October 2019 by Play newsmagazine

PLAY By students. For all.

THROUGH THE LENS PAGE 14

RESERVED FOR DUTY PAGE 16

TO BE CONTINUED...

FOLLOW THE

LEADER Exceptional students step up from many places

PAGE 24

STAFF

Editors-in-chief Abby McCoy Casey Loving

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

28 Football stays strong after the best season in school history.

Teagan Redinger Rayne Rekokse Lily Robison Janeth Saenz Kyerra Snyder Ellie Stucky Dylan Wittorff Paige Youngdahl

Choir and drama departments performs ‘Into the Woods.’

By students. For all.

ONTENTS

04 08

06 | AN UPLIFTING WAVE

COVER 08 | FOLLOW THE LEADER

EDITORIAL 13 | END THE FIGHT

24 29

NEWS

FEATURES 14 | THROUGH THE LENS 16 | RESERVED FOR DUTY

OPINION 23 | BED TIME

SPORTS 24 | TO BE CONTINUED... 28 | SPORTS IN BRIEF

ENTERTAINMENT 29 | GAME TIME

PHOTO FOCUS 30 | BEHIND THE WOODS Play is the official newsmagazine for and by Maize High School students. Play is published six times throughout the year. Play is a student publication and a forum for public opinion. The editorials and columns are the sole opinion of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the USD 266 Board of Education, the administration, the faculty or the adviser. Cover design by Abby McCoy and Sam Bartlett Table of contents photos by Braden Stamper, Laney Turner and Sam Bartlett Â© Copyright 2019 Play Newsmagazine First copy free. Additional copies $1.

04 NEWS

Maize votes yes on bond issues

The corner of 119th and Academy is the likely location of the auditorium and pool building in the bond. This location is not final. Photo by Dylan Wittorff Story by Dylan Wittorff @DylanWittorff

he Maize school district is growing too quickly to maintain itself. To address the issue, the school board, with the help of student advisors and parents, put out a two-part bond for Maize residents to vote on. Both bond issues

were passed with a vote in August. The first half allowed the district to build two new fifth- and sixth-grade intermediate schools. The second issue increases security and builds a new auditorium/pool facility on top of providing funding for the existing schools. “We are at, in some schools, 100%

capacity,” superintendent Chad Higgins said “We have to create new space. There is really not another option” Without these bonds passing the district would have been stuck with overflowing schools and little funding to expand. “I do not like to be a doomsdayer, but it is devastating,” Higgins said before the vote. “We have to have the schools and we have the space, but if this does not pass the [school] board will have to hold an emergency meeting.” The bonds passed August 27 by a wide margin on both issues. With both bonds given the green light, the district will be able to build everything proposed. “It was really exciting because we put a lot of work into it,” student advisor Aenya Richards said. ”Since we wanted it to pass so badly, we had to make sure it was the best it could be.” n

Club formed to help freshman girls Story by Kyerra Snyder @kyerrasnyder

reshmen face an uphill battle when trying to adjust to high school life. With such a jarring transition, they are often left with many questions coming into their first year. Luckily for them, there is a new program at Maize to answer their questions. Big/Little is a group that pairs senior and freshman girls to guide them through their beginning of high school. “I created Big/Little because all the freshmen are always so concerned,” said senior Avery Shunatona, one of the three creators of the program. Shunatona started the club with seniors Abby McCoy and Makenzie Owings. They said they want to give the freshmen an opportunity to branch out and do things they most likely wouldn’t do without their big. The first Big/Little event was the first home game of the season. The girls all got matching shirts and rode together to the game after meeting at a senior leader’s house. “We haven’t planned any of the

A group of Big/Little girls get together before the football game. They all got together at a senior’s house.Photo by Sheri McCoy

other events, but we were going to plan coffee house dates, dates we can all get together like movies or something,” Owings said. “We’re also going to have multiple En-Cor meetings.” Freshman Veronica Rozner said she was nervous to come to high school because she is new from Maize South, but her senior partner Leanne Humphrey showed her this group. “I am excited about making new friends that I wouldn’t have made without the group,” Rozner said. n

“I am excited about making new friends that I wouldn’t have made without the group.” Veronica Rozner, freshman

NEWS

Axmann named National Merit semifinalist Story by MJ McCollum @mjmccollum_16

hen most people take tests, their thoughts start to bounce like a squirrel, hearts begin to beat out of their chest and most pray to the academic gods for the best outcome. That wasn’t the case for senior Lucy Axmann. Axmann recently received notification that she scored exceptionally high on her Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT), becoming a National Merit Scholarship semifinalist. The PSAT does not affect college admissions but can qualify test-takers for the National Merit Scholarship program. Axmann is one of approximately 16,000 semifinalists nationwide. “I was relieved,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting anything to come from it.” Axmann took the test last year and said she didn’t stress too much about preparing for it, though she did make sure she was prepared. “I did some studying,” she said. “There’s some online prep you can use, like taking the SAT.” Axmann said she was elated to receive scores as high as she did.

“I went home and asked my mom ‘Can I have some ice cream?’ ” Axmann said. PSAT scores normally range from 320 to 1520 based on three tests: reading, writing and math. The average score of PSAT testing is 1000 for sophomores and juniors. Axmann said she realizes this is just the beginning of college admissions process. Being on the semifinalist list comes with a heavy task of filling out applications, having high academics, writing essays, having a school administration recommendation and lastly taking the SAT that confirms the Finalist requirements. “I am hoping to get a good scholarship from making finalist status later,” Axmann said. After meeting the semifinalist requirements, principals are notified and given a certificate to present each finalist in February. Only few 15,000 semifinalists are chosen. Though Axmann was the only semifinalist at Maize, several other students were commended for the PSAT: Eryn Bayliff, Britton Beggs, Jason Liang-Lin, Casey Loving and Anna Reimer. Reimer said she was also surprised with her outstanding results of the PSAT. Being on the commended

Senior Lucy Axmann was a semifinalist for the National Merit Scholarship. She will compete against others for a scholarship. Photo by Rayne Rekoske

list is an honor, more than two thirds of the high scorers earn the commended list. “I was excited when I got the scores back, because I didn’t think I did that well,” Reimer said. “I’ve always worked hard in school. It’s nice to see my hard work pay off.” Although there is not a scholarship associated with Reimer’s honor, she said she was happy to be added to the commended list. “I can put it on my resumes and applications,” Reimer said. “It was a little confidence boost, telling me I can do this.” n

Student enrichment grant applications are live Story by Lily Robison @lily_robison

he Maize Education Foundation is now accepting applications for the fall semester student enrichment grant. Any 7-12 grade student in the Maize school district can apply and receive a grant up to $500. This grant can go toward school activities such as robotics, culinary or debate competitions, camps, club events, school trips and more. The deadline is Oct. 16 at 4:30 p.m. The Foundation will no longer accept hard copies of applications and instead will collect and look through them using their new online application portal on Kaleidoscope. “One of the biggest changes this year is that all of the applications … will be online through a new platform called Kaleidoscope,” Education Foundation

executive director Travis Bloom said. Last summer, senior Connor Mitchell received a grant to attend a debate camp. Mitchell said the camp was expensive, leading him to apply for the grant. “There was some hoops to jump through, but overall it [the application] was pretty straightforward,” Mitchell said. As of this year, seniors can also apply for the enrichment grant provided they meet a set of criteria. “Seniors can apply as long as the activity for which they are applying takes place during the school year before graduation,” Bloom said. “If it happens during the summer, they should be representing the school district in some way.” Bloom said he hopes the grant can give students chances that they may otherwise not receive due to financial

burdens. “It [the enrichment grant] helps us meet our mission and our purpose in creating programs and providing funds that support innovative learning opportunities and things for students that will help make them better students and better citizens,” he said. There will be a Student Application Workshop from 6-8 p.m. on Oct. 9 in the Maize South Middle commons. If a student wants help filling out an application, whether it be for the Student Enrichment Grant or a job application, they can attend the workshop. “The workshop is free,” counselor Jennifer Cashman said. “We [the counselors] will provide volunteer coaches for 10-minute sessions for students seeking … guidance in filling out applications.” n

