November 2019

PLAY By students. For all.

THE BELL

DOES NOT DISMISS YOU WHICH TEACHER ARE YOU? PAGE 17

Harmoniously managing school, life presents a struggle PAGE 10

HOME ON THE RANGE PAGE 22

DON’T KNOCK THE ROCK PAGE 28

Maize High School | 11600 W 45th St N | Maize, KS 67101 | maizenews.com | Vol. 13 Issue 2 | Nov. 2019

STAFF

Editors-in-chief Abby McCoy Casey Loving

Reporters Ellie Cannizzo Sascha Harvey Madi Hay Photo editor Chantelle Hoekstra Sam Bartlett Preston Hunt Carter Jones Social media editor MJ McCollum Abby Turner Keira McGinty Claire Morgan Sports editor Londen Peebler Brooklyn Blasdel Teagan Redinger

18 Students participate in SAFE week events.

4

Rayne Rekoske Lily Robison Janeth Saenz Kyerra Snyder Ellie Stucky Dylan Wittorff Paige Youngdahl

Band ‘Peagus’ started by two Maize students.

By students. For all.

28

10

ONTENTS

04 10 17 21 26

NEWS 04 | NEWS IN BRIEF 08 | UNITED WE STAND

COVER 10 | THE BELL DOES NOT DISMISS YOU

EDITORIAL 14 | THE IDEAL STUDENT

OPINION 15 | FAR FROM HOME

ENTERTAINMENT

17 | WHICH TEACHER ARE YOU? 18 | A BITE OF COMFORT

SPORTS 22 | HOME ON THE RANGE 24 | PLAY BY PLAY

FEATURES 28 | DON’T KNOCK THE ROCK 30 | MARKETING MASTERS 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. 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.

Cover design by Abby McCoy and Sam Bartlett Table of contents photos by Gavin Wright, Lily Robison and Sam Bartlett © Copyright 2019 Play Newsmagazine First copy free. Additional copies $1.

04 NEWS

News in Brief

A quick glance at headlines in Maize from the past month

Page by Kyerra Snyder and Lily Robison @kyerrasnyder and lilyrobison

NEW TO US

A number of businesses have been added to the Wichita area, including Dollar Tree, Hobby Lobby, Trader Joe’s and Dave & Buster’s. Hobby Lobby and Dollar Tree are located on Maize Road while the others are on the east side.

Photo by Sam Bartlett

GOING, GOING TO “BOEING, BOEING”

“Boeing, Boeing” is a 60’s play set in Paris about a polygamist with three fiancées. When all three women come into town during the same weekend, he and his friend attempt to keep them separated. The theatre department will run the show from Nov. 7 to Nov. 9 at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium.

Photo by Chantelle Hoekstra

THE ROAD TO STATE The girls cross country team placed runner-up at regionals. The girls placed sixth overall at state. Senior Aria Sheldon placed 15th and sophomore Zoie Ecord placed 10th. In the boys race, Kaydn Dohlman was 16th.

Courtesy Photo

05

NEWS

STAY SAFE

During SAFE week, the SAFE team put together multiple events to spread awareness about safe driving and suicide prevention. On the first day of the week, dogs and cats were brought in to relieve teens from stress.

Photo by Lily Robison

CLIMATE CHANGERS Climate Club recently went to a convention in Ames, Iowa, to present the data they started collecting from Cheney Reservoir a year ago. The team won the best oral presentation for undergraduate students. They also presented this data at the governor’s water conference Nov, 2.

Photo by Kyerra Snyder

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07

NEWS

Football players attend 6-year-old’s birthday party

Seniors Andrew Hanlin, Keaton Robertson, Caden Cox and Preven Christon pose with Lucas Vo. The players attended his birthday and gave him a signed football. Vo asks for a photo with the players after every game. Courtesy photo Story by Preston Hunt

F

rom the view of a young child, high school students can seem like giants. More specifically, high school football players are like superheroes to 6-year-old Lucas Vo. When seniors Keaton Robertson and Andrew Hanlin were invited to attend Vo’s birthday party by Vo’s brother Michael, they said they wholeheartedly accepted.

“I was kind of shocked about it just because I’ve never been asked to attend a little kid’s birthday party before,” Robertson said. “It was kind

of cool for him to ask me.”

Hanlin said his relationship with Michael as well as Vo’s love for football prompted him to attend the party.

“He wants a picture after every game,” Hanlin said. “I’m friends with his brother so why not?”

Robertson and Hanlin invited seniors Caden Cox and Preven Christon to attend with them, and together they ate and played football with Lucas.

“I told him [Michael] I’d stop by, but I ended up staying for two hours,” Hanlin said. “I just played football

with him. He had a great time.”

The players said they hoped that attendance would help make the birthday great.

“We wanted to surprise him,” Robertson said. “It’s a cool thing because we really didn’t have that growing up.”

The boys collectively bought a football, signed it and gave it to Lucas as a birthday present.

“There’s always little kids that look up to you,” Robertson said. “Be a role model.” n

New sidewalk in progress on 45th Street Story by Brooklyn Blasdel

C

onstruction has started on a new sidewalk that will be located on 45th Street and run to Maize High. The construction started at Maize Road and is working its way back to the school.

“It is going down 45th Street on the north side of the road from Maize Road to tie into your sidewalk at Maize High School,” Maize Public

Works Director Ron Smothers said.

Smothers said the public works department hopes the sidewalk will help keep students who are walking to school safer. The hope is safety will increase because students will not have to walk directly next to traffic.

“I know it will increase student safety, as well as everybody else’s,” Smothers said.

Before, students would have to walk

on the grass along the side of the road, which created multiple problems. With the new sidewalk addition, students will have a much safer and clearer space to walk.

“I think it helps if you’re wearing sandals, and if the grass is wet you get grass all over you,” freshman Dionne Payne said. “You don’t have to be super close to the road where cars go by.” n

08 NEWS

United we stand One Maize movement strives to unify the district

Story by Carter Jones and Teagan Redinger @itscarterjones @teaganredinger

O

neMaize is a project that has been in the works for years. In one of the first administrative meetings with Chad Higgins as superintendent, the topic of discussion was what the students, teachers and parents in the district needed. Out of the conversation came the idea of unifying the district.

