Volume 2, Issue 1, Eyas magazine, May 2023, Every Falcon Has A Story

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Dancing With Passion

Band Journey

Athletic Injuries

Relationship In Wrestling

Developing A Future

Carrying Out Creativity

Teacher Travels

Full House

Coaching Through Change

Throwing Connections

Pushing Through the Finish Line

Student Visionary Award

Family Recipes And Life Lessons

Lessons From My Mother

Wrestling To Find balance

Flipping The Switch

Covid Hardships

Around The World

Administrators Journey

Becoming An Athletic Trainer

Every Falcon Has A Story

Every FALCON Has a Story

Eyas is the term for a baby falcon. The Journalism 1 class are considered the "baby Falcons" before they join Talon magazine or Legacy yearbook. These intro students wrote about students. Each person who was written about share their personal story

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Dancing With Passion Dancer Shares Experiences

Dance has been in sophomore Nicole Childress' life since she was in kindergarten. Dance has impacted her and influenced who she is today. She's learned lessons and achieved accomplishment in the times she's spent dancing.

“I dance because it’s a way to express my feelings, and if I'm having a tough day, it’s nice to go to the studio and see the girls,” Childress said.

Dancers spend hours each day in the studio to prepare for a big competition. Remembering routines can be hard and stressful, so before going on stage some dancers use warmup rituals to help calm their nerves.

“Before I perform, I do the basic stretching and warming up,” Childress said. “But I always like to be alone before I perform.”

Childress has flourished in competition during her time dancing, and that didn’t come without hours and hours of practice and preparation.

“Winning nationals and getting a perfect score on the studio production, it made me feel accomplished and like all the hard work finally paid off,” Childress said.

Childress learned life lessons from spending time dancing.

“I learned

people are always going to be upset no matter what you do,” Childress said. “And you can't make everybody happy.” Since dance has so many different forms, they can often teach dancers.

“Dance has helped with teaching me about different cultures because it’s not just ballet and jazz,” Childress said. “You can also take African dance, ballroom classes, and it helps you be more well rounded.”

Dance has been in Childress’ life for most of her childhood, and she knows it takes time and dedication. Childress now continues to dance at the 320 dance company.//

Written by Haley Hunter

to just be yourself because

Photos Courtesy of Nicole Childress

Senior Recalls Journey With Trumpet

When senior Javier Carreon first picked up the trumpet for band in sixth grade, it wasn’t something he wanted to do.

“I just never saw myself playing an instrument,” Carreon said. “It was kind of just like, ‘Oh, this is more work that I have to put in now to something. I don’t really want to do it.’”

It was Carreon’s mother and older sister who got him into band.

“I was kind of forced into band a little bit,” Carreon said.

He said his sister played the trumpet, and she decid ed she no longer wanted to play it. So when Carreon went to sixth grade, it fell to him to play.

“My mom was still paying for it, so she was like, ‘Here, take it. Go for it,’” Carreon said.

But he was still skeptical.

“Beforehand, I was like, ‘Oh, I don’t really want to do this,’” Carreon said.

It didn’t take long for him to change his mind. Carreon said he enjoyed it from the first day he stepped into the room.

“When I actually stepped into the room, it was fun,” Carreon said.

However, the change was not instantaneous.

“I would say marching band was my favorite,” Carreon said. “Marching band is a big part of the fall school year, and I really enjoy playing at the football games. It gives me a chance to hang out with my friends that I wouldn’t hang out with outside of school.”

Making friends wasn’t too hard, even though when he first walked in, he knew no one.

“The only group of friends I had was from elementary school,” Carreon said. “And they weren’t in band at all. When I got into band in middle school, it was this whole different experience, and I was able to meet new people and actually participate in something.”

For Carreon, participating was really helpful for fitting in while in a new environment.

“There was a lot of honor bands that I did,” Carreon said, “and just playing and keeping in contact with the people playing around me.”

There were some benefits from playing in band that came outside of the band room.

“It also helps with stress a little bit,” Carreon said. “If I’m stressed with another class, I like to go into WIN time and just play something for fun. Or when I’m at home and I’m kind of just having a bad day, I can sit and play on my trumpet for a little while. It’s a stress-relieving thing.”

Although he is graduating, Carreon’s not done with the trumpet yet.

“In the future after high school, I am planning to attend MCC for two years,” Carreon said. “I

know that they have a couple band options I could try down there, as well as community bands, so I believe I will continue to play the trumpet.”

That’s not all. When Carreon finishes his two years at MCC, he plans to attend a four-year university and major in either Business Management or Marketing, and he’s for sure wanting to do some band programs.

Something Carreon hadn’t originally seen himself doing has turned out to be a big part of his life.

“This is fun. This is something I can be happy with,” Carreon said. //

Written by Rory Freyermuth, Graphics by Lily Carmichael

Photo courtesy of Javier Carreon

Focusing on the beat, senior Javier Carreon plays festive songs at the holiday band concert Dec. 5 in the Performing Arts Center. "It was great to see all the other bands perform, and it was great to preform with the symponic band," Carreon said. Photo by Allie Misenhelter

Facing A Challenge

Student Overcomes Sports Injury

There are things that can hold an athlete back from achiev ing their dreams, and one of these things is injuries. Some injuries are minor, while others can end a dream.

Senior soccer player

Preston Assee is one of the athletes who suffered from a sports-related injury.

“I tore my ACL and MCL in my right knee, and I had this thing called OCD (osteochondritis dissecans) where the two tips of your bone, the knuckles, die off,” Assee said.

Assee played soccer basically his whole life, since he was 3 or 4 years old. So, when he got injured, it took a toll on his life.

“I had to just sit out and rest my knee,” Assee said.

Some sports injuries are easier to recover from than others.

“I tore my ACL, which is like a year recovery on its own, and then my MCL and the osteochondritis dissecans, so it took some time,” Assee said.

Assee was 12 years old when he

got injured so, during his threeyear -long recovery, he spent his spare time playing video games.

“I was young, so there wasn’t much I could do,” Assee said.

Assee’s dad, who he said he admires, also played soccer and helped Assee during that time.

“He tried to keep me in shape, so we would work out in the mornings and at night,” Assee said.

