April 2016 by Play newsmagazine

Play “ We are family ,

and that ‘s the most

important thing .“

Promposals

PAGE 12-13

Students on ‘The Voice’ PAGE 6 Maize High School. 11600 W. 45. St. N. Maize, KS. 67101

-Mark Larson

“No matter what type of race, how rich, how smart and what beliefs we have, we are all equal, living as one

PAGE 14-15

April2016

NEW LOCATION 443 N Maize Rd South of Central

Hours New specials Monday - Saturday Hours

Monday-Friday 10 am - 9 pm Saturday 10 am -3 pm Sunday Closed

Specials:

Mon: $0.99 tacos Tues: enchiladias Wed: chicken fried steak Thurs: tostadas Fri: brown bag Sat: two number 5 meals

3200 W. 13th St. N Wichita, KS

Monday-Friday 10 am to 6 pm Saturday 10 am to 5 pm

Parkas, Back Packs, Bomber Hats, Para cord, Dog tags and More!

Table of contents read.watch.play. Volume 9, Issue 5 | April 2016

The slam “donk” Mr. Eagle rides on a donkey during Future Farmers of America’s donkey basketball tournament on March 24. Photo by Lyndsey Piska. COVER: Photo illustration by Emily Brecht and Madi DeVore.

4 10 14 20

News

Senior Scott Hershberger is a finalist for the National Merit Scholarship.

Features

The Maize staff tells Play about their weird past jobs.

Now Playing

Adopted students share their stories.

Photo Focus

Students submit pictures of their spring break adventures.

6 12 16 22

News

Maize contemplates putting in bike path along 45th Street.

Entertainment Teens go all-out for ‘promposals.’ Play highlights a few.

Sports Senior Allie Jurgensen excels on the field and in the weight room.

Column

Maddy Rice remembers her late grandmother in a personal column.

Play is the official newsmagazine for and by Maize High School students. Play is published six times throughout the year. Play is a student publication and a forum for public opinion. Letters to the editor should be signed and around 300 words. The editorials and columns are the sole opinion of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the USD 266 Board of Education, the administration, the faculty or the adviser.

Play newsmagazine editor Kendra Cunningham Maizenews.com editor Savie Hughes Design editor Emily Brecht Photo editor Lyndsey Piska Features editor Nadia McLean Sports editor Justin Noble Advertisements manager Mikaela Stevenson Engagement editor Delanie Pierce Reporters & photographers Alaina Cunningham Allie Choyce Alyssa Garrison Audrey Fields Bailey Birkholz Brittany Casper Christian Hurst Hannah Jurgensen Kiara Ehrmann Lauryn McIntyre Lily McClaren Lizzie Bell Logan Dillon Maddy Rice Madi DeVore Madilyn Neigenfind Mandi Copp Nick Springer Paige Young Sadie Ast Shae White Taylor Stevenson Tyler Stuart Advisor Dan Loving

Raise your voice Submit a letter to the editor for the next issue to room D18 or mhsnewsmag@gmail.com Printed by City Print.

maizenews.com | AprilPlay

News

À la carte accepts I.D. cards as form of payment By Mandi Copp

nacking seems to be on the minds of most teenagers. However, a lack of cash may keep kids from being able to satisfy their cravings. The district has recently come up with one possible solution: students can now pay at the à la carte using their school I.D. cards. Since the policy went into effect on Feb. 8, kids no longer have to dig through their bags for extra quarters or beg their friends to spare a dollar. Julie Shrewsbury, the director of food service for the district, said one reason for this option being added is due to a new policy called the “smart snacks rule.” Shrewsbury said the rule is used to ensure that à la carte food meets the same guidelines as school lunches. “If lunchroom food can be purchased with [I.D.] cards, so should à la carte food,” Shrewsbury said. Shrewsbury also said that the new option was added to reduce the lunch line crowds. “Our intent was not to increase à la carte sales, but to help the traffic flow at both high schools by reducing some of the students in the lunchroom,” Shrewsbury said. Shrewsbury said there has not been any new price changes made to the à la

Photo by Lily Mclaren

Sophomore Peyton Sharpsteen uses school I.D. during lunch to pay for an à la carte item.

carte menu. Sophomore Peyton Sharpsteen said the change was a major convenience. “[The change] is amazing because I don’t always have cash on me,” she said. Principal Chris Botts said adding a new payment option will help to keep up with the constant changes in our

society. “I think [the change] is just a way to better accommodate students’ needs and the way we are all becoming as a country,” Botts said. “We’re very reliant on no cash, so this kind of goes in line with the trend that our country is showing.”n

Hershberger named National Merit finalist By Tyler Stuart

enior Scott Hershberger found out in February he is a finalist in the National Merit Scholarship competition. Hershberger, along with 28 other students from the Wichita area, were semifinalist, according to The Wichita Eagle. To qualify for the National Merit Scholarship competition, Hershberger took the PSAT his junior year and scored in the top one-half of 1 percent in Kansas. After taking the PSAT and receiving a 241 the finalists need to take the SAT and score high in that as well.. Nationally, there are about 15,000 finalists.

AprilPlay | @PlayNewsmag

“I was honestly kind of expecting it because the score,” said Hershberger, “the cutoff score for semifinalist is usually about 214 and I got a 233 out of 240 and then 90 percent of semifinalists advance to become finalists, so that didn’t come as a surprise either. Now whether or not I get an award, I don’t know. They give out several $1000, $2,500 awards, and then there’s some smaller ones as well, so I don’t know if I’ll get any of those.” Hershberger will find out whether he won or not within the next few months. n

Photo by Nick Springer

Scott Hershberger is now a finalist in the National Merit Scholarship.

