We're Back!

the chronicle

After a year of remote and hybrid learning, North students can finally say

WE

RE BACK!

letter from theeditor editor

Contact Information

Mailing address: 600 E Prairie St. Olathe, KS 66061

Phone: (913) 780-7140

Email: rcaveon@olatheschools.org

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Letters to the editor can be submit ted to the email address listed above. Letters may be published in print. Letters may not be personal attacks against an individual and may be edited for brevity or legibility.

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Dear Eagles, A lot’s changed since The Chronicle published its last issue in February of 2020. We spent a year separated with few opportunities to connect. Stands sat empty and classes were taught through a screen. But this year, the Eagles are back, in person, and ready for an other great year of learning and school spirit!

In this issue, we welcome back old students and introduce new stu dents to everything taking place at North this year, from sports to dances to performing arts events. Last year, we were unable to publish a physical volume, but this year we’re so excited to bring the newspaper back on paper!

Purpose

The Chronicle is the official high school news publication of Olathe North High School and open forum distributed to all students eight times a year. This is the first issue of volume eight. The Chronicle is printed by the Sedalia Democrat, 700 South Mas sassachusetts, Sedalia, MO. 65301. 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 responsi bility 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.

Eve Loehrer

staff staff

Editor-in-Chief

Eve Loehrer

Copy Editor

Vin Parazin

Staff Editors

Mallory Graybeal

Jackson Stephens

Staff Writers

Bria Dawson

Paige Keith

Elizabeth O’hara

Jackson Palmer

Gracya Snowbarger

Rae Turner

Staff Designer

Alexsys Rhodes-Irvine

Staff Photographer

Avery Johnson

Editor

Luke Martin

Robert M. Cave,

Eagle Opps Explained

By Jackson Stephens | Staff Editor and Jackson Palmer | Staff Writer

The period known as “Eagle Opps” has gone through a couple revi sions over the past few years. It started in 2017 as “Eagle Halftime”, a 50 minute period in the middle of the day where students could eat lunch, get ac ademic help, and hang out with their friends, while also serving as a mental break in the crazy world that is high school.

Now that school is back in ses sion full time, many students are won dering how Eagle Opps works while other students already have some opin ions on North’s unique study hall hour. “I like that it allows us to eat lunch with people we choose and that we have a designated time to meet with teachers or clubs”, junior Matt Coffman said. “I thought Eagle Halftime was better but I understand why the change was made.”

Some students are still wondering why Halftime hasn’t made a comeback now that everyone is back in person. According to Principal Jason Herman, Half time hasn’t returned because, “To the state, we weren’t proving enough academic min utes throughout your entire day because we had 50 minutes of [free choice], right? I couldn’t prove that Jimmy and Sally were ac tually going and getting academic support unless it was put in Student Conductor.” Unfortunately, this means that Halftime is unlikely to return to the school in the fu ture. However, Eagle Opps is an alternative that some students find useful. Sopho more Carter Steenhard particularly enjoys the independence the hour gives him.

“I like the freedom to be able to go to clubs and get help from teachers and potentially see friends,” Steenhard said.

What exactly is this hour of freedom that occurs four times a week? Luckily, Herman has the an swer to this question and more. He explains Eagle Opps as a “place to support a break in the middle of the day where students have the option to deter mine how they want to use some academic time. (...) They also can determine when they and who they want to eat lunch with. Eagle Opps. equals Eagle opportunities.”

In short, Eagle Opps is essentially what Halftime was, just with more structure. Do you have lunch during office hour A and want to eat with your friends that have B? Get a pass to go see a teacher during A and hang out with your friends during B. There are also ways to make bet ter use of your time if you are in a pinch.

“[I]f you chose to, you really could go see

Above: Students in the 200 hall take advantage of the movement portion of Eagle Opps. “I wish we had more time to see two teachers every day.” sophomore Rae Turner said. | Photo by Amanuel Geremew

two teachers (...). You’re like ‘I’m gonna just kind of eat my lunch as I’m moving, but I’m gonna go see my English teacher and then I’m gonna go see my math teacher cause I really need help today twice,’” Herman said. Is there a possibility that Eagle Opps could be altered to give the students more freedom? In a word, no. The only way Eagle Opps would change would be to remove it from the schedule entirely. Herman says that Eagle Opps is “[s]ubject to change, for sure. As a matter of fact, if we end up not liking it, I can automat ically just adopt the other high school schedules and bring them in. I don’t want to go there yet. I’m not ready to give up.” However, there is a silver lining: as long as grades stay up, Eagle Opps re mains available to the student body. Herman is optimistic that Eagle Opps will remain a staple at Olathe North but takes that with a grain of salt as well. “I will have more proof I think if I were able to get to Spring Break, because I’m

gonna have a lot of grades, attendance, (...) [and] I think the data will back it up, but maybe not and then we would go traditional, andI guarantee you the minute I switch us back to traditional we’ll have bigger issues,” Herman said.

There are other factors that go into the decision of taking away Ea gle Opps. The district always has a say in how the high schools do things, but Her man is still optimistic that the district will continue to allow Eagle Opps to remain as long as students take advantage of it.

“I think there’s people in the district that want to see this succeed. But it’s almost like we’re the pilot and if it doesn’t work then (...) it’s not a thing. If it works, we’ve worked all the bugs out and we’ve got [a] way to prove to the other schools that this can work”, Herman said.

Speaking of work, Eagle Opps is not a one-man project. It’s an enterprise that takes an entire school’s worth of hard-work ing educators and staff to keep oiled,

maintained, and running buttery smooth.

Herman expounds on how hard his staff is working, saying that “the teach ers, the administrators, my office staff, ev erybody, the counselors, we’re all working harder to make Eagle Opps work, where if I pulled all of that out, Student Conduc tor, all of that stuff out, it’d be easier on the teachers, it’d be easier on me. It’d be easier on the lunch folks (...) who feed you guys.”

Herman acknowledges that the staff works harder than their counter parts at other schools around the district, but all the extra work is for the students.

“We are trying something harder than what the other schools are trying to do. And it takes a lot more effort and time for us to do it. So the easy answer is: I’ll just pull us out and it’ll be easier for everybody. Life would be easier for all the adults, but [that’s] not what I think is best for kids, so that’s why we’re trying to do it.”, Herman said.

