December 2017 by Play newsmagazine

PLAY Maize High School

Freshman battles cancer with support from family and friends Now Playing Page 18-21

December 2017

Student goes a week without her phone Page 17

Quiz: Which holiday movie are you? Page 29

Table of Contents

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(page 30-31)Senior Antonio Espinoza goes in for a layup during the first home basketball game. Photo by Lizzie Bell (page 18-21) Freshman Hannah Soderstrom talks about how her life has changed since she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Photo by Lizzie Bell (page 6) Drama’s production of “Shrek the Musical” cast roughly 50 students. Photo by Dan Loving (page 14, 15) The Fuhrman sisters all participate in KAY Club. Photo by Emma Wituk

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(page 12,13) Play looks into the outside life of the office secretary. Photo by Allie Choyce

What’s inside?

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11 12-13 14-15 17 18-21 24,25 26,27 29 30-31

News

History teacher implements new project to get students involved in their community.

News

Science teacher Stan Bergkamp develops a plan to use solar panels to power every school in the district.

News

Cast of “Shrek the Musical” discuss their stress and preparation in the months leading up to show day.

News

Play follows up on recent Class of the Year competition scores and the final prize is revealed.

Review

Play sees just how super the “Justice League” movie really is.

Column

Sophomore Casey Loving comedically rants about the “like” culture of Twitter.

Lifestyle Play takes a glimpse into the secretaries’ lives away from their desk.

Lifestyle

The Fuhrman sisters lead KAY Club at Maize Middle, Maize High and at the regional level.

Lifestyle

Madeline Mann takes on the challenge of going a week without her phone.

Now Playing

Freshman Hannah Soderstrom shares the ups and downs of her battle against acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Sports

A reflection on fall sports athletes who had a successful season.

Sports

A look back at the football season in which the Eagles set a school record for most victories.

Entertainment

Take our quiz to find out which holiday movie you are.

Photo Focus

Play showcases some of the best submitted Maize student photography.

Table of Contents

Who’s inside? Savie Hughes Editor-in-chief Allie Choyce Online editor Bailey Birkholz Design editor Lizzie Bell Photo editor Sadie Ast Features editor Casey Loving News/Opinion editor Kiara Ehrmann Engagements editor Abby McCoy Sports editor Brett Loving Advertisement editor Kynzi Barragan Sam Bartlett Kylee Delmar Olivia Elmore Ryan Jones Maddie Neigenfind Lauryn Ogden McKenna Smiley Morgan Thomas Ashley Tran Abby Turner Emma Wituk Paige Young Dan Loving Adviser

Cover Illustration by Lizzie Bell 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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Submit a letter to the editor for the next issue to room D16 or mhsnewsmag@gmail.com Printed by Sedalia Demorat.

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Story by Emma Wituk istory teacher Rebecca Doerksen has implemented a new program in her classroom patterned after program for Google employees where they are given time to work on passion projects.

“I give my classes 20 percent of their time to work on a project of their own passion,” Doerksen said. At the beginning of the semester, Doerksen’s students are given two weeks to come up with an idea for a project to make the community better. After the students find a passion project, they find a mentor to help them with their projects. “They find a mentor to help them so that if they get stuck along the way or encounter a roadblock they can ask their mentor questions because, as much as I would like to say I know everything, I don’t,” Doerksen said. Once students have found a mentor, they enter the research stage of the projects which allows Doerksen to tie the projects into her history class. “They research different parts of history as a setup for how they can change the world now,” Doerksen said. The final stage is the creation stage. During this time, students complete their projects and then present them to the class explaining the roadblocks they encountered and whether or not their project was successful. “I don’t grade them on whether or not their project is a success,” Doerksen said. “It is more the steps along the way that count and that I care about.” By implementing this project into her classroom, Doerksen said she hopes to help get more kids involved in their communities. “My goal is to inspire kids to be part of their community and realize that they have the ability to make an impact,” Doerksen said.

Injury Prevention Program Junior Brittany Vogel’s project was

inspired by knee injuries that she had sustained playing different sports. Through her project she hopes to decrease the number of injuries

Cadence Ohl and Leslie Salmon deliver the paintings to the hospital. Photo submitted by Aiden Headrick

student-athletes develop. “I learned a lot going through physical therapy, and I felt that the information they were giving me was helpful and could be used by all athletes to prevent injuries,” Vogel said. The Injury Prevention Program brings attention to form and technique that should be used by athletes so their risk of getting injuries is decreased. “While I was creating my project I took different things I learned from physical therapy as well as other medical websites recommended by my physical therapist,” Vogel said. Her idea is to inform coaches about different stretches and other aspects that they should include in practice and pregame warm ups that can help prevent injuries. “My goal is to bring awareness to injury prevention with hope of decreasing the amount of injuries athletes sustain,” Vogel said.

projects for children in the hospital. “We all loved to paint and wanted to do something good with our talent,” Ohl said. Originally the group planned to make about 100 paintings for the Wesley Children’s Hospital and then take them to the hospital and give them to different children that were staying there. “We ended up buying 72 three-bythree canvases, which we distributed among us and then we all painted them in our free time,” Ohl said. Each one of the group members painted 24 of the canvases. The majority of the paintings were of animals and flowers and were painted with a variety of colors to make them stand out. “Art is proven to help people in hospitals and kids need some color because the hospital environment can be very artificial,” Headrick said. After they finished painting all of the canvases the group drove to Wesley Children’s Hospital to give the painting to the kids. “The plan was to give them [the paintings] to the children ourselves but the person that was suppose to show us around never showed up,” Ohl said. “So the paintings ended up getting passed out to the kids by one of the employees there.” The group hoped to bring a little more color and fun into the lives of the kids who can’t leave the hospital. “Our goal was to bring happiness to kids and improve their health through art,” Headrick said. n

Paintings for Patients

Junior Cadence Ohl along with her partners, juniors Aiden Headrick and Leslie Salmon, decided to combine their talents and passions to make special The 72 canvases that the group painted. Photo submitted by Cadence Ohl DecemberPlay | @PlayNewsmag

News

“We grew up on a farm, and my dad’s thing was that you leave everything better than you found it.” —Stan Bergkamp, science teacher

Bergkamp develops plan to power school with solar Story By Sam Bartlett

cience teacher Stan Bergkamp has a plan for Maize to be the first district in the state to be completely pow-

ered by solar energy. Bergkamp said he would like to fundamentally change how public schools generate electricity. Through his current and previous students, along with businesses and the general public, he plans to raise $385,000 to pursue his plan. Bergkamp started the See Beyond project to help the school save money after seeing how much he saved after installing solar panels on his ranch. “Looking at the schools and the potential cost savings for the schools, I went to Dr. [Chad] Higgins and initially proposed that the school actually pay for the solar panels,” Bergkamp said. Rethinking his decision, Bergkamp wanted to involve his former and current students with this project. “I’m definitely going to come back and tell everybody after I graduate all about how I helped Bergkamp with this giant project that’s now part of Maize High School,” senior Nolan Brackin said. Brackin said that Bergkamp reached out to him for some help with advertising for the project. He recorded video of two presentations Bergkamp has done, as well as assisting in organizing other video for promotion. Bergkamp said that students see the climate change models and want to do something to help. This project would give them that chance. “This gives them the opportunity to come back and be part of something, be part of change, because that’s the ultimate goal,” Bergkamp said. When Bergkamp presented his

proposal to the Board of Education, board members were supportive of his ideas because his initiative to accomplish this project involved little help from them. Bergkamp financing the project on his own, money is already being saved without passing a bond issue. Bergkamp’s plans are to put 740 panels on the school costing $740 each. By sponsoring one of the panels, the person, family, business or group that donates would be recognized in a number of ways that Bergkamp is mulling over. After panels are installed at MHS, money saved would be used to equip the other schools in the district. When the

panels are installed across the district, Bergkamp estimates the schools will save up to $300,000 to be put toward hiring new teachers and enhancing curriculum. Bergkamp said his motivation in beginning this project was inspired by a lesson he learned from his father. “My dad had an eighth-grade education,” Bergkamp said. “We grew up on a farm, and my dad’s thing was that you leave everything better than you found it. That was the lesson I learned from my dad, and I don’t have any kids of my own. This is my way of helping out not my generation, and not even your generation, but your kids and your grandkids.”n

