The Northwest Passage: Volume 55, Issue 8

NW PASSAGE

A LEGACY BUILT IN THE RING

A Trailridge boxer with dreams and hopes for the future pg. 12

EASY ACCESS

It’s easier than ever for Northwest students to obtain illegal substances pg. 16

DO IT ALL AGAIN

The varsity boys basketball team celebrates their State Championship title and prepare for the upcoming season pg. 19

Grace Rau

Greta Grist

Bella Alvarado

Alec Griswold

Kara Simpson

Ashley Broils

Bella Alvarado

Will Fandel

The purpose of the Northwest Passage is to relay important and interesting information to the community, administration and students of the Shawnee Mission Northwest High School.

As a news magazine, the Northwest Passage will cater to the interests and concerns of the student body. Outside concerns and activities will only be covered if they somehow affect the school or students.

The Northwest Passage is a news magazine. The paper will be distributed monthly. Subscriptions will be available to the community for $25.

The Northwest Passage firmly supports the First Amendment and opposes censorship. The content of the newspaper will be determined and created by the entire staff. When questions concerning word choice, legal problems or ethics arise, the editorial board and adviser will discuss the problem to find the solution. In these cases, the editor-in-chief and editorial board will have the power to make the final decision.

Letters to the editor will be accepted and encouraged. The staff reserves the right to edit for grammatical mistakes, length and good taste.

Letters may attack policy but not people. In no way will ideas or viewpoints be changed. The editor-inchief and editorial board reserve the right to refuse any letter.

ROBOTICS TEAM SET TO ATTEND WORLD COMPETITION NEWS

hit or bump into something,”

have put a lot of work into building and coding the robot and have run into many difficulties but we have overcome every issue.”

On March 9, the Robotics team was invited by FIRST Robotics to the World Competition in Houston, Texas from April 17-20.

Around a month before, the team was on the winning alliance at the qualifying Central Missouri Regional Competition.

Starting in September, the team began preparing for the CowTown Throwdown at Lee’s Summit High School, however the official season began in January. Once receiving the robot’s objective, which this year is to pick up 14 inch foam rings off the ground and then shoot them 7 feet into the scoring area, they could begin brainstorming.

“There’s a lot of physics involved in figuring out where we need to place the wheels and pick up the game pieces from different angles,” junior Venti Neaderhiser said.

According to Neaderhiser, the robot is made from an aluminum frame and many pieces are reused from previous years.

“We named our robot Ferb,” Neaderhiser said.

They began assembling Ferb towards the end of February.

Production went from the mechanical to the programming team, which handles coding.

Challenges they’ve faced this season include rethinking the intake design, space issues, and difficulty with electrical components such as wiring.

The cost to register the team in the competition is $6,000, however

additional travel expenses raises that total to an estimation between 15 and $20,000. Sponsor Sarah Frederickson is in communication with district officials and corporate sponsors to raise the funds. As of now, the team is concerned with packing spare parts and making adjustments to the robot.

Countries including Brazil, Japan, Israel and Australia will be participating in the competition. According to robotics club president senior Miles Cohen there’s an estimation of three to four hundred teams, which they will compete against in alliances (groups of 6). Cohen said there is one match happening at a time in one field during a “normal” competition. However, at Worlds due to the influx of teams there will be eight fields, meaning eight matches will be taking place at once.

The team has gone to Worlds in 2018, and qualified in 2020, which was canceled due to COVID regulations.

While members such as Cohen feel anxiety as the competition approaches, they continue focus less on the aspect of winning and more on participation.

“To go to Worlds is an opportunity that some robotics teams will never get to take,” Cohen said. “Our team started in 2007, and in the first ten years we never got the chance to go to Worlds. So this is really special.”

Junior Venti Neaderhiser and senior Dylan Paflas work on their robot March 21 in Room C. The robotics team worked on their robot, Fred, to prepare for the FRC Worlds competition. “I was working with the bumpers on our robot that protect [the] frame [for] when we

Neaderhiseri said. “We

photo by Jack Pische

Stories by Sofia Ball Design by Bella Alvardo

StuCo organizes talent show with no entry fee

Students tuned their guitars, adjusted their Converse and cleared their throats backstage before the Talent Show on March 19.

Co-chairs junior Luke Dent and senior Tad Lambert began planning the show in February with student leadership teacher Sarah Dent.

According to Sarah, the focus of the event was to showcase student talent, in that there was no competition like there has been in years past.

After designing flyers and social media posts, and collaborating with orchestra teacher Brittaney Wasko to reserve the room for auditions, the organization process ran relatively smoothly.

There were open auditions this year, meaning there were no sign-ups for a specific time slot. Initially, this made Sarah anxious.

“We just want people to show up and

audition,” Sarah said. “I was a little nervous about that process thinking, ‘What if nobody does show up?’”

“Thankfully,” they had six auditions on Wednesday March 6 and four on Thursday March 7. All ten acts that auditioned made the show with little to no concerns. There was a panel of around 5 students judging the auditions, including Dent and Lambert, who judged through a rubric consisting of stage presence, originality, skill and effort, each worth five points, 20 total.

“It worked better than I thought,” Sarah said. “The control freak in me would really like to [revert] back to sign ups next year because that feels more orderly. It’s hard for me to take a step back and [say], ‘I’m not running this, It’s their vision.’”

For the first time ever the talent show had no entry fee. In years past it was $2, two hygiene/canned food items or other donations. The reason for this was to attract

a larger audience which is reported to have substantially downsized post COVID.

Around 100 students, teachers, parents and other guests attended, which, according to Lambert, is slightly more than the previous year.

“Obviously we would love to have a full house,” Lambert said. “And we’ll see next year how we can get more people.”

Lambert and Dent plan to take a more hands on approach in terms of advertising the talent show next year. This includes emailing audition information to art and music teachers, utilizing social media or sending StuCo representatives to speak directly to the students in those classes.

“I think this year was an improvement on last year,” Lambert said. “And next year will be an improvement on this year. It’s exciting to bring this event back after COVID and see it grow.”

Singing an original song, senior Brett Charlton performs at the talent show March 19 in the Auditorium. The song was dedicated to his ex. photo by Ashley Broils

NO ONE’S LISTENING

The biggest time wasters in English class are socratic seminars

Socratic seminars are like the pageant scene from “Miss Congeniality”, despite the sashes, hair mousse and high heels.