After three years, Assee was able to get back to playing soccer for his freshman year of high school.

“My freshman year was a lot of fun,” Assee said. “We won districts that year.”

Despite being out of soccer for three years, Assee excelled in his first year of high school soccer.

“I played JV, and I played varsity my freshman year,” Assee said.

Head soccer coach Johnny Chain has coached Assee since his fresh-

man year, and has seen Assee’s potential from the very

“We see these young guys come in a lot,” Chain said. “We can identify if they are going to be helpful to us in a few years. Can they grow into a varsity player? And he certainly had the potential as a young player.”

As far as Assee’s injury goes, it didn’t seem to hold him back in any way, Chain said.

“Injury unfortunately is just part of what we do in every sport,” Chain said.

After being injured, Preston’s future plans with soccer changed.

“Growing up, I wanted to be a professional soccer player,” Assee said. “But that changed after I got injured.”

Instead of continuing to chase his dream of becoming a professional soccer player, he decided it would be better for him to pursue a career in construction management. But, despite not wanting to make soccer a career, he still wanted to play.

“I plan to play soccer in college, but it just depends on if I get a

Sink or Swim

McGraw Strives To Recover from Injury

Being an athlete is common, but not every athlete will face a career-ending injury like sophomore swimmer Jacey McGraw has. She has been battling her injury for two and a half years, recently facing an injury flare up which affected her ability to swim.

McGraw is struggling with IT band syndrome, a sprained MCL, and she also has tendonitis. She said the injuries came from overworking in swimming, and while she is currently not allowed to swim, she has been trying to get back to working on her goal of swimming in college.

“I have been swimming for so long I couldn’t imagine not swimming after high school,” McGraw said.

McGraw used to compete in the breaststroke, but she now swims the individual medley relay race with a combination of backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle combined into one race. She said she swims the medley relay because it is the only way she’s able to swim breaststroke. The breaststroke requires substantial knee movement, which prevents McGraw from being able to participate with her injury.

“It’s hard not being able to swim and especially not being able to compete in the breaststroke,'' McGraw said.

McGraw’s goal is to get back to the level she was before she was injured. She said she hasn’t been able to swim her greatest times in four years, which is hard for her, but she has not given up on her goal to swim again. McGraw said she and her doctors hope that if she continues her physical therapy year round, her injury will not flare up anymore and she can continue to swim.

“According to my physical therapist, I’m hyperflexible,” McGraw said. “When I do things like standing or kicking, I hyperextend my knees.”

McGraw is gradually getting back into swimming with some limitations and assistance. She is swimming currently, but she has certain limitations. She can only swim 50% with a kick; the other half she has a buoy on her legs and pulls it behind her.

“That way I’m just easing back in with the legs and don’t swim full force and hurt myself again,” McGraw said. //

Written by Emma Brown

At the girls swim season, sphomore Jacey McGraw poses before her second season of highschool swim.

McGraw catches her breath after finishing her race.

Wrestling With Work

Relationship With Coach Builds Character

Wrestling has been sophomore Merrik Murray's life; he has been wrestling since he was 6. He's achieved accomplishments such as placing second at districts and fourth at state as a freshman. He said he struggles with school and being able to focus in class, but his wrestling coach helped him be a better student so he could achieve his goals both as a student and an athlete.

Murray said wrestling coach Elisha Bears helped keep him “sane.”

“He makes it to where I can do what I do best, and that's just have fun,” Murray said.

“Before every single match, he tells me, ‘Just go have fun.’”

Bears pushed Murray to work hard but at the same time be able to let loose and just do his best and enjoy himself.

“If I’m having problems outside of wrestling, he’ll sit there and talk to me about it,” Murray said.

He said Bears even helped him with his success in the classroom.

“I'm not the smartest person in the world, but he's always making sure I'm staying on top of it,” Murray said.

He said Bears helped him improve himself as a person and a student, and he had a large impact on who he has become.

“I struggle with school,” Murray said. “I have trouble just sitting there without getting distracted or fidgeting. But Bears helped me out a lot with that.”

Murray said he grew up around Bears. His dad began watching Staley’s wrestling team when the school first opened, and he had gotten close with

Bears through the matches. His family got to know bears more over time. Now, Murray and Bears have worked together and been able to create a trusting relationship.

“I’ve known him since he was probably 4 or 5 years old,” Bears said. “When you know someone that long, you definitely have a different type of relationship as opposed to someone you've only known for a few months. I think he trusts me, and I trust him.” Over the decade they've known each other, Bears said he has gotten to see Murray grow into a hard worker who goes for his goals.

“Merrick is a kid who loves wrestling,“ Bears said. “He loves everything about wrestling. He wants to be the best. He trains in wrestling year round. He's pretty tenacious.”

While he put time and effort into wrestling, he tried to balance being a good student so that in the future he could accomplish what he wanted to.

“Being a good student is something he needs to work on, to continually try to get better at and try to stay on top of things,” Bears said.

Merrik Murray coming back from leg injury to wrestle at state. Photo courtesy of Elisha Bears

“We actually just talked the other day about his grades and making sure that he’s taking care of those and getting into the colleges and places he wants to be later on.”

While Murray had many other coaches over his lifetime, he said Bears had the biggest impact on him. With Bears’ help with his education, he hoped to have a chance to get into his dream school.

“Next season, I want to be on the top,” Murray said. “I am hoping for at least a 3.5 GPA. I want to be getting recruited by the biggest D1 colleges I can. I want to be recruited by my dream school, Penn State. They’ve got the best wrestling program.”

He said one of his idols coaches there.

“Cael Sanderson is the head coach there, and he's been one of my idols in wrestling for a really long time,” Murray said.

Murray said he would continue working with Bears and do his best to keep his grades up so he could go to his dream school and work with the coach that he idolized.

“I want to be on the top. I got nothing holding me back,” Murray said. “I mean, whether I’m injured or not, there should be nothing that stops me with that.”//

Writen by Willow Wooldrige

Merrik Murray wrestling against a Carthage wrestler at state this season. Photo courtesy of Elisha Bears

Developing A Future

Student Shares Dream Of Game Developing

In the winter of 2020, junior Opjeet Dhanoa’s dream started. During that time, he stumbled across a YouTuber named Danny.

