TIGER THE

PRINTBLUE VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL

Vol. 43 Issue 4 November 2012

Stilwell, Kan.

APPRECIATING ADVANCESTechnological innovations should be recognized, not ignored page 8

PINNING PASSIONPinterest stimulates creativity, money-saving during the holidays page 21

HIGHER AUTHORITYSenior strives in soccer through faith in God, plays for higher purpose page 11

Picking President: Democratic party prevails in election, students participate in election process. Pages 12-13

Cartoon by Becky Winegarner.

inthenews2 November 2012

Events calendar

Nov. 21 — No School: !anksgiving Vacation

Nov. 22 — !anksgiving

No School: !anksgiving Vacation

Nov. 23 — No School: !anksgiving Vacation

Nov. 27 — Fi"h Wall Performance, 7 p.m.

Nov. 29 — Orchestra Concert, 7 p.m. in the PAC

Nov. 30 — SWITCH Dance, 8 - 10 p.m. in the Commons

Dec. 3 — Pizza Hut Fundraiser

Dec. 4 — Winter Concert/Symphonic Band, 7 p.m. in the PAC

Dec. 11 — Holiday Choir Concert, 7 p.m. in the PAC

Dec. 13 — Fi"h Wall Performance, 7 p.m.

Dec. 14 — Fi"h Wall Performance, 7 p.m.

It’s Paper Day: December Tiger Print paper distributed

kellycordingleyeditor-in-chief

Both volleyball and cross country State tournaments oc-curred the weekend of Oct. 26-28.

Blue Valley’s volleyball team placed second in State and cross country runner senior Colton Donahue won the 6A State individual title.

Donahue ran in the boys 5K race — the race he holds a school record of 15:18 in. “I did a lot of practicing and condi-tioning,” he said. “I trained really hard.”

Donahue was the only one on the cross country team to medal at State.

“I’m kind of disappointed no one else medaled,” he said. “For me, though, it’s a great feeling.”

Donahue said despite his minor nerves, he was prepared for his State title attempt.

“I felt good,” Donahue said. “I was well prepared and excited to run.”

Donahue was also selected for Metro First team for cross country and nominated for all metro runner of year. He is one of 3 !nalists.

Athletic Director Matt Ortman watched the volleyball game and made it back in time to see Donahue receive the medal.

“[Donahue’s] performance was outstanding,” Ortman said. “He blew away the competition.”

BV’s volleyball team placed second in 6A, only losing to Washburn Rural High School.

“"ey played outstandingly,” Ortman said. “Volleyball beat two teams who had beaten us earlier in the year.”

"ough the team was runner-up, the accomplishment of

taking the volleyball team to State for the !rst time in 11 years resonated with the players.

"is is also the !rst time in BV volleyball history the team has gone to Semi!nals.

“I was de!nitely upset we’d lost,” volleyball co-captain se-nior Lexi Kuharich said. “I was so proud of what we’d accom-plished. "is was the best volleyball team to come through the school.”

Volleyball co-captain senior Anna Burton said the !rst hurdle for the team was beating Gardner-Edgerton High School in the Semi!nals.

“I remember saying a#er we beat Gardner that I felt like I was on cloud nine,” Burton said.

Kuharich said she felt the team come together during the Gardner game.

“"e Gardner game was, as a team, the moment it clicked,” she said. “A#er we beat Gardner, I had to keep calm because we had one more to go.”

With it being both Kuharich and Burton’s !nal season at BV, they said the team’s accomplishments are especially signi!cant to them.

“I felt like I le# my mark on the program,” Kuharich said. “"is is such a legacy.”

Ortman said the success of the volleyball team will have a trickle-down e$ect for the program in years to come.

“Winning perpetuates winning,” he said. “I’ve seen it hap-pen in other sports. "ere’s one really good season, then kids just expect to be at State next year. It is a great atmosphere to be a part of.”

Burton said this success for volleyball has made its mark on BV athletics.

“"is is a volleyball school, not just a football school,” Burton said. “"at is something we helped make.”

Volleyball team places second at State, cross country runner wins individual title

Check out bvtigernews onlinefor more pictures

from the State assembly

Standing in front of the school at a pep assembly on Friday, Oct. 25, the varsity volleyball team is recognized for their accomplishments. "e team !nished second at the State tournament and !nished the season 31-13. “I was so excited to play,” co-captian senior Anna Burton said. “I was upset though because it was my last game.” Photo by Ellie Fehlig.

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inthenews 5November 2012

kellycordingley editor-in-chief

During Tiger Time on Oct. 25, students watched a stu-dent-made video about suicide prevention. It featured Blue Valley students giving facts and advice, as well as students who’d su!ered with depression and thoughts of suicide.

“I liked it when they showed students at our school that were a!ected by [depression],” senior Hannah O’Neil said. “It made it more real.”

"is was the fourth video shown to help prevent suicide and to inform students about what to do if they encounter these circumstances.

“We’ve always done something for suicide prevention,” counselor Sandy Fryer said. “We used to go to freshman classes and do 20-minute presentations with them. It was getting stale.”

"ree years ago, administration decided to use a video to spread the message.

It included current students informing the student body

about suicide facts and statistics. “We did the #rst video three years ago,” Fryer said. “We

got really good feedback. "is year we decided to revamp it.”"e Tiger Time lesson also included a discussion fol-

lowing the video, something Fryer said di!ers from past lessons.

“We thought it would be more e!ective,” she said. “We’re trying to #nd e!ective ways to get out a very important message.”

O’Neil said although she doesn’t see suicide as a preva-lent problem at BV, she hopes the videos help anyone in that position.

“I don’t see it as a problem,” O’Neil said. “But I’m sure it does happen if we’re talking about it so much. I hope this video can help.”

Fryer said many students at BV may not be aware what their classmates are going through.

“Sadly, in this o$ce we have kids coming down every week,” she said. “We have a lot of kids who are hurting on di!erent spectrums.”

According to a study done eight years ago by University of Missouri-Kansas City and University of Kansas doctors, among others, friends are generally the #rst to know if their friend is having suicidal thoughts. Fryer said this is some-thing crucial to understand.

“Friends are the ones who are usually going to know,” she said. “You might have a sense that your friend isn’t quite right. We need students to be armed with that information, and bring them down [to the o$ce].”

Fryer said every year she addresses depressed teens who have attempted to commit suicide.

“Right here at BV, there are students in extreme pain who need help and maybe won’t reach out,” Fryer said. “Every year we have kids attempt it.”

Fryer said it is crucial for teens who suspect a friend may be sliding into this kind of depression to get help from an adult immediately.

“Get them to an adult,” she said. “"at is a very heavy burden to have to have on your shoulders. "ey might be mad at you at #rst, but in the long run they’ll thank you.”

Tiger Time classes discuss suicide prevention

haileymcenteedesign & news editor

"is fall, Blue Valley clubs have sponsored two drives — a can drive and a coat drive.

Oct. 15 through Oct. 26, KAY Club sponsored the Haunt for Harvesters food drive. Students were asked to bring in non-perishable food items and drop them o! at the Jungle in the Commons.

It was a class competition which the seniors won.

Also, anyone who brought in #ve cans was entered in a drawing for a $25 Chipotle gi% card. "e winners of the gi% cards were senior Hayley LeBlanc and junior Grant Johnson.

KAY Club member senior Claudia Garcia said it is important for students to participate in the food drive because it helps the com-munity.

“"ere are even people here in our area who have to deal with hunger every day,” Garcia said. “We can help even the people who live really close to us.”

KAY Club member senior Steph Wolt-kamp said it is good for students to look outside the Johnson County bubble.

“A lot of us [at BV] have it really good,” she said. “We never have to worry about going hungry or anything like that, so it’s

good that we are helping people who are less fortunate.”

Saint "omas Aquinas High School also held a can drive, so Garcia said there was a little rivalry going between the two schools.

“We wanted to beat Aquinas, but they brought in thousands of cans,” she said. “Our goal was to have at least two barrels full.”

"e Haunt for Harvesters food drive ended up exceeding the goal of two barrels.

While KAY club sponsored the food drive, the BIONIC Club hosted a coat drive. Project Warmth took place from Oct. 23 to Nov. 1.

Sponsoring a coat drive was a new idea the club pursued this year.

“[Librarian Ken] Stewart came up with the idea,” BIONIC co-president junior Meg Garton said. “We wanted to back up his idea and make it our own. He gave us the idea and then le% the rest up to us — we had to decide the dates and do all the planning.”

"e coat drive was a class competition which the freshmen won.

Garton said it is important for students in our area to participate in events like the coat drive.

“I think our generation has a hard time seeing outside our own little bubble,” she said. “We forget how fortunate we are, and we don’t realize that there are people who don’t even have a home or a warm coat.”

Blue Valley clubs sponsor coat, can drive

Seniors Steph Woltkamp and Bethany Pence collect cans for Haunt for Harvesters. KAY Club hosted a can drive which donated non-perishable items to Harvesters food bank in Missouri. “I personally like doing community service,” senior Hayley LeBlanc said. “[Haunt for Harvesters] got the whole school involved instead of just KAY Club members.” Photo by Megan Ball.

inthenews6 November 2012

annawonderlichbusiness manager & managing editor

!e National Art Honor Society (NAHS) has scheduled the SWITCH dance on Friday, Nov. 30, from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the Commons.

NAHS co-president senior Katie Campbell said they de-cided to shorten the time so everyone will stay entertained the whole night.

“We feel like people don’t usually want to start dancing until a little later, so we thought we’d make the start time a little later,” she said. “SWITCH is really just a big dance-fest, so people get tired really quickly, and then they start to stag-ger o" and leave, so we thought we’d shorten it a bit.”

!e $5 ticket to get into the dance goes toward future NAHS projects, such as the Raku party in the spring.

Unlike previous SWITCH dances, a new activity will replace the former lounge in the senior lunchroom.

“We’re pretty excited about it, and it will be a lot of fun,” Campbell said. “We hope people will get kind of wild with it. !e activity will be more art-based — it has to do with paint. So, there’s a little bit more of our ‘art-honor’ in#uence in that. It’s not a secret, but I’m pumped for it, and I don’t

want to give it away too early.”Campbell said SWITCH is unlike any other school

dance.“[SWITCH] became one most fun dances to go to be-

cause it doesn’t cost too much and you don’t have to get all dressed up or go out to dinner,” she said. “It’s really easy to just come and have a lot of fun.”

