April 2019 by Play newsmagazine

Maize High School || Maize, KS April 2019

News

Solar Initiative to begin panel construction soon.

Now Playing

Students explain causes behind stress and how they cope.

photo focus

ProStart places first to qualify for national competition.

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1 1. Senior Cameron Grimes passes the ball during a state basketball game against St. James Academy. The Eagles ended the postseason in third place. Page 26-27. Photo by Sam Bartlett

2. Senior Nicholas Van Echaute constructs a robot for the robotics team. The new group will head to Worlds in April. Page 20. Photo by Sam Bartlett 3. Senior Chase Schreiner follows through a hit at tennis practice. Page 24-25. Photo by Rayne Rekoske

4. Junior Madison Beemiller competes with the ProStart team. The group will go to nationals in May Pages 30-31.

Photo by Savannah Horn

1 1 1 2 2 2 3

What’s inside?

5 8-11 News

ICT Flight Showchoir disbands after 2019 competitive season.

Now Playing Students discuss the causes and effects of stress.

12 14-15 16-17 20 22 23 30-31 Editorial

Play calls for later school start times.

features Competitive cheerleaders share their love for the sport.

Features

Pastors’ kids reflect on their experiences growing up in the church.

Features

Robotics team headed to national competition in its first year.

Maizenews.com || April 2019

Who’s inside? Abby McCoy & Casey Loving Editors-in-chief Bailey Birkholz Design editor Sam Bartlett Photo editor Maddie Neigenfind Features editor/Ad manager Ellie Stucky Sports editor Ryann Redinger Engagements editor Brooklyn Blasdel Meaghann Flower Chasley Garcia Madi Hay Chantelle Hoekstra Savannah Horn Carter Jones Molly McCollum Keira McGinty Piper Pinnetti Devynn Raile Rayne Rekoske Lily Robison Janeth Saenz Kyerra Snyder Abby Turner Dan Loving Adviser

Cover photo by Sam Bartlett 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.

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Sports

Students play on hockey teams outside of school.

Sports

Wrestling team takes home two state championship titles.

Photo Focus

ProStart team wins state competition to secure spot at nationals.

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3/toc

Frye to replace mckaig in english department

Story by Chantelle Hoekstra ssistant principal Kevin Frye will step back into the classroom next year, replacing retiring English teacher Suzanne McKaig. Many students, upon hearing about this decision, have been curious about the reasons behind this change for Frye. He said teaching is simply what he feels suits him best. “It’s what I find defines me,” Frye said. “The biggest draw to the classroom for me is that in that realm is a place where I get to share something that I’m passionate about, every single day, with students in a way that allows them to grow. I guess my educational philosophy is really housed within the classroom in that it is the only realm where everyone’s gain comes at no one’s loss.” Frye expressed a passion for connections with his students during classes. “Amongst all things that I really enjoy teaching, I absolutely love a heartfelt, in-depth discussion where everyone feels welcome to participate,” Frye said. “Not only am I providing additional thoughts and perspectives to the students, but they’re returning those right back to me, so it’s an opportunity for me to grow too.” Frye doesn’t know exactly what English classes he will teach next year. However, he has taught all high school grade levels in his prior 18 years of teaching and hopes for a lot of good to come from the return to his old job. “There’s much to expect,” he said.“There’s expectant growth that I need to experience with that. I expect there to be hardships through readaptation. But the simplest answer to that is I expect happiness.” Frye stressed that this move from his role as assistant principal back to teaching was purely a personal decision with no ill-will attached to it. “By that I mean I have grown and enjoyed the camaraderie and compan-

McKaig will be retiring after finishing this school year. Frye will be taking her spot in the English department. Photo by Chantelle Hoekstra

ionship and team-oriented atmosphere of this administrative staff,” Frye said. McKaig is concluding a 38-year teaching career. “I’ll miss everything,” McKaig said. “I’ll miss the kids, I really enjoy the kids. I enjoy the people I work with. I love the material, and there’s always something new I can find and bring to the class. I’ll miss that.” McKaig has exclusively taught high school English classes, with the exception of her first year being an eighth grade class. She said retirement will be bittersweet, and that she really enjoys her job.

“But this is a good time for me to retire,” McKaig said. “I have family commitments I need to take care of, including an elderly father.” McKaig said she was proud of the fact that she got to work at Maize. “I think that from my experiences with other schools and my connections with other teachers in the state, Maize High School is one of the premiere high schools in the state of Kansas,” McKaig said. “And I’ve been both blessed and honored to have worked here. I’m proud of the fact that we provide quality education.” n

“The biggest draw to the classroom for me is that in that realm is a place where I get to share something that I’m passionate about.” —Kevin Frye, assistant principal

4/ News

Maizenews.com || April 2019

Flight Showchoir ends after five seasons

Story by Lily Robison CT Flight Showchoir, Wichita’s first competitive show choir, has disbanded after completing their fifth season. Director Kristiana Sims said the decision was made primarily because of financial reasons. Sims started Flight because she wanted to give kids in Wichita an opportunity to be involved in the arts in a way that they hadn’t experienced before. She had friends in the show choir circuit who encouraged her to try it out. She gave it a try and it turned out well the first year, so she continued to keep it going. The group has students from high schools around the area, including several from Maize.

Senior Hailey Beckmann has been a part of Flight for four years after learning about it from her middle school choir teacher and Kristina’s mother, Karen Sims. “Karen Sims advertised Flight Jr. which is like a junior varsity group of Flight, and that got me really interested,” Beckmann said. “I joined Flight Jr. then auditioned for Kristina Sims and made it in.” Beckmann said she was nervous about her dancing when she first joined Flight, but Sims helped her grow into a performer. She said she feels lucky to have gotten the experience of being in Flight for four years. Flight’s final competition, the Lewis

Central Clash of the Titans was on March 2 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The squad earned grand champion for the first time. “That was a great experience because it was our last competition ever and to get that was so fun and amazing,” sophomore Cayd Barragan said. “That brought us together even closer as a team and as a family.” Flight has a few more performances before they are officially done. The group will perform at Bradley Fair the last week of May. In June, Flight is also doing an alumni show during which they will revive some numbers from each of the five years it has been in existence. n