06 NEWS

An uplifting wave

Cheer raises money for Honor Flight program Story by Preston Hunt

n any given Friday afternoon throughout the fall, it’s no surprise to see a crowd of cheer squad members celebrating with veterans at the airport. These veterans have just returned from their Honor Flight, and the cheerleaders and Honor Flight volunteers host a large ceremony in honor of their sacrifice. “Welcoming them home off the flights, they [veterans] start crying and it makes us cry,” Emma Ables, senior cheer squad member, said. “It’s just a happy memory to me.” Kansas Honor Flight sponsors veterans that have served in World War II, Korea or Vietnam and sends them on an all-expenses-paid trip to see their memorials in Washington D.C. The cheer squad doesn’t just support the Honor Flights upon their return, they also help them out monetarily. They have raised thousands of dollars over the past several years. At the football home opener, the cheer squad hosted the veterans and raised money for them. According to Honor Flight, a flight typically costs $500. “We are selling goods to raise money to send at least two flights,” senior cheerleader Colby Boschert said “We invite the veterans to come eat with us, hold flags, stay in the stands and we’re collecting cans in the big dumpster.” Cheer coach Lori Clinton said she and the squad put a lot of thought into which organization to sponsor each year. This year particularly she said they wanted to figure out the best way to get as many people involved as possible. “We’re trying to make a bigger impact [this year],” she said. This year, the cheer team partnered with Wichita State University’s GoCreate, a makerspace that helps educate and equip students to operate machinery and create their own projects. The team has many different items available for purchase. One is a metal yard sign that is a silhouette of flag raising at Iwo Jima. “It … holds an actual flag,” Clinton

said. “So anyone who’s patriotic or has a veteran in their family can show their appreciation. We’re selling [it] for $60, and all the money goes to Kansas Honor Flight.” Longtime Honor Flight attendee Deena Ruse said she has attended many flights in her years in involvement. Her husband is a Vietnam veteran who went on an Honor Flight in 2014.

“These people give so much and no one’s there to welcome them home.” Colby Boschert, senior “We have been working with them ever since,” she said. “We’ve only missed three flights out of the 11 or 12 a year for the past five years, so it means an awful lot.” Ruse said the cheer team has contributed greatly to the ceremonies when the veterans are welcomed home. “We can’t even say thank you enough,” Ruse said “They have done so much for the Kansas Honor Flight. They are at each one of the welcome homes, and they come out at every one and cheer for the guys as they get off the plane. They do a lot for those guys.” Ables said it has motivated her to help others. “We get more involved with cheer and with ourselves because we’re helping other people and the veterans,” Ables said “It’s a great community thing, too.” The team hopes their contributions will make others take notice of the sacrifices veterans made for our country. “You have to send out the little ripple and hopefully get the whole community involved,” Clinton said. “At Maize High we’re all passionate about our own things, but when we come together on one thing, it sends out the huge wave.” n

Junior Bellamy Hendricks hugs a veteran at a returning Honor Flight. The cheerleaders and volunteers hold a ceremony honoring the veterans. Photo By Ellie Cannizzo

FOLLOW THE

LEADER Exceptional students step up from many places

COVER Story by Abby McCoy @abigaillmccoy Story by Casey Loving @caseymloving

good leader aspires to do what is right. Regardless of where they came from, they carry on. They don’t let their past mistakes define them. They grow to be what they can be instead of what they were. When they seek forgiveness, they earn it. A good leader elicits respect from those who follow them. They don’t use this authority as a weapon, but rather as a tool. It doesn’t matter if they are making the easy choice. They simply make the right one. A good leader works with what they have. Maybe they’re given talent, charisma, a platform, whatever. Maybe they have none of this. They take what they have and they make the best of it. Never complacent, rarely satisfied, they aspire to be all that they can. A good leader sets an example. They don’t need to be the best person, the most talented person or the most popular person. They don’t need to be the best of us. They encourage us to bring out the best in ourselves. “Work ethic, leading by example, if you see something you don’t approve

of--addressing it, but addressing it in a way that people can grow from,” principal Chris Botts said about leadership. “I think a lot of people think you need to be firm, yell and scream to get your point across and that works for some, but I think the majority doesn’t respond to that. If you have a conversation about the why, I think that makes it better.”

‘Just keep going’

Some people are just born to be leaders. To some, it isn’t even a choice. It isn’t hard to be a good example, to do what is right no matter the implications. “I’ve made so many mistakes, and I’ve treated people with no respect, and I haven’t helped them, and I’ve pushed them down,” senior Mitch Adamson said. “Leadership is not going ‘Man, I’m the dude that knows everything, and I can show you everything,’ it’s going ‘Man, I’ve struggled through life, and I’ve had hard times, but man, this is how you can have a relationship with the people around you. This is how you can do this.’ It’s leading through example.” Adamson said he has made several mistakes throughout his high school career. He has mistreated people, he has burnt out on school, at times he

has given up. But this year, he said he feels has been given a new chance. Adamson has spent every morning this school year being a Teacher’s Assistant to choir director Doris Prater. Adamson works with Prater’s men’s chorus class, consisting mostly of freshman boys, helping them prepare for their upcoming concert. He said he sees the position not as a class, but as an opportunity. “I like to talk to them and see how their day is going,” he said. “It’s not a fake thing where I’m just gonna go to choir because I have to. I really want to know how these guys are doing and how their freshman year is.” Adamson takes the time to assist the boys inside and outside of school. This can often involve creating a personal connection, extending beyond singing and dancing. “I feel like I have this opportunity where God is going ‘Mitch, I’m giving you this opportunity to lead these people,’” he said. “Servanthood is really what I’ve been trying to employ. Not only with them, but just in school in general.” When Adamson is not outside singing and playing songs of worship for students as they enter school, you can often find him in the choir room working closely with junior Jimmy

“I think that the greatest tool I’ve been given is God has given me a voice, he’s given me an ability to speak purpose into the people around me and I just walk with that. Of course, singing is a great area, but speaking life is the greatest tool that I’ve been given.” Mitch Adamson, senior Adamson is a Teacher’s Assistant to choir teacher Doris Prater. He is a member of select choir. Photo by Sam Bartlett

10 COVER “It’s a lot different being an upperclassman. But, I mean, it’s kind of a chance to learn to meet a lot of new people and a lot of new personalities.” Jacob Hanna, junior

Lewis-Swain. Lewis-Swain, who is legally blind, spends several mornings a week before school learning h0w to play guitar from Adamson before they begin men’s chorus. Lewis-Swain said Adamson is the reason he got his first guitar. “Aw man, he’s a unique guy,” Lewis-Swain said. “It’s awesome that he takes time out of his day and help me learn. It’s great.” Prater said she is proud of Adamson for the growth she has seen in him this year compared to the trajectory from his sophomore and junior years. “When he signed up to be my T.A. I did not expect for him to take the initiative and be the leader he has shown himself to be,” she said. “[He is a] fantastic role model. He does whatever I need him to do. He comes in for all the choreography rehearsals so that he can then teach the boys and help. He’s just been extremely caring this year and just gone the extra mile.” After a rocky junior year, Adamson was nominated by Prater as one of her top leaders in choir for his work with the underclassmen. Adamson said he is immensely thankful for Prater for always giving him the room to grow, as a musician, a person and a leader. “Mrs. Prater has always given me a chance,” he said. “I’m just so thankful that she didn’t give up on me, she fought with me. She always encouraged me to keep going ... I feel like I’ve wronged her personally in the past by not giving my all, so the fact that she would say my name at all, it brings me so much joy to think that she looks at my as a leader. I feel honored.”