“The OneMaize initiative was started to make it [the district] become more inclusive,” principal Chris Botts said.

“It’s not us versus them.

“On the football field or in competition I think that’s OK, but we shouldn’t be fighting against each other upstream.”

Botts said he believes that it’s healthier to have the schools be united and supportive of one another when the schools aren’t competing in sporting events.

“We have a good school,” Botts said “They [Maize South] have a good school. So why not combine that energy into something positive, which hopefully we have done some with OneMaize.”

It was recently announced that Maize South has grown significantly and is entering AVCTL Division 1 and competing in sports alongside Maize starting in the 2020-2021 school year.

“It definitely makes them more competitive, both schools are really good at certain sports like football, basketball and all that,” Maize South athlete Nate Moore said. “It’s definitely going to be a lot more competitive playing each other every single year.

It’s gonna make it a lot more interesting to see what happens in the future between the two schools.”

Maize senior Devon Nicholson thinks this change will be a positive change and will bring back a competitive spirit between the two schools.

“I don’t really see it as a threat or anything,” Nicholson said, “I think it’s just more excitement, it makes it more fun to prepare.”

Nicholson believes that facing Maize South in sporting events brings a special type of energy to the game.

“It’ll bring back something that was always there, like when we played against them in middle school, Nicholson said. “It was just really fun. A lot of people would come out and watch.”

Botts said he believes it was normal for there to be animosity within the community when the two schools split, but it started to get out of hand and became unhealthy.

“We’re not out to get them, and they’re not out to get us,” Botts said “The energy that has been spent on unhealthy or on ununited things can be better spent toward common purpose” Botts said he wants to master the school’s culture and climate and wants to make sure everyone feels loved and welcome.

“Once we’re there,” Botts said, “I think we can maybe devote a little bit more time and energy towards unifying our district.”

Moore said both schools need to stay in a mindset that both schools are one family.

“We all come from the same 10 to 12 neighborhoods, we’re all the same people,” Moore said. “It’s no different between either school. We just need to focus on being a family together because we all live in the same town.” n

Is the rivalry between Maize and Maize South healthy?

“We kind of shy away from it [the rivalry]. I wish we would just embrace it.”

Creighton Kelley, senior

“At the end of the day we’re all still friends but it still gives us that extra push in sports to try harder.”

Yamileth Choate, freshman

“I think we can have both sides show their school pride and still have a rivalry that’s good and healthy.”

Laney Turner, sophomore

09

NEWS

“The energy that has been spent on unhealthy or on ununited things can be better spent towards common purpose” Chris Botts, principal

Colin German, Maize South student works in robotics class with Cayden Hughbanks and Colby Pivarnik, Maize students.

Photo by Carter Jomes

“It’s no different between either school. We just need to focus on being a family together because we all live in the same town.”

Nate Moore, senior

Darian Goetz, Maize South student works with Stasia Roath and Abigail Lorg, who are Maize students in baking and pastry.

Photo by Carter Jones

10 COVER

The bell does n

11

s not dismiss you

COVER

Harmoniously managing school, life presents a struggle Story by Brooklyn Blasdel Design by Sam Bartlett @sambartlett26

2:45 p.m. Finally, mercifully, the bell rings and you walk out of school. You’ve worked hard all day trying to pay attention in class and get your work done. You sit in the crazy parking lot traffic and then drive all the way home. Throwing your backpack onto the floor and jumping on your bed, you can finally relax after a long day. Right?

Photo illustration by Sam Bartlett

This is not the case for many students. After a long day of classes, students come home only to concentrate more on school work. In a survey conducted by Play, 26% of students who responded said they have 3-plus hours of homework per night.

For busy students who are involved in honors classes and extracurricular activities like junior Amanda Branom, the statistic above is very accurate.

“It depends on the night,” Branom said. “But typically [I have] around three or four hours.”

Like Branom, junior Mia Hennen also said her homework depends on the night, but is normally a couple of hours each evening. This varies depending on how the teachers space out her assignments.

“Usually I spend like an hour or two every night doing homework or managing my time to get the homework done by the end of the week,” she said.

Every day, students come in and out of the counselors’ offices hoping to find help with their massive workload.

Counselor Paula Bette said she has

seen an increase in school work and a push for students to be involved in more high level classes.

“There are some classes that are more demanding,” Bette said. “So there is a lot more work. And so, in a few classes, they may be assigned too much work.”

For some, it may seem like all their homework comes at once. With hard classes and outside activities, this can make certain days of the week especially stressful once the final bell has rung.

“Sometimes it comes in bunches,” Bette said. “They feel overwhelmed because all their teachers assign homework on that certain day, and then it may be due the next day.”

Some students said they believe that this workload is too much for young adults to handle on top of outside activities. Finding time to balance everything can be difficult. Branom is involved with after-school Scholars Bowl and serves on the Mayor’s Youth Council, so finding time for schoolwork can be overwhelming.

12 COVER “Tuesdays are always super busy because I don’t really get home until like 8 or 9 on those days,” Branom said. “To have three or four hours of homework on top of that is a lot.”

Homework getting easily stacked up behind busy schedules can make it feel like there isn’t enough time in the day to get everything done. This can cause students to feel overworked.

“Sometimes it can get overwhelming when you have sports and stuff,” senior track and cross country runner Anna Reimer said. “Definitely if you have a lot more than one hard class in your schedule.”

No free time This slipping away can hit one’s social life the hardest. Things like football games, school concerts and time with friends can easily be removed from students’ lives due to workload.

“I don’t get a lot of time to go out and hang out with friends as much as I used to,” Hennen said. “I like to create art, so I don’t get as much time

“Essentially all last year I didn’t have a social life because I was too worried about my grades.”

Junior Jennifer Prue said in Play survey

to do that anymore because I’m just so focused on trying to maintain my grades.”