“That brought us together even closer as a team and as a family.” -Cayd Barragan, sophomore Flight performs in its final concert, which was on March 4, at Maize South High. Photo by Lily Robison

solar initiative to begin construction T Story by Madi Hay and Abby Turner he contracts have been signed, the permits have been issued, and science teacher Stan Bergkamp’s dream to power the school with solar energy is closer to reality than it ever has been. ICM, an energy company based in Colwich, fronted the district for much of the cost of the system, which will be installed by King Solar. “They [ICM] will actually build and own the system for six years and we lease if from them and then own the system at the end of six years,” Bergkamp said. The last big hurdle was the permits, which were acquired last month. Bergkamp said he expects construction

to begin this month and be finished as early as sometime in June. “Hopefully when students return in the fall, they can brag that they are at a school with the largest privately owned solar panel system in the state of Kansas,” Bergkamp said. Bergkamp said support for the project has been overwhelming. “I’m very humbled by the support that I have received from current and former students, parents and businesses,” Bergkamp said. “When I started this project, it was a blind leap of faith. I just had a feeling that it was going to be successful. People want to be a part of something bigger than themselves.” Senior Nick Reiswig is one of the

students who has supported the project and said he is glad more students are getting involved in the initiative. “It’s been advertised more,” Reiswig said. “So like on Twitter, Bergkamp has been doing a good job about advertising and some people have just been donating through Venmo and apps like that.” Reiswig proposed a bet with Bergkamp in the hopes of assisting his fundraising efforts. If the students at Maize can raise $3,000 by graduation then Bergkamp has to get a tattoo of himself on his arm. Reiswig has gotten to know Bergkamp with joking around with him in class. “I hope that we reach the goal and then he gets the tattoo, because that’d be funny,” Reiswig said. n

5/ News

The Maize Career Academy addition was part of the most recent facilities expansion in the school district. Currently, the board is considering building two new Photo by Janeth Saenz schools to ease overcrowding.

District considers adding two schools

Story by Janeth Saenz he Maize district has been growing steadily for years, and some schools are reaching capacity. Superintendent Chad Higgins is part of a team consisting of students, parents, administrators, teachers, architects and members of the board of education to develop long-term solutions, including new schools. The school board will have to issue bonds to build new buildings, Higgins said. The Maize board intends on submitting a proposal to the Kansas State Board of Education by July 1 for approval. Voters then must approve the plan for it to go forward. “There’s a process because we don’t have money laying around to just go and build a new school,” he said. Higgins said two schools are needed, either two intermediate schools that would house fifth- and sixth-graders or one intermediate and one elementary. The committee is also considering one building that would house a natatorium and a performing arts center. “If we put them together we can save some money on plumbing cost and lighting and parking and common spaces,” Higgins said. Higgins said new high schools aren’t needed, but money might be included in the bond to make renovations both high schools. “Maize High could use some improvements in the restrooms, in the flooring, lighting, ceilings, front entranced and commons area,” Higgins said. “Maize South High could use a

6/ News

“I think that when you live in an area that is a good school district, I think that growth is going to be inevitable.” —Jessica Shurts, science teacher remodeled kitchen. It wasn’t designed for a thousand high school students and maybe some additional classroom space.” The elementary school and the intermediate school could cost as much as $50 million to $55 million. The board is still working on numbers for the natatorium, auditorium and the renovations. “It also depends on what the committee

wants to put on a bond issue,” Higgins said. “How big do they want to make it? We’re not interested in raising taxes. Some of the improvements, additions may just have to wait until we have money in our capital outlay funds to pay for those.” Each school will be able to hold around 750 students. Hiring will come in the year before the late fall or early spring of 2020. Without the bond, Higgins said he thinks the middle and elementary schools in Maize will be full by 2021. If the bond isn’t passed and the buildings aren’t ready by the 2021-2022 school year, temporary spaces like portable units will be necessary. “We’ve grown so much faster than was expected,” Higgins said. “The soonest we can have an election for the bonds would be September of this year, and then it still takes about 18 months to design, construct and open up the facility.” Maize last approved a bond in 2015. Major projects that time included Maize Career Academy, the Early Childhood Center, the new transportation facility and an expansion of Maize Middle School. The committee is developing a page on their website that will include a Q&A section and updates. “I think that when you live in an area that is a good school district, I think that growth is going to be inevitable,” science teacher and Maize parent Jessica Shurts said. “If parents are willing to go onto the board of education site, I know that Dr. Higgins is more than willing to answer any questions and any of the committee members.” n

Maizenews.com || April 2019

Senior Maddie Neigenfind has been playing softball since the age of 4 and has played with the Eagles for three years. Photo by Dan Loving

Beginning of the end

Senior talks about her last softball season as an Eagle

s I slam my hand against the squealing alarm clock, desperate for just five more minutes. I peek through my sleep-coated eyelids and watch the clock flash “5:45 a.m.” I let out a small groan and reluctantly pull myself from the warm sanctuary of my bed and head for my closet. Watching the hanger make loops around its shelf, I sleepily yank the jersey from it and dig through the pile of mismatched socks. After gathering all the pieces of my uniform, I drag myself up the stairs, leaving evidence in the form of a red dirt trail. I throw my semi-clean uniform on the floor and head for the kitchen to indulge in my favorite part of any game day...a breakfast built for a champion. It’s my freshman year, my first time being a part of the Maize softball team and my season has finally begun. Once I was awake, I could barely contain my excitement, but I had no idea just how fast the seasons would fly. From the time I was a little girl, my home has been in the shape of diamond. The 6 a.m smell of a dew-filled outfield, the smell of a freshly dragged infield and the warmth of the very first huddle of the day to break the frigid breeze of a February morning stole my heart and I have yet to break free. But it’s beginning to sink in that it’s almost time to open the lock and allow myself to grow outside of

Column by Maddie Neigenfind

the sport that has given me so much comfort through 12 years of my life. I not only learned that stitch marks build character, but also a 5-6 hole calls for one hell of a dive, and no matter how many times my mother tells me to “rub some dirt on it” the sting will never go away. I also learned that dedication and drive will put you higher than excuses and laziness, a team is nothing without acceptance, love and a little bit of sarcasm, but most importantly I learned that softball is more than just a sport, so don’t play it. You must live it. You must pour a little bit of yourself into each play you make. You must leave a little piece of your heart on every field you play. You must leave your mark on every team you meet, every coach you play under and every girl that becomes a little bit more like a sister rather than a teammate. With that being said, before I knew it I was a senior getting ready for my final season as an Eagle. It’s beginning to sink in deeper and deeper that it’s almost time to say my goodbyes to everything and everyone who has shaped me into who I am today. The hardest goodbye, hands down, will be my coach, Lacie Spain. She’s been the biggest influence and my biggest supporter, besides my parents, since I was a freshman. The thought of going a whole spring season without hearing her ridiculous catch

phrases from the outfield or behind home plate just makes my heart sad. Regardless of the amount of senseless mistakes I made on third base, she made sure I knew it was fixable. She always kept me on my toes, never failed to pick my chin up when I become too hard on myself, but most of all, she never stopped being my biggest fan. On and off the field. A wise man once said, “A good coach can change a game. A great coach can change a life.” I truly can’t think of anything more spot on to describe coach Spain and all she’s done for me since I began my journey as an Eagle. I’ve learned just about everything I know from the coaches who have watched me grow through the sport and all the girls who have supported me like I was a part of their family. I’ve learned from the sport itself and its ruthless way of using your weakness against you while making you feel like the toughest person on earth. But I feel like I need to learn to grow in other areas of my life. There is a really good chance I’ll probably turn in my glove at the end of this season. Who knows if that will be the right decision? Whenever I step off the field for the final time, I’m sure there will be tears. But sadness won’t be the prevailing emotion. Instead, I’ll look back at all the good times softball has provided me. And I will smile. n