It doesn’t matter if the book is “A Long Walk To Water”, an analysis of perseverance through the eyes of South Sudanese children, “Julius Caesar,” a conspiracy highlighting ambition or “Where The Crawdad’s Sing,” necessity and violence through a young girl’s perspective. As long as you mention “world peace,” you’ll receive a ten out of ten points in Canvas.

I’ve sat through Overland Park Development meetings, calls with Bank Of America associates over stolen credit information and Thanksgiving dinners where my aunt gives me the play by play of her camera roll.

None have tested my patience quite like hearing sophomores trying to verbally string together complete sentences.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m no Oprah or John F. Kennedy. My point is not to say that I’m any better, it’s to say socratic seminars are dumb.

I don’t know if it’s just that we’re too young, not fully developed or taught how to articulate a thoughtful response, but whatever it is, it’s not working.

And the more teachers try to force teenagers in a circle and attempt “critical thinking,” chances are all we’re thinking about are the car keys in our front pocket, the four hours of sleep we got the night before, or what flavor of energy drink we’re craving.

I’m so tired of hearing the same response reiterated 18 times, and,

what’s worse is they’re not really saying anything at all.

I can somewhat understand the “piggy backing off of” or “to add onto,” you do the least amount of damage for the most points. It’s still annoying, but everybody has to say it at some point.

What I can’t stand is the people who enjoy socratic seminars, who use them as a chance to make people hear their drab opinions, because if it wasn’t for a grade, no one would listen.

I know that sounds harsh, but it’s true. No one cares how smart you are, or how you interpreted this paragraph, because everybody’s just trying to get the participation and get out.

Plus, if a book has already been taught for hundreds of years, and both the language and concepts remain the same, how are a group of high school students on the eastern border of Kansas going to extract new meaning and apply it to the mitigation of modern day issues?

I agree that students need to expand on problem solving abilities, seeing different perspectives and communication skills, but forcing discussions on books people have no say in reading is not the way to go.

And if I have to endure ten more “like’s,” or “but’s,” or “umm’s,” followed by a statement of war is unnecessary, and everyone should be treated equally, real profound by the way, I may lose my mind.

Sophomore Sofia Ball sits in a Socratic seminar May 26 in Room 151. Photo by Claire Reed by Sofia Ball

design by Bella Alvarado

GONE TOO QUICK

Kids are being forced to grow up too soon

All my friends are playing on the court. Laughing, smiling and running. While I’m over here with my mom and my coach. He’s staring at her with a blank face, having absolutely no idea what she just said. She’s not even talking in a different language, he just can’t get through the accent. I repeat what she said and his face changes. Morphed with understanding and gratitude. I wish I could be playing with my friends instead.

Looking back, I feel like I missed out on being a kid. I missed out on post basketball game fun with friends. I missed out on the universal experience of getting more time with friends after a play date because your parents are still talking. Now I realize it’s not my fault. Kids are being ushered into growing up in lots of different ways. I had to grow up because I had to help my parents navigate a country they just moved to, however other kids are being forced to grow up because of many other reasons.

As technology advances and social media becomes more prevalent kids are being exposed to things much earlier than past generations. Kids having access to certain social media platforms where they see successful influencers acting, talking and looking a certain way makes them want to as well. An influencer does something that starts a trend then the masses start doing it as well. Kids see that and want to do it too.

Music is an example of this. We’ve all seen #teachertok and the pre-school teachers asking their students what their favorite song is and the kids proceed to sing songs with age inappropriate themes. Little kids are exposed to songs with mature themes and vulgar language and it’s passed off as cute.

Fashion is also an aspect of this. Growing up, we shopped at Justice and The Children’s Place. We wore our sibling’s and

cousin’s hand-me-downs and we looked our age. Now, however, we see little girls on TikTok in crop tops and mini skirts. We see little boys dressed up nicely with the caption saying, “he’s gonna be a heartbreaker.”

Social media and the acting industry play another role in this. There has been a rise in child actors and kid influencers the last couple of years. Acting and content creating are not harmful within themselves, however a common theme among the children in these industries is exploitation. For example, Nickelodeon star Jennette McCurdy wrote a memoir about her experience with exploitation while acting and Elliana Walmsey, a previous dancer on the show Dance Moms turned content creator has also spoken about her experience with exploitation. Since they’re minors, they cannot control their bank accounts, their contracts, etc. Because of this lots of adults see an opportunity to exploit their children for fame and money. Which then exposes the kids to harsh environments not suitable for children and at the end of it all they typically do not get all the money they made when they turn eighteen.

Some people say that they never wanted to do these things when they were younger. They call kids brats and obnoxious, that they’re spoiled. However, they didn’t have the same pressures that modern children have that make them want to.

Children are constantly being shoved away, and there used to be places for them to go. With no place to go, they go to their parents. However, nowadays no one wants to be around kids. So when parents need a break from their kids they shove a screen in their face, which starts the vicious cycle again.

Pouring sand, freshman Yohanna Ayana builds a sand castle March 28 at Pflumm Bichelmeyer Park. Photo by Finn Bedell

by Yohanna Ayana

High school doesn’t prepare us for the next chapter in life

Imagine yourself 10 - 20 years from now.

Do you see yourself using the pythagorean theorem, or finding it useful that the powerhouse of the cell is the mitochondria, or knowing that when Shakespeare writes ass he means donkey?

story by Jesus Lara Rivera

All three of these are things that you learn during your four years of high school in essential classes that are required by the state. In high school you’re forced to take four years of english, three years of math and three science credits. Throughout all these classes there are few things that you’re going learn that are going to truly help you succeed in life.

Classes like health, financial literacy, investing and economics are all semesterlong classes that can all benefit you in your future. Yet they are all cramped into a semester, forcing the curriculum to feel rushed and, at times, things are just breezed by. By giving these classes such a short period of time, almost nothing that is learned is truly retained by any student.

In schools, “often there is only superficial coverage of facts before moving on to the next topic,” the National Research Council said in their book How People Learn; “there is little time to develop important, organizing ideas.”

Now, adding more required classes wouldn’t do anyone any good, but the school system could fuse and refine others. Classes like math spend their time covering equations like slope and tangent, equations that most people will never use in their lives. After math, students might find themselves with a sheet or two of homework that only builds up as they go from class to class, absorbing information like sponges.