Although 55% of the students said in the survey they think that teachers assign too much homework, there are still some who believe the amount of homework they receive is warranted for the high level classes they are taking.

“If we don’t do the assignments, we’re not using what we learned in class,” senior Chris Benavides said.

Bette agreed, saying academics are similar to sports: Students need to practice what they have learned, or they will not fully understand.

“In math, it’s important to practice what you’re doing so you know how to work the problem,” Bette said. “Just like in sports, the more practice you do, the better you become at it.”

While the homework can be beneficial to helping students learn, Benavides said this fact is not a given across all classes.

“English should be used for more long assignments,” he said. “I don’t think giving stupid short assignments just for the purpose of giving a grade is necessary.”

Though not difficult on their own, short, busywork assignments can be hard for students to surmount, considering the amount of work they have from other classes as well.

“I would say most of our teachers here aren’t going to give you homework just for busy work,” Bette said.

See you at Starbucks If you walk into Starbucks any evening, you’ll be likely to find hordes of students sitting and working on school work, coffee in hand or not.

There will be a group of AP Physics students huddled in one corner, cramming for their next test. Across the way, a couple of kids work on algebra with bags under their eyes.

Exhausted student-athletes frantically try to catch up on their work. It’s become a normal sight. “[Starbucks] works for me,” senior Corey Blume said. “I can’t do homework at home.”

“We mostly study together in Starbucks whenever we can.”

Chris Benavides, senior

The environment you put yourself in is important. That’s why many students like to get out of their house while studying. If students can’t completely leave their house, sometimes even just getting out of their room helps focus direction onto homework.

“Somewhere that is not my room,” Reimer said of where she does her homework. “I get distracted.”

Bette encourages students to find whatever environment best helps them focus and get the job done.

2 out of 4 students say they have 2 or more hours of homework every night.

From an email survey of 91 students

13

COVER “It doesn’t have to be at Starbucks,” she said. “It could be at someone’s house, too, so long as you can stay on task right.”

Time management As workload increases and time decreases, many students have adapted and learned time management tips. Organization is a key tip to make sure that all your homework is done from each class.

“I’m one of those people that goes to bed early but gets up at like 4 or 5 a.m. to do more because I’m just too tired at night to focus on that.”

Mia Hennen, junior “I think organizing what needs to be done first [is important] so you can get that task out of the way,” Hennen said. “Just setting up an agenda of some sort or just how much time you’re going to spend on each thing every night.”

While an agenda is a good tip for organization, a simple list can also help keep assignments in an easy-tosee form.

“Keep a list of everything you’re doing,” Bette said. “If you’re one that’s stressed out because you feel

like you’re in too much, list everything that you’re doing.”

Maybe the biggest factor in struggling with mounds of homework is procrastination. Many students recommend starting schoolwork as soon as you get home, so it’s easier to get done. Long-term assignments can be less stressful if they aren’t put off until the last minute.

“Start as early as possible,” Branom said. “Start once you get home, or if it’s a long-term assignment, start it like the second day.”

Unplugging can also be a good idea when trying to focus on a particular tasks. Getting distracted by phones and TVs is easy when they’re right next to you.

“Pick a time that you’re just gonna sit down and just leave your room,” Reimer said. “Put your phone down and go do it.”

Because too many activities can also result in little time for students to do their school work, Bette suggests trying to manage how many activities you’re involved in. Prioritizing your classes over extracurriculars might help relieve some time during a busy day.

“See a little bit of something you can cut down,” Bette said. “Cutting a couple of hours is helpful during the week, and then using those hours to do something.” n

Hours spent 24 Hours in a day 1 Hour Getting Ready 7 Hours at school 3 Hours at Practice 3 Hours at Work 3 Hours on Physics - 2 Hours on English 5 Hours of sleep

44.4% “Sooner than later is always the key to getting items checked off your list.

Prioritizing certain things over another also helps with managing time.”

55.6%

Mia Hennen, junior In our survey, 55.6% of students said they believe that teachers assign too much homework. 91 students responded.

Chart by Sam Bartlett

14 EDITORIAL

The Ideal Student Is there such a thing?

Staff editorial by Londen Peebler @londenmaleigha

Y

ou know those movies created in an effort to portray the stereotypical, ideal life of a high school student?

The ones with the “hipster” 60s music that has been played on the radio a million times that day, the weird obsession with iced coffee and the absolutely uncomfortable focus on an unlikely high school relationship that somehow always works out in the end.

The more you watch these movies, the more you realize their lack of focus on real struggles high school students face and the expectations they are expected to meet. They leave out the pressure we put on ourselves to be perfect and to fit into that shiny, perfect mold.

We spend so much time huddled in the uncomfortable corner chairs at Starbucks or hiding behind the screen of our computer, half asleep because we’ve been doing homework for the past four hours. We forget ourselves.

We forget that we are human and it is OK to not always get it right. We won’t ace every test or win every game all the while working every night of the week. We simply can’t do it all. We have to stop expecting that from ourselves.

Taking the time to recognize our humanity is vital, and the expectations placed on us are unrealistic even for a robot.

These expectations were placed on us while we were too busy chugging energy drinks and splashing cold water in our faces in order to stay awake long enough to finish a homework assignment. They were gently set on our shoulders the way a hammer gently pounds a nail into a wall.

The ideal student has the utmost academic merit. They must maintain a 4.0 GPA or higher and takes at least three classes that challenge them per term. The student finishes all of their homework assignments right when they get home from school and they never turn a single assignment in late.

The ideal student has immaculate attendance for sporting events and performances, showing the utmost school spirit at all times.

The ideal student is involved in extracurriculars and attends practices, meetings and rehearsals each day after school for at least two hours.

The ideal student is fully invested in their community, volunteering at least 10 hours per term.

The ideal student gets at least eight hours of sleep each night lest they not be ready for what the next day has in store.

The ideal student maintains a part-time job, working after school and on weekends. After all, asking mommy and daddy for gas money doesn’t prepare you for college. You must be an adult as soon as possible. Those are the rules.