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DER

Maizenews.com || April 2019

Pressure I Students become affected by stressors in and out of school

Story by Casey Loving and Brooklyn Blasdel t’s the middle of the night on a school day, and Richard Bach should be sound asleep. Instead, the senior is several hours into a homework session, just trying to stay on top of his demanding schedule. “Sometimes I have to pull all-nighters if I didn’t exactly work like [at]100% 100% of the time,” said Bach, who has taken many rigorous and time-consuming courses throughout high school. “Sometimes it’s like 4 o’ clock every night or something like that. It just depends on the workload, but sometimes it’s really bad.” Bach is not alone. Maize is home to incredible athletes, academically driven students, and students

“You can be up ‘til 2 a.m. easily” who are involved in multiple clubs and extracurricular activities. But along with being involved can come stress. Stress is a universal truth, something that seemingly everyone has to deal with in one way or another. For some, this stress might come from something enjoyable, like a sport or a club. For others, stress is rooted in their necessities, such as good grades or earning money. Many students in Maize take so many hard courses they get to the point where they simply can’t make more work fit in their schedule due to sheer volume. “I’ve taken honors English all throughout high school, and I’m taking AP lit. And then I took honors biology, honors chemistry, AP U.S. history, AP government, AP statistics, pre calc,” said senior honor student Nicole Dowell, who also is KAY Club president and has a part-time job.“I wanted to take AP calculus, but I didn’t have room in my schedule.” Students all across Maize experience stress about academics, and many times that stress is compounded by extracurricular activities and jobs. The pressure for our generation to be highly involved in school and in the community is rapidly increasing. “[With] late-night practices, especially if you’re involved in multiple sports, school teams and club teams, then homework on top you can be up till 2 a.m. easily,” said junior Caden Cox, who plays football and golf and runs track. Athletes like Cox often find themselves drowning in endless practices, games and workouts. Due to sports, Cox doesn’t have a lot of time to do his homework in the evening, which interferes with sleeping and self-care. “If I’m traveling or anything, I don’t really think about what I have to do at school,” Cox said. “When I’m involved in sports it’s not like I’m focusing on my homework, and if I have late night games a lot of times I just won’t do my schoolwork.” Honors English and AP lit teacher Christine Borrego has been teaching for 34 years. She recognizes classes and activities can cause stress, but she also believes there is a another culprit. Borrego said she saw a spike in student stress as cell phones became more

prevalent. Now that nearly every student carries a phone, Borrego and other long-time teachers have seen the impact phones have on students. “It’s not just social media,” Borrego said. “It’s the fact that when I enter a grade into Skyward, you get a push alert about that. Or that parents have the constant pipeline into every minute thing that happens over the course of a day, and I don’t think that’s a real good thing.”

Insurmountable. All-consuming. Life-dictating.

Chief among the causes of stress for students is the competition for scholarships. For many, going to college and earning a degree is seen as a necessity. With the cost of college only rising year after year, it is no surprise that scholarships are an unfortunate motivator. Going from a care-free freshman to a junior or senior trying to choose between a dream school and one that’s more affordable is a big issue, senior Abby Wray said. “I think the largest [inducer] of stress with teens would probably be financial problems,” said Wray, who participates in theater, debate, forensics and improv. While scholarships are optional for some, many students today see them as one of the only ways to go to the college

eFFECTS OF STRESS

they want. “I have to do scholarships,” Dowell said. “I guess it is a privilege to be able to apply for them, but it’s kind of a need also. If I don’t apply to the scholarships, if I don’t get these scholarships, than I might not be able to afford to go to college.” With the desire for scholarships, bad performances can exponentially add pressure to student-athletes hoping to get recognized. “I get disappointed in myself, so that can add on to it,” Cox said. “I’m more focused on what I can do better and put all my time and energy into it.” While stress can be caused by many different things, the impacts of stress are universal and can seemingly feel endless. When overextending themselves, it’s not hard for students to get consumed by their stress. Students like Bach spend a majority of their time in service of their honors courses. One would be hard-pressed to find a day where your local Starbucks isn’t full of AP students trying to maintain their GPAs. Bach said he’s concerned that he’s spent so much time on academics that he won’t be able to compete for scholarships with those who have more extracurricular activities on their resumes. “It just kind of feels like I’m putting a ton of time into something that won’t pay off,” he said. “Like, all I really get is just,

“It takes a lot of knowledge of yourself” Just as sure as everyone has something stressing them, everyone has some way or another of handling this stress. One common way for students to ease the tension is to simply step away from it all. Go for a walk, grab a coffee, watch an episode of a sitcom you’ve seen a million times. “I will just take a nap,” Cannizzo said. “I avoid things with sleep.” However, as with most things, it is important to have enough self-control to ensure that breaks are done in moderation. Procrastination can lead to additional stress. “Sleeping is good,” Dowell said. “It can

TROUBLE CONCENTRATING APATHY

TEETH GRINDING

HEADACHES

ANXIETY

MUSCLE TENSION

SKIN IRRITATIONS DECREASED SEX DRIVE

10|Now Playing

‘Oh, nice, shiny GPA.’” On the opposite end of Bach’s struggle, plenty of students overextend themselves in their extracurriculars, causing their academic pursuits to sometimes get the short shrift. Sophomore Ellie Cannizzo is the sophomore class vice president and a cheerleader. “It’s not necessarily that the school is forcing me to do these things; I think it’s me committing myself to these things,” she said. “Sometimes it’s hard balancing all of it. But good grades come first, so time management is hard.”

ANGER

STOMACH PROBLEMS

FATIGUE

https://www.healthline.com/health/stress/effects

Maizenews.com || April 2019 also be bad, because if you’re sleeping later, that’s procrastination.” Dowell said she sometimes will wake up early to do homework instead of staying up too late. “But that takes a lot of self discipline,” she said. “And it takes a lot of knowledge of yourself and how long it’s going to take you to do your own homework.” When feeling overwhelmed, one of the best things a student can do is simply ask for help. Vent to a parent, ask a teacher for an extension or see if a friend can help carry the load. But the worst thing you can do is hold what feels like the weight of the world on your shoulders alone. “My parents would pack my lunch or do my laundry if I didn’t have time, so that would definitely help out a lot,” senior track athlete, cross-country runner and honors student Kael Eccord said. “I would definitely say they help out a lot. My parents and my teachers always try to make sure I knew I could turn in homework a day late or a couple hours late if I couldn’t get it done on time.” For the most part, students commit themselves to clubs that in some way help themselves. They play sports they are good at, take hard classes for a good GPA, join clubs to help a resume and do all of the above in the hopes of getting recognized. When most of their stress comes from

trying to help themselves and their future, some students find relief in the antithesis of this: helping others. “KAY Club can reduce stress, taking time to do something for someone else, instead of doing things for yourself,”

“The best thing to do is ask yourself, ‘In five years, is this going to be important?’ and if the answer is no, don’t worry about it.” -Stan Bergkamp Dowell said. “I feel like that can be more of a stress reliever than a stressor.”

