volume 13, issue 1
DESCRIPTION
The first issue of the 2012-2013 JagWireTRANSCRIPT
JAGWIREVOLUME 13 ISSUE 1 SEPT. 8, 2012 | MVNEWS.ORG | MILL VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL
NEWS3
LUNCH MENU CHANGES
FEATURE6
CROSSING GUARD
SPORTS13
FALL SPORTS MANAGERS
A & E15
FLIP IDERETURNS
IS YOUR
MUSIC LEGAL?
page 8-9
S
Junior Mariah Kalma remains excited for the time off gained by early release.
“It gives me a chance to go home before cross-country practice and relax,” Kalma said.
However, students who did not qual-ify for early release, such as senior Brett Logbeck, may not share the same excite-ment as Kalma.
“It’s kind of hard [to be excited] when you have two Fs and a D,” Logbeck said.
For students like Logbeck, who didn’t qualify for the first early release opportu-nity on the 21, first semester offers eight more opportunities, the last one being on Friday Dec. 14.
The early release program made its debut last year and was successful in de-creasing tardies and absences.
Last year, early release decreased ex-cused tardies by 83 percent and unex-cused tardies by 46 percent. It also de-creased excused absences by 30 percent while lowering unexcused absences by seven percent.
Early release gives students holding a C-minus or higher, no disciplinary prob-lems and no tardies or absences the op-tion to leave school during seminar.
BY CONNOR [email protected]
for students in the 21st Century Career and Technical Education programs at both high schools. Along with those ad-ditions, 600 Dell laptops and 500 Dell desktops will be distributed for students and staff use.
Dain has a plan to keep the technol-ogy in the district up to date.
“Our goal is to utilize and dedicate $1 million a year of our capital outlay fund towards technology,” Dain said.
Broadcast teacher Cindy Swartz is looking forward to the new technology.
“I’m really excited, we’ve been waiting for a long time to get new computers,” Swartz said.
The Board of Education agreed to purchase $1.3 million worth of new tech-nology for the district on Monday, Aug. 13.
Director of Professional and Program Development Jessica Dain is optimistic about the new purchases.
“Our goal for year one was to have an immediate positive impact on teachers and students,” Dain said.
According to the five-year technology plan, 24 Mac Book Pros and 150 Mac desktop computers will be distributed
Language and Composition teacher Kristen Crosbie prepared her AP Lan-guage and Composition students for the exam during the majority of class. This helped students become familar with the type of questions and essay prompts asked on the exam. “We practiced all year by writing in class and out of class essays on things they would have to know. We also prac-ticed multiple choice tests,” Crosbie said. “Really the only studying my students could do that we didn’t study in class was to study terms that could be on the test.” Senior Stephanie Ciston recalled her study methods that helped her pass the tests. “I took the AP US History and the AP Language and Composition tests,” Ciston said. “I bought note cards and an AP book to study.”
Advanced Placement test scores have increased over the last two years. Of the 153 AP students that participated in the AP tests at Mill Valley, roughly 137 scored a passing grade of a three or higher in the 2011-2012 school year. This equals 89.4 percent, compared to the state average of 62.1 percent in the same year. The amount of students that earned a three or above grew by about five percent as compared to the 2010-2011 students who participated in the exams. Likewise, there was about a one percent gain of passing scores from the 2010-2011 school year in Kansas. Last year, over 200 students enrolled in AP courses to gain college credit by taking a national test at the end of the year.
BY BAYLEE [email protected]
2 BRIEFS
AP TEST RESULTS INCREASENEWSINBRIEF
COMPUTER PLAN APPROVEDBY ANNIE [email protected]
INSIDEWHAT’S
EARLY RELEASE SUCCEEDS
UPWHAT’S
DOWNWHAT’S
News3 School lunch changes
Feature5 Supporting local business6 Local crossing guard8-9 Legality of music
Opinion10-11 Internet filters, three-day weekends, making your mark
Sports12 Sports managers13 Baseball fanatic
A&E14 Fall television previews 15 The Flip Side
Photo Essay16 Insect collections
PUMPKIN SPICE LATTE Seasonal drinks are
back at Starbucks for
the year.
APPLE IPHONESThe new
iPhone 5 and iOS 6 soft-
ware update are stellar.
ICED COFFEE
Because it’s just getting
too chilly out-side for iced
drinks.
ANDROID PHONES
The Jelly Bean update
isn’t all it’s cracked up
to be.
BRITNEY SPEARS
She cleaned up her act and started judging The
X-Factor.
LINDSAY LOHANShe re-
cently got in trouble for a hit-and-run. Not classy.
Cover illustration by Kristina Milewski
89.4percent of students
scoring 3 or better on AP tests in 2012
NUMBERSNEWS
4.5percent increase in test scores compared to the
2011 school year
1.3million dollars worth of
new technology purchased for district
600new teacher laptops
purchased
83percent decrease of
excused tardies due to the early release
46percent decrease of
unexcused tardies due to early release
Photos by Stepahnie Hudleston, Baylee Owen, and MCTCampus
NEWS 3
TWIST
ABOVE: Senior Derrick Paxton goes through the lunch line on Wednesday, Sept. 12.“I like the changes,” Paxton said, “we have better food.” RIGHT: Juniors Alexis Riedel, Olivia Phillips and Marinela Koleva enjoy lunch on Wednesday, Sept. 12. FAR RIGHT: Lunch is prepared for students on Wednesdsay, Sept. 12 following the new lunch policy. Photos by Annie Crouch
Effect of the new lunch policy on student
purchases
high schools is 700-800 calories.District nutritionist Amy Droege-
meier said the new changes have affected the amount of food used by the district, and that she believes the policy has been successful in increasing the amount of produce consumed by students.
