Eyas
Journalism Intro Class
Staley High School Kansas City, Mo. Volume I Issue I May 2016
Every Falcon Has A Story
Table of Contents PG. 4 Journey to the National Team Ifeoma Agali PG. 5 How the Game Began Lindsay McElwee PG. 6&7 A Semester in Spain Jennifer Newman PG. 8&9 Bright Future Ahead Jordan Janaik PG. 10 Flying High Alex Banning PG. 11 Mohammad Shah, National Qualifier Mohammad Shah PG. 12& 13 Minecraft Mania Connor Keough PG. 14 More Than a Father Isaiah Russell PG. 15 Head Start to College Angel Newman Pg. 16 A Bucket Full of Fun Ken Corum
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Letter from the Editor I was tasked with managing the first magazine ever published by a photo journalism class, which is the introductory class to Legacy yearbook and Talon magazine. This was an exciting and stressful project. This being the first intro magazine, we wanted to showcase the best stories. Sadly, there were not enough pages for everyone’s story, but there were many other stories that can be found in the 2016 yearbook. Some of you might be wondering what “eyas” means. To tell you the truth, I had no idea until I did a little research. Turns out, an eyas is a baby falcon. This seemed rather fitting for our intro journalism class because we’re the newbies in the world of journalism. Coming into the class at the start of the year, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I hardly knew how to operate a camera, let alone the software. By the end of the year, our classes have progressed greatly, leading to this showcase of our work. As intro journalism students, we are learning the ins and outs of not only journalism, but also photography and design to help prepare us for working on the magazine or yearbook next year. The past year has presented many challenges that pushed us out of our comfort zones and made us understand what it takes to be a journalist. Our final project of the year was to randomly select a student or staff member from a past yearbook and take a closer look into their lives. This required many interviews (sometimes awkward), pictures, constant communication and patience. The first interview was an overall talk about their life to try to find one topic to focus on. When asked, most people felt that they were boring and didn’t have anything interesting about them. After more in-depth interviews, we discovered that there is much more to people than meets the eye. This project proved challenging, but in the end, everyone learned something interesting about a fellow Falcon. From future plans to past experiences, this magazine will hopefully prove that every Falcon does have a story to share.
Photo by Chloe Turner
Grace Duddy
Editor-in-Chief, Eyas magazine
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Opinion
Competing with her teamates on the women’s National Rugby team is senior Ifeoma Agali. Agali began playing rugby two years ago. “I love these girls so much,” Agali said. Photo courtesy of Ifeoma Agali
JOURNEY TO THE NATIONAL TEAM Senior Earns Spot on the National Rugby Team
After playing Rugby for two years, senior Ifeoma Agali was selected to play for the girl’s national rugby team. “My coach thought I was good, so he called a coach 4 | Volume I | Issue I | Eyas
from the city Linwood to come see me play,” Agali said. When the coach saw her play, she was invited to play for a team in Las Vegas. After she played in Vegas, she was chosen to go to the “Girls High School All-American” camp in Arkansas to practice. “Playing in Vegas was a really fun and new experience,”
Agali said. Once she
attended that camp, she was then chosen to go to either the
West Side camp or the East Side camp, and she was picked for the East Side camp in Vancouver. After being one of the few selected girls in Vancouver, she was officially on the National Rugby team. Agali’s first tournament was in Canada on March 6-13. As for her next one, she will be on her way to France. “I am very excited to go to France; it will be a great opportunity for my team and I,” Agali said. Junior Vanessa
Mahan plays rugby with Agali on the North Kansas City team. “I am very happy for her,” Mahan said. “It took her a while to realize how good she is at rugby and how she is a natural at it. I’m really glad she’s on my team and I’m playing with her, instead of against her.” Agali said she really enjoys playing rugby and is excited to see what the future will hold for her and her team. Written and photographed by Jen Hulen
HOW THE GAME BEGAN
Cartoon
Lindsay McElwee Recaps Her Journey Through Volleyball Senior year is a big time for most people, but senior Lindsay McElwee’s story doesn’t start there. It started back in fourth grade when she first found the game she loves, after moving halfway across the country. When she was in fourth grade, Lindsay McElwee moved from Florida to Missouri so her immediate family could be closer to the rest of her family. They wanted to be closer to her grandparents after her grandfather got sick. After moving, her mother soon signed her up to play in the KC Premier volleyball league.
