Left - Teachers Todd Boren and Deborah Lopez Boren pose together.
Photo by Haylee Bell
Above - Senior Tyler Salmon shoots a free throw Mar. 4 in the Main Gym.
The Varsity Basketball team won their substate game 100-57.
Photo by Claire Reed
Left - Junior Wyatt Neis, sophomore Louisa Bartlett, and freshman Moss Skinner dance in the musical “Chicago” on Feb. 13 in the Auditorium. The cast had their first rehearsal on Nov. 21.
“My favorite rehearsal memories are being with the cast,” Bartlett said. “I’ve made my best friends from this show and I’ve been lucky enough to see them every rehearsal and work with them.”
Photo by Lucy Wilson
Left - Coach Spears
hugs sophomore Kole Johnson March 1 at Bluhawk Sports Park. Spears congratulated Johnson after he placed fifth 157lb weight class at the KSHSAA 6A wrestling state tournament.
Photo by Finn Bedell
STAFF
PUBLICATION OVERSIGHT
Editor-in-Chief Grace Rau
Managing Editor Bella Alvarado
Copy Editor Sofia Ball
Design Editor Greta Grist
Photo Editor Addison Griswold
Photo Editor Kara Simpson
Online Manager Bella Alvarado
WRITERS DESIGNERS
Grace Rau Bella Alvarado
Emma Wyckoff Kennedy Woolf
Jesus Lara Rivera Greta Grist
Hope Hunt Grace Amador
Sage McCarthy
Quentin Brown ADVISER
Sofia Ball Chris Heady
Sophia Ragan
Harper Ward
Brynna Emler
Annabel Hall
Cover by Greta Grist
Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, 12701 W 67th St, Shawnee, KS, 66216
O U T U R E
L T E R A T I O N S
T h i s s m a l l b u s i n e s s i s l o c a l a n d
KC Symphony: Jack EverlyUltimate John Williams, 8:00 P.M
26 | WEDNESDAY
Varsity and JV Boy’s Tennis vs. Blue Valley Northwest, 3:30 P.M.
Baseball C Team vs. Gardner Edgerton High School, 4:15 JV Girls Soccer vs. Piper High School, 5:00 P.M.
Varsity Girls Soccer vs. Piper High School, 7:00 P.M.
22 | SATURDAY
Varsity Baseball vs. Park Hill
South 12:00 P.M. and 2:15 P.M. Planet Comic-Con, 3:30 P.M.
KC Mavericks vs. Utah Grizzles, 6:05 P.M.
Sporting KC vs. Los Angeles FC, 7:30 P.M.
KC Ballet: Don Quixote, 7:30 P.M.
27 | THURSDAY
Boy’s Varsity Tennis Quad vs. Multiple Schools, 3:15 P.M.
Boy’s JV Tennis vs. Shawnee Mission South, 3:30 P.M.
Baseball JV vs. Gardner Edgerton, 4:15 P.M. Girl’s C Team Soccer vs. DeSoto Honor Band Fest, 7:00 P.M.
29 | CONTINUED 30 | SUNDAY
Varsity Softball vs. St.James Academy, 2:00 P.M Spring Blood Drive 8:00 A.M
KC Film Fest
KC Royals vs. Cleveland Guardians, 3:10 P.M
State Ballet Theatre of Ukraine: Swan Lake, 7:30 P.M
KC Film Fest
KC Royals vs. Cleveland Guardians, 1:10 P.M.
KC Ballet: Don Quixote, 1:30 P.M.
EXECUTIVE
President Donald Trup has signed a historic number of executive orders in his second term, these among them have been summarized for student view
JAN 20, 2025
“BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP”
On his first day of office, Trump issued executive an order which denies citizenship for people whose birth mother is not legally present in the United States, and birth father is not a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident. According to the Executive Order available on the White House website, if the mother was giving birth in the U.S, and on a temporary visit, the birthright citizenship would also be denied.
STORY BY SAGE MCCARTHY
RESULT: THE EXECUTIVE ORDER WAS BLOCKED ON FEB. 10, 2025
JAN 20, 2025
“SECURING BORDERS/ PROTECTING THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AGAINST INVASION”
Also on his first day in office, President Trump signed an executive order to “secure borders,” which included creating a physical wall created with technology and monitors. On the campaign trail, Trump often claimed the United States was under an “invasion” for the past four years from the Southern border. In the executive order, Trump claims in order to maintain American safety, they must remove all “illegal aliens.”
He states in his executive order, “Many of these aliens unlawfully within the United States present significant threats to national security and public safety, committing vile and heinous acts
against innocent Americans,” the executive order states. “Others are engaged in hostile activities, including espionage, economic espionage, and preparations for terror-related activities. Many have abused the generosity of the American people, and their presence in the United States has cost taxpayers billions of dollars at the Federal, State, and local levels.”
The Agencies must report on progress and conditions about immigrants within 90 days.
STORY BY SAGE MCCARTHY
Data from a poll from the Northwest Passage Instagram
On Jan. 20, 2025, Trump signed an executive order to reinstate the name Mount McKinley. This Alaskan mountain was originally named Denali by Alaskan Natives, then in 1917, as a dedication to the twenty-fifth president of the United States William McKinley, the name was changed to Mount McKinley. In 2015, the mountain’s original name
was restored by President Obama. According to the executive order on the White House website, this is also in place to change the name of “a crucial artery for America’s early trade and global commerce” — the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
STORY BY SOPHIA RAGAN
“ENDING
JAN 20, 2025
RADICAL AND WASTEFUL GOVERNMENT DEI PROGRAMS AND PREFERENCING”
On former President Joe Biden’s first day in office, he issued executive order “Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government.”
Trump overturned this after publicly stating that these programs were not only demonstrating “shameful discrimination,” but also served as a form of “public waste” by “expending precious taxpayer resources.”
The Director of the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB), assisted by the Attorney General and Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) will instigate all federal DEI and DEIA staff layoffs. All training programs and policies will be revised as proven necessary to comply with this order, and race can no longer be a factor of consideration by employers throughout hiring processes or performance evaluations.
STORY BY SOFIA BALL
RESULT: EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY
EXECUTIVE ORDERS
JAN 20, 2025 “DEFENDING
WOMEN FROM
GENDER IDEOLOGY EXTREMISM AND RESTORING BIOLOGICAL
TRUTH TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT”
This executive order was implemented to erase gender ideology teachings, or acceptance from any government agency or program, and reduce the rights of transgender women to occupy female spaces.
“My Administration will defend women’s rights and protect freedom of conscience by using clear and accurate language and policies that recognize women are biologically female, and men are biologically male,” Trump wrote.
Section Two of this document states that the United States government will continue upholding their practice of recognizing two sexes, male and female. The Executive branch will enforce sex protective laws such as criminalizing transgender health care, making an explicit distinction
between sex and gender, banning transgender women from female spaces such as detention centers, abuse shelters, bathrooms, etc. and eradicating gender identity choice options from government forms and policies.
This means gender can not be recognized as a replacement for sex.
The Department of Education documents that will be rescinded, include, but are not limited to:
“U.S. Department of Education Toolkit: Creating Inclusive and Nondiscriminatory School Environments For LGBTQI+ Students” and “Supporting Transgender Youth in School”.
STORY BY SOFIA BALL
RESULT: WENT INTO EFFECT JAN. 30, 2025
JAN
20, 2025
“WITHDRAWING
THE UNITED STATES FROM THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION”
President Trump signed an executive order withdrawing the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO) on Jan. 20, 2025, saying he believed the
WHO mishandled the COVID-19 outbreak.
STORY BY SOPHIA RAGAN
JAN 27, 2025
“PRIORITIZING MILITARY EXCELLENCE AND READINESS”
An executive order removing transgender people from the United States military was signed by President Trump on Jan. 20, 2025.
Section Two policy of the executive order from the White House states, “it is the policy of the United States Government to establish high standards for troop
readiness, lethality, cohesion, honesty, humility, uniformity, and integrity. This policy is inconsistent with the medical, surgical, and mental health constraints on individuals with gender dysphoria.”