“We are going through a lot more food than we ever had, especially produce, so we’re assuming that [the students are] taking them and eating them,” Droege-meier said. “I was at Starside Elementary today and I watched them dump their trays and their trays were clean. They ate everything they took. I was shocked.”
Senior Jordan May feels that the new-lunch policies will benefit the student body.
“I think the mere fact that they of-fer... more of healthier foods will make students eat better,” May said. “We’re teenagers, we’ll eat anything you give us.”
In order to coincide with the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, new changes have been implemented to the district lunch policy.
Each student is required to take a full serving of either a fruit or a vegetable with his or her hot lunch each day to avoid having to pay a higher price for their meal. The Garden Bar has been added to every school, which provides students with a greater selection of both fruits and vegetables. Also, daily calorie limits have been put into place in all district schools. The calorie limit for the
May says that her own eating hab-its have become healthier since the new changes.
“I trust in the school to give us healthier foods,” May said. “Now I don’t feel guilty when I finish my entire meal.”
On the other hand, sophomore Cody Deas feels that the changes will have a negative effect.
“I think forcing people to take fruits and vegetables that they don’t like could lead to more wasted food,” Deas said. “Also, more people will probably want to switch to getting pizza, which won’t make lunch any healthier.”
Droegemeier said she and her staff are always willing to listen to students’ sug-gestions.
“We’re always open for ideas, so if a student has an idea, they are always wel-come to talk to me or my staff,” Droege-meier said. “We exist for you guys.”
District changes lunch policy to enforce recent federal law
NUTRITION AT LUNCH TAKES A NEW
OF THE TASTE
A
NUMBERS 77percent of 220 students get a
fruit or vegetable at lunch
38percent of 211 students only
get a fruit or vegetable because it makes thier lunch cheaper
69percent of 202 students
actually eat the fruit or vegtable they buy at lunch
BY RYAN [email protected]
BY KATHERINE [email protected]
422-9100SM PKWY & MONTICELLO
BY STARBUCKS
$2 OFF ANY PIZZA, ANY SIZE
13020 Shawnee Mission PkwyShawnee, Kansas 66216
913-631-1111
Shawnee Cycle Plaza offers great prices on Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha motorcycles, ATVs, and
Scooters.
We service what we sell, take trade-ins and buy used bikes for cash.
GO JAGUARS!Sara Wood- Floral Manager
22210 West 66th StreetShawnee, KS 66226
Cosentino’s Price Chopper
Flower Shop (913) 422-2139Fax (913) 422-2142
Carry Out Call: (913) 441-6484
Fax Order: (913) 441-8880
13034 Kansas Ave
Bonner Springs
On K-7 Highway
Drive Thru - Carry Out - Pickup Order
OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK11:00 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
4 ADS
UNIQUE BUSINESSES ATTRACT LOCALSLocal companies offer an array of original products and services to their customers
ABOVE: Moon Marble Company in Bonner Springs offers customers a variety of marbles and toys to choose from. Customers picked a jar to fill on Tuesday, Sept. 18. Photo by Miranda Snyder
B|E Boutique12213 Shawnee Mission Parkway, ShawneeTuesday - Thursday, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.Friday - Saturday, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
ABOVE: Looking through the many pieces of jewelry scattered across the store, customers have a wide variety of options to choose from on Friday, Sept. 14. Items at Junque Drawer Studio & Bou-tique range from inspirational signs to home décor. ABOVE LEFT: B|E Boutique offers dresses for a variety of occasions. On Friday, Sept. 14 manager Fee Landu works alone in the quaint boutique. Photos by Miranda Snyder
Junque Drawer Studio & Boutique11270 South Ridgeview, Olathe Tuesday - Saturday10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Tucked away in a beautiful location in Olathe right off K-10, Junque Drawer Boutique & Studio offers a variety of knick knacks for people of all ages. Owner Jane Stern opened Junque Drawer in 2011 with the idea in mind of having a creative workspace as well as a boutique for all of her creations and designs. “I’ve always made a lot of art and done crafts,” Stern said. “It makes me happy.” The boutique is filled with jewelry, clothes and crafty home decorations. Stern designs many of her own original pieces. She also has different classes that teach people how to make interesting crafts and designs. “It’s so great to meet all the people that come in the boutique and come for the classes,” Stern said. “It’s gotta be the people that make me love this job.”
dresses, so we have less expensive dresses as well.” Senior Morgan Battes found her homecoming dress at the boutique. A register is kept of all the dresses sold, so dresses won’t be sold to multiple people at the same school. “I really liked that no one had a dress like mine,” Battes said. “It’s great that they keep a registration of all of them.”
Located behind Little Monkey Biz-ness and Yogurtime on Shawnee Mission Parkway, B|E Boutique has dresses for every occasion. As an extension store of Bridal Extrordinaire, B|E Boutique of-fers homecoming, prom, and other spe-cial occasion dresses at a variety of prices. “We have a little bit of everything,” manager Fee Landu said. “We understand that some girls can’t afford the expensive
Moon Marble Company
Tuesday - Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Aside from marble making, Breslow
also has a large portion of his store dedi-cated to building shields and swords for the Bonner Springs Renaissance Fair.
“I’m busy all the time, and I like to stay busy,” Breslow said.
Board games and other toys are also available at Moon Marble Company.
“I think it’s good to mix it up and change it up. Sure you can play with your electronics, but I think we’re getting too connected to the electronics,” Breslow said. “It hasn’t always been that way.”
The store also often offers marble making and history demonstrations. During the demonstrations, Breslow explains the process of glass work and marble history.
“I don’t really think about business too much,” Breslow said. “I think about people’s joy they get here. They remem-ber stuff they used to do as children.”