She began to play volleyball to help get her out of her comfort zone of being in a new state, and it slowly became the sport she still loves today. “It definitely helped me meet new people after I moved,” McElwee said. McElwee decided to play club volleyball where she had tournaments all over the country; allowing her to have different experiences that she would not get anywhere else. “We’ve been to Colorado, Texas and other places I would normally never go,” McElwee said. McElwee’s freshman year, she decided to try out for
On Senior Night, Oct. 8, Lindsay McElwee stands with her family in front of the crowd before the game starts. McElwee has been playing since fourth grade and was on Varsity. “It was really special to be recognized with all the other seniors that I played with,” McElwee said. Photo courtesy of
Lindsay McElwee
McElwee hugs her fellow teammate after receiving a gift before the game on Oct. 8, Senior Night. McElwee received multiple gifts from her friends supporting her on the night meant to admire the seniors’ hard work. “It was different because everything was a last -- last home game, last team meals,” McElwee said. Photo courtesy of Lindsay
McElwee
the school volleyball team and made it, beginning her fouryear high school volleyball career. “High school volleyball made me friends with people I normally wouldn’t be friends with,” McElwee said. Fellow teammate senior Felicia Raybourn has played with McElwee all four years. “We have been best friends since eighth grade, so getting to play with her was fun. She is a good teammate and is never focused on herself. Playing together definitely brought us closer because we were together every
day during the season,” Raybourn said. This year as a senior, she was on varsity, and she has played every position on the court. This past season she played defensive specialist. “Lindsay brought a lot of character to the team. She was always joking around making games and practices fun for everybody. She brought that along with her good defense,” Raybourn said. McElwee is going to the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark. next school year, but will not be playing volleyball for the school. Written by Haylee Roberts Volume I | Issue I | Eyas | 5
A SEMESTER IN
Spain
Spanish Teacher Describes Experiences As Foreign Exchange Student Spending a semester in a foreign country can be lifechanging. Growing up in her hometown of Cabot, Ark., Spanish teacher Jennifer Newman said she always knew that she wanted to leave the
TRA
VEL
state for college. After earning a scholarship for cheerleading, she decided to move to Overland Park, Kan. While attending the University of Kansas, she met her husband and had the opportunity to cheer for the school. “I made lifelong friends.
TRIVIA
I learned about teamwork. I got to be on the sidelines for an amazing basketball team, the Jayhawks,” Newman said. Along with these experiences, she also had the chance to be a foreign exchange student in Spain. “Just having the opportunity to be a foreign exchange student and to experience being a Spaniard was really
Cap i Pop tal: Ma d ulat Fun ion rid : F bull act: Th 48,146 figh , ts in e total 134 yea r. n Spa u in re mber o ach es a f peop le bou t 1 m watch in illio n ev g ery
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interesting,” Newman said. She described it as a learning experience. She resided with a Spanish speaking family in Ronda, a city in southern Spain. The family spoke little English, and the language barrier was definitely an obstacle. “It was a learning experience for both of us,” Newman said. As an only child back at home, not only did she improve her Spanish skills, but she also learned how to be a sibling. The family she lived with had four children, ranging in ages from 7-26. “I don’t remember all their names, but I remember the youngest -- Lorena,”
Photo Album
At a famous site in Ronda, Spain, Jennifer Newman stands at a bull ring in the spring of 2000. The Plaza de Toros is the oldest bull ring in Spain, dating back to 1785. “It was in the city where I stayed,” Newman said.
A view of the town from the school’s patio, the Universidad de Malaga para los Extranjeros en Ronda, taken in the summer of 2000. “In the back, there’s the bridge we walked on to get to school,” Newman said.
In front of a balcony overlooking the city of Sentenil, Jennifer Newman poses with her host sister Lorena on April 29, 2000. The city is known for its establishments built into rock, such as the one behind them. “It was the father’s hometown,” Newman said.
Newman said. In contrast to the large family, she attended a school with about 5-7 students in a classroom. The cool thing about the school was that it was an old stone palace with an open patio with rooms transformed into classrooms. She walked a mile to and from class, which was normal. In the city,
almost everybody walked. Aside from her studies, each month there was a weeklong break. “Every weekend we would take a bus to the Mediterranean Sea. We would lay out and swim, go horseback riding,” Newman said. She would take weekend excursions
to the beach, since her family lived by the bay, or rent cars and drive to small towns all over Spain. She even traveled to Africa with other students. From Africa to Granada, being a foreign exchange student allowed for other fun, touristy activities besides studying. “By the end of
May, I didn’t want to leave,” Newman said. She made friends she continues to communicate with to this day and encourages students to participate in foreign exchange programs in the future.