At the end of the day, the information they learn is maintained, but not permanently. What they’ve learned is kept in the back of their minds, slowly getting erased by the passage of time. Quizzes and tests lead

design by Cain Kempf

NOT REA Y

many students to cram information days before a major quiz or test, which doesn’t lead to much information actually getting learned.

Studies have shown that cramming normally leads to higher results the day of the quiz, but it also leads to information getting forgotten. According to the Washington Post, “much of what crammers forget, as they dive into the next semester, spacers tend to retain.”

Sadly, most classes don’t take the time to cover information enough to have students remember the details in the ways that are needed to remember and recall when needed.

According to the Harvard Business review, “if new information isn’t applied, we’ll forget about 75% of it after just six days.”

To stop this kind of behavior, classes need to be changed. For instance, fusing classes like math, financial literacy and investing would cut down the amount of work students need to remember. The fusion would consist of the best part of all the classes. For instance, by providing formulas that are more likely to help with real life situations like your taxes, the class can consist not just of basic math skills, but of things that will one day come in handy. Not only would this help students remember essential, life improving information for something like a quiz, but also for later in their lives.

The information that students are

A staff editorial is an opinion piece crafted by a single writer and voted on by the entire staff of the NW Passage. It is not an unbiased news article, but an opinion piece tackling a major issue. Here is how the NW Passage voted on this editorial.

required to learn should not just be for something as simple as a quiz, but for something bigger. After all, students spend seven years in elementary school, two years in middle school, and four years in high school and on average another four years in college. All these years should be worth something if students are going to spend so much time trying to learn it.

Schools should work to educate and prepare students to live full and productive lives. Students are constantly told to study, to learn this and that, and that one day they’ll be successful, yet the school system itself doesn’t necessarily prepare students for life, but sometimes just for more school.

The system needs to change for schools to fulfill their promise of success.

THE NEW SUMMER SP T?

A review on the new arcade of Shawnee, Kansas: The Rush Funplex.

by Bella Alvarado & Cain Kempf | design by Kennedy Woolf

RUSH FUN PLEX

Location: 13110 W 62nd Terrace, Shawnee, KS

Colored LEDS and Black Lights, this place is a kid heaven. Just walking in I felt like a kid again. The Rush Funplex is a mix of attractions and arcade games that can be accessed through attraction passes. The overall layout is crazy spacious and the lights add a fun touch to the building.This pass gives you unlimited access to the attractions for an allotted amount of time.

I personally think the 3-hour pass is the way to go. From claw machines to bowling, to go-karts, the Funplex has a ton of things to do. Customer service was incredibly friendly and super helpful when making decisions. Walking around, the general vibe is awesome. The lights from the arcade games and all the different music really set this fun mood, not to mention the huge foam pit this place has, with ropes and a rock wall.

The interior of the building is incredibly clean and super well-kept. The bowling alley and mini golf are really well made and super fun to play. After walking around the majority of the building, a dark mysterious hole caught my eye. “Go-Karts,” oh hell yeah. Walking into the section that

was completely unlit and led to the kart in the front of the line, strapping my seatbelt and waiting for the signal to hit the gas. The track is completely dark and the kart has headlights on the front. Driving around the first curve, the kart picked up its pace as the music began, and this thing was fast. Faster than I thought this kid’s gokart could go. The drifting ability of the slick floors and the wheels was such a fun experience and had to by far be my favorite thing this place had to offer. I went on it multiple times.

Across the building in the corner is a small little attraction of spinning bumper cars, sitting still with fun glowing lights. You walk through the gate and sit on these tall spheres and buckle up. You have two joysticks on both sides of you, that you use to turn and spin into the people around you, like bumper cars. Silly music places as you spin and bounce into everything in sight, right before you stop and everyone spins due to the random controls that go off throughout the ride. Definitely make sure to close your eyes so you don’t get super dizzy, but overall a super fun ride. The attractions are definitely worth a visit.

Photo by Claire Reed

Going into The Rush Funplex, like the name, gave me a rush of nostalgia back to being 8 years old running around Power Play, begging my dad to buy me one of those huge, dusty stuffed animals that hung from a hammock on the ceiling.

There were no stuffed animal hammocks, but the neon lights were back. It was incredibly spacious and being noon on a Saturday, we were the only customers there, adding to the eerie vacancy. However, we soon broke that awkward tension in the entire building by racing on the Go-Karts.

They definitely went faster than the old ones they used to have at the back of the building before The Rush Funplex occupied the space, going what felt like 25-35 mph. It was very dark, only lit by the occasional LED and Black Light, but it wasn’t fully dark at all. It felt like a city at night, racing away, drifting on each hard turn. We strolled around the massive building, walking through the “Around The World” themed mini golf course, passed the laser tag that was Wild West themed and to the foam pit.

It was weird to be in a foam pit that was clean. Not a single bite mark on any of the foam cubes and nothing was grimey. Give it a couple months and it will most likely get to that point, but the cleanliness added to my enjoyment. There was a ledge to jump into the pit, as well as ropes you can swing from, a rock wall you can scale adjacent to the pit and various vertical ladders to climb in the middle of the pit.

A bundle of arcade games scattered the central part of the Funplex, and we won 196 tickets by the end of just a few games. A small gift area was by the front check in, having about as many toys as a skating rink counter would have. It was a little sad, but I ended up happily purchasing a mini blue and gold glitter putty for around 30 tickets, which was fun to play with for about 10 minutes.

The bowling alley on the east end of the building was fully empty, and we had a lot of fun bowling in the neon light while “Toy Story 3” and “The Big Bang Theory” played on large projectors on the walls where the bowling pins sat. Behind the bowling alley was a

food court area, but it was yet to open and still in the process of being built and staffed. At the end of our bowling adventure, I lost 61-31. It was still extremely fun, though. By that point, almost 2 p.m., people began to flood into the building, and then we decided to call it a day.

Overall, The Rush Funplex was super fun! I will definitely be turning a lot this summer when it gets too hot to be outside. It’s a great way to pass your time, and relatively inexpensive. I spent 27 dollars and was able to ride any ride or bowl and play mini golf an infinite amount of times in 3 hours. Very worth the time and money.

