So what do the students do? What are the innovations made by tomorrow’s best and brightest? Well, one of the best one so far appears to be Eric Purrington and Cory McCleary’s bike ramp that connects to a tailgate of a truck. That idea was masterminded by Cory McCleary while attempting to put his dirt bikes in the back of a truck.
BLHS students have historically done well in this competition. Jared Kenton and Paul Rehm won the competition with their Hanger Pro last year and Austin Walker performed well with his modified lawn trimmer two years ago. What makes these students so unique? Why do they get their own “student-driven” class where they get to go out and get their own supplies, and in the case of Nathan Lucas, Jack McCraney, and Jacob Zamora frequent QuikTrip visits? Jake Phillips, another student in the class, said, “The first three years stink” by saying that he means the classes are much more difficult than normal elective classes, with elements of trig/pre-calc and college algebra introduced in the freshman-level course.
Senior Eric Purrington works on a measurement for his invention.
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Another idea is that of Rachel Kamm, Katie Tindell, and Clayton Kaminski, who plan to make an ice scraper that connects to a windshield wiper. Their reason for inventing that is they don’t like having to scrape off windshields on icy, cold, winter days. Other students aren’t quite as well-off as those two groups. They have ideas, but the execution part of those ideas is what separates the big dreams from the realities. That’s partially what the class teaches them, how to get around the obstacles of the design process and start creating. Now the high school anxiously awaits their inventions’ success and another winner of the contest at Wichita State.
FEATURES
BLHS THEN AND NOW
By Alli Kasick
As my senior year is drawing closer to an end, I started to think about all that has changed throughout my time in high school. I think about the things I was involved in and all the memories I made. As I was thinking about my experience at BLHS, it made me wonder what life at Basehor-Linwood High School was like for others back in the day. I decided to interview a few graduates: Tammy Potts and Becky Barnett, my mother. I also interviewed the teacher who has been at BLHS the longest, Mary Myer.
The graduate who is now a teacher:
My mom’s freshman year was when schools consolidated and became Basehor-Linwood. She said that at first, the Linwood kids were stereotyped as being beneath everyone. But, that did not last long. My mom’s freshman year was her first year at Basehor-Linwood, so she was rather nervous. “One of my favorite memories at BLHS was winning courtwarming my freshman year. I was honored,” she said. She later on ended up winning “Everyone’s Pal” as a senior. She has always been amazed at how hard our generation tries in school. “ Now you guys are pushed to take harder classes. You guys seem to know yourselves better. When I was in school we were not as focused on our future,” she said.
Tammy Potts, high school Care Cat coordinator, graduated from Basehor High School in ’79. This was before Basehor consolidated with Linwood. As she was talking about her high school experience, I realized that going to high school during this time gave you many more freedoms. One of the many things that amazed me was that in ’79 there was actually a smoking room in the middle of the school. This was an area for both kids and teachers to take a break and take a smoke.
She was involved in many sports but, she always found it to be ironic that her basketball coach was Ms. Mayberry, who is now the head softball coach. “I believe the school system has changed for the good. Teachers now try to get on a personal level with you guys and you have so many more opportunities,” she said.
She talked about how you never heard of people getting DUI’s. People back then drank and drove all the time, people were not knowledgeable of the out comes it could have. Potts won hardest worker award in high school. It was interesting to hear that she thought that school back then was so much easier than school nowadays. They did not have to get as many credits to graduate and the teaching methods in general were different. Potts was also on the cheerleading squad. “I remember every summer coming up to the high school and sanding and painting the bleachers for the upcoming football season,” Potts said.
The teacher who has seen it all: Mary Myer has taught at Basehor-Linwood since the fall of ‘80 and is the Family and Consumer Science teacher. Throughout the years she believes it hasn’t changed much, high school students are teenagers no matter what the time period.
Along with being a cheerleader Tammy was also on the newspaper staff. Back in ’79 they would stay late into the night using a printing press and a typewriter. When it came to the dress code, they had very unusual rules. They were only allowed to wear shorts for a limited amount of time. The main style was bell bottom jeans, clog and long hair or afros.
Since teaching from the fall of ‘80 we asked her if teaching has gotten easier or harder. “What I teach will always be changing so it definitely has not gotten easier, but I believe I have become more confident through the years on the decisions I make,” Myer said.