What started out as a custom wood-work shop 30 years ago, Moon Marble Company became a place for children and adults alike to reminisce and enjoy the marvels of marbles and marble mak-ing. Moon Marble, located in Bonner Springs, offers a variety of marble prod-ucts, wooden toys and board games for people of all ages. Moon Marble Com-pany began in December of 1997 when owner Bruce Breslow realized marbles were not available in stores anymore.
“I needed marbles for one of my projects, and while I was out looking for some, I found out that kids don’t play with marbles anymore,” Breslow said.
Breslow decided to learn how to make marbles and devoted his time to becom-ing a marble artisan.
“I thought about my own child-hood,” Breslow said. “I started thinking about making marbles then.”
600 East Front Street, Bonner Springs
BY KRISTINA [email protected]
FEATURE 5
CROSSING
6 FEATURE
good bunch of kids up here. They are well-mannered. The parents are nice too.” Vance believes that his initial atti-tude towards the students is part of what makes them so easy to deal with. That, as well as the fact that he has four children and many grandchildren and great-grand-children. “One thing people should know is that kids will treat you like you treat them,” Vance said. “I started when I first got up here saying ‘Did you have a nice day?’ And now if I don’t say it, they’ll say it to me.” While the conversations he has with kids are many times the most enjoyable parts of Vance’s job, the weather is often his least favorite. “I don’t like the real hot,” Vance said. “I dress accordingly for the real cold. But I don’t mind the weather. It don’t bother me too much.” His simplicity is something else that makes Vance stand out. He says that if his house were burning down, he knows what he would grab first. “My papers,” Vance said. “My per-sonal papers.” Although he has lived in Shawnee for 35 years, Vance has yet to attend a game at the school, something he hopes to do eventually. “How’s that football team up there this year?” Vance asked. “I enjoy a good high school football game.”
Shawnee resident Edward Vance smiles and waves to a bus driver as she passes under the stop light. He never imagined he would be spending his mornings and afternoons as a crossing guard at the age of 85. But when he retired from working for 56 years as a minister at Argentine Assembly of God Church, he needed to find something to fill his time. “I wanted something to do and I was told from a contact at the police station about this job,” Vance said. “This is just part-time work and something extra to do. I never thought about it until I had the opportunity to do it.” As an elementary student rides toward him on her bicycle to cross the street on the corner of Monticello and Johnson Drive, Vance asks her how she’s doing. She smiles and says “good” as she rides away. “I always say ‘good morning’ or ‘have a nice day’ and they respond,” Vance said. “These are just nice kids to deal with.” Although Vance enjoys the job, he also takes it very seriously. “I’m very careful,” Vance said. “I watch, [but] the traffic up here is real good. They watch this area. I’ve never had anything scary happen.” Vance has been working as a crossing guard for six years, but likes the job just as much now as he did when he started. “I just enjoyed it then,” Vance said. “And I enjoy doing it now. There is a
Crossing guard Ed Vance dedicates time to help students
BY HANNA [email protected]
PATHS
DOMINANT: After school, crossing guard Ed Vance stands at the corner of Monticello Road and Johnson Drive on Monday, Sept. 24. Vance greeted everyone that crossed, with a friendly smile and a ‘How are you?’ Photo by Ashley Kitchen ABOVE LEFT: Vance helps bikers cross Monticello Road on Thursday, Sept. 13. “I enjoy [working],” Vance said. “I just enjoy it.” ABOVE RIGHT: Vance waits for students to cross the road early morning on Thursday, Sept. 13. Photos by Alec Santaularia
THOUGHTSYOUR
“He seems so nice and talk-ative. He looks like he really
likes his job.”SOPHOMORE EMILY WEISS
“He’s really sweet I feel bad for him whenever he has to stand out there in the cold.”
JUNIOR HOPE RIEDEL
“It’s so sweet of him to give his time to helping those
children.”SENIOR BLAKE CORRELL
“He seems so sweet. He looks like such a nice old
man.”FRESHMAN MARGARET HEMPLEMAN
What do you know about crossing guard Ed Vance?
ADS 7
Yogurtopia welcomes all students, staff & family members to come in and enjoy a delicious experience.
20% off entire purchase with this coupon
6638 MONTICELLO RDSHAWNEE, KS 66226
GO JAGUARS!(913)441-1161
Discover Dental Care, P.A.A.R. Castaneda D.D.S., M.A.G.D
21626 Midland DriveShawnee, KS 66218
(913) 268-1337www.discoverdentalcare.com
Free whitening upper arch with new patient exam, X rays and cleaning
($199 value)
9474 RENNER BLVD IN LENEXA
www.mvnews.org
Follow us on Twitter & Facebook
Get email updates of the latest MV news
All Mill Valley. All the Time.
Live updates of every football games
8 FEATURE
IS YOUR MUSIC
ILLEGAL?With illegal music downloading on the rise, potential risks for consequences increases
BY RYAN [email protected]
BY SYDNEY [email protected]
BY KATHERINE [email protected]
BY CALLEE [email protected]
Laluk was caught with various illegal down-
loads two years ago. He was given a warning,
which meant that his cable company took down
his Internet and made him delete all of the
downloaded content. Consequences for illegally
downloading material can mean fines up to
$250,000 and up to five years of jail time.
One concern with piracy is the money the
artists receive. While those who are against pi-
racy say that illegal downloading takes away
money from the artists, people who don’t have
a problem with it try to justify their actions by
claiming that the artists don’t receive as much
of the money as the recording company does.
Music artists typically receive around 15 percent
of their music sales.“Artists make money from concerts and
CDs,” Laluk said. “Not iTunes.”A freshman who prefers to remain anony-
mous downloads music illegally because the stu-
dent believes that music online shouldn’t cost
anything.“I think that people shouldn’t be required to
pay, but have the option to donate money,” the
With the rise of the Internet came the ability
to download music, a method that proved to
be much more efficient and cheaper than more
traditional methods like buying CDs. Approxi-
mately 50 percent of music sales in 2011 were
from Internet downloads. However, as the amount of music on the In-
ternet rose, so did the amount of people who
share and download music illegally. Although
illegal file-sharing had been around since the
1970s, the Internet made sharing music for free
much easier and more accessible. According to
the Recording Industry Accociation of America,
illegal downloads were 63 percent of total down-
loads in 2009, and the number continues to rise.