Science teacher Stan Bergkamp has developed a plan to power Maize High School with solar energy. The plan will cost $385,000 and save up to $300,000. Photo by Sam Bartlett

John Patton and Brayden Worden were two of the leading roles in Shrek the Musical. Patton portrayed Shrek and Worden as Donkey. Photo by Dan Loving

Happily ever after

Roughly 50 students were cast in the production of ‘Shrek the Musical’ Story by Sadie Ast how night: the night actors rigorously prepare for and sacrifice countless nights of sleep to ensure they give their best performance. One of the largest casts in recent memory had three performances of “Shrek the Musical” in November. Senior John Patton, who auditioned for several parts, delivered a star performance as the main protagonist, Shrek. “I was really into Lord Farquaad’s role,” Patton said. “I was very excited about it [Shrek] though.” Every student involved in the musical went through about a month and a half of constant rehearsals and choreography practices to perfect their lines and dance skills. “Many sleepless nights and very many weekends,” Patton said. “All were spent dedicated down in my basement singing songs and rehearsing lines.” In her first high school production, senior Holly Broberg played Princess Fiona. “I really liked it, it was fun,” Broberg said. “I think the only thing I didn’t really love was all of the rehearsals. But in the end, seeing the final product of the show made it all worth just being a part of it.” Broberg is also involved in choir at Maize and said she was excited to try something different.

“I definitely had to put in a lot more work outside of school on my own for the musical,” she said. “With choir you work as a team, but for this there were a lot of points in the show where it was just me. I would have to go home and figure out my acting by myself and figure out what I wanted to do as that character.” Broberg said that while her nerves were high before the first show, once on stage they melted away. “I’ve never had a lead [role] before, and I’ve never really done a play before either,” Broberg said. “As soon as I got on stage, the nerves washed away and it felt completely effortless.” For senior Laura Koerner, the months leading up to the musical tested her abilities. Last year, Koerner was diagnosed with chronic tonsillitis, which means her tonsils are prone to inflammation, making it difficult to do things such as sing and act. “It was 100 percent the most terrifying thing that has ever happened,” Koerner said. “I definitely cried myself to sleep because I thought I wasn’t gonna be able to perform, and that was really scary.” Koerner lost her voice the week of the musical and was unable to speak or sing her lines. She played a fairytale character who doubled as the puppeteer for the gingerbread man, Gingy. Fortunately, she was able to save her

voice just a few days before the show was set to premiere. “I drank a lot of water and put myself on vocal rest, I had a lot of friends to help me with vocal rest, and I sucked on a lot of cough drops,” she said. “I prayed to every being that I could just get my voice back and perform.” Sophomore Brayden Worden, a veteran performer of Christian Youth Theatre Wichita, said he had experience and confidence under his belt when he was cast as the joke-cracking sidekick, Donkey. “I’ve played large roles before, and I always really love it,” Worden said. “You have to carry a lot of the show, and a lot of the energy depends on you, but I think it’s a really fun challenge. It’s a fun challenge to try to lift the show up when it’s feeling down.” Worden said that before every show, he has the tendency to remain at ease to make sure he always delivers a stand out performance. “I actually tend to be really calm backstage in the 10 or 20 minutes leading up to when I go on stage,” he said. “I’m just calm and save all my energy for when I get on stage and I can just burst with energy. I tend to just kind of relax and chill.”n

DecemberPlay | @PlayNewsmag

News

Personal Chromebooks to be loaned to students in 2018

Story by Morgan Thomas n the beginning of the 2018 school year, high school students will be able to have their own Chromebooks provided through the school. The move of bringing in the Chromebooks for students has been talked about for the past 10 years and is finally being put into action. “Now that Chromebooks are available and relatively less expensive than other laptops, it’s more of an affordable option,” principal Chris Botts said. “We’re a Google-based school so it makes sense to get Chromebooks.” The Maize school district is currently working on a “rollout process” of the Chromebooks. Botts said that they are trying to work out how they are going

to look, how they’re going to get them to everybody, and fix little problems that could happen. The district plans on getting the Chromebooks out to students before school starts next year so it’s not as hectic trying to get them out all at once. Botts said that there are some worries about students taking advantage of the Chromebooks, but the district is going to develop some policies and procedures that will help alleviate some of the worries. “It’s a privilege for students to use the Chromebooks and we want students to use them properly,” Botts said. “We’ll figure it out as we come across problems.”

The Chromebooks are hopefully a permanent addition to the high schools. There’s also talk about moving the Chromebooks down to the middle school level as well. As of right now the biggest move is to focus on the Chromebooks in the high schools. Once a student has graduated the district is thinking about letting students buy their Chromebook from their school. “Were not sure what that looks like yet” Botts said. “But if it’s a good tool and the student wants to keep it for college, then they might have the option to.”n

Seniors lead Class of the Year competition

Story by Kiara Ehrmann he class of 2018 is pushing forward in an attempt to win a second Class of the Year competition. COTY is a competition between the four classes. To gain points, students attend school activities labeled COTY events and check in at the designated table. The more students per class who attend COTY events, the more points the class obtains. The purpose of the competition is to encourage students to attend more school events, especially those with a lower rate of student attendance. This is the second year of the competition. Last year, the class of 2018 won and students were eligible to

participate in a day trip to the Sedgwick County Zoo. This year, there will be two prizes: one at the end of the first semester and one at the end of the year. The class with the most points at the end of the semester will be offered cookies and hot chocolate, and the class with the most points at the end of the year will be awarded with a day of fun. Pending administrative approval, this day will include a trip to the Wichita Sports Forum, heading to a park to eat pizza and then going home for the rest of the day. The current point totals puts seniors ahead with 508 points, juniors in second at 333 points, sophomores in third

508 500 450 400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50

COTY Point Count

333

309

206

with 309 points and freshmen with 206 points. As for next year and the years beyond, Student Council plans to continue the competition with the hopes of encouraging more and more students to support their classmates. Student Council members also hope to continue to up the prize, maybe even to eventually taking the winning class on an out-of-town trip. “I would really like in the future, if one of the [prize] days could be out of Wichita,” senior Olivia Wagner said. “If we could go to Kansas City or something like that. I think that would be really cool, and that’s what people are kind of striving for now.”n

“

I would really like in the future, if one of the [prize] days could be out of Wichita... That’s what people are kind of striving for now

”