So with all of the opportunities students have now at BLHS, does she wish she could have had a high school experience like that of her son (who graduates in 2014) and other students? “Even though students graduating in ’14 have so many new opportunities, I would never trade ’74-’79,” Potts said.
“When I first started teaching I didn’t think this would be my lifelong career, but one year led to another and another,” Myer said.
The Graduate:
Through the years, Myer believes that kids have gotten busier. She believes that kids have more opportunities. They have also changed a lot of rules. One big thing they got rid of was paddling kids. Kids use to have a choice between getting three paddles or a detention.
Oftentimes when talking about my experiences in high school, my mom would talk about things that she went through in high school. Knowing that we both went to the same school, I thought it would be cool to ask her about her high school experience. My mom, otherwise known as Becky (Palmgren) Barnett, graduated in 1991.
One of Myer’s favorite memory would be parent teacher conferences. “Nobody would ever show up to conferences so the teachers would get together and have a movie night and get each other manicures,” Myer said.
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OPINION
WINTER MYTHS
By Ashley Novo-Gradac
Everyone loves a great snow day. Sleeping in, laying in bed, watching movies, and playing out in the snow is even better when you know you could’ve been at school. If you feel like the snow has been scarce for too long, or you just want another snow day here are some myths to help make it snow. Put a spoon under your pillow. Shake a snow globe while dancing in front of your refrigerator. Wear your pajamas inside out and backwards. Flush ice cubes down your toilet. Put a statue of Blessed Mary in your widow facing north. Do all of these at once for a heavy snow. These may be some myths on how to get it to snow, but here are some myths for the winter season. Snow falls between 2˚C and -40˚C so it can be too cold to snow. Having snow on Christmas is actually pretty rare. There has only been snow on Christmas 38 times out of the past 51 years. If you can see a ring around the moon, it usually means snow is coming. Women gain 10 pounds over the winter due to the depression from lack of sunlight. Cold temperatures cause hair loss. Allergies disappear in the cold. Poinsettias can kill your pets.
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OPINION
The Dilemma of School Fees By: Breann Drew The information shown in the graphic below revolves around the money spent for extracurricular activities. In order for a student(s) to participate in these activities, they must pay a fee. The fees present in our school district can range anywhere from $15 to $1,000. The amounts can be costly and could truthfully run you dry. When paying a fee, you’re simply buying all equipment, accessories, and additional items needed for that activity. It may not seem like it’s worth spending but it’s the cost you have to pay.
Many activities require a large sum of money, however, let’s put this in perspective. The state and federal government still supply most of the money needed to run school activities. In the 2012-2013 school year, USD 458 received $12.4 million from the state of Kansas as well as $375,000 from the federal government. This works out to be $6,027 per student. So while for many students the added fees are a burden, all students have a great opportunity to receive a great education.
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BLHS Activity Fees
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OPINION
The Week Before Finals: A Tragedy
By Mitchell Mikinski
Students are dog tired, and feel physically and mentally defeated during it.
My mother is a lecturer at KU, and there is a policy there that I think our school would do well to keep in mind seeing as how they’re trying to prepare us for the next level: No tests the week before finals. We need to maximize our productivity throughout the year, and there’s a difference between rushing teachers and making them more efficient. That is what giving us one more week to review would do.
My friend, Bevin Coon, came into advisory yesterday extremely stressed. He was running around, asking everyone for help, and explaining the different ways his mom was going to kill him. Bevin needed help, and probably was on the verge of a panic attack. He didn’t know how to graph parabolas on a test he’d just taken, hadn’t had time to study for Honors Chemistry, and was certain he’d get at least three D’s this semester. I sat him down, gave him classical music to relax, and joked with him while he studied chemistry.
It is no doubt that there’s certainly wasted time during the school day, including during class. In most cases there is something that could be put in that time period instead of doing nothing. Giving us all an extra review week is the answer. I think that will make students and teachers more efficient in learning/teaching and in the process more responsible.
This is the kind of thing that shouldn’t happen. An honors student shouldn’t need micro-therapy because his four classes have destroyed him mentally. That is why we need this week of review. So students can be fully recuperated from their stressful week of tests and also, so they know what they’re facing and can perform at their best.
