Geometry in Action

Geometry in Construction students are using their skills to build a tiny home for a veteran in need

page 10

News

News Briefs 4

KC Lands New Airport 6

The Bus Stops Here 8

North Unites to Help Custodian 9

Features

Geometry in Action 10

Forgotten Faces 12

Sweet Dreams 14

A Country Divided 16

AI Takes Over 18

SFT Rebuild: Old Traditions and New Memories 20

Opinions

Idaho College Murders: The Media is Obsessed 21

Ticket Turmoil 22

Sports

Boys, Girls Wrestling Have Winning Season 24

Critical Conditions 25

A&E

Noah Schnapp Comes Out 26

Boba Tea Review 27

Valentine’s Day Horror Stories 28

Artist Spotlight on Mel

Dugblo 29

From the Runway to the Hallway: Two-Piece Sets 30

Heard it in the Hallways 31

Page 10 | Features

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Dear Eagles, It feels like there’s nothing more challenging than coming to school during this part of the semester. From the extended conference break a few weeks ago to spring break on the horizon, the time in between has required maximum effort. In fact, we would be lying if

we didn’t say that this letter was inspired by the insightful words of ChatGPT. Nevertheless, we’re so excited to bring you our third issue of the year. We at the Chronicle hope you have a great end of third quarter and a relaxing spring break!

Purpose

Garapaty

2022-2023

Editors-in-Chief

Menaka Garapaty

Eve Loehrer

Copy Editor

Jackson Stephens

Online Editor

Mallory Graybeal

Advertising Manager

Vin Parazin

Eve Loehrer

editors editors staff staff

Staff Editors

Bria Dawson

Paige Keith

Alyana Spence

Staff Writers

Nate Gunderson

Lili Madden

Denise Villa-Hernandez

The Chronicle is the official high school news publication of Olathe North High School and open forum distributed to all students throughout the year.. This is the second issue of volume eight. The Chronicle is printed by Osage Graphics. This is a student publication and may contain controversial material. The Olathe Unified School District No. 233 and its board members, officers, and employees disclaim any responsibility for the content of this student publication; it is an expression of the School District Policy. Students and editors are soley responsible for this student publication.

Staff Designers

Reese Pope

Jasmine Saldana

Pidge Stephens

Photo Editor

Taylor Sales Adviser

Crystal Babb

Menaka

N E W S

By Denise Villa-Hernandez | Staff Writer

MontereyParkMassShooting

Shots were fired on January 21, 2023 at a Monterey Park Lunar New Year celebration. The armed man left 11 people dead and several injured. The two weapons that were used, a Cobray Company semi-automatic 9mm MAC10 and a Norinco 7.62 x 25mm pistol, have been recovered. The main suspect is a 72-year old man named Huu Can Tran. He soon went to a second dance studio near Alhambra, where bystander Brandon Tsay took away his weapon.

On the morning of January 22, the suspect was found dead in a white van by officers. There’s no other suspects involved in the situation. This incident has increased the continued fight for stricter gun laws.

Is COVID-19 Gone?

Cases of COVID-19 have been decreasing since March 2020. People six months and older are recommended to get the primary COVID vaccine. Face masks aren’t required in places like restaurants or stores but some places like hospitals, urgent health care facilities, and shelters can require a face mask. The Food and Drug Administration met on January 26th to discuss whether the vaccine should be taken regularly once a year like the flu shot and if the vaccine needs updating each year.

Recently, there has been an outbreak in China. About 60,000 people have died due to COVID. Luckily, China soon got everything under control. If anyone has symptoms of COVID-19, doctors advise quarantine for a week or until further notice.

According to NBC News, “As long as it continues circulating, infecting people as well as animals, the virus will always be developing mutations because that is the nature of viruses.”

“As long as [COVID-19] continues circulating, infecting people as well as animals, the virus will always be developing mutations...”

-NBC News

B R I E F S

2024Election:Who’sRunning?

The 2024 elections are coming up, and some presidential candidates have been confirmed, while others are rumored.

After his 2021 inauguration, Joe Biden along with Vice President Kamala Harris announced their reelection. Joe Biden has an intention to run for reelection in 2024. However, being 80, he has left his party wondering whether he’ll be able to win once more.

Nikki Haley, former Governor of South Carolina, has announced that she is running for president in the 2024 election. She’s poised to be the second major candidate.

Stacey Abrams, a 49-year-old

Brazil’sCapitolRiots

On January 8, 2023, President Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva of Brazil pledged to punish supporters of former leader Jair Bolsonaro after breaking in and destroying government buildings.

Bolsonaro supporters stormed the Congress, Supreme Court, and surrounded the presidential palace. Footage was found of them smashing windows, reaching the senate cham-

woman who has been on “People’s 2021 Women Changing The World” and was a former Georgia State Representative has declared to run for president at some point in her career. It’s still unknown whether she’ll be running in the 2024 election. After his loss against Biden in the 2020 election, Donald Trump has officially announced he would run for president once more. He stayed active in politics after he left the White House. According to People Magazine, “Public figures may throw their hats in the ring for what is already shaping up to be one of the most heated political races in American history.”

ber, jumping on seats, and using benches as slides. Pictures and videos can be found on social media of protesters pulling a police officer and attacking him outside a governmental building. The images show police detaining many protesters out of the presidential palace.

More than 400 people have been arrested. Police are tracking down any others that were involved in the situation.

“Public figures may throw their hats in the ring for what is already shaping up to be one of the most heated political races in American history.”

- People Magazine

KC Lands New Airport

By Menaka Garapaty | Editor-in-Chief

Art by Pidge Stephens | Staff Designer

Are you hyped for the NFL Draft? Looking forward to the 2026 World Cup? Kansas City’s rich sports culture has attracted these events to our backyard. But a major reason KC won these bids is the monumental addition to the city’s travel industry: the Kansas City International Airport’s new terminal. Newly opened on February 28, the project not only draws in international tourism, but it has already employed local and minority-owned small businesses to create the airport’s one-of-a-kind features. Those flying out of KCI for spring break will be some of the first to experience the inclusive and unique elements that make up the airport. Travelers that suffer from sensory overload or flying anxiety can experience the Sensory Room to re-center before or after a flight. First-time fliers can

become accustomed to the air travel experience in the Simulation Room. Traveling with a pet? There are indoor and outdoor animal relief areas stationed throughout the airport. And when boarding, passengers can walk through the largest all-glass passenger boarding bridges in the country.

AP Chemistry and Distinguished Scholars Science teacher Rhonda

Reist is thrilled for these changes, especially after living in KC for 50 years and experiencing the excitement of the current KCI opening. As a regular traveler, Reist hopes the new features will make flying more efficient and bring growth to the city.

“We now have very limited flight choices and I really really want that to increase! Another thing that the new airport will bring is a whole lot more money to Kansas City,” Reist explained.

One of the most important features of the new KCI airport is the number of local establishments represented. According to the engineering firm em-

On the ceiling of the Departures headhouse is a large mobile array. | Photo by Sonia Garapaty

The new Kansas City International Airport terminal opened for travel on February 28th, and students, teachers, and local businesses are excited for what’s to come.

In the southwest corner of the airport, ten gates belong to Southwest Airlines. To the left are all-gender and gender-specific bathrooms, as well as a pet relief station. Gate seating is on the right. | Photo by Menaka Garapaty

ployed on the project FSC Inc., “expansive art displays from both local and national artists [are] displayed throughout the terminal for passenger enrichment.”

In fact, 80% of vendors are KCbased, such as Messenger Coffee Co. and barbeque from the most recent winners of the “Made for KC BBQ Championships.”

As a KC native with an appreciation for local businesses, Reist is happy to see their inclusion in the new terminal.

“I have many friends that own local businesses, and the support of local businesses by the city/airport is much appreciated,” Reist said. “I also think that it is important to showcase how many great things KC has to offer.”

