The Northmen's Log, Vol. 57, Issue 4 by The Northmen's Log

for prom coverage, read pages 6 and 7

r ve e un o Y

N O

I T

U A ow n k

et r ua o y at h w

, ng i k

s ge a p

for seniors coverage, read pages 12 and 13

for Project Catalyst coverage, read page 16

d5 n 4a

The Northmen’s Log Vol. 57, Issue 4 // May 2022 // Kansas City, MO

Staff

Letter from the Editor Hey Oak Park, I’m Kayleonah Trumble, the Editor-in-Chief of “The Northmen’s Log,” and I am both excited and sad to bring you the fourth and final issue of the 2021-2022 school year. The last three years on the newsmagazine staff has been an adventure.

This issue brings you a story about the rising drug problem in the Clay County area, prom, Project Catalyst, and a whole bunch of senior topics, starting off with the different life paths after college, senior recaps, and information about the 21 seniors who signed with colleges to continue

their academic and athletic careers. I hope you enjoy this issue as much as I do and that you learn some new things. Thank you for letting me serve as your editor, Oak Park, and congratulations to the class of 2022.

Staff: Kayleonah Trumble, Editor-In-Chief Luka Ashton, NorthmenNews Editor-In-Chief Haydenn Gallagher, social media editor Benjamin Dunaway, staffer Katie Klepper, staffer Amelia McCoy, staffer Veronica Mourwel, staffer Brynlee Tucker, staffer Tatem Petet, staffer Christina Geabhart, adviser

Publication information: “The Northmen’s Log” will publish four times during the school year. “Log” staff strongly supports the First Amendment and opposes censorship. Freedom of expression and press are fundamental values in a democratic society. Therefore, “Log” encourages readers to participate in the discussion by submitting Letters to the Editor in

Room E134 or by email to christina. geabhart@nkcschools.org. Letters cannot exceed 350 words and must be signed. “Log” will not run letters that are libelous, obscene, or that may cause a verifiable disruption to the education process at Oak Park. Advertisers may contact the adviser at christina.geabhart@nkcschools. org for more information.

Subscriptions are available at $20 for a mailed copy, $10 for an emailed PDF version, and $25 for both. Opinions expressed in “Log” do not reflect student, staff, or district endorsements of that opinion, product or service. “Log” is a member of MIPA-MJEA, NSPA, and Quill and Scroll. “Log” is affiliated with MJEA, and JEMKC. n

On The Cover: Photo Illustration: This image illustrates the Clay County reported increase of laced drugs in the area. On Wednesday, April 27, the North Kansas City School District, Tri-County Mental Health Services, and Clay County Sheriff Department hosted a “One Pill Can Kill” drug education summit. For more information about the dangers of coming into contact with drugs, read pages 4 and 5.

for prom coverage, read pages 6 and 7

IO UT

er ev un Yo

ow kn

at wh

t re ua yo

g, in

s ge pa

for seniors coverage, read pages 12 and 13

for Project Catalyst coverage, read page 16

d5 an

The Northmen’s Log Vol. 57, Issue 4 // May 2022 // Kansas City, MO

Table of Contents

Table of Contents 4//5: Fentanyl Invades Clay County

6//7

Deputies, counselors and community resources talk about the dangers of ingesting medications unless they have been prescribed by a doctor.

6//7: “A Night in Manhattan”

Juniors talk about planning prom and how they think it went. Seniors chime in about how it felt being able to go to prom after COVID-19 and feelings on the royalty.

8//9: Students Step into the Work Force

The district offers a number of internship classes to juniors and seniors to explore possible future careers during the school day.

12//13

10//11: Life Ahead, Places to be, What’s Next?

There are so many paths to take in life that it can sometimes feel overwhelming, here’s a few options seniors planned.

12//13: Put a Cap on Senior Year

A recap of the 2022’s senior year, highlighting important upcoming events, major dates from the past year, and some seniors’ favorite moments.