News

Photo Focus 7

Finding your Voice

Spring flings

Performers talk about their experiences on ‘The Voice’

By Madilyn Neigenfind

nees wobbling, palms Senior Kaylea Stuart sang sweating, voice trem“All I Want” by Kodaline. bling, mind racing, junior “I like to sing, so I just Valen Sladek stood, a mithought it was worth a shot,” crophone clenched in her she said. fist. Sladek is one of one of Sladek said auditioning three students who teaches the performers a auditioned for NBC’s “The confidence that is hard to learn Voice” this year. from other experiences. Sladek made it to the “It was a really great experisecond round of auditions. ence,” she said. “There was a Contestants must pass lot of people everywhere just through three rounds singing, and everybody was before making it to blind really happy. I met a lot of auditions on TV. people and got to hear a lot of “I was shocked,” Sladek different voices. It was cool.” said. “There was only one Two years ago, Maize grad, Photo by Kiara Ehrmann other person in my group Kaleigh Glanton made it to Senior Christian Laursen sings “Hello” by Adele. In early February, that had made it, and she blind auditions. She earned Laursen auditioned in Chicago for the show but didn’t make it past had tried out four times a four-chair turn-around and the initial set of auditions. before that. So I felt good.” picked Blake Shelton to be Senior Christian Laursen, who sang Beyonce’s “Listen,” said her coach but lost in the second Battle Round. he believed picking a song he connected with on personal “I think it’s really cool because, especially in Wichita, there level would set him apart from other contestants. is not a lot of people who have done anything and are known “It’s a song about empowering yourself to follow your voice for being from Wichita,” Laursen said. “Even though it’s only and your own dreams and not letting anyone hold you back two people, we [Glanton and Laursen] have branched out and and not letting anyone tell you, you can’t do done big things. It shows that this school has a lot of talent something,” he said. that people don’t know about.”n

Students submit their photos from spring break

Senior Tara Wade (left) and sophomore Paige Wade (middle) visited Cancun, Mexico, over the break. Here they ziplinned to 10 connecting towers. Also pictured Brooke Wade.

Twenty-one Maize students got the opportunity to go on a eightday trip to France. There they visited multiple historic sites.

City works on plans to add bike lane on 45th Street

alking to and from school along 45th Street can be dangerous because there is no sidewalk. “If [we] got a sidewalk, then everyone else who walks home would be a lot safer.” sophomore Julian Berns-Pedraza said. School resource officer Jillian Rhodes agrees that it is hazardous for walkers. “I’ve also seen drivers get a little distracted themselves and kind of get

By Natallie Choyce

into the gutter area and hit the curb because they’re distracted,” she said. Rhodes said Maize is working to get grant money for a bike path on 45th. The path would start at Derringer, which is between Maize Middle and Tyler, and end at Maize High. Rhodes said she hopes the path will be in place in August. A sidewalk has already been installed on Irma Street, which northeast of the

high school, by the city maintenance. Though the placement of sidewalks is costly, there are many benefits to having them. “[The] sidewalks [that] have been put in, they’re getting very good use out of,” Rhodes said. “Not only students going to school, but also parents using them to walk their kids around or to walk the dog, which is making the whole entire community safer.”n

Junior Cassandra O’Donnell visited her dad in Tampa, Fla. She went to Universal Studios in Orlando.

Photo by Allie Choyce

Sophomore Julian Berns-Pedraza walks home without a sidewalk every day.

Senior Hallie Bontrager and juniors Samantha Chesser, Lauren Matson and Chloe Willems (left to right) served alongside 18 others at an orphanage in Baja, Calif. They went with their youth group from First Mennonite Brethren Church.

AprilPlay | @PlayNewsmag

Senior Sawyer Barragan traveled to Panama to serve underprivileged schools and orphanages. He went with a teen service club called ‘Interact’ run by Rotary Clubs of Wichita.

AprilPlay | maizenews.com

Spotlight

Everybody has a story: Alix de Mestral S

By Lizzie Bell and Maddy Rice Editor’s note: This is an extension of a series of stories at Maizenews. com that spotlights Maize students. The idea comes from reporter Steve Hartman’s series formerly broadcast on CBS News.

ome people have made a move in their life, but not many can say they moved across the world without their parents. Senior Alix de Mestral moved 4,718 miles from Switzerland to Maize. De Mestral moved to the United States with family friends who decided to come back after living in Switzerland for three years. De Mestral’s family thought America would present her with more opportunities than Switzerland would. “My dad thought it was a good opportunity for me,” de Mestral said. “He moved to the States when he was 19 to go to college and [to join the] Air Force. He was encouraging about it. It was kind of her [de Mestral’s mom] idea as well. I guess, like with every parent, it’s kind of hard.” De Mestral has been an American citizen since she was born but grew up in Switzerland until she was 17. Had she stayed in Switzerland, she might not have attended college. But, finishing high school here allows her to easily attend the college of her choice next year. After

completing college, de Mestral plans to continue living in America. De Mestral doesn’t visit home often, but she keeps in contact with her family back home. Her brother recently visited her. “I haven’t gone back since August,” de Mestral said. De Mestral said there were many differences in the United States from her home county. In Switzerland, de Mestral said for fun she would take the train or bus from her village into town to walk around. Other differences include sports, the way school works and even the portions of food received. “I didn’t think it was possible for someone to drink an entire QuikTrip drink,” de Mestral said. “I didn’t think it was humanly possible until I got here. For us, your medium is our large, and your kid’s size is our small.” Swiss high schools don’t start until the 10th grade; ninth-graders are still considered to be in middle school. This changes the size of high schools, and while some are larger than others, de Mestral said she was completely

blindsided by the size of Maize. Joining a high school where most students have known each other their whole lives, and trying to find a place in the many groups of friends, was less difficult than expected according to de Mestral. She said students in Switzerland don’t have afterschool jobs because that would take away from their studies. “I had a summer job, but it’s much more focused on academics,” de Mestral said. ”They don’t hand out part-time or afterschool jobs.” Since students don’t have to worry about outside activities or jobs, they attend school from 8 in the morning until 5 at night. There are many different options and paths for the students to take as well. After they have finished middle school, students get to choose what they do next. Not all students in Switzerland decide to attend high school. “From the ninth grade you decide if you want to stay in school and continue going high school or if you just want to get out and go into a specialty,”

Photo submitted by de Mestral

De Mestral’s brother Christian visited her in Kansas. They did many things while he was here, but the most memorable was going to a basketball game.