The implementation of this order will be decided upon soon.
STORY BY SOPHIA RAGAN
RESULT: REPORT IS DUE ON HOW TO IMPLEMENT THE ORDER WITHIN 30 DAYS
FEB 1, 2025
“TARIFFS
ON IMPORTS FROM CANADA, MEXICO AND
CHINA”
Since being sworn in, President Trump has talked about implementing tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China because of the “threat posed by illegal aliens and drugs,” according to the White House.
A tariff is a governmentimposed tax on the import and export of goods between countries.
On Feb. 1, 2025, Trump signed
an executive order to put a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico, and a 10% additional tariff on imports from China. Energy resources from Canada will have a “lower 10% tariff.”
All tariffs have been implemented.
STORY
BY
SOPHIA RAGAN
RESULT: REPORT IS DUE ON HOW TO IMPLEMENT THE ORDER WITHIN 30 DAYS
SNACK SHAK
99¢ Fountain drink with SMNW ID
99¢ Fountain drink with SMNW ID
99¢ Fountain drink with SMNW ID
Review of Rebecca Yarros’ Onyx Storm Review of Rebecca Yarros’ Onyx Storm
The third book in the series does not disappoint
“I will not die today.”
These are the words that draw you into the stunning world of the Empyrean series.
The third book, Onyx Storm, picks up the night immediately after the end of the second book, with Violet following Xaden as he sneaks around to figure out what it means for him to be venin.
STORY BY BRYNNA EMLER
This becomes one of the most major plot points, because while Violet and Xaden likely would have researched the venin, I’m not sure it would have been this thorough if he hadn’t turned into a venin.
The conflict provided by Xaden turning allowed the story to drive forward and remain intriguing and interesting while also making sense. It definitely introduced new and different motivations for Violet to succeed and brings
new tensions to their romantic side plot. It was also a clever way to provide more information about venin. However, as Xaden holds the role of second lead, I find myself wondering, and even worrying, about what happens now. During the book Xaden becomes the Duke of Tyrrendor, which places a ton of power in the hands of someone who is losing his ability to feel emotions due to becoming venin.
The other things they search for on the Isles are the Irids, or the seventh breed of dragon on top of Blue, Green, Black, Orange, Red, and Brown. One of Violet’s two dragons is the last Irid on the continent, after the rest of the Irids left her
egg behind. This didn’t make too much sense to me, as that feels a little bit like setting Andarna, the dragon who was left behind, up for failure, but maybe that one is just me. Regardless, the plot was interesting and did a wonderful job of keeping you intrigued.
The battle at the end of the book had me in tears, from the desperation of Violet trying to kill Theophanie, one of the most powerful venin, to Xaden completing the first stage of turning venin in a desperate attempt to save her, the end was perfect.
The final two chapters leave us wanting more, with Xaden alluding to an unnamed “her,” presumably Violet, making a choice that would determine his fate. You’re wondering what happened in the world between the last two chapters. This was a wonderful third installment of the series, and the cliffhanger was the perfect way to keep us waiting for the next book. I can’t wait to see what she does next with the series.
NNot a promising start ot a promising start
A review of the brand new Captain America STORY BY
Do you still remember how the MCU used to be? We had great movies with great visuals, thrilling stories and iconic characters that felt like they embodied the word “hero.” Sadly, the MCU doesn’t feel like that anymore. As the first MCU film is set to release this year, “Captain America: Brave New World” it doesn’t look like a promising start.
While hard work was put into making Anthony Mackie’s first title film for the MCU, it doesn’t mean that the movie is perfect. Reshots, recastings and a rushed schedule haunted the production of “Captain America: Brave New World.”
The film feels like a first draft. The fight scenes seem stiffer than usual, the one liners are just a bit a more cliche and a bit more out of place than normal, and while some of the CGI was beautiful and overall what you could expect from a blockbuster Hollywood film, there were scenes which, even though they were built up to be great, looked like they were made in a 10 minute rush to
JESUS LARA RIVERA
turn it in.
The MCU has fallen into this cycle where just by watching the trailers and the teasers, you’ll have much of the story and much of the big reveals. Something which, while fans might appreciate at the moment, it also takes away a lot from the actual reveal. You sit for an hour and half just waiting for the one big scene that you know is going to happen, and when it
happens you just sit there in your seat like ‘well that was different than what I imagined.’ Red Hulk, which could’ve been kept a secret for the whole duration of the movie’s marketing, was spoiled in the first trailer for the film, something that greatly reduced his impact and surprise factor in the film.
Overall, while “Captain America: Brave New World” is a fine film to watch, it doesn’t reach the standard of what the MCU had once reached. Compared to its predecessors, this film is nothing like them which sadly would give it in my book a 4/10.
Crumbl Down
Are copycat recipes as good as they say?
RedVelvet Lemon PoppySeed
Bella: Grace:
Throughout the entire baking process, it felt like the driest cookie imaginable. With every turn of my spoon, the texture of the batter was so incredibly thick and crumbly I was certain it wouldn’t turn out.
Boy was I wrong.
Sticking it straight into the oven, I had absolutely zero confidence that this cookie would work, let alone be edible.
The sweet aroma of red velvet filled my kitchen. I took the first
bite after letting the cookies cool for 15 minutes. They were so overwhelmingly sweet, I felt as if I had taken 5 years off of my life, definitely crumbl cookie-esque.
The insanely long sip of water that was needed after that bite would run the Missouri River bone dry. Overall, it smelled better than it tasted, but if you want a sugar knockout, this recipe is definitely close to its crumbly-cousin.
The ratings:
After Bella and I had some free time during our 4th hour, we decided to look up a couple of recipes that we could recreate. We found millions of options for us to bake at first. I wanted to be bold and act like a professional baker (which I’m clearly not), so i decided to make “Lemon poppy seed” cookies, a lot of people might think that’s a weird flavor to go with, but I was trying to do something different, and I also wanted to give some to my boyfriend since he loves lemon desserts.
At first, I felt pretty confident of the result because I’ve baked cookies before.
Well, my confidence was not enough. The mixture at first was really weird looking because I had
to mix the soft ingredients first, and they didn’t really seem to be mixed together, but I gaslighted myself into thinking that if I added the dry ingredients, maybe it’d work better. After 15 minutes of them baking Bella and I decided to finally take the cookies out. Before eating the cookies, we both looked at each other like, “well let’s pray these are good” They were, in fact not good. They were too thick and flavorless and the poppy seed gave them a weird texture to it. It was a little bit disappointing because I thought they were going to come out good, but they were not. Moral of the story, is don’t try to make Crumbl cookies, just buy them instead.
Photo by Emily Wright
Photo by Addison Griswold
Teenage skin is not nearly as cool as I thought it’d be
Thin Skin
Iwas sitting in my fifth hour English class and was having one of those days where I wanted to dig a hole in the ground. Everyone’s voices were too loud, and my shoe (the floor?) had something on it that crinkled when I rocked my foot back and forth.
A girl started talking and I looked over. Whatever she was saying didn’t make sense to me at all, (I hadn’t read); but I was so transfixed on her because her skin was so clear. Like an oil painting.
“Annabel,” my teacher said and I looked up. “Read this slide.”
The heat of people’s eyes made me feel sort of sticky, and the room was freezing, which I was suddenly aware of. I had to squint my eyes to see the screen. I read as fast as I could to prove I was awake and literate, and then slumped back the second I was done.
“Abigail still wants Proctor,” a girl answered to a question I didn’t hear. “That’s why she’s accusing Elizabeth of witchcraft.”
Ohhhhhhh.
“That’s kind of brat,” my friend whispered to the left of me.
I laughed.
“How can you not be when Winona Rider plays you?” I said and pointed to Abigail Williams from the movie.
“She’s so beautiful,” she said, and turned back.
Winona Rider really was beautiful. She looked so 17, just better. Softer.
Her skin was so clear.
I went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. My under eyes were dark and my skin was bumpy and red and my eyes were so green. Another girl a sink down looked in the mirror too, but her skin was all the same color.