“The sun will still rise”

Several teachers across Maize try to aid students in their stress, especially those that teach higher-level classes. Teachers like Borrego advise students to prioritize, suggesting that making lists can greatly calm students down. Honors and AP physics teacher Stan Bergkamp said stress is not only a matter of priorities, but it also a matter of per-

What Causes you STRESS?

ception. “The best thing to do is ask yourself ‘In five years, is this going to be important?’ and if the answer is no, don’t worry about it,” he said. “The worst thing that kids can do is not get enough sleep, they pull all-nighters and then they drink energy drinks, which is just nothing but pure caffeine, and then they get jitters, and then they can’t sleep again.” Clearing your head is seen by many as one of the best ways to get over any problem, chief among them the pressure that students can feel. “Take a breath,” Cannizzo said. “Think. Don’t think about anything else, just think about not being stressed.” Everybody is going to get stressed out by something. Stress, for better or worse, is unavoidable. It can seem insurmountable, all-consuming, something that, no matter how hard you try, will always dictate your life. At that point, the only difference is what you do with this stress. Do you let it control you? Do you let it keep you up at night afraid of what the next day will bring? Or do you get over it, say that you are the one in control, and that’s all that matters? “So maybe you end up with a 90% in the class versus a 92% in a class,” Bergkamp said. “Tomorrow morning, the sun will still rise.” n

Senior Aiden Headreck: I’m an AP student, so I have a hard school schedule, and then on top of that I work. A lot of seniors are working. So a lot of us feel the constant pressure from our jobs on top of school.

Junior Carson Wheeler: A lot of homework

stresses me out and just school in general having four classes a day, but I just play sports to relieve it and that’s really wrestling and football.

Sophomore Olivia Wedman: Probably

schoolwork and balancing that with other sports and extracurriculars I do. I usually I go from school straight to practice, then a club practice and homework, it’s just hard to balance it all.

Freshman Ariel Naputi: School and sports. It

stresses me out because [with] school I just have a lot of homework when I get home, and then I also have to balance that out with doing sports.

11 |Now playing

Hitting

Does the early bird really get the worm?

very day, students file into school before 7:40 a.m. Every school year, students are not getting the most out of their education and putting their physical and mental health at risk due to sleep deprivation. Every school year, nothing changes. How long will the cycle continue? Sleep is a simple, biological need. Just as humans need to eat, breathe and exercise, they need adequate sleep, and without it, they are at risk for detrimental effects. This is especially true for teenagers concerned with academics, extracurriculars, work schedules, college planning and so on, all while trying to maintain good physical and mental health. According to the National Sleep Foundation, adolescents should have roughly eight to 10 hours of sleep each night in order to properly function. Still, this guideline fails to be met by the majority of high schoolers. The Sleep Foundation said teens average fewer than seven hours of sleep per school night by the end of high school. Lack of sleep may be caused by academic rigor, extracurricular activities, work, problems at home or any number of other factors. Regardless of the cause, there is no denying high school students are victims of sleep deprivation. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that high schools begin at

“I think it’s a matter of perspective.” —Chad Higgins, superintendent

12/ editorial

By the Play editorial board 8:30 a.m. at the earliest. We fail to meet this standard by nearly an hour. By adjusting the school start time for high schools and middle schools in the district to begin at 8:40 a.m., we would meet the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Other schools across the country have pushed back start times and have seen great success. A school district in Seattle made the decision to push back school start times in the 2016-2017 school year. Middle and high school students, who previously began at 7:50 a.m., had a new start time of 8:45 a.m. The University of Washington conducted a study in which they observed the students before and after the time change. The results of the study were just what the district had hoped for -students used the time to sleep in, grades increased and there was a decrease in absence and tardiness. Across the board, changes with this time shift were overwhelmingly positive. So why are so many schools so resistant to this change? One argument against starting school earlier is the many logistical and financial factors, potential major setbacks of implementing a later start time at Maize. Starting school early has been the status quo for a long time, and many are afraid of what it might mean to change. “It’s interesting because I think it’s a matter of perspective,” superintendent Chad Higgins said. “I understand there is research out there that indicates one thing or another.” Higgins said he believes there are no easy solutions to the downsides of starting school later. “We have so many kids to transport, and we don’t have enough bus drivers,” Higgins said. Due to its size, our district runs on a two-tier system, with the secondary schools and elementary schools starting at different times to have the ability to run buses at two times. The superintendent said with the current school start

“Mentally, physically, emotionally, socially it [the current start time] is not best for what our students need.” —Chris Botts, principal times, we start as late as possible so families have sufficient time to get up, eat and so forth “without having the last tier go so late that we are hitting rush hour traffic,” Higgins said. Higgins said there are three options available when considering a later start time: all district schools start at the same time, flip-flop the secondary and elementary school start times or slide everything later. “We’d spend a lot more money if our kids start at the same time and end at the same time,” he said. “So the other option would be to flip-flop. That means having the little guys, the kindergarteners, on the bus at 6:30. That’s not appealing either. So it’s not easy.” Principal Chris Botts supports the idea of a later start time, especially for district high schools. “Research shows that later start times, especially for teenagers, is critical,” Botts said. “Mentally, physically, emotionally, socially it [the current start time] is not best for what our students need.” Previously, Botts was the principal at Complete, which starts its day at 8:25 a.m. “You can see firsthand the success students are having there with attendance and their emotional well-being seems to be improved once they get over there,” Botts said. “I do think the later start time is a factor in that.” For the future of our health, for the future of our education -- we need change. Teens cannot continue attending school every day as sleep-deprived zombies. n

Maizenews.com || April 2019

Enrichment

Broadening horizons leads to richer high school career

hen I was in second grade, I was placed in my elementary school’s gifted program with a handful of other students. Children labeled as “gifted” are in some way academically talented. This meant taking an advanced curriculum, mainly focusing on math and English, daily through my eighth-grade year. Suffice it to say, younger me thought he was hot stuff. I spent most of every school day taking every hard class, finding every educational advantage I could. I read obsessively, I treated Scholar’s Bowl like I was getting paid for it, and I searched for any academic competition I could find. I don’t say any of this to brag. In fact, it’s more of the opposite. In many ways, I think this was the worst version of me, a kid overly confident in his intelligence to the point where hardly anything else mattered. I wasn’t concerned with having a social circle outside of the gifted program. I wasn’t overly cautious of whether or not I was being a nice, kind person. I thought I was one of the best, and I wanted to prove it. Thus, coming into high school, one of my greatest goals was to become the valedictorian of my class. Now, I’m going to jump ahead a little bit by saying there is no way I am going to be valedictorian or salutatorian. The chances of me even being in the top 10 of my class are slim to none. My freshman year, I was already dead set on taking newsmagazine for four years. Taking this one elective gave me plenty of space to take a class that I enjoyed while being able to take longer, harder AP courses and still getting required credits out of the way. I never expected, however, just how attached I would get to one of these required classes. I took choir my first semester in high school essentially because I had to.

