November 2017

PLAY “We treat kids like they’re machines on an assembly line.”

Now playing page 14-17

A teacher who is attempting to teach without inspiring the pupil with a desire to learn is hammering on cold iron.

- Horace Mann, father of common school movement

Transgender students talk about transitioning page 28-29

Nate Jones places fourth in cross country

Page 20-21

Table of Contents

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25 4 2

(page 30-31)Senior Briley Lewis works on a new Rubik’s cube mural in the expanded learning class after submitting the last one for a competition.

Photo by Sam Bartlett

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(page 24-25) Lunch lady Crystal Martinez prepares the a la carte during En-Cor before lunch starts. She occasionally helps with the cash registers. Photo by Ashley Tran (page 12) Senior Ryan Jones focuses on his passion in photography. Jones’ favorite type of photography is portraits.

Photo by Ryan Jones (page 32) Play presses pause with junior Victor Vital as he talks about his love for rodeo. Vital has been riding professionally for 12 years. Photo by Maddie Neigenfind

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(page 22) Senior Gavin Caler takes the ball down the field during the first home game. Maize wins 1-0. Photo

by Kylee Delmar

30-31

What’s inside?

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11 12,13 14-17 20,21 22 24,25 26,27 28,29 30-31

News

The new Early Childhood Center is Maize’s first building specifically catering to early learning.

News

Students add three more murals to the walls of the school.

News

Play follows up with the Friendship Club and the decision to transfer students.

News

The band Mooch Pit won Coachella competition this year with a perfect score.

News Mixed opinions on NFL player protests.

Opinion

Two students express their opinion on kneeling during the national anthem.

Columns Jones writes about his love for photography. Hughes writes about her love for her siblings.

Now Playing

Minimal changes have been made to the way public schools operate in the last 200 years and experts want change.

Sports

Senior Nathan Jones has evolved into a state-caliber runner.

Sports

Senior Gavin Caler traveled to Europe to play soccer with other teenagers from around the world.

Lifestyle

A look into the lives of the lunch ladies.

Lifestyle

The Marshall family grows by helping others through adoption and foster care.

Lifestyle

Transgender students are learning to become comfortable with themselves.

Photo Focus

Photographers capture the inside look of Maize students.

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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Raise your voice

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

© Copyright 2017 Play newsmagazine

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News

Maize adds Early Childhood Center to district

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Story by Oliva Elmore ith more than 300 pre-K students, the Maize district has expanded its early education program in many ways by building a new Early Childhood Center near the intersection of 37th Street and Maize.

The Early Childhood Center is a halfday preschool education program for children who are 3 to 5 years old. Some of the children who attend have special needs, some are funded through an atrisk grant and some pay a monthly fee.

June Rempel, ECC principal, has worked for the district for 17 years. She said she believes that an early childhood building has been needed for a few years. The ECC had been housed in different locations over the years, most recently at Pray-Woodman Elementary.

“When I started 17 years ago, we

had one early childhood special ed classroom, and we started with Parents as Teachers,” Rempel said. “As we’ve grown, I would say it’s been in the last for sure five years that we’ve really felt a strong need.”

The new facility boasts natural lighting and bright windows along with bathrooms in classrooms and doors that lead straight out to the playground. This allows for transition time to be decreased so more time can be spent teaching the developing students.

“Before, there were a lot of times in the hall or they were squeezing into where our music room/lounge was to do those kinds of things,” pre-K teacher Melissa Woods said. “Now we actually have a place for children who are under stress or need some PT to go and do their work.”

The ECC has many programs that benefit the students and parents. One, Parents as Teachers, is designed for children from birth to age 3. Families receive a monthly home visit and attend weekly playgroups where they are taught how to help and support their children’s education. Their other program is Scarlets, where 3- to 5-year-olds attend a parent-child preschool class session weekly.

The building has a future almost as bright as its floor-to-ceiling windows in the classrooms.

“I think we’ll probably be the one central early childhood center,” Rempel said. “We’re OneMaize. We’re really open to the whole district, and I think that’s probably what it’ll stay as.”n

Students gather together to worship God

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Story by Kynzi Barragan ith the goal of opening students eyes to their futures, Brock Glenn started a Young Life group for Maize students.

Glenn was apart of a group of parents that wanted to create a place where students at Maize and Maize South could be known, be loved and get involved in their community.

The parents who formed the first YL committee and the Metro Director for YL in Wichita contacted Glenn about the position as leader for Maize Young Life being available. He was teaching in higher education at the time but was unsatisfied in this position.

“I was intrigued by the possibility of

4

doing ministry as a career,” Glenn said.

“And getting to do life with the students and parents of Maize.”

Young Life is a multicultural ministry where the adult leaders focus on the students in a certain community and guide them toward God. “It’s a time to bring your friends who aren’t really Christians and bring them to an environment where it’s not church,” junior Connor Gooding said.

“It’s not like you have to do this or that.

It’s just a big hangout.”

Students arrive at Glenn’s house at 7:08 p.m. on Mondays. They then gather in the basement, play games, sing songs that worship God, and have a short sermon. The sermon opens students

eyes to ways to brighten their futures.

Junior Caitlin Gooding says that MYL is a convenient way to make lifelong friends. The friends she meets at MYL are all there with the same goal: to worship the Lord.

At every MYL gathering, they have a theme that the students dress up for.

Some themes have been pajamas, animals, Hawaiian and jerseys.

This is the third year that high school students from Maize have been gathering together to grow closer to God. “The goal of Young Life is to create a community within your school and within your friends, and to lead them toward Jesus,” Gooding said.n

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Art students add murals to school

Story by Casey Loving

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hree new murals have been added to the school this year, located in the C hall, the G hall and the D hall. Two of the murals were used as projects for the class Art in Action, taught by Beth Janssen.

“In Art in Action, students read about public art works regionally, nationally and internationally,” Janssen said.

“They get into groups and view projects around the school.”

Art in Action has been a class at Maize for around five years. In the class, students find ways to improve the school through their artistic talent.

“They look to see where the need is,” Janssen said. “They then create their own ideas and execute them.”

The students in Art in Action have taken on several projects in the past few years that can be seen around the school.

“There are many murals around the school that all of the art teachers have supervised,” Janssen said. “There is also glass art like the eagle in the office and the star in the fine arts wing that was created by students in this class. The bathroom stall doors near the commons were also created in this class.”

This year, the students of Art in Action decided the school was most in need of new murals.

“We put one in the art hallway because there’s literally no murals down there,” junior Crosby Woods said. “There’s only one mosaic and the rest of them are all in the science hall.”

Woods said she specifically wanted a mural in the C hall to represent all of the fine arts classes. Janssen said the students picked the subjects for their murals.

“Students use their own ideas,” Janssen said. “They are also encouraged to attend the artist lecture series. This year, many mural painters were highlighted such as Josh Tripoli. I love that the murals around the school are created by students.”n

6

STRESSFUL SHOWS

News

Students reflect on the stress and benefits of choir following their “Menken Magic” concert

Story by Casey Loving

T

he time leading up to a choir concert is intense. Late-night dress rehearsals.

Last-ditch efforts to get things fully memorized. Constant reruns of songs and choreography. All of this stress can come to a head the night of the concert.

Concert nights can be extremely stressful for choir students. With quick changes, stage fright and little space backstage there can be a lot going through your head while you wait for your next moment on stage.

Senior Dean Lang, who portrayed Lumière in the “Menken Magic” concert’s “Beauty and the Beast” set, said he found being the opening act of the concert to be particularly stressful.

“You open [the show]. You’re the first thing everybody sees,” Lang said. “It’s just really nerve-wracking. Leading up, the few minutes that Briley was playing piano [before the concert] was awful. It was one of the worst feelings.”

Despite the nerves, Lang said he found the experience to be worth it.

“It was really fun,” Lang said. “[The stress is] definitely worth it. There’s a sense of family with everyone and there’s just so much time put in.”

Junior Arissa Brown, the concert’s

NovemberPlay | maizenews.com

Esmeralda for the “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” set, also said she found it nerve-wracking to have such a big solo.