Senior Avery Laluk claims that 95 percent of
his music was downloaded illegally. “I don’t think it’s wrong,” Laluk said. “The
main argument is that you’re stealing from the
artists, but the artists are still profiting... because
they sell it to the recording studio who then sells
it to iTunes. The artists don’t benefit as much as
the studio does [from download sales].”
1990: World Wide Web was created, mak-ing it easier for people to post things for others to see and share
1999: Peer-to-peer file sharing systems allow users to download media files
2000: Limewire was created, part of a peer-to-peer file sharing sys-tem that was created to download music for free
2005: The YouTube to MP3 converter was cre-ated, allowing people to take videos from YouTube and convert them so that they were able to be played MP3 players.
2009-Present: Mega Upload was established, which runs many online services related to file sharing and viewing
OVER THEYEARS
How illegal download systems have progressed
FEATURE 9
HEFTYRESULT
Consequences one might face if caught illegaly downloading
Lawsuits Fines Jail time with fines
Sued for up to $150,000 by the copyright holder
Minimum civil penalty of $750 per story
Up to five years in prison and $250,000 of fines
Photo illustration by Kristina Milewski
Information from RIAA
What is your main method of getting music?
Have you ever downloaded music illegally?
If yes, do you think you’ll ever get caught?
iTunes/Amazon
Survey of 173 students
Illegal downloading
CDs
Yes
No
Yes
No
Laluk was caught with various illegal down-
loads two years ago. He was given a warning,
which meant that his cable company took down
his Internet and made him delete all of the
downloaded content. Consequences for illegally
downloading material can mean fines up to
$250,000 and up to five years of jail time.
One concern with piracy is the money the
artists receive. While those who are against pi-
racy say that illegal downloading takes away
money from the artists, people who don’t have
a problem with it try to justify their actions by
claiming that the artists don’t receive as much
of the money as the recording company does.
Music artists typically receive around 15 percent
of their music sales.“Artists make money from concerts and
CDs,” Laluk said. “Not iTunes.”A freshman who prefers to remain anony-
mous downloads music illegally because the stu-
dent believes that music online shouldn’t cost
anything.“I think that people shouldn’t be required to
pay, but have the option to donate money,” the
student said. “In a concert you’re paying for the
performance, and with CDs you’re paying for
the format. Downloading, you just want to be
able to listen to music.”However, some people share different views.
“[Illegal downloading] is basically like
stealing,” sophomore Margo Wieschhaus said.
“When you download illegally, everyone who
has worked to get that song on the market isn’t
getting paid for it.”Wieschhaus buys all her music legally
through iTunes.“I download legally because I never have to
worry about getting caught, since I’m not doing
anything wrong,” Wieschhaus said. Although organizations like the RIAA have
been trying to crack down on illegal download-
ing, it is difficult to catch as it is done on such
a large scale, and it doesn’t seem to show any
signs of going away. Some people hope that this
will lead to illegal downloading becoming legal,
but it doesn’t seem likely.
JAGWIRE INFORMATION
JAGWIRE OFFICE5900 Monticello RoadShawnee, KS 66226Phone: (913) 422-4351Fax: (913) [email protected]: Kathy [email protected], a monthly publication of Mill Valley High School, is printed by Indepen-dence Examiner.
MEMBERS OFKansas Scholastic Press AssociationNational Scholastic Press Association Journalism Education Association
The 2012 JagWire was named anAll-American newspaper by the NSPA and earned an All-Kansas rating from KSPA.
CENSORSHIP POLICYKansas Sentate Bill 62 guaran-tees the same rights for student journalists as are guaranteed for prfes-sional journalists. These rights include, but are not limited to, all First Amendment rights, including the rights of freedom of speech and the press, insofar as published items may not contain libelous, slander-ous or obscene statements, may not incite or promote illegal conduct, may not cause a substantial disruption to normal school activity.
EDITORIAL POLICYWe value your opinions. If you wish to sub-mit a column or letter to the editor for the JagWire, you can do so by handing it in to a member of the staff or the print jour-nalism room. Additionally, you may e-mail any member of the staff with opinions, as well as tweet us at mvjagwire. Anony-mous content will not be accepted. Please understand that we have the right to edit all copy that runs in this publication.
SOCIAL MEDIATwitter: @millvalleynewsFacebook: Mill Valley News
JAGWIRE STAFF
STAFF SETS GOALS FOR YEAR
STAFFSTATS
RETURNING MEMBERS 13 NEW
MEMBERS 11 TOTAL MEMBERS 24
10 OPINION
fending any individual or group. Or goal was, and continues to be, to provide accurate, rel-evant and important information to those in-volved in the school and its activities. We want to make you think and be informed. Although we stand by the articles previously published in JagWire, we acknowledge that there is always room for improvement. Whether by
covering topics in a different way or being more direct about the purpose of an article, we believe we will grow this year. Regarding our website, Mill Valley News, we are working hard to make it as high-quality as our print issue. By aiming to post stories and photographs every day, we are trying to reach a broad audience and provide a place where we can highlight many different activities and hear reader feedback. Website comments are always
Ever since the very first student newspaper was published, student journalists have had one goal in mind: to educate the school about news-worthy or relevant topics. This school year, the JagWire staff plans to continue doing just that. That’s not our only goal, of course. Obvi-ously we’d love to win awards. However, we es-sentially want to continue reaching out to our readers and challenging them to think about current issues and open their minds. Whether it be a news article about a new policy, a feature on a student with a unique hobby or a review of a local ballet, we wish to expose readers to something new. Hopefully you, the reader, can finish reading through an issue having learned something you didn’t already know. Last year, JagWire seemed to have a stigma surrounding it that made us known for being “controversial.” However, we never published stories with the intent of creating conflict or of-
welcome; we want to hear your thoughts and opinions. We also want you to know that we work hard to put out a strong paper. No article is printed without being edited countless times and we dis-cuss the content of every single page to be sure that it is portrayed in the right way. We hope that, if anything, you appreciate our hard work and respect our genuine passion when it comes to journalism and JagWire. On a less serious note, watch out for a higher quality paper that includes more students and more coverage of different clubs, sports and groups. We want to tell people’s stories and shed light on unknown topics. We hope that when you finish an issue of JagWire you have gained a new perspective on an important topic at school. This is a school news-paper; it is written by students, for students. We want your opinion. If you would like to make a comment about the paper or share an idea, we would love to hear it. Thank you for supporting the paper and its staff. We appreciate your read-ership and hope you enjoy this year’s JagWire as much as we know we will.