Photo by Claire Reed

Photo by Claire Reed

A LEGACY BUILT

8th Grader Callista Ndubuisi holds her boxing championship belts March 28 at Turner Boxing Academy. Photo by Kara Simpson

IN THE RING

Trailridge boxer with dreams and hopes for the future

The bell rings. Two boxers rush to the middle of the ring. One in red and black and the other in white and pink. Eighthgrader at Trailridge Callista Ndubuisi, the boxer in red and black, throws the first — her opponent ducks and shifts to the right and then tries to deliver a heavy blow to Callista’s head.

The crowd goes wild. The Ndubuisi family — a family of 8, one of which goes to Northwest — cheer the loudest for Callista, but Callista Mbachu, her mom, cheers louder than any.

“Keep going!” Callista Mbachu shouts from the crowd. Callista and her opponent are in the middle of their brawl, taking quick and defensive steps to quickly end the fight. Two minutes later, a bell rings ending the first round.

“I’m going to beat you.” Callista said. “Either one of us is coming out on the street a winner or a loser, it’s 50/50.”

The bell rings and round two starts.

The boxer in white rushes to the center, throwing a jab at the lightning-fast Callista who swiftly rushes in. The two are locked in, Callista taking the charge, until the referee pushes in between them and points them back to their corners.

“End it! End it!” Callista Mbachu shouts from the side.

Callista listens as the referee counts down before giving them the to-go signal.

She rushes from the corner to the center, staying back as her opponent throws jab after jab trying her hardest to hit the vanishing Callista. With one opening Callista pushes her opponent back, getting a jab and a hook out on her opponent with lightning speed.

Her opponent is dazed and barely able to react to her punches. The match is stopped and Callista looks back at her family, with a smile of victory on her face.

“I’ve coached over 17,000 young people in this sport in the last 50+ years and none of them tougher and more determined than Callista Ndubuisi,” Coach John Brown said. “More importantly, Callista is also one of the nicest and caring young person, I have ever had the pleasure of coaching” ***

Five years ago.

The sound of leather gloves hitting the heavy bag ring throughout the yellow painted room, blue padded mats lay across the floor, and a nine year old Callista walks back and forth across the wooden plank hallway.

“I remember the first day,” Callista said. “Coach Tyler made us walk up and down the hallway practicing our footwork. We had to start at our roots to build ourselves up.”

Callista has been training for over five years now, she’s been walking up and down the halls of Turner Boxing Academy, trying her hardest to prepare to be the best. She’s been training non stop with her brother, Isaac Ndubuisi, a junior at Northwest and a boxer who has also won the national Silver Gloves tournament.

In her five years of training, Callista has won the tournament three times. Her first time winning Silver Gloves was not only her first tournament, but also her first real fight — a fight she won.

“It felt so good, because [my opponent’s] coach was trying to prove something, that she could do better and come back and beat me. But she didn’t.” Callista said.

story by Jesus Lara Rivera design by William Fandel

All this work, everything she and her brothers have done, is not just the product of pure chance — it is the effort of a dad who lost his own dream long ago.

Titus Mbachu started his career in Nigeria. Being a strong amateur boxer with high hopes, Titus moved to Atlanta, Georgia, to become the greatest boxer alive. His first real fight in the states led him to Jacksonville, Florida, days after the fight Titus was permanently injured in an accident.

Titus had gotten into a bicycle accident that broke his shoulder. For six months, Titus was stuck in recovery pushing himself to get back in the ring, sadly after months of waiting Titus picked up his gloves one more time, where he discovered that it hurt to box, it hurt to pursue his dream.

Titus had lost his dream, but it was not dead.

Titus kept pushing his dream, taping and recording every fight he could get his hands on, fights on HBO, ESPN, and even some fights on DVR videos. Titus would favor fighters like Mike Tyson, Evander

“ “

I’ve coached over 17,000 young people in this sport in the last 50+ years and none of them tougher and more determined than Callista Ndubuisi, - John Brown

Holyfield and Floyd Mayweather Jr. He kept these fights and held them dear to himself to one day show his children. A small action that would awaken his dream once again, but this time in the eyes of his children — Issac, Callista and Hudson. ***

Callista, much like her father, has high hopes for her future — she wants to be the champion. She doesn’t want the fame and riches that follow that title.

She wants the glory, the resolve and the confidence to be on top. Her dreams, fueled by not only her dad, but also by a pound for pound boxing champion, Claressa Shields, a boxer that Callista admires and adores like no other.

“I want to be like her,” Callista said. “No. I wanna be better than her. And I also want to meet her one day.”

Callista, who is now an 8th grader walking through the hallways of Trailridge, will soon walk through our halls along with her brother.

“If they [other students] know that [I’m a boxer], they just don’t like that but most like me.” Callista said. “They will come up to me and try to pull me down and try to fight me, knowing what I can do to them. So hopefully in high school it’s the same.”

EASY ACCESS

Northwest teen’s access to illegal substances is easier than ever

by Grace Rau | design by Greta Grist

When junior Ivy Adkins* was a freshman, she learned about a liquor store that wouldn’t check for IDs, and only upcharged people if they were underage. She heard about a gas station that sold vapes, pre-rolled blunts and didn’t card. Addiction is prevalent in Adkins’ family — her older siblings have struggled with it before — but she didn’t think it would strike her, too. Then, when she hit a low point in her life, she began isolating herself — and then turned to vaping. “You turn to it — I turned to it — to numb everything. And it worked,” Adkins said. “But it worked a little too well.”

Adkins was hooked, and it was almost too easy for her to continue.

For teens from Shawnee Mission Northwest and other schools in the Kansas City area, access to illegal substances like vapes, marijuana and alcohol is easier than ever due to weakened drug laws in Missouri, the prevalence of stores that don’t ID and of-age coworkers and friends willing to buy substances for teenagers.

For Adkins, she knew of places that wouldn’t check her ID, and of 21 year olds at her work who could legally buy her nicotine. She had tried quitting before, but with how easy vapes were for her to obtain, she could always go back to the very thing she was trying to distance herself from.

“There’s always a friend of a friend who knows someone, who knows someone, who knows of a gas station you can go to that doesn’t ID,” Adkins said.

Student Resource Officer Jason Frizzel says that the use of vapes and marijuana at Northwest has “absolutely” worsened over the past few years, and he believes

* Names changed to protect privacy

that the majority of substance use at Northwest goes undetected.