—Olivia Wagner, senior

Seniors

Juniors

DecemberPlay | maizenews.com

Sophomore

Freshmen

News

Students mentor younger peers Story By Emma Wituk

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Se r

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L ch un

nce a month, select students from Maize High spend part of their day at Maize South Middle school mentoring students. During the mentoring sessions, high schoolers share about themselves and different strategies and tips that they have picked up over the course of high school. The middle schoolers share about themselves and get to hang out with people who have recently been in their shoes. “My favorite part of being a Maverick Mentor is getting to bond and hang out with some really awesome Maize South Middle kids and high schoolers,” MHS senior Carson Pierce said. Maverick Mentors is a program MSMS assistant principal Cort Haynes started in 2015. The goal of the program was for middle schoolers to have someone close in age for them to look up to. “Middle school can be a tough time for many students,” Haynes said. “It is a time when kids struggle to connect socially or just need a big brother or sister to serve in a mentoring capacity.” At the beginning of each school year, faculty members from both Maize High and Maize South High recommend students who have good grades, attendance and are involved in the school to be a mentor. “Our high schoolers were in middle school not too long ago,” Principal Chris Botts said. “They can relate to the students a little better than maybe we adults can and that way the middle schoolers have someone who has been in their shoes just a few years ago to help them.”n

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Review

‘Justice League’ isn’t great, but it means hope for DC

Story by Casey Loving

didn’t really like “Man of Steel.” It wasn’t terrible, but I found most of the movie to be far too gloomy and depressing. “Batman V Superman” was monumentally worse, more brooding than its predecessor, becoming my least favorite movie of the year. Next came “Suicide Squad,” almost as much of an incoherent mess as what came before. Finally, the DC Extended Universe had a win in a big way with “Wonder Woman,” every bit as good as the other films were bad. And while “Justice League” may not hit the highs of “Wonder Woman,” it certainly doesn’t come near the overall lows of the DCEU’s other entries. The beginning of the movie sees familiar heroes Batman and Wonder Woman forming the League, gathering the metahumans from Batman’s email in “Batman V Superman,”: Cyborg, Aquaman and The Flash. The film centers on the Justice League uniting to form Earth’s last defense against Steppenwolf, an otherworldly, godlike villain. Steppenwolf comes to bring the planet’s destruction by uniting the three Mother Boxes, ancient artifacts that come together to change Earth into a hellscape similar to his homeworld of Apokolips. Meanwhile, the League hopes to use the Mother Boxes to resurrect Superman with one of the Mother Boxes following his death at the hands of Doomsday in hopes of him being the beacon of hope Batman can’t provide. The incoherent plot summary above showcases one of the film’s greatest problems. The plot, overly complicated and bogged down in lore, does little justice to the movie’s heroes, having them move from scene to scene without any compelling motivation or reason. This can best be seen with the film’s villain, an agent of chaos without depth who wants to destroy the world for reasons and is a bad guy who is bad for the sake of being bad. The DCEU has been known for terrible villains (Leto’s Joker, Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor, Ares, Enchantress, Doomsday), but Steppenwolf has to win this race to the bottom. The movie’s other major problem is most evident in its big, bad, terrible CGI. If you are aware of Joss Whedon replacing

Zack Snyder as director following a family tragedy, then you know that “Justice League” had pretty extensive reshoots. This is made incredibly obvious in several of the film’s action scenes, which look like cutscenes from an “Injustice” video game, particularly the Themyscira battle. Settings look fake, heroes look like rubber, and villains look ready to be added to the next Ninja Turtles movie. Finally, the editing of Henry Cavill’s moustache from the film’s reshoots provides one of the funniest instances of odd CGI I can think of. Outside of its main antagonist, I was surprised at how well “Justice League” managed the characters. Even with some interpretations I wasn’t a fan of, there was still fun to be had with each character, providing a much lighter tone than previous entries in the universe. The best example of this has to be Superman, who, after his resurrection, returns to the light tone of the character reminiscent of Christopher Reeve’s interpretation. Although the story of “Justice League” might be bad overall, where the movie really shines is in its moments. Amid an incoherent plot and bad CGI, “Justice League” has fun moments that kept me entertained and invested. Moments like Aquaman admitting his true feelings to the team, Superman insisting that saving citizens comes first and The Flash realizing he may not be the fastest person in the world after all showed me the hope and levity that I found missing from the franchise. My favorite moment in the film has to be a scene where Batman urges The Flash to save one person from Steppenwolf, telling the young hero that he’ll figure out what to do from there. This moment, in the middle of what would’ve been a dark and depressing scene in any other DCEU movie, provides the hopefulness and heroicness that I wish was a common standard for the franchise. “Justice League” is not a perfect movie. It would be hard for me to say it’s even a good movie. But it’s certainly better than most of the DCEU movies that came before. It has major flaws that aren’t easy to overlook. However, among these flaws are great moments, good humor and a lighter tone that has me hopeful for the universe going forward, and that is much more than I could say walking into the movie.n

2.5/5 Play Buttons

League Rankings Ezra Miller delivered a comedic, heartfelt performance of what it means to be a new hero as The Flash (similar to Grant Gustin on television), making him my favorite character in the film. I was already a fan of Jason Momoa from “Game of Thrones,” but his portrayal of Aquaman only cements how much fun he can bring to his roles. Wonder Woman blew up as one of the standout characters of the summer. Gadot comes back to the role with the same hope and joy as her last two appearances. Even though I didn’t love previous Superman movies, I’ve never disliked Henry Cavill. In “Justice League,” Cavill delivers a hopeful and fun performance similar to Reeve’s iconic take on the character. I didn’t expect much from Cyborg. He looked like a bland, pointless, CGI character. Still, I found Cyborg to have an interesting arc that I wasn’t expecting. While I enjoyed Affleck’s Batman in other films, I was not a fan of his new turn in “Justice League”. He seemed to do a complete 180 from previous films, ditching his great action for Iron Man’s quips.

9 DecemberPlay | maizenews.com

Editorial

Combining the signings Why the new signing system isn’t as bad as some make it sound

By Kylee Delmar for the Play Editorial Board

days or automatically think it isn’t going to be as special, you’re obviously not ast school year, signing days going to have a good time. Rather than were common events with 40 simply complaining about the change to days of seniors signing their the limited number of signing days, it’s letters of intent. This year, we important for students to acknowledge only have three set days. Athletic the positive aspects of this new rule. director Eric Wolgast wanted to make If anything, having only three signing some things in school more efficient. days each year makes each day a bigger This change has come with much event. Last year with signings being dissatisfaction from the student body, held nearly every week in the commons, primarily student athletes, as an affront only about 50 people would show up. to their special day. Although group This year, the attendance rate is much signings may be less than ideal, they higher with roughly 300 people showing certainly aren’t the slight that they are up to the event. It is more of an event. being portrayed as. Another positive aspect is now At the beginning of the year, it was signing days are promoted and brought to the staff ’s attention that communicated to the whole school. signings were causing a problem in Previously student athletes had to En-Cor. Students were being called out promote it themselves; now signing of En-Cor or just not showing up to days are treated as a school-wide event the period several times a year so they that most of the student body knows could be at a signing. Another issue about. with independent signings is many If students are still upset about not teachers want to go to the signings but having their own signing days, there are in charge of a class and couldn’t go. are still plenty of alternatives to the new Having three set signing days solves system. Several students have taken both of the major flaws in the old to throwing parties outside of school system. Having fewer signing days on their own; having the big event at allows teachers to attend more events school while still being able they want to without to hold a personal get-tohaving to worry about gether for closer friends and finding a sub to watch family. their class several times This isn’t the first change a year. Designated days that the school has made also solve the problem that hasn’t been popular of students skipping among students, but it’s far En-Cor, taking away a from the worst. The fact common excuse to skip of the matter is limited class. signing days solves many Many students who of the problems caused by have signed this year, or personal events while still are planning on signing giving students a special this year, have not been day. Students should work happy about not having on making the best of the their own signing day. school’s changes and realize Students look this was not meant to upset forward to this day and them, only to make school look at it as a big day in more efficient. Signing their lives. your letter of intent should “It’s a big deal” senior always be a special day for Ellie Hahn said. “I think Ellie Hahn signs her letter of intent. She is going to pursue women’s rowing at student athletes, regardless it should be a more of who you have to share the college level at K-State. Photo by Maddie Neigenfind personal event with just the spotlight with.n