JagWire staff looks forward to a new school year with a new staff
INTERNET FILTERS IMPROVE SCHOOL As administration cut down on the access of social media, many students became irritated with the banning of Facebook and Twitter. Be-fore the additional filters were in place, I tweet-ed during school any chance I got. After they came into play, I remember being so mad and frantically searching for alternative ways to get on Twitter through the school computers. As much as I hate the stringent Internet bans, I understand why they are in place; Twit-ter and Facebook are major distractions. It is a teacher’s job to educate and it is a student’s job to learn. We are expected to be listening and learning while in class and it isn’t likely that we’ll get much learning done if reading our Twitter timeline and updating our Facebook sta-
tuses is our main concern. The filters are in place to prevent social me-dia distractions as well as other online distrac-tions. I would much rather be reading my news-feed over reading my history book, however, school is school. We are here to learn and in the long run, I know that limiting the distractions on the internet will help students with under-stand curriculum and put forth more effort into learning. In the real world, people won’t put up with you putting social networking before work so why would it be any different at school? Even though these strict filters prevent us from check-ing social sites, they are also in place to improve productivness and help us in the long run.
Social networking restrictions are a catalyst for student productiveness
BY ANNIE [email protected]
“This is a school newspaper; it is written by students, for students.”
Editors-in-chiefAustin GillespieKristina MilewskiHanna Torline
Photo editorKelsey Floyd
Copy editorSydney Wilson
News editorRyan Fullerton
Feature editorRegan Jones
Opinion editorJack Lopez
Sports editorAlana Flinn
A&E/Social media managerMackenzie Eckman
Briefs editorKatherine White
Web editorAlec SantaulariaMiranda Snyder
Ads managerAustin Gude
ArtistRiley McDonald
StaffAnnie CrouchDevynn HarrisStephanie HudlestonAshley KitchenCallee LintonAmber NguyenConnor OswaldBaylee OwenKate Schau
BY JAGWIRE [email protected]
REELRILEY’S
Cartoon by Riley McDonald
SCHOOL WEEKS SHOULD BE FOUR DAYS OUTSPEAKday school week down to four have been proven in school districts across the country. A study performed by the Center for Education Policy at the University of Southern Maine stated that morale and spirit throughout the student body increased as well as overall GPA and the num-ber of daily absences decreased and overall GPA increased.
When they started early release at our school, the percentage of excused tardies decreased by 83 percent, unexcused tardies decreased by 46 per-cent and overall time out of class was decreased by an average of two days per student. The ob-vious correlation between a mass improvement among students was the chance of having 45 minutes removed from an average Friday.
Along with boosting overall school perfor-mance, districts would save immense amounts of money. I believe that a shorter school week would be one of the most economically brilliant choices a school district could make. Imagine how much money could be saved if 12 schools
As I begrudgingly dragged myself out of bed this morning for school, I came to what I thought was a near-brilliant conclusion: let’s have school four days a week.
The extensive benefits of shortening a five-
didn’t serve lunch for an extra day, didn’t pro-vide transportation via bus, and didn’t have to power 12 entire buildings. The extra money saved from not having a fifth school day could help fund anything the district needs.
Of course the statistics show the pros of a shorter school week. However, there is one ma-jor fault in the idea. While we’ll be given an extra day off, classes would essentially have to be lengthened to make up lost time. Or, if we kept the same length of our school days, we might even have to give up summer breaks. However, as the country falls behind in educational sta-tus, a longer day could be the educational turn-around this country needs.
In our very school district, a reward system of a shorter Friday has boosted GPA and less-ened unexcused absences. If schools in the coun-try takes our reward system a step further by removing one day in the school week, then there will be what can be considered as the biggest im-provement ever seen by the educational system.
Shortening average school weeks to four days should be considered
BY ALANA [email protected]
STUDENTS MUST REACH FOR SUCCESSBut I have a question for you: why is it that
when a student does something that has a last-ing effect on the school, they are rarely recog-nized for their actions? The change is often not announced to the student body. Their actions have made a huge impact on how the school operates yet no one so much as bats an eye; they deserve so much more than that. They took a risk and should be rewarded for their efforts.
There is no way that anyone can say that the class of 2012 has not left a huge impact on this school. They have done more for Mill Valley students and the school itself than many of the other classes that have graduated in years past. The students of this class cared for the school and did whatever they could to improve it and make it better for future students.
We need more students like this at Mill Val-ley. We need students who aren’t afraid to step up and take control of a situation, as well as
finding a solution for it. We need students who aren’t afraid to fight for what they believe in. We need students who are able to make this school the best it can be for everyone.