Hanna attends the Regional Student Council Conference at Eisenhower. He socialized with younger StuCo members as he helped Eisenhower students hand out snacks. Photo by Abby McCoy

‘It makes me proud’ Some people believe leadership is about constant strides towards growth. Leaders like junior Jacob Hanna view stepping into upperclassmen’s shoes as a perfect opportunity for growth. Hanna sees leadership as going the extra mile, and his involvement in football, basketball, track, Climate Club, Peer Helpers and StuCo exemplify his mantra. “It’s a lot different being an upperclassman,” Hanna said. “Especially the first day of school you look around and you see all these people you don’t really know. But, I mean, it’s kind of a chance to learn, to meet a lot of new people.” Hanna said although being an upperclassmen is different, a lot of the same responsibilities come along with stepping into upperclassmen shoes. “If you see anyone around the school that needs help or is going through a little bit of trouble, just open the door for them or just help them get to their class,” Hanna said. “Any little thing can help.” Hanna has adopted the ideal of taking small steps to grow as a leader. “Everything is given to you line upon line, piece upon piece, little bits at a time,” Hanna said. “You can’t just fly up the whole thing at once. You gotta take tiny, little baby steps and eventually you will obtain a goal.” Hanna said he thinks that no one is a natural born leader, rather it’s something learned as you get older. “You might be a good leader when you are small,” Hanna said. “But lead-

ership changes when you get older. You gotta work at it and not just be complacent. If you aren’t getting better, you are getting worse. You gotta keep progressing.” Similar to Hanna, principal Chris Botts also believes in the value of small steps toward growth as a leader. He said if you are in a leadership position, it is essential to keep growing. “I don’t think you can focus on everything at once,” Botts said. Botts’ philosophy is working on a specific area of his life for 100 minutes a week; 20 minutes a day. “Whether that’s reading, just sitting in quiet and having time to think or thinking about what you have done and how to do it better,” Botts said. Botts selected Hanna as one of Maize’s strongest leaders. Hanna’s positive, upbeat attitude and ability to maintain this attitude in athletics stood out to him. Botts said last year he was talented enough to have played a lot of basketball, but due to the amount of seniors on the team, Hanna had a different role on the team. “While his role may not have been on the court, he had a role in practice, in making others better,” Botts said. “On the bench, you would never see him get upset. He was positive all the time.” Botts said. “If you go watch him in practice, he is one of the hardest workers. I’ve seen coaches get on to him. He doesn’t’ get upset., He takes the feedback. It’s evident. It’s noticeable to me.” Hanna has specifically used his leadership skills in Climate Club this year to try to make a difference and

COVER educate his peers on climate change. “When Climate Club started, he was bright,” lub sponsor Amy Hammett said. “He just keeps everything blooming. He has the confidence to step up to the front and say ‘Tell me what needs to happen, and I am going to make that happen.’ “I think he has a good heart; he cares deeply about people. I’m so proud. I taught him when he was young and here we are two and a half years later and he is becoming a man. I’m very proud of him. Botts said it makes him feel proud to see students like Hanna step up as underclassmen. “Goosebumps; it makes me proud,” Botts said. “You see it. I think a lot of times it’s in between their sophomore and junior years. It just makes me proud to see growth. You see it every day. There are hundreds of kids who are not the same person they were last year.” Hanna said thank you to Botts for noticing his strides toward growing as a leader this year. “He [Botts] is a really good leader himself,” Hanna said. “I notice at school he’ll open doors and get everyone a fist bump or walks around playing table tennis at lunch. He’s a really cool guy. That’s someone I’d like to be like someday.”

‘I see myself in her’

Without followers, there would be no leaders. There always has to be

someone willing to sit back and listen to those in charge, “My philosophy is if you don’t help them, there’s no way your team is gonna get any better,” senior Sophia Buzard said. Buzard plays volleyball and softball, but she especially feels that softball has provided her with an opportunity to step up as a leader on the team. Before the season begins, Buzard begins helping during hitting lessons with the underclassmen. “We do hitting on Sundays just to try and get them in the cages, seeing balls off the tee and balls out of the hand, and I stay extra,” Buzard said. “They love it when I’m there because they need help. It makes me happy, and I think it makes them happy.” Buzard has been on a travel softball team, the Wichita Mustangs, since she was 5 years old and has playing varsity since her freshman year. She feels her experience playing has enabled her to learn the game well and provided her with a “built-in leadership role.” “You definitely need to show them [the underclassmen] that you know what you’re doing,” Buzard said. “They’re probably really nervous, and they want to do their best, so you obviously have to help them with that.” Softball coach Jenny Meirowsky said Buzard does a great job of not being demeaning to anyone when she is leading. “Sophia is competitor,” Meirowsky

said. “A coach needs that competitive spirit on your team. Sometimes you get leaders who can’t lead a team because they are mean and it creates a divide on the team and you never want that.” Buzard said it’s often difficult to find a balance between encouraging a competitive environment and being kind while doing so. “It’s honestly really hard,” Buzard said. “Some days I get worse, where I start to yell at underclassmen, but I stop myself. Sometimes I’ll notice when Meirowsky is getting frustrated with how no one’s kind of focusing, so I’ll be like ‘All right guys, let’s get back together and focus.’” Meirowsky and Buzard’s mutually beneficial relationship has contributed to the positive atmosphere on the team. “I love that she [Meirowsky] thinks of me as a leader,” Buzard said. “We’ve always kind of been partners because I think the same way that she does ... I see myself in her.” Junior Devynn Raile said Buzard has been a stable part of the team, especially when it comes to showing the essentials of the game. “She makes sure everyone is in check and is still really nice about,” Raile said. “You can always count on her for anything, even outside of softball. She can always make you laugh.” n

“My philosophy is if you don’t help them, there’s no way your team is gonna get any better.” Sophia Buzard, senior

Buzard is recognized as a senior member of the volleyball team. She also has played softball since she was 5 years old. Photo by Laney Turner