AprilPlay | @PlayNewsmag

Spotlight 9 de Mestral said. A specialty is a specific topic you decide to study for the rest of your career, similar to picking a pathway. But students cannot stray from the pathway or select other classes to take. All classes are chosen for you. “You become an apprentice and learn everything about that,” de Mestral said. “Then, that’s what you’ll be doing for the rest of your life.” Sports are not as popular in Switzerland as they are here in America. Except for the occasional Americanbased high schools, Swiss schools do not offer sports. They do, however, offer sports outside of school. “We are all very patriotic when it comes to the World Cup, but it’s not that big of a deal,” de Mestral said. Learning English was easy for de Mestral because her parents spoke in English when they were together. She also attended an international church, so growing up she was surrounded by people who spoke English.

Photo submitted by de Mestral

De Mestral went home for Christmas her junior year to visit her family in Switzerland.

Different countries, different perspectives De Mestral isn’t the only student at Maize who has left her family to come to America. Sophomore Southatta Chanvannasee moved to Kansas from Laos, a country located between Vietnam and Thailand. Last year, she attended Bishop Carroll before deciding to switch to Maize. Like de Mestral, she experienced a completely different school system in Laos. “We have a weekly schedule and we stay in the same class all day and we don’t move around,” Chanvannasee said “The teachers are the ones that move classrooms.” The classrooms are relatively blank, not decorated with posters pertaining to the topic studied. The only thing that would hang on the blank walls were math formulas.

Lizzie Bell

Santana-Morales and Cavannasee also moved to Kansas for educational opportunities.

Before moving here, Chanvannasee had been studying English for five years. There was a language barrier at first, but after some time it faded. Both de Mestral and Chanvannasee agree that there are more opportunities

in America. While schools aren’t as focused on education, it is easier to attend college. Sophomore Mirta Santana-Morales moved to America with her family from Puerto Rico over the summer. Like de Mestral and Chanvannasee, she had an easy time adjusting to school here. Santana-Morales left her friends behind in Puerto Rico as well as one of her favorite activities. She participated in traditional Puerto Rican Folkloric Dance, which she said she misses. Since moving to Maize, she has joined an improv group and is involved in theatre. Santana-Morales said she has noticed that teachers in America care more about how their students are doing and are generally nicer than those in Puerto Rico. “I don’t miss the school at all,” Santana-Morales said “The teachers are horrible. They teach you, but it’s not the same, and they aren’t as nice as they are here.” Both Chanvannasee and SantanaMorales agree that they have no regrets about moving to America. “I didn’t leave anything behind and I’m having a good time here,” Chanvannasee said.n De Mestral says that moving to America wasn’t a huge adjustment for her and she doesn’t regret it at all.

Lizzie Bell

AprilPlay | maizenews.com

10 Features Kevin Frye

William Kruse

room service attendant

sewer cleaner

Before they taught

Faculty had some odd and interesting jobs earlier in life By Lauryn McIntyre and Paige Young

t’s the first day of school. Your teacher stands in front of the classroom, a diploma hanging on their wall. There’s no way to know that just a few years prior, he was driving a hearse down a dark country road. Sometimes, it can be weird to remember our teachers haven’t been teaching all their lives. It’s hard to imagine them peeking out a drive-through window asking for your order. However for these seven teachers at Maize, teaching has not been their first job, and is definitely not their strangest.

now known as the Drury Plaza Hotel Broadview, as a room service attendant. Frye served different customers during his three months working there, but his most memorable customer was Fabian Forte, a singer and actor during 1950s and ’60s.

“I had to get underneath the house, open up Hotel room service the sewer pipes attendant and take a long English teacher Kevin Frye had a series of jobs while in college; including drain cleaner.” rouging crops, cleaning ditches for the county and working for a clothing store. -William Kruse

to 10 minutes before the guy answers. And when he answers, he’s nothing superstar at all for sure. His belly is hanging out all over the place. He was wearing half his clothing. His comb-over is flipped back the wrong way across his head.” After serving his meal, Frye went back to the main floor to find out Forte had not paid for his food. He had to go back upstairs to collect the payment. Upon returning to the suite, Frye was greeted by the unhappy former superstar, “When he answered. I had to explain and apologize [because] I needed cash,” Frye said. “He went into a profane tirade for a good 10 minutes, plus continually at me in the hallway [saying] ‘how dare I’ and such to get his money and I had to just sit there and take it for a good 10 minutes or so until, finally, he went got the cash and paid me.”

Rouging milo

Looking back, he says working at a clothing store is ironic, because he’s colorblind and claims to have no fashion Like Frye, English teacher Christine “I went up there to serve him breakfast sense. Frye said his most interesting job or lunch,” Frye said. “I get up there, and Borrego worked rouging crops. Borrego was working for the Broadview Hotel, I had to bang on the door for a good five rouged milo as a middle schooler in a AprilPlay | @PlayNewsmag

local farmer’s field. “Some [stocks of milo] grow too tall and you have to take a scythe and go through and cut those down because they’re going to take the machine in there,” Borrego said. “You can’t have the tall ones because they’ll glom up the machine.”