“It’s pretty stressful, especially when you’re about to go on,” Brown said. “You have to work and prepare and, especially if you have a voice teacher, you work pretty hard on certain parts. I know that the ending of my solo gave me trouble, but in the end it works itself out.”

Although she was nervous before she went on, Brown said the fear slipped away once she got on stage.

“I’ve found that when you’re actually on the stage, because you can’t really see the audience, you kind of get blinded by the stage lights,” Brown said. “The stress kind of alleviates itself once you’re in the moment, but the lead up can be the most stressful part.”

Senior Karlie Will portrayed Ariel for the show’s “The Little Mermaid” set.

She said that although performing as a soloist was stressful, it wasn’t nearly as bad as she thought it would be.

“I thought it would be more stressful than it was,” Will said. “This was my first real part in one of the shows, so it was a little stressful, but the fact that it was more acting and less just standing there singing made it a lot better.”

Will said she especially enjoyed being

such a recognizable character for the show’s matinees, where elementary and middle schoolers were able to see the show’s first half during the school day.

“It was really fun because when we did the matinees all the little girls thought I was really Ariel, so they came up and hugged me,” Will said. “They just freaked out and they just thought it was the cutest thing.”

Even though there is plenty of stress that comes with choir as shows near, most students would say you get out what you put in.

“Yes, definitely [it is worth it],” Will said. “It makes you more of an outgoing person, and it’s just a good thing to be a part of. You make friends from it and it gives you something to do, kind of like a distraction from all of the classwork and stuff.”

Brown said she agrees that even if the buildup is bad, the stress of choir is well worth it.

“Yes, you stress out, and you freak out, and tech week is always kind of crazy,” Brown said. “But once you’re actually performing, it’s so nice to just use all of that energy and to see the looks on the audience’s faces and to know that they’re enjoying what they’re watching.”n

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News

Update on Friendship Club transfer to Maize South Story By Sadie Ast early one year ago, parents and students joined together and pleaded that the Board of Education not transfer a group of special education students to Maize South.

However, the requests were denied and the Functional Applied Academics program was relocated.

The move repositioned Friendship Club, one of Maize’s largest and most involved clubs. Former club president Matthew Melchor said he is still bothered by the circumstances.

“I’m upset about [it], but I think the thing I was most upset about was the fact that we were never given an answer or a reason as to why it happened,” said Melchor, a senior. “I asked people for five months and never got an answer.”

Superintendent Chad Higgins is confident the students have been given an answer as to why the program was moved, but they dismissed it due to the fact that they may not have agreed with it. Higgins said the main concern was to provide a space that was ideal for the FAA students and their needs. He also said that when the student-to-staff ratio had started to get out of control, he turned his focus to attempting to diversify the clustered programs.

“I’ve been around to the buildings, and we’ve done some of those same things in our elementary schools,” Higgins said. “Each elementary school hosts a cluster special education program instead of one hosting several and

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one hosting none. I think it’s fair for both schools, to some extent under that OneMaize concept, to try to do right by everybody.”

At MSHS, the program is located in the northeast corner of the building, which is away from any hallways, classrooms and the other students.

“Whenever they [FAA students] talked about being in the back secluded by everything, they weren’t lying,” senior Garrison Norris said.

Higgins said he hasn’t heard any concerns about the new arrangements.

“They’re getting the classes and resources they need, and I think it’s been very healthy for the students at Maize South to be able to get to know those kids and develop relationships, which were obviously so valuable here at Maize High,” he said.

Maize South principal David Hickerson said connections between the students, staff and the student body started immediately.

“The FAA program at Maize South is off to a great start; our new classrooms have worked out really well for the students and staff,” Hickerson said. “The students and staff have been meeting new people and making new friends with our student body and our teaching faculty.”

The MHS Friendship Club is still trying to remain active in the FAA students’ lives. Earlier this year, a bus filled with about 40 members traveled to Maize South to see their friends.

“It seems like a lot of them are heartbroken,” Norris said. “The kids were asking why we don’t visit them anymore.

They think it’s in our hands to visit them or not when they should know for a fact that we’d do anything to see them still.”

MSHS currently has more than 60 students enrolled in the Friendship Club. At Maize, the estimated number of students last year was more than 100.

“The students of Maize South have embraced the FAA students and began making connections even before school started,” Hickerson said.

Almost one year after the transition, Higgins has expressed no regret for the decision that was made to move the students.

“We felt like going into it we needed to diversify the special education populations for those students, and for the staff,” Higgins said. “Those kids over there seem to just be thriving, not like they didn’t here, but they’re doing great over there. So no, I don’t regret it at all even as challenging as it was to go through.”

Though the decision has been made and the students are performing well at MSHS, their presence and kindness is missed by students here daily.

“Some of those kids I’ve gotten to know pretty well over the last three years and then my senior year comes and I don’t have them and they don’t have me,” Melchor said. “It just sucks for all of us.”n

NovemberPlay | @PlayNewsmag

News

mak ing e h t n i c i Mush school band reflects on getting a Hig

Story by Kylee Delmar ooch Pit, a band that has been playing together for a year, got a perfect score to win Coachella on Sept. 21.

Musicians of all kinds were invited to sign up and perform in front of an audience and judges for the Homecoming event.

Mooch Pit was started last year by Maize students, but some of the band members have graduated and moved on to college. The band is now being continued by seniors Sean Engler and Steven Vick and graduate Caleb Abbot.

The name Mooch Pit came from another band that Mooch Pit likes to listen to called Moon Hooch. They took the name and put a slight twist on it.

“We were kind of mooching off of them, so that’s where the mooch came from,” Engler said. “Someone else said that it sounds like mosh pit, so that’s where the pit came from.”

Vick said being in a band can just be like any extracurricular activity: it’s fun but is hard work and can be time consuming.

“The week of Coachella I had to drive to Bethel because that’s where the other kid goes to college,” Vick said. “That is like a 30-minute drive, and I have tons of homework so its kinda hard sometimes.”

For Mooch Pit, being in a band is a lot more work than just showing up to

M

core at Coachella. perfect s

places when you want to play.

“There’s a lot of work,” Engler said. “It’s not just ‘Oh, we’re gonna go play a gig.’

We have to schedule a gig, load in and load out. It’s just a lot of work.”

Even with all the time and hardwork put into a band, the members think it’s worth it.

“It’s fun,” Vick said. “You don’t really make money, it’s more for just fun to do it at coffee shops.”

Vick said that high school bands aren’t the typical practicing-in-your-mom’sgarage and having-a huge-crowd things one might see in the movies.

“Not as many people show up to stuff, but it’s still fun to mess around,” Vick said. “It’s less dramatic.”

The Coachella audience danced and had a great time. Math teacher Jenny Meirowsky was one of the judges and said she really enjoyed seeing Mooch Pit perform.

“They were artistically very good,” Meirowsky said. “They were a lot of fun to listen to. They were very unique.”

Meirowsky said she didn’t only enjoy seeing their performance because of their talent, but also getting to see what they do outside of class.

“There are so many sides to students I don’t get to see, so it’s fun to get to see students do different things,” Meirowsky said. “I enjoyed all the performances.”

Senior Tommy Jacobson, another stu-

dent that competed, also said he enjoyed getting so see Mooch Pit. “We definitely didn’t go into it even wanting to win; we just wanted to sing some songs,” Jacobson said. “We got down with Mooch Pit. It was fire. I would buy their mixtape.”

The band members said they had a wonderful time thanks to the reaction from the audience and judges.

Mooch Pit has performed before, but to them, this one was special. There were judges, an active audience and they won a competition with a perfect score.

“Coachella was definitely the best out of everything we’ve played at,” Vick said.

Engler said the audience that came out to Coachella this year really seemed to help Mooch Pit during their performance.

“Audience participation is probably the best thing,” Engler said. “It helps the band get energy.”

This year there are more opportunities to come watch Mooch Pit perform. The band is trying to get scheduled at Mead’s Corner in downtown Wichita sometime in the next month.