Written by Haley Anne Mahusay Photos courtesy of Jennifer Newman
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BRIGHT FUTURE AHEAD Senior Excells in Career Programming
Becoming a nurse was always her dream, and Northland Career for Professional Studies helped senior Jordan Janiak become closer to acheiving that. NCAPS is a program made for high school students to have the opportunity to experience realworld work settings. Students are either in the morning session, which is held the first two blocks of the day, or the afternoon session, which is held the last two blocks. Most students can apply for NCAPS as juniors, and the program chooses the students they feel would be successful in the program. Jordan joined when she was a junior. “I love the program, and it has been really good for me,” Janiak said. Jordan’s younger sister Rachel started showing
interest in the program after her sister had done so much with it. “This program is really good for my sister; she has learned a lot and is more mature,” said Jordan’s younger sister Rachel. “Next year I will join NCAPS, because I think she has learned a lot, and it would be a good experience for me, and I will be going into the medical field as well.” First-year students have the classroom setting during the first semester and learn about the professional world they are interested in before interviewing and starting internships in their desired career fields second semester. Second-year students spend their full year in internships. For Janiak, a normal day in NCAPS is heading to North Kansas City Hospital for her internship, which is with the
30% of students converted from unpaid internships to paid positions (2014-2015)
maternal units, which consists of the Labor and Delivery unit, Mother-Baby unit and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. “I alternate between the three units. Each day is different than the one before,” Jordan said. Jordan has been with lactation nurses as well as the primary nurses on the floors. “I spend most of my time on the mother-baby unit which is the recovery unit for the mom and baby after birth,” Jordan said. A typical morning for her is
following a nurse around with her patients. “I basically go whereever the nurse goes,” Jordan said. With permission from patients, she is able to record vital signs of the babies with the nurses. She has observed both forms of deliveries, C-section and natural, helped feed babies, as well as observe procedures like circumcisions. “The great thing about it is no two days are the same. I get to experience the same morning and see the same things the nurses do,” Jordan said.
Written by Clare Cunningham
A future student at Pittsburg State University, Jordan Janiak is continuing her education to become a nurse. She has been involved in the NCAPS program since she was a junior working in several different hospitals. “I am so excited to start going to school here and getting closer to becoming a nurse,” Janiak said. Photos by Jordan Janiak Future student at Pittsburg State student Jordan Janiak is continuing her education in becoming a nurse. She has been involved in the NCAPS program since she was a Junior working in several differernt hospitals. “I am so excited to start going to school here and getting closer to becoming a nurse,” Janiak said. Photo vourtesy of Jordan Janiak
250+ companies helping to shape the future workforce
180 internships at over 100 companies throught the metro Volume I | Issue I | Eyas | 9
FLYING HIGH
Senior Jumps From Gymnastics to Diving After 10 years in gymnastics, senior Alex Banning decided to change course. Gymnastics consumed most of his time. According to Banning, he would spend almost 20 hours a week practicing at Mercury Gymnastics. “While I was doing gymnastics, I really didn’t have much time to do anything else,” Banning said. Banning began competing in meets when he was 9. Although he no longer competes, he went to nationals almost every year and was ranked
10th in the region. “My biggest accomplishment was qualifying for nationals every year I was eligible,” Banning said. “Also, I placed tenth in the region, meaning that I was the highest ranking gymnast not from Texas.” This year, Banning decided to quit gymnastics to focus on other interests, including Frisbee, track, dive and Science Olympiad. He was on the swim and dive team his freshman year and again his senior year.