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End the fight

13 EDITORIAL

In a fight against ignorance, one can’t lose compassion themselves Staff editorial by Casey Loving @CaseyMLoving

or whatever reason, some are born leaders. Maybe they have an enigmatic voice, maybe they can construct an argument well, maybe they are just good people. No matter the reason, there are some people that simply know how to capture a crowd’s attention, to lead a group into battle for whatever cause. Just because you are a leader, however, doesn’t necessarily mean you are leading for the right causes. If you go to Maize, you probably already know about the gown debacle. A chant was started in our student section regarding a decision to remove white gowns from graduation and switch to all red. “Fight for your right to wear red and white,” students chanted. The display was then posted to social media as a “message for admin.” Many Maize students, past and present alike, took to Twitter to defend the decision to remove the gowns. Uniformity, they argued, would remove the need for those in the LGBT community to have to choose a color conforming with their gender. Gown purists, however, posited that the “tradition” of white gowns outweighed any ground gained. “Imagine making everyone suffer just for a few people’s misfortune,” one person Tweeted. “I’m sorry that one transgender person had to ruin it for the rest of us,” another said. These were far from the only Tweets in this tone. Many of the students shown in the video have come out saying that they had no clue what the chant was actually about or didn’t know why the chant was made. they simply joined in for harmless fun. Days after the game, the district’s decision was announced to seniors. White gowns are officially no more. Were the argument to be first presented in a calm, rational way, there very well could have been room for the ruling to be changed or elaborated upon. Once the situation was brought to Twitter, however, the arguments in favor of the change were clearly too pressing for the district to step down. Ironically, those arguing for white gowns may have sealed their fate in

trying to bring them back. Social media was a madhouse. A school turned against itself. Instigators called other students mentally ill. Responders sent death threats to those instigators. Graduates said they were disappointed to have gone here in the first place. At a certain point, one has to ask: Where’s the line? What started as a small group of people leading an unknowing crowd in an unwise chant quickly became associated with our school. The vocal minority became portrayed as the majority. Fires were fueled until what would’ve been a few opinions fizzling out in the day became the new “face of Maize.” Anyone could have told you the decision wouldn’t be reversed long before the district made an official announcement. Anyone could have told you that those who vigorously opposed the change weren’t going to suddenly stop. Yet still, the fight continued. Just as the fate of the gowns was sealed by those who opposed them, the opinion of this minority was popularized by those who fought them. Just as it is our job as leaders to make sure that example is positive, one of compassion, it is our job as leaders to be compassionate to those we disagree with all the same. Maize failed. There is no light way to put it. We allowed the small drop of

a negative opinion grow into a flood that sullied our school’s good name. But just because we failed doesn’t mean we’re failures. That weekend was full of grief and heartache for students and administrators alike, but that doesn’t have to be done in vain. The good name of Maize is not gone. We all have a choice. We can let a fight continue, going back and forth, an eye for an eye, until we are surrounded by a sea of negative voices on all sides. Or we can state our opinion, in public or private, and get out the door. We can do what we think is right without needing to do something wrong.We need to keep in mind what is important. We can’t drag ourselves down by trying to drag others. Maybe the biggest part of a leader is setting a good example, whether people see it or not. So at the end of the day, we need to ask ourselves: is a good comeback really worth inciting more maliciousness? We’ve heard the fight for the right to wear red and white. We’ve seen the fight against it. So let’s stop fighting. Let us not get so muddied by our arguments that we ruin the good name of our school. We all have a voice. Let us use them to lift Maize up rather than bring it down. n A version of this editorial first ran on maizenews.com

THROUGH THE LENS Senior India Sebastian is a freelance model. Sebastian hopes to pursue a career in modeling in the future. Photo by Eddie Legacy

FEATURES

Senior India Sebastian goes behind the scenes of being a model Story by Londen Peebler @londenmaleigha

hen most people think of modeling, they imagine couture clothing, abstract makeup and the glamorous lifestyle a model must live. For senior India Sebastian, modeling may be a lot more than it may seem through a lens. “It’s kind of nerve-wracking in a way,” she said. “A lot goes through your mind. You have to make sure everything is on point or it is going to be a longer process for the photoshoot.” Growing up, Sebastian said she loved fashion and had a dream of modeling in the future but never believed it would actually come true. “When I was a kid, I was super girly,” Sebastian said. “I was always in the mirror and always playing dress up and stuff like that. I would say ‘Oh my god I want to be a model one day,’ and I honestly never thought it would actually happen.” Sebastian’s mom, Evelyn Sinzogan, on the other hand, said she always pictured her daughter as a model because she was photogenic and had a love for fashion as a young girl. It was no surprise to her when Sebastian approached her about trying it, and she was immediately on board. “India got with a modeling agency and went through some modeling school for about six months,” Sinzogan said. “Then she started doing photo shoots, fashion shows and traveling.” Sinzogan said she accomplished so much within the short time she had been modeling and had to uphold a very busy schedule. “I can’t even count how many photo shoots she has done,” Sinzogan said. “In August, India did a big fashion competition where she received an honorable award for her division. That night, she got seven job offers.” Sinzogan said she could remember Sebastian wanting to be a model from 5 years old sitting in their kitchen at home.

“My son was recording her and he asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up,” Sinzogan said. “She tilted her head and put her hand on her face and said ‘I’m going to be a star.’” Sebastian said that while modeling brings many physical and mental challenges, it also carries with it a good amount of societal pressure. “One of the biggest things is your image, because when you’re a model it’s not just about your looks,” she said. “You have to be a model for other people that are watching you or people that look up to you. That’s a really big thing.”

Sebastian always dreamed of being a model and was surprised when she was the given the opportunity to try it out years ago. Photo by Eddie Legacy

Despite the pressure of modeling, Sebastian said she loves shooting with larger groups of people rather than on her own because each person is so unique. “Things I love about it [shooting] are meeting new people,” Sebastian said. “Everyone has a different story.

Everybody has a different look, and it’s honestly amazing. Sebastian has developed her own look over time to set her apart from the crowd and said she loves to see how it shines through in the photos. “When I do photoshoots, seeing how the pictures come out is unbelievable,” she said. “I’m like ‘Oh my gosh that’s me’ and it’s crazy.” With Sebastian’s talent and passion for modeling, Sinzogan said the advice she would give to Sebastian down the road is for now and the future. “Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t do something you put your mind to or your heart too,” Sinzogan said. “When she makes it big, don’t forget where you came from. And always put God first.” Sebastian said she understands that she should be realistic about her career path, but she also hopes to pursue modeling in the future because it is what she loves. She wants to put out an important message through her photos to anyone who is considering modeling themselves or is chasing any dream in general. “Anything is possible,” she said. “I would have never thought I would be doing this. I’m not too far into it yet, but right now I think the message I want to put out would be to just be yourself.” n

“My son was recording her and he asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up. She tilted her head and put her hand on her face and said ‘I’m going to be a star.”

Evelyn Sinzogan, India’s Mother

16 FEATURES

Reserved for Duty

Senior Schumacher joins the Army Reserves before completing high school Story by Abby Turner @abbyturner31

enior Gavin Schumacher joined the Army Reserves at the age of 17 during the summer before his senior year. Schumacher had thought about doing this for a while to help him pursue his future goals in life. This past summer he put this plan into action. “I wanted to join [the Army Reserves] because it helped get me closer to what I want to do in life,” Schumacher said. “I want to be a helicopter pilot. I want to fly the big Chinook helicopters or the offsprings.” As Schumacher prepared to achieve these dreams he had, he would talk about them in class. His Chemistry teacher, Frances Houseman, became interested in his goals and began to talk to him about them. Schumacher said Houseman was the teacher that supported and motivated him most through this journey. “I just encouraged him to go with what his talents and strengths are,” Houseman said “He really likes mechanical things. He was taking welding classes and stuff like that. It was something he was really interested in and if that is what you are good at, then go for it.” Schumacher had to leave behind his family and friends for 6 weeks of hard training. “It was weird and different not hav-