Local and small businesses

were also involved in the design and construction process of this $1.5 billion project. One of the 129 woman and minority-owned companies engaged is FSC, Inc. They are contributing to the airport’s Fire Protection, Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing commissioning services. According to FSC, 234 other KC Metro area firms are involved in the Build KCI project. For these local businesses, the airport

has provided numerous opportunities. “Working on this project has been good for employee retention and attraction as engineers can work at a small business and still be able to work on exciting and iconic projects in our community,” FSC Owner/CEO Sonia Garapaty explained. For students interested in pursuing an engineering career, this is an example of the numerous opportunities that can be available when working at a small or local firm. One student includes Brooke Wagoner, a senior in Distinguished Scholar Science who plans to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering.

“It’s nice to know that you can go wherever you want to for work or college and still have these opportunities even if you don’t want to work in a huge company,” Wagoner said. Along with small businesses and future engineers, the city as a whole will benefit from the new terminal. The NFL draft will be hosted here in late April, thanks to the airport being better-equipped for a large flow of travel. The city expects to make at least $13 million from this event alone. And looking ahead to KC’s 2026 World Cup games, an estimated $400 to $600 million in revenue is expected for the city. So whether it be the business opportunities, food options, flight destinations, or the sporting events coming our way, there is a lot to look forward to with the new KCI terminal.

Fitting for the City of Fountains, a light fountain by artist Leo Villareal welcomes travellers in Concourse A just after security. | Photo by Sonia Garapaty

The Departures area under construction on August 5, 2022 | Photo by Menaka Garapaty

The Bus Stops Here

By Vin Parazin | Advertising Manager and Alyana Spence | Staff Editor

Not having school on Monday is every kid’s dream, but in Independence, Missouri, it has become a reality.

To adjust to the lack of teachers and bus drivers, as well as attempt to attract and incentivize staff members, the Independence School District has opted to adopt a four-day school week schedule. The school board voted 6-1 on this decision,

at Clifford H. Nowlin Middle School, explained her initial reaction to this change.

“I was very intrigued to see how this would work, and excited because I might have time to get a part-time job,” Lottie said. The four-day week will affect different ISD employees in different ways based on their roles and pay. While some teachers are hardly affected, for others this could be a large change.

“I am nervous to see how this will impact our paraprofessionals, nutrition services, and bus drivers. I know most of them get paid hourly,” said Lottie. “I am also interested to see how this will work with sports since I am a coach as well.”

Some have an overall optimistic outlook regarding the schedule, despite initial concerns.

year. Beginning on January 5th, DS Bus Lines announced intermittent closures for numerous routes throughout the district. Each route is affected one day a week. All routes affected are paid routes because of their proximity to the school. For these cases, all families received a 20% refund off of their rates. Students at Olathe North who have younger siblings have felt the effects of these blackouts. Mandy Perez, a junior, says that her middle-school aged sister has been impacted and has affected her and her family.

“[Our family] has had to find ways to drive her and her friends to school because their friends’ parents work,” Perez said.

Perez has also stated that while her family does a lot of driving to substitute for the bus, she doesn’t like to do it.

making Independence the largest school district in Missouri to adopt such a schedule. Angela Michell, a parent from the district, felt this change was well thought out.

“ISD (Independence School District) sent out lots of emails, held meetings, and took polls from us parents,” Michell said. This schedule change has been implemented as an attempt to adapt to labor shortages, offering an incentive for teachers to work for the ISD. Special education teacher Suzie Lottie, who works

“Since I have a sister who teaches in the district, I was concerned what that may mean for teachers as well,” Michell said. “I was also thinking, well, maybe this could be a good thing.”

Lottie had a similar perspective.

“I am excited to see where this goes,” Lottie said regarding the new schedule.

Following the switch to a four-day school week in Independence, schedule changes are being discussed in other districts, including Olathe. This is due to a critical shortage of bus drivers in the Olathe school district. This bus driver shortage has also caused ‘rolling blackouts’ for routes this

“I have [driven my sister] before but I don’t feel comfortable driving younger kids, so usually my dad does it,” Perez said. These rolling blackouts have led the Olathe School District to discuss changes for a revamped school schedule for the 2023-2024 school year. While Independence’s switch to a fourday school week has not directly affected Olathe, it is possible that other districts may follow this precedent if it goes well.

“I would like to see how it goes here first to see if it should be implemented elsewhere,” Lottie said.

“I am nervous to see how this will impact our paraprofessionals, nutrition services, and bus drivers.”

- Suzie Lottie

Independence School District implemented a four-day school week. Will Olathe follow?

North Unites to Help Custodian

By Paige Keith | Staff Editor

Just before returning from winter break, Olathe North janitor Armando Sanchez suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm while packing to return home from Mexico, causing paralysis and rendering him unable to speak. While Sanchez was admitted to the ICU unit at the Jerez Hospital, his daughter, Margarita Culbertson, organized a GoFundMe to transport Sanchez back to the United States. Through his job here at Olathe

North he has obtained great medical insurance, but his family has not been able to use his benefits in Mexico. An alternative would be to pay out-of-pocket to transport Sanchez to Kansas City from Mexico through a service called Air Ambulance, a company that flies people who are unable to fly commercial air due to medical conditions to or from Kansas City. The issue with this is the lowest quote would be $31,000.

“I need your help to bring my father home so he can get the best medical care that won’t cost my parents out-of-pocket,” his daughter Margarita Culbertson wrote on his GoFundMe.

The Latina Leadership Club helped raise $300 for Sanchez through a fundraiser at lunch on January 12th.

“It was my idea to have the fundraiser,” sophomore Nataly Galindo said. “My mom had brought up what happened to him since they work together and I wanted to help him in any way since he does so much for our school.”

To raise the money they sold churros, elotes (charred corn slathered in spices), agua frescas

(juice from fresh fruit), and candy. “Aside from the fundraiser, we also posted the GoFundMe on social media and sent [the link] to ON staff and family members,” senior Valeria Lopez said. “We also made posters.”

The GoFundMe was created January 6th, and as of publication, Sanchez’s GoFundMe has raised more than $45,000 out of the $50,000 needed. The goal of the fundraiser was increased to meet the growth in costs in Mexico due to the extended amount of time Sanchez had spent in the hospital.

“Your support through this fundraiser has lifted the financial burden for his care and transportation,” Culbertson said. Sanchez’s surgical procedure went well with no further complications; however, it wasn’t a procedure to fix the underlying issue but to stabilize him by lowering the pressure on his brain.

After this surgery, Sanchez’s family consulted with doctors discussing strategies to transport him to the U.S. Culbertson last updated the GoFundMe weeks ago, writing that any update would just be “a list of our frustrations.”

As of publication, Sanchez is currently in stable condition at KU Medical Center.

“I want you all to know that this would not have been possible without your prayers, positive thoughts, and financial support,” Culbertson said.

LLC members senior Daniela Estefes-Santos, senior Valeria Lopez, senior Karla González, and sophomore Nataly Galindo selling drinks and snacks to raise money for Sanchez. | Photo courtesy of LLC

Link to Sanchez’s GoFundMe.

“I WANT YOU ALL TO KNOW THAT THIS WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT YOUR PRAYERS, POSITIVE THOUGHTS, AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT.”

-MARGARITA CULBERTSON

Geometry in Action

Geometry in Construction students are using their skills to build a tiny home for a veteran in need

By Eve Loehrer | Editor-in-Chief

Olathe North’s Geometry in Construction program is making a difference by building a house for a veteran in need. Led by teachers Jeremiah Baer and Michael Wagner, students spend two hours in the class every day, spending half of the period learning geometry concepts and the other half applying the skills they learned to construction projects. Students have spent all year building up their construction skills to prepare for building the veteran’s tiny home and are almost ready to start assembling it.