That is what I am challenging you to do. This is your school; therefore it is your responsibility to make it the best it can be. I am challenging you to get involved and to make an impact. Do something that will be remembered. Records will be broken, the old champions forgotten in time. But if you do something that affects every person in the entire student body, you will be remembered. Be proactive and be involved. This is your school, so make it the best it can be.
As the new school year begins, returning students reminisce about those who graduated from Mill Valley in years past. Yet when I walk through the hallways, I rarely hear mention of the class of 2012. Why does it seem as if the class of 2012 has already been forgotten? What is it that has caused other senior classes to be more memorable than last year’s seniors?
The class of 2012 had many prominent ef-fects on the way the school operates and how the students can participate in and make an im-pact upon it. StuCo senior class president Josh Duden led the committee focused on removing the dance policy, removing the document from students enrollment packets. Last year’s NHS president Carly Granato revised the club’s con-stitution, allowing for them to have more flex-ibility in the services they could provide for the students, including their financial aid seminars and other information sessions. Senior class president Rachel Mills and the committee she led also rewrote the StuCo bylaws, giving them privileges to host more activities to benefit the school, other than the regular pep rallies.
Students need to become more proactive in order to benefit school
BY ALEC [email protected]
OPINION 11
What do you think about the school’s internet filters?
“I hate them. I haven’t been on Twitter in so long because
of them.”JUNIOR PARKER HUNT
“I guess a lot of things get done now. I never really used
it. I just used my phone.”SENIOR EMILY BRIGHAM
“I’m really mad because I liked to tweet during school
when I was bored.”JUNIOR MADISON PLOUVIER
“I don’t really care because I have it on my phone.”
SOPHOMORE JACKSON ROSNER
“We need students who are able to make this school the best it can be.”
A look at the different clubs that students can get involved with
SPORTS CLUBSACTIVITIES
= two sports/activites/clubs
INVOLVEDGET
12 SPORTS
MANAGING THE
As senior soccer manager Kayla Hamner bends her knees and keeps her eyes on the ball, senior right midfielder Hugh Ebb harshly kicks at the ball at her while she guards the goalie net. One of Hamner’s jobs is to play defense or goalie against the players.
“Daily jobs are rarely ever the same,” Hamner said. “Every day is something different.”
Hamner manages the boys’ soccer team along with seniors Carlie Howe and McKenzie Koch. All of the girls play soccer for the school which drove them to manage the boys’ team.
“I enjoy watching soccer more than anything,” Howe said. “I thought this would be a fun way [to get involved].”
Hamner said the best part of her job is getting to know and be friends with all of the players.
nior year to managing the football team. “The best part of my job is being able
to see what the boys put into winning,” Bangs said.
Jamison agreed with Bangs that the atmosphere of games are one of the main reasons she manages.
“Watching the boys get amped up is such an amazing sensation,” Jamison said.
The girls are required to perform various jobs such as filming plays for the players to watch, sweeping out the locker
Numerous players and coaches scream in unison for water as senior football manager Maddie Bangs lightly jogs across the field. Bangs holds out the drink carrier that contains newly filled water bottles and several hands reach to-wards her.
“It is really overwhelming,” Bangs said. “When the coaches are screaming at you as the same time as the players, it just feels stressful.”
Both Bangs and senior Michaela Jamison are dedicating the fall of their se-
RIGHT: Seniors Mck-enzie Koch and Carlie Howe talk to boys varsity soccer coach Arlan Vom-hof. Koch and Howe are managers for the team, their obli-gations include get-ting water and play-ing defense, among other things. Photo by Kelsey Floyd
ABOVE: Senior football managers Michaela Jamison and Maddie Bangs laugh as they prepare ice buckets for a day at practice on Thursday, Sept. 20. Photo by Jack Lopez
BY ALANA [email protected]
room after practices and bringing equip-ment to the film.
While Bangs said spending every day after school at practice is the worst part of being a manager, she knows that her choice of being a manager was a good one.
“When they lose, it’s more personal to me because I’ve seen all that they go through,” Bangs said. “I enjoy getting to see the hard work that the boys put into winning games.”
First year managers discuss the rewards of dedicating their senior year to football
Football Managers Michaela Jamison and Maddie Bangs
CATCH UPSEASONVOLLEYBALL
Currently 6- 2
All new coaching staff
Plays Eudora High School at home on Thursday
FOOTBALLCurrently 3-1
Ranked 42nd in the state
Plays at Bonner Springs High School on Friday
CROSS COUNTRYGirls school 4K record beat by freshmen Ellie Wilson and Amber AkinRuns at Topeka- Seamen on Saturday
TENNISSeniors Joylyn Kennedy and Taylor Brunson Number 1 doubles team
Varsity/JV League meet at home on Monday
SOCCERCurrently 5-3-1
15 returning varsity players
Plays at Lansing High School on Thursday
GOLFCurrently 8-0
Took first place overall at 8 meets
Plays at the Gardner Invitational on Monday
Three girls soccer team members manage boys team for more exposure to the game
SIDELINESSoccer Managers Carlie Howe, Kayla Hamner and McKenzie Koch
SPORTS 13
NOT YOUR AVERAGE
How upset do you get if the Royals lose?
Being a baseball fan, playing a game ev-ery day for six months you can’t just en-joy one win or be crushed about one loss for very long. You just have to move on.
Is there someone that you would credit with sparking your interest in baseball?
I would say my dad and my grandma. My grandma’s been a Royals fan since day one and my dad’s been a fan since the mid-1970s so they’re kind of the two people who got me into baseball.
Of all your memorabilia, what is your most prized possession?
Probably my ball that I got signed by Mike Sweeney in spring training in 2006. He was my idol when I was younger be-cause he was a good player for so many years and in general a good guy to look up to. Value-wise I have a lot of baseballs signed by Hall of Famers. If I had to sell all but one of them, it would probably be my Hank Aaron ball.