Casey Loving Commentary Although I enjoyed the class in middle school, I didn’t really see the purpose in taking a class for four years that would have little to nothing to do with my future career. I wasn’t planning on going into the performing arts, so, as far as I was concerned, a fine arts credit was just that to me: a required credit. However, if you were to exemplify all that Maize High has done for me in one class, one group, however, I would be hard-pressed to find a better one than choir. What started as a mandatory credit quickly became much more meaningful. Choir introduced me to friends inside and out of my grade level for the first time, it gave me greater confidence, and I genuinely believe it made me a much better person. Between choir and my involvement in Drama Club, I frequently say I owe so much of who I am today to fine arts. At the end of that first semester, I had to make a choice. Between newsmag and the school clubs I was already participating

in, I knew it was unreasonable to keep going for valedictorian while taking two electives full-time. So which was more important to me? Was it more important for me to take AP class after AP class and try to prove I was the best, or was it more important to take a class that wasn’t academic but constantly pushed me to grow outside of my comfort zone? Was it more important for me to work on being a better student or, in my eyes, a better person? So far, I have never gotten less than an A in high school. I am a member of NHS and in the top 10 percent of class. I have gotten a good enough score on my ACT to never have to take it again. I have had only one semester in high school where I did not take choir and newsmagazine, and even then I took one of the two. But when you ask me 10 years down the line what I remember most about high school, what I am most proud of myself for doing, I promise none of these will be the first things that come to mind. The amount of new, exciting things I’ve done in high school and the memories I’ve made in my extracurriculars will always outweigh the AP classes I could’ve taken with more time. I say none of this from a place of bitterness or vanity. Even if I had ditched one or two activities to take AP physics or APUSH, I know that I probably still wouldn’t have been val or sal. And honestly, the people at the top of my class deserve it more than anyone I know. But at the end of the day, I don’t need a title to define what kind of student I was, or to tell me that I made the most out of high school anymore. It’s OK to just be good at something. I don’t always have to struggle so I can prove I’m the best. It’s a lesson that took me a good while to learn, but I’m pretty confident that I won’t regret the time. n

“There is no way I am going to be valedictorian or salutatorian.” —Casey Loving 13/ opinion

Q:How has cheer impacted your life? A: “It’s made me meet a lot of new people. It’s also helped me overcome different things in life,” Taylor Arellano said.

Q: What are some of the hardest things about cheer? A: “The conditioning is very

hard, you have to build up your strength, your momentum and your cardio,” Jamie Joiner said.

Q: How has cheer impacted your life? A: “It’s made me realize the

importance of teamwork and how to be able to rely on other people,” Madison Millerskow said.

Photo by Action Moments

Bellamy Hendricks being lifted in a stunt. Hendricks says her favorite part of performing is being in the air because everyone watches you and you get to show them your talent.

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Q: What’s your favorite part about cheer? A: “I like to travel and tumble. It’s fun,” Kailey Clinton said.

Maizenews.com || April 2019

Photo by Action Moments

Cheer and Tumbling All Stars performing at a competition. Hayley Wilson is a main base and says her favorite memory with her team was winning U.S. finals.

All Stars

Story by Madi Hay Design by Abby Turner heer is a highly competitive sport at and around Maize. Local cheer teams bring competitiveness, confidence, friendship and much more, making it a sport loved by its athletes. Hours of dedication and hard work are put into the sport by many, but what keeps the participants going is the love they have for the sport, the confidence it gives them and the people cheer has helped them grow to be. Junior Haley Wilson, a main base on All Star Jaguars at Cheer and Tumbling AllStars, says she puts in nine or more hours at the gym every week to prepare for her performances. Wilson sees cheer as a way to challenge and push herself to meet new people. “I love cheer because it’s challenging, but I just love performing and having a separate thing, rather than a sport at the school, because you get to meet other people from other places and schools that you wouldn’t get to meet,” Wilson said. Wilson said she used to be quiet and antisocial, but cheer has helped a lot with her confidence. “It’s [cheer] given me a lot more

confidence in doing things in front of people because we perform a lot, and it’s made me a lot more social,” Wilson said. Sophomore Bellamy Hendricks is a flyer on Cheer Eclipse Comets and has done cheer for 10 years. Her mom decided to put her in cheer when she was little, and she’s loved it ever since. Hendricks said she has really opened up as a person and is very glad for what cheer has done to make her a better person. “I wouldn’t be as open and outgoing if I hadn’t done cheer,” Hendricks said. “When I was little, I was really kept in, but cheer definitely takes that away from you.” Hendricks said her favorite memories with her team are when they all work hard and have a great performance after a long week of training. “Just going out after a really hard practice week and pulling it all together,” Hendricks said of her favorite aspect of cheer. Senior Isaac James is a coach at ICT Legacy on Mondays and Thursdays, then practices on Sundays and Wednesdays. James has traveled as far as Orlando, Florida, to cheer for Worlds.

James has cheered since the end of his freshman year and was influenced by peers and coaches to do it. “My freshman year I played football and I wrestled, but I was also in choir,” he said. “I got made fun of for being in choir while I played football. So I quit football, I quit wrestling, and the cheer coach walked up to me and was like ‘Hey would you ever try cheer?’ I was super skeptical at first, and then I tried out for cheer and made the team, so I just took it and ran.” James isn’t sure if he will continue his cheer career after high school because of how busy he will be. “It’s kind of up in the air,” he said. “Hutchison has offered me a scholarship to cheer there, but I may not take it because I’m going to be so filled up with my fire science degree.” James said that he has met so many great friends that have stuck by his side through cheer. “Cheer has changed my life a lot,” he said. “If it wasn’t for cheer, I wouldn’t have the friends I have today. They have really stuck with me through all my hard times and all of my best times. It has influenced me to be a better person and show the younger kids how to be a better person.”n

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Photo by Kyerra Snyder

Maizenews.com || April 2019

‘It’s not really that different’ Pastors’ kids say some people hold them to a higher standard because of their parents’ occupation