Campbell said students can wear anything they want — the crazier, the better — but duct-taped tank tops or cloth-ing that’s extremely tight or revealing is not allowed.

She said she highly encourages students to participate in the fashion show at the dance.

If interested, talk to Campbell or the other NAHS lead-ers, seniors Madison Kreamer, Gracie Gallagher or Becky Winegarner.

“!e fashion show will be great this year,” she said. “We’ve got a committee working on it, so it’ll be fun. We just need to make sure people come out and do it. !e fashion show is as good as the people involved in it, so we hope to have a lot of participants in it this year. We’ll have sign-up sheets around the school and posters to make sure that people know what’s going on.”

All of the NAHS members are involved in SWITCH in some way.

“SWITCH is our biggest [event], so we have the entire society involved in putting it up, breaking it down and bringing things in to make it an even better dance,” she said. “We started talking about it as soon as the school year started. We o$cially got the date about a month or so ago, so we start really early on SWITCH. It’s really important to us, and we just want a lot of kids to have fun.”

Campbell said there are still many plans to be made before the dance.

“We’ve been meeting a lot lately, getting everything %nal-ized,” she said. “We have to %nd the [disc jockey]. We have to get glow sticks, and we have to contact [Student Council] to get some of their decorations. [We’re] basically just mak-ing sure we do as much as we can to make it as much fun as possible.”

Campbell said her favorite part of SWITCH is seeing everyone have fun.

“I really like how everybody has a really good time, and everybody gets along, and it’s just a huge, fun party where no one’s really separated or anything,” she said. “Everyone can have fun doing the same thing. No one cares about the way you’re looking or what you’re doing — everybody’s being goofy and having a great time. It’s a chance for you to really get out of your shell.”

SWITCHing it up Honor society makes several changes to annual

school dance, leaders look forward to event

outloud 7November 2012

colingregorystaff writer

For many, autumn means trick-or-treating and going to haunted houses. For others, it represents a dramatic weather change, in which temperatures drop drastically from the 70’s to the 40’s.

However, for me, autumn represents the best months ever from the perspective of a sports fan.

Some think of falling leaves and costumes — I think of gridirons and diamonds.

Let’s break autumn down: we’ve got the National Foot-ball League (NFL) in full swing, meaning I get to watch my favorite sports team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, dominate the rest of the league — sometimes.

!e playo"s of Major League Baseball (MLB) are es-sentially happening every night in October, and one day — hopefully — I will get to watch the Kansas City Royals dominate that stage.

On top of that, the National Basketball Association (NBA) starts at the end of October, along with college hoops and the Major League Soccer (MLS) playo"s.

!is con#uence of everything I live for has spawned an insane amount of memories that are dear to me.

I remember sneaking downstairs to catch late innings during the World Series, when the games stretched far past my bedtime.

I remember nearly #at-lining during Steelers games that went into sudden-death overtime, while every $ber in my body screamed for a defensive stop or a $rst down.

I remember making absurd bets with friends and rub-bing it in their faces if I won.

For baseball, fall is where legends are born — a #ash in the pan can be turned into an enduring face of the sport.

An average pitcher can turn out perhaps the greatest game ever pitched on the biggest stage imaginable.

While pitching for the New York Yankees in 1956, Don Larsen became the only pitcher to throw a no-hitter in the World Series.

In fact, he threw a perfect game — he got out every single batter he faced. Twenty-seven up, 27 down.

Larsen would never be remembered by baseball fans had he not thrown a perfect game. He had an unspectacularly average career, similar to thousands of players before and a%er him.

However, one amazing a%ernoon cemented his place in the history of baseball.

!at’s what is so special about autumn to a sports fan — that at any time, history can be made. We watch sports year-round.

Autumn is when we pay attention. If you’re looking for me around this time of year, I’ll be

in my basement, waking my family up by cheering exces-sively, or yelling at the TV in $ts of rage.

!at’s where you’ll $nd me.

Friday Night LightsAs sports change with season, staffer looks forward to autumn full of memorable sports moments

sallycochranstaff writer

We all have that friend who slides into class just as the 7:45 a.m. bell is ringing. !en, he or she is whipping out of the parking lot before the rest of us have even le% our lock-ers each and every day.

If that’s you, my question is simply: why?!ere is such a large variety of activities, clubs and sports

available to take part in at Blue Valley. From Art Club to Yoga Club and baseball to volleyball,

there are plenty of ways to get involved in our school.Chances are, there is some activity here you would enjoy.

Go to a meeting or two, see what it’s about and keep up with it if you truly enjoy it.

If you are interested in something that isn’t already a

club, start one. All you have to do is $ll out the form in the o&ce. You

will need a faculty member to sponsor the club and other information like the location and time of meetings for your application. Submit forms for administrative approval in the o&ce.

One major piece of advice I would give to all students, but especially freshmen is this: Don’t let your friends limit what you do with the four years of opportunity high school will bring you.

Last year, I wanted to join certain clubs and activities, and my friends were interested in many of those, as well. !en, when I was thinking about participating in other things they didn’t want to do, I decided not to do them, as well.

In no way was my decision their fault, but they de$nitely impacted it.

If you are thinking about trying a new club, activity or sport, go to a meeting and see what it’s about, regardless of whether your friends are doing it, too. If it turns out that you do enjoy the activity, you’ll make new friends while taking part in it.

On the other hand, don’t join clubs and activities solely

because your friends are doing them. Find what you love to do, and go for it. We all know that person who does anything and ev-

erything, arriving at school early and not leaving until at least 5 p.m., $lling every minute with club meetings, sports practices and other various extracurriculars.

It’s great to do a variety of things and be well-rounded, but let’s be real.

Know where to draw the line when you are doing too much, or else you’ll $nd yourself extremely stressed out.

If you feel weighed down with all the various activities you are taking part in, I would de$nitely evaluate what your priorities are.

If you’re there because you truly enjoy it, then it’s prob-ably a good use of your time.

But if not, there are only so many minutes in the day. You might consider doing something else.

It’s all about $nding balance. Get involved, but pick and choose what you really want

to devote your time to. Above all, don’t let your high school years #y by without

getting involved with a few extracurriculars. !ey will im-prove your school experience that much more.

Students should get involved in school, maintain balance

Check out bvtigernews online or @bvtigernews

on Twitter for updates on professional, college and

high school sports

outloud8 November 2012

Population should appreciate technological advances, celebrate progress already made

odiopoleweb editor

Why do we take innovation for granted? Why do scienti!c advances seem so small?Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgarter broke the sound

barrier in free-fall — by jumping out of space, mind you — and he is still alive and in one piece.

But that story probably got less press than a new episode of “Toddlers and Tiaras” did.

Or take phones — our parents remember a time when a cordless phone was only for the rich.

I remember ‘the olden days’ when my cell phone could call, text and play games with 32-bit quality. "at was in sixth grade.

But now, to even know what 32-bit quality is, you have to be some kind of vintage video-game enthusiast.

I remember, in elementary school, carrying around portable CD players, batteries and books of CDs to listen to in the car on road trips.

I remember going to Blockbuster to get movies — you know, before Net#ix happened.

And when I say going to Blockbuster, I mean actually

going outside, getting in the car with my family, driving to the store and spending 30-45 minutes perusing the shelves before selecting the perfect comedy for family movie night.

Renting movies was an event.I remember planning my nights around TV show sched-

ules because it took forever for re-runs to start. I remember being genuinely upset if I missed a showing.

Now, while the sound from whatever I’m watching at the moment plays in the background, I can pull up my AT&T U-Verse On Demand menu and rent “Inception” while I catch the last scene of “"e Big Bang "eory” — or I can just !nd shows and movies at any hour of any day on Hulu.

We should be looking around and marveling at the world we live in.

If we went back 50 years with a tablet, a smartphone, a laptop and a Wi-Fi hotspot, how do you think people would react? "ey would ask why we didn’t bring the jetpack and hover car along, too.

People always complain about how we haven’t ful!lled the goals futurists set for us in movies like “Back to the Fu-ture” and “Tron.” If you think about it, though, we’re already halfway there.

“"e Jetsons” aired in 1962, and looked forward by exactly one century — in 2062, the average family was sup-posed to have #ying cars, computerized everything and, of course, Rosie the Robot, the family maid and housekeeper. She cooked, cleaned and basically kept order in the chaotic family life of the Jetsons.

Right now in 2012, our generation has Siri, smart phones and the Internet.

I mean, I don’t know about you, but the only reason I can make it to school on time, contact anybody or !nd my way around the Kansas City area is because I have an HTC Evo and a fairly good mobile network reception.

We may not have Rosie the Robot yet, but we do walk around with small devices that allow us to communicate, entertain ourselves and get through the little crises of our daily lives.

We share pictures, videos and audio instantly. We have face-to-face conversations with people miles away, as long as we have a webcam and Internet connection.

We use our phones to connect to our email. As recently as 1995, you had to plug your computer into

the landline jack and pay per minute just to get online.Seriously, are we not on a “Star Wars” level just because

we haven’t !gured out functional light sabers yet? We already have virtual classrooms, 3D movies and self-parking cars.

Starting in 2014, Google, Inc. will make ‘augmented reality’ glasses available for purchase. "ese ‘glasses’ will be wearable devices that allow you to do all the things you do on smart phones — with your eyes.

As long as you’re wearing the glasses, you can check weather, take pictures, send and receive messages, use social networks and even use Google Maps step-by-step naviga-tion — and remember, this all happens via glasses.

"e things that you wear on your face.Glasses."e future has arrived — and you don’t have to be a

technology bu$ to appreciate it.

haileymcenteedesign & news editor

It seems lately like people are crossing the line with what they say on Twitter.

Every Friday night a%er 10 p.m., Twitter blows up with a mixture of complaints, excitement and bragging about high school football games.

When a school’s team loses the game, people start blam-ing the refs or making up excuses.

When a school’s team wins the game, people taunt the school they beat.

I !nd both of these instances to be ridiculous.