Above: Students enjoy the outdoors during their lunch break in Eagle Opps. | Photo by Jackson Stephens

Below: Students enjoy the show during the Homcoming Assembly. | Photo by Jackson Stephens

A Parking Fiasco

By Paige Keith | Staff Writer

Chaos

hits the Olathe North park ing lot as soon as the clock strikes 3:00 pm, as everyone darts to ev ery exit available. The scene becomes a madhouse, and you’re fortunate to get out of the parking lot before 3:15 pm. Ac

fully, Officer Reid helped file a report.

Students state that they are up set with the parking lot situation, whether they caused the accident or not. Insurance should cover most scratches and dents on the damaged cars, students claim, but

“Maybe if more people took Drivers Ed then stuff like this wouldn’t hap pen”says sophomore Hannah Rupert. Students claim that once the hectic drivers are gone, it’s smooth sailing. The chaotic nature of the parking lot plus

Left: Cars sitting in traffic in the parking just after students were dismissed. Students have often complained about how long it takes for them to exit the lot. | Photo by Paige Keith

hop out of the car and walk home”.

Most students feel that walk ing home rather than driving would just save them the trouble of hav ing a stressful exit from school.

“I hate how backed up the lines are when you try to leave, and I’m al ways afraid that I’m going to hit some one in the parking lot. One day it’s go ing to happen,”says junior Sydney York.

York’s acceptance of seeing herself hitting a car in the near future is unfortunate, but plausible, and she can speak on all students behalves that one of the main concerns when exiting the

parking lot is hitting other students’ cars.

“The parking lot is stressful, mainly because it’s a bunch of impa tient kids trying to rush out at once. I feel if people just knew how to drive it wouldn’t be so bad. It always depends what time I get out of the parking lot, based on who’s nice enough to let me out. I hate the school parking lot and wish it was bigger” says junior Zayda Carell.

Carell’s distaste towards the parking lot is agreeable by many. Most students don’t have positive things to say in regards to our parking lot.

Lastly, Senior Sam Cox declares

that, “I’m not out of the parking lot till usually 3:15, which is funny because my car is literally right by an exit. I think we need someone out there directing traffic.

I don’t have time to waste in the park ing lot when I have work after school”.

Cox speaks for all when stating that the parking lot is not a place to waste time when most have obligations after school. Unfortunately, this problem does not have many solutions, but in the end, another day of not getting hit in the Olathe North parking lot is a day worth celebrating.

15%

of students in the parking lot who are underclassmen

47%

of students in the parking lot who are seniors

BLOCKED

Olathe North teachers and students react to the district’s technology restrictions.

By Eve Loehrer | Editor-in-Chief

Additional Reporting by Vin Parazin | Copy Editor

Aftercoming back from summer break this year, many students and teachers noticed that some of their favorite apps and websites had been blocked by the district on school computers. Some of these sites included Canva, Vimeo, and Chrome Extensions, which are used in classes throughout the school. This left many with questions, as they had never been blocked in the past and hadn’t caused problems in classes.

Canva, a graphic design plat form with a plethora of templates and layouts, is one of the blocked sites that caused the most issues for classes, espe cially the yearbook staff. This year, HerffJones, the company all the Olathe Schools create their yearbooks through, partnered with Canva to open up more design capa bilities for creating yearbooks. Yet these tools were not available for students to use.

“It’s really handcuffed and ham pered what students can do when designing the yearbook,” adviser Robert Cave said. However, the district did have a reason for blocking Canva. The app was used in a phishing scam to col lect information from users, and it may have affected all the Olathe Schools.

“I’m all about safety, I under stand the safety portion of it, but I think just blocking the site outright, without communicating that, without talking to the teachers, I think was a mistake,” Cave said.

Another application that was blocked without teachers’ knowledge was Vimeo. AP Chemistry teacher Rhon da Reist had used Vimeo to share vid eo lessons with her students for years, and has had to adapt to the change.

“I’ve started on a YouTube channel, but it takes an enormous

amount of time to move those videos,” Reist said. “I think that’s a waste of time.”

Although some of these blocked applications have unblocked alternatives teachers can use instead, other tools can not be replaced. One of these tools is the Chrome Extensions, which offers a wide range of features that can be easily ac cessed through the browser and add fea tures to other sites. An extension used by students in Spanish teacher Gersom Pare des’ class is Easy Accent Marks, which is used to make typing in Spanish easier.

inappropriate way, but I haven’t had any is sues with that, I keep it strictly educational.”

Junior Alex Teasley used an ad blocker offered by Chrome Exten sions so they could do their home work with fewer distractions. Howev er, their ad-free learning is now over since the Extensions store was blocked.

“I can’t go on a bunch of sites because I just get overrun with ads all the time. It’s really annoying be cause I had an ad-blocker and it was fine for a very long time,” Teasley said.

“I don’t understand the rationale.”

However, students are no strang ers to having their resources blocked without explanation. For example, many students used the extension Teleparty to watch Netflix with their friends last school year. It allowed students to connect with their friends even if they couldn’t physi cally be together. However, the extension was blocked on district devices last winter. “They blocked [Teleparty], which sucked because I actually used it with my friends,” Teasley said. “I kind of un derstand why they wouldn’t want that happening during the school day, but I don’t understand how it would hap pen during the school day anyway.”

“I was really surprised when Easy Accent Marks was blocked this year. I was really just trying to figure out why that was blocked, because it’s just a simple extension,” Paredes said. “I do acknowledge that there are cases where students have manipulat ed the extensions to their own benefit and used the extensions with their laptop in an

Students and teachers have been pushing for the district to allow more freedom, and their requests were finally answered. On Friday, September 25, many sites including Canva and Vi meo were unblocked on school devices.

“I didn’t expect to get the email that it was back available, because they were so adamant that it would not be,” Reist said. “I’m just glad I don’t have to worry about moving all those videos, but I do have a re ally cool-looking logo on my YouTube site.”

“I UNDERSTAND THE SAFETY PORTION OF IT, BUT I THINK BLOCKING THE SITE OUTRIGHT, WITHOUT COMMUNICATING THAT, WITHOUT TALKING TO THE TEACHERS, I THINK THAT WAS A MISTAKE.”