Baer was connected with this opportunity through Mattersville, “a non-Profit company and community designed for combating veteran homelessness, PTSD, and suicide,” accord-

ing to their website. One of their major programs is Heroes and Hybrids, which pairs veterans with wolf-dogs.

“I didn’t realize before I went to there, how many veterans all the time are committing suicide and having struggles that we don’t even realize,” Baer said.

Baer learned of Mattersville while visiting family in Colorado. The Mattersville location in mountainous Sedalia, Colorado was built after the closing of the Rocky Mountain Wildlife Foundation and took over the foundation’s mission of providing a sanctuary for injured and abused wolf dogs.

“I rank this right up there with swimming with the dolphins, like this was one of those bucket-list items that’s just so cool,” Baer said. “Before we went

there I would have never guessed that we would have hooked up with these people.” While visiting the sanctuary, Baer learned that Mattersville was opening another location near Topeka, and the plan for the project started to form.

“Ever since we started the program, we wanted to build like a tiny home and give it away and have a move that bus moment, but we just never had that opportunity,” Baer said.

The first year of the Geometry in Construction program was the 2019-2020 school year, which was cut short due to COVID. The class had been building a shed and planned to finish installing it outside after spring break, but were unable to finish it when the school year was cut short. The

past few years have been spent building the program, and Baer is excited to finally fulfill his goal in building a tiny house.

To recruit students to Geometry in Construction, Baer presented information about the class to Algebra I classes. Geometry in Construction takes up two hours of students’ schedules and fulfills both a geometry and a technology credit.

“It’s kind of convenient [to have two hours of Geometry in Construction] since you don’t have to move anywhere,” sophomore Davian Davidson said. “You get more time to work on everything and if you get done early you can work on other stuff.”

The first half of the class is usually spent in Baer’s room learning geometry skills, and then students move over to the shop to apply their new skills.

“I really wanted to get to know math better because math is my favorite subject,” sophomore Baylie Stith said. “I was told that being in this class I’d use the math that I’ve learned so that’s really the biggest reason I wanted to be in here.”

For example, students learned about the Pythagorean Theorem and then applied the theorem by determining if a shape was a perfect square in the shop.

“I have definitely started using some of these skills for stuff in my room, like if I want to put stuff up, instead of having to go get my dad to do it I just do it myself,” Stith said. “I definitely understand a lot of our concepts a lot better, so I think I can use that in the future.”

Many students in the class, including Davidson, had no construction ex-

perience before joining the program. Emphasis is placed on learning how to use all the tools and different construction techniques so when the time comes, the students are prepared to put the tiny house together. The components of the house will be built at North and then transported to the site. In Topeka, Mattersville is laying the foundation so it’s ready when the students arrive to construct the house.

“What we’re going to do is go in and put the whole house together in a day,” Baer said. “We’re going to have forty kids show up, put the house together, [and] we’re going to be sending waves of kids over to the wolfdogs because they do a therapy experience. [The kids] get to go

inside of the pens and pet the wolfdogs.”

Both Mattersville and Geometry in Construction have been fundraising for the project, but they still need a little more help to be able to execute the project.

“We’ve done our fundraiser that we’re trying to help with and it’s raindrops. Everybody’s donating just a little bit of money that they can,” Baer said. “It looks like if we get a few more pieces to fall into place, we’re going to be able to have this done. Right now we’re just going to move forward and say we can do it.”

The tiny house is going to a veteran named Dave, who has been unhoused.

Davidson says his favorite part about the class is being able to make a difference in someone’s life.

“You get to make projects for people and you get to know you’re helping someone,” Davidson said. Enrollment is open for next year, and Baer hopes to continue doing similar projects in the class in the future.

“For the future students, come out and be a part of something that’s awesome and something that’s going to pull on your heartstrings but you’re also going to learn some life skills.”

The date has not yet been set for assembling the house, but it will be sometime fourth quarter.

“My dad raised me not to be a crier,” Baer said,” but I have a feeling that when we do the move that bus moment and actually deliver the house to Dave, I have a feeling I’m going to be tearing up.”

Above: Sophomore Evan Halvorson lays out where to place the joist hangers.

Left: Sophomore Baylie Stith hammers in joist hanger nails.

Above: Sophomores Nakel Dean and Namir Franklin put in the joist hanger nails for a joist hanger.

Forgotten Faces

Hightlighting lesser known Black historical figures for Black History Month

By Bria Dawson | Staff Editor

Art by Pidge Stephens | Staff Designer

When it comes to African American History, Dr. Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, and Frederick Douglass are names that are frequently mentioned. Although these heroes have paved the way for African Americans and deserve to be known, there are many other figures that are often overlooked who have not only done great things, but inspired the minds of Black people across the world.

Bayard Rustin (1912 - 1987)

Rustin was a close advisor to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and was a leader in the social movement for civil rights. Rustin led many marches in the 1940s-1960s, one of them being the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963. Rustin’s homosexuality and former association with the Communist party led some to question King’s relationship, but King acknowledged Rustin’s skills and dedication to the movement for change.

Gertrude Bustill Mossell (1855-1948)

Mossell was a journalist, author, teacher, and activist. Using her knowledge from the Institute for Colored Youth and the Robert Baux Grammar School, she gave a speech called “Influence.” This speech moved the editor of the African Methodist Church’s newspaper known as The Christian Reporter, who then published her speech into the paper. Following this, he would invite Bustill onto the team to publish essays and poems. Throughout her career, she inspired many African American writers and journalists, proposing the idea that the African American press had a larger mission in journalism.

Thurgood Marshall (1908-1993)

After graduating law school, Marshall worked on Civil Rights cases for African-Americans. In the Brown vs. Board of Education case, Marshall argued to the Supreme Court that “separate” was not equal. A part of the case included an African-American student in Kansas that wanted to go to a school six blocks away from her house instead of riding a bus to an all-Black school over a mile away. The justices agreed with Marshall and in 1954, school segregation was abolished. As desegregation was beginning, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Marshall to be the first African-American justice to serve on the Supreme Court. He continued to fight for Black people, using the law as his weapon.

Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005)

In 1968, Shirley Chisholm became the first Black woman in Congress. Not only was she elected into Congress, she was also the first African-American woman to seek nomination for President of the United States from one of two parties. She was very successful in her career but often said that being both Black and a female was a handicap in the workforce. The road to the top was not easy for Chisholm. She was discriminated against when it came to her Presidential nomination. She was not allowed on TV for the primary debates and even after legal action, she was permitted only one speech. Chisholm wanted to be remembered as “a woman who dared to be a catalyst for change.”

Madame C.J. Walker(1867-1919)

Walker had been inspired to create hair products for Black women after losing her own hair. This inspiration then turned into “The Walker System”, which included the use of scalp preparation, lotions, and iron combs. At this time, products for Black hair were mainly being produced by white manufacturers. To differentiate herself from her competitors, she sold her homemade products directly to Black women, often going door to door. She had many accomplishments such as creating a beauty school named after her daughter in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and moving “The Madame C.J. Walker Company”’s headquarters in Indianapolis. She hired over three-thousand Black people, mainly women, to work for her, giving Black people more job opportunities. The most notable of her accomplishments was becoming the first Black woman millionaire in America.

Sweet Dreams

By Paige Keith | Staff Editor

It’s my junior year, and my alarm is going off at 6:45 a.m. I hop out of bed to get ready, upset that my sleep couldn’t be longer considering I went to bed only five hours prior. I don’t know if I should be mad at myself for applying for a job where my shift ends at 10 p.m. or my teachers who assign homework every night with no end in sight.

Once I’m ready, I drive to Starbucks and get an inappropriate amount of additional shots of espresso added to my macchiato to help get me through my day. The first week of my junior year one of my teachers made a PSA to the class that junior year was one of the hardest years and that if you had a job then “good luck.” I definitely needed luck. Almost every day was a struggle.

