NW PASS ISSUE 5
DECEMBER 14, 2023
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VOLUME 55
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LITTLE STALL OF
HORRORS
Staffing issues and students poor treatment of restrooms at Northwest cause issues to arise p. 9
MORE THAN
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A lot of people think they know senior Kristina Keys, but they don’t p. 19
NW PASSAGE Issue 5 December 14th, 2023 Vol. 55
TABLE OF CONTENTS
OUR PASSAGE
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-in-chief and editorial board reserve the right to refuse any letter.
03 OBITUARY NEWS 05 NEWS BRIEFS NEWS 06 STARTING SOMETHING NEW SPORTS 07 PERSEVERE SPORTS 09 LITTLE STALL OF HORRORS FEATURE 10 COLUMNS OPINION 12 WORTH THE TEARS FEATURE 14 WORD SEARCH ENTERTAINMENT 15 SWINGING INTO GREATNESS FEATURE PUBLICATION OVERSIGHT 19 MORE THAN ENOUGH FEATURE CONTENT MANAGEMENT 22 MONTH IN PHOTOS Editor-In-Chief
Izak Zeller
Copy Editor Design Editor Photo Editor Photo Editor co-Social Media manager co-Social Media manager
Sofia Ball Greta Grist Ashley Broils Kara Simpson Ashley Broils Bella Alvarado
WRITERS
DESIGNERS
Grace Rau Zia Carter Emma Wycoff Jesus Lara Rivera
Bella Alvarado Kennedy Woolf Stella Miyares Will Fandel
ADVISER
Chris Heady Illustration by Greta Grist
@smnwdotcom
NW Passage
news | 03
photo courtsey of Eric Adams
SENIOR DEMARCUS HOUSTON
REMEMBERED AFTER DEATH Senior Demarcus Houston will be missed after passing away on Nov. 16. Houston and two others were rushed to the hospital after being shot in Kansas City, MO, two miles from the Kauffman Stadium. Only one other victim was expected to survive. Houston’s services were held on Saturday, Dec. 9, at Community Covenant Church, concluding a funeral, as well as a viewing from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.. “We are deeply saddened by the loss of Demarcus,” principal Lisa Gruman said in an email. “We remember the
kindness he shared throughout our community. Death is always difficult to handle, especially the loss of someone so young. Our senior class and community experienced another loss this summer, and this tragedy may prompt a wide array of emotions.” Houston may have deemed quiet in the classroom, however he cared deeply for his loved ones and held a special place in the hearts of those who knew him. His humor, his strength and his kindness will be fondly remembered. Students may visit the main
office from 7:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m, no appointment needed if they wish to talk to a social worker or counselor. If they need to talk to someone outside of those hours, Gruman encouraged them to use the 988 National Hotline for management of mental health, and crisis situations.
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NW Passage
news | 05
COMMUNITY MEMBERS PROTEST RACIST ASSAULT SM East student charged with felony after punching black student while using racial slur story by Sofia Ball
On Dec. 4, concerned community members gathered to speak at the Board of Education meeting in the Center for Academic Achievement (CAA), to expand on the negligence of Shawnee Mission East administration in handling the battery of black sophomore Brey’Anna Brown by a white student. SME students attended wearing masks with duct tape over the mouth, with phrases like “have our backs” or “am I next” written over with red marker. Just four days before, a protest was held at the CAA to further oppose the assault. Fourteen East students also close friends of Brown, teamed with the KC Defender, a digital newspaper covering racial issues and the Black Student Solidarity Network to organize a peaceful protest. A group of about 70 people, holding signs demanding action to protect students of color, shouted “If not now then when? If not you then who,” as speakers with megaphones explained the injustice along with a list of demands, including mandatory cultural competency for administrators, establishing transparent accountability and revising the Zero-Tolerance policy. According to Brown and confirmed in a video leaked to the KC Defender, after confronting a fellow student at lunch for calling her friend a slave, a white East student yelled “shut the f-up,” dropped his backpack, rapidly approached and pushed her while using the N-word. They then exchanged punches, which led Brown to sustain a broken nose. Brown says she was held in the main office for two hours before her parents were alerted of the situation, then faced a five day out-of-school suspension.
Shawnee Mission East sophomore Brey’anna Brown and her family get interviewed Nov. 30 at the Center for Academic Achievement. Brown, her family and the community were protesting against the racism that Brown encountered at SM East. “I feel like this situation should have never made it to this point,” Brown’s father, Shaun Brown Sr. said. Photo by Ashley Broils
In an interview, Brown stated that she felt she was accused of starting the fight from the Shawnee Mission East administration and an onset of blame made her angry. The East student has been charged with felony with one count of aggravated battery, and has also been suspended, though Brown does not know for how long. According to the Kansas City Star, court records show that the East student has a past of violence after being charged with two felonies and a misdemeanor in a separate case from June. The Shawnee Mission Post stated that a court hearing was scheduled for Dec. 6. In an emotional interview conducted by FOX4, Brown expressed her fear for returning to school. “I don’t feel safe enough to go back, where this could happen again and next time it could be worse.” Before the protest, a school walkout at East happened during 4th hour, Nov. 27. Currently, students and administrators are at a standstill as to what the next move is.