God, must be hard, I thought and left.
***
When my brother Tommy was a sopho-
more in high school, he went on Accutane and I thought it was the coolest. I was seven then, and it was so grown-up to me. His skin was so controlled by the pills and healed completely a couple months later.
People always say we look really alike, which is true. We both have blond-brown hair and green eyes and pale skin; but when I started getting acne in middle school, it was not nearly as cool as his was. After two years, it wasn’t cool at all. In high school the novelty wore off completely.
I went to the dermatologist sophomore year in hopes that a doctor could point to the problem and solve it. They couldn’t. I liked my doctor though, she was awkward and fidgety and the cross around her neck moved when she talked, and she was obviously brilliant in everything except clearing my skin.
I couldn’t go on Accutane because I always had some other situation that distracted Dr. Douglas and I from meandering problems. I got three negative skin cancer results in the span of 15 months, and on these visits my doctor would walk in, say ‘Alright, Annabel!’, ask my pain level (6?) and then skip-walk around getting flashlights and syringes. She was so happy when she could actually help.
What people won’t tell you is that by the third test, part of you is hoping it’s positive.
I’ve always had this idea that your head is lying to you constantly, and your body doesn’t know how to. Obviously skin issues are genetic, but I’ve noticed that it’s worst when I’m stressed and best after I’ve cried on it. In middle school, when I got too anxious I started getting dreams that I woke up completely covered in rashes.
So problems like staph infections and cellulitis were kind of reassuring in a way, because IVs could go into my hand and antibiotics could get swallowed with ice water and school could be excused with doctor’s
notes.
In January I had a decently serious skin surgery on my back. The worst part wasn’t the missing assignments, or that I could only lay on my side, or how humiliating healing is in general. It was that I was having those rash dreams almost every night.
I started showering in the mornings. ***
“The other day in English, I was looking around and I was just like god, all of you have clear skin. When did everyone get clear skin?”
I said from the floor of Abby Oler’s room. Me, her and Aliyah Carter were eating Chipotle at 8 p.m..
“I don’t notice people’s acne,” Abby said. “Like, I didn’t notice yours until you mentioned it, but I wouldn’t ever look at you and think, like, ‘acne! acne! acne!’ We’re all too focused on ourselves.”
“When I was little, I only had crushes on the boys at Price Chopper with acne,” Aliyah said.
“Really?” I said, and she laughed and nodded. “Oh my god. That is the cutest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“That’s what I’m saying,” Abby said. “I wanted acne as a kid.”
“So did I,” I said. “Well, kind of. I just wanted to be Tommy.”
“Well I’m glad you’re Annabel,” Abby said as she reached into the bag of chips. “Tommy wouldn’t be allowed here.”
I tried to take a picture but it didn’t capture it right. I tried to change the lighting, the settings, but it just never came out the way I wanted.
So do you keep changing it or accept it how it is?
“Just won’t come out how it feels,” I said.
“It never does,” Aliyah said.
She was right.
Far Left - Harper Ward and Audrey Poling pose for a picture in their opening number outfits.
Dr. Pepper & 80s Cowgirls
Finding friendship during a summer production of “Footloose”
My tap shoes click as I dodge the piles of costumes in the small backstage of Culture House’s theatre. With my Dr. Pepper in hand, I spy an empty spot on the floor next to some other girls in my dance company. We were about to debut the dances we had been working on since Nov..
Audrey Poling sat across from me, eating her Chipotle. I can’t believe this is our second year doing company together. I feel like I’ve been here my whole life. She was my first friend when I started theatre and switched dance studios. In a time I felt utterly alone, she was there.
We met during “Annie” callbacks. During the technique portion of the dance call I heard a voice behind me: “Your leaps are high!” A blonde girl said. “What’s your name? I’m Audrey.”
“I’m Harper. It’s nice to meet you!”
During the rehearsal process, we were inseparable, the perfect duo. From then on, it just stuck. We did show after show together, and eventually, it came time to prepare for summer camp.
Camp is one of the highlights of First Act Theatre Arts, a full week of staying in college dorms with all your friends and putting on a full-scale musical in a week. The show this year was “Footloose.” I was a dancer, and it was going to be so much better than our past summer camp. Last year had been awful for both of us with homesickness, unwanted parts and lots of drama. But this year, that was going to change.
I waited for Audrey to arrive so we could head to our dorm together. After getting
hugs and greetings from the other girls in our suite, we unpacked and started heading to the cafeteria to eat lunch before our first rehearsal. The long white tables were full of kids in brightly colored outfits. We headed through the line, chatting and catching up with people we hadn’t seen since spring.
At the end of the line, we picked up plastic cups and approached the soda fountain. “What are you going to get?” she asked me. Normally I was a Sprite person, but I wasn’t feeling it.
“I don’t know. What about you?”
“Oh, I’m getting Dr. Pepper,” she said.
“That sounds good. I’ll get some too.”
The dark brown liquid poured into my mouth, the hints of cherry and other fruits blended perfectly. Dr. Pepper didn’t usually taste this good, but it felt like magic. I already felt so much better about this week.
Our first rehearsal was learning the music and choreo for “Footloose,” the opening song of the show. The music felt electric; this show was full of dance and spirit. Sometimes, during shows, you can feel a cast click together. We can bounce off each other’s energy and feed into this sense of community.
The dorms were filled with sleepy faces, except for ours. The excitement of our almost all-nighter lit us up like stars in a black sky. We grabbed our pillows, blankets, candies and chips we had brought from home. Sitting in a circle, we talked and laughed until the edges of the night started to fade into pinks and yellows.
“Ten minutes to places!”
I was backstage with Audrey, stretching in
the wings of the stage. Opening night crept in faster than I could have imagined. We were one of the first people to enter during the Overture, so we had to be prepped and ready. When the chatting started filling the theater was when the butterflies started to bubble in my chest. The lights were dimming, and it was finally time to start. The drums took off, and Audrey and I leaped onto the stage.
“Footloose” came to a staggering end; my costumes were hung up, my makeup had already been packed away and all my possessions were back home. All that was left was final worship. The whole cast gathered around the piano, and as the music started, the tears followed. This week had been so unbelievably special to me, I wasn’t ready for it to end. As the final notes of the song rang out from the piano it finally hit me that it was over. I was never going to perform this show with this cast again. Life was moving on.
But the great thing was that, in another month I would be auditioning again for “A Christmas Story: the Musical,” which Audrey was also doing. Little did I know at the time, but we would be dance captains together, and then we would be co-captains in our dance company. We would dance together in “Legally Blonde” and “Curtains.” She changed how I see dance and performing as a whole, she has pushed me to become better, not just as a dancer, but as a person. Because of her, every time I taste a Dr. Pepper I’m reminded how grateful I am to have her as a friend.
Photos provided by Harper Ward
Left- Audrey Poling and Harper Ward in the opening scene of Footloose.
Photos provided by Harper Ward
NORTHWEST IN LOVE IN LOVE IN LOVE
Fireworks
Teacher couple Todd Boren and Deborah Lopez-Boren were introduced to each other at Northwest pg.16
BITTERSWEET
Seniors Kara Simpson and Sophie Delaney’s friendship grew stronger through the intimate connection they shared of both having dads who passed away pg.18
DESIGN BY BELLA ALVARADO
photo by Addison Griswold
Fireworks
Teacher couple Todd Boren and Deborah Lopez-Boren were introduced to each other at Northwest
In 1998, when they first met, he was Todd Boren and she was Deborah Lopez. They were both brand new teachers at Shawnee Mission Northwest. He taught freshman world geography, she taught freshman English. He coached boys C team soccer and she coached freshman cheer.
“We had the scandalous teacher romance,” Todd joked.
They were introduced to one another by a fellow teacher when he was coming in from the boys soccer practice and she was sitting with the cheer team.
“I thought, ‘Well, he’s very attractive,’” Deborah said. “‘I bet he’s really smart.’”
“I thought she was really good looking and smart,” Todd said.
At first, they started off as friends.