14//15:

Scholars Sign to Success

Athletes attend senior Signing Day to commit to colleges for their sport.

16:

Hard Work Pays Off Project Catalyst ignites student’s success. The program is new to the school and enrolled 10 students this year.

News-Feature//Trumble

Fentanyl Invades Clay County The increase of drugs in the area raises concerns by editor-in-chief Kayleonah Trumble

uying drugs is as simple as swiping up on someone’s story and meeting them for the trade. However, buying drugs off the street or from dealers on Snapchat can cost you your life. “It’s easier to get, like, we’ve even had kids say that they get on Snapchat,” school resource deputy Megan Blackburn said. “That’s like crazy.” People never know what they may be ingesting. “If you don’t know where it came from and you don’t know what’s put into it don’t take it, - according it’s as simple CDC website as that,” said Blackburn. According to the DEA, fentanyl is 50 times more powerful than heroin and 100 times more powerful than morphine. One kilogram of fentanyl has the potential to kill 50,000 people and 42% of the pills tested for fentanyl contained at least 2 mg of fentanyl, which is small enough to fit on top of the lead tip of a pencil. There are many different kinds of drugs that can be laced

“100,000+ people died - largest number of drugrelated deaths ever recorded in a 12-month period (April 2020 April 2021),” to the

with fentanyl, not just pills, including marijuana, vape pods, and more, and a user would never know. According to the CDC, people can tell if someone is overdosing because they will become unresponsive, their breathing will slow or stop, or it will sound like they are snoring or gurgling. If someone overdoses, call 911 immediately. To help inform, the Tri-County Mental Health Services, NKC School District and Clay County Sheriff’s Department partnered to hold multiple Community Drug Education Summits titled “One Pill Can Kill” to share tips with community members. “Since they started legalizing that [marijuana], we’ve been seeing a lot more in the schools, you know, with the vapes,” said school resource deputy Darren Longo. There are four different categories of vapes, but that is not the only way to potentially be exposed to fentanyl. “It can be absorbed into your skin, not even just consumed, [it] can be dangerous,” said Blackburn. There are many resources at school and in the community to get help with drug issues. “Well, at school they can talk to their counselor, talk to our social worker, talk to an adult, talk to the nurse, and there’s outside resources in the community that can get them some

help,” said counselor Larry Katzif. If someone uses illegal substances, students can report it to a staff member at the school and remain anonymous. “If someone suspects anything that a student’s doing to harm themselves or other people, and they want to remain anonymous, then yes,” said Katzif. “We encourage people to report that, if they’re concerned about a student.” During the pandemic between April 2020 to April 2021, 275 people died across the country every day of a drug overdose, according the CDC. This period of time reported the first time drug-related deaths hit six figures in any 12-month period of time, according to the “Washington Post.” In order to help decrease those numbers, officials suggest people stop buying drugs off the street and only take medications that have been prescribed by a doctor. “I hope that kids stop buying pills from people,” said Diane Pickert, community prevention specialist from Tri-County Mental Health Services. If there’s suspected narcotic activity, students can email SHERIFFDRUGTASKFORCE@ claycountymo.gov and emails will be sent directly to all of the detectives within the Clay County Drug Task Force.

News-Feature//Trumble

Dispose of Medications Properly

These have been confiscated from students by resource officers

Deterra is a deactivation system powered by proprietary MAT12 Molecular Absorption Technology. One bag of Deterra can deactivate either 45 pills, six ounces of liquids, or six patches. To use Deterra: tear open the package, do not remove the inner pods, place the unused medications inside, then fill the pouch halfway with warm water and wait 30 seconds for the air to release. Then seal the pouch tightly and dispose of it in your normal trash can. Using Deterra avoids contaminating water sources and avoids humans or animal access to harmful chemicals.

The Clay County Sheriff’s Department has collected items like these from students. These are examples of illegal substances and devices. If people buy these types of items off the streets, they could potentially be laced with fentanyl or other drugs.