your friends there to support you.” Staff members in charge of the decision have said this change was not meant to upset students, but to make things more efficient. “We aren’t trying to take away from the importance of it and we want it to be special for every kid and we do try to make it that way,” Principal Chris Botts said. “We just feel like this is a little more efficient way to operate.” Even though the signing isn’t focused around one specific student, it can still be just as special as before. It shouldn’t matter that other people are signing on the same day as you. Signing a letter of intent for your college is still going to be just as special as you make it. Although Hahn said she doesn’t like sharing her signing day, she still believes students should make the best of the day they have. “I think students should make the best they can out of it, but still ask for an individual signing day for each athlete to change is back to the way we like it,” Hahn said. Students need to give signing days a chance. If you have a bad attitude about only having three signing

DecemberPlay | @PlayNewsmag

#Shallow

Column

Sophomore questions tweets that are actually as #deep as a kiddie pool Story by Casey Loving Casey Loving @CaseyMLoving * 12h

Casey Loving @CaseyMLoving * 12h

The absolute worst tweets that I find are the fake #deep thoughts that are just incredibly shallow and accompanied by thousands of likes. These tweets can be something like an obvious thought passed off as a lone observation. “I don’t get what all the hate is, I love ‘Star Wars.’” Yeah, so does everyone else, that’s why it’s the highest-grossing movie on the planet. You aren’t unique, how did you get 700 likes and 90 replies with that? (5/8)

Have you ever tweeted something good? Like, really really good? A joke that is extremely witty and relatable. You manage to squeeze the thought into the character limit, and you wait to see what comes next. Hours later, you revisit your timeline to find you were right. This was indeed a phenomenal tweet, and your likes can prove it. After only half a day, you find that you’ve hit it big with a whole 20 likes. (1/8) 1

Casey Loving @CaseyMLoving * 12h

That’s how it goes with social media. No matter how funny your joke is, sometimes it just gets buried by the people with more followers. Now, in no way am I calling this some great injustice that must be eradicated. After all, it is just social media fueled by meaningless internet points. But why can’t the internet points go to me? (2/8) 1

Even worse, these can also be fake Jaden Smithesque “poetic” thoughts that actually make no sense, like “I’m a paper towel in a world of coffee cups,” or something else that doesn’t actually make any sense. Why does your dumb analogy that sounds like it was written by a philosophy student that dropped out after week one keep showing up on my feed? (6/8) 1

Casey Loving @CaseyMLoving * 12h

3 Casey Loving @CaseyMLoving * 12h

You made an observation that’s genuinely witty, insightful and thought-provoking? Eh, who cares? This person used the new 280 characters to tweet a quote in full with no punchline or commentary! 300 likes! You made a joke so funny your friends couldn’t stop laughing for minutes? Go away, the guy who said this morning that people need to focus on loving themselves is tweeting about why some women just can’t be trusted, 400 likes. (4/8) 1

DecemberPlay | maizenews.com

2 Casey Loving @CaseyMLoving * 12h

It seems like no matter what you do, some people are just gifted with the ability to attract likes. Sometimes these likes can come with tweets like fake #deep thoughts, overly depressing sentiments or any number of pointless updates. You took a stunning picture of nature at its finest? Too bad, this guy is wearing a bathing suit, 200 likes. (3/8) 1

Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve made more than my fair share of pointless tweets. I know that nobody cares about how pumped I am for “Thor: Ragnarok” or that I was right for being a Steve Harrington fan since the beginning. That’s just how social media works. But I’m not expecting to get flooded with hundreds of likes for being a “Stranger Things” fan. (7/8) 1

2 Casey Loving @CaseyMLoving * 12h

Maybe that’s just the way the system works. Maybe there’s just a lucky group that gets rewarded for whatever they tweet, and some hidden gems will just have to stay hidden. Maybe none of it matters, and fake internet points shouldn’t make any difference as to what you want to tweet and what you don’t. Now that’s something to think about. For more #deep observations and funny jokes, you can follow me @CaseyMLoving and be sure to like and retweet. (8/8) 4

Features

Checking in

A look into the lives of the Maize secretaries

Story by Abby Turner rom entering the school late, to needing to make an appointment with an administrator to coming over from a different school. The first people a student sees is the front office secretaries. However, their lives outside of the doors of Maize remained unknown until Play took a deeper look into their lives away from the desk.

Jewel Taylor

Jewel Taylor is the discipline and attendance administrative assistant. She started working here because she loves school involvement and wanted to be here with her daughter, senior Kersten Taylor. Not only does she like school involvement but also involvement in her community. When Taylor is not working, she likes to hang out with her family, go to movies, eat out and volunteer at Head-To-Toe Hygiene Pantry. The Head-To-Toe Hygiene Pantry is a Christian organization that helps Wichita families in need. It gives them hygiene products free of charge once a month. Taylor got connected through her church, which is a big contributor to the program. “The Hygiene Pantry normally provides items to over 500+ families a

month,” Taylor said. “I have a passion for helping people, so this is one way that I feel I can make a difference in someone.” A day for her includes many things: answering phones, checking in students, tracking attendance, discipline issues and running reports. For Taylor, the hardest part of the job is having to see kids get in trouble. The most enjoyable part is getting to know the students and their parents. “My favorite part of my job is interacting with and getting to know students and parents,” Taylor said. “It does not feel like work.” Taylor said working here has taught her many things. “Working here has taught me that listening, being patient, showing kindness and understanding can make a difference in a child’s life,” Taylor said.

Roxanne Thulin

Roxanne Thulin is a front office administrative assistant at Maize. She has worked in the Maize District for 16 years and at Maize High for 15 years. She started working as a para at Maize Elementary School then got a job here at Maize and has been here ever since. Outside of school she likes to take her dogs for a walk with her family,

go shopping and watch sports. “I’ve always enjoyed watching and playing sports,” Thulin said, “It’s what we did on the weekends when I was growing up.” Her typical day includes checking in substitutes and answering phones. “You hit the ground running right as you walk in the front office; the phones are ringing.” Thulin said. “There’s always something that always needs to be taken care of.” The hardest thing for Thulin about her job is coming back from summer break. It is hard for her to come back at first but once she is here she loves it. “Coming back from summer vacation is the hardest part.” Thulin said. “I get used to being home, having a relaxed summer break and I’m anxious to get back.” Thulin loves getting to know all the students and help them out. She also enjoys the other people who work here and getting to know them. “No matter the bad, the good, I just really enjoy the students and knowing about their day.” Thulin said. “I also really love the staff here, they’re all pretty awesome.”