“The way he presented game developing was very interesting to me, so I tried it out, and I’ve liked it ever since,” Dhanoa said.

Since then, he has been working toward his dream of creating his own game.

“I want to be remembered for making a huge, very popular game and being the CEO of the game,” Dhanoa said. “If I had one goal to do, that would be my one goal.”

Dhanoa’s dream game is a multiplayer first person shooter with power ups the player can collect to upgrade their character. He hoped people will have fun with it and that they feel like they’re playing a great game, just like he felt when he first played "Minecraft" Aug. 27, 2017. He said he loved the creativity and freedom of the game.

“The thing about other games is, you have to follow these rules. You have to come up with these missions. There’s a set way to play the

game,” Dhanoa said. “In 'Minecraft', there’s no set way to play.”

Dhanoa not only loves the creativity of Minecraft, but also loves coding for the same reason.

“The creativity is the best part,” Dhanoa said. “As long as you know what you’re doing, you can pretty much do anything you want, and when I say anything, I mean anything you want.”

After being inspired by 'Minecraft', Dhanoa has taken the necessary steps toward making his own game. He is currently using an app titled “Unity,” and it allows people to create 2D and 3D games.

“I originally started using Unity instead of any other game engine because the main programming language that is used is C#, which is very similar to Java,” Dhanoa said. “Java is the first programming language I ever used, so there wasn’t much of a learning curve.”

Moving forward, Dhanoa’s goal is to major in computer science, and he plans to build on his skills by taking classes geared towards game development. //

Written by Audrey Spiek., Graphic by Lily Carmichael

Carrying Out Creativity

Senior Has Lifelong Goal Of Creating Comic Book

Starting his journey when he was 14, senior Daniel Skillman has an ambition to publish his own comic book.

Skillman’s interest in comic books sparked when he was in elementary school. He said he had always found superheroes and cartoons fascinating, so much he wanted to create his own.

“I've always been a fan of comic books and things of that sort, and I've always liked superheroes,” Skillman said. “When I was 8, one time I was drawing something in a notebook I had, and my dad recommended that I make my own superhero.”

His dad's suggestion worked out that day because once Skillman started creating superheroes, he didn't want to stop.

“There was a period of time I was making a whole bunch of superheroes,” Skillman said. “I was drawing them out. I was coming up with names and abilities.”

Skillman said the comic book is about the salvation and restoration of a certain group of people.

“The plot centers around the characters journeying to restore their kingdom, which has been overtaken,” Skillman said.

He created the main character and the supporting characters for his story on his own.

“The main character is named Damal. He is the leader of a group of characters, their names of which I will not disclose,” Skillman said.

The idea to create his own characters prompted a whole universe of characters, which was the catalyst for the comic book. Skillman said the longest process of this project is staying organized with his ideas.

“The beginning of it I still haven't fully sorted out,” Skillman said.”And every so often there's a new idea, so it's like I'm not sure where to stop and be like, ‘OK, this goes here, and this goes there.’”

Skillman said his next step is to study and learn about new things so he can put in ideas that go past his current knowledge and that can improve his project.//

Written by Peighton Rector

Artwork by Daniel Skillman.

Artwork by Daniel Skillman.

Covid Hardships

Student Shares Her Loss From COVID

The COVID-19 pandemic brought about a hard time, but for sophomore Olivia Marcille, it was one of the lowest points of her life. Marcille lost her grandpa on Jan. 9, 2022, to COVID–19. She was close with him and saw her grandpa as a father figure, mentor and a big impact in her day-to-day life. A year later, she’s still learning to move past it and understanding the grief that followed.

“Me and my family all get along super well,” Marcille said.

Marcille is a family-orientated girl, living with her immediate family of five, including her two brothers and sister. Her grandma also lives with her, making six people in her house. Whether it's watching her siblings or going on family vacations together, Marcille said she enjoys the time she gets with them.

“My family is definitely one of the biggest influences in my life,”

Marcille said. About a year ago, when society was treating COVID-19 as if it were gone, it reached Marcille’s r doorstep. With her family thinking the virus had run its course, it was a shock when her entire family tested positive.

“Everyone had it in my house, so it was just very big,” Marcille said.

Her family recovered from COVID-19, except one. Marcille’s grandpa didn’t make it. With Marcille relying on her family, especially her grandpa, she was devastated.

“He was kind of like my dad, so we – all my family – we just lived together with my grandparents,” Marcille said. “So whenever he passed away, it was a really big deal because he did everything for us.”

With COVID-19 precautions and mask mandates gone, there are people who believe the

pandemic response was overzealous or that COVID-19 wasn’t real. Some downgrade the coronavirus, treating it like a simple cold. Marcille said people don’t take it as seriously as it should have been taken. “It sucks, like a lot, whenever people say these things because it's traumatizing to go through something like this,” Marcille said. A year later, and much has changed in Marcille’s life. Her family has started to move past the pandemic and learn how to deal with the grief of losing someone so close to them. Marcille herself is moving past it a day at a time and is focusing on repairing the connections with her family. She said she learned to be thankful for every moment she gets to spend with them, never knowing what could be the last.

“I’m doing much better now,” Marcille said.//

Writen by Madison Brewer

FULL house

Living With 10 In One House Has Ups, Downs

In the average American household, there are 2.6 members living in one home at a time, but for 16-yearold Maer Deng, this is not the case. Maer was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. He’s now a sophomore in high school, a varsity football player and wrestler. But when the day is over, Maer goes home to his family of 10.

Three years after his mom and dad moved to the United States from South Sudan, Africa they had Maer’s oldest brother, Yorwin. Yorwin is a junior in high school, and Maer’s ride to school each day. He also runs track and plays football with his brother. He is the oldest of his six siblings, and Maer said the closest to him.