Grow Strong KC Scan the QR code to visit an informative page about mental health and drugs, sponsored by Tri-County Mental Health Services.

Feature//Trumble

“A Night in Manhattan” Prom moves back inside and across state lines by staffer Veronica Mourwell

he night of Saturday, April 16, marked the first time since 2019 that juniors could go to prom due to COVID-19. In 2020, there was no school-sponsored prom; and in 2021 prom was for seniors only, to limit exposure. “A Night in Manhattan” was the theme for this year’s prom. The junior class officers started planning this school year’s prom shortly after homecoming. The class officers wanted a venue that was new, modern, could hold up to 500 students and didn’t take a lot of effort to decorate. The prom location was at Children’s Mercy Park in The Legends shopping center. The officers looked for something closer, but it was a more complicated process. Due to COVID-19, many venues were shut down in 2020; so they held deposits in the venues from postponed weddings and proms. When the class officers called potential venue options, they were booked. Junior Jennifer Vergara has been preparing for prom since March. Vergara said she just wanted to have a good time, and that in her senior Seniors Daunte Sutton, Aram Shakur, and Cayden Logan pose for a photo on the balcony at Children’s Mercy Park. “My favorite thing about prom was getting to see everybody and dressing up nice,” said Sutton. After prom, Sutton and his friends went out to eat at Applebee’s then hung out for the rest of the night. Seniors Amelia Crow and Megan Keever pose on the steps at Park University, Parkville. “My favorite part was getting to spend my last prom with my best friend,” said Crow. They also went out to dinner at Cascones. Photos by Cat Crow and Deanne Keever

year she might do something special. While prom is exciting for students, a lot of families were excited as well. Junior Rai Jones said they spent between $500 to $700 on prom. Jones said their parents said they wish they could do this at their prom. Jones has been preparing for two months and said her parents have been complimenting her. “My family is literally living through me right now,” Jones said. The prom was from 8 to 11 p.m. in the party space. Junior Isabel Vestal said she liked the venue and thought it had a lot of space. Vestal said she didn’t like the lighting in the room. Vestal also said she enjoyed the dance itself and the people who were there. Although some people were pleased with how prom went, others were dissatisfied. Junior Israa Guma said she thought the venue was cute, but it was small for a lot of people. Guma also said she was dissatisfied with the parking because she had a hard time walking from the parking lot to the venue. Guma also said she didn’t like the selection of music. “I wasted a 100 something [dollars] just for a prom that did not go right,” Guma said.

Senior Kayden “Bubba” Bogart was this year’s prom king. Bogart came to Oak Park his junior year and played on the football and basketball teams. Bogart said his nomination was unexpected. Bogart also said his family didn’t believe him at first when he told them he was nominated. “They were all surprised because I think they put a bet on it that they thought Paul [Hernandez] was gonna win,” Bogart said. Prom king candidate senior Anthony Valadez said he wanted Bogart to win because he’s from California and fairly new to the school. “Everyone on that court deserved it. I mean, I just got lucky,” Bogart said. Senior Vy Vu was this year’s prom queen. Vu is in leadership and president of Key Club. “All the claps and like everyone cheering you on, it’s really nice to hear,” Vu said. Vu said being a candidate felt exciting. Vu also said when she won it felt heartwarming when everyone cheered for her. Vu said she felt like all the candidates deserved to win. “We’re all involved in all of that, so we have like a part in the school,” Vu said.