“So I mowed, trimmed trees and all that kind of stuff, and by the time I worked there for four summers ... I was working in the funerals driving in the hearse.” Pierce sometimes had to drive the hearse up to 20 miles away at night for a funerals in another town. They were the only funeral home close by.

Sewer cleaner

Sheep bleeder

Speaking of keeping things from “glomming” up, science teacher William Kruse claims that his most interesting job was cleaning out sewer lines for his mother. “I had to get underneath the house, open up the sewer pipes and take a long drain cleaner. I got sick, the sewer gas made me nauseated,” Kruse said. Although the job was short-lived, Kruse said he’d never do it again if he had the chance.

Pierce wasn’t the only teacher who had a semi-gory job, Gary Jacobson bled sheep for three years. “We would shave the sheep around their neck, stick a needle in them and draw blood from them and that was used to culture media and identify bacteria that caused disease,” Jacobson said.

Lifeguard Like Kruse, math teacher Alison Klock also had to deal with fecal matter in a past job. Klock started working as a lifeguard at the Newton pool, and later the Ottawa pool when she was 14. “I really liked the days where it rained or it wasn’t warm enough to open,” Klock said. Klock’s worst experience occurred when a child pooped in the pool. “I [had] to clear the pool out and put chemicals in there, and sanitizing water,” Klock said.

Graveyard grounds keeper

Features 11

Bull stimulator Principal Chris Botts also had experiences with farm animals. While attending Kansas State University, Botts worked at a company called ICE Corporations. “[ICE Corporations] made manufacturing parts for airplanes, and de-icers and things like that,” Botts said. ICE also specialized in another field, farming. The company produced tools to help produce cattle offspring. “It’s called the Sire Master. [It’s] a bull [stimulator],” Botts said. The Sire Master helped produce livestock off-spring. According to the Sire Master website, the stimulators were designed in partner with the K-State veterinary school and are developed with aerospace technology.n

A lot of teenagers work in the fast-food industry during their high school years, but math teacher Roger Pierce went a different route to make money. “I was from a small town, so I got a job working at the funeral home in town taking care of the grounds, like being a grounds keeper,” Pierce said.

Roger Pierce

graveyard grounds keeper & hearse driver

AprilPlay | maizenews.com

12 Entertainment

Maize South senior Gabe Cole asks senior Macy Ellis to prom with a fishing pole and fishing themed poster saying “I’m hooked on you so take the bait and come to prom?”

Senior Ethan Hughey asks junior Haleigh Avila with Nike shoes saying “you’d be a shoe-in to kick it at prom with me.”

Senior Lauren Paul asks her sophomore sister Megan Paul to prom with a sign that says “How lucky I would be if my best friend went to prom with me.”

Junior Trey Killman asks his girlfriend, junior Lacy Castillo, to prom with a four cheese pizza saying “I know this is cheesy, prom?”

AprilPlay | @PlayNewsmag

Junior Aspen Pope asks sophomore swimmer Rice Olsen with a sign that says “Can I take a state champ to prom?”

Junior Johnny McIntyre asks Maize South junior Jena LaValle with a sign that says “I am no Ben Higgins but Jena, will you accept this rose and go to prom with me?”

Junior Emma Hahn asks her boyfriend, Jeremiah Shipman, to prom by using a poster saying “Join the dark side, Jeremiah, and together we can rule the galaxy. Just kidding prom?”

Sophomore Thomas Fernandez asks his girlfriend, junior Brooklyn Compton, to prom by writing “B, tryna be my prom date? Or na?” on his car.

Candlelit Woods 13 Entertainment Prom 2016 Buy your prom tickets! 03/28 - 04/01 $25 04/04 - 04/08 $30 Tickets will be available for purchase during all lunches in the commons.

PROM? Illustration by Shae White Photos are courtesy photos.

Popping the question High school students go to extravagant lengths to ask for a date to prom

he smell of pizza fills the air as junior Trey Killman hides. The door opens. Killman unseals the lid of the box to face junior Lacey Castillo. It reads, “Sorry this is cheesy but, Prom?” The phrase “popping the question” has taken on a whole new meaning in teen society. Dubbed “promposals,” Maize students have taken on clever ways to ask their significant other, friend or family member the four-letter word that’s on high schoolers’ minds come spring: prom. Students go all-out to ask their dates to prom, using things like pizza and the police as props. “We both like pizza; it’s kind of our thing,” Killman said. “Every time I go to her house, we order pizza. So I thought it would be a good idea to ask

By Delanie Pierce her through pizza.” Junior Aspen Pope asked her date, sophomore Rice Olsen, to prom by using the saying “Can I take a state champ to prom?” Olsen and the Maize swim team recently won state. Pope said she asked Olsen because they had mutual friends in her prom group. She said Olsen was expecting it but still was surprised. Senior Lauren Paul asked her sophomore sister to prom. She stood in a balloon-filled room holding a poster that said, “How lucky would I be if my best friend went to prom with me?” “I decided to take Megan to prom because I knew if I didn’t, then we would never be able to experience that together, and I really didn’t want that,” Lauren said. “I asked her like

that because I thought the saying was cute without being too cheesy. She is my best friend, and I wanted her at my senior prom.” Junior Johnny McIntyre asked Maize South junior Jena LaValle. McIntyre used “The Bachelor” as his theme. “I am no Ben Higgins, but Jena, will you accept this rose and go to prom with me?” “She loves ‘The Bachelor,’ and earlier that day Brandon Teter and I made breakfast for dinner for Jena and the girl Brandon asked,” McIntyre said. Junior Emma Hahn asked her Topeka boyfriend of four years to prom using one of his favorite things: “Star Wars.” “I had the ‘Star Wars’ theme song playing, and I had a lightsaber lit up and I hit him with it,” Hahn said.n AprilPlay | maizenews.com