“I think it’s a big problem just because of the ease of access to it,” Frizzel said. “Especially vapes, since there’s not really much of a smell, they get away with it a couple of times and they see how easy it is, and it turns into a, ‘This is just what I do.’”

According to the Center for Disease Control’s High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey from 2021, 16% of American high school students regularly use marijuana , 18% currently use electronic vapor products and 23% regularly drink alcohol. The CDC also recognizes the use of marijuana, e-cigarettes and underage drinking of alcohol to have adverse effects of teen’s health. Though national rates of drug use among teens have remained relatively stable in recent years, overdose deaths have risen, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse.

Frizzel says that illegal substance use at Northwest is a pressing issue, and he

GRAPE STRAWBERRY

“I think it’s a big problem just because of the ease of access to it. Especially vapes, since there’s not really much of a smell, they get away with it a couple of times and they see how easy it is”

- Jason Frizzel

attributes the increase of student marijuana use to its legalization in Missouri. Northwest students’ close proximity to the Missouri-Kansas border makes it easier for them to obtain marijuana products by driving a short 20 minutes — only seven miles from Northwest — across the state border.

Cannabis — commonly referred to as marijuana or weed — was legalized for recreational use in Missouri on Nov. 8, 2022 and the first licensed sales or recreational cannabis occurred on Feb. 3, 2023.

The Department of Health and Social Services says that marijuana has brought in 1.7 billion dollars of revenue to Missouri since its legalization — a portion of which came from Kansas residents who crossed state borders.

“People do it all the time,” sophomore Joyce Birch* said about driving to Missouri to obtain substances. “Like, that’s what everyone does.”

In addition, students Birch and Adkins note that many stores that sell substances tend to not check for IDs. Even though recreational marijuana is legalized in Missouri, the law still prohibits anyone under 21 from possessing it. It is also illegal for anyone under 18 to purchase electronic vapor products or anyone under 21 to purchase alcohol in both Kansas and Missouri.

“A lot of Missouri-Kansas bordering stores don’t ID because they gain business from Kansas residents,” Birch said. “No one does fakes anymore. People find places that don’t ID, and people who are scared often have others go and buy it for them.”

Adkins said she didn’t think many teenagers use fake IDs anymore at all which — historically — is how many teenagers have accessed drugs and

alcohol. Now, students don’t even need to go through the hassle of getting a fake ID to get drunk or high.

“I think that [having a fake ID] is less common now just because gas stations don’t card anymore,” Adkins said.

Adkins also points out that people of legal age are often willing to buy substances for underaged teens.

You turn to it — I turned to it — to numb everything. And it worked, but it worked a little too well.”

- Ivy Adkins*

“I’d say 80% of the people I work with vape, or they smoke, or something,” she said. “So it’s always easy to just be like, ‘Oh, you’re 21. Could you go buy me this?’ And they don’t care.”

Shawnee Mission Northwest teacher alumni also say substance use at Northwest has worsened over the years.

“No one I knew did marijuana,” Michael Pisani, Northwest alumni from the class of 91 and environmental education teacher, said about his high school experience. “We just didn’t do that. And maybe because it’s become legal in places, it just seems like it’s part of the mainstream.”

Michael Scott, Northwest alumni from the class of 18 and intro to engineering and design teacher, thinks that vaping has become an increasingly large issue.

“I think vapes have significantly gotten worse, on a very, very large scale,” Scott says. “There were vapes [when I was in high school], but they were not commonly used by anyone in general, but especially by high schoolers.”

Scott also believes marijuana has become much more popular amongst Northwest students. He references the legalization of marijuana in Missouri as a factor that has encouraged its use amongst Kansas teens.

Shawnee Mission Northwest principal Lisa Gruman said she has not noticed an increase of substance use at Northwest, and that there are only “occasional violations” of school rules that prohibit vaping and smoking on school property.

“I’d have to say that prevalence [of substance use] is consistent or a little less than we’ve seen in past years,” Gruman said. “We just don’t know what goes on, what students are engaging with outside of school.”

Gruman and Frizzel can’t change legislation in Missouri that legalizes marijuana, nor can they enforce that

businesses always check IDs, but they are still trying to disincentive substance use among students. In the past year, Northwest has hosted the Keepin’ Clean for Coop fentanyl presentation to educate students on the dangers of the drug, and they hope that bringing similar talks to Northwest would help dissuade students from using illegal substances.

“It would probably work for about 60% of the kids,” Frizzel said. “But there’s a lot of kids that are just gonna do it regardless.” Gruman says bringing more speakers to Northwest would be beneficial.

“That’s something that we could talk with our student groups and talk with our building leadership teams about to determine what they think should be the next step,” Gruman said. “Maybe we periodically share that presentation with students and others that are of timely topics.”

In addition, Gruman cites social workers, Sources of Strength and a wide variety of clubs for students to be involved in as beneficial assets to preventing substance use at Northwest.

While that may help – there are still students like Adkins.

Adkins tried to quit vaping and threw away her vape, but withdraws hit her hard. She couldn’t sleep and failed two tests in school.

“Then I started doing it again just so I could have something to hold on to,” Adkins said. “Being able to say you want to quit is one thing, but being able to actually quit is another.”

Adkins says, in the end, there’s “no way” of stopping teens from vaping, smoking and drinking entirely, though she does think that there should be some safety measures to prevent the sale of laced pills.

“Teenagers have been drinking since the frickin’ earliest of times,” Adkins said. “They’ve always found a place to get it, whether there are places that card or not, whether they have a fake ID or not. But,” she said. “Maybe some limitations would do a little good.”

of high school seniors have at least drinks in a row when consuming alcohol 16.8%

Data from NCDAS

D IT ALL AGAIN

The varsity boys basketball team celebrates their State Championship title and prepare for the upcoming season

BUZZZZZZZZZZZZ

A red light illuminates the hoop rims, ending the final quarter. The boy’s varsity basketball team falls to the court and piles on top of each other in celebration. The stadium fills with cheers and yells from the crowd. On March 9 in the Charles Koch Arena, the Northwest Cougars made history. Each of the players, as well as Coach David Birch were in awe of the scoreboard. A glinting trophy was held high for all to see.