Story by Kyerra Snyder and Chasley Garcia

hen you walk into a room, you may notice certain people like the football quarterback or maybe the track star, but you could never tell the difference between a normal student and a pastor’s kid just by their appearance. “The only thing that is really different is the amount of time that I spend at the church in [relation] to other kids, because I’m there as much as my dad is,” senior Noah Stanton said. Stanton’s father, Nathan, pastored at five churches before he became the Director of Congregation Development for the United Methodist Church Conference Office. Nathan Stanton has been a pastor for 22 years. Noah Stanton said he recognizes that students may not be able to see the difference between him and other students, but he says adults are the ones who really treat him differently. “They’ve given me only a glimpse of what they’re really like because they feel the need to act like they’re all holy,” Stanton said. Junior David Ingram feels he is also not treated differently because people can’t really pick him out from a whole crowd of students as a pastor’s kid. “I don’t really think I am treated differently by my peers,” said Ingram. Sophomore Emily Frakes was a pastor‘s kid for eight years and believes that they are like anybody else. “After they know I’m a pastor’s kid, they seem to filter themselves around me, they think like ‘Oh, I should clean up my act,’ ” Frakes said. Sophomore Halee Metts feels like her friends aren’t as open with her as they are with her other friends. “Some people feel like they can’t say or tell me

certain things because they think I’ll judge them or think of them differently,” Metts said. In terms of being straightlaced, most would expect a pastor to be more strict than an average parent. In certain instances that may be true, but in the Ingram family, it is not. “Sometimes they’re crazy and strict,” Ingram said. “But most of the time just about curfew and other things like that -- like normal parents.” Freshman Gavin Metts thinks that most people think pastors are more strict than most making their kids rebellious. “It’s really not that different,” he said. “People think that it’s super strict or something like that. A lot of people actually think that pastor’s kids are more disobedient sometimes.” With being a pastor’s kid, most people would assume they have to be perfect or an angel child. “If I act weird or I act out people automatically think that it’s because I am a pastor’s kid,” Stanton said. Although pastor’s kids aren’t perfect, Metts believes they still have to represent Christ well. “No one is perfect, people don’t expect me to be perfect,” Metts said. “But my parents expect me to be an example for people that aren’t Christians.” Metts believes being a pastor’s kid isn’t what everyone makes it out to be, and that nobody is perfect and people shouldn’t expect pastor’s kids to be different just because their parent has a different occupation than others. “At one point in my life people expected me to be perfect, but I’ve kind of made sure that they know that I am who I am,” Stanton said. “I’m not just a pastor’s kid.” n

Noah Stanton

Gavin Metts

Halee Metts

“At one point in my life people expected me to be perfect but I’ve kind of made sure that they know that I am who I am, I’m not just a pastor’s kid.” -Noah Stanton, senior

Emily Frakes

First Class

A Q&A with straight-A, honors and AP students Page by MJ McCollum

Q: A: Q: A:

RYan BENder

f r e s h m a n

What’s your favorite soda? Diet Coke cherry vanilla. What is your greatest accomplishment in high school? So far, first time ever doing tennis, and I ended up being pretty good at it.

What’s the craziest thing on your bucket list?

“I want to be bit by a great white shark but not die.” Bender was just elected as vice president for next year’s sophomore class. She plays soccer for the Eagles and on a competitive team. Photos by Sam Bartlett

Q: A: Q: A:

What’s your favorite class at school? AP Physics with Papa Berg [Stan Bergkamp].

Jacob Schonhoff e

If you had unlimited money to start your own business, what would it be? It would be a Midnight Nachos restaurant for my mom to be the head cook because that’s always been one of her dreams to have.

Who do you most like spending time with?

“My girlfriend Kenzie because she is my best friend, and I enjoy doing anything with her.”

18/ FEATURES

Schonhoff has been playing soccer for 14 years. He was an offensive lineman for the Eagles this season.

Amanda Branom

sophomore

Maizenews.com Maizenews.com |||| April April 2019 2019

Q: A: Q: A:

What’s your favorite way to spend the weekend? At a forensics tournament. It’s the only way I spend my weekends. If you see a puddle on the ground, do you walk around it or over it? Around it definitely.

What is your definition of success?

“There isn’t one. I don’t think I’ll ever consider myself successful; there will always be something else to be done.” Branom is interested in being a beekeeper or criminal justice lawyer when she grows up. She is involved in forensics.

Q: A: Most likely from left to right. Q: What is your biggest pet peeve? A: Chewing with mouth open.

Do you eat a taco from the left or the right?

Bode Carter

s o p h o m o r e

What job would you be terrible at?

“Law, because I am not a fan of defending people. There are too many laws to learn.” Carter works at Andy’s Frozen Custard. He is also sophomore class president.

Senior Nicholas Van Echaute spends time building a robot for an upcoming competition. The team is coached by Jed Heath. Photos by Sam Bartlett

Build, Compete, Repeat

Maize robotics team qualifies for Worlds and U.S. Open

Story by Ellie Stucky t didn’t take long for Maize to develop a championship-level robotics team. In its first year and after getting a late start to the season, the squad comprising Maize and Maize South students won multiple tournaments and finished second at state. The team qualified for the U.S. Open this week in Iowa and the Vex Robotics World Championship later this month in Kentucky. The team is ranked second in the state in Robotic Skills, an individual robot challenge. Coach Jed Heath was surprised and happy that the team has advanced so far so quickly. “My mind was blown,” Heath said. Heath said there are more than 11,000 teams in the world. The top 500 will compete at the Vex championship. “It is pretty impressive,” Heath said. Junior Jacob Shove said his highlight of the season was the team’s first

20/ Features

This is the first season of robotics at Maize. Freshman Ethan Keller works on a robot during practice.

competition. “It’s what qualified us for state,” he said. “Our Skills Run at St. John’s ended up qualifying us for Worlds.” Junior Cole Sphar enjoys being a part of the team and said its quick advance up the rankings feels great.

“Honestly, even I never thought we’d get this far the first year,” he said. The tournaments include competitions in which the robots must score points by doing things such as throwing balls and flipping caps. Whichever two-robot team scores the most points at the end of the match wins. To win a tournament, a team must make it through qualifying rounds first. Teams are seeded after qualifying rounds and must continue to win during later elimination rounds. “We’ll practice and look at strategy for the game because there’s multiple ways to win or play the game,” Heath said. “You have to kind of figure out how it is, what you can do best, and how you can end up winning with it.” Shove said it was nice to see all of the team’s work pay off. “It felt really good because we put in tons of time,” Shove said. “It’s just really nice to see the time you put it in pay off early.” n

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3/27/2019 10:52:55 AM

Thunder Struck

Students participate on competitive hockey teams

Senior Felix Kopycinski enjoys playing hockey for the Wichita Junior Thunder. He hopes to pass down his passion for hockey to his kids some day. Photo by Meaghann Flower

“Once I get out on the ice, all of my worries go away and I just play the game.” —Felix Kopycinski, senior