These expectations, these declarations of condemnation, are the jagged, over-sized rocks slowly being loaded into our pockets as we teeter on the edge of a massive lake full of stress and frustration. We can’t possibly do it all. Yet still, victims of our own expectations, many of us try all the same.

We are human: messy, disorganized and usually exhausted, because, frankly, our world is such an exhausting place to live in. We need to be more gentle with ourselves and allow failure to be not a bully but a teacher.

As we grow up, we have to be more independent, and

Editorial Cartoon by Taylor Ingram To view additional editorial cartoons, visit maizenews.com.

a large part of that is learning to be our own teachers.

Failure now can mean success in the future because of the lessons we learn from it.

“When we don’t get it right, that’s truly where we learn the most,” principal Chris Botts said. “Failure is an OK thing, and feedback is an OK thing. And if we don’t get it right, it’s OK. It’s how we learn that it’s OK to make mistakes.”

As much as we may want to blame our parents and teachers for putting these expectations on us, we can’t. We are the hardest on ourselves to be perfect, but we have only so much time to figure out who we are, what we like, what we want to do.

“Time, to me, is a limited resource,” Botts said. “It is probably the most valuable commodity there is. There is never enough time. We always need more time, and when its gone we wish it could come back, wish that we could do things differently. Just treat it as something that is precious and sacred.”

We get so stressed out we forget to actually notice what is happening around us. The memories we are missing out on, the people we aren’t meeting, the risks we aren’t taking. We can’t keep walking around with our heads down, worrying about every little thing we can’t control. We are only human; it is OK to admit that every once in a while.

“There is just no way that students can do everything that they feel that they are expected to do,” Botts said.

“Do what you’re passionate about. We don’t take enough time to just be kids. We don’t ever put the phone away and just sit and relax and chill. We are always connected and always on the go. Take time to be a kid, have fun, goof off.

Life goes by fast and you’re gonna miss it if you don’t take the time to enjoy it.” n

Far from home

15

OPINION

Good people will always help if you know when to ask Column by Casey Loving @CaseyMLoving

W

ashington D.C. The capital of our nation. The most historically dense location in the country; The home of the president, the Smithsonian museums and more major news organizations than nearly anywhere else in America. The best place for a high school journalist to be.

I was nominated as the lone representative of Kansas to attend the Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference in D.C. over the summer.

For this program, Free Spirits spent a week learning about journalism and generally touring the capital city.

Some of the most important lessons I learned on this trip, however, extend far beyond something you’ll hear on a night tour or at a conference. My most memorable experiences came from my last day and a half in D.C. Days three and four of the seven-day conference.

I remember the end of my trip very clearly. I was listening to maybe the 10th interesting and moving panel of journalists that weekend. I had my coffee, I’d just eaten an amazing meal.

It was paradise. Paradise never lasts long enough.

About halfway through the panel, I got lightheaded. Lightheadedness was soon met with a tightness in my chest, which was met by a sensation I’d only felt about three times before: my heart was beating out of my chest.

200 beats per minute, to be precise.

Asking for help has never really been my strong suit. This had all happened to me before, so I really saw no point in ruining the trip for someone else by making a big deal out of it. I simply did what I always do: made jokes and ignored it.

Around hour four of my heart freaking out, I realized jokes may not do the trick . In the past, episodes like this lasted 20 minutes, tops. Finally, I told a chaperone what was going on and, lo and behold, I was immediately rushed to the ER. Let me tell you, that was a fun phone call to my parents.

In the interest of time, I’m going to “Seinfeld” the next day of my life.

I was given a drug that made it feel

Senior Casey Loving shares his publication with other attendees of the 2019 Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference in Washington D.C. He was the lone Kansas representative.

Courtesy of Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference

like my heart stopped, yadda yadda yadda. I sat on the runway to go home for three hours without the plane taking off or getting any of my luggage back, yadda yadda yadda. Had a panic attack at the airport before getting Shake Shack, four hours of sleep and trying to leave again, yadda yadda yadda. You get the gist. Just a really rough day and a half.

Having to leave the conference early was devastating. Though I know it was probably the right call, part of me still regrets it. I felt that I had so much left to learn, so many incredible experiences left to have, so many interesting people to meet.

But looking back on it months later, I realize that I learned one valuable lesson. A lesson I still struggle with as I did before, but a lesson I needed reminding of all the same. You can find good people nearly anywhere if you look for them. Don’t feel like a burden. All you need to do is ask for help.

Countless people came to my aide in a time of need. Friends ordered

me much-needed medication. People I barely knew stayed with me as I laid shirtless in the hospital for four hours.

Someone I’d met that day even took me to the Reagan National Airport twice. I mean, that’s unreal.

In a few months, my life will hit a reset button. The closest college I am considering attending is nearly three hours away by car, while the farthest is in Connecticut. This fact has been at the front of my mind for months, though I’ve tried to push it back.

But to quote a movie I have watched countless times in the past year, “Dread it, run from it, destiny arrives all the same.”

No matter what, the immense change I am facing next year is going to be terrifying. But if my time in D.C. taught me anything, and believe me it did, it’s that there will always be those willing to help you if you simply reach out. And let’s be honest: If I can get through a D.C. airport twice on my own with only one panic attack, then what can’t I do? n

16 COLUMN

Crying? Never heard of her Vice president, cheerleader, Peer Helpers leader, Red Rage leader, BPA member, reporter, ProStart team member, hostess, child care provider, and church group leader tries to manage it all

Junior Ellie Cannizzo balances everything she is involved in. She sleeps and prays to combat her stress.

Photo by Sam Bartlett

Story by Ellie Cannizzo @elliecannizzo

I

don’t cry. I have never been one to break down in front of people.

If you have been lucky enough to have seen me as the hottest of messes, I trust the heck out of you.

That list of a few lucky people is getting longer and longer as I get deeper and deeper into my junior year.

I’ve always been one to hold my emotions in until I can’t anymore. I try to always keep a smiling face and a positive attitude.

But recently, that has been a different story. The stress of junior year is kicking me in the rear end, and I can’t handle it. I had always heard that my junior year was going to be the hardest year in all my schooling.