Believe it or not, the !nal score of the game won’t change because you tweeted the ref was wrong.

Believe it or not, the game is over and done with, and there is nothing you can do about it.

Believe it or not, there are more important things than the outcome of a game.

If we want other teams to respect us, we need to respect them, whether we win or lose. I’m not saying students shouldn’t get excited and tweet about how proud they are of the team, but we need to keep our negative comments to ourselves.

A number of coaches I’ve played sports for have said, “Leave it all on the !eld.” "is relates perfectly to how stu-dents should behave on Twitter a%er games.

"ere is no reason to keep !ghting about a game once it is already over. A%er all, doesn’t beating a team and simply leaving it at that make a bigger statement than going on Twitter and making some cocky comment?

We have been taught well to be !rst class — so let’s keep it that way.

Outside of sports, people are tweeting about things that aren’t appropriate for everyone to know.

I don’t want to see a million tweets about how you are so upset about something your boyfriend or girlfriend did or about all your innermost feelings — and I don’t think anyone else wants to, either.

Also, subtweeting — negatively tweeting about at a certain person, but not tagging them in it — is becoming a huge issue.

If you have a problem with someone, why don’t you just tell it directly to their face and try to work things out?

Simply tweeting about your problems will not solve anything — it will just cause more tension.

Just imagine if what you post on Twitter is what you would say out loud. If you wouldn’t say it, then don’t tweet it.

We all need to work on keeping negative comments to ourselves and just tweeting positively. Twitter is a great way to interact with our friends, but we need to make sure it is being used appropriately.

Social media presents inappropriate way to deal #That’sNotOkay

Living in Johnson County de!nitely has its perks. We all know the stereo-type of living in “the bubble.”

And it is pretty accurate, actually. It de!nitely a"ects us once we grow

up and leave home. For anyone moving away from Kansas a#er high school, the real world isn’t anything like this.

Many kids at Blue Valley, as sad as it sounds, don’t pay attention to anything that doesn’t relate to them. Some are so lost when it comes to current events. $ey don’t know who ran against President Barack Obama in the elec-tion — or they don’t know Obama is president.

Sure, teenagers claim to know what’s going on in the world and pay attention to the news. Sorry, but Twit-

ter doesn’t count as a reliable news source. You could try CNN or BBC.

We need to be educated on the election and other matters that will eventually in%uence us in some way. It might not be our problem now, but in just a few short years, it will be. We will soon be the adults running the country.

Isn’t that a little scary to think about?

Taking classes such as America Decides and Contemporary Issues can keep students aware of the world outside the “JoCo bubble.”

$ese classes should be mandatory for all students. $ey will ultimately be helpful in the end.

In Contemporary Issues, students research articles about con%icts around the world, or right in America. $e class helps students become aware and understand information they may hear on the news, if they even happen to watch the news.

Overall, it keeps them up to date with current events.

In America Decides, students discuss the recent election and earn a greater understanding of politics. $is class educates students so they can make political decisions for themselves in the future.

Besides politics, there are things teenagers can be oblivious to, such as people using food stamps.

Most students aren’t worried about going hungry but that doesn’t mean everyone isn’t.

Even people in the Johnson County area have been a"ected by the bad economy. Unemployment in this area is more common than it appears.

We don’t have to !ght for the right to go to school. We don’t have a war going on anywhere close to home. But we still have some issues in our society.

$ere are so many things happen-ing in the world that don’t directly a"ect us, but it won’t kill us to know about them.

If teenagers would pay attention to something besides what’s trending on Twitter, it may pop this JoCo bubble.

outloud 9November 2012

staffeditorial editor-in-chiefKelly Cordingley

website editorOdi Opole

photo editorBailey Outlaw

design and news editorHailey McEntee

features editorMaddie Jewett

entertainment editorAbby Bamburg

opinion editor Caroline Meinzenbach

sports editorJansen Hess

business manager, managing editorAnna Wonderlich

sta! writersRaine AndrewsSally CochranColin GregoryMeghan KennedyRiley MillerMitch SundquistDanielle Williams

photographersMegan BallEllie FehligAlex Kontopanos

cartoonistBecky Winegarner

adviser Michelle Wilmes

!e Tiger Print is published 10 times a year for students, faculty, and the surrounding community of Blue Valley High School. It is an open forum for student expression. $erefore, the opinions expressed within this paper do not necessarily re%ect the views of the administrations of Blue Valley Uni!ed School District #229. Letters to the editor and reader responses are encouraged for publication. !e Tiger Print reserves the right to edit all submissions for both language and content and encourages letters to be no more than 350 words. Letters should be submitted to room 450, emailed to thetigerprint@yahoo.com or mailed to:

!e Tiger Print c/oBlue Valley High School6001 W. 159th St. Stilwell, KS 66085phone: 913-239-4800

Pacemaker !nalist, 2009, 2010, 2012. Member, Kansas Scholastic Press Association, National Scholastic Press Association and Columbia Scholastic Press Association.

Cartoon by Becky Winegarner.

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outloud10 November 2012

alexkontopanosstaff photographer

“You look like your mom.”“You talk like your dad.”I’m sure you’ve heard these phrases one too many times. Personally, it doesn’t bother

me when I hear a comment like that, but if someone told me that I think like my mom, or I have my dad’s opinions on certain things, I would be annoyed. I can think for myself. My opinions are my own and no one else’s.

I’m not saying I don’t agree with my parents. My parents in!uence me and shape my principles along with most of my morals in life.

Still, there are certain aspects of my life in which I can make my own judgments about, and politics is a good example of this.

Students are always making comments like, “Your opinion isn’t even valid. You’re just reiterating what your parents think.”

"ey couldn’t be more false. Sure, there are people who share their parent’s opinions, but not all of us do.

In fact, most of us, as high schoolers, can form our own ideas and views on situations independently. Just because someone’s ideals aren’t a replica of your own, does not mean that their opinions don’t belong to them.

Some could argue kids our age can’t form their own opinions because their brains do not have that capacity yet. If this is true, then how is it possible for toddlers to tell their parents the broccoli on the dinner plate is disgusting, and they refuse to eat it?

Isn’t that their own opinion? "at is an opinion totally independent of a parent’s perspective. Plus, think about how awful it would be if we all thought like our parents. "ere

would be no social progress or evolution of civilization because new ideas would never be created.

Having opposing views is a good thing, and thinking for yourself is immensely important, especially in a world where there are so many people trying to sway your opinion or convince you to believe lies.

When President Barack Obama #rst ran for o$ce, people made up rumors that he wasn’t an American citizen and therefore not eligible to become president. Even worse, people actually believed them because they didn’t check their facts. "ey didn’t stop to think that the information those people were feeding them could have been untrue.

Independent thinking is a miracle to mankind. You can think for yourself, so take advantage of it.

With the recent presidential election, it’s crucial to form your own opinions without the in!uences of those around you. You have the power to decide for yourself what is wrong and right.

You don’t need your mommy or daddy holding your hand every step of the way.

Teens able to form unique thoughts, not rely on parent’s opinions to form their own

kellycordingleyeditor-in-chief

Slamming doors, screams about curfews and broken rules. My room isn’t clean enough, my car is a pigsty. I’m disrespectful and immature. And I’m screaming retorts right back.

I’ve had more than enough arguments with my parents about pointless things I cannot even recall.

Every teenager thinks their parents are insane at some point. I’m sure parents think their children are out of their minds sometimes, too.

We teenagers are great at yelling we can’t wait to move out and be on our own.

Heck, I think I said that a few weeks ago. Even though I adore my mom, I still can’t wait to move out

But, now, around "anksgiving time, I’m taking a step back and realizing how lucky I am to have such crazy, won-derful parents.

When I was four-years-old, my dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

He’d gone in for early testing. At the time, it was recom-mended men get checked for prostate cancer beginning at about 50 years old.

Well, he wouldn’t have seen age 50 if he hadn’t decided to get checked.

For a long time, we didn’t know what to expect. Yes, he’d detected it early. But, science wasn’t as advanced

as it is now. So, even a fairly early prognosis still meant a struggle.

He was fortunate enough to receive a new treatment that put him in remission.

Because he’d sought the treatment of a nationally-known doctor who was beginning a new type of treatment, he’ll see my brother get married in a year. He’ll walk me down the aisle at my wedding and see his grandchildren.

Had any one of those variables been di%erent, maybe he wouldn’t have been so lucky.

But, thank God that isn’t something we have to contem-plate.

"en, three years ago my mom decided to have a double mastectomy because it was a sure bet she’d have breast can-cer within the next two years.

What should’ve been a fairly routine procedure did a 180 quickly.

A&er we’d taken her home from her surgery, she began

experiencing extreme pain and in!ammation. My stepfather took her to the emergency room at 3 a.m..

Doctors immediately took her for tests and discovered she’d contracted an antibiotic-resistant Staph infection.

People die from these kind of infections. She spent weeks in the hospital with nurses coming in

and out wearing protective gowns. She had to have one of the harshest antibiotics on the

market twice a day through an IV once she came home.She was forced to have an open wound that required

cleaning and bandaging for about eight months.At the end of it all, she’d spent about two years in and out

of operating rooms and hospital beds.She had undergone nine surgeries.And she managed to come out it even stronger than she’d

been when she began this process. And that’s truly saying something.So, this year, I’m going to take the time to recognize what

a blessing my parents really are. Recently, an old friend’s father passed away suddenly. She adored him. It isn’t fair for such a wonderful man to have been taken

from such a sweet family.Scary as it is, life can be altered in a single moment.At 18 years old, my parents drive me up the wall some-

times. But, thank God I have both of my parents here to do that. I couldn’t imagine it any other way.

upclose 11November 2012

jansenhesssports editor

Between sixth and seventh grade, senior Sarah Hill at-tended a Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) camp that she said changed her life.

During her week at that camp, she said she gave herself to Christ, and her faith continued to grow from there.

“I was at an FCA camp, reluctantly,” she said. “I didn’t want to be there, but I was. I guess the whole week I was blessed with really awesome group leaders. I’d grown up going to church, but that week, I guess, it just really clicked with me, and I just realized it’s bigger than myself.”

Hill said having a relationship with Christ is the basis of her beliefs.