22/sports

Story by Meaghann Flower he sport of hockey is popular in colder states such as Minnesota and Michigan, but in Kansas’s warmer weather the hockey scene isn’t as prevalent. Although it isn’t very popular here, there are hockey players in Wichita who find ways to pursue their passion. Unfortunately for some, Maize doesn’t offer a team to its student athletes. Despite this, sophomore Tyler Erickson and seniors Felix Kopycinski and Conner Hansen don’t let the lack of availability stop them. “I’m kind of glad the school doesn’t have a hockey team,” Hansen said. “A bunch of people from different schools can come together to play for the city league and be one big, amazing team.” Kopycinski, Erickson and Hansen are avid hockey players. Kopycinski and Hansen are members of the Wichita Junior Thunder team, while Erickson plays for Wichita Junior Thunder U18 House. “I love the game,” Kopycinski said. “If I could play hockey for the rest of my life, I would. I wish I lived in Minnesota because hockey there is as big as football is here. “ The three boys have been playing hockey for most of their lives. Kopycinski started playing 14 years ago. He was inspired by his dad because he played in high school and had a passion for the sport. Kopycinski is a left wing and practices every day of the week for at least two hours during the season. “I find the ice rink to be a safe place where I can spend my free time,” Kopycinski said. All of the hockey players plan on hockey being a part of their future but in different ways. For Erickson, being a collegiate athlete is his goal. “I want to go to college in Minnesota and play on their hockey team,” he said. “I would love to play in the minors.” As for Hansen and Kopycinski, keeping hockey a traditional hobby for their families is more important. “I definitely want to pass my hockey knowledge down to my kids,” Hansen said. “I want to be able to share my

passion with them.” Hansen would like to join the Air Force after high school. He wants to go into the cyber security sector, which means he would make sure that the citizens are being protected on the technological side of war. Being in the military would give him a free education, the opportunity to travel, and do the job that he loves. “I love the military and think the Air Force will be a great opportunity for me,” Hansen said. Hockey has taught Hansen many life lessons. He has learned the value of teamwork and patience. He knows that in such a competitive sport people are going to try to knock you down, and he has learned to ignore it and has never let it get the best of him. Like any sport, hockey comes with some added stress. Erickson and Kopycinski experience stress before games, and they both deal with it in different ways. Erickson said he listens to music to calm his nerves and drown out any negative thoughts running through his head. “Once I get out on the ice all of my worries go away, and I just play the game,” Kopycinski said. n

“I definitely want to pass my hockey knowledge down to my kids. I want to be able to share my passion with them.” —Conner Hansen, senior

Maizenews.com || April 2019

ready to rumble

Junior Devin Gomez stands on the first place podium after going undefeated for his first season wrestling with Maize. Sophomore Kyle Haas also received a first-place title. Photo by Tim Quiggle

Maize season ends with two state champs

Story by Devynn Raile n past years, wrestling has had multiple state champions. The team did not fail to show up again this year, with several close wins and two more state champs. Junior Devin Gomez and sophomore Kyle Haas secured both of their first state champion titles together. Gomez, who wrestled at 145 pounds, finished the season undefeated. He said he felt like he had a target on his back this season. “I could feel all the eyes on me,” Gomez said. “And the guys I would wrestle would either go really hard on me or not wrestle me and try to stall.” Gomez, who moved to Maize from Valley Center, said moving to a new school and facing the typical issues didn’t distract him. He wasn’t the only one who thought that the coaches were the biggest support and help to his season. “Really the whole coaching staff was there for everybody,” said Haas, who wrestled at 182 pounds. “They would

stay later to help out with personal goals and push you.” Haas, a sophomore, finished third his freshman year. He said he was ready to have a second chance to take on state this year and to focus on what he needed to do. Haas said he had more of a plan than last year. He said instead of gassing himself out and going solely for the pin, he was focused on wrestling at his best performance level. Gomez and Haas weren’t the only ones who were being eyed by the competition. The whole Maize team was after being highly ranked. “We were ranked [third] all-class this year,” said coach Mike Schauer, who has coached at Maize since 1981. “So walking in my expectations were high but we were confident.” The Eagles finished fourth at state. Schauer has coached many of his wrestlers since they were younger. “The chemistry really helps,” Haas said. “There’s no drama, and we are all like brothers.” n

Sophomore Kyle Haas flexs after his victory in the 182 weight class. This was his first time being a state champion after he fell short last year. Photo by Tim Quiggle

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Sports in Brief Athletes begin spring sports season Story by Rayne Rekoske Design by Rayne Rekoske and Devynn Raile

Girls Track

Boys Golf “I want to finish my last high school season strong by getting good placements at regular season tournaments and hopefully a good placement at state as well.”

Junior Cassandra Onwugbufor practices long jump to get ready for upcoming meets. Onwugbufor does the 400, 4 x 100 relay, 4 x 400 relay and long jump. Photo by Lily Robison

girls swim

- Jared Murphy, senior

Boys Tennis

he girls swim team is getting ready for their season. The team kicked off their season with a meet at Wichita Heights. Sophomore Brooklyn Blasdel, sprinter for the team, wants to focus on some key elements for her success during the season. “I’m really focusing on working on myself and trying to better myself,” Blasdel said. “I’m an extremely competitive person, so I always want to focus on other people’s times so I can try to be the best I can.” Blasdel is looking forward to a good season with the team and hopes for a successful year. “I think this year if we work hard and put in that work we can win league,” Blasdel said. Last year’s season went well for the girls, placing the highest they ever have at state. Blasdel hopes as long as they work as a team they can do better than last year. n

24/Sports

Senior doubles partners Tanner Ohnmeis and Chase Schreiner returns the ball to their opponent. Ohnmeis and Schreiner defeated a Goddard doubles team 8-2. Photo by Rayne Rekoske

Maizenews.com || April 2019

softball

Baseball

he baseball boys are preparing for their season, and senior Deriq Doty is excited for this season.“We only lost a few people from last year,” Doty said. “I think this should be a pretty special year.” One of Doty’s goals for the season is to win the state championship. “Winning the state championship would mean a lot because all that hard work would pay off,” Doty said. n

Junior McKensy Glass pitches during the first game of the doubleheadder against Valley Center. The Eagles defeated the Hornets 17-6 in the first game and 15-4 in the second. Photo by Devynn Raile

oftball ended their season last year with a 17-4 record. With the team losing many seniors last year, junior McKensy Glass is anxious for this season. “It’s definitely different from last year, but I think this year we will grow as a team,” Glass said. Glass has some goals for herself and for the team this season. “I want to be a leader by helping the team when I can and I hope we can have a winning record,” Glass said. n

Senior Carson Shively hits in the fourth inning against the Valley Center Hornets. During the second inning, Shively hit a grand slam that put the Eagles in the lead 8-3. Photo by Rayne Rekoske

Boys track

Girls soccer “The games are the most fun part. We’re always working for the outcome of the game.”

Junior Josh McLaughlin and sophomore Jacob Hanna run hurdles at practice. The two are training for upcoming meets later in the season. Photo by Lily Robison

-Payton Eskridge, senior

Senior Payton Eskridge runs to the ball to make a play. The Eagles beat Wichita Heights Falcons 3-0 at the Titan Classic. Picture by Rayne Rekoske

25/Sports

Going out on a win Eagles finish best season in school history

Story by Abby McCoy ix out of the 10 seniors on the boys basketball team have been playing together since fourth grade. Little did these young athletes know that years later they would make school history together, finishing with a record-breaking 24-1 season. Although the Eagles were one game short from a perfect season, they still have had the best season in Maize boys basketball history. “We were one game away,” senior Chase Schreiner said. “It’s probably more something to be proud of than to be disappointed.” The seniors credit their success this season to the chemistry the team possessed on and off the court.