SAVED BY THE BELL On Nov. 28, Principal Lisa Gruman attended a faculty meeting at the CAA, where they discussed an amalgam of issues affecting the district, more specifically the possibility of a change in the bell schedule. Due to an overwhelming negative response from students, parents and faculty, district cabinet members made the official decision to continue the current bell schedule. The Director of Assessments, Daniel Gruman, created a survey as to whether there should be a permanent shift from having all seven hours on Monday and a mixture of odd and even blocks throughout the week to having three seven hour and two block days, with the prospect of eliminating seminar. The results of the poll were responses from 265 students, 204 parents and 83 teachers. Most responded negatively. Students argued that shorter class time could increase
The district proposed a new bell schedule
homework, shorten deadlines and test time which creates a stressful learning environment. The point was also made for science classes that longer periods prove to be beneficial for physical labs. However, some disagree. “I really like seeing everybody. I get the variety of all different types of people, whether I enjoy them or not.” Senior Cain Kempf said. “There’s this, this vibe with all seven days that makes it feel like high school. It almost gives more of like a college vibe because of how long [block schedule days] are.” While unlikely, there’s still a chance for a future change in the bell schedule, or periodic check-ins from the district to generate formal feedback. story by Sofia Ball & Emma Wyckoff
design by Greta Grist
starting something
06 | sports
NEW
It’s a Thursday afternoon after the bell has rung and most students have climbed onto the buses and headed home. The halls of Shawnee Mission Northwest are nearly silent. Yet Room M bursts with conversation, and life. The room is full, nearly every seat filled by high school boys. It’s the first meeting of the boys’ volleyball club. Senior Bryan McKee stands at the front of the room, the founder of the boys’ volleyball club. “I didn’t expect there to be this many people,” McKee said with a laugh. McKee has wanted to play volleyball since he was in middle school at St. Joseph. But St. Joseph and Northwest both didn’t allow boys to play, and joining a club volleyball team came with too big of a price tag. So McKee decided to take matters into his own hands and started the push for boys’ volleyball at Northwest. Currently, the Kansas State High School Activities Association, KSHSAA, does not recognize boys’ volleyball as a sport. Northwest falls under KSHSAA. Because of this, boys’ volleyball must be classified as a club, not a sport. McKee had to go through the Kansas City High School Boys Volleyball League to make the volleyball club. Shawnee Mission East, St. James Academy, Blue Valley, Blue Valley North, Blue Valley West, Blue Valley Northwest, St. Thomas Aquinas, Bishop Miege and more all have registered boys’ volleyball teams. “My vision for the club is just to have fun,” McKee said. “But the purpose of the club in general is to get [boys’] volleyball recognised as a KSHSAA sport.” Northwest students began the push
Dec 14, 2023
Boys volleyball is becoming a club at Northwest story by Grace Rau design by Will Fandel
for boys volleyball last year, but were unable to successfully begin it as a sport. Starting this spring, the Missouri State High School Activities Association, MSHSAA, is sanctioning boys’ volleyball as a sport. The Kansas City High School Boys Volleyball League hopes Kansas will follow suit in the next few years. “We are encouraging more Kansas schools to form boys’ volleyball teams as a club activity within their school,” said Chris Brandt, the boys’ program director for the Kansas City High School Boys Volleyball League, in an email response. “When there are a larger number of schools who offer boys’ volleyball as a club program, KSHSAA will then hopefully start considering sanctioning boys’ volleyball.” KSHSAA did not respond to requests for comment. According to McKee, the reaction to the boys’ volleyball club has been overwhelmingly positive. “People’s faces light up and they’re like ‘Oh my god, that’s so fun,’” McKee said. “Everyone was so surprised that boys’ volleyball was actually going to be a thing in school,” sophomore Sam Condori said. Condori has played club volleyball for three years and wants to become a member of the boys’ volleyball club at Northwest. Enough people showed up to the first meeting that McKee thinks they’ll need to make two teams, one competitive and one recreational. Because it’s a club, there are no cuts and everyone who wants to play will get to play. “I love this sport,” junior Eli Taylor said. Taylor, who also plans to join, has played club volleyball for three years. “I think it’d be great if other people could begin to love it. I
“Everyone was so surprised that boys’ volleyball was actually going to be a thing in school,” - Sam Condori
think it is the best way to get into [volleyball] because it’s not as expensive as playing club.” “Join boys’ volleyball,” Condori said. “Come to the games. It’s gonna be so fun. I’m so excited.”