2 1

1. Taylor enters information into her computer. 2. Thulin helps an office aid figure out where the mail goes.

Photos by Allie Choyce 12

DecemberPlay | @PlayNewsmag

Features Floria Jones

Floria Jones is a front office administrative assistant. Jones said she has always loved working with students, and has worked with them for 25 years now. This job gave her the opportunity to not only work with students, but also do secretary work, which she also enjoys. Some of her favorite parts of the job are getting to talk to the student’s parents about their day and how they are doing. She said this job has taught her a lot of patience and continues to. “I didn’t know how much patience I had until I started working here,” she said. Outside of school she likes to volunteer at her church’s Sunday school. “Since I love children, teaching Sunday school ages 2-5 at my church is my favorite thing to do outside of work,” Jones said. She started temporarily doing this but liked helping the children learn Bible verses through actions, singing, coloring and other events, so she decided to stick with it. Jones loves working with children because she enjoys seeing their minds working and growing. Though Jones has seen bad moments in childcare, she has also been able to see great moments and that is why she continues work in this field. “I’ve seen the good, the bad and the ugly; Jones said. “I did have my moments that I wanted to changed my mind and stop doing child care, but my love for children, kept me moving forward.”

Amy McKay

5 3. Jones laughs at a joke she made about a debate tournament she attended a few days before. 4. McKay chuckles at a joke Jewel Taylor made. 5. Stamper talks with the counseling office aids.

Photos by Allie Choyce

DecemberPlay | maizenews.com

Amy McKay is an attendance administrative assistant. She was a para at Vermillion for five years when she saw a position open. “The idea of moving to high school from elementary was a bit intimidating,” McKay said. “But it has been so great meeting so many of the awesome students here.” The hardest thing for McKay about her job is how long you have to sit because she is used to moving around a lot. McKay’s favorite part of her job is the

people and the staff she meets. Every day she comes in and is excited about work because of all the people she knows she will interact with. “The one thing I can count on every day are the great people to work with,” McKay said. “They can always make me laugh.” Working here has been able to give her experiences and get to know people she had not before. It has also taught her the efforts that Maize High gives to their students. “There is nothing that MHS wouldn’t do to help a student in any way they can,” McKay said. “I’m proud to work at a school that puts students first.” When McKay is not at work, she enjoys reading, especially James Patterson books. She also always has a house full of people. Her family enjoys hanging out with the other families in her neighborhood. “I love getting coffee with my husband, baking with my daughter, watching my son play soccer and basketball and shopping with my mom and sister,” McKay said. “Also snuggling with my three dogs … I am kind of a pug maniac.”

Carly Stamper

Counseling office administrative assistant Carly Stamper started working here to be on the same schedule as her children, but it has also given her an opportunity to get to know other students. Besides work, Stamper loves hanging out with her friends and family. “I like to go shopping and do crafts,” Stamper said. “Also playing card games with friends.” When she hangs out with her family and her friends, food is almost always involved. “If the restaurant has yummy desserts, that’s an added bonus,” Stamper said. Weeks go by fast for her, and she hates getting up in the morning. But once she is here, she is able to help the kids. It has also taught her some lessons. “Working here has taught me it’s not only me and my family that has issues,” Stamper said. “Everybody has a story.”n

Features

Legacy of leadership

The three Fuhrman sisters lead KAY Club at Maize High School, Maize Middle School and at the regional level ’s on people “The looken you help faces wh it’s just price-them out ught me to help ta ’s It . er I less t whenev people oucan” a — Andre n Fuhrma

Andrea is the

pres “We bicker at each of MHS Kay Cl ident ub. other a lot, but it’s always friendly cute bickering. We don’t actually fist fight each other” — Lauren Fuhrman

ident

Lauren is the pres

“They of KAY Area six. grown have u all the p leading or 7th way from 6th I may grade to now KAY C not even be i . n lub if for the it weren’t m” — Jane ll Fuhr Fuhrm man an

The Fuhrman sisters are learning, loving, and laughing together.

president Janell is theKay Club. S of MM

Photos by Emma Wituk

DecemberPlay | @PlayNewsmag

Story by Olivia Elmore

he Fuhrman family is developing into a leadership powerhouse. The sisters — senior Andrea, sophomore Lauren and eighth-grader Janell — hold the title of president at various levels of the Kansas Association of Youth. Andrea is president of Maize High’s KAY Club. Janell is KAY Club president at Maize Middle, and Lauren recently was elected president of KAY Area six. KAY is a club that focuses on building character and leadership qualities in young people and promotes community service. It is part of the Kansas State High School Activities Association and is the only club of its kind in the United States. Cheryl Gleason, the state director, said the Fuhrmans have made KAY history. “I can honestly say that we have never had three sisters with such strong backgrounds in the KAY program all selected by their peers for these leadership roles,” Gleason said. “They serve as outstanding role models

for their peers, and it excites me to know that when they graduate and move on in their lives, they will continue to live the role of a leadership and service to others.” The Fuhrman legacy of leadership started with Andrea. She didn’t have many clubs to choose from in middle school. As luck would have it, KAY just happened to stand out to her. “I didn’t really know what I was getting into at first when I joined KAY Club in sixth grade, but I figured I’d give it a shot,” she said. “It turned out to be pretty fun.” In seventh and eighth grade, Andrea led as a board member. She was named president her sophomore year. It was also the first year with Dan Loving as sponsor. In her three years, KAY has grown its membership and also increased the number of activities members participate in. “I was terrified because I didn’t know … what it would be like,” Andrea said. Following Andrea’s example, Lauren also joined KAY in sixth grade and worked her way up on the board to get to where she is now. She was thrilled to be elected president of Area 6. KAY divides Kansas into six areas. Lauren is the president of the biggest area, which covers 15 counties. “I’ve wanted this for a long time, but I just really wanted to step up and take a bigger lead in my community,” Lauren said. Even Janell, the youngest of the Fuhrman sisters, said she isn’t afraid to use her sisters’ experience to her advantage in her presidency at Maize Middle. “I feel like my sisters have taught me most of the techniques I use today in KAY Club at the middle school,” Janell said. “They taught me to greet people when they come in, to talk to members after the meeting and much more. They don’t just tell me advice. I also get it from watching them. They have grown up leading all the way from sixth or seventh grade to now. I may not even be in KAY Club if it weren’t for them.” Even though all the Fuhrman sisters are involved in the same club, each of them are different in their own way. “Andrea usually does things first and then we kind of follow, but I don’t like to be considered the same person as her,” Lauren said. “I’m different. We’re all different. Janell’s younger, obviously. Andrea is more of a people-pleaser. And I’m more do what I want, and if people aren’t OK with it, then it’s kind of their problem.” Even though the sisters are different and have their fair share of bickering, they can put their differences aside to work together as a team. “I think we’re a pretty good team,” Lauren said. “We work together really well, especially because we have the resources with the middle school and the high school.”n

“The tion, thy get people’s loud, they’re funny, t attenare talk ey know wh hey are a i know j ng about, andt they ust wh they any mo at to do at m — Jan ent.” Fuhrmell an

The Fuhrmans wo well together.

ice is a Community servY Club. KA of rt large pa

“Being in KAY is mor than leadership and serve ice to others – it is about thes things while you are withe your friends, having fu and making a difference n for others.” — Cher yl Gleason

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DecemberPlay | maizenews.com

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Features

Powering off

Senior Madeline Mann goes a week without her phone

Story by Madeline Mann couple weeks ago, my dad tried to talk to me while my phone had all my attention. My responses in the conversation were hesitated, and I was not engaged. He got mad. Then he challenged me. “I bet you couldn’t go a week without your phone,” he said. That got me thinking: What I would do without my phone, Netflix or social media for a week? Challenge accepted. But not without hesitation. I have owned a phone since fourth grade, a Netflix account since fifth, and social media accounts since sixth. In seventh grade, my mom took away my phone when I got grounded. Instead of accepting my punishment, I made a fake iPhone with an old case, my dead iPod touch and a bunch

of tissue paper. I swapped the two phones and it took a week for anyone to notice. I can safely say I’m addicted to my phone.