Do you think you will still be a Royals fan even if you move away from Kansas City?
Oh yeah. I mean it’s definately tougher
What is it you like best about baseball?
I just fell in love with baseball in 2003 when the Royals were in first place for most of the season, and I just kind of got sucked into it.
What has been your most exciting mo-ment as a Royals fan?
Even though it didn’t really have any-thing to do with the Royals, I would say when I was here for the Home Run Derby…because it was a big, nationally televised event.
Does it matter to you that the Royals haven’t been very successful?
Well I like them because they’re the hometown team, plain and simple. It doesn’t really bother me because I’m thinking that with all of the quality stock they have in the minor league system, they’ll be good before too long. I know I’ve been saying that for the past few years, but they will.
to be a fan of a team if you don’t live in the same city. [But] even if I lived in St. Louis I probably couldn’t wear a Royals shirt in public, but I’d definitely still be a fan.
How are you planning on continuing your baseball interest after high school?
I want to go to Kansas State University and major in some sort of broadcast and hopefully become a sports broadcaster. I definitely want to go into something sports or media related. But I would rath-er do radio than TV. For one, I wouldn’t have to wear makeup every day because you actually have to look good on TV.
Which sports broadcaster do you look up to?
I’d say I look up to Denny Matthews. [He’s] a Royals guy who was already broadcasting Major League games by the time he was 25, and he was one of the best in the business at it.
How are you planning to become a sports-caster?
I’m not sure exactly what I’m going to do leading up to that. Whatever comes my way and whatever happens happens.
Senior Royals fan Brennan Mense gives an inside look into his baseball memorabilia BY HANNA [email protected]
FAN
ABOVE: Senior Brennan Mense shows off his extensive collection of memorabilia on Saturday, Sept. 22. “I’m really proud of what my collection has become,” Mense said. “It grows all the time and I’m going to keep adding to it.” Photo by Devynn Harris
1501,200
18Dollars spent on ticket purchases per season
Hotdogs consumed at games
Royals clothing articles owned
Mense’s Royals season by the numbers
STATSSEASON
LEFT: Senior Bren-nan Mense cheers for Royals player Jeff Francouer as he steals a base on Sunday, Sept. 16. “Being a Roy-als fan is just who I am,” Mense said. “I grew up surrounded by Royals fans so I never knew anything else.”Photo by Alec Santaularia
14 A&E
LLINTO THISFASEASON’STELEVISION
THE VOICE
FREE BUSY
GO ON REVOLUTIONTHE NEW NORMAL
THE MOB DOCTORNBC, Monday at 7 p.m. FOX, Thursday at 9 p.m.
NBC, Monday at 9 p.m.NBC, Tuesday at 8:30 p.m.NBC, Tuesday at 8 p.m.
Photo from NBC
Photo from NBC Photo from NBC Revolution TV Show
Photo from Fox
The Voice, a singing competition where team lead-ers compete to add new members to each team, premiered on NBC on Wednesday, Sept. 12. As the weeks progress, singers from each team will “battle” each other and compete to see who stays in the competition. From there, the contestants will be narrowed down to the final four, who will compete in the finale. The team leaders are still the same from last season. Blind auditions continued this week as the Adam Levine, Chris-tina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green and Blake Shelton competed to add new members to their teams.
Go On, Matthew Perry’s newest comedy, pre-miered on NBC on Wednesday, Sept. 12. The show charts sportscaster Ryan King’s (Perry) ad-ventures in a support group after his wife dies in a texting-related car accident. Most of the humor comes at the expense of the dysfunctionality of the support group. Perry stands out among his other cast members, not only because he is the main character but because of his keen eye for comedy. Overall, I’m really looking forward to this series.
NBC’s The New Normal looks into what makes up a family as it follows a gay couple looking to start one of its own and a single mother who volun-teers to be their surrogate, hoping to start a new, more meaningful life. As this show is a comedy, there’s the obligatory motley crew of dynamic characters supporting or hindering the efforts of our protagonists in a variety of comical ways. The somewhat controversial ideas of the show were portrayed very well, matter-of-factly, but with a certain level of charm and universal sentiment.
NBC’s Revolution explores a post-apocalyptic world in which all technology has stopped working. This throws civilization back into the dark ages, complete with a feudalistic system of government, crossbow-toting protagonists and trench coat-clad villains gallivanting across the countryside on horseback. The premise seems promising, but the writing and acting just didn’t do it for me. Or maybe I was distracted by the leading lady’s love interest and his truly uncanny resemblance to both President Barack Obama and Star Trek’s Spock.
Fox’s The Mob Doctor introduces us to yet another no-nonsense doctor with a blatant disregard for the legal system and a personalized code of eth-ics, with one shiny new trait: this doctor’s be-ing forced to work for the mob on the side. The show follows her as she tries to save lives on all sides and avoid ticking off the head mobster guy, lest he send some hired goons after her family. The best part of this show for me was the way it combined aspects of crime dramas and medical dramas to make a show that I’m pretty sure I’m going to keep up with.
Netflix: Instant streaming on your computer, iPhone or TV makes Netflix a great, flexible alternative
DVR: DVR allows you to record and keep shows saved until you have the opportunity to watch them
Hulu or network websites: Use Hulu or network websites which al-low you to view episodes for up to a week after their orginal air date
Watch it live: If you’ve got the time, watch it live. If you do, you don’t have to worry about your favorite show getting spoiled the next day
BY MACKENzIE [email protected]
BY KATE [email protected]
JagWire takes a look at fall television shows
TIMETUBEFind out the best method for watching your favorite television shows based on your schedule
STUDENTSAUCY
EXCHANGEFOREIGN
A&E 15
had to take English tests, w
rite essays, go to interview
s and stuff like that.”K
oleva said that her first few
days in the U
nited States were a bit diffi
cult as she learned about A
merica.