14 Now Playing

A NEW beginning

ding

The Worden parents were not able to have children so they decided to adopt. Photo submission by Taylor Worden

Students and parents talk about the journey of adoption By Sadie Ast and Bailey Birkholz

ophomore Davion Larson stands next to his parents and siblings, but he looks nothing like them. Comments about their differences in appearance remind him all too well of the life he was given. Larson was adopted. Mark and Nancy Larson said it was God’s plan for them to adopt a child. “It was a very long process,” Nancy said “Probably at least two and a half years. We actually were just about to take our names out, thinking it might just not be in God’s plan for us to adopt since it had been so long.” The Larsons had two biological children before they decided to adopt. In order to adopt a child in Kansas, parents go through a long process. “You put your name on the list and the adoption agencies, they kind of match you,” Nancy said. The Larsons said Davion, nicknamed Davi, was around a 90 percent match when they were paired. “Davi was 2 1/2 when we first met him,” Nancy said. “We were extremely excited.” The Larsons said they have accepted Davion since the day they met him and are living happily as a family. “We have a great family relationship and we grow and learn constantly with each other,” Mark said, “Just like with our other kids, grow and learn. … Davi knows bottom line is he’s loved unconditionally.” Davion said his relationship with his parents is no different than anyone else despite their different races. “Who really cares?,” Davion said. “Family is family. It just feels normal,”

Busker Family

Freshman Cheyenne Busker said she also has a good relationship with her adoptive parents. “They support me in everything I want to do in life,” she said. “I have a The Larson’s trusted God and family that loves me just like everyone else does.” did what they felt was right and adopted Davion. Cheyenne’s adoptive sister, Janna, is very grateful for everything her adopted Photo by Madi DeVore parents have done for her. “My biological parents didn’t take good care of me at all,” Janna said. “That’s the whole reason I was put up for adoption.” Sometimes, adopted kids have siblings and are often torn apart from each other to live in AprilPlay | @PlayNewsmag

Now Playing 15

“They support me in everything I want to do in life, I have a family that loves me just like everyone else does.”

different homes. For Cheyenne, Kira and Donte Busker, they have had the opportunity to be able to grow up their whole lives together as one big family. “We were separated due to the fact Cheyenne was a baby and was more likely to get adopted than Donte and I,” Kira Busker said, “My parents didn’t want to separate siblings and decided to adopt us too,” Kira said. After adopting three children, the Buskers decided to adopt another girl, Janna. Janna had medical problems and needed a family. “My mom couldn’t resist, and she [Janna] became part of the family, too,” Kira said. Janna often thinks about her life if she were not adopted. “I wonder if I would be in some trashy place and not be the person I am today,” Janna said. “Would I be happy? Would I be able to do the stuff I do today?”

Millie Hendricks

Freshman Millicent Hendricks said she wonders what life might have been like if she weren’t adopted. “It’s hard being adopted because you can never really bond with them [adopted parents],” Hendricks said. Hendricks said that although bonding with her parents is a challenge, the process has made her stronger. One day out of curiosity, Hendricks searched for her birth mother on Facebook. “I feel like every adopted kid tries to Both Millie and her younger sister were find or just see what their birth mom adopted from separate parents. or dad look like,” Hendricks said. Photo submitted by Kim Hendricks Kim Hendricks, Millie’s adopted mother, worked with the mother of Hendricks biological mother during the time she was pregnant. “My birth mom had many abortions before me and my current mom wanted to adopt a kid since she can’t have kids,” Hendricks said. “They talked and decided to put me up for adoption instead of aborting me.” Despite her struggles, Hendricks said she feels very blessed to be in a loving family. “I think my parents love me it’s just a different type of love, Hendricks said, “I’m happy with what I have in my life though. I have really good parents and they love me so much I have a lot more than I would have ever had.”

-Freshman Cheyenne Busker

666

Taylor Worden

Junior Taylor Worden said she is so close with her family that she often forgets she was adopted. “It just seems like they are my regular parents, and we get along really well,” she said. ”I feel extremely close.” Worden has wondered about her biological parents. “I kind of wonder about them sometimes and thinking what trait I’ve gotten from them,” Worden said. Worden also got the chance to meet with her birth mother and learned a little more about her. “I have been able to get some pictures of my biological mom and I’ve actually been able to meet her once,” Warden said.“It was just kind of a lucky point where I just happened to run into her. It was just a pretty cool experience.”n AprilPlay | maizenews.com

16 Sports

‘She’s a go-getter’ Jurgensen pushes herself to be the best she can be in softball and weight lifting

1. Senior Allie Jurgensen enjoys running with her teammates. She said she like the team comradery. 2. Senior Alli Jurgensen prepares to field a ball in the infield. Jurgensen can play a variety of postions. 3. Senior Allie Jurgensen conditions for the season. Power lifting allows her to maintain conditioning during the offseason. Photos by Logan Dillon