He had a girlfriend, and she wasn’t looking for a relationship. The cheer team came to the soccer games, and Todd and Deborah saw each other on the sidelines. They had the same planning period, and Todd would come by the English office to say hi.
But in springtime, Todd and his girlfriend broke up.
“We started hanging out,” Todd said. “And then it just kind of evolved.”
They went to the Nelson Atkins Art Museum to see an ancient Egyptian exhibit. They went downtown on the Fourth of July to look at the fireworks. They watched “South Park: The Movie.”
Todd would ride his bike to where Deborah lived by the plaza to go with her to coffee shops and bookstores. J. Gilbert’s was their “nice dinner” restaurant. Across the street, there was a half price books store they would browse a er a meal. At the Barnes & Noble on the plaza, Deborah found her favorite book on a date: “On Days Like This” by Dan Quisenberry.
“[Todd was] cute. Nice. Smart. Everything, even though I wasn’t looking for a relationship.”
On Dec. 19, 2001 — Deborah’s birthday — they were engaged.
Todd asked her parents first.
“No, your dad told you, ‘You better marry that girl or you’ll lose her,’” Deborah said with a laugh.
And get married they did. The date was set for six months later at Village Presbyterian Church. Their reception was held at the restaurant inside Union Station, where people floated in and out all evening. Deborah threw her bouquet of white roses off a balcony 20 feet in the air.
And, for 28 years, they’ve been Todd Boren and Deborah LopezBoren.
“We’ve never not worked together,” Deborah said.
Now they work down the hall from one another. Even though they’re both teachers at Northwest, they don’t see each other all the time. They only cross paths occasionally in the hall, or when one specifically goes to find the other.
“Even though we don’t see each other, it’s a great feeling knowing
that he’s just down the hall,” Deborah said. “I love it.”
“I’m really proud of you,” she said.
“Well, I’m proud of you too,” Todd said. “She pushes me to be a better teacher.”
Deborah looked at him with a smile. “It’s definitely the other way around.”
STORY BY GRACE RAU DESIGN BY GRACE AMADOR
Photo by Haylee Bell
Photo by Haylee Bell
Four Years
Seniors Emily Little and Jonty Harris Webster started their relationship in freshman year, and now, four years later, they are still going strong
Most high school couples don’t span all four years — but most high school couples aren’t seniors Emily Little and Jonty Harris-Webster.
With him being a football player and her being a cheerleader, they’ve gotten a couple comments about living the American Dream.
They met in middle school honor band, but really got to know each other in high school. Little and Harris-Webster were on a double date freshman year, watching “Spider-Man: Homecoming” in the theaters when she worked up the nerve to ask him to the Sweetheart dance.
“It's really funny because I misheard her,” Harris-Webster said. “I thought she said, ‘Do you want to meet my dad?’”
The ask got lost in the noise of the theater, yet still, Harris-Webster responded with a hesitant “yes.”
In the end, they went to Sweetheart together, and, three months a er that, were officially a couple. Since then, they’ve been on a hundred dates and been on Homecoming court together. They’ve even been to Harris-Webster’s older brother’s wedding in Arizona —
and the two of them had been together longer than Harris-Webster’s brother and wife.
The secret to their relationship?
“Communication,” Little said. “Neither of us would do anything to hurt each other on purpose.”
“I want the best for her and I feel like, you know, she wants the best for me,” Harris-Webster said.
As for the future, Little and Webster both plan to attend KU next fall — her for nursing and him for engineering physics. There they hope to spend even more time together.
Photo by Jack Pischke
Photo by Jack Pischke
ALVARADO
Bittersweet
Seniors Kara Simpson and Sophie Delaney’s friendship grew stronger through the intimate connection they shared of both having dad’s who passed away
Mar. 4, 2015.
That’s the day senior Kara Simpson remembers she was supposed to be getting a haircut.
She realized something wasn’t right while waiting to be picked up at her grandparent’s house. That’s when her mom broke the news.
Simpson burst into tears.
Her dad hurt his back badly in the 90’s and had to get surgery. One of the surgeons operating hit a nerve cord in his back. This lead to decades of chronic pain. Every day was excruciating. Simpson saw her dad not be able to sleep for three days straight. He popped pain relievers reluctantly. Nothing seemed to be helping.
While she was at school one day, he passed peacefully in his sleep – it was an accidental overdose, they said.
He was 40 years old.
Soon after, Simpson watched as her family slowly started to crumble.
She didn’t go to school for two weeks.
The first day back, they had indoor recess because it was raining hard.
“None of my friends would talk to me,” Simpson said. “Not because they were mad. But because they were also my age and probably didn’t know how to process someone else’s dad dying.”
Simpson recollects the two funerals — how a few teachers showed up — and her second grade class made cards.
Soon after, she started getting panic attacks and acting out. Locking herself inside bathroom stalls and hiding in the corner became routine. She got sent to the principal’s office more than once for “behavioral issues.”
“It’s hard handling all those emotions and dealing with personal stuff at home,” Simpson said. “And then having school when you feel like none of the kids understand besides your little sister and cousins.”
Growing up, Simpson saw her very nerdy and creative dad make board games from scratch and host game nights with friends most weekends. He played a lot of “Dungeons and Dragons” and “Magic: The Gathering” cards. He doodled mythical symbols on their basement wall in marker — which still remain untouched — a sort of informal shrine that Simpson has walked past almost every day for 10 years.
Simpson and senior Sophie Delaney first met at Mill Creek Elementary. They were both dorky and down-to-earth. Simpson loved make believe magic, and Delaney was artsy and especially gullible, so they got along great. During recess, they’d play with wands crafted from wooden pencils with the paint scratched off and cast spells from the swingsets.
Delaney’s dad had blood cancer, multiple myeloma.
Delaney’s family found out that her dad got accepted to participate in a clinical trial at Sloan Kettering Memorial Hospital.
Before leaving for New York City for the trial and saying goodbye to his wife, Kristy and his two-year-old son James, Delaney’s dad gave her a present.
“It obviously wasn’t super valuable monetary wise,” Delaney said, gently twisting the small chain between her fingers. “But it was very sentimental. It still is. I mean, he essentially gave it to me as a memento in case he didn’t come back.”
The necklace pendant is a shiny silver circle, engraved on both sides.
Sep. 30, 2006 — her birthday.
Daddy.
Right now, it hangs up on the hexagonal corkboard beside her nightstand.
Delaney’s dad survived eight more years of treatment. He died three days before her 14th birthday.
She can still see his hospice bed being carried out. And hear her uncle Zach’s words “it’s time to say
goodbye.”
They scattered his ashes in Ireland – the canal where he grew up fishing. Delaney missed the trip they took there before he passed, cold beaches, long drives, crappy mattresses and all.
“It was very bittersweet,” Delaney said.
For a long time she had gotten used to putting her clothes in the wash after school so as not to compromise her dad’s immune system.
She enjoyed snuggling with him in bed and watching Marvel movies while he slept all day.
She normalized how, as time passed, their hall closet started looking more like a built-in pharmacy.
“Those last few days, he kept saying ‘I’m sorry,’” Delaney said.
When Simpson heard what happened, she’d immediately texted Delaney to let her know that she was there and sorry.
They became extremely close in middle school over long deep talks and sleepovers watching “Stranger Things.” Simpson was the first person Delaney called when she panicked about what to do if her mom started dating again.
“There were times in my life where I needed to rant about something,” Delaney said. “Kara made it clear that she was there for me.”
Simpson’s dad will never have gotten to meet her awkward high school boyfriend. Or walk the gymnasium floor, arms linked, during sweetheart court.
Delaney’s dad will have never ridden with her in the front seat of his car after she got her license at 16. Or see her art get displayed at school showcases.
Neither will cheer for their daughters as they walk the graduation stage, diploma in hand, this May. Or witness them navigate adulthood.
For a long time, Delaney and Simpson had the opportunity to bond over their own uniquely tragic situations. They took separate paths in high school, and now rarely talk, except through instagram comments and DMs. They drifted apart.
“We had a good friendship,” Simpson said. “And that’s what makes me happy.”