“Coachella was the best because we had mic’s set up and everything,” Vick said. “We go to coffee shops and there’s chairs so there’s people sitting down and at the high school there’s kids dancing so it’s fun.”n

9 NovemberPlay | maizenews.com

News

Professional football players kneel in peaceful protest

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Story by McKenna Smiley his year’s football season has seen the rise of a peaceful protest.

Some National Football League players have decided to start kneeling, or even stay in their locker rooms, during the National Anthem to protest their thoughts on police brutality and inequality that people of color in America face.

Much controversy has surrounded the protests. Some think it is disrespectful to the military “I am for it, and it is to protest against the police brutality generally against the blacks,” said senior Kyree Givens.

“Generally African Americans are more aggressive, and cops are scared, so temptation to pull the trigger is easier.”

Senior Justin Watkins disagrees with the protests.

“To the people that are kneeling, they see it as a way to show that there is inequalities, but to the majority of the American people, it is a disrespectful act.” Watkins said.

And while some people have strong opinions, sophomore Preven Christon is mostly ambivalent about the protests.

“I honestly think that everyone should just be entitled to their own opinions, so it doesn’t really matter to me,” he said. “I do not really care about it.”

The protests were started last year by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and are now being continued by other NFL players.

President Trump has made many comments throughout the protest that teams should fire players that decide to take a knee during the National Anthem.

“The NFL has all sorts of regulations,” Trump said in a tweet. “The only way out for them is to set a rule that you can’t kneel during our National Anthem!”

Not every player is involved in this protest, but there are a large number of players getting involved.

“I support the spirit of what they are protesting,” American history and 10

Illustration by Lauryn Ogden

government teacher Skeeter Rankins said. “Frankly, I don’t know if I have a problem with the way they are protesting it.”

Watkins said he disagrees with how the protesting is being handled.

“I am not against their right to do it,” he said. “But when was the last time you went to Starbucks and the worker took a knee to show the disrespect they feel at their job? That is not how it works.”

Some believe that the players need to find a better time and place to protest since it is their job and a protest could be seen as unprofessional.

“If I’m an NFL player, and I strongly believe in something, and I know 41 million Americans watch NFL football every weekend, how else are you going to reach 41 million people?” Rankins said.

Watkins said he feels differently.

“For the NFL it is a big issue because a lot of people are not watching them anymore, because they feel disrespected,” Watkins said Trump has said that players who protest should be fired.

“He isn’t the president of one party, or another party, he’s not just the president of white people or black people or brown or whatever people, he is the president of the American people,

so he must take under consideration, all the different views, and as president try to smooth those over as best he can,” Rankins said.

The players have said that the message they are trying to send through kneeling has been misinterpreted. Their intentions is not to disrespect the military or the flag but to promote equality for all people. Rankins agrees.

“It is not protesting the flag or anthem to disrespect the military,” Rankins said.

“I think that people who do not want to listen to the other side make that a convenient reason so they don’t have to look in the mirror.”

Regardless of the players’ intentions, there have been several interpretations as to what the protest is about.

“Everybody is talking about it, but … they are talking about it because of how disrespectful they feel it is,” Watkins said.

There have been many debates about this protest. Some football teams have slowed their protests. However, other coaches have knelt themselves in support of the protest and their players.

“There are some players that do know what they are talking about, like Colin Kaepernick,” Watkins said. “But all these other players are just doing it because their buddies are doing it.”

NovemberPlay | @PlayNewsmag

Opinion

To knee or not to knee Students share thoughts on peaceful protest in the NFL Nic DeVore

Jonathon Mercer

S

ome players in the National Football league have started to kneel during the national anthem. Those players have gone on to further articulate that the act is not a form of dishonoring the flag, but rather a protest of social injustice in America.

These people’s careers are defined by actions, so it is logical for them to resort to this approach.

The players, such as San Francisco 49ers safety Eric Reid, views this act as the “only time they have” to express their frustrations on the way certain groups of people are being treated in the world like with police brutality on African Americans.

The players reserve the right to do this, and they believe that kneeling is more powerful than any words or speeches that they could give, and this has been proven correct. The conversation created by this would not have been possible if the players decided not to kneel. The kneeling, while can be misconstrued as dishonoring the flag, the nation or the military, simply is not. Symbolic gestures are thrown into a completely subjective approach like art and music, and it is up to the viewer as to what the action is meant to be.

If the observer sees kneeling as offensive, they are correct, but so is the person who looks upon it approvingly.

The idea of kneeling is to create shock and confusion; hoping that someone may deeply question why the person did it. The players in the NFL are often objectified, and kneeling gives them an opportunity to become more human and stand out.

Since they are also often and placed upon a pedestal, they hope to change the hearts and minds on their audience. They are trying to assert that some, but not all, people in power have mistreated large swaths of people, and how they do not honor or respect these people.

They are moving toward change and willing to stand out and receive anger in order to bring light to an issue. n

NovemberPlay | maizenews.com

T

here has been a controversy on kneeling during the national anthem before NFL games. Players are deciding not to join their teammates and coaches during this patriotic moment.

This has caused an outrage for some fans, and the NFL has seen a decline in viewers. People no longer can stand to watch players kneel. Some people might say that these athletes are not setting the right example and are not being the role models they are supposed to be for the children that love to watch them compete every Sunday.

In 2016, former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick was the first player to kneel during the anthem. He received boos from the crowd and was asked after the game why he didn’t stand. His response was, “I will not stand for a country who still participates in segregation.” He said he supports our military, and that it is not his intention to disrespect the soldiers who fight for our country.

He is using his actions to speak up to make a protest. I believe that players should have their freedom of speech and be able to support their protest, but I also believe there are better ways to make their statement.

Kneeling during the anthem is wrong.

The athletes could display their feelings in another way.

As you may know, after last season, the San Francisco 49er’s did not choose to keep Kaepernick on their team and decided that they would be better off without him. I do not support kneeling during the national anthem because there are children all over the world who look up these athletes and want to grow up and be like them. In my opinion, the players who decide to kneel during the national anthem, are not making the right decision.

This topic is extremely easy for anyone to make the wrong inference and the players can be honestly mistaken. It is in my hope that the NFL can take care of the conflict, because for decades, the NFL has been the most watched professional sport on television, and I would hate to see it end. n

11

Column

Life in focus Why I love photography

Story by Ryan Jones

One second.

My finger outlines the smooth plastic and my heart rate raises with every millisecond that goes by.

Two seconds.

With every press of my finger I can feel an exhilarating joy flow through my

body and a small vibration in my hands.

Three seconds.

With every dampened mechanical thump and a slight drain of the 7.2 volt battery.

Four seconds.

With the almost disorienting flicker of light at seven frames per second.

Five seconds.

The player runs into the end zone with the football. Maize scores a touchdown and as the crowd celebrates, I celebrate getting a shot of the touchdown by quickly going through my photos.

Holding a camera and capturing the world around me not only fills me with happiness and joy, but it also brings a calm to my surroundings. I could be in the middle of the loudest room in the world, but as long as I’m looking through the dark, tiny viewfinder and capturing the beauty around me, I can remain calm. When I take somebody’s photo, whether it’s a portrait shot or a sports shot, I could not care less if I like the picture. What I enjoy most of all of it is the person enjoying a photo of themselves or the people around them enjoying it.

People like photos of themselves, they like seeing themselves and sharing their photos; that’s why the selfie camera is so popular.

I like taking people’s photos. I like seeing their face when they talk about my photos of them. I like capturing their beauty.

To freeze time in a two-dimensional plane is sorta magical. The first time I got one of my photos printed, I stared at it for what seemed like ages. All I could think is ‘My Instagram followers were not getting the full feeling of this photo.’ Instagram does not give photos the magical feeling that they deserve.

Photography brings joy to my life.

When I hold a camera or when I edit my photos, I feel complete.

I have an overwhelming pride in what I do, and even though it may not be that good, I am totally happy with holding an expensive chunk of plastic.n

Column

Watching them Grow A senior explains the love she has for her two younger siblings Story by Savie Hughes

Him remember when my parents told

I

me that he was in my mom’s stomach. They sat me down on my plaid patterned bed when I was 4-year-old, and I remembered them smiling and explaining that there was going to be somebody just like me coming into the world in a few months.