“He’s forgiven me for all my sins and has cleansed me of that,” she said. “So that is the stemming point of everything else that I do — reading my Bible, praying. Whatever it is, that’s the basis of it all. It’s not necessarily, ‘I go to church, so I’m a Christian.’ It’s, ‘I go to church because I’m a Christian,’ or ‘I do these types of things because I love Jesus.’”

Ever since the FCA camp, Hill said her beliefs and love of Christ have slowly become who she is.

“It’s not necessarily something that I have to do, but it’s just innate in me, and that’s who I am,” she said. “I’m striving to be like Christ, not because it’s the right thing to do, but because it’s just become a part of me. So keeping from drinking or keeping from cussing or doing all these things, it’s not really me trying to be like, ‘I’m a Christian, I don’t do those things.’ It’s just, I don’t want to do those things because I’m a Christian, and it’s OK because that’s just who I am.”

Hill will be attending John Brown University on a $25,000 soccer and academic scholarship next fall.

She said she decided between John Brown and Washburn University.

“I guess the sticking point with John Brown was they’re striving to make their program glorifying to God, and that’s something I try to do in the way I play, the way I live,” Hill said. “It’s just really cool to see people encouraging that type of lifestyle and living in community in that. I have kind of an

interest in missions, and that’s a big part of their pro-gram. !ey’re striving to be more of a sports-ministry program. When they do their preseason, they go on mission trips and do it hand-in-hand. It just seems to be a really good "t of everything that I feel like I like doing.”

!e summer before Hill’s freshman year in college, the soccer team is going to Brazil.

!ey will train in the morning, participate in mis-sion work all day and worship at night.

Hill said her faith and soccer go hand-in-hand #aw-lessly.

“!e Bible references sports all the time, like run-ning the race to win the prize and striving for perfec-tion and all these di$erent things — it just seems to go right with it,” she said. “If I’m striving for perfection, and I’m striving to glorify God, then I’m going to give 110 percent all the time, no matter what. Not because it’s for me, but because I’m saying, ‘God, let You bless me with this talent, so I’m going to go back there to glorify You and show other people how You motivate me.’ I want to win because I’m going for God. It’s just re-ally cool to not be playing for myself. Other players can have a bad game, and they’re crushed — they can’t deal with it. But if I have a bad game, I don’t put my identity into that, and it’s OK. I might get hurt, but it’s going to be OK — I’ll live.”

FCA sponsor and soccer coach K. Dean Snell said John Brown seems like the perfect "t for Hill.

“I think she lives her life with integrity, and she plays the game with integrity,” he said. “She plays hard. I think a lot of that has to do with her faith and her Christian walk. She demonstrates that without having to say it.”

Hill said she hopes other players recognize that she’s not the typical athlete.

“I may never know to the full extent, but I’d like to think that players take notice that when something goes wrong, I don’t throw out a cuss word — not saying that I don’t because it does happen sometimes,” she said. “Like, we’re losing four to zero and there’s no way we’re coming back, but I’m still out there busting my butt. Or at practice, I’m doing things right. Not that I’m perfect, but I’m striving for that. I’d like to think that people take notice in that and think, ‘Why are you di$erent?’”

Snell said Hill’s attitude plays an important role on the team.

“I think it has a big e$ect,” he said. “I call it a silent -leadership. An ability that she has, and it carries over both consciously and unconsciously by her teammates to be positive. She’s a leader by example.”

Practicing on her own, senior Sarah Hill juggles the ball. Hill recently signed her letter of intentment to play soccer at John Brown University. “My proudest accomplishment is being able to still really enjoy playing a%er 15 years,” Hill said. Photo by Megan Ball.

Purpose!"#$%&' for a

Religion, athletic ability fueled by Christian camp experience

“ I want to win because I’m going for God. It’s just really cool to not be playing for myself.

“

—senior Sarah Hill

indepth12 November 2012

Value of the

V tekellycordingleyeditor-in-chief

First-time voter senior Courtney Wood-worth said she decided to turn out on elec-tion day to ful!ll her civic duty, and help !ght for what she believes in.

“As a young woman, I really wanted to get out and vote,” Woodworth said. “It was more about the social issues and protecting myself and my body because I agree with [President Barack] Obama on social issues. I really wanted to get out and make an impact in our society.”

Woodworth said Obama has managed to succeed in many ways during his !rst term, although people may focus on the negatives.

“I de!nitely think a lot of people like to focus on the things that didn’t happen instead of the things that did happen,” Woodworth said. “I think that’s an underly-ing thing of what it going on in everyone’s life right now. We only focus on the bad things.”

Woodworth said being part of a united front for her cause was part of the reason she voted.

“Being part of the whole is a very united thing,” she said. “I was incredibly happy with the outcome.”

Early in election night, each candidate surged ahead at di"erent times, something Woodworth said made her extremely nervous.

“I was scared at !rst because the race was very neck-and-neck,” she said. “Now we’re going to have another four good years

ahead of us.”With the economy being the issue that

took center stage this election, Woodworth said she believes Obama accomplished as much as could have done in his !rst term, and the best is yet to come.

“For as much as a President does, I think it went pretty well,” Woodworth said. “You can’t !x an economy in four years. A#er the Great Depression it took [President Franklin D. Roosevelt] 16 years to rebuild the economy and the U.S. to a somewhat stable place. For people to have these unrealistic expectations of Obama, for him to go in and wave a magic wand and have everything magically be completely normal — it’s just not going to happen.”

Woodworth attributes some of the lack of change to the split Congress Obama faced during his !rst term.

“He did what he could,” she said. “It’s kind of hard to make progress happen when half of your House is Republican and you’re a Democratic President.

Along with President Obama’s reelec-tion, Wisconsin elected the !rst openly gay senator to Congress in U.S. history.

According to the “Chicago Tribune”, Wisconsin Democratic Representative Tammy Baldwin said she didn’t run to make history, but to change the lives of her constituents.

“We’ve clearly made so much social progress,” Woodworth said. “I think it’s great that people are probably, hopefully, accepting homosexuals into our society. It hasn’t been that way for a long time. I think having a gay person, especially a gay woman, as a senator is just momentous.”

Social Issues

Abortion: Obama supports the Roe v. Wade decision that a woman can choose to have an abortion. However, his signing of an order banning federal funds from paying for abortions except in cases of rape, incest and life of the mother drew criticism. Obama has re-mained a supporter of women having a choice in their reproductive rights.

Same-sex marriage: Although during his !rst campaign he remained fairly quiet on the issue, in an interview with ABC News he announced his sup-port of gay marriage. He said, “For me personally, it is important to go ahead and a$rm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.” Obama also repealed “Don’t ask, don’t tell”.

With Obama’s new healthcare plan, he aims to stop insurance companies from denying coverage to certain people. He also doesn’t want women to have to pay more for insurance than men pay.

Under his healthcare plan, people could not be denied health care due to preexisting conditions.

Minors are able to stay on their parents’ insur-ance coverage until they’re 26 years old.

Health care

TaxesObama would like to increase taxes on the

wealthy, but not on the middle class. Recently, he said he’d extend former President George W. Bush’s tax cuts for those earning less than $200,000.

He plans to reduce tax breaks, however during the campaign in 2007, he claimed he’d like to “eliminate the entire Social Security shortfall.”

Outcomes

Johnson County results

On the agenda...

Information gathered from CNN election center online and barackobama.com by Sally Cochran and Kelly Cordingley.

Statistics for pie charts gathered from CNN online and jocoelection.org.

Romney- Ryan48%

Obama- Biden51%

Obama- Biden40.01%

Romney- Ryan57.77%

indepth 13November 2012

Value of the

V teObama Biden

Social Issues

Abortion: Obama supports the Roe v. Wade decision that a woman can choose to have an abortion. However, his signing of an order banning federal funds from paying for abortions except in cases of rape, incest and life of the mother drew criticism. Obama has re-mained a supporter of women having a choice in their reproductive rights.

Same-sex marriage: Although during his !rst campaign he remained fairly quiet on the issue, in an interview with ABC News he announced his sup-port of gay marriage. He said, “For me personally, it is important to go ahead and a"rm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.” Obama also repealed “Don’t ask, don’t tell”.

kellycordingleyeditor-in-chief

!e mock election conducted at Blue Valley Nov. 6 turned out a result for Republican Gov. Mitt Romney of Mass.

At BV, Romney won with 54 percent of the vote. President Barack Obama received 38 percent of the vote. Within the BV district, Romney also took "rst place.

Freshman Nathan Luzum said he voted in the mock- elec-tion because it was an important experience.

“I just thought it was very important to experience, even though it isn’t going in the actual booth and really voting,” Luzum said. “I thought it was important to experience the responsibility of voting.”

!e mock election was sponsored by Kids Voting USA. !is organization began when three businessmen traveled to Costa Rica, where the voter turnout averaged 90 percent, accord-ing to Kids Voting USA online. !e high voter turnout was attributed to children accompanying their parents to the polls. So, the three men decided to make it so children were involved in the democratic system.

“I think the school put it on to educate,” Luzum said. “Some of the older students can vote and know all about voting, but maybe just for the freshmen and sophomores, just to educate them about voting, just to have that experience.”

Luzum said it is important to be educated on the election, regardless of if one can vote.

“It’s always good to be a little bit involved in politics and be concerned with who is leading the country and the policies,” he said.

In-school mock-election gives underclassmen chance to participate in voting process

(Top) Seniors Aaron Gibson and Bri Woods regulate the library exit. Woods and Gibson handed out stickers to students a#er they voted on Nov. 6. Photo by Megan Ball.

(Bottom) Students wait to enter the voting area during lunch. Each voter re-ceived a ticket with a special log-in code before using computers in the library to vote. Photo by Megan Ball.

Giving studentsvoiceaOn the agenda...

Information gathered from CNN election center online and barackobama.com by Sally Cochran and Kelly Cordingley.

Romney- Ryan48%

upclose14 November 2012

Students volunteer at retirement home, create long-lasting relationships with residents

abbybamburgentertainment editor

A home-like atmosphere.A place where students can interact with people from a

completely di!erent time period than what they’re used to.Seniors Katherine Brimble, Jarin Braithwait, Brenna

Cook and Hannah O’Neil volunteer at Sunrise Assisted Living retirement home.