“Me and Yorwin are the closest out of all my siblings,” Deng said. “For sure. Most the things I do, I do with him – like everything every day, to be honest. We used to fight a lot. 100%. But then I got bigger than him. Before that though, he used to beat me up bad, but now it's neutral ground. We don’t tend to fight as much as we used to,"

Now that the two have grown out of their fighting stages, they do nearly everything together, whether they are out with friends or practicing football. Yorwin is just one of the 10 members in the Deng household. Living with 10 family members can be crazy and chaotic sometimes, but aside from the few struggles, Deng said he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Three brothers, four sisters, so a family of nine,” Maer said. “And our grandma lives with us too, so 10. It’s absolutely horrible. I mean it’s entertaining, but crazy. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I can’t get

everything I want because there is a majority of people they have to buy things for, so that’s one struggle.”

He said it’s difficult to find time alone.

“It’s always loud,” Deng said. “There’s always somebody at every corner. There’s never a moment where you're just by yourself.”

Although there are a few struggles, Maer still appreciates and enjoys his family. Maer said he tries to always follow his parents’ example. He said his dad is a constant reminder for Maer to be committed to the things he does, including football and wrestling and not doing anything halfway.

“You’ve got to commit,” Maer said. “And that’s something that has definitely stuck with me. That and hard work. My dad has inspired that and a lot of things.”

His mom has molded Maer into the kind, lighthearted person he is today.

“My mom means a lot to me,” Maer said. “She’s a really nice person – a really good person. She has welcoming hands for everybody, no matter who you are. And I try to display my kindness like she does.”//

Written by Grace Calcote.

Sophomore, Mare Deng and his family dressed up to go to curch on Christmas Day. Photo courtesy of Mare Deng.

Coaching Through Change

Dispite Changing World, Chain Always Drawn Back To Coaching

Entering his fifteenth year of coaching with the North Kansas City School District, head soccer coach Johnny Chain focuses on finding happiness and purpose in life.

Although Chain has always had passion for soccer, it was never a long term goal to be a teacher or a coach. He originally majored in exercise and fitness management.

“I never thought I would be a full-time coach,” Chain said. “It is just something I enjoyed doing at the time.”

While attending college, Chain’s high school coach asked him to start coaching.

“My coach back from Oklahoma called me to come coach, and from then I fell in love with it,” Chain said. “That is what really drove me to start coaching the club team at the college I was attending.”

Shortly after graduating, he accepted an assistant coaching position at Wingate University in North Carolina.

“I drove all the way out to Charlotte in my little white Nissan Sentra, and the day I got

there the head coach quit, so I had to become the interim head coach,” Chain said.

Although having a great experience in Wingate, Chain said he missed his family and decided to move back to Kansas City, Missouri, to pursue a career more within his original major.

“Certainly along the way there's a lot of things that happened when I first moved,” Chain said. “I didn't know if I wanted to continue to teach and coach soccer.”

That is when Chain explored other careers.

“I started to manage a local gym,” Chain said. “I started dabbling in real estate. I got away from teaching but eventually came back to it. I was coaching at William Jewell College.”

Chain fondly remembers his time at Wingate and a piece of advice someone gave him.

“I remember my old assistant coach told me once I got back to Kansas City that I would be a coach and a teacher,” Chain said. “I didn’t believe him at the

time. I just felt there's something calling me back, I got called back into coaching three different times.”

That is when Chain pursued the needed credentials to become a teacher in the state of Missouri.

“When I got back into teaching, I started in this alternative program, and that hit my heart even more,” Chain said. “For kids that a regular classroom setting doesn't work for them every day. It became a calling of mine that I had no clue of.”

Chain gives insight on why he doesn’t take a single say for granted.

“My favorite parts of my day are when my feet hit the floor every morning,” Chain said. “I've been sick a few times. I've had some things going on in my life, so I don't take that for granted. When I wake up, it's a good day.”

He did have some advice for people who may find themselves in a similar position.

“As you go through college you will see what is important to you,” Chain said. “Sometimes you have to branch out. There will always be those

things that call you back in. Along the story there are peaks and valleys.”

He said people have to cope with the lows to enjoy the highs.

“It's all about knowing how to survive the valleys,” Chain said. “Don't let the highs get too high at the peak. Try to maintain that healthy level because there will be those bad days we’ve got to learn how to fight through them.”//

Written by Victoria Brady, Graphic by Lily Carmichael.

Photo by McKenna Dubes

Photo courtesy of Jonny Chain

Throwing Connections

Athlete Struggling With Dad's Passing Finds Hope

Football has an impact on young athletes mentally and physically, but for sophomore Sequan McNair there's a connection behind the game.

Relating life to sports can tend to have a more powerful meaning behind it, McNair explains his typical average week for a football player and how he is connected to his favorite sport.

“I want to play football all through high school, through college and potentially go to the NFL.” Which is what success looks like to him. “A lot of my friendships come from football because we all have something we can relate to and the tough schedule,” He said. Sequan McNair wants to take his dreams to the NFL or work in the medical field with injured athletes, wanting to help those injured players and help them recover. He wants to take football as his outside career and

really make something out of it. But behind his compassion for the game he has reasonings, he has a big regret and it affects him in athletics and a little deeper than that, he regrets not reaching out to his father before his passing last year. McNair said he struggled to make conversation with his father because he was a drug user, and it didn't feel like he was talking to his real dad.

“It was the day of my birthday party, it was 10 days after my birthday last year, and then me and my brother found out around the same time which was pretty sad. And having to go to his funeral, which was bad.” Making this an even harder struggle for McNair and his family.

“It was just adding to the stress,” McNair said. “It affects me in sports because that's where I got my athletics from. He was an

athlete.”

Playing football reminds Sequan of his father, and it helps him with the sport.

“I looked up to my dad,” he said, "Whenever he walked into the room everyone's faces would light up. He was a good person; just made poor decisions.” Sequan is close with his grandma and his brother who mean a lot to him.

“My brother also plays football which is something we can really relate to,”. McNair talks about his siblings and how they have helped with the copying of his father and how being close to his brother has really made an impact on growing athletics.

“I really just want to be involved with something that has to do with athletics for the rest of my life,” McNair Said. “I plan to be in it as long as I can.”//

Written by Zoe Lewis.

McNair's father hugging his sons on their birthdays. Photo courtesy of Sequan McNair. McNair's first high school football game, where he scored two touchdowns before being injured and missing most of the season. Photo courtesy of Sequan McNair.