Many students, like myself, have time demands outside of school, such as holding down a job and/or having extracurriculars, making it harder to

fect my sleep because we get out at like 11 p.m.,” senior Ramon Pineda said. “I fight sleep in class every day.”

The feeling of being burnt out after an eight hour school day followed by a work shift or an extracurricular is a feeling many know all too well.

“I’ve been struggling recently to find my spark again,” Belton High School senior Maddy Streiff said. “With school dance and competitive dance, I’m practicing morning and night, sometimes twice a day. I am exhausted. Dancing as much as I do plus trying to work 14 hours a week is hard, which is probably why I only get five hours of sleep a night, maybe.”

The pressure of balancing academic stress, sleep, and a social life can increasingly weigh on students.

“I actually don’t really get to have a social life since my schedule is always so busy,” Streiff said. “Aside from that, I’m struggling just to stay up after work or dance to complete my homework and get more sleep.”

The last thing students want to do when they get home from school is do even more work for their classes.

all of my homework.” For some, getting a full night’s sleep is a dream. For others, it’s a reality. “I try to get eight hours of sleep on school nights,” senior Mallory Graybeal said. “I’m only scheduled for three hours a week and I don’t usually have homework and I’m an aide but if I didn’t have that time to read outside of school then I’d probably be behind in DS.” Many hold down a job during the school year for plenty of reasons. Some might have to save for college or others might just enjoy having a fat bank account. Regardless if you’re a workaholic or saving for something big, many students fail to remember to take care of themselves, putting sleep on the back burner. “My advice would be to re-evaluate commitments and scale back so that you can take care of yourself physically and mentally,” counselor Nicole Etherton said. “I know so many students feel the pressure to be involved in so much but the candle can only burn at both ends for so long. Extracurriculars provide some amazing opportunities but learning to prioritize is an incredible life lesson too.”

regulate an appropriate amount of sleep.

“If I have homework then having a job does make things difficult, because I get off at 9 p.m. so I have to stay up late to finish it,” senior Jessica McCue said. “It’s really hard for me to wake up the next morning on the days after I had work right after school.”

According to kidshealth.org, children aged 13-18 years old should sleep for eight to ten hours a night but for most in high school, going to bed at a reasonable time is mostly unrealistic.

“I usually get four to five hours of sleep, and yeah, having a job does af-

“I work about thirty hours a week,” senior Damien Dixon said. “The time I spend working is time I could be using to get my homework done, but either way my homework has to be done so I just stay up later in order to finish it. My grades have been maintained but school isn’t a top priority like it used to be.”

A blow to academic success can be one of the many cons that follow the other time demands most students have.

“I have like a C and an F right now. I work out immediately after school and then I have volleyball practice so I get home really late,” sophomore Bria Dawson said. “I get around six hours of sleep a night and I get too tired to stay up and do

North students struggle to balance extracurriculars, academics, and sleep

“I FIGHT SLEEP IN CLASS EVERY DAY.”

-RAMON PINEDA, 12

“I KNOW SO MANY STUDENTS FEEL THE PRESSURE TO BE INVOLVED IN SO MUCH BUT THE CANDLE CAN ONLY BURN AT BOTH ENDS FOR SO LONG.”

-NICOLE ETHERTON

A Country Divided

By Eve Loehrer | Editor-in-Chief and Jackson Stephens | Copy Editor

It’s clear that the political divisions play a large role in today’s political climate, which was especially evident after it took fifteen votes for Kevin McCarthy to be elected as House Speaker. The Chronicle interviewed five politically-interested North students about their views on political division and current issues in the country.

What’s the most pressing issue in the country today?

“Cost of healthcare because a lot of people delay care and die because they can’t afford healthcare.” -Nithya Kailad, 12

“The most relevant to right now or most politically divisive would probably be abortion.” -Logan Thomas, 10

“Everyone hates each other. If we refuse to listen to each other, we will never get any work done. Our politics are often fueled by whatever ‘ism’ is easily accessible at that moment, and it’s actively harming a majority of our population.”

-Lynn Setter, 10

“The most pressing issue facing the U.S. today is the matter of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.” -Nate Hallowell, 12

How did political division affect the House Speaker election?

“I think a lot of people are being divisive just because they think they look cool when they’re doing it, and so I think that’s part of why people refuse to vote for Kevin McCarthy [as] the Republican House Leader.” -Nithya

Kailad,

12

“I think there’s just a lot of stubbornness and ignorance. I feel like compromise or just coming to an agreement was definitely possible.” -Aarushi Pore, 12

“It showed the disarray within the Republican Party on its own and it shows how that could possibly affect future elections within their party.” -Logan Thomas, 10

“Party in-fighting was the catalyst for the speaker election. With such a slim majority in the house, a small faction of more radical Republicans were able to in a sense ‘take control’ of the house. This in-fighting has become very prevalent since the Trump era and it will be interesting to see how this affects future votes that are usually seen as ‘simple.’”

-Lynn Setter,

10

Trump has announced his plan to run in 2024, how do you see this playing out?

“I think people will be paying more attention to the Republican primary. I also think a lot of people are tired of his behavior and his drama regardless of whether or not they agree with him so I’m not really sure if he will be very popular. I don’t think either of the candidates in 2020 were very popular and I hope that the US is not eager to see an election with such unpopular candidates again.” -Nithya

Kailad, 12

“My hope is that he doesn’t find any success, but honestly I definitely think there will be a strong group that would that will advocate for him, so I think there will be some tug of war there.” -Aarushi

Pore,

12

“I’m guessing that Trump is planning to run no matter what whether he’s nominated or not. If Trump is running off of the party I think that DeSantis is probably the next likely nominee.” -Logan

Thomas, 10

“Donald Trump deciding to run will force Republican candidates to adopt Trump’s messaging in order to steer the party’s constituency away from Trump. [...] Ron Desantis will look appealing to these people, as he will be seen as a Republican without the baggage of Trump.” -Nate

Hallowell,

12

How do you see the current political climate affecting the 2024 presidential election?

“I’ve seen the last couple of years, when it comes to elections, [...] the party is prioritized over the actual issues. People tend to vote for just a person rather than what they stand for just because they represent their party. They want to vote for that person whether or not they’re actually a good person that wants to advocate for their people.” -Aarushi

Pore, 12

“With part of the republican party behind Trump, a part of the Republican Party behind DeSantis, “DeFuture,” and the rest behind a more moderate set of candidates, the infighting could easily give a Democratic majority. Just as well, with Biden and his documents, as well as his age, many Democrats will be split as well, which could give way to a Republican majority. If these parties want to survive past 2024, they are in dire need of communication.” -Lynn

Setter, 10

“Republicans right now are largely divided between ‘Trumpians’ and Orthodox GOPers. Trumpians largely emphasized a non-interventionist foreign policy, while the GOP has quite infamously been known as the Party of War. In order to appeal to Trump’s base, many Republicans will (and have) adopted non-interventionist rhetoric, even though they obviously don’t mean it.” -Nate

Hallowell, 12

AI TAKES

AI AND ART

By Eve Loehrer | Editor-in-Chief

Artificial intelligence tools have taken over social media. On TikTok especially, numerous filters are available that use AI to transform users. For example, the popular AI Manga filter has been used on over 130 million videos. But how do AI programs create such realistic results? Just like any other AI, the algorithm has to be taught. And the source of this learning material? Art created by real artists.

Although using art only to train the AI may seem harmless on the surface, ethical concerns, including art theft, arise when looking at the finished products created by these programs.

tars” using keywords from users, can replicate the style of certain artists.

“I can see my hand in this stuff,” artist Kelly McKernan said in an interview with The New Yorker. “See how my work was analyzed and mixed up with some others’ to produce these images.”

Although AI generated images are not direct reproductions of artists’ original works, it still infringes their copyright as they do not consent or are given compensation for the use of their art.

“They don’t have to pay a computer to make art, but they have to pay a person to make it,” senior Caz Bridenstine said.