By Nick Springer

ost athletes decide to focus on one sport in their life. They hope to master that single sport and perform at a high level. Allie Jurgensen is not like most athletes. Not only does the senior lead the Maize softball team, she also engages in another sport on her own time. Recently, Jurgensen committed to Butler Community College to continue her softball career. Jurgensen will be looked to this season to produce on the field for Maize. Jurgensen noted her family has played a significant role in her progression as a player. “My grandpa always sets goals for me to meet, or my dad usually will go hit balls to me, or pitch to me, always pushes me to be the best,” Jurgensen said. Jurgensen’s hard work has paid off on the softball field. She entered the season needing only four home runs to break the Maize career record of 18. Coach Jenny Meirowsky said she sees the drive in Jurgensen to consistently improve herself and her teammates. “She’s a go-getter, and anything that she puts her mind to, she’s gonna accomplish,” Meirowsky said. “She leads vocally, but she’s also a great defensive player.” Maize will need that kind of leadership from Jurgensen along with fellow seniors Madison and Marrissa Wright, Ashley Gonzales, and Brittney Quinn.. Jurgensen’s hitting and defensive flexibility have allowed her to blossom at Maize; however, softball is not the only sport she pursues. Jurgensen also participates in another slightly more uncommon sport: power lifting. She began power lifting consistently during seventh and eighth grade at Maize Middle, where she still holds the squat record. Although she hasn’t competed in an official power lifting competition, Jurgensen continues to practice. Her incentive to begin power lifting was almost as unique as the sport itself. “In eighth grade, my grandpa told me if I beat the benching record and the squatting record, he’d give me 100 bucks,” AprilPlay | @PlayNewsmag

Jurgensen said. Jurgensen has been actively power lifting ever since. Last year, she squatted 375 pounds, and her current bench press is 160 pounds. She also expressed a hope to increase her bench weight to 170 pounds. “I just like to see how far I can push myself and see how heavy I can lift,” Jurgensen said. Jurgensen said she hopes to get more people involved in power lifting at Maize. She currently does a lot of power lifting on her own time or during weights class. She said she wants to allow others to have the opportunity to participate as well and has discussed the possibility of a power lifting team with weights teacher, Gary Guzman. “Actually, a lot of schools have teams and a lot of people participate,” Jurgensen said. “I’m trying to start that program up before I leave so everyone else can have a chance.” Guzman said he knows Jurgensen would be in favor of starting a team before she leaves, but the concept is still in its embryonic phase. “We’ve toyed with the idea,” Guzman said. “I don’t know how much responsibility it would be, honestly.” Guzman said he thinks a team would garner the interest of future students, and it could provide a way for members of other ports to stay in shape during their offseasons. There’s been other students in the past that have talked about it,” Guzman said. “I think we could probably get some interest going if we decided to start that up.” Guzman also said students can enter into events solo without the need for a team, and tournaments take place around the state.n

Sports in brief

Sports 17

Springs sports season are now underway. Logan Dillon

By Justin Noble and Nick Springer

Logan Dillon

Coach Jay Holmes talks to the team during practice. The team took third place last year in the 6A tournament.

Senior softball players lead the team in stretches. The team lost to Derby last year in the regional championship.

The girls soccer team started the season ranked fourth overall and second overall in class 5A. “Preseason rankings don’t mean a lot to us,” senior Bailey Dreher said The team took third last year in the 6A tournament, their only loss coming from eventual champions Blue Valley Northwest. Dreher said the team needs to improve on their team chemistry from last season. ““This year we want to be united,” Dreher said. The team won its first game of the season against Bishop Carroll, which is ranked fourth in 5A, 1-0. The team will play in the Titan Classic next.n

The softball team wants to build upon last year’s run to the regional championship against Derby. “They were a good enough team to where we could not beat them three times in a season,” senior Marissa Wright said. Five returning seniors -- Allie Jurgensen, Britney Quinn, Madison and Marissa Wright, and Ashley Gonzalez -- will lead the team into the upcoming season. Coach Jenny “Meirowsky likes to say that our goal is to make it to May 27, which is championship day at state,” Wright said. The softball team will play its next game at 4 p.m. April 12 at Derby.n

Lauryn McIntyre

Senior Tyler Stedman takes a works on his swing during practice.

The boys golf team will try to replace Kale Reynolds. Reynolds medaled last year and won the state title as a junior. The team finished seventh last year. The team’s first tournament will be Monday at Crestview Country Club.n

Paige Young

Junior Spencer Shively goes off the blocks during practice. Alyssa Garrison

The girls and boys track team stretch as a team. Both teams are defending AVCTL and regional champions.

The boys and girls track teams head into the season as defending AVCTL and regional champions. The girls team also took third at state. The team is focused after losing a talented senior class. “The remaining seniors are going to have to be really interactive with the younger kids and just going to have to teach them a lot,” senior Jason Hanna said. Hanna said a personal goal for him is to make state like he did last year. “State is like the best thing you can do for your event,” Hanna said. The team will have its first meet today at 3 p.m. at Wichita Heights.n

The girls swim team returns three state swimmers -- sophomore Caroline Noble, junior Kelsey Harris and senior Delanie Randolph. The team will be in action at 4 p.m. today at Wichita Heights.n

Mandi Copp

Coach John Anderson feeds tennis balls as a drill to prepare the team for the season.

The boys tennis team finished 10th at state last year. Seniors Jacob Schultz, Colton Slusser and Miles Medaris return. They’ll be in action April 9 at Goddard.n

Madi DeVore

The baseball team warms up by playing catch before practice. The team plays Hutchison today.