Photo courtesy of Sequan McNair

One in a million. Cyclic Neutropenia is a rare-blood disorder occurring in about one of every one million people, and sophomore Zach Sarnell was diagnosed with it at the beginning of the school year.

Cyclic Neutropenia causes health issues for Sarnell due to a lack of white blood cells, according to the National Library of Medicine’s Medline Plus. He’s at risk of having episodes of neutropenia every few weeks that can last a few days.

Cyclic neutropenia is a hereditary disease. He said his neutrophil levels are normal most of the time except during his episodes when he can experience abdominal pain and recurrent sinus and respiratory infections, making it hard to breathe and do everyday activities.

“The doctor said that I've probably had it for a few years,” Sarnell said. “But I'll probably have it for around the next 15 years.”

According to the National Library of Medicine’s Medline Plus, an untreated person can get infections of the sinuses, respiratory tract and skin, which can be life threatening. Even though there is not a true cure, there are treatments so Sarnell can live his best life.

Pushing Through to the Finish Line

Runner Keeps Going After Rare Medical Diagnosis

“I'm not on any kind of treatment for it because the only medication is a steroid that boosts my blood levels,” Sarnell said. “I only need it if I get really sick and have to have it.”

Neutrophils are white blood cells that play a role in inflammation and fighting infection. Doctors estimate that the average person has at least 2,500 neutrophils per microliter of blood. Someone with Cyclic Neutropenia like Sarnell only has roughly 200 neutrophils per microliter of blood during his episodes.

“Neutrophils are the first white blood cell to fight the sicknesses that I get, so I get sick more often because it's harder for my body to fight diseases,” Sarnell said.

Even though Cyclic Neutropenia can be limiting for Sarnell at times, it does not slow him down. He is involved in multiple activities, like varsity cross country and track and field. The disorder does not affect him much during his running because his episodes happen every few weeks, but it could become difficult because breathing would be very hard and painful. Sarnell also enjoyed math and engineering, which he planned to have a successful career in after school.//

Writen by Braden Kurbin

Student Visionary Award

Leukemia, Lymphoma Society Honors Sophomore

After raising the most money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society against other students who were also driven to find cancer cures, sophomore Vincie Nelson won 2023 Student Visionary of the year from the society.

“I got involved with LLS because my grandpa was diagnosed with leukemia,” Nelson said.

After Nelson’s grandpa was diagnosed with leukemia, she and her family had the desire to help people who have Leukemia. Nelson’s uncle helped a lot through her campaign and helped to jump start Nelson’s funds.

“I would host restaurant nights and would get back proceeds from those places which brought in quite a lot of money,” Nelson said. The Student Visionary of the year was V’s Flock Squad, led by Vinice Nelson. She dedicated her campaign to her grandfather, a blood cancer survivor. The group raised more than $52,000.

“I also sold Courtwarming T-shirts,” Nelson said. Senior Caroline Ray was the team that helped Nelson raise the money.

“The biggest thing I helped with was selling the Courtwarming t-shirts,” Ray said.

The shirts were sold for the Jan 29 Courtwarming game.

“We made shirts for everyone to wear to the game in the student section,” Ray said.

The front of the shirt said, “Here We Glow,” and the back said, “Birds of a feather, flocking togeth-

er to find a cure for cancer.”

“We had students buy the shirts at lunch for $20 each,” Ray said.

All the proceeds of the shirts went to Nelson's campaign. Senior Elizabeth Boehm was also on Nelson’s team to help raise money.

“I helped her come up with a design for shirts to sell to help raise money for her campaign,” Boehm said.

They sold the shirts the week leading up to Courtwarming.

“She did a good job and proved to the team that she could do it,” Boehm said.

All the proceeds Nelson got from selling Super Bowl squares also went toward her campaign.

"We also had silent auction packages that were up during the ceremony,” Nelson said.

The ceremony was at Sporting KC’s Children’s Mercy Park. Nelson brought her team members from school and family members who helped her throughout the campaign. Nelson’s team members were seniors Ray and Boehm, junior Addie Hotchkiss and sophomores Phillip David Henerandez and Hannah Bowers.

“They had all candidates in attendance, and they talked about each team,” Nelson said.

After the speeches about each candidate, the winners were announced. Nelson was named Student Visionary of the year.//

Written by Trinidi Webb

Nelson posing with her new award. Photo courtesy of Vincie Nelson.

Nelson with family at the Awards Ceremony. Photo courtesy of Vincie Nelson.

FAMILY RECIPES AND LIFE LESSONS

Cooking Teacher Uses Life Lessons From Parents In Day To Day

Life

An award-winning teacher in the culinary program has been guiding students for over 10 years. In February, FACS teacher Rachel Mitchell won the Culinary Teacher’s Excellence Award.

Mitchell attributed her success to her parents, who worked in the food industry. Her father, a district manager for Yum Brands, which includes Long John Silvers and other fast-food chains, was responsible for profit and loss statements, hiring and firing managers, while her mother catered for different companies and now owns her own company.

"I grew up in it," Mitchell said, recalling how she used to help her mother when she was 5 years old. "So I've just always been in it. I'm working an event for her here in a couple of months.” Mitchell said she learned more than just food from her parents.

“Work ethic,” Mitchell said. “And a general understanding of how things work in a kitchen and also in your business, the everyday expectations.”

Saying this about the community in her classroom

"It's kind of like a family, like all working together," Mitchell said. "It's kind of like the chaos of it. It's like organized chaos, and you see what doesn't look like it's going to come together."

Mitchell said her mom is a hard worker, and she is very similar.

“My mom never stops. That is something that I have,” Mitchell said. “Sometimes I wish she would just sit down and relax. But there's always something that can be done, and not always some way to improve.”

“There's always something to do,” Mitchell said. “There's always something that can be cleaned. There's always somebody that needs your help.” She wanted

to teach them “that things are not always about themselves."

"We're doing this as a family,” Mitchell said “So if you sit down and you're being lazy, that's all about everybody else."

Mitchell’s parents are close in her heart, and although her father passed away about a year ago, she sees her mom at least once a week.