It’s that weird transition to becoming a “big” kid. You suddenly are expected to know what you want to do for the rest of your life. God forbid you fall behind your peers. You are expected to have your ish together... at 16!

Let me tell you, my ish is no-where near together. Between school, work, church, cheerleading, student council, maintaining a social life, hours of homework each night and, on top of

that getting a good night’s rest, my schedule is jam-packed to the max.

There is no room for messing up, do overs, or not having my ish together.

I have been told I over-commit and under present. My whole life I had the expectation to “be as great as my sister” or “be an ‘athlete’” or “get 100% straight As always” or “be involved” or even something as simple as “be the one who looks nice.”

I’ve always looked up to my sister, so wanting to be like her was natural until she had to be amazing. Everyone knew her as the “Class Mom.” She had her ish together, a classic silver personality. Filling her shoes has been one of the hardest things in my life.

Ever since I was little, I was expected to be an athlete. Even though I was the typical five-sport athlete at the ripe age of 5, boy did they get that one wrong. I am uncoordinated, slow and quickly dropped every sport.

School has never been necessarily hard for me, so realizing I actually have to study for tests and do my homework at home has been a real slap in the face.

When my mom told me I needed to get involved my freshman year, something in my brain decided to go sicko mode. The list of activities I am

involved in is overwhelming to even look at, and it somehow happens to get longer each year.

The whole dressing nice thing has always been my thing. I enjoy clothes and fashion, but sometimes ya girl needs a day in leggings and a cozy sweatshirt without being asked if I am feeling alright.

I have ways to deal with my stress.

I pray a LOT. God has gotten me through rough times before, and He seems to pull me out of sticky situations again and again. I sleep. I am kind of notorious in my family for falling asleep to avoid confrontation or obligations. I’ve also learned to take plenty of deep breaths, step back and appreciate my life.

I’ve learned to look at my obligations as opportunities and new connections being made. I’ve learned to turn my “Ugh, I have to”s into “guess what I get to do”s.

At the end of the day, I still go back to having a smile on my face and a positive attitude, but as I grow and mature, it becomes more and more genuine. n

17

ENTERTAINMENT

Which teacher are you?

Take the quiz to find out whose personality you most closely relate to

1 2 3

Story by Abby Turner @abbyturner31

What is one of your fears?

A. Failure B. Chaos C. Being unhelpful D. Being in pain What are you always trying to achieve?

A. Having integrity B. Creating a chill environment C. Serving others D. Being content What motivates you?

A. Having a mission B. Creating harmony C. Being helpful D. Avoiding missing out

Mostly A’s

4 5

What is one of your hobbies?

A. Gardening B. Watching sports C. Being outdoors D. Hanging out with friends

What is your favorite music genre?

A. Classic rock B. Alternative C. Worship/Christian D. Country

Once you find out which teacher you are, head to their room and take a picture with them and the magazine. Send your picture to @maizepubs on Twitter or Instagram to be entered in a contest to win a $10 gift card.

Mostly B’s

Mostly C’s

Mostly D’s

room F35

room D03

room G14

room B11

You are English teacher Christine Borrego. You are hard working, a go-getter and rigorous. You enjoy classic rock music and gardening.

You are debate teacher Curtis Shephard. You are quiet, chill and peaceful. You enjoy alternative music and watching sports, especially professional wrestling.

You are science teacher Jessica Shurts. You are happy, helpful and a mom to everyone. You enjoy Christian music and adventures outside, especially kayaking.

You are P.E. teacher Mike Darrah. You are crazy, fun and talkative. You enjoy country music and fellowship with others, especially over a game of golf.

18 ENTERTAINMENT HomeGrown

Doo-Dah Diner

2835 N. Maize

206 E. Kellogg

Biscuits and Gravy

Eggs Benedict

Since it opened, HomeGrown has been one of my favorite restaurants for breakfast. Their delicious, locally sourced food was a must for one of my review choices.

HomeGrown only uses materials made in Wichita, and it’s refreshing to see tables and chairs made by local artisans, as well as smaller items like silverware and water pitchers. My go-to breakfast is their biscuits and gravy, which includes two eggs served any style, and my personal favorite, their rosemary potatoes. The biscuits are covered with sausage gravy from Yoder Meats, and the eggs are cooked to perfection (in my case, sunny side up). The potatoes are baked until crispy on the edges and seasoned with rosemary and peppers. This is a breakfast that’s local and delicious.

Perhaps one of the most popular diners in Wichita, DooDah serves comfort-style lunch and dinner and, most importantly, breakfast all day. Some of their best dishes include banana bread French toast, corned beef hash and eggs benedict. Now, I’ve had eggs benedict plenty of times, but this was by far the best. Their eggs are served poached on top of an avocado and biscuit, covered with delicious hollandaise sauce and paprika. The simple combination of the mild avocado and peppery paprika was what pushed this dish to the top of my “eggs bene-list.” The 60s-style diner vibes and various Wichita collectibles and memorabilia give Review by Preston Hunt the restaurant a completely new Design by Keira McGinty look. If you haven’t already, you should definitely plan to head downtown and try it out.

Local restaurants provide variety of food to warm you up in the winter

Prost

Kartoffelpuffer mit Apfelbrei (Potato Pancakes with Applesauce) 2721 E. Central

Prost, a German eatery, serves authentic German cuisine as well as hosting cultural events such as stein holding competitions. It’s housed in Revolutsia, a shopping center downtown made of shipping containers, making the atmosphere unique and cozy. I chose the potato pancakes, which are paired with small cups of sour cream and applesauce as sides, the latter of which I loved. This may seem like an odd pairing, but the mix of crispy, salty potato with the sweet applesauce provided a truly delicious experience that can be found only in an authentic German restaurant. This dish was actually an appetizer, but Prost’s dinner menu boasts many more delicious items, including many different kinds of sausages served with delicious dijon mustard.

A BITE OF COMFORT

19

ENTERTAINMENT

When out and about in the chilly winter weather, a nice meal can help keep you warm. I’ve visited six local restaurants, looking for the best hot meals the city has to offer. Including dishes from multiple different cultures, here are some meals to warm you up on a wintry November day.