Feature//Trumble

On Saturday, April 16, juniors Ava Donegan and Kennedy Moreno, Northtown senior Jonas Anderson, juniors Kayla Hernandez, Alyssa Sukup and Khalil Henderson, and freshman Kimberly Greene pose for a photo at Children’s Mercy Park. Photo by Zoe Saleem

Nixa High School senior Naya Kurzava and senior Madison Wilson-Kurzava, and juniors Black Harmon and Carter Rose pose for prom pictures at Riverside Park. “I know I had a great time because of the people I was with, so that was my favorite part,” said Wilson-Kurzava. They also went out to eat at Granite City at the Legends. Photo by Elizabeth Young Junior Gabriella Fields, seniors Kelsey Abunga and Rebecca Perry, and junior Lexi Willhoite took prom photos at Loose Park. “My favorite thing about prom was the DJ. That man was hilarious,” said Abunga. Their group also ate dinner at Granite City. Photo courtesy of parents

Feature//Ashton

Students Step into the Work Force by Northmennews editor-in-chief Luka Ashton

igh school lays the footpath for students leading to graduation and entering the real world, internships add an extra step within that path to offer real, hands-on experience. “There are several different internship opportunities, it varies by semester and depends on if our local business partners are willing to do those internships,” said assistant director of work-based learning Shannon Shelton. “We are also providing some now with the district.” New to her position this school year, Shelton worked to make the four internship courses, Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS), Marketing, Communications Capstone, and eCareer Connections, more consistent from one to the next and provide a more streamlined service to students and business partners. Through most of those courses, internship opportunities are open both semesters of the year and typically last six to eight weeks. Seniors take priority in eCareer Connections but juniors are also welcome to apply. “They apply through SchooLinks, which is our new platform, information is sent out there. Through email, there is always an email that goes out and there’s a link that says “I’m interested in applying…” and then we forward that information to the business partners,” said Shelton. While internships offer real, handson work experience in a number of fields, the application and interview

process alone allows students to practice valuable life skills. “The interview process will look different for each business, but it’s the typical, normal interview. It varies but it’s the same questions you typically see: What are your strengths? Weaknesses? Why did you apply? Things of that nature,” said Shelton. Students can interview over Zoom, by phone, in person or even at the school for in district internships. “They called me out of my fourth block; we met in the conference room in the counseling office and they all sat around the table and it was actually really intimidating at first,” senior Zoe Saleem said. “It was very nerve wracking to say the least.” There are also some internship opportunities without the interview process, allowing students to take some more time to sharpen those skills before the real deal. The school offers a FACS internship class where students can do a different internship each semester, while also practicing interview skills in class and building a resume. “We didn’t have interviews, since this was just like a class we had,” senior Isabelle Fish said. “We did practice some interview questions.” In the fall semester, students in the Communication Capstone course built a resume, a LinkedIn profile and online portfolio of their work before using those elements to secure their second-semester internship. “I wanted to see the business side of what goes on at the district, and just see what communications

really holds,” said Saleem. “At my internship, I have created multiple flyers that have gone out to different schools, most recently being the summer 2022 internship for the Central Office. I also go around and take photos at different schools. I do a bit of everything.” Students participated in or witnessed rewarding moments at their internships. “I’m doing an internship with the FACS internship class at Select Physical Therapy, and I did one last semester with the North Kansas City Schools’ Early Education [Center,]” Fish said. “Seeing the patients finish therapy, regain their range of motion and stuff. And seeing the kids conquer a goal was great.” Internships give students the chance to test the waters and solidify their future career choices and seniors’ decisions on college majors. “I plan to major in journalism at the University of Missouri so definitely having that background and experience in communications will really help me,” said Saleem. Some internships feed into students’ passions and equip them for a future based around that field, while other students simply build new valuable skills that they can carry with them to a variety of careers. Shelton said, “One thing that’s really great is students just getting the experience, something to put on their resume. We really are pushing for students to have the skills, regardless if they go to college or career. We just want you to be successful in your skillset.”

Feature//Ashton Just like a real job, there are busy moments and there is down time. To keep yourself active and motivated at an internship is key. “Try and keep yourself doing something that will keep you busy. You might have a lot of down time, but for me I try to draw some stuff in my sketchbook,” said junior Isabel Heredia, who has spent the past semester as an intern at the Parkville Artisan Gallery and then Cathy Kline Art Gallery. While students work with their employers, teachers of the varying internship classes also monitor the internship progress with regular onsite visits. “Going out to the site visits has been very eye opening for me,” Shelton said. “They truly are just opening students up to these amazing opportunities.”