-YEARBOOK ADVISER ROBERT CAVE

TO MASK OR NOT TO MASK

By Vin Parazin | Copy Editor

Fromcoast to coast, including Olathe North, mask-wearing has be come a constant source of debate since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Angry parents on both sides of the issue have spoken in front of board meetings, and many lo cal politicians running for the Olathe school board have made mask-wear ing a focal point in their campaigns.

Students have also been divided about the issue. Some, such as sophomore Shauna Facteau, said that wearing a mask has not helped her feel safe at and around school.

“I don’t like them because for someone with anxiety, it’s kind of dif ficult to [wear them],” Facteau said.

Others, such as junior Nithya Kailad said that the mask re quirement has been effective in pre venting COVID-19 cases worldwide.

“Countries that have more mask [requirements] have lower death and transmission rates,” Kailad said.

Politicians, as well as students, are also divided about the role that masks

have played in the school environment.

With the general election for the Olathe Public Schools board around a month away, candidates Julie Steele and Brian Connell have been making mask-wear ing a focal point in their campaigns. Steele, who is running for the District 3 position against Jenni fer Gilmore, believes that masks should be required until health experts be lieve it is safe to stop wearing them.

“If masks will keep stu dents in school, it’s the right thing to do. Our goal should always be to get our students unmasked as soon as deemed safe to do so,” Steele said. Connell, who is running for an at-large position against current mem ber Brian Geary, has spoken at numer ous board meetings in opposition to the mask requirement. He instead has pro posed that masks should be optional.

“There is no data that our coun ty, state, and federal government has ac tually produced that masking does any thing significant other than to protect

mannequins.” Connell said at the Olathe Schools Board Meeting on August 3rd. Outside of Olathe, school board meetings have become hotly contested as well, with many parents on both sides of the issue fighting each other. In Wil liamson County Tennessee, just south of Nashville, parents against the mask re quirement heckled masked parents leaving the school board meeting. At that same meeting, actress Leigh Allyn Baker, who appeared as Amy Duncan in Good Luck Charlie, prominently spoke out against the mask mandate. And in Johnston County North Carolina, US representative Mad ison Cawthorn was accused of bringing a knife to their school board meeting. Overall, the divide be tween wearing or not wearing a mask in schools has been a major one in school districts all across the country, including the Olathe School District.

“Just like the differences in students in many ways, masks repre sent that wide arc, as well,” Steele said.

“I appreciate [wear ing a mask] so people don’t see my face.”

Dunkley, 11

“I think it’s good, wearing masks allows us to protect our communities.” -Aarushi Pore, 11

OPINIONS ON MASKS

“I think the mandate should only pertain to those not fully vaccinated.” -Kaylee Rider, 9

Jackson Palmer

Olathe Gets an Upgrade

By Jackson Palmer | Staff Writer

Downtown

Olathe is going through major changes, whether it be bull dozing old buildings or build ing new ones. Although getting rid of old buildings is not the main focus on improv ing Olathe rather than celebrating Olathe’s history, values are a main focus in the city. Downtown Olathe has some of the oldest buildings and these buildings physically represent the historical development of Olathe. The residents are proud of the at mosphere and what better way to celebrate than to embody the framework of buildings that have been there for countless years. Providing necessary infrastruc ture is a very important detail on improv ing the way downtown Olathe starts to succeed. To maintain the city, they provide services for residents and businesses. Over time, the city will have to replace old stop lights, improve roads and streets, and get rid of buildings that don’t do anything to improve the city. These improvements are to be made to upgrade the safety, appearance and convenience of Downtown Olathe.

“Ultimately when it comes to Downtown Olathe, you want to cele brate the City’s history and values while attracting and retaining new businesses,

customers and visitors.” Cody Kennedy, the Chief Communications and Market ing Officer for Downtown Olathe said.

A new library is coming to Olathe. This new library will be a head quarters to The Olathe Chamber of Commerce. The Olathe Chamber of Commerce is a partner that helps at tract businesses. “The library is sched uled to open in early 2023.” Kennedy Said Downtown Olathe has to create more ideas to compete with other com munities. Trends show that people are migrating to urban areas to live and shop. The economic growth is partially depen dent on non-local visitors supporting retail in the city so Olathe must stand out from other communities as they search from non-local shoppers too. “An active and vibrant downtown is key to becoming a destination for non-local Shoppers.” Said a board member for downtown Olathe.

Active transportation is being heavily looked at in Downtown Olathe. Traffic and micro-mobility are the main points of interest being looked at. These micro mobility ideas have consisted of electric scooters, bikes, and pedestrian walking. “These modes use little or no fuel,

do not emit greenhouse gases or other pol lutants, are very quiet and space-efficient, and make us healthier” RDG Planning Communications said. While micro-mo bility seems important, traffic is also a big part in the picture of active transportation. “For analysis purposes, the traffic was all redirected to Chestnut Street as it is sig nalized and has sufficient capacity for ad ditional traffic. With the additional traffic all the movements operate at a LOS C or better.” RDG planning communications said. Directing the traffic from the North and South side where the flow of cars is impacted the most to Chestnut where it has to space will help clear up the traffic.

Understanding the cultural value of this city is very important but keeping the city updated and adding new business to benefit the city may be sending the city tons of help. “ While the skyline may look differ ent than the past, it’s important to invest and update areas of our city so that they are pre pared for 2040 and beyond.” Kennedy said.

Above: Abstract artwork in Downtown Olathe, such as this piece, add visual flair to the area.

Photo by Vin Parazin

Left: With doors open, the Indian Creek Li brary aims to provide visitors a modern place to study and read. | Photo By Jackson Palmer

Eve Loehrer

After a year of remote and hybrid learning, North students can finally say

WE’RE BACK!

including an introduction to new staff, a look at Eagle Flight Crew, and a warm welcome to student crowds.

By Mallory Graybeal | Staff Editor

Meet the Teachers Paige Keith | Staff Writer Bria Dawson | Staff Writer

This year, The Chronicle welcomes fourteen teachers that are new to our staff, and also loans the spotlight to three teachers who were new to the North community last year! Read more to learn what they want you to know about them!

Jordan Burr | English

Q: What classes do you teach?

A: “Honors English I and English I.”

Q: What do you want students to know about you?