Little Saigon Beef Curry

1015 N. Broadway

Angelo’s

With its spacious dining area and friendly staff, Little Saigon is an ideal place to bring a group of friends to enjoy some fast, authentic Vietnamese food. In fact, it was a restaurant I visited four or five times this summer while I was working downtown, ordering a type of curry almost every time. Although there are three options available, I recommend the beef curry. Delicious Vietnamese beef is mixed with rice noodles, broccoli, carrots and other vegetables to create a depth of flavor that can only be found in an Asian curry dish. Although it’s not as spicy as Indian curry, it does pack a kick, so be sure to have water handy. This is a large dish and can easily feed two people, so bring a friend or two to share it with when the weather gets chilly.

Lasagna 5231 E. Central A Wichita staple, Angelo’s has been serving real Italian food since 1959. With fresh ingredients, some of which are imported straight from Italy, Angelo’s pastas and pizzas bring a tiny slice of authentic Italian culture to the city. A personal favorite of mine is their lasagna, which comes with a flavorful Italian salad and garlic bread. The lasagna is covered with a copious amount of cheese, which contrasts perfectly with the vinegar and olives primarily used in the salad. The warm garlic bread pairs with the lasagna to create a heavy, warm meal for a cold winter day. This definitely isn’t your ordinary Olive Garden pasta.

Tanya’s Soup Kitchen

Tomato Dill Bisque and Croquadille 1725 E. Douglas

Tanya’s Soup Kitchen is without a doubt one of the most frequented lunch spots in all of downtown Wichita, and for good reason. I can’t remember a time I’ve been where there hasn’t been a line to the door. With delicious sandwiches, salads and a rotating menu of soups, there’s always something new to try. I had the Croquadille, which I wasn’t sure how to pronounce when I ordered it (everyone just calls it “The Crock”), and it was fantastic. Four different kinds of cheese were melted onto ciabatta bread and complemented with mustard and red onion. With the sandwich, I had Tanya’s Tomato Dill Bisque. The bisque is a little different than your regular tomato soup, as it’s made with sugar and dill to create a sweeter, lighter and altogether unique taste. It paired perfectly with the sandwich and combined to create a meal that was way better than just “tomato soup and grilled cheese.”

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Coming in clutch

21

SPORTS

Wrestler and football player drag races on the side Story by Janeth Saenz @janethsaenzz Story by Claire Morgan @clairemorgan_22

S

enior Carson Wheeler has been a part of drag racing since the age of 8. With the support of his family, Wheeler has gone from being a junior dragracing member to a full-on racer.

“My dad has raced since he was a teenager, and then he got me and my brother in it,” Wheeler said. “I didn’t really have a choice. My dad just kinda threw me into a car and said get going.”

Wheeler usually races at the Kansas International Dragway on 61st Street. He and his dad, Dan Wheeler, have raced in multiple states, including Oklahoma, Texas, and Michigan.

“It [racing] was something that I enjoyed, but they [kids] started when they were 8 and they did Junior Dragsters before they did the big cars,” said Dan, who has been racing since he was 16.

“I was excited. He [Carson] had been wanting to do it for a couple of years because his older brother was doing it.”

Dan said they hope to win as many races as they can this year. He said watching Carson and his brother get a win is his favorite thing to witness.

“We spend almost every weekend together [racing],” Dan said. “We’ve got a great relationship. Both my kids are like my best friends, so everything is good.”

Apart from racing Carson plays linebacker on the football team. He practices with the team every day after school. Football games take place on Friday, while races take place throughout the

weekend.

“We have to work on the cars a lot after practice, and then that takes away homework time,” Carson said.

“So everything is crammed together. It’s racing on the weekend, so it’s pretty easy throughout the week, and then I leave usually after the games to go racing.”

Although he wears equipment that is used to keep him safe, Carson said crashing is one of the fears he has on the track.

“If you crash at 150 or 200 [mph], anything can happen,” he said. “I almost crashed once.

I hit the brakes too hard and the back wheels lock up real quick, but as soon as I left my foot off the brake it went back smoothly.”

Next year, Carson said he plans on winning a $1 million race that has separate events located in Michigan, Georgia and Las Vegas. The race requires a payment of $2,000 to $3,000 to enter.

“My dad is going to the one in Georgia, but me and my brother are going to try and go to the one in Vegas,” Wheeler said. “I just really want to go to the $1 million race and try to win it because that would be pretty cool and a big accomplishment.”n

“If you crash at 150 or 200 [mph], anything can happen.”

Carson Wheeler, senior

22 SPORTS

Senior Tannyr Singleterry practices his trapshooting skills.

Photo by Paige Youngdahl

HOME ON THE Students find an uncommon hobby in trapshooting

Story by Sascha Harvey @saschaharvey Design by Paige Youngdahl @PaigeYoungdahl

M

ost high school sports are segregated by gender.

Some sports are just for girls, others for boys. A couple are played by both: just on different teams. A select few, however, have teams compiled of all types of people. Trapshooting is one of those sports.

Anyone can succeed at shooting clay pigeons, as long as they have a strong will and are fine with hearing the word “pull” repeated constantly. And for Tannyr Singleterry, a senior who is 6-foot-5, that’s exactly where you’ll find him.

“It doesn’t matter who you are, you can go out and still shoot,” Singleterry said. “I’ve seen kids who are 10 to 12 and people in their 90s.”

What makes trapshooting different from other sports is the diversity. You can find people from all walks of life shooting trap.

“Whether you’ve shot your whole life, whether you’ve never shot before, whether you’re in a wheelchair, whatever it may be, it’s very inclusive,” sponsor Victor Mercado said. “Male, female,

23

SPORTS

RANGE

doesn’t matter. Everybody can participate and compete against one another.”

Mercado started the team four years ago during Singleterry’s freshman year.

“I’m kind of an outdoorsy guy,” Mercado said. “Some of my students, the year before we started a team, approached me about it and asked if I would be the sponsor and kind of get the team started.”