ing him around the house and to have somebody to argue with,” his brother Broc Schumacher, a junior said. Basic training took place in Fort Jackson, N.C.. He spent his summer from July 3rd to August 14th doing completing his training. “An average day was getting up at 4:30 in the morning, doing physical readiness training for about two and a half hours,” Schumacher said. ” Then once you’re done with that you go to breakfast, come back, do personal hygiene. Then depending on what section we were in, we would either go to the range, go on our field training exercises, or just sit and do classroom work all day. Then we go to bed.” Training isn’t just a routine as simple as that though. It is physically and mentally demanding, he said. “The running was definitely the hardest part,” he said. “Running is not my forte, and I will never claim it to be. On a daily basis, anywhere between 5 and 10 miles we ran.” Motivation and work ethic got him through training, he said. “My number one motivator is the Bible and the word of God,” Schumacher said. “That’s how I get through everything, through school, through training. If I would not have had that, I would probably still be at training because I hated it.” Now that his basic training is completed, he is officially in the Army Reserves as a senior in high school

and plans to keep going after his goals after he graduates. “I am a private second class, get paid a little more money than being a private which what I was when I got to basic,” Schumacher said. “As soon as I graduate here, and before I get to AIT (Advanced Individual Training), I’ll be anywhere between a specialist or a sargent. [I] then want to go through schooling to get my rotary license and my pilot’s license so I can then fly. After that, I have a couple options that I’m thinking about, but I’m mostly thinking about going active duty with the military.” Accomplishing all of this while still in high school and being one of the youngest at basic is an accomplishment that not only Schumacher is proud of, but his family as well. “It made him a better person,” Broc said. “I hope he does good, I am proud of him.” As Gavin continues on his journey of being in the Army Reserves, he looks back at his experience and knows he made the right choice joining before he graduated and realizes that the successes and experiences he had at training were worth all of the hard work. “The entire experience I can say wasn’t the greatest,” he said. “But I had a lot of fun with it. And it’s not for the faint-hearted. It takes a lot of work and a lot of time, a lot of effort to get through that.” n

The Army Reserve offers the opportunity to work in your civilian career or attend college full time while serving near home. Army Reserve Soldiers receive the same training as active-duty Soldiers. After Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training, Army Reserve Soldiers return to their civilian lives and spend one weekend a month and two weeks per year training to keep their skills on par.

FEATURES

Gavin Schumacher Army Reserves

“My number one motivator is the Bible and the word of God. That’s how I get through everything, through school, through training. If I would not have had that, I would probably still be at training because I hated it.” Gavin Schumacher, senior

Gavin Schumacher is currently a private secon class in the Army Reserves. Photo by Abby Turner

18 FEATURES

Welcome to Maize Get to know your new teachers and administrators

Story by Janeth Saenz @janethsaenzz Story by Liam O’Connor @Lucky7Liam

aize has a new assistant principal in Morgan Marsh. Marsh taught for nine years at Mulvane High School as an English teacher. Before coming to Maize, she was an assistant principal in El Dorado High School for two years. “I’m most excited to get to know more kids,” Marsh said. “There’s just so many. ...The more I can know the better, I’m just here for the kids.” Marsh said the positive culture, school spirit and staff attracted her to Maize. Her husband, Dustin Marsh, is a Maize graduate from 2003 and always raved about the district. “He’ s always loved the district and loved going to school here,” Marsh said. “I’ve been in buildings where it can be a little chaotic, kind of a negative culture, not a whole lot of school spirit, not a whole lot of people excited to be there, students or teachers

and that’s really tough.” Marsh’s father taught and was an administrator for 41 years. Her father became an admin when she was in sixth grade. “I grew up with a dad that did this kind of work, so I kinda fell into his footsteps,” she said. In the administrative office, Marsh works alongside other staff members that include Chris Botts, Craig Broadbent, Sonya Tice and Eric Wolgast, creating a team of five administrators. “There’s only two administrators in El Dorado,” Marsh said. “To be a part of five, being able to collaborate, come up with ideas is great, and with more people you can just do more.” Marsh said she plans to be within the Maize district long-term. She said she hopes to measure her success as an assistant principal by bringing positive energy, culture and happiness to the school. “I’d love to continue the culture that’s already here,” Marsh said. “I’m hoping to stay in this position for a while and learn quite a bit.” n

Marsh fun facts Q: What is your favorite Color? A: “Purple.” Q: What is your favorite favorite food? A: “Probably any type of pasta, you can’t go wrong with pasta.” Q: What is your favorite Ice cream? A: “Usually it’s something with Oreo.”

New teachers fun facts “This is my 19th year of teaching art. ...I taught at Washington elementary, Haysville Middle school, and at Valley Center High School. ”

“I am a graduate of Maize and have great pride in my school. I know how awesome of a district it is and I wanted to be part of that.”

“This is my 11th year of teaching. ...I taught in Wichita Public Schools at West High for 10 years.”

Christina Carlson, Art

Brandon Nelson, Math

Zack Helgesen, Robotics

“I am a Maize graduate. Maize is home to me and I couldn’t ask for a better place to work.”

“This is my 14th year in education. ...I spent 13 years at Cheney Middle School, in Cheney, KS.”

“I taught in the Wichita Public Schools at Northeast Magnet High School for 24 years.”

Jill Weber, Social Studies

Alan Schmidt, Aerospace

“I taught two years at Buhler High School in Buhler, and last year taught at Heights High School in Wichita.”

“I taught five years at Wichita West, two years at Kansas State and now this is my first year advising student media.”

Kacie Dix, Culinary

“This is my 6th year teaching. ...I’m looking forward to preparing students for college classes on campus.”

Spencer O’Daniel, Broadcast

Chad Orton, A & P

Caitlyn Gregory, Industrial Arts

FEATURES

15 square feet of fame

Seven choir students became small-town celebrities over summer

Gavin Wright, Hailey West, Brayden Worden, Melody Prater, Doris Prater, Matthew Prater, Brooklyn DeForeest, Casey Loving and Autumn Hesslink said performing in a small town in Colorado was an experience they will never forget. The group stayed in Gunnison for five days, living in a cabin together. Courtesy photo Story by Sascha Harvey @saschaharvey

o some, Pitkin might just be a silly-sounding word. To others, a tiny town nestled in the Rocky Mountains. To the history buff, Pitkin might be known as Colorado’s first mining camp west of the continental divide. But to a select group of choir students, Pitkin is much more. This summer, choir teacher Doris Prater and a group of seven students and graduates braved a 12-hour van ride to perform a melodrama at a small town’s annual festival, Pitkin Days. “They have a community reunion ... every year and there has been a melodrama that has been performed there since, I think, the 1960s,” Prater said. The melodrama, an over-the-top play with audience participation, focused on a robbery attempt at a small-town clock shop. They also performed an oleo, a compilation of songs following the show’s central theme of time. For years, the melodrama has been the main event of Pitkin Days. Last year, however, the town had to forgo the event due to a lack of participation. This led Bob Zuck, a Pitkinite and friend of the Praters, to invite the group to the town this year. Senior Hailey West, who played a fortune teller, said she didn’t know what to expect when they arrived. “I was like, ‘What is this? It’s a ghost

town?’” West said. “But it was so beautiful. The air was so different up there.” Senior Brayden Worden had a different idea as to what they would encounter in Pitkin. “We thought we might get murdered,” he said jokingly. “It’s a really cute town, it’s just a lot smaller than I expected.”

“We were treated like celebrities, and it was just a tiny little show we put on.” Brayden Worden, senior Cast members said their performance was very well received by the town. The students were approached as far as Gunnison, which is about 30 minutes away, and even back home in Wichita being thanked for performing. Worden said he felt like royalty in the town. “We were treated like celebrities, and it was just a tiny little show we put on,” he said. “Everyone was so thankful that we were there, and you could tell it meant a lot to the community, so it was really cool.” Prater said she was shocked at the response they received.