“We had a good friendship,” Simpson said. “And that’s what makes me happy.”
- Kara Simpson
Date Nights in
Fun date hot spots in “boring ol’ Kansas”
BROOKLYN GOILFORD & EMMET HYTER
Freshmen Brooklyn Goilford and Emmet Hyter have been dating for nine months on March 10. The two have been friends since the summer before eighth grade, and have lived close to each other since elementary school. Hyter and Goilford hang out at each other’s houses whenever they can, watching movies and baking.
“If I had the money to go on dates, we’d be going on dates all of the time,” Hyter said.
Unfortunately for the two, money and transportation — they don’t have their license yet — get in the way of their ideal dates.
“I like Main Event,” Goiliford said.
“Or Sky Zone,” Hyter said.
“Or Topgolf,” Goiliford said.
“Yeah, somewhere we can do stuff,” Hyter said.
STELLA MOHRSTING & MAX VANLANDINGHAM
Sophomores Stella Mohrsting and Max Vanlandingham have been dating for a year and seven months — it will be two years on July 13. Whenever the two of them go on dates together, it’s a hang out at each other’s house that usually leads to food or ice cream.
“On a casual weekend, we probably just hang out at each other’s houses,” Vanlandingham said.
The couple has their favorite spot on the golf course at Lake Quivira where two big milestones of their relationship happened.
“Our first kiss and ‘I love you,’” Mohrsting said.
KC KC KC
KELLI ADAMS & ROWAN BARTELT
Juniors Kelli Adams and Rowan Bartelt will have been dating since Bartelt asked Adams to be his girlfriend in the Big Biscuit parking lot on Mar. 23, 2024 — a Thursday late start. If Bartelt and Adams go on dates, it’s usually to a fast food restaurant, but sometimes one of them will try and do a surprise date.
“We really like just being in nature and being together,” Adams said. “Just going on a walk and just being [outside].”
ALONDRA HACK & AIDAN ADKINS
Senior Aiden Adkins and Alondra Haack have been dating for a year on April 22. They go on dinner dates and sunset strolls with their dogs and each other. Haack’s family went to Florida over winter break, and Adkins got to tag along — giving them a wonderful week together and a trip to Disneyland.
“I see our relationship as something really special,” Haack said.
Photo by Ali Albertson
“THESE ARE CHILDREN.“
President Donald Trump is honoring previous campaign promises through a urry of executive orders that target immigrants – for some Northwest students this could mean losing everything
*Names of students were changed to protect their identities
They had come.
Looking through the peephole on her front door, sophomore Rosa Hernandez was mortified. She went to the porch window. There were four of them, four U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E.) agents.
They were going around her neighborhood, knocking on every door.
Finally, they had gotten to hers.
“We didn’t move a muscle,” Hernandez said.
They wore white button up shirts with green camo pants, two in the back carried big guns. They pounded on the door again.
Hernandez told her family to turn off the lights and hide upstairs. The house was silent — any noise could give them away.
Her parents and brother, all undocumented immigrants, couldn’t be caught, they couldn’t go back to Mexico. She didn’t want to lose them.
Tears welled up in Hernandez’s eyes.
Not long a er, those agents moved on to the house next door.
“I couldn’t stop crying that day,” Hernandez said.
security and public safety, committing vile and heinous acts against innocent Americans.”
Certain attempts by the Trump administration to carry out these immigration policies have already been blocked by district, state and federal courts. In February, judges blocked an order from the Trump administration to end birthright citizenship, citing a violation of the 14th amendment.
Ever since President Donald Trump was sworn in to his second term on Jan. 20, his administration has been trying to radically change U.S. immigration policy, following up on campaign promises of securing the southern border, implementing mass deportations and ending birthright citizenship.
Students at Northwest, 23% of which are hispanic, and 6.8% multiracial according to the Kansas State Department of Education, are starting to feel the effects.
In the Executive Order “Protecting The American People Against Invasion,” which Trump signed on his first day in office, Trump wrote: “Many of these aliens unlawfully within the United States present significant threats to national
School district officials and administrators are cultivating new procedures to protect students. Social workers have met with students to cope with anxiety attacks in school. Teachers are reading off rights to their students in case they ever come into contact with I.C.E..
Even so, there are undocumented students who live in fear.
“I think here is the only place we’ll be okay, so scared or not, I mean, we have to stay,” Hernandez said.
During his first week in office, the Trump administration’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ended the practice of barring I.C.E. and border patrol agents from entering “sensitive areas” like churches, courthouses, hospitals and schools. According to acting DHS secretary, Benjamine Huffman, they have one motive:
“Catch criminal aliens — including murderers and rapists — who have illegally come into our country,” Huffman said. “Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest.”
It begs the questions: Can I.C.E enter a school like Shawnee Mission Northwest at any time? And, if so, are students safe?
According to the 2024 Kansas Statute, state law enforcement can only detain people for crimes they’ve committed, and if that criminal is an undocumented immigrant, I.C.E would handle the situation from there. The police don’t have the authority to enforce federal laws — immigration
is a federal issue. According to Corporal Vivian Lozano of the Shawnee Police Department, they are awaiting further instruction from Kansas Governor Laura Kelly’s office.
In April of 2017, the Board of Education passed a resolution stating that immigration officials must come to the superintendent’s office before entering a Shawnee Mission school or district building. It also prohibits district officials from asking a student about their legal status and sharing that information.
The district’s Investigations and Interrogation policy prevents I.C.E. agents from entering SMSD schools and conducting student investigations, searches or arrests without producing a valid warrant, parent or guardian permission or cause for an emergency.
“We believe a safe and inviting environment would be disrupted by the presence of active immigration enforcement occurring at school,” Shawnee Mission School District superintendent Michael Schumacher said. “School is not the place to do that, right? It’s not good for the child. It’s not good for the other children.”
Schumacher said that the district’s Chief of Police Mark Schmidt, who has connections with local authorities, made remarks about I.C.E. agents having no interest in pursuing undocumented students on school grounds.
Still, students worry that may change. And there’s no saying what may happen to them outside of school.
“Knowing that at any time, they could just come to my house and take me out of the country was kind of surprising,” senior Christian Lopez said.
On Feb. 7, I.C.E. swarmed a local Mexican restaurant, El Potro, in Liberty, MO.. Clay County Sheriff Will Akin told The Kansas City Star that federal agents were supposed to be investigating a single person’s warrant associated with sex crimes. However, they ended up detaining at least 12 employees and impounding two boxes of employment documents.
Videos regarding that raid surfaced instantaneously across platforms like X, Youtube, and Facebook. More videos of raids continue to
STORY BY SOFIA BALL & JESUS LARA RIVERA
CONTRIBUTERS - JOSE DURAN & EMMA WYCKOFF | DESIGN BY GRETA GRIST
sweep the internet from apartment complexes being infiltrated in Denver, Co., to arrests being made in Northern Virginia.
Now students are scared to drive, let alone leave their homes.
Like senior Pancho Garcia.
Ever since Trump took office, Garcia has not driven to school. The 15 minutes there and back are too risky, he says, so he does his assignments from home. He knows the attendance points aren’t worth being deported to Honduras.
“I can’t go back,” Garcia said. “Everything is a danger out there. People just don’t realize it.”
The hardest part of Garcia’s journey wasn’t walking for miles from Honduras into Guatemala or riding buses, getting stopped, sent back and then having to start over. Or
for hours. Now, they’re tucked away somewhere in his Kansas City home.
“I came here and didn’t know how to speak the language,” Lopez said. “It was the first day of sixth grade. I went from being popular to the immigrant kid. When it came to group projects, no one would be with me because I had an accent. It felt like I didn’t belong here.”
Lopez tested out of English Language Learner (ELL) programs in 7th grade. Because he’s not in the ELL class, Lopez says friends tell him he “doesn’t act like an illegal.” ELL students still talk to him about being bullied in school by English speaking students.
“They don’t know what people are saying,” Lopez said. “They just see people pointing and laughing.”
Over the past couple months, ELL teachers Jamie Ledbetter and Nancy Blackburn have had to bring in additional resources that address extreme cases of anxiety, panic and stress in their students – responses which they both say have become apparent now more than ever.