A: “They should always feel free to ask me if they need help with anything.”

Q: What character do you play as in Mario Kart?

A: “Yoshi because he’s the fastest.”

Tonia Lauxman | English

Q: What classes do you teach?

A: “English I and English III.”

Q: What do you want students to know about you?

A: “I’m excited to be an eagle!”

Q: Do you have any secret talents?

A: “Making titanium jewelry.”

Abigail Sparks | Math

Q: What classes do you teach?

A: “Algebra II and Geometry.”

Q: What do you want students to know about you?

A: “Long walks and hikes are my favorite!”

Q: If you were stranded on an island and could only bring three things with you, what would they be?

A: “Water bottle, food, my husband!”

Elizabeth Parker | Biology

Q: What classes do you teach?

A: “College biology and Biology.”

Q: What do you want students to know about you?

A: “I’ve wanted to teach at Olathe North since I went back to school to get my teaching license. I’m so happy to be here!”

Q: Are there any fun facts you would like to talk about?

A: “I used to be a dolphin trainer!”

John Morgan | Biology

Q: What classes do you teach?

A: “Biology and Guided Study Hall.”

Q: What do you want students to know about you?

A: “My door is always open if you need to talk.”

Q: If you won the lottery today, what would you do?

A: “After paying off debt I would by an expensive set of golf clubs.”

Matthew Richard | Physics

Q: What classes do you teach?

A: “Physical Science and AP Physics I.”

Q: What do you want students to know about you?

A: “I am excited to be here.”

Q: Do you have any secret talents?

A: “I’m reasonably good at ski ball.”

Adrian Martinez | Social Studies

Q: What classes do you teach?

A: “US History and Black American Studies.”

Q: What do you want students to know about you?

A: “My room is always open if you need someone to talk to!.”

Q: If you had to choose any other career, what would it be?

A: “A gameshow host so I could be on TV.”

Brent Schulte | Social Studies

Q: What classes do you teach?

A: “US History and Sociology.”

Q: What do you want students to know about you?

A: “That I truly love teaching and am so excited to be a part of the North community!”

Q: What character do you play as in Mario Kart?

A: “Donkey Kong, because it strikes fear in my opponents.”

Shaleh Ake | Spanish

Q: What classes do you teach?

A: “Spanish I and Guided Study.”

Q: What do you want students to know about you?

A: “My name is Ms. Ake, I speak Spanish.”

Q: If you could have any other career what would it be?

A: “I would be a professional portrait artist, because I love painting people.”

Molly Christmore | FACS

Q: What classes do you teach?

A: “Culinary I and Culinary II.”

Q: What do you want students to know about you?

A: “I love cooking and, of course, eating.”

Q: What’s the best Halloween costume you have ever done?

A: “Avril Lavinge.”

Micah Horton | Choir

Q: What classes do you teach?

A: “Eagle Men Choir, Concert Treble Choir, Advanced Treble Choir, Chorale, Northwinds, and Chamber Choir.”

Q: What do you want students to know about you?

A: “I’m a born-and-raised Philadelphia Eagles fan.”

Q: If you had to choose any other career, what would it be?

A: “Stay-at-home trust fund baby.”

Michelle Joy | Orchestra

Q: What classes do you teach?

A: “Freshman Orchestra (Instrumental Music).”

Q: What do you want students to know about you?

A: “I am a mother of four, I have been teaching since 1999, and I am very happy to be here!”

Q: What is the best book you have ever read?

A: “Educated” by Tara Westover is amazing.”

Taylor Stuart | Physical Education

Q: What classes do you teach?

A: “Freshman PE.”

Q: What do you want students to know about you?

A: “I couldn’t be more excited to be an Eagle!”

Q:If you could have any other career, what would it be?

A: “Nothing better than being a teacher at Olathe North. I’ve hit my peak. “

Evan Goehl | Resource

Q: What classes do you teach?

A: “Resource and Freshman English I.”

Q: What do you want students to know about you?

A: “If you see me and you need help, please just ask.”

Q: Do you have any secret talents?

A: “I have Narcolepsy and can fall asleep in almost any scenario in about 1 minute.”

Fabiola Sanchez Corona | ELL

Q: What classes do you teach?

A: “ELL Level II.”

Q: What do you want students to know about you?

A: “I have a baby girl, Alessandra, who is three months old.”

Q: What is your teaching philosophy?

A: “‘Your story is what you have, what you will always have. It is something to own,’ Michelle Obama.”

Maggie McKinley | Careers

Q: What classes do you teach?

A: “Career transitions for students.”

Q: What do you want students to know about you?

A: “I am so glad to be here! Olathe North is a great school to be a part of!

Q: What’s the best Halloween costume you have ever done?

A: “I dressed up as a mouse inside a cube of cheese.

Meet the Teachers

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Q: What character do you use when playing Mario Kart?

A: “Um, the green one?”

-Michelle Joy

A: “Semi-adventurous, clever, compact.”

-Jordan Burr

Q: If you won the lottery, what would you do?

A: “I would invest 75% of it in toilet paper (peo ple will always need toilet paper), and put 25% into a trust for my kids.”

-Micah Horton

Q: Are there any fun facts about you that you would like to talk about?

A: “My husband and I are always looking for the best restaurants around the city, so I always welcome suggestions!”

-Abigail Sparks

Q: If you were on a dating website, what three words would you use to describe yourself

Eagles Take Flight

By Bria Dawson | Staff Writer

The 2020-2021 school year was filled with masks, hy brid students, and online learning. Many have struggled with men tal health issues and financial problems. After overcoming a global pandem ic, members of the Olathe North Eagle Flight Crew are enthusiastically working to make the school a fun place after los ing the ability to attend games and events.

Last year, Students in the Olathe School District had the opportunity to choose whether they wanted to do in-per son learning or stay an online student. Those who were in-person were required to wear masks and social distancing rules were

also put into place. Junior Ava Stubbs, was an in-person student during the pandemic.

“It was very limited and I was not able to attend any school events or activities,” Stubbs said.

Eagle Flight Crew is in charge of many of the school events and activi ties during the school year. The restric tions that were caused by the pandemic prevented many of the things that Flight Crew members wanted to accomplish.