Senior Zoe Saleem finished her internship with the school district’s communication office. As a final project, she gave a presentation sharing her experience at Central Office on Friday, April 29. Photo by Kayleonah Trumble

Feature//Gallagher

Life Ahead, Places to be, What’s Next?

Choices, choices, choices... where will the road take you? by staffer Haydenn Gallagher

rom the first day of high school, the biggest looming thought is “what comes next? I’m here now, but where do I see myself going?” For many people, it is off to a four-year university majoring in whatever may interest them, be that psychology, journalism, biology, athletics, or anything else. About midway through the second semester of senior year, they had their college picked out, what hall their room will be in, and some even know who their roommate will be. It is important to know there are other paths available besides the “classic college experience.”

COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Community college is a common route a lot of people use. Students can use the time to save their money, build their knowledge, get their first experiences on what college expectations look like, and so much more. For some students, it’s as simple as graduating high school with A+. The A+ scholarship will pay for the two years of community college. “I am doing A+; and it’s paid for already. Financially, it was easier and also knowing that I wouldn’t have to do as many scholarships until I’d go to a four-year college,” said senior Kayani McCray. Some students get a little window into what community college can look like through programs such as AVID or the early college programs. “I’ve been in AVID for four years and I, you know, started filling out a

planner and stuff like that, you know, organization, and stuff, recently to prepare for real life,” said senior Kelsey Mathewson. “I’ve definitely become more organized, which is really helpful and also reaching out to teachers and making sure I’m getting that help for myself has really helped me be successful. The school has given me many resources to use.” Community college isn’t the only option after high school, another option for students is going to a trade school.

TRADE/ TECH SCHOOL

For some people, traditional college isn’t for them. They instead focus their attention on jobs that will secure their future, like plumbing, carpentry, locksmithing, and more. “I’m going to culinary school so I’m gonna become a chef,” said senior James Johnson. “My cooking class, the one that I’m in now, has helped me prepare for that, and sometimes I practice at home.” Others are trying something completely new to them. “[I’m] going to barber school and getting my license to become a barber.” said senior Marco Valencia. Oak Park offers off-campus choices for trade or tech school learning at NCC or CTEC, plus the industrial tech class offers experience. “I haven’t been able to find something I enjoy at school so I was like well I can do carpentry and they [industrial tech class] have different roles that you can do and one of the roles is you follow multiple trades, so then you can kind of get the experi-

ence of every single trade and then you can choose from there,” said senior Devyn Jurgensen. At the Northland Career Center, they help fuel students’ ambitions and offer possibilities to students. “The base of it started with my love of cars,” said senior James Greener. “I’ve always loved working on cars, I’ve always loved just repairing them and upgrading them in general. So, I already knew what I wanted to go into. I already had a passion for hands-on mechanical stuff and then after going to diesel technical career center is what helped me decide I wanted to go into a heavy duty diesel field.” There are a few more options for students who want more physical labor than to being behind a computer screen or in a classroom.

MILITARY

The military is a good option to look into for many reasons. College is still an option while in the military and the military will pay for it. However, the military has specific set paths for your education on their dime, they provide the financial backing related to what job is assigned to a person. So if someone wanted to be an engineer and they were assigned that job, the military would pay for those classes. “[I want to go into the Marines] because it’ll pay for my college and set me up for a good career,” said senior Thomas Dyer. “I’m a good kid and I do a lot of things. I am graduating with Gold Medallion. So it’s like you know, straight-A student for 12 years,

Feature//Gallagher

There are many trades all over the world; locksmithing is one of them. McGuire Lock & Safe has been servicing Kasnas City since 1969. Employees, like 2018 graduate Shon Flack, create keys for cars, safes and locks, work the counter and more. “I actually get to work with my hands, do more then just sit in front of a screen. I get to do real things and actually help people feel more secure in their own homes,” said Flack. photos by Haydenn Gallagher

it’s been good, but they are always kind of hard on me. So, just another way to prove myself that I’m able to do things that other people are able to do.” There are other roads to take if the military isn’t the right fit.