“We’ve had students crying in our office about situations they deal with,” Ledbetter said.
A WORD FROM REP. SHARICE DAVIDS
Kansas U.S. House of Representatives Congresswoman Sharice Davids, a Democrat, agrees with Trump’s stance that the American immigration system is broken and needs to be amended.
Q:
“The best way to do that is by Republicans and Democrats working together on bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform, not by implementing extreme partisan policies that stoke fear and may lead to higher in ation,” Davids said in a statement to the Northwest Passage
KELLY
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly echoed David’s call for immigration reform.
IMMIGRANTS ARE BEING DEPORTED PER DAY
Data from the NY Times
even going through Chiapas, Mexico, and facing violence and corruption from drug cartels and police. It was watching others struggle and knowing there’s nothing he could do but look the other way and keep trying to survive.
Garcia had been deported twice in the span of three years. He’s traveled hundreds of miles to be where he is now. He did jobs for cartel members, moving drugs so they would let him cross the river safely. He avoided joining their gangs, but if he were to go back now, that wouldn’t be an option.
“They will kill me and my family,” Garcia said.
He carries that with him at every sight of blue and red flashing lights and the sound of a siren. That, he thinks, could be all that’s standing in the way of life or death.
Lopez traveled to the United States from Guatemala, his home country, six years ago.
He can still remember sitting in the front yard of his childhood home at 2:00 a.m., stargazing. The warm breeze mixed with crammed luggage and his parent’s arguments were starting to sink in. There would be no saying goodbye to his friends or classmates. No more wandering the familiar streets of Guatemala City in flip flops. No more sipping Coke from straws in twisted plastic bags.
Before leaving, he packed up his 200 car Hot Wheels collection. He had fond memories of racing them up and down his muddy driveway
Ledbetter said the ELL department have practiced breathing and relaxation techniques with students and gone over family emergency concerns if, for example, a student goes home to an empty house because family members have been detained by I.C.E. agents.
“Our students are children, they are not adults, these are children,” Blackburn said. “So they are put in this situation without a lot of choice. But we are trying our best as their teachers to make sure our students feel that they have some control.”
Ledbetter said finding resources to alleviate specific burdens their students face is part of their job. This could even mean legal advice.
“The thing that people don’t realize is, I’d say the majority of our students are working with an attorney,” Blackburn said. “They are trying to do the right things and become a legal citizen.”
Teachers also spend time supplying students with academic help, local experts and organizations that provide necessities like clothing, toiletries and more — or just being a person who can sit in that office chair, look them in the eyes and simply listen.
“The most important thing is that at Shawnee Mission Northwest, they walk through those doors and feel like they belong here,” Blackburn said.
Ledbetter pointed out how their students are resilient, but that doesn’t stop her from envisioning worst case scenarios.
“It is scary to think that there is a student we may never see again,” Ledbetter said.
Every day, that thought will become a student’s reality.
“Just because I open a f***ing door,” Lopez said.
“Governor Kelly has been calling for immigration reform for years, which include securing the border and deporting dangerous criminals,” Press Secretary for Laura Kelly, Grace Hoge, stated, “This is an issue that can only be solved at the federal level with careful consideration for those here lawfully.”
LOCATIONS OF ICE FIELD OFFICES
- SEATTLE, WA
- SAN FRANCISCO, CA
- LOS ANGELES, CA
- PHOENIX, AZ
- EL PASO, TX
- HALINGEN, TX
- HOUSTON, TX
- SAN ANTONIO, TX
- DALLAS, TX
- NEW ORLEANS, LA
- MIAMI, FL
- ATLANTA, GA
- WASHINGTON DC
- BALTIMORE, MD
- PHILADELPHIA, PA
- NEWARK, NJ
- NEW YORK CITY, NY
- BOSTON, MA
- BUFFALO, NY
- DETROIT, MI
- CHICAGO, IL
- ST. PAUL, MI
- SALT LAKE CITY, UT
- DENVER, CO
TRADUCCIÓN EN ESPAÑOL
“ESTOS SON NIÑOS”
El Presidente Donald Trump está honrando las promesas de la campaña anterior a través de una avalancha de órdenes ejecutivas que se dirigen a los inmigrantes - para algunos estudiantes de Northwest esto podría signi car perder todo
*Los nombres de los estudiantes fueron cambiados para proteger sus identidades
Ellos habían llegado.
Mirando a través de la mirilla en su puerta, la estudiante de segundo año Rosa Hernández se mortifica. Ella fue a su ventana. Había cuatro de ellos, cuatro agentes de la U.S. Immigration y Customs Enforcement (I.C.E.).
Iban por su vecindario, tocando todas las puertas.
Por fin habían llegado a la suya.
“No movimos ni un músculo”, dijo Hernández.
Llevaban camisas blancas con botones y pantalones de camuflaje verdes, los dos de atrás llevaban armas grandes. Golpearon la puerta otra vez.
Hernández le dijo a su familia que apagara las luces y se escondiera arriba. La casa estaba en silencio - cualquier ruido podía delatarlos.
Sus padres y su hermano, todos inmigrantes indocumentados, no pudieron ser capturados, no pueden regresar a México. Ella no quería perderlos.
Las lágrimas crecían en los ojos de Hernández.
No mucho después, esos agentes se fueron a la casa de al lado.
“Ese día no pude dejar de llorar”, dijo Hernández.
Desde que el Presidente Donald Trump entró a su segundo mandato el 20 de enero, su administración ha estado tratando de cambiar radicalmente la política de inmigración de la U.S.A., siguiendo las promesas de la campaña de asegurar la frontera del sur, la aplicación de deportaciones en masa y el fin de la ciudadanía por derecho de nacimiento.
Ahora, estudiantes como Hernández están empezando a sentir los efectos.
Escanee el código QR para obtener más información.
CONOZCA SUS DERECHOS
En la Orden Ejecutiva “Protegiendo al pueblo estadounidense contra la invasión”, que Trump firmó en su primer día en el cargo, Trump escribió: “Muchos de estos extranjeros ilegalmente dentro de los Estados Unidos presentan amenazas significativas a la seguridad nacional y pública, cometer actos viles y abominables contra americanos inocentes.”
Ciertos intentos de la administración Trump para llevar a cabo estas políticas de inmigración ya han sido bloqueados por los tribunales distritales, estatales y federales. En febrero, los jueces bloquearon una orden de la administración de Trump para poner fin a la ciudadanía por derecho de nacimiento, citando una violación de la 14 enmienda.
Los estudiantes de Northwest, 23% de los cuales son hispanos y 6.8% multirraciales según el Departamento de Educación del Estado de Kansas, se ven directamente afectados por estas acciones.
Los funcionarios y administradores de distrito están cultivando nuevos procedimientos para proteger a los estudiantes. Los trabajadores sociales se han reunido con estudiantes para hacer frente a los ataques de ansiedad en la escuela. Los profesores dan lectura a los derechos de sus alumnos en caso de que entren en contacto con I.C.E.
Aun así, hay estudiantes indocumentados que viven con miedo.
“Creo que este es el único lugar donde estaremos bien, así que asustados o no, quiero decir, tenemos que quedarnos,” dijo Hernández.
Durante su primera semana en el cargo, el Departamento de Seguridad Nacional (DHS) de la administración Trump puso fin a la práctica de prohibir a los agentes de I.C.E. y de patrulla fronteriza entrar en “áreas sensibles” como iglesias, juzgados, hospitales y escuelas. Según el secretario interino del DHS, Benjamine Huffman, tienen un motivo.
“Atrapar a los extranjeros criminalesincluyendo asesinos y violadores - que han entrado
ilegalmente en nuestro país,” dijo Huffman. “Los criminales ya no podrán esconderse en las escuelas e iglesias de Estados Unidos para evitar ser arrestados.”
Esto plantea las siguientes preguntas: ¿Puede I.C.E ingresar a una escuela como Shawnee Mission Northwest en cualquier momento? Y, si es así, ¿están los estudiantes seguros?