Braithwait said they started going there to help out dur-ing their freshman year.

“We just wanted to get involved somehow in the com-munity,” she said. “We also really like old people.”

To become a volunteer at this retirement home, the girls took health tests and completed documentation.

“Our residents are precious, so we want to know the most about our volunteers as possible for all the right rea-sons,” activities director Kathy Ogden said. “["e volun-teers] need to feel comfortable, welcome and appreciated.”

Ogden said they document the volunteer hours for com-munity service.

“"ose hours that they gain from serving seniors here might come up in college, or a#er, too,” she said. “Volun-teerism is really so important these days.”

Brimble said they used to volunteer at a di!erent retire-ment home but liked Sunrise Assisted Living better because of the atmosphere.

“"ey were going to make us get a lot of shots and tests, so we just found [Sunrise Assisted Living] and loved it,” she said.

Braithwait said they continue to volunteer mainly be-cause they have made friends with many of the retirees.

“"ey are always happy to see us,” she said. “You become close with a lot of the residents. "ey are practically our grandmas and grandpas.”

Ogden said the girls and the residents play thinking games to bring up memories from the retirees’ pasts.

“A card will say, ‘beach,’ and the conversation that comes out of that: ‘Well, what beach?’ ‘What happened on that beach?’ ‘Did you meet someone and fall in love there?’” she said. “Sometimes the best types of interactions are the spontaneous ones that our volunteers come up with.”

Braithwait and Brimble said their favorite part is get-ting to interact, talk and do activities with the residents. Activities include painting each others’ nails, playing board games, watching sports on television and singing karaoke.

“We like getting to hear their stories,” Braithwait said. “We like to hear what they were like when they were our age. "ey get so excited when we come.”

Ogden said the volunteers have changed the residents’ lives for the better.

“"eir faces just light up when they see the young people,” she said. “"ey’re interested in what they’re doing, what paths the girls are taking and what their plans are for the future. I think it’s wonderful when the students can lis-ten and learn from the members of the greatest generation. History repeats itself, so there is so much to learn.”

Because of their di!erence in age, Ogden said the rela-tionships the volunteers create with the residents is essential to their lives.

“It’s about creating pleasant moments and being in the moment,” she said. “Sometimes, there are memory issues that prevent the elders from remembering what happened a week ago or two weeks ago, but if you can create a good moment — right here, right now — you carry that with you on some level.”

Braithwait said volunteering at the home is rewarding. “It is a good way to give back and get to know some re-

ally great people,” she said.Ogden said she thinks the younger, the better, to experi-

ence intergenerational relationships.“A lot of people are not fortunate enough to have grand-

parents, and there’s an opportunity here for our residents to $ll that place,” she said.

(Above) Seniors Brenna Cook, Katherine Brimble, Hannah O’Neil and Jarin Braithwait visit Sunrise Assisted Living most Wednesdays. One favorite memory of theirs is singing Christmas carols with the residents. “"e best memory I’ve had is when one of our friends that used to live here would tell us inspirational quotes,” senior Hannah O’Neil said. Photo by Megan Ball. (Top Right) Conversing with a resident, senior Katherine Brimble smiles while chatting. Brimble said she enjoys listening to the residents’ stories. “I like hanging out with [Lois] because she’s young at heart,” Brimble said. “She can really relate to us kids.” Photo by Megan Ball.

Helping Hands

(Bottom Right) Teaching two residents to play Farkle, senior Jarin Braithwait counts the dice. Braithwait started visiting the assisted living home her sophomore year with her friends. “My favorite part of visiting is the bonds we form with our friends,” Braithwait said. Photo by Megan Ball.

upclose 15November 2012

maddiejewettfeatures editor

!e overwhelming aroma of paint wa"s through the halls as all the students #le out of school.

In the Commons, cheerleaders are crouched on the ground, painting motivational signs for the athletes.

!ey are at school a lot longer than most students realize.Cheerleading co-captain senior Mackenzie Bexten said this job takes hours upon hours

to complete, as well as teamwork and dedication.“I draw the words and [co-captain senior] Kacey Miller draws the pictures, and then

everyone helps paint,” she said. “We usually start during seventh hour cheer class, around 1:30 or 2 [p.m.], and don’t leave until about 9 or 10 [p.m.]. !en four or #ve people have to come back and roll it up two hours later.”

Miller said brainstorming run-through designs is a combined e$ort.“We all kind of put in ideas and build o$ of each other,” she said. “It gets hard because

we try to be clever, but not too clever. If it’s too clever, they won’t get it in the short time they see it. We rely on the rest of varsity to roll out the paper and tape on the poles and %ip it over while we are in the library coming up with ideas, the font and the pictures I should draw.”

Bexten said the supplies for the run-throughs are surprisingly expensive.“It’s actually pretty expensive because we have to buy tons of rolls of duct tape, masking

tape, paint, paint brushes and the paper,” she said. “!e money comes from our car wash we do every year.”

Bexten said there are both positives and negatives to making the run-through every week.

“!e worst part of making it is probably just how time-consuming it is,” she said. “Since we’re there so late, I can never start my homework until a"er I get home at 10 [p.m.]. !e best part is just being with the team.”

Miller said watching the run-throughs rip due to weather or other problems is heart-breaking.

“It sucks,” she said. “Seriously, it’s inevitable, so you can’t really do anything about it. !ere’s been times when me and [Bexten] had a little cry session — it’s so sad.”

Bexten said spending so much time together creating the run-throughs brings the cheer team together as a whole.

“It helps us bond because we talk about so much during the time that we’re there,” she said. “At dinner, we all just chat, and I’ve learned so much about all of the girls. !ey are truly all my best friends. We all get along so well, and it’s just a fun time.”

Bexten said she believes the run-throughs bene#t the football team.“It’s so much fun when the boys run through because you can tell they are a little ner-

vous and jittery,” she said. “But it seems like, a"erwards, they get so excited and pumped for the game, and it’s just awesome to be a part of that.”

Bexten said cheering at Blue Valley has changed her high school experience for the bet-ter.

“It’s taught me how to work as a team, time management and to be open-minded,” she said. “Some of the girls on my team that are my best friends now, I may have never talked to if I wasn’t a cheerleader,” she said. “I’ve really enjoyed being a cheerleader all four years, and I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything.”

Senior Kacey Miller works on a run-through with her teammates. Each run-through takes about six hours to make. “[!e run-throughs are] the biggest [signs], and we put so much into it,” Miller said. Photo by Alex Kontopanos.

(Above) Varsity Cheerleaders seniors Tori DeWeese, Kacey Miller, Rachel Rusnak, Mallory Roth, Paige Sims, Bethany Pence and Steph Woltkamp share stories during a team dinner. !ey work on run-throughs every Wednesday and eat dinner together. “It’s lots of fun for everybody to be together and work on something so huge and exciting,” Woltkamp said. Photo by Alex Kontopanos.

ThroughandThrough

(Top) Preparing the run-through for the varsity football players, the cheerleaders hoist their banner. !e varsity cheerleaders prepared the run-through for the pink out game on Oct. 12. in support of breast cancer awareness. “Coming up with the ideas for the designs for the run-throughs is a com-bined e$ort,” co-captian senior Kacey Miller said. “We all kind of put in ideas and build o$ of each other.” Photo by Odi Opole.

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upclose16 November 2012

Like us on Facebook at Robeks Overland Park.

Exp. 12/31/12 Exp. 12/31/12

Which word

It’s easy to tell which usage of a word is correct when it’s a con-traction. If you aren’t sure whether or not you should use “your” or “you’re,” just break the contraction into two words and put it into the sentence. It’s almost like math, except it’s a lot easier, and you’ll de!-nitely end up using this later on in life. For example, you wouldn’t want to say, “I like you are cat.” In that case, you would want to use the word “your” opposed to “you’re”.

Homonyms are words that sound exactly the same but have di"er-ent meanings. Words like “our” and” are;” “to,” “too” and “two” and “their,” “there” and “they’re” are homonyms. Many people have a hard time choosing which word to use when they come across homonyms, especially since they are pronounced the same way.

Affect:Verb (used with an object); to act on or pro-duce a changeEX: #e rain a"ected my cat’s mood.

Effect:Noun; something produced by a cause or a resultEX: #e rain had a large e"ect on the cat’s mood.

Their:Pronoun; Possessive case of theyEX: !eir cats really like cat treats.

There:Adverb; At that place or point in action EX: My cat and I went there while we were on our walk.

They’re:Contraction; !ey areEX: My cat dislikes dogs because they’re obnoxious.

Its:Pronoun; the possessive form of itEX: !e cat shoved its food o" of the counter.

It’s:Contraction; it is or it hasEX: It’s time to feed the cat.

For more commonly confused words, check out bvtigernews online

High school: it’s full of Advanced Placement classes that plenty of students take, and we can all agree there’s enough challenging homework. But, for some reason a lot of students can’t even determine the di"erence between easy words like your and you’re. Don’t let your Communication Arts teachers down.

Stories by Riley Miller.

upclose 17November 2012

daniellewilliamsstaff writer

Senior Ashleigh Bryson makes her mark by donating her time and energy towards special needs students. Bryson said working with these students has changed her life and taught her lessons she will carry with her forever.

Bryson !rst got involved with special needs students her sophomore year.

“I went to do peer tutoring, and I got to work with [senior] Johnny Nugent,” Bryson said. “"en Mrs. [Kim] Gearon, one of the [paraprofessionals], told me to apply to Helpers, Inc.”

Helpers, Inc. is a program that assigns people to a special needs student.

“"ey assigned me to [Blue Valley West junior] Meg [Shelton],” Bryson said. “So we just kind of hang out, and we work o# her parents schedule.”

Shelton is diagnosed with Down syndrome, but Bryson said they call it “get-down” syndrome.

Bryson spends two hours with Shelton every day.“We are like the same person, even though [Shelton] has

Down syndrome,” Bryson said.Shelton said they play football, basketball and Just Dance

together.“Ashleigh is my best friend,” Shelton said.Along with Helpers, Inc., Bryson is also enrolled in Peer

Tutoring and Interpersonal Skills at BV.“In Peer Tutoring, I’m in broadcast with Johnny Nugent,

so we just attempt to do what the other students do in the class,” Bryson said. “In Interpersonal Skills, we just work on social skills with students.”