WORK FORCE

Some people are ready to start their lives and leave school behind them. The stability of work and being able to choose what they do with their lives when they want to do it has appeal. “I just don’t want to go. College has never really been on my radar,” said Oak Park 2020 alumnus Darien Gray. There are so many options for students who don’t want

Everett and Carmelina Smith opened the doors to Gladstone Bowl on April 15, 1958. Since then the well-known bowling alley, under other ownership, has been remodeled and has had many great customers and employees come through

to go to college. For instance, Gray has worked at Gladstone Bowl for two years starting as a porter. As his skills and will to progress increased, he started learning the counter and growing in his job. There are many businesses in the KC area ready to employ students, most of those places offer enough support so students are not required to go to college, while other businesses such as McDonalds, Taco Bell, or KFC appeal to students by giving scholarships or financial assistance for working there. It is important to note that college isn’t the only choice to where students can succeed. There are so many paths into the world.

the door. “I don’t even know to be honest, [I started working here because] it was just close to my house,” said 2020 graduate Darien Gray. Gray works both at the counter and as a porter. photos by Haydenn Gallagher

Feature//Tucker & Ashton

Put a Cap on Senior Year by staffer Brynlee Tucker

he class of 2022 made it to its final month of high school. With days of school left, they’re eager to enter the real world and start pursuing their passions. As seniors’ time as high school students comes to an end, some of them begin to reminisce on some of their favorite memories from the past four years. “When it was my birthday and my friends, like, they brought me stuff here in Mrs. [Megan] Lacy’s class,” said senior Karla Simpson. During their time here at Oak Park, some seniors formed bonds and created memories with their friends. “Going to football games and then also tennis tournaments,” said senior Tatiana Rizek. “They were always fun; and it wasn’t about the school and it wasn’t about the work, it was about having a good environment and being with people you like to be with.” Some seniors participated in sports and other activities during their high school careers.

Seniors Megan Keever, Amelia Crow and Amanda Canovi and junior Destiny Weber cheer for participants during the seniors vs. juniors game of ‘hungry hungry hippos’ at the prom assembly on Friday, April 15, in the main gym. Photo by Brynlee Tucker

“Playing football, like our last homecoming game. Our game was really exciting and the game we played Staley just because it’s a big rivalry, it was a really good game,” said senior Jett Sutton. At the beginning of the school year, some seniors were invited to play a game of “senior assassins.”

“Basically you get a whole bunch of people and everyone has like a person they’re supposed to get out of that group. So like you have this person they have you…you have a week to get this person and you have a week to not get got,” said senior Dravin Bridgeman. Many have fond memories of chasing their friends with water guns off-campus. “Sneaking up on your friends getting them with water guns, stuff like that,” said Bridgeman. Seniors faced several challenges during their high school careers. COVID-19 struck in March of 2020. Their sophomore year went from one week of spring break to a nineweek lockdown. No grade could drop, some work was no longer required and finals and AP tests were canceled. They returned for their junior year on Tuesday, Sept. 8, nearly three weeks later than any school year before. Junior year was full of masks, social distancing, and virtual or hybrid learning. Some seniors are working to catch up. “I wish that I actually decided to do

Feature//Tucker & Ashton the work and, like, not fall behind. Now I’m trying to catch up with three weeks left, and it’s not easy,” said senior Noah Riggle. With the impact of COVID-19, many events and learning opportunities were cut, as some seniors look back, there are a few things they wish had been done differently. “I wish that maybe like summer school would have gotten enforced like you had to go to summer school because I feel like senior year now is really hard because I didn’t do anything sophomore year,” said Riggle. “So I didn’t really I didn’t learn anything from sophomore year and junior year. So I’m basically still a freshman or sophomore.” During their four-year adventure, some seniors learned some life lessons. “It taught me how to respect people, it taught me don’t always get mad over some stupid stuff and just always, always do the right thing,” said senior Daunte Sutton. Other seniors shared their wisdom with underclassmen. “Don’t take advice from people you don’t admire. People talk and it’s really easy for that to get to your head,” said senior Carter Poole. “If you only take criticism from people that you’re cool with or you admire really then you’re going to be a lot better off.”