“We do family dinner once a week, every week,” Mitchell said. “So we spend a lot of time together. And she actually has a few weddings to cater coming up that either I will be helping with, or my niece will be helping with.”

Mitchell said she strives to make a difference in her students' lives and help them achieve their culinary goals.

After 11 years of growing the program, Mitchell plans to work at the Summit Technical Academy. She will be teaching Hospitality, Tourism, and Recreational

Lessons From My Mother

Junior Reflects On Being Born To Immigrant Parents

The daughter of an immigrant mother, junior Grace Chol has had to overcome obstacles in her path to get where she is today. Her mother migrated to the United States from South Sudan to better her children's chances at being successful in their education and in their lives.

The United States has one of the lowest numbers of out-ofschool children, according to the U.S Census Bureau. School is easily accessible to the majority of American children, and is required by law. South Sudan has the highest number of outof-school children in the world, with 72 percent of primary-aged children out of school, according to the United States Agency for International Development. This is due to the constant threat of war and also due to the lack of schooling opportunities. Schools in South Sudan are few and far between.

“Getting this far in high school, I never thought I would be this far and graduating next year,” Chol said. “I always doubted myself about school. I always thought it was harder than everything.”

While she was close with her mother, Chol said her relationship with her father was a rocky one, and she mentioned a lack of compassion toward his children.

“I don’t see him a lot,” Chol

said. “He just says a lot of stuff but doesn’t actually mean it.” She said her father’s choices have prompted warnings from her mother.

“He’s an alcoholic, so my mom told me not to go down his path,” Chol said.

Born in the United States to an immigrant mother, Chol talked about her relationship with her mother and her family back in South Sudan.

“The biggest difference is the economy there,” Chol said. “It’s bad. And war going on, it won’t stop. And then a small problem will turn into another war, and everybody is just getting killed.” Chol said her grandmother works for South Sudan’s government and that worried her about her family there. She said she did not want to visit her mother’s homeland after seeing stories online.

“My mom says it’s a good place, but with war and a lot of kids enduring starvation and stuff like that, I don’t really want to go there,” Chol said. “I do at the same time, just to see what it’s like.”

Chol said her parents were the most important thing to her in life, but mainly her mother. Chol said her father has had a large impact on her by showing her what she did not want to do. She said her mom’s enthusiasm

is what she admired most about her.

“She tells me a lot of things right or wrong,” Chol said. “I might think it's right, but she'll know that it's wrong in a different way. She’ll start thinking more into the future and what can happen, so she gives me a lot of advice.”

The school is 70.78% caucasian, and Chol is one of the 8.19% of African American students at the school. The school is incorporating more ways for students to showcase their culture with things like Diversity week, and the student unions.

Chol has used her story to spread her culture. She was a part of this year's diversity week gallery walk and talked about the culture of South Sudan. Chol has also shared and been a part of many of the Black Student Union meetings.//

Written by Leland Samuel

Celebrating her birthday, junior Grace Chol eating cake given to her by her mother.

Photo courtesy of Grace Chol

Wrestling To Find Balance

Student Learns To Balance School, Life, And Wrestling

Her journey into wrestling started in second grade. Sophomore Ellie Marrah’s family participated in the sport, so she continued the tradition.

“When I was in second grade, my whole family had done it,” Marrah said. “So I just thought I'd follow in my dad’s footsteps.”

She grew to love and enjoy the sport, continuing to her high school years, but in her earliest years of wrestling, there were no “boy and girl” teams. She said it was a struggle wrestling with only boys.

“I was in a wrestling room with all boys, and I didn’t have any girls to wrestle, and it was really hard because they were always stronger,” Marrah said. “So it’s really hard to stay in love with the sport when you’re always getting beat.”

Although it was hard wrestling with boys, it also taught her many things about the sport, skills she uses today in girls wrestling.

“It was interesting, but they definitely made me like them a lot better, and I am still close with a lot of them because they’ve had such a big impact on how I play now,” Marrah said.

She said her experiences with high school wrestling have been different than before since she’s on the girls team.

“It’s kind of different, but I think that it's a lot harder to actually wrestle with girls because not a lot of them stick through the sport, so we’re always changing a lot,” Marrah said. “I do think it’s better because you can

bond with the girls a lot easier.”

It became pretty hard to balance school, cheer and wrestling, but throughout that time she had support from her parents.

“When I first started wrestling they were probably my biggest supporters,” Marrah said. “My dad just always being there and coaching me really helped me throughout the whole thing. He’s always a shoulder I can turn to, and my mom showed up to everything she could.”

Although she knew having her parents by her side was a privilege, it didn’t stop the struggle between school and the sport.

“We were about to go to state. I just didn’t have the work ethic,” Marrah said. “I didn’t feel like doing school; I didn’t feel like working hard in practice; I didn’t feel like doing anything. I just felt like giving up on everyone and everything. Just really struggling with getting the energy I needed.”

Balancing wrestling and school was one of her biggest struggles, but she found a way to handle the stress.

“Definitely trying to focus on myself a little bit more,” Marrah said. “You’ve always got to take time to yourself and not overwork it.”

Although wrestling has been one of the toughest experiences of her life, she said it has also been the greatest.//

Written by Michala Rose.

FLIPPING THE SWITCH Sophomore

Makes Switch From Private To Public School

Certain people may believe private school is better than public school, but sophomore Zoey Stalone thinks otherwise. She switched from private to public school for high school, and she said public school was a better fit for her.

Stalone went to different private schools from third grade to the first couple days of high school. She switched to public school just a couple of days after starting high school to see if it worked better for who she is and how she learned. Once she started, she never went back.

“If I was still in private school, I would not have the friends that I do,” Stalone said. “I wouldn’t have the environment that I do, and honestly I wouldn't have the education that I do.”

Stalone has been open about how much the switch has affected her friend group and how she acts but it also affceted her education.

“I feel so much more connected to my teachers here than I do at private school, and it helps me to learn so much better when I have a connection with my teacher because I don't feel embarrassed to ask questions,” Stalone said.

Stalone said she built a connection with her teachers and also met new people who she connected with and have become her best friends. Even though she left private school, she still talked to some of her old friends.