The team launched the next year, and it’s been growing ever since. It started with 33 students and now has 41 trapshooters and seven skeet shooters.

“I would say my number one job is to make sure the kids are being safe and then, after that, make sure that they’re having fun,” Mercado said. “Doesn’t matter whether they’re shooting and breaking all 25 targets, or they’re breaking 1.”

Singleterry has been a member of the trapshooting team all four years of high school. He had originally played football before picking up trapshooting thanks to Mercado.

“I stopped doing football my freshman year,” he said. “Mercado was a football coach, so I was like, ‘I’ll go try it’ and I ended up loving it.”

Singleterry said that, after quitting football, trapshooting has given him something to be excited about.

“It’s given me something to strive [for],” he said. “It’s been my main thing I’m really passionate about.”

Singleterry serves as an inspiration to his peers.

“You wish to shoot as well as Tannyr Singleterry shoots,” senior Grayson Graham said. “I couldn’t imagine shooting as well as he does.”

Not only respected by his peers, Singleterry has competed and proved himself to be one of the nation’s strongest shooters.

“At nationals last year, I placed top 300 in the nation,” he said.

“Recently, a few weeks ago, there was a shoot … [and] I got first place.”

Whatever Mercado is doing to coach the team is leading them to prosperity. However, he says the key to guiding the team is to prioritize safety over success.

“I think … [the team members are] self motivated,” Mercado said. “There’s nothing much that I do. I just [want] them to have fun.” n

Photo by Sam Bartlett

Total yards: 466 Caden Cox: 155 yds rushing yds

CAMPUS

27

PLAY by PLAY

Total first downs: 22 Total yards: 466

NEWTON 44-7 (W)

Photo by Sam Bartlett

Total first downs: 16 Camden Jurgensen: 80 passing yds

HUTCHINSON 55-14 (W)

Spread by Rayne Rekoske @raynerekoskee

Play recaps the football season so far

6 13

20 49-12(W)

Total first downs: 20 Total yards: 295

47-0(W)

VALLEY CENTER

SEPT.

24 SPORTS

Points scored vs. points given up 318-103

The Eagles scored on their first two offensive plays of the playoff game.

49-14

LIBERAL

Total first downs: 19 Total yards: 277

SALINA CENTRAL

Photo by Casey Loving

NOV.

1

Total first downs: 17 Preven Christon: 104 receiving yds

42-0 (W)

After the final game of the regular season, Maize was seeded third in the post season 5A tournament.

DERBY

Photo by Brooklyn Blasdel

Total first down: 25 Total yards: 524

SALINA SOUTH

4 1151-7(W) 17 26-8 (W) 2555-7 (L)

GODDARD OCT.

SPORTS

25

26 FEATURES

Taige Webster passes by a practice barrel. She practices at RC Arena and Stables in Park City. Photo by Dylan Wittorff

27

FEATURES

BONDS AND BARRELS Horseback rider Taige Webster finds passion in barrel racing

Story by Molly McCollum and Dylan Wittorff @mjmccollum_16 @DylanWittorff

S

tudents don’t usually get the chance to horse around. But for junior Taige Webster, horsing around is just another daily activity.

Webster, clad in dusty boots and a blinged-up belt buckle, began pursuing her passion: barrel racing.

“My fourth birthday, my parents put me in horseback riding lessons and it all started from there,” Webster said.

Webster said her parents’ own experiences in the western world led her to take the reigns of her own passion.

“My mom used to rope,” she said.

A barrel racing event demonstrates a horse and its rider moving in a clover pattern around barrels as fast as they can. Webster said her score on an average pattern is 16.57 seconds. She said there are different times for different sizes of arenas, and the average time ranges from 15 to 30 seconds.

“The adrenaline rush during it, it’s going by so fast, you’re just concentrated and you’re just like ‘Oh, it’s already over,’” Webster said.

Webster said swerving and leaning at the fast rate takes physical and mental strength as well as a strong bond with the horse.

“Everything we do together, it’s together,” she said. “It’s not separate.

He has to trust me in order to follow my rules.”

“The adrenaline rush during it, it’s going by so fast, you’re just concentrated and you’re just like ‘Oh, it’s already over.’”

Taige Webster, junior

In order to increase her bond with her horse, Princeton, Webster visits and trains every day, fitting this into her high school schedule.

“I go to tutoring, then I have soccer practice, [then] I’ll normally go out there around 9 and I’ll stay until 11,” Webster said.

Webster said she adopts the sentiment of “practice makes progress” in preparing for contests with Princeton.

She spent last summer racing in Kansas City and parts of Missouri.

“I’ve won up to $500 dollars so far,” Webster said.

On top of the school work, tutoring, soccer and training, Webster gives lessons to senior Brooke Teter on how

to race barrels.

“I’ve been riding horses ever since I was little,” Teter said. “I just never really barrel raced. I just only show horses.”

Teter and Webster met through soccer at the school, launching Webster’s barrel racing mentorship.

“She’s really supportive,” Teter said.

“Whenever you make a mistake, she tells you it’s OK and then shows you what to do. She’s a really good friend, too.”

Princeton is 5 feet, 6 inches tall (17 horse hands), the average height of a Bay Thoroughbred is 6’2 to 6’8 (15 hands). Horses that are pushed to peak performance need to wear special equipment to prevent injury.

Webster put Princeton in boots, which helps him keep his muscles tight together to allow him to better move around the barrels.

“Going around a barrel, he can’t cut as sharp, so when he does his back feet slide under him,” Webster said.

“Sometimes, if you don’t hold onto him, you’ll go flying off.”

Webster said her motivation is important in this sport, as some components are physically and mentally demanding.

“Honestly, my horse is my biggest influence,” she said. “He’s passionate about it. If he’s not, then he’s not going to do it.” n

28 FEATURES

Two Maize students part of the band ‘Peagus’

S

JOSH

tarting as a cover band, the Beatles made their way to the top and eventually earned the title of the best-selling rock band of all time.

That is the dream scenario for the small, high school cover band called Peagus.