Saturday

The day before I gave up my phone, I was anxious. I worried about how I would get around if I was lost, how I would call my mom if something happened, or what I would do if I got mugged. I prepared for the week by writing down my friends’ phone numbers. I also used my agenda for the first time in my life because I would not have access to Google Calendar. I spent the entire day on my phone binge-watching Netflix and refreshing social media.

Sunday

The first day without my phone wasn’t so bad. I was so busy, I barely noticed its absence. I did miss Spotify a lot. I was in the car for a couple hours and had to listen to CDs from 2009.

Monday

I had a lot of time to get things done that I had put off for a while. One of my friends called me on the home phone and told me she was bored. Instead of laying around the house FaceTiming each other, we went out for ice cream.

Tuesday

I was bored and all of my friends were busy. The curiosity of what was going on and who was texting started to get on my nerves. I really needed to ask my friend a couple questions but couldn’t text her. I had to track her down in En-Cor just to ask. The week was going by so slowly, I got headaches from the boredom.

Wednesday

While shopping at Walmart with my brother, I put my keys down on one of the shelves without realizing it and walked away. When we finally figured out the keys were missing, an hour had passed. The car was still in the parking lot, so we went to Customer Service to see if they’d been turned in. They hadn’t. My brother didn’t have his phone either, so we had no way to call my mom to bring the spare key. We retraced our steps and, after about 20 minutes of searching and stressing, we found the keys under a bag of candy.

Thursday

I had plans with three of my friends that night, but when I drove to the house, no one was there. I drove back home to call on my home phone. “We texted you this morning,” one of them said. I was on the phone with her and she still didn’t understand why I didn’t see that text. All three of my friends had my home phone number and none of them second-guessed why a text wouldn’t work.

Friday

The only thing that got me through the day was counting down the hours until I got my phone back. Before I started, I thought the week was going to be full of me going out and doing activities. It wasn’t like that at all. I think the phone helped me become more social by making things easier to coordinate with friends. I had all their home phone numbers, but it was inefficient to try to plan stuff.

Saturday

I wasn’t as excited to get my phone back as I thought I would be. I went to a friend’s birthday dinner and noticed it was really nice to not care how you looked in pictures or to be constantly updating your Snapchat Story like all the other girls there. When I got my phone back, I had a total of 206 messages. One change I have noticed with my phone is my work ethic has decreased. I was very productive without it; however, now that I have a phone my life is so much more efficient. It´s nice being able to get answers quickly again.n 17

Freshman Hannah Soderstrom has been battling cancer for a year Story by Maddie Neigenfind

Freshman Hannah Soderstrom spends most of her days receiving treatment in the hospital. On good days, she spends time out of bed enjoying school, friends, and family. Photo by Lizzie Bell

ays spent inside a hospital room, surrounded by four white walls. The monotone beeping of a monitor blaring just above your head. A dozen needles running into your arms, distributing another dozen different medications. Doctors speaking in what seems like foreign language. For some, it’s a worst nightmare. For another, it’s a scary reality. Freshman Hannah Soderstrom was diagnosed with cancer last year, a battle she has been fighting ever since. Her family first thought she had mononucleosis. The illness had been floating around Maize Middle, where Soderstrom was an eighth-grader, and her symptoms were similar. But it wasn’t mono. It was much worse. Soderstrom, 13 at the time, had acute lymphoblastic leukemia. “I was devastated,” said Soderstrom’s mother, Heather. “I couldn’t believe what we’re hearing. It was a mix of shock and disbelief. We thought they would come in in a few days and tell us that they were wrong because she wasn’t like really sick. When you think of someone with cancer, you think of someone who is really weak and bald. Hannah wasn’t.” Acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or ALL, is a cancer that mainly attacks the patient’s bloodstream. According to CureSearch, ALL is the most common children’s cancer, accounting for 25

Now Playing percent of all children’s cancer under age of 15. Although ALL has a 90 percent survival rate, Soderstrom has to be cautious with what she does throughout her days. “I get fatigued very easily,” she said. “I also can’t bleed. Every week we get a blood test. If it is low, I go in for a blood transfusion.”

“I was devastated. I couldn’t believe what we were hearing.” — Heather Soderstrom For an ALL patient, having a low blood count isn’t something out of the norm. Each part of the blood plays a big role in how Soderstrom functions. When she goes in for blood work, there are three things the hospital tests to determine her health: white blood cell count, red blood cell count and platelets. Heather Soderstrom said the white blood cells determine how well her immune system works. The red blood cell count determines how well oxygen is being distributed throughout her body. Platelets are what cause the blood to clot.

And when they are low? “That is what puts her in the hospital,” her mother said. Soderstrom said when her red blood cell count is low, her lips turn white, her face goes pale, and she gets a headache. If her platelets are low, she bruises easily a gets petechiae, a rash that forms when tiny blood vessels break and bleed under her skin. “f it is low white blood cells, I’ll just get like the flu or something,” she said. Her parents said a low white blood cell count is the most troublesome because it weakens her immune system. When that occurs, if anybody is sick around Soderstrom it can be deadly. “You don’t realize how many germs are everywhere.” Soderstrom said. “You know, they don’t clean the menus every night in restaurants. It’s one big germ. Going to the movies is another big germ, too. Even touching my phone every day.” Soderstrom not only deals with weekly blood tests and constantly checking her levels, but she also has to deal with lots of needles, IVs and spinal taps. Suffering from a fear of needles makes going through those 10 times harder, she said. “The very worst day is when Hannah has to has a needle poked into her,” Heather Soderstrom said. “Every since she was a little kid, she’s been afraid of needles, so the fact that she has to be poked so many times a day, is not fun.” Since her diagnosis, Soderstrom hasn’t always been able to be involved

Effects on the H E A R T Methotrexate, one of Soderstrom’s medications, may cause: congestive heart failure, increase in heart rate and blood pressure, and also may cause cardiovascular inflammation.

Another effect of ALL is Coronary Artery Disease.