“They treated them like rock stars,” she said. “We were not ready for the reaction. I mean, immediately, they [audience] got into it.” West said performing in Pitkin was entirely different than performing in Maize due to the tight-knit nature of the community. The audience seemed to appreciate the experience more than the performers were used to. “People would come up to us and be like, ‘Oh my gosh, you were in the melodrama! You were so good, thank you so much for coming here,’” she said. “It was so awesome.” Prater said that the most amazing thing about Pitkin was the sense of community and how involved the people were. “It is such a community that draws people from literally all over the world,” she said. “There were people there from Australia and Germany. “It’s a very connected and family-oriented community.” With the addition of their oleo coupled with lack of performance last year, West said those attending the Pitkin Days had never experienced anything quite like what the students offered. “The people there had never had anything like what we did, and that’s what made it feel so special,” West said. “It was nice to appreciate the beauty of it and the beauty of how grateful people were there.” n

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Tik-Tok on the clock

FEATURES

Senior Christon, junior Wright are well-known video artists Story by Kyerra Snyder @kyerrasnyder

ik-Tok is a social media video app for creating and sharing short lip-syncs and comedic videos. Many students such as senior Preven Christon and junior Gavin Wright are involved in this trend and are highly recognized on the platform. “The most exciting thing about doing them [making Tik-Toks] and being famous is probably getting recognition everywhere I go,” Christon said. Wright said with online recognition can come pushback. “It’s one of those things where you’re going to get made fun of for doing it,” Wright said. “You have to decide if

you’re going to take it to heart or not.” Christon said it hard to not listen to some of this criticism, especially if it’s coming from your friends. “Some of my friends make fun of me because my Tik-Toks are ‘cringy’ and it gets annoying,” Christon said. In the end, Wright said the videos are only fun if you make them fun. “It’s a way to connect with others but at the same time being very mindless and having fun with your friends,” he said. Christon and Wright both said they initially only made the videos as a way to have fun with their friends and they went viral. “Duwayne [Villalpondo] and I decided to make a Tik-Tok just for fun and

it just went viral,” he said. Wright said he thinks his Tik-Tok fame came from him playing to the algorithm of the system. “I posted the video at the right time, and it wasn’t making fun of anyone so nobody took offense to it,” he said. “It was also a close enough re-enactment to the real thing that people liked it and it became famous.” Wright and Christon said Tik-Tok fame is far from being famous, though it may have similarities.. “Fame on Tik-Tok is just playing to your audience, knowing who you’re making the video for and also enjoying it,” Wright said. “Fame in general is just what you make it.” n

Christon poses like his most famous Tik-Tik. His most famous Tik-Tok is called “And I’m whippin.” Photo by Abby Turner

173.8K Followers 3.3M Likes

42 Posts

10.5K Followers 179.5k Likes

1.5M Views 48 Posts

@gavtinwrite

@prevenchriston

11M Views

Wright poses like his most famous Tik-Tok. His most famous Tik-Tok is called “Come Get Her.” Photo by Abby Turner

22 COLUMN

While I wasn’t looking

Alone doesn’t mean you have to be lonely Photo by Sam Bartlett Column by Londen Peebler @londenmaleigha

here is an assumption made constantly that if a person says they are alone, we assume that they are lonely. We tend to figure that if they could choose, they wouldn’t be, and we feel sorry for them. For a long time I was guilty of assuming the worst from that word. I had known it in its best and worst forms. In its worst, being alone felt like sitting at the bottom of the biggest ocean, slowly running out of air with no light to guide me up, down, left or right. I had no sense of where I was. I was lost. At its best, I discovered a friend in myself. I figured out how to love each and every unwarranted, over-thought idea and messy, unorganized Sunday morning. I learned to be patient with myself and to see the good in my intentions. I’ve noticed over time through my friends and family what it looks like to be alone. The color it is. The picture it paints. In some cases it looked like a blank sheet of white paper, like empty eyes and a broken heart holding an empty tube of superglue. In other cases it looked almost gray, like the sky on a rainy Tuesday. But then I started to think about how even the sky has friends because without clouds there would be no rain. So then I thought maybe being alone is just pitch black. The color of cold, empty space. But even space has stars to keep it company in the dark. When my parents got divorced, I watched them struggle with what it

meant to be alone and how it felt to exist without someone by their side after spending the majority of their lives together. In the same year they separated, my sister left for her first year of college. My sister is my best friend and, at that point in my life, at my old school, was one of my only friends. So there I was. Alone. Shaking hands with the shadows and hugging the hopeless feeling of having no one to turn to. I was drowning in a sea of rabid thoughts and new feelings I had never learned how to handle. So I did all I knew how to do. I sat on the clear nights under the sky t and had conversations with the constellations. I remember wishing I could pull a star down and talk to it, ask it how it glowed so bright and how it felt to be a part of something so vast like the night sky. I wanted to tell it all my secrets and worries. Of course I was aware that’s not how life or science works, but I still wished anyway. I know at this point writing this, obviously, that I am not the only one to ever feel like this and to wish for these things. The more I think about it, it is actually pretty ironic. A million people all over the world feel similarly to me and wish for the same things as I do. So really I am never alone in feeling alone, right? It’s so funny how we look for companionship in everything we do and everywhere we are. We often forget to search in the most obvious of places, and I missed out on so many years of having the most incredible relationship with myself because of it. I don’t mean for this to be a redemption story or some big “my whole life changed” story. My life

didn’t change overnight, and quite honestly that is probably impossible. But slowly while I wasn’t paying attention, I started to find myself choosing to spend time alone. I started choosing to get up early on Sunday mornings, make coffee and put on my favorite music. I was alone, but I was anything but lonely. I had my thoughts and my intentions for the day. I whispered my worries in between lines in a journal, and I let them exist outside of my head. They looked best in blue ink. My parents eventually relearned the world without each other. They developed strength and individuality and they became happier for it. I learned through them that being alone is healing. It’s learning and discovering your strength, and it is really hard, but it is really important. I learned that I did not need to be friends with my whole school. I didn’t have to always be looking for relationships that would steer me away from my friends and my grades. Before I could really allow myself to be good for someone else, I had to be good for myself. The world is so big. There are so many incredible things to see and create and write about and photograph. In a world like that, so full and wide, what’s so bad about taking the time to discover a bit of yourself in it? I found myself when I was forced to start looking in a room full of no one but me. And, honestly, she’s not so bad. n

Bed time

Sleep or don’t sleep, just let it rest Column by Casey Loving @CaseyMLoving

t’s been a long day. I’ve been at school since about 7:15 in the morning. Immediately after the final bell rings, I head straight to rehearsal until 5:30. From there, I get about an hour and a half of a break if I’m lucky before I have to go to choreography. Finally, I’m able to finish my homework, eat dinner and take a shower. As I lie down for bed, I check the clock on my phone. 11:30. Oh boy, this is gonna hurt in the morning. This is my nightmare scenario. I cannot think of many nights in the past year when I have gone to bed the evening before school past midnight. For some (most) of my peers, however, the scenario may rather be a dream. One can hardly go a day at school without hearing students “brag” about how little sleep they got the night prior like a child who snuck their DS under their pillow past their bedtime. “Hey, guess what? I went to bed after finishing my homework last night at 12:30!” “12:30? So what? I didn’t get to sleep until nearly 3 in the morning!” “Oh, that’s nothing! I finally settled down around 4:45 a.m. before waking up at 5:00 to get all of my homework done!” Is this supposed to be cool? I get that I’m usually not the first to pick up on what’s popular, but did I really miss sleep deprivation as the latest trend? Is exhaustion just another part of being a VSCO girl? I feel like a kid at a slumber party with soccer practice the next morning, begging my friends to go to sleep or be quiet. I fully understand what it’s like to come home with a mountain of homework. There are few things worse than coming home from school at 6, 8, even 10 at night for the first time that day without having even glanced at my duties for the night. Even so, it is the rarest of cases when I even stay up to midnight with school the next morning. I know that I may not have as hard of a time completing my homework as some people do. I don’t think it’s a brag to say some subjects come easier

to me than others. Still, I do put time and effort into anything I put my name on, and I spend hours after school on electives every day. And I can tell you with absolute certainty that when friends whom I love dearly tell me they “were up until 2 a.m. working on homework,” they didn’t start most of it until midnight.If you are someone who struggles with school, puts in their best effort and still stays up well into the night to stay afloat, more power to you. I’m sure that is frustrating, and in no way do I think I’m better than you for it. I do have to ask, though: why should it be the other way around?