Spanish teacher Tina Martinat had Ashleigh as a fresh-man in her Spanish 2.5 class.

“She was a typical freshman and just a little ornery,” Martinat said. “But I could tell she had some really good qualities about her.”

Martinat said Bryson is extremely good with special needs students, and she has seen a profound change in Bryson since she began working with them.

“I really believe that she has a way of seeing when maybe some kids are being le$ out, and maybe somebody needs a little TLC,” Martinat said. “She has just a very special way of making kids feel included.”

Bryson said working with these students has de!nitely changed her life, and she has learned so much through her experiences.

“"ey really make you look at life through a di#erent perspective and see things in a di#erent way,” she said. “You

start to put others before you and understand that we all have our own disabilities — you just have to work around them.”

Bryson is involved in multiple programs outside of school, as well.

“I spend a lot of time with other students like Mrs. Martinat’s son, Joe [Martinat],” Bryson said. “We do the Down syndrome walks together, and I volunteer at the Down Syndrome Guild.”

Martinat said when one of her sons was getting mar-ried, she asked Bryson to come along to help take care of Joe, who also has Down syndrome.

“I knew as mother of the groom I was going to be re-ally involved, and I wanted to enjoy my older son getting married,” she said. “[Bryson] came along, and she was there for the rehearsal dinner and there for 10 to 11 hours on the wedding day.”

Martinat said Bryson was extremely attentive to Joe’s needs, and it seemed as though she had taken care of him forever.

“Many of my family members commented on how good [Bryson] was with Joe,” Martinat said. “She could perceive when maybe I needed to be doing something for my son or whatever. I trusted her so much.”

A typical day for Bryson includes going to her classes and then attending Interpersonal Skills and Peer Tutoring. Right a$er school she picks up Shelton, and they either go to football, Deanna Rose or Petland. "en she goes to her second job at Buckle before !nally returning home.

Bryson said getting involved and making your mark, like Principal Scott Bacon said, is very important.

“You don’t want to go all four years just trying to !t in with the people you hung out with before high school,” Bryson said. “When you !nd something that you love, you can spend your time pursuing it. Because I found [Shelton] and these other students, I know what I want to do with my life.”

Bryson said she doesn’t know what career she wants to pursue, but she knows she wants to work with people.

“I kind of want to go into psychology, and that’s all because of the special needs students,” Bryson said. “At the same time, I don’t want to do it as a job because I do it for fun.”

Martinat said Bryson has taught her that when kids come through her classroom as freshmen, they are de!-nitely going to change.

“"is girl has changed from, ‘It’s all about me,’ to, ‘It’s all about you,’” she said. “She has grown into a beautiful lady both inside and out, and she has a heart you just can’t believe.”

Senior works with special needs students, grows through experience

ChangingPerspective

(Above) Having their daily chat, senior Ashleigh Bryson and Blue Valley West junior Meg Shelton enjoy watching football practice. Bryson and Shelton get together for this activity twice a week. “It’s really shown me a new outlook on life,” Bryson said. Photo by Ellie Fehlig.(Top) Bundling up, senior Ashleigh Bryson and Blue Valley West junior Meg Shelton bond during BV football practice. Bryson met Shelton in August 2011. “I went into the job wanting to be a teacher, but she turned out to be my teacher,” Bryson said. Photo by Ellie Fehlig.

upclose 18November 2012

jansenhesssports editor

Teacher Practicum is a class o!ered at Blue Valley which exposes students to real-life teaching situations, teaching strategies and hands-on experiences in a classroom.

Junior Savannah Spicer said the class teaches her the behind-the-scenes aspects that come with being a teacher.

“Teacher Practicum is a class that basically shows you what a teacher does every day and how they do it and di!erent strategies di!erent teachers have,” she said. “You get to not only do all the class projects and learn about it in class, but you also get to go to "eld sites and stay with the teacher for a pretty long period of time. You can move around to di!erent grades or di!er-ent schools and see how teachers present the curriculum to their class and di!erent strategies teachers use to e!ectively teach their students.”

Senior Tyler Randall wants to be a high school math teacher and said this class gives him the experience he needs to accomplish that goal.

“We spend one week at a time in the classroom at the building, and we learn about teaching, teaching styles and philoso-phies,” he said. “#en for the next two to four weeks, we go to a "eld site where we get to actually act like a teacher and teach the students for, like, an hour time frame.”

Teacher Practicum teacher Donna De-hart said the class will help the students get a head start on their teaching career.

“We’re the only high school that o!ers practicum, no other high school does, and it lets our students have hands-on experi-ence if they want to go into education, and that’s the big thing,” she said. “#at can help them save a lot of time and money in college. #ey can also take it for high school and college credit at the same time, and so it gives them a step ahead when they go to school. #ey will have all their labs done when they have to observe children and stu! like that.”

#e class has two students from Blue Valley Southwest in the class this year. Dehart said she allows students to join the class, but Blue Valley’s students get the

priority spots.Spicer said she enrolled in the class so

she can gain a better understanding of what subject and what grade she would like to teach.

She said the class is really bene"cial for her because it will assist her in making that decision.

“I went into it having no idea what I wanted to teach, but I’ve known my whole life that I want to be a teacher,” she said. “So, the "rst week we all had to go to kindergar-ten. I loved the students, but the curriculum I could never do. So that was one already knocked out that I know I don’t want to be in, and that helps prepare me for what courses to take in college, so I don’t go in to college and take a bunch of education classes that I don’t know what to do, and I waste time. It helps you "gure out better ways to spend your time when you are tak-ing future courses.”

Randall said going to "eld sites is the biggest help because he has the opportunity to work with many di!erent grade levels.

“Everyone starts o! at kindergarten,” he said. “#en the second rotation, you move on the next level. So if you only want to teach third grade, you’d go to third grade. But since I want to teach freshmen, my next level would be "$h graders, then eighth grade, then I’ll get to freshmen.”

Randall said taking this class will help him discover if teaching is really for him before he gets to college.

He said he loves seeing the students and leaving an impression on them.

“I really like to see how eager the students are to learn and how much of an impact I’m really making,” Randall said. “#ey’re always excited to see me.”

Spicer also said she enjoys establishing relationships with both the teachers she works with and the students.

“It’s so much fun, and you feel like you’re a part of the big classroom family,” she said. “It’s fun just to have authority and just being able to have fun at the same time.”

#is authority, Spicer said, is just one reason she wants to become a teacher.

“My grandpa was a teacher and my mom’s a teacher,” she said. “I think a big in-%uence in my life is my mom and the things

that she has taught me as both a mother and a teacher. She’s been a huge impact on me. So seeing how much she loves her job and how much it’s changed her life and my life makes me want to be able to do that for di!erent students and for my family, too, when I’m older.”

Randall is the only male in Teacher Practicum this year, but he said he sees it as a bene"t rather than a disadvantage.

“It really doesn’t bother me,” he said. “Most teachers are girls, so it gives me a di!erent perspective. #e girls are more comfortable around each other, so I can see how they think, and it just gives me a new perspective.”

Spicer said she enjoys having Randall in class because he provides comic relief.

“It’s funny,” she said. “I think he kind of lightens the mood and brings more out of us because we’re a very di!erent group of people, and I think a lot of us wouldn’t normally bond in that class. [Randall] kind of lightens the mood and makes it funny and gives us something to laugh at. Me and [Randall] are really close, and he’s like my brother, so it’s fun having a class with him his senior year and getting to chill with him. Plus he gives me rides to "eld sites.”

Randall said the most memorable mo-

ment he’s experienced so far is when his kindergarten class threw him a goodbye party.

“#ey made me a little cake, and they all wrote me hand-written letters saying thank you,” he said. “#ey were kindergarteners, so you really couldn’t read it, but they all wrote, ‘#ank you, Mr. Randall,’ and drew little pictures.”

Spicer said she also has her fair share of cute moments.

“[When I was with the third graders], I got to go to the zoo with them, and that was super fun,” she said. “One of my third grad-ers gave me an apple, and I felt like a real teacher. #at was the moment where I was super proud. It’s kind of one of those stories for the books, you know? Like a teacher gets an apple. I felt kind of proud of it.”

Randall said he wants to inspire his future students the way his teachers have inspired him.

“#rough my education, I’ve had really good teachers that have made an impact on me in school and out of school and have just made me a better person,” he said. “I want to give back to kids and, hopefully, one day be that teacher that makes an im-pact on their lives.”

eachingecniquesT

Practicing her teaching skills, Teacher Practicum student junior Savannah Spicer shows a student what page to turn to. Spicer teaches in a third grade class at Sunrise Point Elementary School. “I love the connection you get with the kids, like getting to know them and growing a personal relationship with them,” Spicer said. Photo by Kelly Cordingley.

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upclose 19November 2012

sallycochran

Eleven years ago, math teacher Adam Wade walked the halls of Blue Valley — not as a teacher, but as a senior.

He graduated in 2001.“Quite honestly, I think [BV] is a better school now

than when I was a student,” Wade said. “I think there is a greater culture of respect amongst individual students. I think students are nicer to each other and better to each other. I think the sta! gets along really well and works well together. I think the school’s always had a strong sense of community.”

Math teacher Robin Lerner taught Wade Geometry when he was in eighth grade.

“I always thought he was so bright,” she said. “He was just so organized and detailed that way that I thought, ‘Man, this kid’s going to do something with math.’ And to "nd him coming back as a teacher, I’m like, ‘#at’s cool.’ #at he was going to teach calculus, that was my expecta-tion, like, ‘Of course he’s going to teach all the upper-level classes because that’s the kind of math he really likes, and that’s what he gravitates to.’”

Wade participated in debate freshman through senior year.

“I debated for four years — not really seriously,” he said. “I did, like, one or two tournaments a year. I didn’t like the research, so that was just a little thing I did on the side.”

He also participated in other extracurriculars as a student, such as the Categories team, Science Knowledge Bowl and math competitions.

Wade said BV still continues the same traditions the school had when he was a student.