AI has been gaining popularity in STEM fields, but Bridenstine doesn’t believe AI has a place in art and creative fields.

“[AI] can definitely help out with some jobs [that are] more technical and can really benefit from having a computer do things to save other people’s time,” Bridenstine said. “But with stuff from a creativity aspect, computers can’t really think for themselves, so they have to steal thoughts that have already been made by someone else.”

Many student artists at Olathe North don’t believe AI-generated art is ethical.

“I think it’s really disrespectful towards artists the AI steals from and I also think it could be threatening the art industry for future generations,” senior Sophia Hinshaw said.

Art used to train the AI is often used without permission from the original artists. Programs like the Lensa AI app, which creates “Magic Ava-

AI-generated works may be able to replicate the style and skills of real artists, but can they compare to the real thing?

Junior Madi Reseigh doesn’t think so.

“AI, specifically in creative communities, is detrimental to skilled creatives that spent years of their lives honing their skills to create a product with emotion and it’s something no AI can recreate,” Reseigh said. “AI shouldn’t replace real people doing real work.”

“Shrek Mona LIsa” generated by DeepAI. Although the Mona Lisa is in the public domain, AIs still have access to copyrighted works.

“Patrick Mahomes portrait” by DeepAI. This image is not a great likeness, but technologies will continue to improve, allowing users to generate images of players under NIL laws. This may prompt legal action to be taken to rectify this loophole.

“THEY DON’T HAVE TO PAY A COMPUTER TO MAKE ART, BUT THEY HAVE TO PAY A PERSON TO MAKE IT.”

-CAZ BRIDENSTINE, 12

OVER... AI AND STEM

By Menaka Garapaty | Editor-in-Chief

High school students in STEM classes are being exposed to a new level of technology-enhanced learning. The introduction of ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence model developed by OpenAI, is providing students with exciting new opportunities to explore and understand complex science and math concepts. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the positive impact it’s having on student learning and engagement.

I didn’t write that introduction. That was written by ChatGPT. I simply asked it to “write a news article introduction about the applications of ChatGPT

and into daily life. “Explain string theory in football terms.” ChatGPT can do it. Received a meal from Hello Fresh but didn’t get the recipe card? ChatGPT can come up with recipes with only the given ingredients. Have an urge to rap about marshmallows with Drake’s flow? ChatGPT’s got it. The conversational Artificial Intelligence gets this information from internet databases to create personalized answers to these requests. According to BBC’s Science Focus, the model is “constantly improving its understanding of prompts and questions to become the ultimate know-it-all.”

Senior Jackson Stephens is interested in the applications of AI. He can see the benefits of students using chatbots, as well as the negative effects.

“High school students will be high school students—some will use AI to get out of doing busywork or to straight up cheat if given the opportunity using chatbots like ChatGPT,” Stephens explained.

“There are also students who will use AI for educational purposes. I think they’d use it for tests/running models and stuff.”

But when it comes to more complicated, multi-step demands, the OpenAI platform struggles. Senior Joey Wiltanger tested out ChatGPT’s accuracy in his math classes, but it worked only to a certain extent.

used action verbs, but that’s all stuff I could have figured out myself. It was really bad.” The ChatGPT website warns users that the model “may occasionally generate incorrect information” and “may occasionally produce harmful instructions or biased content.” This could make users think twice about using AI for complex tasks, especially with the dangers surrounding AI biases. “AI does not have its own morals; they have to be programmed in. And for certain AI, morals are not very important, meaning that derivations of that program could be disastrous in the wrong hands,” Stephens explained.

As the technology further blends into daily life, another downside to AI is the problem of unequal access. While ChatGPT is currently a free model, many other forms of Artificial Intelligence are not.

“I think ChatGPT will eventually become subscription-based which really only exacerbates the disparities in access to resources based on people’s socioeconomic status,” senior Isobel Li said.

in high school STEM classes,” and it responded with a biased perspective that not every student would agree with.

On one hand, the chatbot is making waves beyond the tech industry

“I had an assignment about doing linguistic analysis on three of my writings for my statistics class, and I tried to use ChatGPT to get a good analysis because I didn’t think I was able to do it myself. But it was really bad,” Wiltanger said.

“It only compared them and said one was sad and one was happy, and it said that I

There are many risks with the development of AI, but in the right hands, it can continue to transform the way we gather and apply information from medicine to entertainment. With easy accessibility, ChatGPT served as a direct introduction of this technology’s capabilities for many students. And for those interested in pursuing a STEM field, a future of AI is in sight.

“AI is a powerful tool, and the fact that it’s available to high school students is pretty amazing to me,” Stephens said. “We’ve got one of the world’s most powerful brains in our pockets.”

“HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WILL BE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS— SOME WILL USE AI TO GET OUT OF DOING BUSYWORK OR TO STRAIGHT UP CHEAT IF GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY USING CHATBOTS LIKE CHATGPT.”

-JACKSON STEPHENS, 12

SFT Rebuild: Old Traditions and New Memories

By Taylor Sales | Photo Editor

Santa Fe Trail Middle School was founded in 1967 and is the oldest middle school in Olathe. Fifty-six years later, SFT is getting new walls and a minor location change. The school is moving to the previous track location, which is located behind Washington Elementary. Olathe North is only four minutes away, so most SFT students are slotted for North. With so much history in the old building, staff and students are hoping to carry old traditions into the new building.

the memories from the old building.

“I’m excited for the newness of it all and making it our own” he said.

Melissa Erker attended SFT during her junior high years.

“I’m going to miss all the memories that are built into this building. I think the new building will bring about some change and new traditions,” she said.

Liz Watkins has been at SFT for 19 years. SFT is a confusing layout for newbies but you grow used to it and start to admire its uniqueness.

“I’m going to miss knowing where everything is in the old building” Watkins said.

Halle Heeren, a senior at Olathe North who attended SFT, says

that her favorite part about the school was, “the courtyard in the middle. It made navigating the building easier.”

Izzy Neuburger, also a senior at North, says that she will miss the old layout.

“Lots of memories were made there and all will be missed,” Neuburger said. This year’s sixth graders will be entering the new building as eighth graders, in 2024. To make sure the transition is smooth, staff, parents, and students will get to walk the new building towards the end of the rebuild, as well as receiving frequent updates. Everyone is excited about the new school building and the traditions that will start there.

Being the first middle school in Olathe, SFT has a very unique layout. With a commons pod in the center and classrooms expanding around it. The new school will look more like other schools’ layouts, along with more parking for school events. The new building will cost $60 million; students and staff plan to be in the new building fall of 2024.

Principal JJ Libal wants to make sure, “our diversity is well represented, some of the old history is in the new building, and that our students are well represented.”

Chris Buss has been at SFT for ten years. In his eleventh year, he is teaching seventh-grade Social Studies. With multiple classes and students in his career, he is going to miss all

Above: Construction site of new school building, Newkirk Novak. I Photo by Taylor Sales

Below: Front entrance of Santa Fe Trail, redone during 2018-2019 school year. I Photo by Taylor Sales

“Our diversity is represented, some of the old history is in the new building, and that our students are well represented.”

-JJ Libal

The Media is Obsessed Idaho College Murders

By Vin Parazin | Advertising Manager

tails that were given to the media included a grainy image of a white fifth-generation Hyundai Elantra driving past the site of the murder in the early AM hours of November 13, 2022. Many people took to social media to report various white Hyundai Elantra’s, but no lead had come out of them. Once the suspect’s information was revealed, more notable details emerged. Kohberger had traveled from Washington to Pennsylvania, where he was apprehended by law enforcement. He

Sincemid-November, when four University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, and Ethan Chapin were murdered, media stations across the country began to report on nearly every aspect of the case. But what made this murder case so different from other homicides in the United States?