DecemberPlay | maizenews.com

Source: Physician David Rosen

Now Playing in everyday teenage activities such as sports, school and hanging out with her friends whenever she’d like, but it also affects her family. “We have to be ready to go to a named restaurant at anytime,” Soderstrom’s father, Scott, said. “And then be willing to throw a meal away if we are not hungry at the time. Now that she is in high school, we probably would’ve gone to football games as a family or with friends.” Although life has become a rollercoaster of ups and downs, good days and bad days, Soderstrom has found ways to stay positive throughout all of it. Her family believes that having faith and keeping a positive outlook paves a

to finish her treatment strong, Soderstrom keeps herself busy and her family and friends up to date by keeping a Youtube channel and a Facebook page. Her support system through those social media outlets is a wide range of people, traveling all the way to places such as Australia and China. Most supporters, though, reside at home. One of them is senior Logan Schultz, who battled leukemia when he was in elementary school. “When things look bad, we let them know that they’ll turn around,” Schultz said. “Because when you’ve been in a family where nobody has dealt with something and you’re hit with something like this, you need to know that

“You got to have faith. Having a trust in God really works.” —Scott Soderstrom bright road for recovery. “You gotta have faith,” Scott Soderstrom said. “Having a trust in God really works. Quite honestly a positive attitude as well is one thing we’ve noticed that helps. We see all the kids in the office that don’t have a positive attitude, and they’re in real bad shape. You feel for them. The kids that are positive, like Hannah, stay pretty strong.” Soderstrom not only uses her faith in God and a positive attitude to keep her upbeat and on the road to recovery, but she also uses the fact that she’s battling the most common childhood cancer. “You go to the office and see kids who are just coming in for checkups because they’ve gone through the treatments already,” Soderstrom said. “And just the fact that they were able to fight through it and come back for checkups is really motivating.” Soderstrom has also found motivation and set a goal thanks to a fellow patient who finished her treatment a year ago and is currently in maintenance. She has successfully grown her hair back and has returned to her everyday life. On top of a positive outlook and a goal 20

you’re not alone. Other people have gone through it and have managed to defeat it.” Schultz and his family have offered support and advice for Soderstrom and her family since they heard about her diagnosis last year. Schultz said being a fellow cancer survivor helps him connect with Soderstrom about the dayto-day struggles she faces. “Going through it personally,” Schultz said, “I feel for her because I know the struggle. It changes how you interact with your friends, your school, and it changes things that have to do with your family. To hear about someone who has to go through something difficult and you personally have experienced it, it breaks your heart because you know what lies ahead.” The Soderstrom family appreciates all the love and support they’ve been shown from friends, family and even strangers. They hope one day Hannah can pay it back to those who have helped. “There has been several times where we will go out to dinner,” Scott Soderstrom said. “And people have paid for

IN SIDE LOO K 25% of all children with cancer battle ALL

12% of women in the U.S. get diagnosed with breast cancer

45% of people above age 65 get some kind of skin cancer

Sources: CureSearch, American Cancer Society, Skin Cancer Foundation

DecemberPlay | @PlayNewsmag

Now Playing our meals just as a gesture, which is cool because we want people to know and see that someone in their community is going through this.â&#x20AC;? The biggest way people in

Soderstromâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s community can help her, and others who may be battling the same thing, is by donating blood, following her pages to stay aware of blood drives, fundraisers and many

other things. You can keep up with her progress as well by liking her Facebook page and subscribing to her Youtube channel, Even Mermaids Get Leukemia.

CONNECT WITH

HANNAH

Even Mermaids Get Leukemia Hannah. Scotlyn Even Mermaids get Leukemia Hannah Scotlyn

Freshman Hannah Soderstrom has been battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia since she was 13 years old. 25 percent of all kids diagnosed with cancer have ALL. Photo by Lizzie Bell

21 DecemberPlay | maizenews.com

Sports

Sports Overview Basketball

The boys were 2-1 after last week’s games. They lost their first game to Andover 75-74 in double overtime before winning 62-48 at Salina South and defeating Derby 61-59 on Chase Schreiner’s buzzer beater Friday.

The girls opened up with two victories, defeating Andover 68-57 in their home opener and Salina South 32-20. Their first loss came Friday when they fell to Derby, 49-24.

1. Senior Antonio Espinoza lines up his shot for a free throw during the first home game against Andover. 2.When freshman Skylar Gill gets announced for the starting line-up, sophomore teammate Cassie Onwugbufor celebrates with her. 3. Freshman Sydney Holmes passes the ball on. 4. Junior Brandle Studevan drives down the court in order to make his next pass Photos by Lizzie Bell

Players to watch (boys) (submitted by coaches): Jalen Johnson Caleb Grill Devon Koehn

“

I want to play as a team, come together as a team, and do everything that we do in practice, perfectly

“

—Cade McGaugh, junior

Players to watch (girls) (submitted by coaches): Autumn Hanna Alexis Cauthon Halie Jones

5. In between strokes, senior Trent Johnson gasps for air. 6. Senior Christian Taylor looks down in the water to see what postition he is from the edge of the pool. Photos by Lauryn Ogden 22

Players to watch (submitted by coaches): Christian Taylor Bryce Nelson Jacob Ruder Last year at state, the boys fell short to Wichita Heights. The Eagles scored 181 points to Heights’ 242, finishing second. The team team finished in third place at their first meet of season.

5. 6.

“

“ “

We’ve been hitting morning practices, [and] afternoon practices; we are really just Jacob Ruderto trying shine.

““

Swimming

“

— Jacob Ruder, senior

Entertainment

Wrestling Players to watch (submitted by coaches): Aidan Campbell Kyle Haas Devin Onwugbufor

The boys placed second in their first tournament in Ark City. In their first dual, they took on Salina South at home, winning 75-3. Maize got sixth out of 32 teams in Oklahoma.

7. Sophomore Duwayne Villalpando latches onto one of his opponents to get the best grip to pin his opponent. 8. While on top of his opponent, Aidan Campbell puts his arms under him in order to get his placement for his next move. 9. Junior Jose Ledesma wraps his arms around his opponent’s leg to try to get him off of his feet. 10. At the start of the match, freshman Cayden Hughbanks makes his move 8. quick enough to get the advantage on his opponent. Photos by Lauryn Ogden

I think it is “going to be

pretty good because, we have some pretty good wrestlers coming in.

“

Bowling

11.

—Duwayne Villalpando, sophomore

Players to watch (submitted by coaches): Adrian Cruz Muriel Rhadford Marvin & Mary Rozner

“

I think we have pretty strong people. Several of us should make it to state, we should do pretty good overall this season.

“

—Spencer Spencer Merrill Merrill, senior

10. 12.

Maize is a 5-1A bowling team. Last year, the team didn’t qualify for state but Emily Ryno, then a freshman, qualified as an individual. The team gets its season going after Christmas break.

11. In practice last year, Grayson Graham gets ready for his next shot. 12. Also in practice last year, senior Adrian Cruz approaches the lane. Cruz is one of the team’s top returning bowlers this season. Photos by Nolan Brackin 23

Sports The “athlete of the season” for each fall sport was picked by the coaches’ recommendations for fitting the criteria of an athlete who demonstrated strong character, work ethic, teamwork, improvement and leadership on the team during the season.