“In terms of smaller traditions, you know, Friday night football games were huge then — they’re still huge now,” Wade said. “#ings as little as the class cheer or the principal’s cheer, I believe that was even the same back then. #ere’s been a lot of little stu! that is probably still the same that frankly I haven’t even recognized.”

Wade was taught by four teachers still at BV: debate and forensics teacher Chris Ri!er, science teacher Larry Hare and math teachers Sherry Spotts and Lerner.

“When I graduated in 2001, that was the year right

before [BV] West opened,” Wade said. “#at was also before [BV] Southwest opened obviously, so the sta! has changed over twice. #at’s probably why there aren’t more than just four teachers that I had previously. #ere are some teachers that have retired recently, like Mrs. [Kristin] Asquith I had for Honors [Communication Arts] II sophomore year, Mr. [Mel] Baskett, who retired last year was the [Psychology] teacher. It seems like it’s dwindling every year.”

During his "rst three years working at BV, Wade was an assistant coach for debate.

“Frankly, I was never a great debater myself, so I felt kind of bad because I would have to judge rounds that — I don’t want to say they were over my head — but the debaters were much better than I ever could have been,” he said. “I was able to follow and such, but that activity wasn’t as designed for me because I didn’t do as much with it.”

Wade currently sponsors math contests for students. “It’s funny because I’ll take kids to math contests that

I had participated in,” he said. Wade has coached other activities at BV.“#e trivia activities, the Categories and the Scholar’s

Bowl, I love,” Wade said. “I mean, that’s kind of where my wheelhouse is, so to speak. I really enjoy seeing what students know and seeing what students don’t know. To me, the coolest thing in those trivia competitions is that I’ll get ready to ask a question, and I’ll start to read it in practice, and I’ll be like, ‘#ere’s no way anyone knows this,’ and then, someone will know it. Or there will be a question that will be like “Psh, this is so easy,’ but because it will be from, like, the ‘90s or something, no one will have a clue.”

Lerner said Wade has many traits that bene"t him as a teacher.

“He’s very particular and very precise — meticulous, I think, is a better word for him,” she said. “[He’s] very attentive to detail to where he’s got things planned out weeks and weeks in advance, and he knows what’s going to happen all the time. He knows where everything is on his desk. Knows where to "nd everything that he needs. In that respect, very organized, very meticulous about his work, very speci"c about where things are and how things work and how things run. Stickler to following the rules. If it’s supposed to get done, he gets it done.”

williams

!e premise of No Shave November is to go without shaving during the whole month of No-vember. Guys tend to grow massive beards, while girls end the month with extremely hairy legs.

Sophomore Cooper Lee successfully completed November of 2011 and 2012 without a razor cross-ing his face. He said he is determined to do the same this year.

“I shave on Oct. 31 and then don’t shave until December,” Lee said. “It sort of turns into a compe-tition for the few guys in our grade that can grow facial hair.”

Lee said he has gotten mixed responses to his decision to participate in No Shave November.

“I received a lot of support from my friends and all the guys that do it,” he said. “Most girls don’t like it that much, though.”

Sophomore Jordan Chalker has vowed not to be a part of No Shave November, however she said she is accepting of those who have.

“I am not going to do No Shave November, but it doesn’t bother me that some people want to do it,” Chalker said. “It is their personal preference.”

Lee said he promised he could grow a pretty impressive beard in one month.

“My beard can get pretty hairy and pretty long,” Lee said. “I’m not sure if I could grow a [math teacher] Mr. [Richard] Gill beard yet.”

Chalker said she believes it more acceptable for boys to do it than girls.

“I think it’s easier for boys because it’s hard for girls to not be able to shave their legs that long,” she said.

Lee said the only time he wishes he could shave is when girls comment on how gross it is.

He said some people may cheat and begin grow-ing their beard out before November begins.

“!e goal is to have more facial hair than the next guy,” he said, “So, starting to grow it out early is more of a concern.”

Lee said his family has had mixed reactions to his choice.

“My sister and dad don’t really care, but my mom absolutely hates it when I grow my beard long,” he said.

Lee said he understands some people don’t want to be apart of No Shave November, but he enjoys the challenging and competitive aspect.

“It’s really fun to see how long your beard can get,” he said. “I just think, ‘Hey it’s only a month, why not?”’

Teacher compares working at high school

Contest creates

among students

No Shave November Switching

Places

19 November copy.indd 1 11/12/12 2:01 PM

upclose20 November 2012

Have you always wanted to be a librarian/had a passion for reading?AM: No.PM: Always. Since the !rst time I knew I could read. I read every day, not just for my job — at home, too. KS: No, I used to work for amusement parks. I enjoyed working with students. "en I was working at Eastern Airlines with mostly adults. I didn’t like it — adults are boring. I went back to college and got a Masters in Reading and a [Bachelor of Arts] in Teaching. I was going to [substitute] in this district and another, but I never got to the other district. [BV was] going to hire me, so I went back and got a Masters in Library Science and became the librarian [at BV].

What is your relationship with students like?AM: Good. PM: Pretty good. "at’s why our desks are out on the #oor. Kids can ask questions. If we see them looking for something, we can approach them. KS: Pretty good. It’s mainly one-on-one. A$er initial intro in a lesson, students come in, and I can work with them.

What is your favorite memory of being a librarian?AM: It was interesting when we had renovations. We moved the whole library into four classrooms.PM: Building the new library. One semester, the library was in four [Communication Arts] rooms. When we got to move everything back in, it was really nice. It’s the nicest library in the district as far as usability for classrooms and students. KS: When at a graduation, the teachers form a double line the seniors walk through. One senior came up to me. It showed me he trusted me. What I do in here is right. Plus, we have fun in here. It’s not a quiet library. If it was quiet, I’d be in a classroom.

When did you start working at BV?Angelika Mackey: I started in the district in Nov. of 1994 and Blue Valley in April of 1995. I didn’t start as a [paraprofessional] in the library. I was the assistant lead custo-dian. In Dec. 2000, I began as a library para.Pat McRoberts: Fall 1999.Ken Stewart: Fall 1994.

What’s your favorite book?AM: I don’t have a favorite book, but I like history books — European and American.PM: “A Prayer for Owen Meaney” by John Irving. KS: “Illusions: "e Adventures of Re-luctant Messiah” by Richard Bach.

What do you do in the library?

AM: We help students check in and check out books, help classes, help teachers !nd things a lot. PM: Basically helping kids. Our main job is helping kids and teachers locate information. Any-thing they need: books to read, information for a report, purchasing books, databases, answering questions. KS: Our main function is to teach students how to access information, process it and make it their own.

Q A&with the librariansStories by Caroline Meinzenbach.

StewartMackey McRoberts

What is your favorite part of your job?AM: I get to see students grow from shy freshman, and when they’re se-niors, they have this con!dence. PM: Helping the kids !nd a book, showing them databases.KS: Learning new stu%. With that — as students discover new things, you have a di%erent way of looking at things, and I appreciate that.

20 November copy.indd 1 11/12/12 2:03 PM

centerstage 21November 2012

Musical artists successfully change music styles, genres in most recent albums

annawonderlichbusiness manager & managing editor

When considering artists who have changed their sound over time, Justin Bieber is de!nitely one of the best examples.

We can obviously attribute part of this to his voice maturing — a"er years of being criticized for his high-pitched voice, he !nally sounds like a normal 18-year-old boy.

As he grew older, his music and fame improved tremendously. Just compare how “Baby” or “One Less Lonely Girl” sounds to “Boyfriend” or “As Long As You Love Me,” and you’ll see what I mean.

As his popularity grew, he collaborated with other famous artists such as Usher, Nicki Minaj, Big Sean, Ludacris and Drake.

In his newest album, “Believe,” Bieber experimented with all sorts of genres, including rap, hip-hop, dubstep, motown and dance.

He has successfully been able to adjust his sound according to the current musical trends.

So, whether you’re fangirling over Bieber’s new music, covering your ears every time his song comes on or just respecting him as an artist, you can’t deny he has matured as a performer since his !rst record deal in 2008.

She’s still the artist who writes songs about all her ex-boyfriends. She’s still the artist who has a song relatable to every aspect of a teenage girl’s

life. She still the artist that all of us — or most of us — have come to love. Love her or hate her, Taylor Swi" is one of America’s best country stars. How-

ever, Swi" recently tested out a new style in her newest album, “Red,” which was re-leased Oct. 22. #is album features music leaning more towards the pop genre and less of a country-vibe. #e best example of this would be her song “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” which sounds way more pop than any of her songs have been before. Also, “I Knew You Were Trouble” combines the styles of country and dubstep into one catchy song.

In an interview with “TIME Magazine,” Swi" said she wanted to push herself out of her comfort zone and make this album di$erent than the others. She also said the fact that nothing is similar on this album is what makes it so interesting. “Red” went straight to the top album on iTunes on the !rst day.

Now 22 years old, Swi" has had many accomplishments since the release of her !rst album when she was just 16 years old — six Grammy awards, seven Country Music Association awards and over 22 million albums sold, just to name a few.

JUSTIN BIEBER TAYLOR SWIFT

!"##"$%the

&"%'# notes

elliefehligstaff photographer

Winter recipes, fall fashions and holiday sweaters. It’s all there. As one looks on Pinterest, he or she is sure to !nd

plenty of things that encourage the excitement of autumn. Anyone with a Pinterest account will agree.

Whether a user is on their Pinterest home feed or just browsing random boards, inspiration for fall and winter ideas can be found all over the site.

One of the most popular aspects of Pinterest is how it o"ers completely new ideas that are never-before-seen.

Junior Sami Miller said Pinterest is getting her excited for winter.

“[Pinterest] gives me ideas for what I can do di"erently from previous years and make things more fun this year than they have in the past,” Miller said.

Pinterest not only o"ers new ideas in cra#s and fashion, but also has a plethora of projects that are easy and a"ord-able to do yourself.

Miller said she will likely spend less money this year during the holiday season than she did last year.

“Pinterest has so many ‘do it yourself ’ ideas,” Miller said. “$ings I would normally need to go out and pur-chase, I can make myself and do new creative things that are less costly.”