May - Senior Calendar

Sports//Mourwel

Scholars Sign to Success

Seniors earn scholarships to play beyond high school by staffer Veronica Mourwel

1 students in the class of 2022 earned some form of an athletic scholarship. On Sunday, April 10, these students signed letters of intent to play during Signing Day, where they invited their future coaches, their families, and their high school coaches as witnesses. Coaches talked about them while they were officially signing to their college. Activities director Chad Valadez said a lot of recruiting is self recruiting by the students and their families. There are a lot of different recruiting programs athletes can use to put their information out for college coaches to see. An example of these recruiting programs is “Huddle,” where game footage is uploaded and they can take specific clips and upload themselves. “It’s just about getting your information out there because you know if you’re not then somebody else is and that’s who the coaches will see,” Valadez said. Activities director Chad Valadez talks about each kid signing to a college sport and introduces them on Saturday, April 10, in the main gym. He hyped up the audience and had them encourage and cheer on the student athletes who signed to colleges. “This year there were 21 student athletes that are signing commitment letters basically to go play beyond high school. The amount of those scholarships are different for everybody. They have a spot guaranteed on the team that aren’t getting money yet to full-ride scholarships and everything in between. That kind of depends on the university,” Valadez said. Photo by Amelia McCoy

Valadez also said if athletes want to play a sport beyond high school, be coachable, a good teammate, and take care of their GPA. “Everybody, you know, says they want to do this, that, the other, but the ones that actually are able to do it are the ones that are extremely coachable and are great teammates, and take care of their academics and stay out of trouble. That’s the way to get to the next level.” Valadez said.

THREE OF THE SCHOLARS Senior Elijah Davis will play football with Missouri Valley College, Marshall. Davis said what attracted him to this college was the classes it offers, the facilities, and how the football program felt like home. Davis started playing football his junior year and has wanted to go to Missouri Valley since he started. When it got late in the recruiting progress, Davis felt like he wouldn’t succeed because he wasn’t getting the offers he wanted. “I know it doesn’t look good all the time, it feels like you want to give up

but don’t give up, just keep going,” Davis said. Senior Tony Vanderbeek signed with William Jewell, Liberty, to join its swim team. Vanderbeek has been wanting to go to William Jewell for two years now and turned down other colleges to go there. He said he liked how the coaches at William Jewell reflect his high school coaches. Vanderbeek has been competitively swimming since he was 5. His parents are supportive of his college decisions because going to college was their plan for him. Vanderbeek said a tip for younger swimmers is to keep working hard. “Just keeping grinding, keep grinding to get better,” Vanderbeek said. Senior Hope Klamm will run track at Park University, Parkville. Klamm started to want to go to Park University at the end of last semester. She said she didn’t know about it until one of her coaches helped her look into it and she likes the campus a lot. “Definitely talk to your coaches because they can help you a lot,” Klamm said.