“You are not better than anyone because you got two hours of sleep and then didn’t shut up about it.” Casey Loving, opinion columnist It is human nature to want to one-up other people, to want to feel superior for overcoming harsher odds. We all want to root for the underdog, so why wouldn’t we want to be one? But I promise you, exhaustion should not be something to brag about. You’re not better than anyone because you got two hours of sleep and then didn’t shut up about it the next day. We’re high schoolers. More than that, we’re teenagers. We have all procrastinated, and it has caused us all to stay up later than we’d like to get our stuff together. I’ve come into school before not wanting to shut up about how busy I was the night before or because of my own lazy tendencies. However, coming to class day after day boasting about how tired you are for reasons that are most likely your own fault is, to put it bluntly, incredibly annoying. Go to bed at a reasonable time or don’t. Get your homework done or avoid it. Truly, I don’t care. Some of us are legal adults. We don’t have bedtimes anymore. We’ve all made our own beds, so please, for the love of all that is holy, just lie in it. n

Graphic by Abby Turner @abbyturner31

OPINION

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24 SPORTS

Sophomore Clayton Crockett runs the ball during the Hutch game. The Eagles won the game 55-14. Photo by Sam Bartlett

Senior Preven Christon scans the field as he runs the ball at Valley Center. The Eagles shut out Valley Center 47-0 for their first win of the season. Photo by Sam Bartlett

To be continued...

Coming off of the best season in school history, the football team hopes to continue its legacy this year Story by Ellie Cannizzo and Brooklyn Blasdel Design by Brooklyn Blasdel @elliecannizzo

oming off the best season in school history, the football team still has high expectations for itself this year. Even though the team lost a number of key starters off of last year’s squad, and some on the outside might have doubted them before the season even started, the team is off to an undefeated season with four dominant wins. “We take it as a challenge actually,” junior right tackle Nate Harding said. “We’re ranked always last.” The team made it all the way to the state semifinals last year, falling to the Northwest Grizzlies with a heartbreaking last-second touchdown. They finished their historic season 10-2. The Eagles have started off strong once again this year. They are ranked

“We kind of have a family on the team and we’ve got to continue this tradition.” Caden Cox, senior

seventh in the state in the Sept. 24 MaxPreps rankings and outscored their first four opponents 195-33. “I don’t really pay attention to the personal and team ranking as long as their final outcome is what we want,” senior running back Caden Cox said. “Our goal is the state championship, so that’s all we’re going for.” After losing several leaders from last year, the seniors said the team is looking forward to having fresh faces to pass the torch down to. One area that took the biggest hit from graduation is the offensive line. Harding is the only regular starter who is back this year. “We have a lot of new faces on our team,” senior wide receiver Preven Christon said. “Getting them to the varsity level, once they get better and better, we’re just looking forward to that.”

Along with brand new players come new leaders. Seniors have had to step up this season to help lead the team and carry on the positive reputation that the class of 2019 made for themselves last year. “I’m going to try to lead by being a positive example for my teammates,” senior center Devon Nicholson said. “Just positive reinforcement for our younger line, trying to set a good example, and to push myself in practice and try to push each other in practice.” The 2020 seniors have said they have high expectations and believe the young players have what it takes to carry on Maize tradition. “I gotta teach them how to win,” Christon said. “You know, we’ve already created a legacy these past few years.” n

SPORTS

Stats leaders Rushing Caden Cox, 544 yards Passing Camden Jurgensen, 559 yards Receiving Preven Christon, 22 catches for 259 yards Tackles Kendall Norrod, 14 solo tackles Scoring Caden Cox, 60 points *Tackles stat through first three games

2019 schedule at Valley Center vs. Hutchinson vs. Campus at Newton vs. Goddard vs. Salina South at Salina Central at Derby

47-0 55-14 49-12 44-7 Oct. 4 Oct. 11 Oct. 17 Oct. 25

Senior Caden Cox runs the ball during the Campus game. The team won the game 4912. Cox leads in the Eagles in rushing yards and points scored. Photo by Sam Bartlett

26 SPORTS

Getting the swing of things Eighteen members are new to the tennis team

BROOKE TETER “There’s a lot of good competition, a variety of differnt ranges of players.” Brooke Teter, senior Senior Brooke Teter has been playing tennis since her freshman year. Teter is one of the few returning seniors. Photo by Laney Turner

Story by Paige Youngdahl @paige59633393 Story by Claire Morgan @clairemorgan_22

his year, the girls tennis team has increased from last year due to an influx of new members. There are 44 girls on the team, 18 players new to the team and 26 returners. Last year, there were roughly 35 girls on the team. “We had 13 freshmen come out, and not as many returning seniors,” coach John Anderson said. The tennis girls had fewer seniors leave last year than freshmen coming in this year, making the team grow. Last year, the team lost six top seniors and gained many players who said they wanted to try tennis this year. “It’s sad to lose a good group of girls like we had, but it’s exciting to see these kids who didn’t get that chance the last couple years to get more opportunities,” Anderson said. Because of the high amount of girls this year, the coaches had to change the way they practice from the past

ELLA STROBEL “I like split practices because you are more focused and you can get everything done that isn’t done.” Ella Strobel, freshman Freshman Ella Strobel is the only freshman that plays varsity. There are 13 freshmen on the team this year. Photo by Laney Turner

years. Maize has limited amounts of court space and with the high amount of girls playing tennis, the coaches had to split the practices. Every week, 20-25 girls practice on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. If they have a meet coming up, then they practice the day before as well. “The varsity goes to every single practice,” said freshman Ella Strobel, who plays varsity. In addition to varsity practicing every day, everyone practices on Wednesdays and Fridays. With the splitting of the practices, it gives the girls more room to improve on their skills and less stress on the team. “When there’s a bunch of people, we get to do more drills,” Strobel said. Strobel said the amount of girls on the team new to the school is substantial compared to recent years. “There’s a lot of freshmen who do it [tennis],” she said. “I like split practices because you are more focused and you can get everything done that

isn’t done.” In the past year the coaches had an easier time choosing what the girls needed to work on such as playing matches and doing drills. This year they are very limited in their decisions on what they are going to do in practice. On days when there are less girls practicing they usually play matches. Although there have been many changes during this season, senior Brooke Teter said the girls don’t let them affect their skills. However, having only a total of eight courts for the girls to use has made it significantly harder to get them all out at once. “It [the splitting of practices] really doesn’t have that much of an affect on the team,” Teter said. “It’s just the court space [that is affecting the team].” Even through all the changes that have been made, the tennis team is still coming out on top. The girls have had a successful season with taking first in five tournaments and taking second in nine tournaments. n