“I didn’t go to a single game last year and I would have if it had been allowed,” Kristina Pietrus, a senior in Eagle Flight Crew, said. Students are now all back in

classes, although they are still required to wear masks throughout the school day. Many students are happy to be on school grounds once again and be able to not have to deal with the rules and regulations that were once in place.

“It feels amazing, I actually get to socially interact with some of my clos est friends from the school and see them face to face,” freshman Jaedin Brady said.

Eagle Flight Crew’s main goal is to promote student body involvement. Amanda Harrington is a Sports Med icine Instructor at Olathe North, the District Head Gymnastics Coach, and Olathe North Softball Coach. This is her

Above: Juniors Ava Stubbs and Taylor Sales cheer in the front row at the football game against Lawrence Freestate. The Eagles went on to defeat the Firebirds 27-21. | Photo by Gracya Snowbarger

- Ava Stubbs

Top: Kyleight Connell, 11, Taylor Sales, 11, and Katie Nelson, 12, motivating the ON Football team in the front stands at ODAC. | Photo by Gracya Snowbarger

Left: Bennett Shearer, 9, goes all out at the Olathe North Football Game. With the theme being USA, Shearer dresses up as George Washington. | Photo by Bria Dawson

Below: Ameia Sanchez, 9 and Mya Underwood, 9, participating in the USA Out for the Olathe North Football team. | Photo by Bria Dawson

first year teaching the Eagle Flight Crew.

“I graduated from Olathe North and I loved being a student at ON. I want all ON students to have the op portunity to be involved and enjoy their time in high school,” Harrington said.

Harrington has been working hard to create a school that celebrates the school's sports and activities. Juniors and seniors have the opportunity to apply for Flight Crew, making a difference through out the school after a global pandemic.

“It has been a blast. I have such a great group of kids which makes my job easier,” Harrington said.

There has been positive feed back from the students about the new addition to the crew. Members of Flight Crew are noticing the differences that Harrington has made in the school.

“It’s been so fun! Harrington has the same energy level as all of the members and she gets just as excited as us,” Pietrus said.

“She also pushes us to be bet ter and be a great representation for the North. She does above and be yond for all of us and even all the oth er million things she has going on.”

The Coronavirus caused many to resort to the internet to interact with each other. Apps such as FaceTime, TikTok, and Zoom were many programs that were used during the early stages of COVID-19.

In August 2021, Flight Crew created it’s first social media ac count on Instagram, hoping to spread their messages through the web.

“Almost all students have one form of social media so it’s nice to know they can see our content

through the internet,” Pietrus says. Flight Crew now has Twit ter, Facebook, and Tiktok accounts. The Eagle Flight Crew Twitter has 214 fol lowers and their Instagram account has 480 followers and is still growing.

“There has been a growth in student sections at games,” Pietrus said.

“Students can stay in the loop and also see students repost our stuff for others to see!”

Many have noticed the ef fort that Eagle Flight Crew has put into the school. These students pride them selves in creating a school that is fun and creative, even after a global pandemic.

“I cherish every mo ment I get to see them because who knows, everything could get tak en away from us again,” Stubbs said.

“I CHERISH EVERY MOMENT I GET TO SEE THEM BECAUSE WHO KNOWS; EVERYTHING COULD GET TAKEN AWAY FROM US AGAIN.”

At North, the Crowds Are

BACK BACK BACK

By Gracya Snowbarger | Staff Writer

Asthe dismissal bell rang the after noon of Friday, September 3rd, thousands of Olathe North students left the school building and the weekend began. Yet this weekend started in a way that hasn’t been seen in nearly two years. At 7 pm, a student section filled with white togas would gather together and the Olathe North Eagles would kickoff in a football game against Shawnee Mission South.

As the history of the Eagles Football team presents itself the crowd was expecting nothing less than a thrilling game. Freshman Katie Philips sat in the stands that night as she experienced her first football game as a high school student.

“Honestly this was more than I was expecting, I thought I was over doing it with the paint, but I’m glad

I did it. It has been a lot of fun and I will be coming to more,” Phillips said.

Where the spirit generated from was present right off the field. Filling the first row, Eagle Flight Crew led students in chants, cheering, and kept everyone on their feet. As red Silly String infused the air, Senior Katie Hernandez shared why she decided to join Eagle Flight Crew this year.

“I wanted to keep the school hyped and keep up the tradi tions that previous flight crew mem bers have put down,” Hernandez said.

Traditions indeed stand strong at Olathe North. Anywhere from the classic fight song to being ready to shout “scoreboard” when they have the lead.

“I think our student section is the best because we are the loudest in the

district,” junior Heaven Triscornia said.

As storm clouds rolled in and light rain fell on the eagle student section the buzzer indicating halftime sounded. Holding a strong lead, the Eagles foot ball team became more and more con fident in the outcome of Friday’s game.

Yet just a few months ago stands filled with roaring fans weren’t present.

Sophomore Hannah Rupert, an Eagle cheerleader, tells how the lack of human presence at least year’s games affected her.

“Not having a student sec tion last year was hard and made it diffi cult to have school spirit, but now that it is back it is a lot better,” Rupert said.

The football game that night ended in the first eagles win, a score of 56-0. The stands started to emp

Above: Eagle Flight Crew members lead student section in “go bananas” chant during September 3rd toga-out varsity football game. | Photo by Gracya Snowbarger

ty and the Shawnee Mission South Raiders left with disappointment.

Just across the field the Olathe North students, teachers, cheerlead ers, and football players came together

to end the night. The long-known alma mater closed the game, but the cele brations of another victory continued.

As the Eagle’s football team pre pares for the rest of the season they dream

of many more successful nights. Only time will tell the true outcome, but no matter the ending score you can be sure to spot a fully themed student section on Fri day nights, ready to support their school.

Above: Seniors Allie Wolfe, Grace Yarnell, Josie Murphy, Maci Emerick, and Lucy Snyder join the crowd in prepartion for kickoff. | Photo by Gracya Snowbarger

Above: Kristin Kaufman, Ava Stubbs, Casey Neal, and Kyleigh Connell show their school spirit at the USA-out football game. | Photo by Gracya Snowbarger Left: Seniors Abbie Sorell and Tristan Madden wear white for the September 3 toga-out. | Photo by Gracya Snowbarger

Above: The Olathe North student section during September 10th Hawaiian-out varsity football game. | Photo by Gracya Snowbarger

‘Paint It Black’ Screamin’ Eagles

By Mallory Graybeal | Staff Writer

Aftertheir last sea son was minimized due to COVID-19 mitigation protocol, the Olathe North Marching Band is back with their first full marching show since 2019.