Senior Lydia Wiglesworth started the band her freshman year after realizing she had the perfect group of friends who played the right instruments.

“I realized that I knew Josh [Gose], who’s a guitarist, and his other friend Ivan [Vergara], who’s a bassist,” she said. “I was like, ‘I could put a band together right now.’”

Juniors Gose and Cade Jett, an East High student, have played with Wiglesworth since the origin of Peagus.

The band also played with Vergara for a while before he eventually moved to Florida. After that, they went through a couple different bassists and another guitar player before finally meeting and settling on Heights graduate Jaya Goodson to play bass for them.

“He [Goodson] was talking to me one day on Instagram about cello and guitar and things like that,” Wiglesworth said. “I was like, ‘Hold up, you play bass? Do you want to come meet my band and play with us some-

time?’ and it worked out.”

The band was constructed off of many different rock bands that they listen to and like. “[We play] Lots of ’60s and ’70s music,” Wiglesworth said. “We’re all pretty big fans of closer to modern rock, like ’80s, ’90s.”

Wiglesworth said as Peagus started to improve as a band and enjoy the sound they were producing, they began to perform for small audiences and parties. “[The small get-togethers] were all in my basement, all of them from the start,” she said. “We had a couple of shows. Someone had us play at a birthday party, and it was a little tiny place... . We played for a GSA party in the commons, we played at a retirement home, and we’ve played at Coachella.”

Although they started as a cover band, Peagus started writing their own songs. Gose said they began building songs off of any random sounds they played they thought would sound cool in a song or a piece they were working on.

“It usually flows from one idea,” Gose said. “Either me or [Wiglesworth] will come up with a guitar riff or [Jett] will come up with a drum part or [Goodman] will have a bass part, and we’ll just vibe off of each other. It’s mostly just jamming

Junior Josh Gose plays the guitar for Peagus.

He is self taught and wants to continue to learn about music theory after high school.

Photo by Sam Bartlett

and stuff will come out and we’re like ‘Woah, that’s cool. Let’s do that again.’”

Jett said he feels rock music isn’t what it used to be, but he has hope for the type of music they love to listen to and play.

“Everybody says that rock is dead or whatever,” Jett said. “But then we play sometimes and, you know, people are vibing, so it’s like opening their eyes.”

Wiglesworth doesn’t describe the band with a specific genre as she said she feels that putting Peagus into a perfect genre would be against what they’re trying to do with the band in the first place.

“The best way I can describe us is don’t judge us by one song that you hear, because all of them are going to be different,” Wiglesworth said.

“We’re never gonna stick to one genre.

We’re never gonna just be trapped in a box when it comes to style.”

Gose said that no matter where or what song they play, the band’s main goal is to go out and have fun with whatever they’re playing.

“The same song will never sound the same,” he said. “We’ll say we’re gonna play a song that we have, but we get up there and we just jam. It sounds nothing like it. Basically, we just love to jam. We love to play together, and it’s fun. That’s what we do.” n

LY D I A

Story by Ellie Stucky and Ellie Cannizzo @Ellierae_03 and @elliecannizzo

Senior Lydia Wiglesworth plays guitar and sings for Peagus. She plans to continue playing with the band after high school.

Photo by Sam Bartlett

29

FEATURES

DON’T KNOCK THE

ROCK

Peagus has been together since 2016. They perform for school activities and small parties.

Photo by Sam Bartlett

30 FEATURES

SUPPLY AND

DEMAND

New class designed to make school apparel Story by Madi Hay @madihay3

T “They have helped us out immensely because they can print as we need it [apparel] and we don’t have to have as much inventory in stock. It gives us flexibility to put a design on another color shirt or hoodie.”

Dana Handy, BPA sponsor

here are businesses around town that make custom T-shirts and sell them. Many of the businesses provide shirts for clubs and groups at the school.

Now Maize has a class that can cut out the middleman.

Marketing Applications makes school store apparel, commissioned shirts that people order and more.

Senior Abby Turner said she wanted to take this class after taking Jessica Schrum’s marketing class last year.

“I really enjoyed marketing because I got to design a lot and it was just all about creating something that looked good and selling it to people,” Turner said. “I just find that really fascinating, so when Mrs. Schrum told us that she was going to have this class, it just sounded awesome to me and I wanted to try it.”

Turner said the marketing applications group hopes to continue to grow as a supplier for the school store and other clubs and groups.

“Our goal is to eventually make enough money so that we are making a profit so that we can keep buying stuff for that class,” Turner said. “[We want] to continue being the main provider for the school store and all of their T-shirts.”

Turner said she is starting to understand that while working in the business world, you need to be more detailed and make sure you know exactly what the client is looking for

in their item.

“I have gotten better at talking on the phone and talking with clients,” Turner said.

Senior Colby Crotchett said the class is a great opportunity for students to learn about marketing skills.

“You should experience it and take the class here,” Crotchett said.

With all of the good things that come with this class, there are also some issues that occur, just like anything else.

“There are some days that we have a lot of custom shirts that need to go out that people have ordered, and we need to get that delivery out but we can’t get our machines to work,” Turner said.

Schrum said she hopes the class will extend longer into the school year than it does right now so the class can continue to grow.

“I only have it the first two nine weeks this year, so hopefully next year it will be all year long,” Schrum said. “We are also hoping to add some other things. We can make bags and other things, but we just haven’t gotten that far yet.”

Business Professionals of America sponsor Dana Handy said Marketing Applications has helped the school store.

“They have helped us out immensely because they can print as we need it [apparel] and we don’t have to have as much inventory in stock,” Handy said. n

THE

PRINTING PROCESS

1 2 3 4 5 6

Order form

T-shirt order forms can be found in Schrum’s room (E3).

Design

Clients may either choose a design or create a custom design with a designer in the class.

Print the design

Now, the design is printed with the Digital Heat FX printer.

Marry the design

The Marrier makes the design have the texture to stick to the shirt.

Press

Design is pressed onto the shirt using strong heat and pressure.

Final product

Delivered to customers or sold in the school store.

31

FEATURES

8 Wichita Area Locations!