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“Being the best team in school history was something special,” senior Caleb Grill said. “It was just fun doing it with the people I was doing it with.” After finishing their perfect regular season and sub-state 22-0, the No. 1-ranked Eagles traveled to the class 5A tournament in Emporia and finished third, breaking the school record for the highest finish at state. In the first round, Maize defeated St. James Academy 83-56 to advance to the semifinals. “We won 20-plus in a state game; that’s pretty hard to do,” senior Devon Koehn said. Maize fell to Andover Central 74-66 in the semifinal game. Andover Central

defeated Basehor-Linwood 58-47 in the finals to become state champions. “That was a winnable game and we all know it,” Schreiner said. “It just didn’t come out that way.” The Eagles finished strong with a 68-49 win over Bishop Carroll finished third. “We had a pretty amazing season,” coach Chris Grill said. “We finished on a win, and not very many teams get to finish the year on a win. I’ve never done it, and it’s pretty good. It’s fun. I’m happy for the kids. It’s pretty special.” While the entire team had a record-breaking season, Koehn and Caleb Grill personally broke additional school records. Koehn broke the record for career block shots with 108. Grill scored

Maizenews.com || April 2019

24-1 regular season

“We kinda became a family. We are all just brothers.” —Chase Schreiner, senior a record 42 points in a game, made 419 field goals, is the career scoring leader at 1,178 points and is the career three-point leader at 173. He also had 42 dunks this year and 65 in his career. He said the thing he is going to miss the most about playing at Maize is having his dad as a coach. Senior Christian Sampson said he will miss how happy the team got in the locker room after wins. “I will miss how excited we could get together,” Sampson said. “And then just the natural chemistry we had. There was that for sure, and that was a lot of the reason our team was as good as it was. We all clicked so naturally, we were all friends outside of basketball, before basketball started.” Many of the players agreed they made some of their best memories as a team in practice. “We were just … we were just weird,” Schreiner said. Downtime during practices for the boys

was often when the team would bond by joking around. “In between water breaks was kinda a free-for-all, mostly a dunk competition for Tanner [Ohmeis],” Sampson said. “Tanner would try and dunk every day during the water break. I think he got one legitimate dunk during the whole season, but it was even on the shorter goal.” The Eagles’ margin of victory this season was 17.2, they scored 1,618 points, made 624 field goals with 51.7 percent accuracy, 413 assists, 237 steals, 785 rebounds, 550 defensive rebounds and 235 offensive rebounds. The seniors hope that their legacy will motivate next year’s team and has laid the groundwork for the future. “We kinda became a family,” Schreiner said. “We are all just brothers. I’m hoping next year [the team] will follow our footsteps, try to simulate the leadership that the 10 seniors had out there. We just wanted to provide a good example for the next generation.” n

Eisenhower 67-42 Salina South 76-41 Dodge City 85-49 Derby 58-57 Campus 61-48 Hutchinson 61-36 Newton 63-50 Salina Central 55-43 Bishop Carroll 56-52 Goodland 61-22 Scott City 67-45 Pine Creek 69-42 Newton 59-50 Maize South 65-63 Derby 72-59 Buhler 60-39 Campus 46-45 Hutchinson 62-45 Salina Central 58-45 Salina South 66-43

Sub-State

Northwest 78-42 Eisenhower 53-47

State

St. James 83-56 Andover Central 74-66 Bishop Carroll 68-49 1) The Eagles basketball team celebrates a winning season. For the first time in history, Maize ended its season with a win against Bishop Carroll 68-49. 2) Senior Cade McGaugh makes a layup. The Eagles competed in the 5A tournament in Emporia. 3) Senior Caleb Grill prepares to dunk. Grill had 42 dunks this year and 65 in his career. 4) Sophomore Jacob Hanna attempts to make a dunk. Hanna received playing time at the end of third-place game.

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28/ Entertainment

Events

Prizes Casino Bingo Photo Booth Party Bus Rides Lip-Sync contest Inflatables Best-Dressed contest

Game Time

Maizenews.com || April 2019

How well do you know your peers? 1 2

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The answers to this crossword are all students N at Maize (last names) 14

PLAY to win!

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Follow @PlayNewsmag on Twitter and DM us a picture of your completed crossword. First student to do so will win a $10 IHOP gift card.

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Across 4. President of chess club 5. Most valued male swimmer 6. Girl with the buzzcut 7. President of Gay-Straight Alliance 8. President of National Honors Society 11. Junior verbally committed to KU to play softball 17. Ultimate Frisbee captain 18. Winter homecoming queen 19. Workaholic who dresses trendy 20. Co-President of Drama Club

Down 1. (Honorary) Principal 2. The smarter and better twin 3. Drum major of marching band 9. KAY Club secretary 10. Sophomore class president 12. KAY Club president 13. Baton twirler 14. Senior girls swim captain 15. Manager for football and wresling 16. Good at math and running

29/ Entertainment

They Can handle the heat

Maize Career Academy places first at the ProStart Culinary Invitational

30/ photo focus

Maizenews.com || April 2019

Juniors Madison Beemiller and Olivia Bishop work together to prepare the dishes made by the team. Each person on the team had a specific role in creating the dishes. “We worked as a team probably the best that we’ve ever worked,” Beemiller said.

Junior Michaela Birkholz prepares food for the dish the team will serve to a panel of judges. The team is only allowed a certain amount of time to have the dishes ready. “We practiced the recipe so much that it was just a habit,” Birkholz said.

(Above) Senior Caitlin Gooding helps Junior Michaela Birkholz check on the meat she is cooking for their dish. The team had to practice making their dish perfectly so they could win. “We are going to practice a lot the week before Nationals,” Birkholz said. (Left) Michaela Birkholz, Caitlin Gooding and Madison Beemiller converse with each other during the competition.“ At first it was rough, everyone wasn’t really getting along, so it kind of clashed but we’re closer now,” Birkholz said.

Photos by Savannah Horn

aize Career Academy won the Prostart Culinary Invitational on March 6. Senior Alex Palmer and junior Cassie Onwugbufor created a restaurant concept, designing and presenting all aspects of it. That included marketing, food costs, interior design and food safety. Senior Caitlin Gooding and juniors Michaela Birkholz, Olivia Bishop and Madison Beemiller worked together to create their winning dish. They created an appetizer, entree and dessert in under 60 minutes. Their dish won the most points while being judged and they also won the“Best of Beef ” award. They are now preparing for the national competition on May 9-10 in Washington, D.C.

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Press Pause A moment with freshman whiteboard artist

Freshman Elizabeth Gentry stands in front of her dragon drawing on the whiteboard in Amy Jensonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s room. Gentry is strongly passionate about dragons, and many of her drawings consist of her own characters. Photo by Keira McGinty