The show, titled Paint It Black, will be performed at marching band competitions across Kansas and Mis souri throughout the fall season. It fea tures the songs Paint It Black by The Rolling Stones and Both Sides Now by Joni Mitchell, and was composed by the head band director, Patrick McCarty.

“On a personal level,” Mc Carty said, “I’ve always wanted to in corporate [those songs] into a show.”

The Rolling Stones song was originally released in 1966 and has garnered large amounts of covers on

line, according to Second Hand Songs. “When I started looking at that song, and going down the Youtu be rabbit hole of cover versions of it, there were a lot of really cool different versions.

What’s great is when you come across a tune you like or works well for a marching band, but there’s also a lot of other versions that you can weave in and out of,” McCarty said, “it makes a really cool musical concept.”

There’s a lot of exterior mo tivations for what we do, as far as competition stuff, but it [COVID season] kind of, for me, led to this year being more like: Let’s not get all stressed out about the competitions and this and that,”

Last year, the band had to remove or limit almost all of their performances, in cluding half time shows and competitions.

“It’s been refreshing,” McCa rty said when asked about being able to have a full marching season again, “We took things for granted, and it got taken away, and now it’s back.”

“There’s a lot of exterior motiva tions for what we do, as far as competition stuff, but it [COVID season] kind of, for me, led to this year being more like: Let’s not get all stressed out about the competi tions and this and that,” McCarty said, “Let’s just put our eggs in the basket of creating a

-Patrick McCarty

Above: During half time the band leaned into playing “Both Sides Now' by Joni Mitchell. During that time, people sat and listened to the band played or they got up and got some snacks from the conssesions area. | Photo by Alexsys Rhodes-Irvine

product that we’re all proud of, together.”

“I think I see more fun being had [this year],” assistant band director Josh Maddux said, “instead of the ‘we are going to do the competition, and we are going to try to win the trophy, and we are going to do the thing.’ Those are all fine, but the plastic will deteriorate, the wood will rot on those trophies, but the time those people spent together, that’s the life long memory.”

The band has received var ious awards over the course of the years, including the Concert Band Gold Award and Outstanding Concert

Solo award at Festival Disney in 2019.

“I know I can speak personally as a director,” Maddux said, “I think part of our job is so focused in error detection and making things better, that I know it [COVID] made me step back and go, you know we can have fun and be silly here and there, and it’s okay, it’s not about be ing perfect all the time, like we wanna strive for our best, but band should be fun.”

The band has been working since May 2020 for this year’s program and it can be seen at Olathe North Foot ball home games and local competi

tions, including the Olathe Marching Invitational being hosted at College Bou levard Activity Center on October 9th.

“We can all get really excited about the product, but at the end of the day it’s people doing things together at a high level and achieving success,” McCarty said about putting Paint It Black togeth er, “That’s my absolute win, on a personal level, is just watching young people really go after it and take some music and a vi sual product and making it their own.”

Top: Gannon Cronin, Kelly McCoy, Carter Gray, and Ben Freizen perform during the haltime show on September 10th. | Photo by Alexsys Rhodes-Irvine Left: Drew Holzmark plays the trombone at the halftime show on October 10th. | Photo by Gracya Snowbarger

Right: Elizabeth Barrientos plays the alto saxophone during the halftime show on September 10th. | Photo by Alexsys Rhodes-Irvine

Riggs, 11

excited for] the variety

shows we are

this

Kotah Kauffman, 11

“I’m auditioning for the Importance of Being Ear nest and I am excited about it because The Im portance of Being Earnest is an old show and it’s a really good one that has [stood] the test of time.”

Eve Loehrer

theatre theatre

By Mallory Graybeal | Staff Editor

The Olathe North Theatre Department is bringing 6 shows to the stage for the 20212022 season! We talked to several mem bers of these shows about what they’re looking forward to and what we can expect to see this year. Read more below!

Sally Cotter and the Censored Stone

October 28-30

When

Sally falls asleep while reading books about a certain juvenile wizard, she dreams that she is a student at Frogbull Academy of Sorcery. There she meets Headmaster Albatross Underdrawers, Gamekeeper Ruebenon Ryebread, and Professor Shiftia Shape. But danger is lurking, and it’s up to Sally and her new friends Dave and Harmonica to defeat the schemes of the evil Lord Murderdeath. Will she become the hero like the one in her favorite series? And who is the mysterious Censor who keeps rewriting the story as it goes along?

and really fun,” Pelletier said.

Sophomore Mikayla Pelletier, senior Rob Ferguson, and freshman Anna Ferguson star in Sally Cotter and the Censored Stone. “I think we have a lot done in the show and the audience will really love it. You should totally come watch it because it’s going to be

Photo by Eve Loehrer

The Importance of Being Earnest

November 18-20

Wilde’s classic is a delight from the first cucumber sandwich on as Jack’s double life catches up with him. Two charming young ladies--sophisticated Gwendolyn from the city and naive Cecily from the country--are in love with Earnest Worthing. But there is no such person as Earnest Worthing. Gwendolen thinks Jack is Earnest, and Cecily thinks Algy is Earnest. Each girl swears that she could never love a man who wasn’t named Earnest. In the midst of all the confusion comes Lady Bracknell, who doesn’t like the idea of anybody loving anybody. The problems are resolved in an extremely charming and quite unexpected way as Jack and Algernon discover the importance of being earnest while answering to the name of Earnest.

Oscar

Carson Stucky, 10

Legally Blonde

February 16-19

LegallyBlonde

is the story of how sorority girl Elle Woods applies at Harvard in order to win back her ex-boyfriend, Warner, and gets ac cepted. Along the way, Elle finds a passion for law and is recruited into a law internship under one of her professors.

Squirrel Girl Goes to College: A Squirrel Girl Play

April 7-9

Squirrel

Girl, AKA Doreen Green, tries to make friends at college and succeed in her classes while hiding her super identity. Can she save the day without revealing her secret?