PERSERVERE NW Passage
sports | 07
story by Sofia Ball Despite the first loss the lady cougars work hard in design by Will Fandel implementing success The Lady Cougars lost their first game of the season, on Dec. 9,
against Olathe North, 39-20. However spirits run high as ever, both on and off the court. Junior Gabriella Jackson scored a three pointer in the first six minutes of the game, breaking the tie of 2-2. However the Eagles made a comeback during the second quarter and the lady cougars invariably fell behind for the remainder of the game. Official practice began on the third week of November, but the team has been putting in work since the start of summer. “All the work that we’ve put in, all the unrequired work over the fall and summer will hopefully take us over the hump and get us back to in the state tournament,” coach Tyler Stewart said. Practices are five to six days a week, estimating two, to two and a half hours. The varsity girls basketball team works on shell, shooting and passing drills. One of the biggest excitements among players is getting to compete as well as implementing and improving on new strategies. “I think girls basketball games don’t get [a lot of attention],” Davis Junior Gabriella Jackson evades an opponent player said. “But if a lot of the Northwest community could get a student Dec. 8 at Olathe North. The Cougars lost to the Olathe section going, that’d be a lot of fun because I think the girls’ team has North Eagles. Photo by Cooper Evans as much skill as, or can put on as good of a show as the boys can.” Their next home game is on Dec. 15, against Olathe East in the Main Gym at 5:30 p.m..
ANOTHER ONE The boys varsity basketball team brings home the second win of the season The Varsity Boys Basketball team starts the season off strong with their second win of the season against Olathe North 75-68. Their first game was against another highly ranked opponent, Saint Thomas Aquinas on Dec. 1, where they came ahead by 11 points. Practices are every day after school when there isn’t a game, from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m., where coach David Birch works with the players on going over plays, defensive drills and individual skill work. The team strives to maintain positive
“Just go out there and beat em’ by double digit points,” - Van Collins
attitudes and motivation. “It’s the goal every year to win a State Championship,” senior Van Collins said. “But this year I think we can win it.” Strong intensity, experience and connections among players has gathered college attention and offers from coaches across the country According to Collins the Cougar mindset is to “just go out there and beat em’ by double digit points.” Generated excitement among fans brings high hopes for their next home game against Olathe East on Dec. 15, which takes place in the Main Gym at 7:00 p.m.
Sophomore Ethan Taylor shoots a basket Dec. 1 in the Saint Thomas Aquinas Main Gym. Taylor is a sophomore playing on the varsity team. “We’re definitely really close,” Taylor said. “I think that contributes to us being a better team then last year.” Photo by Andie Berg
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09 | feature
NW Passage
LITTLE STALL OF
H RR RS
Staffing issues and students poor treatment of restrooms at Northwest cause issues to arise A sixth hour APUSH student raises their hand to go to the bathroom. It could be to actually use the bathroom, probably to blow their nose, but most likely to text their friends. Either way it doesn’t matter, because instead of being met with order, they’re faced with chaos. “I think they need a lot of work,” junior Sophia Jackson said. “A lot of the soap dispensers don’t [function] like at all. You have to reach all the way across the sinks to get them. Or you just have to go all the way around to the other side. A lot of the locks are broken off the stalls so sometimes I’ll forget and I’ll walk in there for nothing. None of the paper towel dispensers work. And they smell a lot of the time, which I know is something no one can really control.” In a survey posted on Instagram by The Northwest Passage, 49 out of 50 students said they viewed the cleanliness of the bathrooms negatively, specifically toward the women’s bathrooms. However according to head custodian, John Cole, there aren’t any female cleaning staff to take care of restrooms in the afternoons. “On that note we of course work with administration to lock down a restroom when a disaster occurs,” Cole said in an email. “But general cleaning throughout the day just isn’t feasible currently and all restrooms are checked for cleanliness every morning before students arrive.” Even so, problems within school restrooms have repeatedly arisen after lunch hours. Meaning from 11:30 to 3:00 students could go without soap, toilet paper, paper towels or menstrual products. “I feel like it’s always been going on, but now that the private restrooms were open it’s gotten a little bit worse,” junior Cynthia Lopez Mendez said. “People don’t flush. Sometimes there’s writing on the wall, I’ve seen fluids. It’s disgusting.” Cynthia also describes having friends who are germaphobes and feel uncomfortable using the
restrooms at Northwest, waiting until the bell rings to go home, which can lead to discomfort. That being said, janitors and custodians are given the impression each day that the physical state of the bathrooms are their full responsibility, insinuating that they are at fault for the gross misconduct of students. Reports, especially from the boys restroom, depict students throwing lunch contents, apple juice and spitting gum on the floors and or walls. “I think they’re pretty run down, there’s not a singular lock that works in the entire school, from what I’ve discovered,” junior Gustin Teschendorf said, somewhat sarcastically. “Um, yeah, no soap, paper towels all over the floor. Some guys think they’re more confident than they are and they miss either the urinal or the toilet. A lot of people just think it’s funny to do random stuff and make a disaster of it.” Teschendorf also said that male students will apply soap to paper towels and smack the backs of other students with it, cover the restroom with a long strip of paper towel or leave excess amounts of toilet paper in the stall. “I go there maybe once every three weeks and I see all these things,” Teschendorf said. Cole couldn’t be reached for further comment. Principal Lisa Gruman states that a reason for lack of soap may result from lack of cleaning up dispensing parts including the possibility of cleaning crews missing items on the checklist, however administration poses a possible solution to the issue. “If there’s still an issue throughout the day, then we’ll find a way to close those so a custodian can get into them to update the soap [and address other issues],” Gruman said.