The murders occurred on Sunday, November 13th in Moscow, Idaho, during the early AM hours. The suspect, Bryan Kohberger, entered the building where six University of Idaho students lived. Out of the six, four were killed, and two were uninjured. There seemed to be no apparent relationship between the suspect and the victims, and all victims died of apparent stab wounds, as opposed to gunshot wounds. In general, murders in Idaho are relatively rare, as, according to the CDC, just 42 people fell victim to homicide in 2020, one of the lowest numbers in the US that year. It also took a relatively long time to apprehend the suspect. Before the suspect was arrested on December 30th, details reported to the public about the potential suspect were scarce. The few de-

was then extradited back to Idaho and has since faced the court system numerous times. Before his arrest, Kohberger was in the process of receiving a Ph.D. in Criminology at the University of Washington. Between the length it took to find the suspect, the bizarre nature of the murders, and the suspects profile as a criminology major, much interest has been generated across the country. It is a natural human instinct to know the unknown, and people who work in the journalism industry capitalize on this. Many tabloids thrive on a lack of a “full story” to get people to ask “why?” and ultimately do more re-

search. A caption of an Inside Edition clip reads “What Happened to Bryan Kohberger’s face?”, which is later explained by his razor cuts while incarcerated. Information like this is certainly unnecessary to the actual case, but media outlets like Inside Edition are aware that this story will generate interest, and therefore, viewership. Many of the tabloid’s biggest fixations, such as the Royal Family and Britney Spears, are based on very little to no information that is given to them. As a result, the tidbits of information that are given are often magnified and often mixed with pure speculation. This case is no different. Perhaps the biggest example of this case is the story of Kohberger’s journey to Pennsylvania, when he got pulled over in Indiana twice within a ten minute timeframe. Numerous media sources and internet vigilantes reported that the FBI had instructed the Indiana State Troopers to pull Kohberger over to observe cuts on his hands, which in turn, caused more interest among viewers. This murder case, because of its bizarre nature, has generated much interest among the media sites, and it seems that other stories of a nature like this will also become speculated in the media.

“It is a natural human instinct to know the unknown, and people who work in the journalism industry capitalize on this.”

“Media outlets like Inside Edition are aware that this story will generate interest, and therefore, viewership.”

ticket

By Jackson Stephens | Copy Editor

What’s the deal with Ticketmaster?” many Taylor Swift fans trying to buy tickets for her tour asked back in December as Ticketmaster’s website struggled to deal with heavy demand. Many fans were unable to get tickets as they were quickly bought up by other fans and scalpers who wanted to resell the tickets at greatly inflated prices.

Ticketmaster was founded in 1976 by two college staffers who designed a program to sell tickets for events at their college. The company slowly grew until Fred Rosen took the position of CEO and quickly bought up his competitors, including its largest competitor, Ticketron, in 1991. More recently, Ticketmaster and live entertainment promoter Live Nation

merged in 2010. Several artists spoke out against this move, including heartland rocker Bruce Springsteen who wrote an open letter to his fans about the situation

Design by Pidge Stephens

turmoil

in 2009 after Ticketmaster severely bungled ticket sales for his upcoming tour. In addition to calling Ticketmaster out for its poor handling of ticket sales, Springsteen also argued against a possible merger between Ticketmaster and Live Nation, saying that “the one thing that would make the current ticket situation even worse for the fan than it is now would be Ticketmaster and Live Nation coming up with a single system, thereby returning us to a near monopoly situation in music ticketing.”

Funnily enough, the US Department of Justice is investigating Ticketmaster for possibly breaking antitrust laws in light of its high ticket prices for several artists in recent months, including Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen (again), and Blink-182.

But what is a trust? According to Investopedia, a trust is a market structure where a single seller or producer assumes a dominant position in an industry or a sector. This means that one company owns an entire industry, forcing consumers to buy their product because there is no other option. This allows companies to charge however much they like for products that may or may not be of good quality.

Ticketmaster’s struggles with high ticket prices come primarily from two reasons: dynamic pricing and service fees. Dynamic pricing was implemented in an effort to deter scalpers from buying large quantities of tickets by increasing the price of tickets as they are sold. The issue is that the faster the tickets sell, the faster the price increases, so when fans buy out a majority of tickets

for an artist’s show in an hour, the price of the remaining tickets is astronomical. The other issue plaguing the

company is the service fees it charges. These fees can comprise up to 30% of the total ticket price and cover the cost of the website’s operation. Keeping servers up and running and hiring people to maintain them comes at a cost that is put on the consumer.

Ticketmaster is not the only company that has a stranglehold on its industry; companies such as Amazon, Sirius XM, and Google have also sucked the life out of most of the competition in their industries.

Some people may wonder why Ticketmaster essentially unifying the ticketing industry is a bad thing. If everything is run through one system, wouldn’t it make it easier for the consumer to track their ticket and for venues to know how

“the one thing that would make the current situation even worse for the fan than it is now would be ticketmaster and live nation coming up with a single system...”

-bruce springsteen

“the us department of justice is investigating ticketmaster for possibly breaking antitrust laws in light of its high ticket prices...”

many tickets they’ve sold for a show?

The answer is that it’s a double edged sword: Ticketmaster having a monopoly on ticketing can mean that there is a better consumer and client experience when it comes to live shows, but there are other implications to that arrangement. Ticketmaster buying up all of its competitors means that it owns the market and can set the price of tickets as it likes. When companies achieve a monopoly on a given sector of the market, the consumer experience takes a backseat to increasing profit margins. If, for example, a company had a monopoly on the cutlery industry, it could decide it wanted to make its product out of paper in order to reduce production costs. Obviously, a fork made of paper would not be very practical but because that company has a monopoly on that portion of the market, the consumer is forced to buy and use paper cutlery while old cutlery made of metal or

plastic skyrockets in value because of its practicality and because it is no longer in production. Up until the late 19th century, companies could and did do things like this, albeit nothing as drastic as this. Teddy Roosevelt signed the Sherman Anti-Trust Act into law in 1890, breaking up trusts all over the market, particularly the railroad and oil companies. Since then, the American economy has been fairly monopoly-free. At least it was until the past 20 years rolled around. Large advancements in technology and changes in American life have allowed companies to have larger presences in the market. With the advent of online shopping, Amazon has dominated all of its competitors. Walmart, Target, and other grocery chains have tried their hand at online shopping but if you ask yourself when you last ordered something online from either of those stores, that will tell you how big Amazon has become in recent years. Google has found itself in a similar situation. Google’s search engine now comes default on Android devices and the company’s name has been turned into a verb (google that) - if that doesn’t demonstrate how pervasive the company has become, I don’t know what will. Other search engines exist, such as Bing and Yahoo, but the large majority of Americans (over 270 million of them) choose Google first. Google having a monopoly on search engines may seem fairly innocuous at first, but a deeper dive reveals its more sinister possible im-

plications. Google controls what results come up when a search is made, meaning that they can blacklist certain websites they don’t want to promote by showing them to the user. Google currently only blacklists sites that it deems to be dangerous for the user, such as sites that could give users viruses, but that could change in the future. If Google continues to grow, it will occupy an even larger portion of the search engine space and could have essentially a monopoly on information. A monopoly on information would be dangerous because it

would allow Google to control what information does or doesn’t come up on searches. How many dystopian movies have you seen where the group in control limits the information the general populace has access to?

All of this is to say that Ticketmaster is just the beginning. If the DOJ recognizes what these bigger companies are doing, they can stop things before they get worse. Unrestricted corporate growth is good for companies but less than ideal for consumers.

“ticketmaster buying up all of its competitors means that it owns the market and can set the price of tickets as it likes.”