My childish mind was still confused on the basic stuff, like how did a person get inside of my mom? And while my parents struggled to answer that question in a manner that I could understand, my head danced with all the exciting things I would be able to do with a little sister.

We could have Britney Spears dance sessions. We could play makeup together. But the thing I was most excited about was how close we would be and how we would tell each other everything.

However, only a few weeks later, all those dreams were shattered. Little did I know that my first sibling wasn’t going to be a girl, and I remember I started crying when they told me. All those amazing thoughtsof having a sister turned into a constant annoyance. All the exciting girly images turned into burping, farting and smelly socks.

But the moment they brought him home the day after he was born, my heart became his. My mom sat me down on the couch, while he was wrapped in a pale blue blanket, and explained that I had to hold his head and to be very careful. When she placed him in my arms, he wasn’t even that heavy, even for my 4-year-old strength, and I studied his face. His eyes were closed, his nose was still too big for his face, and his lips

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were a pale pink color.

I just stared at him, it was my first real look at innocence in another person. I held him for hours refusing to let him go.

We’ve grown up together, and from the day I first held him to now I have always felt an undying love that can only be explained by sisterly affection.

Now he is 14, and I still find myself overjoyed with the person he has become. He isn’t just my bratty younger brother. He is intelligent, handsome and funny, and there is never a day that goes by that I am not impressed with the person he is. Well, there are a few days, but significantly less than expected.

But at home, he has always been my rock, from opening the door for me when I miss curfew, to never telling Mom and Dad that I took the last donut, to jamming with me to Britney Spears. He came into my life as a nuisance, but he is now my best friend.

Her Only four years after my brother was

born, my parents sat me down again.

Now 8, I had a better understanding of what they told me. My mom was having another baby.

My first thoughts were ‘Again? Is two not enough?’. When I expressed this, my parents managed a weak smile. This baby was different than my brother. This baby saved our family. She would be a girl and the last child my mother would have.

I remembered all the images that came back to me from when I was expecting a girl and I couldn’t wait.

Eight months later, I found out at daycare that my mom was in labor. My grandma picked my brother and me up and took us to her house where she

cooked us a special dinner and waited for the update calls.

When none came, I sat under the landline on the wall. I wasn’t tall enough to reach it yet, so I made sure that a chair was in reach.

The call never came.

The next morning, my grandma found me asleep under the phone.

“She should be home by now,” I remember saying to my grandma all day.

She reassured me that my sister would be OK. It was weeks before she could come home because of pneumonia in her lungs. The fear that struck my parents, who had already lost a child between my brother and me, was evident when I visited them in the hospital.

When they thought I wasn’t listening, my mom expressed her fears of losing another. Her words were spoken so softly they still resonate with me today.

“God can’t take another child from us.

It would be too cruel.” And God didn’t take her.

The first time I saw her, all I could notice was the birthmark on her back.

The nurse, in a sweet southern accent, explained to me that the mark meant that she was kissed by an angel and served as a protector.

It wasn’t long before we realized the kind of child she would become. So much energy, so much love for the smallest things, and no fear to pack a little punch when somebody gave her trouble. Now at the age of 10, she is the most beautiful person I know.

Both of my siblings have so much love that makes them amazing people. They have had a huge impact my life, and all I can say is I am excited to see them impact the world as they continue to grow. n

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Now Playing

Old School The school system has stayed the same for almost

T

200 years; experts think it’s time for a change

Story by Paige Young he first public school established in America was the Boston Latin School.

It was built in 1635 and is still standing today.

The earliest photo of a classroom from BLS is from approximately 1892. The photo looks exactly as you would expect: students sitting in desks lined in rows, a teacher at the front of the room leading a lesson, chalk boards on the walls, bookshelves and students diligently working, not talking or distracting the rest of the class.

Nothing too special. Just a typical classroom.

But, shouldn’t you be surprised?

Shouldn’t the classroom setup have changed since 1892? Since 1635?

In 382 years, the only changes made to the classroom have been electricity, new desks, white boards, laptops instead of notebooks and typewriters and a fresh coat of paint.

“Our schools are built off the industrial revolution model from the early 1900s,” principal Chris Botts said. “We keep doing things the same way. If the ultimate goal of public education is to prepare students for the future, then we are doing them a disservice by not changing the way to operate.”

In 1832, Horace Mann was elected to be the secretary of the Massachusetts board of education.

Mann is credited with inventing the modern-day public school.

According to Biograpy.com, he believed schools should be built on these core principles: citizens cannot maintain both ignorance and freedom; this education should be paid for, controlled and maintained by the public; this education should be provided in schools that embrace children from varying backgrounds; this education must be nonsectarian; this education must be taught using tenets of a free society; and this education must be provided by wellNovemberPlay | maizenews.com

trained, professional teachers.

Superintendent Chad Higgins said he believes that the outdated school system is unnecessary and needs change in order to be applicable to students in a generation that only people who are highly qualified for positions get hired.

“There’s been a buzzword for 100 years called school reform,” Higgins said. “Reform is just really for those people who are anti-public school advocates that push for privacy and for-profit kinds of schools. Of course, I am not a reform supporter. But, I do believe we do a lot of things that are way outdated.”

Higgins said there are many changes he would like to see to the current school system.

“Starting so early and being controlled by bells, I just think is too mechanistic,” Higgins said. “We treat kids like they’re machines on an assembly line. So, I’d love to see a lot of changes. The Carnegie unit, having so many credits to graduate, I think is ridiculous. I think there’s a number of ways we can measure a student’s performance and progress. Sometimes it may take nine weeks, sometimes it may take 18, it may take a year. I think we should leave that up to whatever the kids need to learn, and how fast they can learn it.”

Start times

The current school week is set up to mirror the schedule of a full-time job.

Seven-hour days, five days a week. Start around 8 a.m. and get off around 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.

“In my opinion, and from reading the research, we have it backwards,” Botts said. “High school should start later and elementary schools should start sooner.”

The hormone that helps you sleep is called melatonin. According to Kyla Wahlstrom, a senior research fellow at the University of Minnesota, the secretion of this hormone in teens begins at about 10:45 p.m. and continues until about 8 a.m. This means is that teenagers are unable to fall asleep until melatonin secretion begins and they are also not able to wake up until the melatonin secretion stops.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, the sleep requirement for teenagers is eight to 10 hours per night. That being said, if teens do not go to sleep until 10:45 p.m., then high-school students should not be waking up before 7 a.m.

A recent research study led by Wahlstrom shows that it takes an average of 54 minutes from the time teens wake up until they leave the house for school to be alert. With nearly half of all high schools in the U.S. starting before 8 a.m., and more than 86 percent starting before 8:30 a.m., leaving home by 7:54 a.m. would be a challenge for most teens in America.

Morning practice

Studies on sleep in teens has shown many negative consequences when they are getting fewer than eight hours of sleep per night.

It has shown that cases of depression are more common in teens who get fewer than nine hours of sleep every night. Feelings of hopelessness increase from 19 percent to 54 percent in those who receive less than four hours.

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Having trouble falling or staying asleep is called insomnia. The main cause of insomnia in teens is stress.

High school students generally have to juggle homework for multiple classes and extracurricular activities like sports, clubs and performing arts.

It is also shown that worrying about not being able to sleep will also keep you from going to sleep.

At Maize, there are a handful of sports that have practices in the morning before school starts: cross country, cheer, the Flygirls, freshman basketball practices and sometimes volleyball.

“I feel as if all of us are starting to struggle in school and in academics.”

— senior Emily Conner These students have to wake up around 5 a.m. to be at their practices on time, then go to school after practice.

If those students fall asleep at 10:45 p.m. and wake up at 5 a.m., they are getting only about six hours of sleep, which is significantly less than the required nine.

The Flygirls have morning practice all year because their season lasts August through March. Senior captain Emily Conner said she feels as if it’s taken a toll on not only her but the entire team.