design by Kennedy Woolf story by Sofia Ball
10 | opinion
Dec 14, 2023
walk it OFF
Struggling with sports injuries have diminished myself confidence
story by Bella Alvarado design by Will Fandel
February 4th, 2022. myself feeling left out, not purposefully. This wasn’t my The hospital room is tense, I’m tense. I lay in a bed with fault. I’d sit and watch and wish I was playing, my stomach the hospital gown, absolutely unprepared. My heart beats would always ache doing it. I wanted to be out there faster, the nurse looking at me with sympathy, my face feels I wanted to walk this off. heavy. The drug calms my body, but not my mind. The hours From cast to boot, I finished my 8th grade year on feel like minutes. Before I truly know what’s happened, I’m crutches. Making a recovery by August of the next school wheeled back. year just in time for volleyball. I realized that with the new The air is cold, their hands are cold. “Count down from 10 found screw in my foot it really limited my mobility, tryouts with me.” came with excitement. I made the team and practice started 10, I’m freaking out. fast. Monday through Friday. Monday to Thursday from 3-6, Nine, my IV is touched, I look to see the anesthesiologist. fridays 6:00 a.m. practice. The fun didn’t last for long, I felt Seven. myself becoming incredibly exhausted, having to ice my Three. foot after games and practices, sometimes having to sit out. Sting. What was wrong with me? This is what I wanted and it The doctor comes back with a wheelchair, the door looked like I wasn’t putting forth any effort. swings open and I’m asked to sit down. I looked sloppy. “Where am I going?”-”X-ray room.” Sloppy, I looked sloppy. I My heart drops. The X-ray room, why? continuously questioned myself and There’s no way I broke it..right? my own athletic ability, my drive. I was wrong. If I can’t even run for the ball, what good The smell of rubbing alcohol am I for the team? stung my nose as I tried to not freak Why even play at all? out under the uncomfortable lead Three appointments later I’m vest. The scan moves down my leg, released, my bone not fully healed. taking a picture. The doctor makes Me, not confident in my own healing an audible hum, the scanner moves, abilities. I was finally ready to get back his face changing with every picture. on my feet. I’m wheeled back to my mom. “She Crack. has a fracture,” I felt my heart falling “You re-opened the fracture.” deeping into my stomach. “I would My doctor said. All of my work for recommend surgery.” nothing. I snap back to reality. What am I doing here again? All of the My healing journey has gone on negativity finding its way back to me, for almost three years now, and with eating me alive. I left the office quiet, my injury many underlying health I had no words to say. That’s it, I think Benched, sophomore Bella Alvarado sits conditions as well. to myself. I missed soccer in the spring out Nov. 30 in the Aux Gym. Photo by Sidra I found out I was vitamin D, Iron and Sakati of my freshman year, now I’m going to calcium deficient. miss volleyball my sophomore year. I was put onto D3 and K2 supplements What am I doing, if I’m not playing as quickly as I saw the orthopedic doctor. sports what am I good for? The negativity associated with Months go by before my second appointment. The this fracture ruined my perspective on myself, I constantly results were always negative, no bone growth, we cast. It doubted my drive, my abilities and my work ethic. I felt was a cycle. Uncomfortable cast off, no growth, recast, more sloppy, I felt lazy. I wanted to walk it off. supplements, no fun whatsoever. I missed my spring soccer I can’t just walk this off, walking hasn’t helped. I learned season my first year with my injury, occasionally coming that my negativity was keeping my health from coming to support my team if I could even crutch my way onto back together. If I was gonna walk it off, it would take one the damp grass fields. Sitting on the bench I’d always find step at a time.
BREATHE NW Passage
opinion | 11
Juggling honors classes, extracurriculars, home life, college prep, and more–on a deadline story by Zia Carter
My hands reached for the fourth monkey bar–green and wet from the rain. In mid-air, I was confident. I knew I had reached it before. “No, look, I can!” I had said. And all of a sudden, every 3rd graders’ eyes were on me. It was a game of pride. Everyone wanted to see who could skip the most monkey bars and still cross to the other side. It showed your capability, it showed you off. And three bars was the most anyone had ever skipped. I was excited. My tiny 8-year-old palm reached, latching on… And I slipped. With a thud, my back hit the bottom of the playground. My tiny palms were scratched from the dirt and rubber chips. I forced myself to stand, quickly, so the others couldn’t soak in my embarrassment. “I’m okay, I’m okay,” I wanted to say. But I realized as I sucked in a breath to say it– I couldn’t breathe. *** I can’t breathe. My eyes threatened me with tears in the middle of lunch. I wasn’t even eating because there was work to be done. Besides, they weren’t allowing food in the loft anymore. I took my eyes off my to-do list for once and reached for my iPhone. My fingers scrolled until I found my dad on iMessage, grasping the idea that he of all people could do something to make the workflow stop. It was Wednesday and I had three assignments due in my government class before the test on Friday. Stories were due for the Newspaper, there was overdue work in Latin 2, and I couldn’t even begin to think about IB English. I was currently working on an assignment for AP CSA, a coding activity that I was completely confused about and was due in less than an hour, the church’s social media which I manage has only posted once this week, I love my family, and my church, although there’s just no time to hang out every other evening. But wait, that’s not even all of it I can’t breathe.