Boys, Girls Wrestling Have Winning Season

By Nate Gunderson | Staff Writer

With the winter sports season well on its way, let’s recap the boys and girls wrestling seasons. This year, the Olathe North boys wrestling team boasts one of, if not the most talented rosters in the whole state. They are led by returning state champions seniors Alec Samuelson and Cael Alderman and are poised to make a team state championship run. In mid February, the boys varsity team took home a Sunflower League title. Sophomore Vance Provost, Alderman, and Samuelson all took home first place honors. The boys are currently ranked third in the state as a team, however they still feel like they’re being overlooked.

190-pound senior varsity wrestler Kreagen Barron said, “We’re flying under the radar again. Everybody’s doubting

us, nobody’s ready because we’re coming.” This seems to be the sentiment among the team as they are all anticipating the State tournament and believe they have a great shot at winning it.

165-pound varsity wrestler Provost said, “We work [hard] in practice and we have definitely put in the work to achieve our goal of a state title. I guarantee you there’s not another team out there that’s working as hard as us and pushing each other everyday like we are. There’s no days off.” When asked about the teams chances at a team state title, Alderman put in bluntly, “We’re winning.” The boys state wrestling tournament started on February 24th. Meanwhile, the Olathe North girls wrestling team had an incredibly

strong season. Despite only starting the girls wrestling program at Olathe North two years ago, the girls wrestling team has made tremendous leaps and bounds. They are led by team captains sophomore Kaylan Hitchcock and junior Hailey Conley. Last year, Hitchcock took second place in the state tournament and is currently ranked first in the state at 120 pounds. Conley is currently ranked second in the state at 235 pounds. Overall as a team, the girls are ranked eighth in the state. They have upwards of 20 wrestlers on the team, which is an enormous jump from only having five wrestlers just two years ago, demonstrating the progress of girls wrestling in the past five years. The team did great at State overall, and Hitchcock claimed a state title.

Sophomore Makenzie Sharp advances to the finals at KSHSAA State Wrestling event. | Photo courtesy of Josh Price

Junior Hailey Conley advances to the finals at KSHSAA State Wrestling event. | Photo courtesy of Josh Price

Critical

Conditions?

By Nate Gunderson | Staff Writer

Sports are beloved for a variety of reasons. Whether it’s providing a much needed escape from real-world problems, invoking fond memories or childhood, or providing a community that people from all walks of life can experience, billions of people all around the world participate and love the world of sports. However, there is also a darker side to this beautiful world, and that’s the injuries that can occur. Injuries are the most heartbreaking eye opening events in the sports world. They remind us players aren’t video game characters out there on the field, but rather real life people with families and lives. As fans, it is often easy to forget this. But on January 2, 2023, an event that would forever alter the sports world took place.

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin stood up after making a tackle on Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, took two steps, and then

collapsed onto the field. He would lay there for 30 minutes while being attended to by the Buffalo Bills athletic and medical staff. Shortly after, it would be revealed that he went into cardiac arrest. He was unresponsive for another 10 minutes before being placed on a stretcher and taken by an ambulance to Cincinnati Medical Center in critical condition. All of this took place in the middle of a nationally televised Monday night game with playoff implications on the line. Millions of people throughout the world watched a professional athlete, people who are often seen as invincible and untouchable, collapse in front of our eyes with no idea whether or not he would survive. This unprecedented event shone a light on a side of sports that is often forgotten. Remarkably, Damar Hamlin would make a full recovery. He was released from the hospital just ten days later on January 12 due to the quick actions of the Bills medical and training staff. Damar Hamlin’s life was saved by Buffalo Bills head athletic trainer Nate Breske, assistant athletic trainer Denny Kellington, physical therapist Joe Micca, assistant athletic trainer Tabani Richards, and medical director Dr. Leslie Bisson. With the rest of the staff’s help, head athletic trainer Nate Breske administered CPR on the field as well as in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. His quick actions as an athletic trainer are credited with saving Damar Hamlin’s life. This was an overwhelm-

ing event to people all around the world, especially people who are hoping to become athletic trainers or sports physicians. Our own Sports Medicine program at Olathe North was directly impacted by this tragic event as we have numerous students who are hoping to become athletic trainers. When asked about the issue, freshman Sports Medicine student Tadashi Weitkamp said, “This incident has changed my perspective on athletic training by demonstrating the importance of being the first responders on that field and the hard fact that the players are counting on you to save their lives.” While this was eye opening to students in our Sports Medicine program, many of them also said the reason they want to become Athletic Trainers is due to the fact that they can directly impact and help take care of those athletes by making sure they’re safe out there on the field.

“Injuries [...] remind us players aren’t video game characters out there on the field, but rather real life people with families and lives.”

Noah Schnapp Comes Out

By Alyana Spence | Staff Editor

Art by Pidge Stephens | Staff Designer

This January, Noah Schnapp broke the internet with an announcement he made in a lighthearted video to his fans.

18-year-old Schnapp came out as gay through a TikTok on January 5th.

The Stranger Things star plays Will Byers, a closeted gay teenager in the Netflix series. Schnapp has previously confirmed that his character Will is gay, and many fans found the commonality between the two unique.

“I think it is ironic that he played a gay character but I also think it makes a lot of the scenes he was in more powerful and meaningful,” senior Ethan Johnson said.

tor for me when I came out,” said Johnson. “I felt like I wasn’t alone and like I had a sense of community.”

In recent years, LGBTQ+ representation in the media has grown significantly, and it has become much more common for well-known figures to come out. Despite some increased acceptance, some celebrities have been forced to come out as a result of speculation about their sexuality. This can be extremely damaging for these people, as coming out is a major life event that can have many implications.

“I remember recently when Kit Connor, an actor in a show called Heartstopper, was kinda forced to come out after fans kept on speculating about his sexuality,” Johnson recalled. “It was unfortunate when Kit was forced to come out, but I’m glad Noah was able to on his own terms.”

The media had a strong reaction as well. After Schnapp announced his coming out through TikTok, other social media platforms and news sources began to report on the news, prompting lots of comments and posts from fans.

“I felt like the media reacted fairly well,” Johnson said. “Especially since other actors have been forced to come out when they weren’t ready to share that part of their lives yet.”

When well-known people such as celebrities come out publicly it has a significant impact on the community, especially for people that identify as LGBTQ+.

“That was a motivating fac-

Kit Connor and Noah Schnapp are just two of many celebrities whose coming out greatly affected the community. In June 2021, linebacker Carl Nassib became the first active NFL player to publicly come out as gay, making history. He shared this news through a video on Instagram, similar to Schnapp’s announcement through TikTok. Nassib, who currently plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, also committed to donating $100,000 to the Trevor Project, a non-profit dedicated to preventing suicide among LGBTQ+ youth.

Amit Paley, the executive director of the Trevor Project, acknowledged Nassib’s announcement and contribution to the charity.

“We hope that Carl’s historic representation in the N.F.L. will inspire young L.G.B.T.Q. athletes

across the country to live their truth and pursue their dreams,” Paley said. According to the New York Times, Nassib’s coming out was “met with ready public support both from the league itself and the Raiders” (Nassib played for the Raiders at the time of his announcement). Both Noah Schnapp and Carl Nassib are excellent examples of the positive impacts that celebrities coming out can have on the community. Both stars took to the media to make their announcement, helping to normalize LGBTQ+ representation among public figures.

-

“THAT WAS A MOTIVATING FACTOR FOR ME WHEN I CAME OUT. I FELT LIKE I WASN’T ALONE AND LIKE I HAD A SENSE OF COMMUNITY.”

- ETHAN JOHNSON, 12

“IT WAS UNFORTUNATE WHEN KIT WAS FORCED TO COME OUT, BUT I’M GLAD NOAH WAS ABLE TO ON HIS OWN TERMS.”

ETHAN JOHNSON, 12

Boba Tea Review

By Menaka Garapaty | Editor-in-Chief and Eve Loehrer | Editor-in-Chief

Your favorite seasoned boba drinker and token white girl visited three local boba destinations to determine the best boba place in the area. We judged them based on factors such as boba quality, serving size, and cost effectiveness. To keep our ratings consistent, we ordered a classic milk tea and a fruit tea both with tapioca pearls from each location.