He went to state both years and was the only diver on the team this year. According to Banning, many of the techniques he used in gymnastics help him in dive. “Pretty much everything I did in dive was from gymnastics,” Banning said. “I was able to hold my form really well because of it.” Banning said he doesn’t regret his decision to leave gymnastics to persue his other interests. “I don’t regret leaving gymnastics,”
Banning said. “It’s a big commitment that will always be a part of me, but it ran its course.” Written and photographed by Grace Duddy
At the NKC Invitational on Sept. 18, senior Alex Banning does a back flip. Banning earned first place in the meet with a score of 398.65. “I don’t think about anything after I dive,” Banning said. “I try not to think about anything during competition.” Photo by Kyndall Truelove
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MOHAMMAD SHAH,
NATIONAL QUALIFIER
Junior Qualifies for National Debate Tournament Joining debate his sophomore year, junior Mohammad Shah is already exceeding expectations. At a national qualifying tournament for Lincoln Douglass, he qualified for nationals. In a pool of about 64 competitors who were eliminated after they lost two rounds, he rose to the top. Shah got one of the four spots for the national tournament. Nationals are held in Salt Lake City, Utah, over the summer. “It was a really stressful tournament, but I’m glad I made it,” Shah said. “It was a lot of hard work that you have to put in and a lot of research, but then it worked out.” Shah said the best part of being in debate is the friend or family aspect. He said that it’s fun to not only meet and build relationships with the people on his own debate team, but numerous other
schools as well. He said that he has many friends he would not have made considering their interests or hobbies if it were not for debate bringing them together. “If you put in enough work, you can be pretty good,” Shah said. He said that even if people think that he is one of the best debaters on varsity, he stays humble. He said it takes a lot of work, and work is what makes the best. “I am better this year definitely, so it’s interesting just putting a year’s work, and you can go from just making decent arguments to actually being a good debater being able to debate at a national level,” Shah said. There is a lot of preparation going into debating on a national level. The four qualifiers recieved their topic on May
1 and started doing research the first week in May. There are practice rounds, and the four qualifiers will get together and do practice rounds.
So from now until the summer tournament, Shah and the other three competitors are working hard to prepare for nationals. Written by Chloe Sinning
Junior Mohammad Shah and senior Jake Harris pose with their national qualifers award. Shah qualified for nationals with only two years of experience under his belt. “It was a really stressful tournament, but I’m glad I made it,” Shah said. Photo courtesy of
Mohammad Shah
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Minecraft Mania Game Mining Its way Through School One of the biggest video games of this generation, Minecraft, is making its way around school. Now many students have started to tune into the gaming world. Sophomore Connor Keough (left) likes to play Minecraft with other classmates during his spare time. He said he enjoys playing many video games, but one of his favorites is Minecraft because he can create
a whole new world. “I like playing Minecraft because it’s fun, and you can just chill and play the game,” Keough said. Keough prefers to play Minecraft on his laptop, but now has taken to playing on his iPhone. Minecraft can be played by one user, but Keough likes to play with his friend sophomore Noah Caster (right). Keough and Caster have been friends for a while, but
now have started to play Minecraft on their Macs when they have free time. “When playing Minecraft with Connor, my favorite thing is destroying him because he gets really mad,” Caster said. On the Minecraft game, there are different modes that can be played, but Noah’s favorite is “The Hunger Games” mode.
Written by Laura Rosario Photo by Hannah Zank
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Throwing a football around on the field on April 13 are sophomore Isaiah Hall, Isaiah Russell and Russell’s father Patrick Russell. Football brought this father, son and friend together. “As a group, we motivate each other to become better,” Isaiah Russell said.
MORE THAN A FATHER Dad Pushes Son, Friend to Do Their Best
The bond between sophomore Isaiah Russell and his dad Patrick Russell is a special one. Patrick Russell didn’t have a dad around when he was growing up, so he wants to make sure he is there for his son. Isaiah Russell and his dad enjoy hanging and working out together, while Isaiah Russell to learns the responsibilities of being a man. Not only does Patrick support his son, but he’s also an influence on Isaiah Hall, one of Isaiah Russell’s best friends. Isaiah Russell and Isaiah Hall met when playing on the Northland Rams football team in third grade and have been friends ever since. “When the coach called out Isaiah, and we both got up, 14 | Volume I | Issue I | Eyas
we knew that was the start of our friendship,” Hall said. “Patrick basically treats me like Isaiah Russell; he acts like I’m his son. If they both go out to do something, they always invite me to go out with them as well.” Patrick considers himself as a father figure in Hall’s life. “When he comes over, I like to ask him how he’s doing and if he needs any advice or has a question he doesn’t know the answer to. I want them both to know that I’m here for them whenever they need me and for them to take care of one another,” Patrick said. Patrick said he likes to research ways for Isaiah Russell to become better at football, and when hanging out at the football field, he sets
up drills for him and Hall. Afterward, they like to go out and grab something to eat. Patrick said he wants to see his son succeed in the future, and he is there to motivate him in any way that he can. “I always make sure my son is on top of his responsibilites both academically and athletically. I tell him, ‘You’re only going to get out what you put in, so don’t expect a lot if you don’t put in hard work and dedication,’” Patrick said. Isaiah Russell is thankful to have a father who is there for him to help when he needs him. “He pushes me harder to be the best at what I can do, and I thank him for that,” Isaiah Russell said. One of the most important concepts Patrick wants his son to
learn is respect. “I try to teach him how to be a respectable young man because I think that’s the first thing someone needs to learn when maturing,” Patrick said. Patrick said he values the times that he and his son spend together. “We love to throw a football around and just talk. A lot of kids in this generation just like to go out together and not have that bond with their parents,” Patrick said. The bond found between this father, son and friend relationship is unique. One fatherly tip Patrick had is the earlier one matures, the more it helps them to become an adult in the future.