De acuerdo con el Estatuto de Kansas 2024, las fuerzas del orden del estado solo pueden detener a personas por delitos que han cometido, y si ese criminal es un inmigrante indocumentado, I.C.E manejaría la situación desde allí. La policía no tiene autoridad para cumplir las leyes federales - la inmigración es un asunto federal. Según el cabo Vivian Lozano del Departamento de Policía de Shawnee, están esperando más instrucciones de la oficina de la gobernadora de Kansas Laura Kelly.
En abril de 2017, la Junta de Educación aprobó una resolución que establece que los funcionarios de inmigración deben venir a la oficina del superintendente antes de entrar a una escuela o edificio del distrito de Shawnee Mission. También prohíbe a los funcionarios del distrito preguntar a un estudiante acerca de su estatus legal y compartir esa información.
La política de investigación y interrogatorio de los distritos impide que los agentes del I.C.E. entren a las escuelas de SMSD y lleven a cabo investigaciones, registros o arrestos de estudiantes sin presentar una orden válida, el permiso de un padre o tutor o la causa de una emergencia.
“Creemos que un ambiente seguro y acogedor se vería perturbado por la presencia de una fuerza de inmigración activa en la escuela”, dijo el superintendente del distrito escolar de Shawnee Mission, Michael Schumacher. “La escuela no es el lugar para hacer eso, ¿verdad? No es bueno para el niño. No es bueno para los otros niños.”
Schumacher dijo que el jefe de policía del distrito, Mark Schmidt, quien tiene conexiones con las autoridades locales, hizo comentarios sobre los agentes de la I.C.E. que no tienen interés en perseguir a estudiantes indocumentados en terrenos escolares.
Aún así, los estudiantes se preocupan de que eso pueda cambiar. Y no hay manera de saber qué
les puede pasar fuera de la escuela.
“Saber que en cualquier momento, ellos podrían venir a mi casa y sacarme del país fue algo sorprendente,” dijo Christian López.
El 7 de febrero, I.C.E. invadió un restaurante mexicano local, El Potro, en Liberty, MO.. El sheriff del condado de Clay, Will Akin, le dijo a los de Kansas City Star que los agentes federales debían investigar la orden de una persona soltera asociada con delitos sexuales. Sin embargo, terminaron deteniendo al menos a 12 empleados y incautando dos cajas de documentos de empleo.
Los videos relacionados con esa redada aparecieron instantáneamente en plataformas como X, Youtube y Facebook. Más videos de redadas continúan saliendo en el internet desde complejos de apartamentos infiltrados en Denver,
UN
PROMEDIO
DE 872
INMIGRANTES ESTÁN SIENDO DEPORTADOS
CADA DÍA
Datos del New York Times
Co., hasta detenciones hechas en el norte de Virginia.
Ahora los estudiantes tienen miedo de conducir, y mucho menos de salir de sus casas.
Como el estudiante Pancho García.
Desde que Trump asumió el cargo, García no ha conducido a la escuela. Los 15 minutos de ida y vuelta son demasiado arriesgados, dice, por lo que hace sus tareas desde casa. Sabe que los puntos de asistencia no valen la pena ser deportado a Honduras.
“No puedo volver atrás,” dijo García. “Todo es un peligro ahí fuera. La gente simplemente no se da cuenta.”
La parte más difícil del viaje de García no fue caminar kilómetros desde Honduras hacia Guatemala o montar en autobuses, ser detenido, enviado de vuelta y luego tener que empezar de nuevo. O incluso pasar por Chiapas, México, y enfrentar la violencia y la corrupción de los carteles de drogas y la policía. Era ver a los demás luchar y saber que no podía hacer nada más que mirar hacia otro lado y seguir tratando de sobrevivir.
García había sido deportado dos veces en tres años. Ha viajado cientos de millas para estar donde está ahora. Hacía trabajos para los
miembros del cartel, moviendo drogas para que lo dejaran cruzar el río con seguridad. Evitó unirse a sus pandillas, pero si tuviera que volver ahora, eso no sería una opción.
“Me matarán a mí y a mi familia”, dijo García. Él lleva eso con él cada vez que ve las luces azules y rojas y el sonido de una sirena. Eso, piensa, podría ser todo lo que se interpone en el camino de la vida o la muerte.
López viajó a los Estados Unidos desde su país natal, Guatemala, hace seis años.
Todavía puede recordar estar sentado en el patio de su casa de la infancia a las 2:00 a.m., mirando las estrellas. La brisa cálida mezclada con el equipaje apretado y los argumentos de sus padres estaban empezando a hundirse. No habría que despedirse de sus amigos o compañeros de clase. No más vagar por las calles familiares de la Ciudad de Guatemala en chanclas. No más sorbos de Coca-Cola de pajia en bolsas de plástico retorcidas.
Antes de irse, empacó su colección de Hot Wheels de 200 autos. Tenía buenos recuerdos de correrlos arriba y abajo en su entrada fangosa durante horas. Ahora, están escondidos en algún lugar de su casa de Kansas City.
“Vine aquí y no sabía cómo hablar el idioma”, dijo López. “Era el primer día de sexto grado. Pasé de ser popular a ser un niño inmigrante. Cuando se trataba de proyectos grupales, nadie me apoyaba porque tenía acento. Sentí que no pertenecía aquí.”
Lopez se probó fuera de los programas de aprendizaje del idioma inglés (ELL) en el séptimo grado. Porque no está en la clase ELL, López dice que sus amigos le dicen que “no actúa como un ilegal.” Los estudiantes de ELL todavía hablan con él sobre ser intimidados en la escuela por estudiantes que hablan inglés.
“No saben lo que la gente está diciendo,” dijo López. “Solo ven a la gente señalando y riendo.”
En los últimos dos meses, los maestros de ELL Jamie Ledbetter y Nancy Blackburn han tenido que traer recursos adicionales que abordan casos extremos de ansiedad, pánico y estrés en sus estudiantes - respuestas que ambos dicen que ahora se han hecho más evidentes que nunca.
“Hemos tenido estudiantes llorando en nuestra oficina por situaciones con las que tienen que lidiar”, dijo Ledbetter.
Ledbetter dijo que el departamento de ELL ha practicado técnicas de respiración y relajación con los estudiantes y ha pasado por asuntos de emergencia familiar si, por ejemplo, un estudiante va a casa a una casa vacía porque los miembros de la familia han sido detenidos por agentes del I.C.E..
“Nuestros estudiantes son niños, no son adultos, estos son niños”, dijo Blackburn. “Así que se les pone en esta situación sin muchas opciones. Pero estamos haciendo todo lo posible como sus maestros para asegurarnos de que nuestros estudiantes sientan que tienen algún control.”
Ledbetter dijo que encontrar recursos para aliviar las cargas específicas que enfrentan sus estudiantes es parte de su trabajo. Esto podría significar incluso asesoramiento legal.
“Lo que la gente no se da cuenta es que yo diría que la mayoría de nuestros estudiantes trabajan con un abogado”, dijo Blackburn. “Están tratando de hacer las cosas correctas y convertirse en un ciudadano legal.”
Los maestros también pasan tiempo proveyendo a los estudiantes con ayuda académica, ayudando con organizaciones que regalan necesidades como ropa, artículos de tocador y más o simplemente ser una persona que puede sentarse en esa silla de oficina, mirarlos a los ojos y simplemente escuchar.
“Lo más importante es que en Shawnee Mission Northwest, entran por esas puertas y se sienten como si pertenecieran aquí”, dijo Blackburn.
Ledbetter señaló cómo sus estudiantes son resistentes, pero eso no le impide imaginar los peores escenarios.
“Es aterrador pensar que hay un estudiante que quizás nunca volvamos a ver”, dijo Ledbetter. Cada día, ese pensamiento se convertirá en la realidad de un estudiante.
“Solo porque abro una puta puerta,” dijo López.
UNA PALABRA DE LA REPRESENTANTE SHARICE DAVIDS
La congresista demócrata Sharice Davids, de Kansas, está de acuerdo con la postura de Trump de que el sistema de inmigración estadounidense está roto y necesita ser reformado.