“There are still cliques, but they are different in some ways,” Stalone said. “I feel like it’s just so much more judgemental there. But this school is so much bigger. I have so many more advantages, and I have more opportunities to make friends.”

Stalone said Staley has more possibilites and things to do, and when she first transferred she thought the school was big, but eventually she learned all about the school and the options of activities.

“I’ve figured my way out around the school,” Stalone said. “It's not as big as I thought it was. I’ve made what I believe are going to be my lifelong friends, and my education, as I’ve said, has grown so much.”//

Written by Abbey Bures

The Impacts Of Family Student Shares Experiences With Family Issues

At 13 years old, things changed for junior Sevion Nichols, and it resulted in him ending up living in a home with someone he barely knew.

On Aug. 10, 2005, Nichols was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He lived in his home with his mother and two older brothers, with a younger brother coming later in his life, before moving to Liberty, Missouri, at the age of 3.

“I felt my family life was the most stable during this time,” Nichols said. “I enjoyed living there a lot since it was close to a lot of parks.”

That stability lasted 10 years until family turmoil left Nichols living with his aunt while his brothers went to other relatives.

“Through all of this, I love my mom, and I know she loves me and my siblings through everything,” Nichols said. “She hid all of the bad things in our life so we wouldn’t notice it, and I never had anything against her.”

Though it was difficult moving, he was grateful for living with his aunt and his older cousin. Living

there, it was more peaceful after moving out of a toxic environment, and he gained valuable lessons from his older cousin Kyyiren. He said Kyyiren helped him learn how to treat others and modeled a hard-working mindset and taking care of mental and physical health.

“He is one of the most influential people in my life, and he helped me get my life and mindset where it needed to be,” Nichols said.

When he first moved in with his aunt, he barely knew her but he got closer to her by watching old shows she would watch, playing board games and going to her doctors’ appointments with her.

“I only knew my aunt before from family gatherings, funerals and stuff like that,” Nichols said. “It was a big change to move in with her, but I’m glad it happened.”

That stability lasted a few years until his aunt died of pancreatic cancer. Then Nichols ended up in foster care with two of his brothers.

“I really liked living there and being a part of the family,” Nichols said.

He started his freshman year while living with his foster family, Steve and Abby Dresser and their children, Hannah and Ben. Now a junior, he said he has learned from the family.

“They helped me remember what I wanted to be like when I was younger and shaped me into the person I wanted to be,” Nichols said.

Through all the hardships with moving several times and not being able to maintain relationships with people he used to know and starting all over again every time he moved, he believed it made him a better person. The Dressers helped him shape up, learn from mistakes, make good choices and watch what he says about others.

“Don’t be afraid of change because it could turn out for the better and give you advantages some other people don’t have,” Nichols said. “Never let it change you as a person in a negative way.”

Written by Emma Fenton

Photo Courtesey of Sevion Nichols

Around the World

Lunch Manager Spends Life Exploring Around The World

Some people spend their entire lives living in the same place and never getting the opportunity to travel and explore the world, however cafeteria manager Lisa Ruedisueli has traveled and moved to multiple places in her life. Ruedisueli is from Warren, Michigan, just outside of Detroit, but she moved a few times when she was young, which she said helped her be an open person.

“Having to move schools at a young age and always trying to make new friends probably affected who I am today the most because it helped me be more open minded and better at meeting new people,” Ruedisueli said.

Out of all of the places Ruedisueli traveled to, she said Germany probably has to be her favorite and the most memorable. She said she has been to Germany more than 10 times throughout her life.

“My mother is from Germany, and I have been there quite a bit myself,” Ruedisueli said. “So, it is nice to see where my mom grew up and see where she used to run around as a little girl.”

In Denver, Ruedisueli met her husband of almost 30 years, and

shortly after their wedding they moved to Kansas City together so she could find a career, and they have lived there ever since. Ruedisueli believes moving to Kansas City was the right choice, and Kansas City has given her a lot of good career opportunities.

“I really like Kansas City; the cost of living is a lot more inexpensive than Denver, and my husband moved with me, so that’s all the better,” Ruedisueli said.

Ruedisueli said she has been successful at almost every job she has had, including her current position as manager of the school cafeteria.

“Almost every job that I have taken, I'm proud to say that I've worked my way up to either supervisor, manager, salesperson of the year or something along those lines,” Ruedisueli said.

She said her outlook is bright, which helps her in her career.

“I am a pretty happy person,” Ruedisueli said. “I don’t look at them as struggles, I look at them as challenges, and right now, work is probably my biggest challenge just because we are short staffed, and I try to make my employees happy when they come to work.”

She said she believes in thinking through the best solutions to problems and keeping her team happy and motivated to make work better.

“I’m fortunate to work with a bunch of great ladies,” Ruedisueli said. `

After Reudisueli retires, she said she and her husband would be leaving Kansas City behind and moving one last time.

“I would love to move back to Denver, but unfortunately I’m going to retire here then move to Florida,” Ruedisueli said.

Although she will leave Kansas City behind, she said it would always have a place in her heart.

“I've had a good life living in Kansas City, and I am very grateful for the career opportunities that living here has given me,” Ruedisueli said. //

Written by Lauren Atkinson, Graphic by Lily Carmichael

One of the photos that Lisa Ruediusueli took during her most recent visit to Italy. Photo courtesy of Lisa Ruediusueli

On her most recent trip to Italy for Lisa Ruedisuli, she shares her adventures throughout the world. Photo courtesy of Ruedisueli.

One More Year

Assistant Principal Refleccts On Career As It Comes To

After 28 years in education, the past seven being at Staley, assistant principal Kevin Kooi will be retiring as an educator after next school year. He said he hopes to leave a legacy for himself as his last few moments in education come to an end.

“I hope that they would say that I was a good dude, just a good dude, and that I really had the best interest of the students, the school and the greater interest at heart,” Kooi said.

Throughout his years in education, Kooi has worked with countless amounts of students with various different stories. One story of a middle school student with a language barrier stuck with him. The girl was placed in his class, and this was his first time working with a student with that barrier. He said he did not know how to go about teaching her at first because there was not a lot of training for teachers in this situation at the time.