My dad called Mr. Cash, who, God bless his soul, did his best, but I forgot the passion behind my crying as I picked myself up to enter his office. Lunch used to be my devotional time. A restoring 25 minutes full of prayer and Word and the loving presence of my Jesus. Yet recently, I’ve had difficulty remembering Him amidst my to-do list. Let alone eating lunch–No, there’s no time for that. *** The stress became obvious after seeing blemishes left from stress pimples in my senior photos. Not only the stress, but long-term effects were hitting hard. My relationship with God became lackluster and distant, my anger was spilling over onto people I cared about, and I even missed two scholarship deadlines. Along with that, a greater chance of going to a fouryear university. “This is something you’ll learn as you get older,” my dad sat me down one Saturday. “You’re gonna have to make decisions that cost you. I could be in an amazing job right now, getting paid so much more, but I wouldn’t be able to spend as much time with you guys.” His words settled in my stomach slowly, taking root… Until suddenly the weight of one more deadline was lifted from my shoulders. I decided not to attend the scholarship event. I still had just one week to plan my senior photos, and there was so much to be done, but at least I could breathe a little easier. Not until I had gotten my priorities in order could I breathe. But that wasn’t enough. So I decided to give up the newspaper at the end of this semester. Until then, the workload has not ended. Home life has become more busy with the holidays, but at least I’ve put my two weeks in. At least I have some breath to hang in there–somehow–until December 20.
WORTH THE
12 | feature
Dec 4, 2023 story by Grace Rau design by Bella Alvarado
Shawnasea Holst overcame struggles to become the theatre teacher she is today Shawnasea Holst played poker in the back of math class when she was 16-years-old. She gambled with the loose change from her car’s ashtray while her algebra teacher tried to get the other kids to solve for X. Holst, now the theatre teacher at Shawnee Mission Northwest, paid no attention to what her teacher was saying. She was bad at math. Her mom was bad at math. It was genetic — at least, that’s what Holst had been told by her parents nearly all her life. What could the teacher do about it? She was destined to fail. And she accepted it. She stopped trying because trying was pointless. She retook the same algebra class over and over again, never trying, never getting any better. It continued that way until her guidance counselor told her there was no way she would ever go to college with her math grades. And that’s when Holst said, watch me. Neither of her parents graduated high school, her sister nearly dropped out at 18 when she had a baby, and they were renting because of the high prices for homes in San Diego, California, where they lived. She didn’t want to go through the same struggles her family faced when she grew up. She wanted to have a family on her own time, support herself independently and buy a home. Choosing to apply herself in math was the first step down the path that led Holst to become who she is today. “Once I got it into my head that I don’t have to accept, ‘Genetically, I’m bad at math. Genetically, I’m not smart enough,’ it opened everything,” Holst said. “And I could try harder. And it was worth it, to just keep seeing how far I could go.” This path wasn’t always clear to her, though. At 16 she thought she might try to make it into real estate — that was aiming high. And to do that, she at least needed to graduate. And to graduate, she needed to pass math. So Holst scraped herself together, took a remedial prealgebra summer class, and… she did well. When she tried, it no longer seemed impossible.
It gave her confidence. Maybe she wasn’t destined to fail. Junior year, Holst took algebra once again. This time, she passed by the skin of her teeth. She used every retake opportunity, went to all the tutoring sessions and stayed after school. She had a C, and it was a hard-earned C. College wasn’t something anybody expected of Holst. It was never a part of her family. But it was her senior year that she realized that she’d need to go to college to become what she was meant to be. ***
Theater teacher Shawnasea Holst sits at her desk Nov. 28 in Room 6. Photo by Annamarie Torres
feature | 14
NW Passage
“I’m here now. And I got through the hard stuff because I pushed for it, because I wanted this so bad. It was worth the tears.” - Shawnasea Holst
Holst is now the theatre teacher at Shawnee Mission Northwest. She selects casts, organizes rehearsals and directs plays. “I have the best job in the world,” Holst says. Back when Holst was a senior in high school, her school hired a new theatre teacher — one that looked great on paper but wasn’t very professional. The new teacher let students call her by her first name, brought her purse dog to class and asked Holst, her lab assistant, to do all the work a real teacher would do: grading papers, making lesson plans, and leading the class. In less than two months, Holst had unofficially become the primary teacher. “If I hadn’t had a bad teacher,” Holst said. “Then I wouldn’t have realized that I had it within me to [become a theatre teacher]. And I realized that all my gifts, the gifts that I did have, lined up perfectly with teaching.” Holst earned a masters and bachelors degrees from UC Riverside. She took a year off to work full time and then moved to Kansas with her then boyfriend now husband, Paul Holst. In Kansas, Holst attended K-State and earned her second bachelor’s degree. She taught theatre at Hocker Grove middle school for 10 years before moving to
Northwest two years ago. She is the first in her family to go to college, and part of her wants to get her doctorate just to see how far she can go. Holst is also the first in her family to buy her own home and keep it. “And everything I did, really going all the way back to taking those math classes in summer, was, ‘How can I make better potential to not have to work as hard as my family had to?’” Holst said. “But the irony is, I’m now working 60 hours a week, and I’m working really hard. But I love every minute of it.” “I would much rather do this than real estate,” Holst said, laughing. She thinks students always assume that teachers were perfect as students — super smart, brainiac Ravenclaws that loved all things school. But that isn’t always true and wasn’t the case for Holst. Yet she found her passion and pursued it. “I got through it to do what I was destined to do,” Holst said. “I’m here now. And I got through the hard stuff because I pushed for it, because I wanted this so bad. It was worth the tears.”