Written by Leidy Venegas
HEAD START TO COLLEGE Sophomore Earns College Campus Experience
Three weeks away from their family, away from their lifestyle, away from their school. Sophomore Angel Newman was selected for a threeweek program at the University of Missouri. This program is called Missouri Scholars Academy which starts on June 12 and ends on July 2. Throughout the program, the sophomores pick a major and minor. They then attend classes and listen in on seminars and presentations. During the program, they don’t get to leave MU or see their family except on “Family Day.” “I am very nervous, excited and honored about being accepted to Missouri Scholars Academy mainly because I don’t know what to expect, and I have never been away from my family for so long,” Angel said. “I don’t know how I feel about it, but I am positive I will miss them; the only question is how much.” Newman said that the school takes the sophomores’
phones until they go back to their dorms after all of their chosen classes at night. She also said that there is a dress code and that she could get awards for things like citizenship. “I might try to get an award because, why not?” Newman said. There were many steps to qualifying for this opportunity of a lifetime, the first of which was applying, which included filling out an application form. “When I was called down to the counseling office, I wasn’t entirely sure that I wanted to apply. But then I realized that only a few were chosen to apply, and I should at least try to take the opportunity while I still could. I was also really nervous because all of the other sophomores were really smart,” Newman said. The next step was to write two, 300word essays and to take an IQ test as well as fill out a form stating why she thought she would be a good participant. The third
step was meeting with a committee to revise the essays she wrote. She also had to get two teacher referrals. Newman sent in everything in January and found out that she was accepted at the beginning of April. One thing Newman is excited about is getting to invite a previous teacher for a ceremony at MU. “I picked Mrs. Christal because she was the first teacher who reached out to me and helped me with all subjects, not just one,” Newman said. She also said that she pushed her so she knew she was
getting better. “I think that it is awesome that she got accepted, and I think that it is a great opportunity to advance her education,” said library media specialist Theresa Christal said. Christal was Newman’s freshman English teacher. During Christal’s planning block, Newman and a few others would stay in her room because they had ecampus Health. This is how Christal got to know Newman. She said that Newman is good at math as well as English. Written and photographed by Bailey Kinder
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A BUCKET FULL OF FUN Teacher Begins Completing Lifelong Bucket List
Dr. Ken Corum, an Algebra II and Statistics teacher, goes skydiving over Winter break. Along with writing a book and traveling the world, Corum has wanted to skydive since he started his bucket list years ago. “The reason why I have these items on my bucket list was that I wanted to try things that would test me and be exciting,” Corum said. After hours of training and preparation, Dr. Ken Corum and six other teachers finish running the Kansas City marathon on Oct. 17. According to Corum, running the marathon took a lot of effort, but was exhilarating once he finished. “The marathon was difficult but exhilarating after it was done,” Corum said. Photos Courtesy of Ken Corum
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Math teacher
Dr. Ken Corum has always had a bucket list that he is constantly changing and adding to. The difficult tasks on his list include skydiving, running a marathon, traveling to all seven continents and writing a book, two of which he has already completed. Recently, Corum checked running the Kansas City Marathon and skydiving off his bucket list. “I’m not a big runner. I just ran one big run,” Corum said. Corum ran the Kansas City Marathon on Oct. 17. Although Corum hasn’t ran much, his goal to run the marathon ended in success.
“The marathon was difficult because it took a lot of time and effort to train for it, but exhilarating after it was done,” Corum said. Months later, Corum took an adrenaline-pumping dive from 12,000 feet during winter break. Skydiving was difficult but exciting once he jumped, he said. “Skydiving was difficult in getting mentally ready to actually jump out of the plane, but obviously very exhilarating when you actually jump,” Corum said. Corum said he hopes to travel to all seven continents and to write and publish a book in the next few years to come. Written by Summer McDaniel