It also seems the week before finals has turned into a week for all these due dates on pre-finals projects, all of your homework, and of course the tests I mentioned previously. But why is it necessary to dump all that stuff on us and then the week after just do the same thing?
Finals Week Tips
By Susette Garcia
Finals week is here. To avoid all the pressure and stress that come with finals, here are some tips on how you can survive the first week of finals of the year. Start studying early. Study your study guide, make flashcards, or practice a problems a week or two in advance. This way, you aren’t cramming all your studying into one day. All you’ll have to do is review the material over. Remove all distractions. Yes, sometimes it is hard to put your phone down, but its important to know when its necessary to do so. It’s important to also resist the temptation to get on social media. Get plenty of sleep. It wouldn’t be a good idea to pull an all-nighter trying to stay up studying. Your chances of doing better on the final are much greater if you are well-rested. Eat a healthy breakfast so you aren’t distracted by hunger. Don’t sweat the small stuff. This is a perfect week to get a break from anything not school-related. Make sure you read through each question on the test carefully so you don’t make simple errors. Answer the easier questions first so you can go ahead and get those out of the way. Don’t start to panic or worry if others finish a final earlier than you, take your time. When the exam is over, let it go. You can’t change the outcome of your final after its turned in, so don’t stress over it.
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OPINION
Girl Code: Premium Edition by Allison Crist Lots of people have heard about the bi-weekly online editorial written by yours truly. So far, there’s been nothing but good feedback. If you have any suggestions for topics or need advice for a certain situation you’re dealing with, email me at allisonncristt@gmail.com. Everything is anonymous, of course. This time we’re talking about... friends. More specifically, types of friends. You all know what I’m talking about. Within every group of girls, there are roles each one plays. The most common part is the mother of the group. She’s responsible and logical. She’s the one playing the good angel on your shoulder role. You don’t particularly ask her to tag along for a night out; however, she’s the first one you call when you need advice about relationships, other girlfriends or anything that really matters. Then, there’s the comedian. She cheers you up with her wit whenever you’re feeling down or just seeking a laugh. She’s positive, doesn’t take anything too seriously and one of your favorite friends to hang out with. The complete opposite of the comedian is the Debbie Downer. She complains about every. little. thing. Additionally, she never has anything positive to say. The major upside of this friend is that she’s always willing to listen when you need to vent. A Debbie Downer is perfect at attending to your issues. Similar to the comedian, there’s the party girl. She’s always up for whatever, as long as it involves a little bit of adventure and maybe even some danger. She’s extremely enjoyable and friends with everyone. She’s always willing to introduce you to new people and encourages you to break out of your shell. Finally, there’s the awkward one. If you’re at a party, you can find her sitting on her phone. She’s a pain to take anywhere because of her fear of social interaction. Although, at the end of the day, her quirks are humorous. You can share your weird secrets with her free of judgement.
Regardless of the role your friend falls under, there are rules a girl has to follow when it comes to any of her BFFs. The most important rule is in regards to the factor that ends up ruining a lot of good friendships: boys. No girl may date her friend’s: ex’s, past crushes, guys who have humiliated/used her, or a guy that she currently fancies. Exceptions: 1. Your friend has given you permission. 2. The two had relations pre-puberty. Navigate these loopholes at your own risk. You have to listen to her complain about her problems. It may not seem like it, but they’re important. Slightly. It’s acceptable and sometimes necessary to dislike a third party person due to your BFF’s dislike. No socializing with the enemy. Keep it real with your friend. Honesty is a must. Don’t talk to other people about how ugly you think her shirt is. Help her escape a relationship or friendship that is unhealthy. Make her a hair appointment when her roots start to show. Be understanding when your friend wants to either stay in or go out when you want to do the opposite. Although I could go on and on explaining some of the cardinal rules of feminism, there’s one problem: there’s too many. These are the basics, so live by them and remember every one of your friends is different. Whether they’re too crazy or not crazy enough, love them equally.
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Respect the group.
Girl code.
Photos of the Month
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Front Row: Susette Garcia, Allison Crist, Liz Morris, Rachael Bell, Breann Drew Back Row: Cassie Batesel, Alyssa Foster, Mitchell Mikinski, Ashley NovoGradac, Allison Kasick. Editor-in-Chief: Allison Crist Managing Editor: Mitchell Mikinski Adviser: Kristen Loney
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