“I feel as if all of us are starting to struggle in school and in academics,” Conner said.“I have physics first block, and it’s very hard to stay awake after dancing and having to wake up at 4:30 a.m. every morning”

Schedule

More can be done to change the school schedule than moving start times. Higgins said he believes the best way to fix the schedule is by changing the days that school is in session.

“One of the things I would change is, if I could, which would be a 16

challenge because public schools are such a machine, is a school calendar that would go year round,” he said.

“I don’t mean school every day, all year. I think there could be some modifications within the school schedule.

He said it’s ridiculous school takes two months off in the summer.

“All measures of student performance show us that there’s a huge dropoff during the summer months,” he said. “And then we spend a lot of time reteaching and reviewing and those kinds of things.”

A schedule change senior Sophia Shaar would like to see is a change to the short Wednesday schedule.

“Then every so often like at the end of the term or before a break we could have half-day Fridays,” Shaar said.

“This is what they did in Texas, and I always enjoyed having half-days like that.”

Another way Higgins is looking into changing the way Maize schools operate is by how you can receive credits. The Kansas Education Commissioner, Randy Watson, and the state board of education have created a system where schools will be more focused on dividing classes up by skill level rather than age. It will start with elementary school and go all the way through high school. For example, second, third and fourth grade students could all be working together in the same classes.

There are currently seven school districts committed to starting this program for the 2018-2019 school year.

They are being called the “Mercury 7” and are each named after the Mercury 7 astronauts. The schools will emphasize pushing students to be their best and move up through school at a more personalized pace.

Higgins is working to add some of those same criteria to the Maize school system.

It may take some time, but he said he hopes to make high school a more experience-based learning environment.

Alfred Binet In 1905, French psychologist Alfred Binet began working on a draft of what would eventually become the modern IQ test.

This form of standard testing eventually became the standard in schools by the time of World War I. This then lead to automatic test scanners first developed in 1936.

Source: content.time.com.

NovemberPlay | @PlayNewsmag

“Just the idea of kids being able to get out and experience, even if it’s shadowing, most ideally it’s interning,” Higgins said. “So, actually working for companies, businesses, maybe it’s even in the summer where they can spend all summer in a summer job whether it’s tied to accounting, or tied to business operations or tied to architecture, whatever it may be, then they can use that for credit.”

The first stage of this phase comes from maize:connect, which is a program that allows students to get involved in their desired career field by shadowing, interning, having mentors, etc.

Higgins said he hopes to make the efforts of maize:connect the norm in high schools in the Maize district in order to better prepare students for their future.

“We just have to sell it to our teachers, sell it to our community, sell it to our school board, those kinds of things,” he said “We are evaluating some of those things right now.”

Standardized testing

A change some students would like to see is less use of standardizing testing. In Ancient Greece, students were taught using the socratic method: testing students through conversation. Questions were not graded wrong or right.

“Some people simply don’t test well, through no fault of their own, so even though they may be very smart, their score might not accurately reflect that.”

— senior Sophia Shaar

Although many teachers consider the Socratic method the best form of teaching, it is used much less

frequently. So how did we go from conversation-driven assessments to filling in bubbles on a sheet of paper?

At the start of the 20th century, educators began to experiment with tests that were easier than old methods. French psychologist Alfred Binet developed an intelligence test about 1905.

Frederick J. Kelly of the University of Kansas designed a multiple-choice test in 1914. Scanning machines came next.

Psychologists began experimenting with standardized testing that could be used by schools, employers and more.

Since then, tests like the ACT have been put in place. The ACT is a standardized test colleges use to compare students who apply to their schools and give out scholarships. It comprises five subject areas: English, Math, Reading, Science, and Writing. All five components are mandatory except the ACT writing component, which is an optional essay. At Maize, seniors are required to take the test before they graduate.

According to Marc Zawel, writer for AcceptU, a website that provides tips and tricks from former admissions officers, here are many factors about the ACT that make the test biased and harder for some students than others solely based on race and family income. The gap in scores between students who come from higher-class families and lower-class families are apparent.

This is typically based off of educational opportunity and schools. Some students suffer from test anxiety making the test even harder for them.

“I don’t think standardized testing is a good measure of all students’ intelligence,” Shaar said. “Some people simply don’t test well, through no fault of their own, so even though they may be very smart, their score might not accurately reflect that.” n

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Horace Mann Mann began his career as a lawyer and legislator. In 1837, he was elected Secretary of the newly esatblished Massachusets Board of Education. He used this opportunity to enact major change within the education system of the time.

Source: pbs.org.

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Sports

Tennis “From this season I learned that hard work pays off.”

— junior Alaina Cunningham

The tennis team placed within the top three in seven out of the 15 tournaments they participated in.

Volleyball

Cross Country

“Even though none of us wanted to end the season the way we did, I would not change anything.”

“It is such a good feeling knowing that everything you have worked for all summer and all season has paid off.”

— senior Ashlyn Lakin

Of the four tournaments the volleyball team competed in, they placed within the top three at all of them.

“I was pretty surprised at how well everyone did. Personally I feel like I could have done better, but I was still happy with the outcome.”

—junior Riley Hunter

The golf team participated in 10 tournaments. Of these tournaments, they placed in the top three in eight of them.

— senior Carson Pierce

The cross country team participated in seven meets: Bishop Carroll, Emporia, Rim Rock Farm Classic, Junction City, AVCTL Division I, regionals and state.

The soccer team won nine and tied one of the 18 matches they played before Tuesday’s sub-state game.

“Overall we have been doing pretty good. We just need to keep practicing and getting to know each other so that we can play better as a team and work together better while we are playing.”

Golf Soccer

— senior Will Thompson

football “We’re doing really well this season as a unit. ...

We’re looking forward to Heights and continuing this run for a state championship.”

—junior Caleb Grill

The football team has only lost one game this season. They won their first playoff game 52-6 last week against Topeka West. The Eagles will play Heights in the second round of playoffs.

Quarterback Caleb Grill and the Eagles are 8-1 this season.

Photo by Sam Bartlett

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On target

Sports

Maize Trap Shooting club prepares to take on upcoming season

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Story by Maddie Neigenfind he feeling of sweat beading across your brow and the cold metal against your hand. You search for the clay target anticipating the second your finger grips the trigger. For 45 Maize students, this is their practice. This is their sport.

Last year, Maize introduced a trap shooting club. In this club, students get the opportunity to go out as a team and work on target practice. Trap shooting involves shooting at clay pigeons released from a loaded spring. “[My favorite part of the club is] that we get to go out as a team and shoot,” senior Tanner Lane said. “Instead of it just being a few friends out there, we’re a team.”

The club has fall and spring seasons. It competes in various competitions and works toward improvement.

“This fall I have four kids that have never even picked up a shot gun before,” sponsor Victor Mercado said. “I’m excited to watch them get better.

Hopefully we will have more kids compete and be in the top five or top 10.”

Unlike other sports at Maize, the shooters compete without ever seeing the other school’s team. Maize competes against Baldwin City, Bishop Carroll and Valley Center.

“We don’t compete against other

Students stand on the shooting line to watch as their teammate takes a shot at a clay pigeon. From left to right: senior Jeff Oller, junior Jack Dugan, senior Jonah Rich. At the scoring table: Brett Williams and Trevor Phlliphs. Photo submission from Victor Mercado

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schools, physically,” Mercado said.

“What we do is we have our designated shooting days, which in the fall are Mondays and Thursdays. Once all of our kids have shot, I enter the scores online at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday.

Our scores will be posted for our conference.”

Before the club could take off and students could begin practicing toward bettering themselves as shooters, there were a few steps in becoming safe gun handlers they had to complete.

“The league requires them to be hunter’s education-certified,” Mercado said. “They take an online safety course called Safe Certification that is required through the school. They had to take the online course before they could participate.”

When students show up to practice, they start by unloading their guns, grabbing their ammo and getting their squads situated. After that, the fun begins. During practice, students will shoot 25 clay targets for their first round and 25 for their second round. Last year, Lane was Maize’s very first 25 straight shooter, meaning he broke all of his clays in one round.