14 | entertainment
Dec 14, 2023
2023 NOT SO LATE NIGHT November 30, 2023 The bleachers of the main gym in Shawnee Mission Northwest slowly began to fill as Not So Late Night, the afterschool pep rally that commemorates the start of winter sports, began. The gym floor was flooded with cheerleaders, bobbing their pom poms in unison to the sound of “Uptown Funk” as the band swayed back and forth with their instruments. The freshmen’s class theme was “reindeer”, sophomores were “candy cane,” juniors were “snowman” and seniors were “elves.” The sign above the sophomore section was spelled “sophmore,” attracting goodnatured jabs from the juniors. “I thought that’s how you spelled it,” sophomore Ava McMahon, the maker of the sign, said while laughing. “This is just a dumb blonde moment, it’s okay!” Spirit Club delivered their infamous bad jokes, earning a few awkward laughs from the audience. Athletic director Angelo Giacalone began introducing cheer, but his mic cut out. “Who needs a microphone?” Giacalone said in a booming voice as he continued.
The crowd cheered in response. The cheer team performed a routine, chanting “orange and black” and the chamber choir sang “Veni, Veni, Emmanuel.” The first pep rally game was musical chairs but with a twist. Participants had to collect a specified object from their section, such as a hair tie, claw clip, earring, or a student ID. Two players from each grade and band were chosen, and the game began in a frenzy of toppled chairs and frantic searching for hair ties. In the end, both seniors were the last ones standing. “It was a lot of fun,” Senior Derek Larsen said. Larsen was one of the two victorious seniors. “I always enjoy those games, and that one especially.” Class skits — a Northwest tradition — were performed by the band, sophomores, juniors, and seniors. The senior skit ended with a bang when a confetti popper exploded into their section, raining down brightly colored bits of paper. “I make sure that signs are created for [Not So Late Night] and making sure that everyone knows spirit days,” said
sophomore Valentina Maslovaric, Spirit Club recruiter. “For skits, I pre-approved them.” “It feels like a lot of work when it gets down to the actual assembly, but when everything starts running a lot smoother, it becomes so much fun,” Maslovaric said. “The adrenaline just comes up and I’m just really excited to be here.” The second pep rally game was knockout, and players from the boy’s and girl’s basketball teams participated. “I was literally, like, freaking out,” Junior Gabriella Heflin said. Heflin was the last girl remaining in knockout and earned fourth place. “I was so excited but I was so scared at the same time.” From freshmen to seniors, each grade clapped and stomped in hopes of winning the prized Spirit Stick. The juniors were victorious, and their section exploded with cheers as it was announced. The Spirit Stick was passed up and down their section, held high above their heads. And with that, Not So Late Light drew to a close.
story by Grace Rau
W RD SEARCH WORD KEY Words can be horizontal, vertical or upside down. No diagonal words.
1. Schedule 2. Club 3. Greatness 4. Champion 5. Toilet Paper 6. Russia 7. Fracture 8. Cost 9. Poker 10. Seconds 11. Christmas 12. Bleachers design by Kara Simpson
by Emma Wyckoff
G R E A H D O P A P R C N F E G F MB G T K E P J Q C O S V B Z A Q S J C L U B I B K I V X B H U G A T H B E C S C H E D U L E R I Y F R A C S C H E D R S E T X G T O I L E T P A P E R J A Y E S M W S ML D Y M V O U P C K F R A C T U R E S P T H S C H L B E A G M B T U E I WO S N E V R K D Q A L J L C O S T I D R C A O Z E S C P C O N E R A I S A P P D G R E A T N E S S X Z J F F S T W F R C N D U G H K I N Z B O P E H F U Q S B P M S O O D C L U S P J B S K E X N E I K B D I L E A T P A R A N I R H C H
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SWINGING INTO GREATNESS Two Spider-Men, one big city, a ton of crime and hours o f entertainment story by Jesus La Rivera design by Sofia Ball I know that many of you won’t read most of this, so in short, let me tell you this much. The game was amazing. The story was intriguing, the world felt alive and vibrant. Combat was engaging but it got old quickly, and the epilogue gameplay fell short. Insomniac Games created Spider-Man 2 specifically for the PS5, meaning the swing and traversal speed have been made faster and the visuals are more realistic than anything the PS4 could produce. However even as a Spider-man fan I still feel that this game has a couple issues. For starters it’s formatted in a way that pushes Miles out of the way, in turn they put Peter in the forefront of the action. Another point that Spider-Man 2 struggles with is combat. Now don’t get me wrong it’s just as good as the last one, maybe even better, but unfortunately the combat gets old quickly. You fight the same three enemy groups over and over again, many of them being copies of previous enemies. Luckily Insomniac Games has added a couple new mechanics to make this repetition of combat a little more interesting Now let’s get into the story. In my 100% fanboy opinion, it was amazing, spectacular, and absolutely sensational. I found myself running over to the next mission time and time again. But the thing that I enjoyed the most was Kraven. Now without spoiling anything, Kraven was captivating, he engaged the heroes in ways that were both fun and horrific. Every single time Kraven popped on screen I knew something absolutely horrifying was about to happen. When I first saw him, his appearance alone brought chills down my spine. And once again I do not want to spoil much for you, so I will only say this, Venom was a true menace to society. Unfortunately post game content isn’t engaging, there’s a couple missions here and there but nothing that truly makes me go “Wow”. Luckily it’s likely that Insomniac Games will release a DLC (Downloadable content), for this entry much like they did for the last game. This has become even more likely because by the end of the game they left a couple storylines unfinished which to be honest fills me with so much anger, (you’ll understand when you play the game). Look, we are reaching the end, so as one last thing I’ll tell
you this much, I am a Spider-Man fan. I love the movies and the shows, I’ve read a couple of his more famous comic runs, and like many others every single time that I see the classic web-slinger, nostalgia fills my heart. So with all of this in mind, take some of my points with a grain of salt. But before you leave thinking everything I have said is completely and utterly wrong, I will say this, play the game for yourself, it is truly a great time and worth every cent. I hope you enjoy your playthrough like I enjoyed mine. Excelsior!