Mirror of Most Value: A Ms. Marvel Play

April 7-9

Teenager

Kamala Khan tries to make Ms. Marvel into a popular superhero while maintaining her grades, socializing with friends, and keeping her super identity a secret.

S.W.A.P.

May 5-7

S.W.A.P

stands for student written, acted, and produced and is the Olathe North Theatre Showcase of student written work. Any Olathe North Student is welcome to write a 10 minute script and submit it to be performed as a part of this showcase. Student Directors will cast the scripts chosen so that student actors are then acting in the student written scripts. Student Technical Directors will lead student theatre technicians in produc ing the shows. This is a great production to show off all of the amazing ways that students at Olathe North can use their talents in a theatrical way.

“I enjoy theatre and am wanting to experience high school theater and be a part of a show with a bunch of my friends.”

Rob Ferguson, 12

“Anyone can get involved in theatre, either as an actor, or working in one of the many tech posi tions including costum ing, set design, lighting, and construction, there’s really a place for anyone who wants to participate.”

by Eve Loehrer

the music that made us the music that made us

By Jackson Stephens | Staff Editor

According to a study published in the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, the music we listen to in our teen years plays a part in defining the person we become. Our teenage years are referred to as a “self-defining period” and the music we listen to during that time really sticks with us into our later years, so we at the Chronicle decided to find out what music defined some of North’s teachers.

Stuart Stern | Graduated 1969

What was your favorite album in high school?

“Abbey Road by The Beatles.” Why?

“The Beatles are my favorite group and in my opinion this is their best music.”

James Sparks | Graduated 1985

What was your favorite album in high school?

“The Wall by Pink Floyd.”

Why?

“Once I learned that Pink Floyd’s album The Wall was about England’s inability to deal with the young men in society who were fatherless as a result of WWII, I really liked listen ing to that because it meant something.”

“

Amanda Keltner | Graduated 1994

What was your favorite album in high school?

“The Low End Theory and Midnight Marauders by A Tribe Called Quest.”

Why?

“Q-Tip’s voice and delivery [were] so good.”

Terry Link | Graduated 1995

What was your favorite album in high school?

“Under the Table and Dreaming by Dave Matthews Band.” Why?

“It didn’t sound like very much of anything else. I played percussion and the drummer was fantastic, [and] continues to be fantastic for that band, but that also drew me to that particular album.”

Patrick McCarty | Graduated 1999

What was your favorite album in high school?

“Nevermind by Nirvana.” Why?

“That whole Seattle grunge scene, that was really sweeping towards the Midwest and the East Coast. It was also a time when I started playing drum set [...] and playing in a band, and that’s what we emulated.”

Amanda Fleetwood | Graduated 2006

What was your favorite album in high school?

“I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love and Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge by My Chemical Romance.” Why?

“I think I was just a really broody, angsty teenager [...] and it was like a way to express that angst.”

Chris Elniff | Graduated 2007

What was your favorite album in high school?

“The Information by Beck and Transatlanticism by Death Cab for Cutie and 2001 by Dr. Dre.” Why?

“I liked music that I could listen to when I was (...) getting ready for a track meet or a cross country meet and stuff to drive to, because I grew up in Baldwin, which is a little bit more rural.”

ON Homecoming Week

By:Rae Turner| News Paper

By Rae Turner | Staff Writer

Rae Turner

Below: A group of seniors participate in Crew Day. | Photo by Jackson Stephens

Left: Students participate in Dress like a Celebrity Day. | Photo by Tynee Leggett

Right: Students in Mr. Martinez’s Black American Studies dress as several different decades. | Photo by Paige Keith

Above: Senior Kristin Kaufman masquerades as the Kansas City Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce. | Photo by Owen Wells

Below: Junior Kaliyah McGinnis and sophmore Raejanae Latrese dress as twins for Wednesday’s Crew Day. | Photo by Rae janae Latrese

Above: Junior Vin Parazin dons a tiedye T-shirt for Decade Day. | Photo by Hope Bolton

Bonfire Bonfire

Hoco Game & CourtHoco Game & Court

Below: The ON Varsity football team defeated Olathe South at the Homcoming game by a score of 54 to 16. | Pho to by Carleigh Schuster

Above: Students at the Homecoming game dress as the game’s theme: camo and black out. | Photo by Gracya Snowbarger

Right: Seniors Maddy Ty son and Parker Lane took Homecoming Queen and King at the Homecoming football game during halftime. | Photo by Carleigh Schuster

Below: Olathe North celebrates the history of the school with an annual bon fire. | Photo by Paige Keith

Above: The bonfire featured activities such as a bouncy house, car smash, a photo booth and so much more. | Photo by Paige KeithBelow: Principal Ja son Herman pumps up the crowd at the annual bonfire. | Pho to by Paige Keith

Impact of Classroom

Decorations on Learning

By Gracya Snowbarger | Staff Writer

Attending

school is a universal expe rience among the youth. Whether education occurs in a public, pri vate, or homeschooling style it is no surprise that a lot of time is dedicated to learning.

From around the ages of 5-18 students spend at least seven hours in a classroom environment. In an article ti tled “Is There Enough Time to Learn” on Ed100.com it mentions that, “Each year consists of about 6,000 waking hours. Children in America, on average, spend about 1,000 of them in school”. It seems that the amount of time students dedicate to school is increasing each year as well.

How does the style of a class room affect students’ learning abilities?

How did forced online learning last year, as a result of Coronavirus, shift stu dents’ academic interests? And does the atmosphere of a classroom truly change a student’s outlook on education?

Junior Bridget Andrew, an ac tive and involved student, shares her

opinion on classroom decorations.

“I prefer a fully decorated classroom because it creates a fun en vironment to learn in and encourag es me to stay focused,” Andrew said.

While the majority of Olathe North students agreed that a bright, fun, and engaging classroom some found that it brought a distraction.

“I usually only have one big light on at a time and then a bunch of small ambient lighting. I person ally feel really anxious in a super well lit room and it becomes distracting,”

haven’t had much time to reflect on their new high school learning environment.

“I would say that classroom dec orations don’t really affect me that much and I rarely notice them,” Mebae says.