SPORTS

WORLD-WIDE WRESTLING Junior Haas participates in the World Team Trials Haas traveled to Akron, Ohio and Sophia, Bulgaria to wrestle in the 2019 Cadet World Championships He trains with his brother, Tyler Caldwell. Photo by Sam Bartlett

Design by Lily Robison @lily_robison Story by Madi Hay @madihay3

ome people might go to Europe for a family vacation. Others might travel across the Atlantic for a school trip. Wrestler Kyle Haas spent part of his summer in Europe for what he hopes is one step on the path toward one day participating in the Olympics. Haas represented the United States in his weight class at the Cadet World Championships in Sophia, Bulgaria. He competed in freestyle after winning Freestyle and Greco at the team trials earlier in the summer in Canton, Ohio. Before going to Bulgaria, Haas trained at the Olympic Training Cen-

ter in Colorado Springs, Colorado Haas, who has lost just two matches in his first two years and won a state title last year, hopes it’s not the last time he trains in Colorado. “I want to win these next couple of years of state that I got and want to go to the Olympics and win the Olympics,” Haas said. “I’m going to try out for the world team again next year and try to make another world team and hopefully a world champ this time.” Though Haas said he has made many amazing memories with wrestling, there have also come tough losses. “I went to [a tournament in Akron] last year,” Haas said. “My brother took me because I was trying to make a world team then, and I took fifth in Greco, and I didn’t place in Freestyle.” Haas said he knew what he wanted, so he trained all of the next summer, went back to Akron and reached his goal. Haas said Bulgaria was very different from Wichita. “It was nothing like here,” Haas said. “People are like swerving out of lanes and traffic, the majority of the

people walked and there are trains going through the middle. I mean no railroad signs. It was pretty crazy, but it was cool.” Haas said his brother, Tyler Caldwell, has been his inspiration. Caldwell was a four-time state champion at Goddard and a four-time All-American in college. “So it definitely came from him,” Haas said of his love of wrestling. Caldwell, who coaches at Oklahoma State and is fourteen years older than Haas, said Haas has loved wrestling since he was a little boy and always wanted to talk about it, learn about it and just do it. A few years ago, Haas lived with Caldwell to get in some extra training. They would train consistently to keep improving. “I’d wake up in the morning, we would go get on the mat in the garage and then I’d go for a run or something and come back,” Haas said. Caldwell said he feels that he has helped shape Haas’s love to learn the sport every day. “[I] just help him have love and passion for it and live that lifestyle,” Caldwell said.n

28 SPORTS

SPORTS IN BRIEF A look into this year’s fall sports

Girls Golf

Story and design by Ellie Stucky and Rayne Rekoske @ellierae_03 @raynerekoskee

“We have a lot of hope, because we are all working really hard to get to where we want to be.” Lexie Ridder, junior

Junior Lexie Ridder shot her best score of 75 during the Salina Invitational on September 23. Ridder is the number one seed on the girls golf team. Photo by Rayne Rekoske

Best team score so far for an 18-hole Tournament: 348

Volleyball

“The season is going pretty good. We are a little rusty from summer but we are working on it." Kenna Lane, senior

Senior Kenna Lane is an outside, right side, and a setter for the team. Lane is one of two seniors on the varsity volleyball team.

Cross Country

“We want to defend our league title and we also want to make it to state if we can.” Austin Schultz, junior

Junior Austin Schultz is one of three top boy runners on the cross country team. Schultz placed 18th at his most recent meet at the Emporia Invitational.

Photo by Rayne Rekoske

Record: 8-13

Top runners: Aiden Werner 17:29 Zoie Ecord 20:46

*Stats are through 9/27/2019

Boys Soccer

“We had a very slow start to the season, but eventually we will pick ourselves up because that’s what the soccer team does” Rory Morales, junior

Record: 2-5

*Stats are through 9/27/2019

Senior Sam Bartlett tries to get the ball away from the opponent during the Maize vs. Maize South game.

Follow @maizepubs on Twitter and maizenews.com for weekly sports coverage.

ENTERTAINMENT

2 3 4

9 10

16 17 18

By Carter Jones

Down

1. Issac Shue, Amanda Gosch, Beth Jannsen, Christina Carlson 3. Melody Prater, Tyler Brackin, Gavin Wright, Warren Swedburg, Corrin Conway 5. Jo Fair, Amy Hammet, Anne Debes 9. Christine Borrego, Kevin Frye, Cady Jackson, Sherry Pfeifer, Lindsay Slater 12. Madison Beemiller, Olivia Bishop, Cassie Onwugbufor 13. Makenzie Owings, Emma Ables, Ellie Cannizzo, Maddie Millerskow

14. Brooklyn Blasdel, Lexie Ridder, Reina Cline, Olivia Allen 17. Matthew Barnard, Bynnalese Nelson, Noah Hale, Jeannine Lopez, Adelyn Heuer 19. Hailey West, Morgan Cloutier, Brayden Warden, Riley Green 20. Aenya Richards, Lauren Fuhrman, Olivia Jarobe, Kira McGrown 25. Paula Bette, Jennifer Cashman, Geri Hickerson, Betsy Manning

Contest The answers to this crossword are names of groups or clubs at Maize. All clues are students or staff members that correspond with the groups. Finish this crossword and DM your completed crossword to @maizepubs on Twitter by midnight on the day of distribution (10/04/2019) to be entered in a drawing for a $10 gift card of your choosing.

GAME TIME

2. Madison Underkofler, Corey Blume, Halee Harpenau, Allie Coon 4. Caleb Grill, Dezi Oakley, Jordan Watkins, Shae White, Shelby Goss 6. Braden Stamper, Casey Loving, Laney Turner, Abby Turner 7. Sam Bartlett, Cole Sphar, Jacob Shove 8. Chris Botts, Sonya Tice, Eric Wolgast, Morgan Marsh, Craig Broadbent 10. Devon Nicholson, Nate Harding, Mason Miranda, Todd Stover 11. Cayd Barragan, Mitch Waggoner, Kylee Delmar, Bode Carter 15. Audrey Ferrell, Thomas Dayley, Josh Avery 16. Bryce Nelson, Gage Christiansen, Josh Sprowls, Luke Taylor 18. Kyerra Snyder, Zoie Ecord, Austin Schultz, Kadyn Dohlman 21. Kelsey Day, Gavin Carp, Lillie Diaz, Colton Hagar, Katie Jackson 22. Jacob Hanna, Cora Bartlett, Isaac Stanton, Ryan Fullerton 23. Aleq Pham, Colby Crotchett, Ashley Valdez, Paige Cannon, Samara Murphy 24. Abby McCoy, Preston Hunt, Isabelle Elmore, Anna Reimer

Across

30 PHOTO FOCUS

BEHIND THE WOOD

An inside look at Maize’s production of ‘Into the

Background Photo by Keira McGinty Design by Keira McGinty and Teagen Redinger @keiragmcginty @teagenredinger 1. Senior Londen Peebler adjusts a wig cap on junior Olivia Henderson before placing the wig. Photo by Keira McGinty

4. Sophomore Warren Swedberg adjusts his costume in front of the Choir room mirror, while senior Preston Hunt adjusts his microphone. Photo by Keira McGinty

2. Junior Melody Prater laces the corset of senior Hailey West 5. Junior Gavin Wright helps junior Sofia Photo by Keira McGinty Roszel get dressed into her costume. Photo by Keira McGinty 3. Junior Alyza Heeb applies stage makeup onto junior Tyler Brackin. Photo by Keira McGinty

ODS

PHOTO FOCUS

he Woodsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

2 4

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