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16 | feature
ME M O
R IE S
Dec 14, 2023
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“Christmas.” “Being with my family.” “Just be with family, spend time, for real for real.” - Dijon Arrighton
“Christmas.” “Opening presents with my family and my brothers.” “Just, like, hang out with family and friends.” - Kate Unruh
“Christmas” “Every holiday, we have to, like, wait and then we all run downstairs and open presents.” “Make cookies.” - Sarah Flickinger
“My wife’s birthday is December 19, and that’s the day that I proposed to her.” - Todd Boren “For Christmas me and my family eat beef tacos,” junior Sofia Holguin said. “It started when I was in elementary school just because, and now I’m a junior. We don’t spend the whole day prepping, we throw it together white people style.” - Sofia Holguin
“For the holidays me and my family get together at my grandparents house in Olathe,” freshman Peyton Reynolds said. “It’s really fun because we’re kind of from all over. So like Wisconsin, Florida, Illinois, California, Oklahoma, Michigan and
“Christmas.” “Traveling back and forth from Kansas and Illinois to see my family.” “Watch Christmas movies.” - Violet Seibold
Missouri.” - Peyton Reynolds
“[I had a] Christmas decoration that was like a Santa with his reindeer, and they ran around the house outside in the dark. I really thought it was Santa. They were running around the house and they had me going from window to window to look.” - Beth Johnstone
20 | feature
Dec 13, 2023
MORE THAN
ENOUGH Senior Kristina Keys hugs her mom Dec. 4 in Room 151. Photo by Finn Bedell
story by Izak Zeller design by Greta Grist
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A lot of people think they know senior Kristina Keys, but they don’t Whether they love or hate her, most upperclassmen have heard of senior Kristina Keys. They’ve heard her infamous jokes throughout her friend groups. They’ve witnessed her animated and fiery remarks. Something about Keys just sticks with people. She’s hard to miss and even harder to forget. People know her, at least they think they do. When Keys was born, her world
“Not having any blood relatives is a little crazy to think about. But my adopted mom is my best friend,” - Kristina Keys looked different. Most people don’t know she’s Russian. Where the streets are cold and the tundra is prominent, Russia is notorious for human rights abuses. She doesn’t know much about her birth parents, only left with small bits of information. But she does know how everything ended. “I was in the orphanage for about a year,” Kristina said. “My birth mom passed away and my aunt left me there. I have siblings in Russia I can never meet now, and I’m basically the [only] person in my family lineage.” Typically, children are neglected, given inaccurate diagnoses and stigmatized. Keys lived in Tula, Russia. She was about two years old when she was adopted, meaning she was saved before any major abuse took place. *** Patrica Keys had a long road ahead of her. She decided to adopt out of the country, from Russia. Through an adoption agency, Keys started the process of adopting from an orphanage.