“It was definitely a milestone to do that,” Lane said. “I hope to shoot a straight 50 this year. If you have never shot before, shooting a straight 25 or a 50 is relatively difficult, but if you have shot before it may not be as hard as you

think.”

The club not only focuses on teaching gun safety and helping students become better athletes, it also offers opportunities for students who don’t usually get involved in club activities or sports at Maize.

“Anyone can join,” sophomore Emily Scott said. “It’s just really fun, and it doesn’t matter if you’re really good or really bad.”

Last season, eight out of 31 in the club were girls.

“They don’t treat us any different than the other shooters,” Scott said “I was afraid I was going to be the only girl, but really there are quite a few and there’s some really good girl teams out there.”

Mercado understands that others in the community might be concerned with students participating in shooting sports and guns in general.

“I think with everything that is going on in the world today, shooting sports and firearms leave a bad taste in people’s mouth,” Mercado said. “If people are taught correctly, shooting is a safe thing to do.”

Keeping a positive attitude while practicing is just as important in Trap Shooting as it is in any sport at Maize.

“When I hit the targets, I feel accomplished,” Scott said. “I feel like I’m really doing good after I hit one. Even if I miss, that’s alright because I know I’ll hit the next one.” n

climbing the

Ranks

Photo by Brett Loving

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Sports

Senior Nathan Jones places ninth out of three thousand in midwestern meet

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Story By Morgan Thomas athan Jones completed one of the best cross country seasons in Maize history last weekend.

Not bad for a guy who didn’t compete in the sport his freshman season.

Jones finished fourth at state Saturday at Rim Rock in Lawrence. It’s the second-best individual finish in school history.

“I was going in hoping to be first or second, but I can’t be too upset about it because it was a lifetime personal best race for me,” Jones said.

He finished the race in 15 minutes, 54 seconds. That’s the best time ever for a Maize runner at state, coach Skeeter Rankins said. Only Alex Umberger in 2003 and 2004 has finished better at state for Maize. He placed third both years.

“Knowing it was my last race as an Eagle, I couldn’t give up at any point no matter bad it hurt,” Jones said.

It’s that kind of mental strength that gives Jones an edge, Rankins said.

“Nate does have talent,” Rankins said.

“He has the desire to be his best. He knows better than ever what that might entail. But he has been able to put it all together with a combination of actionable dedication, discipline and mental confidence.” Rankins said.

“I often tell the runners that they have more in them, that when they want to slow down or give in it is their bodies lying to their mind. This is about training the mind and body. Nate’s success can be attributed to better melding those two important parts of what it takes to be a successful runner.”

Saturday’s race wasn’t the first time Jones experienced success at Rim Rock this year. In September he placed ninth at the Rim Rock Farm High School Classic, where he competed against 300 runners from multiple states. In all, more than 1,000 runners competed in the different divisions.

“It was really breathtaking if anything because there was over a thousand kids there racing against you,” Jones said. “So NovemberPlay | maizenews.com

going against that many people at once is kinda scary.”

Rankins has seen considerable growth in Jones since Jones went out for track his freshman year..

“He was actually a pretty quiet kid,” Rankins said. “But it did not take long to find out the squirrelly, goofy side of this gangly freshman boy who would race Cole Bosley in strides after a distance run. I also remember how he came from an unknown quantity to a varsity runner representing MHS in league and regional in the 3200M run.”

Rankins could see the ability in him, but getting Jones to see his potential and having the discipline, consistency and belief that he could be something better is where Jones has vastly improved and matured, Rankins said.

“I’ve improved by a lot I think because when I started running my freshman year I wasn’t super consistent or anything,” Jones said. “Over time I became more consistent and my times were improving and I was becoming faster.”

Jones didn’t run cross country as a freshman because his mom was in college, he said.

“Missing out on doing track my freshman year made me want to do it even more going into my sophomore year,” Jones said.

But it was also his mom who sparked his interest in the sport.

“My mom used to run a lot so she kind of led me into the direction of running and racing,”Jones said. “I always had an interest for track, and I’ve always liked the aspect of racing.”

Jones enjoys the team aspect of cross country.

“When you’re in cross country, it’s just you and 10 or 20 or however many just getting to know each other really well,” he said.

Jones plans on running in college.

“I want to go to college for cross country and track and go from there,” he said. “But if it doesn’t work out, then I’ll figure something out.”n

Q & A with Jones

Q: What is your longest run?

A: 12 miles Q: Whats your best time for a 5K?

A: 15:54 Q:How do you deal with stress before running?

A: Talk to friends and try to calm down.

Q: Do you have any lucky charms?

A: I wear the same pair of socks every race.

Photo by Brett Loving

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Sports

Kickin’ it up a notch

Senior Gavin Caler travels to Europe to play soccer he said. “But after a couple of games we became comfortable with each other.”

Over the course of two weeks, the team played in two tournaments and a total of 20 games in three countries -Denmark, Sweden and Norway.

In the Dana Cup, a tournament that took place in Denmark, Caler’s team made it to the quarterfinals. In the Norway Cup, the team made it to the semifinals.

“It is just more physical,” Caler said of the European style of play. “They don’t like to touch the ball around as much, they just rely on their size.”

When he wasn’t playing soccer, he was bonding with his new teammates and touring the country that he was currently playing in.

“In our off time we got to hang out and explore town,” Caler said. “We also got to try a lot of different foods.”

“My favorite country was Denmark because in Norway there wasn’t any wifi.”

After spending two weeks in Europe playing soccer and meeting new people from around the world, Caler returned to Kansas.

“Playing over there and bonding with the players that I got to know in such a short time was a really great experience,” Caler said.

Although Gavin’s trip to Europe lasted only two weeks, his journey began long ago.

“I didn’t really get a chance to choose soccer,” Caler said. “My mom told me that I was really hyper when I was young so she put me in soccer to get me tired out.”

After his first year, Caler said he fell in love with the sport.

Caler plays wing and forward for the Caler and his teammates travel to Europe to compete in soccer tournaments. They made 99 Wichita Rush and it to the semi-finals in one of their Maize soccer team. tournaments. Photo submitted by Gavin Caler “My favorite part of

Story by Emma Wituk resented with the opportunity to play soccer in Europe for the American Student Athlete Logistics team, senior soccer player Gavin Caler accepted the invitation.

Caler came across the opportunity after he moved from El Paso, Texas, to Wichita and started playing for his club soccer team the ’99 Wichita Rush.

“I was nervous at first because I was offered to go as soon as I moved to Kansas.” Caler said. “I didn’t know many people, especially the other kids that went to Europe that were on my team.

Eventually that nervousness turned into excitement though.”

The Caler family didn’t know what to expect at the European tournaments and didn’t realize how big of a deal it was for Gavin to be given the opportunity to play against other teams from around the world.

“It wasn’t until I saw the opening ceremonies that it hit me,” said Gavin’s mom, Victoria. “Seeing all the other countries there I teared up with joy knowing he’ll remember this for the rest of his life.”

The team Caler played for was composed of other teens from around the world who also had been invited to play.

“It was difficult at first for my team to play with one another since we were all from different places around the world,”

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playing is working with my team to win the game, especially in a difficult game,” Caler said.

Since the time he first stepped out onto the field, his biggest supporters, his mom and dad, have cheered him on and been a source of encouragement.

“They have been with me through my high and lows and have helped me continue going,” he said.

Caler’s game has changed and improved vastly over the years.

“When he was young it was all about the goals and assists,” Victoria Caler said. “Now at his level of play, it’s like watching him play a chess game, I see him setting up plays offensively and defensively for the team as a whole.”

Not only has practicing soccer added depth to Gavin’s game, it also has built up his character.

“First of all he had to learn time management because his dad and I have a rule that if his grades are poor than he can’t play,” Victoria Caler said. “He also had to learn to overcome adversity Nothing comes easy, and he has to work at it and because in the sport nothing is handed to you. He has built up a strong work ethic. Lastly, soccer has made him more mature and scouts often comment on his composure on and off the field.