“La mejor manera de lograrlo es que los republicanos y los demócratas trabajen juntos en una reforma migratoria integral y bipartidista, no implementando políticas partidistas extremas que alimentan el miedo y pueden conducir a una mayor in ación”, dijo Davids en una declaración al Northwest Passage.
UNA PALABRA DE LA GOBERNADORA
LAURA KELLY
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly echoed David’s call for immigration reform.
Q:“El gobernador Kelly ha estado pidiendo una reforma migratoria durante años, que incluye asegurar la frontera y deportar a criminales peligrosos”, a rmó la secretaria de prensa de Laura Kelly, Grace Hoge.
“Este es un problema que solo se puede resolver a nivel federal con una cuidadosa consideración de aquellos que se encuentran aquí legalmente”.
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What’s in
What’s in NW Passage staff members’ backpacks
Our Bags?
“I keep everything in my bag mainly because I’ll need it. Either for all my classes or just because my lips get really dry and my aquaphor comes in clutch.” - sophomore Sophia Ragan
“My favorite thing in my bag is probably my yellow folder, becase it keeps all my papers organized.” - freshman Harper Ward
The Path to College Ball
College Ball
Senior Brenden Lee goes from two injuries to D1 baseball
The road to D1 college baseball was certainly unorthodox for senior Brenden Lee, yet he will be on his way to the University of Evansville to play baseball next year. It was a long journey but he had gotten there. He still remembers that tournament out in Indianapolis in July. It had been his team’s fifth week out, and the recruiting process was beginning to wind down.
“I was kind of getting worried,” Lee said. At that point, he had no idea where he was going to go. The weather forecast for that tournament had been bad, but the games were still going. There had been anywhere from 1520 scouts at that tournament, and he couldn’t help but be nervous as he went in to pitch for two innings, throwing five or six of the outs.
Looking at the screen, he could see that he was pitching hard, topping out at 92 mph, which was the fastest he had managed to throw his fastball. Before he could continue to throw, the game was delayed for the weather.
Around two hours later as Lee got in his car and turned on his notifications, he saw over 25 notifications from colleges. That night alone he had calls with three different colleges.
“I was kinda surprised, but I was also extremely excited,” Lee said.
After that tournament, he stayed in contact with the University of Evansville and in September he was invited to tour the campus and facilities.
“That had to have been my fifth visit, I think at that point, and you know, I really just fell in love with what they were doing there,” Lee said.
A month later, he officially signed.
For a while, however, it didn’t appear that he would get to where he is now. Coming into his freshman year, he played for the C team,to gain experience.Going into his sophomore year, he was pitching at 86 mph. However a week after tryouts, he went to the doctor only to learn he had strained his rotator cuff. He made the hard decision to leave the team rather than take a roster spot from someone else while he recovered.
During his progression to get back to throwing, he was faced with another set back.
He had strained his UCL. It would be 15 weeks before he could start throwing off the mound again.
“I really reconsidered what my goals were with baseball, like is this something I want to do at the next level, if I even had the ability to do it at the next level. I hadn’t pitched successfully in a game since I was in between freshman and sophomore year in high school,” Lee said.
Returning from injury his junior year, Lee didn’t think it was possible for him to play at division one level, but with help from PT Bob Zimmerman and Trevor Jones, the trajectory of his career changed.
From August to January, he practiced almost six days a week. By January of his junior year, he was up to 91 mph. He made the hard decision to not play his junior year because he didn’t feel prepared to throw in front of college scouts, instead spending the time training for his next season. When the time came for his first game in two years, he was in Lake Point, Atlanta.
“I was still getting better at remembering, like, I’m actually good at this. Even though I hadn’t played in so long, I’m still good at this game,” Lee said.
Now Lee prepares for the highschool baseball season, having learned and grown from his setbacks. He is extremely excited to get to play with UE and is ready to face any challenges that come his way.
STORY BY BRYNNA EMLER DESIGN BY BELLA ALVARADO
Photo by Landen Horn
Wrestling State in Photos
Six NW students placed in the KSHSAA 6A Wrestling State Championships
- Senior Adam Hageman holds up a “state champion” shirt March 1 at Bluhawk Sports Park. This was Hageman’s fourth time going to the state championship, and his first time winning. “It was a surreal moment,” Hageman said. “But at the same time, it was a moment that I’d been visualizing.”
Photo by Cooper Evans
-
tries to keep her opponent down March 1 at Bluhawk Sports Park. At the beginning of this period, her opponent chose to play bottom. “She is a very strong girl and she stood up and I was trying to get a grip on her leg,”
said.
Above - Senior Mackenzie Farkes hugs senior Mia Butler March 1 at Bluhawk Sports Park. Farkes congratulated Butler after she placed fifth overall in girl’s 120lb weight class. “We’re both seniors and that was the end of our [high school] careers,” Farkes said. “Growing together the last three years and watching the sport grow made it the family Mr. Davies worked really hard for it to be.”
Photo by Cooper Evans
Right - Hands on a Lawrence Free State wrestler, sophomore Kole Johnson attempts to sprawl March 1 at Bluhawk Sports Park. Johnson placed fifth overall in the 157lb weight class at the state tournament. “I felt a little nervous because it was my first time,” Johnson said. “I think after I lost my first match I was disappointed because I knew I could have won it but I wasn’t as worried afterward.”
Photo by Cooper Evans
Above
Left
Senior Addison Baker
Baker
Photo by Cooper Evans
MONTH IN
Right - Seniors Kara Simpson and Grace Amador dance Feb. 15 in the Cafeteria. “Low” by Flo Rida was playing. “[That song] is a classic at every school dance,” Simpson said.
Photo by Finn Bedell
Below - Senior Savanna Hauber hugs Lilli Weber Feb. 14 in the Main Gym. Hauber has dreamed of being crowned queen since she was five. “I feel so honored to be crowned queen,” Hauber said. “All my friends came up and gave me the biggest hug ever. They were so excited.”
Right - During the annual dodgeball tournament, Junior Lillanna Weber writes down the winning team for the first match Feb. 1 in the Main Gym. Weber joined StuCo her freshman year. “I really thought StuCo was an exciting opportunity,” Weber said. “My friend Elinor Engel, that was a senior at the time, had hyped it up to me so I took a chance and got in.”
Photo by Ali Albertson
Photo by Maddi Roof
Right - Junior Maddilyn Meyers looks at the label for a rose Feb. 14 in the Mall.
Photo by Cooper Evans
DESIGN BY ADDISON GRISWOLD
IN PHOTOS
Left - Senior Javier Cruz is crowned as sweetheart second runner-up king Feb. 15 in the Main Gym. After the crowning Cruz unpacked a pack of Pokémon cards in front of his friends. “My good friend Gustin brought a happy meal to the dance which included these pokémon cards that he let me unpack in front of twenty or so people, it was so random,” Cruz said.
Left - Senior Aiven Riley jumps to reach a basketball hoop Feb. 11 at Gardner Edgerton High School. The Boy’s Varsity basketball team beat Gardner Edgerton 75-43. “I felt glad, because we were kinda struggling,” Riley said. “[We] got our groove back for that game.”
Photo by Jack Pischke
Left - Junior Val Nielsen dances in the musical “Chicago” Feb. 4 in the Auditorium. The cast has been rehearsing for the show since November. “There are a few places we are a bit rusty on but that’s all okay,” Nielsen said. “But practice makes perfect and I think we are more than ready for a show.”
Photo by Lucy Wilson
Photo by Maddi Roof
“
I’ve been working towards this whole year to run it back to state. I’m happy we get a chance to do it again. I’ve been working towards this whole year to run it back to state. I’m happy we get a chance to do it again.
-senior Keaton Wagler -senior Keaton Wagler
“
N W P
N W P
Seniors Keaton Wagler and Ty Jackson celebrate March 7 in the Main Gym. The Boy’s Varsity Basketball Team won the sub-state championship against Blue Valley Northwest High School. Photo by Finn Bedell