CARSON PIERCE

cross country

STATE QUALIFIER

ATHLETE ANTONIO ESPINOZA

f o o t b a l l

TEAM CAPTAIN VARSITY STARTER LETTERMAN ALL-LEAGUE - 1ST TEAM - LINEBACKER AWARDED “MOST INSPIRATIONAL” BY TEAM 24

DecemberPlay | @PlayNewsmag

Sports

TESSA KILIAN g

“AUTUMN IS NEVER LATE, STAYS FOCUSED, AND PLAYS UNDER CONTROL EVEN DURING TIMES OF HIGH PRESSURE”

– BETSY MANNING,

1ST

SEASON

AUTUMN HANNA

v o l l e y b a l l

of the

4TH 8TH

A T

IN AVCTL & REGIONALS

A T

HUNTER CLARK o

S T A T E

LILLIE WILLIAMS e

R E G I O N A L S

“HUNTER DEMONSTRATED A WILLINGNESS TO PLAY ANY POSITION TO HELP THE TEAM”

– JAY HOLMES

Features

Record Run Photo By Sam Bartlett

Maize High football team busts brackets, sets school record

Senior Jay-Jay Johnson The Maize high football team ended the season with a record breaking score of 9-2. Photos By Sam Bartlett

Senior Antonio Espinoza

Story By Kynzi Barragan ne minute was left on the clock, but students had already seen what they needed to see. They had left the Red Rage section in the stands and began to congregate in the northwest corner of the stadium. Then they got the cue they needed. The final buzzer sounded, and they rushed the field. Screaming. Waving. Jumping. Maize 41, Wichita Heights 14. The Eagles claimed their first regional championship since 2006, and the students wanted to join the players in the celebration. Not bad for a team picked in one publication to finish last in its league. “We lost our whole offensive line from a year ago,” coach Gary Guzman said. “Anytime you lose so many players, especially the offensive line, people are going to pick your team towards the bottom. We try and use it as an incentive to motivate our players.” The Eagles finished 9-2, the most victories in school history. One of the losses was to Derby, which finished second in Class 6A and won the AVCTL Division I title. The other loss was in the 5A playoffs to eventual state champion Bishop Carroll. Chemistry was a large component of the team’s success, senior linebacker Antonio

Eagles played against Heights.“We

Sophomore Preven Christon all got together,” he said. “We just

Espinoza said. “I felt that our chemistry was just something special,” he said. “And that’s what helped us go that much farther.” Guzman said that another element to their success was the fan support. “The student body was absolutely amazing,” he said. “The last game when everyone came out to support us, that really was awesome. They really are a part of our team. Our kids enjoy games when there’s a big crowd and that they know that their classmates and families are cheering them on.” After winning close games to start against Newton and Eisenhower, the Eagles lost to Derby. From that point forward, they continued to improve. In the first round of playoffs, the Eagles defeated Topeka West 52-6 at home. That earned them another home game against Heights, which also entered the game 8-1. “We were nervous,” senior running back Dalyn Johnson said. “But at the same time we were confident going into the game with only one loss.” Senior linebacker P.J. Smith, the league defensive player of the year, wasn’t surprised by how well the

connected in that game.” The season ended with a 26-14 loss at Bishop Carroll, but Guzman is looking forward to next season despite losing more than 20 seniors. “I always am hoping that some of the younger ones will step up and fill those shoes,” Guzman said. Espinoza said he is going to miss playing Maize football. “I mean it’s high school football,” Espinoza said. “Nothing compares to it in this world, and not being able to play it another year just hurts me a lot. I enjoyed every second and every minute I played here. I won’t take anything back.”n

DecemberPlay | maizenews.com

Senior Ethan Farney

Wrestlers to watch

Features

Justin Watkins

Just weight and see Wrestlers predict, discuss their success in the upcoming season

Story by Paige Young

combination of veterans and new wrestlers to the team have made Maize one of the teams to watch in Class 5A this season. “This season we have a bunch of returning starters who I’m excited to watch,” junior Aidan Campbell said. “Guys like Duwayne Villalpando, Justin Watkins, Jacob Quiggle. We also have some new guys like Kyle Haas, Devin Onwugbufor and Cayden Hughbanks.” The Eagles are ranked second in Class 5A. They placed second at the Arkansas City tournament, routed Salina South in a dual and had a strong showing in a tough Oklahoma tournament. “We have a good shot of winning state in my book,” said Onwugbufor, a senior. “We have a lot of hammers on the team, so it’s just about staying healthy.” Onwugbufor, who has signed to wrestle at Fort Hays State, will miss the first six to eight weeks of the season after having surgery to repair a torn meniscus. Despite the setback, he is staying positive. “I’m shooting for the state title so that’s all I see in my eyes,” he said. “Nothing less.” Onwugbufor transferred to Maize from Wichita Northwest for his final high school season. He went to Maize from kindergarten to eighth grade, then transferred to Northwest his freshman year. He said he came back to Maize because of his relationship with assistant coach Bryce 28

Hughbanks and his longtime friends, and the wrestling program is strong. “I went to Maize with all my life and wanted to end high school with them,” Onwugbufor said. Onwugbufor also said that the intensity and work ethic differs tremendously between the Eagles and Grizzlies. “The kids coming in have wrestled before and are experienced wrestlers,” Onwugbufor said. “I feel like that just sets the team up at a higher level because we don’t have to do the little things like the new kids at Northwest have to do.” Haas, a freshman, already has offers from multiple Division I schools. Transitioning from middle school wrestling to high school wrestling was a change for Haas, but he adapted quickly. He won the 182-pound weight class at the prestigious Mid-America Nationals in Enid, Okla. “It’s definitely a lot tougher,” Haas said. “The wrestling room is more intense than it was.” Campbell said that he is excited to travel and compete alongside his talented team. “I’m looking forward to going to the big tournaments like Enid, Newton and state where we see the best competition,” Campbell said. Campbell finished third in Enid, as did Villalpando. “I think we have a lot of talent on this team,” Campbell said. “We have to keep working hard and do all the right things. If everything goes right, we have a lot of potential.”n

Weight class: 120 Goal: Place at state State Qualified: No

Devin Onwugbufor Weight class: 138 Record last year: 28-1 State qualified: Yes

Jake Quiggle Weight class: 220 Record last year: 32-11 State qualified: Yes

Aidan Campbell Weight class: 132 Record last year: 44-8 State Qualified: Yes

Kyle Haas

Weight class: 182 What he looks foward to: State Favorite part: Tournaments

photos by Morgan Thomas DecemberPlay | @PlayNewsmag

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DecemberPlay | maizenews.com

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In Focus

Maize students submit their best photos to showcase their photography skills

(Top) This picture was taken at Grand Lake in Oklahoma. It shows the simple essence of Earth. I love the colors and the reflection on the water. The stillness of the water is such a pleasing, calming sight. Photo By Teagen Guerrero (left) Maize football players hoist the plaque after winning the regional championship. The Eagles defeated Heights. While you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see faces, this photo still conveys the emotion felt after the big victory. The Eagles had one of the most successful seasons in school history. Photo By Lauren Arnette

DecemberPlay | @PlayNewsmag

(left) A man plays his guitar while sitting on the curb in front of QuikTrip at Douglas and Washington downtown. I came across him while working on a street photography assignment for Photo Imaging II. Photo by Adrienne Allen (Below) The girl looks off to the distance in search of her mother and brother at her local church. People are talking, laughing, and eating yet, she seems to be focused on scouting her family while clutching the blanket. This picture reflects our day-today lives because weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re constantly searching for something while chaos surrounds us. Photo by Evelyn Garcia

(Above) Mia Kossover, a senior at Maize South, was my subject for an artsy and creative assignment. I smeared paint all over her face and took the picture in front of my bedroom door. We put up a bed sheet and put towels everywhere to try to keep paint from getting on everything. Photo by Madeline Mann (Below) Visiting my aunt in North Carolina over Thanksgiving, I took the opportunity to shoot this picture of my cousin Dresden. She is photogenic and immediately posed for me when she saw the camera. Photo by Amiah Oliver

DecemberPlay | maizenews.com

Senior Madi DeVore has signed with a modeling agency in Los Angeles as a side job and hobby .

Press

Photo by Ashley Tran

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A moment with What are your favorite things about modeling?

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