Senior Rylan Bishop signs for basketball for MCC-Penn Valley. She had multiple colleges to choose from but went with MCC-Penn Valley. “It was exciting, just made me super excited to get started,” Bishop said. Photo by Amelia McCoy

Sports//Mourwel

Brent Compton baseball Ottawa University

Carter Poole baseball Highland Community College

Anthony Valadez baseball Northwest Missouri State University

Rylan Bishop basketball Metropolitan Community College

Bubba Bogart football Dordt University

KeAndre Braxton football Missouri Valley College

Ty Clemens football Dordt University

Elijah Davis football Missouri Valley College

Jermaine Harris Jr football Baker University

Logan Johnson football Buena Vista University

Julijano Sokoli football University of Saint Mary

Jett Sutton football North Dakota

Tony Vanderbeek swim William Jewell

Hudson Allen track Missouri Western State University

Adriano Garcia track University of Central Missouri

Faith Klamm track Park University

Hope Klamm track Park University

Nevaeh Krull track & dance University of Saint Mary

Gabriel Pingleton track Park University

Ahmed Thabit track Park University

Gracie VanBebber volleyball Crown College

Feature//Mourwel

Hard Work Pays Off by staffer Katie Klepper

new program, Project Catalyst, was added this year to help advanced students find their way to highly selective colleges. The program targets students who want to attend college and who maintain their grades at 3.5 GPA and above throughout the year. Project Catalyst is ideal for students with parents in the mid-income range, and aligns to other programs like AP Capstone and Gold Medallion. “What I love about that program [Project Catalyst] is it’s in unison with all those others,” said AP Seminar teacher Lori Dameron, Ed.D. It gives students assistance on how to be accepted at colleges, finance them, and any other steps along the way. Junior Sydney Prate, member of Project Catalyst, wishes to attend Yale or Cornell University. “We all aim to shoot for some of the highest schools in the country,” Prate said. Right now there are 10 juniors in the program: Hanan Ahmed, Aida Bah, Amari Harris, Hafsah Khan,

Bien Mengistu, Rachel Prate, Sydney Prate, Jennifer Vergara, Destiny Weber, and Kristen Wimmer. Wimmer aims for Rice University in Texas and plans to major health science. Her advice would be to fill out different scholarships and apply to different things and become involved with lots of different activities in the school. “Get into a college I want to get into, help me write essays, prepare for the ACT,” said Wimmer, when asked how she thinks the program will help her. Vergara chose Mizzou because it isn’t too far from her family and it’s a good school. “I’m just reading more essays trying to get better, my spelling and grammar,” said Vergara. Her advice would be to always try your best and keep working harder toward your goals. Meetings are scheduled every other week during advisory for those who are a part of it. The meetings are an obligation, so you would have to attend. They do different kinds of activities like ACT prep or walking

through the application process for scholarships. Project Catalyst director David Persley runs the program and sets up the meetings. “He kind of walks them through and helps them with their essays and things,” said Dameron. Some current students said they were reached out to about the program’s first year. For next year, Persley plans to hold meetings so students should check their email to find more information. “So, if a sophomore is interested or any student is interested, they can complete an application, they can attend a parent session or information meeting,” said Dameron. Right now, the application is open for sophomores who would like to participate next year. You can apply by going to the NKC schools website, https://www.nkcschools.org/ Page/6471. Click the “apply here” and submit your application. The applications are due on Sunday, May 8.

Meet three Catalyst scholars Junior Sydney Prate looks into Cornell and Yale universities in New York and Connecticut. She says they are some of the most prestigious schools but that’s what she’s aiming for. “It’ll help me because, like I said earlier, help us get to know a lot more colleges and what, what place is best for us,” said Prate. Prate said she was given the opportunity for Catalyst by AP Seminar teacher Lori Dameron, Ed.D. Junior Jennifer Vergara plans to attend the University of Missouri-Columbia. She likes that school because she thinks it’s a great college. “I think this program will help me because it will help me write more thorough and more better essays,” said Vergara. Vergara’s advice would be to always try your best.

This is the application process to Project Catalyst; however, the dates are from this past school year. This year’s applications for next year’s juniors are open. Deadline is Sunday, May 8.

Junior Kirsten Wimmer plans to attend Rice University, Houston, Texas or wants to go to a college in Colorado. She wants to go because Rice has a good health science program. She filled out an application and was selected for a scholarship. “Write essays, be more involved with school, raise my GPA,” said Wimmer. Wimmer’s advice would be to get good grades and come to school.