“I didn’t know lots of stuff, like
what to order in restaurants,” K
oleva said. “I asked m
any questions of my
host family.”
Koleva’s
host fam
ily, the
family
she’s staying with w
hile in Am
erica, chose her to com
e live with them
, so she did not know
where she w
ould be going until she learned w
ho her host fam
ily was.
Although she hasn’t had too m
uch trouble adjusting to life in A
merica,
Koleva did adm
it that the new school
was “a little confusing.”
“[The school] is very different… and
I got lost on my fi
rst day,” Koleva said.
All in all, K
oleva is grateful for the opportunity she has had to study in A
merica.“It’s a new
experience,” Koleva said,
“but I think it’s worth it.”
A
foreign exchange
student from
Kardzhali, B
ulgaria, junior M
arinela Koleva has been
adapting to life in Am
er-ica.
“It w
as really
overwhelm
ing at the beginning,
because I didn’t know
any-one,”
Koleva
said. “B
ut it’s been over a
month
now,
and I’m
getting used to [living here].”K
oleva got the opportunity to com
e to the United States through
an organization
called A
merican
Councils
for International
Educa-
tion, which helps students around
the w
orld interact
with
other cul-
tures, usually
through foreign
ex-change program
s. Koleva said that
she had to do a lot to be able to com
e to Am
erica.“I
won
a scholarship,”
Koleva
said, “but [to get the scholarship] I
Junior Marinela Koleva shares exchange experiences
Wh
at you’ll n
eed:Fo
r the
sprin
g ro
lls:1 package of rice w
rappers1 package of rice verm
icelli 1 pound of peeled, boiled shrim
pFresh bunch of cilantro1 head of red leaf lettuce
For th
e d
ipp
ing
sauce
:
Direction
s:
½ cup of hoisin sauce
1 cup of water
3 tablespoons
of sm
ooth peanut butter1 ½
tablespoon sugar
For th
e sp
ring
rolls:
1. Start by boiling two pots of w
ater, one for the shrim
p and the other for the vermicelli.
2. Follow instructions on the package of ver-
micelli for cooking tim
e. Drain and rinse.
Set aside.3. Peel and devein the shrim
p and boil in w
ater until fully cooked.4. Thoroughly w
ash the lettuce and cilantro. Set aside. 5. G
et a bowl of w
arm w
ater to prepare the rice w
rappers, dip each rice wrapper into the
warm
water so that is com
pletely wet and
set enough wrappers on enough plates for
however m
any that you are feeding. 6. O
n top of each wrapper, on one of the
sides, not in the middle place a leaf of let-
tuce, a sprig of cilantro, a little portion of verm
icelli, and 3-4 shrimp pieces on
top of it all.7. B
e sure not to overstuff the rolls, be-cause they w
ill rip if overstuffed.8. E
njoy with dipping sauce.
For th
e d
ipp
ing
sauce
:1. B
oil the cup of water.
2. Whisk in the hoisin sauce, peanut but-
ter and sugar. 3. Sim
mer for 5 m
inutes.4. If your sauce does not thicken, w
hisk for one m
inute over medium
heat.5. Pour into individual serving cups and enjoy.
Photo by Am
ber Nguyen
BY AMBER NGUYEN
jagwire.am
bernguyen@gm
ail.com
BY SYDNEY WILSON
jagwire.sydneyw
ilson@gm
ail.com
SPRING ROLLSSURVEY40% OTHER
33% ASIA14% USA8% M
EXICO5% INDIA FLIP
Staff mem
ber shares recipe for authentic Vietnamese spring rolls
SIDEYour sidew
ays trip around the world
THESONG
SWITCH-UP
International artists rise in popularity in the United S
tates
What country
was your shirt
made in?(check
your tag)
Survey of 13
0 students
Of M
onsters an
d Men
(Iceland)S
ong: “Little Talks”A
lbum: M
y Head is an A
nimal
Ph
oenix
(France)S
ong: “19
01
”A
lbum: W
olfgang Am
adeus Phoenix
Arcade Fire
(Canada)
Song: “W
e Used to W
ait”A
lbum: The S
uburbs
Photo from O
f Monsters and M
en
Photo from W
e Are Phoenix
Photo from A
rcade Fire
Photo by Miranda Snyder
Scan with your Quick Response app on your smartphone to see more photos online.
16 PHOTO ESSAY
Above: After letting her bugs soak up some mois-ture on Thursday, Sept. 13, junior Dominique Vann looks through a book to identify the bug before she pins it. Vann said that the identifying and pinning are the hardest parts of the entire process. “It’s interesting to see all the different bugs,” Vann said. Photo by Miranda Snyder
Below Right:During Blue 4 Plants and Environment class, junior Alex Lauderdale works on pinning insects she caught. Lauder-dale said collecting bugs was her fa-vorite part because “It’s interesting and exciting.” Photo by Ashley Kitchen
Above Right: Trying to catch bugs to take back to his class, junior Daniel Ward tries to scare them from hiding, on Tuesday, Sept. 11. After Ward catches his bugs he began to identify and pin them. “I’m actually learning more than I thought I would,” Ward said, “It’s fun.” Photo by Miranda Snyder
CATCHING THE GRADEStudents collect a variety of insects for a Plants and the Environment class
Above: Starting out his Plants and the Environment class by drying out the insects he caught, senior Derek Beyer pins his recently caught insect. After learning about various species, of insects Beyer and his classmates went outside to collect them. “Catching bugs is my favorite thing,” Beyer said. Photo by Miranda Snyder
Left: In Blue 4 Plants and Environment, junior Brayson Christopher pins his insects he collected from the insect col-lecting outside on Thursday, Sept.13. In the class student learn about different types of insects, and go outside to col-lect different types. Photo by Ashley Kitchen