The baseball team heads into the season hoping to improve from last year’s loss in the regional championship game. “Well, we go down to Derby in the regional finals and bases loaded, wild pitch, and we lost it in the last inning,” senior Jake Karst said. Though the team fell a game before making it to state last year, it has not changed their focus for this season. “The goal is to make it to state, to make it farther than we did last year,” Karst said. The team lost their first game of the season to Blue Valley West 2-0. The team has its third game of the season at 6 p.m. today at Hutchinson.n AprilPlay | maizenews.com

18 Sports

Scholars bowl wins state title for third time T

By Justin Noble

he crowd storms the court or field. Everyone is screaming and jumping. Athletes are hugging coaches, and students are congratulating the athletes. This is a typical state championship imagination most people would have. For the scholar’s bowl team, it was nothing like this. No fans. No storming the court. Just the teams, their coaches and maybe a few parents in one room. The scholar’s bowl team of juniors John Kohl, Kyle Stutzman, and seniors Emily Beaver, Nick Springer, and Scott Hershberger defeated Mill Valley for their third state championship. The team also won the title in 2012 for 6A. “In terms of people who support us, oftentimes our parents will come and watch us. Those are the people who will congratulate us and cheer us on,” Kohl said. But the lack of exposure doesn’t take away from the accomplishment, team members said. “Even if it is scholars bowl, it shouldn’t take away from the prestige of winning,” Stutzman said. The team didn’t not do anything too extravagant to celebrate its title either. “We kind of just went off as a team and had kind of like a lunch-dinner thing,” Kohl said. In terms of excitement, the team felt the championship was just as big to them as it would be to a sport such as football or basketball. “We all jumped up and hugged each other because you’ve been practicing for

The scholars bowl team is honored at halftime of a basketball game.

a very long time to get to that moment,” Beaver said. “It was mostly ‘holy crap,’ that was pretty much my thought first thought. Like, ‘Wow, we just won.’ ” Hershberger said there are differences between an academic event and a sporting event, but winning state in both is equally difficult. “You don’t just casually do it,” he said. “You have to be devoted to it like you would be with a sport.” Just as a sports team would, the scholar’s bowl team put in hours of practice. “There was a lot of out of practice studying,” Kohl said. “We would create lists of information that we needed to know and then during practices we just do rounds and work on our speed and concentration.” The team even resolved to some

Alyssa Garrison

unconventional practice styles in order to prepare for challenging teams at the state tournament. “One time we went into the hallway and we passed a basketball around while answering questions,” Stutzman said. Like the rest of the teams, scholar’s bowl moved to 5A from 6A this year. The team believed the move would be a challenging with teams such as Kapaun and Mill Valley. “I thought we had a chance,” Hershberger said. “Last year we got second at state, so we’re building off that successful season.” With the win, the team hopes more people will try out. The team is losing three seniors this year. “It gives you big shoes to fill,” Beaver said.n

Sports 19

Photos by Paige Young

Seniors Brett Young and Preston Barley hug after winning the 400 freestyle relay. The win propelled the team to the state championship.

Swimming captures state championship Maize emerges victorious, winning first state title by less than a point By Nick Springer

tate championships don’t come any closer than this. It all boiled down to the final 400 free relay of the Class 5A-1A State Swimming and Diving Championships on Feb. 20. Maize and Wichita Heights entered the final relay neck and neck in points, and the finale didn’t disappoint. Senior Harrison Shively anchored the Eagles, securing the victory for Maize in the closest finish in state history. Entering the last relay, Heights held a slight advantage over Maize. The win propelled Maize to a half-point victory over the defending champions. Maize began celebrating right after the scoreboard confirmed Shively had touched first, beating Heights by half a second. The whole team, including coach Tedd Gibson, dived into the pool with glee. Maize picked up big points not from wins, but from positioning swimmers in the A and B finals of the different events. Senior Preston Barley won the only other event for Maize, the 200 freestyle. Strong finishes by other swimmers allowed Maize to stay within reach of the defending champions heading into the conclusion of the meet. The team of Barley, senior Brett Young and sophomore Christian Taylor set up Shively with a chance to grab the title. It took a team effort to get Maize to that point. Taylor recalled watching Shively swim the final leg of the relay and the euphoria of Shively’s triumph. “It was kind of breathtaking,” Taylor said. “When we saw the clock, when we saw the points go up, we were just full of excitement.” Barley led off for Maize and said he understood the importance of a strong start.

The swim team celebrates its first state championship. It was won by half a point.

“I wanted to get us a lead,” Barley said. “I knew when we were close that Harrison, being the senior, wasn’t going to let us down.” Maize and Heights had previously faced off two times during the season, splitting the 400 free relay. The new champions will lose nine seniors to graduation this year, including three members of the winning 400 free relay team. Maize will look to replace the departing experience with a strong core led by Taylor. Taylor said he doesn’t know what to expect next season, but he said he feels optimistic about Maize’s chances. “Hopefully the best, hopefully some good swimmers, hopefully it’s going to be a good year,” Taylor said.n AprilPlay | maizenews.com

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Review 21

BATMAN V SUPERMAN Dawn of Justice

Review by Christian Hurst

’ve never been a DC fan, but I did enjoy “Batman v. Superman,” which came out March 25. At first, I thought I’d hate it. Batman’s suit didn’t feel like Batman to me. “Man of Steel” was forgettable in the sea of superhero movies, so Superman wasn’t much of a draw. And I thought they’d be shoving too many characters in just to prepare for “Justice League” in 2017. I was partially right. DC has been behind the curve when making plans for movies. After all, Marvel started its plan with “Iron Man” in 2008. Sure, DC had the “Dark Knight” trilogy, but that isn’t the same Batman we see here. There are five or six references to Batman’s past in this movie, including a few allusions to the Joker. It just makes me wonder why DC didn’t decide to make a movie about this version of