The work from 6 a.m. shooting drills, summer league, summer workouts and fall conditioning had come to fruition. “It doesn’t feel real,” junior Keaton Wagler said. “I’m speechless,” junior Van Collins said. “We got to finish what we started,” senior Vincent Nixon said.

“The win is everything,” junior Aiven Riley said. They defeated Wichita Heights High School 47-39, winning a State Championship title and finishing the season off with a pristine record of 25-0. “I don’t know if anybody ever expects to win all your games,” Birch said. “But the guys played really well and worked hard, so it feels good.” Their first game was against Saint Thomas Aquinas on Nov. 29, which they won 66-55. As the season progressed, they defeated notable opponents such as Shawnee Mission East, Springdale Arkansas — which is ranked 75th in the country — and North Kansas City. “I think one of the biggest differences was we didn’t have anybody miss [training] in the off season. We had everyone there for summer open gyms, showcases and tournaments. And when you have everybody there you get a chance to see what rotations [fit], who can play where and what style of game you struggle with. I think that was the help.”

Senior Gabe Hoskins yells at the cameras March 9 at Charles Koch Arena. The boy’s basketball team finished the season undefeated with a score of 47-39. “I was so proud of how far we came as a team and how much we grew throughout the season,” Hoskins said. “This group is going to do big things in life.”

Team members not only accredit their success to levels of talent and athleticism, but also to the culture. “What prompted [us to win was] was our ability to be unselfish,” Riley said. “Sometimes when you see good teams, the players all want to be great.” According to junior Tyler Salmon, this can look like passing up one shot for another in order to display the strength of the team rather than the individual player, emphasizing their motto “We Over Me.”

Despite their success, the team has faced obstacles, such as being scheduled back to back against formidable opponents, which Birch claims they will continue to experience due to their superior ranking in the upcoming season.

“There’s gonna be a target on our backs,” Salmon said. “Every team is going to come gunning for us, so we’re gonna have to keep on rolling and keep doing what we’re doing to stay on top.” The starting five will remain the same next November. This includes Wagler, Riley, Collins, Salmon and sophomore Ethan Taylor, all of which have already received college or Division-1 offers.

The Northwest Cougars boys varsity basketball team is officially the best in the state of Kansas. Their commitment, teamwork and mindset have contributed for months on end toward one common goal, and they achieved it.

This begs the question, “What now?” “We do it all again,” Birch said. Summer training for the team consists of open gyms and weight lifting for a couple hours Monday through Thursday starting June 3. Rather than to focus on the pressure, the Cougars gear up for practice once again and devise a new plan.

“It’s [stressful to win state], but we honestly feel like we can do it again,” Riley said. “If we just stay in the same mindset about selfishness and confidence. Teams are going to be coming for our necks a lot. Probably more than they were last year, but we’re ready for it.”

Photo by Kara Simpson

photo by Ashley Broils

design by Stella Miyares story by Sofia Ball & Kara Simpson

BASKETBALL STATE

BASKETBALL STATE

Driving past his opponent, junior Aiven Riley dribbles the ball March 9 at Charles Koch Arena. Riley starts as the shooting guard for the boy’s varsity basketball team. “There’s a lot of pressure [being on the starting five],” Riley said. “I’ve learned to play through the pressure.”

Celebrating as junior Keaton Wagler scores two points, boys’ varsity basketball players and coach David Birch cheer March 9. The team used a “We or Me” motto this year to support each other.

Photo by Kara Simpson

Photo by Kara Simpson

STATE IN PHOTOS

STATE IN PHOTOS

Celebrating their win, the Cougars pile on top of each other March 9 at the Charles Koch Arena. The Cougars won the Boy’s Basketball 5A/6A Kansas State Championship title against Wichita Heights High School.

“This win is everything,” junior Aiven Riley said. “I’ve been thinking about [winning state] since last year.”

Josia Taylor yells to junior Van Collins after the Boys’ Basketball team wins the state championship March 9. The SMNW Cougars won against the Wichita Heights Falcons 47-39. “I was so overcome with emotions and excited for the team,” Taylor said.

Photo by Ashley Broils

Photo by Kara Simpson

UNDER PRESSURE

Story by Emma Wyckoff

Designed by Kennedy Woolf

Two students dominate on the track because of their hard work, discipline and coaches

Junior Easton Volk is walking out of Shawnee Mission Northwest after school. He’s heading to the track. It’s Tuesday, a “hard day.” He already rolled out his legs with a foam roller before practice started. Volk and his friends start with a quick two miles to warm up. Now stretches. Everyone does the same basic stretches: leg swings, calf raises, back pedals, skips and arm circles, lunges and karaoke. He’s now running 400 meter intervals.

Start.

Finish.

Water.

Repeat.

The running’s over. But they’re not done. It’s a strength day. Now they’re hitting the weights. The sound of the weights clanking echoes throughout the room.

On Wednesday they do a quick core workout and knock out eight miles.

The day before his meet, he’s eating spinach ravioli for dinner after 800 intervals and more weights.

It all leads up to this.

Now it’s Friday. Meet day. Forty-five minutes before Volk’s favorite race, the 800 m, and he’s doing only a mile warm up and quad and hamstring stretches to prepare. He’s now on the track, doing 50 meters. Another 50 meters. And another 50 meters.

He already ate his peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He’s all set.

They’re lining up on the track. Seconds from the gun. “Trust your training,” he said to himself. “Just trust your training.”

Boom.

And they’re off. He starts off conservatively, saving his energy for the end. He’s thinking of it being over. What’s he going to eat after the meet’s over?

He’s only speeding up to pass people. One person. Two people.

Last 100 meters.

He’s smiling.

Coach always wants him to be smiling during races. “Even though it hurts a lot, smiling does help,” Volk said.

Think happy thoughts.

It’s almost over.

His pace has quickened and he’s racing for the finish line. 2:04.

He did it.

It’s the last race of the day. The 4x4.

Francisco Juarez is anchor. Alex Babler is rounding the track, carrying the baton. He’s in first place. Juarez is on his mark, on the tips of his toes as he watches him approach. He’s going to make sure he finishes first too.

Juarez has eaten rice and steak almost every night since December. Five days a week. Monday through Friday.

He’s worked on holding a long distance sprint pace in practice. And those hurt. But he just gets back on the line and does it again.