He controls his emotions and is able to play pretty well under pressure.”

Caler said his greatest moment of his soccer career took place while he was on his trip in Norway when he scored his first goal against a Norwegian team.

“That feeling of scoring for the U.S. was nothing I have ever experienced before,” Caler said.

Caler plans to continue his soccer career into college after he finishes high school, although he is not sure what college he wants to attend yet.

“It’s just a sport that I love and comes naturally to me,” he said. “Of course I like to score, but I think it’s more important that the team is doing good collectively rather than everyone playing individually.”n NovemberPlay | @PlayNewsmag

Pumpkin spice Entertainment and everything nice

The history and facts about pumpkins in America

1800s

1584 Pumpkins were discovered by Jacques Cartier

George Renninger made the first candy corn while working at Wunderlee Candy Company

$6.2 billion Americans spent Cinderella $6.2 billion on The word “pumpkin” Halloween in 2015 first showed up in the original Cinderella movie in 1584 NovemberPlay | maizenews.com

2003 Starbucks invented the first pumpkin spice latte

Did you know?

Pumpkins have been in North America for over five thousand years.

2013

When twinkie’s returned, one of their flavors was pumpkin spice

Secret Ingredient

Vanilla beans can be used as a secret ingredient in pumpkin pies.

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Features

The secret ingredient

A look into the lives of the Maize lunch ladies

R

Stories by Abby McCoy

aquel Miller has been working in the kitchen for eight years now.

Miller said she tries to connect with the students she serves.

“I always think that you never know what kind of day the kids are having or what their life is like,” Miller said. “You never know what they are dealing with and if they need that ‘hi’ or smile from a little lunch lady.”

Miller attended Maize, and her own kids attend or graduated from Maize schools. Miller’s eldest son is 21, followed by an 18-year-old son. Her youngest, Lexi, is a sophomore at Maize South in the Function Applied \ Academic special education program.

“My family is and always will be my number one no matter what,” Miller

This is us said. “Everything I do is for them.”

Having a child with special needs has shaped Miller into the person she is today. After she had Lexi, everything changed for her.

“My outlook on everything changed: people, places, everything,” Miller said.

“So it’s helped me, myself, become a better person I think. I think it’s helped [Lexi’s] brothers and her dad. They have learned to be kind.”

Miller said that before Lexi was born, she struggled having patience with her two boys because of how busy they were.

“The Lord gave me Lexi because he knew I needed patience,” Miller said.

In the kitchen, Miller works mainly with the dishes. She begins her day at 11

a.m. and ends her school day at 2 p.m.

“We come here and do our thing,” Miller said. “This is us. We are just as happy now as we are at home.”n

Miller works the cash register while students file through the line. She is a former Maize student. Photo by Ashley Tran

I say it because I mean it

S

tephanie Avants looks forward to 11 a.m. every day for Miller to arrive at work. Avants begins her day at 9 a.m., and she patiently waits for her good friend’s arrival two hours later.

Avants and Miller have had a strong friendship since they began working in the kitchen together.

Avants is in her third year as a kitchen staffer. Her typical day begins prepping, which includes getting trays out, making sure the silverware is ready and doing dishes. For the remainder of the day she works the cash register.

“Seeing kids smile and telling them to have a good day, it’s just something that I say not to be repetitious,” Avants said. “I say it because I mean it. I want you guys to have a good day. I hope you have a good day. If you are not, hopefully someone saying ‘have a good 24

day’ or ‘how are you today’ will help you out.”

Avants believes that the bond she has with students makes her a “school mom.” If students have problems, or even just need someone to talk to, she says she is that person to go to.

“I like the fact that they feel that they can come to me and talk,” Avants said.

“Maybe they don’t have anybody else.”

Avants isn’t just a “school mom,” she is a mom to 15-year-old twin boys, Duncan and Drake, who attend Maize South.

Avants believes that family time is a big part of her life, as well as time with friends, like Miller.

“We [Avants’ family and Miller’s family] go to the lake or go to Raquel’s house and play cards, hang out in the garage, or listen to music,” Avants said.

Being positive is something that Avants said comes naturally to her.

She said it’s easy for her to keep things upbeat.

“It’s just part of the person I am,” she said. “You just have to keep that positive energy going because if you guys are having bad days, you don’t want to deal with cranky lunch ladies.”n

Avants enjoys being a “school mom” for the students she serves. She loves having a bond with the students;. Photo by Ashley Tran NovemberPlay | @PlayNewsmag

It’s just the atomsphere

C

ryztal Martinez is one of six kids, so she has grown up around kids and continues to be around them as her siblings have had kids of their own.

Martinez’s passion for kids makes her job very enjoyable.

“

A lot of the kids here have good personalities, and they are positive, too ­­­­­­–Crystal Martinez

”

“A lot of the kids here have good personalities, and they are positive too,” she said. “That makes it easier for us to be positive. It’s just the atmosphere. If it’s a positive atmosphere then everyone is going to be like that.”

Martinez carries the positivity that she brings to school home with her to her seventh grade daughter. Being positive for her daughter is very close to Martinez’s heart.

“You just gotta keep a positive outlook on life,” she said. “You can’t let stuff get you down too much, if at all. Just being able to talk to my husband helps keep me rounded as well.”

The Martinez household isn’t just full of positivity, but several animals. They have have two dogs, Willy and Chloe, and a cat, Olivia.

“She’s like 20 years old and skinny as heck,” Martinez said. She also has a hedgehog, Sonic, and her daughter has a guinea pig, a leopard gecko and fish.

“It’s fun until I have to clean all the cages,” Martinez said.

Leaving her personal life at home and bringing a good attitude to work is important to Martinez.

Features “Stay positive,” she said. “Don’t ever go to school in a bad mood, it’s contagious.” n

Martinez enjoys being around kids which helps her keep a postive attitude at school.

She has a strong passion for her own kids as well as the students. Photo by Ashley Tran

We have a little more freedom

S

usan Baldwin is in her 11th year working in the kitchen at Maize, and like most of the ladies in the kitchen, interactions with kids is what keeps her going.

When Baldwin was in high school, she had open lunch. She would often go to Pizza Hut, or would go home.

“When I go back and look in the yearbooks, they [her high school lunch ladies] would be typical lunch ladies,” Baldwin said. “White aprons, not like what we get to wear. We have a little more freedom, which makes it more fun.”

Baldwin says from her perspective, she

didn’t have near the interaction with her lunch ladies that she feels like the kids at Maize have.

Baldwin and her husband have four children, one daughter and three sons who all graduated from Maize.

She said her family is what keeps her motivated, and that when she wakes up in the morning she is thankful that her family is healthy.

“I can remember that when I first started [working at Maize], I asked my son if it mattered to him if I worked up at the school part-time, and he said no,” Baldwin said. “I think for them [her kids] it was ‘Yay, mom is working up

here,’ because when they forgot money or needed something, I was there for silly little things like that.” n

Even though her kids have graduated, Baldwin enjoys working with students. She enjoys the atmosphere at Maize. Photo by Ashley Tran The women in the kitchen enjoy each other’s company. They all agreed that the students help make their job enjoyable. Photo

by Ashley Tran

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Features

Many Marshalls The Marshall family grows by helping others

T

Story by Abby Turner

he Marshall family never has a dull moment in their household, with four biological kids, one adopted child, four foster kids, and one more to be adopted soon.

Their kids range from senior year to 16 months old and include Payden, a Maize 12th grader; Conner, a Maize 10th grader; Savannah, an eighth grader; Gavin, a sixth grader; Maleia, a kindergarter; and 16-month-old John.

“You always have something to do,” Conner said. “It is never boring. My favorite thing to do is probably going on car rides and playing video games with all of my siblings.”

The Marshall family started fostering and adopting when they lived in Utah.

The parents said they love helping people and wanted to serve the community. They also wanted to grow their family and wanted to give a safe, loving home to children who had not had one beforehand.

“Choosing to do foster care felt like a calling.” Tasha Marshall, mom of the Marshall family, said. “It chose us I guess.”