Batman to introduce us to its vision of the character, not Christopher Nolan’s. Wonder Woman gets treated even worse. She’s ignored for the first twothirds of the movie, and when she is acknowledged, she’s really only Wonder Woman for 20 minutes. It was obvious DC shoehorned her in. Why do this when there’s a Wonder Woman movie planned for next year? They should have waited to put their characters in the same movie until all of them had a chance to be fleshed out. But, it gets worse. There are three more heroes who make cameos, and I won’t spoil them for you. In total, they get about two minutes of screen time. DC needs to take its time with these characters if we’re supposed to care. DC is behind, and everyone knows it, so it needs to tread carefully so we still care when Marvel is so far ahead. Not only is the overarching story of the DC cinematic universe being compressed, but the story in this movie is being compressed. The fight between Superman and Batman, the thing the movie is named after, lasts only 20 minutes. This is why I’ve never been a big Superman fan. The character is cool, but when he’s invincible, writers have to use so many gimmicks to make him even slightly stronger than his opponents. If the action scenes weren’t so good, I’d almost feel scammed. Jesse Eisenberg’s performance as Lex Luthor has been getting some negative backlash. I had no issue with him. However, this isn’t the insanely smart Lex Luthor I’m used to. This version is more psychopath than genius. Enough bashing, because I legitimately

enjoyed the movie. The cinematography was great. I was watching the movie in 3D, something I despise, but the action was very easy to keep track of, and I never felt too dizzy. I also appreciate how Zack Snyder opted to skip telling Batman’s origin story in detail, as most of us have seen it many times and are more than familiar. Instead, he showed us more of adult Bruce Wayne in a short retelling of 2013’s “Man of Steel.” The scenes act as a prologue and show more of a caring side to the only superhero who force feeds thugs their own kneecaps. “Batman v. Superman” was enjoyable, but my main complaint is how squished together the whole thing felt. I really wish this movie had been split apart instead of packing so many heroes and villains into its last act for no reason other than catching up with Marvel.n

3.5/5 Play Buttons

AprilPlay | maizenews.com

22 Column

You were in my dream last night Y

By Maddy Rice

ou were in my dream last night. The family was at the dinner table enjoying one of your meals that we tried to recreate since you went away. You stood in the doorway and watched us all smile and reminisce on the memories you left us with. I was the only one that could see you; they had no idea you were listening. But you always are. I wanted to jump up from the table and run to you just to feel your warm hug one more time. Instead I stayed glued to my seat because I knew the second I moved you would be gone. You smiled. I could feel your love radiating from across the room. It was almost like you came home to us, like this was all one big joke. Before long I watched you duck out of the room and suddenly woke up in a fit tears. You were in my dream last night. I was with my friends, sitting in bed and talking about our futures. I’ve always wanted you to meet them. I tell them stories about you all the time, but it’s not the same. They would adore you, almost as much as I do. You would love Allie’s sense of adventure and the way Aspen and I always know what the other is thinking. You listened to us and nodded with agreement to what we were saying. And before I could ask you what you thought AprilPlay | @PlayNewsmag

of them you slipped away once again. You were in my dream last night. I was in the middle of the basketball court dancing my heart out for the last time. I looked up and caught your face in the crowd. The way you watched me made me never want to stop dancing. I watched your smile grow and eyes twinkle, I think you know I do this all for you. But as the music faded out you went with it. You were in my dream last night. I was getting ready for graduation. You walked in and pinned your favorite flamingo pin onto my gown. That’s the last thing I gave to you before you left me. You said you were so proud of me. And even though you loved KU, you were glad I was going to K-State for vet school. And then you left. You are in my dream every night. You died when I was 11 and left me with fractured memories of the times we spent together. I wish you would come back so I could show you my world now. I want you to see me dance one last time, watch me walk at graduation and eventually down an aisle. I want to hear your voice and your infectious laugh, it’s been so long I can hardly remember the sweet sound. I miss you more and more every day. But I’ll see you in my dream tonight.n

Editorial 23

What’s in an A? Students are worth more than a letter By Alyssa Garrison

ur generation has fallen victim to one idea: perfection. It has become common belief that in order to be successful in life, you must have a perfect record, perfect grades, perfect everything. If you ask your parents what’s important, they’ll say doing well in school. Ask your teachers, they’ll say your grades and study habits. Ask your coaches, they’ll say your work ethic. It’s funny how no one says your own happiness. “I think that being happy means you want to get somewhere where you like what you’re doing,” said Algebra I teacher and baseball coach Rocky Helm. Everyone knows that grades are an important part of life; they determine whether you get into the college you want, define your future career, and set up a good foundation for work. These are all great things, but grades shouldn’t be the center of a student’s universe. We, as students, should stop focusing on receiving the A, and start focusing more on learning the material. The grades will follow your effort. Also, we should realize that test scores and grades don’t measure our self-worth. “I think that grades are important for future life,” freshman Alexander Fugarino said, “but they don’t describe a person.” Of course, we’re not saying you should drop everything and work in a gas station for the rest of your life. But, take an hour or so out of every

day to do something that makes you feel truly and fully content. Don’t become so wrapped up in the destination that you forget to enjoy the journey. It’s too easy to miss the big picture, especially when it comes to learning things you know -- you just know -- you will never use. Senior Ariana Kopycinski sees it in another light. “When I was taking upper-level math courses, I was thinking ‘Oh, I’m just never going to use any of these things,’ but they’re definitely stepping stones,” Kopycinski said. “I needed all of those courses now to take AP Statistics, and I’m going to need AP Statistics to get into college. So it’s all just a ladder you have to climb. Even if you don’t think those rungs are necessary, you still need them to get to the top.” So next time you find yourself struggling to think of a real-life scenario involving trigonometry, or wondering what on earth you’re going to need government for when you want to be an artist, remember to look at the grand scheme of things. The English test you just bombed won’t matter in 20 years as long as you learned something from the experience. Being the worst athlete in gym class will be the last thing on your mind when you’ve worked hard and own a business. So, really, when you think about it, what’s in an A?n

Senior Ariana Kopycinski feels the difference between students who get good grades and students who get bad grades is effort. Photo Illustration by Alaina Cunningham

AprilPlay | maizenews.com

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