“At the end of the day, that’s what separates you from a champion. You wanna be up there with the dogs.”

But other than a snack this morning, he hasn’t eaten all day, or

else he’d get nauseous.

“I don’t like the idea of like food being in my stomach right before. I just don’t want that feeling. My mouth gets watery and, like, ick,” he said.

He already did his accelerators. He built up his speed to 70 and 80% of his energy, picking up his knees more and more, each step, hitting the ground harder and faster.

“We just come out the blocks, make sure that we like how it feels.”

He grabs the baton from Babler and shoots off down the track. He’s pushing 90-95% of his energy for the first 60 meters. And then he cruises on the back 100 meter stretch.

Hitting the 200 mark, he takes four hard steps.

Bang.

Bang.

Bang.

Bang.

Accelerating again, he slingshots out of the 300 curve and he’s praying to God until the end.

Just hold your form and pray for everything.

He can’t disappoint the coaches. They’ve put so much into him. He’s got to give back by giving them the time they want. He’s got to meet their expectations, and exceed them too.

“I think you could ask anyone,” Juarez said, “I dominate under pressure.”

Senior Francisco Juarez Nava and junior Easton Volk run in opposite directions March 29 on the track. Long distance and short distance runners have different forms they use when running.

Photo by Cooper Evans

ARTIST MIRROR IN THE

design by Cain Kempf

Can you separate the art from the artist?

Can you separate the art from the artist?

A few familiar names may come to mind when you read that increasingly familiar sentence, and you might assume that this article is all about Kanye West, J.K. Rowling or another controversial artist. Instead, I’ll be exploring this question through the lens of Micheal Jackson, H.P. Lovecraft, J.D. Salinger and my own personal experience.

Firstly, let me make something a bit clearer: I myself am an artist. Many hours of my free time are spent sketching, drawing and scribbling. As a person who’s constantly involved in making art, I have a unique, firsthand perspective on the creative process and the results it produces.

So I’ll cut to the chase. No, in no way do I think you can possibly separate the art from the artist.

Art is a mirror. It’s a reflection of the artist, a fragment of their being. Art is infused with the artist’s ideals and intertwined with their prejudices, whether consciously or unconsciously.

Most artists draw inspiration from their creations from within themselves. Singers produce songs about their own struggles, artists paint the world through their eyes, writers create characters that share their personality traits.

Think about it this way: you cannot separate a person from their words, thoughts or actions. Those are the very things that make them.

People — artists or not — must be held accountable for their actions.

And creating art is an action. It’s taking a piece of one’s self and fashioning it to fit your vision. They are inseparable. To say that art and artists are not inherently intertwined is to devalue all the work an artist puts in to hone their craft.

So where does it leave us? How are we supposed to feel about the foundations of modern art that were built by flawed people?

Let’s take a look at the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson. Jackson is widely attributed with defining pop music as we know it, but he was also charged with child sexual abuse allegations several times in his career, as well as posthumously.

Many modern-day music artists draw inspiration from Jackson. After all, his music built the foundation for pop. Can

that be done ethically in light of his allegations? Does that mean we must discredit all pop music, period?

What about writing? H.P. Lovecraft is known as the Father of Modern Horror and even has a whole horror subgenre — Lovecraftian horror — named in his honor. Yet Lovecraft believed in white supremacy and admired Adolf Hitler.

Much of modern horror is built off of Lovecraft’s work. But should all horror that draws inspiration from his works be villainized?

Of course not. Both Jackson and Lovecraft are embedded into our modern world, and no dosage of cancel culture will undo that. It is impossible to deny that many individuals of great skill helped shape our society while still holding deepseated, incredibly harmful ideas.

Racism, abuse, antisemitism, sexism and xenophobia appear prominently in more than a few notable artist’s lives. An artist’s prejudices and unsavory actions should be readily discussed, especially in the context of education.

J.D. Salinger — the author of “Catcher in the Rye,” a book that is read in many high schools across America — had a relationship with an 18-year-old girl when he was 53 years old, as well as pursuing other relationships with young girls later in life.

This is not to say that “Catcher in the Rye” should be banned from all bookshelves as cancel culture would suggest, but that when teens are taught “Catcher in the Rye” in high school, they should be encouraged to engage in discussion about how Salinger’s objectionable actions may have affected his writing.

Although we cannot remove an artist from their art, we can view their work through a filtered lens — while we read, listen, watch, study or look at their art, we should keep in mind what harm may have been inflicted upon others to make it and what harmful ideas might be hidden below its surface.

Art is a mirror, and separating the art from the artist is like trying to run from your reflection — it’s impossible.

A WORTHY COWBOY?

A review on Beyoncé’s new album: “COWBOY

CARTER”

story by Bella Alvarado & Cain Kempf | design by Greta Grist

AMERICAN REQUIEM

This album opens with amazing vocals, showing Beyoncé’s strong and bold voice. The chorus echoes with a nice tone, and the multiple tone changes and instrumental is an interesting start to the album. Her vocals are perfect for this tone of the song, however, the multiple tone changes throw me off, overall a decent start to this album.

BLACKBIRD

The original song “Blackbird” by the Beatles is now covered by Beyoncé and Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Reyna Roberts and Tiera Kennedy. The beautiful chorus of voices do this song justice, a great accomplice to this album.

16 CARRIAGES

Beyoncé sings about her dreams running away, showing her vulnerability in her life as she sings with so much emotion in her voice. She shows her struggle and strife through life in the lyrics, repetitive, but to emphasize these emotions. A solid song.

PROTECTOR

Her daughter Rumi opens this song with, “Mom, can I hear the lullaby, please?” A sweet little girl’s voice is followed by the

instrumental of a guitar, and Beyoncé’s vocals shine through this song, talking about being her daughter’s protector even when she learns to shine on her own. A gorgeous song of a mother’s nurture and love.

MY ROSE

Opening with a chorus, this song is a small pause in the album. The 53-second snippet right after “PROTECTOR” almost feels as if this is the lullaby her daughter Rumi asks for in the beginning of the song. An abrupt, but not horrible change.

SMOKE HOUR * WILLIE NELSON

Another break in the album is the sound of the shuffle of an old radio, as if this is Willie

Nelson’s radio show. The sound of a lighter and puff of smoke as our radio hosts, telling us this next tune, to find our good place that our mind wants to wander off to.