They got their first foster child, Maleia, who would later be adopted and become a permanent member of the family.

When the family adopted Maleia it was difficult, but after getting to know her, it felt like she had been in their family the whole time. They are in the process of adopting their sixth child, John. His adoption will be finalized in the next few months.

“It was different at first, because they don’t really match the family either cultural-wise,” Payden said. “They’re part of the family though, so you just love them and treat them like a biological born sibling.”

Foster care and adoption has taught the Marshall’s that helping other families in crisis is worth it when you 26

get to give a child a safe home.

“Foster care has opened my eyes to different types of families throughout either their ways of how they do things or how bad some of the kids are treated.” Payden said, “But we are able to help them get a better life.”

The Marshalls face challenges while doing foster care. Their house is full.

Things break. They spend more time at home to save some money. It’s always busy.

There are also struggles with having kids who have grown up in bad situations and in families where they have been taught differently. It has shown them the ups and downs of watching parents lose their kids, get them back, then lose them again. Once a child has been with the Marshalls, it is hard for them to say goodbye.

“I was taught that nothing worth having was ever going to be easy, and foster care fits that.” Tasha said. “It’s very hard to say goodbye to these children.

You love them like your own, and it hurts your heart when they leave.”

Although there are challenges that come along with fostering children, there are also many benefits, such as having someone to rely on, always having something to do and being able to learn lots of new things from the others. The best part for the Marshalls, though, is getting to watch these children go from hurting to healing.

“The best part is to see these children grow, heal and start trusting again.” Tasha said “It’s also wonderful to see the families work so

hard to get their children back.”

When a child comes into the family, you never know who they are or what they’ve been through. The whole family has to go into it with an open mind to learning about each other and work together to create a family atmosphere.

“Don’t judge a book by its cover,” Payden said. “They could be in the worst, beat-up situations or family lives or how they were treated, but they’re always just a bundle of joy that need help going through life.”

Living life to the fullest and loving unconditionally is something the Marshalls have learned to do, not only as individuals, but together. Taking these opportunities to help others is what the Marshalls do as a family.

“My siblings have taught me to never let life be dull,” Conner said. “Always have fun with things.”

“It doesn’t matter how long these children stay, where they come from, or what situation brought them to our home,” Tasha said “We have learned to love without holding back.” n

The Marshall family has six children ranging from a senior to a 16 month old.

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Features

John is a happy little boy who enjoys exploring the world around him. He loves music and his siblings.

Maleia is learning to read and loves reading to her parents. She is in kindergarten this year and likes playing with her friends.

Gavin enjoys sports and video games. His siblings love playing with him because he has a great imagination.

Savannah loves to read, is a wonderful baker and a talented artist.

She is also great with children.

Connor plays piano by ear and is in the percussion section of the Maize High band. He is also a great artist.

Payden loves to fish and is working toawrd his CNA. He will also be graduating this December.

27 NovemberPlay | maizenews.com

Photo illustration by Ryan Jones and Allie Choyce

Transitioning to me

Transgender students speak out about their journey to becoming comfortable in their own skin

NovemberPlay | @PlayNewsmag

Features

F

Story by Allie Choyce eeling comfortable in your own skin can be a struggle many students face daily. For some transgender students who have attended Maize, feeling selfconfident is even more difficult.

For several years, transgender people have been labeled in many diagnostic manuals as having Gender Identity Disorder, or a mental illness. Medical professionals and therapists like Lori Haas, a marriage and family therapist who specializes in helping the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender etc. [LGBT+] community, have used these manuals to diagnose their patients.

In recent years that diagnostic has changed to Gender Dysphoria.

“Dysphoria means that there’s not something wrong with you,” Haas said. “But you can have mental stress from all that you go through.”

Freshman Matthew Baker faces a very stressful situation with his life at home. Baker was born female but at a young age knew he wanted to transition to male.

“I was about 7,” Baker said. “I didn’t like anything girly. … I was uncomfortable with my body. The way people would call me ‘she,’the pronouns they would use, and the name they’d call me [Madelyn].

It just really bothered me because that’s not me.”

Baker said one of the hardest parts of his transition is how his mother feels. She was born into a very religious family and is highly against Matthew’s transition. He said he feels like his mom is embarrassed of him.

“I don’t get to do what regular teenagers would do,” Baker said.

“My mom doesn’t trust me [to go in a store by myself] because she’s afraid someone’s going to mistake me as a male.”

Haas said this could often be a result of the parents not fully comprehending why their child wants to transition.

“It creates stress in all families,” she said. “Because for parents, it’s usually they have a certain idea about their child. So when the kid comes out as

NovemberPlay | maizenews.com

[transgender] they’re usually very surprised.”

Baker said he feels his family just doesn’t understand why he felt happier as a boy.

“The standards they hold for me are different,” Baker said. “I don’t like being a girl, and they don’t understand. I’m not choosing this; it’s just the way I feel.”

Senior Brian Lang does not identify as a fixed gender, also known as Genderfluid. Lang prefers not to be identified with gender-specific pronouns, though Lang primarily identifies as a male to make the people around them more comfortable. Lang said they also feel they have to live up to many standards society holds for them.

“I don’t bring up [my gender] in conversation,” Lang said. “I don’t have to hide anything because I generally identify as a male.”

Haas said a person is most likely to transition if they feel comfortable in their social group.

“One of the hardest parts [of transitioning] is social,” she said. “They need to get some support around them [...] because if they get isolated, they’re more likely to be depressed.”

Lang said they’ve never been secure in their own skin, but when they discovered their gender fluidity and asexuality, they became a little more comfortable.

“Gender fluidity, at least to my interpretation, is the openness to being either male or female,” Lang said. “I’ve never really had any attachment to myself or my own skin. I don’t mind if [my gender] changes.”

Much like Lang, Maize graduate Alexandra Allen said she never was content with herself before sexual reassignment surgery.

“When I was a little child, I always knew I was a girl,” Allen said. “Around freshman year of high school, the feelings that I had when I was younger started to come back. ... It was really intense, and I started developing a lot of anxiety and a lot of hatred toward my body.”

Senior year of high school, Allen finally made the decision to transition from male to female.

“I got to a point where I was so unhappy,” she said. “I asked myself, how am I going to live like this for the rest of my life and why would I live like this the rest of my life? And I couldn’t come up with an answer.”

After a lot of research, Allen found a doctor in Thailand that was able to do the surgery.

“After so many years of living my life just uncomfortable and not happy,” Allen said. “[The best part is being able] to wake up every morning and just look in the mirror and go get ready for the day and be completely comfortable in your own skin.” n 29

s t e n z e i d a u t M f S o

Photo Focus

“Pay attention, have fun.

High school only comes once.”

— Sophomore Foster Stallbaumer

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Two photographers walk the halls of Maize High capturing the everyday life of students NovemberPlay | @PlayNewsmag

“[I was] flipping through a book that I found on the table next to me” — Senior Maddie Mullen

“I like playing tennis and hanging out with friends”

— Sophomore Spencer Headding

“I love everything about Maize High”

— Senior Andrea Fuhrman

“It’s freezing in that room.

It’s the coldest class I have” — Junior Avonlie Temple

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PRESS PAUSE

Victor Vital

Play takes a few minutes to talk with the junior cowboy Q: Which bull is your favorite to ride?

A: Tequila Sunrise.

Q: What other hobbies do you have?

A: Roping, riding horses.

Q: What is your favorite thing about being a bull rider?

A: Feeling the adrenaline of riding a 2,000 pound beast.

Q: When did you start riding bulls?

A: At the age of 14, I started to ride the big ones.

Q: Who inspires you the most?

A: JB Mauney, he’s the best at it. JB is the toughest rider I’ve ever seen.

Q: What is your favorite rodeo to compete in?

A: It doesn’t really matter, as long as I get to ride.

Q: How did you feel the first time you rode a bull?

A: Well getting on a beast that can instantly kill you, it was pretty scary. I do have a fear, with no doubt, but you just have to control it.

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