Pinterest also provides fashion ideas for every season. Miller said as the weather changes, so do the pins.

“[$e pins] went from shorts and neon colors to sweat-ers and scarves and fall colors,” she said. “[Pinterest] helped

me transition from one season to the next.”Although males are able to use Pinterest, the majority of

the users are female. Sophomore Arjun Prakash said because fewer guys

use Pinterest than girls do, he is not a"ected by the winter trends seen on the site.

“I don’t use [Pinterest]. I don’t know that many people who do use it, and so it doesn’t really a"ect me,” Prakash said. “I’ve heard of a lot of girls using Pinterest, so I guess that’s the social norm right now.”

Miller said she views Pinterest as a way to connect with others through her pins.

“Pinterest helps people share ideas and things that they’ve created that they’re proud of and want to share with other people,” Miller said. “[Pinterest users] help inspire [viewers] to also be creative.”

Pinterest inspires seasonal fashion, food, craft ideas

annawonderlichbusiness manager & managing editor

tigerturf22 November 2012

mitchsundquist

Once a week, cross country runner senior Colton Dona-hue wakes up at !ve in the morning and heads out the door.

He runs through his neighborhood in the dark, his breath visible in the brisk morning air.

Donahue said these morning runs help him prepare for practice later in the day.

“I usually run !ve or six miles in the morning,” Donahue said. “Because then, when I go to practice, it’s kind of like I’ve already done something, so I have something more to do.”

Cross country runner senior Xavier Adams said this kind of self-motivation is something Donahue’s teammates can’t give him.

“[He] pushes himself to reach his goals,” Adams said. “His work ethic pays o" when it comes to race day.”

Donahue and Adams have been teammates since seventh grade, but didn’t start training together until their sophomore year. #eir training regimen includes a multitude of exercises, though not all are physical.

“[We] run in the morning and li$ weights a$er school,” Adams said. “[We] joke around a lot and talk about the up-coming season.”

Donahue said Adams and his other teammates motivate him.

#ey push each other and try to beat each other for the last varsity spot.

“My teammates push me, help keep me motivated,” Do-nahue said. “I love cross country being a team sport; it gets everyone together and motivated.”

Coach Diana Huber said Donahue is also able to return the motivation to his teammates.

“He has shown that hard work does pay o" and that they can go faster than they have been,” Huber said.

Adams said as serious as Donahue is, he still knows how to have fun.

“He has the right balance of fun and focus,” he said. “He can joke with you one second, but when it’s time to race, he is one of the most serious guys you will ever meet.”

Adams said he and Donahue also have good times o" the courses.

“We enjoy hanging with our group of friends by playing basketball and football, Nazi zombies — [Donahue’s] specialty — Madden, eating copious amounts of espinaca at José Pep-pers, getting ice cream from [Dairy Queen] and Sonic a$er races, occasionally going to Subway, watching movies on Hulu Plus or Net%ix, making wa&es and milkshakes and making raps to make fun of each other,” Adams said.

Donahue ran track his !rst three years of high school and plans on running again this year in the spring. He only began running cross country last year as a junior.

“I decided to run because I enjoyed running track,” Donahue said. “I thought it could help me in my future track seasons.”

A$er high school, Donahue plans to run both cross coun-try and track at Kansas State University.

He is still in discussions with the coach at Kansas State about a scholarship.

Donahue said while he has no preference between cross country and track, he believes the mental aspect of cross country makes it a harder race.

“It’s more mental,” he said. “You need a lot more mental toughness to run this race than any event for track.”

Donahue said he attributes part of his success to his rigor-ous o"-season training.

“I ran pretty much every day, every morning,” he said. “On the weekends, I would do harder workouts and work on my speed and just building a good base going into the season.”

On Oct. 27, a$er months of training, Donahue became the new 6A Cross Country Individual State Champion. He !nished the 3.1 mile race with a time of 15:22, missing his personal and school records by four seconds.

“I accomplished my goal,” Donahue said. “It feels awesome to be a state champion.”

Huber said Donahue is di"erent from other successful runners because he realizes his talent level.

“I don’t think he doubts what he’s capable of,” Huber said. “When he’s at the starting line, he knows what he wants to do, and he’s going to get it. He’s going to !ght harder than anyone to try to get to that point.”

Senior wins individual State title, accomplishes personal goal

The Fastest Man in Kansas

(Above) Standing in front of the student body, senior Colton Donahue holds his Timmons Award trophy. Donahue achieved his personal goal of winning State, a goal he’s had since junior year. “Receiving the Timmon’s Award is one of the greatest awards I have received in my cross country career,” Donahue said. Photo by Megan Ball.

(Top) Leading the pack, cross country runner senior Colton Donahue carries the game ball prior to the football game on Oct. 12 against Blue Valley Southwest. Donahue was co-captain of the cross country team. “I wanted to keep up the reputation [of cross country],” he said. Photo by Odi Opole.

tigerturf 23November 2012

B V S P O R T S

TIGER TURF

sports in brief FOOTBALLPrevious Action: 11/2 @ Shawnee Heights (17-10 W) 11/9 v STA (22-23 L)Record: 6-5 GIRLS BASKETBALLUpcoming Action: 12/4 @ Olathe South Tournament 12/6 @ Olathe South Tournament 12/7 @ Olathe South Tournament BOYS BASKETBALLUpcoming Action: 12/6 BVHS Shootout 12/7 BVHS Shootout 12/8 BVHS Shootout

BOYS SWIMMINGUpcoming Action: 11/28 @ Lawrence Free State 12/5 @ Bonner Springs WRESTLINGUpcoming Action: 11/30 @ Spring Hill 12/7 Eudora

GIRLS BOWLING Upcoming Action: 1/10 @ BVN College Lanes 1/14 @ Mission Lanes

Results current as of Nov. 11

mitchsundquiststaff writer

Varsity wrestler senior Jacob Sims said he had mixed emotions when he heard wrestling coach Chris Paisley would not be returning as the head wrestling coach this year.

“At !rst I felt bad for Coach Paisley,” he said. “He didn’t seem happy leaving wrestling the way he did,” Sims said. “But then [I felt] excited to be a part of rebuilding the wres-tling program with a bigger and stronger team.”

Last spring, Sims and the rest of the wrestling team received the news that Paisley would be replaced by Kale Mann.

Mann grew up in Norton, Kan. and wrestled all four years in high school, where his teams !nished third at State and the State runner-up. Individually, he was a state runner-up.

Mann decided not to wrestle collegiately and attended Kansas State University. He coached at Manhattan High School during his four years at Kansas State, and then coached at Mill Valley High School for ten years.

Mann !rst heard about the open coaching position at Blue Valley through an online wrestling talk forum. A"er he was hired, he addressed the wrestling team for the !rst time in April.

“I basically told them I was really excited to be part of the Blue Valley tradition, that was a rich tradition, and excited to be in a place that I felt like we could compete and win championships,” Mann said.

Sims said he had positive initial thoughts about Mann a"er the !rst meeting.

“He seemed like a real nice guy and was very passionate about the sport,” Sims said. “Both of us and the team were eager to get started.”

Although this is Mann’s !rst year at BV, he said he al-

ready likes the tradition and small-school feel.“I feel like there’s a lot of tradition here,” he said. “I

also feel, even though it’s a big school, there’s a lot of the characteristics of the small school that I grew up in, where student achievement is important and student activities are important. It’s very student-centered.”

Sims said Mann got himself involved in the program quickly during the o#season.

“He gave us information and helped coach in camps and clinics,” Sims said. “He also helped coach with open mats and weights. It was a lot more preparation for the season than I have done in the past few years.”

Sims said he has already noticed some di#erences be-tween Mann and Paisley’s coaching styles.

“Mann is more of a pure wrestling guy,” he said. “Mean-ing that instead of running and doing carries everyday, we will be strictly wrestling to get better and stay in shape. More of a ‘work harder, shorter practice’ type of motto.”

Mann said he focuses his coaching style on the funda-mentals of wrestling.

“We’re not going to do a tremendous number of moves,” he said. “We’re going to try to really master not just the move, but all of the variations of the move and all the di#er-ent scenarios that could happen.”

As far as wins and losses, Mann said it is hard to create speci!c expectations for the team because of the tourna-ments he will be at for the !rst time as a coach.

“Where I coached before, we went to about two of the same tournaments, and that’s it,” Mann said. “So I don’t have a good feel for what the competition level is going to be at the tournaments.”

Although the expected wins and losses are unknown, Mann said he still expects some of the aspects he has al-ready seen from the team to carry over into the season.

“[I’m looking] for the team to continue their enthusiasm and hard work,” he said. “And the wins and losses will all settle out at the end.”

Wrestling team gains experienced new coach, plans on changing style

During the !rst practice on Monday, Nov. 12, two wrestlers carry mats across the wrestling room. To begin the season, wrestlers pre-pared equipment for practice and arranged mats. Photo by Bailey Outlaw.

incolor24 November 2012

Thespians perform large-scale production despite small cast

(Right) Senior Grayson Yockey and sophomore Brina DeWeese panic during a scene of the show. DeWeese played Vicki in “Noises O! ”. “[Vicki] was just fun,” she said. “I could just stare into space, and she could be "irty when nobody expected her to — just the blunt stupidity of [the charac-ter] made it fun.”

(Far right) Sophomore Jef-ferson Harwood acts stunned on stage. #e show involved fewer actors than usual. “It made it a lot more fun,” sophomore Lindsey Taulbee said. “We have so many inside jokes now.”

(Far Le$) Senior David Cline ‘directs’ his fellow actors. Cline played a director in “Noises O!,” which was a play about a play. “#e show was great because there was never a dull moment,” he said.

(Above) Seniors Bri Woods and Grayson Yockey practice a scene involving an axe. #e storyline of the production incorporated a play within a play. “We’ve been in every show together —me, [Yockey and Cline] since freshman year,” she said. “It’s nice to be able to end with them three.”

(Right) Sophomore Lindsey Taulbee stage whispers a line. #is was Taulbee’s %rst main-stage play of her high school career. “It was completely di!erent,” she said. “It’s on a much bigger scale, and at the show, you see all these people you’re not expecting to see.”

!"#$%&'Chaos

Photos by Bailey Outlaw

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