TEXAS HOLD ‘EM

Released as a single before this album, I listened to this on Spotify shuffles and radios for days. To say it became annoying would be a false statement. Even as repetitive this song became, I would still find myself doing the dance I saw on TikTok. This song was overplayed in the span it was out, but it was absolutely catchy, and I hummed this song for days as if I was permanently engraved in my brain.

Photos courtesy of beyonceonline.org

BODY GUARD

A head bobbing song, with nice and smooth vocals and a lovely chorus, which Beyoncé always seems to do so perfectly every time. The riffs in her voice flow effortlessly into the instrumental, solid.

DOLLY P

This small break opening with Dolly Parton, “Hey miss Honey B, it’s Dolly P. You know that hussy with the good hair you sing about?” before the opening to the next song, “JOLENE.”

JOLENE

A cover of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene,” Beyoncé’s rendition of this song is such a fun change in the album. Her added lyrics paint almost her own experience of “Jolene.” I love this cover.

DAUGHTER

Opened with a beautiful guitar Beyoncé’s voice enters with a somber expression, almost as if this is mysterious. These vocals feel almost opera-ish to me. This song shows her strength and ability to do whatever it takes, even to those who cross her. This song is vulnerable and incredibly well-written, a solid change of pace.

SPAGHETTI

Opens very abruptly, Linda Martell states how genres are a “funny little concept,” which we can tie to the general overview of this album. This is an explanation of this new genre change which many speculated and had strong opinions about. This song doesn’t open like the rest, it’s super

strangely upbeat. The opening goes crazy. Beyoncé raps this, explaining how no matter the genre change she is being true to herself, and she will continue making these changes and not becoming that “Plain Jane.”

ALLIGATOR TEARS

The rhythm loses me with this one, I am not exactly a fan of this song in particular, but the vocals are nice.

SMOKE HOURS ||

We are met with Willie Nelson once again as he puffs his cigar. He gives us a small speech as we go into the next song.

JUST FOR FUN

This song is slow and somber. Featuring Willie Jones in this song, Praying to bluebirds, Beyoncé’s voice is the perfect amount of tone for this tempo, a decent song.

|| MOST WANTED

Featuring Miley Cyrus, both voices blend into each other seamlessly. This match truly works better than I expected, a solid song.

KEVII’S JEANS

Featuring Post Malone, this is yet again another example of two voices matching seamlessly. This song reminds me of newer country music recently, mixing rap and country, and I like it. This song is pretty catchy, and, yet again, solid.

FLAMENCO

Not my favorite, but still solid. .

THE LINDA MARTELL SHOW

Linda Martell opens for the next coming song, we are taken as if we are in the room with her, hearing the cheers in the track.

YA YA

This song is super upbeat and catchy, absolutely boot scooting. I couldn’t keep myself from tapping my foot to the rhythm as Beyoncé’s voice is loud and bold. A great song addition to this album.

OH LOUISIANA

Small break in the album.

DESERT EAGLE

Opening with an eagle call and funky rhythm. Solid.

RIVER DANCE

Smooth vocals and fun instrumental, decent.

|| HANDS || HEAVEN

Slow and sweet, decent.

TYRANTS

Featuring Dolly Parton, this song is a sweet country rhythm broken by a hard bass beat. A solid mix of rapping and smooth vocals, this song is a great break in the album and I enjoyed it.

SWEET * HONEY * BUCKIN *

Catchy and nice rhythm, the different beats in the back work pretty well, overall a solid song.

AMEN

The end to a solid album, “AMEN” is a slow started, gorgeously sung song. Beyoncé’s vocals absolutely shine in this song, her tone is perfect and a great ending.

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

This album is a solid 6/10, I love that Beyoncé has taken this new endeavor into country and absolutely killed it. This album was pretty good and definitely worth the listen, I would recommend it.

1. Celebrating winning the state basketball championship, junior Tyler Salmon cuts the net off of the basketball rim March 26 in the Main Gym. Cutting the net off of backboards is a common celebration that state or regional champions participate in. “This was my first time cutting the net,” Salmon said. “It felt great to keep something that had such a big significance to our school and team.”

MONTH IN MONTH IN

3. Handing off the baton to freshman William Riekenberg during a relay, freshman Camden Patterson sprints March 22 at Blue Valley High School. Relay runners run two laps around the track before trading off. “You have to hold it in your right hand and you have to hold it on the bottom,” Patterson said.

Photo by Finn Bedell

2. Junior Rodney Ferguson tags out a SM North player March 22 at 3&2 Fields. The Cougars won against the Bisons 6-5. “It was a good win we had to battle the whole game to bring home the win,” Rodney said.

Photo by Ashley Broils

Photo by Cooper Evans

1.

2.

3.

IN PHOTOS IN PHOTOS

6. Spraying the

6. Kicking the ball through an opponent’s legs, sophomore Jennifer Portuguez pushes towards the goal March 20 at De Soto High School. Portuguez plays as a forward on the C team. “Getting the ball and scoring is my number one priority as a forward, so I always have to think one step ahead of my opponent,” Portuguez said. Photo by

5. Senior Ella Jones takes a breath March 27 at Summit Trails Middle School. Jones’ favorite stroke is the butterfly. “Every swimmer usually finds ‘their’ stroke naturally,” Jones said. “[The butterfly] is just what works for me.”

4. Singing “In a Moment’s Time” by Michiru Yamane, senior Lina Herbst performs at the Talent Show March 19 in the Auditorium. Participants were able to choose what their act was. “I chose that one because it’s my favorite to sing while I’m home alone or cleaning,” Herbst said. Photo By Ashley Broils

Cooper Evans

Photo by Cooper Evans

4.

5.

5.

crowd with bubbles, a Northwest student jumps in front of the DJ table March 22 at Shawnee Mission North. Latinos of Tomorrow hosted the Noche de Baile dance for the whole Shawnee Mission School District at Shawnee Mission North for the first time. Photo by Cooper Evans

N W P N W P

“

Senior Adam Vogel performs at the talent show March 19 in the Auditorium. Vogel sang “Rain in My Heart” by Frank Sinatra.

I picked [Rain in My Heart] because it’s a song I’ve been able to relate to the lyrics and sing it as loud as I can.

“

-senior Adam Vogel

Photo by Ashley Broils