“By the time the school year was over, this girl was thriving socially and was working towards those basic reading skills,” Kooi said. “And I think what was so impactful around that story was that there

were a lot of learning concerns about her, there were some not only learning concerns beyond the language barrier but there were some concerns that she may have some mental disabilities. And I fought to get her tested. I fought to get her a number of resources to assist and help her, and I think that that was very difficult.”

Through his time working with this student he began to see progress with her learning.

“To see her thrive and learn and get the resources she needed to help her was very cool,” Kooi said. “When I looked back on that and to see her thrive and to see her struggle and know that all of that work and effort we put in to assist and help her paid off.”

As an administrator, Kooi said he prides himself on his ability to connect with his students on not just a professional level but a personal level. Some students can be harder to get through to, and as someone who enjoys getting to know his students,

“It can be very challenging,” said Kooi. But there are ways he has found to help throughout his years.

“I don't know that I have

reached every kid in that manner, but I have to look back and say, ‘OK, this is the student’s issue, now what can I do to assist and help them?’ and not take it too personally that I couldn't reach them,” Kooi said. “Because my job in the end is to help a kid graduate and give a kid what they need for post-secondary options, so sometimes the student has to really engage with themself. ”

Kooi has worked in elementary, middle and high schools, this being his longest time working in one building.

"Staley is not just a place of work, but it is a place I have grown to love," Kooi said.

When he leaves after 9 years at Staley, he hopes his legacy will be “knowing my students and caring about not only the building but every person who walks through it.”

He said he could only hope that the person who follows will carry those same values.

“I just hope that anyone who follows me can have similar experiences that I have had because there have been some pretty cool ones,” Kooi said.//

Written by Kennedy Hildebrand

Kooi coaching in 2002 at Kearney High School. Photo courtesy of Kevin Kooi. Kooi and his very first class on the playground in 1995.

The Athlete Behind the Athletes

Athlete's Journey To Becoming An Athletic Trainer

Growing up playing sports, athletic trainer Alena Nelson said she always knew she wanted to be an athletic trainer. She had a passion for sports and was dedicated to helping others achieve their goals. Today, she has made a significant impact in the lives of the school’s athletes.

“My biggest fear is disappointment in others and disappointment in myself,” Nelson said. “I would be most afraid to disappoint the people that I take care of.”

Nelson was active and enjoyed playing sports during her childhood. She said she excelled in volleyball, basketball and track and field, and her love for sports led her to pursue a career in athletics. She attended college and earned a degree in sports medicine, where she learned about the different aspects of athletic training and injury prevention.

“I played volleyball, basketball and played track,” Nelson said. “I was from a very small school, so I did it all. And in college I ran track.”

Nelson attended high school at Lenora High School where her love for sports grew as she participated in track and field. Then when she went to Dodge City Community College for two years, she contin-

ued playing track but also added volleyball and basketball. After that, she transferred to Kansas State University where she got her bachelor's degree in sports medicine and a master degree in athletics.

After completing her degree, Nelson began working as the school’s athletic trainer. She worked closely with athletes, providing them with the necessary care and support to help them in their respective sports. She was also responsible for injury prevention and rehabilitation, which helped keep the athletes in top physical condition.

“I knew from the beginning that I wanted to be an athletic trainer,” Nelson said. “In high school I became really interested in what they do.”

Even though Nelson grew up with sports as her main hobby and is a full time athletic trainer, she still makes time for her two daughters, Aiden and Monroe. Taking the time out of her schedule of working with student athletes to care for her daughters is a dream come true for her.

“I think my most proudest accomplishment is raising my two girls,” Nelson said. “Seeing the people they become will be my greatest accomplishment.”

Throughout Nelson’s career, she has made an impact on the lives of athletes. She has helped them overcome injuries, reach their goals and achieve their dreams.

“I loved sports before college, and that was kind of the hobby and a big part of my life,” Nelson said. “Now I have my dream job and am working with kids and hanging out with my friends and family.”//

Written by Matt Cheney, Graphic by Joey Taylor, Photo by Landyn Goldberg

One Girl Scout's Guide For A Safer Place

"l actually did a big Girl Scout project at a domestic violence shelter. It was called my Gold Award project, so I hope those people were able to find help from the garden and sensory walls that I built. It wasn't necessarily something I did here, but it's the legacy I hope to leave with those people," junior Avery McKenna, said.

She described herself, "I tend to be pretty positive, at least I hope to be."

Every Falcon Has A Story

One Girl's Mission To Include Everyone

What do you value in life?

Struggles Shaped Her Future

"I would describe myself as smart, nice and funny," senior Kyla Nguyen said. But if you ask other, they might use different words.

"The people that are closest to me know I have a more funny side, and I can be a little stubborn sometimes. Well, sometimes whenever I have a different opinion then someone, whenever I know I'm right, I will fight for what my opinion is."

When asked about the most important event in her life, Kyla said,"Kind of a sad way to go, but I feel like one of the most important events that happened in my life was my parents' divorce. It's shaped the way I am and how things in the future will change." How does a divorce shape a person's life or future?

"It's shaped me. I kind of am more independent because my mom had three kids to take care of including me, so me and my siblings relied on each other and became more independent."

"Probably my church. I love going to my church and my youth group and being confirmed through church." junior McKenzie Holmer said. When asked how others would describe her, she said they see her as shy. ''I feel other people see me as kind," Holmer said. "I'm always looking out for other people and trying to include everybody." For as shy as she sees herself or others see her, Holmer went out of her way for others. "I always make sure everyone always has a partner in all of my classes, or in softball I make sure everyone is included."

From Dancing To Cleaning

"Probably when I made my freshman year dance team here. It was just a really exciting moment, and people I didn't even know were coming up and hugging me, so that that was just really exciting," junior Ashley Brown said. So how does someone who enjoys dancing battle their stress? "I like cleaning. Cleaning is a good way for me to get my stress away because it makes me feel like I'm ringing out all of the negative energy."

Caleb Leonce

Jerron Ewing

Nasi Wright

Israa Alkurdi

Ashley Brown, 11

Avery McKenna, 11

McKenzie Holmer, 11

Kyla Ngyuen, 12