Ding Tea

Ding Tea was a great start to our boba review journey. We ordered a classic Brown Sugar Milk Tea and Passion Guava Tropical Refreshing Tea, both with brown sugar boba and 70% sugar/sweetness. While each drink was $5.25 and an extra $0.90 for boba, you get what you pay for because they definitely don’t skimp out on boba. Ding Tea also had the best value as all iced drinks come in a 20 oz cup. For a typically subtletasting drink, Ding Tea’s Brown Sugar Milk Tea had just the right amount of flavor. The Passion Guava Tropical Refreshing Tea is a great drink option on a warm, summer day. Even with 70% sweetness, it’s quite sugary but not overbearing. However, the boba texture was too tough. While it might have been a faulty batch, we enjoy consistency here. But Ding Tea wins for best interior aesthetic with a clean and natural vibe. Although there isn’t a ton of seating space, Ding Tea is located right next to Oak Park Mall so you can grab your drink and enjoy it while shopping.

Kung Fu Tea

Kung Fu Tea did not disappoint. It’s the only location of the three with multiple size options: regular and large. We ordered a Honey Milk Green Tea (milk tea) and a Guava Black Tea (fruit tea), both regular sizes with boba and 70% sweetness. The milk tea was $4.75 and the fruit tea was $4.55, with an extra $0.65 for boba. The Honey Milk Green Tea had both the perfect amount of sweetness with a creamy texture that melts in your mouth. The Guava Black Tea was still very sweet despite only having 70% sweetness, but it was made with real guava which elevated the flavor. There were guava seeds in the tea, but it wasn’t so many that it was overwhelming. Most importantly, the boba was *chef’s kiss* in sweetness, flavor, and chewy texture. The biggest downside of Kung Fu Tea is the lack of seating inside. The interior is very small, with the only tables being used to store menus and carryout drinks. We noticed that ordering ahead for pick-up was the most popular method of purchase. So, if you’re looking for a place to meet friends or do work, Kung Fu Tea is not the place to go.

Fat Bee Drinks

Best Seating

Fat Bee Drinks is probably the most well known amongst the three locations, and for good reason. We ordered the Classic Thai Milk Tea and the Passion Sunset (fruit tea), both 75% sweet with brown sugar boba. The base price for all specialty drinks like these are $5.75 and an extra $0.90 for boba. Usually, a Thai Milk Tea has earthy flavors, made from strongly-brewed black tea and a concoction of spices. As Menaka’s personal favorite boba beverage, it was judged with high expectations. That being said, the drink was good, not great. It was lacking its usual amount of flavor, so 100% sweetness might be a better option. To Eve, the drink tasted like caffeine. The Passion Sunset had no complaints. The tea had a citrusy tang with the perfect amount of sweetness, and it included fresh fruit. Unfortunately, the boba quality did not meet the same caliber. It tasted bland, missing the brown sugar in “brown sugar boba.” However, the inside of Fat Bee Drinks is spacious and “dine-in” friendly, making it a popular place to hang out with friends.

Best Value Best Aesthetic Best Location

Best Boba

12236 W 95th St Unit A, Lenexa, KS 66215

7504 W 119th St, Overland Park, KS 66213

6936 W 135th St, Overland Park, KS 66223

Valentine’s Day Horror Stories

By Paige Keith | Staff Editor

“In kindergarten, I spent a lot of time making my Valentine’s box for the other students to put candy in. As I was walking into school, I tripped outside. The box broke and I busted my lip. I still got candy though.”

“In the 7th grade, this boy kept asking me out on Snapchat and I kept rejecting him and I even resorted to the lie that my parents wouldn’t let me date because he wouldn’t leave me alone. On Valentine’s day, he approached me with all of his friends as I was with all of mine and asked me to be his valentine with a bag of 500 Hershey kisses in front of all of our friends. I just stayed silent, accepted the kisses, and waited for the bell to ring to use that as my excuse to leave the scene.”

“On Valentine’s Day, I bought the wrong flowers for my girlfriend. I thought roses and tulips were the same thing.”

“I’ve never had a valentine but my mom stopped buying me chocolate a few years ago. Embarrassing.”

“I spent $60 on us at Top Golf. That was horrific.”

artist spotlight on MEL DUGBLO

By Eve Loehrer | Editor-in-Chief

Senior Mel Dugblo has always been interested in art, and is capping off their high school career with AP Studio Art. Dugblo does both traditional and digital art, but explores the similar themes across both mediums.

“I draw a lot of Black people and Black characters and Black joy,” Dugblo said. “Some of it does tend to center around femininity and clothes and your relationship with it.”

Dugblo draws a lot of inspiration from Pinterest and pictures of people.

Dugblo’s favorite work they’ve done is a portrait of a model they created in late 2021 or early 2022.

“I’m astonished of how I managed to do it,” Dugblo said. “I’m very impressed with how I captured her likeness because she’s just so pretty.”

Dugblo is also inspired by other artists, and one whose influence can be seen in Dugblo’s AP Studio portfolio is Japanese freelance artist Ikegami Yoriyuki. “Their stuff is insane, it has this dream-like quality about it,” Dugblo said. In addition to portraits, Dugblo is currently working on character design. They want to create their own cast of characters and implement them into a cohesive story.

“I’m designing this cast of characters that’s like an all-girls high school, but instead of an all-girls high school it’s an all-bugs high school,” Dugblo explained. Process-wise, Dugblo suggests putting every idea down on paper.

“What’s the worst that could happen? Nothing is the worst that could happen,” Dugblo said. “So just literally go for it and it could be the sickest thing ever.”

Although Dugblo is majoring in Sociology at Wichita State University next year, they hope to take some art classes and continue creating. “I’m never gonna stop,” Dugblo said. “Even if I wanted to, I don’t think I could. I’m being held hostage.”

Above: The portrait of the model Dugblo described. Dugblo’s favorite part of the portrait is “the texture and in the face and the skin” they achieved.

From the Runway to the Hallway: Two-Piece Sets

By Vin Parazin | Advertising Manager

Cute and comfortable, these two-piece sets are an evolution of the famous Juicy Couture tracksuits that were very popular throughout the 2000’s. Two piece sets have same material on both the top and bottom of the set. Athleisure brands, such as Adidas and Nike, have begun to advertise these. Here are some of the two-piece sets, as seen on Olathe North Students!

Kehinde Awe, 12

Lanie Gardner, 12

the Hallways Heard It in

By Eve Loehrer | Editor-in-Chief

Read some wacky, authentic, out of context quotes from the hallways of Olathe North!

“In my Panther Era.”

“To dye or to die? The only choice for ginger people in America.”

“It’s my favorite concussed person!”

“The Great Gatsby will make you think about how much Nick and Gatsby smooch.”

“A real yawn is a yawn that inspires.”

“What’s with you and belly buttons?”

“Upstairs water tastes disgusting.”

“We talked about what a boob is for like 20 minutes.”

“You look like a Roblox character sometimes.”

“I’m gay for pointy boots.”

“She’s giving synthetic vibes.”

“I like perky A’s.”

“I shall now go use the loo.”

“It’s not mutually exclusive, you can be gay and have friends.”

Northviews March

By Jackson Stephens | Copy Editor

Above: Reno Sweeney, played by senior Ella Bentley, and her angels perform “Blow, Gabriel, Blow,” in a rehearsal for North’s production of Anything Goes on Saturday, February 4. | Photo by Eve Loehrer

Below: Senior Josh Parrish takes the ball down the court on a fast break against Shawnee Mission North. | Photo by Crystal Babb

Left: Sophomore Ben Stone II played Moonface Martin in North’s production of Anything Goes. | Photo by Eve Loehrer

Below: Junior Isaac Goitom went to State for the 400 free relay this year.

| Photo by Tabita Morales Torres