“She went through the process and got interviewed,” Kristina said. “Then my mom got to pick between a couple of us. The lady who chose all of us was from the state and worked at the orphanage, so she knew us personally. That really helped too.” When she arrived at her new home, it was a total shift. It took a while for her to come out of her shell, usually staying close to her mom. Suddenly, her world was expanded a lot more, now she had siblings and a whole family to be around. They aren’t exactly ordinary, their family is quite blended. “I was definitely glued to my mom,” Kristina said. “But I was always close with my brother Caleb and sister Emily growing up. I had short hair when I came to America, so my sister actually thought I was a boy. I had this bowl cut, and my sister kept saying ‘she’s a boy, she’s a boy’”. Growing up, Kristina always had enough. She had hot food on the table, a good school to learn from and a cozy bed to come home to. Some kids don’t have that, and she’s grateful that she’s fortunate enough to have what she needs. If she hadn’t been adopted, her future could’ve been very different. “I’m very [lucky] to be adopted out of Russia,” Kristina said. “You get kicked out of the orphanages at 17 if you don’t get adopted and then you just work on the streets. So my mom honestly saved me.” Being adopted doesn’t usually make life easy. It affects everything, from medical history to relationships with the people around her. No insight on allergies, family history, or really anything. She takes extra steps to make sure she is healthy and in a good headspace, but for her, it’s worth it. “I struggle with my identity,” Kristina said. “Not having any blood relatives is a little crazy to think about. But my adopted mom is my best friend, and she always says that she practically birthed me because of all the paperwork.” Kristina and her mom have a special relationship, they’re each other’s best friend. Other houses are full of conflict and negativity, but hers
isn’t. Her mom just loves her, being with and there for her. Like when she managed six kids on a $13,000 salary, definitely not playtime, but she did it anyway. She does have an adoptive and stepdad, but they don’t have custody of her. To Kristina, the connections between people are what it means to be family. “I never got a good side of my adopted dad growing up,” Kristina said. “But ultimately the younger years, when I first got adopted, they were really good. He didn’t really pay attention to me, and it was fine. Looking back at the pictures, I don’t feel like a needle’s poking me in the heart. I don’t even touch my other baby books, they’re too painful to look at. It hurts.” Her identity is something Kristina thinks about a lot. She doesn’t have a lot of other people to compare herself to, so she can feel isolated from people around her.
“I don’t even touch my other baby books, they’re too painful to look at. It hurts.”
- Kristina Keys
“It’s crazy to think I’m not related to anybody,” Kristina said “That’s what I struggle with now, not having blood relatives. But we were always a blended family and when I came along, they already had two other adopted sisters so they didn’t treat me differently.” Kristina’s life looks different than most of her friends, but she’s learned it’s ok to be a little different. Instead of something to hide, she sees her story as something to expose people to. It gave Kristina her mom, and they push the boundaries of being a blood or adoptive family member. Kristina always thought she had enough. But snuggled on the couch in matching pjs, watching Beat Bobby Flay, she decided that her mom wasn’t just enough, she was everything.
14 | month in photos
MONTH IN
1. A protester gives her speech Nov. 30 at the CAA. The protester spoke on injustice in her community and tried to publicize the racism that recently happened at SME. Photo By Claire Reed 1.
2. Junior Ayden Snyder takes a shot at his opponent’s leg Nov. 29 in the Main Gym. Snyder won both his duals against DeSoto High School, once with an escape point and once with a cross-face cradle. “It was a pretty tough match, it was bottom choice from Coach Davies,” Snyder said. “I got the escape point because his hips were too high and I circled out and got free.” Photo by Kyra Highlander 2.
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3. Senior Margo Schuerman sings a solo Nov. 2 in the auditorium. Schuerman sang the song Blueskies by Roger Emerson, a solo moment where she sang in a jazz style. “I felt really great singing this solo because when I went to trailridge middle school and was a part of the choir there, we sang the same song and I sang the same solo that I did then,” Schuerman said. “It was a big full circle moment.” 4. During the Buff Puff tournament, senior Vincent Nixon hits a backward set off the second ball Nov. 7 in the Main Gym. The seniors lost to the juniors 2-1. “[I was] not happy with the end result,” Nixon said. “We wanted to win but they were more prepared than we were.” Photo by Ashley Broils
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month in photos | 15
6.Stacking boxes, senior Lily Chalfie collects items for the annual StuCo Canned Food Drive Nov. 3 in Room 126. During fifth hour, StuCo members dispersed in groups, collecting non-perishable items. “It was super fun getting to go class to class to collect cans,” Chalfie said. “Especially Mrs. Anthony’s room because her students were so into the competition”. Photo by Sidra Sakati 6.
Pointing their wands, seniors Grace Couldry, Lily Rieff, Caine Kempf and junior Ray Garry cast spells Nov. 7 in the Auditorium. Reiff’s character, Wayne Hopkins, wanted to be the hero of the story but he was just a Puff. “Wayne wasn’t a difficult character for the most part,” Rieff said. “He really was just a geek in the ’90s. He loves Legend of Zelda, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and stuff like that. He really loved things like that so of course he wants to be a hero like the people in the stories he reads.” Photo by Ashley Broils 4.
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5. Junior Abby Livingston dances with her mom at the Mother Son Father Daughter dance Nov. 4 in the Cafeteria. Livingston enjoyed the dance and all its aspects. “The people [at the dance] are what made it so great. Being with my mom and watching all her friends with their parents was a lot of fun,” Livingston said. “I also loved the little contests they had throughout the dance, like the root beer chugging competition.” Photo by Claire Reed
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I was really excited. I felt a rush of confidence and adrenaline when dancing. - junior Gustin Teschendorf
Performing at the ‘Not So Late Night’ assembly, junior Gustin Teschendorf dances to ‘Santa Baby’ by Eartha Kitt Nov. 30 in the Main Gym. Teschendorf danced with the varsity Cougar Classics for this year’s holiday boy dance. Photo by Kara Simpson
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