Yet in the end, the way a class room is set up comes down to individ ual teachers’ preferences. Kara Pittman, a social studies teacher at Olathe North, recently transferred classrooms at the beginning of the school year. Moving to a larger space Pittman had to re think the setup of her new classroom.

“The classroom used to have a projector covering the board, which I had them move to a different wall,” Pittman says.

She also shared her out look on classroom decorations.

“Too much on walls is over whelming but I do believe that they can be used as helping references, but doesn’t always have to be academic,” she added.

Students such as freshman Allenah Mebae

Personal interests in a learn ing environment are a common re

Above: Students work on a class asignment in the Geoscience classroom of Marsha Skozeck. “I like that the geo classroom feels like a welcoming enviroment and theres always something to look at”, Geoscience Academy member Lily Anderson, 12, said. | Photo by Jackson Stephens

currence in decorating styles. From teachers’ favorite colors and patterns to their favorite band posters. These additions not only create space teach ers are comfortable in, but also invite a stronger student-teacher relationship. English Teacher Amanda Fleet wood focuses on lighting and construct ing a welcoming space in her classroom.

“I usually only have one big light on at a time and then a bunch of small ambient lighting. I personally feel real ly anxious in a super well lit room and it becomes distracting,” Fleetwood said. Overall, both students and teachers at Olathe North tend to agree that although decorations and a classroom setup are important they tend to differ

depending on the subject. Senior Emily Maiwat feels that some classrooms need a more bright and energetic feel, while others thrive in a basic and focused style.

“I think it depends on the class room, sometimes I feel like it makes it more fun and welcoming, but it can also bring distractions,” Maiwat said.

Above: Deirdre Zongker’s classroom, Books and books stacked for students to pick and choose from. “I like Zongkers room, it is really interesting and I always find myself looking around”, Emily Maiwat, 12, said. | Photo by Eve Loehrer

Above: Jim Tarwater’s Class room, Students working away at their math work during their 6th hour. | Photo by Jackson Stephens

That’s a Little Fishy

or, who’s in charge of the fish tanks?

By Elizabeth O’hara | Staff Writer

Photo by Elizabeth O’hara

Inthe halls of Olathe North there are these very big fish tanks that have been decorated with coral and pretty blue rocks. Those who have never been to North or who are freshmen, might find these slippery finned amphibians intriguing.

The Geoscience Academy is why we have these water-breath ing beings in the first place. The acad emy was first introduced in 2003 and studies the ocean and its life through 3,000 gallons of saltwater aquaria.

Students who are in this academy usually study meteorology, oceanography, marine biology, paleontology, and more. “I like doing the water testing because you put the chemicals in the fish wa ter and then it glows bright pink and you’re like, wow super cool scien tist,” sophomore Amelia O’berg said.

In the past Geoscience went to many places to study the oceans. In 2019 they went to Texas and stud ied the fish by the oceans, and last year

geoscience was planning to go to Wyo ming but COVID-19 has delayed that.

“I think they’re really cool and a way to pro mote the academy,” senior Lily Anderson said.

The fish are counted and checked every year. They see what’s missing and usually purchase a fish that has died around the same time. They have a new pufferfish that has a possibility to be named Bruce.

There are all kinds of fish, from star fish to sea urchins. One in particular that has caught the attention of some students were the horseshoe crabs.

“I love them. My favor ite is the horseshoe crab. Me and my friends named one out of the two Stupid,” junior Lara Dunkley said.

The fish get fed mostly on Tues days and Thursdays by who is available. It’s usually sophomores that care for them specifically. The students even come to feed them and clean cages on winter break and spring break. It usually lasts a couple hours twice a week. Some students enjoy cleaning

tanks while others find it gross and difficult.

“Nobody likes clean ing the bow tank because it’s curved and it sucks,” O’Berg said.

What about when a fish gets sick? They will remove the fish from the tank and then quarantine it. It’s also important to remember where the fish goes when it has healed because cer tain fish can only live in certain tanks. “We are able to have a living reference to where we’re studying about,”Geo science teacher Marsha Skoczek said.

They are great for lesson planning and hands-on learning. Even though Olathe North is in the middle of Kansas, this class is able to have all these resources. Olathe North is the only school who teaches this and are very lucky to be able to teach such cool things.

‘I enjoy having the fish. It also helps with my biology class,” Skoczek said.

Shells consisting of many things like horseshoe crab shells and a still open clam shell along with a puffer fish that is still puffed propped up on the shelf . |

Heard It in

the Hallways

By Eve Loehrer | Editor-In-Chief

Your favorite article is back for the first time in almost two years! Read below to hear several authentic, out of context quotes from your fellow wacky Olathe North students.

“I’ve gotten like 3 teachers fired, I’m so good.”

“I just want chicken nuggets but I can’t have any. My life is so hard.”

“I’m not against slapping a child.”

“I’m not against fighting a girl.”

“I do not have a thing for hands!”

“Lick me.”

“And then they were roommates.”

“Oh my god they were roommates.”

“The Boston Tea Party was the most devious lick.”

“You should get waves.”

“Road rage is fun.”

“I look like an old lion that was left out in the rain.”

“This isn’t a Disney Channel original film.”

“I work at Jersey Mike’s. We don’t spit on our hands.”

“It’s not safe for them, actually.”

“You don’t send your kids to Catholic school if you love them.”

Northviews | October

By Mallory Graybeal | Staff Editor and Paige Keith | Staff Writer

Above: Juniors Taylor Sales and Kyleigh Connell participate in spirit week by wearing 70s and 80s gear on Decades Day.

love seeing everyone dress up for homecoming spirit week. After two years of not being able to, it’s fun seeing people go all out,” Sales said.

Right: Senior Abbie Sorrel poses with an Eagle head and a cooking pot decorated with paint during the football game on September 17th. The Eagles played Lawerence Free State and the theme was USA-out.

Above: Senior Brandon Gonzalez-Morales and sophomore Aiden Bruce cheer on the Eagles football team from the sideline during a game. The football team played Lawerence Free State on September 17th, winning 21-7. | Photo by Gracya Snowbarger.

by Paige Keith

Photo by Gracya Snowbarger.

Above: Junior Jacob Danner uses a sledgehammer to smash the hood of a minivan during the Homecoming Bonfire on September 30. The car smash has been an essential part of the bonfire activities. | Photo by Paige Keith.